by Hanna Noble
Leah looked up, eyes wary. “Is this about Risso in particular?”
“We’re not sure yet,” Cole said, trying to be honest without biasing her judgment. “We want to make sure that everything checks out. We’d do it ourselves, but ...”
“Office politics,” Leah finished, nodding. “Considering the delicate nature of this case, it would be better if you both keep your distance.” She raised a brow toward Cole. “Especially you.”
“Risso is an asshole.” He crossed his arms over his chest, unrepentant. “He acts like a Neanderthal.”
There were those who became cops to serve their communities, and others who only craved the rush of power a badge provided.
Cole knew that Risso used his authority to exact violence. He’d seen the man bring in numerous suspects over the years, and they always had injuries from “resisting arrest.” Risso had always rankled him.
“I’m not disagreeing, I think Owen should have let you hit the bastard at least once,” Leah said, referring to an incident that had happened last year, after Risso had brought in a young sex worker for questioning.
She couldn’t have been older than sixteen, a kid really. She’d sported a black eye and severe bruising from resisting arrest. Considering she’d barely weighed one hundred pounds, Cole doubted that subduing her had required such a dramatic use of force. Nor did he appreciate Risso referring to her as a “dirty slut.” He’d said as much to Risso, who did not take the feedback well.
“Hey, I was doing Cole a favor,” Owen protested. “Last time I checked, we were supposed to investigate homicides, not commit them.”
Cole grinned at his partner. “The suspension would have been worth it.” Owen had pulled him away before he’d indulged the overwhelming urge to smash his fist in Risso’s face.
The older man had maintained a grudge ever since, but, thankfully, they were able to stay out of each other’s way. After Randall’s arrest and confession, the Chief had made Risso lead detective on the Phantom case, and his first move had been removing Owen and Cole from all related investigations. Leah had chosen to step down shortly afterwards.
“Are you sure you want me to do this?” Leah looked worried. “It’s one of the department’s biggest wins. Both the chief and the mayor went on record praising Risso for weeks. All that positive press didn’t hurt the mayor’s reelection campaign either.”
“We know,” Owen said, his expression grim. “It’s too risky for us to be seen doubting the fine work of a fellow detective.”
Cole nodded in agreement. “Something doesn’t feel right about this. It’s too tidy.” He hated keeping secrets from Leah, but for the time being it was the safest bet.
She glanced at the files in her arms, contemplative. “If you’re both sure, I’ll take a look and let you know what I find.”
“Thanks, Leah,” Cole said, feeling a weight lifting off his shoulders. “I knew we could count on you.”
“I know you wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important,” she said, tossing her empty coffee cup in the trash. “Eventually, you’re going to have to fill me in on what’s really going on. I’m not going to ask for now, but trust goes both ways. You don’t go around investigating closed cases for no reason.”
He should have known she would have realized this was more than a hunch about a closed case. Still, she was right, and he owed it to her to tell her the truth, especially if they uncovered something. He nodded. “I understand.”
“I won’t be able to look at this until later. I’ve got plans tonight.”
“Hot date?” Owen asked, and though he said it with a smile on his face, Cole noticed his partner’s expression had sharpened with attention. Interesting. Cole filed that little tidbit for later.
“I wish. Eli’s taking me out to dinner. Do you want to join us?” Eli was Leah’s older brother, an entrepreneur in the biotechnology industry. Cole wasn’t clear on the specifics of what Eli did, but he knew it was making him a very rich man.
“I’d be up for a drink,” Owen said, visibly relaxing. “I haven’t seen Eli in months.”
Leah smiled as they walked back to their desks. “He’s been busy at work and traveling nonstop. I’ve barely seen him the last few weeks. He’ll be happy to see you.”
“Text me the details later and I’ll swing by.” Owen said, and Cole noted that his partner seemed to be having a hard time taking his eyes off Leah. Very interesting, indeed.
She looked over at Cole. “What about you? Are you up for some drinks?”
“I can’t,” he said, thinking of Naomi. “I’ve got stuff to do at home tonight. Next time?”
“Sure. I’ll let him know you said hi,” Leah said, walking back to her desk. “Don’t forget my coffee tomorrow,” she called over her shoulder with a wave.
After she’d left, Owen turned to Cole. “If there’s anything out of place, she’ll find it.” Leah could be a tad obsessive about following leads, but it was a compulsion that came in handy.
“A part of me is hoping I’m wrong,” Cole admitted. Though it wasn’t likely.
Risso walked into the office at that moment. Sporting a shaved head and a goatee, he curled his lips into a sneer as he passed them not bothering to hide his contempt.
Cole kept his own expression neutral, but met the man’s eyes without hesitation. Risso had a physique that puzzled Cole, thick burly arms accompanied by a protruding beer gut. Owen had once hypothesized that Risso must be bench pressing beer kegs. How else could you explain being flabby and yet solid at the same time?
If they were right about the Megan Collins case, then Risso was involved. Cole didn’t know to what extent. Error? Corruption? Something else entirely?
“What’s our next step on the Martin case?” Owen asked, bringing him back to the present. “We’re waiting on her gym to hand over the data, right?”
Cole nodded. “Let’s try to firm up the timeline for Lily’s movements.” He pulled his coat on, preparing himself for going back out into the frigid March cold. He tossed the keys to Owen, who caught them in one hand. “Your turn to drive.”
Owen didn’t say anything until they were on the road. “Do you think Risso’s involved?”
“I was asking myself the same thing,” Cole said, looking out the window. “If we take Naomi’s vision of the Lily Martin murder as being right, then Randall wasn’t the attacker. That means that the evidence tying Randall to Rachel Li had to be wrong. So how did it get there? And why did Randall confess? And what does Megan have to do with it all?”
Owen nodded. “It doesn’t make any sense. The confession, the evidence, it all seems so confusing. Unless Naomi’s wrong.”
Cole hadn’t wanted to say it, but the thought had crossed his mind. And yet, his instincts were telling him to trust her. Her vision from eight months earlier had matched Lily’s murder, down to the description of the blue suitcase.
“We don’t know that she’s wrong,” he said, wanting to give her the benefit of the doubt. “Either way, no jumping to conclusions this time. Risso is involved somehow, I know he is. But we still need to figure out why.”
Questioning another cop was a violation of the blue brotherhood, the code that ran deep among those who held badges. They both knew the risks they were taking. Leah knew it, too; it was why she’d made sure they understood what they were asking her to do.
“We’re saying someone wanted Megan Collins dead,” Owen said, his eyes on the road. “Badly enough to make it look like the Phantom killed her.” It was a chilling possibility. “Badly enough to leave a monster on the street.”
Chapter Fourteen
“I can’t take it anymore.” Michelle groaned a few days later, sitting up on Naomi’s bed. “Everything is blurring together.”
“You say that every day,” Naomi turned from where she’d been editing a press release for Gabi. “And you’re right. My eyes are starting to hurt from staring at this screen.” Michelle had made a habit of dropping by after her morning labs, to keep Naomi
company. “I’m almost done here anyway, let’s take a break.” It felt good to be working again, even if she had to do it in secret for the time being. Any prospective employer was bound to come across her name in the press, and all over social media, so for the time being lying low was a smart bet. “I could use a break.”
“Great,” Michelle bounded off the bed, stretching her arms over her head. “It’s fun studying together. It’s almost like old times at the dorm again.”
Naomi smiled. “We’re just missing Gabi.”
“The Fearsome Threesome.”
Her phone buzzed and she grinned, putting the call on speaker.
“We were just talking about you,” she said. Did you pick up our cosmic vibes?”
“Maybe you’re not the only psychic around,” Gabi teased. “I’m calling to see how you guys were doing.”
“Good timing,” Michelle said in greeting. “We were taking a break.” Naomi led the way downstairs to the living room, out of her element. This wasn’t her space, and though it was comfortable, it still felt too much like Cole. She could sense his presence in every room, making it hard to relax.
“I’m almost done with the final draft,” Naomi said. “I’ll send them over within the hour.”
“That’s good to hear, but I’m more interested in your personal life. You know, the part where you moved back to Boston and are living with the detective who accidentally outed you to the press in order to catch a killer and reveal a potential massive police cover-up?”
“Oh, that little issue?” Naomi asked in mock nonchalance. “That’s going ok, too. Though I wish we were making more progress.” She told Gabi about her vision at the gym and her conversation with Jerry.
“It’s bound to take some time,” Gabi said, her voice reassuring. “Tell me you’re not over-exerting yourself. The thought of you dialing into this guy’s energy creeps me out.”
“Don’t worry,” Naomi replied. “I’m taking breaks, and working on the press releases helps take my mind off it. Besides, I can’t control my abilities. There’s only so much I can do on the psychic front at this point.”
“Good,” There was a pause on the line. “And how is it working with Cole?”
“He’s different this time around. It feels like he’s actually making an effort to understand what I can do. Like we’re getting to know each other as actual people this time around.” The way he’d looked at her last night had made her pulse race. Naomi didn’t need her Knowing to tell her what Cole was thinking.
“It sounds like you’re getting closer.”
“We’re taking some positive steps forward.” That was one way of putting it, Naomi thought. All she had wanted to do was lean into him, inch closer to that source of delicious masculine heat.
The chemistry-filled moment they’d shared a few days ago had been laden with anticipation, the same hint of potential she’d sensed during their first encounter. Despite everything that had happened between them, they were forging a new beginning, fragile but there.
Could they find their way back to friendship? With everything that had happened between them, could they ever be anything more? “I don’t know if I’ll be able to trust him.”
“Don’t worry about that now,” Michelle soothed from beside her. “Focus on your main priority: doing whatever you can in the next couple of weeks so you can put all this behind you and move forward once and for all. By all means, make your peace with Cole, but remember that you deserve a full and happy life regardless of whether you solve this case or not.”
“What would I do without you guys?”
“Be a sad, empty shell of a human being,” Gabi replied. “I have to go. Love you.”
“Love you, too.” They chorused back.
Hanging up, Naomi walked into the dining room, energized. She was ready to get to work. Ready to stop thinking about strong jaws and warm touches.
“I guess playtime’s over,” Michelle eyed the files piled on the dining room table. “What do you want to review today?”
“I’m not sure yet,” Naomi reached for a folder and pulled out the pictures of the women, needing to see their faces. Six had survived the assaults, two had been murdered: Lily and Megan.
“Lily Martin and Meghan Collins both died on the same day. We know Lily was killed by the Phantom based on your vision,” Michelle slide into the chair next to her. “How does Megan Collins’ death fit into all of this?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” Naomi mused, as she opened Megan’s case file and looked at some of the included pictures. A beautiful redhead with green eyes stared back at her.
“She looks like a normal young woman, having a blast in college,” Michelle said, as Naomi passed her a picture of Megan, who was surrounded by a group of girlfriends while enjoying a night out on the town. They were dressed up and smiling, the camera capturing a spontaneous and carefree moment of a young woman who should have had many more fun nights out to look forward to. “You ready to do this?”
Naomi nodded, wishing she felt more certain. She had been taking a double dose of her sleeping pills to keep the nightmares at bay, and half a pill during the day to keep her abilities better contained. She still couldn’t open herself fully to her Knowing, and she worried that she’d never be able to move beyond this weak dependence.
It was a secret she hadn’t even told Michelle and Gabi. She didn’t know if she’d ever be comfortable with her abilities again, but she did know that the idea of being thrown back into the mind of a madman without her consent or control made her heart pound with terror.
Impressions weren’t so bad, she told herself. So far, she hadn’t seen anything traumatic. “Ok,” she said. “Here goes nothing.” She could do this. She closed her eyes and tried to open herself up, shoring up her courage with Michelle’s warm support. Megan.
A cool summer breeze whispered over her skin, and she laughed, feeling so full of love that she was going to burst with it. She was high, a potent combination of happiness and excitement that crashed through her at the thought of seeing him again. He was perfect. So strong and capable. Sexy, too. He would make a great husband. She could already see it, the little house outside of Boston where they could raise a family. The diamond solitaire that would make her friends sick with envy. Most of all, the happiness that would fill their every day.
“She was in love.” Naomi opened her eyes, trying to ground herself in the present. She was flushed and felt butterflies in her stomach. She could feel Megan’s desperate yearning for her feelings to be returned, to take root and blossom into something real. Desire, infatuation, love, happiness—she’d felt those emotions with the force of a hurricane. She focused on breathing in and out and within a few minutes the feelings had dissipated and she was back to normal.
“It doesn’t say anything here about a partner or boyfriend,” Michelle said, reading over the case notes. “Megan wasn’t dating anyone at the time of her death, and there was no mention of a boyfriend or partner of any kind.”
“It was new.” Naomi ached for the girl who had tumbled headfirst into love. That would explain the intensity of the emotions she had felt. “Still, it must have been serious. She was contemplating marriage,” Naomi mused. “I wonder who her dream man was.”
She grabbed a pen and pad of paper and jotted down what she’d seen. This had to be important—it was the second time she’d received the same message. She’d tell Cole about it when she saw him.
“It could have been a handsome professor or teaching assistant,” Michelle suggested, and Naomi added those possibilities to her list. A classmate, or neighbor. Someone she worked with.
“Whoever he is, he’s an important piece in this puzzle,” Naomi said, turning her attention to the other pictures on the table.
She stared at their images. These women had survived their attacks. It was always the same pattern. The women he chose always lived alone, making it easy to attack them while they slept. He forced them to lie face down, tied the
ir hands with plastic zip ties, and then violated them. He always used a condom, wore gloves and a mask, and left without saying a word. He didn’t leave behind any evidence or DNA. He was a phantom, a nightmare that could strike at any moment.
The sound of the front door opening jolted her.
“Naomi?” Cole’s voice, from down the hall. “Owen and I are here.”
“We’re in the dining room,” she said, as she gathered the pictures of the victims and shoved them into the folder.
She didn’t have a chance to respond as Cole and Owen entered the dining room each carrying a cardboard box. She watched with amusement as they both loosened the ties they wore in tandem, and shrugged off their suit jackets after putting down their respective items.
She smiled at the twin gestures, both men seeming eager to get out of the suits they wore. She tried not to notice how good Cole looked in his dark navy-blue suit. The lines hugged his tall frame perfectly, showcasing his broad shoulders, his lean athletic build. What the hell, she thought, and indulged in a good look
“Hi,” she said, trying not to eat him up with her eyes. Keep it together, she ordered herself. Lust was a new companion, and she had been on one hell of an eight-month dry spell.
“Hi ladies,” Owen said, smiling easily, as both men joined her at the table. Owen wrapped an arm around his sister. “How’s it going?”
“You know, a normal afternoon helping my BFF use her psychic powers to save the world,” Michelle replied.
“Your sister was helping me re-familiarize myself with the case,” Naomi explained, watching as Cole placed his box on the table. “You know, I didn’t think we had enough documents to look through before,” she said surveying the growing pile of papers. “I feel much better now.”
Cole’s lips quirked. “You can never have too many documents, Naomi, it’s official police policy. We got the security footage from the gym,” he explained. “And the logs of who was there.” He unbuttoned the top of his shirt. “We lucked out big time.”
