by Alexa Verde
He didn’t blame the dog, considering that he was dragging Mari back into the nightmarish past.
Coming to Rios Azules, he’d expected to find a self-centered rich woman, maybe even with the violent tendencies of her notorious brother. Instead, Luke sensed somebody genuine and hard-working, who cared about other people more than she cared about herself. He realized he wanted to take her into his arms and try to make it easier for her. His chest tightened. There was no way to make it easy.
“I wish I could spare you the pain. But I don’t want to happen to other girls what happened to Cynthia. And…” He cleared his throat. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I understand.”
“There was a murder of a twenty-three-year-old woman named June Stephenson. It occurred yesterday in her home outside of a town an hour away from Rios Azules. MO and signature are similar to the one of the Smiling Killer.”
She hung her head. Her outrageous bangs fell on her face and covered her eyes more efficiently than her thick eyelashes. “It might not mean anything. It can’t mean anything. Might be a copycat. Or a coincidence.”
He’d expected her to argue. She was obviously trying to build a new life for herself, and he was throwing her back into the horror of her past. “But can you be one hundred percent sure? Can you take that chance? Did you see him dead with your own eyes?”
“I didn’t, but… there were dental records. And there was a corpse. It was burned beyond recognition, but it had his golden chain. Come on, Tony couldn’t have had a dead body ready to place in that cabin.” She sank deeper into the familiar old cushions. “Okay, fine, e-mail me the files. Articles, pictures, anything you have. I’ll see if anything jumps out at me.”
His eyes widened. She gave up too easily. Why?
He pulled out his phone and e-mailed her several files. “Would you like to look at some of them now? I can answer any questions you might have right here.”
She rubbed her red-rimmed eyes. He wanted to give her a neck rub, relax her tired muscles, and make her feel a little better. He wasn’t entirely sure the urge came from him being a doctor.
He raked his fingers through his hair. After carrying her limp body from the freezer, his protective instincts had gone into overdrive. Yes, she was far from a damsel in distress. Yes, she’d put a dagger inside him and shoot him afterward for good measure if she considered him a threat. But just the thought that somebody wanted to hurt her made him reel.
Go figure.
“How about I ask you some questions right now? Look at the files later?” She propped her head at her elbow.
He stopped himself from walking over and brushing the bangs away from her eyes. He wanted to see her eyes. “Sounds fair.”
“Why do you think the MO and signature are similar to Tony’s? Besides the carved smile?”
“June was young, slim, attractive, died from stab wounds in the heart. As I mentioned before, the corners of her mouth were cut upward, as if to give her a smile. Similar to Antonio’s signature. According to June’s father, nothing seemed to be missing in the house. However, there were things added to it. Things neither her father nor her husband recognized as belonging to her.”
Mari brushed away her bangs. Worry flashed in her eyes. “Tony’s signature was leaving a message at the previous victim regarding who’d be the next one.”
He nodded. “Exactly. For example, after killing Araceli Sterling, he dressed her in a bride’s dress. Complete with a veil. Left a small figurine of a swan in her pocket. River Montenegro made the connection when Lydia’s sister, Leda Velasquez, was found dead.”
“‘Leda’ means ‘swan’ in Greek mythology. And ‘veil’ is ‘velo’ in Spanish, close to the first part of her last name.” She hugged herself and rocked back and forth.
Nowa got up, walked over to Mari, and put her front paws and head on Mari’s knees, as if sensing distress.
“Would you like me to stop?” he asked. It couldn’t be easy for Mari to remember all those things.
“No.” She stopped rocking and stroked Nowa’s fur. “I guess Tony didn’t just enjoy the killings. He enjoyed the games afterward, feeling smarter than anybody else, making people guess who’d be the next victim. Maybe he thought it wasn’t his fault people couldn’t figure it out fast enough. Maybe he even wanted to be stopped at some point.”
“You truly believe he wanted to be stopped?”
“I want to believe that. But back to the recent murder. It might provide clues who’s going to be the next victim.” Mari slid down to the plush carpet and hugged her dog.
“So you agree that your brother might be behind this?” Luke sat down on the carpet near her on the right side while Nowa stayed on the left. His hand fisted. He hated to bring up the bad memories, hated to be the one to hurt her. He could relate to her pain because he had a lot of his own after Cynthia’s death.
“I hope not. But we do need to try to figure out the identity of the next victim. Before the killer gets to her. Tell me more about June.” Mari moved a bit closer to him.
His heart started beating faster. If he offered his support, would Mari accept it? “June was five feet ten, about one hundred twenty pounds. Long dirty-blonde hair. Light-blue eyes. Now, about the things that didn’t belong to her. At least, the ones I know of. First, a little calendar with a picture of a forest. Second, a small golden pendant in the shape of June’s initials.”
Mari nodded. “J.S. Time of death?”
“Between twelve noon and three in the afternoon. She worked as a home-health nurse, and that was her day off. She lived in a small cottage way off the road. So if she did scream, nobody could have heard her. Apparently, her husband was away on a business trip that day.” Carefully he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, warmth coming from her body. She didn’t move away, and his pulse kicked up.
“Convenient,” she said. “How was she dressed?”
“Sneakers, blue jeans, white T-shirt, with the imprint of a wolf on the back. The police thought it might be a hint about Antonio Del Lobo.” Breath caught in his throat. “But it wasn’t. It was a hint about you.”
“Maybe, maybe not. Was there anything about a bird? Imprint, drawing, figurine anywhere close to her body?”
Wondering how she’d guessed, he nodded. “A keychain with a tiny metallic eagle.”
“I’ll need to see the picture of that. I hope it’s an eagle and not a falcon. Was there a picture with either a sea or a river?”
“Not that I know of. But I’ll find out.”
“Please. Most likely, it’ll be a picture in her cell phone. Not the screen saver, too obvious. Just one of the pictures. It’s important if it’s a sea or a river. I’ll need to know what it is.”
He made a mental note to ask James. River Montenegro had been the only victim who had escaped the Smiling Killer. She was also Mari’s friend. “You think he’ll come after River? Unfinished business?”
She started stroking Nowa’s back again, her fingers trembling slightly. “I hope not. I hope it’ll be a sea. Sometimes friends call me ‘Mar,’ a shortened version of my name. ‘Mar’ means ‘sea’ in Spanish.”
So she’d prefer for the killer to come after her and not her friend. Apparently, she was fiercely loyal. Mari was also more intelligent than worn-out jeans and an excess of chains on her wrists led one to think.
“So what are your thoughts so far?” He searched her face. “You’re not afraid?”
“Yes, but not for myself.” Sincere worry in her eyes couldn’t be a pretense.
Luke wished he could promise her that everything would be okay. But no way would Mari Del Lobo welcome it. She seemed to have an independent streak about her that could be nudged aside only by her close friends. And Luke was a stranger to her. For some inexplicable reason, he wanted to change that.
But could she have the same loyalty to her family as to her friends? Could she be on Antonio’s side, after all? If so, right now he could be providing information to
the enemy.
He remembered her shivering on the floor of the walk-in freezer then limp in his arms, her skin cold to the touch. If Antonio had been behind her lock-in, that was a poor sign of brotherly love. And then there were the messages on her phone and the mirror.
“You don’t trust me, do you?” she asked.
Nowa lifted her head and growled at him.
How could he be this transparent? “I do, but—”
“Not completely. I wouldn’t expect you to. After all, I’m Tony’s sister. So why did you come here?”
“If Antonio Del Lobo is behind the murders, you’re my best bet at finding him. You know him better than anybody.”
She slid out of his embrace, and he felt emptiness after she’d moved away. She hid her face in Nowa’s neck and then looked up. Hurt flashed again in her dark eyes. There were no honey specs there anymore, and at that moment, he’d do anything to bring them back.
“True. But even I didn’t know him enough,” she said. “Let’s continue. How was the victim found?”
“On her sofa after the police received an anonymous tip. She had nine stab wounds, six of them post mortem. The third one was in her heart. There was no tampering with the door lock.”
“So she knew the attacker,” Mari said. “Or somehow he got her to trust him enough to let him inside. The police haven’t been knocking on my door to ask questions regarding the case. So I take it they haven’t looked at the Smiling Killer aspect yet. Why? Do they have suspects? Did June have any enemies? Who benefited from her death? Do you have answers to any of this?” She looked at him, determination in her eyes.
He realized she’d help him to find the murderer, if only to prove it wasn’t her brother. Luke shifted closer to her. He wasn’t going to let Antonio or anybody else harm her.
“My friend, a PI named James O’Hara, looked into it. He has amazing connections, and so do I. From what we’ve been able to dig up, there are two suspects so far. First, June’s husband. Apparently, he had a gambling problem, and his debts were mounting. He never showed up for the conference on his business trip. June told her father she’d found out about his gambling. She planned to file for divorce and changed the beneficiary of her life insurance to her father instead of her husband. She also added a couple of charities as beneficiaries, ten percent to each.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Eighty percent of life insurance. How much would that be?”
“Roughly four hundred thousand.”
“That makes June’s father a suspect, too.”
Luke shrugged. “He’s well-off. He doesn’t need that money.”
“Who’s the second suspect?” Mari asked.
“June had a disagreement with her patient’s son. James did some interviews. Her co-workers, friends, and patients said she was friendly, outgoing, and popular with her patients. But this person changed several home-health nurses for his father and seemed to have a grudge against every one of them. June was no exception. So when some of her colleagues heard him threaten her, they didn’t take it seriously. Everybody knew the guy had a problem with his temper. The police are checking out the alibis.”
“I suppose James is also investigating those angles? The disgruntled relative of a patient doesn’t look too plausible to me. June wouldn’t have opened the door to the guy who’d threatened her.”
“Exactly. My concern is the carved smile and all the things found near June’s body.”
“If my brother is really behind this… if my hate mail and murders are connected… you might have a point. I’m your best bet. All you have to do is stick around and wait for him to try to kill me.”
His blood went cold. “I won’t let you get hurt.”
“Well, we don’t know yet if I’m the next victim. But it would make things much easier for you. I’m no criminalist, but I’ve heard serial killers are notoriously hard to catch. No apparent motive. Often no link to the victims.” She paused. “I think when the killer murdered June, he wasn’t sure who the next victim would be. Therefore, multiple clues.”
“Antonio left red herrings sometimes, too.”
“On purpose. But he seemed to know who his next victim would be. It wasn’t a multiple choice for him.” She looked away and stroked Nowa’s fur again.
Obviously it was difficult for her to talk about her brother. He said a quick prayer for her. In his mind, he prayed for her healing.
She stared, not blinking. “What did you whisper?”
“I prayed for you.”
“Thanks. But I’m not sure I’m worth praying for.”
He moved back from a stab inside him. She didn’t seem to be a believer. And with all her confidence and high self-esteem, she still didn’t consider herself worthy of a prayer. Shocking. “Mari, everyone is worth praying for. Especially you.”
She looked straight at him. What mysteries hid behind the dark pupils? “Now you sound like my friend River. She gave me a silver cross many years ago.”
He looked at her neck where no chain was visible. “But you don’t wear it, do you?”
“I did for some time. Until the day my brother died.”
“You can’t hold yourself responsible for what he did.” He searched for her hand and touched her fingers, offering his support.
Nowa crawled a little closer to him. Maybe the dog was starting to like him.
Unfortunately the same couldn’t be said about Mari. She moved her hand away. “But I can hold myself responsible for what I did. Listen, just so you know who you’re dealing with here. I’m the reason Tony didn’t make it out of that log cabin alive.”
Chapter Six
Luke moved closer to her. “You had to escape the fire.”
“No, you don’t understand.” She jumped to her feet and started pacing the room. “He tried to stop me from getting out of the log cabin. I had to hit him. I knocked him out.”
Nowa ran after her. Mari stopped and sat down on the sofa. Looking puzzled, the dog followed her and took the guard spot at Mari’s feet.
“Then it was self-defense,” Luke said.
Surprisingly he trusted her when logic said he shouldn’t. While she’d put up a strong, independent, and sometimes downright rude front, there was obviously vulnerability deep inside her. And it made him forget about anything else.
When she didn’t answer, he changed the subject. “So are you going to help?”
“I’ll do what I can. I don’t know if it’s going to be enough.”
Nowa moved to the door. By the time there was a knock on the door, Luke was already there.
“Mar, open up! It’s me, Derek.”
He opened and stepped aside to let Derek enter.
Frowning and looking none too pleased to see Luke, Derek walked inside. “Mari is one of our own. We don’t need an outsider to protect her.”
Luke stood his ground. “I’m staying.”
Mari sighed, left the room, and returned with pillows and sheets. “One of you can take a couch. There’s also a bed in the guest room.” She yawned. “I’m taking the bedroom. Nowa will take the floor. Good night.”
“More like good morning,” Derek said.
Mari dragged herself in the direction of her bedroom, followed by her dog.
Luke sat down on the sofa.
Derek gave him a sidelong glance. “I’m taking the first watch. So you might as well get some sleep.”
“You care about Mari that much?”
“I’ve known her since we were kids. Aidan said you checked out, but really… why are you here?”
Luke figured he might as well come clean. “Antonio Del Lobo killed my fiancée. Recently, there was a murder with a signature similar to the one of the Smiling Killer. I want to find out if Antonio staged his own death.”
Derek whistled. “And Mari is your best source of information. Good luck when you tell her. My advice, drop and roll.”
Luke wanted to say he’d already explained the situation to Mari, but Derek shook his head and repeated, “Drop
and roll.”
* * *
At nine in the morning, Luke turned off the stove burner beneath the scrambled eggs with onions, green pepper, ham, and cheese he’d just cooked. The aroma filling the kitchen made his stomach grumble. Nowa, as occupied as she was with the kibble he’d given her, raised her head from the dish. Then the dog walked to him with so much dignity Luke’s eyes widened when she nudged his hand. Cautiously he stroked her fur. During the night, he’d seen her watching him. Apparently Nowa had changed her opinion about him by the morning.
“So you cook?” Mari’s sleepy voice sounded like she wasn’t happy about that. “You’re really too good to be true.”
He turned around to find her standing near the counter. How did she sneak up on him like that? Some guard he was.
“Good morning to you, too. And wait until you try my steaks.” He paused, realizing it sounded like an invitation. Frankly he’d enjoy having her at one of his barbecues. He wanted to get to know her better, and not only because she was the Smiling Killer’s sister. “I’d even let you cut them.”
“Good morning.” Mari grabbed a plate and heaped on a generous portion of the omelet, about half of the skillet. “And yep, I’d cut them. I’m good with knives.”
“I figured as much.” He took her in.
Her black T-shirt was wrinkled, her hair ruffled, and her gray baggy pants didn’t suit her at all. She was the most disheveled woman he’d ever seen, and still he had an incredible urge to take her into his arms. Go figure.
“But where’d you get the groceries? My fridge was empty. And where’s Derek?” she asked.
Luke helped himself to a plate as well and followed Mari to the dining room table. “He left in the middle of the night. I bought the groceries early in the morning.”
“Thanks.” Mari chuckled while she brought a pitcher with iced tea and tall glasses. “I guess you bought the skillet, too. I don’t remember of owning one. I considered buying one, but the only thing I could use it for would be to hit an intruder. And I already have a knife and a gun for that.”