Nate set his cup aside. “You need to learn how to take a compliment, Liv.”
“We shouldn’t be talking about this now. Don’t you need to take my statement?” She sat up straighter, determined to be a good witness.
“Start at the beginning,” he said, all traces of warmth gone from his face. This was the Detective Tucker that most people were used to seeing.
Olivia told him every detail from leaving her class all the way to when he arrived. She didn’t have a lot to tell, unfortunately.
“You should cancel your next class,” he said when she was done. “It isn’t safe for you to be on campus.”
“No.” She lifted her chin defiantly. “This is my job, Nate. I’m not going to let some psycho scare me away from it.”
“He could kill you, Liv.” Nate leaned forward. “If I’m going to keep you safe, you need to listen to me.”
Olivia’s eyes widened. He had never talked to her so arrogantly before. “You don’t own me, Nate. And don’t ever talk to me like that again.”
Nate’s phone rang before he could retort and she sat fuming while he answered it.
“I need to run back upstairs for a minute. Will you please just stay right here?” He said the words neutrally, but Olivia heard the undertone of annoyance.
“Fine.” She crossed her arms over her chest while snapping, “Hurry back, dear.”
Nate wisely chose to ignore her. After he was gone, she started to feel guilty about her behavior. He was worried about her, with good reason. She was just being stubborn and disagreeable as usual.
By the time he had returned ten minutes later, she was ready to apologize.
“I’m sorry I snapped at you,” she said when he sat next to her. “I’m an idiot.”
“You had a stressful morning,” he said, not smiling. His face was strained and he held something in his hand. “We were able to open the envelope in the box.”
“Let me guess, it’s not a party invitation?” she eyed it wearily.
Nate lay the clear evidence bag in her lap, the message facing up. In tight block letters, someone had written a short threat.
You will be mine.
He can’t keep you safe.
Stop fighting it.
I will make you happy.
“This isn’t Rosie’s killer,” Olivia said certainly.
“How can you tell?” Nate sounded doubtful and looked surprised by her non-reaction to the threat.
“He never left a note.” She had studied enough killers to know that this would be a huge departure from the killer’s behavior. “Also, he never mentions her in the threat. This guy, or whomever it is, is only focused on me.”
Nate’s lips pursed. “That doesn’t make me feel any better.”
Now it was her turn to reassure him. She put a hand on his knee. “It should help you narrow the suspects. It should be someone with a pretty clear connection to both me and Karen.”
“Smart women are so hot,” he said, finally acting more like the Nate she knew. “But if you want me to think clearly, you probably shouldn’t touch me.”
“Sorry,” she said, removing her hand.
“Don’t ever be sorry for that.” He swooped his head down, catching her by surprise with a soft kiss on the lips. “Did I mention that you look amazing today? That dress…”
This time she didn’t brush away the compliment. “I wore it hoping that I would see you later.”
He kissed her again, but this time it wasn’t soft and quick.
“I need to go back to the station soon,” he said reluctantly a few minutes later. “Will you please let me take you home for the rest of the day? I’ll feel better knowing you are behind a locked door.”
“Okay,” she relented. With the threat sitting right in front of her, it was hard to brush away his concern.
Nate did a thorough check of the apartment before he left, telling her several times to deadbolt the door behind him. She would’ve been annoyed by his fussing if he hadn’t looked so cute doing it.
Left alone in the apartment, she began to regret agreeing to stay there. Even with the door locked, she didn’t feel safe.
“You look like a lost puppy.”
It had been days since she had last heard her sister’s voice. Olivia had actually convinced herself that she was done seeing and talking to ghosts. But now Rosie was back, sitting comfortably on Olivia’s couch.
“You decided to come out of hiding?” Olivia asked as she joined her sister’s ghost. “Thanks for gracing me with your presence.”
“I was busy. Chill out,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“You’re dead, Rosie. What could you possibly have been busy doing?” Olivia was surprised at just how perturbed she sounded.
Rosie just grinned. “You and Nate finally bumped uglies! I’m so proud.”
“You saw that?” Olivia asked, horrified.
“I took off when I realized what was about to happen.” She waggled her eyebrows. “Don’t worry, I’m not a total perv.”
“Will you stop giving me such a hard time about him now?” Olivia hoped this would put an end to her sister’s interference.
“Maybe.” Rosie flopped her feet onto the coffee table. Since she wasn’t actually real, they made no noise when they landed on the glass. “Was it mind blowing?”
Olivia shook her head. “Oh, no. I’m not talking to you about that.”
“I’m your sister!” She pretended to be offended. “If you can’t tell me about that, there is something seriously wrong with our relationship.”
“Other than you being dead, you mean?” Olivia asked.
“Come on! I’m dead. I have to live vicariously through you.” Rosie grabbed her arm. “Pleeease.”
Olivia sighed. “Fine. It was amazing. Mind blowing. Orgasmic. Climactic. Incredible. Astounding-”
“Alright, alright. I get it.” Rosie was ready to move on. “How was Mercy?”
“Enlightening.” Everything that Olivia had learned about Rosie came rushing back. “We talked to Tim.”
Rosie’s face turned even paler than usual. “You saw Tim?”
“I found your diary, Rosie. What he did to you…” Olivia took a breath to keep her anger in check. “Did he kill you?’
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “He was a monster.”
“Why didn’t you say anything? Why didn’t you tell me, or Mom and Dad?”
Rosie frowned and looked away. “He threatened to hurt you. I couldn’t let that happen, Livvy. I figured as long as I kept him happy and let him have his way with me, he would leave you and all the other girls alone.”
“He’s still giving tennis lessons,” Olivia said, shuddering. “He’s still free to do whatever he wants to those girls.”
Rosie stared straight ahead, unblinking. “He deserves to die.”
“If he killed you, we need you to help us prove it,” Olivia said.
“I’ve already told you everything I remember,” she said.
“You didn’t tell me about Tim,” Olivia countered. “And you didn’t tell me that you and Dylan were planning to get married.”
The second she heard his name, Rosie began to smile. “You saw him? You saw Dylan?”
“He’s a bartender at the Lucky Lady,” Olivia said.
“Ew.” Rosie wrinkled her nose. “How did he look?”
“Older, but good. He looked like Dylan.” Olivia added, “He still misses you.”
“He said that?” she asked hopefully.
Olivia said, “He didn’t have to say it. It was written all over his face.”
That seemed to make Rosie happy. “I knew he loved me.”
“He’s married,” Olivia said, because she felt she had to be completely honesty. “He’s a father now.”
“Good.” Rosie nodded. “I want him to be happy.”
“Are you sure he didn’t have anything to do with your death?” Olivia asked bluntly.
“No way. Dylan would never have hurt me.” S
he sounded completely confident.
Olivia studied her sister carefully as she asked her next question. “Did Dylan know about Tim?”
“No.” Rosie answered so quickly it was possible she hadn’t even heard the full question. “Are we done with the interrogation yet?”
She could’ve pushed the issue, but Rosie wasn’t going to change her answer. Olivia was certain now that Dylan had known about Tim. “Sure. What do you want to talk about instead?”
“I think you know,” Rosie said with a wink.
“We’re done talking about Nate,” Olivia said. “Let’s watch television instead.”
It wasn’t long before Olivia was dozing on the couch. She hadn’t realized she was so tired, but the stress of the day finally caught up with her. It was nearly dark outside when she opened her eyes. The television was still playing, but Rosie was gone. Olivia was alone.
Olivia didn’t want to be alone.
A knock at the door felt like an answered wish. Nate was back. She practically skipped to the door, smiling as she flipped the lock.
FIFTEEN YEARS EARLIER – FRIDAY MORNING
Rosie wasn’t sure why she even bothered going to school that morning. It seemed like a waste of time considering her plans, but she supposed there was some value to keeping a normal schedule that day. Just in case anyone did happen to make a connection to her.
Needless to say, she was distracted and didn’t even notice when Dylan sat next to her in on the bench outside of school. “We need to talk.”
It didn’t come as a surprise. Rosie had been expecting Dylan to talk himself out of their plan. He was a good person. Killing someone wasn’t going to come easily for him.
“Let me guess, you want to back out?” Rosie kept her voice low and even.
“I want us both to back out. We can’t do this, Rosie.” Dylan grabbed her hand. “We aren’t killers.”
Rosie pried her hand away. “If you can’t go forward, I understand. But I have to do this. I can’t keep living this way.”
She didn’t tell him that the only other alternative she had ever considered was killing herself instead. But she knew that wouldn’t stop Tim. He would just move onto someone else, and she couldn’t let that happen.
“Rosie. Please don’t do this.” He looked at her with pleading eyes. “If you love me, you won’t do this.”
“Dylan, you already know that I love you more than anything.” She took a deep breath to keep her emotions in check. “But you know that I’ve already made up my mind about this.”
“How are you going to do it without me?” he demanded. “You won’t be able to carry out our plan by yourself. You’re only going to get yourself hurt, or worse.”
Rosie gave him a long look. “I’m stronger than you can even imagine. I’ve survived this for over two years. I’m not going to give up now.”
“Rosie, please.” He reached for her again, but she stood and moved away. “Don’t do this. We will find another way.”
“I’m sorry, Dylan.” She blinked hard to fight back tears. “I love you.”
She tried to memorize his face before turning away. Somehow, she knew that this would be the last time she saw him looking at her like that. Rosie knew that tonight wasn’t going to end well, even if she could carry out the plan. She would be a murderer, and Dylan would never be able to look at the same.
Rosie would never be able to look at herself the same.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Nate had to convince himself that it would be okay to leave Olivia alone in her apartment. If someone wanted to get to her, they had to go through the building door and her dead bolted apartment door. Besides, it was the middle of the day. He would be back before it got dark.
He found his partner in an evidence room, laying out what they knew about the case. Vince had already skimmed through the found book and flagged the pages with notes.
“Add this to the pile,” Nate said, dropping the macabre card onto the table. It had already been dusted for prints and came up empty. “Any prints on the book?”
“Just the ones belonging to Christopher. He was in about an hour ago and his story hasn’t changed.” Vince took a closer look at the card. Nate had already told him all about it on the phone. “He’s definitely not our guy. But I think the book and Olivia’s flower delivery have made it clear that your girl is a key player in this whole thing.”
Nate reached into his suit pocket and removed the sheet of paper that the Registrar’s Office had given him. “I’ve got the list of professors Karen has had since starting at Randolph. Only ten males on the list. Shouldn’t take long to complete a background check.”
The professor angle made even more sense now that the connection to Olivia had been made. It also made Nate even more nervous. A fellow professor had pretty immediate access to her at the university.
Nate went to his computer and started running the names through their various systems. He checked for criminal backgrounds, marital disputes, and financial problems. Anything that might distinguish one of the men from the rest.
“I don’t think Karen would’ve dated any of these guys,” he said to Vince nearly an hour later. “These guys are a lot older. And stuffy.”
“Natalie said she thought the guy looked older. He couldn’t have been past his mid-twenties.” Vince grimaced. “That makes this whole professor thing a pretty dumb theory.”
“No, it doesn’t.” Nate remembered that the woman at the Registrar’s Office had written two names on the back of the paper. “Karen also had two male teaching assistants.”
“Teaching assistants?” He nodded. “That makes a lot more sense.”
Nate flipped over the paper and entered the first name into the database. While he waited for results to return, he started thinking out loud. “If this guy is a T.A., he probably isn’t supposed to be banging students from his classes. That could be why Karen never told anyone about him. And it would explain why Natalie only saw them together at a place far away from campus. They probably never expected they would get caught.”
“He would also have access to the areas of the buildings that are typically reserved for professors. Like Olivia’s office,” Vince said, picking up Nate’s train of thought. “No one would’ve questioned a T.A. in that hallway at an odd time.”
“No hit on the first guy. Let’s see about Mark Gilliad.” As Nate his the enter key, he tried to keep his expectations low. When a hit came back almost immediately, he figured it must be an error. “No way.”
“What? Did we get a hit?” Vince leaned over his shoulder. “Is that him? He looks like a punk.”
“I’ve seen him.” Nate was absolutely certain that he had seen Mark Gilliad somewhere.
Vince gave him a doubtful look. “That guy? Where would the two of you have crossed paths?”
“I’m not sure.” Nate stared hard at the picture.
“He’s been arrested once for assault,” Vince said, reading the history. “Female victim. Twenty bucks says this is our guy.”
“Let’s pay him a visit.” Nate jotted down the address. “He lives close to campus.”
Vince unrolled his sleeves and pulled on his suit jacket. “Finally, a solid lead. I was starting to worry we were dealing with a destined cold case.”
“Let this be a lesson for you to not give up so easily.” Nate jiggled his car keys. “I’m driving.”
“Are you going to make me take a cab back by myself like last time?” Vince grumbled.
“I’m sorry. Did that hurt your feelings?” Nate was pretty impressed that he was able to keep up a casual conversation considering his mind was racing as he worried about Olivia. “Come on, Monroe. Move faster. We’ve got a case to solve.”
After quickly stopping by their sergeant’s office to let him know that they finally had a solid lead, Nate sped in the direction of campus. The sooner he saw this Mark kid with his own eyes, the sooner he could relax.
“This looks like the place where a serial killer would l
ive,” Vince said as they stood in front of a structure that could loosely be called a house. One sharp wind was likely to bring the whole thing down.
“Actually, Olivia says that most serial killers would be at the other end of the spectrum. More clean and tidy than your average person. That is how they get away with their murders for so long.” Nate took a tentative step onto the porch.
He could already hear loud music thumping inside.
“Should we even bother knocking?” Vince asked.
They both pounded on the door at the same time, creating what was hopefully enough noise to draw some attention from within. A few seconds later, the door flew open.
“What?” a scrawny kid with a bad goatee demanded.
“We’re looking for Mark Gilliad,” Nate said, flashing his badge.
“Shit. What did Mark do this time?” The guy seemed more annoyed than worried.
Vince stepped forward. “You don’t seem particularly surprised to find two detectives on your porch.”
“My roommate is an idiot.”
“What’s your name?” Nate didn’t have time for a full history of their roommate experience.
“Kent.”
Nate said, “Is your roommate home?”
“Mark? I assume he is the cause of the insanely loud music.” Kent stepped away from the door. “Feel free to come in and arrest him.”
It was rare that Nate got on unequivocal invitation into the home of a top suspect in a murder investigation. He wasn’t going to squander it. “Can you show us to his room?”
“Yeah.” Kent shuffled down the hall in his holey-socked feet. He stopped in front of a closed door and pounded hard on it. The music on the other side was so loud that virtually no noise was mode. “Gill! Cops are here!”
“See if it’s unlocked,” Vince suggested, nearly yelling to be heard over the music.
Kent twisted the doorknob and shoved. The door flew open easily. From the hallway, it was easy to see that Mark was not inside the room. Nate was the first one to step inside and after three feet, he stopped abruptly.
Behind him, Kent let out a low whistle and Vince muttered, “Holy shit.”
Holy shit indeed.
Ring Around the Rosie (An Olivia Thompson Mystery Book 1) Page 12