Dr. Jolene "Jo" Granger is a psychologist that often works
with the Texas Rangers as a consultant to evaluate some of
the most dangerous criminals known to man. Having survived a
past that nearly broke her in half emotionally, she's now
guarded, strong and on a mission to help those that need it.
Settled into a new life that offers her satisfaction and
fulfillment, if not love, she never expects to lay eyes on
Texas Ranger Brody Winchester again. He's a part of her past
that she wants to forget and keep buried. Yet, when he
arrives again in her neck of the woods on a professional
matter, she has no choice but to deal with him.
Brody has come to tell her that renowned serial killer
Harvey Lee Smith has asked to speak with her. Even though
he's been sentenced to death for his crimes, it seems that
he's contracted cancer and may be dying sooner than his
execution date. He has offered to give up the locations of
some bodies but will only give that information to Jo.
This information will offer closure to some more families
that have suffered for years over their missing loved ones.
So what else can Jo do except go meet with the man? The
conversation she has with Smith provides some information
but it also raises as many questions for her as it answers.
Something that neither Jo nor Brody expect, however, is a
piece of news that shocks them to their core. Smith tells
them that there's another killer out there and he knows who
it is.
As Jo and Brody race against time to keep another woman from
dying, they both realize that the old feelings between them
are still there, simmering just beneath the surface, but
neither of them want to acknowledge that fact. Instead, they
focus on finding and stopping a new killer that is just as
dangerous as Smith ever was. During the search, though, Jo
finds that there are some long buried secrets that she needs
to expose if she's going to understand herself and her life
even if those secrets are dangerous.
I'm a huge Mary Burton fan! Having said that, NO ESCAPE is
another nail biter of a book in a long list of many others
written by her. She includes all of the creepy and scary
elements that her readers have come to expect from her not
to mention several plot twists that will keep you guessing
until that final page where all is revealed. There may be a
couple of things that she allows the reader to guess well
ahead of the revelation, but that's just part of the fun.
Mary Burton has once again crafted a novel where she draws
the reader into the fictional family she has created. If you
read her previous book, The Seventh Victim, you'll find a
few of the characters from there interwoven with the new
plot.
NO ESCAPE is a deliciously thrilling and frightening book
that is best read with the lights on and the doors locked.
You're going to love it!
He Was Taught How To Kill
Even behind bars, serial killer Harvey Day Smith exudes
menace. Psychologist Jolene Granger has agreed to hear his
dying confession, vowing not to let the monster inside her
head. And Harvey has secrets to share—about bodies
that were never found, and about the apprentice who is
continuing his grisly work...
And Now He'll Teach Them
He buries his victims alive the way his mentor Harvey did,
relishing their final screams as the earth rains down. And
as one last gift to the only father he knew, he'll make the
most perfect kill of all.
How To Die
Everything about this investigation is unnerving Jo, from
Harvey's fascination with her to the fact that she's working
alongside Texas Ranger Brody Winchester, her
ex–husband. Harvey's protégé is growing
bolder and more vicious every day. And soon the trail of
shallow graves will lead them to the last place Jo expected,
and to the most terrifying truth of all...
Excerpt
Saturday, April 6, 11:00 a.m.
Austin, Texas
If Texas Ranger Brody Winchester had come to see Dr.
Jolene
Granger on personal business, he’d have come with hat in
hand. He’d have been ready to eat a heaping helping of
humble pie, or better yet, crow.
But this visit wasn’t personal. He’d not come to
apologize
or to make amends. He had no intentions of digging up the
past or rubbing salt in old wounds. This. Was. Business.
He parked the black Bronco in the recreation center’s
parking lot and shoved out a breath. He reached for his
white Stetson on the passenger’s seat, took a moment to
level the silver Concho trimming on the hat’s base before
setting it squarely on his head. He stepped out of the
vehicle, straightened his shoulders and eyed the large
box-shaped building. The sign above the double glass doors
read: AUSTIN ROCK CLIMBING GYM.
As he stared up at the sign, he wondered if the boys back at
headquarters had sent him to the wrong place and were having
a good laugh at the new transfer’s expense. The Jo Granger
he’d known hated heights and if anyone had bet him she hung
out in a place like this, he’d have taken the bet, damn sure
he’d win.
’Course, he’d not been face-to-face with Jo in fourteen
years. And time changed plenty.
Dr. Jolene Granger was no longer a wide-eyed college student
but a psychologist who consulted with the Texas Rangers. In
fact, her expertise on violent behavior had landed her
several television interviews last year when a reporter had
been digging for the motivations driving a serial killer
that had hunted along I-35.
He’d seen on television that she’d given up the peasant
skirts and flip-flops in favor of dark suits, pencil skirts,
a tight bun, and white pearls around her neck. Reminded him
of a librarian he’d had in school as a kid. Cool.
Controlled. Hot.
Yeah, she’d changed in fourteen years. Maybe heights didn’t
bother her anymore.
A couple of laughing teens wearing shorts and carrying gym
bags raced past him through the front door. He trailed
behind them, finding himself in an industrial-style lobby
tricked out with a cement floor, solid crate furniture and
soda machines. He moved toward a long narrow reception desk
where a young guy was texting. Dark hair swept over a thin
pale face and tattoos covered every bit of skin exposed
below his white T-shirt cuff.
If Brody had been in a more charitable mood, he’d let the
kid finish his nonsense communication, which likely had to
do with gossip or a party. But a foul and dark disposition
sapped all patience.
He smacked his hand on the reception desk. “Need to find
Dr. Jolene Granger.”
The kid jumped, his initial glance aggravated until he took
stock of the Stetson, the Texas Ranger’s star
pinned to Brody’s broad chest and his six-foot-four frame.
Displeasure gave way to startled deference. “She’s in the
main gym. Can I tell her you’re here?”
“I’ll announce myself.”
The kid scrambled around the counter and took a step as if
to follow. “Is she in some kind of trouble?”
Brody stopped and eyed the kid. “Why’s it your business if
she is?”
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “I like her. And
if she were in trouble—”
Brody’s own worries sharpened his tone. “What would you do
if she were in trouble?”
Slight shoulders shrugged, but the kid’s gaze remained
direct. “I don’t know.”
“That’s right. You don’t know.”
“She’s a nice lady.”
Jo had always coaxed this kind of loyalty out of folks.
Kind, smart as a whip, she drew people. The kid was no
different and Brody gave him props for standing up to him.
He softened his scowl. “Dr. Granger isn’t in trouble. But
my business is official. If you don’t mind, I need for you
to get back behind that counter and take care of your own
business.” He took a step toward the kid who hustled back
behind the counter.
As Brody turned toward the main gym he imagined the boy on
his cell again, texting his friends as fast as his thin
fingers could move.
In the main gym, Brody was greeted by the smells of sweat
and freshly polyurethane-coated floors. The walls were
covered with gray rocklike facings that jutted and curved as
a rock ledge might. Dispersed over the wall were colored
footholds and handholds, some large and others so small he
wondered how his large hands could maintain a grip.
A collection of climbers scaled the walls from the floor to
ceiling. Belayers stood at the bottom feeding climbers
their safety ropes. A young blond girl scaled the wall as
if she were part monkey. A couple of guys in their
mid-twenties moved between the rock ledges with a power and
grace he admired. He couldn’t imagine that fourteen years
had changed Jo so much that she now enjoyed this kind of
foolishness.
The shouts and giggles of a group of girls in a side room
drew him. The ten girls, who looked to be between fourteen
and sixteen, stood at the base of a tall rock wall. Several
were pregnant and most had tattoos and piercings. Young,
but he imagined they all had a lifetime of experiences
already under their belts.
There was no whiff of anger or sorrow radiating off anyone.
They were cheering, like kids their age should. His gaze
trailed theirs to a woman racing a male climber to the top
of the rock wall toward a bell.
Squealing young voices chanted, “Go Jo. Go Jo. Go Jo.”
Jo.
Brody stood behind the students, rested his hands on his
hips and shifted his gaze from the male
climber to the woman. Her chalked fingers clung to slivers
of manufactured rock while her feet perched on similar
pieces. Tight black pants and a white fitted spandex top
molded a trim athletic body. Long red hair bound into a
ponytail swept across her muscled back as she scrambled
haphazardly from rock to rock. Jo? He looked closer.
Damn, if it wasn’t her.
When Jo reached the top and rang a bell, the kids cheered.
She looked over her shoulder, suspending from a single
handhold and foothold and smiled at them. “Now which one of
you girls bet that I couldn’t win?”
The girls laughed, shaking heads and pointing to each other.
None fessed up to having any doubts about her.
Jo surveyed the crowd of girls. “And seeing as I won,
ladies, that means you all are going to study real hard for
the rest of this semester, correct?”
A rumble of laughter and whispers rolled through the teens.
“Yes!” they shouted.
The male climber rang the bell. He regarded Jo, his
good-natured appreciation clear as he nodded his concession.
Brody assessed the man, wondering if Jo had really beaten
him or if he had held back to win points with Jo. If he had
to wager, he’d put his chips on the latter.
“Doug buys ice cream for everyone!” Jo said.
The kids cheered.
Doug grinned. “Rematch!”
Jo’s laughter rang clear and bright as she turned her face
from the wall and gazed at the girls with tenderness.
However, as quick as she looked down, she looked back up as
if the height flustered her. “Gonna have to be a lot of A’s
and B’s to get me up here again.”
Brody crossed his arms over his chest, taking inventory of
her high cheekbones, pale complexion and full lips. She was
more relaxed, and a hell of a lot hotter than the grim woman
he’d seen on television last year.
As if she’d read his mind, her gaze shifted from the kids to
him. For a moment she stared at him, as if she couldn’t
believe her eyes. He made a point not to blink or show the
faintest sign of curiosity for this new version of Dr.
Granger.
Shaking off her surprise, she moved to climb down the wall
but missed her handhold and, in a blink, fell. The girls
squealed. Brody tensed, moving toward the crowd, ready to
shove his way toward the wall’s base. But the rope
tightened, halted her fall and the bilayer held tight.
Jo immediately grabbed for another rock and swung herself
back into position on the wall. For an
instant, she didn’t move.
“You okay, Jo?” Doug said.
“Fine.” She grabbed for a larger rock. Within seconds
she’d scrambled to the bottom of the wall. She stared at
the kids, and she wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead
with the back of her hand. “That’s why I harp on
preparedness. Never go into any situation without thinking
about what could go wrong. You’ll live a longer, happier
life if you are careful.”
The kids chuckled nervously as Doug descended the wall. He
moved to Jo, putting his hand on her shoulder. “You’re
really okay?”
She briefly studied Brody before dropping her gaze. “Yeah,
I’m fine. Would you excuse me?”
She moved through the crowd of girls. Several stopped and
asked her again if she was okay. She assured them all she
was fine. Her back was straight and her gaze direct as she
finally cut through the crowd and closed the distance
between them.
Wisps of hair framed her face, which had grown more angular
over the years. Though she’d always been slim, her body now
was trim and nicely muscular. No hint of apology softened
green eyes now as sharp as emeralds. The years had been
good to her. And he was real glad. The last time he’d seen
her she’d been…broken.
Jo stopped a few feet shy of him. Her expression was stern,
controlled and mildly interested. “I’m guessing you’re here
on business. A case.”
“That’s right.” He removed his hat as he regarded the kids
and Doug who stared at them with raw curiosity. “Mind if we
talk somewhere else more private?”
“Sure. Let me grab my bag.” She snatched up a gym bag from
a wooden bench. “Girls, I’ll be right back.”
“Are you getting arrested?” one shouted.
Jo glanced up at Brody. “Am I in trouble, Ranger
Winchester?”
“No, ma’am.” He spoke loud enough for all to hear.
She followed him outside. Sweat glistened from her skin and
mingled with a delicate perfume that reminded him of roses.
A lot had changed about Jo but not her scent. “What
gives?”
“You heard of Harvey Lee Smith?”
“Sure.” She yanked out a hoodie jacket from her bag and
pulled it on. “Convicted serial killer. I featured him in
my dissertation, ‘The Mind of a Serial Killer.’ You were
the original DPS arresting officer, as I remember.”
He’d been a Texas Department of Public Safety officer when
he’d collared Smith. But the arrest had been the coup that
earned him his Ranger’s star. The Texas Rangers were an
elite group of one hundred and
forty-four men and women in the Department of Public Safety.
“That’s right. And if you’ve studied Smith you’d know he
was convicted of killing ten women. However, it’s believed
his murder count is higher than thirteen.”
She zipped up her jacket and tucked her hands in the
pockets. “When he was interviewed he confessed to killing
the women. Ten bodies were found buried in his backyard in
Austin. Three victims linked to him were not found. When
pressed he wouldn’t give details.”
“I’ve interviewed him many times over the last three years.
But he kept changing his story and ‘forgetting’ where the
other bodies were buried. It was all a big game to him.”
She frowned. “He’s dying of cancer, from what I hear.
Doesn’t have much time to live.”
“Docs say the disease spread to his liver. Less than a
couple of months.”
She was silent for several seconds. “He’s going to his
grave with his secrets and will deny closure for the
victims’ families. It’s the last bit of control he can
exert.”
Brody’s jaw tightened and released. He’d used every trick
in the book to get Smith to open up but endless hours of
interviews had been a waste. Smith had taken pleasure in
jerking his chain.
“Smith told prison authorities late yesterday that he wanted
to talk. He knows time is running out, and he wants to
cleanse his soul. He’s agreed to tell where the bodies are
buried.”
Jo shifted her stance. “He’s made similar promises before.
You said it yourself. It’s all a game to him.”
“I know. And I’d love to tell him to rot in hell. But this
might be my last chance to talk to him and to find those
bodies.”
She nodded. “And you can’t let it pass. I get that.”
“That’s right.”
She met his gaze. “Why me?”
Brody pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Because Smith requested that you hear his last confession.”
She shook her head, her brow rising. “Me specifically? I
find that hard to believe.”
“He was clear he’d talk to you and no one else.”
“I’ve done some work for the Texas Rangers and I wrote a
paper on the guy, but I’m by no stretch the most experienced
psychologist. Others have written more about him and have a
lot more to offer.”
No traces of false modesty in the clear-minded assessment.
“Your record has been impressive.”
Green eyes narrowed. “I’m building a reputation but again,
why me? I shouldn’t be on this guy’s radar.”
He settled his right hand on his belt next to his gun. “The
guy’s smart as hell. He’s had all the time in the world to
do what digging he can.”
A humorless smile tipped the edge of her mouth. “And he
figured out that you and I used to be married.”
“That’s my best guess. I interviewed him more than anyone
and each session he did his best to pull personal
information out of me.”
“I can’t see you discussing personal matters.”
He caught the comment’s double edge. “No, I did not. But
like I said, I’m betting he did some digging.”
“And somehow he figured out about me.”
“Somehow.”
A silence settled for a moment. “Maybe he heard about my
dissertation. The university published it online. Maybe
this is a quirky coincidence.”
Leather creaked on his gun belt as he shifted his stance.
“Could be as simple as that. But I’ve never been a big
believer in coincidence. By my way of thinking they are as
rare as hen’s teeth.”
She tightened her hand on her bag. “You’ve put some thought
into this.”
“Since the prison called me this morning, overthinking is
more like it.”
She dropped her gaze to the ground, shaking her head.
“If you don’t want to do this, there’s no harm nor foul.
I’ll go talk to Smith again and see if he’ll talk to me. He
might give in, seeing as death is close.”
“And what if he doesn’t?”
Brody shrugged. “Then our last shot at finding those three
bodies is lost.”
She drew in a slow steady breath and then released it.
“I’ll do it. I’ll go. Least I can do for those families.”
Jo might not cross a street to spit on him, but she’d give
up her Saturday to talk to a killer to help grieving
families. “You sure about that?”
“As I remember, Smith is a control freak who only cooperates
if all his demands are met. When does he want to see me?”
“Today.”
A brow arched. “Right now?”
“My plane is gassed and ready to go at the airport. I can
have you in Livingston in two hours.”
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