Free The Third Victim by Lisa Gardner Page A

keep any one man around for long. She never let her dates pick her up or bring her home. Instead, she would meet them at the chosen restaurant, possibly return to their house, and rise and depart long before they even woke up in the morning.
    She seemed to have some basic need for sex but never for sharing. That fascinated the man.
    She also had another quirk. Every day when she came home from work, she opened a bottle of Bud Light. And every evening before she went to bed, she emptied the full bottle of beer off the back of her deck. An ode to her dead drunken mother, the man figured. Did she picture Molly Conner dead then? Remember the headless torso and gray matter on the ceiling?
    It was one of the reasons he’d bought the binoculars. Because sometimes her lips moved as she poured out the booze, and he was beyond general interest now, beyond objective reconnaissance. He desperately, desperately needed to know what she said.
    Up yours, Mom?
    Fuck you?
    The man was enamored with Rainie Conner. She had become his personal hero. And she had added something to his particular venture. She was the police officer destined to find him out, he’d decided. She alone could recognize his genius, his mastery. Finally, ten years later, here was an adversary worthy of his talents.
    In the beginning, his plans for Bakersville had been modest. They had changed since then.
    Now the man carefully retreated into the cover of low-growing shrubs. He put away his binoculars. He took one last, admiring look at his gun and allowed himself the luxury of remembering how good it had felt. . . .
    Then he moved on. He still had many more things to do before the long drive back to his hotel.

SEVEN
                                                                                                                                                                                                               
    Wednesday, May 16, 8:00 A . M .
    INTERVIEW OF DANIEL JEFFERSON O’GRADY
MAY 15, 2000

    This is Officer Lorraine Conner, conducting an interview of Daniel Jefferson O’Grady, who is suspected of murdering three people at the Bakersville kindergarten-through-eight school, on Tuesday, May 15, 2000. Assisting me is Officer Luke Hayes. Also present is District Attorney Charles Rodriguez. O’Grady has been advised of his rights and has refused counsel. The time is 4:47 P . M .

    C ONNER: Danny, can you tell us what happened today at your school?
    Silence.
    C ONNER: Danny, are you listening? Do you understand my question?
    Silence.
    C ONNER: What day is it today, Danny?
    Pause.
    O’G RADY: Tuesday.
    C ONNER: Very good. Is Tuesday a school day?
    O’G RADY: Yes.
    C ONNER: Did you go to school today?
    O’G RADY: Yes.
    C ONNER: When did you go to school, Danny?
    O’G RADY: This morning.
    C ONNER: With your sister? With Becky?
    O’G RADY: Yeah. My mom drops us off. Becky doesn’t like the bus. It ran over a cat.
    C ONNER: That’s sad. Becky likes animals, doesn’t she?
    O’G RADY: Yes. She’s freaky.
    C ONNER: Are these the clothes you wore to school today? The black jeans, black T-shirt?
    O’G RADY: Yes.
    C ONNER: Do you wear a lot of black clothes?
    O’G RADY: I don’t know.
    C ONNER: Is there a special reason you wore all black today?
    Silence.
    C ONNER: Did you go to class this morning, Danny?
    O’G RADY: Yes.
    C ONNER: You’re in seventh grade, aren’t you? Who’s your teacher?
    O’G RADY: Mr. Watson.
    C ONNER: Is he a good teacher? Do you like him?
    O’G RADY: He’s all right, I guess.
    C ONNER: What did you study this morning?
    O’G RADY: We have English in the morning, then math. Then we were going to have a geography game this afternoon. Map games, the capital cities . . .
    C ONNER: The game didn’t happen this afternoon, did