Mortal Danger by Ann Rule Page B
Authors: Ann Rule
Tags: United States, Fiction, General, Espionage, True Crime, Murder, Case studies, Serial Killers, Murder victims, Murder - United States
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was totally committed to him. She never dreamed that he would hurt her—or leave her. John just loved mystery and keeping part of himself hidden.
It really didn’t bother her, and only rarely did she press him for fine points and specifics of his past. Kate would sometimes ask him about his midnight flight from Florida, but he would never tell her why he’d had to leave so surreptitiously. Sometimes she wondered if it was for some illegal activity like gunrunning, and then she castigated herself for being so suspicious. John was a respected professional. He had his PhD from the University of New Mexico in nutritional studies. She assumed that he had attended the New Mexico college on a part-time basis during the time he lived in Florida.
The Brandens left Florida in 1986 and moved in with his older sister, Marilyn, and her husband, Alan*, until they could establish themselves in California. Two years later, John had a booming practice as a PhD in clinical nutrition in San Diego.
(He did not yet have his naturopathic doctor degree from Clayton. There is a legal difference between a naturopathic doctor and a naturopathic physician. John was never a naturopathic physician. The latter has more medical training and is allowed to write prescriptions. Clayton trained “doctors” who were nutrition and lifestyle counselors. Kate was taught to honor the difference.)
After his mother died, John really had no family except his daughters and Kate. Kate never met his sister Marilyn, and John wouldn’t say why the authorities had sought him. Later, he denied that it had been anything very important—just Marilyn’s meanness, as she enjoyed getting him into trouble.
As always, Kate believed him.
All in all, their travels were carefree. John’s mother’s bequest saw him through a jobless period easily, and he assured Kate that the next career he picked would be far more rewarding—both monetarily and in terms of helping people—than any he’d had before. They were in no hurry, and their almost-endless trip erased the stress that they’d both been living with for so long.
John and Kate liked the Oregon coast a lot and were even more taken with Orcas Island, a tiny dollop of land north of Deception Pass between British Columbia and northwestern Washington State. Orcas was reachable only by ferries, and it had kept its windswept, small-town ambiance, which attracted artists, tourists, and salt-of-the-earth longtime residents.
Kate was charmed by Orcas Island, but she pointed outthat the only way to get on or off the island was by ferry, and that could be a hassle. John agreed with her. He preferred Gold Beach, even though naturopaths could not be licensed to practice in Oregon. It was a moot question at this point; they were weighing all kinds of possibilities for bringing nutritional remedies to those who needed them badly. That would mean weeks of travel around America, and perhaps even in Canada. They weren’t ready to settle down yet, but they both hoped to live in the Northwest some day. Neither of them liked the rootless feeling of being on the road without a home base.
Kate had no intention of giving up flying for American Airlines, but she had enough seniority to take long leaves of absence.
As the miles rolled away beneath their tires, they discussed John’s ideas, and Kate followed his lead. She loved him, admired him, and believed in his innovative plans. If there were any fissures in his perfectly groomed, self-confident façade, Kate saw them revealed only briefly. John always had what seemed like a sound physiological reason—fatigue, low blood sugar, or something else—for his sudden rages.
They had gone through so much to be together, and she finally accepted that she had found the perfect relationship she had longed for all of her life.
Or so she thought.
Chapter Three
By 1994, although happily unmarried, Kate Jewell and John Branden grew tired of the road and were ready to settle down—at
It really didn’t bother her, and only rarely did she press him for fine points and specifics of his past. Kate would sometimes ask him about his midnight flight from Florida, but he would never tell her why he’d had to leave so surreptitiously. Sometimes she wondered if it was for some illegal activity like gunrunning, and then she castigated herself for being so suspicious. John was a respected professional. He had his PhD from the University of New Mexico in nutritional studies. She assumed that he had attended the New Mexico college on a part-time basis during the time he lived in Florida.
The Brandens left Florida in 1986 and moved in with his older sister, Marilyn, and her husband, Alan*, until they could establish themselves in California. Two years later, John had a booming practice as a PhD in clinical nutrition in San Diego.
(He did not yet have his naturopathic doctor degree from Clayton. There is a legal difference between a naturopathic doctor and a naturopathic physician. John was never a naturopathic physician. The latter has more medical training and is allowed to write prescriptions. Clayton trained “doctors” who were nutrition and lifestyle counselors. Kate was taught to honor the difference.)
After his mother died, John really had no family except his daughters and Kate. Kate never met his sister Marilyn, and John wouldn’t say why the authorities had sought him. Later, he denied that it had been anything very important—just Marilyn’s meanness, as she enjoyed getting him into trouble.
As always, Kate believed him.
All in all, their travels were carefree. John’s mother’s bequest saw him through a jobless period easily, and he assured Kate that the next career he picked would be far more rewarding—both monetarily and in terms of helping people—than any he’d had before. They were in no hurry, and their almost-endless trip erased the stress that they’d both been living with for so long.
John and Kate liked the Oregon coast a lot and were even more taken with Orcas Island, a tiny dollop of land north of Deception Pass between British Columbia and northwestern Washington State. Orcas was reachable only by ferries, and it had kept its windswept, small-town ambiance, which attracted artists, tourists, and salt-of-the-earth longtime residents.
Kate was charmed by Orcas Island, but she pointed outthat the only way to get on or off the island was by ferry, and that could be a hassle. John agreed with her. He preferred Gold Beach, even though naturopaths could not be licensed to practice in Oregon. It was a moot question at this point; they were weighing all kinds of possibilities for bringing nutritional remedies to those who needed them badly. That would mean weeks of travel around America, and perhaps even in Canada. They weren’t ready to settle down yet, but they both hoped to live in the Northwest some day. Neither of them liked the rootless feeling of being on the road without a home base.
Kate had no intention of giving up flying for American Airlines, but she had enough seniority to take long leaves of absence.
As the miles rolled away beneath their tires, they discussed John’s ideas, and Kate followed his lead. She loved him, admired him, and believed in his innovative plans. If there were any fissures in his perfectly groomed, self-confident façade, Kate saw them revealed only briefly. John always had what seemed like a sound physiological reason—fatigue, low blood sugar, or something else—for his sudden rages.
They had gone through so much to be together, and she finally accepted that she had found the perfect relationship she had longed for all of her life.
Or so she thought.
Chapter Three
By 1994, although happily unmarried, Kate Jewell and John Branden grew tired of the road and were ready to settle down—at
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