by Jen Talty
She leaned against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest. “I think I should go back to the hotel. It’s only until next weekend, and then I move in down the street.”
“Like hell. I won’t let you go back there alone.”
“I think I can handle myself.”
“Shauna, that’s not the point. This guy is raping and killing—”
“Young girls. I’m not a teenager.”
Tossing the dishtowel aside, he stared at her. “Again, not the point.”
“The point is, I can take care of myself.”
“It’s not safe. He knows too much.”
“Stop being so damned noble. Just because we slept together, doesn’t give you the right to tell me what to do.” She tried to move past him.
He blocked her path. “Sleeping together has nothing to do with it. I’m just being smart.”
“I’m not your responsibility.” Her eyes were full of venom.
“We are each other’s responsibility, partner. Like it or not, we’re stuck with each other.” He moved to let her pass.
As the day progressed, so did the frustration. By the time Monday morning rolled around, the tension was so tight that if it were a rubber band, it would snap. Shauna had slept in the guest room and it was painfully apparent neither one of them slept too well, by the light pace of their morning run.
Monday, they had to appear in court, early. Then they had loads of paperwork at the office. It was well past seven by the time they left for home. Travis was famished and in the mood to cook.
“Do you like fish?” He broke the silence as he drove them toward Jimmy’s shop.
“I love all seafood.” She took a deep breath and turned toward him. “Except oysters and caviar.”
Travis took the turn into the parking lot. After shutting the truck down, he hopped out and decided to try a new approach. Friendship. He liked Shauna, and he couldn’t get fired for that.
“Hi, Mrs. Kawalski. You look lovely today.” Travis greeted the shop owner’s wife. He took her hand and kissed it.
“When are you gonna call me Iris?” She scrunched up her wrinkled face when she smiled back at him.
“Never. What’s the catch of the day?”
“Got some perch Jimmy Jr. brought down from the lake this morning.”
“I’ll take some.”
“Who’s this?” Mrs. Kawalski winked, nodding in Shauna’s direction.
Travis shook his head as he took some seasonings down from the shelves. “I’m sorry. Mrs. Kawalski, this is Shauna Morgan, my new partner.”
Mrs. Kawalski took her hand and held it. “My you are a tall thing, aren’t you? And pretty. I hope this boy is behaving himself.”
Travis smiled. “I always do.”
“You better.” She gave Travis the evil eye. “So, honey, you gotta boyfriend?”
Shauna’s eyes widened. “No, ma’am.”
“Good. Travis doesn’t have a girlfriend and Lord knows he needs one.”
“Mrs. Kawalski, she’s my partner.”
“Even better. Look at my Jimmy and me. We have worked together, side by side, for over forty years. We’ve raised three kids, have eight grandkids, and we’re still partners. Best way to be.”
“I’ll take it under advisement.” Travis handed her forty dollars.
“You forgot your change,” Shauna said, placing her hand on his forearm as they headed toward his pickup.
“No, I didn’t.” He peeled her fingers off of him, helped her into the truck, and then started driving.
“Talk about amazing.”
“Just doing my part to help out.” The truck rolled to a stop in the driveway, then he helped her out. Jimmy and his wife had always been kind and decent and constantly let people take advantage of them.
“Why is it that others are amazing, but you can’t be anything other than ordinary?”
“Because I am ordinary.” He glanced at her as they made their way up the stairs. Ordinary, she was not.
“You’re handsome, sexy, and hot. I’m barely touching on your good looks. You’re a gentleman. Kind, considerate, and generous doesn’t do you justice. Intelligent, without being arrogant, and, oh my, you’re blushing. I guess we can add humble, too.” She giggled.
“You’re making my life really difficult.” He tossed his keys on the table and turned. “I’m not
all those things. I have faults, too, ya know.”
“Name one.”
“I have impure thoughts about you.” He stepped closer, fighting his conscious. “All the time, all day, even at work.”
She held her hand up against his chest. “And, you can cook. I want my dinner.”
Her skin felt warm and soft when he held her hand in his and kissed her palm. He stared into her eyes, seeing them flicker with passion. “Can you make a salad?”
“I think so.” She yanked her hand back.
He wanted to be glad she was pulling away, but he was angry instead.
All through dinner, it was apparent she would be sleeping in the guest room. It was for the best, he kept reminding himself.
“Your apartment has an alarm system, right?” he asked as he watched her finish the dishes.
“The main door has a deadbolt and a chain. I’ll buy one of those motion sensors and install it myself.”
“What about the back door?”
“Stop, okay?” She glared at him.
“I can’t help it.”
He glanced at his vibrating cell. “It’s Scott.” He flipped open the phone. “Brown here.”
“There’s been another murder,” Scott said.
Travis glanced at Shauna. She seemed to understand the look because she went for her purse and shoes.
“We’re on it.” Travis took the information and flipped his phone shut. “Let’s put an end to this.” He grabbed his keys in a huff.
This made too many dead bodies in one week.
Chapter Eleven
No sooner did Shauna finish looking at all the information from this last murder when another call came in. She felt like she was reliving the worst parts of her life.
Travis had been giving her evil looks all day, making her feel worse. A few times he mentioned they needed to talk, but they were never alone anymore, which in her mind was probably a good thing. If he knew who she was, giving him time to cool off could only be seen as a blessing.
During this last investigation, the faceless rapist would flash in front of her. Each time it happened, it sparked a memory, but she didn’t know if they were real or not. She kept a small journal, noting everything she could. The next time she had the chance, she’d spill her guts to Travis, but only him. It was time to give up the charade.
Over the course of the last few hours, they’d met with an array of law enforcement, putting into place a game plan. When she was finally alone in the office, Shauna’s body trembled from the inside out. She tapped her pen on her knee and looked down at her cluttered desk. All sorts of lab reports lay piled on top of each other, blending into one another. She leaned back in her chair.
“That looks like a mess,” Jeff said, standing in the doorway, whistling that damn tune.
“Organized mess,” she tried to tell herself.
“Cops got any leads?”
Leads? That was a joke. “They’ve picked up three guys and one’s a possible. He fits the profile and has no alibi. What’s that?” She pointed to a file that had “Princess” written on it.
“I did some fishing and found some possible computer perverts who might fit the Princess profile.”
When he moved closer to her, the hair on the back of her neck stood at attention. Her heart skipped a beat as he sat on the edge of her desk. “Interesting.” She flipped through the file and then one name jumped out at her. Why the hell would her stepbrother be on this list? “What do you know about Craig Nagle?” She looked up at Jeff.
Something about his eyes made her push her chair back.
“He roughed
up a few prostitutes a while back and he had a whole bunch of kiddy porn when the cops picked him up.” Jeff smiled at her, letting his eyes drop down below her face. “So, how do you like your job?”
“What’s not to like?”
“How’s Travis treating you?”
She tried to make herself get over whatever it was that made her squirm when Jeff was around. “We work well together.”
“Jeff.” She heard the smooth, protective tone in Travis’s voice as he spoke.
“Jeff has some interesting computer pervs here.” She waved the file, breathing a sigh of relief. “Look at this one.” Shauna made her way to Travis’s desk, opening the file for him.
“The cops are picking him up as we speak.” Travis slammed his finger on Nagle’s name.
“Really? What for?” Shauna heard the hitch in her own voice.
“It would appear he hacked into the medical examiner’s database and tried to fiddle with the latest Princess Killer’s lab results.” Travis’s eyes narrowed.
“Do we get to talk to him?” She bit down on her lip, holding back a strong surge of acid from the pit of her stomach.
“As soon as you’re ready.” Travis opened the desk drawer where he kept his keys.
“Let’s go.” She returned to her desk and grabbed her purse, hoping Jeff would just leave.
He did, but not before he sent her a lingering gaze, humming that annoying song. She chose to ignore it; she had bigger problems at the moment.
Travis didn’t bother opening the truck door for her this time. Nor did he give her a chance to get buckled when he squealed the tires, ramming the truck forward into traffic. At least two cars honked their horns at them. Now wouldn’t be a good time to bring up her identity.
Unable to stand the silence a second longer she asked, “You don’t believe this guy Nagle hacked into the system, do you?” Looking out the window, her stomach swished and sloshed when she read the sign, “Welcome to Saratoga Springs.”
“He’s not smart enough, but then again, you already knew that, didn’t you?” He turned and glanced at her. His eyes were cold and his face hard as stone.
“He’s my stepbrother,” Shauna admitted. “But then you already knew that, didn’t you?” she added sarcastically, feeling the anger in Travis’s stare. She opened the door before the truck came to a complete stop and jumped out.
After all the formalities were completed and introductions made, she and Travis were led into a holding room.
“Shauna? What are you doing here?” Craig’s eyes widened and his body stiffened.
Shauna flashed her badge, squaring her shoulders. Her stepbrother hadn’t ever hit her, but he could be downright nasty. She’d allowed him to make her feel less than a whole person. No way would she let him do that today.
“Unfreaking believable.” Craig fell back in his chair. “How the hell did you manage that one?”
“I went to school.” She tossed her badge on the table. “This is my partner, Travis Brown.”
“You know I couldn’t have done what they said. I barely even know how to use my stupid computer.” His voice cracked and shook with each word.
“You’re a lot of things, Craig, but bright is not one of them. Who has access to your computer?” Shauna tried to swallow, but her throat was so dry she failed. Everything had to end today. She’d had enough.
“My ex-girlfriend did, until she moved out last weekend.”
Travis tilted his head. “Her name?”
“Janet Hawthorne,” Craig said.
“You know her, too?” Travis muttered.
“Can’t say I’ve have had the pleasure. Where is she now?” Shauna tried to ignore Travis. First flaw. He could be a royal pain in the ass when pissed off.
“I don’t have a clue.” Craig glanced up at her. “Your dad’s been trying to find you.”
Shauna closed her eyes. “Why?” she asked, but didn’t really care. To her father, she’d been nothing but a constant reminder of her mother, the woman he blamed for his pathetic excuse of a life.
“We both tried when my mom died.”
Shauna opened her eyes. The bright light in the very white interrogation room stung her pupils. She didn’t have a feeling one way or another in her body for her stepmother, and she didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty. However, she never wished the woman dead. “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, right. Couldn’t find your brother, either.” The contempt oozed from Craig’s lips, but his shaking hands gave his fear away.
She held the power right now, and it felt good. “Roger’s probably dead, too. Where does Janet work?”
“Last I knew she worked at The Hen House. Don is real sick. He had a heart attack a few months ago. While in the hospital, they found he had cirrhosis of the liver. I think he’s dying,” Craig rambled.
There wasn’t a shred of grief anywhere in the list of emotions Shauna had for her family. The only thing she felt for her father at this moment was pity.
“Who’s Don? Roger?” Travis asked. His hands were on his hips and he looked directly at Shauna, fire flaming from his eyes.
“Don’s my father. Roger’s my brother. Who else has access?” Shauna asked Craig. She didn’t have the time to explain it all right now. Travis and his thoughts would have to wait.
“Anyone who’s been in the house, I guess.” Craig’s eyes shifted from Shauna to Travis and then back again.
“Any enemies who would want to set you up?” Travis asked.
“I’ve made a few recently, but Janet has more. She used to turn tricks for a guy by the name of Gus Mortelli. Not only did she quit, but she took off with some drug money. He’s real ticked.”
“He’s also an informant.” Travis cracked his knuckles. “Jeff’s used him to get information.”
“Are they gonna arrest me? I didn’t hack into anything.” Craig’s left eye twitched while his hands trembled in his lap.
“All depends on what they find on your computer. We’ll be in touch.” Travis put his hand on Shauna’s back and pushed her out the door. “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”
They spent most of the night working with a designated task force of various police agencies putting together a list of possible suspects. They also put together a national announcement in hopes of keeping runaways from train stations, bus terminals, and airports.
She was barely awake when they pulled into Travis’s apartment. They never really spoke to one another, just around each other. They’d been able to piece together certain things for the task force, but she could see in his eyes, he wasn’t too thrilled with not being able to put it all together for them.
She’d done the best she could, gave them everything she knew. He’d have to understand she couldn’t risk being pulled off the case. Incessant buzzing bellowed in her ears. She reached for the alarm she didn’t remember setting.
“Ouch.” A familiar voice coughed.
“Travis?” She kept her eyes closed as she pressed her hand on his face. “I didn’t have a nightmare.” She sighed, sitting up, realizing she was almost completely clothed. Thank God.
He, on the other hand, was beautifully naked as he swung his legs to the side of the bed.
“You wanted to look at something in my files. You were asleep when I came out of the bathroom. Too damned tired to move you.” He twisted his neck, cracking it.
“I hate when you do that. Do you mind?” She gawked at him when he stood.
“Too damn tired to care.” He staggered to his closet. “We have a meeting at eight with…oh, I have no idea, but we have to be at the office in an hour.” When he came out of his closet, he had on a pair of sweats. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
She was thinking. Not a good thing when all she could think about was his delicious body. “Oh, umm, well.”
“Cat got your tongue?”
“You should have woken me.” She leapt to her feet.
“I thought about it, but I needed to sleep.” He rubbed his
jaw. “We need to talk, alone.”
“I need a shower,” she said, trying to push past him to the door.
“We could talk in there. Kind of like killing two birds with one stone.” He stood directly in front of the doorway, his arm blocking her path.
“I don’t think that’s wise.”
“I haven’t done a wise thing since I met you.” His hand held her forearm, pulling her close. When his soft lips brushed against her cheek, her body ignited. “But go ahead. I’ll make coffee and we’ll talk this out.”
“Thanks.” The muscles in her thighs felt like Jell-O as she made her way around the corner into the bathroom.
The next few hours were filled with meetings and press conferences. The only lead they had was her stepbrother. Not a very comforting thought. Shauna didn’t think she could take much more.
But she would have to endure another murder.
In this latest crime scene at a local hotel, the killer left a little calling card. Just for her; her world crumbled down in her lap.
“What the hell does this mean?” Scott held up the plastic bag with the note inside.
The musty lobby pierced her nostrils as she fought the tears struggling to break free.
“Is that from your journal?” Travis whispered in her ear.
She didn’t acknowledge him. She didn’t have to. “What does it say?” she asked, not wanting to touch it.
“You remember me yet? I’m coming for you, Shauna. You can’t hide from me. Not anymore,” Scott read the note; his harsh words crippled her speech. “Can you explain this?” he barked.
“He’s just trying to rattle us. We’ve both been on the news the last two days. He’s taking what the media is reporting and using it.” She heard Travis say the words, but she knew he didn’t believe them.
He was lying for her.
“The last time he pointed to me. It’s a game,” Travis added.
“You two are off for a few days. I want you to take ‘til Monday. Hopefully, the dust will settle by then,” Scott said.
“You can’t take—” Shauna started to say, but closed her mouth when she felt Travis step on her foot.