Wild

by Meghan O'Brien

  Jac raised an eyebrow. “Martial-arts training or not, I find it hard to believe that someone who’d just seen a murder victim minutes before would feel compelled to go chasing after a mysterious noise that led her anywhere near the scene.”

  “What I heard sounded like a woman screaming. Luckily I wasn’t thinking about myself at that moment. When I found Eve, she was terrified, traumatized. I did the right thing, going back in there, no matter how shaken up I was.”

  Jac regarded her in silence for a long, uncomfortable minute. Then she said, “Eve is in serious danger, Selene. Right now I couldn’t care less as far as what your actual involvement in this case might be. I know you didn’t kill those women, okay? But if you have information about who did, if you saw anything—”

  “I would tell you.” Selene looked into Jac’s eyes, willing her to see the sincerity in her words. “Nothing’s more important to me than making sure Eve stays safe. If you don’t believe anything else I say, please believe that. Look into my eyes and see that I’m telling the truth. Eve’s safety means everything to me. I’ll do whatever I can to protect her. I promise.”

  Though she didn’t look particularly satisfied by Selene’s words, Jac’s nod signaled that the interrogation was over. “On that note, I need to head back to work. Thank you for your time.”

  When Jac stood, Selene rose with her. “I really don’t think Eve should be staying at her apartment right now. It isn’t safe.”

  “Are you saying that because you know something? Or do you just want me to pass that along to Eve?” Jac might have decided to let her off the hook with the phone tip, but it was clear she didn’t plan on making nice.

  “Before, I was with her. Now she’s alone. And he knows where she lives.”

  Concern momentarily softened Jac’s face. “Don’t worry. I can take care of Eve.”

  Selene couldn’t read Jac well enough to decide whether that meant Eve planned to go back to her apartment or not. It wasn’t important enough that she hear it from Jac to keep pushing, though. If necessary, Selene could follow Eve after she left work to find out where she was staying.

  That sounded creepy. Selene didn’t want to feel like just another stalker in Eve’s life, but she’d do whatever it took to keep her safe. Just like Jac.

  “If you remember anything you think might help our investigation, please give me a call.” Jac handed her a business card. “I’m more than happy to be discreet. Unless it’s a material fact in the case, I can keep whatever you tell me between the two of us.” Smirking, Jac turned her back on Selene and walked to the front door. “No need to cause Eve any further pain.”

  As she trailed Jac to the door, Selene clung tight to her iron control, determined not to give her anger free rein until Jac was gone. But the cocky arrogance radiating from Jac forced Selene into defending herself, no matter how useless she knew it would be. “I didn’t fool around on Eve, by the way. Whether or not anyone believes me, that’s the truth. I’m not perfect, and I do have secrets, but I’d never have cheated on Eve. Not after how you destroyed her.”

  Jac whirled around, glaring at Selene. “Remind me, are you two on speaking terms at the moment? You really think you haven’t destroyed her? You’re no better than me. Not by a long shot. At least she’s talking to me. Hell, she spent last night with me.” Eyes narrowing, Jac said, “Yeah. All night.”

  Selene had no idea where Eve had gone, or what she’d done, after she went to the police station the night before. The last time Selene had seen Eve, she was lamenting their empathetic link and nursing a broken heart. Had she found comfort in Jac’s arms? It didn’t seem like something Eve would do.

  But who could account for the actions of a broken heart?

  Gritting her teeth so hard her jaw ached, Selene said, “I’ll call you if I remember anything.”

  “Excellent.” Jac’s tone oozed condescension. “Have a wonderful morning, Selene.”

  “You, too.” Selene shut the door hard as soon as Jac sauntered outside. There was no point in pretending she wasn’t upset. She hadn’t liked Jac from the start, but at least when Eve was on her side, dealing with her detective ex-girlfriend felt necessary. Now it was pointless torture. Worse than that, it reminded her of exactly why all the shifting and deception of the past month was so dangerous.

  Using her ability increased her risk of being discovered. Until Eve, she’d never had a reason to take that risk. Eve’s stalker was the best reason she could imagine, but the threats to her own safety were as real as they’d ever been. Jac was a visceral reminder of that simple fact.

  But in the end, that didn’t change a thing. Eve was in trouble and Selene was determined to keep her safe, regardless of the consequences.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  “It’s feces.”

  Eve set down her pen, blinking, and looked up at Wayne towering over her desk. From the excitement on his face, she knew he was talking about the substance from the mysterious photograph left on her doorstep. She’d speculated about a number of different possibilities for the results of Wayne’s analysis over the past couple of days, but she could honestly say that excrement wasn’t one of them. “Seriously?”

  “Oh, yes. Not human.” He bounced on the balls of his feet, clearly thrilled by whatever he had to share. He always seemed to get the biggest charge out of the most disgusting things.

  “Well, that’s…gross. Do we think he planted it there on purpose, or did the killer’s dog just decide to relieve itself on his masterpiece?”

  “It’s not canine, and I’d say he definitely left it there on purpose.” Wayne paused, probably for dramatic effect, but Eve didn’t take the bait and ask. Sighing, he said, “I find it very unlikely that our suspect managed to accidentally smear bison dung on his message.”

  Eve’s awareness of time slowed even as her heartbeat thundered into overdrive. She knew where he was leading them. “Bison. He’s sending us back to Golden Gate Park.”

  “That’s a very reasonable assumption.”

  Bison had resided in the park since 1891, and the buffalo paddock in the western section was created in 1899 to house the growing herd. As a child, Eve had visited the paddock several times with her parents, and the incongruity of such giant, wild creatures living peacefully in the middle of one of the largest cities in California had always intrigued her. The presence of bison dung in that envelope was a message so obvious, Eve cursed that it had taken them so long to identify the substance.

  “I’ll call Jac. We need to canvass the area inside and around the paddock to see what we can find.” Eve dreaded the possibility that they were looking for a body, but her gut told her that was exactly what they’d find. Unfortunately the photo analysis hadn’t given them anything to go on, so they’d had to spend the time required to scientifically analyze the evidence. That the killer had apparently given them such a clear, distinct direction that they’d been so slow to recognize was frustrating, to say the least.

  “Are you going with her to the scene?” Wayne asked. They didn’t often join the police in the field, especially when a body hadn’t surfaced yet. Still, Eve couldn’t imagine staying behind in the lab for this one.

  “I am.” Eve picked up her desk phone. “I’ll be back soon, hopefully.”

  “I’ll cross my fingers that you don’t bring a body with you.”

  “That’s a change.” Wayne wasn’t cold-hearted, but his love for his work sometimes outweighed his sympathy for the people his cadavers had once been. Truthfully, it was probably part of the reason he was so good at his job. He never let emotion get in the way of logic and scientific fact.

  “Tell me about it.” Shifting uncomfortably, he looked almost painfully sincere as he said, “I know how you’ll feel if we didn’t find her in time. Just remember that it’s not your fault, okay? Even if we are too late.”

  Eve gave him a weak nod. “I know. It’s his fault.”

  If only it were that simple.

  *

  The
y found the body only fifteen minutes into their search. With twelve men and women sweeping the area in and around the bison paddock, it didn’t take long to discover the naked corpse of a female in her mid thirties stashed among the trees near the corner of Chain of Lakes and John F. Kennedy Drive. The killer had slaughtered her in an area that probably didn’t get much foot traffic and was out of view of the well-traveled roads nearby, but was still near enough to civilization that Eve was struck once again by his sheer nerve.

  Their victim appeared to have been dead for at least twelve hours. She had been killed in the spot where she lay. Their killer didn’t seem to deal in transporting bodies. That meant he was confident enough in handling his victims that he apparently had no qualms about forcing them to accompany him to the locations where he took their lives. He had clearly planned to kill this woman right here days before the actual murder, so Eve imagined that he’d grabbed her elsewhere, then driven her here. Somehow he’d managed to get her to this secluded spot without raising any major suspicions—if the lack of witnesses reporting unusual activity was any indication—then kill her without being discovered.

  Though the bison paddock was hardly the most popular spot in Golden Gate Park, it was fairly well traveled. No doubt the killer had brought the victim here late at night.

  I wonder if she’ll be as scared as you. Eve imagined she must have been terrified.

  A hand touched her shoulder and Eve jumped, tearing her gaze away from the bloody, stiff-limbed corpse at the base of a large tree to meet Jac’s eyes. Wincing apologetically, Jac said, “Are you okay?”

  Eve had no idea how to answer that question anymore. “This isn’t what I wanted to find.”

  “Me either.” Jac regarded the body carefully. “How long has she been dead?”

  “I’d guess she died somewhere between midnight and three last night. He probably waited until the park was deserted before bringing her here.” Eve pointed at the dried, tacky blood painting the dirt and vegetation beneath her body. “He killed her right here. And there’s evidence of strangulation again—but I’m guessing that, like the others, she died from blood loss. The choking is just how he got his kicks before he put her down.”

  Grimly, Jac muttered, “I hate this guy.”

  “Agreed.” Eve’s cell phone chirped in her purse. Frowning, she pulled it out expecting to see the lab’s number on the display. She couldn’t think of anyone else who might be calling—especially now that she was single. Not recognizing the number, she let it go to voice mail. “We need to bag her up and get her back to the lab. If our guy’s getting bold enough to leave us clues in envelopes, maybe he’s decided to offer some evidence on his latest victim. You know, to test me.”

  Jac touched the small of Eve’s back. “Let’s hope so.” She stepped forward and, gesturing at a detective who knelt on the ground taking photos of the body, said, “Let’s document this scene quickly so we can get the corpse back to the lab.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” The head of the crime scene investigation team crouched down next to the body, marking a piece of evidence with a yellow numbered tag. “We’re on it.”

  Eve’s cell phone rang again. Sighing, she raised her hand and glanced at the display. Same number. Frowning, Eve answered the call. “Hello?”

  “Is this Dr. Eve Thomas?”

  Something about the unfamiliar male voice set Eve’s nerves on edge. Immediately she knew who was on the other end of the line. “May I ask who’s calling?”

  “The Dr. Eve Thomas?”

  Eve swallowed. “Yes. Who is this?”

  “Well, this is a thrill. I’m a big fan of your work.”

  Stumbling, Eve hurried over to Jac, gripping her arm tight. Jac opened her mouth to speak but took one look at her face and stopped. Jac mouthed, Is that him? At Eve’s nod, Jac brought her head close to Eve’s so she could listen.

  The man chuckled. “You’re hurting my feelings, Eve. Are you a fan of my work?”

  “I’m looking at some of your work right now,” Eve said, willing her voice not to shake. The more her stalker spoke, the clearer her memory of his words on the day of her attack became. His icy-blue eyes. The sensation of his body on top of hers, pinning her down. The sharp edge of his blade. Shivering, Eve said, “I wouldn’t say I’m a fan, no.”

  Jac wrapped her arm around Eve’s middle, tugging her close. Grateful for her warmth, Eve allowed Jac to hold her.

  “Not a fan? Really?” He sounded genuinely disappointed. “Surely you have to appreciate how tidy I leave things. How conscientious I am of what it is scientists like you need to track down people like me.”

  “Are you killing these women to impress me? Because I can tell you right now, there are better ways.”

  He snorted. “Don’t flatter yourself. No, I’m killing these women here, in your territory, because I want you to know that even if you were able to use your science to track down Charles Dunning, what you do is worthless when you have an adversary who has half a brain.”

  “And this half-brained adversary…is you?”

  Dead silence met Eve’s comment, and for a moment she worried that he had hung up or perhaps she’d dropped the call. Then he inhaled, clearly irritated, and spat, “Pity that science can be so inefficient, isn’t it? You’ve had a veritable map to this location for days. Long before that lovely woman at your feet died. If only you’d been able to complete your analysis in a more timely fashion…well, who knows?”

  Jac stiffened and stepped away from Eve slightly, sweeping the area around them intently. Though he spoke as though he could see them, Eve wasn’t convinced. “You here right now? Maybe we should talk about this face-to-face.”

  “You didn’t really enjoy our last face-to-face chat, though. Did you, Eve?”

  A chill ran down Eve’s spine. She stared at Jac’s face, keeping herself grounded in the present. She was safe now. “Being assaulted and threatened isn’t much fun, no.”

  “By the way, she wasn’t as scared as you.” His voice lowered, almost seductive in tone. “No woman has ever been as scared for me as you were, Eve. It was delicious.”

  Her face must have reflected the visceral disgust his words elicited, because Jac immediately returned close to her side. “So how does this end? You keep killing until I help the police identify you?”

  “No. I keep killing until I decide you’re next. Then I kill some more.”

  Jac opened her mouth as though she planned to interject, but Eve raised a hand to stop her. If they had even a small chance to get a concrete lead from this phone call, Eve was willing to play along even if it meant listening to sick threats. “Doesn’t sound like there’s much in this for me.”

  “I’m afraid not.” He took a deep breath, then exhaled as though remembering some hazy pleasure. “Don’t worry, though. I’m not done with you yet.”

  “No?”

  “I hope we can spend some more time together soon. I miss seeing that fear in your eyes.”

  Eve tensed. This could be exactly what they needed to draw him out into the open. Hadn’t she told Jac that she wanted to stay in her apartment for exactly that reason? But the idea that this man could get close to her again sent her into a cold sweat. “I’m willing to meet you at the police station. I’ll even promise to listen to whatever you want to say—about me, about science.”

  He made a sound of displeasure. “I was thinking of something more intimate. Now tell me, Eve, what scares you more—being raped or being cut? Or maybe both, huh? I could fuck you, then carve my name into your face.”

  Willing her voice to remain steady, Eve said, “What name would you write?”

  “Kev. But that won’t help you find me.”

  Eve’s phone beeped, signaling that he had disconnected. With a shaking hand, Eve checked the display to be sure. He was gone. Next to her, Jac was trembling.

  “I’ll fucking kill him first.” Jac spoke in a low rumble, the intensity of her tone drawing a few odd looks from the detectives and techni
cians who had slowed in their documentation of the crime scene when it became clear that their suspect was on the phone.

  Eve grabbed Jac’s arm and pulled her away from the corpse, turning their backs to their colleagues. “No, you won’t. If he comes for me, we’ll grab him, then let the justice system deal with him.”

  Jac’s chest rose and fell with the force of her deep, angry breathing. “Let me get the number from your phone. We’ll try to track down the source of the call.”

  “Good luck. I have a feeling we won’t find him that way.”

  “So what?” Jac snapped angrily, turning Eve’s phone on and punching the number of her last incoming call into her own phone. “The only way to find him is to dangle you out there as bait?”

  “Maybe.”

  Jac dialed his number and raised the phone to her ear. After a moment she cursed and hung up. “He turned it off.”

  “Are you surprised?”

  “No. Just pissed off.” Jac pocketed her phone and returned Eve’s with a heavy sigh. “I can’t remember ever feeling so powerless. No matter how many times I go over the evidence or the witness statements, I can’t find a thing. Nothing to go on, except the fucking taunts he’s dropping like bread crumbs. Meanwhile the body count keeps rising, and it’s only a matter of time before the media catches on that we’ve got a serial murderer in the city. I’m desperate for a goddamn break, Eve. That’s all I want—one goddamn break.”

  “We’re going to get this guy, Jac. It’s only a matter of time before he slips up.” Eve squeezed Jac’s elbow, speaking with a level of confidence she didn’t really feel. “He may think he’s invincible, but I sure as hell don’t.”

  “Me either.” Exhaling, Jac bumped Eve lightly with her shoulder. “We need to talk about your new security detail—constant surveillance of your building, officers on you at all times. And I want you to wear a device, a panic button.”