Elise didn’t want to dash the stranger’s hopes, so she sealed her lips. “I hope not. Anyway, thanks for the phone. Enjoy your walk.”
She shoved her hands in the pockets of her sweater and watched the woman cross the parking lot and head toward the bridge’s pedestrian walkway.
Elise had ventured across the bridge a few times since moving to the city. Round-trip was a good three-mile walk, and while she could use the exercise to clear her head, she had a lunch date with Courtney—not that she was looking forward to it.
She dreaded revealing the rest of last night’s details to Courtney, except for meeting Detective Brody. She wanted her friend’s take on the tall, muscular cop and his protective attitude toward her. Was his behavior normal for a homicide detective questioning a witness?
Normal or not, Elise had felt something click between them, or maybe that was just her desperately reaching out for a knight in shining armor. After Ty, she’d begun doubting the existence of those knights.
She dug in her purse for her keys, and then someone touched her shoulder. She spun around, dropping the keys and hugging her purse to her chest.
Sergeant Curtis faced her, his eyes narrowed and his arms across his barrel chest. “What are you doing here, Ms. Duran?”
Her gaze skittered over his shoulder to Detective Brody still clomping around the beach. “I just had to see for myself. That’s not against the law, is it? All these other people are here.”
“Of course not.” He hunched his shoulders until his short neck disappeared completely. “But you’re not like all these other people, are you?”
“I’m a curious looky-loo, just like them.”
“Don’t start doing your own investigating, Ms. Duran.” He shook his stubby finger in her face. “Leave it to us. We’ll tell you what you need to know.”
Bending over, she swiped her keys up from the ground, hoping for a little composure. Sergeant Curtis’s paternalistic tone caused a spiral of anger to shoot through her body. Why did men always think they knew what was best for her?
“Maybe I don’t want to wait for information. That woman was on my phone. I have a right and a need to know what happened to her.”
He took a step back and blinked. “Sorry. Just don’t want you putting yourself in any danger.”
“I get it.” She waved him off and strode to her car, jabbing her thumb on the remote. He’d probably go and tell Detective Brody now.
And what if he did? She didn’t owe Detective Brody anything, either.
As she rounded her car, a white square on her windshield caught her attention. She rolled her eyes. Perfect—a parking ticket.
She snatched the object from beneath her wiper, her eyebrows colliding over her nose. This was no ticket envelope. She unfolded the slip of paper and scanned the words.
The blood thundered in her ears as she crushed the paper in her fist, her gaze shifting wildly around the parking lot. Her dry mouth made forming words almost impossible.
She swallowed. She licked her lips. She tried again. She screamed.
“He’s here. The killer’s here.”
Chapter Six
The woman’s scream pierced through the air. The sound tore at Sean’s insides. He jerked his head up and scanned the parking lot. A few of the vultures who had been circling the crime scene shifted their attention to a lone woman standing beside a car, waving her arms.
Standing beside a blue hybrid.
A long blond ponytail whipping across her face.
What the hell was Elise Duran doing here, and why the hell was she screaming?
The adrenaline pumped through his body, and his legs responded. He shot up the incline to the parking lot and sprinted across the asphalt.
Curtis had beaten him to it, but it didn’t look as if he was having any luck getting a coherent response from Elise, still waving her arms around and talking gibberish.
“Elise! What’s wrong? What are you doing here?”
She stumbled toward him, holding out a clenched fist, her face white. “He’s here. He’s here. The killer.”
Adrenaline crashed through his body again before the first wave had even subsided, and he grabbed Elise’s arms. “Where? Where is he?”
“Here.” Her trembling fist prodded his chest. “He left this.”
He had to practically pry open her frozen fingers to get to the crumpled piece of paper she’d balled up in her clenched hand. He smoothed it out against the back of his hand and cursed.
Curtis hunched forward. “What is it, Brody? What’s it say?”
“It says, ‘Did you come to see my handiwork?’”
Curtis gurgled, his hand hovering over his weapon. “The SOB is here?”
“How long have you been away from your car, Elise? How much time did he have?”
Her head cranked back and forth. “I don’t know. I mean, I’ve been here for about twenty minutes. I didn’t notice anyone near my car. He’s here. He was here.”
“Maybe someone saw him.” Sean shielded his eyes and tipped his head back to look at the lampposts. “Are there cameras on this part of the parking lot?”
“Nope. It’s like our guy knows this area. No cameras where he dumped the body, either.” Sergeant Curtis held out his hand for the note, and Sean extended it between two fingers even though he wanted to rip it to pieces.
Why had Elise come here anyway? He’d been worrying about her all the way to the crime scene, and she’d been right behind him.
“Where’s Officer Jackson?”
“He’s back at the crime scene, extending the yellow tape. Why?”
“I had him combing through the crowd earlier, asking questions, on the lookout for something just like this.”
Elise’s eyes popped open. “Really? You suspected the killer might be here?”
“A lot of times they stick around to prolong the thrill.”
“That’s taking a risk.” She hugged herself and hunched farther into the big sweater she’d wrapped around her body.
“Our boy likes taking risks, doesn’t he? He used your key to enter your house, sent a picture to your phone.”
Her face crumpled. “Sent me her picture. Who is she, anyway?”
“We don’t know yet.” But the killer had sliced off her finger as a keepsake—something Elise didn’t need to know.
Curtis held up the note. “Do you want me to put this in an evidence bag and track down Jackson to see if he saw anyone suspicious?”
“Yeah.” Sean smacked the roof of Elise’s car. “Ask him if he noticed anyone lurking around the parking lot, if he saw anyone near a blue hybrid.”
Elise dragged a hand through her hair, loosening strands from her ponytail. “How did he find my car, Detective Brody? How did he know I was here?”
Despite her rigid posture, Elise looked ready to shatter into a million pieces. He tilted his chin toward the stone benches on the walkway to the visitor center. “Let’s sit down over here. And you can call me Sean.”
She turned and tripped over her own feet.
“Whoa.” He took her arm to steady her and kept possession of it as they walked toward a bench.
She sat on the edge and crossed her legs, her head swiveling from side to side. “Do you think he’s still here?”
“I think he’s long gone. He must have a police scanner or he was watching the area, knew we’d gotten the call and rushed over to see the spectacle.” He cleared his throat. “He must’ve seen you, Elise. Must’ve recognized you.”
She closed her eyes and a breath shuddered through her body. “He knows my car because he saw it in my garage, so he looked for it.”
“It must’ve increased his excitement tenfold to see you here.”
She slammed a fist against the back of the ben
ch. “Now I’m even more upset that I came out here. I don’t want to give him any more satisfaction.”
“Why did you follow us?”
“I didn’t exactly follow you.” She rubbed her hand, red from the sudden contact with the bench. “Sergeant Curtis had mentioned the location of the body, so I waited until you took off.”
“That doesn’t answer the question.” The strands of her golden hair danced around her face, and his fingers itched to tuck them behind her ears. Instead he folded his arms and drove his fists into his biceps. “Why’d you come out here?”
“Are you seriously asking me that? Why wouldn’t I come when I’m so involved?”
He sliced a hand through the air. “That’s exactly why you need to stay out of this. Don’t tempt this guy. You’re the one who got away. Don’t keep reminding him of that.”
“You’re right.” She sniffled and pulled a tissue from her purse. “I guess I just had to see for myself. I feel...connected to this woman.”
“I understand that, but just let us do our jobs. He’s careless, addicted to the thrill. He wants the limelight. We’ll bring him down.” He touched her shoulder and then buried his hand in his pocket.
There was no doubt Elise needed protection, but she didn’t need it from him. Death and darkness dominated his existence. Elise needed life and light and laughter. She needed to get out of this city.
“You’re right.” She lifted her shoulders and then blew out a sigh. “I just felt compelled to be here.”
Sean narrowed his eyes as he turned his attention to the crime scene, where an officer was waving his arms at him. “Looks like they’re flagging me down. What are you going to do?”
“I’m meeting my friend for lunch.” She tugged at the sleeve of her sweater to reveal a watch. “And I’m going to be late.”
“Where are you having lunch?”
She blinked. “Chinatown.”
“It’s going to be crazy over there. They’re having a parade for the Dragon Boat Festival.”
“I’m pretty sure my friend doesn’t know that. Maybe I’ll park elsewhere and hop on the Muni.”
“I have a better idea. I’ll put a call in to the station there and let them know you’re going to park your car in the lot.” He slipped the notebook from his pocket and jotted down the intersection for her.
“You can do that?”
“One of the perks of being a cop in the city.” He pushed up from the bench and tucked the piece of paper in her hand. “I’ll walk you back to your car. Just be aware of your surroundings. Keep an eye on your rearview mirror.”
Her eyes widened. “You think he might follow me?”
“I think you need to be careful. Everyone should be aware of their surroundings.”
“Especially me.”
She clicked her remote, and he opened the car door for her, hanging on the frame. “You’re going to get a phone and give me a call so I have the number?”
“I’ll do that after lunch, and I have to at least drop by my place to pack a bag and get my school stuff together.”
His gut knotted. “You still have to teach.”
“One more week of school.”
“Like I said, be aware of your surroundings.”
She started her engine and snapped on her seat belt. “Thanks, Detective...Sean. Thanks for everything. I’ll call when I get that phone.”
His gaze trailed after her little car as it scooted out of the parking lot, and the knots in his gut tightened even more.
Of course she had to go to work and see her friends and live her life. He couldn’t follow her around the city.
Even though he wanted to.
* * *
ELISE GLIDED INTO a parking stall at the Central Division and gave her rearview mirror one last glance. If anyone had followed her here, he’d have to be a ninja. She’d taken so many twists and turns to avoid the areas blocked off for the parade route, she would’ve noticed someone on her tail taking the exact same route.
She flipped up the mirror cover on the visor and dashed some color across her lips. She needed all the artificial brightening she could handle after that shock at the bridge.
He’d spotted her. Knew her car. Maybe he’d been watching her.
She smacked the visor against the roof of the car. He was too cocky. Detective Brody—Sean—was right. The killer would trip up sooner rather than later with his attitude of invincibility.
“Sean.” Just saying his name made her feel more at ease. He’d even secured a parking space for her in the middle of Chinatown on a parade day. Now, there was a man you could count on—not like Ty, filled with secrets, lies and betrayals.
She slipped out of the car and walked down the ramp to the sidewalk. Red and gold banners festooned lampposts and flapped in the breeze. Elise navigated between colorful lawn chairs and blankets lining the sidewalks. She sniffed the air filled with the scents of incense, spices and fried food. A pack of kids jostled her as they ran down the sidewalk clutching flags with red dragons emblazoned upon them. Their grandparents shuffled in their wake, smiling and nodding at Elise.
She ducked into the dark confines of Han Ting and surveyed the packed dining room. She and Courtney would be lucky to find a table.
“Elise!”
Elise peered across the room at Courtney bobbing up from her seat and waving in her direction. She wound through the tables and gave her friend a one-armed hug before sitting down.
“How in the world did you get a table? Did you even know that the Dragon Boat Parade was going on today?”
Courtney flicked her perfectly manicured fingers. “Duh. I grew up in Chinatown, remember? I know what today is.”
“And how did you manage to snag a table? It’s wall-to-wall people in here.”
“My auntie’s family owns Han Ting. Technically, she’s not my aunt, but her family and my mom’s family lived next door to each other in the old neighborhood.”
“First a prime parking spot, and then the best table in the house at Han Ting. It pays to know people in high places.”
“You got a parking spot?”
“It’s a long story.” Elise dropped a napkin in her lap and poured herself some tea from the ornate pot.
“Stop stalling and tell me what happened after you left me.” Courtney tapped her cup and Elise filled it with the fragrant green tea.
As Elise relayed the details of the frightening episode, Courtney’s lipsticked mouth formed a perfect O and she clutched her napkin to her chest.
“Oh, my God, you are so amazing.”
“Amazing? I wasn’t even thinking straight. I just knew I had to get out of that trunk. I was also mad at myself for falling prey to his broken-arm scam.”
Elise held her breath, waiting for Courtney to agree with her. She never would’ve fallen for that ruse.
“Are you kidding?” Courtney dropped her napkin and gulped the rest of her tea. “Anybody would’ve done the same thing. He had a cast on. Who would go to those lengths?”
“I guess it’s not the first time a serial killer has used that method.”
“Serial killer?” Courtney covered her mouth when the waiter approached the table. She rattled off their order in Mandarin, and when the waiter left she focused her bright eyes on Elise again.
“How do you know this is a serial killer and not some random nut?”
Elise folded her hands around the warm cup. “Because he killed again.”
“How do you know?”
Elise explained how the runner found her purse and phone and how the killer had sent the picture of his next victim. “Then when I was at the police station working with the sketch artist, a call came in that someone had found the woman’s body.”
“Elise, this is too creepy.” She grabbed Elis
e’s wrist, her nails digging into her skin. “You can’t stay at the house, especially with Oscar gone.”
“That’s where you come in, if it’s okay.”
“Of course it’s okay.”
The waiter rolled up a cart with enough steaming plates to feed the Hun army. When he transferred all the dishes to the table, Elise dumped a mound of sticky white rice onto her plate.
As Elise ladled three different entrees onto her plate, she wondered whether or not she should tell Courtney about the note on her windshield.
She glanced at her friend dabbing a spot of red sauce at the corner of her mouth with a napkin and decided against it. She’d shocked Courtney enough for one sunny afternoon. She didn’t need to hear the rest of the frightening details.
“Do they know how the woman died or how long she’d been there?”
“Change of subject, please. I want to enjoy my lunch.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Courtney stabbed a shrimp and shook it at Elise. “Here’s a subject change for you—how hot is this Detective Brody who’s following you around and scoring you parking places all over the city?”
Elise’s face got warmer than the kung pao chicken. “Who said he was hot?”
Courtney snorted. “You did. Every time you mentioned his name and or his heroic deeds, you got all dreamy-eyed.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Elise plucked the shrimp from Courtney’s fork and popped it into her mouth.
“Don’t forget, I read body language for a living, and you have one of those faces that show all your emotions—must be a Montana thing.”
“Okay, I succumb to your superior understanding. Detective Sean Brody is hot—tall, dark and handsome.”
Courtney held out her fist for a bump. “Well, all right. That’s one silver lining to a very scary night.”
“And you? Who’s Derrick, and did he ever call you?”
“Derrick is that fine African-American who bought us that second round of drinks.”
“Bought you a second round. I just had one, remember?”
“Whatever. After you left, we danced the rest of the night.”
“He seemed like a nice guy, but kind of a player.”
THE BRIDGE Page 6