Obsession

by Debra Webb

  Her own fury tightened her lips, glistened in her dark eyes. “You think so? I mean, after all, the only thing you had to do was turn your back on me.”

  “You had already turned your back on me.”

  “Wow. We really are fucked up, aren’t we?” She shook her head. “You came back here and married three times, ending up divorced every time. I ignored my personal life until someone barged in and made me pay attention. And look how that worked out.”

  “Your husband made a bad decision.” The man had hurt Jess, whether she wanted to admit it or not. Dan felt her pain, saw it in her eyes.

  “Yeah,” she nodded, “he did. But I wasn’t referring to him.”

  Confusion furrowed his brow. “Someone else barged into your life?” He didn’t know why he was surprised. Jess was a beautiful woman. Smart and ambitious. What man wouldn’t fall in love with her?

  “It was you, you idiot,” she accused. “In that damned Publix on Christmas Eve. You just appeared,” she made a poof sound, “and I fell into bed with you as if ten years hadn’t passed since you broke my heart completely in two.”

  He couldn’t stop himself. He had to touch her. He took her face in his hands, made her look at him when she tried to look away. “I’m sorry, Jess. I didn’t set out to hurt you. I missed you so much.”

  “At least you had your family and friends.” Her lips trembled. “You were here. Surrounded by all those people who care about you. I had nobody.”

  “Why didn’t you come home?” God Almighty, he had hoped and prayed a thousand times that she would come back. But he hadn’t asked her to come back. Not once.

  “What?” Her voice trembled. “And look like a failure?” She shook her head. “No way.”

  “You graduated Summa cum Laude, Jess. You were chosen for an internship with the Bureau, not once but twice. How could anyone look at you and see failure?”

  “Are you kidding me? You and your family had it all. My sister and I had nothing. We barely survived after our parents died. Four different foster homes in eight years, Dan. Four. As soon as I was out of high school, I was out of here. My sister had already married her high school sweetheart and was expecting her first child. I needed to find my life. Anywhere but here.”

  “And you did,” he said softly. “You reached a career pinnacle few can ever hope to accomplish. You did good, Jess.”

  She shook her head. “Yeah, right up until the time I screwed up. I screwed everything up. My life. My career. Everything. Now look at me. I don’t even know who I am anymore! I’m back here a day or two and suddenly all that I thought I was just disintegrates!”

  “I think maybe you had a little help. Me, for one, and this bastard Eric Spears for another. Not to mention a superior who prefers to make you look bad rather than to simply go public with the facts.”

  A tear rolled down her cheek. “It’s more than the job or a case. It’s me. The person I worked so hard for years to become. She’s…” she shook her head, “…gone. I don’t know who I am anymore. It all went to hell in a matter of days and I can’t catch up. Not to mention that sick bastard followed me here. Now my sister and her family are in danger. You’re in danger.”

  Dan laughed softly, not that her feelings were funny but her worry for him was amusing. “Why the hell would you think I’m in danger?” Truth was, he would rather Spears be after him than after Jess.

  “He’s been watching us, Dan. At Katherine’s house. He’s probably been following us or had someone following us. I thought when he sent me that text saying he liked my friend that he was talking about Lori. But after the way you two sparred, I’m thinking he has his eye on you.” More of those uncharacteristic tears fell. “This is all my fault.”

  Dan wished he knew the right words to say, but there were none. He could only offer his understanding. “This isn’t your fault. Your world has been turned upside down, Jess,” he said gently. “Give yourself a break. You need time to adjust to all these changes. The Bureau will take care of Spears.”

  “Maybe you’re right.” She scrubbed at the tears. “All I know is that right now I need to think about anything but that.” She searched his eyes, desperation in hers. “We have to find these girls. I can feel the connection to the Murrays but I have no proof, just like with Spears. We can use the Debarros case as a way to question them further. It can work, Dan. We won’t be crossing any lines. We’ll be doing our jobs.”

  “We are going out there. And we will get the truth.”

  “We have to hurry,” she urged. “I’m terrified it’s too late already.”

  He nodded, dropped his hands to his side. “All right. Let’s get this done.”

  “You did the right thing, you know. Back then.”

  Her statement surprised him, but her eyes backed up the words. “Sometimes I wonder.”

  “I was on a mission to prove something,” she confessed. “Whether it was that summer or the next, we would have fallen apart. I couldn’t see past what I wanted for my future to notice what was happening to us. We were drifting apart.”

  He felt weak with relief. All this time he’d carried that guilt. He’d walked away from her…left her and somehow she’d made it all by herself. Had he been carrying guilt all this time or had it been resentment? He hadn’t meant to resent that she hadn’t needed him. Whatever it was, he didn’t want that to stand between them anymore.

  “Thank you for telling me.” The liberation he’d expected to feel if this moment ever came—this clearing of the air—didn’t show. He still felt—

  “Just one more thing.”

  He looked at her expectantly.

  She reached up, took his face in her hands, rose on her tiptoes and kissed him. His arms went around her and he kissed her back. She felt good in his arms.

  God help him, this was what he’d carried all these years. He still wanted her. He wanted to hold her like this…to kiss her like this.

  She drew back first, pressed her forehead to his cheek. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  A rap at his door forced them apart.

  Jess’s eyes were wide with mortification but her face was flushed with the same desire he felt.

  The door opened and Harper stuck his head into the room. “I think you two should come to the conference room. We found something you’ll want to hear.”

  “We’ll be right there,” Dan assured him.

  The door closed.

  “I’m sorry,” they said in unison.

  The flush on Jess’s cheeks deepened. She pressed her fingers to her lips. “I didn’t mean to do that. So, if we can just act like it didn’t happen, I think that would be best.”

  “It did happen, Jess. Frankly, I don’t want to pretend it didn’t. Just like when I kissed you night before last. It happened and I’m glad it did.”

  He reached across his desk for his cell, tucked it into the holster at his waist. “Let’s find these girls and then we’ll finish this…conversation.”

  He crossed the room, opened the door and waited for her to exit before him. She hesitated. Clearly shaken and uncertain.

  She took a breath. “Whatever you say, chief.”

  ~*~

  Jess wanted to crawl into a hole. Instead, she matched her stride to Burnett’s and headed to the conference room. Griggs and Patterson were already seated at the long, cluttered table. Chet and Lori were huddled near the window.

  Another wave of mortification washed over Jess at the idea that she and Burnett must have looked like that when Chet poked his head into Burnett’s office. She had ten years’ experience, at least, on those two. There was no excuse for her unprofessional behavior.

  What in the hell had gotten into her?

  Stress. Frustration. Temporary insanity. Pick one. Hell, pick all three, she thought in disgust.

  And Lily. Her sister was terrified for her family and for Jess.

  What a mess.

  Dan moved to the head of the table and waited for everyone to be seated. />
  Jess settled into a chair at the opposite end. She had to pull herself back together. She needed to focus.

  “You okay?” Lori murmured as she took the seat next to Jess.

  “I will be,” she muttered, “as soon as we find these girls.” And I give Spears what he deserves, she kept to herself, and then run as far away from here as possible.

  “Sergeant Harper,” Burnett said, “give us a rundown on this new development.”

  “As Agent Harris and Detective Wells learned earlier today the Debarros case, one that involved a missing girl with similar circumstances, has a vague link to one of the girls in our current case. Christina Debarros’s mother claimed her daughter’s secret boyfriend was Tate Murray. Dana Sawyer was the longtime girlfriend of this same young man through his high school years.”

  “The problem is,” Griggs interjected, “Tate Murray has been dead for over three years.”

  “Yes, sir,” Chet agreed. “We have considered the possibilities of some sort of revenge for his death, either from the parents or a close friend, but we feel that revenge isn’t the motive since none of the missing girls had anything to do with his death. His and Dana Sawyer’s relationship had ended several months prior to the accident that took his life.”

  “Then what is the motive and what do you have to substantiate it?” Patterson demanded, his impatience vibrating in the room.

  “What we have,” Chet answered, “is the fact that suddenly, after all these years, five young women have gone missing under similar circumstances. Christina Debarros’s disappearance can be characterized in this same manner. Sudden disappearance with no forewarning to friends or family.”

  Jess silently urged him to get to the part she didn’t know yet.

  As if Griggs had read her mind, he said as much. “Is there an echo in the room? We got that part already.”

  “Please continue, sergeant,” Burnett said with a sharp look in Griggs’s direction.

  Jess leaned back in her seat and put her hand over her mouth to hide a smile. It was about time Burnett stopped letting these old coots run the show. She was glad one of them had let their impatience show rather than her for a change.

  “Detective Wells and I have been running various searches on the name Tate Murray. We didn’t find any relevant to our case, until we considered the name Tim. Reanne Parsons received text messages from someone named Tim, as we all know.”

  Jess held her breath. She looked to Lori who nodded.

  “Tate Murray’s full name is Tate Isaac Murray. T. I. M.”

  The tension in the room thickened. Jess’s heart thudded harder.

  “We searched the name Tim Murray,” Chet explained. “And we got a hit. Tim Murray has been enrolled in an online university for the past two years. The kind that doesn’t require any actual classroom attendance or even any face-to-face interviews. He received his associate’s degree in agricultural management in early June, just a few days before our first girl went missing.”

  Her preliminary conclusion had been right. Jess had to hold herself down in her chair. She wanted to act!

  “How can you be certain Tate Murray and Tim Murray are one in the same?” Patterson shook his head. “The boy’s dead for Christ’s sake.”

  “The school website displays photos of its most recent graduates. Most of the photos look like the senior photos taken for high school graduation. Tim Murray’s photo matched the one of Tate Murray in the Warrior year book his senior year. Tim and Tate are the same person. And,” Chet said before anyone could start throwing out theories in an attempt to counter his obvious conclusion, “according to what I just learned from the search of the archived vehicle registrations I ordered yesterday, Tate Murray owned a truck when he died. A 1972 blue Ford truck.”

  Good God. Jess felt the air leave her lungs in a rush. It was him.

  “That’s quite a story, sergeant. However, one thing is certain,” Griggs tossed in, his tone reflecting his disbelief, “Tate Murray didn’t text anybody or abduct a single one of these girls. Who are you theorizing is the unsub?”

  My Tate. Mr. Murray had shown no sadness when he spoke of his son.

  Jess launched to her feet, almost sending her chair tumbling to the floor. “Sergeant Harper is right. Mr. and Mrs. Murray have been living in denial for years. They haven’t accepted their son’s death.”

  Words and images flooded Jess. The grief those people must have suffered at losing their only child. The sheer agony. Bitterness and resentment as they watched the other children in their community grow up. The infinite need to simply love their son. Wrestling back control, she set aside the overpowering emotions.

  “We can all sympathize with the loss of a child,” Patterson offered, “but what you’re suggesting is—”

  “They’ve carried on as if he’s still alive,” Jess said, the realization settling firmly. “They enrolled him in an online university that didn’t require a physical presence. The longer they lingered in denial the more obsessed they became. They couldn’t let their son be dead so they went on with his life for him.” Jess turned to Chet. “Find a judge who will sign a warrant to exhume his body. I’ll wager Tate Murray hasn’t been a resident of the cemetery where he was buried since shortly after the graveside service.”

  “We can’t go digging up someone’s dead son based on speculation,” Griggs argued.

  Patterson agreed, “The press will eat us alive.”

  Lori had opened her laptop and her fingers raced across the keys. Jess didn’t know what she was looking for but she hoped it would be something to win this unreasonable standoff. They had to act now.

  But what if she was wrong…about part of all of this?

  “Gentlemen,” Burnett stood, “we’ve run out of time and excuses. The gloves have to come off. Detective Wells, call Judge Schmale, tell him I’m calling in that marker he owes me.”

  “An exhumation may not be necessary, chief,” Lori spoke up. “Tate Murray was buried in the family cemetery on the Murray farm.”

  “That’s even better,” Burnett said. “We need a search warrant for the Murray property. List the girls’ names. And don’t forget Christina Debarros.”

  “Make it fast,” Jess urged. “Tate Murray graduated college recently. His family is ready for him to take the next step.”

  Dan’s eyes met hers as if he’d just realized the same thing.

  A new kind of terror flooded Jess. “I believe the Murrays have been searching for their son’s bride.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Andrea sat in the chair next to the dead boy. The trembling wouldn’t stop. She worked hard to keep it from showing. Her fingers tightened around the bouquet of flowers she held.

  The man and woman had decorated the living room with flowers and ribbons. A two-tier white cake with a topper featuring a bride and groom sat on a table. They had both read from the Bible. Hugged and kissed each other, Andrea and the boy.

  This was crazy. Andrea wanted to go home. What had they done with the other girls? Hours had passed and neither the man nor the woman had mentioned the others. She hadn’t heard any screaming.

  Tears burned Andrea’s eyes. Don’t cry! Don’t cry. She had to be strong. She could escape if she stayed strong and calm. Dan wasn’t coming in time. She had to stay alert for an opportunity. She hadn’t seen a gun, which meant all she had to do was be faster and stronger and smarter. If they caught her…they would do to her whatever they had done to the others…to that girl and baby in the basement.

  “Andrea,” the woman said, “do you take Tate for your lawful wedded husband? To have and to hold until death do you part?”

  He’s already dead! “I…” Andrea swallowed back the terror. “I do.”

  “Do you, Tate,” the man asked, “take Andrea for your lawful wedded wife? To have and to hold until death do you part?”

  A moment of silence passed.

  The man and woman smiled. “That’s my boy,” she said.

  “We now pronou
nce you man and wife,” he said.

  The woman snapped another photo. “Now the kiss!”

  The man hurried over and scooted the boy’s chair around until he was facing Andrea. “Tate,” he said gently, “you may kiss your bride.”

  “Get out of the way, Daddy!” the woman shouted. “You’re blocking my shot.”

  Andrea couldn’t move for a moment. She stared at the pitiful face that, though not decomposed completely, was showing signs of deteriorating. They were waiting, the camera poised to capture the next shot.

  She had to do this. Her life depended upon it. God only knew what they had done to the others already.

  Andrea leaned forward. Her breath caught at the smell, something pungent like disinfectant, as she grew closer and closer. She pressed her lips to his cold, hard mouth.

  The camera flashed. Cheering and clapping filled the room.

  “Get the champagne, Daddy. I’ll cut the cake.”

  Andrea stared at the corpse. What had happened to this boy? Were these people really his parents? What about the bodies in the basement? Were there others?

  A small china plate filled with cake was shoved in front of her. Andrea forced her lips into a smile. “Thank you.” She tried to keep her fingers from shaking as she held the plate. If she dropped it, they would probably punish her.

  Another plate with a big slice of cake was placed on a table and dragged over to the boy’s chair.

  A pop startled Andrea. She almost dropped the cake. Her fork rattled against her plate.

  The bottle of champagne bubbled over. Two stemmed glasses were filled. One thrust at Andrea. The other placed on the table next to the boy.

  The man and woman drank champagne and danced around the room. They toasted their son and talked about what a perfect birthday present his new bride was. They sang happy birthday to him.