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HUNTING A KILLER
The body lay faceup at the waterline, the skin dusted with sand that glistened in the slanting early morning sun. The waves crept up, gently rocking the body and then recoiling, as if in horror at the gruesome discovery.
There was no face.
And what little skin remained was speckled with black paint.
Louis wet his lips, his stomach queasy. Tatum and Quick had been beaten, but this one . . . This time the face was gone. He steadied himself by taking a few steps away and looking out over the gulf. He concentrated on a lone sailboat, on its shape—a crisp white triangle against the brilliant blue of the sky.
Wainwright walked up to him. “We’re dealing with a serial killer, Louis.”
Louis nodded.
Wainwright pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his face as he looked back down at Mobley and the others.
“Dan,” Louis said, “did you notice the face on this one? He’s getting madder.”
“But you’re wrong about the pattern,” Wainwright said. “He still killed on a Tuesday. That gives us six days to find the bastard.”
He stuffed the handkerchief back into his pocket and trudged up the beach.
After he left, Louis stood there, not quite ready to leave, and not wanting to go back down to where the faceless body lay baking in the sand. . . .
Books by P.J. Parrish
DARK OF THE MOON
DEAD OF WINTER
PAINT IT BLACK
Published by Pi
PAINT IT BLACK
P.J. Parrish
PINNACLE BOOKS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com
All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.
Table of Contents
HUNTING A KILLER
Also by
Title Page
Dedication
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Chapter Thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-four
Chapter Thirty-five
Chapter Thirty-six
Chapter Thirty-seven
Chapter Thirty-eight
Chapter Thirty-nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-one
Chapter Forty-two
Chapter Forty-three
Chapter Forty-four
Chapter Forty-five
Chapter Forty-six
Chapter Forty-seven
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Copyright Page
To our good bud, Bacchus, for all
his help
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
You won’t find Sereno Key on any map of Florida; it is a place of the imagination. But the area that inspired it—the southwest coast of Florida—is very real. In setting PAINT IT BLACK there, we have taken a few liberties with geography, but most of the places in the story are real, and we have tried to stay true to the distinct ambiance of our setting.
We were helped by some fine people along the way. A huge thank-you goes to:
Dave Jensen and Vanessa Viglione, who know where all the bodies are buried on Captiva and beyond.
George Lynch of the “Miss Barnegat Light” at Fisherman’s Wharf; John Derickson of “Robin’s Song” at Bahia Mar; and fishing guide Greg Rhodes, who educated us on the ways of boats, bloody fish, and the backbay.
Dr. Dave Donson of New York Methodist Hospital, in Brooklyn, NY, who inspired the original germ of the story and led us through its medical thicket.
Kara Winton, public information officer; Officer Kim Lindsay; and Major Kevin B. Anderson, all of the Fort Myers Police Department. Thanks for your insights and enthusiasm.
And last but not least, to Sam Johnson, chief investigator, Office of the Medical Examiner, in Fort Myers, for being so generous with his time and expertise.
We would also like to acknowledge some source material. The following books are excellent guides to those wishing to learn more about the early days of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and criminal profiling: The FBI: A Comprehensive Reference Guide by Athan G. Theoharis, Tony G. Poveda, Susan Rosenfeld, and Richard Gid Powers; The FBI by Ronald Kessler; and, of course, the seminal works of FBI investigator John Douglas, especially Journey Into Darkness (with Mark Olshaker).
March 1986