Hell's Highway

by Gerri Hill

  She cocked an eyebrow. “You do realize that this is my office, right?”

  “Sorry. Yes. But please don’t touch it. Hopefully by morning I’ll be able to put some data together for you.” He looked at her expectantly. “That is, if I can come back here and play with your stuff again.”

  She laughed. “Sure, Rowan. It’s all yours. Now let’s go. I’m tired and hungry.”

  After dropping them both off at the hotel, she picked up a pizza for dinner then settled back at the rig. After a long shower, she sat in her recliner in shorts and bare feet, fighting off a purring kitten who was trying to steal the pepperoni from her pizza.

  She sighed, wishing Andrea were there with her. She glanced at her phone but refrained from calling. If Andrea needed anything, she would call.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  “My God, this is a dump,” Eric murmured as they followed the manager to room number eleven.

  Andrea had to agree with him. Most of the outside lights were dark, bulbs broken or missing. Beer bottles and cans littered the area, and she saw what looked like a diaper against the chain-link fence.

  “She paid for a month,” the manager said. “Haven’t seen her in weeks though.”

  “She pay cash?” Andrea asked.

  He laughed. “You think I’m going to take a check from someone?”

  “I don’t suppose you see an ID when you book a room?” Reynolds asked.

  “No,” he said. He unlocked the door and pushed it open. “She signed it Susie Bell. That was fine by me.”

  “Step aside, please,” Andrea said as she reached in and turned on the light. The bed was unmade and there was a towel tossed on top. Black pants were draped over a chair and two pairs of heels were lying on the floor. “Check the bathroom,” she said.

  “We got a brush,” Jack said, pointing to the table.

  “Toothbrush in here,” Eric said from the bathroom.

  “Great. Bag it.” She turned to the manager. “I’m going to seal off this room. No one enters. Understand?”

  “I could lose money. Someone may need—”

  “She paid for the month. We still have a few days left.” Then she smiled. “Besides, it looks like you have quite a few empty rooms should you have a sudden demand. This room stays.”

  He nodded. “Okay. No one enters.”

  “Jack, call Needles PD. Let them know what we have. I’ll call the sheriff’s department. We’ll need their lab to run this for DNA.”

  “Even if DNA matches, that doesn’t really help us,” Jack said. “Susie Bell?”

  “At least she’s not Jane Doe 23,” Eric said.

  “Let’s wrap this up,” Reynolds said as he adjusted his tie. “This place is filthy.”

  Reynolds was still dressed impeccably in his suit and tie, even after spending most of the day at a truck stop in Barstow. At least Eric and Jack had ditched their ties. She was probably the only one comfortable after such a long day.

  “I’m starving,” Eric said. “Burgers on the way back?”

  “Sounds like a plan,” she said, wanting nothing more than to get back to Cameron. It was really the first day they’d spent any significant time apart and she found she missed her terribly.

  After making calls to the Needles PD and San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department, they were finally on their way back to Indio. She was beyond exhausted, having been on the road the majority of the day. The others must have felt the same way as they all ate their greasy burgers and fries in silence.

  It was nearly midnight when they dropped her off at the rig. She quickly said her goodbyes and hurried to the door. She paused, wondering if Cameron would have armed the security or not. As a precaution, she went to the keypad and punched out the code, thankful she did as the familiar “all clear” sounded.

  She entered quietly, thinking Cameron was in bed. She found her large frame curled on the loveseat, Lola tucked in against her stomach, both of them sound asleep. She couldn’t help but smile, her heart filling with love at the sight. This was home. Her lover asleep, no doubt after waiting up for her, she succumbed, curling up as best she could. She spotted the pizza box and shook her head. Was she surprised?

  Andrea knelt down beside her, gently stroking her arm. “Hey,” she whispered.

  Cameron jumped, her eyes opening immediately. They softened when they saw her and she sat up, flexing her shoulders.

  “God, Andi, what time is it?”

  “Late. After midnight.”

  Cameron reached for her, pulling her closer. “I missed you. Today, all day, I missed you.”

  Andrea nodded. “Me too.” She leaned forward, kissing her softly. “I have thought about doing that for the last two hours,” she whispered, letting her lips linger.

  Cameron tangled her fingers in her hair, holding her close. “Did Eric take you out for a romantic dinner?” she asked before kissing her.

  “When would we have been able to slip away from Reynolds and Jack?” Andrea leaned back, watching her. “We grabbed burgers on the way back. Way too late to eat but we were starving.” She tilted her head, her eyes questioning. “Why would you think that?”

  “Something Carina said. It doesn’t matter.”

  Andrea stood, pulling Cameron to her feet too. She slipped deeper into her arms, letting them wrap around her as she buried her face in Cameron’s neck.

  “You do know what she’s doing, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good.” She pulled out of her arms and took her hand. “Bed. I’m exhausted.”

  They went about their nighttime routines, Andrea feeling like she could fall asleep on her feet, but she forced herself through a quick shower. She’d been working eighteen hours straight, something she’d done many times before. There was just something about being in a car all day that zapped the energy from her.

  She turned off the bathroom lights, then made her way down the short hallway to the bedroom, the soft light of the lamp illuminating the room. She found Cameron sitting up against the pillows, her breasts shadowed but bare. Lola was already in a tiny ball down by her feet, her preferred sleeping spot.

  Andrea stood at the side of the bed, watching Cameron watching her. As tired as she was, she couldn’t resist the look in Cameron’s eyes. She slowly took off her shirt, revealing her breasts to Cameron. She could see Cameron’s chest rising as her breathing increased. She slowly lowered her panties, seeing Cameron’s tongue wet her lips. God, after last night, she thought she’d be sated, but the sight of Cameron watching her, knowing she was aroused, made Andrea forget all about the fatigue she’d been battling. She lifted the covers, finding Cameron as naked as she was. She slid closer, bending her head to Cameron’s breast, her tongue bathing the nipple, feeling it harden against her lips.

  “I love you,” she murmured before taking it inside.

  Cameron moaned, her hands finally reaching out to touch her, moving across her skin, lower to cup her hips and bring Andrea between her legs.

  “I love you, Andi,” she whispered, finding her mouth. “I missed you so much today.”

  Andrea wondered if it was her insecurity showing, or just the fact that Carina had filled her head with Eric, but Cameron nearly clung to her, her mouth possessive as she kissed her.

  She decided it didn’t matter which. She rolled over, letting Cameron’s weight settle over her. She sensed Cameron’s need to be in control tonight, much as she’d been last night. She parted her thighs, opening for Cameron, feeling her wetness coat her skin. Her hands moved slowly across Cameron’s strong back, down her sides then back up again, sighing softly as Cameron’s tongue teased her nipple.

  “I don’t like being apart,” she murmured, arching into Cameron as she suckled her breast. “God, I love when you do that,” she breathed.

  Cameron moaned again, moving to her other breast. Andrea held her head tightly against her, her hips beginning to move against Cameron, her arousal reaching a fevered pitch. She wanted to beg Cameron to take her alread
y but she knew Cameron wouldn’t be rushed tonight. Her mouth moved ever so slowly downward, making Andrea squirm with desire. She raised her hips, pressing hard against Cameron, moaning when they made contact, but Cameron pulled away, her mouth continuing its downward path.

  “Cameron, do something,” she breathed. She felt Cameron smile against her skin.

  “I thought I was.” She lifted her head, her gaze smoldering. “Much like you were last night.”

  Andrea tried to smile as she remembered how she’d teased Cameron mercilessly, but her aroused state made it difficult to do anything other than urge Cameron to continue. She closed her eyes, pushing Cameron down, pleading for her to hurry.

  “I promise I’ll never do it again,” she managed between breaths.

  “Promise?”

  “God, Cameron...yes, I promise.”

  Cameron laughed quietly, allowing Andrea to guide her. When Cameron spread her thighs, Andrea groaned, her fists clutching the sheets, her chest heaving. She lifted her hips, offering herself to Cameron. Cameron didn’t prolong it any longer as her tongue snaked through her wetness, swirling around her clit, making Andrea moan louder. She tried to keep her eyes open, wanting to see Cameron as she made love to her, but her head spilled back as her hips rose, Cameron’s mouth claiming all of her, sucking and nibbling until Andrea exploded, her body jerking violently as she climaxed against Cameron’s face.

  She was spent, too exhausted to even move and she felt Cameron gather her close, heard her whispered words, but her eyes remained closed as sleep claimed her immediately.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  The motor home was crowded as everyone tried to find a place to sit. Lola was hiding in the bedroom under a pillow, and Cameron closed the door on the frightened cat. Reynolds was in the middle of a tirade. He’d just found out Rowan had been running the program to retrieve credit card receipts. Cameron thought she’d let him have his say before she interjected.

  “I am the leader of this team. Me,” he said, tapping at his chest. “You work for me. You do not work for Special Agent Ross.” Cameron could see the vein bulging in his neck as he continued yelling at Rowan. “I thought I made myself clear. I told you—”

  “Give it a rest, Reynolds,” Cameron said as she’d had enough of his ranting. Rowan looked like he was about to cry. “We needed the receipts. Why do you think Jason wrote all of these programs for me? So that we can wait and get a nice and tidy subpoena?” She shook her head. “No. So that we can get what we need when we need it. So lay off Rowan. He was just doing as he was told. Murdock gave the okay on this.”

  “Murdock? Then why the hell didn’t he run it by me.”

  “Because he doesn’t have to. Now sit down already. Jesus, it’s not even nine o’clock and you’ve already stressed me out.” As if on cue, Andrea handed her a cup of coffee, their eyes meeting briefly.

  “When will they have DNA back on the stuff from the motel room?” Jack asked.

  “They said they’d put a rush on it,” Andrea said. “I hope today.”

  “Okay, let’s go over everything we have so far.” Cameron nodded at Rowan, who had been busy putting together a timeline and best guesstimates. “Rowan’s been having a little affair with my computers in there so let’s see what he’s got for us.”

  Rowan blushed profusely as he stood in the kitchen, a laptop held in his hands. His eyes darted around the room nervously and Cameron wondered if this was the first time he’d had to address anyone like this. She didn’t know much about him but she guessed being on Reynolds’s team was his first assignment. He cleared his throat before speaking.

  “Remember a lot of this is speculation based on...well, we don’t really know when they were abducted. Now—”

  “Speculation seems to be the only thing we have here,” Reynolds said with a hint of irritation in his voice.

  “Speculation is my middle name,” Cameron said with a smile. “Go on, Rowan. Speculate away.”

  “Let’s start with the first victim, Jane Doe 23. If she turns out to be Susie Bell, the missing girl from Needles, she was last seen approximately three and a half weeks ago, give or take a day on either end of the equation. The profile on Susie Bell that Andrea supplied me with is a blond female, age twenty-one. She had a history of drug use, according to her associates, so that fits the coroner’s report for Jane Doe 23.” He looked up nervously, avoiding Reynolds but smiling slightly at Andrea. “I should say approximate age twenty-one, which also fits in the range the coroner reported.”

  “Age is probably not a factor in how he chooses his victims though,” Eric said. “The second victim, Linda Blake, was thirty-one.”

  “Neither is hair color a factor,” Jack added. “Both Monica and Linda were brunette. If Susie Bell is Jane Doe 23, she was blonde.”

  “If we go by the last time they were seen—which as I said is an estimate—versus when their bodies were found, he is holding them for shorter periods each time. Again, that’s if Jane Doe 23 is Susie Bell.” He clicked quickly on his laptop. “By the way, I’m running a face recognition program against the security tapes from Barstow, trying to get a last visual on Monica Riddle.”

  “Let’s take this in order,” Cameron said, seeing Reynolds start to fidget as Rowan was bouncing all over the place.

  “Sorry. Okay, victim one was found twenty-one days ago. Susie Bell’s been missing twenty-six days, give or take. Victim two, Linda Blake, was found eight days ago now. We have no known last seen date other than she may have been missing a couple of weeks. I’ll run that security file next for face recognition to see if I can get a better date.”

  “So once a week or so he grabs a girl,” Eric commented.

  “Approximately. Monica Riddle, our most recent victim, found two days ago, again was thought to have been missing a week. If that holds true, he grabs them, holds them for nearly a week, then dumps the body. But there was a longer gap between the first and second victims. Two weeks. Only one week before the third killing. In all three cases, time of death was twenty-four to thirty-six hours from when the victim was found.”

  “Not surprising as they were most likely dumped at night, found the next day,” Carina said.

  “But tox report showed Jane Doe 23 had cocaine in her system. She had to have been using while being held, if our timeline is correct,” Rowan said.

  “If it’s correct? This is crazy, Ross,” Reynolds said with a shake of his head. “We have nothing. This is just grasping at straws.”

  “What would you rather do, Reynolds? Sit around on our asses, hoping some evidence will fall in our laps?”

  “Actually,” Andrea said. “It’s not all that crazy. If Jane Doe 23 was a user, then most likely she had a supply with her. In her purse, for instance. So when he nabs her, he finds it. Maybe they do a line together. Maybe she’s an addict, maybe she’s freaking out so he gives it to her.”

  “Again, more speculation,” Reynolds said.

  “Right,” Cameron agreed. “Plausible? Possible? Probable?” She smiled. “Yes. Now, Rowan, tell me what my lovely computer spit out on your receipts.”

  “Oh, yeah, that was cool,” he said as his fingers again tapped quickly on his laptop. “I pulled data on credit and debit card transactions,” he said, glancing quickly at the disapproving Reynolds. “Then I dumped all of that into one of Jason’s programs to sort out company cards by individual drivers. I was expecting a huge return since our dates and times are a little imprecise, but there are only twelve hits.”

  “Explain, please,” Carina requested.

  “Well, I first used an estimated date of abduction. Well, the computer did,” he said. “Do you want me to tell you the program I used? Because—”

  “Just the facts,” Cameron said.

  “Okay. So what I did was put in all of our data, with a range for disappearances and the coroner’s times of death. Using only the two truck stops in Barstow and Needles, twelve hits came back where the same credit card was used during all three ti
meframes.”

  “Have you run their names?” Reynolds asked.

  “I’ve got eight company credit cards and four individuals. I’ve separated the eight out into distinctive trucks.” He glanced at Cameron. “I’ve not yet been given the okay to hack into their servers to get truckers’ names.”

  Cameron nodded. “Do it.” She expected Reynolds to protest but he kept quiet.

  “So we’re going to stake out the stops?” Eric asked.

  “That’s what I would do,” Reynolds said. “We could get help from the local PD or sheriff’s department.”

  “Absolutely not,” Cameron said.

  “Why not? If we want to prevent—”

  “We’re not trying to prevent another murder,” Cameron said. “We’re trying to catch the bastard.”

  “We don’t want to alarm him,” Andrea said. “If you plan to rob a bank and you get there and you see cops patrolling—extra security guards—then most likely you’re going to abort. We don’t want him to abort.”

  “There’s more,” Rowan said. “I used an algorithm to determine the next most likely hit. I’ve got an eighty-two percent chance he hits tomorrow night, a sixty-three percent chance for Thursday night. The likely hit will be at the Barstow truck stop, not Needles.”

  “How can you know this?” Carina asked.

  “Because the data complies, using—”

  “Because the computer said so,” Cameron interjected. “With the range you’ve given, are all of the hits during the week?” she asked him.

  “Yes. In fact, Wednesdays got the highest probability.”

  “So, the computer says he’s going to abduct someone tomorrow night? In Barstow?” Reynolds asked. He looked at Cameron. “You actually believe all this stuff?”

  “How do you think we caught Patrick Doe? You think we just accidentally happened to be on that trail the night he brought up his next victim?” She stood, pacing in the tiny space that was available. “But what do we do with this information? Like Andrea said, we don’t want to alert him.”

  “We pose as a potential victim.”