Lori looked angry and frustrated. Jordan couldn’t blame her. Having her private life dissected for everyone’s scrutiny and judgment after the trauma she’d been through had to be beyond trying. She waited, and Lori gave a sigh that sounded close to a sob.
“I know you have to ask these questions, and I pray you find the other women, but…I don’t know how much longer I can take this. Our sex life wasn’t so different from that of millions of others. Who does he think he is?”
“We’ll find out.”
“Wait. You didn’t hear anything about Bella, did you? We weren’t best friends, but I thought she might come to see me if she heard.”
Jordan shook her head. Sometimes, a lie was indeed the merciful solution. The comfort of cowards, maybe. Then again, this wasn’t for Jordan’s comfort. She didn’t want to unleash yet another trauma on Lori, and she needed her focused and alert.
* * * *
Dealing with the missing persons database, as usual, made it hard not to lose said focus herself, too many stories, too many fates uncertain—the youngest, a girl of three years. She was looking for someone who fit the profile though, a woman roughly between her late twenties and early forties, attractive by societal standards, single or divorced, dating, a resident of the area circles within the map that Lori had helped establish.
Judy Lawrence, age thirty-one, reported missing by her sister Meg, caught her eye. Judy, recently divorced, had moved in with her sister while she was looking for her own place. Lori: June 6th . Judy: June 26th.
“What is it?” Derek asked. She hadn’t realized she’d covered her mouth with her hand until he spoke to her. It could be a complete coincidence. There could be a relation which would come with unforeseen consequences. It had been the 16th when Ellie was attacked on her way home. She pulled up the report of the 16th, scanning the pages. A man appearing seemingly out of nowhere. Dark clothes, fit, wearing a ski mask. Jordan shuddered. If those pieces came together, two women had gotten away from him, which meant without a doubt a blow to his ego. There had to be something else they all had in common, something they hadn’t seen yet, something that might save Judy Lawrence’s life. She went back to the board and the map. The All Colors was well within the circle they had established—so was the area where the elderly woman had called 911 after hearing screams outside their home. The officers first on the scene were third year graduates of Ellie’s class. They had called for backup and notified Sergeant Bristol that one of their own had been attacked, by a man not yet apprehended. Time to turn up the heat.
She found Sergeant Bristol in his office, on the phone. He signaled for her to wait, so Jordan did, having a hard time not to fidget.
“Carpenter,” he said. “What can you tell me about this other woman?”
“I think we found a match. There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Officer Harding? How’s she doing?”
“Doing okay. I noticed something though.” She laid the notepad she’d used earlier in front of him. Bristol frowned.
“Three sixes? Is this some strange occurrence, or is he mocking us?”
“I don’t know yet. I’m not even sure how Harding fits into this, but if she got away from the same guy, it might explain why he took another woman so soon.”
“Here I thought you’d bring me good news for once. Go talk to Harding. You seem to get along well—” Jordan kept a straight face though she felt the blush creep onto her face. “See if she can come up with anything else. I’m not sure yet this is compelling evidence, but I want you both to be careful. Have Henderson follow up on Lawrence.”
“Will do, sir.”
* * * *
Ellie looked much too happy to see her when she let Jordan in. “Wow. I didn’t expect you,” she said, sounding a tad nervous. “Come on in.”
“There have been some knew developments. Bristol sent me.”
“Oh.” Ellie’s eyes widened for a brief moment. “Okay. Have a seat?”
“I won’t be long. There’s something strange about the dates when the women went missing.” Jordan could tell that Ellie relaxed slightly. Too early. “The day you were attacked seems to fit right in. We were wondering if there was anything that came back to you. Memory is not always linear when you’ve been through a trauma,” she added, finding that the words had a lame, trivial ring to them. Ellie’s expression was guarded now.
“You and the sergeant would probably be the first to know. What is this? Are you trying to find a way to send me back downstairs?”
Not for a minute had Jordan considered this interpretation. Now that it was in the room, she wondered how they could continue to work together given the undeniable attraction. Even with the case accelerating, she could feel it, smoldering under the surface.
“That has nothing to do with us,” she said, her tone final. “Lori Gleason claims there was another woman. We are trying to find her before he kills her. The night you were attacked, the date, it’s right in the middle of when Lori and Judy went missing. It could be a coincidence, but maybe it’s not. Have a look.”
Frowning, Ellie regarded the notes Jordan had shown Bristol earlier. “It’s just numbers. I thought we established this guy is unorganized, compulsive. Numerology? That doesn’t seem to fit. Really, you and Bristol are reading 666 into this? I don’t believe this murderer sees himself as the devil. On the contrary, he has the air of a self-righteous asshole.” She was talking fast as if to fit as many words in as possible, before Jordan could contradict her.
“It’s not just the numbers. If the cases are related…Lori got away, and so did you. He’s angry.”
“We don’t know. If there’s one thing I’ve learned this week, it’s we don’t really know a lot about him. See, I don’t think this is…conclusive. Bristol is not taking me off the case, is he?”
The potential for conflict, as if they hadn’t created enough of it already, was laid bare.
“Not yet, but you know what this could mean. You’re not his average target.” Jordan was pretty sure that the term victim wouldn’t be welcome. “You got away. You’re a cop.”
“So you think he wants to follow up on that? I think with Lori surviving and remembering things, he’s got his hands full, if, and that’s still a big if, there’s any relation.”
“We need to consider the possibility.”
“I need to feel like I’m worth something!”
There was a moment of terse silence after Ellie’s outburst startled them both. “Let me break it down for you. I’ve been feeling like shit every day since it happened, because I walked home, wearing something that’s nice to look at, and I know that’s what you were doing that night. However, it wasn’t the best gear for when you need to run away. I let this guy jump me. I’m a trained police officer and I…I froze. I needed to take a chance on a little old lady being brave enough to call 911. I’m back though. I can do my job. Don’t take this away from me.”
Jordan finally accepted Ellie’s offer and sat down on the edge of an armchair in the living area. She understood perfectly how Ellie felt, and why she was feeling that way. That was why, at the first sign of proof to her theory, Ellie needed to be off the case, away from the possible scrutiny of a serial killer. “Lori said something about a collar he made her wear. There was nothing like that at the scene, which looked way too clean anyway.”
“You think he moved her?”
“Possibly. You know that whatever happens with this case, everyone is on the lookout, right?”
“Yeah, as usual, when it’s one of our own. I know.”
“It’s the truth.”
“I’m lucky to have you guys.” Ellie sounded a little less resigned, braving a brief smile. “I also have to prepare myself for the possibility that he’s getting away with it. It happens.”
Jordan couldn’t argue with that. “Okay. I wanted to give you the heads up.”
“Thank you.” They both hesitated too long, and then spoke at the same time.
“Would you like to…stay for a bit?” Ellie asked. There was hardly anything Jordan wanted more at this moment, hide in her arms and forget about all those women-hating fuckers out there. Forget about Bethany who probably hated Jordan, for a more understandable, logical reason.
The memory of Ellie trembling and moaning with pleasure underneath her nearly undid all the fairly good intentions she’d brought with her.
“I was about to order pizza. How about it?”
“I’m sorry. I can’t. Bethany came back this morning.”
“I see.”
“I’m really sorry,” Jordan tried again, but Ellie brushed her off.
“No, that’s okay. I meant what I said. I need this job.” She laughed wryly. “I guess I needed to get laid too, so thanks for helping me out with that. Don’t worry, I won’t go all Fatal Attraction on you.”
“Ellie.”
“You better go.”
So Jordan did, telling herself she had no reason at all to feel hurt. None. Just like the last time, she’d brought this on herself, and just like the last time, nothing would change. Her only chance at slightly redeeming herself was trying to find a man who liked to torture women in basements before killing them.
Jordan didn’t feel like facing Bethany yet, so she drove back to the station to see how far Henderson had gotten on Judy Lawrence’s case.
* * * *
“You’re here, good,” Derek said. “Have a cup of coffee. Here’s some reading for you.” At her quizzical look, he explained. “Lori Gleason’s blood work. We know he drugged her, but that’s some heady cocktail.”
Jordan groaned when she read the term hallucinogens. This could mean a serious setback, especially if the higher-ups thought that some of her claims might not be as credible. However, Judy Lawrence’s case fit. There was no reason to think the other woman might have been a figment of Gleason’s tormented imagination, due to the trauma inflicted on her. Pain killers. Muscle relaxants. She wasn’t kidding herself, it didn’t mean the perp had had second thoughts. He’d been drawing out the finish for as long as possible. So he wasn’t that unorganized, had planned enough to get his hands on a multitude of drugs, tools, locations. If Lori had been moved to a house about to change owners in a matter of days, where had she been held before?
Pins on a map. She was dreaming of this map at night, her subconscious struggling to find the missing link. Jordan knew it was there.
“Anything new from Harding?” Henderson asked. She shook her head.
“I talked to Lawrence’s sister,” he said. “She said the exact same thing that’s already in the report. They fought because Judy partied a lot rather than looking for a new job and apartment. Meg, the sister, even made an appointment with a realtor for her, but Judy never went.”
“She didn’t tell you where Judy was going to party?”
“Well, that’s the only interesting part. Guess: Your favorite place. I was thinking we’d drop by on the way home.”
“Nothing I’d rather do on a Sunday night,” she said.
* * * *
Jordan felt fairly optimistic when she climbed the stairs to her apartment, a last minute evasion tactic not to take the elevator. At least the case was moving forward. Lawrence had been another regular at the All Colors, and unlike Lori and Isabel “Bella” Hayes, she hadn’t tried to keep a low profile.
“Wow, now I know why he looked familiar. No, he wasn’t the guy I saw with Bella and Lori, but he and Judy hung out a lot,” Sheila told her when Jordan drove by the bar. She gave Jordan a troubled look. “She’s not dead, is she? I’m beginning to think I should get out of here as soon as I can.”
Jordan would have liked to reassure her, but too many arrows pointed at the All Colors. Who knew if the killer would distinguish between someone who worked here and those who came to find more than a paycheck?
Tomorrow, they’d lean a little harder on Chambers. He seemed to have a knack for hanging around women who then disappeared. Frankly, Jordan would have liked Gleason better as a suspect, especially since his business trip was obviously a ruse, but she could live with being not always right with first impressions, as long as she could solve the case. For now, she had to test the waters at home.
“I see you tried your best not to have a single meal with me today,” Bethany greeted her. Jordan shrugged and gave her a half-smile, conceding that her assessment wasn’t too far off. “I’m sorry. This case is still wide open.”
“You don’t have to apologize. I had some work to do as well. We can still order in.”
“Sure. I’d like to take a shower first.”
“Wait,” Bethany called after her. “What do you want?”
“Whatever you prefer.”
When she returned from the bathroom, Bethany had set the table and poured a glass of wine for each of them. Much as she tried, Jordan couldn’t muster the right emotions she knew she should have. The faint sense of guilt came from logical deduction, but she couldn’t feel it. Too much was already broken between them, had been for a long time. They were treading carefully on broken glass, instead of trying to clean up.
She thought of Ellie, and her parting words, surprised at the instant pain. She was overreacting, for sure. It would be ridiculous to expect more of the young rookie than a one-night-stand. Yet, she wished she could be with her right now, for once have an uncomplicated relationship without the entanglements of guilt and obligation.
The doorbell rang, and Bethany got up to answer the delivery guy from the Chinese restaurant. Before they sat down to eat, she filled Jordan’s glass once more and leaned close to kiss her. “I hope you didn’t open the toy drawer for her,” she whispered.
In a strange sense, Bethany seemed to enjoy the situation. Either way, she came out on top.
“We don’t have a toy drawer,” Jordan said.
“No, but maybe that’s something we should look into. If it keeps you from straying, it might be worth it.”
Jordan kept her gaze on her plate. “I’m not sure I’m hungry.” This, like so many other words spoken, was a lie. She was actually starving, contemplating if going to bed with a rumbling stomach would be slightly more dignified than listening to Bethany.
“No reason to waste perfectly good food. Contrary to what you think, Jordan, I’m not trying to make you feel worse.”
“Could have fooled me.” She had to stop, not go for the bait.
“Really? How do you think this is making me feel?” Obviously, Bethany didn’t expect an answer. She sighed. “I know it’s not entirely your fault. Things haven’t been so great, and I contributed to that as well. I’ll try harder. It will be different this time.”
Jordan hadn’t missed the emphasis. At this point, Bethany wasn’t willing to give her any credit for trying. “I can’t do this right now. This case is…It’s bad. I can’t have any distractions.”
“Of course.” In a heartbeat, Bethany’s tone had turned warm and conversational. She reached for Jordan’s hand. “When all of this is over, we can take some time for ourselves.”
It sounded good in theory, but they’d been there before. After this case, there would be another, and another one after that. In nine years, both of them had become so good at pretending, it was disturbing at times.
They spent the rest of the evening glossing over those heavier subjects. Bethany had some reading to do while Jordan mentally prepared for another visit to Chambers. Probably, she wouldn’t take Ellie this time—there’d be enough to do at headquarters. She was still going over the upcoming workday in her mind when Bethany joined her, slipping her robe off her shoulders and crawled under the covers with her, naked.
* * * *
You belong in the Victorian era. He snickered at this result of a silly meme, a distraction in between clients. Close enough, though he liked the no nonsense rules of the middle ages even better. Once a woman was accused of being a witch, the fate that awaited her was worse than a late 1800s’ as
ylum. The general idea was often the same: Women were believed to be ravenous sexual creatures that needed to be controlled at any cost. Come to think of it, they could have learned something from some of today’s right-wing politicians.
He wasn’t quite so emotional on the subject.
Still, a certain behavior was an abomination, and he was more than willing to do his share of cleaning up. Truth be told, he enjoyed it too, even with the snags he’d hit lately. He wasn’t feeling threatened at this point. In fact, he was already looking forward to his next project. That was the hardest part, not to get carried away and finish up one obligation before he took on the next. However, at the moment, there was nothing specific on the horizon, and the course of the investigation suggested it might be a good idea to lay low for a while.
He logged out of his account when the doorbell rang. Maybe after this appointment, he’d be inspired.
Chapter Five
She could feel the sharp pain when the back of her head made contact with the unforgiving concrete, panic rising when her air supply was cut off by the leather collar…Ellie bolted upright in bed, her heart racing. No.
That wasn’t what happened. In her nightmare, memory had gotten mixed up with what Jordan had told her about Lori Gleason’s statement. Ellie pushed back the covers, shivering as she put her feet on the floor, trying to get her bearings. She could almost smell the leather. Her senses were in overdrive too, since the attack. She couldn’t fathom what Lori Gleason was going through right now, and frankly, Ellie didn’t want to imagine. She was irritated to feel herself tear up, alone and pitying herself, because her new approach to life wasn’t working as well as she’d hoped. What had she expected?
“Oh shut up,” she said out loud when she realized she could come up with answers all too easily. Tomorrow, she’d have to show up at work and forget about everything that happened between her and Jordan. It was for the better. Jordan had never intended to leave her partner, even if for a few brief, foolish moments, Ellie might have imagined this could be in the realm of possibility. They both had bigger problems if Lori was right.
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