He blew his nose with a hardy honk as he shook his head. “Not a thing. I like to watch the news in bed. She was always ragging on me to turn the volume down. My hearing is a little vague these days.” He sniffled, grabbed another tissue and wiped his nose. “Maybe if I had I might have heard her scream for help.”
Sienna was pretty sure the woman hadn’t had time to scream. She probably didn’t even see it coming. “Did you see anyone in the alley behind your house after you found your wife?”
He looked up at her with watery brown eyes. “All I saw was my Helen lying on the cement with a hole in her chest.”
Sienna nodded and pursued. “What about during the day or evening? Anyone unusual lurking about?”
He blew his nose again, honking like a horn as he did. “I got home late from work. I’m helping with the reconstruction of the downtown sector. Helen was in the tub when I got home. She likes to soak for an hour after she gets home from her job at the hospital. Says it rejuvenates her after a long day.”
“She was a doctor?”
“A nurse. Was. Oh Lord.” Letting his head drop, he sobbed a little harder, his shoulders shaking with his tears.
Sienna recognized when it was pointless to pursue and left the grieving widower to himself. When she stepped outside she saw Dr. Hawthorn had finally arrived.
“Doc.”
He tipped his head to her. “Lieutenant. Not the nicest thing to wake up to, is it?”
“Not the nicest thing to happen upon either, as the husband inside can attest to.”
“So true. Same MO as the others. Hole through the back and chest, heart missing.. Mighty powerful force.” He clucked his tongue as he examined the victim.
“I’ve asked around but no one seems to know—or they’re not willing to tell me—if they know of anyone capable of this type of kill. You know how tight lipped vamps and demons can be towards cops.”
She acknowledged Detective Vega with a nod. “Same here. I’ve got a list of employees at The Demon’s Lair I need to interview. Wanna split it?”
“Be happy to. Just shoot it to my email addy and I’ll have a look at it.”
“Call me when you have the preliminaries, Doc. I’m going to do a door to door.”
“It’s the middle of the night, Lieutenant,” Doc Hawthorn reminded her.
“Guess I’m about to piss some people off.” Heading to the front of the house, Sienna spotted Detective Powers leaning on the trunk of her car. Her hands instantly curled into tight fists as she spoke. “Didn’t I tell you to buzz off?”
“If I was a bee, I might have listened. You know I’m right about the button.”
She stood only feet from him but she could still smell the cologne he wore. How was it he could smell, and look, so damn good at two in the morning? His blue jeans looked freshly washed and the black t-shirt beneath his relatively clean jean jacket looked freshly ironed. It didn’t show signs of being worn for long which told her he must have been asleep before coming in and pulled his clothes fresh from his drawer.
But she certainly was not going to admit to him that he might be right. “I’d be a pretty stupid cop if I didn’t test it.” Leaving him behind, she headed to the house next door. When she noticed he was following her, she stopped short and glared at him. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Following you.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Look, we’re both working on the same case—”
She held her hand up in his face. “No, you’re supposed to be on stress leave. I’m working on this case in my city. Got that?”
He took a breath before responding. “I could give you valuable input on this case and you could help me.”
“I don’t like to share. Now get lost, Detective.” She headed up the walk to the neighbor’s house and rang the bell. When no one answered, she rang it again.
“Some people might be asleep at this time of night.”
Her jaw tightened when he came up beside her. “If you don’t leave me alone, Detective, I will have you arrested.” Obvious that no one was going to answer, Sienna made note of it, then headed to the next house on the opposite side.
“Speaking of which. You never returned my cuffs the other night.”
She stopped abruptly, spinning on him and grabbing him by the arm. She twisted it up his back as she pushed him against the cop’s car behind hers. “Want your cuffs back? Here you go.” Slapping hers over his wrist, she attached the other end to the door handle, then smartly stepped back. With a salute, she turned on her heels and continued on her way.
“You think this’ll stop me? He was mine before he came here, Lieutenant,” he called out to her in an obviously angry voice.
“And now he’s mine.” Ignoring the quickening of her heartbeat, Sienna headed to the next house.
The guy may be a pain in her ass, but he was damn sexy. And the power she had felt in his forearm had definitely given her a little thrill. If only he wasn’t being such a pain in her ass.
Chapter Eight
Nathan thanked the officer for releasing him, giving his wrist a rub before he headed to his car. He shot the lieutenant a steely glare before climbing behind the wheel. Fine, she didn’t want to share the case, but did she have to be so obstinate. He really could help her out if she’d just give him a chance to talk to her about the case.
Pulling out his notebook, he began jotting down what he’d found out.
Same style of killing as the previous victims in Jacob’s Cove and the ones in Boston and Denver. Diameter of the wound was six by five. What the killer used was undetermined. Had to be sharp and strong to break through flesh and bone without making any sound to alert the neighbors. At least the officer who had removed his cuffs had been kind enough to fill him in.
He hadn’t been hostile to the men in charge of the case in Denver and neither had they been to him. He’d even thanked them for all their input. Unlike ungrateful Lieutenant Sexy Storm. And how the hell could he be attracted to someone as cold as she was? It had to be the leather. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen a woman in leather. Well, discounting the porno he’d watched just after being put on stress leave.
Pushing her and that leather-clad body of hers to the back of his mind—or trying to at least—Nathan went back to his book. What the hell did the guy use to punch a hole through a person? Whatever it was it had to be mighty powerful. None of the MEs in either Boston or Denver had been able to give a conclusive explanation. They were as baffled by it as he was. There were no traces of anything that would lead to a weapon used. No traces of anything on the bodies. The guy was smart; Nathan gave that to him.
When his cell phone rang, Nathan glanced at the caller ID before answering and frowned at the Unknown Caller. “Detective Powers.”
“Hello, Detective. Lovely night out, isn’t it?”
Sitting a little straighter, Nathan glanced out his window to see the lieutenant pulling away. “Hello, Killer.”
“Did you enjoy my latest conquest?”
“I’m going to catch you and we both know that.” What he needed to do was get a tracker put on his cell phone.
“It’s nice that you have hopes. I’ve been so worried after losing Leo that you would give up. I’m glad you’re still as eager as you were before.”
Nathan’s fingers tightened a little more on the phone. “You think you’re so smart but you’re not. All you are is smug and eventually you’ll screw up. When you do, I’ll be there.” The line clicked off and Nathan sat listening to the dead silence
Clicking his phone shut, he shoved it back into his pocket, furious. Shifting the car into gear, Nathan had only one agenda.
Finding the killer. Any way he could.
***
The morgue always gave Sienna the creeps. Not o
nly did it smell funky with its disinfectants and bodily fluids, but the dim lighting made it even spookier. How could a person work in such an atmosphere?
She smiled politely at the young woman ahead of her dressed in lab gear carrying a tray of vacutainers filled with samples. The vision speared into her as it usually did, sharply and fast. The woman tripped, the tray of vials fell on the floor. As glass shattered, blood spilled all over the white tile and onto her shoes.
Sienna shook her head clear, grabbed the tray right before the woman tripped over her own feet. “That could have been a costly mistake.” She handed the tray back to the woman.
“Yes, it could have been. Thank you.” With a baffled expression on her face, the young woman continued on her way.
Moving right along, Sienna pushed through the cutting floor—she really hated that term—to see Doc Hawthorn busy at work. “Is that my latest?”
“No, this is Mr. Dawson.” Cooper stroked a hand over the elderly gentleman’s dark gray hair. “Wife decided to end his misery with a cocktail of his meds and alcohol. He had a good life. Or so she say’s.”
Mr. Dawson lay on the sterile metal table, his chest peeled open, his innards displayed for all to see, yet the doc continued to stroke his head. How could he be so indifferent to the display before him?
“Where’s mine?”
Doc Hawthorn stepped away from the body, slipping out of his soiled gloves to replace them with fresh ones before pulling the sheet off Mrs. McCroy behind him. “I was going to get to her right after Mr. Dawson.”
“Mind if we do it now? I want to take a few more samples of the wound.”
Doc Hawthorn shrugged. “What specifically did you want to test for?”
“Particulate, DNA, anything that might give me an idea what we’re dealing with.”
“Well, I believe we can both agree the killer isn’t human. Four victims, all killed in the same manner, no evidence of a weapon used. Wounds are consistent with a blow from the back to the front. Punching through tissue and bone as he grabs the heart.”
“Agreed.” And he had to be pretty damn powerful. “Know any demon that can do that?”
“Not offhand.”
“Me either.” She grabbed a cotton swab, pulled off the lid to the tube before sliding it along the inside of the wound. She capped it, laid it on the sterile tray before repeating the process until she’d swabbed the entire wound inside and out, front to back. “What are the chances of getting the information back within two days?”
“About the same as you delivering a child in the next few days. But I can put a rush on it and we can both keep our fingers crossed.”
It was the best that she could expect, she supposed and how sad was that. “When will the forensic lab be opening here?”
“Just as soon as we hire more technicians. We’re having trouble keeping people on. When they find out the city’s run by vampires they tend to run screaming. But we do have a crack technician ready to step up as soon as he finishes his schooling, which won’t take long. Mr. Ryder is a savant and has already excelled in his classes in the short time he’s been attending.”
She had no idea what he was talking about. “You lost me, Doc.”
“Oh, do forgive me. I tend to ramble when I’m excited about something. Dusty Ryder is a brilliant young man and also happens to be involved with the mayor and chief’s daughter. He’s training in forensics.”
“Gotcha.” At least for the most part. “Anything come back on the other vics yet?”
“No evidence to suggest a weapon was used. No traces of wood, metal, or dust. The hairs found on the bodies were those of the victim. Scraping under the nails came back normal. Victim’s own DNA along with dirt. Nothing out of the ordinary.”
“Crap. Okay, thanks, Doc. Wait,” She turned back. “I thought you said it would take two weeks?”
“The chief twisted some arms, so to speak.” He smiled like a proud father.
Good for him. “Next time you see him, tell him I say a big thanks.” Leaving the morgue, Sienna was as frustrated as she’d been when she’d entered. Even though she’d received the tox reports, nothing was found to give her a clue as to who she was looking for.
Back to square one.
***
It was beginning to piss him off. All he wanted was some information to help solve a case and all he was getting was door after door slammed in his face. This city really needed to learn to share. Sitting in the lobby waiting area, Nathan scowled. “Wait in the lobby. I’ll inform the lieutenant you’re here just as soon as she shows up,” he mimicked in a snotty tone. Like he had all the time in the world to wait. Okay, so he really didn’t have anywhere else to be, but that wasn’t the point. Every day wasted gave the killer time to kill again.
You’d think the cops here would understand that.
The instant he spotted her strolling down the corridor Nathan shot out of his seat and went after her. “Are you ever in your office, Lieutenant?”
She flicked him a mildly disinterested glance that said it all. “Only when I have paperwork to do.”
“What’s with the lack of employees in this place?” At four in the morning in his precinct the noise level was enough to deafen someone. In this precinct, you could hear a pin drop.
“We’re having trouble convincing people to stick around.”
“Must be that sunny disposition of yours.” When she glared at him he kept right on going. “If that’s the case, then I would think you’d be pretty grateful to have someone help you out, such as myself.”
“You couldn’t handle working here. Especially not in your…delicate condition.”
He really did not like the way she said that or that she knew about his head wound and circumstances to begin with. And for a split second, he contemplated not telling her. But he wanted the help in catching the bastard as much as she wanted to catch him, so he gave in. “He’s been calling me.”
“Who’s been calling you?” she responded with mild interest as she continued walking.
“God. Who do you think? The Heartless Killer.” That had her stopping and quick.
“What?”
“Are you deaf? The killer—he’s been calling me, on my cell.” He didn’t think her eyes could get any bigger than they already were but when they flew wide open at his statement he didn’t mind that he’d proven himself wrong.
“He’s calling you?”
“I think that’s what I said. He’s called me several times,” he added sarcastically while flipping his cell phone open and closed. “But hey, if you don’t want my help—” She snatched it away from him in a hurry. “Hey!”
“I want to get a tracer put on this.”
“Oh sure, now you want my help.” Not to mention being greedy. It was his phone and he wanted it back.
Those pretty blue eyes of hers narrowed with deadly aim at him. She said nothing now as she headed down the corridor to the right and through a large door with a piece of paper taped to it with her name and rank on it.
“Wow, you guys spare no expense here.” He tapped the mock nameplate with a smirk on his lips.
Ignoring him, she picked up her phone and dialed a number. “I need a tracer for a cell phone. Who do I call for that?” She grabbed a pad and pen from the desk and began to scratch something onto it. “Is he with the department? Why not? Whatever. I’ll call him.” She set the receiver down and finally looked up at him. “How long has he been calling you?”
Nathan sat on the edge of her desk. When she glared at him, he casually slid off. “It started a week before he killed my partner. He called twice but didn’t stay on the line long enough to trace it. He called me again the day I came here and just now—well, half an hour ago, right after that nice officer undid my handcuffs. Which you still owe me a set.”
She pulled a pair from her back pocket and tossed them across the desk along with the keys. How she managed to fit anything in those tight pants was beyond him. “Happy?”
“Not really. I liked mine.” She held her hand out; he smiled and slipped them into his back pocket. “He sent me a letter too.”
“Jesus.” She slapped her palms on her desk as she leaned forward. “And you’re just informing me of this now because?”
“You didn’t want my help,” he reminded her with as snide a look as he could muster. Damn, she was hot. He especially liked the way her hair looked all messed up. It suited her narrow face perfectly.
“Do you still have the letter?” she asked through grinding teeth.
“What kind of cop would I be if I tossed it?”
“I want it.”
“That’s nice.” He took a seat in the chair and dusted off his jeans.
Her eyes flared. “I could have you arrested for obstruction of justice.”
“Or you could say please,” he offered sarcastically, smiling as he looked up into her, noticing the un-amused expression and loving it.
“I’d rather arrest you.”
“Yeah, you probably would. It’s back at my hotel room and before you have a coronary it’s locked up in the safe, secured in a sterile bag. I know how to do my job, Lieutenant.”
“If that were true you’d have put a tracer on your cell phone sooner. Come on, let’s get the evidence.”
He watched her skirt her desk and his eyes trailed to that round, firm ass of hers clad in all that shiny black. Not even her snide comment about his detective abilities could dull the heat that was building in his loins just looking at her butt in leather. “How do you get into those things?”
“Into what?” She yanked her door open and stood waiting for him to exit.
“Those pants. Damn, they’re tight.” He whistled between his teeth. He could imagine sliding his hands up and down those long lean legs to grab hold of each firm, tight butt cheek.
Shiela Stewart - [Darkness 07] Page 6
