The Steve Williams Series Boxed Set

by J. E. Taylor

  “I’m not a fucking child, so stop treating me like one,” Jason muttered.

  “Do I have to slap on a pair of cuffs?”

  Jason’s head snapped in his direction and his eyes widened in a silent plea. “No, I’ll come with you.”

  “That a boy,” Steve said and opened the door, preparing himself for Jason to flee once they hit the streets.

  Chapter 47

  Carolyn looked at the unfamiliar number and her brow creased. “Hello?”

  “Um, Carolyn?” Jason’s worried voice crossed the line.

  “Jason?”

  “Yeah, I kind of think I need a lawyer.”

  Shock skittered over her skin and she closed her eyes. “Where are you?”

  “At the Federal Building in a holding room.”

  Her eyes snapped open and she stood from the couch. “You’re in FBI custody?”

  “Yeah.”

  A million different thoughts fluttered through her head all landing on one reaction and she sighed. “I’m on my way.” She hung up and slipped on shoes, grabbing her coat before heading out the door.

  Twenty minutes later, she stepped out of the elevator on the twenty-third floor of the Federal building and crossed to the front desk.

  “May I help you?” the perky receptionist asked.

  “Yes, I represent Jason Anderson,” she said and waited while the receptionist picked up the phone.

  “Mr. Anderson’s attorney is here. Okay, I’ll tell her.” She hung up and smiled at Carolyn. “The special agent in charge of Mr. Anderson’s case will be out in a few minutes, please take a seat.” She waved toward the waiting area.

  Carolyn crossed to the waiting area and was just about to sit when the door opened and Steve strolled out. When his gaze landed on her, his mouth popped open and his eyebrows shot up, the surprise embedded in his expression enough to make her chuckle.

  “Jason called you?”

  “Yes, he did and I’m telling you, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”

  Steve pressed his lips together and nodded toward the hallway. “There are a few things you need to know before you come to that conclusion.”

  She followed him to the observation room where she could clearly see Jason sitting at the table, fidgeting and she turned toward Steve. “I already know about Jason’s past. I’m not an idiot and neither is Jim. Jason shows a tremendous amount of promise and we didn’t want to hold his father’s sins against him when he applied for the internship.”

  “I think he had ulterior motives…”

  “Stop right there,” Carolyn said raising her hand. “He isn’t the killer.”

  “He fits the profile, Carolyn.”

  “Your profile is wrong. I know he came to the district attorney’s office based on what happened, but you are not in possession of all the facts of the state’s case against his father, and I’m going to leave it at that until I’ve had a chance to talk with my client.” She turned and entered the holding room without further comment.

  Jason stood meeting her gaze before he looked down at the table, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

  “Sit down, Jason,” Carolyn said and he obliged avoiding eye contact.

  “Did they tell you why I’m here?”

  “Yes. Did you hurt those women?” She had to ask, had to see his reaction.

  Jason flinched and sat back in his seat. “No! God, no.” His eyes pleaded with her not to believe the accusation.

  She could feel the truth of his statement as clearly as she could see the dread in his heart with the next bit of truth he had to share with her. “I believe you and I know why they think you’d want to target me, or women who look like me.” She paused, waiting for the information to sink in, when he blinked and cocked his head, she continued, “I’ve always known who you were. Jim and I had a long conversation when your background check came in and we both agreed that you deserved a future.”

  “You knew?”

  “The day you came in for the interview, I knew. I remembered you, Justin. How could I forget what your father did to both you and your mother? It had been almost ten years, but, as you’ll find out very soon, you never forget a child’s face. Ever.”

  He studied his hands and then looked up, tears tracking wet rivets down his cheeks. “I haven’t been called Justin since then.”

  “I know.” Carolyn reached across the table and took his hand.

  “You know he’s dead, right?”

  She nodded.

  * * * *

  Steve listened to the conversation, more aggravated than he had been at City Hall. He had Sarah pull strings to get a warrant to search Jason’s apartment with the local forensics team and all the while Carolyn knew about this kid’s past and didn’t feel the need to enlighten him. That pissed him off and he stepped into the room, his gaze bouncing between the two of them. “You knew about his history and you didn’t think it was pertinent to this case?”

  Carolyn pulled her hand away and leaned back in the seat. “It has nothing to do with this case. Jason isn’t the Scarlet Psychopath.”

  “Well, I haven’t made that determination. Right now we’ve got a forensics team searching his place for evidence.”

  “You have a warrant?” Carolyn asked.

  “Ayup,” Steve answered, thanks to Sarah, he thought and received a sideways glance from Carolyn. “My partner used to be a cop here, and she’s still got some close ties high up in the judicial system.”

  “You’re wasting your time,” Jason said, oblivious to the silent communications occurring around him.

  “You have collector’s axes for your karate tournaments, correct?”

  “Yes, I do, but you won’t find anything on them except traces of fabric from my tournaments.”

  “Now that you have a lawyer in attendance, let’s get down to business. Can you tell me where you were during each of the murders?” He slid the list across the table to Jason and he picked it up, scanning the dates.

  “I was with my new girlfriend the first weekend and I dropped her off back at school on Monday,” he said and glanced at Carolyn. “That’s why I was so late to the office.”

  “I figured it was something like that,” Carolyn said.

  “Would she be willing to testify under oath?” Steve asked, still not completely discounting this kid from the list, but the more the conversation continued, the more his mind opened up.

  Jason put the paper down and stared at Steve. “She’ll confirm I was with her the last two weekends,” Jason said.

  “But?”

  “But I’m willing to bet after you question her, she won’t be my girlfriend anymore.”

  “Well, if you really have nothing to hide, then she shouldn’t hold it against you, but on the other hand, if you are responsible, then I hope she does run away from you as fast as she possibly can.”

  “You’re really a prick, you know that?”

  Steve raised an eyebrow. “What I am isn’t up for discussion. I’m more interested in what you are. Now, what about the other dates and times?” Steve tapped the paper.

  Jason turned red.

  “Was that really necessary?” Carolyn asked, interrupting the flow

  “Yes, now if your client would answer the question…”

  “I was at my apartment,” Jason said, heading off a building argument.

  “Can anyone vouch for that?”

  “I was alone,” Jason said under his breath.

  “So you don’t have an alibi for most of the dates on the list.”

  “No.”

  “What about cameras in the apartment building?” Carolyn asked and Jason rolled his eyes at her.

  “In Brooklyn? Are you serious?”

  Steve glanced at the address and nodded. He knew the place. It was right around the corner from where he and Jennifer had a flat a few years back when he was still undercover and they didn’t have cameras in that neighborhood.

  His phone buzzed and he excused himself, ste
pping into the observation room and taking the call. “Hi, Sarah, please tell me you have something.”

  “Nope, not a trace of blood on any of the weapons, besides, none of them match the forensic reports anyway. The kid’s apartment is clean.”

  “Shit,” he said.

  “You getting anywhere with the questions?”

  “No, I’m beginning to think this was a mistake and it could cost us.”

  “You make a mistake?”

  “It happens,” he said, opting to admit to it rather than argue with her over the timing of her sarcasm.

  Silence met his response. “Wow, you must be a bit rattled. Normally you would have jumped down my throat for a comment like that.”

  “Yeah, well, the remaining suspects on the list are going to be tricky to get answers from. I was kind of hoping for a slam dunk this time around.”

  Sarah laughed. “It doesn’t always work out that way. So who’s next on your list?”

  “You’re not going to like it,” he said.

  “Spill.”

  “I don’t have anything on this one, but Beverly Sinclair rubbed me wrong on so many levels that I’d like to check into where she came from and if there is anything in her past that would indicate this kind of violence.”

  “I’ll check her out, but a hunch isn’t going to get us a warrant.”

  “I’m aware of that.”

  “You have anyone else?”

  “Yes. I have an itch regarding the district attorney and his wife.”

  “With what probable cause?”

  “In some respect, they both blame Carolyn for screwing up their marriage.”

  “That’s not enough of a compelling argument to get a search warrant. What else have you got?”

  “Jim Britt only has an alibi for one of the murders and I still have to validate it, the rest are his word and that of his wife—but they don’t sleep together anymore, so that’s a hole and he admitted as much.”

  “That’s a little more compelling, but we have to have some serious shit on the man in order for a judge to issue a search warrant.”

  “Jim Britt collects fantasy and gaming weapons along with antique swords. Plus, he seems to have a small S&M fetish.”

  “Jesus, this just gets better and better.”

  Steve chuckled at her reaction. “While he’s got some issues that I’m sure he doesn’t want the public to know, I don’t think it’s him. However, I’m a little more concerned about his wife. Her emotions swung the pendulum when I was there and I understand she’s been in and out of rehab for drinking and prescription drug issues. I think the separation is impacting her stability and the rest of the stuff just lines up right.”

  “I think I can go to a judge with this information. If he won’t issue a warrant, we can pay them a visit tomorrow and see if we can talk them into cooperating with us.”

  “He didn’t seem all that cooperative when I talked to him earlier.”

  “Well, Jim and I have a bit of history. I think I can influence his decision.”

  “What kind of history?”

  She laughed. “Not what you’re thinking. I’ll catch you later.”

  Steve pocketed his phone, turning his attention back to his current charge. With a sigh, he entered the room and took a seat at the head of the table folding his hands on the smooth wood.

  “Well?” Carolyn asked.

  “Well, that was my partner,” he said and glanced at Jason. “You’re apartment is clean. You’re free to go.”

  Jason’s eyebrows arched. “That’s it?”

  “Yes, that’s it. With the new information that Ms. Hastings provided and the lack of any sign of evidence saying otherwise, it doesn’t make sense to keep you under observation.”

  They both stood.

  “Ms. Hastings, I’d like you to stay for a few minutes.”

  “Oh, okay.” She sat and gave Jason a reassuring smile.

  “I’ll see you at the art show tomorrow,” Jason said and stepped out the side door that Steve pointed to.

  Steve waited a minute before turning his heated gaze in her direction. “You should have told me about this.” He waved at the table and leaned back in the chair. “I just wasted the remaining daylight hunting down a judge, getting a warrant and sending a team of specialists to his place all because I didn’t have all the information. Is there anything else you’ve conveniently left out?”

  Carolyn bit her lip and shifted in the chair. “I know why Cameron Unger was at City Hall yesterday with my old roommate.”

  Steve leaned forward, aggravation leaving him itching to let a dose of his dark side loose. “I already know why he was there. Tell me something I don’t know, like why Beverly Sinclair dislikes you so much.”

  “I have no idea. I’ve only seen her a few times.”

  Steve had enough and he took a deep breath, closing his eyes and forcing his way into her mind. He ignored the gasp along with the whimper that followed. He shuffled through memories, thoughts, and facts pulling what he needed within the passage of a couple of minutes. The release was more abrupt than he expected and with it came a dizzy spell that made him grasp the edges of the table.

  When his vision cleared, her pale, wide-eyed stare met his.

  * * * *

  Carolyn watched as the swirl in his eyes settled, stunned at the mental invasion. “What the hell did you just do?” And more importantly, what the hell did I just see?

  Steve flashed an uneasy smile. “I guess the geek term for it would be something akin to a Vulcan mind meld.”

  “What?”

  “I siphoned through your memories.”

  The mere thought caused a chill to run through her, leaving her body cold to the core. Her gaze dropped to his unscarred wrists, but the image imprinted in her mind was Steve nailed to a cross. “And you left some in the process.”

  “Unfortunately, that is a byproduct of…” He trailed off.

  “A byproduct of what?”

  “I have no idea what to call it,” Steve said. “I’m sorry, but I had to be sure. I thought you might be hiding something more, but there’s nothing else there that I don’t already know.”

  “So what exactly is the disturbing image you left me with?”

  “Which disturbing image from my past are you referring to?”

  She could tell by the set of his jaw and the cock of his head, he was playing dumb, but for the life of her, she didn’t know why. “I only got one impression and it sure as hell couldn’t be real.”

  “Having nails hammered through your wrists is excruciating, but having a half inch spike pounded through both feet is infinitely worse. They say crucifixion is an extremely painful way to die and they weren’t kidding.” He leaned back crossing his arms.

  “You’re joking.”

  “Afraid not, but this isn’t the time or place to discuss my unfortunate past. I suggest you go home while I concentrate on the here and now and catch this bastard before he kills again.”

  Chapter 48

  Carolyn lay in bed with Randy snoring on the pillow beside her. Every time she closed her eyes, that morbid vision of Steve hanging from the cross haunted her and she cursed under her breath. She needed sleep, but it eluded her like a child playing hide and seek in a mansion.

  Another hour passed and Carolyn tossed the covers back, retreating to the living room and grabbing the remote. She surfed the late night shows, found nothing of interest and turned the television off in disgust. Wide-awake, she wandered into the office and flipped on the computer, deciding to do a little research of her own on Special Agent Williams.

  The news articles surrounding Steve gave her both chills and a calm sense of reassurance. While horrifying circumstances and violent death outlined his caseload, his ability to ferret out the killer was renowned, and in every case, he displayed the valor and honor of a true hero.

  “A real live Superman,” she whispered at the screen.

  “What are you doing?”

  Sh
e spun toward the voice and saw Randy standing in the entry rubbing his eye, his sleepy, questioning gaze made her smile. “I couldn’t sleep.”

  “And you’re surfing the net?”

  “There was nothing on television, so I figured I’d see what I could find on Special Agent Williams.”

  His eyebrows arched and he stepped in the room, taking a closer look at the computer screen. “What’d you find?”

  “More than I wanted to,” she said and stood, offering him the chair and the news links outlining the cases that garnished public attention.

  He scanned the article in front of him and sighed, looking up at Carolyn. “If someone hurt you the way this psycho hurt his wife, I’d kill them.” He waved at the news copy outlining The Slasher case.

  “It’s a good thing you’re not a cop,” she said, reaching over him and turning off the monitor. “Now I really need to get some sleep.” She yawned and stretched her back before leading him to the bedroom. This time when he pulled her into the spooning position, she snuggled and sleep settled over her and held tight.

  * * * *

  Steve threw the file on the table and leaned back in the seat, rubbing his face and stifling a yawn. “There’s nothing in these files that leads us to the kid.”

  “I thought you had already ruled him out?” Sarah said from the couch.

  “Yeah, well I had, but since you couldn’t deliver on the search warrants, I thought I’d take another look at the data.”

  “Oh, that’s good. Blame your lack of progress on me.”

  He picked up the last three files. “The answer’s got to be in here.”

  “Look, you haven’t slept more than a handful of hours in the last few days. Why don’t you catch some sleep and I’ll take a look at what you’ve got.” She stood and stretched, arching her back and sweeping her blonde locks into a makeshift bun, making her way to the desk.

  “I don’t have time to sleep…”

  She raised her hand, stopping his protest. “Fresh eyes...”

  “Yeah, yeah,” he muttered. Fatigue pounded at his muscles, leaving him little more than an aching pile of bones. He could use a couple of solid hours of sleep so he gave her a nod, relinquishing the seat and heading toward the bedroom. “Wake me if something happens.”