The Naturals, #2
Killer Instinct
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Contents
Chapter 19
Overview
Dean visits his imprisoned father, Daniel Redding, to extract information about a professor tied to their case. Redding plays psychological games, fixating on Dean and provoking a near altercation. Under pressure, Redding hints the professor writes in a mountain cabin near Catoctin or Shenandoah. Cassie and Sterling, forced by a guard to observe, witness the exchange and its emotional cost.
Summary
En route to a maximum-security prison with Agent Briggs and Agent Sterling, Cassie offers silent support to Dean as they prepare to confront Daniel Redding. Upon arrival, security tensions rise: a younger guard, Webber, fixates on Dean’s lineage and forces Sterling and Cassie out of the SUV despite FBI credentials.
Webber escorts them to an observation room, where Cassie and Sterling are compelled to watch through a two-way mirror as Briggs supervises Dean’s meeting with Redding. Dean immediately pushes for details about letters from a professor writing a book—information potentially tied to their active case.
Redding toys with Dean, feigning forgetfulness while displaying intimate knowledge of the professor, including prior interviews. When pressed, Redding angles for personal details about Dean, reducing him to parts and asserting their shared nature to destabilize him. He dangles a clue: the professor writes at a mountain cabin, possibly near Catoctin or Shenandoah.
Redding escalates by provoking Dean about his life and implying a girl, then physically grabs Dean’s shirt, asserting dominance and inheritance. Dean reacts, hauling Redding across the table before Briggs separates them. Cassie and Sterling, shaken, leave under Sterling’s orders.
As the encounter ends, Dean—emotionless and controlled—demands specifics about the professor’s cabin, having secured the first concrete lead despite Redding’s psychological assault. The team departs with a narrowed geographic focus and heightened awareness of Redding’s manipulations.
Who Appears
- Dean ReddingSeeks information from his serial-killer father; resists taunts, nearly loses control, secures a lead about the professor’s mountain cabin.
- Daniel ReddingImprisoned serial killer; manipulates Dean, provokes him, and hints the professor writes at a cabin near Catoctin or Shenandoah.
- Cassie HobbesNarrator; accompanies Dean for support, is forced to observe the meeting, gauges Sterling and guards’ power plays.
- Agent Veronica SterlingSupervising agent; clashes with guard Webber, protects Cassie, witnesses Redding’s manipulation and pulls Cassie out.
- Agent BriggsLeads the prison visit, intervenes to separate Dean and Redding, maintains control of the interview.
- Guard WebberYoung prison guard; antagonistic toward Dean, forces Cassie and Sterling into the observation room.