Hunter's Way

by Gerri Hill

  “My father was a cop,” she said quietly. “My mother stayed home, took care of us. Me and Emily and Scott and Toby. She was the best. Always had cookies or a cake or something that she’d just baked. We’d rush in after school, running to the kitchen to see what she’d whipped up that day. When my father got home, dinner was already on the table. We all ate together. Then homework. Dad would come to each of us, asking about our day, helping with our lessons. It was a happy house. We didn’t fight. Not even the usual squabbles between siblings. I loved them. They loved me.”

  Sam stared. She knew what was coming, but she wasn’t ready for it. She didn’t know how she could possibly handle it. It was one thing, hearing it from Malone. It was completely different hearing it from Tori, with all the emotion of a twelve-year-old still in her voice.

  “One night… when I was twelve, someone broke in. It had been a day much like all the others. Mom had chocolate chip cookies that day. I can still smell them. She had just taken them out of the oven when we got home. And then for dinner, she had a big roast on the table, with potatoes and carrots. It was one of our favorite meals.”

  Without thinking, Sam closed the short distance between their chairs, lightly clasping Tori’s hand with her own.

  “This man came in through the kitchen. He had a gun. Before my father could do anything, he shot him. Shot him twice. My father fell backward, knocking the chair over and he just laid there. My mother started screaming, we all did. Then he tied us up, all to our chairs. We sat around the dinner table tied to our chairs, looking at each other, all the time my father was laying there dying.” Tori’s voice hardened. “I was so helpless. I tried to stand up, tried to carry the chair with me. He slapped me. Emily started screaming again and he pointed the gun at her… and killed her. Then he went to Toby and shot him.” Tori wiped at the tears that streamed down her face. “My mother went hysterical. She was screaming, she tipped her chair over. The man just laughed. Then he walked up to her and shot her, too. Then it was just me and Scott. I begged him to stop. Scott just stared at him. He was fifteen. He was a fighter. When the man walked over to him and held the gun to his head, Scott kicked him. Kicked him hard in the groin. The gun went off anyway. And then it was just me. And he held the gun to my head. I remember staring into his eyes, knowing I was next. Then I just closed my eyes. Waiting. Wanting it to be over. He just turned and walked out the kitchen the same way he’d come in, leaving me tied to that damn chair. I just wanted it to be over. But now, it’ll never be over,” she whispered.

  Sam sat speechless, tears streaming down her own cheeks. She squeezed Tori’s hand, feeling the light pressure that Tori returned. She didn’t know what to say. What words could possibly console this woman?

  “I’m so sorry I made you relive that,” she whispered. “Please forgive me.”

  Tori turned, seeing the reflection of tears in the moonlight. She reached out, touching them with her fingers, then brushed them away from Sam’s cheek.

  “Don’t cry for me. It’s too late for that.”

  Sam shook her head. No wonder Tori lived as recklessly as she did. She thought she had nothing to live for.

  “It’s not too late. You’re strong. Any twelve-year-old who lived through that must be strong,” Sam insisted.

  “Strong? I was practically catatonic for a year afterward. I was in and out of hospitals. No one wanted me. I couldn’t blame them. Finally, an aunt took me to live with her in Houston. She was what my dad always called his ‘spinster’ sister. She was nearly sixty. She also wasn’t a spinster. She had a lover. They took me in and made me feel welcome. And they didn’t take any shit from me. They didn’t tolerate my fits of silence. And they talked about my family. They kept them alive. All the others, they never even mentioned them. It was like they never existed. But Aunt Carol, she had pictures and she told stories and they were still with us in some way. Eventually, as I got older, I came to realize that what had happened wasn’t just some random act of violence. It was a hit. Someone wanted my father dead. Whether the deal was for the whole family or not, I don’t know. No one was ever prosecuted.”

  “So you became a cop to solve the case?”

  “At the time, it seemed like a good idea,” she said. “It wasn’t like I was much help at the time. I was the only witness, yet I couldn’t bring myself to talk about it for nearly two years. So, yeah, I guess originally I wanted to become a cop because of that. Aunt Carol died when I was still in college. Louise, her partner, tried to talk me out of it. She was worried I’d go off on some witch hunt and get into all sorts of trouble.”

  Sam smiled. It wasn’t far from the truth.

  “But she was there when I graduated from the Academy. She was so proud. She and Aunt Carol were so good for me. I survived. But I lost her, too, about a year later.”

  “And now there’s no one?”

  “Just me.”

  Tori got up and went inside and Sam let her go. She couldn’t imagine the grief that Tori had endured in her lifetime. She wanted to offer some comfort, but she knew of no words that could possibly help soothe Tori’s aching heart.

  Tori came out a short time later. She put their patties on the grill and closed the lid.

  “I’m sorry, Sam. We were having a nice evening. I didn’t mean to spoil it with all that.”

  “You haven’t spoiled anything. I just don’t know what to say to you. I guess now, I understand your… indifference to people. But I’m so sorry, Tori.”

  “You have nothing to be sorry for. That was twenty-five years ago. I’d like to say that I’m over it, but I’ll never be over it.”

  “Is that why you don’t sleep much?”

  “I used to have nightmares. For years, I had nightmares. I still do, sometimes. When I’m extremely tired, I still have nightmares,” she said quietly. “I can close my eyes and still see his face.”

  “Come. Sit down.” Sam refilled their wineglasses and handed Tori hers. “Let’s sit and enjoy the quiet… and the moon. It’s so peaceful out here. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been out like this, away from the city.”

  “Did you grow up in Dallas?”

  Sam shook her head. “In Denver. My family is still there, but we’re not really close.” She felt uncomfortable discussing her family in front of Tori. She wasn’t close to them, but at least she had a family.

  “Why not?”

  “They had bigger dreams for me. A cop wasn’t in their plans. In fact, a rather large wedding to the Mayor’s son was.”

  “And you skipped town? Did you leave him at the altar?”

  “Very nearly. I told him and my mother that I didn’t love him and I wasn’t going to marry him. They planned the wedding anyway.”

  “You’re joking.”

  “I wish I was. My father had political aspirations. I was to be his stepping-stone. They haven’t forgiven me yet.”

  “Any siblings?”

  “I have an older brother. He’s a priest. They’re very proud.”

  “I take it you’re not close to him, either.”

  “He’s taken his vow of poverty very seriously. He’s somewhere in South America. I exchange letters a few times a year. That’s about it.”

  “So, holidays and such, you don’t make it home?”

  “No. I usually go with Amy. And, of course, the last couple of years, there’s been Robert.”

  “Oh yes. What are you going to do about that?”

  “I don’t know, Tori. I would hate to hurt him. And what am I going to tell him? That I’ve just been hanging around the last couple of years, hoping that I’d fall hopelessly in love with him? That would hardly be fair.”

  “Is that what you’ve been doing?”

  “I guess I thought what we had was enough. There was never any mind-boggling sex or passion that raged out of control, but I thought maybe it was enough.”

  “But it’s not?”

  “No,” she whispered. “I want that mind-boggling sex. I want to be delirious w
ith passion. You know what I mean?”

  Tori laughed. “No, I don’t. I’m sorry, but I’ve never come close to that.”

  “I know it’s out there. Other people have it, don’t they?”

  “I think the vast majority of people settle.”

  “Oh, that’s sad.”

  Tori shrugged. “Somebody is better than nobody.”

  “But not for you? You’d rather have nobody?”

  “Like I said before, I don’t really have a lot to offer anyone.”

  “I disagree. I doubt you’ve ever given anyone a chance to get to know you like you’re letting me. You’re so different from the person that everyone knows. I like this person better,” Sam said quietly.

  Tori smiled in the moonlight.

  “I’ll keep that in mind, Detective.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Sam rushed out of the bakery, balancing two cups of coffee and the bag of muffins. She was late. Really late. In fact, she wouldn’t be surprised if her cell…

  “Rang,” she murmured. “Hello?”

  “Sam? Where are you?”

  “Getting breakfast.”

  “Breakfast? Do you know what time it is?”

  “Yes, I know what time it is.”

  “Did you at least get me a cappuccino?”

  “No. You’re getting too spoiled. I got you a muffin. What time do we meet with Jenkins?”

  “Thirty minutes.”

  “Plenty of time. I’m five minutes away.”

  “Okay. Be careful.”

  “I will. See you in a bit.”

  She tossed her cell phone down and smiled. Be careful? Amazing what a couple of days on a boat together will do for you. Sam sighed. She’d had a great time. They spent most of Sunday, too, enjoying the sunshine. And they talked. God, she loved Tori’s company. The more time she spent with her… well, the more she wanted to spend. It scared her a little. She wasn’t going to deny the fact that she found Tori attractive, that she felt a tiny tug of sexual attraction when she was around her. Tiny? She glanced at herself in the mirror, then away. If she wasn’t careful, she would get in over her head. And then what? There was still Robert to consider. It had been nearly six before she made it back to her apartment. And there were no less than twelve messages from Robert. When she finally called him back, he was so angry with her that they hardly spoke. He stayed on the line just long enough to know that she was okay. But he was coming today to take her to lunch. They were going to talk about the little fit she’d had over the weekend.

  But she pushed those thoughts away. She didn’t want to think about it. Lunch would come soon enough.

  Tori looked up as Sam rushed into the squad room. She smiled when she saw the two cups of coffee.

  “Spoiled brat,” Sam murmured as she handed Tori her cappuccino.

  “And what’s in here?” Tori asked, tearing into the bag of muffins. She grabbed one and bit down, smiling. “Thanks. You’re the best.”

  “Anything to make you smile.”

  Tori raised her eyebrows mischievously. “Anything? That could be a dangerous offer, Detective.”

  Sam sipped her coffee, meeting Tori’s eyes but ignoring her comment. Then she smiled. Tori did the same.

  “I had a wonderful time this weekend,” Sam said quietly.

  “Me, too. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I relaxed for two whole days.”

  “Good.”

  “Detectives? In the conference room,” Malone said. “Let’s go over it before Jenkins and his cronies get here.”

  Tori gathered up her files and took her coffee with her. Sam grabbed the bag of muffins.

  “Sit. We have twenty minutes.”

  Tori set her coffee on the table and opened her file. She held a muffin in one hand as she spoke.

  “Lesbians. All three. Two were residents of Belle’s Hostel at one time. The third, Rachel Anderson, never lived there but spent time there. As late as last week.”

  “Belle Grayson confirmed that Angie and Crystal were hookers. They were both runaways,” Sam said.

  “Angie?”

  “Lorraine,” Tori supplied. “Angie’s her real name.”

  “Have we found family?”

  “No. We’re going to get with Grayson today and go over her records. Who knows if they gave real names? We also picked up a woman named Johnny on Friday night.”

  “I heard. Held her for three hours. She’s threatening to sue.”

  “She wouldn’t talk to us at the bar,” Tori said. “She wouldn’t talk much here, either. Crystal was her… plaything,” she said. “They were into S&M.”

  “Just great. This will go over well with Jenkins.”

  Tori shrugged. “It’s what we’ve got.”

  “Okay. Theory?”

  “Perp either watches them at Belle’s or some other hangout. There’s a club, Outlaws, that allows minors inside on Wednesday nights. Grayson said most of the girls go there. He could watch them there. Or he could be inside and target them. It’s a large dance club. He could fade into the crowd easily.”

  “Okay. What about the profiler?”

  “He’s supposed to join us with Jenkins. Then he and Sam are going to go over everything we have so far.”

  “Great. This will be fun,” he said sarcastically. “You know how Jenkins is. He’s going to flip.”

  “Who the hell is Jenkins?” Sam demanded. “You keep talking about him as if there’s some joke between you.”

  “He’s a prick,” Tori said.

  “I gathered that. What’s the history with you two?”

  Tori looked at Malone, who shrugged.

  “He comes across as this big homophobe. Dropping his disgusting little remarks whenever I’m around. Even quotes the Bible. Well, I ran into him at a bar several years ago. He and this guy were going at it pretty good. He damn near fainted when he saw me. I never said anything to him, but whenever he sees me now, it’s like he just dares me to mention it.”

  They all three looked up at the knock on the door and three men in suits entered.

  “Malone. This is Detective Sims from CIU and Dr. Peterson, the profiler.”

  “You know Hunter. This is Detective Kennedy,” Malone said.

  “How do you do. You’re Mr. Jenkins?” Samantha asked, offering him her hand.

  “Yes.” His eyes moved blatantly over her body, then looked to Tori. “Damn, Hunter, how’d you swing her?”

  “I just made a wish, Jenkins. You ought to try it sometime.”

  “Can we just get on with this, please?” Malone said. “I’ve got another meeting in an hour.”

  Tori glanced briefly at her Lieutenant and nodded, knowing that he had no such meeting to attend in an hour. She gave the copies she’d made to Sam, who started passing them out.

  “So, we got a few pros getting whacked, Hunter?”

  “No.”

  “No? What? They don’t match?” Jenkins demanded.

  “They match, yes. But they’re not getting killed because they’re hookers.”

  “That’s what I was told.”

  “I don’t recall you asking us,” Tori said. “They were killed because they’re lesbians.”

  “What the hell? How did you come to this conclusion? You know them personally, Hunter?”

  “If you’ll read in the report there, Mr. Jenkins, you’ll see the connection,” Sam said. “We visited with Belle Grayson Friday night. She runs Belle’s Hostel. It’s a home for young lesbians. Runaways, mostly. Victim number one lived there about two years ago and still kept in touch with them. Victim number two lived there as recently as two months ago. Rachel Anderson, the third girl, was a weekly visitor. In fact, she had been there just last week.”

  “So where did the hooker thing come from? You just make that up to stall?”

  “The first two, Angie and Crystal, were hookers. That was the connection between them. The third was not. We found a new connection,” Tori said.

  “Great. Somebody is knoc
king off queers. Hookers or queers, take your pick. Either way, the general public will care less. They might think someone is cleaning up the streets.”

  Sam felt Tori tense beside her and she quickly reached under the table and grabbed her arm, squeezing tightly. She finally felt Tori relax and she loosened her hold.

  “Why don’t you tell that to Rachel Anderson’s parents, Jenkins? I’m sure Reverend Anderson will be thrilled at what the Mayor’s office thinks. In fact, why don’t you have the Mayor himself call them? That would be a nice touch,” Tori quipped.

  “Jenkins, we’re doing fine with this case without your task force. Why don’t you tell the Mayor that. We’ll give you a report as soon as we have something else,” Malone suggested.

  “I want a daily report,” Jenkins said. “Daily.”

  “Fine. Now, if you don’t mind, we’d like to go over all of this with Dr. Peterson.”

  “No problem.” He stood, then looked at Tori. “I know you’ll work extra hard on this one, Hunter, seeing as it’s so near and dear to your heart.”

  “Every death is near and dear to my heart, Jenkins. Even yours.”

  Sam stood quickly and stuck out her hand, grasping his.

  “Nice to finally meet you, Mr. Jenkins. Tori has told me… so very much about you,” she said sweetly. She had the pleasure of watching his eyes widen in disbelief, then he stormed from the room, with Sims at his heels.

  “You always rub him the wrong way, Hunter. What’s up with that?” Dr. Peterson asked.

  “I rub everyone the wrong way, Peterson. Kennedy will go over this with you.” She got up, lightly squeezing Sam’s shoulder as she walked behind her.

  “Let me know if you need anything,” Lieutenant Malone said as he followed Tori. They were barely out the door before they started laughing.

  “Did you see his eyes? I thought he was going to have an aneurysm right there.”

  “She’s got balls,” Malone said. “She certainly didn’t score any points today.”

  “She scored points with me,” Tori said.

  Sam leaned back in the chair, rubbing her eyes. They had been at it nearly two hours. Peterson was thorough, she’d give him that.

  “Okay. This is what I see with only three victims. Get me four or five and I can be more precise,” he said.