Maybe she should move them somewhere more public.
“Let’s go for a walk.” Jocelyn motioned with her pistol. “Come on. Outside.”
Regina stood from the floor, where Jocelyn had made her sit.
“Janice, you go on ahead. Go find help.”
“I’d be happy to.” Frightened and dirty and disheveled, Janice hurried from the room. She kept going until she reached the outer door, going through without a backward glance.
Regina turned her head to glance back at Jocelyn.
“Don’t even think about it,” Jocelyn said. The woman would try to escape. Jocelyn stayed on high alert, but her worry that something had happened to the team distracted her.
At the door, Jocelyn gave Regina room—in case she decided to fight. But the woman calmly went through the door.
Bright sunlight blinded her a moment. She shaded her eyes and spotted Janice running toward the street. Once she made it there, she’d head toward the highway and the strip mall. Hopefully she wouldn’t run into any more trouble in this part of the city.
The brief seconds she spent checking on Janice cost her. Regina paid attention now. She used that moment to swing her fist back and knock Jocelyn’s gun. Jocelyn managed to hang on to it, but Regina swung around and kicked her. She flew backward, landing on her backside.
Regina got into her car and started it up as Jocelyn pushed back onto her feet. She aimed her weapon and fired as Regina fishtailed toward the opposite exit of the parking lot from where Janice had fled. Her bullets shattered the rear window, but she missed Regina.
Jocelyn flashed back to the crime scene she’d seen with Trevor. The blood and gore. The lifeless body. The lifelessness was what had gotten to her most. Vacant eyes. No more energy left, just flesh and bone. She felt almost relieved she’d missed Regina. But then she thought of the victims and kept firing.
When she kept missing, she aimed for the rear tires and fired. If she couldn’t stop Regina by killing her, maybe she could stop her another way. But Regina had gained too much distance and she missed those shots, too.
Lowering her gun to her side, Jocelyn turned and started walking the way Janice had gone. A minute later, she heard vehicles approach.
The SUV swerved into the parking lot. Behind them, the first surveillance van appeared.
The SUV stopped, stirring up dust with the abruptness.
Jocelyn rushed toward Trevor as he alighted from the passenger side. “She went that way!” Jocelyn pointed.
Trevor strode toward her, man on a mission. He took hold of her wrists and lifted, examining her up and down.
“Are you all right?” He touched her face and turned it from side to side and then ran his hands down her ribs, leaning to see behind her, all with acutely alert eyes.
“I’m fine. Regina is getting away.”
“Get in!” the chief shouted.
Jocelyn climbed into the back and Trevor the front as the chief drove through the parking lot, radioing to the surveillance team to stay behind.
“She went that way.” Jocelyn pointed.
The chief turned right onto a street. As they sped along, it became readily obvious that Regina had vanished yet again.
The chief drove down several streets and made it to the highway before giving up.
He drove them back to the warehouse parking lot, where the surveillance team waited.
Getting out of the vehicle, Jocelyn went to stand near the van. They’d gather evidence and continue their search for Regina.
Trevor moved in front of her. “Are you sure you’re okay?” He slid his hands down her ribs to her thighs.
She smiled and put her hands on his chest. “Yes. You can stop feeling me up.”
He relaxed, a slight grin creasing the corners of his mouth. “You must be fine. You’re teasing again.”
“I handled myself well all alone, Agent Colton. You should have seen me.” But she began to see the mistakes she’d made, a lone agent without guaranteed backup.
Chief Murray came to stand beside them, taking notice of their personal exchange and acting a bit awkward about it.
Jocelyn removed her hands from Trevor. “I managed to get a plate number.”
“Good work,” the chief said. “We got out of range after you left the ranch.”
She returned her attention to him. He seemed apologetic.
“We didn’t want to be seen,” Trevor added, looking around. “Where’s Janice?”
“She went to get help. Since help wasn’t coming.” She only half teased. What must Janice think of their task force? Jocelyn had saved her, yes, but her would-be killer still ran free.
Trevor ran his fingers through his hair. They kept failing to catch Regina. That had to get to him. But had his concern for Jocelyn cost them?
“You have no idea what that did to him,” Chief Murray said. “Not knowing what was going on with you made him a little crazy.” The chief turned to the officers who’d gotten out of the surveillance van. “The vic went to find help. Go find her.”
“Yes, sir.” The men hopped back in the van.
“What happened?” Trevor asked as the van drove off.
“I drew my gun and held her at gunpoint, thinking you were all hearing everything. I expected you to be here moments after I subdued her.”
“Damn it, Jocelyn. You should have waited.”
That sparked her ire. “How can you say that? If I’d waited, she would have overpowered me. She was armed.”
He sighed and looked away, unable to refute that. He was being unreasonable because he’d been so scared. She appreciated his concern. It said he cared more than he felt comfortable.
“Did you arrest her?”
“Of course, without cuffs.”
The chief shared a look with Trevor. “So now she knows who we are.”
Jocelyn hadn’t thought of that.
“She might go into hiding.” Trevor ran his fingers through his hair again. “We’re back to square one.”
Jocelyn felt like the rookie Trevor always said she was as he paced in a frustrated circle.
“What else should I have done?” she asked.
He stopped, looked at her and then stepped over to her, brushing his curled fingers down her cheek, sending tingles spreading. “Nothing. You did the right thing. We lost contact with you. The plan failed. You didn’t. I went out of my mind with worry, but you did what you were supposed to do. Your dad and your brother would both be proud of you, of the way you handled yourself.”
Oh. An inner wave of truth swept her. She felt as though she’d reached a milestone, as though she’d achieved what she’d set out to achieve ever since losing her dad and brother. This was why she’d joined the FBI. She’d joined to honor them, to do what they’d have done. And they’d have done exactly what she had.
So the perp had gotten away. They wouldn’t stop chasing Regina. They wouldn’t stop until she was captured and put behind bars. Then Jocelyn could say she was finished. That she was ready for the next chapter in her life. The chapter on family.
Would Trevor be with her? Really with her?
She still wasn’t sure, but his saying this proved he was closer than ever before.
“Thank you.” She rose up and pecked his cheek with a kiss.
By the time she stopped gushing over his sweetness, the chief had wandered away. But he’d stopped in the area where Regina’s car had been parked.
Bending, he picked up a twice-folded piece of paper. Unraveling it, he read and then lifted his head.
“It’s a pay stub under one of Regina’s aliases.” He looked down again.
Jocelyn moved closer with Trevor.
“It’s from a restaurant in Fort Worth,” the chief said. “One we haven’t staked out.”
/>
When Trevor’s head turned toward her, Jocelyn met his look. They didn’t have to speak. Regina had dropped the stub on purpose. She’d gotten another job at a new restaurant and seemed to be trying to lure them there.
Chapter 16
Chief Murray said he’d gather intel on the restaurant and contact Trevor and Jocelyn when he had something to report. That left Trevor with some alone time with Jocelyn. Losing contact with her had tortured him, and also slapped the importance of getting over having a serial killer for a dad in his face. Why couldn’t people just decide to shut out the negativity from their pasts? Decide, and make it be so. Shed the ugliness like snake skin. Choose to only be happy, to only focus on what made them happy.
Easier said than done. Unfortunately, experiences shaped lives.
After picking up a very upset Sigmund from the apartment, Trevor took Jocelyn to her condo. Now that Regina knew who they were, they had no reason to pretend anymore. They’d risk her attempting to come after them, but then, she’d also risk capture.
Jocelyn sat on her couch with a laptop open on the coffee table, tracking down Regina’s various aliases, how she’d stolen them and from whom, putting together their evidence in preparation for a trial. He did adore her optimism.
Going over to her, he sat next to her and picked up the laptop, placing it on his lap.
She turned to him, startled.
Grinning, he leaned back. “There’s something I want to show you.”
As he began navigating to an internet browser, she leaned back with him.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said. “When this investigation is over, we’re going to need a place to live.” He opened a real estate page. “As I have told you, my house is too small and I’m tired of it anyway. You live in a condo with no yard.”
“Trevor,” she said, hesitant.
“If we’re going to have a dog...” He opened the page where he’d found a house.
“Trevor, what—”
“Just look, Jocelyn.”
She did, leaning closer to see the page. When she saw the three-car, two-story with a basement, she took the laptop and angled it for a better view.
The smoky-green-with-white-trim house had a covered porch and a flower bed along the front.
“It’s four bedrooms. The basement is unfinished, so there’s plenty of growing room,” he said.
She clicked on the next picture.
Trevor watched her absorption. She intently studied each photo. The living room open to the kitchen. The dining area. Formal living room. Den with double French doors. The master bedroom with five-piece bath and spacious walk-in closet. A loft. Everything a family needed to make years of memories. He had the concept down, just not the practice.
At last she moved back and looked up at him, speechless.
“Yeah.” He smiled. “I like it, too.”
“Have you gone there?” she asked.
“No. I wanted to show you first. I’ll call and set up a showing.”
She looked away. Her uncertainty bothered him.
“Jocelyn, I want to make this work.”
She nodded. “You’ve said that before.” Standing, she walked across the living room to the window. Dark outside, lights twinkled.
He stood and went to her. “I have some work to do.” On himself. On separating his identity from his father’s. “I can do that.”
Slowly she faced him. “I know you want to, Trevor. But wanting and it being a reality are very different.”
“Give me a chance, Jocelyn. Just give me that.”
Her eyes softened and for a moment he thought she’d come around. But then his phone chimed. And she closed her mouth, stopping whatever she’d have said.
Seeing the chief called, Trevor didn’t push her. Answering, he turned away from Jocelyn, the sight of her almost painful. Her doubt, her lack of faith in him, dug deep.
“We checked out the Fort Worth restaurant,” Chief Murray said.
Jocelyn reached around him and snatched his cell phone. Pressing the speaker button, she put it down on the table.
“Colton?”
“Yeah. Just put the phone on speaker.” He met Jocelyn’s mock reproach. “You were saying?”
“Checked out the restaurant and discovered the damnedest thing. It was just closed down by the health department yesterday.”
“You don’t say.”
“Why was it closed down?” Jocelyn asked.
“Contaminated meat and the presence of rats. A real live Ratatouille. We spoke to the owner, who said he reported the incident to the police. We verified and, sure enough, he reported that he suspected the meat and rats were planted. His food order records were wiped. Someone hacked in and deleted them. So he has no proof he ordered the meat. The usual vendor he uses to deliver his orders didn’t show an order, but said they don’t sell the kind of meat found in the restaurant. Two other companies do. There was an order placed for meat, but the person who ordered wasn’t identified. Furthermore, the delivery address didn’t match the restaurant. It matched the address to the warehouse.”
Trevor connected with Jocelyn’s sharp glance.
“Did you ask him about Regina?” Jocelyn asked.
“Oh, yes. We had a lengthy conversation about her. He didn’t suspect anything about her. Not until we explained who she is. He said she’s shown up to work on time and the customers and coworkers all had no complaints about her.”
Not until one of them pissed her off.
“The owner was shocked to learn she’s our prime suspect in the Alphabet Killer case.”
“Does he know where to find her?”
He gave us an address. We checked it out. It’s an address of a house that’s been on the market for weeks. Vacant. No sign of her staying there, but we did find the car she drove in the garage. Stolen, of course. She’s moved on.”
Regina always moved on. She quickly did so. She stayed a step ahead of them, always knowing the right time to flee.
But why would she lead them to a restaurant? Why stage a health department violation and close it down? An elaborate scheme like that took time. But maybe that was what Regina craved. She needed the challenge, the requirement for brainpower, the feeling that she could outsmart everyone. But why the restaurant? She’d lured Jocelyn to the warehouse, an equally elaborate plan with the anonymous taxi driver and the multiple stops. Why had she thought that plan wouldn’t work? The risk that Jocelyn would bring her man? Or a step higher. Maybe she’d anticipated Jocelyn would call the police.
“She must have had this planned ahead of time,” Jocelyn said as the very same thought came to him.
Regina had clearly intended to draw them to the restaurant so she could capture Jocelyn. She wouldn’t have dropped the pay stub otherwise. She’d planned for the restaurant to be closed. No one would be there. A brilliant backup plan. And she intended to go through with it, even though she now knew the feds were onto her. She’d caused the health department violation, determined to lure Jocelyn.
Jocelyn had done a great job acting her part. She’d angered the serial killer, turned herself into a top target. Regina had gone full out to get her. Now she would take on the FBI. Bold.
Overconfident.
“We’re setting up the team now,” the chief said.
“She’ll be expecting a party,” Trevor said.
From all Trevor knew about Regina, she’d love to outsmart the FBI. She may even be planning something else to fool them. If she could come up with two clever plans to lure her prey, why not a third? Plan A. Plan B. Plan C, D and E. She would do anything not to lose. And the closer she came to that, the more daring her actions, the more risk she’d be willing to take. She’d thrive on the excitement.
He began to have serious reservations abou
t this. Looking over at Jocelyn, he saw her thinking along with him, eyes down on the phone and then lifting to meet his.
Instantly, she read him and her mouth pinched in slight frustration.
He held up his hand. “Hey, just looking at the facts.”
“She’s desperate.”
“That makes her dangerous.” He stepped closer to her.
She put her hand on her hip. “She’s already dangerous.”
While he noticed the hitch of her hip as she bent one leg, he stopped an escalating retort with a grunt and a long exhale. “Jocelyn...”
“She’s going to extremes to get me. I know. So let’s get her instead.”
“I’d...” Should he say it? “Jocelyn, I—I don’t mean to sound overprotective. I just... I wish you’d stay here. I want our family life to start now.” He wanted her out of this line of work.
Whether his stuttering softened her or his reasoning, she lowered her hand and looked less confrontational. “How do we know that’s not part of her plan? She could anticipate us doing something like that. I’m not safe anywhere right now.”
Except right next to him.
“She has a good point,” the chief said. “And, yes, I’m still here.”
He’d listened to their personal exchange, which held plenty of emotion.
What was worse, Trevor had to agree with him.
“So, we’re a go,” the chief said. “I’m sending over the meeting place and time. We’ll surround the restaurant and clear it. If Regina is there, we’ll catch her.”
That all sounded fantastic in theory, but Trevor had been trained to look through the eyes of a killer, and what he saw filled him with dread.
* * *
Jocelyn refrained from going over to Trevor and touching him. The way he directed the task force, in charge but a team player. Everyone respected him. He had such finesse. Such an authoritative, sophisticated, and yet physically strong presence. Trevor saw her suiting up, putting on a bulletproof vest, and she felt his approval.
“Some might say you’re the one who’ll protect him tonight.”
Jocelyn pulled herself together. Had Chief Murray noticed her ogling Trevor? “Excuse me? Trevor?”
A Baby for Agent Colton Page 19
