by Angi Morgan
So yes, there always seemed to be girls around. Thinking back, they were leftovers. So what was it about Jesse she wasn’t seeing?
The shower started and she got dressed quickly. Gathering papers and straightening the linens on the couch, she left them there. It was no use to ask him to stay at a hotel. He wouldn’t. At least not until Snake Eyes was apprehended.
Just as he’d had to hear the words, sometimes talking through ideas made them more real for her. The past eight months here, she’d done a lot of talking to herself. It stopped her from picking up the phone to ask Jesse why he’d left. And it stopped her from calling her mom to see how Jesse was doing.
“Yes, Jesse is sexy. But... He’s off-limits. He’s out of your league. He’s your brother’s best friend. He stood you up—that’s a nice way of putting that traumatic night. He’s a professional colleague, a partner, even.” She wagged her finger into the mirror at herself. “No fraternizing with partners.”
Oh man, I spend way too much time alone.
Sweeping her short—massively tangled after a sleepless night—hair away from her face, she dabbed on some eye makeup and stuck her tongue out at the image. The same eyes that gave her brother such a carefree, bright-eyed friendly look... Well, they made her look weird in her opinion. Jade. A bright green that people accused her of wearing contacts to create.
No color change required. They were even greener today wearing her Kiss Me I’m Irish T-shirt. Soft, stretched out and comfy. Along with her favorite pair of jeans with worn spots in the knees that showed white threads. Fashionable in the real way—not that store-bought look with frayed edges. It was her day off.
His bag was gone. He’d taken it into the bath with him so he’d come out fully dressed. She wanted to be completely ready to walk out the door. Her small satchel held her laptop and the paperwork. Her service weapon was in its holster on her belt. And her pink toenails peeked out under the very worn edges of her jeans.
“Shoot. Shoes.”
She’d grown up wearing Western boots and had half a dozen pairs on the floor of her closet. Along with a backup Glock in the pair reserved for dancing. Like that has happened recently. She sat on the couch and tapped her feet into her everyday boots.
The bathroom door opened, steam billowing to the ceiling.
“Whoa. You’re...um...ready.” He sounded genuinely surprised.
Thank God he wasn’t wrapped in only a towel. The realization that she just couldn’t have handled that came with the desire to pull his dark T-shirt over his head.
It’s the danger of the unknown. It has my adrenaline pumping and doing crazy things with my hormones.
“I’ve collected the paperwork. We can use Dan’s office to spread out and make some real notes about the homicides.”
“Sounds good. Can we run the sirens to wherever we’re eating? I’m starved.” He laughed, but he meant it.
The diner wasn’t far. It was a converted old storefront in the historic district. She ate there all the time, since it was between her house and the sheriff’s office.
“This place fast? I am seriously hungry.” Jesse pulled the door open for her.
“Is there a time you’re not famished?”
“As a matter of fact—”
“Oh, don’t bother saying that in a public place.”
His grin and wink told her that his mind had gone to the same scenario hers had raced to. Sex.
“One day, Elf Face.”
“You blew that chance.” She left him behind her and found the rear booth, placing her back to the wall. He shook his head at leaving himself in a vulnerable position and slid into the booth next to her, pushing her over with his hip.
“Have you lost your mind? You can’t sit next to me.”
“I’m sure as hell not sitting with a window and the door behind me,” he whispered firmly.
Curious looks were expected. Avery was still considered new. This morning there were double takes from the customers and waitress. She was the new kid in town and had been working her butt off to prove she was capable. There had been no time to make friends or form any real relationships other than at work.
But even the cook sneaked a quick look by strolling past to collect a syrup bottle in the next booth.
“Now look at what you’ve done. Everybody’s going to think you’re something special.”
“I’m not?”
She ignored him.
The restaurant had limited seating, since it was open for only breakfast and lunch. Half the chairs were bar stools that kids loved to spin around on until they were dizzy. Jesse placed a huge order as a tall, lanky man entered. Avery hadn’t seen him around before. He sat on the first stool and looked around anxiously.
Funny because he was looking at the ceiling and stopped his gaze on the security camera pointing at the register. Older... Longish hair over his collar...
“Is that the guy who claims to be my old family friend? Come on.” She shoved at Jesse’s rib cage to get him out of the booth. “He ordered coffee to go.”
Jesse began moving, but slower than she wanted. “Couldn’t we get Bo to follow him while we eat?” He joked because he already had his weapon drawn and resting at the back of his thigh, pointing at the floor. He waved at her to stay put as he quickened his pace.
Avery shooed the customers back. Jesse stood next to the man they’d barely begun searching for. The front glass shattered. A split second later, the man slumped and fell to Jesse’s feet.
“Everybody down.” Jesse lunged toward her, tackling her backward to the floor and covering her with his body. “Call 911.”
The window was pierced again. Then a coffee carafe burst.
“Crawl behind the counter! Get to the kitchen!” Jesse shouted into the room, then gave her a shove under him. “You, too.”
“What do you have planned?” she asked him as the customers belly crawled around the end.
“To keep you alive.”
“But we can get this guy. He’s right across the street.”
Jesse shook his head. “He’ll be gone before we decide which building.”
“We’re wasting time. There’s an exit by the restrooms.” They were far enough away from the window front that Snake Eyes couldn’t see them. Not from the roof. So she stood and ran.
“Avery. Stop!”
* * *
THE GIRL HE’D grown up next door to had always been fearless. The officer she’d grown up to be wasn’t afraid, but she wasn’t foolish, either. He was out the door two seconds after, following in her footsteps, crouching behind her, waiting for the next shot to hit.
“You know he could have help, a partner.” He tried to catch her before she darted along the back of the buildings. At least it wasn’t the most direct route to Snake Eyes. Jesse didn’t have any doubts about who was firing.
“Not this guy. He just killed the man working for him.”
He heard a car speeding up. Avery jumped out, waving her arms before he reached her. A deputy stopped the vehicle and began asking what was going on. Avery explained as she holstered her weapon and took a pump-action shotgun from the trunk. “I don’t miss with this.”
The deputy followed Avery’s lead, staying to her right. Jesse followed on the left. “I’ve heard four rifle shots since we left the diner, but not in the past two minutes. He’s probably on the move.”
“You take the south side.” She pointed. “I’ll take Spencer around the north.”
There was no time to argue or make a different decision. He had to trust her direction and the man who worked with Avery to have her back. He ran under the sidewalk awning. People should have stayed indoors at the sound of a sniper. But he yelled at them to get inside and lock their doors.
Stealthily arriving wasn’t going to happen. So he got
louder, shouting, waving his gun. People cleared faster and perhaps he drew attention away from Avery’s approach.
Jesse rounded the corner. No vehicles sped away from the block of buildings. He continued and spotted the deputy he hadn’t met. “Where’s Avery?”
The older man pointed up. “I gave her a boost.”
“Dammit! I thought she was staying with you.”
“Have you tried telling that chica anything?” He pointed his weapon where he scanned behind him.
“It’s all clear,” Avery stated from the roof, shotgun on her hip. “He got away and I have no clue how. I’m coming down.”
The deputy caught Avery’s shotgun and she propelled her legs over the faded red brick. She had a couple of handholds before she dropped to a covered Dumpster, then slid off the top to the ground.
“I could see the streets from there and no one was running or driving away. I’m not certain how he escaped so easily.”
“He planned it. Like everything else he’s done.”
A few people joined them from the main street through town. One with a rifle in hand. Jesse pulled his badge and hooked it on his belt. “Texas Ranger, folks.”
“Call the funeral home for me, Spencer.”
“Who?”
“Not sure yet. I don’t think he’s from around here, but there are a lot of seasonal guys who fill up the hotels this time of year who I’m unfamiliar with.”
“I’ll take care of the scene.” Spencer shuffled off. A handful of people followed along with Avery.
“Hey.” Jesse stopped the deputy with a hand on her upper arm, but immediately released her with the narrowed gaze he received. “Don’t—”
“Let me save you the trouble, Lieutenant Ryder. You’re in my town by my invitation. I get to say what I do and don’t do. I was safe.”
“Not hardly.”
“You said it yourself. Neither of us expected Snake Eyes to be there.”
“Do you have a forensics team to see...?”
“You’re looking at her. It’s one of the reasons I was hired, because of my training. But there’s nothing up there. No casings. No cigarettes. Nothing except evidence of a bit of drinking over spring break. We need to get to the diner.”
He admired her quick decision making, but it might just get her killed if she moved around in the open. His job was to protect her, and he meant to do it. “Look, before we assess the scene, I’ve got to remind both of us that this killer isn’t what we’re used to dealing with. We need to be as smart as him, which is going to be hard.”
“I know, Jesse. We’ll be careful.” She patted his cheek and left.
Snake Eyes scared him. He admitted it.
Simply put, the man was complicated and dangerous. He had everything to lose—whatever everything was. This killer wasn’t going to make mistakes like the average drug dealer.
Snake Eyes needed Avery alive or she’d already be dead. He’d been waiting on John Doe to walk into the diner. Probably sent him there in order to eliminate a witness.
Jesse took a long look, gauging the trajectory of the bullets. He could have shot either one of them when they’d parked. This stunt was to prove he was in charge.
Snake Eyes knew it. He wanted Jesse and Avery to know it.
Chapter Eight
Dan’s office walls were covered in copies of crime-scene photos, sticky notes and autopsy reports. It had started on his bulletin board and just kept spreading both directions. The back of the door and window were covered in one piece of tape at a time.
“Looking at the photos and sheer volume of information, I can’t believe some of these victims weren’t linked together sooner.” Or as Jesse had pointed out the night before, law enforcement wasn’t as concerned because the dead bodies were criminals.
Her partner nodded as he finished off the last bite of a hamburger Spencer had picked up for him. He tossed the wrapper in the trash can and ceremoniously gave himself two points. Avery didn’t know how the man could put away as much food as he did. She’d never noticed just how much before she was constantly ordering it for him.
“Leonard Nelson was working with one of the harvesting crews. Did we find out what motel? And did he have a vehicle?” he asked, looking up from his constant internet searches.
“Yes to the first, no to the second.” Her stomach growled. “In fact, the motel is over a mile to the diner. And there’s a twenty-four-hour restaurant across the street. So it wasn’t a coincidence that he came to the place I frequent.”
Each time Jesse had eaten, she’d been a little put off by the thought of food. An empty stomach was catching up with her. She had to admit that one particular photo was making her a bit queasy.
“Snake Eyes told him to be there.”
“Yes. But how did he know we would be there? I didn’t even know.” She stared at the tire tracks at one scene. Duh. “He had Nelson with him and followed us. He killed him to make a point.”
Jesse acknowledged her with a “right.” Meaning he’d come to that conclusion much earlier but let her get to it on her own with the evidence. It made an impact. Probably more than if he’d told her they were being followed. It also made sense now that they’d returned to her house, retrieved his weapons and car, then come straight back to the office.
“I’ve been through all the evidence collected. The only strange thing is a wet-suit fragment found close to the third victim. Strange because the body was discovered in the desert and the wet suit was over thirty years old. No DNA.” He leaned back in the chair, rocking a bit, deep in thought with the pen tapping his lip.
She wrote the info on another sticky note and stuck it to the picture.
Was it horrible that her brain was a mishmash of emotions and thoughts? Every other one involved the case. The window made her think that she was freaked out about a serial killer stalking her. Each crime-scene photo made her think about each missing victim and their families, sending her right back to her dad’s death.
Then she’d glance at Jesse and feel the support he’d been all through her life with the exception of one lone night. And he was here now. Working next to her even after she’d thrown him in jail. Or he’d let her throw him in jail because he could have overpowered her and stopped it.
But he hadn’t.
So even now, amid a room full of horror, he was her source of comfort and confidence. She could manage, but it was so much nicer working the case with her best friend.
“There really is nothing connecting these murders except the fake eyes.” He hit the laptop keys a little harder. Frustration showed in his compressed lips and furrowed brow. “He has to be making them himself. The police from several of these cities canvassed hobbyists with rock polishers. But nothing.”
“Polished river rocks. Hand-painted to look like eyes of reptiles.”
Jesse tossed the ballpoint onto the desk. They both watched it bounce to the floor and roll to the wall. “There’s got to be a connection.”
“Are these just snakes? They look different.”
He stood and went to the far side of the room. “These are gray. Brown. More detailed gray. In fact, these get progressively more detailed. Solid black.”
She followed him back to his laptop, where he started searching for pictures of snake eyes.
“Each of these pictures matches a variety of snake.” Jesse put in another search, then slapped the desk. “He’s going through a damn alphabetical list. Each of the replacement eyes seems to be increasing in detail. He’s obsessed with getting better each time.”
“Or he’s proud about his work. There are a dozen victims here. How long do you think he’s been killing?”
“No way to tell from his calling card. I thought he might be connected with snakes somehow. You know, like a zookeeper or have them for pets or s
omething. The different types just means he’s looking at a book or online.”
“In other words, it’s another dead end with no way to connect him to a place.” She pressed her palms into her eyes, completely and totally discouraged.
“Why don’t we take a break from this and look at something—”
“Everything we’ve accomplished can be filed right next to a likely place where he lives. Nowhere.” She couldn’t bottle up the frustration any longer. “He’s all over the country. Arizona. Texas three times. New York. Pennsylvania. And half a dozen more. Even Florida—that’s such a lovely picture, by the way. Makes me want to throw up.”
Jesse was out of the chair, pulling her into his arms. She let him. She might be trying to keep her distance, but the fruitlessness of the situation hit her hard. She felt like...like a girl.
The tears surprised her. She sniffed, raised her hand to wipe one away, and Jesse beat her to it. The back of his knuckle was gentle under her eye. Instead of drying up the rest, his caring opened a flood.
“Hey, it’s going to be okay.” Jesse held her tighter.
“There’s... No... We can’t...” She couldn’t suppress the hopelessness of the situation. She also couldn’t finish a sentence, so she stopped trying.
Jesse held her. They swayed and she heard the lock on the door being pushed. It really didn’t help that he was such a nice, thoughtful man. She cried until his T-shirt was wet.
“We can catch this sick bastard, Avery.” He gently tugged her face from his shoulder, looking in her eyes. He filled her with confidence. “It may not seem like this is giving us much to go on. But even a lack of anything is something. You’re smarter than me. You can do this.”
As she was about to step out of the intimate circle, Jesse pulled her back to him and leaned forward. Cheek to cheek. It seemed natural for them. Just a kiss between friends. Turned out as anything but...
