More Than a Lawman

by Anna J. Stewart

  “You did what?” Lieutenant Santos turned weary eyes on Cole. “She did what?”

  “Don’t even ask,” Cole murmured. His entire body seemed to relax as he backed up and sat on the edge of the windowsill, crossed his arms over his chest and gave her the floor. “Go on, Eden.”

  “I saw his shoes. I didn’t remember exactly what bothered me about them until we saw dozens of lab techs and doctors wearing the same ones in the facilities we visited today.”

  “So because he was wearing a certain kind of shoe, you assume he’s in the medical field.”

  Eden’s nerves caught fire. Could he sound any more condescending?

  “Looking at the files, I’d draw the same conclusion.” Allie spoke from the doorway, open file in her hand as she flipped through the pages. “Agent Simmons, correct?” She extended her hand and slipped on that mask of professional detachment that always astonished Eden. “Dr. Allie Hollister. I’m a consulting psychologist with the Sacramento Police Department. I had the pleasure of working with Agent Fitzroy last year on the Corwin murder case.”

  Agent Simmons shifted on his feet.

  “The killings of yacht owners up and down the Eastern Seaboard?” Eden frowned. That case had garnered national attention. “I didn’t know you consulted on that.”

  “I offered a profile of the killer.” Allie shrugged as if she’d passed along her grandmother’s Bolognese recipe. “He had a thing about water and small spaces.”

  “See?” Eden looked over at Cole. “I told you. Boats and killers. Classic combination.”

  “Eden.” Cole shook his head, quickly deflating her humor given the sullen feeling in the room.

  “I’m going to concur with Eden and Cole’s evaluation on our killer,” Allie told the lieutenant and Agent Simmons. “Though I’ve only had a few minutes with the information—”

  “Try five,” Eden mumbled.

  “Eidetic memory and speed-reader, remember?” Allie turned on that oh-so-charming smile she was known for. “I agree the evidence is pointing to someone involved, either currently or at least recently, in the medical profession. Shoes aside, it’s clear he has some skill when it comes to medical procedures. The sedatives administered were the right dosages—not one overdose of medication, not even on the first three victims, which in theory would have been his learning curve. The wounds inflicted were clean and precise. He took care with them. Like a doctor would with his patient.”

  “You’re saying he cares about them?” Agent Simmons scoffed.

  “I’m saying he cares about something. Probably about someone. Whether that person is alive or dead, I can’t say. He’s a caretaker. He’s...protective. What he’s doing has a purpose, a purpose he’s deemed more important than these people’s lives. And Eden, when she called him out in the reckless and careless way she did on her blog—”

  “All I did was call him a—”

  “It doesn’t bear repeating.” Allie leaned her shoulder against the filing cabinet beside her as she pinned her attention on Agent Simmons. “What he’s doing is important to him. For what reason we don’t know. Yet. But she made fun of him, made light of his cause. Reduced him to nothing more than a stereotypical killer, when that is quite far from the truth. He punished you, Eden, because you devalued what he’s doing. And he left you with the evidence of his work. But by doing so, he’s inadvertently given you everything you need to catch him.”

  “We still don’t know what he’s doing,” Agent Simmons countered.

  “Cole and his team have the information they need to figure that out. They’ve got an abundance of data to cross-reference now. I’d bet in another couple of days they’ll have a list of suspects that will be more than manageable. He won’t be a loner,” Allie continued. “He’ll have or will have had family. He’s sociable because it takes an open personality to be able to approach his victims. Friendly. Unassuming. He won’t be overly attractive—he won’t stand out. He’ll be quite average looking. Enough to blend in with a crowd.”

  “I think we’ve found another consultant for the case,” Cole said. “Unless, Agent Simmons, you’d like to move forward with your formal request to take over things officially.”

  “I doubt Agent Simmons will be doing that.” Allie stunned the room into silence. “I thought your name sounded familiar, so I did some checking.” She pulled the second file folder free and handed it to Eden. “Denise Pageant. The Iceman’s third victim. Under ‘known family.’”

  Eden scanned down the information. Parents, deceased. Husband, Raymond. Siblings... Her head shot up. “Denise Pageant was your sister.”

  “What?” Cole was by her side in an instant as Agent Simmons shifted into military attention. “You’ve been playing us?”

  Eden placed her hand on his arm, trying to see past Simmons’s obvious grief.

  “I never meant to interfere in the case.” Agent Simmons took a deep breath and dropped his head back. “And I’m not going to apologize. I asked to be assigned to the Northern California office last year, so I could be close by in case Denise’s killer reemerged. I hadn’t planned to do anything but keep tabs on the investigation, but when I saw a reporter had become involved, had become the center of the entire case, I couldn’t help but think you were going to damage whatever progress there had been.”

  “So your superiors are unaware of your involvement?” Lieutenant Santos asked.

  “I told them you’d requested my advice.” Agent Simmons flinched. “I— You need to understand. Denise’s death devastated my parents. They were gone within months of her murder. And Denise’s husband...” He shook his head. “I can’t even talk to him about what happened. They’d only been married a couple of years. Had started talking about having a baby, something she’d always been cautious about because of her medical condition.”

  “The elevated iron levels,” Eden said. “One of the effects is infertility.”

  “Her doctor recommended donating blood on a regular basis, to try to get those numbers under control along with medication. The last time I talked to her, it was working.”

  And then all of Denise’s dreams for the future were dead. Along with her.

  “Donations again.”

  Eden nodded at Cole’s under-the-breath comment.

  “So what was this just now?” Lieutenant Santos demanded. “This threat that we turn this investigation over to you.”

  “It was just that,” Agent Simmons said. “A threat. I don’t have any jurisdiction. I just want to find the monster who killed my sister.” He twisted his wedding band on his finger. “I want him to pay for everything he took from my family, from all the other victims. I just haven’t been able to get a foothold strong enough to try for the case.”

  “This is what destroyed your marriage, isn’t it?” Eden asked. “The other day when we spoke, this is what you were talking about.”

  “Letting go isn’t my strong suit.”

  “Then I suggest you put it to good use.” Allie slapped her hands together and made everyone jump. “Cole, Eden, you two need all the help you can get at this point. Agent Simmons needs to do something proactive. Plus, he’s got resources that might make your cross-analysis go even faster. So, work together. The sooner you close this case, the sooner all of you—” she paused and aimed a knowing gaze at Eden “—can get on with your lives. Problem solved?”

  “Uh—” Lieutenant Santos cleared his throat.

  “You know if you’d told us the truth from the start, we’d have let you in,” Cole said. “We all would have understood.”

  “I couldn’t take the chance,” Agent Simmons said. “I had hope, though. The other day, Eden, when I realized you weren’t doing this for a headline or a byline.”

  “At least now we know where we all stand.” There was still hesitancy in Cole’s voice, however.

&nbs
p; “Great.” Allie snapped out of professional mode. “Eden, I’d like a word, please. Gentlemen, let me know if I can be of further assistance. And don’t worry, I won’t bill you for the time.”

  Eden handed the file over to Cole and followed her friend back into the bull pen. “I so owe you,” she said as Allie retrieved her purse.

  “You bet you do. And I’m cashing in tonight. You and Cole need a break, so dinner is on me at Casa Brunetta. You’re both wound so tight your corks are going to pop.”

  “We can’t,” Eden argued. “We’ve got way too much information to compile—”

  “And I just found you your backup. Agent Simmons in there is going to want to make up for his deception, so trust me, he’ll be working double overtime to help you out. Which gives you and Cole and Simone free rein to remember you’re still human, not to mention alive. Doctor’s orders.” Allie took a long, deep breath. “And you know not to argue with your doctor.”

  Why did Eden suddenly have the feeling she and Cole weren’t the only ones who needed some decompression time? “Okay. Cole and I would be happy to go.”

  “Go where?” Cole asked as he joined them at the desk.

  “Dinner. Tonight. Eden will fill you in. Thanks.” She gave Eden a hug, squeezed her hand on Cole’s arm before she left.

  * * *

  “You’re like a college senior during finals.” Cole stopped at a red light and reached over to flip the folder in Eden’s lap closed. “You have to give the information time to sink in.”

  “I can’t help thinking the answer is right in front of us.”

  “Which answer?” Cole went one step further and took the stack of folders from her, then set it behind him on the floor of the SUV. The light changed and he turned left onto Folsom Boulevard. She’d snagged copies of photographs they’d taken in the first victims’ homes. Something they were working on acquiring from the most recent group of bodies found, since some had been missing upwards of three months and some, like Eric DeFornio, had been essentially homeless.

  “The how of it all.” She tapped a finger against her temple. “I feel like it’s in here. If I can just puzzle that piece out, the why might present itself.”

  “We may never know that. How about we talk about something else?” As if getting her off her favorite topic was going to be so easy. “What about a weekend in San Francisco when all this is over?” He had to try.

  “No one sees him take these people. It’s like he waves a magic wand and they disappear into his lair.” She rested her elbow on the door and chewed on her thumbnail before she snapped to attention. “What did you say?”

  “You heard me. You, me, a long weekend. Human contact. Connection.” He grinned. “Room service.”

  “You want to talk about this now?”

  “I’d like to talk about anything for five minutes that doesn’t include blood, serial killers or organ removal.”

  “I haven’t been that bad.” She tilted her head. “Have I?”

  Giving her any answer would only lead to an argument he didn’t want to have. “Does that mean San Francisco looks good to you?”

  “San Francisco always looks good to me.” She cringed before she glanced out the window. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

  He knew what she was really asking. Was that taking things too far, too fast? Did he honestly want to move ahead with what passed for a relationship for both of them? It was probably a bad idea, but one he hadn’t been able to get out of his head for longer than he cared to remember. After all these years, after all his gentle nudging, prodding and hinting, maybe it was time to finally go for it. And take her with him. “I think it’s a great idea.”

  “After the case is closed, though. After we get him.” The accusation in her eyes told him she needed verbal confirmation that he understood where her priorities were.

  Sadly, he did. “After we get him.”

  “Fine. It’s a date.”

  “Be still, my heart.” At least it was progress. Kind of. “There’s nothing more we can do, you know? We’re making headway on cross-checking the information from the blood centers, but those shoes might end up causing more problems than we anticipated. If they only did internet sales it would be one thing—”

  Eden huffed and, now that they were back to talking about the case, she smiled at him. “Thankfully they offer wholesale items to only two uniform chains in California.”

  “And in three other states,” Cole reminded her. “It was a good lead, Eden. It’s just going to take a while.”

  “But if we could figure out what triggers him to which people, we’d have a time frame to work with.”

  “Yeah, nothing cops love more than dealing with a ticking bomb.”

  “They call them ‘deadlines’ for a reason.” She leaned over and checked the clock on the dashboard. “We’re going to be late.”

  “Ten minutes, max. I’ve texted Allie to let her know. They already commandeered a table in the back. It’ll be fine, Eden. Agent Simmons said he’ll bring the night shift up to date. They’ll pick up where my other officers and Jack left off. We should have some solid ideas by the morning, and if we don’t, then we’ve got that list of support groups to start vetting.”

  “In the meantime, he’s probably circling his next victim.”

  “Or not. We can’t know for sure, and worrying about something you can’t change one way or the other isn’t going to do anyone any good.” Least of all her.

  “They were all taken in the evening, after dark, near as we’ve been able to tell, right?”

  “Correct,” he replied.

  “And people’s guards are up even more in the evening, so he’d have to approach them in such a way as to not alarm them.”

  “True.”

  “What kind of medical professionals are out at night, Cole? EMTs, firefighters, police—”

  “He’s not a cop,” Cole snapped.

  “Brainstorming here, not accusing,” Eden said, waving his comment aside. She should have known he’d take exception to that idea. “Doctors, nurses, who work in clinics, in neighborhoods as well as hospitals. We probably need to expand our searches beyond blood clinics.”

  “You get to be the one to tell Simmons, then.”

  “Already on it.” Eden reached over and grabbed her purse off the floorboard. She slammed her hand on the dashboard and gasped. “Cole, stop!”

  His foot hit the brake before his mind caught up. Tires and brakes squealed behind him, horns blared and cars darted out of the lane to avoid crashing. “What’s happened?” Cole scanned the street. “Did I almost hit someone?”

  “No, no. Turn at the corner.” She waved him over as if directing traffic, bouncing in her seat. The second he pulled into a shortened space, she was out of the car like a shot, her phone in her hand as she raced to the corner.

  As part of him wished he’d left her back at the station, Cole turned off the engine and hurried after her.

  “I know that look.” He came up beside her as she aimed her camera phone at the billboard overhead. “You’re having one of your eureka moments, aren’t you?”

  She pointed up. “We need to go over all the victims’ schedules again for the months before their deaths. When we do, I bet we’ll find they did have something in common after all.”

  Cole looked up at the billboard advertising the city’s upcoming fund-raiser and...

  “A blood drive.” He blinked, dropped an arm around Eden’s shoulders and squeezed. “Uh-huh, we know—”

  “A lot of blood drives these days are run out of mobile units. Those vehicles come to you.” She nodded at him. “And they’re everywhere.”

  * * *

  “The drinks are on me tonight,” Eden said as she slid into one of the chairs across from Allie and Simone. “Well, hey the
re, Jack.” She knocked her shoulder against his and grinned. “I didn’t know you were joining us.”

  He toasted her with his drink. “Simone thought I needed a night out.”

  “Did she?” Eden’s grin widened.

  “We all needed a night out, according to Allie,” Simone said, sending Jack a sly-enough look that Eden’s relationship radar began to blip.

  “Sorry we’re late,” she said to Allie. “I never get tired of this place.” Owned by a local celebrity chef, the Italian-inspired restaurant was both sophisticated and welcoming. She wondered how long she could resist the call of fresh-baked focaccia and the little crock of garlic-infused butter.

  Sparkling white architectural accents offset the muted yellow of the walls. Brass sconces and a collection of large potted palms in the center of the dining room added a fresh and softened atmosphere. Between the friendly service, exceptional menu selection and the promise of wine and friends, Eden couldn’t dream of a better way to spend the evening.

  “Where’s your partner in crime?” Allie asked.

  “He had to call Lieutenant Santos.” She was so excited she was almost vibrating in her seat. “We figured out how the Iceman is finding his victims.”

  Jack swore and finished his drink. “The one day I leave a half hour early. Well?” He shifted in the seat so he faced Eden. “Spill already.”

  She clicked open her phone and pulled up the website for the charity event. “Mobile blood drives.” She set her phone on the table and angled it toward him. “These days anyone can donate just about anywhere. Doctors’ offices, hospitals, charity events...”

  “Motor homes that look like buses,” Cole added as he claimed the other chair next to her. “It would finally explain how he transported the victims without rousing suspicion. Who’s going to question or even pay much notice to medical personnel? They blend in.”

  “Another point of reference for our suspect search.” Jack toasted them. “Well done, you two. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t put me out of a job, Eden.”

  “No chance of that.” Eden surprised herself by shifting closer to Cole. His surprising offer of a weekend away had caught her off guard, but not for the reason he probably thought. When was the last time she’d had something to look forward to? When had she thought of anything other than the next crazy, the next story?