Head Start (Cedar Tree #7)

by Freya Barker

  “What do you mean?” I ask, a little confused.

  “I mean, I’ve talked to a few people before, but never actually moved beyond e-mails.”

  “Oh, well, if it makes you feel any better, I’ve never really done the online thing at all before. So all of this is new. Not sure what the rules or expectations are, but you mentioned coffee and that seems harmless enough.”

  “Good. That’s good. Yes, so I’ll be driving to Grand Junction on Friday, and I was hoping maybe you’d be willing to meet me in Cortez. You did say you lived in Cortez, right?” He sounds like he’s smiling, not a bad sound at all.

  “Yes, I do.” I don’t feel the need to tell him that Friday will actually be the last day I effectively live here. There is plenty of time for that.

  “Okay, so maybe you know a place? Somewhere you feel comfortable meeting a middle-aged teacher from Gallup,” he chuckles in self-deprecation.

  “Hardly middle-aged yet, Lars.”

  “Hmmm, I like that. You saying my name.” The sudden shift from shy and hesitant to blatant flirting sends a bit of a shock to my system. I’m not quite sure what to do with that. Neil says stuff like that all the time, but it’s never given me a cold chill, like a sudden draft against my neck. Not entirely pleasant.

  “So coffee?” I say rather curtly. He must pick up on it because when he speaks next, the shy teacher is back.

  “If you’re sure, that would be great, yes. I’d love a chance to talk to you about those hiking trails in Mesa Verde you mentioned.”

  Back on safer ground, I remind him I have several maps of the national park that I can bring for him to look over and he seems very receptive.

  “So where and when is good for you?” He wants to know. “I’m leaving probably around five. Classes end at three o’clock and I’ll swing home to pick up my stuff and grab a bite, so I should be there around seven? Maybe seven thirty?”

  I don’t have to think hard for a place to meet. Mal’s wife Kim and her friend Kerry introduced me to a great coffee shop a few months ago. “The Spruce Tree Espresso House. I’ll e-mail you directions. That’s probably easiest. And seven thirty sounds great, but won’t it be too much of a delay? If you still have to get to Grand Junction?”

  “It’s probably four hours driving from Cortez, and the conference doesn’t start until the afternoon so I can sleep in.”

  “Okay, if you’re sure. Then seven thirty it is.”

  “Looking forward to it,” he says before I hear the distinct click of a hang up.

  A little abrupt. I didn’t get a chance to match the sentiment or say goodbye. I shrug it off, making myself a note to find those Mesa Verde hiking maps before Friday.

  Oddly enough, I don’t feel any nerves about meeting him. No nerves, no butterflies. Not excitement either. Just a tiny seed of discomfort at the slight personality shifts. That never really came across when we would talk via e-mail. It’s just coffee. If I don’t get a good vibe, I’ll say goodbye and leave it at that.

  Neil

  I smile when I hang up the phone. Kendra may think she’s keeping a safe distance, but the way she is easily flustered when I tease her shows me she has more than a passing interest. I’m not stupid. I know she has a massive hang up over our age difference, and she’s wielded that like a sword for the past year since I made my interest pretty clear.

  My interest runs back a lot further than that, almost since the first time I saw her, but for a while I thought she had her sights set on Mal. When he met Kim on a case he was working last year, though, it became obvious that whatever was between them had simply been friendship, because Mal fell like a brick for Kimeo. Even encouraged me to go after Kendra at some point, having picked up on my feelings for her. It’s not like I haven’t tried. I’ve just not been very aggressive, and Kendra has been extremely dismissive. Still, I see the way her eyes flit at me when she thinks I’m not looking. I can hear the hitch in her breathing when I get too close for her comfort. And I’ve let her get away with it, hoping that at some point she’ll see beyond the difference in years, and see me. Not the guy she thinks I am, but the one I’m proving to be.

  Seeing the links to the dating site on her work computer has thrown a switch for me. She’s obviously looking for something, and still fucking refuses to look for that something with me. That’s going to change. I’m done waiting for her to get on the ball. I’m going to run the play from here on in. Keep her off-balance and create my own opportunities.

  This case has me rather tied up, though. When the reports from the coroner came back and showed the mutilations on each of the victims, the investigation FBI agent Gomez had drawn us into went full swing. Intricate carvings in the skin of each of the three victim’s backs depicting angel wings along with the word Mercy had been inflicted while the women had still been alive. At least that was the opinion of the coroner based on his findings. He suspected the use of succinylcholine, or a similar drug used to paralyze the muscles, when he noticed the imprint of a breathing mask on the latest victim’s face. Sux, the commonly used name for the drug, paralyzes the muscles needed for breathing so artificial respiration is needed to keep someone alive until the drug wears off. Otherwise, it is a slow, agonizing death. The victim would have been fully aware of everything done to them, but completely unable to help themselves. Unfortunately, it leaves very little evidence behind in the body, so it is difficult to detect. According to the coroner, the mask used might have been attached to a relatively simple CPAP-machine, providing the positive air pressure needed to keep the victim breathing and alive, but barely.

  The last victim showed evidence of violent sexual interference resulting in tissue damage and the cause of death is listed as asphyxiation. Over the last few days, he has been able to confirm similar findings on the other victims. We now also know their names.

  The ViCAP searches turned up four more possible cases in Utah and another three in New Mexico. All missing women, all between twenty-five and forty, although the majority are over thirty, and all of them worked in some capacity of the medical field. According to the last count, thirteen potential victims, three accounted for, spread over three states. All of this within the past two years. It’s a very disturbing trend.

  An hour ago, Gus called us in to the office where only a week ago we first got wind of this crazy fucker. As I pull my truck up to the house, I let my mind wander back to Kendra and the unofficial date we have for Saturday. Doesn’t matter that she won’t look at it that way, I’m just happy to have some time with her. I’ll be keeping my eyes and ears peeled for any space she’ll give me and jump all over it. My endless patience, one of my better qualities, is starting to run short where she is concerned.

  -

  This time, when we’re all seated, Gus wastes no time to announce that FBI brass has swooped in, putting a lid on any information shared for fear of mass panic. They want no word of the case to leak, so GFI has effectively been eliminated from the investigation.

  “Seems Damian suddenly has more sets of hands than I’m sure is welcome,” Gus tells us. “He’s not too happy with the way this investigation is shaping up. That’s why he’s asked us, unofficially, to keep our eyes open.” Gus looks around the table at each of us. “That means we fly under the radar. I’m not letting it interfere with our other cases, but let’s keep plugging at whatever leads we can get our hands on.”

  “Maybe this is a good time to let you know that I’ve managed to get into Cora Jennings’s e-mail account and discovered an interesting chain of e-mails.” All eyes turn to me, but Gus speaks up.

  “The Feds will have their own IT techs on it now, so unless there’s a way to get in and out undetected, I suggest you cease and desist any further attempts at hacking. Don’t want to get us in hot water by way of interfering with an ongoing investigation. Having said that, you wouldn’t happen to have print outs of those e-mails, would you?”

  I open my laptop, click a few buttons, and the large printer in the corner of the boar
droom whirrs to life. With my signature cocky smile, I look back at Gus. “Printing out as we speak. I managed to back up her entire e-mail folder before I got out.”

  “Who says brains aren’t sexy?” Katie winks at me from across the table, causing Caleb to pull her close by the neck.

  “Quit flirting with the boy,” he growls, immediately setting me on edge and earning one of Katie’s sharp little elbows in the ribs.

  “Hardly a boy, Caleb, and keep your shorts on.”

  Perhaps a bit louder than necessary, I slap my laptop closed. “Anything else, boss?” I ask Gus, pointedly not looking at anyone else at the table. Gus calmly looks back, the only evidence he’s picking up on my irritation being the slight twitch of his eyebrow.

  “Nope. I’ll hand out the prints. Good work, Neil. Check in with me end of the day, and if you do decide to do some more digging, try to stay invisible.”

  “Sure thing.” And without acknowledging anyone else, I get me and my sudden bad mood out of there, feeling the strange looks from my colleagues burning holes in my back. I don’t give a fuck. But if I thought I was getting out of there fast, Emma has other ideas.

  “Where are you storming off to?” she asks, blocking my way to the front door, her hands on her hips. “You’re not staying for lunch?”

  “Not this time.” I try to control my temper, but as expected, Emma hears the bite to my voice.

  “What happened in there?”

  I try to shake my head and leave it at that, but there is no escaping her soft and slightly accusatory “Neil.”

  “I’m just tired, Ems. Tired of being treated like an irresponsible adolescent instead of a fucking grown man. I’ll be thirty-two in a month and I still feel like I have to prove my worth like someone wet behind the ears.”

  “Hmmm,” she mumbles as she tilts her head to the side. “Honestly? I don’t think there’s anyone who knows you who would mistake you for irresponsible or wet behind the ears. You may look young, but you have an old soul. A wise soul.” The soft hand she lays on my cheek feels nice. Comforting. Still, I can’t hold back the deriding snort.

  “Ha. I wish that were true,” I blurt out before I snap my mouth shut.

  Emma gives her head a slight shake. “She’ll figure it out,” she says, proving once again to be more perceptive than most.

  Very little escapes Emma.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Kendra

  “Hey, girl!”

  Arlene is standing behind the counter of the diner when I walk in. Arlene’s Diner, named after its owner, has become a favorite hangout in the past year. Arlene runs the place, and her husband Seb is Cedar Tree’s own culinary wiz. The daily specials he adds to the standard diner fare on the menu since taking over the kitchen a few years ago, have not just drawn in the locals, but diners from Cortez and even Dolores. I first met Seb and Arlene when they brought Seb’s sister, Faith, to the area. A devastating childhood brain injury had left her stuck in time. They had moved her into a full-time care facility in Cortez where I’d been working at the time.

  “Hi there, Arlene. Guess who I saw yesterday?”

  Arlene chuckles. “Already heard. Seb heard all about it when he called her last night. You’d think Santa came early with the way she carried on.”

  I’d popped in to visit Faith after my shift at Cortez Memorial. These last months have been so busy with the clinic, my two remaining days at the Cortez hospital and the upcoming move, I hadn’t been in to see her. “She seems to be doing well. I was glad to see she got over that bout of pneumonia.”

  “Yeah, that was scary for a bit. Seb was over there every day. So what can I get you? A bit early for dinner, no?”

  “Actually, I was hoping for an early bite. I have to head back to Cortez to pack up the last of my things tonight. Tomorrow I’ll officially be a resident of Cedar Tree. That reminds me, did Beth leave her key?” The cute house I’m moving into belongs to Beth, one of Arlene’s good friends. She’s hung on to the place since her marriage to Clint Mason, another fairly new import in Cedar Tree, and has been renting it out. My luck that it was available when I started looking for a place. One of these days I hope to buy something, but for now I’m happy renting.

  “Dropped it off this morning. Here you go.” Arlene opens the cash register and pulls out a ring with two keys. “She says to tell you that the one key will open both the front and backdoors, as well as the gate to the backyard. Second one is a spare. Neil installed that brand new security system last year so you’ll have numeric keypads on the front and backdoor as back up.” She hands me a little card with a four-number combination. “Says if you want another code, Neil can help you set it up.”

  At the mention of Neil’s name, I look up from the card I was studying. Arlene’s eyes study me intently, making me feel slightly uncomfortable.

  “So when are you gonna put that boy out of his misery?”

  And there it is. It seems the more I try to keep my distance from him, the harder the universe conspires—with a little help from my friends—to hook us up.

  “Arlene,” I start, but she won’t have it.

  “He’s a good man, Kendra. A real good man. And from what I can tell, he’s got it bad for you.” She leans over the counter conspiratorially. “Haven’t seen him with anyone in over a year. Not once. Not since he moved into the apartment upstairs.”

  An odd feeling presses under my breastbone, and I lift my hand to my chest. Fiddlesticks. Why is this so hard? I shouldn’t care if he sees half the female population in the Four Corners area. I shouldn’t. Despite the undeniable attraction I feel for him, I’ve not allowed myself to even consider going there. Hell, I even tried dating Malachi at one point, before Kim came on the scene, but that had been weird. The one kiss we’d shared had felt...off. Flat. It did less for me than a single touch of Neil’s eyes on me. Why can’t I just turn off this stupid reaction I have to even the mention of his name? I know he isn’t the one for me. It would never work. Yet...

  “You gonna stand there with that dreamy look on your face, or are you interested in hearing today’s special?” Arlene cuts into my thoughts, a knowing smirk on her face.

  With a slight shake of my head to clear it, I turn my eyes to the big blackboard behind the counter. “I’ll have the spinach and goat cheese stuffed meatloaf. That sounds good. Oh, and some unsweetened ice tea, please.”

  “Grab a seat. Coming right up,” she says as she disappears into the kitchen. I take stool at the counter and turn to scan the diner. It’s only a little after four in the afternoon and only one booth is occupied. I’m sure over the next half hour the place will start filling up. Friday nights are generally busy at the diner and Arlene usually has two extra servers coming in over the weekend.

  A ding on my phone shows a message from my mom, but the chime of the door has me turning toward the entrance, as the one person I should be trying to avoid walks in and straight toward me. A big smile on his handsome face.

  “Bonus,” he says cryptically as he pulls up a stool beside me.

  “What does that mean?” I tuck away my phone and try not to notice the brush of his shoulder against me as he settles in.

  “Thought I would have to wait until tomorrow to see you but here you are. Bonus.” The slight nudge of his arm against my side has me looking up from the counter, where I’ve tried to keep my focus. I immediately feel my resolve melting under the warm fire in his baby blues.

  “You have to stop flirting with me,” I whisper softly, unable to pull my eyes from his. “You’re making this so hard.”

  Bending his head down, he leans in closer. “Can’t help myself around you, and it doesn’t have to be hard at all.” The puff of his breath against my skin causes a little shiver to run over me. Danger signals are shooting off in my brain while my body instantly responds to him, ignoring the warnings. His scent, so uniquely him, surrounds me and I just want to snuggle up to him. Breathe him in.

  “Neil!”

  My eyes, which
had slipped shut, pop open to see his face just inches from mine, staring at me intently. With a small twitch of his mouth, he lifts his head to acknowledge Arlene, who just walked over with my ice tea in hand.

  “Hey there, boss lady. What’s on the menu?”

  “On the blackboard, smartass. That’s why I hung it up there, so I don’t have to repeat myself all damn day.”

  Arlene is all bark and no bite. It’s one of the things I love about her. She definitely takes no prisoners. A good person through and through, she has a gruff exterior that protects the giant, but fragile, heart she owns. She doesn’t take any nonsense and doesn’t give it either.

  Neil, of course, smiles his signature big smile at her snarkiness. He loves teasing her. Loves teasing everyone, especially the women around town. Charms each and every one of them. Of us. A deep sigh escapes my lips before I can check it. To camouflage it, I take a quick sip of my tea, ignoring the two pairs of eyes I can feel trained on me.

  “Do me today’s special, honey,” I hear Neil say.

  “Coming up.” I hear her footsteps retreating but keep my gaze on the glass in my hand.

  “Relax.”

  I hear the rumble of his voice at the same time his large, warm hand finds my jeans-clad knee and gives it a squeeze. The brief contact leaves his palm print burned on my skin.

  “Work still busy?” I ask, trying to distract him, and myself.

  “Nah,” he says, but there’s something about the tone of his voice that has me look up. He is staring straight ahead, and suddenly he looks much older with evidence of strain on his face. Without thinking, I put my hand on his arm. Big mistake. I feel the muscles of his forearm shifting under my hand as he clenches his fist on the counter.

  “You okay?” I prod, watching him as he slowly turns his eyes to me.

  “Promise you’ll be careful out there?”

  The question catches me off-guard. Actually, it’s the intensity in his eyes that throws me. “Of course I’m careful. What’s going on?”