by Sarina Wilde
Chapter Nine
Kevin wished he’d put on clothes before he’d set foot out of the bedroom, but who the hell was he kidding? Even boxers wouldn’t have disguised his body’s reaction to what Adam had said. And Adam knew it. His gaze slid down, pausing for a moment on Kevin’s lengthening cock. He looked away.
“I’m sorry, Ramsey,” he muttered. “I don’t want this to come out sounding all girly and it’s going to fly right in the face of how I made everything seem.” He closed his eyes for an instant then met Kevin’s gaze. “This has to be about more than sex. Oh fucking hell. Listen to this shit. I want a relationship.”
Kevin set the sleeping pills on the counter and walked over to his partner. “And I won’t have sex with you without Jill. I guess that leaves us in a difficult position.”
Going on gut instinct, Kevin cupped Adam’s neck in his hand and drew him in until their foreheads touched. Inhaling the warm scent from his partner’s skin, Kevin slipped his other hand around his waist, pulling their hips together. Holy hell, Adam was as turned-on as he was. They stood there, their hips rubbing together and their foreheads touching. Kevin closed his eyes and simply enjoyed the contact.
“I went by your house, Kevin. I talked to her.”
It didn’t make him angry this time. He realized Adam was trying to figure out where he fit in this whole picture. “And how did that go?”
“She says she needs some time.” Adam’s voice was hoarse.
He wanted to kiss him. His fingers moved to Adam’s jaw, feeling the stubble of his beard growth against the pads. “She’ll figure it out, man. It was more than sex from the first time, Adam,” Kevin assured him. “Give Jill the time she’s asked for. She’ll figure that out.”
Adam reached for him, searching for and finding his mouth, kissing him with a heat and passion that made Kevin’s heart pound and his body harden.
“Please,” Adam whispered against his mouth. “If this is all you can give me then give me this.”
Kevin leaned into him, amazed to feel his partner’s lean body trembling. “Let me sleep with you,” he growled. “Being alone is part of what’s getting to me. We can at least sleep together.”
“And we’ll talk to Jill?”
Kevin nodded.
* * * * *
The alarm beeped in the darkness of their bedroom. Jill waited for Kevin to turn it off as he did most mornings. Only after the beep had grown steadily louder for about thirty seconds did reality hit. Kevin wasn’t there. He was the one who normally awoke this early. Her shift would be later.
She stumbled to the chest of drawers on his side of the room and flicked the button to Off. This close to his dresser, his aftershave’s faint aroma lingered. She drew a deep breath, almost surprised when it ended with a sob.
Adam had been right. Kevin had acted out of love. So had Adam, but was that love only for her husband? Was she simply a means to ensure he could have Kevin? She’d seen how much he cared for her husband and during her conversation with him last night, she could have sworn Adam experienced something more than lust for her too. It had certainly felt as though that were true when it had been just Adam loving her there on the couch in the hotel. Just the two of them had been hot, sweet, tender. It had even felt that way last night when he’d pulled her into his arms.
Or was it simply wishful thinking? Could she even trust her sudden flare of feeling? It was mad, insane—just as it had been when she and Kevin first fell in love.
As she stood, her hands braced on the furniture, she knew with a certainty Kevin wasn’t the only one she needed to talk to. All three of them needed to talk, needed to face the fact that something major had happened Saturday night. It had been beautiful. It had been about so much more than fucking. They had to figure out what this relationship would look like, how it would work.
She should call him, tell him to bring Kevin and meet her somewhere after her shift tonight. Her shoulders slumped. She didn’t know his cell number and she definitely couldn’t call the station. Her glance strayed to her laptop. Email? She could leave something there then simply call his voicemail at the precinct and clue him into checking it. She wanted her first conversation with Kevin to be face-to-face.
Jill grabbed her robe and hurried downstairs to make coffee. She would do it. He’d revealed his feelings to her. She could at least return the favor. It took only a few minutes before she was seated with her laptop, composing her mail.
Dear Adam,
I don’t know where to begin besides saying again that I’m sorry. I’ve thought a lot about what you said and I realize I overreacted. I know Kevin never meant to hurt me. I have twelve years that prove how much he cares. I can’t throw those years away because of one night. But I also can’t forget the amazing things that did happen.
I know it was supposed to be all about sex, about fun, but it was obvious a lot more happened. A connection flared among the three of us. I saw the way Kevin opened himself to you, the way he trusted you. I felt the same.
I don’t want to lose that. So, what I guess I’m asking is can we start over, figure out a way to be a trio in a society of couples? Message me back with a place and time I can meet you both—please.
Jill also gave him her cell phone number. Her finger shook slightly as she pressed Send.
* * * * *
The photos were waiting for them when they arrived at the station the next morning. While Adam laid them out side by side, Kevin stood behind him. Adam forced himself not to glance over his shoulder at his partner—the man in whose arms he’d spent the night. They’d kissed and held each other, the friction of their bodies enough that despite the best intentions, they’d come just from the touching.
He had gotten Kevin to promise he would make an attempt to talk to Jill this evening. He just prayed it would turn out all right.
Kevin reached over his shoulder, pointing to one of several pictures showing a man with curly blond hair and dark eyes. “Who’s this guy? Heather seems to have an unusual number of pictures of him.”
“Grab the yearbook. The shirt and tie are a good clue he’s faculty.”
Kevin pivoted to his own desk and flipped through the book. “Got him.”
“Who is it? I’ll crosscheck with the faculty we’ve already talked to.”
“Grady Shelby…”
“Head of the English department now.” Adam glanced at his notes. “We talked to him about Addy when we visited the school. Maybe we need to visit him at home.”
Kevin grunted.
“What are you doing, Ramsey?”
“Checking the library to see if they have copies of the high school yearbooks going back to the first girl.” Kevin grinned. “Looks as if we’re in luck. Got your library card with you?”
Adam gathered the photos. “Let’s go. I have a bad vibe about where this case is headed.”
Kevin’s brows rose. “He kept Annie five years, Heather ten. He’s only had Addy a week if he is our guy and it seems obvious from the other cases he’s keeping them alive.”
Adam rubbed his neck. “He buried the first girl in an area well away from where she was taken, making a decent attempt to hide the body. Heather, however, he dumped near to where he took Addy—almost as if he wanted us to link everything together. Maybe he’s reaching the point where he can’t control whatever’s driving him.”
Kevin drummed his fingers on the desk. “Let’s check it out, see if those older yearbooks have anything to link him to Annie. If so, let’s stop by and pay him a visit.”
They sat next to each other, flipping through the annuals for the years Annie attended high school. Shelby wasn’t a faculty member her freshman and sophomore years. Adam had shoved those books aside when he heard Kevin murmur, “Pay dirt.”
Adam leaned over, scanning Grady Shelby’s faculty headshot. He looked as if he were fresh out of college, with golden-boy good looks guaranteed to make teenage hearts do backflips.
“Looks angelic,” Kevin growled.
/> “He still does,” Adam added. “Flip back to the activities section.”
“Why?”
“I want to see if he was involved in anything Annie might have been.” As Kevin turned the pages, Adam inhaled his fresh, clean fragrance. “There. Stop.”
Kevin’s lean finger tapped the photos. “Journalism advisor. Annie was a staff member.”
“Christ,” Adam blurted in angry frustration. “How has this guy gotten away with this?”
Kevin leaned back in his chair. “Other than the fact he would have been well-known to each of our girls, we don’t have anything to directly link them to their disappearance. Shelby lives here in town. The odds he’d be able to keep women hidden in his home for months, let alone years, are miniscule.”
“Maybe he owns some property elsewhere. Maybe it’s similar to that case with the kid in New York who was held in an underground bunker.”
Kevin shook his head. “She was only held for sixteen days. If Shelby’s our man, he’s holding them for years. I don’t think the bunker’s a viable route. Besides, Shelby’s been questioned before. His home’s been searched… But other property is a possibility.”
They headed to the Register of Deeds Office. Right when Adam decided they were searching in vain, he came across a deed transfer dated a year earlier.
“Kev, I think I’ve got it. Grady Shelby’s name is on a deed for a twenty-five acre tract in the northern part of the county.”
Kevin approached and looked at it too. “Previous owners are Marion G. and Edith L. Shelby. Hmm. Parents?”
“Maybe. And if so, it might have given him a perfect place to conceal someone.”
“Where his parents’ lived?” Kevin’s tone was disbelieving.
“Maybe they didn’t live there. Let’s see what property improvements are listed.” Adam ran his finger over the deed. “Here we go. There’s a house, barn and an equipment shed.”
“If he kept his victims out there, he’d have to have power to run a well, if nothing else.”
Adam glanced sideways at him. “Feel like taking a trip out to the county? Unofficial, of course, since we’ll be out of our jurisdiction once we hit the city limits. If anything looks suspicious, we can involve the necessary people. Besides, looks to me as though this might fall within my old department’s jurisdiction. If it looks as though we’ve got anything, I can call my former partner to meet us.”
“Sure. You drive, since you know the area better than me. I’ll get on the laptop and see if I can pull utility records for this place.”
The day was warm, so they tossed their jackets in the backseat before getting in their vehicle. Right after he put the car in gear, Adam had to get something off his chest. It had been bothering him since last night. “When you talk to Jill, I don’t want you to worry about me or what’s gone on with us.”
Kevin stared at him. “That’s a part of it, Hell. You’re a part of it.”
Adam shook his head. “No. You and she have to come first.”
“You’re my partner. I want you to be more. I saw how into you she got. I know we said just the one time, but as you said—I want a relationship too. It might not be the norm, but I think we could make a threesome work if she’ll give us a chance.”
Adam wasn’t so sure. Or maybe he was too afraid to hope. That would make anyone who’d known him laugh. He was a man with a reputation for going after what he wanted, a man better known as an alpha in any relationship he’d had—and it killed him to stay on the sidelines right now.
Adam nodded. “Let me know what I can do.”
“I’ll know more after I talk to her tonight. Drive. I’ll start checking the power company.”
Kevin forced his mind back on their case even though it was difficult. He’d put it into words. He wanted Jill and Adam and somehow he would convince Jilly.
While Adam drove north, Kevin worked the computer. As what he found registered, he gave a low whistle. “The billing address is different than the property address, Hell. One guess who the bill’s sent to.”
“Grady Shelby.”
“You got it. It’s been that way for more than fifteen years. Seems to me his parents must have moved somewhere else. Let me see if I can verify that.” Kevin returned to the computer, looking for addresses for Marion and Edith Shelby. It didn’t take long. “Bingo. They moved into an apartment complex sixteen years ago then into assisted living facilities ten years ago. Marion’s listed as deceased as of three years ago and his wife a year later. I’m guessing the deed transfer occurred after probate, making the property officially Shelby’s, when in actual fact, he’s had sole access to it for at least sixteen years.”
They were stopped at a traffic light. Adam looked over at him and their glances met and held. “You want me to call my buddy or should we go on out there? We could claim exigent circumstances if someone questions a lack of warrant. After all, if what we suspect is true, Addy Brown is there and still alive.”
“What’s your gut feeling?”
“Given the deliberate carelessness in disposing of Heather Stevens’ body, I think Shelby’s cracking and time may be a luxury we don’t have.”
Kevin nodded. “My feeling too. Let’s keep your buddy out of it for now, but I am going to notify Sarge about what we suspect and where we’re going. I’m also going to suggest he send a patrol car to Shelby’s home in town with a search warrant.”
“Our evidence is sketchy right now.”
“I think that will change once we get results back from the samples taken from Heather’s body. I’m going to ask for a DNA sample from him too.”
Kevin called in and relayed the information to their sergeant. After explaining what kept bringing them back to the veteran teacher as a suspect in all three cases, the sergeant agreed.
“I’ll notify Adam’s old department that you guys are on their turf and why, so we can get the necessary permission in writing. Meantime, I’ll send a car over to Shelby’s place here in town to pick him up for questioning, if he’s there. You guys better be righteous. If we haul in a teacher, we might as well be hauling in a public figure. Even if we’re wrong, the man’s career is ruined.”
“I don’t think we are, Sarge. Once we see what’s what at this farm, I’ll give you a call.”
“Give me a call anyway as soon as you arrive. If you’re right and this guy is cracking, this is a situation that could explode right in your faces. Be careful. I want your vests on.”
“Yes sir.”
“By the way, tell Hell he had a phone message telling him to check on an Adam Gregory.”
Kevin looked hard at Adam. “Will do. We’ll be in touch.”
Kevin started to jam his phone in his pocket when it beeped at him. “Damn. My battery’s gone and the charger’s still at my house.”
“I’ve got my phone. With any luck, you can charge your phone at your own house tonight.”
“Uh, Adam.”
Adam had slowed so they could spot the address. “What, dude?”
“You had a phone message at the station to check on an Adam Gregory. Does anyone besides Jill know about your alter ego?”
“No fucking way.” Adam grinned. “Maybe she’s rethinking things.”
Kevin was almost afraid to hope and now he was impatient to have this over and done with so they could both find Jill.
Right after they turned off the main road onto the long, shaded drive, Adam stopped the car and popped the trunk. They grabbed their tactical vests, put them on and reholstered their weapons. If their suspicions were true, Shelby had already killed two women after cold-bloodedly holding them captive for years.
Chapter Ten
Jill returned from her ride, entering a kitchen as empty as the rest of the house without Kevin there, especially knowing he wouldn’t return in the evening to relieve the emptiness. She had forced this situation. Now she hoped her mail to Adam would work. With a glance at the clock on the microwave, she hurried upstairs to check her computer. If he’d
gotten her message, then he might have already responded, but there was nothing there. She sighed, trying to convince herself it was okay. They were working a case, so the chances were good they were out of the office.
As she showered, Jill toyed with trying to run by the station on her way into work, but that was silly. This wasn’t a conversation they could complete in minutes. She wanted them to know in no uncertain terms how sorry she was for overreacting.
She’d had a lot of time to think over the past couple days, not only about what had happened but also the discussions leading to it. She’d also heard Adam’s words over and over after her comment about feeling used. Kevin’s concerns about a stranger had also come back. He was a cop, so of course he would be concerned about them connecting with someone he didn’t know or trust.
Adam had been his solution, someone he knew and trusted, but someone she didn’t know. The night had been spectacular, something she would have repeated under any other circumstances, but they’d caught her off guard and embarrassed her. Jill considered the possibility Kevin and Adam might already have a relationship, but she shook her head. This was where trust came into play. Kevin had said no, so she had to believe him. Adam had reinforced that. And what she’d shared with Adam while Kevin had slept had simply blown her away. All his actions and reactions had been those of a man looking for something deeper, not simply satisfying his lust.
Without giving herself more time to think about it, Jill grabbed the phone and speed-dialed Kevin’s cell. It threw her into voicemail. She glanced over at the wall and saw his charger still plugged in. His phone was dead. She’d tried the station again, but it kicked into Kevin’s voicemail, a sure sign he was out of the office. Damn.
A glance at the clock told her she would have to try later. Right now she had to get ready for work. She would find them tonight, whether Adam replied to her mail or not. She wanted her marriage back and she wanted Adam—this time to see how he would fit in their lives. She already knew he cared for Kevin and that was the biggest positive of all.
* * * * *