by Rita Herron
Amanda and Justin both identified themselves. “Can we talk to Ted?”
“Let me check and see if he’s busy with a customer.” She rose, teetering on her high-heeled boots, and disappeared through a doorway. The sound of voices echoed from the back; then she reappeared and led them through a set of double doors to an office that surprised Amanda with its modern design.
“Hello, Amanda,” Ted said.
Gone was the ball cap from the camera feed. His hair was close cropped, his button-down shirt and jeans giving him a professional but casual look. He’d aged some since she’d seen him, but there was such a stark difference between him and Carlton that she understood how Carlton had felt like the underdog in comparison.
“It looks like your business is doing well,” Amanda said.
He shrugged, but his eyes glittered with pride. “Yeah, I like my business.” He glanced at Justin. “But you two didn’t come to talk to me about my cabinets, did you?”
Amanda shifted. “Why were you outside the school today?”
Unease flickered in his eyes. “I heard the news and was curious like everyone else, I guess.”
“Did you keep up with Kelly?” Justin asked.
He shook his head. “She called about the reunion and left a message. I never called her back.”
“Are you going to attend?” Amanda asked.
He smoothed a hand over a wood sample. “Not sure yet. It’s not like I kept close friends with anyone there. After Carlton died, it was...hard.”
“What about Suzy Turner?” Justin asked. “Have you seen her lately?”
“Suzy?” His voice cracked. “Don’t tell me she’s missing, too.”
“Her mother thinks so,” Amanda said.
“Answer the question,” Justin asked. “Have you seen her lately?”
“No. But she left a message about the reunion, too. Said she was bringing a new boyfriend. You know she always liked to brag about herself.”
“Did you have a thing for her?” Justin asked.
“You’ve got to be kidding. Snotty girls aren’t my type.” His eyes flashed with annoyance; then a mask slid over his face. “Listen, Amanda, I didn’t hang out with those girls in school, and it’s been ten years since Carlton died. If you think I’ve held some grudge against them, you’re wrong.” He rubbed a finger along one of the ridges of a cabinet. “I loved my brother, but I told him he needed to grow thicker skin. Then he killed himself and I had to pick up the pieces of my mom.” Anger hardened his voice. “I don’t blame the kids at school. I blame Carlton. He took the coward’s way out and destroyed our family in the process.”
* * *
“WELL, THAT WAS a surprise,” Justin said as they left the cabinet shop. “Ted had good reason to harbor a grudge against the girls who ridiculed his brother, but he doesn’t seem to.”
“I told you I didn’t think they got along,” Amanda said. “He’s obviously still angry with Carlton for killing himself.”
“He’s right, that is the coward’s way out,” Justin said. “But since he doesn’t seem to hold a grudge, he doesn’t seem like a likely suspect.”
Amanda punched in Mrs. Turner’s number, hoping for a miracle—that Suzy had shown up by now. The woman answered on the second ring, her voice raspy as if she’d been crying. “Hello, Amanda.”
“Have you heard from Suzy?”
“No, did you find her?”
Amanda winced at the desperate hope in the woman’s voice. “Not yet. I’m on my way to her place right now to look around.”
“Do you need me to come over?”
“No, just let me know if you hear from her.” Amanda hung up and swung the vehicle onto the main road leading to the condos. Night had fallen, the land bathed in darkness as she left town and sped down the road.
Suddenly a dark car shot out of a side street, raced up behind her and started around her. Irritated, she flipped on the siren, but the car simply sped up instead of falling back or pulling over.
The windows were tinted so dark she couldn’t see inside, but the window slid down a fraction of an inch and suddenly a gunshot blasted the air.
Amanda ducked, swerving right as the bullet shattered the driver’s window. Glass sprayed her and a burning sensation shot through her left arm.
Justin cursed and grabbed the steering wheel as the squad car spun out of control and slid toward the ravine.
Chapter Fourteen
Justin jerked his gun from his holster, hoping to get off a round at the shooter, but Amanda had been hit, and the car was out of control.
“I’ve got the wheel,” Amanda said, struggling to right the car and keep it from crashing.
He swung his gun up behind her head and fired, but the dark sedan surged forward, its taillights disappearing into the night. His breath rasped out as he squinted to read the license plate, but the car had no tag.
The squad car slammed into the bank to the right, then spun sideways and screeched to a stop. He jerked forward, but the seat belt caught him, and Amanda gripped the steering wheel. He expected the air bags to pelt them, but the impact must not have been strong enough to trigger them.
“Dammit, he got away!” Amanda shouted.
Justin’s heart hammered. “Where are you hit?”
“My arm, but it’s just a flesh wound.” Amanda shoved hair from her face. “Did you see the shooter?”
“No, did you?”
She shook her head. “The windows were too dark.”
“There was no license plate either,” Justin said.
“It was a planned attack.” Amanda closed her eyes and leaned back against the seat, and Justin wondered if she’d lied about the seriousness of her injury. Flesh wounds still stung like the devil and now her adrenaline was wearing off, she might be feeling the pain.
“Let me see your arm,” he said, forcing his voice to be gentle when he wanted to tear after that car and beat the hell out of the SOB who’d shot her.
Amanda sighed, twisting around to look at him. “I’m fine. But obviously the killer wants to stop us from asking questions.”
He pulled her hand toward him. “Let me see, Amanda.”
Emotions swirled in the depths of her eyes. It had been a hell of a day and she looked exhausted.
“I should have stopped this guy before now,” she murmured.
Guilt deepened her voice, making his heart tug. Kelly Lambert’s father had blamed her for not finding his daughter in time. Mrs. Butts blamed her for abandoning her son.
Amanda blamed herself for another classmate’s disappearance.
It wasn’t right.
Unable to stop himself, he pulled her into his arms. “None of this is your fault, Amanda. You’re doing a great job.”
She shook her head, her hair brushing his chin, but she didn’t pull away. “But I promised Mr. Lambert I’d find Kelly, and now Suzy is missing.”
Justin stroked her back, soothing her. “I’ve worked cases like this before. The killer seems like he’s one step ahead, but eventually he screws up. We will find him, Amanda.”
He felt Amanda’s soft breath on his neck as she lifted her head to look up at him. “But it’s not enough. If I don’t make an arrest soon, Suzy might end up like Kelly.”
Justin bit his tongue to keep from telling her that if the unsub had Suzy, she was probably already dead. Since there was no sign of sexual assault, it was clear the motive was murder.
Only the suspect had disposed of the bodies where they couldn’t be found with the first few cases, but had recently decided to claim the kills.
Because he was ready to send a message and receive the glory for the crimes.
He cradled Amanda’s face between his hands. “Listen to me, Amanda. We’re law officers. We hunt down the bad guys, but we’re still human. We can’t save everyone.”
“But we have to try,” she whispered.
He nodded, his heart hammering. “Yes, and we will get him.”
She looked so vulnerable t
hat his eyes were drawn to her mouth. He wanted to kiss her. Hold her.
Promise her everything would be all right.
His lips touched hers. Soft. Gentle. Hungry.
She parted her lips in invitation, and he deepened the kiss, tracing her mouth with his tongue. She moaned softly and clung to him, her fingers stroking his back.
A heartbeat later, her phone rang and she eased away from him. For a brief second, he felt bereft, as if he’d lost something important.
Only how could he lose something he’d never had?
* * *
AMANDA SHIVERED AT the intensity in Justin’s expression. Lord help her, she could drown in those sultry bedroom eyes.
He was so strong and in control, so masculine and confident, so protective—exactly like her father had been.
She’d been devastated when she’d lost him.
How would she survive if she allowed herself to fall for Justin and something happened to him?
He could have been killed a minute ago.
So could you, and you would never have known what it was like to be in his arms. To feel his kiss.
Her phone buzzed like a siren again, and she jolted back to reality. Good grief, she was supposed to be working.
She snatched up the phone. “Sheriff Blair.”
“It’s Deputy Morgan. I wanted to let you know I looked at the list of people Lambert turned down for loans. Two of them have moved on. The other is old man Gentry. He’s almost ninety so I don’t see him kidnapping or killing anyone.”
“Thanks for checking it out, Deputy.”
She disconnected and reached for the keys, but Justin caught her hands.
“Let me look at that arm first.”
Her arm was stinging, and he would persist unless she proved that she was okay. The bullet had grazed the upper part of her shoulder so she had to undo the top few buttons of her uniform shirt to show him.
Heat blazed in his eyes as he watched her unfasten the buttons. She knew the plain khaki shirt wasn’t sexy, but she was still a woman and had donned a lacy black bra beneath it.
His smile of appreciation made her belly flutter with awareness and desire. Her nipples budded, practically begging for him to touch them.
But she leaned sideways so he could examine her arm, ignoring the pull of attraction. The bullet had skimmed the skin, tearing her shirt, and her flesh was red like a burn. But the bullet hadn’t lodged inside her arm.
“We need to find that bullet,” Justin said.
Amanda nodded, her heart squeezing when he bent his head and placed a kiss on her flesh wound. “We’ll treat that with some cream later.”
“It’s fine,” Amanda said, swallowing back the emotions his tenderness stirred. Since when had a man been tender with her?
Most guys thought she was such a tomboy they didn’t bother. Of course that was when she had a rare date. She was more the “friend” type. They treated her as if she was one of the guys.
Unable to stand being so close to him and not touching him or kissing him again, she hurriedly fastened her blouse while he searched the floor for the bullet casing. Several seconds later, he plucked it from the door on his side.
He used a penlight to examine it. “Looks like a .38. I’ll send it to the lab for analysis.”
Amanda focused back on the case, then pulled onto the highway before she did something insane like throw herself at him.
* * *
JUSTIN SILENTLY CURSED himself as Amanda drove toward the Turner place. What the hell was wrong with him?
He never allowed himself to become involved with a suspect or a law enforcement officer. He normally liked sexy women who wanted a romp in the sack with no baggage, no ties, no commitments.
No expectations.
Amanda fit none of those requirements.
Well, maybe she fit one. She didn’t seem as if she was looking to settle down. She was just as career focused as him. Growing up under the thumb of a Ranger, she obviously wanted to follow in his footsteps.
But her job could get her killed.
Protective instincts that had reared their ugly head at him when that bullet zinged through the window fought their way to the surface again.
Dammit, he shouldn’t care. She was just another coworker.
Except she might be a target of this nutcase.
“Did Donald Reisling ever ask you out?” Justin asked.
Amanda slanted him an odd look. “Why would you ask that?”
“Just curious. Did he?”
Amanda’s pretty lips formed a pout. Or maybe they simply were plump from his kisses.
Damn, he wanted to plump them up some more.
“No, he was a star athlete,” she said, self-deprecation in her voice. “I told you I wasn’t in the popular crowd.”
“But you’re attractive and you were athletic and smart. The guys had to see that.”
“We’re talking about teenagers,” Amanda said, emphasizing the last word. “The only thing on their brains was sex. And I wasn’t that kind of girl either.”
He hadn’t expected that she was. Which also made him like her more.
And want her more.
He balled his hands into fists. He had to get a grip.
“So after the accident when the popular girls rejected Reisling, did he seek friendships with you or anyone that he hadn’t befriended before?”
Amanda chewed her bottom lip. “No, not that I remember. I heard he fell into a deep depression for a while. And of course, he underwent physical therapy.”
“That’s understandable.”
“Why the questions about Donald?”
“Because someone just shot at us. Rather you,” he said. “And Donald Reisling’s father is one of our primary suspects.”
A frisson of alarm splintered her face. “You think that he might target me?”
Justin hated to voice the thought aloud. But he had to follow the clues and evidence. And if that didn’t work, he’d rely on his gut instincts.
Someone had just tried to kill Amanda.
He wanted to find the SOB and lock him up before he finished her off like he had Kelly, Tina and the other victims whose bodies hadn’t yet been found.
* * *
AMANDA STIFLED THOUGHTS of that heated kiss as she and Justin entered the high-rise condo development. They stopped at the security desk, identified themselves and explained the situation.
One look at Justin’s credentials and her badge, and the beefy guy escorted them to the elevator.
“You have surveillance cameras?” Justin asked.
“Yes, sir. If Suzy was abducted, it wasn’t from here.”
Amanda frowned. Nothing was impossible. But the fact that this building had built-in security points at the front and cameras stationed throughout the hall and elevators would definitely make a kidnapping more difficult.
With Kelly, fake texts had been sent to lure her into a trap. Had the same thing happened to Suzy?
The guard pointed out the camera near the elevator, only three feet from Suzy’s door, making Amanda even more sure that the perp hadn’t abducted Suzy from her condo.
She inserted the key into the lock, and opened the door. Justin reached out a hand and urged her to stay back.
“Let me check out the interior first.”
Even though she doubted the killer was there, Amanda pulled her own gun.
Suzy might be inside the condo.
But she might not be alive.
* * *
SUZY TURNER COULD still wear her cheerleading uniform after ten years. All those exercise classes and body-toning treatments and personal trainers had paid off.
Too bad she wouldn’t need them anymore now she was dead.
But wouldn’t her mother be proud she’d kept her figure?
Her darling, pretty daughter had danced and cheered and teased all the boys ten years ago.
She’d broken dozens of hearts. Trampled on them as if they were ants that needed stomping ou
t at a picnic.
No more.
Now Suzy would lie dead instead of partying with her friends.
The circus at the school had been fun to watch today.
Tomorrow would be even better. Even if they didn’t find Suzy tonight, they would find her.
Then another one would die.
Chapter Fifteen
Justin hesitated at the doorway of the condo, studying the scene. Amanda gasped beside him.
The cushions on the white sofa had been slashed, the stuffing pouring out, something black that looked like ashes smearing the fabric.
Was it symbolic? Was the unsub trying to send a message, or had Suzy’s place simply been an opportunity for the perp to vent his rage?
Amanda eased inside, her gun poised to fire, and they swept the living room and kitchen. He gestured that he would search the room off the right side of the hall and she took the left.
One look into the master bedroom, and he realized Suzy was compulsive with organization and design. The condo was a showcase, not a place he’d want to live in. Expensive furniture, artwork, vases, white carpet.
Nothing that felt like home.
No personal photographs or worn tennis shoes or holey jeans. Did the woman really live here, or was it just a stop between travels?
Her closet had been opened, several evening gowns slashed and strewn across the floor. Others had been left hanging, neat and at equal intervals, designer shoes still encased in their original fabric dust bags or boxes.
But no one was inside.
He inched to the master bath, half expecting Suzy’s dead body to be lying on the floor or in the bathtub, although he didn’t know why. So far, only two of the missing women had been found, both strangled.
Neither in their own homes.
He scanned the bathroom, again noting plush white towels and a glass shelf filled with cosmetics.
Although some bottles had been broken, thrown against the wall, the contents spilled out.
Then he noticed there was water in the garden tub. He stepped closer, leaned over and spotted a corsage floating in it.
Questions ticked in his head.
A class ring had been found in Tina’s and Kelly’s hand. Rings that signified the class preparing to gather for Canyon High’s reunion.