“I’ve already been there, Marly.”
He turned then and headed out into the rain. She watched him walk across the parking lot to his truck, get inside, and drive off. She watched even when his taillights had faded into the night.
She watched the darkness, knowing that she hadn’t seen the last of Deacon Cage.
MARLY AWAKENED WITH A START, certain that someone was in her apartment. She could sense him. He was out there somewhere, rummaging through her personal things, violating her private space.
Her heart pounding with fear, she reached over and retrieved her gun from the nightstand drawer. Easing up in bed, she clutched the cold metal in both hands as she peered through the darkness.
He was still there. She couldn’t see him. Couldn’t hear him. But she could feel him.
What should she do? Marly wondered frantically. Her first instinct was to cower under the covers and hope that he would go away. But cops didn’t cower. Cops took control of the situation.
Still gripping her weapon, Marly shoved back the quilt and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Then she froze in terror because suddenly she knew. The killer had come to give her a warning.
But he wasn’t inside her apartment. He was inside her head.
Chapter Twelve
Navarro called Marly into his office for a meeting the following morning. In addition to Joshua Rush and Max Perry, there were four newcomers present, all pastors of local churches who were eager to join the community outreach program that Max had agreed to spearhead.
Marly sat off to the side, pretending to take notes, but her mind kept straying back to the previous evening. The moment she’d seen Joshua in Navarro’s office, she’d thought about her father’s accusations, and she couldn’t help wondering about Joshua’s relationship with her mother.
Was there really something going on between them?
Reluctantly Marly glanced up, her gaze sweeping over him. He was dressed in khaki chinos and a light blue sweater that matched his eyes perfectly. His hair was combed in a boyish style, and his features were arranged into lines of concern as he listened to Navarro.
But those eyes gave him away every time, Marly thought. At least for her they did. They were cold, cynical and mocking.
The idea of Joshua and her mother…together made Marly physically ill. She had a difficult time believing that her mother, after living under her husband’s tyranny for years, would fall for another man just like him.
But then, people often repeated their mistakes. Life could be a vicious circle, and her mother was vulnerable and naïve. And Marly knew better than anyone how charming and persuasive Joshua could be when he set his mind to something. What better way to get back at her for breaking up with him than by seducing her mother?
Although maybe she was flattering herself, Marly conceded. Maybe this didn’t have anything to do with her. Her mother was still a beautiful, desirable woman. It wasn’t inconceivable that Joshua simply saw her, wanted her, and, in spite of their age difference, went after her like he had with all his other conquests.
Marly couldn’t believe she’d once been so gullible and stupid. Looking back, it was easy to see how the attention and gifts he’d showered on her were all part of the seduction. How his outward charm and charisma had blinded her to the subtle cruelty, to the creeping oppression.
Thank God she’d discovered what he was really like before it was too late. Before she married him. Before she ended up like her mother.
Could he be the one? Marly thought with a sudden shiver. A cold-blooded killer?
Last night, alone and frightened in her bedroom, she’d almost convinced herself that Deacon was on to something. In light of what had happened between them earlier, maybe she’d even wanted to believe him. Wanted to believe that her reckless behavior was caused by something other than her attraction to a man she barely knew.
What if it was true? What if someone in this town, perhaps in this very room, had the kind of military background and extraordinary skills that Deacon had warned her about?
Marly’s gaze lit on Tony Navarro, and she remembered all the talk that had circulated around town when he’d first arrived, including the rumor that he was an ex-Navy SEAL. He’d never confirmed or denied any of the buzz. He didn’t talk about his personal life at all. Marly didn’t even know where he was from. He’d come to town one day, been hired on the spot by the town council, and now she had to wonder what had convinced them so quickly? His qualifications? His personality? Or…something else? Had he used extraordinary measures to convince them?
Marly would have laughed at her own speculation except for one not so amusing fact. Four people were dead. Four people in Mission Creek had taken their own lives over a ten-day period. Four people who had given no indication to their friends and loved ones that they were depressed, let alone suicidal.
Gracie Abbott, David Shelley, Amber Tyson and Ricky Morales.
Four people who, with the exception of David and Amber, were linked to one another only through a loose connection to the school.
And to the Glorious Way Church.
A dark premonition slipped over Marly as her thoughts once again turned to Joshua. Strangely enough, she knew very little about his background. He’d told her the basics. He’d grown up in the South, had attended seminary school in Memphis, and had been offered the job at the nondenominational church on Sixth Street after his predecessor had accepted a position in El Paso.
He was an only child, and his parents had died years ago, when he was still in school. He had no family to speak of which was why he’d been anxious to accept the position in Mission Creek. The community was close-knit and supportive. In other words, a substitute family for him.
Since he’d become pastor, the congregation at the Glorious Way had more than tripled. He’d even attracted worshipers from the surroundings communities, and they’d become more than just his faithful congregation. They were his followers. His devotees. Their adoration was such that Joshua had become almost a religion unto himself.
Her gaze moved to Max Perry, and she realized that she didn’t know much about him, either. He’d assumed the position of guidance counselor at the high school when the former counselor had died tragically in an automobile accident over the Christmas holidays. Max’s timely availability had seemed like a stroke of luck for the school, but what if it had been something other than luck?
He turned suddenly, catching Marly’s gaze, and she glanced away.
She was starting to suspect every man in Mission Creek, especially the ones she knew little about. The ones between the ages of thirty and forty. The ones who perhaps had a military background.
Deacon Cage had planted that suspicion in her head when, in fact, he was the one she knew the least about. He was the one who best fit his own profile.
“Marly?”
She started at the sound of her name. When she glanced up, Navarro lifted a brow. “Any questions?”
Marly glanced down at her notebook. The page was blank. “No sir.”
“In that case, I’d say it’s time we all get to work.”
Marly rose and walked quickly out of the room before anyone had a chance to stop her.
“DO ME A FAVOR,” Marly said a few minutes later as she pulled on her jacket.
Patty Fuentes perched on the corner of her desk. “What’s that?” The moment Marly had come out of Navarro’s office, Patty had ambled over, hoping for a nice long chat. But Marly had no time for gossip today even though she always enjoyed Patty’s company. The receptionist—one of only a handful of civilians who worked for the police department—was gregarious and outrageous in ways Marly could never hope to be.
“If anyone asks where I’ve gone, tell them I’m out on patrol.”
Patty examined her beautifully manicured nails. “Sure, no problem. And if someone needs to reach you?”
“Cover for me. Just give me an hour.”
One glamorous brow arched as Patty glanced up. “Now
you’ve got me dying of curiosity. What are you up to, girlfriend?”
“I just need to run an errand.”
Patty’s gaze narrowed. “Nuh-uh, you’re up to something. You’ve got guilt written all over your face.” She cocked her head, giving Marly a long scrutiny. “If I didn’t know better…”
“If you didn’t know better, what?” Marly said absently.
Patty leaned forward, lowering her voice. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you have the look of a woman who had one helluva good time in bed last night.”
Marly blushed furiously. “Anyone ever tell you that you have a dirty mind?”
“Yes, and your point is?” Patty folded her arms, still watching her. “Who is he?” she demanded. “Come on, give. I want details.”
“You’re crazy,” Marly muttered. But it was difficult because the images she’d tried to keep at bay all morning suddenly blossomed inside her head.
“I want you, too. I want to pick you up and carry you inside your apartment, lay you on the bed, and undress you slowly. I want to touch you all over, taste every inch of you, and then I want to be inside you—”
Marly’s heart started to race, just thinking about Deacon Cage, remembering the feel of his mouth and hands, wondering, in spite of herself, what it would be like to have him inside her.
God in heaven, what is wrong with you?
“Look at you. You’re as red as a beet,” Patty teased. “And you’re not going to tell me who he is, are you?”
Marly ducked her head, pretending to gather up papers from her desk. “There’s nothing to tell.”
“You know what I think?” Patty gave her a knowing smile. “I think that twinkle in your eyes and that blush on your face has something to do with that guy who came in here the other day.”
“What guy?”
“The one who looked like he could go from zero to bad ass in about two seconds flat. Deacon Cage, I think his name was.”
Marly pushed back her chair and stood. “Your imagination is working overtime.”
Patty grinned. “Maybe. Wouldn’t be the first time. But I do know this. Joshua Rush never put a glow on your face like that—”
She stopped short, muttered something under her breath, and Marly glanced up. Joshua stood not five feet from her desk, and judging by the angry glint in his eyes, he’d overheard every word of their conversation.
MARVIN BOLT, AMBER TYSON’S stepfather, answered the door so quickly, Marly wondered if he’d been watching for her out the window.
“Thanks for agreeing to see me,” she said as she stepped into the tiled foyer.
Marvin closed the door behind her and turned with a scowl. “Ruby’s gone out to run some errands. She’ll be back in a couple of hours so you’ll have to make this quick. I don’t want her to come home and find you here. She’s been through enough.”
Marly nodded. “I understand. This won’t take long.”
Marvin rubbed his chin in puzzlement. “I still don’t understand why you want to see Amber’s room.”
“I’m just trying to understand what happened to her,” Marly explained, although she knew the excuse sounded lame. “Maybe it’ll help us prevent it from happening to someone else.”
“I hope you’re right.” He led the way upstairs and down the hall to Amber’s bedroom, pausing at the threshold as if he didn’t have the heart to walk inside. “This is her room. I don’t know where Ruby put all that stuff Navarro brought over, but I imagine it’s in here somewhere.”
Marly glanced at him in surprise. “Navarro returned Amber’s personal effects?”
“He brought a box by here the other night. I thought that was real nice of him though I can’t say he’s an overly friendly fellow. But we appreciated the gesture.”
A gesture that seemed totally out of character for Navarro, Marly thought. Normally he would have sent one of his deputies on such a mission. But she supposed that just proved how little she really knew about him.
Amber’s bedroom was a typical teenage girl’s space, cluttered and overly decorated in shades of blue with a faux fur throw on the bed and posters of her favorite bands tacked to the walls. Marly glanced at Marvin, reluctant to invade his step-daughter’s space. “All right if I have a look around?”
“That’s what you’re here for, isn’t it?”
Marly stepped inside and slowly walked around the room, stopping to examine a bulletin board that held some of Amber’s personal mementos. Photographs of classmates, ribbons from a homecoming corsage, a science award signed by Sam.
Marly stared at the award, momentarily taken aback by seeing her brother’s name in the dead girl’s bedroom.
“Amber was real proud of that award,” Marvin said from the doorway. He shoved his hands into the pocket of his faded jeans. “She was a good student. A good girl. Went to church every Sunday, although I can’t say I approved of the one she attended.”
Marly glanced over her shoulder. “She attended the Glorious Way, didn’t she?”
He nodded, his expression grim.
“Why didn’t you approve?” Marly asked.
“Because that preacher they got over there, Brother Rush, they call him, he’s one slick operator,” Marvin said scornfully. “He reminds me of one of those tele-evangelists. They preach one thing on Sunday so they can beg for your money, then they go out and do whatever the hell they want every other day of the week.”
He had Joshua pegged all right, Marly thought dryly.
Marvin’s features hardened. “I didn’t like her being so chummy with that guy, and I told Ruby so. It wasn’t right, him being a grown man and Amber still a kid, just barely eighteen. But Ruby wouldn’t hear anything against him.”
“What do you mean by chummy?” Marly tried to ask casually.
“He’d call here after school and ask Amber to come down to the church for first one reason and then another. She was a whiz with computers, and he always claimed he needed her help. Then he’d drive her home, sometimes after dark. I didn’t like it, but it didn’t do me much good to say so, me being just her stepfather and all.”
“Did you and Amber have problems?”
“No more than normal, I guess. It’s hard accepting someone new into the family. I understood that. Ruby and I just got married a few months ago, but it seemed to me things were going along fine until Amber started going to that church. Then she changed.”
“Changed how?”
He shrugged. “She was always real easygoing before, but after that, she became moody and secretive, like she was keeping things from us.”
“You don’t have any idea what it might have been?”
He glanced away. “I might have had my suspicions. But I kept them to myself. Maybe I shouldn’t have. Maybe I should have tried to talk to her. Find out what was going on. Maybe then she wouldn’t have done what she did, but…I guess we’ll never know now, will we?”
He turned then, shoulders hunched, and disappeared down the hallway. Marly could hear his footsteps on the stairs and a moment later, the muffled sound of the TV.
Alone, she walked over to the dresser and gazed down at the jumble of lipsticks, eye shadows and perfumes, marveling at such an expensive assortment for a teenage girl. No drugstore cosmetics in the lot. Marly tended to notice such things because she hadn’t been allowed to wear makeup as a teen. She hadn’t owned so much as a lip gloss until she’d gone away to college.
Funny how that still rankled. And strange that now that she could wear makeup whenever she wanted, she frequently chose not to.
A tiny gold cross hung from the corner of Amber’s mirror, and Marly picked it up, feeling the cool metal in her palm.
Could Joshua be the link that connected all the suicides? she wondered. David and Amber had both been active in the youth group, and according to Marvin, Amber may have had an even closer relationship with Joshua. Gracie Abbot had taught Sunday school class and worked in the office, and while Ricky Morales hadn’t been a member of the churc
h, his mother was.
And then there was Nona’s assertion that something had been going on between Ricky and Crystal Bishop. What if Crystal had taken back up with Joshua, and Ricky had somehow found out—
Wait a minute, Marly warned herself. You’re starting to sound as if you think the victims really were murdered. You’re starting to sound as if you believe Deacon Cage.
And if she believed him about the killer, didn’t she have to believe him about…the other? That he had the ability to control another person’s thoughts. That he could manipulate someone’s mind into making them do whatever he wanted.
How else could she explain her behavior with him?
If he could arouse that kind of response in her by just kissing her and touching her…
She wouldn’t think about that now, Marly decided. She needed to concentrate on the business at hand, and Deacon Cage had become too much of a distraction. Too much of a threat to her peace of mind.
Walking over to the nightstand, she picked up a book to see what Amber had been reading. It was a copy of The Scarlet Letter. An assignment for English class, no doubt. The symbolism of an illicit and an inappropriate relationship was probably nothing more than a coincidence.
But as Marly leafed through the book, a photograph fell out and she bent to pick it up. Then froze.
It was a snapshot of her brother. Of Sam and several of his students, to be precise. They looked to be huddled over a science project, and Marly recognized both Amber and David Shelley in the group. They were standing side by side, but Amber’s gaze was on Sam and there was something about the way she was smiling at him…about the look in her eyes that seemed…intimate.
Someone else had been caught in the frame. Marly lifted the picture to the light, trying to make out the shadowy figure in the background. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought it might be Max Perry.
“Marly?”
Deacon’s voice startled her so badly, she almost dropped the book. Marly turned to find him staring at her from the doorway.
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