Amazing Grace (The American Soldier Collection 3)

Shaking the thoughts from his head, he headed downstairs to help with breakfast. As he passed Grace’s room this morning, he heard the shower running.

* * * *

Grace thought about the house the guys owned. The inside of the house was immaculate. The family room had a beautiful stone fireplace and deep large comfortable couches scattered around it.

She looked into her bag. Her brother packed practically everything she owned. She opted for a pair of jean shorts and a loose white T-shirt. She glanced around the room and saw a beautiful blue wooded armoire that contained a TV and some extra bed linens in the drawers.

There were pictures of a spinning wheel sewing an American flag on one wall, and on another wall a long, brown, wooden rod contained an antique quality quilt of the Pledge of Allegiance.

She liked the theme as she headed toward the bathroom.

The bathroom was large and contained a Jacuzzi tub and a separate glass-enclosed, mosaic-tiled shower. It was a modern touch to the whole log home idea. She actually liked it, a lot. Living in Europe and doing photo shoots, she had gotten to stay in some really amazing hotels as well as some dives. But the idea of a Jacuzzi tub was definitely positive as far as she was concerned.

She took her time and enjoyed the heat of the water. Her shoulders and neck ached and she still felt the cause was more from Sandman tackling her than the stress of the events. When she was finished, she got dressed and headed downstairs.

* * * *

The killer sat in his car as he watched Grace’s brothers’ house. Where had she gone? No one knew or they weren’t telling.

He should have figured Sandstone would take Grace into hiding but he didn’t think Sandstone could pull it off without him knowing. After all he was like part of the family.

Who was this guy Sandstone anyway? He came in out of the blue and was running the show. The killer wanted information on him and a way to get to Sandstone and get him out of this investigation. But how?

Someone in the family knew where Grace was and would open their mouth and leak the information.

Now he had to be patient. Patience was definitely not one of his strong points, especially when it came to picking a victim, relishing in the time he spent exploring them and then leaving their body to be found by the authorities. His desire, his obsession was too much to ignore. He craved another. He would have to be very cautious now that there were so many agents and police around but it actually excited him and made the thrill of killing even more pleasurable. As he put the car in drive, he headed out of town determined to satisfy his physical desires. He enjoyed the hunt almost as much as the actual acts and fantasies he envisioned in his mind. He looked at the clock on his car radio and knew he had plenty of time. He was a pro, a master at his game. He would never get caught. He would gratify his wants and needs. “Soon…Soon…”

He breathed deeply, taking his time as he passed one young woman after the next.

“Who will be the lucky one to play along today?”

Chapter 7

They finished eating breakfast and Sandman shook his head as he listened to Duke flirt with Grace. His brother was relentless but his persistence finally put a small smile on Grace’s face.

“Honey, you should be the model, not the photographer,” Duke stated, and Grace shook her head at him. She popped a blueberry into her mouth as she looked out the doublewide windows toward the fields and garden.

“I love being a photographer and I prefer to be behind the lens, not in front of it.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” he replied.

“Bullshit, you know what she means. You’re SWAT, a commander and instructor and love being in the spotlight. Don’t you get it? Grace likes to remain anonymous, and mysterious,” Big Jay said as he continued to tap on the keyboard.

“All I’m saying is that she should be in the spotlight. She’s gorgeous,” Duke stated as he held her gaze.

“Well I agree with you there, but she’s also an artist and probably likes to keep to herself as well,” Big Jay added and Sandman watched as she looked toward Duke and Sandman and smiled. Duke released a sigh.

Just then, Sandman’s phone rang.

“Sandstone here.”

“It’s Jim. We found the location of the latest victim. The one whose pictures were sent to Grace? You’re not going to believe this but the murder took place only three houses down from the brother’s house. The young woman worked in the records department in city hall. She often jogged by the coffee hut, too, and knew one of the girls who worked behind the counter,” Jim explained.

“Holy shit only three houses away from John’s place? Damn this guy is good. Grace was only at her brother’s house for three days while I was in New York. He was able to scope out the neighborhood, select the victim, learn her routine, and make his move so quickly. Any evidence left behind?” Sandman asked.

“We found his usual stuff, handcuffs, whips, ropes, and of course no weapon. He did, however, leave a copy of a newspaper clipping of Grace from a few years ago.”

“Did you find any prints on anything?” he asked.