She handed him a mug. “Okay, Thomas, spill.”
“Thanks.” He took a sip. “As I’m sure you figured out, they found the RV in Texas. It’s moving northwest, which means they’re probably on their way to California.”
“So we’re heading to Texas?”
“Not exactly.”
Meagan sat on the bed. “What’s going on?” She wasn’t happy.
Thomas put his hand on her arm. “Relax, okay?”
“I hate it when you do that. Like I’m some hysterical woman who needs to be subdued. Just give it to me straight.”
“Fine. The plan is to let them come to California. Cody thinks, and I agree, that Samuel’s going to try to kidnap the girls. So we’re going to catch him in the act.”
“And if that’s not the plan?” Her brows rose.
One of the things Thomas loved about Meagan was her intelligence, but right now, he wished she weren’t so smart.
“Why else would they be coming across the country? When you first talked to Bridget, they were ministering in Florida with no plans to head west. Then you tell her everything you know about Samuel, and suddenly they’re heading this way? I think Samuel is desperate. He’s feeling pushed.”
“Not a good sign. Desperate men turn to desperate measures,” she added.
“Exactly. He’s racing here to get the girls. He knows his window of opportunity is closing.”
“That’s not where I was going with that statement. What I meant was, he’s unpredictable in his present state. He may take out his frustration on Bridge. Our priority should be rescuing her, not just the girls.”
“But if we wait, we can do both.”
“Or, she could be hurt by this maniac.”
“He won’t hurt her because he still needs her.”
“No, he won’t kill her because he needs her. He could very easily harm her and you know it. You didn’t hear him, Thomas. His voice gave me a chill. For all we know, after he hung up, he took his anger out on her.”
Thomas sighed. This was not going as easily as he’d hoped.
“Let’s pack up and get on the road. I have to make a call first. I’m going to have a cruiser sit on your sister’s house.”
“Fine.” Meagan stood. “But we are not finished with this discussion.”
“Come on, baby, open your eyes.” Samuel’s voice cut through the fog. When Bridget awoke, she noticed she was propped in a sitting position. Samuel held her up with one arm. She lifted her head and found his face inches from hers.
“There you are, sweetheart. I was getting worried.” He removed his arm and grabbed a bowl off the nightstand. He scooped up some soup and brought the spoon to her lips. “Now open wide. We need to build up your strength.”
Bridget did as she was told and sipped the broth.
“That’s a good girl. Do you like it? It’s my mother’s special chicken soup recipe. Sure to cure what ails you.” He chuckled.
Bridget nodded slightly. A dull ache throbbed behind her eyes. If she moved her head anymore, she was certain it would fall off. She didn’t want to disappoint Samuel. He’d been so loving and kind from the moment she got sick.
This was the Samuel she’d fallen in love with. She was grateful his ugly mood had disappeared. It had frightened her. “Okay, once again.” The spoon was back and she obeyed.
Bridget glanced out the window. The night sky greeted her. How long had she slept?
“You need lots of fluids.” His voice was too loud.
Spoon, sip, swallow. Bridget concentrated hard on those three things. The broth was salty and bitter. Her taste buds were screwed up. If she just had enough strength to brush her teeth, maybe it wouldn’t taste so bad. As a child, chicken noodle had been her favorite soup. Now even that was ruined.
“Thirsty,” she croaked.
“Sure, sweetie, I’ve got some 7-Up right here.” He put the bowl down and a glass was shoved in her face. She began to drink, but not fast enough. It dribbled down her chin.
“Uh oh, let me get that for you.” Samuel snagged a napkin and dried her chin.
“Where.” She cleared her raspy throat. “Where are we?”
“Arizona, sugar. Not to worry, your babies will be with you soon. Won’t that be grand? I’m sure you’ll feel much better with them by your side. Now eat.”
Spoon, sip, swallow.
Suddenly Bridget’s stomach cramped. She grabbed her middle and doubled over in pain.
“Uh oh, you need to throw up?”
Nodding vigorously, Bridget scrambled to get to the bathroom.
“Not to worry, sugar, I have a bucket right here.”
She’d made it to the edge of the bed. The moment her feet hit the floor, a bucket appeared out of nowhere. Bridget heaved into it. She didn’t know how Samuel could stand taking care of her, but he was gentle. He held her hair and rubbed her back, making soothing sounds.
She was beyond appreciative. She’d never been so sick in her life. She tried to remember the last thing she’d eaten before she became ill, but for the life of her, she couldn’t. It didn’t matter anyway. Samuel ate the same food. He wasn’t sick, so it couldn’t be food poisoning.
Besides, she’d always been careful when preparing meals. She washed her hands methodically with antibacterial soap. She cleansed all kitchen surfaces with bleach wipes. Made sure all meats were thoroughly cooked. No, she hadn’t done this to herself. It must be a new strain of flu.
Bridget had expunged all from her stomach and then continued to dry heave. Finally her body collapsed sideways on the bed. Her abdominal muscles ached so much that she started to cry. She couldn’t take much more of this. Death would be a welcomed respite.
“Hos-pi-tal,” she wasn’t certain if she’d said the word aloud.
Samuel leaned down, placing his ear in front of her mouth. “What, sugar?”
Bridget took as big a breath as she could and tried again.
“Hospital.”
Samuel sat up and brushed the hair from her face. “Poor baby. I know this is awful. If I could take away your suffering I would, believe me. I hate to see you this way, but the hospital can’t help. It’s just the flu.”
He stood and set the bucket on the dresser, then pulled her body up the bed until her head laid on a pillow.
“You rest now.” Samuel covered her with a blanket, grabbed the pail and left the room.
TWENTY-SIX
It was late afternoon when Cody and Jilly entered the station. She picked up a folder from her desk and skimmed the contents. “This is for you.” She tossed it his way.
Cody flipped it open and noticed it was pictures of the victims, sans hair and make-up. “Thanks.” He sank down in his seat and began going through the photos. Jilly got busy on her computer.
“George has identified three of the Hunters Cove victims by their dental work,” she said.
“Great, tell me about them.”
“Okay. Greta Sanchez, twenty-nine, resided in Santa Monica California. She worked as a stunt double.”
“No shit?” A chill ran the length of his spine.
“I know, huh? I bet she was one interesting lady.”
Cody stared at Jilly, whose concentration held to her computer screen.
“She was,” he said quietly.
Jilly’s eyes met his. “What?”
“I dated her not long after I’d moved to L.A. We met at a bar where she was celebrating wrapping up a picture with some of the crew. We lasted maybe three months. I really liked her. Like you said, she was one interesting lady.”
“Why’d you split?”
“We both traveled for our jobs. It made it impossible to carry on a relationship.”
She scooted her chair to the side. The computer monitor no longer blocked his view of her. “You know what this means don’t you?”
He nodded. “I need to recuse myself from the case?”
“Exactly. I’m sorry, but I can’t take any chances when we go to trial.” He was surprised
how calm she was reacting.
“Yeah, about that. You know the first victim, Mary Ellen O’Reilly?”
Her eyes became slits. “No.”
“I’m afraid so.”
She jumped out of her chair. “You son-of-a-bitch.” She leaned on the desk. “Were you ever planning on telling me?”
Cody hesitated. “To be honest, I don’t know.”
“You. Being honest? What a novel concept!” She began to pace. “You’ve already screwed this case from Timbuktu and back. I should. . . I should, I don’t know. I’m so pissed right now I can’t even look at you.” Jilly stormed out of the building.
The room was silent.
Cody browsed the bullpen and found all eyes on him. Some faces looked alarmed, while others held smirks. He scrubbed his hand through his hair. He needed to escape and find somewhere to think.
He was halfway to the break room when he realized what he really wanted was a cup of fresh brewed coffee, so he headed toward the exit. Once out the door, he glanced around.
No sign of Jilly.
It was just as well. She’d need time to cool off.
They’d driven to work in her vehicle, so he began to walk down Big Bear Boulevard. He was crossing Thrush Drive when he happened to glance to his left and saw Jilly talking to someone in a pick-up.
She was bent down, her head in the passenger’s side window. Cody hoped to take the opportunity to get everything out in the open while outside the station, away from prying eyes. As he got closer, Jilly turned her head and seeing it was him, tossed a hairy eyeball his way, then resumed her conversation.
Now more than ever, he wanted to see who was driving that truck. Maybe it was one of her boyfriends. She sure as hell didn’t want him around. She ignored him completely as he came up behind her.
Probably because he was about to ruin her fun.
He put on his biggest shit-eating-grin, bent down and stuck his head in the window next to hers.
“And what are you two talking ab–” Shit. Fuck. Bugger. Hell. It’s Delilah. He really wanted to backtrack, but he’d already stuck his foot in it. “Hi, Delilah. How’s it going?”
“Hey, Cody, you look tired. Poor dear. Why don’t you come on over to the Lumberjack Cafe and have a cup of soup? I’m heading there now.”
“I’d really like to, Dee, but we ordered pizza. I was just looking for Jilly to tell her it had arrived. Maybe some other time. See ya later.” He made a hasty retreat.
From across the street, he turned back and noticed Delilah’s truck driving off. Jilly crossed the street toward him, so he waited.
She waited until they were side-by-side before she spoke. “Although I know you did that for your own benefit, thanks. I was having a hard time getting away from her.”
“So am I forgiven?”
“Not by a long shot.” Her face had relaxed a bit. “But I’m not as angry as I was. I don’t forgive you for not speaking up, but I do understand. If it were me, I might have done the same thing. It would be hard to be shut out of a case regarding someone you cared about. But–”
“I know, I know. I’m sorry.” He wanted to touch her, but didn’t.
“Officially, you are no longer on this case. I need to inform the sheriff. As soon as we get back, you’re going to look at the rest of those pictures to see if you recognize anyone else.
“You seem to have become the center of this investigation, which means we’re going to have to investigate you as well. Starting with your alibi for when Mary Ellen was abducted.”
“That’s easy, I was in Quantico, Virginia at the FBI academy.”
“Which is a short drive to Maryland. You’re going to have to do better than that.”
He stared at the hard set of her jaw. “You’re right. I’ll check the date and figure out where I was, then get back to you. It’s possible this UNSUB may have tortured Mary Ellen to get information about me. One of the victims was dumped in Cody, Wyoming. I was named after Buffalo Bill Cody and so was that town.”
Her eyes grew round. “I didn’t know that.”
“That’s my point. Also my favorite movie, The Godfather. Not just anyone would have that kind of information. It wouldn’t show up in an internet search.”
“So, our killer is not only abducting women you dated, but torturing them to get info on you.” She shook her head. “Nasty.”
“But not the last two victims. I’d only spoken to them, so the killer is close. He’s watching my every move.” Cody glanced around to see if anyone was paying particular attention. “Which means you need to be super vigilant. He knows you’re staying with me and we’ve been doing more than talking.”
“I can take care of myself.” She bristled.
“Under normal circumstances, I’d agree. But in this case, you don’t go out by yourself again. Got it?” He stared her down to let her know he meant business.
She crossed her arms. “I don’t like being told what to do.”
“Well, it looks to me like you need it. You can’t go getting all emotional on my ass and stomping off. That’s just asking for trouble.”
Her hand flew to the butt of her gun. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m armed. I’m not an idiot.”
“I didn’t say you were. But this UNSUB could be someone you know, maybe even trust. All he would need is for you to have your guard down for just a second. We have no idea how he’s subduing his victims.” His hand went to her cheek. “Please, be careful. You mean a great deal to me and I need you safe.”
Her hands relaxed at her side. The tension in her body eased. “Okay. I’ll make sure I’m with someone at all times.”
He leaned down and kissed her. “Thank you.”
“We, I mean, I’d better get back to work.” She started to walk again.
“You were right the first time. I still have some information to go over. Since the FBI is still on this case, I’ll call my SAC and get him to send someone to take my place. Until he or she arrives, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“We’ll see what the sheriff has to say about that.”
He reached out and snagged her arm. She pivoted back toward him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just that I don’t know how Bud is going to feel about you hanging around the station now that you’re off the case.”
“I don’t give a shit. I’ll wait in the lobby if I have to. I’m not letting you leave this office alone. Got it?”
She patted his hand. “Fine. Now come on. You have me craving pizza. Let’s go order some for real.”
They ate in the conference room where they worked the rest of the evening. Cody called his roommate from Quantico regarding the date of Mary Ellen’s disappearance. Between the two of them, they were able to put together a timeline covering the entire twenty-four hour period in question. Bud told Jilly to confirm it. Once she had, he simply grunted.
Cody was able to identify every woman from Hunters Cove. He had dated, albeit briefly, all the fatalities. It made him sick to think he was the reason they’d suffered such a miserable fate.
He also recognized more than half of the victims from the photos Jeff had altered. Once the seed had been planted, it was like a switch had been flipped in his brain and he’d been transported back in time.
Jilly was right. By taking each one out of their usual environment, their street clothes, jewelry, and make-up. He could see them as he knew them: athletic, natural, earthy.
There was no doubt in his mind that there were more he couldn’t place, but it was late and he was tired. “I can’t do this anymore. Are you about ready to go?”
“Just a sec.” She finished scribbling something in a file as he stood and stretched. He rolled his shoulders, then neck and it popped.
He felt rumpled with his rolled up shirt sleeves and loosened tie. What he really needed was a hot shower to feel human again. He snagged his jacket off the back of a chair and shrugged into it. After picking up the empty pizza box, he tossed it in the trash. By
then Jilly was ready to go and they headed out.
When they arrived back at the cabin it was dark, except for the porch light. “I forgot, we have the house to ourselves tonight.” Cody turned off the vehicle.
“Where’s your brother and Meagan?” Jilly unlatched her seat belt.
“They left for Laguna Beach today. By now they’re probably asleep in their own bed.” He opened his door.
Jilly got out of the vehicle and waited for him to join her. “When is the other agent getting here?”
He walked up the front steps with her by his side. “Robin will be here around ten tomorrow morning. I was going to ask if she’d like to stay here. Do you mind?”
Jilly stared at him with her brows raised. “Not at all.”
Cody unlocked the door, flipped on the hall light and punched in the code to deactivate the alarm. “How does a nice hot shower sound?”
“Hmmm, good.” Jilly closed and bolted the door behind her. “Lead the way.”
He reactivated the alarm and headed up the stairs to his room in the front of the house. He slipped out of his jacket and tossed it on the chair, then made haste freeing his neck from the noose commonly referred to as a tie.
“My God. What a view.” Jilly made her way to the French doors and opened them, stepping out onto the balcony. She rested her hands on the banister and gazed at the lake.
Cody came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. The full moon rode just above the highest mountain peak, reflecting on the black surface of the water.
“I never tire of it.” He nuzzled her neck.
She turned around in his arms.
“You ready for that shower now?” He winked.
She grinned. “You bet.”
Cody jolted awake. The room had suddenly gone bright. Jilly was spooning him from behind. He eased out of bed and went to the window. A huge blaze floated on the lake. A boat had caught fire. “Jilly wake up.”
He grabbed a pair of jeans and jumped into them.
“Huh?” She rubbed her eyes. “Where are you going?”
“There’s a fire on the water. Get dressed. Someone could need assistance.” He yanked the nightstand drawer out and grabbed his Glock. He checked the safety before he stashed it in the waistband of his pants in the back where he could reach it easily without shooting off his dick.
NightScream Page 18