by Gerri Hill
Cameron hated the misting of tears she saw and was sorry she’d asked the question. She knew if she told her own story, there would not be any tears shed. She reached for Andrea, slowly pulling her into a hug. Andrea surprised her by wrapping her arms tightly around Cameron’s waist.
“I’m sorry,” she said as she gently rubbed her back.
But Andrea just shook her head, burying her face against Cameron’s shoulder. It had been awhile since Cameron had offered comfort to someone like this. Actually, it had been awhile since she’d held another woman, period.
She loosened her grip when she felt Andrea move to pull away, but she didn’t release her completely. “Would you be angry if I kissed you?”
Andrea leaned her head back. “Yes. Very.”
“Why?”
“Why? That’s a silly question, isn’t it?”
“Is it?” Cameron let her glance fall to Andrea’s lips. “Tell me why I shouldn’t kiss you.”
“I don’t want you to should be a good enough reason.”
Cameron smiled. “But it’s not.”
“I don’t like you. Not like that.”
“You’re lying,” she said. “I can feel your heart beating fast.”
“Perhaps it’s from fear.”
“And perhaps not. Tell me why.”
“I just don’t want you to kiss me. That’s all.”
Cameron loosened her grip a bit more, but Andrea didn’t pull away. “You’re not the one who died, Andi,” she said as gently as possible. “For some reason, however it happened, you were spared. Call it a miracle if you want, but I don’t think the reason you were spared was so that you could crawl into a shell and not try to live. You have your whole life still.” She leaned closer, hearing the slight shift in Andrea’s breathing. “Let me kiss you.”
“No,” she whispered.
“Why? Is it because you don’t want to feel anything? Are you afraid I’ll make you want something that you think you shouldn’t have? Or maybe you think you don’t deserve it,” she said, her voice trailing off.
“I—”
Cameron leaned closer still, her lips only an inch from Andrea’s. “Kiss me,” she whispered.
Their eyes did battle, but Cameron refused to move away. She finally saw Andrea’s gaze drop to her lips and knew the battle was won. Just the lightest of pressure on Andrea’s back was all that was needed to bring their mouths together, yet she wasn’t prepared for just how wonderful the kiss felt. Andrea’s lips were soft, moving gently with her own. She should have stopped then, but the subtle moan she heard made her want more. She opened her mouth, deepening the kiss.
She felt Andrea’s hands dig in painfully at her waist. She opened to Cameron, taking her tongue inside, no longer trying to hide the moans that now freely escaped. Cameron was on the verge of losing control, knowing they must stop, but Andrea’s hands snaked around her waist, their bodies now flush and pressed together tightly.
The magnitude of how deeply she wanted this woman made her slow down. She slid her hands to Andrea’s hips, unable to resist one quick, intimate stroke before pulling away.
“God,” she murmured, her breathing as labored as Andrea’s was. “Shh, shh,” she whispered, pulling Andrea into another tight hug. “See? It’s okay.”
Andrea’s hands still clung to her tightly. “I should hate you.”
“No. No you shouldn’t,” she said. “Because I’m good for you.” She stepped out of Andrea’s arms, away from her. “Now, I’m going to leave before I do something really stupid.” She smiled. “Besides, I have a kitten waiting on me.”
Chapter Fifteen
After what happened last night, Andrea was nearly afraid to go to Cameron’s motor home this morning. But saying she was afraid to be alone with her was ridiculous. She was a big girl. And it wasn’t like Cameron forced herself last night. Not really. Andrea could have stopped it. She should have stopped it.
But it felt too good to stop.
She’d spent most of the night beating herself up over her lack of control. She’d tried to convince herself that she didn’t even like Cameron, but she knew—as Cameron did—that was a lie.
Okay, so I’m attracted to her. It’s not a crime, she told herself. What was a crime was that she didn’t want to be attracted to her. She didn’t want to be attracted to anyone. That was her punishment. For the guilt she carried. She didn’t deserve to want someone. Not like that. Not like she was starting to feel with Cameron. And she certainly didn’t deserve to have someone want her. But she knew Cameron did.
Maybe she should just tell Cameron the truth about Erin. Hell, maybe she should accept the truth herself.
But she couldn’t do that. Erin was dead. She wasn’t spared. The least Andrea could do was to profess to love her, no matter how good it had felt to have someone hold her...kiss her.
So she parked next to Cameron’s truck, trying to put on an appropriately angry mask, one that would tell Cameron she was pissed about what had happened last night. One that would tell Cameron they needed to keep things on a professional level only.
Yeah, good luck with that.
She hesitated before getting too close to the rig, wondering if Cameron’s security was off, but she didn’t get the warning message as the last time.
“It’s safe.”
She looked up, trying to spot the hidden speaker and obvious camera.
“It’s secret. You’ll never find it.”
“So I guess you think you can read my mind?” she asked as she walked up the steps. The door opened for her and Cameron stood there in shorts and bare feet. And damn if she didn’t have gorgeous legs. She sighed, feeling her angry mask slipping.
“Right on time,” Cameron said. “I just got done tracking Tori Hunter down. The FBI is hard to deal with.”
“You don’t say.”
“She’s still in Dallas. I talked to Detective O’Connor. Casey. Very friendly. Helpful.”
“Yes, she was.”
Cameron scooped up the kitten who was playing with a ball. She kissed her quickly, then shoved her at Andrea. “Are you mad at me?”
“Of course,” she said, smiling as she nuzzled the kitten’s fur.
“I don’t believe you.”
“Suit yourself,” she said. “What have you named her?”
“I told you. Cat.”
“And I told you that wasn’t going to work. If you don’t name her, I will.”
“Feel free,” Cameron said as she pulled out her laptop and pointed to the sofa. A few quick keystrokes later and Andrea heard the dial tones as the call was placed.
“Casey gave me Hunter’s direct number. She said she’d be pissed but would get over it.” She grinned. “Kinda like you, I suppose.”
“Hunter.”
“Agent Hunter. My name is Cameron Ross,” she said.
“Good for you. How did you get my number?”
“You might want to tell her you’re FBI,” Andrea whispered.
“Sorry. Yeah, listen, I’m Agent Ross,” she said. “I’ve got Deputy Sullivan with me. We’re working on a case out here in Arizona. Casey O’Connor gave me your number.”
“Figures. Okay. What can I do for you? I’m kinda in a hurry, Agent Ross.”
“Cameron, please. I wanted to pick your brain about an old case of yours. Patrick Doe.”
There was a moment of silence and Cameron and Andrea exchanged glances. “Hunter?”
“Yeah. Just...just one of those names you hope you never hear again.”
“I understand. Unfortunately, he’s alive and well.”
“He’s killed again?”
“Yes. Four women.”
“Goddamn bastard. Are you sure it’s him?”
“We don’t have DNA yet, no, but our ME out here has confirmed the knife wounds match those of your case.”
“We had him, but the slippery son of a bitch posed as his brother and...well, I suppose you’ve already read our file.”
“Yes. An
d we’ve talked with O’Connor. I wanted to run something by you. How certain are you that his brother, John, was mentally slow?”
“He wasn’t examined by a doctor, if that’s what you mean. I wouldn’t say he was retarded or even mildly retarded. He was slow. Childlike. His words were almost that of a ten- or twelve-year-old.”
“Could it have been an act?”
“I guess, but he was damn convincing if it was. What are you getting at?”
“Well, everything in the file indicates that John was innocent, that he had no knowledge of what Patrick was doing, that he wasn’t involved.”
“We don’t believe that he was.”
“Yet he was able to take a knife and nearly kill your partner in much the same manner as Patrick killed those women,” she said.
Andrea heard an audible gasp from Agent Hunter.
“What the hell are you saying?”
“What if it was staged? What if John wasn’t really slow and childlike? What if they set you up?”
“Set us up? I don’t like what you’re insinuating, Agent Ross.”
“I’m not insinuating you did anything wrong, Hunter. Hell, all the evidence points to Patrick, not John. I’m just saying it could be a possibility. You were getting too close. Maybe it was staged so that Patrick could get away. Maybe their intention was never to kill your partner. I doubt they would do something to cause John to be jailed or to spend the rest of his life in a mental ward.”
Again, there was silence from Agent Hunter. But only for a few seconds.
“It all happened so fast. We were in a dark warehouse. Sikes, my partner, was ahead of me. And John just jumped out at him. It only took a second. But yeah, I see your point. For him to be able to do that...” she said, her voice trailing off.
“Our issue here is that we’re wondering if Patrick has a partner. Unlike in Dallas where he killed his victims in their apartments and left the body, he’s killing them elsewhere and dumping their bodies in the high desert,” Cameron said. “He’s leaving them along hiking trails where they’re certain to be found, however, we think it’s impossible for him to do this alone.”
“There was never any evidence that he had a partner. John found his victims for him, but we thought that was just circumstantial. They were homeless. Or at least pretending to be homeless.”
“Easy to blend in that way,” Andrea said.
“I just don’t think I can be of much help on that angle,” Hunter said. “We went with the premise that he worked alone. If you’re saying that John was his partner back then, and now he’s had to find a new partner, I think that’s reaching,” she said. “It would have to be someone he trusted an awful lot to kill with.”
“I agree. I was hoping your gut would tell you that there was a third party involved, someone besides John.”
“No, I’m sorry, Agent Ross. That just simply wasn’t the case.”
“I understand.”
“I’ve really got to run. Good luck with your case.” She paused. “I’d appreciate you letting me know how this turns out.”
“Of course, Agent Hunter. We will. Thanks.”
Cameron closed her laptop forcefully. “Well, that was a waste of time.”
“I don’t think it was,” Andrea said. “I think your theory is strong. Just because Dallas didn’t find anything to back it up doesn’t mean it’s wrong. He didn’t dump the bodies there. He left them where he killed. Who’s to say his partner wasn’t a lookout or something?”
“I don’t know. Maybe Hunter is right. Maybe I am reaching. I’m just looking for something that makes sense.”
“Our killer having help transporting bodies down three miles of trail makes sense,” Andrea said. “It’s just hard to prove.”
“Hell, it’s hard to prove Patrick even exists.”
Cameron got up, stopping to scratch the kitten who was still sitting in Andrea’s lap. “Did you get breakfast?” she asked.
“I had a muffin, thanks.”
“Coffee?”
“I’m good. In fact, I should get going,” she said, standing. “How about Lola?”
Cameron made a face. “For Cat?” She shook her head. “Nope. Not even close.”
“At least I’m trying to find a name,” she said. “I’ll let you get to work. Call me if you need me.”
Cameron wiggled her eyebrows. “Is that a proposition?”
Andrea paused at the door. “You know, you’re just annoying enough to be cute. But it’s a fine line,” she added before walking away.
“Perhaps I should make the same offer,” Cameron called as she stuck her head out of the door. “Call if you need me. I’ll be happy to oblige.”
“And now you’ve crossed that line.”
But Andrea couldn’t wipe the silly grin off her face as she drove away.
Chapter Sixteen
Cameron paced, loving the wireless headset she’d started using. Waiting, however, for Collie to answer her was pissing her off. It was the third time today she’d tried to call him.
“Fucker,” she murmured as she disconnected. She immediately called Murdock. He, as it should be, answered on the second ring.
“Agent Ross, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Where the hell is Collie?”
“He’s in Phoenix.”
“Yeah. But I mean where? I’ve been calling him all day. Is he ignoring me again?”
“Would he do that to you, Cameron?”
“Come on, Murdock. I wanted to run something by him.”
“I don’t know where he is. Hopefully working. You want to run it by me?”
“I have a spot I wanted him to check out. It’s not a great percentage. Forty-two percent. But there’s this little coffee shop in Flagstaff, about a block from campus. Forty-two percent is the highest location any of these equations have returned.”
“Okay. Send me the info and I’ll pass it along to Collie.”
“I’ve already e-mailed him the data. He didn’t respond. Asshole.”
“Let me get in touch with Reynolds, see if he knows where Collie is. I’ll let you know.”
She didn’t know why, but Collie’s mere presence on the earth irritated the hell out of her. They were like oil and water.
She looked over when she heard the pitiful meow. The cat—Lola—was sitting by her empty food bowl. “You’re getting pretty good with that begging routine.”
She scooped the kitten up and held her close, shutting her eyes as she listened to the gentle purring. She always thought that if she got a pet, it would be a dog, not something like this frail little kitten. Of course, looking at the many scratches on her hands, frail didn’t exactly describe the cat.
“Lola,” she said. “God, I hate that name.”
Chapter Seventeen
“So? You and Agent Ross? What’s up with that?”
Andrea gave as bored an expression as she could muster when she looked up at Randy. “What are you talking about?”
“Sonny Winfield says you’ve been out to her place twice now. And Joey says she was at your place the other night...late.”
“Oh my God. You’re just a bunch of gossiping girls. And Sonny Winfield needs to mind his own business.”
“Oh? Hit a nerve, did I?”
“No, you did not hit a nerve. As you well know, I’m assisting Agent Ross in her investigation.”
“Sure. There’s assisting and then there’s assisting.” He leaned closer with a devilish grin. “Does Rosa know?”
Andrea stared at him. “Since when did you decide that it’s okay to discuss my private life? I have rules, remember.”
Randy laughed, then immediately wiped the grin off his face when the outer door opened. Agent Ross stood looking at them, one eyebrow cocked dangerously. An involuntary smile touched Andrea’s face before she could stop it. Cameron hadn’t been around yesterday and Andrea noticed her absence.
“Speak of the devil,” Randy whispered as he went back to his own desk.
; Yes, and apparently you’re scared of this devil, Andrea thought. Good. Maybe he would leave her alone. Unfortunately, the indifference she tried to show in Cameron’s presence wouldn’t come. She found herself watching as Cameron sauntered over with a downright flirtatious look in her eyes.
Cameron bowed slightly. “Deputy Sullivan, a pleasure to see you again.”
“Is it now?”
“Absolutely. My day wouldn’t be complete without—” she stopped, glancing at Randy who was blatantly listening. “So, Randy, how’s it going?”
“Going? It’s going fine, ma’am.”
Cameron nearly roared with laughter. “Ma’am? Did you just call me ma’am?” Her eyes narrowed and her smile disappeared. “You say that to me again, Crawford, and I’ll break your neck.” She turned back to Andrea with a subtle wink. “Got a second?”
“Sure.”
“Is there a private room where we can talk?”
Andrea’s eyebrows shot up. “Jim is at lunch. Would you like to use his office?”
“That would be perfect.”
Andrea stood, glancing at Randy. “We’re just gonna...talk,” she said. “Be right back.”
“Sure, Andi. I’ve got things covered while you...talk,” he said, his voice not loud enough for Cameron to hear.
Andrea closed Jim’s door then immediately found herself backed against it as Cameron came closer.
“So? Miss me?”
Andrea hated to admit it, but yes, she’d missed her. Of course, she would never tell Cameron that when she couldn’t reach her on her cell, she’d driven out to the rig looking for her. There was a hint of a challenge in Cameron’s eyes, and she decided she could play her game. “Did you miss me?”
“Yes. I should have taken you with me. We could have shared a hotel room last night.”