by Rita Herron
“Any suspects?”
Justin spread the pictures of the missing women across the desk in the corner. His gut told him yes. “I think so, but I’ll know more after I finish questioning some of the locals.”
“All right. How is it working with that sheriff? Is she cooperating?”
Justin swallowed back an image of her in the shower, the one that had kept him awake half the night. “She’s fine. Competent.” And sexy as all get out.
They agreed to talk later and disconnected; then he scribbled a note to Amanda saying he’d meet her at the station. He was going to notify Tina Grimes’s father that her body had been found.
He quickly dressed, then went through the drive-in doughnut shop for a doughnut and coffee. Thirty minutes later, he knocked on the door of Mr. Grimes’s house.
It was a nice Georgian home on an estate lot in the next town. Colorful flowerbeds adorned the front lawn, twin lion statues flanking a water fountain in the center of the circular drive.
He rang the doorbell, his mouth tasting gritty. This was the worst part of his job.
A maid answered the door, so he flashed his badge and identified himself. “I need to see Mr. Grimes please.”
She mumbled, “Si,” then escorted him to a study to the right and disappeared. Justin scanned the library, noting that Grimes had a collection of antique books as well as travel and finance magazines.
Footsteps clattered, and an astute man with graying hair entered through the arched doorway. Age lines fanned his tanned face, and his clothing indicated he was dressed for a golf game.
Justin hated to ruin his day, but the man probably hadn’t had a good day since Tina disappeared.
Grimes took one look at his Silver Star and paled. The man instinctively knew the reason he’d come.
“You found Tina?” he asked, his voice thick with desperation.
Justin nodded. “I’m afraid so. I’m sorry, Mr. Grimes.”
Grimes stumbled toward his desk chair, then sat down and dropped his face into his hands. Silent sobs wracked his body, and Justin simply waited, giving him time to absorb the shock.
Finally Grimes heaved a breath, wiped his eyes with a handkerchief and looked up at him. “Where?”
“In Camden Creek.”
“Did she...suffer?”
He grimaced. The man didn’t need to know details. “She was strangled.”
“God...” Another sob erupted, making Justin’s heart squeeze with compassion.
Grimes looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. “Do you have any idea who did it?”
“We’re working on a couple of leads.” He hesitated, leaned forward and steepled his hands. “I understand you’re grieving, sir, but I need to ask you a few questions.”
A weary sigh reverberated from the man. “I already told the sheriff everything I knew months ago.”
“I understand. But we found a high school class ring from Sunset Mesa in Tina’s hand. Was the ring special to her?”
Grimes pulled at his chin. “We moved here from Sunset Mesa her senior year. She didn’t graduate from Canyon High.”
“Did she keep in touch with her old friends there?”
He hesitated, thinking. “Some of them. Kelly Lambert and Suzy Turner. She and Suzy went to college together.”
Justin’s mind raced. “How about old boyfriends from Canyon High?”
Grimes rose, went to the bar and poured himself a scotch even though it was barely breakfast time. Under the circumstances, Justin cut him some slack.
After Grimes downed the scotch, he turned back to Justin. “Before we moved, she dated a guy named Donald. But he broke up with her to date some other girl. I think he ended up in a wheelchair, some drunk-driving accident.”
“Did she keep in touch with Donald?”
“He called her a couple of times after the accident, but he was a wreck. And since he dumped her, she didn’t take him back.”
Motive for Donald.
“Thank you, Mr. Grimes. And again, I’m sorry for your loss. The ME will contact you about retrieving Tina’s body for burial.”
At his words, the man broke down again.
He laid his card on the desk. “Call me if you think of anything else that might help.”
“Please, Sergeant Thorpe,” the man said, his voice filled with anguish. “Find out who did this to my little girl.”
Justin met his gaze. “Don’t worry, sir. I intend to.”
Justin let himself out, climbed into his SUV and phoned the ME. “Dr. Sagebrush, did you find any DNA on that class ring in Tina’s hand?”
“I was just about to call you,” Dr. Sagebrush said. “As a matter of fact, I did.”
Justin’s pulse jumped. This could be the lead they needed. “Whose was it?” The man who abducted and strangled her?
“That’s the interesting part,” Dr. Sagebrush said. “I thought it might be the killer’s, but it’s not a male’s DNA. It’s a female’s.”
Justin sucked in a breath. “Do you have a name?”
“Melanie Hoit,” Dr. Sagebrush said. “The DNA belonged to one of the first women to disappear. Also, I found her initials inside the ring.”
The ring didn’t belong to Tina as he’d originally thought.
Justin’s fingers tightened around the phone. That DNA meant that the cases were connected. The killer had taken Melanie’s ring and placed it in Tina’s hand as his signature.
To taunt them with the fact that he’d been abducting and killing young women and getting away with it for years.
And he obviously wasn’t finished.
* * *
BY THE TIME Amanda met Justin at the sheriff’s office, she’d reviewed the missing-persons files again and combed through her yearbook.
She hated the fact that every face she saw now looked like a suspect. The mayor had also called for an update on the Lambert case, pushing her to make an arrest, and two reporters had called, requesting an interview.
She passed Julie Kane driving toward the school on her way to the office and was tempted to pull her over and warn her that a madman might be after her and their classmates.
But that would cause panic. She needed more information first.
She was on her third cup of coffee when Justin strode in. Wow. The man looked as if he’d grown another inch. He’d shaved, too, although she had to admit she’d liked his five o’clock shadow. Still, she wanted to run her hands across his jaw and feel those big arms of his flex beneath her touch.
Lack of sleep. That was the only explanation for her racy thoughts.
“Morning,” he said in a deep, throaty voice. A voice laced with fatigue that told her he hadn’t slept any better than she had. Of course, he’d probably been focused on the investigation, not fantasizing about her.
That thought burst her bubble, and she handed him some coffee. “Are you ready to question Fisher’s ex?”
He gave a clipped nod. “Yes, but I have some information for you first.”
A shiver rippled up her spine at his tone. “What?” Please not another dead body.
“I talked to the ME. He found some DNA on the class ring Tina Grimes had clenched in her hand.”
That was good news. “Who did it belong to?”
“Melanie Hoit.”
Questions pummeled Amanda. “I don’t understand. Melanie disappeared years ago. How could Tina have her ring?” The truth dawned, ugly and disturbing. “The same person abducted both of them.”
He nodded.
Amanda rubbed her arms with her hands. “Do you think Melanie is still alive?”
“I doubt it,” Justin said, his expression grave. “The killer probably took Melanie’s ring as some kind of trophy. He may have kept all his victims’ class rings as souvenirs.”
His theory made sense. She’d heard of serial killers personalizing their MOs. “But we haven’t found any other bodies. And Tina didn’t graduate from Canyon High.”
“Her father said she dated Donald before
Lynn did, and that he contacted Tina after the accident, but she wouldn’t take him back.”
So all roads were leading back to Donald.
“The unsub has been lying low, picking off these young women one at a time. For some reason, they all spark his hatred or anger, probably of a specific woman who hurt him.”
“And the reunion triggered him to escalate,” Amanda said, following his logic. “The perp has stayed off the grid all these years, but this ten-year reunion means something to him. It’s an anniversary of sorts.”
“Exactly. He can’t stand the thought of everyone gathering to party and celebrate their accomplishments when he feels hurt, betrayed by them.”
“When his life didn’t work out the way he wanted,” Amanda said, thinking of Donald. She hated to suspect him after all he’d suffered.
But she had to do her job.
Justin gestured toward the door. “Let’s go talk to Renee Daly. Then we’ll confront Donald Reisling and his father.”
He was right. Donald had good reason to hate Lynn Faust. He could be taking all his rage out on the other girls who had shunned him and still be planning to kill Lynn.
Probably on the night of the reunion.
They walked to his SUV in silence, but as soon as they settled inside and she gave him directions, she voiced her concerns. “Justin, maybe we should plan a press conference for the town. Warn the women that they’re in danger.”
“They probably already realize that,” Justin said. “Besides, all we have is a working theory now. No proof.”
“No, but if the reunion is his trigger, he may strike at one of the events. I should tell Julie Kane and the other organizers to call off the events until we catch the killer.”
“Continuing with the events might be the best way to trap this guy,” Justin said as he made the turn. “We can assign extra law officers to watch for trouble.”
Amanda’s stomach somersaulted. That was a good, solid plan. Except that it meant endangering more women.
Women she knew personally, had known most of her life.
Not that they were best friends, but she’d sworn an oath to protect them and Justin’s idea would do the opposite.
“Think about it,” Justin said. “We have a couple of days to figure it out. Maybe we’ll get lucky and catch the suspect and the reunion plans can go on without a hitch or panicking the town.”
* * *
AMANDA WAS WORRIED about the residents in town.
But he was worried about her.
Until he knew the unsub’s specific motive, and whether or not Amanda was on the hit list, she wasn’t leaving his side.
“There, Renee works at the dress shop on the corner,” Amanda said. “She has a boutique that supposedly sells the latest designer wear.”
He shot her a wry look. “In Sunset Mesa?”
Amanda chuckled. “I know. This little town is old-school Western all the way. She wants to class it up.”
Amanda was probably the classiest thing they had.
She indicated the corner down the street on the left, and he drove past the bank and diner. Kelly Lambert’s father was exiting his Mercedes and entering the bank, but his shoulders were hunched, and he looked tired as hell.
Another night where his daughter hadn’t come home.
And they had no good news to tell him.
Justin parked in front of the boutique, noting the short skirts and five-inch heels in the window. For a brief second, he wondered what Amanda would look like in nothing but those heels.
Oblivious to his wandering thoughts, Amanda shoved her door open and slid from the seat. The sign on the shop door indicated it didn’t open until ten, but he could see movement in the back through the front window.
Amanda rapped on the door. “Renee, it’s Sheriff Blair. We need to talk to you.”
A heartbeat passed; then footsteps tapped on the floor inside. A woman’s voice answered, “Hang on,” and the door opened. A bell tinkled above them and Renee, a tall, leggy blonde wearing a miniskirt and tube top that looked absurdly out of place in the small town, appeared.
Justin had to admit she was attractive, but she did nothing for him. Didn’t stir his hunger like Amanda did in her dull uniform.
“What’s going on, Amanda?” Renee’s eyes darted from Amanda to him, obviously curious.
“Renee, this is Sergeant Thorpe of the Texas Rangers. We need to talk to you about Kelly Lambert’s disappearance.”
A frown pulled at Renee’s eyes, barely registering on her Botoxed forehead. “I heard about that. It’s awful,” Renee said. “Do you have any idea who abducted her?”
Amanda gave her a deadpan look. “Not yet. We’re talking to everyone who knew her and trying to piece together what happened.”
“You used to date her fiancé, Raymond Fisher?” Justin cut in.
Renee rolled her eyes. “Yes, but that was ages ago. We’re just friends now.”
“So friendship is all you wanted from him?” Amanda asked.
Renee looked shocked at the implication that she might want more. “Of course. I have boyfriends in three different cities. I don’t need an old high school tagalong.”
“Are you seeing anyone specific now?” Justin asked.
She lifted a blood-red fingernail and raked it along the buttons of his shirt. “Not anyone serious. How about we get together later for a drink?”
Amanda stiffened beside him.
Justin clenched his jaw. Most men would have been pleased at her advance. But Justin was simply annoyed. He wrapped his fingers around her hand and stopped her playful tease.
“No, thanks. We’re working a case,” he said. “Do you know anyone who would have wanted to hurt Kelly?”
Renee shook her head. “No. But poor Raymond. I bet he’s distraught.”
“Yes, he appears to be,” Amanda said.
Renee’s eyes twitched with a devilish gleam. “I guess I’ll have to console him at the reunion.”
Justin’s stomach twisted. He really didn’t like women like Renee. Teases. She probably flirted with anything in pants.
“What about that dead girl they found at the creek?” Renee asked. “I heard she used to live around here, too.”
“She did,” Amanda said. “Other women in Sunset Mesa have disappeared over the past decade, too, and we suspect it might have something to do with our class. That our reunion might be triggering someone’s anger toward the females.”
Renee paled, and she stepped backward, her hand gripping the door. “Are you saying this maniac might come after me?”
* * *
THE TEENAGERS OF Sunset Mesa would wake up today, wolf down breakfast, go to school and find one of their alumni lying on the bleachers waiting for them.
Kelly Lambert didn’t look so pretty right now.
Getting her onto the football field had been an ordeal. But it was worth it.
Maybe the bullies and mean girls would think twice about how they hurt others the next time.
Yes, all the members of that class were counting down the days till they partied together again.
But their party might be moved to the cemetery when they realized how many of them would end up dead.
Chapter Ten
“What did you think of Renee?” Amanda asked, hoping the sliver of jealousy she’d felt when the wicked woman had flirted with Justin hadn’t shown through.
She had no reason to be jealous. Justin was his own man. He could flirt or sleep with anyone he wanted.
They weren’t even remotely involved and never would be.
“I think she’s a big flirt and probably a liar. But that also tells me she probably wasn’t serious enough or obsessed enough with Fisher to carry a ten-year-old torch for him.”
“True, she has always been superficial,” Amanda said, surprised but relieved that Justin hadn’t fallen for the woman’s charm. Most men did.
“I also think she’s too concerned with fashion, her looks and appearances to dirty h
erself enough to commit a murder.” Justin folded his hands, flicking his fingernails. “Did you see those fake claws? Girls like that are too worried about breaking a nail to strangle someone.”
Amanda laughed. “You’re right. Let’s go talk to Donald.”
“His home or work?” Justin asked.
“I looked him up this morning. He has a home office, works in computer graphics.”
She gave him the address and pointed out directions as he drove. But her nerves remained on edge as they passed the high school, and she saw teachers arriving for work, buses beginning to pull up. The marquis out front announced that prom was fewer than two weeks away. The same night Kelly’s wedding had been scheduled. Amanda wondered if she’d planned it that way.
The reunion date was also posted.
A bad feeling crept over her, and she clenched the seat edge. Had something else happened?
“Is this the right road?” he asked.
“Yes.” Amanda pointed to the subdivision. “Go to the end of the road and turn left.”
He pulled down the row of houses, all older with a spattering of well-kept single-family homes mingling with rentals that had seen better days. He turned left and they wound down a mile-long private drive to the Reisling estate.
Justin parked and Amanda caught his arm before they got out. “If you don’t mind, let me take the lead. Donald might be...defensive.”
“He also might be guilty,” Justin said. “I don’t intend to cut him any slack just because he’s in a chair.”
“Fair enough,” Amanda said, although her heart squeezed. She felt like Donald had been dealt a shoddy deal in life.
Yet he’d chosen to say he was driving instead of turn Lynn in.
He’d probably regretted that a thousand times over. If so though, why hadn’t he changed his testimony later?
The enormous estate house sat on several acres, grandiose and stately.
“What the hell does this man do to own this place?” Justin asked.
“Family money,” Amanda said. “Donald’s father is an entrepreneur, works in investments and has done well. But Donald’s grandfather invented some kind of farm equipment that he patented and it earned them a fortune.”