by Jenifer Ruff
Victoria scanned the small space again, looking for anything. “Should we have techs come in?”
Rivera shook his head. “Doesn’t look like anything happened here.”
“I’ll take this.” She pulled a large, yellow bag down from the top shelf of the closet. She unfolded the top, peered inside, and moved the contents around to make sure it really contained dog food. “This is excellent.”
“I figured you had a year’s supply at your house.”
“If they switch food suddenly, they’re likely to be sick. Now I can mix some of theirs with some of mine.”
Rivera rolled his eyes, but with the hint of a smile. “I’m starving,” he said as they left the room. “Do you want to grab dinner now then call the Cossman contacts?”
“I’d like to get back to the office, get my car and get home. Let’s split up the research.” Victoria sighed. She’d be thinking about the murders long into the night, focusing on every little detail. The day had started out so well, a long walk in the woods with her dogs after the cleansing rain, and ended so terribly, with three murders and a note for her from the killer. She was determined to find out who had ruined the day for so many people.
Rivera nodded. “I’ll be up late. Call me if you find anything.”
Chapter Ten
The garage door rose in silence, revealing Ned’s black Ford Explorer inside.
Victoria pressed her fist against her lips. “I forgot to call him.”
She parked her car and glanced at the dogs. “You stay here. I’ll be right back. I need to introduce you to the pack one at a time. Just don’t show any fear and things will go well. They’re all very accustomed to newcomers.”
Entering the large mudroom, she inhaled the fresh scent of lemon and vinegar. The floors were gleaming thanks to the visit from her cleaning crew.
Her pack crowded the room to greet her. Izzy wiggled in and out between her legs. Eddie smiled, his gums pulling back to reveal his teeth. His tail curled up into a circle behind him. Myrtle jumped up and down. Charmer sniffed in cute, quick little snorts.
“I’m home. Yes. I know you smell new dogs. We have visitors. Calm down and you’ll get to meet them.”
The house phone rang. Victoria headed to answer it. Ned walked around the corner shirtless, wringing water from his dripping hair with a towel. He saw Victoria and stopped short. Their eyes met, and both were silent.
Victoria smiled, shifting her gaze away from Ned’s chest and to the phone. Something tingled inside her stomach.
Ned pointed at the phone. “I’m guessing that isn’t you calling to say you’ll be back soon.”
“I’m sorry, Ned.” She shook her head, her cheeks still a little hot. “Sort of a last-minute change of plans and I forgot to call you.”
“No problem. Hold on. Just let me finish getting dressed. I just went for a run and—be right back.”
Victoria opened the fridge and poured herself a glass of water.
Ned returned wearing a T-shirt, skin still glistening from his shower. “I can . . . I mean, I can stay if it helps, or I can go and come back tomorrow . . .” His eyes moved from Victoria to the dogs, a slight shrug of his shoulders.
“Um . . . I guess it’s whatever is most convenient for you. I’m going to be up really late working on some new cases . . . really, whatever is best for you.”
Ned crouched down to rub Myrtle’s side and scratch Cooper’s neck, keeping his eyes on them. “Sounds like you’re beat, and you’ve still got work to do . . .”
It might be nice to be in his arms. “Yeah, it was quite a day.” She started to bend down to take off her shoes, but remembered she had a reason to keep them on.
“I saw you on the news today. You and another agent.”
“Really?” She frowned, thinking about what might have been revealed to the public.
“Coming from a crime scene in front of a small house. Then again later near the Triple Falls Trails, another murder scene.” He let out a low whistle.
Victoria chewed on her bottom lip. If Channel 14 had aired footage of her after the first crime scene, that might partly explain the note left for her at the second. Although the content of the note was still a complete mystery.
Ned straightened up and smiled. “I should probably go home and water my plants.”
“Oh, you have plants?”
“No.” He laughed. “I’ll just come back tomorrow after you leave for work.”
She nodded. “Ned . . . Thanks. For this. For everything. I—”
“You think your new case will be wrapped up before the trip?”
“Yes, absolutely. I mean—hopefully—but remember, if for some reason I can’t leave, you’ll still go to Spain without me?”
“I will.” He laughed. “I promised, didn’t I?”
“Good. Just making sure. Actually, before you go, can you just help me with something?”
He smiled again. “Of course. What is it?”
She tilted her head toward the garage and offered a sheepish smile. “We’ve got some temporary guests.”
A hint of confusion crossed his face, but only for a fleeting second. His eyes lit up and he smiled. “Ahhh, sure . . . let’s see what type of guests you’ve got out there.”
They both started toward the garage at the same time. His arm grazed hers, startling her with a tingling sensation. She stopped, putting more space between them, still thinking about the feeling. For right now, that was enough. She didn’t want to lead him on. He was too important to her.
“Sorry.” He stepped aside and extended his arm. “Lead the way, boss lady. Can’t wait to see what you brought home.”
She walked ahead of him, and in spite of the day she’d had, couldn’t help but smiling as his warm laughter echoed through the mudroom.
Victoria opened the back of her SUV. “They’re from the crime scene.”
“Really?” Ned stood still, letting the dogs sniff him. “Look, you’ve had a long day. Let me take care of these guys and you go settle in.”
“Thanks.” Victoria exhaled loudly. ‘That would be nice. I can’t wait to change. My clothes were wet half the day.”
“Go ahead. I’ve got this.”
She stood under the shower spray, letting the heat soothe her shoulders and cascade over her low back. She didn’t know what she was feeling or what she wanted from Ned. She didn’t want to lead him on and make him think there could be something more than there was. She liked him. She really did. Everything about him. He was handsome, smart, fit, loved her dogs—what more did she need? But was it stupid to try and see if there was more? Because she sure didn’t want to risk losing what he was already providing—peace of mind, trust, reliability. None of them small things to be taken for granted.
After the shower, Victoria put on a silky robe and left her bedroom suite to see how everyone was getting on. In the family room, Ned was kneeling next to Leo and Bella. “How are the little ones doing?”
Ned laughed. “They’re only little compared to your pack. And they’re doing great.” That’s when he looked her way. His eyes opened a little wider, he covered his mouth with his hand, and quickly turned his attention back to the dogs. It was his turn to blush.
Victoria pulled her robe tighter over her camisole and sleep shorts. “Good to hear. I knew they would be okay.”
“Yeah, they’re going to be fine here.” Ned stood up. “So, guess I’ll be going.”
“Thanks.”
“Sure thing.”
He walked from the room and the door to the garage closed quietly behind him.
Victoria took his place, crouching down with the new dogs and murmuring to them. “I shouldn’t have done that, come out here in my robe, should I? He’s a gentleman and I’m sending mixed signals, aren’t I?”
Leo licked her chin.
Chapter Eleven
Kelly Smith zipped up her coat and shifted her feet from side to side. Her fingers wrapped around the door handle as she scanned the dim and
quiet parking lot and settled her gaze on her husband, who was walking toward the car. “We’re going to be late.”
Jason pressed the unlock button on the key fob. Something inside the Jeep honked and the locks flipped up. “No, we’re not. There’s at least twenty minutes of previews.”
Kelly opened the passenger door and slid into the seat. “I love the previews. They’re sometimes more entertaining than the movie. We have to hurry.”
“I want to stop at a store and get some candy on the way. It’s too expensive at the theater.”
“No.” She gave Jason her cutest pleading face. “We don’t have time.”
Jason started the car. “I’m pretty sure there’s a CVS on the way. I’ll be quick. In and out.”
Kelly turned on the heater and rubbed her hands together. “No, sweetie, you’re never just in and out. That’s why we missed the nine-thirty show.”
Jason grinned. “I’ll get you red licorice.”
“Fine. And something with caffeine. Like if they have a cold Starbucks latte in a bottle. I don’t know if I’m going to make it through the whole movie. It’s so late.”
“Not my fault.” Jason grinned. “I’m just trying to satisfy my bride.”
Kelly licked her lips, smiling.
Putting the car in gear, Jason placed his hand over his wife’s. As they pulled out of the parking lot he glanced in the rearview mirror. A gray Honda with one headlight followed close behind. The Smiths made a right turn and then at the next stop light, a left.
“Hmm, that the same car?” mumbled Jason.
“Hmm, what?”
“That car back there. I saw that same car when I dropped you off to get your nails done. That lady was behind me. I got out and told her she only had one working headlight. Guess she didn’t get it fixed.”
“That was nice of you to tell her.”
“Lot of good it did.” Jason snorted. “I got drenched doing it. And now she’s following us.”
“No good deed goes. . . unnoticed.” Kelly tossed her long hair over her shoulder.
“It’s no bad deed goes unpunished.”
“You don’t do bad deeds, so all you need to know is my saying. If it wasn’t a saying before, then it is now, because I just made it up.”
“Well, okay then. Notice away.”
Kelly laughed and leaned toward her husband to peek in the rearview mirror. The car was still behind them, looking unbalanced without two glowing circles in the front.
“Strange how that car pulled out of the parking lot exactly when we did.”
“Just a coincidence,” Jason said.
Kelly pushed a button for the radio and twirled the knob until she found something she wanted to hear. “There it is!” Kelly pointed to the CVS as they were about to pass it.
Jason hit the brakes and jerked the wheel to the left. Praying he wasn’t about to cause an accident, he glanced up in time to see the Honda make the same quick turn. Frowning, he parked the car directly in front of the store.
Kelly’s eyes met his. “I’ll wait here. Be quick.”
“I won’t let you down.” Jason leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek before jogging into the store. The automatic doors slid open, but Jason stopped to peer back at Kelly inside the Jeep. The Honda had parked right next to their car. Jason crossed his arms. The woman behind the wheel stared straight at him. He stared back. He hadn’t paid much attention to her in the pouring rain yesterday, but he was pretty sure he recognized her as the same person. He only needed a minute or two inside the store, but he didn’t want the candy badly enough to leave Kelly out there with a potential stalker.
Another car caught his attention. A police cruiser drove into the shopping center and parked right behind the Honda, blocking its exit. A policeman got out of the cruiser, his eyes on the Honda. He walked to the driver’s side and gestured for the woman to roll down the window. The woman’s expression immediately changed in a way that struck Jason as unusual. Not annoyance or resignation, but pure terror. Eyes wide, stricken, a deer in the headlights, like how he must have looked that time in high school when he was pulled over. His car held a keg, drunk friends, open bottles and nowhere to hide any of it.
The officer said something to the woman. He walked around to the front of her car and pointed at the broken headlight. Kelly was also watching from inside the Jeep.
Glad the cop had arrived when he did, Jason shook off the uncomfortable feeling—probably just being paranoid—and headed into the store. After Jason paid, the officer passed him heading to the register, carrying a bottle of aspirin.
Outside, the one-headlight Honda and its driver were gone.
Chapter Twelve
Rocking back and forth against the cloth seat, hardly noticing the cars passing on either side, Beth chewed away on her lower lip. When that uniformed officer appeared out of nowhere and stepped right up to her car, panic overwhelmed her. She could barely think, barely move. She was lucky her heart hadn’t stopped then and there. She’d sat paralyzed, aware of the gun on her lap like it was a smoldering coal. Her first thought—someone from her list, someone she hadn’t yet killed, had finally taken his or her butt down to the police station and provided a detailed description of her and Danny.
Her stomach roiled thinking about what could have happened if the stupid cop had been more thorough—if he’d lowered his gaze from her face and seen her gun, if he’d asked for a license and registration instead of issuing a polite warning to fix her headlight. What would she have done if he ran her plates? She didn’t know exactly what he would have found. She seriously doubted Danny had bought the car the way most people did, with actual money handed over to a rightful owner.
That was a narrow escape. I’m done following them. That cop was a sure sign it’s time to quit for the night and hightail it back to the hotel. Stupid headlight. Danny was supposed to take care of that sort of thing, but he almost never did. Lately, she had to do absolutely everything while he was away on his business trips—where he spent money but had yet to make any. And when he was home, he sat around drinking beer after beer and complaining.
And the Smiths were proving to be a royal pain.
After glancing behind her for what seemed like the hundredth time, she snapped on the radio and scanned through the stations, in search of news on a channel with an even number.
She settled back against the seat and was starting to relax a bit, her shoulders no longer tense and tight. The news came on. She cranked up the volume on the radio. They were reporting the day’s most mentionable events—three homicides. All of them happened to be perpetrated by her. It was almost surreal, hearing the serious, reverent tone of the announcer, knowing she alone had made it happen.
“Todd Meiser, a key witness in the Raymond Butler prosecution—”
Who the hell was Raymond Butler? What did he have to do with anything? Fuming, racking her brain for where she’d heard that name before, she missed the rest of the report about Meiser. The news anchor prattled on about the old people she killed at Triple Falls and asked for anyone with information related to their deaths to contact the FBI.
She tipped her head back and laughed. The cops and FBI didn’t seem to have any idea who had killed any of them. A few of the news reports she’d heard had referred to her as a male—bunch of sexists. No one, aside from Danny, seemed to have a clue that she was the one responsible.
But why didn’t the news report say anything about the note for Agent Heslin? Didn’t the authorities know it was left by the killer? Wasn’t that interesting and newsworthy? Had Agent Heslin even seen it? Frowning, Beth twirled the ends of her hair. She’d have to do better. She sighed and bit into her lower lip, chewing the side that wasn’t yet tender and raw. At a stoplight she checked her reflection in the rearview mirror and swiped at the hint of blood on her lip. She opened her mouth wide and slid her jaw from side to side to loosen it.
Chin up, Beth! Three murders so far—not counting the first, the one she wouldn
’t think about, didn’t quite remember, and didn’t want to. Not too shabby. She’d accomplished quite a bit for one day. “Why did I doubt myself?” But she knew exactly why and whose fault it was.
She wasn’t receiving credit for what she’d done, but if getting credit for the murders meant going to jail, she could live without it. The important thing was that Danny now knew what she was capable of doing. She had shown him. And herself.
Grinning, she remembered how she felt running down the trail after killing that couple. Her heart pounded, her skin tingled, her muscles were fueled with a strength she hadn’t even known she possessed. She felt wild and . . . alive. For years she had stolen information online, hunched over her computer, always looking over her shoulder. A slight adrenaline rush had always accompanied the niggling fear, but nothing like what she experienced today. Today had been different. More exhilarating. More real.
She relived the scene in her imagination, picturing her escape down the hiking trail without a soul around to stop her, her blonde hair flowing in the wind. Everything she saw and heard had been amplified, heightened—the twigs snapping at her sides, birds chirping in the sky, yet distant and separate. She was the only thing that mattered. In her mind, she had on dark pants and a fitted white shirt, the same ensemble worn by Agent Heslin, instead of the jeans and sweater she actually wore. “I did it,” she whispered.
The giant yellow arches of a McDonalds came into view on the busy road ahead. The dashboard clock told her it was close to eleven. Her empty stomach cramped. She hadn’t eaten much all day. She doubted Agent Heslin ever ate at McDonalds. But Beth didn’t have the luxury of time to figure out where Agent Heslin would eat, so she steered into the drive-thru lane and ordered a salad, French fries, and a diet Coke.
She ate the hot, salty fries driving back to her hotel and they were gone by the time she reached her room. Oh, no. Damn. She stopped outside the door, her key hovering above the slot. Would Danny be angry because she hadn’t brought him any food? A little too late to be thinking of that now. She still had her salad and would share it with him, but he wouldn’t be interested. And she couldn’t very well eat it in front of him. Not if he was hungry and in one of his moods.
