by Kallie Lane
“The case is really pissing me off.” Sully pulled off his sidearm and holster, placing them on the counter. “Every time we get a lead, the trail ends.”
“What’s happened?”
“Our geek squad discovered the computer in the warehouse was linked to a second one at a different location. They were in the process of tracing it when the bomb went off. It wiped out the connection, making it completely untraceable.”
“Crap. He’s good at covering his tracks.”
“Exactly.”
Bad news, for sure, but it was the next call that upset Sully the most. His shoulders tensed and his jaw tightened.
“Who was on the phone? What’s going on?”
He glanced her way, studied her as if debating telling her anything more. “It’s been one hell of a day and night. You sure you want to know?”
“Yes, I want to know.”
“The police in Laurelville found the tournament official who sent you into the tunnels. He’s dead. They pulled him out of the river an hour ago, one block from the arena.”
Breeana sighed, making coffee while she listened, her courage hitting an all-time low. “So, we’re right back where we started with no witnesses and no clues.”
“Maybe not.” He wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her hair. “I also got word last night from the precinct near the shipping docks in Montreal. Witnesses reported seeing a white van with Pest Control insignias on its sides a few days ago. The driver was trapping and crating rats for removal. Exterminators kill rats, Bree. They don’t haul them away.”
She turned in his arms. “You think it’s the killer?”
“That would be my guess. The dockworkers joked about it when they reported him. They thought the guy was a whack job. We have a warrant for the dock’s surveillance videos. I sent Clemente to take a look.”
Breeana reached around him, pulled mugs from a cabinet, and poured the coffee. “Well, at least it’s something.”
“Wait, there’s more. While we were at the game yesterday, some of my team hit pay dirt interviewing the families of the cold case drowning victims I told you about. The first victim possessed an identical rosary to the five we already have in evidence. Her rosary was also wiped clean of prints. That cinches it, Bree; the killer has operated undetected in Mallard Bay for at least thirteen years.”
The carafe slipped from Breeana’s fingers and crashed to the floor. “Holy Mother of God!”
Chapter Nine
Breeana’s breath stalled in her lungs with every glance she dared at the stockroom where she had almost lost her life earlier in the week.
No doubt about it. Going back to work is hell. She should accept her father’s offer to work without her for a few more days. Concentrate on staying alive; come to terms with her grief over Miranda’s and Rainey’s murders before returning to her practice.
Sully would be on board with the plan. As it was, he shot her a glare that spoke volumes. She knew he worked around the clock to guard her, until he could get the members of his Spec Ops squad in place.
“Keep hyperventilating and you’re going to pass out.” Sully pushed away from the wall and stepped in behind her. She shivered as his hands encircled her waist and he pulled her against him. “Listen, cookie, I’m not going to dance this jig with you. You’ve had two close calls in a matter of days. You’ve lost your closest friends and a killer is fixated on you. So, what are you doing here?”
His more than capable hands kneaded the tension out of stiff shoulders. His touch was almost enough to cause Breeana to agree with him. But, she refused to be weak. If she faltered now, she’d lose what little remained of her sanity. She inhaled his masculine scent for one brief moment before pushing away from the strength of his arms. “I’m staying. I need to keep busy to get my life back on track.”
“You are one obstinate woman, you know that?” He sighed, dropped his hands to his sides, and stepped into the hallway. “If you change your mind, I’ll be right outside the door.”
The morning passed slowly, but the familiar routine helped soothe her frayed nerves. She and Laura settled into the rhythm of tending the animals passing through the clinic doors on a typical day. Healthy puppies and kittens brought her joy when she needed it most. There was also the sorrow of helping elderly Annie and Bill Barlow. Their beloved feline companion of more than twenty-two years passed on to the next world with both dignity and love.
Breeana performed the unhappy task and made arrangements for Tux’s cremation at their request. She suggested they might take a trip to the local animal shelter, if and when they were ready to adopt another four-legged friend.
Annie mopped her eyes with a tissue before speaking. “Well, it’s nice of you to suggest it, but we’ve already decided to get a Maine Coon this time around. We’ve had our names on a waiting list with a breeder for the last six months, since you told us Tux wasn’t going to get any better.”
Bill nodded and Breeana couldn’t quite hide her surprise. “Wow, that’s a lot of cat, close to twenty-five pounds. And it will require special care. Are you sure it’s what you want?”
“Oh, we’re sure.” Bill said, stroking Tux’s fur even though the cat was already at peace. “We’re ready for the new little one, aren’t we, Annie? We’ve read all the literature available on Maine Coons. We’ll give it a good home, Breeana, with lots of love. We even have a screened-in play area, right outside the back door, with a tree to climb.”
“Yes,” Annie agreed. “Our Tux loved being outside on summer mornings, perched in his tree and master of his domain. Tux wouldn’t want it to go to waste. He’d want us to give another cat a good home.”
Breeana tucked a velvet blanket around the “sleeping” Tux. “Well, I’m happy for you. I hope you’ll tell me when the new little one arrives. I’d love to meet him, or her.”
“You’ll be first on our list,” Annie said. “Bill spoke to the breeder last night, after Tux didn’t wake up for his evening meal. The breeder was sympathetic and moved our names to the top of the adoption list. He’s invited us to see some kittens tomorrow. Twelve-weeks-old and ready for good homes.”
“That’s wonderful,” Breeana said.
“And that’s not all,” Bill added. “We told him you and your father are the only holistic veterinarians in the area; and while you practice conventional veterinary medicine, you search for less invasive and natural cures rather than always relying on prescribed medications and surgeries. The breeder was impressed and said he’d recommend you to his clients.”
“That is so nice of you. Thank you for your recommendation.”
Annie and Bill left the clinic at lunch hour. Breeana took her sandwich into her small office, closed the door, and tuned in an easy-listening radio station.
She could hear Laura and Sully bantering back and forth in the empty waiting room. She guessed they could entertain each other for a while. She noticed her mail stacked in a pile on a corner of the desk. Several days worth had accumulated since she’d been gone, mostly advertising, with the exception of one small padded envelope that caught her eye.
Assuming it was samples from one of her suppliers, she slit open the flap and upended the envelope. A dainty silver anklet trickled into her fingers. She recognized the chain immediately. It was Miranda’s. Also nestled in her palm was a pair of gold and amethyst earrings belonging to Rainey.
Breeana morphed into a full-blown panic attack. Pain cleaved her lungs and squeezed out the oxygen. Her heart rebounded in her chest like a ping-pong ball gone wild. The walls threatened to close in around her. I have to get out of here!
Desperate to escape, she raced down the hallway and through the waiting room. Whipping by Sully and Laura, she was out the front door before anyone could stop her.
“What the hell?”
“Leave me alone!” she cried, knowing Sully would follow her.
He closed the distance between them as she flew into oncoming traffic. He didn’t try to stop her. Inst
ead, he waved his badge in the air and cars screeched to a halt. The sound of horns blasting didn’t slow her down. Breeana sprinted for the beach. Her feet hit the sand and her legs drove harder and faster. She couldn’t stop herself.
A kaleidoscope of sights and sounds whirred by her. The blur of sunbathers chatting, children building sand castles and squealing with delight, victory cries from the volleyball court—all overriding the labored sounds of her breathing. Dead fish smells on the summer breeze assaulted her stomach. Her pulse pounded in her ears. Her stomach threatened to heave.
“Bree, freaking hell, will you stop running?” After another few seconds, Sully caught her by the waist and brought her down in the sand, cushioning her fall with his body. “What the heck has gotten into you?”
She doubled over and retched between his feet. She gagged, on and on, with nothing left but dry heaves twisting her insides. When she finished, Sully maneuvered them to a clean spot in the sand, crouched on his haunches, and drew her up against him. She hung onto his knee, wept, and rocked back and forth in his arms. A keening sound escaped her lips. She clamped her fingers there, trying to hold back the dreadful noise while dragging air into her depleted lungs.
“Easy, Bree, take it real easy.” Sully scanned around them, his holster unsnapped, his hand on the butt of his firearm.
Shell-shocked, Breeana sobbed and cursed, clinging to him until she ran out of steam. Sully remained silent during her meltdown, his muscles tensed for action, a vein pulsing his temple. She could only imagine what he must be thinking.
When she could breathe without the ragged wheezing sound, his assessing gaze cut to her face. He wiped tears from her cheeks with the pad of a thumb and squeezed her nape. “What happened back there?”
Emotion choked her windpipe at the softness of his voice. She tried hard to form coherent words, but nothing came out. How could she make Sully understand while she blubbered all over him like a crazy woman? In desperation, she opened her hand and the jewelry clenched in her fist caught the sunlight. “M-Miranda’s…R-Rainey’s…someone s-s-sent these to me.”
He cupped her chin for an instant, then snagged a plastic envelope from his jacket pocket and held it beneath her fingers. “I’m sorry, baby. Slip those into the bag for me. I have to take them as evidence.”
“B-but I want to keep them,” she moaned. “Will you give them b-back to me, when it’s a-all over?”
“You know I will, if it’s what you want.” He brushed a tangle of hair off her face and swept a kiss along her forehead. “I’ll ask you again when it’s time. But these mementoes won’t give you fond memories of your friends.”
Breeana expelled a shuddering breath, realizing he was right. “P-please don’t let Cody find out about this. He’s driving me crazy as it is. Now, he’ll worry more.”
“You’ve got it. There’s no reason for him to find out. The taskforce will keep this kind of evidence away from the media.”
She stared at him and nodded, the strain of the last few days causing her shoulders to sag. “About Cody…I don’t want him staying with me right now. It’s too dangerous. Can you arrange for him to stay somewhere else until you get the bodyguards here?”
“I can try, but it won’t be easy. Cody won’t want to be separated from you and he’s going to put up one hell of a fight.”
Breeana leaned against his chest, his heart beating strong and steady beneath her cheek. She stared out at the water, looking for answers. Should Cody stay with her? Or stay somewhere else?
“I don’t care what he wants. I just want him safe.”
****
Freaking hell, Joelle had been right on the mark. The bastard collected souvenirs from his kills. He had sent those mementos to Breeana knowing full well they would send her over the edge. The son of a bitch had probably watched through binoculars while she freaked out on the beach. There were a lot of boats in the bay today. He could be on any one of them.
A fury grew inside him, a rage so deep his body hummed with it. For the first time in all his years of police work and Spec Ops assignments, he craved vigilante justice. The animal would die if Sully was given any kind of an excuse. He would put him down as surely as he would a rabid dog. A serial killer was nothing but a preying, torturing, killing machine, one without remorse or a human soul.
In his experience, too many psychopaths pleaded the insanity defense and got away with murder. It happened more often than people realized. He only had to look as far as his sister to prove the theory. The psycho she had profiled for the RCMP had walked on bail while awaiting trial, because of a sympathetic judge. Joelle had disappeared soon afterward.
His Special Ops buddy, Hawke, had tracked them down, but it had taken three days to find Joelle. Sully and Theo, his brother, had arrived on Hawke’s tail, too late to do anything but cry for their sister. The damage to her had been done. Her tormentor had slipped through their fingers. Now, Joelle carried the scars, ones people could see and the others she hid from the world. She would never be free of the night terrors. Hell, neither would he.
Sully forced himself back to the present. He had a monster to track and no time to worry about the past. His focus on Breeana, he wiped the sweat from his brow and lifted her from the sand. No way would he risk Joelle’s scenario repeating itself, especially not with Bree. He would go up on murder charges first.
****
His cell phone rang and Sully checked the readout. Cody. He answered before it went to voice mail.
“It’s about time you picked up, Lieutenant!”
“Cody? What’s up? Is something wrong?”
“Naw, I just wanted to tell you I had a gigantic brain fart. And you’ll never guess what I figured out? You’ve got the hots for my mom and you’re doing your damnedest to split us up.”
Sully understood where the boy was coming from, although he wouldn’t admit it. It had to be hell for the kid to be pushed away from his mother’s side, even for his own protection.
“I know it’s hard, pal, but it’s for the best until—”
“Come off it. Don’t bother pretending. But, guess what? It ain’t gonna work, you muscle head.”
“Hey!” Enough was enough. “Come on, calm down. You’re old enough I shouldn’t have to spell it out for you. This is a police matter and you don’t belong in the middle of it. It’s why you’ve been separated from your mother for a few days, and it’s the only reason. My interest in your mom is purely professional, contrary to the brain fart you’ve experienced. It’s my job to keep her safe and that’s all I’m doing. I have no ulterior motives here.”
“The way you stare at Mom is downright disgusting.”
“You’re blowing this way out of proportion, Cody. I’m telling you, there is nothing going on between your mother and me.”
“Save it for someone who cares. You’ve got a thing for her, all right. And, let’s get something else straight. The only protector my mom needs is me. We’ve been a team ever since my dad died. We were doing just fine until you showed up. I’m not going to be shoved aside by some super-stud cop who’s ogling my mother and licking his chops. Have you got that?”
If nothing else, Sully admired the teen’s resolve and his instincts to protect his mother. He was also bang on the money where his feelings for Breeana were concerned. “Look, where is this coming from? Sure, I like your mother a whole lot and I guess it shows. But I’ve never thought about taking it any farther. And I won’t, at least not until the case is wrapped up.”
“You’re so full of it. No wonder your eyes are brown. Just leave my mom alone.”
“Sorry, but that’s not going to happen. After we catch the killer, I’m planning to ask her out on a date, like normal people do. I would like to have the chance to get to know her better. Is it such a bad thing? Your mother is a beautiful woman, Cody, even if you don’t think about her in those terms. Isn’t it possible she gets lonely from missing your father? Doesn’t she deserve another chance at happiness?”
Cody’s bark of laughter shot over the line. “I’d say you’re dreaming in 3D. As far as I’m concerned, things are fine the way they are. She doesn’t need you, Lieutenant, so go out and find yourself another conquest and take my mom’s name out of your little black book.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way, but like it or not, I’m here until your mom tells me different. Then I’ll go, but only if she wants me to go. In the meantime, how about we call a truce and work together?”
“Work together? What a laugh. The goon squad won’t let me get anywhere near my mom.”
Sully moved the phone away from his ear as it disconnected. Shit! Cody was furious and he didn’t blame him. The kid hadn’t been advised on his mother’s request to keep him out of the loop. The boy had been separated from her for two days, forced to stay with his grandfather and the MBPD uniforms guarding Jack’s house until Sully could get his Special Ops buddies in place protecting the whole family.
The kid wasn’t stupid. He sensed his mother was still in danger and he wanted to be with her. Breeana, on the other hand, wanted him out of harm’s reach. It was a no win situation and the back and forth arguments caused him a mammoth headache.
Sully’s phone rang a second time. He prepared to do battle once again as he answered the call. Patience, my man, have patience.
“Hey, Cody, did you forget something?”
“Sorry to disappoint, but I’m not Cody.”
His brother’s voice came through the line with a chuckle.
“Hey, Theo, it’s good to hear from you. How’s the lawyering business?”
“About the same as the homicide business, I’d imagine. Booming. If it’s not real estate law, it’s corporate, estate planning, wills or prenups. What can I say? I don’t have a life, which is why I’m returning your call.”
“It’s about time.” Sully heard a beer can being liberated as the tab popped and a satisfied grunt on the other end of the line indicated his brother was taking a sip. “What are you up to?”