“I don’t want to be the guy who points out the elephant in the room....” Marcus said.
She crossed her arms. “Then don’t.”
“These murders all have a familiar tone. One that’s remarkably close to your family’s case. I don’t think it’s wise to have you as lead—”
Her back stiffened as all the muscles in her body constricted at once. Her stomach rolled as the floor dropped out from under her. Her fists balled, nails cutting into the flesh of her palms as she stared at Marcus. Shock ripped through her, followed by crushing disappointment. She hadn’t expected him to throw her family’s murder in her face. Not after last night. She’d trusted him with the most vulnerable, delicate part of her soul and then shared her bed with him. Heat rushed to her cheeks. And now he squashed that trust by questioning her ability to keep from blurring the line between her family’s murder and the current case. Humiliation wrapped around her heart and squeezed tight. How could she have so wrongly judged him?
“Please...don’t say another word.”
“He has a point,” Kessler said.
“Captain, you can’t be serious.”
“But I am. Special Agent Moretti has a point that I refuse to ignore, especially at the risk of one of my people. Until further notice, I want you to take a step back,” Kessler said.
“What?” Angry tears sprung to her eyes.
“I didn’t say step out. I said back. You aren’t being demoted.”
“It sure feels like it.”
Kessler dismissed her with a flick of his hand. “I know how hard you’ve fought to be seen as an equal within this department, how hard you’ve worked to keep your past where it belongs—in the past. But I won’t risk your life, or the life of your partner, in order to appease your feelings. No matter how justified they may be.”
Evelyn stole a glance at Ryan. Why wasn’t he defending her? He stared straight ahead, shoulders back, spine straight, refusing to meet her eyes. Her stomach sank even further. Did he agree with Kessler? With Marcus? She shook her head and bit the inside of her cheek to keep the angry tears at bay. She couldn’t pinpoint which hurt worse: Marcus’s blatant abuse of her trust, or Ryan’s silence.
“Agent Moretti, give your men the green light to follow up with your theory.”
Kessler glanced at Ryan. “Detective O’Neil, you’re now SPD point. I do not, under any circumstances, want Detective Davis in the spotlight.”
“Yes, sir.” Ryan nodded.
Evelyn’s mouth dropped open. No argument, no pushback, nothing. Her partner had just singlehandedly railroaded her. She pressed her lips together and silently fumed.
Kessler turned his attention to Evelyn. “And you. I still expect 150 percent from you. You’re still our best profiler and closer. Get inside his head. Figure him out, shut him down, just do it under the cover of silence. We’re all on the same team. So let’s—”
“With all due respect, sir, he’s hijacking our investigation,” she interrupted.
She saw Marcus open his mouth to speak. Ryan shook his head. A quick nod from Marcus acknowledged their brief exchange, and he snapped his mouth shut. She bristled.
“Enough.” Kessler slammed his hand on his desk. The vein in his neck bulged.
She jerked back as if she’d been struck. She’d pushed him too far.
He pinned her with steely eyes. “This isn’t a discussion, Detective Davis. This is happening. And I expect your full cooperation. Do you understand me?”
She looked at the floor, wished it would open up and swallow her whole. Heat flooded her face and burned her cheeks. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. Now take a walk. Get your head around this and be back here in an hour. Got that?”
Evelyn nodded. She rose without a word and stormed out of the captain’s office, heading for the stairwell.
Ryan followed her. In three strides, he was next to her. “Ev...”
“I don’t have to take this, not now. Especially from him.” She refused to look up.
“Why are you so hot under the collar, Davis?”
“Agent Moretti can’t come in here like he owns the place. How dare he suggest I be sidelined. It’s ridiculous.”
“I agree with him.”
“What?” She stopped short and glared at him. She knew he agreed with Marcus—his silence in Kessler’s office had screamed louder than his words did now. But his admitting it out loud felt like a punch in the gut. “Why?”
He leaned against the door, blocking her escape. He ran his hand through his hair. “Because, Evelyn, this prick’s targeting you.”
She knew the killer was targeting her—even if she refused to admit it aloud—and she didn’t want Ryan to say the words. Make it real. If the tables were turned, and their unsub had Ryan in his line of sight, she wouldn’t hesitate to pull Ryan. It wasn’t safe. She got that. But she couldn’t hide. Wouldn’t hide. The killer didn’t care about any of those people he’d killed. He cared about her. He wanted her.
And that pissed Evelyn off.
“Ryan—”
“No. Stop. I know it here.” Ryan struck his fist to his chest. “Over my dead body will I let some psycho take you out, Ev. I won’t have people saying ‘the dead don’t lie’ about my friend because she’s too stubborn to admit when she needs to step back. Damn it, Ev. You of all people know better.”
She sagged against the wall. Marcus was right in requesting she be removed as lead. It was the smart move, the right move—for the investigation, for the victims’ families. It would have been the move she’d suggest if things were different, and she wasn’t so invested in this case. But she was invested, and she just wasn’t ready to admit that he was right.
“Why didn’t you say something sooner?” The question came out in a soft whisper. She should’ve known he’d have come to the same conclusion she had. Hadn’t they been in sync since day one?
“Would you be stomping around here like this if I had? Shit. Better to keep it to myself until I’m sure.”
“I would’ve listened to you.” And she would have. Despite the emotional tug of this case, she’d have listened to him. She’d follow him through hell and back. She’d do anything for Ryan, for his family.
“Why?”
She shrugged and closed her eyes. “I trust you, trust your gut.”
“So why are you flipping out now that Marcus has brought it up? Because he mentioned your family?”
Her eyes snapped open. She hadn’t expected him to bring up her family this close to the bull pen. No one acknowledged their conversation, everyone up to their eyeballs in reports and files of their own.
“Walk with me.” He pushed open the door to the stairwell.
He let the door close behind them before continuing. He rubbed his hands over his face. “Look, I know this case has been rough, especially with the date right around the corner—”
“No, it’s not that.”
“Then what is it? Help me out here. I don’t understand why you just crushed Marcus’s balls in there.”
“I don’t...” At a loss for words, she grasped for anything. “I don’t trust his motives.”
Rare anger flashed in his face. “Come on, Evelyn. Give me a fucking break.”
His outburst shocked her. She’d seen him lose it before, just not at her.
“You have to learn to trust someone other than Kate and me. You have to let other people in.” He paced. “Marcus isn’t trying to take over this investigation, humiliate you or any of that other horseshit that’s running through that pretty little mind of yours right now. He’s trying to help us nail this bastard. And protect you in the process.”
“He—”
“Stop. Do you hear yourself right now? This sick murdering bastard is fixated on you. He’s already murdered fourteen p
eople just to get your attention.”
Her stomach rolled as his words sunk it.
“Taking you out of the public equation is not an attack on your ability. It’s good police work.”
She slumped against the door. “Marcus came over last night.”
“I know. I sent him after you.”
“Yeah, I figured as much.” She managed a small smile. “Thanks for giving him the wine tip, by the way.”
“Always the best for you, sweet cheeks.” He winked.
Her eyes filled with tears. “I let him in, Ry. And not just into my house. But really in.”
Ryan shook his head. “Not following you, Ev.”
“I told him about my family last night. I showed him my office.”
Ryan whistled. “And him bringing them up in front of Kessler like he did, without first bringing you up to speed, felt like a violation of your privacy and your trust.”
She nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.
He studied her for a second, then chuckled.
“This may come as a huge surprise to you, seeing how awful you are at noticing these things. But he isn’t just watching out for you professionally, Ev. The guy really cares about you.”
“Yeah, I got that last night.” Her head tilted to one side as she eyed her partner. “But you can’t possibly know that.”
“Yes, actually, I can. I asked. He told.” He grinned.
Horror washed over her. Had Marcus told him about last night? Already? He wouldn’t. Would he?
“Relax. It’s my prerogative as your partner to know if some guy likes you.”
“When did he tell you?”
“The other day.” Ryan’s brows scrunched together.
She turned, leaned her head against the cool, pebbled concrete wall and closed her eyes. Ryan didn’t know about last night.
“Why do I get the feeling we aren’t talking about the same thing?”
She opened her eyes and sheepishly grinned.
“He stayed. Didn’t he? Atta boy! I knew it!” Ryan hooted, then grew serious. “If the man stayed last night, do you really think he’s trying to do anything other than protect you? Don’t be a moron.”
Evelyn shook her head. She was being an idiot. She’d realized that he cared the moment she’d opened the door and he’d come back and kissed her, but she’d still second-guessed it—until now. And she’d all but thrown it back in his face. She cringed. Great. She looked up into Ryan’s laughing face.
Why was he smiling? This wasn’t funny. She grimaced. “I need to go apologize to him.”
“I’m coming with you.”
She tilted her head, eyebrows arching. “Totally not necessary—”
“Oh, I know.”
“Then why?” She shook her head. “I don’t need you to hold my hand. I know when to take a step back and admit to being ridiculous.”
“I know, but it happens about as often as Halley’s Comet flies by. I don’t want to miss it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
EVELYN PUT DOWN the report, looked up and sighed. Marcus, Kate and Ryan sat around Ryan’s table, case files spread over the polished wooden surface. The kids had long been asleep. Kate and Ryan sifted through the information in front of them. Evelyn sat staring at Marcus, head bent over his file. Perplexed. She’d expected him to rub her emotions in her face when she went to apologize. He’d extended grace instead. Professional, yet warm. Kessler had smiled and gone back to work.
Kate demanded Evelyn stay with them. Concerned for the kids’ safety, she had argued...and lost. But not staying at her place was the right move. The photo and the knife had rattled her more than she’d let on.
Marcus insisted on driving her to her place to pack a small overnight bag before they drove together to Ryan’s. He’d kept his distance at her home. But before they’d walked into Ryan’s, he’d leaned over and kissed her in the car. Once again leaving her breathless...and confused. Despite her hot and cold signals, he was persistent. What was with this guy?
He put the folder down, looked up and caught her staring. He smiled.
Flustered, she set her wine down, got up and paced.
“I still can’t figure out how this guy would even know about me. It’s not like I live a flashy life.”
“You can say that again,” Kate said, not even glancing up from the file in front of her.
“You wouldn’t necessarily need to have a flashy lifestyle,” Marcus said.
Ryan tossed down the case file he’d been scrubbing, laced his fingers behind his head and leaned back. “Probably just an accident.”
“That’s actually what I was thinking,” Marcus said.
Ryan sat up, surprise and curiosity on his face.
“Crossing paths with him at one of your regular places was just plain old bad luck,” Marcus said. “Wrong place, wrong time. He could’ve fixated on anyone. This time around, it was you.”
“How fabulous for me.”
That wasn’t what she wanted to hear. How many times was life going to deal her a crap hand? There had to be some limit to the amount of grief one person could be dealt, right? She stopped pacing. Dread filled her veins as the same question bubbled up again, sending her heart off at a gallop. There wasn’t any way this could be the same. No. Not possible. It was ridiculous to try to connect them.
That couldn’t be possible. Could it?
“Is it too far a leap to think he knows about my family? These murders have a similar tone.” She’d tried to keep the tremor out of her words, but her voice rebelled by cracking as her sweet sister’s face flashed in her mind. It wasn’t the exact question her mind had landed on, but she still couldn’t voice it. Having this psycho be her family’s killer was too much for her mind to settle on. She glanced around the table. Ryan and Kate nodded. Marcus slowly shook his head.
“I’ll have someone look into that, but right now, we’re working under the assumption that he didn’t.”
The muscles in her neck relaxed. That was a fair statement. No use getting everyone all worked up for nothing. She nodded.
“But you must’ve somehow triggered his fixation. Once he locked eyes on you, he started obsessing—” Marcus stopped. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” she said, willing herself to smile. “It’s just a little overwhelming. I’ll be fine.”
Kate glanced up. Evelyn caught her concerned expression and forced the feeble smile to stay put. Kate didn’t look away, nor did she appear persuaded. Crap. Evelyn could see she wasn’t convincing Kate of anything and broke eye contact first.
“You know as well as I do that he would have begun digging into your life immediately,” Marcus said.
Evelyn sank into her chair. Marcus was right.
“So going with the wrong-place, wrong-time theory, he would have needed to start digging immediately in order to satiate his primal urge, his obsession, to know everything about me. I get that.” Evelyn pinched the bridge of her nose and squeezed her eyes tight. “In that psychopathic mind of his, I belong to him. He’s possessive and has to know everything about me.” She looked up. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“This working theory is good,” Ryan chimed in. “I can’t see how he’d know about your family. Your records are sealed.”
Marcus raised his eyebrow. “But what about in Phoenix?”
Evelyn shook her head. “Evelyn Maslin no longer exists. She vanished fifteen years ago. I can’t see with sealed records and a new last name...”
“No.” Kate pointed at Marcus. “He’s right. Your family’s story was all over the newspapers, and that’s public record. It would probably only take a little digging to connect the dots between Evelyn Maslin and Evelyn Davis. It might not be that difficult. Not in this day and age. And especially if you know
what you were looking for.”
“Shit.” Ryan scratched his head. “Of course. We do that kind of background digging on a daily basis.”
“But why kill these families? Why make them look like family annihilators? There has to be—” Kate’s voice trailed off as she locked eyes with Evelyn. With each question, the tension in Evelyn’s shoulders twisted deeper.
Marcus sighed. “It was the only surefire way to get your attention. You’re a homicide detective. It’s not a hidden fact that you’re the best closer for the psychologically dark cases. Wasn’t there a whole write-up about you and your closing rate just last year when the mayor tried to gain public support for a larger law enforcement budget?”
She nodded, then grimaced. That stupid story. She’d known it’d been a bad idea from the get-go and had fought the chief on it. The spotlight was the last thing she wanted. She was perfectly happy doing what she did best, under the cover of anonymity. The chief had pushed back—the SPD needed the good press, the mayor, another gold star. So her hand had been forced. Wait. Tilting her head, she looked at Marcus. How did he...?
“That story would do it,” Kate said, interrupting Evelyn’s silent musing.
“If he’s truly obsessed with you, Evelyn, he’ll do anything to get your attention,” Marcus said.
Her heart threatened to break. She felt the searing pain, the endless heartache of the family members left behind with each syllable he uttered. Her hand fluttered to her throat as bile rose and choked her.
Marcus reached over and touched her hand. “Evelyn. It’s not your fault. None of this is your fault.”
She felt helpless. Again. The realization that this psychopath had homed in on her made her skin crawl. Him baiting her with the gore and those poor families’ untimely deaths made her sick, angry.
She pulled away from Marcus’s touch and switched topics. “So why are you throwing all your muscle at this case? Surely there are other cases that need your attention.”
Ryan and Kate glanced at each other, then refocused on the files in front of them.
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