QR Code Killer (13 page)

“Not so much,” Danny said, remembering the
look of disgust on Erik’s face. “He’s a pretty private guy. It’s
going to be hard on him.”

“Being in the crosshairs of a madman is hard
on him, too,” Maddie said. “But he’s tough, smart and willing to
ride this out with us.”

Danny stood up and took Maddie’s hand in his,
giving it a squeeze. “Just for the record, I’m glad you found him,
Maddie. Erik is one of the good guys and it’s more than obvious he
cares about you.”

Maddie gave Danny a hug. “Thanks, Danny. That
means a lot to me, especially coming from you.”

Stepping back, Danny was quiet for a moment.
“What did you find out today? Erik said you encountered more dead
ends.”

“Not exactly. Zeus was in the restaurant in
disguise as an old distinguished gentleman. He isn’t staying at the
hotel and he paid in cash so that was a dead end. We went to the
airport and they haven’t seen anyone who looks like Zeus coming
through. I asked about an older gentleman, but they said without a
photo they couldn’t be much help. I have a feeling Zeus has
multiple disguises, so they aren’t going to recognize him.”

“How did you figure out he planted bugs?”

“He knew too much information. He knew I was
going out to the field to take Erik cookies the other day. He knew
exactly where we were eating dinner. He seems to know pretty much
every move we make because he hears our plans as we make them. I’m
guessing he had a few minutes when we were all either gone or
occupied, snuck in the house and planted bugs in the places he
thought we would spend the most time. I’m just wondering what else
he has tapped into.”

“He could have tapped into your phone, the
computer.” Danny started thinking of all the places and ways Zeus
could be watching them. Watching and waiting to make his move.

“I’ll have diagnostics run a check on my
phone. In the meantime, I’m going to see what else I can turn up.
It’s going to be hard conversing normally knowing he’s listening to
every word we say.”

“I know, Maddie, but you can do this. We can
do this.” Danny held the door as they walked back upstairs. Going
into the kitchen, he left his empty tea glass on the counter and
gave Lena’s cheek a kiss. “Thanks for the tea, Miz Lena. It was
mighty fine as always.”

“Oh, go on with you,” Lena said, pleased with
both the complement and the kiss.

Erik and Maddie cooked dinner then everyone
gathered outside to eat. This way they could talk and not worry so
much about being overheard.

As he finished off the last bite of his
steak, Zach nodded toward Erik. “That was really good, man. Where
did you learn to grill like that?”

“Trial and error, mostly,” Erik said with a
laugh. “My wife couldn’t stand the sight of blood or raw meat, so I
did a lot of the cooking. It was easier for me to grill, so I did
it quite a bit.”

“You don’t mention your wife much, Erik. What
was she like?” Lena asked, genuinely interested.

Seeing Erik hesitate to talk, Lena reached
out and put a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to
pry.”

Erik patted her hand and nodded his head.
“It’s okay, Lena. I haven’t really spoken about her since the
accident.”

“You don’t have to,” Maddie whispered.

“I think maybe I do,” Erik said, knowing
talking about Sheila and what happened would somehow help him heal.
“Sheila and I got married pretty young. I’d just graduated from
college and she was finishing her junior year. All I ever wanted to
do was farm, but my dad insisted a college education was a good
thing, so I majored in agri-business, taking every agriculture and
small business class I could. Sheila majored in accounting and
found a job at one of the local banks right after graduation. She
worked her way up to assistant manager in the ten years we were
married. We loved each other, loved living on my family’s farm,
loved life. The only thing missing was a child. We wanted to have a
baby so badly but had finally accepted the fact that we weren’t
going to have any kids when Sheila found out she was pregnant. When
we got the news that the baby was a boy, I was over the moon. For
two weeks, I’m not sure my feet even touched the ground. Then she
got in the accident and I lost them both. I warned her a hundred
times to be careful at that intersection, but she was always in a
hurry, always took a chance and that time was one chance too many.
My neighbor, and best friend, was the one who hit her car. We tried
to get her out and couldn’t. By the time the firefighters cut the
car apart and pried her loose, it was too late. She died on the way
to the hospital. I couldn’t stay at the farm after that, so I
rented it out and traveled around doing odd jobs. The only thing I
took with me was my pickup, my memories, and Boone.”

Erik absently reached for the dog and rubbed
his head. The dog, sensing Erik’s sadness, put his head on Erik’s
knee and whined.

No one said a word. No one could. Lena and
Maddie mopped at their tears. Finally, Danny reached over and gave
Erik’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sorry, man. That is a
hard loss to bear.”

Erik looked at Danny with gratitude in his
face. “Although I didn’t think the day would ever come when I’d get
up in the morning without the grief having a stranglehold on me, it
is getting easier and the memories are softening. Maybe someday
I’ll even be able to go back to the farm.”

Ethan asked Erik about the farm, how his
family came to be settled there and details about soil and water.
Zach and Danny joined in the conversation, leaving Maddie and Lena
to their thoughts.

Maddie’s heart hurt for Erik. How tragic to
lose his wife and much-wanted baby at the same time. He must have
loved Sheila wholly and completely to have her death hit him so
hard. Studying him, she wondered if he was ready to be in a new
relationship or if memories of his deceased wife would come between
them. She had lost Devin, but he wasn’t her husband. She wasn’t
even sure now that what she felt for him had really been love. It
was nothing like what she was beginning to feel for Erik.

As they finished up the meal and Erik helped
Maddie bring dishes into the kitchen, he asked if she’d like to
take a walk. She agreed and Lena shooed them out the door, ordered
Danny to help her with the dishes.

Stepping off the porch, the twosome wandered
in the direction of the barn without either one speaking. The
evening was still plenty warm, though not sticky with heat, even
though the sun was making its final descent in a blazing ball of
vibrant pink and hues of gold. The scent of hay hung in the air and
the crickets were tuning up for their nightly serenade. Erik
thought it was a perfect summer evening. Or as perfect as it could
be with a killer on the loose.

Glancing down at Maddie walking beside him,
Erik took her hand in his. When she looked up at him, her blue eyes
were soft and inviting.

Twining their fingers together, they
continued walking in silence. Coming to the fence behind the barn,
Maddie turned and leaned her back against it while Erik placed one
foot on the bottom pole and rested his arms on the top one.

“I wanted you to know something, Maddie,”
Erik said, looking out across the pasture at the pond. He knew
she’d have questions and doubts after what he shared about Sheila
this evening and wanted to put her mind at ease. “I loved Sheila
completely. She was my entire world for ten years. When she and the
baby died, my dreams died right along with them. It was all I could
do to get through one day at a time.”

Erik stopped and Maddie put a warm hand on
his arm. “It must have been awful for you.”

“It was awful and hard and not something I’d
ever want to live through again, but I wouldn’t trade those ten
years with Sheila for anything, even knowing how it would end.
That’s why you need to know, Maddie, that I’ve found new dreams to
dream. New dreams with you. I don’t know how this is going to end,
but I wouldn’t miss out on the time I’ve spent with you this
summer. I care a great deal for you, Maddie. More than I ever
thought I’d care for anyone again.”

Maddie’s eyes welled with tears. “Oh, Erik. I
… I wouldn’t trade this time with you either. I’m sorry you are
involved in all this mess with Zeus, but I’m so glad you are here.
With me.”

Erik pulled Maddie into his arms and kissed
her with a passion that made her heart pound, her knees weaken and
all rational thought fly out of her head. Kissing him back, she
held on to him tightly, reveling in the feel of his strong arms
around her. She felt sheltered and cherished. Maddie had been tough
for so long, on her own for so long, the thought of having someone
else protect her was something she thought she could get used
to.

Sinking into him, Maddie breathed in his
unique scent. When Erik pulled back from the kiss, Maddie rested
her head against his chest and memorized the feeling of belonging
that enveloped her. She had never felt this welcomed, this right,
before and she wanted the moment to last.

Leaning back against the fence, Erik pulled
Maddie closer into his arms and held her, his chin resting on her
head. She was soft in his arms and fit them so well. He never
thought he’d find love again, especially not a passionate
all-consuming love like he’d found with Maddie.

They stood unmoving for quite some time, just
enjoying the silence of the evening; the time spent holding each
other, drawing strength from one another. Finally, Maddie raised
her head and smiled. “We better get back.”

“Yes, I guess we should,” Erik said, standing
away from the fence and picking up Maddie’s hand as they strolled
back to the house. Erik walked her to the door, kissed her cheek
then bent his head toward hers. She could feel his warm breath stir
the hair by her ear. “Sweet dreams, Madelyn.” Then he turned and
walked to the bunkhouse.

Maddie watched him walk away, relishing the
delicious shiver that raced through her every time he called her
Madelyn. She didn’t know why, but it made her feel feminine and
beautiful - something Maddie had known too little of in her
thirty-two years.

Maddie awoke to the sound of her phone
buzzing. Grabbing it off the nightstand, she held it to her
ear.

“Hello,” she said, trying to brush the
cobwebs of sleep from her mind. Who would be calling her this early
in the day?

“Maddie, its Tom,” her boss said. Even though
it was barely six, he sounded excited and full of life. “I’ve got
some great news.”

“What’s that?” Maddie said, coming fully
awake. She flipped on the lamp beside her bed and pulled out a
notebook and pen.

“We finally cracked through Zeus’s coding and
got an IP address on the computer where the QR codes are generated.
It’s a public library in Bellevue. I’ve got a team ready to go. I
wanted you to know we are making some headway.”

“That’s fantastic news,” Maddie said,
bouncing on her bed. Although it might seem insignificant in the
grand scheme of things, finding an IP address that could be traced
back to Zeus after three years of dead end after dead end was
monumental. “Let me know when you find something. By the way, I’ve
got a phone number I’d like diagnostics to run a check on.”

“Sure, Maddie, what’s the number?”

Maddie rattled off her own cell phone
number.

“Well, that’s interesting,” Tom said. Maddie
had known him long enough to know he was putting two and two
together. “Anything special you want them to check?”

“Just to see if it has been compromised.”

“Will do. When we have the results, I’ll get
back to you.”

“Thanks, Tom,” Maddie said, getting out of
bed and stretching. Today looked like it was off to a grand start.
“I look forward to hearing what you find.”

“Hang in there, Maddie. We are going to take
him down. I promise.”

“You bet. And I plan to be right there with
you when it happens.”

“Absolutely, Mad Dog.” Tom laughed as he
disconnected the call.

Maddie could hardly wait to share the news
with Danny. Jumping in the shower, she was soon dressed and
downstairs, helping Lena set breakfast on the table when the guys
all came in.

“My goodness, Maddie, you seem raring to go
this morning,” her dad said as he kissed her cheek. “What’s got you
all stirred up?”

“Not much. I had a call from a friend this
morning with some news I was very excited to hear. That’s all.”

Danny’s head snapped up and Maddie nodded her
head at him. He smiled and visibly relaxed a little. Erik watched
their gestures and turned his own warm smile at Maddie, knowing her
excitement had something to do with Zeus.

Once breakfast was finished and the dishes
were done, Maddie whispered to Lena that she was going out to talk
to the guys for a minute.

Catching Danny and Erik together at the shop,
they walked out behind the barn and stood in the shelter of a
haystack, where it would be hard to see or hear them. Maddie told
them what Tom had shared with her. Erik gave her a big hug while
Danny slapped her raised hand in a high-five.

“We’ll bring him down, Mad Dog, don’t you
worry. He is going down,” Danny said, walking off whistling.

Erik looked at Maddie and raised an eyebrow.
“Mad Dog? Danny calls you Mad Dog?”

For the first time since she’d acquired the
nickname more than ten years ago, Maddie wasn’t sure she liked it.
Back then, it symbolized a hard battle fought and won when she
overcame the preconceived notions of what a pretty, petite girl
could do. Hearing Erik say it, though, it seemed to lose some of
the charm it previously held.

“It’s a nickname.”

“I gathered that much,” Erik said, pulling
her into his arms and giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Who else
calls you Mad Dog?”