“Where’d you learn to cook like this?” Dominic asked.
Serena gave a shrug. “Mostly trial and error.” She grinned at Alexia. “Alexia and I used to cook a lot at my house on the weekends. She was my guinea pig.”
Alexia, mouth full of pizza, nodded and swallowed. “I gained fifteen pounds that summer between our junior and senior year when Serena went on a cooking frenzy.”
Serena laughed, then sobered as she slid another file in front of her. But even while she joined in with the others’ laughter and much-needed lighthearted conversation, she found her thoughts drifting.
Her mind had been subconsciously working on a problem all week, and Serena allowed herself to let it surface while everyone became absorbed in the food and files. Conversation eventually stalled.
Her phone buzzed. Frowning, she pulled it out, praying there were no dead bodies to call her back to the morgue.
No dead bodies, just a text message from Camille. DO I HAVE TO STAY HERE? CAN I STAY AT YOUR PLACE?
Serena closed her eyes and said a prayer. Then texted back, I’M SORRY, HON, U HAVE TO STAY THERE FOR NOW. I’M NOT HOME RIGHT NOW. I’LL TRY TO COME SEE U TOMORROW.
I’M GOING TO LOOK FOR A JOB TOMORROW.
I’LL TEXT YOU OR CALL. WE’LL WORK SOMETHING OUT. JUST STAY THERE FOR TONIGHT AT LEAST, OK? PROMISE?
At least two minutes passed before Camille’s response came through.
OK. BYE.
She set her phone aside and sighed. Camille had found a special spot in Serena’s heart, but she refused to let the girl manipulate her. Covenant House was a great place and Camille would learn to adjust. She would.
With that comforting thought, knowing that for now Camille was safe, Serena was able to turn her mind back to present business.
The man she’d shot still hadn’t been identified.
And her questions still remained unanswered.
Who was he? Why had he been in her house? And what was he looking for?
She had her suspicions about the answer to that last question but no way of knowing whether or not she was right. But if she was, then she had no doubt that this wasn’t the end of it just because her intruder was now in the hospital in a coma.
If someone was after the package that Jillian had sent her, she needed to figure out what to do with it. Because there was no way she could allow that information to fall into the wrong hands.
12
TUESDAY, 7:45 P.M.
From the street, the killer watched. The pizza delivery man had come and gone. Laughter echoed from inside and the killer lifted a brow. What were they doing? Having a party? Indignation rose. There was a killer on the street and the cops were partying? How apropos.
A giggle escaped. Then full-fledged laughter.
Continuing the game was going to be so easy. Dumb cops. They never figured out much of anything if you didn’t want them to. Throw them a few crumbs and they never really looked past the obvious.
Dominic munched on the pizza and watched Serena from the corner of his eye. She was with them, but she wasn’t. She stared at the file in front of her, but from the pensive look on her face, he had a feeling the words weren’t registering with her.
The others continued to pore over the files in between bites of homemade pizza. The delivered pizza was the last to go and Dominic had to admit Serena’s pizza had spoiled takeout for him. He studied her and thought about what it would be like to have her around all the time. Yeah. He wouldn’t mind that kind of spoiling. She looked up and caught his eye. He didn’t look away, and after a few seconds, she flushed and ducked her head.
Dominic allowed a small smile to curve his lips as he watched her.
Her flush faded as she turned her attention back to the stack of files in front of her. She grabbed one and set it on the floor in front of the fireplace to read through it. Dominic simply watched her. When she finished, she placed it on the stack labeled “nothing” and reached for the next one, her movements smooth, fluid, graceful.
Dominic moved to sit next to her.
Katie stood just as he sat down and said, “I’m sorry, guys, I’ve got to call it a night. I have to be up and at a meeting in the morning.”
Dominic hopped back to his feet and said, “Thanks for your help.”
“Wasn’t much help that I could see,” she grumbled. “Thanks for the pizza, though.”
“Sure.”
She looked at Serena and said, “I see why you make your own.”
A real grin slipped across Serena’s face. “Thanks.”
Serena shot Dominic a teasing glance but was too classy to say “I told you so.” At least not out loud. The words were written all over her face, though. Dominic bit his lip on a grin.
Hunter and Alexia followed Katie’s lead, with Colton a few minutes behind them, and soon the house was empty—and quiet.
He returned to the den to find Serena immersed in yet another file. She finally closed it and looked up. “Another nothing.” She slapped it on top of the stack and stood. Stretched and yawned. “I guess I’d better go too.” She glanced at the clock on the mantel and gasped. “It’s ten-thirty already? I didn’t realize it was so late.”
He didn’t want her to go. “Do you want some coffee?”
She paused. “I wouldn’t mind a cup. Even in the dead of summer at ten-thirty at night, I like my coffee. Decaf, though, okay?”
He nodded. “I’m right there with you.”
“And do you have any flavored creamer?”
“Vanilla or mocha.”
Delight lightened her pretty eyes. “Mocha.”
While he rummaged around in the kitchen, getting the coffee brewing, Serena straddled a stool, placed her elbows on the bar, and settled her chin in her hands.
And studied him. It wasn’t a hardship.
Tall, with the same fiery red hair that he shared with his sister, Alexia, and gorgeous green eyes. Serena sighed.
He looked up. “What’s wrong?”
Mortification filled her. Sighing over him like a lovesick teen. Again! She cleared her throat. “Um. Nothing. Just thinking.”
“About?”
She couldn’t help the small smile that lifted her lips. “You really want to know?”
He paused and looked at her. “Yes. I really want to know.”
“It’s kind of silly, actually.” Serena forced herself not to fidget. “I was thinking how much you’ve changed since the last time I saw you. You know, when I was a kid.”
A light went on in his eyes. And he grinned as he gave her the once-over. “I could say the same about you.”
She bit her lip, then blurted, “I had a big old crush on you when I was twelve.”
His face softened. “I know.”
The heat of embarrassment hit her. “You do? You did?”
“Yes. Which is why I did my best to avoid you.”
Serena winced. “I was that annoying?”
“No.” His somber expression grabbed her. “I knew I wasn’t any good. And I didn’t want to hurt you.”
That made her heart flip. “Oh.”
He shrugged and turned back to the coffee. “You were too young for me anyway. But it didn’t stop me from noticing that you were going to be an incredibly beautiful woman one day.”
“Oh.” She couldn’t seem to find any other word in her vocabulary.
Dominic chuckled, stepped closer, and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I was right.”
Serena felt the breath leave her as his gaze dropped to her lips. The musky scent of his cologne surrounded her. In the blink of an eye, a thousand thoughts raced through her mind. Finally, her tongue got back in touch with her mind. “I’m not twelve anymore.” As soon as the words left her, she wanted to recall them. While she’d found other words, apparently she’d lost her filters.
He froze. Tender fingers lingered on the fragile shell of her ear as he stared down at her. “I know.” He paused as he studied her closer. “Trust me, I’ve not
iced.”
Her lower lip trembled. Her heart thumped, threatening to rupture through her chest.
His head lowered.
Her eyes closed.
And the doorbell rang.
13
TUESDAY, 10:45 P.M.
Dominic flinched and pulled back, his heart racing at the interruption. He’d almost kissed her. And regretted that he hadn’t. Clearing his throat, he said, “Excuse me a minute.”
He noticed the red in her cheeks and hoped she wasn’t thinking he was trying to move too fast with her. That certainly wasn’t his intention. In fact, he really didn’t have any business thinking about her romantically.
Did he?
Then again, why not?
Like she said, she wasn’t twelve anymore.
He left her in the kitchen and walked to the front door. Out of habit and self-preservation, he stood to the side and peeked out the window.
No one stood on the porch.
Uneasiness tightened his gut.
His hand reached for the weapon that was never too far from his fingertips.
“What is it?” Serena asked from the doorway.
“I’m not sure. Some kids playing around maybe.” Dominic reached for the doorknob, then hesitated. He walked into the den and pulled back the curtain that would allow him to see the front porch.
The porch light illuminated the area. No one stood on his porch.
He looked down and his eyes landed on a package sitting on the top step.
Closing the blinds, Dominic said, “Stay here.”
“Why?”
“Someone left a package for me on the step. I’m going out the back door and around the side of the house.”
He wasn’t about to open the front door and expose himself. Dominic hesitated, his fingers hovering over the speed dial number. Then he looked at Serena. He wasn’t going to place her at risk. He called for backup, then said, “I may be jumping the gun here, but right now I only know one person who’s been leaving packages that look like that. If he’s around here, I want this area searched.”
“Do you think he’s still out there?”
“One way to find out.”
“You’re going after him?” Worry creased her forehead.
“Yes.”
If the person who left the package wanted to play sneaky, Dominic would oblige him. “You have your phone?”
“Right here.” She pulled it from the pocket of her shorts, her eyes troubled, scared, yet determined to help him.
“Call my number.”
She did and he answered. “Now stay on the line. Do you mind standing off to the side here and watching the porch? If you see anything that looks suspicious, any movement or whatever, let me know, but don’t open the door or move in front of the window.”
She took up her position next to the window. “Okay.”
Dominic whirled and headed through the kitchen to the back door. After a look through the window, he checked the lock and backtracked, passing a curious—and worried, if he was reading her eyes right—Serena to find himself in his bedroom. No way was he using a door right now.
He went to the window, opened it, and climbed out.
He never kept a screen on his bedroom window simply for speed’s sake. He never knew when he might need to get out fast. Or quiet. Like now.
Landing on the soft earth, he crouched, weapon ready.
Nerves jumping, Serena peered out the window and kept her eye on the porch and the area illuminated by the light that stretched a few feet beyond.
Where was Dominic’s backup?
She saw nothing, but that didn’t stop her blood from humming a little faster in her veins. And then a shadow passed just on the outer edge of where the light reached.
Serena brought the phone up, her heart thudding a little faster. “Dominic, I think someone’s still out front. Beyond the light, back in the shadows.”
“Heading that way.”
“Be careful,” she whispered. “Please be careful.”
She kept her eyes on the spot where she thought she’d seen something, then scanned beyond. Nothing else caught her attention. Had it just been her imagination?
Serena bit her lip and said a prayer for Dominic’s safety. Then considered her options. Did she stand here in wait-and-see mode? Or did she do something to prepare herself for . . . for what?
For an attack? Was there anything she could do to help Dominic? She shivered as she listened for his voice to come over the line. So far, just quiet stillness echoed in her ear.
Dominic scoured the area, probing the darkness, examining each shadow. And still he had nothing. He’d investigated the area where Serena thought she saw movement, but by the time he arrived, if someone had been there, he was gone, leaving Dominic no way to track him in the dark.
He stopped. Stood completely still, kept his back to a tree, and closed his eyes. And listened.
Night sounds. The flap of a bird’s wings?
A branch snapping to his left?
He spun, started toward the sound.
But heard nothing more.
His nerves shivered and the hair on the back of his neck lifted.
Feeling exposed, he stayed in the shadows, but that didn’t settle his uneasiness, his belief that someone had been there watching his every move.
The half moon illuminated the area away from the shadows pretty well. Dominic approached the porch, glancing over his shoulder with every step. Through the trees, in the direction of the street that ran behind his backyard, he thought he saw flashing blue lights headed his way.
Within seconds the first car pulled into the drive. Colton climbed out, weapon drawn. “Heard your call on my radio. Where is he?”
“Out here somewhere.” He motioned toward the area. Three more cruisers parked on the curb and Dominic flashed his badge at them. “He could be long gone by now—then again, he might be nearby. Keep your guard up.”
The officers dispersed and Dominic waited for the last vehicle. The bomb squad. The dark van crunched to a stop and a large German shepherd led his handler out. Dominic saw Jessica Goode follow, the dog’s leash wrapped around her left hand. “Where is it?”
“On the porch.”
Jessica led the dog to it and said, “Search, Buddy.”
Buddy sniffed, walked around the package and back, but gave no sign that anything was going to explode. Jessica looked at Dominic. “He didn’t sit, it’s clear.”
“Great. Thanks.” Jessica and Buddy disappeared back into the van and Dominic walked up the steps to rap on his front door.
Within two seconds, the knob turned and the door opened. Dominic told Serena, “Will you grab me a pair of gloves from under my bathroom sink?”
“Sure.” She turned and within seconds was back. He took the gloves from her and pulled them on. Then he grabbed the package and slipped inside. Serena shut the door behind him.
Dominic carried the package into the kitchen and set it on the counter.
Serena tilted her head and looked at it. “It’s not a bomb, is it?”
He shook his head, studying the package. “No, the dog cleared it. But I didn’t really think it was a bomb anyway. I also figured the person who left it here had to carry it a pretty long way, because I didn’t hear a vehicle leave.” Or footsteps or anything else that indicated someone had been near his front porch.
“Which means the person came in on foot—or bicycle—and left the same way. Why?”
“Because he didn’t want to take a chance on being seen in a car. Too easy to identify it.” He shrugged. “But who knows?”
Another rap on the door sounded and Dominic opened it to let Colton in. “Ready to join the party again?” he asked.
“You going to open it?” Colton jutted his chin toward the box in Dominic’s hands.
“Yep.”
“Have at it then. The officers are still searching, but I think your gifter is long gone.”
Dominic reached for the edge of the tape
on the box and paused. “I know it’s not going to explode, but I’d feel better if I knew what was in here before opening it.”
“I would too,” Serena said.
He looked for a return address.
Blank.
Colton shook his head. “You think it’s from the killer?”
“I don’t know. Could be some kind of prank, but I’d still like to X-ray it before I open it. Just to be on the safe side.”
Serena tilted her head, still studying the small box. “It looks just like the one left by Leslie’s killer.”
A shiver crept up his spine even though she was only confirming what he’d already observed. “Yeah, I’d noticed that. It’s a different color, but it’s the same style and material. A smooth, almost plastic feel. And the corners are rounded.”
“We can take it to my office to X-ray or take it straight to Rick and let him do it. Whichever you prefer.”
Troubled, he rubbed his head, feeling the stiff curls against his palm. “I could send it off and have it done or call the bomb squad back, but that takes time and I want to know what’s in here. Now.” He never was very good at waiting. He did it when he had to, but if there was a way around it . . . He nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”
Colton agreed to stay until the officers were finished and call with a report.
Within minutes, Serena and Dominic were in his car, heading toward the morgue. Once there, Serena used her key and led him to the room containing the X-ray machine. Dominic settled the package where she indicated. In moments, she was finished. “Now, I’ll just put these here.” She slid the large black slides into place and clicked the backlight on.
The contents appeared in milky white form.
Serena drew in a deep breath. “Another doll.”
Dominic’s mouth pulled, his gaze still on the picture on the wall. “But why send it to me?” His eyes met hers. “The killer’s connected us. Put us together on this.”
“But why?”
He went still and lifted a hand to rub his chin. He looked at her. A look that made her uneasy. “What?” she pressed him.
“Somehow he knows we’re working together. He knows you’re the ME working on the body and he knows I’m the lead investigator. And for some reason, he wants us to know that he knows and that he’s watching.” A frown pulled his brows down.
When a Heart Stops Page 8