Copycat Killer

by Laura Scott

  But not for her and Lucy. That much had been made clear.

  After a restless night, she slid from the bed early, doing her best not to wake Lucy. But by the time she’d finished in the bathroom, Lucy was sitting in the middle of the bed, sleepily rubbing her eyes.

  “Good morning, Lucy.” Willow crossed over to give her niece a hug.

  Lucy hugged her back, more clingy than usual. “I hav’ta go to the bathroom.”

  “This way, remember?” Willow took her into the bathroom, grabbing a new outfit for her to wear so she could change out of her jammies. When Lucy was set, they returned to the kitchen.

  “Are you hungry? I’m making French toast for breakfast.”

  Lucy frowned. “I like regular toast.”

  “Do you like maple syrup?” When Lucy nodded, she smiled. “Then trust me, you’ll like French toast, too. Come on, you can help.”

  “Is Murphy here?” Lucy looked up at her with wide, hopeful eyes.

  Hearing his name, Murphy got up from his position on the floor next to the sofa where Nate was stretched out and came over to greet Lucy, tail wagging, licking her face. She giggled and threw her arms around his neck.

  “I love Murphy.”

  “I know, baby.” She glanced over at Nate, who was wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt, his blond hair mussed from sleep. Gold whiskers dusted his cheeks, making him look rugged and somehow even more attractive.

  Do. Not. Remember. His. Kiss.

  “French toast for breakfast.” She cleared her throat and headed into the kitchen. When she lived alone she’d never cooked this much, especially since she spent her days making gourmet burgers in her job. But now she knew Lucy needed structure, to know when her next meal would be.

  No more living with uncertainty. Bad enough that her niece was haunted by nightmares. As she whipped up the egg mixture for French toast, it occurred to her she should have asked Ms. Hendricks to recommend a child psychologist. She made a mental note to call her later.

  Nate took Murphy outside, returning after a few minutes. “Lucy, will you play with Murphy while I take a shower?”

  “Yes.” Lucy looked thrilled with the idea.

  By the time Nate returned, the French toast was finished. She put out a plate for Lucy, cutting the toast in bite-size pieces.

  “Thanks, Willow, this is great.” Nate’s praise made her cheeks go pink.

  “You’re welcome, but it’s truly not a big deal.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Have you learned anything new about Craggy Face?”

  “Not yet.” Nate glanced at her. “But I do need to head out for a while. I’d like you and Lucy to stay inside with the door locked.”

  She paled at the thought of being here without Nate and Murphy watching over them. “Alone?”

  “I’ve arranged for someone to hang out here for a bit.” He avoided her gaze and she wondered if he’d made these so-called arrangements after their kiss.

  The one she was not going to remember.

  “Vivienne?” She didn’t mind having female company but wondered how the officer felt about being assigned to babysitting duty.

  “No, another colleague of mine, Noelle Orton.” He glanced at his watch. “She’s a rookie, but a very good one, and our boss is keeping her off the streets for a while since her K-9 partner has a bounty on her head for being too good at her job. Noelle should be here within the hour.”

  “Okay.” She told herself to get over it. So what if they would be stuck inside for a few hours? Keeping Lucy safe was all that mattered. She forced a smile. “We’ll find something fun to do.”

  “Listen, Willow. Darcy, the forensic tech assigned to your case, is checking with her boss to see if they’ll release your brother’s place sometime later today.” His gaze was full of compassion. “I know you’re anxious to get more of Lucy’s things. When I get the okay, I’ll take you over there to pick out what you’d like.”

  “I would love that and I’m sure Lucy will be glad to have more toys to play with, too.” She was touched he’d thought of it. “Thanks, Nate.”

  He nodded and quickly finished his breakfast. She wanted to ask what he was planning to do, but doubted he’d be able to tell her.

  All she could do was pray that he and Murphy would be safe.

  “I’m full,” Lucy announced. “Can I watch cartoons?”

  “Yes, but only until I’m finished with the dishes.” She wiped the sticky syrup off Lucy’s hands and face, then took her into the living room to turn on the promised cartoons.

  “I like this one.” Lucy plopped in front of the television.

  “That’s fine.” At least the show would keep her niece mesmerized for a while.

  She returned to the kitchen to find Nate had already cleared the table. “I’ll help with the dishes.”

  “There’s no need. I can handle it.”

  “I don’t mind.” He filled the sink with sudsy water. “You keep feeding me, so it’s the least I can do.”

  She decided there was no sense in arguing. They worked side by side in silence for several minutes, listening to the cartoons in the background. Murphy stretched out on the floor in front of Lucy.

  “Lucy is going to miss Murphy when you’re gone.” She glanced at him as she dried a plate. “I’m going to miss both of you.”

  Nate’s hands went still in the water for the space of a heartbeat. “Willow, I feel like I need to apologize for kissing you last night.”

  She lifted a brow. “I’m fairly certain I was the one who kissed you.”

  The tips of his ears turned red. “Regardless, I should have stopped you. I told you about my father, Willow. As much as I care about your safety, there can’t be anything more between us.”

  In other words, no more kissing. It wasn’t anything she hadn’t already told herself but hearing him say the words caused a pang in the region of her heart. “I understand, but I believe God is watching over you, Nate. He’ll always be there for you, no matter what.”

  “I’m not sure I believe that.” His words sounded guttural, almost harsh. “God wasn’t there when my father slammed me into the wall or punched my mother in the face.”

  She sucked in a harsh breath. “Oh, Nate. I know how horrifying that must have been for you, but don’t you think that God had a hand in sending Geoff Cally to save you and your mom that night? That God asked Geoff to look out for you, to keep you both safe?”

  He shook his head, but she saw a flash of uncertainty in his eyes. “Maybe.”

  She wanted to say more but decided to let it go for now. When Nate finished washing the dishes, he turned to her. “You could be right.”

  Her heart soared with hope. “You’re always welcome to attend church services with us next weekend.”

  She expected an instant refusal, but he slowly nodded. “Maybe. Depends on what’s happening with the case.”

  No point in pushing, because she knew that for cops, firefighters, nurses and doctors, sometimes church services had to be skipped while on duty.

  But as Nate went over to put Murphy on his leash, she hoped and prayed that he’d find a way to attend church with her.

  If there couldn’t be anything personal between them, she’d find a way to live with that. But she refused to accept the idea of Nate living his life without God’s strength and support.

  * * *

  Where in the world was Noelle? Nate desperately needed to get out of the apartment, to get some distance from Willow and Lucy.

  The moment he’d woken up to see Willow standing there, he’d wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her again. To breathe in her calming lilac scent.

  Now she was talking about God and asking him to go to church with her and Lucy. And he’d practically agreed.

  What was wrong with him?

  He headed for the door. “I’ll be right o
utside. I’m sure Noelle will be here soon.”

  She nodded and he quickly stepped into the hall before he could do something he’d regret.

  Like kiss her goodbye.

  His phone rang and he pounced as if it were a lifeline. But the caller wasn’t Noelle, it was fellow K-9 officer Lani Jameson. Lani was married to Noah Jameson, the current chief over the NYC K-9 Command Unit in Queens. With a protective brother on the team and her husband running it, Lani had transferred to the Brooklyn K-9 Unit the moment she heard about recruitment efforts. Nate had met Lani a few times on the job and had always considered her to be a good cop.

  “What’s up, Lani?”

  “I need your help. I just saw a skinny stray dog that looks a little like Snapper—she definitely has some shepherd in her—and I think she’s recently given birth. I’m worried about her puppies and where they might be. Can you spare some time right now?”

  The entire NYPD knew about Snapper’s history. The beautiful German shepherd had once been partner to Jordan Jameson, Noah’s older brother and the former chief of the NYC K-9 Command Unit. The dog had gone missing after the chief was murdered, and when they’d finally found the K-9, he was partnered with Lani, particularly to keep Snapper in the Jameson family. In Nate’s humble opinion, the two of them made a great team.

  “Sure, I’ll help,” Nate said. “But I need to stop at the Burgerteria after. I have more questions for the manager. Where are you now?”

  “I’m in Sunset Park.” She gave her exact location. “Where are you?”

  “Bay Ridge. I’ll meet you in twenty minutes.” A beep indicated he had a second call. “See you soon.” He switched over to the new call. “Noelle?”

  “I’m here in the lobby.” The rookie officer sounded cheerful.

  “Thanks, Noelle. I really appreciate this. Come on up to apartment 706.”

  “Got it.” The call ended.

  When Noelle arrived, he introduced the petite, dark-haired officer to Willow and Lucy, trying not to squirm beneath Willow’s all-too-knowing gaze. She seemed well aware that Nate really needed some space.

  After leaving Willow in Noelle’s care, it didn’t take long for him to meet up with Lani in Sunset Park, a neighborhood that offered a nice view of the Statue of Liberty.

  “This is where I saw the stray last,” Lani explained, gesturing to a wooded area of the park. “I think she’s hiding her pups somewhere close by. I’m worried she’ll be picked up by the humane society or that the puppies will die.”

  He had to admit, he didn’t like the sound of that, either. “Okay, let’s spread out a bit, see if one of our K-9s can flush her out.”

  Only a few minutes went by when he heard Lani’s urgent call. “Nate! Over here!”

  He broke into a run, catching a quick glimpse of the skinny shepherd trotting past about twenty yards away. Lani had her phone out to snap a picture before she headed toward the stay. “Here, girl.”

  The skinny shepherd glanced at them, then began to run.

  “Hurry, we’re going to lose her! I need to find those puppies!” Lani and Snapper ran faster.

  He and Murphy tried to close the gap, but as they came out from beneath a large tree, he abruptly stopped. “Where did she go?”

  Lani stopped, too, breathing hard as she scanned the area. “I don’t know. She was right there!”

  He turned in a circle, noting they were in the corner of the park where it butted up against two other neighborhoods: Borough Park and Windsor Terrace. “Do you think she crossed the street? There’s nothing but residential housing on the other side.”

  “I hope not. What if she gets hit by a car?” Lani sounded worried.

  “Maybe she’s just hiding.”

  “I shouldn’t have stopped for a picture, but I was hoping to share this with the rest of the team, so we could all be on the lookout for her.” She sighed. “Poor dog. I just hope her puppies are okay.”

  “I’m sure they will be. Listen, we can try looking for her again later, but I have to go. There’s some legwork yet I need to do on my case.”

  “I get it.” Lani sounded dejected. “Next time, I’m coming out here with a small steak.”

  That made him smile. “Should do the trick.”

  Lani shared the dog’s photo with Nate and sent one to Eden Chang as well to be dispatched to the rest of the team. She also texted the Brooklyn Animal Care Center to be alerted to check for puppies in the park if the stray was brought in. “I’m calling her Brooke, short for Brooklyn.”

  “I like it.”

  They made their way back to where they’d left their respective vehicles. Nate fought stop-and-go traffic heading back to Bay Ridge. He wanted to push Damon Berk a bit more about Craggy Face. Maybe once Berk knew the guy was wanted for murder, he’d change his tune about the guy complaining about a cracked tooth.

  Nate wanted to know the true nature of their conversation.

  When he finally reached Bay Ridge, he circled around several blocks before he found a parking spot. He let Murphy out of the back and clipped his leash before walking down toward the Burgerteria.

  The restaurant had just opened for business and the early lunch crowd was seated on the various tables inside. Several of the patrons eyed Murphy curiously as he scanned the interior searching for Damon Berk.

  One of the servers, wearing a name tag that identified her as Salina Alden, finally approached. “I’m sorry, but we don’t allow dogs in here. It’s a health hazard.”

  “I need to speak to Damon Berk.”

  “He’s not here. He left me in charge.” Salina frowned. “Why do you want to talk to Damon? Is this about the guy who was found dead in the alley behind the restaurant yesterday? Everyone has been talking about it all day.”

  Good guess. He wasn’t surprised the news had spread like wildfire. “You’re positive he’s not here? Maybe you could check his office to make sure.”

  Salina rolled her eyes. “I’m telling you, he’s not here and hasn’t been all morning.”

  Nate wondered if Berk was avoiding the place because of the recent murder. Without a search warrant, he couldn’t poke around, looking for something, anything, that may explain why Willow had become a target and Paulie White had been murdered. He pulled out a business card. “Will you call me when Damon returns?”

  Salina reluctantly took the card. “I guess so. But Damon doesn’t know anything about that murder. None of us do.”

  “Paulie White didn’t work here?”

  “No!” Her eyes widened in horror. “Of course not.”

  “You didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary yesterday?” He figured the uniforms had already canvassed the area, but was stalling for time, hoping Damon might show.

  “Nothing. We were super busy, running around like chickens when we heard the shot. Even then, we thought maybe it was a car muffler or something.”

  Brooklyn was noisy, but he felt certain the shot would have sounded loud even in here. “I’d like to talk to the staff working in the kitchen. They may have noticed something prior to the shooting.”

  Salina didn’t look happy but did as he requested, bringing the kitchen workers out to talk to him. He performed quick interviews of the dishwasher and the cook who’d replaced Willow, but they both claimed they didn’t see or hear anything.

  By the time he was finished, Damon still hadn’t shown. And for all he knew, Damon had taken off somewhere with Craggy Face. Or maybe he was hiding from the guy. Nate decided to pick up something for lunch on his way back to Willow and Lucy when his phone rang.

  “Hey, Sarge,” he greeted his boss. “Tell me you have good news.”

  “We finally located the O’Malleys.”

  It took a moment for Nate to place the name. “The landlords who own the home Alex and Debra Emery rented, correct?”

  “Yeah. Apparently
, Belle tracked them on vacation in Florida. They acknowledged that the Emerys were five months overdue in their rent, and claim they were going to put them on eviction notice when they returned but deny having anything to do with the murder.” There was a pause before he added, “Their alibi is rock solid, Nate. They’re in the clear.”

  He’d run out of leads to follow in both of his cases, leaving him cranky and frustrated.

  How much longer before Craggy Face struck again?

  THIRTEEN

  Willow enjoyed playing with Lucy, but she couldn’t deny feeling on edge, even with the female officer there, as she waited for Nate and Murphy to return. When her phone rang, she eagerly grabbed the device, her heart thudding when she saw Nate’s name on the screen.

  “Hi, Nate.”

  “Hey, Willow. I’m on my way back with a basket of chicken for lunch. Hope that’s okay.”

  She was pleased he’d thought of the little girl. “Thanks.”

  “My boss also confirmed he released the scene at your brother’s house. He gave us the okay to head out to pick up what you need for Lucy.”

  “That’s wonderful news.” Lucy was already getting bored with her doll, and she would be glad to have more of Lucy’s things to help the little girl feel at home.

  “See you soon.”

  “Okay.” She disconnected from the call and set her phone on the table, glancing over to where Noelle Orton was seated on the far end of the sofa. “Nate’s on his way back. I’m sure you’re getting sick of sitting around doing nothing.”

  The petite rookie officer looked surprised. “Protection detail is part of my job and I’m happy to be here.”

  For the first time, she realized how seriously Nate’s team was taking the threat against her. She suppressed a shiver and strove for a light tone. “Well, thanks for spending your morning with us.” She glanced at Lucy, who was playing with some blocks on the rug. “Time to wash our hands, Lucy. Detective Nate will be here soon.”