by Angie Martin
“As far as I can tell, she felt every bit of everything he did to her,” Perry said. “For this one, death just didn’t come soon enough.”
Lionel closed his eyes. The wounds on the girl’s body lit up the backs of his eyelids. “Why did he carve the same letter as last time?”
“Who said it’s the same letter?” Shawn said. “It could be the start of a whole new word.”
“Hear me e,” Lionel said. “Could it be a name?”
“Your last name is Edwards,” Perry said. He motioned for the crime scene photographer to come over. “You can start with her now,” he told the photographer.
Lionel rose from the cracked asphalt. “When’s the autopsy?” he asked.
“Tomorrow morning,” Perry said. “We had a busy couple of nights so we’re a little backed up, but I’ll try for sooner if I can.”
Lionel waved goodbye to Perry and walked back toward his car with Shawn. “How would the killer know my name?”
“The press conference last week,” Shawn said. “Your name was mentioned quite a few times, and it’s been in the news.”
“True,” Lionel said, “but it doesn’t seem right. If I was the recipient of the message this whole time, he would have had to know my name from the beginning.”
“Unless he was writing a general message and then added your name after he learned you were the head of the task force.”
Lionel stopped at his car, frustration boiling his face. “Then why won’t he just tell us what he wants us to hear?” His voice became louder as he spoke. “Is he trying to say he can really torture someone before they die? Or that he’s mastered the art of chopping off fingers? Or maybe that he can make us look like the most incompetent detectives in the country?” Lionel turned and repeatedly kicked his tire.
Shawn held up his hands. “Hey, slow down there.”
“I’m sorry,” Lionel said. He balled up his fists and held them down to his sides as he tried to calm down. “I’m just getting tired of crime scenes and autopsies. What these women went through before they died is really starting to get to me.”
“You don’t have to apologize for being frustrated,” Shawn said. “We all are. Just remember, we’re on the same team.”
Lionel took a deep breath and unclenched his fists. “Then let’s start working on witnesses. I want to know who this girl is and when she was taken. Nothing else matters right now but her identity.”
“You got it, boss.” Shawn jogged off toward his car.
Lionel walked around his car to the driver’s side door. He reached for the handle, but hesitated before he opened the door.
Looking down the alley, the victim’s face came back to the front of his mind. Something about the way she was savagely murdered bothered him, just as it had when he first looked at her, before his train of thought was thrown in a different direction by the letter. Unable to remember what it was that nagged at him, he climbed into his car and drove away in the direction of the police station.
Chapter Thirty
Emily glanced at the clock and sighed. At any moment, Nathan would arrive for their meeting. She was nervous, not about seeing him, but about discussing her newfound relationship with Jake. She feared what Nathan had to say, and why he decided to come see her only after Jake revealed to him that they were dating.
Earlier that morning, Cassie left to meet with Keith about their Heartland Insurance contract. Keith wanted to review the last details of their contract to make sure both parties were happy, and Cassie was eager to get out of the office for something other than a case.
Emily was grateful for the reprieve from having to explain Nathan’s visit to Cassie. She sent Cassie on her way with the assurance that she would handle the interviews they had scheduled for the morning to add a new private investigator to the firm. She was determined to prove Jake wrong about her reluctance to hire a new employee. Though having placed the ad just last night after Jake left, twenty résumés already found their way to her email inbox. It wouldn’t be long before they were training a new investigator.
Even though Emily knew the interviews were necessary, she really wasn’t up for them, or work of any kind. Jake was too far under her skin for her to concentrate with any effectiveness. She had become a clock watcher, counting down the minutes until that night, when they would spend the evening in with a movie at her house.
They wanted to see each other for lunch, but Jake was finishing up his jury pool report for Nathan for Monday’s jury selection. Once he completed the report, he would be free to spend as much time with her as they wanted until Friday morning, his next meeting with Nathan.
She wished they had the luxury of being reckless and shirking any responsibility that kept them away from each other. Nothing, it seemed, could stop her from thinking about him. The incredible speed at which their relationship escalated should have petrified her, but she embraced their future. The only thing more exhilarating than falling in love with this amazing man she met three days ago was the knowledge that he was also falling in love with her.
Her phone beeped and Beverly called out over the intercom. “Mr. Wolk is here to see you.”
Emily’s nerves jumped. “Thanks, Beverly. Just send him on back.” He was no stranger to their office, having visited her several times a week during their dating escapade.
A moment later, Nathan poked his smiling face through her office door. Emily rose from her chair to greet him and he pulled her to him in a large, familiar hug, lingering just a moment too long. While he sat, Emily closed her office door.
She decided to sit in the chair next to him, rather than in her office chair behind the desk. As soon as she relaxed in the chair, she noticed he wore the shirt she had bought him on their trip to a beach resort in San Diego. A deliberate attempt to make her remember their time together, his choice in clothing both amused and irritated her. Nathan always knew what cards to play, even when he knew better than to play them.
After he complimented her appearance, she asked, “So what brings you out this way? Do you have a case for us?” She opted to play ignorant, rather than bring up Jake first.
“You know we have our own in-house investigators,” he said. “If it was up to me, we would hire you for all of our cases. Everyone knows you and Cassie are the best in town.”
“Thank you, but you didn’t come all this way to tell me that.”
“No, I didn’t. I wanted to ask you about Jake Hanley.”
His direct approach to the topic reminded her so much of their relationship. Nathan never minced words, and he had no problem putting her under his spotlight. “I met Jake at the party Saturday night.”
An unmistakable anguish laced his voice. “So it’s true you’re dating him?”
“You didn’t believe him when he told you?”
Nathan smirked. “You caught me. Maybe I didn’t want to believe him.”
“This shouldn’t come as a shock to you, Nate. I was going to start dating again sooner or later. Plus you’ve been dating Trisha for a few months now, so you really shouldn’t have too much to say about me doing the same thing.”
“But it’s not the same thing. Trisha is a rebound.”
Emily flinched at his statement. “Do you realize how bad that sounds?”
“Yeah,” he said. “It does sound really bad, but it’s true.”
“Maybe you should give it a go with Trisha. It could possibly work out between you, but you’ll never know if you keep holding her at a distance.”
“It’s much too late for that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Imagine you get a bowl of soup in a restaurant. You stir the soup with your spoon and a hair rises to the top. You can take the hair out of your soup, but you can’t eat the soup because you know there was a hair in it.”
“And this has what to do with Trisha?”
“You’re the hair in our relationship.”
“I’m not sure that’s something I want to be compared to,” Emily said.<
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“My relationship with Trisha will never work because you’ve been in it, whether you know it or not.”
“Your relationship with Trisha will never work because you’ve turned it into a farce. Why are you keeping her around? Cut the poor girl loose before you hurt her even more.”
“I already planned on ending it tonight. After I saw you Saturday night, I knew I couldn’t keep it going with her. The whole thing isn’t just hard on her, but on me as well. When I’m with her, I only think that she’s not you.”
Pain stabbed Emily’s heart and she accepted responsibility for his inability to get over her as easily as she did him. She had led him on for so long in their relationship, had played the part of the perfect girlfriend, even if she didn’t realize it until the damage was done.
“I’m really sorry, Nate. I honestly didn’t mean to hurt you. I want nothing more than for you to find whoever it is you’re meant to spend your life with.”
“I want that, too. I guess it’s hard because I feel like you were over me the minute you broke it off, and I’ve just been floating around without purpose, hoping you’ll change your mind and come back to me. When I saw you Saturday, I thought maybe there was still a chance for us. Then I found out you’re dating him.”
“You don’t want us to get back together, Nate. You think you do, but you deserve to be with someone who loves you, who will give you everything you need. I’m not that person. I will always care about you, but it stops with friendship.”
“As much as it hurts to hear that, I know it’s true.” Nathan stood up and started for the door. “I’m sorry that I came this morning. I shouldn’t have stirred all this up again and I’m afraid I’m sounding rather pathetic.” He raised his eyebrows and huffed. “Again.”
“You don’t sound pathetic.” Emily got up and turned toward him. “But what do you really want from me, Nate?”
“Closure.” He walked over to her until she was backed up against the desk. He took her hands in his. “I need closure.”
Her nerves kicked into high gear with his close proximity. She wasn’t afraid that she would be tempted to kiss him, but she was worried he might just try in a last ditch effort to get back together. She shifted uncomfortably. “I want you to have that as well, but I’m not sure how to give that to you.”
Nathan locked eyes with hers. “Does he make you happy?”
Emily noticed he hadn’t used Jake’s name since he first brought him up. “We’ve only been on three dates.”
“You would know by now if it wasn’t going to stick.”
“Yes, Jake makes me very happy.”
Nathan nodded with resignation. “I wish I could tell you horrible things about him. I even thought up a few crazy stories on the way over here to warn you away from him, but I can’t lie. I knew there was something special about him the minute I hired him, and he’s been fantastic for the firm. More than that, he’s honest and genuinely nice. I guess you could say he’s an all-around great guy, which is rare among our breed.” He sighed and looked away from her. “I just wish I knew what he has that I don’t.”
“I know you won’t let my relationship with him affect his job,” Emily said, “but I need for you to let the idea of us go. Even if I hadn’t met Jake, you and I had no chance of getting back together. Just tell me we can still be friends.”
Nathan squeezed her hands. “Of course we’re still friends. I should have known you two would be a perfect fit. If we aren’t meant to be together, then I couldn’t imagine you with anyone else other than him. He will treat you right and he’ll give you the world, I’m sure.”
“Thank you, Nate. You don’t know how much your approval of Jake means to me.” Emily kissed his cheek and wrapped her arms around him. “You’ll find someone so much better for you than I ever was,” she said.
He pulled back from her and smiled. “I hope you’re right. But when I do, I’ll need your blessing as well. I’m not letting our friendship go to the wayside because you’ve run off and met Mr. Right.”
“Please don’t be too hard on Trisha tonight. She doesn’t deserve to suffer because of me.”
“I promise to make it quick and painless,” Nathan said. He opened the office door. “And I promise to stop using your friendship to try to woo you back to me. You are far too important for me to lose you completely by acting childish.” He waved and left her office.
Emily walked back around her desk, fell into her chair, and picked up her cell phone. She typed out a text message to Jake. Met with Nate, all is good. She pushed send, and then typed out another short text. Miss you.
She chewed on her bottom lip and stared at her phone, wondering if she said too much too soon. She didn’t want to scare him away, but she also wanted him to know she was thinking about him.
Her phone beeped and his reply text popped up on the screen. Miss you, too. Can’t wait until tonight.
Butterflies fluttered around Emily’s stomach and heart, and she leaned back in her chair. She had so much work to do before the first interviewee arrived, but instead she closed her eyes and thought about the heat of Jake’s kiss.
Her phone’s intercom beeped, dragging her out of her reverie. Beverly’s voice filled her office. “Ms. Cobalt is here for her interview, and Cassie is on line one for you.”
“Please put Ms. Cobalt in the conference room, give her an application to complete, and make sure she’s comfortable. I’ll be right with her.”
Emily clicked the phone over to the blinking extension. “Hey, Cass. What’s going on?”
“How are the interviews coming?” Cassie asked.
“Just getting ready to start the first one,” Emily said. She pulled up Gina Cobalt’s résumé on her computer to print an extra copy. “How did everything go with Keith?”
“We’re all set. The terms are exactly how we wanted them. We’ll both meet with him on Monday morning to sign the contract. I’m heading back to the office now. Oh, and Uncle Leo called. There’s another body.”
Emily drew a sharp breath, and the darkness returned to her mind full force. It had never disappeared completely, but was simply hiding in the back of her mind while she met with Nate and daydreamed about Jake. “That’s not good,” Emily said.
“I talked Uncle Leo into letting us go to the crime scene this afternoon.” Before Emily could protest, Cassie said, “Don’t worry, the body has been taken away already, and there’s no blood. I think if we visit the crime scene, you might pick up on something the police haven’t.”
“I agree,” Emily said. “I’ll see you when you get here.”
After she hung up the phone, the darkness pressed deeper into her mind, tangling itself in the fibers of her brain like a thorny weed taking root. She had to search out the source of the darkness to know how to get rid of it. Walking around the crime scene of the latest body might be the key, especially since the victim found there had screamed Emily’s name while being tortured to death.
Chapter Thirty-one
Stephanie Price transferred the last grocery bag from her shopping cart into the trunk of her car. As she pushed the shopping cart toward the metal cart corral, another shopper walked up to her and asked if he could take the cart for her. She gave him a genuine smile and thanked him.
By far, Stephanie was the friendliest conduit David had come across in all his travels. Two weeks ago, he met her at a bagel shop, where she bought breakfast for the office staff she managed. She didn’t become irritated when the cashier twice read her large order back to her incorrectly, but she repeated her order with patience and a smile. Everywhere he followed her since that morning, Stephanie exemplified kindness.
But a kind heart wouldn’t save her.
The strength Stephanie exhibited as a conduit surpassed even Jillian, but he was already geared up to kill Jillian when he found Stephanie, so she had to wait her turn. Jillian had been so strong, and had impressively reinforced the connection he had with Emily. It worked to his advantage to kill Stephanie
after Jillian in order to cement their bond.
Since Jillian, Emily was in his mind every second of the day, and even when he slept. It wasn’t just that he thought about her all the time, but he felt her with him. He still had a little ways to go before he could summon her to come to him, but with every girl in his basement, he came closer to his goal.
Stephanie backed her car out of her parking spot and David watched her weave through the tangle of cars vying for a parking space at the busy market. While she had been in the store, David walked through the lot and knelt down on one side of her car, pretending to tie his shoe. With one hand on his shoelaces, the other hand attached a small magnetic case containing a GPS tracking device on the underbelly of her car.
He turned on the application he installed in his phone, and in real time watched Stephanie’s car drive down the street and toward her home. David turned the key to start the ignition of his own car. With the GPS device active and functioning, it was time for him to set up the rest of his trap for her.
Every Tuesday evening, Stephanie had a standing date with her two sisters at a small diner. They always closed out the diner, talking and laughing over burgers, greasy French fries, and chocolate shakes. The owners of the diner were gracious to their valued regulars, and allowed them to stay in their booth until just after the eleven o’clock closing time.
Stephanie lived in Haysville, while her sisters lived in Goddard. Located on the west side of Wichita, the diner was much closer to Goddard than to Haysville, giving Stephanie a long drive home. After dinner, Stephanie made the trek to her house, where she lived with her roommate of three years.
Through his research, he found Stephanie’s cell phone provider had a five mile dead zone on one of the rural roads Stephanie always used to drive home. That late on a weeknight, the deserted road in the middle of that dead zone was the perfect place for Stephanie to run into unexpected road kill.
As David drove toward the place where he would take Stephanie away from the world, he thought about his perfectly designed plan. His bold assumption that Stephanie would be the only car coming down the road at that time of night placed an exceeding amount of pressure on him. Everything had to be timed just right to avoid any witnesses.