Anyway, staying here to punish Marliwasn't really part of his plans. He had bigger things to do.
Why did Mr. Big-and-Tall keepshowing up? And why the hell did he have a gun? That wasn't supposed to happen.They'd sat there all night, wasting time, dancing, gazing into each other'seyes. When the guy'd finally left her sitting there alone, excitement rose andadrenaline kicked in. "Last chance, last chance," he'd chanted as hefollowed her.
Laura was probably looking for him,but who cared. He was done there now. He had a pocketful of money that wouldkeep him going for a while.
He gathered up his meager belongingsand left the motel. He checked the money in his pocket. He'd made a fair bit ontips tonight, so he could afford to take a cab. He directed the driver to theHonky Tonk Bar and Grill, just on the outskirts of town.
The place was hopping and he soonspotted just what he wanted. She was young, blonde and alone. Not exactlypretty, nothing like Marli, but she looked kind of sad and lonely.
"Hey, gorgeous," he saidwith a friendly smile. "Can I buy you a drink?"
The police and the two FBI specialagents they'd met earlier arrived at the hotel to take statements. Again.
"I'm getting so tired ofthis," Marli said wearily. She looked at Trey. "When is it going toend? I don't know how much more I can take."
"Something's going on withhim," Trey said with irritation. "This isn't his usualbehavior."
"Why is he doing this tome?"
Trey scowled. "Well, becauseyou're blonde for one thing."
"Why?" she demanded."Why are all his victims blonde?"
"His mother is blonde,"Trey replied. "They have a...difficult relationship. Plus, I think it'sbecause you laughed at him when he told you he was a cowboy."
"Huh?"
He recalled his conversation withSheldon's brother and told Marli and the other FBI agents about it.
"I went to see his brotherPeter when I was investigating Kathy Richards' murder."
Special Agent Burrows nodded."It's in the file."
Trey continued, for Marli's benefit."Peter's blonde and good-looking like Sheldon, except he looks rough, likehe's been through hell. Life of crime, like Sheldon. Apparently, Sheldon was ahyper kid. Peter thought he probably had ADD or ADHD, said he was always actingout, running around, bouncing off the walls."
Brawley,California
Seven months earlier
"Drove the rest of your familycrazy?" Trey asked Peter.
"Oh, yeah. Especially my mama.She gets pretty stressed herself. One time, she locked him in the closet in hisbedroom just to keep him quiet and out of her way. She left him there for twodays. Another time she almost drowned him, she was so pissed because he wasfooling around in the tub and splashing water all over the floor. She held hishead under water, and he was choking so much, I thought he was gonna die."
Trey's gut clenched, listening tothe stories of emotional and physical abuse.
"One time when he was bigger,and she could hardly hold him down, she tied him up. Tied his wrists to thebed. His wrists were bleeding, he tried so hard to get away.
"Sheldon was always gettin'into trouble at school," Peter continued. "That's why he dropped outso early. Started drinkin' and doin' drugs when he was only, like, eleven ortwelve. But it was never his fault. Mama would go to school and try to find outwho was giving him a hard time."
"If he was in trouble all thetime, it must have been at least partly his fault."
Peter laughed shortly. "It was alwayshis fault," he said. "He never could take responsibility, andMama was just like that, too. Someone else was getting her little boy introuble."
"Tell me about his wife."
"Teresa," Peter replied."They sure weren't married long. He knocked her up when she was still inhigh school, but she left before the baby was even born. Actually, I heard shehad twins, boys. Sheldon was beatin' on her and that's why she took off. Idon't even know where she lives now, and she probably likes it that way."
Trey said nothing.
"Sheldon was drivin' a cab whenthey got married, but he'd always wanted to be a cowboy. Mama used to laugh athim when he said that, and make fun of him, call him "cowboy" in thatnasty tone she had, and it sure made him mad. So then he took off one day andsure enough, he got a job at some ranch, cleaning stables or something, I dunno.Anyway, we didn't see him for a long time after that. Every once in a whilehe'd come home lookin' for money, and we thought he was probably in some kindof trouble."
Trey paused and looked at Marli'spale, tense face. "Wanda Barnes apparently thought bullying her childrenwas the way to control their behavior, and Sheldon was too impulsive to controlhis anger. Women with blonde hair--like Wanda's--apparently trigger hisanger--and suffer for what he probably wanted to do to his mother when he was aboy."
"Oh, God," Marli said,pulling her own hair. "I had no idea."
"Of course not. Don't startbeating yourself up about that, too. You had no idea he was nuts."
Special Agent Burrows glanced athim. "What do you think his next move is?"
"Wish I had a hot clue,"Trey said, rubbing his face. "But we're not going back to that bar."
"You shouldn't have done thattonight," Burrows said sharply. "You should know better than toendanger the life of a civilian."
Trey nodded regretfully.
"What are you talkingabout?" Marli demanded. "He didn't endanger me; he saved me. I wasthe one who planned to go there, just like I've been going there every nightthis week. Trey just came to look after me."
Trey looked at her wordlessly,keeping his face expressionless. Something flickered in her eyes, passingbetween them.
Burrows looked at Trey. "Thattrue?"
Trey still looked at Marli."She says it, it must be true."
Burrows scowled.
When they'd gone, Trey gave Marli ameasured look. "I don't like lying."
"I know." She gave him asmall smile. "But I wasn't
