And now in his mind, he was killing his mother over and over and over...
Chapter Nineteen
Ginny fought the urge to feel sorry for Robert. Witnessing his mother’s abuse and murder had obviously traumatized him.
Yet not all kids from abused homes grew up to be killers.
“A profiler would say that he chose his victims as surrogates for the mother who he perceived abandoned him,” Liam said. “It doesn’t excuse his crimes, but understanding his thought processes can be helpful in finding him and eliciting a confession from him when we do.”
“He doesn’t think he did anything wrong,” Ginny said matter-of-factly. “He functions on learned behavior and values. His father probably pounded it into his head that the man was head of the household, that the woman was subservient and supposed to obey.”
“Archaic,” Griff muttered.
His comment warmed Ginny’s heart. Yet she was piecing together the dark corners of Robert’s mental processes. “In his mind, he justifies his actions by how he was raised. He thinks he was good to me, to the other women, and that we were ungrateful for all he did for us.”
“He’s psychotic,” Griff muttered.
“Narcissistic personality disorder,” Liam said. “Combined with obsessive-compulsive disorder and the abuse. His father may have forced him to watch when he beat his mother, said he was teaching her a lesson and teaching him to be a good son.”
“She was supposed to be the perfect wife,” Ginny murmured. “I heard that more than once. Only I didn’t measure up.”
Griff squeezed her arm. “You do realize that it had nothing to do with you. That you weren’t inadequate, Ginny. That none of this is your fault.”
Her counselor had drilled the same sentiment over and over into her head. “I do. But when it’s beaten into your skull, it’s difficult not to feel that you did something wrong.”
“Well, you didn’t,” Griff said. “Look at his past. His thinking is totally screwed up.”
“Griff is right,” Liam agreed. “With this type of disorder, nothing a woman or anyone else does can measure up to his twisted and unrealistic standards and beliefs.”
“When someone really cares about you, they focus on the positive,” Griff pointed out. “And on pleasing you. Not on what you can do for them or how they make you look.”
Ginny sucked in a sharp breath. Griff was so much healthier mentally than Robert had ever been.
She tapped her foot on the floor. “So, what do we do now?”
“Our teams are looking for Mitzi, and my people are working to identify his aliases and locate him.” Liam said. “Now that we have a profile and his picture, I’m going to release it to the media. Maybe someone in or around Whistler spotted him or has information about where he’s staying.”
“And where he took Mitzi,” Ginny said.
“That, too.”
“Let me make a personal statement on the news,” Ginny offered.
Griff cleared his throat. “I told you no, Ginny.”
She turned to Liam. “Please. Maybe I can reach him. After all, I’m the one he really wants.”
Liam pulled a hand down his chin. “That’s too dangerous. Give us a little time. If we don’t find him, we’ll consider setting that up.”
She gritted her teeth. She appreciated the fact that he and Griff wanted to protect her. But what about what she wanted?
She was tired of men making decisions for her. If Mitzi died, she had to live with her death on her conscience, not them.
She’d driven to Whistler to find Robert. She would come up with her own plan and end this nightmare for good.
* * *
GRIFF WATCHED GINNY pace again as he stepped aside to talk to his brothers. “How do you think this information will help us find Bouldercrest?”
Liam shrugged. “It might not. But when we do locate him, we can use it to establish a personal connection. That connection could enable us to convince him to release Mitzi.”
Griff hissed. If she was still alive. They had no idea.
“What can I do to help?” he asked.
“Ginny seems to trust you. Stay with her and make sure she doesn’t do something stupid like go after Bouldercrest herself.”
Griff wanted to argue that Ginny was smarter than that. And she was smart. But emotions could make a person do irrational things. And at the moment she was running on fear.
“We’ll keep you posted if we hear something or find Mitzi.”
Griff nodded and glanced back at Ginny as he closed the door behind his brothers. Her agitation was like a live force in the room.
She halted her frantic pacing with a sigh. “I need to go back to the inn and shower and change clothes.”
“I’ll follow you and we’ll pick up your bags and bring them back here.”
Her lips pressed into a frown. “All right.”
He slipped on his jacket and retrieved his keys, turned off the gas logs and escorted Ginny outside.
The rain had passed although dark clouds still hovered, casting a grayness across the mountain. Trees swayed and the wind battered the bushes. The chill in the air hinted at another storm, maybe a tornado on its way.
Knowing Bouldercrest had been at his house, on his property, roused his anger. He scanned the yard and beyond for signs the maniac had returned. Maybe he hoped Griff would leave Ginny alone.
Not going to happen.
Traffic was minimal, but he kept his eyes peeled for trouble as he maneuvered the switchbacks on the winding mountain road back toward town. Ginny was right behind him in her car. When he pulled up to the inn, he noticed the deputy Jacob had assigned to stand guard for Robert at the inn parked in the drive in an unmarked car.
He threw up a hand in acknowledgement to the deputy, climbed out and walked Ginny up to the inn.
“You can go now,” she told him when they stood on the porch.
“I’m not leaving,” he said. “I’ll walk you to the room then wait downstairs while you shower and gather your things.”
She didn’t look happy about it, but she didn’t argue. They walked up the stairs together, and she unlocked the door. He placed his hand on her arm and insisted he enter first and check the room.
At first glance, everything appeared to be just as they’d left it. He took a quick sweep of the bathroom and didn’t see anything troubling inside, so returned to the door.
Ginny walked over to her suitcase and unzipped the bag.