Chase was very familiar with being the guy who held that status. Most of the time, the guy who needed to be in the know guarded the frontline. “Yeah. I know exactly where you’re at.”
Frank studied him intensely.
Afraid he’d revealed too much, Chase snatched up his bag and tossed it on the sofa. Now it was his turn to relive a past moment.
He walked to the window, giving himself time to push away the memories flashing through his mind because a superior ranking officer had kept him in the dark. Yeah, he knew exactly what made Knepper’s jaw sore.
From of the corner of Chase’s eye, he saw the campus chief hitch his thumbs inside his pant loops and widened his stance. “So what’s your question?” Knepper asked.
“My morning report states the campus hasn’t officially been searched for a possible drug lab,” Chase said. “It’s a big campus. A lot of acreage. A lot of places someone could be cooking. What’s the skinny on that?”
Frank’s gaze darted toward the window while the muscles of his throat worked.
Chase had hit a sore spot. “Whatever you tell me is between us,” he said.
A faint rasp as Frank rubbed his chin filled the silence between them. Finally the older man dipped his head and gazed at Chase through slanted eyes. “The college board of directors… They wouldn’t allow a full-out search. They felt it would be a black eye for the school if rumor leaked that a drug ring might operate on campus.”
“I see. Business.”
“Exactly. I see their point, but it sucks just the same. However, Dean Patterson instructed me yesterday afternoon, after his meeting with both the board and state police to start looking, unofficially. He’s as concerned about these kids as I am, but his hands are also tied. My men and I started searching right away, targeting the areas where we have free access; basements, rooms not in use, sheds, etc. etc.”
“You know what to look for? The smell?”
“Yeah. Dead vegetation from run off or spillage. Garbage. The whole list.”
“And?”
Frank’s lip tightened and he shook his head. “So far nothing.”
Chase frowned.
“I get the feeling you think this street pharmacist is definitely on campus. Why?” Knepper asked.
“Because after the second death the state police started a search of the area and so far they’ve found nothing.”
“We have tens of thousands of wooded acres on this campus. They could be set up in a cave. There are quite a few of them. Mine shafts too. Or the shit could be shipped in.”
“They haven’t stopped searching and you’re right, the drugs could be shipped in. However, none of our sources are telling us they’re trafficking here, and since that big package carrier had a lawsuit dropped in their lap for delivering drugs, the big three are ensuring all packages are scanned and sniffed. I’m not saying the protocols in place are one-hundred-percent foolproof, but it makes it highly unlikely the product would be shipped through them.” Chase rubbed his chin. “Until we make a connection, we need to cover all our bases. How many men do you have on staff?”
“One full and two part-time. The part-time men also work for local townships outside the town limits as law enforcement officers. I work the day shift, six days a week, and sometimes evenings. Sunday is usually my day off. My men alternate nights, every other weekend, and whenever I'm off.” Frank shifted his weight to his other foot. “They don’t know you’re here, undercover. Dean Patterson ordered me to keep a lid on your presence. Do you want me to clue them in?”
“No.” Chase shook his head. “You and Dean Patterson are supposed to be the only ones on campus who know we’re here. We don't want to upset the college officials or take the chance of tipping anyone off and sending them into hiding. My partner and I will get into areas you and your men can’t. If there's anything here, we should be able to find it.”
Frank’s bushy brow disappeared under his bangs. “You have a partner? Who is he?”
Damn! He’d fucked up. No one was supposed to know. At least, if Frank thought Chase’s partner was male, Jolene wouldn’t be on his radar. “Sorry. I can't tell you.”
“No problem. I'm getting used to the sidelines.”
Chase gave Knepper a small nod, letting the older man know he empathized. “Continue snooping around. If you find anything out, let me know ASAP.”
“You got it.”
Chase glanced at his bag. “I'll unpack later. Right now, I need to be somewhere.”
“Your stuff is secure here.”
“One more thing,” Chase said before Frank stepped outside. “Do you know the woman who found Denise Davidson?”
“Emma Lewis. Yes. Why?”
“What can you tell me about her?”
“You’re barking up the wrong tree, if you’re thinking she is mixed up with this crap. Emma is a good person. Hardworking. Quiet. Why would you be looking at her?”
“She has open access to the chemistry lab.”
“So do a dozen other people, including professors, cleaning personal and other students.”
“Can you run me a list of those people without anyone outside the circle raising inquiries?”
“Not a problem.”
Chase’s cell chimed Will’s ringtone. “I need to take this.”
Frank nodded and disappeared through the door.
Chase waited until the wooden steps ceased moaning under Frank’s weight before answering Will’s call—on the fourth ring.
“Hunter here. Hold on.”
He closed the door and crossed to his duffle. Tearing it open, he quickly dug out the portable audio and video jammers and flipped on the devices. They couldn’t take chances that someone was listening in on their conversation. “We’re secure.”
“Gary said you made contact with Emma Lewis. Fast work.”
“It wasn’t as hard as you think.” He wouldn’t let on he’d found and connected with Emma because of his cock. The woman had turned his head immediately, reminding him of someone he’d known a long time ago. And then he’d thought why the hell not get a phone number. Life went on after the job.
Just his shitty luck, the first woman to interest him in a long time had to be their number-one person of interest.
“Still good work. What’s your first impression of her?”
Chase pinched the bridge of his nose, shutting down the memory of Emma’s pretty smile. He cleared his throat and focused outside the window, on a single yellow leaf, hanging by a thread from a nearly bare branch. “Remorseful. She stated she didn’t know the vic well, yet she seemed really upset over Davidson’s death. Her sorrow could be amplified by the fact she was the one who found the body.”
“Or that she was the one to cause the girl’s death,” Will added.
Will was right of course, but Chase’s instinct’s leaned the same way as Knepper’s. They’d be wasting time looking at her.
“We ran Lewis’ financials. The woman has a pile of debt in student loans. Plus her family is carrying a second mortgage on their property. They helped fund her schooling.”
“What student doesn’t carry a load now? Especially at her level of education.” He wasn’t defending her. He played devil’s advocate.
“True, but it still gives her motive. She could be working to get the monkey off her back. And her family’s. People have gotten involved with drug production and trafficking for a hell of a lot less.”
Again, Will was right but Chase still felt the need to follow his gut. “Did you find any accounts containing large amounts of money in her name?”
“No. Not yet.”
He crossed to the refrigerator and grabbed a Coke. Twisting the cap off, he listened to C.U.F.F.’s team leader.
“We’ve some news from Johnny law,” Will said, referencing the detective in charge of Denise’s case. “Their forensics team has proof Ms. Davidson died at another location. Some seeds found in her hair and traces of soil on her clothing contained a natural base fertilizer.�
�
“Natural as in animal?”
“Exactly.”
“The livestock are kept north of the site where she was found.”
“That area is being searched. I highly doubt she was in the woodlands at night by herself getting high, which means we’re going to treat this case as a homicide.”
Will’s statement didn’t shock Chase one bit.
“In the meantime we concentrate on finding out where the drugs are coming from. Let’s learn who Lewis associates with. Maybe we’ll get a break there.”
“I’ll start compiling a list of names, ASAP,” Chase assured him.
“I hear it in your voice, you don’t think she is part of the operation.”
“No. I don’t. Neither does the chief security officer here. But we won’t rule her out until we find evidence that strongly suggests someone else.”
“Good.” Will remained silent for a second.
Chase visualized Will’s tight expression. The one his boss always got when he went into deep thought.
“Do you think the three students were targeted for some reason?” Chase asked.
“I hate to think they were, but to cover our asses we’ll work on tying the three together. You and Jolene see if you can dig up something too. There has to be someone on campus who knew all of them.”
“Or.” A sick feeling filled Chase’s stomach.
“What?”
“They could be completely random. We could be looking at a copy-cat Tylenol terrorist.”
“Damn. I hope not,” Will said.
“The perv could get cocky.”
“I hope not. The heat is already on. Both the college board and the dean have been hounded with calls from parents. And the media is swooping in.”
Chase knew eventually evidence would be found that would clear Emma. Was it hope or his gut telling him he was right. He yanked his train of thought away from the pretty chemist and focused on the case. They had to look at every possibility.
“Most students don’t carry cash. We need to have the spending records of all three victims.”
“A few might be under age, so I’ll have Gary contact the parents and ask permission to review their banking records,” Will assured him.
Chase’s mind spun while he downed a swallow of Coke. “Have they determined TOD?”
He heard paper rippling and knew Will’s lips were rolled tight as he flipped pages. The man hated paperwork as much as Chase did. Will would much rather be out in the field than sitting behind a desk. But his current position offered nights at home, spending time with his wife, which according to Will was worth the paperwork, especially since Will’s wife, Nicole, was due to have their first baby in a few weeks.
One day he might feel the same about settling into an office job and raising a family.
Will cleared his throat. “Pathology has established she died between eleven p.m. and one a.m.”
“So five to seven hours before she was found?”
“Exactly, and she fell from a height of twenty-five to fifty feet. They’ve got every available officer searching all possible locations on campus and off, but finding the site she really died is going to take time.”
Denise’s body had been dumped like garbage, for a reason. “Did anything show up on the security cameras around the area, like someone searching for her body, or visiting her body?”
“The area near the bridge was out of range of the only camera aimed in that direction.” Will paused. “We’re viewing all footage of other cameras in the area. It’s going to take us a little time.” Will sighed. “Look, I’m a strong believer in listening to your instincts. You know that. If I hadn’t listened to mine a year ago Nicole would probably be dead and Luka would be raised as a fuckin’ Russian Mafia kingpin. I’m not saying you’re wrong. I’m saying you need to listen to your gut and find the evidence to prove it right.”
Chase exhaled in relief. Will had his back. “I hear you man.”
“Good. Find Ms. Lewis. Get proof she isn’t part of the drug ring, and then solve this case.”
Chapter Eight
As always, Emma ran late. She pushed through the door leading into the study area of the library. This section of the library was designed with areas sectioned off by couches and chair groupings to accommodate students in a more relaxed atmosphere. It also housed eight private study cubicles. Her group met in the center area, referred to as the blue hub, since the furnishings formed a circle and were upholstered in navy fabric.
Ahead, she saw the small group of students she tutored. She paused, noting eight students sat in the circle. Without Denise, there should only be seven.
He had his back to her, but the breadth of his strong shoulders in another Henley—this one brown—and the way his hair curled at the nape of his neck gave away Chase’s identity.
One of her female students saw her a moment before Chase turned. Emma noted the woman’s eyes, focused on Chase, danced with interest before they jumped to her. They widened and shot back to Chase like she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
When he saw Emma, his smile widened.
The flip her heart did wasn’t a foreign feeling, but it’d been awhile since she experienced the sensation, other than that morning. And if she were honest with herself, which she always tried to be, this heart flip had more oomph behind it.
She’d hoped she’d run into Chase again, more or less as a test to see if her body would react the same way. Now, she had her answer. She tingled all over. Her mouth dried and she couldn’t wait to inhale his woodsy scent.
He rose from the cushioned chair and the women in the group who surrounded him searched to see who’d stolen his interest.
Self-conscious, when all eyes turned to her, Emma dropped her gaze to the floor and crossed the flagstone-gray commercial carpeting.
“Hi,” Chase said, rounding the low-back chair. He met her halfway in a few long strides.
“What are you doing here?” She peered over his shoulder and held up her index finger to those who watched, hoping they’d think Chase and her actually had school-related business to discuss. She was a private person and any relationship she had was her business and not fodder for any gossip train.
He shoved his hands into his back pockets and stood with his feet spaced apart like he readied himself to defend either side if she attempted to sidestep him. “I received some good advice today and I’ve decided to follow it. You’re right. I think I’ll need some extra help in getting caught up.”
Damn that dimple of his. She couldn’t stop looking at it. It made her smile like one of the women who watched them. Realizing she did wear a goofy smile, she coughed into her hand and erased it. “You came to that realization after what, an afternoon class?”
“Actually, I didn’t have a class this afternoon. I got an apartment.” He brushed a finger over his head, looping a strand of hair behind his ear.
She sensed the micro-second he noticed she’d seen another sign of his injuries. The back of his hand had a light discoloration. He shoved his hand back into his jeans pockets and peered over her head. The lines of his jaw tightened as he evidently relived something traumatic.
She’d never been in a serious accident. She did break her arm, falling from her horse when she’d been a novice rider and her horse had been spooked by a bobwhite quail while on the trail. She remembered the nauseating crunch of bone cracking, followed by sharp pain. Her injury compared to nothing men and women have suffered in battle.
Chase’s accident must’ve been horrible and she wouldn’t profess to imagine the awful pain he’d endured. Her brother had been a wounded veteran. She recalled holding her his hand and listening to his babbling while he was under sedation. The same ghastly story replayed over and over again in his mind. Remembering the terror on his face had given her nightmares for months after Bob had passed away from his injuries.
Only those who had walked in his shoes could possibly understand.
Emma refocuse
d on their conversation and narrowed her eyes. “Didn’t you say you already had an apartment?” Feeling a sneeze, coming on, she pulled a tissue from her pocket. The bag she used for sugar cubes fell to the floor.
“I do.” He snagged and studied the small bag before he cleared his throat and handed it to her. “It fell through but I found another. I had to get the electric and cable transferred into my name, and then I moved in a few things from storage. To answer your first question, I don’t have afternoon classes on Monday. However, I do have an evening class. Speech 101.” He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and scanned the screen. “In a half hour. Should be interesting.”
“Why’s that?” She shrugged her backpack up on her shoulder.
“I don’t like giving speeches. Do you want me to hold that for you?” He pointed to her bag.
“No. I’m fine. I wouldn’t have thought that about you.”
“What?”
“You seem like the kind of person who enjoys attention.” She let her gaze drift past his shoulder to the circle of women.
“Really?” The tiny scar on his forehead became more noticeable, more whitish, when his brow wrinkled along with his cheeks, lifting the corners of his mouth.
He seemed oblivious to her double entendre. “Really. You seem very confident.”
He leaned toward her. As Emma’s nostrils filled with the scent of soap and aftershave, tingles ran over her skin.
“I’m not. I’m a good actor. I do like to be in control of my life, however.” He pointed to the bulletin board on the wall behind her. “I checked out the postings for possible study groups, and then I started talking to these people and found out they’re members of your group. What are the odds?” He smiled over his shoulder at the women and like puppies the five lapped up the attention.
“A thousand to one.” She threw a ratio out there.
“You think? Lucky me.” He turned back to her and immediately his smile disappeared. “Is something wrong?”
“No.” Emma pasted a smile on her face. Jealousy was not a normal emotion for her but here it was, prickling her like a bristle inside her bra, next to her heart. “You’ll have to excuse me. The group is waiting. We need to get started. I hope you found what you needed?”
Obsessed by Darkness Page 9
