Ghosting (PAVAD: FBI Romantic Suspense Book 10)

by Brookes, Calle J.

He looked at her. She looked at him. Time stalled.

  “Josh?” Her fingers were so soft on his. “Please…”

  “I can’t just let this go. You need to understand that. The next woman he goes after could be you…or Cody…or any other woman I work with and care about. And I can’t stand the thought that you might be targeted.” He tangled his fingers in her hair, just waiting for her to protest. She didn’t. “But it’s not just this case, baby. I’m not sure I’m going to stay with the CCU. I have a little less than a month to decide.”

  And he had another choice to make, didn’t he—hold the files or hold her. No real decision, was it?

  Josh dropped the files back into the bag and wrapped his now freed hand around her waist. He’d have to act fast before she realized what he was doing, wouldn’t he? “But first...”

  “I know you loved her…”

  “I didn’t.”

  “What?”

  “Everyone thinks Becca and I were lovers. We weren’t. She was in love with a woman, Kel.”

  “I thought…everyone at PAVAD thought—”

  “I know. But she was a friend. Not a close one, but still a friend. She didn’t deserve what happened to her.” He ran a hand down her spine, waiting for the moment when she protested and stepped back. It didn’t happen. He was just dick enough to not step away.

  Was she not stepping away because of her concern? Was she even aware of what he was doing? He wanted to pull her into his house and on to that damned futon and forget everything related to the CCU for a while. Except her. “It was her mother, Kel. I had to look at her and tell her…she reminded me of my own. Before she got sick. And I had to look at her and tell her the only child she had was gone. And she had no one else. So I stayed with her. And I had to handle the funeral arrangements. All of it. I made her a vow after the funeral that I would stop this guy as soon as I could. It’s been three years since Becca, Kelly. And too many more women…”

  “I’m sorry. I know you are doing your best. But this…you can’t let this case ruin everything you’ve worked toward. The CCU? You were meant for it.”

  He snorted. “Was I? I’m not so sure how much more of it I can handle.”

  “But quitting the CCU?”

  “Hell, I don’t know. The only thing I know right now is that I’m hungry. And I have files to read.”

  “I can handle both of those. Read the files after dinner. After dinner, we can get with Ally and my father and J.T. and work this like the professionals we all are.”

  He sighed. He didn’t exactly want to face Kelly’s family tonight, but he wasn’t ready to let her go just yet, either. He had another decision to make, didn’t he? Dan or Kelly?

  Wasn’t too difficult, was it?

  He pulled her up on her tiptoes and kissed her again, hot and hard and long. Just like he’d really wanted to kiss her in her father’s driveway.

  Chapter 34

  No! She almost lost control of the car. She corrected at the last minute. He was kissing that purple-haired freak!

  She’d always thought he and Dr. Reynolds acted like brother and sister. He hadn’t even looked at that bitch that way, had he?

  It had to be what had happened to him in Tennessee. Didn’t it?

  Something that traumatic was bound to change a person. Especially a man. He was weak, though. Weaker than she’d ever thought he would be. Why? Why would he be with a woman like Kelly Reynolds? She was rude and ugly and so skinny!

  She circled the block, unable to help herself. And then again. A glutton for punishment, wasn’t she? The sight of Josh and that woman locked together half bent over his car would never be erased from her mind. No matter how long she lived.

  Finally, the two stepped apart. How could he have kissed her for so long? Josh wasn’t like that. He didn’t put sex above other things. If he had, she would have made her move so many months ago.

  But while she’d played it nice and slow with him, that damned ugly fucking bitch had been moving in on him.

  No wonder he’d bought a house less than a mile from where Dr. Reynolds’ family lived. He’d wanted to be close.

  Maybe he hadn’t bought the house for her. Maybe…maybe he’d bought it for Kelly Reynolds?

  So that he could be there nearby. So Kelly could walk over to his house. Or worse…what if she was living there? What if she’d already managed to trick him into that? Wouldn’t that make sense? Wouldn’t Kelly want to live near that family of hers?

  Kelly would be able to give him the family he desired, wouldn’t she? The very one he wanted, the one she would never be able to give him. She kept circling the block long after that Kelly had led him away toward her family’s home. She’d wanted to follow but didn’t dare. If she had, she’d be going after Kelly. Would be grinding that woman’s face into the dirt, and making her scream to the heavens that she wasn’t nearly worthy enough of a man like Josh Compton.

  No woman was.

  But she’d been trying for almost three and a half years to be exactly that.

  Apparently…she had failed.

  She didn’t remember driving back to Josh’s house after she’d driven by the Reynolds fifteen times after they’d gone inside—and she suspected it was his new place, since both his beat up old truck and his sedan were parked in the driveway—but she parked three houses away.

  She’d never gotten so close to one of his homes before. She’d been tempted to pose as a potential renter of the last two, but had always backed out.

  She wasn’t frightened of him, or of his response, of course. But it just hadn’t felt like the right time or way to make that initial non-work contact.

  But he had never betrayed her in this way, either.

  She stepped up to his front porch and with little fanfare, popped a brick through the old door. Within seconds, she was opening the knob from the inside.

  Josh’s house smelled like man and new varnish. The parts of it that he had finished were beautiful. They spoke of a man who liked nice things, comfortable things.

  She wandered around his house quickly, taking in all of the things that made it special. It was rather sparse, though. And that saddened her. He should have at least tried to make it a home, shouldn’t he?

  He didn’t even have a bed in his bedroom. Just a futon in the front room, and a flat screen TV. His table and chairs were mismatched and sad.

  And that woman had probably sat there many times. Had they fucked on that futon?

  Had Kelly Reynolds been curled around him right there?

  It wasn’t right.

  He was hers!

  Before she realized what she was doing, she’d pulled the lid off the can of green paint he’d obviously meant for the kitchen.

  She’d leave that bitch a message, and then she’d find a way to show them both how she truly felt.

  Chapter 35

  The people surrounding the dinner table were loud, obnoxious, and a family. Once again Josh felt right at home.

  He’d held Aislin on his lap until dinner was ready. Ally’s five-year-old was a real sweetheart, and she’d captured his heart shortly after meeting her. He remembered that night, as well—she’d streaked her hair with purple Kool-Aid to be like Kelly. Now she had glossy strawberry blonde curls and a will of iron.

  She pat him on the chest and made him lean in so she could whisper in his ear. “I’m going to marry you. Like my sister married J.T.”

  “Ok, you pick the date.”

  She grinned and looked very much like her mother. She placed a butterfly light kiss on his cheek then hopped down to roll on the floor with her baby brother.

  Her older brother just rolled his eyes and looked at Josh. “She’s a dork.”

  Kelly bopped him on the back of the head. “She’s your sister and she thinks you are Hercules and Harry Potter all rolled into one. Don’t call her a dork.”

  It was so normal. God, he needed normal. Kelly held baby Meghan, who was babbling in baby-talk, on her hip and he studied the two. A
ll of Dan’s daughters favored him strongly, and Meghan was no exception. When she held one of the babies or Aislin, Kelly was more relaxed than he’d ever seen. He’d always loved seeing her with kids.

  Kelly was at his left at the dinner table, and he could feel her knee every time it bumped his. And he knew she was just as aware.

  At one point, he couldn’t help himself—he slipped his hand beneath the table and brushed his fingers over her knee. She wore black denims, but he knew she was aware of his touch.

  Her eyes darkened, and her breath jumped. He doubted anyone else noticed. But she was aware of him.

  And she knew he wanted her. That would have to hold him for the moment.

  After dinner, the table was cleared with a speed Josh had always admired. Everyone had a job to do—his was to wash Aislin’s hands after she did her job, which was to gather forks and spoons and put them in the dishwasher.

  Kelly and Emma each grabbed an infant and Gracie grabbed the plates while Ryan gathered the glasses. J.T. was responsible for removing the empty serving bowls while Dan and Ally—who cooked together most nights—relaxed.

  The psychologist in him found it fascinating how a family that had only formed a little over a year ago functioned in such harmony. Anyone looking at them would assume they’d been together a long while.

  Dan looked at Emma. “Em, keep the kids out of the kitchen—we’ve got some work to do tonight. J.T., you’ve been drafted back into service tonight.”

  Emma smiled, and Josh just shook his head. Whereas Kelly had a ten thousand watt smile, her slightly younger sister had a thousand watt. Seriously beautiful women.

  J.T. always looked a little goofy next to his wife. Josh liked to razz him about it most nights. But not tonight.

  Gracie took Meghan from Kelly, and Emma shifted D.J. to one hip and grabbed Aislin’s hand. “Aisly, come with me. I’ll tell you a story about an ugly duckling who always dressed in black and purple and about the tall, handsome prince who rescued her…”

  Josh bit back a laugh—mostly at Kelly’s expression of embarrassment. No, his interest hadn’t been missed, had it?

  And then it was time to get to work.

  ***

  “He has to be tall. At least as tall as J.T. or Dad.” Josh studied the files and diagrams, some three years old or more. They’d been looking for this killer for that long. And who knew how many other victims were out there. “The Cole victim, she wasn’t short. And she wasn’t a lightweight. She was bigger than I am.”

  Josh leaned over her shoulder to look at the sheet. Her hair smelled like her shampoo, and it was a bit distracting. “Tall enough and strong enough to maneuver the victims easily.”

  “Left-handed, too,” Ally said. She—as a physician—was most qualified to pick through the various autopsy reports. “The angle of attack with the knife supports that. And they knew what they were doing—the blows were designed to produce maximum damage with very little blood. To subdue. But the cause of death in each case was strangulation—manual. There are finger impressions on most of the victims’ necks. The earlier five show signs of other methods. Experimenting, maybe?”

  Josh looked at the table—there was some serious skill right there.

  “But thin fingers,” Kelly said. “Look at these, Ally. Widespread here, and not very large. A tall man with very delicate hands. Odd. Get Emma in here for a minute.”

  “Why?” J.T. asked, stepping closer to the door.

  Kelly looked up. “Oh, I’m going to strangle her. I think she deserves it.”

  “What are you thinking?”

  “These six victims right here—they all show a similar pattern. I think the killer used bare hands with them. But the fingers are slightly larger in all the later victims.”

  Emma came in. “What do you need?”

  “A victim. How tall are you exactly?”

  Emma told her.

  Kelly flipped through the files until she found one. “And weight is about the same. Ok. You’re Cami Davis. You’re an elementary education major walking home on campus. Same one you went to, Em, by the way. You’re a bit on the reserved side. Josh—this is where you come in. What do you know about her?”

  Josh slipped into her mind, victimologist in him coming into play. “Cami was a timid person, why she chose early elementary. She was better with younger kids. Her car needed repairs, which was why she was walking. She couldn’t afford public transportation every night. It’s not quite dark out; she had plenty of time to make it the two miles to her apartment. It wasn’t a busy route; she’d be fine.”

  “But she didn’t make it. Why?” Dan asked.

  “Someone grabbed her.” J.T. wrapped an arm around his wife from behind. “Threw her in a vehicle?”

  “Bruising doesn’t support that,” Ally said. “And no skin under her nails where she fought back.”

  “Maybe it was someone she didn’t perceive as a threat?” Dan walked up to his younger daughter, keeping his demeanor calm and unthreatening. “The broken arm trick?”

  “Seemingly non-threatening person in need of help.” Josh understood the ploy involved. It was one used many times to catch victims unaware. “That would explain why six of the victims were in law enforcement. They would be very willing to help someone.”

  “Someone non-threatening,” Ally said. “So, we have a tall, strong man with skinny fingers who didn’t threaten.”

  “Dad, hold on.” Kelly went to a drawer and pulled out several a packet of Kool-Aid. She poured them in a shallow pan. “Wet your palms, lightly. Ally, grab your camera.”

  “Already have it.” Ally was half a step ahead of Kelly, wasn’t she? “Emma, good thing you’re wearing a tank top. It’s not a good one is it?”

  “No. Why?”

  “I think you’re about to get a little messy.”

  “Dad, lightly coat your hands. And then strangle Em. Just put your hands in position. We’ll photograph, and then compare. Just to document. Dad, J.T., Josh, me, and you.”

  “Will you be able to with the cast?” Josh asked.

  “I’ll try one handed.”

  Dan went first. He walked up to her, pulled a butter knife on her and she turned to run. He grabbed her from behind.

  But it was ruled out it wasn’t someone Dan’s size—or his physical capacity. Emma was strong enough to escape her father.

  Ally was too short at five-five.

  Josh’s hands were far too large and wide, and he was too strong. Emma would have bruised far too much.

  So it was down to Kelly and J.T.

  They were the same height, with Kelly possibly half an inch taller. But J.T. had about seventy pounds on her. And he was of average weight for his size.

  But his hands were too big, as well.

  Kelly went last. And her approach was far less direct than the men’s. “Hi. Can I borrow your phone? My tire went flat and, of course, my phone isn’t working.”

  Emma looked down and pulled out her phone.

  Kelly was on her, even with the cast.

  If she’d had a bit more weight, perhaps fifty pounds or so, it would have been a spot on match to the marks—all of them, as Emma put up a fight with her own color of food dye on her hands that stained the stack of disposable paper scrubs Ally had had a tech from the lab bring over once it became clear they were onto something.

  By the time they were finished, Emma’s neck was streaked with several different colors of Kool-Aid powder and the scrubs she’d redressed in were ruined.

  “Eek. Get your boob out of my face, Kel. I know there isn’t much there, but I’d like to breathe,” Emma said, pushing Kelly away and putting her hand almost under her sister’s arm.

  Ally was staring at the two sisters. “Guys, I think we have our killer. Kelly’s height, J.T.’s weight. And…I think it’s a woman. One with some serious forensics knowledge.”

  “How do you figure that?” Josh asked.

  “I videoed with my phone. I’ll show you on a larger screen in
a minute. Kelly, Emma hold out your arms.”

  They did. Ally walked around them. “See the pattern of defensive wounds on both of them? The only reason Kelly won was because Emma was subdued by the knife. But the defensive wounds on most of the victims that were similar in size to Emma—and almost all were close—had the same patterns of bruising. It’s not even close on anyone else’s except mine.”

  “I’m sorry. You’ve lost me,” Emma said.

  “Kelly and Ally fight like women. Men tend to use their arms and shoulders more. Punches.” Josh aimed for J.T.’s face, then his stomach. “But Kelly and Abby have weaker arms. They aimed for hair and eyes, too.”

  “Officer Silvio was missing some hair,” Ally said.

  “And look at the ruse Kelly used and the one Ally did. Kelly asked for a phone—needing help. Ally told Emma she’d dropped something—offering help.” Dan used a pair of gloves and some scissors to carefully cut the paper scrubs off his daughters. They’d be labeled and documented though the experiment they’d just done would be recreated at PAVAD officially. “Very unthreatening. And successful.”

  “So we’re looking for a tall, stocky, left-handed woman—local to the area, we’ve already established that—with some forensic knowledge.” Kelly looked at him. She had purple Kool-Aid powder over one cheek where her sister had grazed her. Her hair was a mess. He almost touched her, but didn’t. “J.T., can you see what you can find now?”

  “Of course. I should have something in the morning.”

  “Then let’s get this cleaned up before we give Aislin any more ideas. It took far too long for the purple to come out last time.”

  ***

  He made Kelly walk him home, like a good date. He got a kick out of it—he hadn’t told her she still had purple drink mix on her cheek.

  They didn’t say much as they walked, but he did get her to hold his hand.

  His was dyed red. Hers was green.

  “You coming in?” he asked. “Stay for a while and then I’ll drive you home later.”

  Hell no, she wasn't. She knew what would happen if she walked through those doors. That wasn't a decision she was ready to make yet. Something had most definitely shifted between them, and she wasn't the only one who was aware of it. Neither was he. She knew her father, Ally, her sister and even J.T.—hopelessly clueless when it came to romantic attraction—were aware of the shift between them. She just had to decide whether or not she accepted it.