by Karen Rose
‘So when will the police be finished with the polar bear tagging? I got us a DVD, ice cream, and even some of that healthy shit you pretend to like.’
Damn. Lucy had forgotten she’d told Thorne she was staying there tonight. ‘I’m actually going back to my apartment. They let me back in.’
‘Thorne won’t like that,’ Gwyn warned. ‘Neither do I.’
‘It’s okay. JD’s going to stay with me.’ I think.
‘Really, Miss “That’s-not-going-to-happen”? Are you going to sleep with him?’
Lucy controlled the urge to spill the truth about the alley. ‘I’ve considered it.’
‘Finally some sense out of you, girl.’ Gwyn paused. ‘So where did you go today, Lucy, that you didn’t have enough bars for a phone call?’
She sighed. ‘I went back again, with the detectives. And I saw my father.’
Gwyn drew in a sharp breath. ‘I wish that sonofabitch would just die.’
‘Well, he’s alive and kickin’. And still blaming me for everything.’
‘Sweetie . . .’ Her voice gentled. ‘Your father’s a dick. Don’t listen to him.’
‘It was kind of hard not to. We were yelling at each other.’ Lucy told her what had happened and Gwyn went silent.
‘Did your father hurt you, Lucy?’
‘He tried. JD grabbed him by the throat and pulled him off me.’
‘Wow. That’s really hot. If you want my advice, I’d do more than consider tonight. You don’t want to let him get away.’
Lucy frowned. ‘That’s not a good reason to have sex.’ Again.
‘It’s also not a bad reason to have sex.’ Gwyn tsked. ‘You did it already, didn’t you?’
Lucy sighed. Sometimes Gwyn was a little too empathic. ‘Yes.’
‘Where? When?’
‘Never mind.’
‘Oh, no. I want details.’
Lucy looked around the cafeteria. ‘No way, not here. I’ll tell you later.’
‘That good?’
‘Better. I really need to go.’
‘Then call me when you get to your place. With your voice.’ Her swallow was audible. ‘I really was scared today when I couldn’t reach you. I kept thinking of Kevin. And then I kept seeing you . . . the same way.’
‘I’m sorry I scared you. I’ll do better next time. This coffee’s getting cold. I gotta go.’ Lucy pocketed her phone and went to find out what the hell was wrong with JD Fitzpatrick.
Tuesday, May 4, 7.10 P.M.
JD was so tired, all the numbers on his screen were blurring together. Then he smelled coffee. Lucy put a cup in front of him, followed by cream and sugar packets.
‘I didn’t know how you liked it,’ she said. ‘Your coffee, I mean,’ she added wryly.
He looked up to find her studying him. ‘I thought I’d scared you away.’
‘No. Stevie wouldn’t leave me alone with a crazed killer.’
He dumped the sugar in the coffee, then tossed the cream packets to Stevie’s empty desk. ‘Stevie likes a little coffee with her cream.’
‘Good to know. Can I sit?’
He pulled a chair from another empty desk. ‘Please.’
‘So, what the hell, JD? What happened back there? I know you didn’t kill anyone.’
‘But I have. I was a sniper. A good one.’ He waited for her reaction.
‘You want me to be upset?’ she asked. ‘Are you trying to scare me away?’
‘Maybe,’ he admitted.
‘Well, I’m still here. What gives with the drama? What happened to your wife?’
‘She died. Stupid accident that didn’t have to happen.’
‘What kind of accident?’
‘Diving. Maya was into extreme sports. Skydiving, rock-climbing, stuff like that.’
‘I knew it,’ she said, narrowing her eyes. ‘I knew you were dangerous.’
‘I’m not dangerous,’ he insisted. ‘Which is why she’s dead.’
‘That makes no sense. Back up and start at the beginning. How did you meet?’
‘In the army and we hit it off. I got out first and came back here. The aunt who took me in was still living. She was sick, though, and I was able to help take care of her in her last months. I never knew her that well, but the years I spent with her were the most stable of my life. I wanted to, you know, repay her a little of what she’d given me. Like you and the Pughs.’
‘I understand.’
He knew she did. ‘Then Maya got out, but she had no family, so she came here, to me. I’d joined the department, she became a firefighter. A year later we got married.’
‘Did you love her?’
‘Yes, but not the way Paul and Stevie loved each other. Maya and I were more like friends with benefits who filed our taxes jointly. When the fun was done there wasn’t much to say.’
‘So how did you kill her?’ she asked.
‘I did a little of the extreme stuff with her at the beginning, but it wasn’t my thing. I’d had enough. Plus, I’d met Paul and Stevie by then and wanted what they had. I wanted to have kids.’
‘But Maya wasn’t a kid kind of person,’ she murmured.
‘No, she was not. She accused me of making her give up her fun and I guess I was, so she spent less time at home, more time doing whatever gave her a rush. More time away from me.’
‘She went diving without you one day and didn’t come home?’
He nodded. ‘She dived too deep and didn’t have an adequate ascent plan.’
‘And you blamed yourself.’
‘We’d had a bad argument right before she stomped out.’
She was studying him. ‘Did she say you weren’t exciting enough for her?’
He flinched in surprise. ‘Yes. How did you know that?’
‘Before you kissed me yesterday, I’d said that whether I got involved with you would depend on how exciting you were. I’ve been wondering why that made you so intense.’
‘I guess it’s still a sore spot.’
‘I’m sorry. I’m sure she didn’t mean it.’
‘Yeah, she did. That’s the problem. She was furious when she left that day and I didn’t calm her down. I pushed her buttons and if I hadn’t, she’d still be alive.’
‘So let me get this straight. Your wife, a mostly rational adult, got angry, took a foolish risk and died. JD, that’s nowhere close to killing her.’
He met her eyes directly. ‘So let me get this straight. Your mother, a doctor, a seemingly rational adult, endured a terrible tragedy that you did not cause, after which she had a mental breakdown. You, her child, desperately vying for her attention, gave her additional anxiety, so she sent you away. That’s nowhere close to driving her literally crazy.’
Her eyes narrowed. ‘You set me up.’
‘But was I right?’
She stewed a few seconds. ‘Yes. Don’t do it again, please.’
‘Fair enough. I learned the technique from Stevie, so you can blame her.’
She cocked her jaw. ‘I just might.’
‘Are you mad?’
‘No,’ she said. ‘You’re right. I’ve always known it in my head.’
‘But the heart’s another thing.’
She nodded. ‘So you went to Stevie’s group after your wife died.’
‘Not right away. I got a little crazy first, taking chances to take down any badass that crossed my path. Nearly got myself and my Narcotics partner killed. My CO at the time told me to get help or get a transfer. Eventually I did both.’
‘And here you are,’ she said simply.
He smiled. ‘Here I am.’
‘And here I am,’ Drew said from behind them, his expression furious as he put her purse on JD’s desk. ‘I was testing the tracking device I hid.’ He took a compact out and opened it, revealing a transmitter the size of a key fob. ‘But I kept getting false readings and didn’t know why. Then I found this.’ Opening her purse, he pulled on the lining. ‘It’s sliced. This was hidden inside.’ On his palm
he held a transmitter nearly identical to the one in the compact.
JD came to his feet. ‘What the hell?’
Lucy stared at it, the color draining from her face. ‘Somebody bugged my purse?’
‘It’s not a bug,’ Drew said. ‘It’s a tracking device.’
‘Somebody’s been watching me?’ she whispered. ‘Listening?’
What the hell? JD let out a relieved breath when Drew shook his head.
‘No,’ Drew said. ‘Some of these devices come with a listening feature. The one I was planting did, in fact. This one doesn’t. But he knows where you are at all times.’
‘He didn’t have to be physically near you to know your schedule,’ JD said.
She nodded, considering. ‘He knew I wasn’t at Gwyn’s last night when he left Janet’s heart. Oddly enough, that makes me feel better. So what do we do with it?’
‘Leave it,’ Drew said and she blinked in surprise.
‘This guy has to think he’s a step ahead,’ JD said. ‘Can we track it to him?’
‘It goes through a website, which means IP addresses, and warrants. So for all intents, no.’
‘How long has it been there?’ Lucy asked.
‘The manufacturer’s website says the battery provides up to ten days’ coverage in standby mode,’ Drew said. ‘It’s motion-activated and you’ve been on the move, so less than ten.’
‘Ten days ago I was in LA and I bought this purse there,’ Lucy said. ‘Unless he followed me to California, it had to have been when I came back.’
‘Who’s had access to your purse?’ JD asked.
‘I keep it in my desk drawer at the morgue and no, I don’t lock it up like I should. When I’m at the club it’s locked in the office. I left it in your car when we went to the Bennetts’ house. After last night, I’ve kept it and my duffle with me everywhere. I don’t want to have them sucked into another crime scene.’
Two possibilities jumped out at JD, and he knew Lucy would like neither of them. There was Alan, the ME tech who already knew more than everyone else at the morgue about her personal life. And Thorne, her friend. For now he’d keep both to himself.
‘Our window of opportunity is yesterday,’ JD said. ‘Can we check for prints?’
‘We can,’ Drew said. ‘Don’t expect any. I haven’t found a useable print yet.’
Lucy’s eyes widened. ‘He couldn’t have known my routine from this. He’s only been tracking me for two days. Either there are other devices, or he was physically following me.’
‘You’re right,’ Drew said. ‘We’ll go over your car again and check your other purses.’
‘They’re in my closet,’ she said wearily. ‘Your lock is still on my door.’
‘I’ll check your wallet and cell phone, too. You could have tracking software installed on your cell that you don’t even know about.’
‘How on earth could I have gotten that software on my phone?’
‘It could have come through a text, an attachment, something that looked like a photo link. It could be running all the time in the background and you would never know. Your phone?’
She gave it to him. ‘That’s just . . . squicky.’
‘Maybe, but better safe and squicked out than sorry and dead. I’ll be in touch.’
He’d started to walk away when she tugged his sleeve. ‘Wait, Drew. Did you say the device you were planting in my purse has listening capabilities? I don’t like that.’
JD’s mind immediately went to the night ahead in her apartment. Neither do I.
‘It’s not broadcasting all the time. It’s remotely activated. I can call it from my cell if you get in trouble or go somewhere you haven’t told us you’re going. I can hear what’s going on.’
The look of horror on her face would have been funny had it not been so appropriate. And shared. ‘I really, really don’t like that,’ she said.
Drew shrugged. ‘If he gets you, you’ll want us to know you’re in trouble.’
Her eyes flicked to JD’s. ‘I don’t like this, JD. I can take being tracked and guarded and being bait, but I don’t like the idea of people listening to my private conversations. That puts me and everyone else I know in jeopardy.’
‘I know,’ he said. After hearing about her trial, he understood. ‘It’s just until you’re safe.’
‘No. Use the other kind of device, Drew. I’m giving up enough of my privacy rights.’
JD grasped her shoulder gently. ‘Lucy, listen to me. He cuts out their hearts. He tortures them. He burns a letter into their backs. Slits their throats.’
She’d grown paler with each sentence. ‘I know.’
‘This man we’re looking for is a monster. I’m going to make sure he never puts his hands on you, but if he gets close, don’t you want to be able to communicate with us?’
She looked away. ‘Yes.’ Then squared her shoulders in a gesture with which he was becoming all too familiar. ‘Is there a way for me to block it when I want privacy?’
‘Yes,’ Drew said. ‘But that puts you in danger of not having it available when you need it. JD is right, Lucy. This is a dangerous man. You’ve seen what he can do.’
She swallowed hard. ‘Who will have the number to call this thing?’
‘Me,’ Drew said. ‘JD and Stevie. And Hyatt.’
She grimaced. ‘Hyatt, too? Does he have to?’ she asked in a whine.
One corner of Drew’s mouth lifted. ‘He signed off on the security, so yes.’
She sighed. ‘Okay. I don’t like this at all, but I’ll do it so we can catch this man before he kills anyone else. Me included. Fine. I’m in, just not happy about it.’
Drew nodded soberly. ‘Good. I’ll bring your purse back when I’m done with it.’
When Drew was gone, Lucy sank back into the chair. ‘I hate this, JD.’
‘Which part?’ he asked. ‘The being stalked part or the privacy disaster part?’
‘Both, but it doesn’t really matter. The only important thing is making this stop. What were you doing when I came in?’
‘Trying to track down the Bryans after they left Anderson Ferry. I have the father’s social security number from the police report and I located his death certificate. He died in North Carolina a year after Ileanna’s murder.’
Lucy rolled her chair to look at his screen. ‘Oh,’ she said sadly. ‘Suicide.’
‘Gunshot wound to the head. I found the police report for his suicide scene which says the body was discovered by his son, Evan Bryan.’
‘It’s looking like Evan has plenty of reasons to be angry. Where is he now?’
‘Can’t find him yet, and my eyes are crossing.’ But he’d keep looking because Evan’s only sister had worn a bracelet that had brought Lucy a lot of trouble. The boy was a link, if not their man. And until they ID’d him, Lucy was living in the cross hairs.
‘Mine too,’ she said. ‘Craig found the autopsy reports on Ileanna and Ricky Joyner. He sent them to my email, but my eyes can’t focus on the small print on my phone anymore. Is there a computer I can use here to check my email?’
‘Use mine,’ he said, then tortured himself with the feel of her against him as she leaned closer to input her user name and password. ‘Lucy?’ he murmured.
The skin on her arms pebbled as a shiver shook her. ‘Hm?’
‘Can I still stay?’
She turned her head to look at him, putting her mouth within inches of his. ‘Yes.’
‘Then let’s hurry so we can get some food and a few hours’ sleep.’
Her mouth slowly curved and it took all the discipline he possessed not to kiss her right here in the bullpen. But as Stevie had said, Hyatt was watching – and less than happy that JD had told him no twice over Lucy’s being bait. He’d watch himself, for now. And hope like hell Hyatt was too honorable to listen in where he shouldn’t, because later . . .
‘Food and sleep are good.’ She turned back to the screen, her focus immediately redirected. ‘Ileanna, what happen
ed to you, honey?’ she whispered.
It was a gruesome report. The photos of the body were stark and grim, something they’d both seen way too many times before. ‘She was beaten severely.’
‘With fists, probably. The ME concluded that one of the head wounds was the cause of death. She was also raped, brutally. There’s bruising here, and tearing. This was a vicious assault.’ She enlarged the photo. ‘Look. This welt on her neck.’
‘Where the chain of a necklace might have been yanked off,’ he said.
‘Exactly. But there’s no similar welt on her wrist. When I found the bracelet in Buck’s room, it wasn’t broken. That didn’t happen until Sonny stole it from me.’
‘So the bracelet was taken off. But by whom?’
She bit at her lip thoughtfully. ‘Do you have the bracelet?’
‘Yeah.’ He took the evidence bag from his pocket. ‘Stevie gave it to me.’
She looked at the bracelet through the plastic. ‘Could you manage this clasp?’
‘Not easily. It’s really small and I’m not used to doing it.’
‘A boy Buck’s age wouldn’t have been, either. Did Ileanna have a purse?’
JD looked through the box until he found the candid prom photos. ‘Yes.’ He showed her the picture. ‘But there was no purse found with her body according to the police report. Initially they called it a robbery.’
‘Until they discovered the suicide – Ricky Joyner. Do we have a police report on his death?’
‘I requested his police report be faxed from the state police. Wait,’ he said. Luckily the state police were a lot faster than Gladys Strough and the report was sitting on the fax machine. He read it as he walked back to Lucy. ‘No purse found with his body.’
She was staring at Ileanna’s autopsy photo. ‘My mother saw these injuries. She treated babies with sniffles and boys who’d fallen out of trees. She didn’t have experience with anything like this. I see this a lot . . . It doesn’t get easy, but the shock tends to wear off. She must have been blown away. And then to lose Buck right after.’
He rubbed her back comfortingly and said nothing, letting her talk it out.
‘I guess I never realized how much I wished things were different until I stood on that dock today. I kept thinking, maybe he’ll hug me. Maybe he’ll let my mother talk to me. Maybe it’ll be okay and there’s a damn good reason that my brother had a dead girl’s bracelet in his room.’