Scene of the Crime

by Carla Cassidy

  Her eyes glowed a deep green. “Take me now, Gabriel. I want you inside of me.”

  He didn’t hesitate. He moved between her thighs and slowly entered her. Her warm, moist heat surrounded him as her fingernails dug into his back.

  He fought to maintain control, to last for as long as he possibly could. But as he began to stroke inside her, intense pleasure washed over him and he feared he’d lose it far too quickly.

  His lips took hers once again in a fiery kiss that stole all thought from his mind. She met him thrust for thrust as fevered pants escaped them both.

  She cried out his name as she stiffened against him and then moaned as she found her release once again. Gabriel’s climax came hard and fast. He groaned and half collapsed on top of her.

  He remained there only a moment and then rolled to the side of her and waited for his heartbeat to resume a more normal pace.

  She rose up on one elbow and gazed at him with a soft smile. “I don’t know about you, but I think that was pretty amazing.”

  He reached up and caressed her cheek. “‘Amazing’ doesn’t even begin to describe it.”

  She leaned over and kissed him, a soft sweet kiss that stirred him on a completely different level altogether. “And now I’m wonderfully exhausted. All I need to do is get you out of this bed so that we can get under the covers.”

  She got off the bed and he did the same. As she stood, he saw the heart-shaped scar on her hip and once again his heart squeezed tight for the fear, the pain she must have gone through.

  “Get your gun,” he said. “I’ll be right back.” He took his gun from the edge of the bathtub and then went into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

  This night had been all kinds of wrong. He checked the window to make sure it was properly locked and then stepped up to the mirror and stared at his reflection.

  From the moment the attacker had leaped out at Jordon, mistakes had been made, first by her and then by him. Making love to her had definitely been a huge mistake. Hell, they hadn’t even used protection.

  She touched him like no other woman had ever done before in his life. She made him laugh and she made him think. He wanted to know all of her thoughts, every one of her innermost emotions and dreams.

  She was exactly the kind of woman he wanted in his life and she couldn’t be more wrong for him. She’d told him she wasn’t interested in marriage. Footloose and fancy-free—that was the way she wanted to live her life. They just wanted different things in their lives.

  Starting tomorrow, he had to distance himself from her. They had to get back on the course of being strictly partners trying to hunt down a killer and nothing more.

  But first, he was going to return to the bedroom and climb into bed with her. She would snuggle against him and he would want her all over again.

  He leaned closer to his reflection. “Bonehead,” he whispered to the man in the mirror.

  Chapter Eight

  Jordon awoke before dawn. Gabriel was spooned around her back with his arm thrown across her waist and his deep, even breathing warmed the back of her neck.

  She closed her eyes again and embraced the moment of feeling loved even though she knew it was a false sentiment. Gabriel Walters could never love a woman like her. Nobody could really love her. Still, it was nice to pretend for a little while.

  Certainly making love with him had rocked her world. He’d been so passionate and so wonderfully intense. He’d made her feel incredibly beautiful and desired.

  They’d come together again sometime in the middle of the night, and then their lovemaking had been sleepy and slow and all kinds of wonderful.

  However, she knew when dawn broke and a new day began, it would be business as usual between them. She didn’t expect the soft glow in her heart to remain. She wasn’t here for romance. She didn’t do romance. She was here to catch a killer.

  She remained in bed, wrapped in Gabriel’s warmth and listening to her heartbeat mirror the slow steady beat of his until the sound of a snowblower shattered the silence. Gabriel stirred and slowly unwound himself from her.

  “Good morning,” he said as he sat up and raked a hand through his hair.

  “Back at you,” she replied.

  He leaned over and grabbed his cell phone from the nightstand. “Jeez, it’s just after seven. I haven’t slept this late since before the first murder.”

  She slid out of bed. “I get the bathroom first.” She grabbed a fresh pair of slacks, a blouse and her underwear and then went into the bathroom.

  She hoped he didn’t want to talk about last night. She didn’t want to hear the regrets he was probably feeling in the light of day.

  While she suffered not a single regret about what they had shared, she also wasn’t eager to delve too deeply into exactly what her own feelings were.

  Dressing as quickly as possible, she tried to get her head back into the game of murder and away from the night of passion. The killer was escalating in his quest. He’d almost gotten to her last night. She’d been lucky that the first knife strike hadn’t hit her chest and incapacitated her.

  When she left the bathroom Gabriel had already dressed and made the bed. He stood at the window with the curtain pulled back allowing a faint stream of sunshine to seep into the room.

  “If you don’t like the weather in Missouri just wait a minute and it changes,” she said.

  He turned away from the window with a nod. “It’s hard to believe we were in blizzard conditions last night. It looks like the sun is going to shine today.”

  She walked over to stand next to him and peered outside. The morning sun sparkled on the five or six inches of additional snow that had fallen overnight. In the distance she saw Billy Bond working a snowblower around the dining room porch and Ted Overton was shoveling off the paths in front of the cabins.

  “It looks like everyone is working hard except us,” she said.

  “Why don’t we head in for coffee and breakfast and then we’ll get to work.”

  Within minutes they were both in their coats and snow boots and heading toward the dining room. Billy and his snowblower had disappeared, but Ted greeted them on the path with a quick, cheerful “good morning” as he continued to shovel.

  * * *

  WHEN THEY ENTERED the dining room, not only was Joan there, but also Jason and Hannah were seated at the table eating breakfast. Billy had apparently come in to get warm and stood by the fireplace sipping a cup of coffee.

  “Good morning, everyone,” Gabriel said.

  They all returned his greeting except Billy, who gave a curt nod and then turned to face the fire. All of Jordon’s muscles tensed. Was it guilt that had him facing away from them or just the desire to warm up?

  They each got a cup of coffee and then sat at the table with the two teenagers while Joan scurried into the kitchen to see to their breakfast.

  “Billy, why don’t you join us?” Gabriel said. His tone of voice indicated it was a command, not a simple request. Billy got the message, for he moved away from the fire and sat in the chair opposite Jordon.

  She stared at him but he refused to meet her gaze. He looked at a place just over her shoulder and then into his cup as if the contents were of great interest.

  Was he the person who had been in her room last night? Was he the cold-blooded killer they sought? He’d probably know about the window lock and could have even set it so that it appeared to be secure when it wasn’t.

  “Heck of a night,” Gabriel said. He took a sip of his coffee then turned to look at the groundskeeper. “How are the roads out there?”

  “Side streets are a mess, but it looked like the road crews had already hit the main streets when I came in,” he replied.

  “Where did you ride out the storm, Billy?”

  The man s
hot Gabriel a quick glance. “At home, where any sane person would be in that kind of weather,” he replied.

  “Anyone with you?” Jordon asked.

  For the first time since they’d entered the room, his gaze met hers. Cold and flat, his eyes stared into hers and she fought against an inner chill. “It wasn’t exactly a good night for socializing.”

  “What about for a walk in the woods?” Gabriel asked. Jason and Hannah had stopped any pretense at eating as they listened intently to the conversation.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Billy took a sip from his cup and then leaned back in the chair. “Why would I go for a walk in the woods in the middle of a snowstorm?”

  “That’s what we’re trying to figure out. Jordon thought she saw somebody in the woods last night,” Gabriel said. It was apparent by the way he framed his words that he intended to play the attack close to his chest.

  “Well, it wasn’t me,” Billy said. “Getting out in weather like that for a walk would be just plain stupid. I might be many things, but I’m not that dumb.”

  At that moment Ted came in from outside. “Billy, you warmed up enough to get back to work?”

  “I am.” Billy got up from the table, put on his coat and then headed out the door.

  “Do you think Billy is the killer?” Hannah asked half-breathlessly.

  “We’re still investigating,” Jordon replied as the snowblower outside once again started up.

  “He’s always been kind of weird,” Jason said and then popped a piece of bacon into his mouth.

  Ted wore a deep frown. “Is Billy a suspect?”

  “Like Agent James said, we’re still investigating,” Gabriel replied.

  Joan entered the room carrying their plates and then sat at the table next to her husband. “I see you two got through last night okay. According to the weatherman, we’re supposed to get above-freezing temperatures tomorrow and it’s supposed to be in the midforties for the rest of the week.”

  “Ah, sweet music to my ears,” Jordon said. She took a sip of her coffee and then looked at Ted. “I was wondering about the outbuildings in the woods. Gabriel said there is a lean-to shed out there and also a building that’s a little more substantial.”

  “That’s right,” Ted replied. “They’re really nothing but eyesores. One of my goals for this spring is to tear them both down and put up a nice, new shed.”

  “Is there electricity out there?” Jordon asked.

  “Not in the lean-to shed but in the other building there is, although we don’t use that building at all,” Ted replied.

  “Mom, can we be excused?” Jason asked Joan.

  “Go ahead, but get your morning chores done. Just because you have a snow day at school doesn’t mean you don’t keep your usual routine.”

  “We know, we know,” Hannah replied, earning her a stern look from Joan. The two kids quickly got up, grabbed their coats and left.

  “What’s with all the questions about the outbuildings?” Ted asked.

  “Jordon was attacked last night and whoever did it ran into the woods,” Gabriel replied.

  “Attacked?” Joan raised a hand to her lips in horror. “What happened?”

  “He was waiting for me in the room. He got in through the bathroom window. He tried to stab me and then ran off into the woods,” Jordon explained.

  “Oh, sweet Lord,” Joan exclaimed. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  “I’m fine,” Jordon assured her. “The arm of my coat was the only casualty.”

  “Thank goodness,” Joan replied, her voice still filled with a touch of shock.

  “That lock on the window in Jordon’s room needs to be replaced or fixed,” Gabriel said. “And hopefully it can be done today.”

  “Ed should be in within the next couple of hours. I’ll get him right on it,” Ted replied and then looked at Jordon. “Did you see who it was?” He grimaced. “I guess you didn’t since you’re sitting here instead of making an arrest.”

  Jordon shook her head. “He had on a ski mask and it was impossible for me to make an identification.”

  “We’re hoping maybe there might be something in the woods or in one of those outbuildings that might yield a clue,” Gabriel said.

  “I certainly hope so. I want this nightmare to be over,” Joan replied fervently.

  Jordon ate quickly as did Gabriel. If they were going to head into the woods to see what they could find, then she wanted to do it sooner rather than later.

  The very idea of traipsing through the snow made her want to shiver, but if they found something that would help them catch the murderer then it would be worth every agonizingly cold moment.

  It was almost eight thirty by the time they left the dining room. There was no sign of Billy and the sound of the snowblower had stopped.

  “You might want to put your gun in your coat pocket so you can zip up your coat,” Gabriel said and his breaths hung on frosty puffs.

  “I definitely want my coat zipped,” she replied. “That hot beach in Florida would be nice right about now.”

  “A beach anywhere sounds good to me,” Gabriel agreed.

  They took off walking toward the woods. Both of them had their guns in hand.

  “I’ve got to confess, I’m not feeling optimistic about us finding anything out here,” she said.

  Gabriel smiled at her, that beautiful smile that sparked warmth through her entire body. “I thought you were the optimist in this partnership.” His smile faded and he stopped in his tracks, his eyes slightly darker in hue. “Do we need to talk about last night?”

  “As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing to talk about. We were just two cold souls who warmed each other up on a cold wintry night.” She forced a lightness into her voice. As crazy as it sounded, it had been more than just a hot hookup for her.

  He held her gaze for a long moment, his features radiating with an emotion she couldn’t discern. “Okay, then let’s get this done.” He trudged ahead and she quickly followed.

  As they got deeper into the woods, Jordon tried not to remember the panic that had nearly crippled her the night before when she’d been lost in a snow globe.

  She also had to swallow down the fear that had gripped her, knowing that at any moment a knife could stab her and she would become the fourth victim to die at Diamond Cove.

  There were places where the snow had drifted and others that appeared barely touched by the new snowfall. The tree branches sparkled in the sunlight. It would have been a beautiful winter wonderland if they weren’t hunting for clues that would lead them to a savage killer.

  They walked slowly, scanning the area silently and with focused concentration. If only they could find a scrap of material from a torn coat, something dropped out of a pocket, anything that would identify who had been in her room and had tried to stab her.

  When they approached the lean-to shack that Gabriel had described, he motioned for her to go to the left and he went to the right.

  She tightened her grip on her gun, even though she didn’t really expect trouble. Whoever had been in the woods last night would have beat feet to get out of the area long before now.

  The shed held a riding lawn mower, rakes and shovels, and other yard equipment, but nothing that didn’t belong there. They checked the entire structure but didn’t find anything that would indicate that anyone had been there the night before.

  The sun grew warmer on her shoulders as they left the shed and continued on. Once again she scanned the pristine landscape for anything that was out of place, something that didn’t belong.

  In the distance was the other outbuilding Gabriel had mentioned. It was bigger than the other shed and had a doorway without a door and two windows with no glass.

  It appeared completely abandoned and l
ike a stiff wind would bring it down. She couldn’t imagine anyone huddling inside for the duration of the snowstorm. A sigh escaped her. This whole search had been nothing but more dead ends.

  How she wished she would have been able to catch the person the night before. She’d been so taken by surprise. Somehow, she should have managed to take down the perp before he ever shoved past her and jumped off her porch.

  The crack of gunfire split the air and a bullet dug into the snow at Jordon’s feet. She scarcely had time to register it when Gabriel slammed his body into hers and took her down to the ground.

  * * *

  GABRIEL’S HEART THUNDERED as he returned fire into the building. Jordon wiggled out from beneath him. “See if you can get around to the back,” she said. “I’ll cover you and get behind a tree trunk.”

  Although his first instinct was to protect her, he reminded himself she was a trained professional and as it was they were both sitting ducks with their dark coats against the white snow. They needed cover.

  He gave a curt nod. She fired into the building and he raced to the right, praying that she would manage to get behind something before a bullet found her.

  As he darted to the back of a tree, he looked back and sighed in relief when he saw that she had rolled sideways and now crouched behind the trunk of a large oak.

  Several more shots came from the shed, one of the bullets pinging off the tree behind which he hid. Who was in the shed? There had been nothing to indicate in the past that the killer they sought had a gun.

  Jordon returned fire and Gabriel darted to another tree, moving him closer to the back of the shed. There was no way he intended to allow whoever was inside to escape.

  If it was the killer, Gabriel had no idea why he would be here now. But certainly with the attack and the flight last night, he had to believe that the person they had sought was the same person shooting at them.

  Adrenaline pumped through him as he moved again. Jordon was no longer in his sight, and as gunfire sounded from the shed once again, he could only hope that no bullet found her.