The Steve Williams Series Boxed Set

by J. E. Taylor

  “Heard you won the case.” He plopped himself next to her.

  Carolyn creased her brow. “Where did you hear that?” She didn’t see the verdict in the evening edition.

  “I saw Jason. He was downtown this evening, throwing back a few.”

  Carolyn nodded. He had handed off the file summary and skedaddled out of the office like a plague was ready to sprout. “Where did you go last night?”

  “I had some business to attend to.”

  “Ah, eat and run. You know this isn’t a fast food joint, right?” Carolyn said, raising her eyebrows. The fact she had taken the time to cook a decent dinner after a long day at the office, coupled with his hasty retreat, irked her. And his nonchalant answer just fueled the fire.

  Randy glanced at Olivia and received a shrug in return. “What’s wrong?” he asked, concern creeping into his voice.

  If he was that clueless, it wasn’t worth explaining. Carolyn shook her head. “I’m not feeling well,” she said, derailing the conversation.

  Randy put his arm around her and pulled her close.

  Not the right move. Not even in the vicinity of the right move. Carolyn leveled a glare in his direction and pushed him away. “I don’t need to be coddled,” she snapped and stormed out of the living room.

  Carolyn stared at the ceiling, slowly counting to cool her shot temper. The door opened and Randy stepped inside.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked and sat on the side of the bed next to her.

  Carolyn continued to count the speckles in the ceiling, formulating the words. “What’s wrong is such a loaded question.”

  “Why?”

  She sighed and glanced in his direction.

  “I’m still upset that you took off last night.”

  Randy cocked his head to the side, his eyes rolling. “You have nothing to worry about…”

  “Did I say I was worried? I just said I was upset. Here I went to all that trouble to cook you a nice dinner, with my insane schedule, and you didn’t even give me a proper thank you.”

  “Well, can I give you that thank you right now?” Randy’s eyes sparkled with insinuation.

  Carolyn stared at him, sending her don’t even think about it look in his direction.

  “You’re really pissed at me.”

  “Ya think?”

  “I told you I had a meeting.”

  “I know,” she said under her breath.

  “That’s not the only thing rubbing you wrong, is it?”

  He certainly could read her better than she wanted him to. “You’ll never believe me.” She returned her gaze up, studying the spackle job.

  “Give me a try.” Randy stretched out next to her and placed his hand on her stomach.

  Carolyn took a deep breath. “I saw both murders.”

  Randy removed his hand from her stomach. “What murders?”

  “The girl in the alley last night and the woman in the garage today. I saw them.”

  Randy slipped off the bed. “What do you mean you saw them?”

  “Last night I had a dream and today I had a vision when I was in my office.”

  His eyes narrowed. “What exactly did you see?”

  “In both cases I saw their throats slashed open by something that looked like a claw,” she said.

  Randy bit his lip. “You didn’t see who did it?”

  “No. I’m seeing through the killer’s eyes.” She shrugged and looked at her hands before returning her gaze to Randy, wondering if she’d gone too far, trusting him too much with such a crazy concept. “And what he is striking with looks like a claw to me.”

  Randy sat back on the edge of the bed. “You’re not kidding are you?”

  “No.” Carolyn met his gaze. “And he’s going to kill again.”

  Randy tilted his head. “You’re saying they’re connected?”

  Carolyn nodded.

  “Why?”

  It was Carolyn’s turn to wrinkle her brow. “I don’t know,” she answered. “Why are you so quick to believe me?”

  Randy smiled. “You have successfully repeated my exact thoughts more than a handful of times since the day we met. This isn’t that far of a leap from reading minds.”

  Carolyn started to laugh. “I can’t read minds.”

  “You may not realize it, but that’s what you do every day.”

  She bit her lower lip. She hadn’t divulged her abilities to Randy and yet he nailed it. Her gaze found his and she tried to read beyond the haze. His mind was a complete blank. “I can’t read minds,” she asserted.

  Randy smiled and shrugged. “If you say so.” He stretched out on the bed next to her again, running his hand gently over her stomach, pulling the shirt up to reveal her alabaster skin.

  “I’m really not in the mood,” Carolyn replied with a sigh.

  “See. You can read minds.” He smiled, continuing his exploration under her shirt, undaunted by her comment.

  “Randy!”

  He grinned. “What?”

  “I’m serious.”

  “Fine,” he snapped, his aggravation etched into the tiny lines at the corners of his mouth. He rolled off the bed and headed for the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said over his shoulder just before he slammed the door shut.

  Carolyn returned her gaze to the ceiling. The bang of the front door elicited a twitch in her shoulders. Something akin to disappointment burrowed into the lining of her stomach, creating a small ache, and she closed her eyes, shaking her head from side to side in denial. “What the hell am I doing?”

  Chapter 5

  The sound of the shower drew my attention and the cracked bathroom door met my gaze. I pushed it open. Behind the curtain, her voice rang like nails on a chalkboard, belting out a popular pop rock song in a key I didn’t recognize. I cringed, grinding my teeth and raising my claw, waiting.

  I didn’t have to wait long, the shower shut off and the curtain moved aside. Her blue eyes widened and the hand reaching for the towel froze. She blinked and inhaled.

  The claw lashed out and she jumped back, slipping on the wet floor, slamming into the back of the shower, the scream escaping before I raked my blade across her throat, drowning the noise in blood.

  * * * *

  Carolyn sat up in bed, her hand clasping her throat, squinting at the bright overhead light. She glanced at the clock and it blinked a little after five in the morning. Another day, another dead body.

  With a sigh, she rubbed her face and swung her legs over the side of the bed. A stretch pulled her out of bed and she wandered into the bathroom. After stripping and leaving her clothes in a haphazard bundle on the floor, she stepped into the warm shower but the water did nothing to wash away the vision.

  Carolyn stepped into the kitchen, her mood much fouler than the prior evening. She shoved two pieces of bread in the toaster and slammed the button on the coffee machine, watching impatiently as the black liquid fell into the open pot.

  She crossed to the front door, ripping it open and sweeping the newspaper off the floor before returning to the kitchen and her slightly burnt toast. Bitterness swathed her tongue and she pulled the coffee cup from her lips in disgust. She needed Starbucks, not this crap.

  “Good morning!” Olivia announced as she entered the kitchen.

  Carolyn muttered and sailed past her, picking up her briefcase in the living room.

  “Carolyn?” Olivia called from the kitchen.

  “What?” She spun, glaring at her roommate.

  Olivia put her hand on her hip. “I ain’t your maid,” she said, hooking her thumb over her shoulder.

  “I’ll clean up when I get home,” Carolyn snapped and headed for the door.

  “You need to get laid, girl!” Olivia called after her.

  “Yeah, right,” Carolyn mumbled and took the stairs to the exit. A cold drizzle fell from the heavens, further darkening her mood. She didn’t have her umbrella and instead of going back to retrieve it, she forged on, making it to the subway in ti
me to watch the train pull out.

  “Shit!”

  It would be another ten minutes before the next subway came by. She scanned the thin crowd and the mad narrative in her head began. “Stop it,” she whispered.

  The man next to her raised an eyebrow.

  She offered a thin smile and a shrug.

  Carolyn sighed, letting the assault of the surrounding stranger’s lives overtake her. This one wants to beat his girlfriend, that one wanted to still be home sleeping. It was all so surreal. Yet she couldn’t read Randy’s mind when she tried. She shook her head knocking the fleeting thoughts away as the subway pulled to a stop.

  She steered clear of the Starbucks, opting for the silence of her office instead. Carolyn leaned back in her chair, taking a deep breath before she delved into the stack of case files on her desk, dividing the cases into ones she was willing to take on and those that would end up on the junior district attorney’s desk.

  The summary Jason had written caught her eye. She glanced over the case. The boy’s uncle sexually assaulted him multiple times, even violating a restraining order to get to the boy. Jim was right, it was exactly the kind of case she prided herself in winning.

  Carolyn looked at the stack of files and back at the case before her. She closed her eyes and sighed. Too many lost children.

  A knock on the door interrupted her reverie and she opened her eyes. “Come in.”

  Jim popped his head in. “Morning, Carolyn. You’re here awfully early.”

  Carolyn nodded. “I couldn’t sleep.”

  Jim slipped into her office and took a seat in front of the desk. “What’s eating you?”

  Carolyn waived at the case files on her desk.

  “Are you burning out on me?”

  Carolyn laughed. “No.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “Did you read about those two murders?” Carolyn asked, knowing her boss religiously perused the newspapers.

  Jim creased his eyebrows. There were several murders in the paper over the last couple of days.

  “The two women with their throats cut.”

  The light sparked in his eyes and Jim nodded.

  “They’re connected,” Carolyn stated.

  His eyebrows rose. “What makes you say that?”

  Carolyn sighed. “Just a feeling I guess.” She closed the case file in front of her. “He’s going to strike again, mark my words.” She crossed to the window, appraising the way he was studying her in the reflection.

  “You think?”

  Carolyn glanced over her shoulder at him. “Yes.” She brought her gaze back to the morning rush in the streets below. Her hand drifted to her mouth to cover a yawn. “I need caffeine,” she said.

  “I’ll spring for coffee this morning.” Jim stood and Carolyn joined him on the other side of the desk. “And you can tell me what you think about the case.” He pointed at the file on her desk.

  “I haven’t finished reading the summary Jason pulled together.” They walked out, slipping on the elevator and descended in silence.

  Jim brought the coffee to the corner table that Carolyn confiscated, sliding next to her. He handed her a hot cappuccino and unwrapped the muffin he bought. “So, tell me what you want to do with that case.”

  “Shoot the bastard.” Carolyn sipped her drink. Jim’s laughter was musical in Carolyn’s ears amidst the thoughts of strangers. “He belongs behind bars,” she said as her boss wound down.

  “Can you win?”

  Carolyn smiled. “Have I ever lost a case, Jim?”

  Jim shook his head. “No, you never have and that simple fact always amazes me. But there’s always a first.”

  It was Carolyn’s turn to laugh.

  “You certainly are a piece of work.” Jim glanced at her fondly.

  “Don’t worry; I’m not gunning for your job, counselor.”

  Jim shrugged. “It may open up sooner rather than later and you are the natural candidate to take my place.”

  Carolyn rolled her eyes. Five years before, Jim confessed he had greater aspirations than being District Attorney and since then, they had this same conversation at least once a week. “Then get off your ass and run for office.”

  “Maybe I will.” He leaned back in the seat, his expression turning serious as he picked at the muffin.

  “Do you know we have had this same conversation every week for the past five years?”

  Jim nodded. “I’m aware. This is my little pep talk.” He smiled. “And maybe someday I will get off my ass and throw my hat in the ring.”

  Carolyn returned his smile. “Jim, what really is stopping you?”

  Jim offered a shrug. “Skeletons in the closet.”

  “What skeletons?” She tilted her head and glanced at her boss, trying to dig into his secret thoughts. Instead, all she got was just a big fat blank page.

  Jim chuckled and raised his eyebrows. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” And with that comment, he stood and collected his coffee, signaling the end of their coffee date.

  Carolyn followed his lead and slipped through the crowded sidewalk back to their offices in City Hall. She slid behind her desk and looked at her caseload again. Today she had a few cases that weren’t nearly as heartbreaking as Angel’s. The first case was a repeat offender whose latest transgression was armed robbery. Caught with the gun and the cash from the register two blocks from the crime made for an easy open and shut case. The second of the day was another fairly cut-and-dried case; physical abuse and neglect, and she was sure the defense attorney would enter a plea bargain.

  Jason interrupted her train of thought when he entered and dropped the paper on her desk. “Looks like we have a serial killer.” He pointed to the front page.

  The headline jumped off the page.

  SCARLET PSYCHOPATH STRIKES AGAIN

  Carolyn picked up the paper glancing at the copy. A third victim was found in the early hours of the morning with the tell-tale scarlet lipstick mark on her forehead and her throat slashed wide open.

  Carolyn took a deep breath. “So I was right,” she said, tossing the paper onto the desk and looking at Jason as she bit her lower lip.

  “They didn’t release the lipstick mark information to the press until this morning.” Jason slid into the seat across the desk. “He’s targeting a specific profile.”

  “White, between twenty and thirty, brown hair, blue eyes, average height,” Carolyn said as she kept eye contact with Jason.

  Jason tilted his head. “You have an inside track with the police?”

  Carolyn smiled and made no comment. She looked at the paper and continued reading. The pictures of the women were on the next page and the resemblance of all the victims lined up side by side was startling.

  “They all look like you,” Jason said.

  “And?”

  “Watch your back.” Jason stood and left Carolyn staring after him with shivers traversing her spine.

  Chapter 6

  Carolyn returned to her office after a day in court and slid her shoes off, crinkling her toes in the plush carpet. She sat down in her chair and stretched. The dull ache in her calves reminded her she needed to wear more sensible shoes when pacing in front of a jury.

  The phone rang, interrupting the lazy stretch and she hit the speaker button. “Hello?”

  “Hey, babe. Feeling better today?” The baritone voice filled her office.

  Carolyn took a deep breath. “Yes.” She let a smile form. “I’m sorry for being such a bitch last night.”

  “No need to apologize, I wasn’t exactly Prince Charming, either. Can I take you to dinner tonight to make up for being such an ass?” Randy asked.

  “I’d like that.” Carolyn resumed the lazy stretch, flexing her feet. “Where?”

  “How about the Seaport?”

  “Mmmm.” Carolyn murmured. “I don’t know.”

  “Where would you suggest?”

  “Harry’s?”

  “Uptown?”

  “
Yes, I’m in the mood for a killer steak,” Carolyn answered.

  “All right. I’ll be up in a few.”

  Carolyn disconnected the call and sighed. Rummaging through her desk drawer, she found the box of band-aids and pulled a strip from the box, stretching it over the angry blister on her heel. She slipped her tired feet into the cramped high heels and cringed. At least Randy didn’t ask to go dancing. She snorted at the thought and flipped her computer on, glancing at the ominous build up of emails. Randy would have to wait while she waded through the forty odd new messages and offered some level of response.

  The soft knock came twenty minutes later.

  “Come in!” Carolyn called out. She didn’t bother looking up when the door opened. “I’ll be a few more minutes.” She had cut the email build up by a third and was hell bent on finishing.

  “Sure thing, sweet cheeks.”

  Carolyn’s gaze shot up along with her irritation level. If she hadn’t been so focused on cleaning out her email, she would have heard him coming by way of his lewd thoughts. “Trent, get out!” She returned her attention to the task at hand, praying Randy would walk in and save her from the lecherous idiot.

  “Come on, Carolyn.” Trent parked himself on the edge of her desk, trying to get a clear view down her shirt.

  Carolyn brought her gaze back to him. “I’m working. Please get out of my office.” She was in no mood for this today.

  Trent’s lips pursed. “What crawled up your ass?” He stood, looking down his aristocratic nose at her.

  Carolyn took a deep breath to keep her temper in check. “I need to finish this before Randy gets here.” She tilted her head. “So, if you wouldn’t mind,” she said a fraction softer.

  “Fine.” Trent snipped and sauntered out of the room. “But you don’t know what you’re missing.” He threw over his shoulder.

  “I’m sure it’s not a whole hell of a lot,” Randy interjected as he appeared in the doorway, flustering Trent.

  Trent shuffled off quickly without another word.

  Randy leaned on the doorjamb smiling at Carolyn.

  “Thank God.” She returned his smile.

  Randy laughed and stepped into the office, closing the door behind him.