“I’m more interested in his first victim. Traditionally, the first crime can be the most telling about a killer’s instincts and desires. If Mallory was the first, I think the fact that she is still alive five years later is important.” Jack was sure that if he could make the connection between Mallory and Carver, he would be able to identify the killer.
“Hey.” Cassie put her hand on top of his. “I need to talk to you about something.”
Jack paused what he was doing and looked up. “Okay. That sounds ominous.”
“It’s not.” She smiled. “I need to go back to Dayton today. Just for a few hours. It’s Saturday and they will be counting on me to open the library.”
“Cassie, it’s too dangerous. Can’t you just call someone and let them know you won’t be able to make it today?” Jack didn’t want to minimize her work at the library, but it certainly wasn’t important enough for her to risk her life.
“I could, but I don’t want to.” She wasn’t smiling any longer. “I need to be there, Jack, for me. If I have to give up the things that are important to me, then it’s like this man is still holding me captive.”
Jack thought quickly. “I suppose I could drive you up there in a few hours. If we don’t stay long, I can probably still get enough work done.”
“No,” she said firmly. “You need to be here, talking to people and doing your job. You can’t do that in Dayton. Besides, I’ll be with people the whole time. He’s not going to do anything to me with other people around.”
“I can’t let you go off on your own.” Jack hated being so alpha-male with Cassie, but he had a really bad feeling about this.
“You don’t get to decide this, Jack. I wasn’t asking your permission,” she said quietly. “It’s my life. I get to decide how I live it.”
It was clear that Cassie had already made up her mind and Jack wasn’t going to be able to convince her otherwise. Reluctantly, he accepted her decision. But he also made some requests in return.
Cassie would drive his car up there after dropping him off at the station. He could borrow one of the undercover cars for the day. It was safer than her getting a rental. He could easily track his car if anything went wrong. Jack also gave Cassie one of his guns. This was a huge violation of department rules as well as state law, but it was non-negotiable. First, he showed her how to use it before making sure the safety was on. Then, he had her put it in her purse and reminded her never to go anywhere without it.
“Drive straight there and back,” he ordered as they said their goodbyes outside the station. “You should have plenty of gas in the tank to make the trip without stopping. Call me if anything goes wrong.”
“It will be fine, Jack.” Cassie put her hand on his chest. “Just breathe.”
“Easy for you to say. My heart is about to drive 100 miles away.” Jack put his arms around her and closed his eyes, breathing deeply as he held her close. “Be safe, darling.”
She kissed him long and hard before pulling away. “Kick some ass while I’m gone, Detective Stone.”
Jack stood at the curb and watched as she prepared to take off. He was fighting the urge to stop her as she blew him a kiss before driving away. The car disappeared around the corner and Jack was overwhelmed by the feeling that he had just said goodbye to Cassie for the last time.
CHAPTER NINE
Cassie
Cassie forced herself not to look in the rearview mirror as she drove away. While she had been putting on a brave face for Jack, inside she was a mess. She firmly believed that she had to keep living her life, but she wasn’t entirely convinced that she would be safe on her own. It helped seeing her bag on the passenger’s seat and knowing that Jack’s gun was within arm’s reach.
It was a beautiful autumn morning in Chicago and the sun was shining brightly. Cassie drove along the lake at a leisurely pace, enjoying the view of the sparkling blue water. In just a few weeks, that water would begin to freeze over. Traffic was low and Cassie reached Dayton faster than she expected.
She had promised Jack that she wouldn’t be alone, so she headed to the diner to wait until it was time to open the library. Her restless night was beginning to catch up with her after the long drive and she ordered yet another coffee to combat the tiredness that seemed to be seeping from her bones.
“Alone this weekend?” the waitress, Trina asked. She had been working when Cassie and Jack stopped in the previous weekend.
“Just me,” Cassie replied with a tight smile. “Keep the coffee coming, okay?”
“Late night?” Trina asked with a pointed smile. “If I had a man like yours, I’d be up all night every night.”
Cassie blushed. “Jack is pretty wonderful.”
“I’m not sure Lawson would agree.” Trina filled a large mug with coffee and placed it in front of Cassie. “Does he know about your boyfriend?”
“Lawson?” Cassie couldn’t seem to avoid talking about a man she hardly knew. “It’s really none of his business and I doubt he even cares about my personal life.”
“You could always ask him,” Trina said, nodding her head toward the door as it opened.
Cassie swiveled in her seat and nearly groaned when she saw Lawson standing in the doorway. He was staring straight at Cassie, so she had no choice but to acknowledge him.
“Hey,” she called with a wave of her hand.
“Cassie Miller.” Lawson’s voice lacked its usual energy. As he approached her, he glanced around the diner. “You here alone?”
For someone that had done everything alone her first three months in Dayton, it was odd to be answering that same question twice within ten minutes. “Alone but not lonely,” she said, pushing out the chair next to her. “Join me.”
“Sure.” He caught Trina’s attention and pointed to Cassie’s coffee. She nodded understanding and reached for a mug. “How’s your Saturday treating you?”
“Alright so far. Just got into town.” Cassie noticed that several of the other diners were watching them. “I was in Chicago yesterday.”
“Visiting friends?” he asked, still sounding strange. He thanked Trina for the coffee she placed in front of him.
Cassie took a deep breath and said, “I was spending time with Jack.”
“Jack.” Lawson’s face made a visible twitch. “The boyfriend?”
“Yes, Jack is my boyfriend.” It was apparent that word about Jack had spread throughout the town. “He’s a detective in the city.”
“How long have you been seeing each other?” Lawson was avoiding eye contact with Cassie.
“We’ve known each other about a year, but we only started seeing each other romantically recently.” She felt a strong urge to apologize to Lawson, as if somehow her relationship with Jack was a betrayal to him. It didn’t make any sense. “Are you seeing anyone?”
“Nah.” He smiled wryly. “There aren’t a lot of single girls around these parts. Anymore.”
The emphasis on that last word made it clear that Tasha and everyone else had been right. Lawson had been interested in Cassie and she had been oblivious. “I’m sorry, Lawson, if I did anything that made you think I was available. I promise I wasn’t trying to lead you on.”
“Ouch.” Lawson’s smile grew. “Am I really that hideous?”
“No! That’s not what I meant at all,” Cassie sputtered. “I just meant that I think you are a really nice guy and a good friend. I hope we can still be friends.”
“Of course.” He took a long sip of coffee. “I’m not going to lie to you, Cassie. I’m a little disappointed that you aren’t available, but I’m a grown man. I can handle it.”
Cassie nodded. “Good. I’d hate for anything to be weird between us.”
“I can’t guarantee you I won’t be weird,” he said with a sparkle in his eye. “Maybe you can introduce me to your single friends.”
“I don’t have a lot of friends, but I’ll do some thinking on that.” She was hit by a sudden inspiration. “What about Tasha? She’s a pr
etty woman.”
“Tasha?” Lawson looked surprised at first, but eventually he nodded. “That’s not a bad idea.”
They spent the next several minutes conspiring how Cassie would set the two of them up. She was glad to have moved on from the awkwardness. Lawson really was a nice guy and Cassie was glad to have him as a friend. Eventually their chatting turned to Lawson’s work as he told her about the latest project his company had taken.
“That sounds intense,” Cassie said. “Do you have enough employees to finish on time?”
“We use subcontractors for larger projects like these. Some of the guys bring on their friends for a few weeks and we pay them as independent contractors,” Lawson explained.
A small spark flared in Cassie’s brain. “Tell me more about that.”
By the time Lawson finished telling her all about the independent contractor business, the spark had flamed into a fire. She needed to call Jack.
“Will you excuse me for a minute? I just need to make a quick call.” Cassie slid off her chair and grabbed her purse.
“Sure. I’ll be here,” he said.
It was too loud to call Jack from the diner, so Cassie went outside. She sat her purse on a bench and started digger for her phone. When her fingers touched something cold and metallic, she realized that she had never taken the necklace to the lost and found. In hindsight, she wondered if it had truly been left at her table on accident. Now that she knew Carver had found her, Cassie wondered if the necklace had been a message. She was almost positive it wasn’t the only time she had seen that necklace.
“What’s wrong?” Jack asked when he answered the phone.
Cassie really hoped that one day she would be able to call him and not hear panic in his voice when he greeted her. “I’m fine, Jack. In fact, I think I’ve got some good news for you.”
“You’re standing outside the station right now?” Jack said dryly.
“Better. I’ve got some thoughts on how you are going to solve the case.” She looked down at the charm dangling between her fingers. “Do you have Mallory’s case file close by?”
“Uh… sure. One second.” He shuffled some papers. “Okay.”
“Check the picture I took from Suza’s wall. Is Mallory wearing a necklace in that picture?” Cassie already knew the answer. She could see the photograph clearly in her head.
Jack said, “Yes. A silver chain with a small diamond pendant. Why does this matter?”
“Because I’m holding that necklace in my hand right now,” Cassie said.
“How is that possible?” His voice tightened. “Cassie, are you alone right now?”
“No. Well, technically yes. But I’m sitting right outside the diner and bunch of people are staring out the window at me. Besides, I received this necklace days ago.” The thought that her abductor had been in the library with her that day made her shudder. “Look, I need you to stay focused on what I’m telling you and not on my safety.”
Loud voices came from Jack’s end of the phone. His voice dropped lower, “Alright. Tell me what you’ve learned.”
“This necklace is something a boyfriend would give to a sixteen-year-old girl. It wouldn’t be from a family member or friend. You need to find out who Mallory was seeing when she disappeared.” Cassie could feel more pieces of the puzzle coming together. “I think it was an older man. Someone in their late twenties, and he would have a criminal record. A felony.”
“How could you possibly know that?” Jack said.
“Because he works construction, but not in an official capacity. I was just talking to Lawson and he mentioned that he often hires independent contractors to supplement his employees on larger projects. A lot of those guys have trouble finding work because they have criminal records.” Cassie hoped that if she rushed past the Lawson part of the story fast enough, Jack wouldn’t have time to become jealous. “I think He was at all of those construction sites, He just wasn’t on the paperwork.”
Jack muttered something under his breath that was indecipherable. “This is really good, Cassie. It makes a ton of sense.”
“You need to talk to Mallory’s younger sister and find out if there was an older man in her life. I don’t think Mallory was kidnapped, I think she went willingly with someone she thought cared for her.” Cassie understood now why Mallory had been treated differently from the other women.
He cared for her. At least, in his own perverse way. It was possible that she still cared for Him, too, despite the horrible atrocities He committed in their home. But she didn’t agree with his crimes and that was why she had helped Cassie escape.
“You are amazing,” Jack said. “I need to get on top of this. Are you sure everything is okay with you?”
“Better than okay. Call me when you’ve got Him locked up.” Cassie couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching her. It had to be the nosy Daytonians in the diner.
“Be safe,” he said, lowering his voice until it was barely audible. “I love you.”
“I love you more,” she replied before hanging up.
She could feel her body beginning to let go of some of the tension it had carried for the last year. They were so close to finding Him. She was certain of it.
Enough time had passed that Cassie needed to open the library. Lawson offered to come with her and help with some of the donations that had been dropped off during the week. Dayton was such an honest town that people left boxes of books in front of the library and no one disturbed them.
The usual families arrived a few minutes later. Cassie smiled when she saw Tasha come through the door with her daughter. She remembered that she had promised to help Lawson win her over.
“Tash. Love that color on you.” Cassie glanced over to see if Lawson was paying attention.
“This old thing?” she said with a grin, gesturing to her perfectly pressed dress. “Where’s your stud?”
“Working.” Cassie tried to think of a good way to change the conversation. “Lawson has been helping me out today. He’s such a good guy.”
Tasha’s eyes narrowed. “You aren’t thinking of having your cake and eating it too, are you?”
“What?” Cassie gasped. “No! Lawson and I are just friends. I’m just saying, he would be a good catch for someone else. Someone single.”
“Okay…” Tasha waved to one of the other moms.
“Maybe you should date Lawson,” Cassie suggested, lacking any trace of subtlety.
“What are you doing, Cassie?” Tasha demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. “Are you trying to set me up?”
Cassie shrugged and threw up her arms. “Yes, okay. I’m obviously terrible at this, but I don’t think it’s a terrible idea. Lawson is cute and nice and you are both single.”
“You think I should date him?” Tasha’s head tilted as she pondered the thought. “It’s not the worst idea in the world.”
“Really?” Cassie hadn’t expected it to be so easy. This was the first time she had ever tried to set someone up. “I know for a fact that he likes you.”
“Well, duh.” She playfully flipped her hair over her shoulder as she studied Lawson. “He is pretty hot.”
“Get over there.” Cassie shoved her in his direction.
Tasha winked over her shoulder at Cassie and then approached Lawson. Cassie was too far away to hear what was said, but their body language was promising.
“Okay, kids. It’s story time!” She clapped her hands and headed to the reading corner. As she read them a story about a girl who found a magic hat, something caught the corner of Cassie’s eye. Her eyes darted to the front window, not sure what to expect. Aside from a faint shadow vanishing out of sight, there was nothing there.
It was understandable for Cassie to be jumpy. As she was reading, her mind was 100 miles away, guessing what Jack was doing at that very moment. Had he already discovered the identity of the killer? Was he on his way to arrest him right now? Or had he run into another dead end?
Cassie c
ouldn’t wait to finish up at the library and call him. It was possible he had been trying to call her this whole time. Maybe she had a happy message waiting for her. Cassie tried to focus on the positive, but she was also worried. Jack could be putting himself into a lot of danger.
“Read another!” one of the kids yelled as she closed the book.
She had finished the book in record time, racing over the last few pages. While the last thing she wanted to do was start another story, it wasn’t fair to the kids for her to end so abruptly. Besides, it wasn’t like she could do anything to help Jack now.
Ten minutes later, she finished the second book and then waited patiently for the kids to select the books they wanted to take home for the week. Cassie’s role in the transaction was mostly for show. If she wasn’t there, the families would take home a fair number of books and return them in one week because that’s the type of families that lived in Dayton. But Cassie liked being involved in the community. She liked seeing the kids and their parents every week. It helped her feel like she belonged in the town.
When the last family waved goodbye, Cassie hurried to grab her bag from the drawer she had locked it in. With so many kids running around the room, it hadn’t been safe to leave it sit out in the open. Throwing the strap over her shoulder, she locked up and headed outside. Despite her best intentions to never be alone, that’s exactly what happened as she walked through the town to get to Jack’s car.
The footsteps behind her started off faint, but quickly grew louder. Cassie put her hand inside her purse, feeling for the cold metal of the gun as she whirled around.
“Sorry! Didn’t mean to frighten you.” Lawson held up his hands. “Probably not the best idea to sneak up behind you, huh?”
“It’s okay,” Cassie said, her breathing still hurried. “I’m a little jumpy these days.”
No one in Dayton knew about Cassie’s past. The town was far enough away from Chicago that most people probably hadn’t even heard about her story. The ones that had read about it in the paper would never be able to make the connection to Cassie.
Perfectly Broken Page 9
