by Sara York
“I worked it out.” Tony clenched his jaw, not telling Sekorski that it was technically Marissa who had worked it out. He hated being questioned, but Sekorski had every right to question him. Tony was off the force, no longer a police officer. He was a nobody as far as Sekorski was concerned.
“I’ll call my daughter, but you need to call Rex.”
“Sure,” Tony replied. He had no intention of calling Rex. He still hadn’t gotten word back from Spade. Rex had been the one to say ‘life sucks’ to him. Until Tony knew for sure about Rex’s background, he couldn’t be trusted. Hopefully, by tomorrow morning, Spade would have some answers for him.
“Marissa, it’s time for bed.”
Her eyes drifted over his chest and down his body. Her gaze shot back up, and a blush covered her cheeks. He was torn between wanting to hold her and make passionate love to her, or turning a cold shoulder, letting her know he didn’t appreciate her betrayal of omission.
“Why don’t you take a shower and relax? Then we’ll sleep,” Tony suggested, trying to delay his decision.
After her shower, Marissa crawled into bed. Tony pulled her close, kissing her temple and spooning her body against his. She fell asleep almost immediately. Tony’s brain worked the evidence, churning over the same material. It was a tactic he used to keep his desire for Marissa at bay. Something was missing from the case. Some key element he hadn’t thought of. Tomorrow’s talk with Spade should help.
Chapter 25
The morning air was thick with heat and humidity. Tony swiped at his brow, pushing the sweat to the side of his forehead. He should be inside with Marissa, but Rex had called and it sounded urgent. Hell, Rex had been mad.
Tony’s stomach flipped when he saw Rex’s car pull into the parking lot. He had to know about the background search, or was it something else? Tony slid into the passenger seat and glanced at Rex. The jovial smile that normally graced Rex’s face was gone, replaced with a scowl.
“I got a call this morning,” Rex said. “Someone’s been looking around in my past. You know anything about this?”
“I asked Spade to look into it,” Tony said unapologetically.
“What? You couldn’t come to me and ask me directly? You really think I’m the killer?”
“No. Maybe. I don’t know. It was a bad move on my part, but look at your actions and the evidence.”
“What are you talking about?”
“When Sekorski told us someone broke in and stole evidence, you got quiet.”
“I told you it was because Janice had loads of bleach.”
“I know that now.”
“You really did believe I could be the killer?”
Tony pushed a breath out, guilt at suspecting his friend ate away at him. “A dead body shows up in my house, you have an extra key. Your hair was found plastered to my body and it was covered in the victim’s blood. What was I supposed to think?”
“I don’t know. Okay, so the hair thing is getting to me too. I kept wondering how it could have been covered in dried blood and stuck to your leg unless I was there when the murder took place.”
“I’m sorry. But the more I look at the case, the more I think someone in the department is involved.”
“Shit, Tony, what are we gonna do?”
Rex’s cell phone chirped. “Rex Hague here.”
Rex looked up at Tony, then said into the phone, “I’ve got Tony in the car with me, but I want some answers.” He listened for a moment, then, “You’re freaking me out, Jackson. Talk to me.”
Rex paused for a moment before passing the phone to Tony. Rex’s eyes said it all, Tony had betrayed him. Damn, he hated this shit. He listened to Spade, his eyes focused on a spec on the dashboard. He cringed as he listened. “Thanks. I’ll be waiting for your call,” Tony said before flipping the phone closed.
“Am I clear?” Rex asked, his voice hard as steel.
“Yes.”
“You gonna apologize to me?”
“I’m sorry I doubted you. I have one question, though. The other night at the hospital with Marissa, why did you say ‘life sucks’?”
“I don’t know. It’s just a phrase.”
As if on cue, Marissa opened the motel door and peeked her head out. She looked so small and helpless standing in the doorway wearing Tony’s oversized t-shirt and sweatpants with her hair ruffled around her face.
Rex waved, gesturing her out. She hesitated for a moment before running to the vehicle, holding on to the waistband of the pants.
“What’s going on?” she asked as she slid into the back seat.
Tony wanted to tell Marissa everything. Hell, he wasn’t on the police force anymore so what could they do, ask him to leave again? He turned in his seat so he could see her. She looked beautiful this morning. She had run her fingers through her brown hair, pushing it back away from her face. The imprint from the pillow creased her right cheek and her lips, as always, were more puffy in the morning. Desire shot through to his groin. He wanted to crawl in the back seat and kiss her, feel her mouth up against his cheek, soothing away any doubts he had. Regret welled in him. Now he knew he never should have doubted her. She gave him a wary glance and turned to Rex.
“Why are you guys out here in the car?”
“We’re talking about the investigation,” Rex replied. His voice was tight, giving away the anger he felt towards Tony.
“I thought Tony was on leave.”
“I am, but Rex knows we’re doing our own sideline investigation.”
“Tony had a background checked run on me.”
“Why would you do that?” Marissa turned an incredulous look on Tony.
“It’s complicated.”
“Explain. I’m not dumb you know,” she said, motioning for Tony to talk.
“Basically, Tony doesn’t trust anyone,” Rex said, obviously delighted in the pain he was causing Tony.
“I trust you.”
“Then why the background search?” Marissa asked
Tony sighed and said, “First, the evidence goes missing from the morgue. Who took it? Did Sekorski really lose it, or did he throw it out because he’s the killer? Maybe I’m the killer, or Rex is the one preying on innocent women. Hence, the background checks. Maybe the Chief of Police is a suspect now. Or did the evidence get taken by some lucky pedestrian who just happened to walk by the back door to the morgue, find their way into the medical examiner’s office and steal the only real piece of evidence we gathered from the crime scene?”
“It could be anyone, even me,” Marissa said, her voice subdued in the back seat of the car.
“Doubtful, but possible. Next, we have the victims. There’s nothing that stands out about them, but what if they were all connected somehow? Did they all go to school together? Were they all on the same email list? Had they dated the same guy? You get the picture.”
“We got word back about schools and hometowns. They all come from different backgrounds and different states. So no link there,” Rex added.
“There’s also the letter carving tie in. So far we have an ‘A’, an ‘S’, an ‘H’ and an ‘L’. Is this guy really trying to spell out Ashley?”
“Oh God, Tony. He killed Ashley and now he’s making others suffer. What does he have against us?”
“I don’t know, baby, I don’t know.” Tony wished the seats would vanish. He wanted to hold Marissa tight, pull her close and tell her he loved her, but more than just the seats separated them. She didn’t trust him, and he still had issues.
“Then the body of Latisha Enzer shows up in our bedroom. Rex has a key but obviously someone else was able to get in. I’m not sure what would have happened if I had talked you into coming back with me that night.”
“We found one of my hairs on Tony’s leg. It was planted there by the killer,” Rex interjected.
“Why would he do that?” Marissa asked.
“Ah-ha, here’s the kicker. Spade said the killer could be a male or female. So it could be anybody. We
’re back to square one. Who is this person doing the killings?” Tony slunk down in the seat.
“Did Tony tell you we think the killer is leaving some kind of message?” Marissa asked.
“Really, what’s that?” Rex turned toward Tony and rubbed his jaw. “Are you holding stuff back?”
“I’m not holding back. We figured it out last night. The victims’ last names spell out ‘life’. If he’d been successful with Marissa, there would also have been an ‘S’. We don’t know the next word for sure, but Marissa and I both think he might be spelling out ‘life sucks.’ What do you think?”
“That’s why you asked me where I picked up the phrase, ‘life sucks’? You still didn’t trust me, even after telling me you didn’t think I was a suspect?” Rex’s tone was incredulous.
“I believe you, but this guy is close to the police. I was wondering if you picked it up recently. Maybe someone’s been saying it to you. Then you pick it up subconsciously and say it to me. I know it’s a fairly common phrase, but I was grasping for straws.”
“Damn it, how can I believe you? You ran a background check on me.”
“I ran a background check on everyone. Look, Rex, my past, my future, it’s all wrapped up in this. Someone is preying on my family, making me pay for something. God only knows what. Everyone associated with me is a suspect. Spade is combing through my past. Anybody unaccounted for or living nearby is a prime suspect.”
“Why didn’t we figure this out earlier?”
“Who’s the ‘we’ you’re talking about?” Tony asked.
“The department, our team. We’ve been working this as a straightforward sexual predator case. We haven’t been checking for messages other than the letters carved on the victim’s backs. Well, your back too. This is about revenge, not just some sicko preying on innocent women. He meant to force you out, throw you off guard.”
“Who could possibly be this mad at us?” A tear formed at the corner of Marissa’s eye. Tony reached over the back seat and swiped it away, but he couldn’t swipe away their problems that easily.
“It could be anybody. That’s why I’m going to get my job back today.”
Chapter 26
Tony sat across the desk from Randall, gripping the arms of the chair until his knuckles turned white. Nothing about this meeting was going right. Randall wanted Tony to jump through hoops so he could come back to the department. Randall was digging into his private life, questioning why he and Marissa separated.
He’d been handed an edict to visit the department’s psychologist. The last request was too much.
“Why desk duty?” Tony challenged.
“You’ve been through a lot. You could use a break. There’s nothing wrong with admitting you’re stressed. Sometimes you have to take a break.”
“Now is not the time for a break, sir.”
“Rex, Michael and Janice are doing a competent job at the moment. They can handle the load. You need time off of the streets. Your caseload has been full since Ashley’s death. You never took the time you needed to mourn for her. It’s understandable, but now you have the chance.”
Tony wanted to pick up his chair and toss it through the conference room window, but that wouldn’t look good on his psychological evaluation.
His hands were tied. Without the information from the department’s crime lab, he may never put together enough pieces to figure out who the killer was. But if he came back to work, he would have access to the documents.
“Give me a week to decide.” Tony clenched his hands tighter, forcing them to stay on the chair so he didn’t jump up and choke Randall.
“Sure, that’s what I was thinking. We’ll extend your paid administrative leave for another week. That should give you enough time to make a decision.”
Tony walked out of the conference room, anger making his stride longer than normal. He pushed open the security door and spotted Marissa.
“Come on, let’s go,” he said, looking past her out the door. He couldn’t meet her gaze, not yet. The truth hurt. He had been suspended from his job. If he went back to work, he wouldn’t really be working. How could he stop the killer if he wasn’t on the police force? Failure was the only word that came to mind. He was a total and complete failure, not even capable of keeping his job.
“Tony, what did he say?” Marissa asked.
“Later.” He grabbed her hand and led her out to his car. He slammed the door, put the key into the ignition and jumped the car into drive before Marissa could get her seatbelt on.
“What is wrong with you?”
“My hands are tied. I can’t do anything to fix this mess.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The chief won’t let me work if I come back now.” Tony punched the accelerator. He felt out of control. He swerved around cars on the freeway and took the next exit. He needed to find some place to let off his steam.
“He won’t let you work?”
“No. Said he talked to a psychologist who thinks the stress would be too much to come back to work in my former job. He suggested a desk job.”
“A desk job?”
“Yeah, a desk job. I can’t catch this killer if I’m sitting behind a desk answering calls from disgruntled citizens.” Tony slammed on the brakes, barely in time to avoid running through a red light.
“Tony, why don’t you let me drive?”
His eyes settled on Marissa, finally seeing her for the first time since coming out of the police station. Stark white hands gripped the dashboard. Bulging eyes and a sheen of perspiration gave her a wild look. He had to get control of his actions.
“I can drive.”
“You’ve been going a bit too fast.” Marissa relaxed her arms and dropped her hands from the dashboard.
“I’m fine now, really. I’ll go slower. I need to go for a swim, but I can’t leave you alone.”
“I’m not a baby. I can watch after myself.” Her words were sharp, her posture stiff.
“You don’t get it, do you? Until we find the next girl, the one who belongs to the ‘S’, then you’re at risk. We’ve interrupted his flow. He’ll strike out. Maybe at someone else, maybe back at you.”
“I would be ready. He wouldn’t be able to get me.”
“We don’t know that. So far, it looks like he’s had a fairly reliable pattern with the names. What if he wants you and I’m not there?”
“I’ll be fine at the natatorium with you. We’ll be in the same building for goodness sakes. Maybe we should try to set a trap for him. Like a sting.”
“No. I’m not risking you or the baby.” Just the thought of her being in danger made Tony want to pull Marissa close and hold her until all of this craziness with the killer went away.
“Good, because I didn’t really want to be the bait.” Marissa grinned.
Tony smiled back and drove the rest of the way in silence. He wouldn’t use his wife as bait for this sick bastard. If the killer was in a position of authority, possibly law enforcement, then he would probably be wise to the set-up. They were in a no win situation. No leads, no evidence, and no way to draw the killer out.
****
Marissa followed Tony into the natatorium and took a seat in the stands. Her stomach rumbled and an intense wave of hunger passed over her. She’d eaten breakfast, but lunch was at least an hour away. She dug change out of her purse and headed for the snack machines.
The selections ranged from candy to cookies to chips. Although tasty, the candy was full of sugar and fat and the cookies weren’t much better. The chips were nutritionally deficient and soaked in salt. She hadn’t had a problem with hypertension or gestational diabetes with her last pregnancy, but she didn’t want to eat junk food if she could help it.
“You know, the food in there isn’t good for you.”
Marissa turned to find Ally standing behind her. “Hey, Ally. I was going to see if I could get an appointment with you tomorrow.”
”Sure, I should have an opening.”
Ally’s gaze moved to Marissa’s injury and her eyes flashed with anger. “Are you okay?”
“Oh.” Marissa reached up self-consciously and touched the white bandage with her fingers. She had almost forgotten about the cut with everything else that had happened yesterday and today.
“What happened? I can help you if you need to get out of a bad situation. You do know they have shelters, right? No questions asked.”
“What? Oh, no it’s not like that. I’m not living with my husband right now. Well, actually I am now, but that’s because of, well this,” Marissa said, pointing to her head.
“I don’t understand. Your husband did or did not cause that?”
“He didn’t. I was attacked in my apartment and Tony saved me.”
Ally reached out and grabbed Marissa’s wrist, her fingers painfully digging into her flesh. “Did they get the guy?”
“No. He escaped.”
“There’s not a lot of crime in Juniper. Wonder what he...” Her eyes rounded. “It wasn’t the killer? The one who’s already killed four women?”
“Actually, they think it was.”
“No.” Ally blew out a quick breath. “You’re very lucky.”
“I know.” Marissa reached down and subconsciously stroked her stomach, putting a protective hand over her womb.
“I have a protein bar and an apple. They’ll be better for you than anything you get out of one of these machines,” Ally offered.
“Thanks. I’m starving.”
“Call the club and book an appointment. I would love to work with you tomorrow. I think improving your upper arm strength would be a good idea.”
Marissa nodded as Ally passed her the food. “I’ll call when we finish here.”
Marissa took a bite of the apple, mulling over the conversation she’d just had with Ally. Her trainer was nice but there was something strange about her. Marissa shrugged as she took another bite of the apple. She felt a wet hand on her shoulder and spun around. She was ready to yell at the jerk dripping water down her back but the words died on her tongue when she saw the anger in Tony’s eyes.
