“Yep, as long as you do the same.” Chinese food was her weakness, and if Sullivan would go for it she’d eat it every day and twice on Sunday. But Sullivan preferred more diversity when eating. “You know what you’re going to have?”
“Mandarin combo.”
No sooner did the words leave his mouth than the waiter appeared as if by magic. Jo often wondered if the tables in restaurants were bugged or some kind of mojo only waiters and waitresses had.
They placed their orders, and the waiter disappeared as silently as he’d come. Only to return with their soups and drinks.
“Besides the Digger case any others that are puzzling?” He dipped his spoon into the Wonton soup.
“Not many. Most crime is committed by someone the victim knows, so it’s a matter of sifting through the evidence. The rest, again, is waiting for the evidence to come in and point us in a logical direction. We have fingerprints being analyzed for a home invasion where the guy or guys didn’t know the owner was there and ended up killing him.” Jo spooned up some of her Hot and Sour soup. “And we’re looking for a guy who killed the cashier at the pawn shop on Seventh. The idiot wore a mask inside but took it off before he left. We have a picture, we just have to find him.”
“He was taped?”
“Yeah, we got the whole murder in black and white. Those kind of perps piss me off the most. The old guy was cooperating, but we think the robber was high. Something set him off.” Deciding he’d opened the door to questions, Jo swallowed a bit more soup and asked one of her own. “Why didn’t you finish your degree? I mean, you only had your residency to go . . .”
The light dimmed in his eyes and he lifted the spoon to his mouth. A few minutes passed, and she assumed he wouldn’t answer. But then he surprised her. “Most people don’t understand, but Rian needed stability. His entire world had imploded. Both our lives imploded.”
“But you could have found someone to sit with him while—”
“It’s not that simple. Residency, I might be home for five or six hours max. Enough to get some sleep before I have to be back at work. Not only that, I’d be assigned the crap shifts. They never seem to be the same from day-to-day.” Rhys tugged at the end of his shoulder-length hair before tucking it behind his ear. “I keep up with the coursework and if I ever get the opportunity—”
“But you work in the Coroner’s office. Doesn’t that—”
“I need to be in a hospital or a doctor’s office. For what I want to do that’s where I’d need to go.” He huffed a frustrated breath. “It’s a moot point, anyway. In order for it to work, I’d need someone to live with us twenty-four-seven and Rian would become invested in them. If they left for any reason in the middle of my residency everything would fall apart, and I’d need to drop out again. I guess the short answer is, no.”
She wanted to volunteer to help.
His eyes lit up watching the kids at the mall. When one little boy fell off a shelf he’d climbed to reach a toy, Rhys rushed over to help. Scared, the poor kid had a knot forming on his forehead. But his calm demeanor helped soothe the child and the mother until the mall’s medics arrived.
With Jo’s hours, she wasn’t sure she’d be a good candidate either. Sometimes she’d be called to a crime scene at two in the morning, working all day and night if a case heated up. Her hours were never consistent from one day to the next.
The silence was broken when he cleared his throat, a mischievous grin tugging at his lips. “Jim told me to watch you if we went out to eat. Something about you being a magnet for trouble.”
“I am not. I only arrested a few people while I was eating out, and I’ve only pulled my gun twice. It’s not like I’ve shot anybody.”
A snort and cough met her statement. Maybe she should’ve waited until he quit drinking and set his tea down before answering. “Do tell.”
“Well, my sister set me up on this one date and the guy took me to eat BBQ . . .” Jo told him about the mid-grade drug dealer she’d arrested. Then went on to tell him about the time an angry boyfriend thought his girlfriend was cheating on him. That one had been scary since domestics could sometimes go sideways. If the girlfriend had jumped in Jo would’ve been screwed. That had been when she’d just stopped in to pick up a to-go order for her and Sullivan.
The stories relaxed her, being a cop, seeing the absolute worst society had to offer, was her world, though the disbelieving looks he threw her way showed it wasn’t his . . . yet. If he remained in the Coroner’s office, the horror would eventually become normal. That bit of innocence she glimpsed now and again would slowly leech away, replaced with a cold cynicism that marked almost everyone in law enforcement.
Jo didn’t want that for him. It surprised her. They’d only been seeing each other a month now, but she wanted him to achieve his dream of being a doctor. Not a Coroner or Assistant. Shoving the confusing thoughts to the back of her mind to examine later, she kept her stories light after that. She had him laughing about the man asking her for a ménage and how she’d dealt with him.
Chapter 13
December depressed the hell out of Jo even if her entire family vomited happiness in never-ending waves at all their festivities. Her mother decorated as if on a mission from Santa himself. Specific boxes for each room, including the yard and roof, were hauled from the attic. Bedspreads, sheets, towels, plates, tablecloths, glasses, and trees. Red, green, and gold draped everything. It took two solid weeks of pulling all of it from various shelves and walls then slotting their replacements wherever Maddy pointed.
Luckily, Jo was exempt from the madness since she worked so much during the holidays, hence the depression.
She loved spending time with her family, loved spending time with Rhys, Rian, and Arabelle. However, the holiday season was also the worst time of year for emergency personnel. Since she had no immediate family she volunteered to take the overnight shifts, freeing up officers to spend time with their children, wives, and husbands. Floating, to backup other departments, allowed her to keep abreast of regulations and guidelines.
This was not one of the times Jo enjoyed her job. She shuddered while typing up her notes on the murdered family. From what Jo and Sullivan pieced together, the airline overbooked the flight. The family’s trip rolled to the next available departure time, which was the following day.
She had watched the video of the family trudging from the airport as they decided to sleep at home instead of remaining at the concourse. Watched them pack their suitcases and carry-ons into their car and watched the last door shut as the father climbed behind the wheel. The frame froze as soon as the SUV door closed. This was the last image she had of the family alive, the rest were pictures of hole-riddled bodies, shocked faces frozen in death. Even in those last moments, the mother thought of her children first as she was found lying on top of the two kids. The protection hadn’t helped.
A robbery interrupted. Jo wasn’t sure yet if the thieves were high or had panicked. It didn’t matter as the results were the same. The family lay dead in the morgue and the thieves would be in handcuffs before the end of the night.
She was sure Sullivan would bring in the thieves since they had the idiots’ address. A neighbor, Mr. Dougal, had been out walking his dog when three people ran from the victims’ house. Mr. Dougal stepped closer to the street for a better look. The car skidded directly in front of his home, allowing Mr. Dougal to see the license plate before the rear bumper slammed into his mailbox and disappeared around a corner.
Sullivan and a uniform left to check out the address from the license plate while Jo got a jump on the paperwork. With both of them coming at the case from different angles, she hoped they could wrap it up before midnight. She would love to get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.
Between alternating work schedules and other commitments, she carved out what time she could to spe
nd with Rhys. An afternoon here, lunch there and a dinner snatched before shifts. Her mother pressed Rhys and Rian into joining them for Christmas. They’d no sooner sat down to open presents than Jo was called away to a murder-suicide.
Driving to the scene, she cursed leaving him behind with her family. She’d be glad when this month was over.
~ ~ ~
The second day of January finally arrived, and Jo wanted to weep with relief even as exhaustion beat at her. Officers returned from vacation, the precinct began to fill again, and she could breathe without the phone blaring for her and Sullivan to go on yet another depressing call.
Uninterrupted hours of sleep became possible and being rested helped her find her equilibrium. As soon as the holiday rush ended, they were back to researching the Gravedigger case.
Jo pointed to each of the six cemeteries represented by red and blue pins stuck into the map. “These are the six potential targets for this month. If he stays on his current pattern.”
The two red pins were in their jurisdiction and the other four fell into the purview of other departments.
“I’ve coordinated with the other police departments and each one has a unit in place every night for the next couple of weeks.” Captain Walker’s gaze homed in on their own marked areas falling within their boundaries. “The two cemeteries in our area have agreed to let our people in before they close.”
Jo’s nerves twitched as her eyes traced the pins.
“What’s your gut say?” Sullivan came to rest next to her.
What was it saying? Each of those six had victims fitting their suspect’s profile. December was always a bad month for deaths. Between depression, anger, and domestic violence that went too far . . . these were the six that fit with the perp’s rambling pattern. Due to the many deaths over the holidays, each cemetery held either the recently buried, or soon to be buried, and all were potential victims. However, three of them had already been used twice by the Gravedigger. One in Jo’s jurisdiction and two in the other precincts.
Jo chose the likeliest cemetery with the facts she had now. “Me, Sullivan, and two others will take this cemetery, Captain.”
Sullivan eyed the map and then her. “You think he’ll hit that one?”
“No.” She nibbled her lip, refusing to commit based solely on a gut feeling. “Maybe. It’ll definitely be one of these six, but this cemetery only had one victim dropped off.”
Clapping her on the shoulder, Sullivan grumbled, “Looks like I need to talk to my mom and mom-in-law about taking care of Arabelle, then we can switch to night shift.”
The captain stood. “Should we call Zwart and Schumaker in?”
“I’ll give them a heads-up. I don’t see them coming until we have a confirmed sighting.” Jo’s gut clenched in dread.
“I’ll call their captain and see what he wants to do. We’ll rotate the others in your squad in for backup. Do not engage. We’ll grab him when he dumps the victim in a week.” His finger moved from her to Sullivan. “You two are on point and I want you fresh. Go home, get some rest and get your schedules situated. We start tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir,” they replied almost in unison.
~ ~ ~
Three days later, Jo relaxed for the first time in hours. Breakfast at the Waffle House ranked as a pleasure for her. Especially after another long night of fruitless waiting.
“How much longer are you going to be on this shift?” Rhys dumped cream and sugar into his coffee.
“Three more weeks at most.” She hated that she and Rhys were in a holding pattern with their relationship yet again. But loved the anticipation of catching the bad guy.
The waitress stopped and asked for their order. Her voice carried easily over the popping grease on the open grill, clatter of dishes and customers. Checking their table for Tabasco sauce, Jo ordered eggs and hash browns.
“Jim and I are taking Rian and one of his friends camping this weekend. But at the end of the month, Rian will be spending the weekend at Evan’s house. I’d like us to plan something then.”
Banked passion sparked in his gaze, turning the gold molten and predatory. A shiver of heat at being stalked wound in her. She loved seeing that expression, longed to see his face when they made love. Did his jaw clench? Did he watch his lover intensely? Pin them with those unusual eyes? Jo shifted on the hard booth trying to soothe the intense heat that spiked in her.
Her hands trembled as she realized she was thinking in terms of love. Not even Aaron breached her heart. She could lie to Sullivan about how deep her feelings were becoming toward this man, lie to her mother and even to Rhys, but not to herself. How did he pierce her shields? When?
Refusing to get bogged down with her thoughts, since their time was limited, she wrapped her fingers around her mug. Lifting the cup, she took a cautious sip of the hot brew and gathered her thoughts. “If we’re not done, then either the guy got spooked or he’s at a different cemetery. I’ll talk to Sullivan and see about getting, if not that entire weekend off, then at least a night.”
His hand reached across the table and covered hers. “I’d like the weekend. I want to take our time.”
Goosebumps broke across her skin and another shiver stole over her. She endorsed taking their time. His kisses alone made her want to climb him like a jungle gym. No one evoked the kind of heat he could with a simple brush of his lips.
“Here ya are.” The waitress plopped their plates in front of them, then she returned to refill their coffee cups.
“I think we can safely say we’ve got a date.” Allowing the heat to flow through her, Jo met his gaze. His intense focus made her burn. “And I’ll make damned sure we have all night.”
~ ~ ~
Jo’s cell vibrated just as she and Sullivan met at the top of the hill, shadows wrapped around them as they moved under the stand of trees. It was the third week into the month-long window they’d set. Where was this guy?
Taking the cell from her clip, she lifted it to her ear. “Rayburn.”
“It’s Terry. Me and Ramirez are starting our sweep if you and Sullivan are set.”
“Yep, we just reached the top of the hill, we’ll keep a lookout while you two check the fence.”
With the radios chiming in constantly and the need for stealth, they’d decided to use their phones. Setting them to vibrate, Jo’s group turned their radios off but kept them equipped in case they needed reinforcements. Even though they weren’t to engage the guy didn’t mean he would follow the same rules.
Tugging at the bulletproof vest, Jo growled again.
“Quit it. That’s in case the guy has a gun, Jo, don’t go getting the idea you can take the thing off.” Sullivan moved closer to the edge of the hill and crouched behind a headstone. “We should’ve kept the comms.”
“No, I’d rather the rookies have them at the other cemetery.”
It’d taken a lot of solid arguments to convince the captain and Sullivan to let the greener officers have the comms. The Gravedigger wasn’t the precinct’s only high priority case that needed comms. Robbery had something going at one of the large banks downtown and Vice was in the middle of unraveling a trafficking ring. Because of this their resources were spread thin, and the more experienced officers were using their cells.
“Profilers said no way this guy would be armed.” She huffed, yanking at the vest again. Heaving a sigh, she crouched next to Sullivan and scanned the area below. The night vision goggles sat heavy on her head, and Jo wished Sullivan had taken them instead. “You think this will be over by next week?”
The question was met with a shrug. “No idea, either the guy got spooked by those idiots in Tennessee or he’s using another cemetery. Today’s only Monday. Based on the loose time frame, we have until this Friday. I doubt the captain will keep this going past then.”
Sullivan snorted. “After our captain got through reaming out the Tennessee group, and then their captain drug them through another ass-chewing. Nope. No one else will screw with us again. At least not about this.” He tossed her a side glance that Jo couldn’t read even with the goggles that pierced the darkness. “Why?”
“Rian’s staying over at a friend’s and Rhys wants to get together. Maybe have dinner.” She hoped she’d get an invitation to his bedroom. If not, she’d be dragging the man back to her apartment to use hers.
“Why not spend time with him tomorrow? Isn’t he off—”
“Yeah, but I’m exhausted by the time I get home . . .” Jo trailed off, distracted. Was that . . . “Sullivan, look to your right down by those trees.”
He shifted, his head turning in the direction she indicated. “Holy shit. Is that—”
“Yeah, and he’s behind Terry, dammit.” Jo tugged her phone from the holder on her belt and clicked Terry’s number.
“Terry.” Terry’s voice was whisper soft over the cell.
“He’s sixty degrees over your right shoulder, at the edge of the trees.”
“Got him,” Terry replied.
Sullivan’s mumbled words barely registered as he talked to Ramirez.
Jo hung up while she and Sullivan carefully made their way past several rows of headstones to get a better view of the man. Shoving the cell back into its holder, she picked up her pace. They needed to get to the base of the hill to backup Terry and Abe. Before Jo and Sullivan could get into position, the man swung around. A loud roar ripped through the night.
Gravedigger (The Rayburn Mysteries Book 1) Page 12