Dominic held up his badge.

Hunter and Katie bolted from their vehicles, worry stamped on their features.

"Serena?" Hunter asked as another ambulance pulled up behind the unmarked car.

"Alive, but unconscious."

Paramedics headed toward them and Dominic waved them over to Serena. There was nothing they could do for the dead officer. Katie was already next to the body. The other officers shut down the intersection, rerouting traffic.

Dominic watched paramedics work on Serena. Anxious, he tried not to hover, but from the slanted looks the younger one kept shooting him, Dominic had a feeling he wasn't doing a very good job of staying back.

As they placed her on the gurney, her eyes fluttered and a moan slipped from her lips. "Dominic?"

He stepped forward and snagged her hand. "Right here, Serena."

"What happened?"

"You got hit."

"It was him, wasn't it?" she whispered.

Dominic nodded. "Yeah."

"The officer behind me . . ."

"Dead."

Grief flashed. "I'm so sorry."

"Me too." Dominic clenched his jaw against the fury that raged in him.

She tried to sit up and he eased her back. "Go to the hospital and get checked out."

"I'm all right."

"Don't argue." He hadn't meant to sound so harsh.

She flinched. "Right." Serena lay back and licked her lips.

The fact that she didn't argue worried him. "Sorry, I'm not upset with you."

"I know," she whispered.

"You have an escort to the hospital. I'll be there as soon as I can." He paused. "Anyone you want me to call?"

"Yeah. I want my mom." She gave him the number and his heart clenched when a tear slid down her cheek to disappear into the delicate sh.e.l.l of her ear. He leaned over her and looked into her eyes. "You're going to be okay."

She sniffed. "I know." But Dominic didn't see any belief in the statement.

One of the paramedics nudged him and Dominic stepped back. "See you soon."

"Wait!" She winced and held a hand to her head. The paramedics paused again. "He stole my briefcase."

So that's what the guy had been holding.

"What was in it?"

"Just work stuff."

"Go get checked out. We'll worry about that later."

The paramedics rolled her away and loaded her into the back of the ambulance. Dominic made sure Hunter and Katie were on its tail.

The coroner's vehicle pulled up followed by a black SUV. A man Dominic had never seen before stepped out of the SUV just as his phone rang.

He heard the man introduce himself as Ralph Newton, the medical examiner on call. Dominic punched the green b.u.t.ton to answer. "h.e.l.lo?"

"Colton here."

"I'm kind of in the middle of something, can I call you back?"

"This is important. Hunter just texted me and said he didn't have time to talk to you at the scene. If you can spare me a couple of minutes, I think you need to know this."

Dominic watched Ralph Newton lean over the body of Officer MacDougall. "Sure, what is it?"

Colton said, "We've uncovered some things related to the Doll Maker Killer copycat."

"Go on."

"We've got a possible for the latest dead girl. Kelsey Nicholson. Her prints were in the system when she applied to be a day care worker. But she was picked up on a shoplifting charge a couple of years ago. We're waiting on the parents to come ID her and talk to us."

"All right. Keep me posted. Serena's on her way to the hospital to get checked out and I want to be there for her."

"I'll check with Alexia and see if she remembers Kelsey."

The ME said something to the officer standing next to him, and the officer cursed and turned away to gain control of his emotions.

Dominic said goodbye and walked over to see what the commotion was. "I'm Special Agent Dominic Allen. What's the problem?"

Ralph Newton gently turned the officer onto his side and pointed at a b.l.o.o.d.y area on the man's upper right torso beneath the shoulder blade. Dominic blinked as he realized what that meant. He looked at the ME. "He was shot in the back?"

"Yep. That's an entry wound. No exit wound."

Dominic felt his stomach churn. "So our serial killer had some help. The only way MacDougall could have been shot in the back is if he were going to help Serena. One drove the car into Serena's, the other waited until the officer got out of his car and shot him." He dropped his head for a brief moment of dread. When he looked up, he said, "There are two of them working together, which means our workload just doubled."

1:20 P.M.

"She's in the hospital? I thought you were going to kill her," Frank said.

"Not this way. I still need her alive for a little while longer."

"That makes no sense! She's already had Alexia spend the night. What if she's talking to her?"

"Alexia doesn't know anything," the voice said. "I've already established that. Besides, she's so busy looking for her father, she doesn't have time to worry about anything else. Regardless, Serena's not talking to her. That doesn't mean we're not still keeping tabs on her, but Serena's the one with the package."

"A package she's keeping secret even from her closest friend, Alexia?" Frank couldn't help the sarcasm.

The voice on the other end of the line went silent, then came back a good fifty degrees cooler. "Exactly. Because she knows if she tells Alexia what's in the package, that will mean Alexia's death for certain. Serena's not the type of person to risk that."

Frank thought about that. "How do you know this? You seem so certain."

"I have my sources."

Sources Frank probably didn't want to know about. "Okay. What about that FBI agent she seems to be getting so chummy with?"

"Ah yes, Alexia's brother."

"Right."

"I've been thinking about him a lot. I think he may have to meet with an unfortunate accident."

"As long as it can't be tracked back to either of us. That's the most important thing to remember," Frank said. A sharp shooting pain down his left arm elicited a gasp.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. Just some pain in my arm. Stress."

"I told you I have it under control. Don't go and have a heart attack on me."

"I don't have time for a heart attack. I have an election to win." The pain had faded, but Frank's worry had tripled.

"I've got it covered. After all, Dominic's tracking a serial killer, right? I'm sure that the killer doesn't like the fact that he's got one of the best FBI agents in the country on his tail."

Frank felt a small smile slip across his lips. "Right. I wouldn't think he'd like that at all."

26.

FRIDAY, 1:47 P.M.

At the hospital, Serena sat on the edge of the bed and pondered her next move. Her attacker had taken her briefcase. She thought about the feeling of being watched as she'd stood in front of the mantel in her den. Somehow, he'd seen her put the package in her briefcase.

Obviously he hadn't seen her remove it a few minutes later.

How had he been watching? Binoculars?

Or through a scope attached to a high-powered rifle. Like the one that killed Howard. She shuddered.

First thing, she needed to ask Dominic to escort her to the bank to put that package into the safe deposit box. After they read the contents.

Maybe. The package contents had to do with Jillian. Not Serena.

Of course, if Jillian hadn't sent the package, then the creeps wouldn't be after her, right? She would have shaken her head if she'd been able to do so without pain. So, she had something someone wanted and was willing to kill to get. She was also the target of a serial killer.

This was turning into a really bad week.

She turned her thoughts to Camille.

She'd already called Mrs. Lamb and told her to be on the lookout for Camille in case things went south with her father. The fact that the girl hadn't shown her face didn't mean all was well. In fact, Serena was quite concerned since she hadn't heard from the girl in two days. That was very unlike her.

Serena grimaced as worry for Camille mingled with worry for herself and those she was close to.

Her head still pounded, but fortunately, she'd escaped the wreck and the attack without a concussion. She'd be moving slowly for a while, but at least she would be moving.

The memory of the man standing over her sent shudders through her.

"Serena?"

At the soft voice, she looked up to see her mother, Portia Salazar Hopkins, standing in the doorway. For some reason she couldn't fathom, tears climbed into Serena's eyes and she blinked. "Hi, Mom."

The tall, slender woman, who still had a head of hair so black it shimmered blue in certain light, walked over and wrapped her arms around her.

Serena breathed in the comfort of being in her mother's arms. Her mother's suddenly tight arms.

"Hey, you're smooshing me."

Her mother loosened her grasp and pulled back. "That FBI agent called and said you'd been in a wreck." The soft Spanish accent soothed Serena's nerves.

"A car ran a stop sign and rammed into me." Unsure what her father had shared with the woman, she left out the rest of it.

"Oh darling, I'm so glad you're all right." Her mother dropped to the bed beside her.

"Where's Dad?" Surely he wouldn't leave her mom by herself after Serena's news that a serial killer may target those close to her.

"He said he had something to take care of." Her mother pursed her lips and shook her head. "Your father has been acting very strange over the last day or so."

"Strange how?" By not telling her mother about the conversation he'd had with Serena? And the extra protective measures he'd be making? Or was it the fact that her father had also been keeping their financial issues a secret? While Serena didn't agree with him on that particular score, it wasn't her secret to tell.

"He dropped me off with orders not to leave the hospital or talk to strangers. And this morning, he decided he needed to go grocery shopping with me. To make sure I got everything." An indignant look crossed her face. "Suddenly he's treating me like a two-year-old."

So, her father hadn't said anything about what had been going on with Serena and the serial killer. She wasn't so sure that was the wisest thing to do, but bit her lip. She'd honor her father's decision.

For now.