He leaned forward, the words now falling out of his mouth as if released from a pressure cooker. “Jordon, at the end of this, no matter how the investigation goes, I don’t want to tell you goodbye. I want you in my life forever. I want...” He paused as she held up her hand.
“Stop, Gabriel. Please stop.” She got up from the edge of the bed and walked several steps back from where he sat.
He drew in a deep breath and then continued. “I know the distance thing might be a bit of an issue at first, but it’s less than a four-hour drive from here to Kansas City. There’s no reason why we couldn’t continue to see each other on days off and eventually I’d be willing to relocate.”
There was no joy on her beautiful features. Instead she gazed at him in what looked like stunned horror. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, and when she opened them again, a reckless smile curved her lips. “Sorry, sailor. You’ve obviously got me mixed up with somebody else.”
“Stop it, Jordon.” He stood, all of his muscles tense. “Don’t make jokes when I’m pouring out my heart to you.”
A slight flush filled her cheeks and she averted her gaze from him. “Then stop pouring out your heart,” she replied in a soft voice.
“Okay, I’ll shut up after you tell me you don’t love me.” He took several steps closer to her. “Tell me that I mean nothing to you and I’ll leave here and won’t speak of this again.”
He saw it in her eyes, a soft yearning, a sweet wistfulness, but it was there only a moment and then her chin shot up and her gaze was once again shuttered.
“I told you I wasn’t marriage material, that I’d never lived up to anyone’s expectations,” she replied.
“Oh, Jordon, you’ve not only lived up to mine, but you’ve far exceeded them,” he said softly.
Her lower lip began to tremble and she turned away from him. “Please go, Gabriel. Before you say anything more that you’ll regret.”
He stared at her stiff back and he didn’t see an impenetrable wall. Rather, he saw a woman who was afraid to believe she was worthy of being loved by anyone.
He didn’t know how to make her not be afraid. He didn’t know what else to say and so he simply stood still and loved her.
* * *
JORDON WAITED FOR the sound of the door opening and then closing, indicating to her that Gabriel had left. But several long minutes passed and it didn’t happen.
Her heart hurt as it had never ached before in her life.
Falling in love with Gabriel had been so incredibly easy, but this...this rejection of him was so achingly difficult. She desperately wanted what he was offering her, yet of all the men in the entire world she knew, she couldn’t be more wrong for a man like him.
She stiffened as his hands fell on her shoulders. “Jordon,” he whispered, his breath a warm delight on her ear. She closed her eyes and fought against the sting of tears. “Jordon, don’t throw away what we have.”
She drew in a deep breath and whirled back around to face him, dislodging his hands from her. “You obviously took things too seriously. We don’t have anything, Gabriel. We slept together. It was no big deal. We’ve had a few laughs and some good times, but that certainly doesn’t equate love.”
He stared at her and the intensity of his gaze made her feel as if he was peering into her mind, into the very depths of her soul. “What are you so afraid of?”
“I’m not afraid of anything,” she replied with a rise of anger filling her. Why was he making this so difficult? Why couldn’t he just accept the words she said and go away?
“You know what I think? I believe your parents and your ex-husband did a real number on your head. They have made you feel like you’re unworthy of loving...of being loved, and nothing could be further from the truth.”
“Thank you, Dr. Gabriel, for the quick psychoanalysis,” she retorted.
He had the audacity to smile at her. “You have no idea how adorable, how utterly wonderful I find you. I’ve been waiting years to find you. You’re the woman I want to build a life with. I want you to have my children and I want to grow old with you.”
His words painted a picture of a beautiful future, one that she’d once dreamed of and one that still resonated with desire in a small piece of her heart.
There was a part of her that wanted to reach out and grasp on to what he offered, but there was a bigger voice inside her head that told her she’d be all kinds of fool to believe that kind of future with him could be hers.
“You’re just trying to grasp on to something good because your investigation has stalled out and you’re frustrated,” she replied.
A flash of anger lit the depths of his eyes. “You really believe my feelings for you are simply born out of my frustration with the investigation?” He released a dry laugh and shook his head. “Don’t try to tell me how I feel and why. I’m not afraid to take a leap of faith with you.”
“Then you’re a fool,” she exclaimed. “And stop implying that I’m afraid. I’m a realist, Gabriel, not a coward.”
“I think you’re a coward,” he replied. “I think you love me, Jordon, and you’re just too scared to give us a chance. You’ll invite a serial killer into your life, but you won’t allow in a man who loves you. You’re more afraid of giving your heart than you are in giving your life.”
“Get out.” A deep rich anger filled her. “Get out now.” She stalked to the door. She didn’t want to hear anything else he felt the need to say to her.
He stood perfectly still, the only movement his gaze as it searched her features. He finally walked over to the chair, grabbed his coat and put it on.
She opened the door, allowing in the cold of the night, a cold that couldn’t begin to compete with the chill that encased her heart.
He walked over to her and reached up as if to stroke her cheek, but she jerked away from him, not allowing him the touch. A muscle ticked in his jaw and his eyes darkened.
“You aren’t just a coward, Jordon. You’re also a beautiful fool,” he said and then walked out.
She slammed the door after him. She locked it and then leaned with her back against it as tears blurred her vision. A beautiful fool...a coward. How dare he say such things to her.
Who did he think he was? He didn’t really know her and he certainly couldn’t be in love with her. He was just kidding himself and she refused to be pulled into his fantasy.
Still, her heart squeezed tight, so tight in her chest she could scarcely draw a breath. He was the fool to think that she could be the woman he wanted in his life.
She moved away from the door and sank down on the bed, tears still stinging her eyes and an imminent threat of sobs only making her even angrier with him.
He was just a silly man who had confused a wonderful bout of lovemaking and a few laughs with love. She’d told him right up front how she felt about marriage and relationships. He should have just kept his feelings to himself.
But what if he does really love you, a little voice whispered in her head. What if fate brought you together to finally know happiness? To finally have what you’ve always dreamed of in the deepest recesses of your heart?
“No,” she said aloud, effectively silencing the voice in her head. She wasn’t a coward, but she just wasn’t willing to put her heart on the line again.
She’d be gone from here before long and eventually Gabriel would find the woman who was really right for him. She’d be a woman who had a place for everything and everything in its place. She’d be able to cook hearty meals for him and whatever children they might have. She’d be everything Jordon wasn’t and couldn’t be.
Damn him for his bedroom eyes and gentle ways. Damn him for making her love him when she didn’t want to love anyone. Tears began to chase themselves down her cheeks, and instead of attempting to stanch them, she gave in to them.
She mourned the fact that she no longer believed in those dreams, that they had been shattered by a man who had taken her love and then betrayed it over and over again.
It felt as if she cried for hours, and finally, her tears wound down to little gasping sobs. She rolled over on her back and stared up at the ceiling. How was she going to continue working with Gabriel when she was so angry with him?
And why are you so angry?
The reason wasn’t clear, but she embraced the emotion and held tight to it. She was a lone wolf and he should respect that. The idea that he thought she could be anything else just ticked her off.
She got up from the bed and went into the bathroom, where she sluiced water over her face and then stared at her reflection in the mirror.
Finish this assignment and then get the heck out of Dodge, she mentally said to her reflection. Do your time and then get back to the safe, alone life you’ve built for yourself.
Eventually she’d forget that she’d ever loved a good man like Gabriel. She had to forget him because there was no place in her life for him.
She left the bathroom and started to unbuckle her holster, but stopped as she spied a piece of paper peeking out from under her door. Her heartbeat clanged a discordant beat as she pulled her gun. She raced to the door, unlocked it and yanked it open. The porch was empty and she narrowed her eyes to attempt to see through the darkness.
She remained standing on alert for several long moments, the night feeling ominous and fraught with new danger. Slowly she bent down, picked up the paper and then closed and locked her door.
The white paper burned in her hand as she carried it with her and perched on the edge of the bed. When had it been shoved under her door?
It had to have been left after Gabriel had gone, otherwise he would have seen it. While she’d been crying about broken dreams and Gabriel’s love, the killer had left her a new calling card.
Her hands trembled as she opened the paper and read the bold letters.
Play a game of cat and mouse
In Mouse’s Maze of Mirrors
Come alone or I won’t play
At midnight face your fears.
She read the note a second time and then looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was twenty till midnight.
She jumped up off the bed and pulled her cell phone from her pocket. Come alone or I won’t play. The words reverberated in her head.
This was a final showdown. She knew it in her gut. With her hand still trembling and a healthy fear squeezing her lungs, she repocketed her cell phone.
She threw on her coat and then grabbed the keys to the patrol car that she hadn’t used since she’d been here. She left the room and headed for the parking lot.
She was a lone wolf, and she was going to meet the killer in a place where her nightmares began.
Chapter Thirteen
Who was she going to face in the mirrors? Jordon clenched the steering wheel tight as she drove through the dark night toward the tourist attraction.
Would it be Kevin Rollings, who worked the admission gate and probably knew every inch of the maze? Was he the one they sought?
Or would it be one of his brothers? Was Ed not the pleasant handyman he pretended to be? Had Glen managed to lose his tail? Had he parked his car at his home and then sneaked out of a door or window to come here for a final confrontation with her?
A simmering panic rose up the back of her throat and she swallowed hard against it. Would she get into the maze and get lost in her past? Captured and helpless by visions of Ralph Hicks and that cellar where she’d thought she would die?
She couldn’t let that happen, otherwise whoever was in the maze would manage to accomplish what Ralph hadn’t managed. If she gave in to her panic, then she knew without a doubt she would wind up dead.
It was three minutes until midnight when she pulled into the Mouse’s Maze of Mirrors parking lot. There were no other cars in the lot and the place was dark and formidable.
She got out of the car with her gun in her hand, every muscle tensed and her heart racing a familiar rhythm of fear. Would he be here? Or was this just another little game of taunting like the missing bell in the guest shed?
She wouldn’t know until she went inside. She licked her dry lips and drew on every ounce of training she’d had. She had to remain cool and calm and completely in control.
The front door was unlocked, an invitation to enter and face the killer. She eased the door open and went inside in a crouched position. Security lights gave the small lobby a ghostly illumination.
She checked behind the counter where Kevin had sat when she and Gabriel had been there before. Her lungs expelled a deep breath as she saw that nobody was there.
She stared at the turnstile, knowing that once she went through it she would be in the maze of mirrors. You can do this, she told herself. You’re a kick-butt FBI agent and it’s time to put an end to the killer’s madness.
Her stomach twisted in knots so tight she was half-nauseous. Her lungs constricted, making deep breaths impossible. Just do it, a voice screamed in her head.
She pushed through the turnstile and stepped into the maze. Lights turned on and five reflections of herself stared back at her. She appeared wild-eyed and terrified...just like she’d appeared in Ralph’s mirrors.
She drew in several deep breaths to center herself. She refused to be that frightened woman in the reflection. She didn’t move until she’d calmed herself and was prepared for whatever might happen.
“Hello?” she called out.
Silence.
Was she here all alone or did she share the space with the person who had brutally killed three people? Somebody had to have turned on the lights. She couldn’t be alone. After taking several steps to her right, she found herself facing another set of mirrors.
Which way had Gabriel led her out of here? She couldn’t remember how to find the exit, and in any case, she expected to meet somebody before she ever reached the end of the maze. “Is anybody here?”
“Beware. If you aren’t fast enough, I’ll pull you into my mouse hole and nobody will ever find you again.”
The words boomed overhead and ended on the mouse’s cackle. Jordon whirled around and five Jordons moved in the reflections. Her taut nerves ached as she waited for somebody to show themselves.
Was she supposed to wait for someone to appear or walk the maze to meet her tormentor at another junction? The uncertainty of the situation had her silently screaming inside her head.
She took several steps forward only to realize it was a mirror and not a passageway. She walked to the left and found another corridor.
A flash of movement behind her spun her around, but then she realized it had been a reflection and she had no idea where the person was and how close he was to her.
The vision had been so brief there was no way she could make an identification. She didn’t even know if it had been a man or a woman. It only confirmed to her that the killer was here and toying with her.
She walked slowly, the panic still attempting to close off her airway as she faced her own reflection again and again. The odor of cigarette smoke seemed to linger in the air, along with the acrid scent of burning flesh.
The scars on her hip burned and itched, a reminder of her nightmares, of Ralph and his torture. Be in the moment, she commanded herself. She couldn’t be pulled back to that cellar where she’d thought she was going to die a slow and painful death.
“Bring it on, you little creep,” she yelled.
A girlish giggle filled the air. “You’re gonna die in here tonight, Agent James.”
Jordon froz
e, her mind working to make sense of the familiar voice. It couldn’t be... Hannah? Was this some sort of a teenager’s sick joke? Was she here with some of her friends? Spooking the FBI agent? Was this their idea of a little fun?
“Hannah? Stop playing. This isn’t funny. Stop this nonsense and come out and talk to me right now,” she said.
“I don’t want to talk. You’re the next victim, Jordon. You’re staying at Diamond Cove and that means you have to die.”
Jordon’s skin crawled. Was it possible? Surely the murders couldn’t have been committed by a fifteen-year-old girl. But even as she tried to deny the possibility, she knew the facts, and the fact was even teenagers could be deadly killers.
Something flashed in her peripheral vision on her left and pain sliced into her upper arm. She whirled around, but Hannah was gone, once again hidden within the maze. Her breath caught in her throat as the warmth of blood leaking down her arm attested to the depth of the wound.
This was definitely no joke. This wasn’t a silly game, not when blood had been drawn. Her brain whirled. None of the murdered guests would have felt threatened by Hannah. Hannah knew the woods and she would have known the guests’ routines. She had the means to commit the murders, but more than anything Jordon needed to understand the motive.
“Why, Hannah? Why are you doing this? Why did you kill those people?”
“Because I want to go home!” Hannah’s voice was filled with a bitter rage. “I didn’t want to move to this stupid place in the first place. I don’t belong here. Now nobody will want to stay at Diamond Cove and my mom and dad will take us back to Oklahoma City, where I have my own friends.”
Jordon was stunned, first by the vitriol in Hannah’s voice and second by the unbelievable cunning that had hatched this whole deadly plot.
She tightened her grip on her gun and a vision of Joan’s face flashed in her mind. Joan, with her sweet blue eyes and her love for her family—there wasn’t going to be a happy ending for her.
But could Jordon shoot Joan’s daughter? Could she really take the life of a fifteen-year-old girl? Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that, but if it came to which one of them was going to walk out of here alive, Jordon would pull her trigger without regret.
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