“Jeez, you’d think that I was a shrinking violet. You do remember that I’m a trained agent, right?”
“Yes, I remember. But I still want you to be careful.” Ethan leaned over to squeeze her hand. Just then, his phone buzzed. “Looks like the car’s here. I’m off.”
“You be careful, too.” Jerry grinned up at him, surprised when she saw Ethan’s face lean down to hers. The kiss he dropped on her forehead was both friendly and filled with promise.
“Call Kim now, Jerry. She’s a mess.” Dylan’s voice was terse over the phone, but Jerry understood. Notifications were never easy. “I’m sure she can use a friend.”
“I’m sure she could.” Jerry’s voice was filled with sympathy. “How about you?”
“I’m not the one to worry about, but that was rough.” Dylan conceded.
“I know. Those two were close. Are you coming back here?”
“Not yet. I think I’ll join Nate and Ethan at the crime scene. I’ll see you later. Be careful.”
“Will do.” Jerry tried to hide her irritation at the men’s constant warnings to be careful. She knew how to handle herself and Dylan and Nate damn well knew it.
Kim answered on the first ring, tears evident in her voice.
“Kim? It’s Jerry. Are you okay, what’s wrong?” Jerry didn’t have to pretend concern. Her heart broke for the young woman who’d just lost her best friend.
“It’s Sonja. She’s dead.” Kim wailed through the receiver.
“Dead? Are you alone, can I come over? You shouldn’t be alone.” Jerry’s innate sense of compassion overtook any agency training.
“Could you? The FBI agent just left, and I don’t know what to do.” Kim sounded so grateful, Jerry nearly winced at the deception. But it couldn’t be helped.
“I’m on my way.” Jerry disconnected, grabbed her purse and bolted for the door.
She didn’t notice the shiny, dark blue sedan pull away from the curb as she and Rodney drove by. Rodney picked up the tail almost immediately.
“Looks like we’ve got company.” He told her, glancing in the rearview mirror.
“Someone is following us?” Surprised, Jerry nearly turned to look out the back window but she stopped in the nick of time. “Can you see the driver?”
“No, he’s staying too far behind. I’m gonna do an experiment. Sit tight.” Rodney told her just before he swerved sharply to the left, making an unannounced turn. Jerry skidded halfway across the seat.
Is he still there?” she asked.
“Yep, still with us. What should I do, keep going to Kim’s?”
“No, pull over at the first coffee shop you see. I’ll jump out and grab a few things to take to Kim’s. If he stays with us, we’ll know it’s him.”
“There’s one up ahead, but I can’t find a close park. I’m not letting you walk down the street by yourself.”
“Don’t be silly, Randall. Grabbing a woman off the street is not his M.O. He likes to wine and dine his victims, lull them into a relationship. Besides, I know how to protect myself.” Jerry’s tone was more exasperated than it would normally have been, but she was fed up with the males in her world thinking she needed their protection.
“Okay, okay. Don’t get so snooty. I’m just following orders. It’s a moot point, anyway, a space just opened up.” He guided the large car into a parallel parking space.
Jerry didn’t even look around as she exited the car, even though the desire to do so was palpable. She took her time walking to the coffee shop, stopping to admire the display in the adjacent boutique. The reflection of a shiny blue sedan passed smoothly beside her town car, driving slower than necessary. She strained to see the driver’s reflection, but couldn’t for the tinted windows.
Rodney was busy jotting down the license plate numbers as the blue sedan passed by. He called it in as he watched the car stop at the next stop sign before making a left turn.
Jerry came back to the car laden with two large coffees and a box of pastries. The dark blue sedan was nowhere to be seen.
“Did you get the license?” She asked Rodney as she slid into the backseat.
“They’re running it now.” He told her.
“Where did he go?”
“Turned left at the next corner. If he’s going around the block, he should be coming up on us again soon.”
“Let’s sit a moment and find out.”
Before Jerry had finished the sentence, the dark blue sedan turned left onto the street behind them. Rodney spotted it immediately. “There he is. Time to go.”
Maneuvering the town car back into traffic in front of the sedan was a challenge, but Rodney managed it. Soon, they were headed to Kim’s, the blue sedan maintaining a discreet distance behind them.
“He’s definitely following us. What do you want to do?” Rodney looked at Jerry in the rearview mirror.
“Go to Kim’s. For all he knows, I’m visiting a friend. How soon before we have the license plate information?”
“Didn’t say, but they know it’s a priority. What’s our next move?”
“I visit Kim, as planned. Even if we have him, she’s expecting me and she needs a friend right now. You keep an eye on him, try to get a visual on his face. Oh, and contact Nate, bring him up to speed.” Jerry gathered the pastry box and coffee cups as Rodney pulled to the curb in front of Kim’s building.
“We’re not going to arrest him?” Rodney was surprised.
“On what charge? Driving around in San Francisco? He’s left no DNA evidence of any kind on any of the bodies. He’s changed his appearance since Europe, so we can’t legally tie him to those murders. The only evidence we have is the description from a stoned woman who saw him drive away with Sonja on the day she was killed. That’s not enough to get an arrest warrant, much less a conviction.” Jerry paused with her hand on the door handle. “At this point, we have to catch him in the act in order to pin the other murders on him. So we play the game.”
Rodney’s eyes grew wide. “So you really are bait, not just a lure. You’re gonna let him try to kill you?”
“That’s the plan.” Jerry nodded. “Call Nate. He’ll want to get a tail on him right away. See ya.” She jumped out of the car before Rodney could ask any more questions. The thoughts of getting close to a killer made her skin crawl, but someone had to do it. The good news was that he was focused on her now, but it disturbed her that she wasn’t aware of when she’d caught his eye. Had her attraction to Ethan interfered with her powers of observation?
Jerry’s musings stopped when Kim opened the door. The woman was obviously distraught and still a little in shock. Jerry made herself at home, tending to her as if she were an old friend.
“I can’t believe that she’s gone.” Kim placed her uneaten pastry on the plate in front of her. “I saw her just the other day, we went to the new boutique opening in the mall. And I talked with her the next day, the day she died,” a sob broke through her words.
“You said you spoke with her on the phone, just before she met Oscar?” Jerry patted Kim’s hand to comfort and encourage her to continue. She hated probing for answers, but Kim could help their case by providing details she may not be aware that she knew.
“Yes. She was so excited, she really believed that Oscar could be it, you know?” Kim blew her nose loudly. “She said he was so kind and attentive, he made her feel like a princess. What kind of man does that? Makes a woman fall for him, then kills her?”
“A sicko, that’s for sure.” Jerry commiserated before prodding further. “What else did she say about him? It might help you to talk about it and it might help the cops catch him.”
“I know, I’ve been trying to remember ever since that nice FBI agent, Dylan something or other, left. She said he was punctual, wealthy and British. He was close to our age, I think maybe in his early thirties; Sonja joked that he didn’t need little blue pills.” Kim turned to Jerry to explain. “Randall is a good bit older than Sonja.”
“Got it.” Je
rry smiled and nodded. “Did Sonja mention the places they liked to go?”
“That was one of the things she really liked about him, he wasn’t afraid to be seen with her in public.” Kim shook her head. “One of the worst aspects of dating married men is the isolation. We can do whatever we like, on our own or with friends. The majority of our time together is spent inside the condo, unless we go out of town.” Kim didn’t appear at all embarrassed to discuss her situation.
“I know what you mean. Before Ethan, I was seeing a married man. It can suck, at times.” Jerry tried to guide Kim back to Sonja and Oscar’s outings. “It’s nice that Sonja was able to enjoy herself these past few weeks.” Jerry winced when she realized what she’d said. Sonja may have enjoyed herself, but she did so with her killer.
Kim didn’t miss the connection. “I know, at least she had fun and fell in love. That’s always such a nice feeling. Why couldn’t it have been real? Sonja deserved better than that.” Fresh tears began to flow.
“I agree, but let’s focus on the good. Sonja had fun; she was excited about new possibilities. Where did they go?”
“He took her to dinner, fancy ones, you know? Once to The Arbors and once to Patron’s, but she didn’t mention the others. He also managed to get tickets to that new club, Diablo’s. She loved that, getting all dressed up and going on real dates.” Kim sniffled.
“Did you ever meet him?” Jerry asked softly.
“No. Sonja said he wanted to keep their relationship private, special. Just between the two of them. That suited her as well. If Randall found out about Oscar, Sonja would be looking for a new place to live, among other things. She wanted to make sure that she had a future with Oscar, before she told Randall anything.”
“That’s understandable.” Jerry offered.
“Oh my God, Randall. Does he know that Sonja’s dead? Does he know that she was seeing someone else? I should have asked that nice FBI agent. Sonja wouldn’t want Randall to know about Oscar. She really did care for him. She just wanted something of her own, you know? Marriage and a family.” Kim began searching for Dylan’s card. “He said I could call him. Do you think I’m being silly?”
“No, you’re not. You’re simply looking out for your friend’s wishes. It won’t hurt to call the agent.” Jerry glanced down at the pastry Kim had left on the plate. “Have you eaten anything today? I’m happy to order lunch or fix something for you, before I leave.”
“I can’t think about food right now, but Charlie’s coming over in a couple of hours. We’re having dinner together. Maybe by then I’ll feel like eating.”
“Is there anything else I can do for you? I can only imagine what you’re going through, I wish I could be of more help.”
“You’ve been great. We hardly know each other, yet you ran right over here when I needed someone. I really appreciate that.” Kim looked at her gratefully. “It’s time I called a few friends who need to hear about Sonja from me, not on the news.” Kim sighed audibly.
“Would you like me to stay while you make the calls?”
“No, thanks. I really think I need to be alone for a while, you know?”
“Sure. You’ve got my number, call me if you need anything.”
“I will.” Kim gave Jerry a quick hug before walking her to the door.
“What’s the word on our friend?” Jerry asked Rodney as soon as she closed the car door. “I see he’s still parked down the street.”
“The plates are registered to a Sarah Besher, but they don’t match the car he’s driving. He must have switched them, so no help there. Nate put a tail on him, even though I haven’t been able to get a good look at his face.” Rodney pulled away from the curve into traffic and watched as the blue sedan followed suit. “It has to be him, though. Who else would be following us around?”
“No one that I know of.” Jerry sat back in the seat and closed her eyes, glad to be away from Kim’s grief. “If it is the son-of-a-bitch, I hope he makes his move soon.” Rodney read the anger in her voice, loud and clear.
“Nate said to tell you that the unsub left no DNA or fingerprints that they could find, but they did get a decent tire track near where the body went over the cliff.”
“That’s something, at least.” Jerry sighed. “Take me home, please, Rodney. And park in the garage. Let’s see if our shadow can talk his way into a secured building.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Ethan’s impatience nearly got the best of him in the bumper to bumper traffic on the way back to the condo. He’d left the crime scene as soon as Rodney had let them know that the unsub was following Jerry. The site was only thirty minutes out of the city, but at the pace they were traveling it would take him nearly an hour and a half to get home. He didn’t want Jerry there alone, no matter what she said about taking care of herself.
The ride gave him a chance to inspect his feelings, without the distraction of her presence. He still couldn’t get over how attached he felt to her, after knowing her for such a short time. The attraction was elemental, primal and something he couldn’t explain if his life depended on it. The need to protect her grew stronger with every passing moment; he didn’t know how to stop it or if he even wanted to.
His mother always told him that one day he’d meet a woman who would bring him to his knees. Amused by his flippant attitude towards dating and marriage, she often used the old adage, ‘the more stubborn they are, the harder they fall’ when discussing his love life, or lack thereof. She was frustrated that his career meant more to him than settling down and starting a family and she never missed an opportunity to remind him that he wasn’t getting any younger.
He wondered briefly what she would think of Jerry, then decided that she’d probably love her. Being a strong, independent woman, his mother would appreciate those same qualities in Jerry. The fact that she was drop-dead gorgeous and would give her beautiful grandchildren wouldn’t hurt either. Ethan smiled at the thought of his mother’s delight if he told her he’d finally fallen in love.
Love. Children. Where in hell had those thoughts come from? He’d known Jerry less than a week and he was already thinking about marriage? Ethan’s smile turned into a scowl. What in the name of sense was happening to him? Sure he felt a connection with Jerry, more so than he’d ever felt with anyone. But couldn’t the connection stem from the unusual circumstances? He was chasing a killer whom they hoped would target her, that alone could be the reason for his protective instincts. He was living with her after all, pretending to be in love; maybe he was experiencing nothing more than transference. He’d had female partners before, but none had elicited such intense feelings. Jerry made him want to slay dragons and tame lions, just in case they crossed her path.
Now that the killer had noticed her, he wanted nothing more than to never leave her side. But that wasn’t part of the plan. At some point, he had to let Jerry be alone with the monster; it was the only way they could hope to nail him. His gut rolled at the idea of deliberately placing her in danger.
It was simple, he thought. They’d have to come up with a better plan. No way could he allow Jerry to go off with the unsub on her own, no matter how many agents followed their every move. Feeling better about his decision, Ethan relaxed against the plush leather and let his thoughts drift to images of caramel-haired children with almond shaped eyes.
The man Sonja called Oscar drove past the building that his new love called home. The driver entered the parking garage, which likely meant that she would be home for a while. It was just as well, the day had gone better than he’d hoped, surely a sign that she was meant for him. Running into the couple at the café was divine intervention, as far as he was concerned. Discovering her place of residence and getting a description of her car was another coup. Everything was falling into place.
It was time for him to make preparations, the first being to change his appearance. Hair color was so easy to alter; maybe he’d go red this time, or reddish brown. He’d have to give it some thought.
He also needed a new car; the Mas was a bit too conspicuous, but it had done the job in helping attract his victims in the bay area. San Francisco; who knew that this old city would provide such a plethora of beauties for his pleasure?
As he made his way up the hills near the Presidio, he congratulated himself on his selection. It was a stroke of luck that the Forresters happened to be summering in Monte Carlo and offered him their lovely home. Reminding himself to send them a bottle of champagne, he turned the blue sedan into the steep driveway of their ultra-modern home. The garage door was whisper quiet as it closed behind him.
Ethan came through the door with a look of determination that Jerry had yet to see on his chiseled face. He further surprised her by marching directly towards her as she stood by the wall of windows.
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