It wasn't John Luke Russo! Jackson read the shocked look on my face.

"So you know the guy?"

"No," I stuttered.

"Then why the look like your dog ate your cat?"

"It's just sounds so common. I guess I was expecting three names . . . like some serial killer," I adlibbed. "I'm sorry; what did you say his name was?"

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"Owen Bryce. He was out on parole from an arrest in Missouri."

I shook my head. "I've never been to Missouri and I don't know anyone from there." As soon as I said it, I remembered the last name; Bryce. Jude Bryce was the pedophile who claimed Howie wrongfully accused him, until we proved he had switched identities with his brother; his brother Owen!

Jackson continued. "He was a kiddie molester. Is your pal Howie mixed up in any of that kinky stuff like that?"

"Look," I said. "Howie almost became a priest." Jackson raised his eyebrows as if to say that profession wasn't necessarily a guarantee of anything. I changed course. "He's engaged to be married. His fiancée is with him in California."

"Yeah, I've telephoned him but we haven't connected yet." He turned to leave. "I'll be getting back to you." As an afterthought, he gave me his cell phone number. "Call me if you get a memory flash," he said as he left.

I was discharged before noon and driven home by my wife. Molly was at school so we had some time to ourselves.

After refusing bed, I was propped up on a sofa and felt reasonably comfortable, provided I kept motion at a minimum. My medication contributed to my comfort if not my state of mind. I filled Betsy in on the details of the prior evening with a rambling discourse. Reluctantly, I informed her of the discouraging fact the dead assailant wasn't the Delabama killer as we'd assumed.

"God," she said. "Then he's still after us?"

"He may not be. This Bryce guy was probably the one who got a hold of the contest letter from Julie and broke into her apartment. How else could someone have made a connection directly to Howie?"

"But Bryce wasn't the one who killed Brenda Washington! The fiend who did that is still out there; the one who killed those children and police officer and God knows who else! Ben that's frightening. If this other maniac Bryce could find us, so can he." I agreed with my wife but pointed out even though Bryce had tracked us down, I couldn't think of any other slip ups besides Julie's contest that would point to us. Perhaps it was time to request more direct help from Daniel Brennan. In any event, I should bring him up to date.




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