Deadly Obsessions (Kensington-Gerard Detective series Book 3)
Page 24
“That exact thought crossed my mind,” Jessie said.
“And from the display of these photographs, you were his next victim.”
“Now that’s scary.” Jessie shuddered.
“Come take a look at the shadow box with the coat in it,” Morgan said. “There’s a letter inside.”
“Are you kidding? An actual letter?”
“Yes. An actual letter,” Morgan said.
“Was it a letter he’d received or one he was sending out?”
Morgan held up her hand. “Just wait until you see it.”
Rushing out of the shrine, Jessie made a beeline for the living room. She leaned in closer to the frame to peer through the glass to get a better look.
“Christ. I saw this frame on the wall when I got here, but Ricky called me away. I don’t know what’s scarier, this or the shrine.”
“How about we say it was all scary,” Morgan said, her hands pressing against her abdomen.
Jessie’s mouth moved in silence while she mouthed the words as she read. When she was done, she turned to look at Morgan. “Oh my God, this coat is Jennifer Smith’s, Carly’s daughter, and this is a letter to Carly praising himself for having done something good.”
Jessie shut her eyes trying to absorb the magnitude of this man’s evilness. “It’s hard to imagine there are so many sick people in this world. It’s damn scary.” Morgan nodded in agreement.
Further investigation showed Gott’s apartment as immaculate, his cupboards organized like the shelves of a supermarket. His beds were made with hospital corners with coverlets folded in perfect shape.
The team found follicles of hair in the trunk of Gott’s impounded vehicle that was later matched to the DNA on file for his more recent victims.
“I guess this is how he carted them around until he could decide what to do with them afterward,” Jessie said. “How the hell could he stand this smell,” Jessie asked.
“He probably reveled in the smell the same way women do about their body lotion.”
A few days later, Jessie went to see what other evidence the investigators had found. They’d found plenty, but the most damning evidence found was a ‘little black book’ hidden in the spare tire well underneath the spare. A diary of sorts that contained dates, names and reasons for the kill. The man’s record keeping skills were as meticulous as his apartment. But it was the last entry that made Jessie grateful he was behind bars—hers. It looked like he was planning to kill her along with everyone else. The evidence was overwhelming against Gott. She slipped on a pair of rubber gloves. I’ve been curious about why he was quiet for five years and there hasn’t been any evidence that explains that.” She flipped through the pages, reading his daily account of things he did. When she found the timeframe she was looking for, his sabbatical, she was astounded that he actually recorded that he was taking a break because the police were getting too close. “That’s very interesting,” she said to Morgan. “This is a man who had guts of steel and yet he stopped because the police were closing in on him?”
“Sounds like he went through a period of insecurity.”
“It certainly does. What other little goodies have you found in his car,” she asked him.
“A coat.”
“What kind of coat?”
“I know you’re going to laugh at this, but the chick he stole this coat from wore the same perfume you do.”
“Where is that coat?”
“I sent it to the lab, but they haven’t tested it yet. It looked just like the one I’ve seen you wear.” He gave her an odd look. “Did I hear that he was in your house?”
“That’s what the photographs have shown. The same with his little black book.”
“I think he kept it close to him.” With a shake of his head, the investigator closed his eyes. “You be careful out there.”
The minute Jessie got off the elevator, the medicinal smell of disinfectant hit her in the face. She scrunched up her nose from the unpleasant smell when she noticed an attendant polishing the floor. The whirling noise of the polisher temporarily distracted her until she spotted Zach ambling around in slow motion down the corridor. Her heart skipped a beat and filled her with a warmth she’d never experienced before. She smiled seeing him get around so soon after his surgery. She snuck up behind him.
“Well, look at you,” she said.
“Yeah, I’m going stir crazy. I can’t wait to get back to work.”
She leaned in to kiss him. “I’m so happy to see you.”
“I hear you’re a celebrity in the NYPD. You racked up a lot of points with your takedown of the Red Reaper.”
“Just a lucky break, I guess, but quite honestly, it’ll be a lot nicer having our peers discuss that than my past with Harwell.” She stopped talking when she noticed a nurse approaching.
“Okay, Detective, it’s time to get back into bed.”
“Already?” he whined. She gave a slow nod. “I wanted to do something else.” He contemplated for a minute. “Okay, I guess I can do it from my bed.”
“What do you need?” Jessie asked. “Is it something I can do for you? Do you need your trip to St. Croix cancelled?”
“No. It might be a good place to recuperate. Think you can get some time off?”
“I have lots of vacation time. Christmas there?”
“Well,” his nose crinkled, “it’s been so long since I’ve had Christmas with my dad, I don’t think I can do that.”
“That’s an excellent idea. I wasn’t even thinking. Maybe the four of us can go? Zach seemed to like that idea. “Okay, what else did you need done?”
“It’s something you can do with me.”
“Okay.” She walked slowly beside him and back into his room. The nurse helped him into bed, and adjusted his pillows until he was comfortable, then left the room. “This is a little unorthodox, but I need you to come over to my good side, and kneel down beside my bed.” Jessie laughed.
“Alright.”
Zach pulled something out from the pocket of his gown. “You know how much I love you, right?”
“I do. Do you know how much I love you?”
“No. Tell me.”
“I love you to the moon and back.” He grinned.
“You know, this past week has been so lonely without you,” he said. “I don’t ever want to be without you again.”
She grimaced from kneeling so long. “Do I need to start praying here or something? Is that why I’m on my knees?”
He ignored her question. “You know I’m an old fashioned kinda guy, right?”
“I do know that.”
“Okay, so the reason you’re on your knees and I’m not is because I can’t get down on mine.” He looked her straight in the eyes. “Jessie, will you marry me so we can grow old together?”
“Aww,” she said, blinking back the tears. “Absolutely! I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than become Mrs. Zachary Gerard.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
K. T. Roberts writes romantic suspense and is frantically working on her next series in the cozy mysteries genre that will feature Glitzy Nash. She’s an amateur sleuth, but please don’t tell Glitzy that—she thinks she’s a pro.
K. T. is an author with Montlake Romance, an imprint of Amazon.
In 2012 she decided to try her hand at self-publishing and wrote her first mystery series, the Kensington-Gerard Detective Series. The Last Witness is Book One in that series. Elusive Justice is Book Two, and Deadly Obsessions is Book Three. All are available in digital and paperback editions.
Blind Retribution is her first romantic suspense published by Montlake Romance Publishing and will be released in 2016. Originally a Jersey Girl, she lives with her real-life hero, Bob, in Arizona. They have four children. Although she’s a former chef, whipping up a gastronomic treat for family and friends has been relegated to the weekends because during the week, she’s in front of her computer writing her next great novel.
She has memberships in Rom
ance Writers of American, Valley of the Sun Romance Writers and Sisters in Crime.
For more information about her books, visit her website at http://ktrobertsmysteries.com , and while you're at it, drop her a note. She loves to hear from her readers.
She blogs on 3 separate weekly blogs:
http://itsmurderinfthefirst.blogspot.com
http://chefcarolynskitchen.blogspot.com
http://cozycaperswordpress.org
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