WHISPERS TO THE HEART

by Kimberley Reeves

  “I don’t like hotels,” she said, sounding very much like a little girl.

  He smiled into the phone. “Then we’ll find someplace else for you to go. Just stay there until I come and get you, okay?”

  “Okay, I’ll wait. Mac?”

  “What, honey?”

  “Can we still go to Disneyland?”

  Mac laughed. “Yes, we can still go. Now be a good girl and go pack some things.”

  She hung up, feeling much better than she had since the man’s call earlier. You are not alone anymore, Mac had told her, and she believed him. For the first time since she was fifteen years old, Rennie didn’t feel alone. She had someone to watch over her, to protect her and make sure she didn’t have to weather the storm by herself. And it was a storm, she thought dismally. She could feel it brewing, picking up steam, and it was heading straight for her.

  ***

  “She can stay with me,” Captain Striker said. “I’m sure my wife wouldn’t mind, given the circumstances.”

  Mac vetoed it immediately. The idea of spending even one night away from Rennie made his insides shake. “I’ll take care of her, but thanks for the offer.”

  “It’s no problem, really…”

  “Captain, she needs me right now and I’m going to be there for her. There is something you can do though. I need to get some men over to the two colleges we suspect Dalton will target.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Yeah,” Mac said, opening the door, “I need every available street cop combing the north side of town for Dalton. I’m going to give Grant and Ray a call and see if they can get their precincts involved. I want this whole city crawling with cops by morning. Dalton will be trussed so tight he won’t be able to stick his head out of the door without being spotted.”

  “Good idea. The Mayor will soak it up that we’re joining forces to catch this guy. Of course, calling your brothers in on the job is always worth a few days of press attention and glowing news reports.”

  Mac grunted. He hated being in the media spotlight but when the Logan brothers worked a case together, the press generally ate it up. He thanked the Captain and hurried to his office where a very impatient Ryan was waiting.

  “Don’t ask,” he said before his partner could say anything.

  “I wasn’t going to. I could hear you snarling like a mad dog clear down here. Did you put the fear of God in him?”

  “If I’d done what I wanted to do, he would have been crawling out, not walking, but I think he got the message. What did Michael say about joining the team?”

  “He said he was incredibly hurt you hadn’t called him in before now but he would try to overcome it and lend us his expertise.”

  Mac shook his head. Michael Arnold couldn’t hold a serious conversation to save his life, but he had a sharp eye for detail and a way with people that Mac had never been able to achieve. If they met with resistance from eye witnesses, they always called in Michael. Ryan had once told Michael he could schmooze a mime into talking and have him singing like a bird in a matter of minutes. They’d all laughed, but the truth was they believed he could coax just about anyone into giving up whatever information they had. They were lucky to have him on the task force.

  Mac checked the time. Rennie would be expecting him in a few hours and he wanted to get the ball rolling here before he had to leave.

  “Let’s round everyone up and form a plan to nail this guy.”

  ***

  After hauling her suitcases downstairs and leaving them by the door, Rennie collected her laptop. When that was done, she gathered an armload of the cold case files and stuffed them in her briefcase. She would be all alone during the day, and working the files would keep her distracted at least part of the time. Mac had promised her no hotels and she hoped he was able to keep his word. Hotels made her nervous. Too many bad things happened there, although most of the time no one except her was aware of it.

  She was glad Mac hadn’t asked her to explain. He’d simply accepted it when she said she didn’t want to go, and Rennie adored him all the more for it. He was a good man, a caring man, and he made her believe she was something special. She didn’t deserve Mac Logan, but she was grateful to God for bringing him into her life.

  In his arms she felt safe, as if nothing in the world could harm her, but she was under no illusions that it would last forever. Rennie sighed regretfully. Mac simply wasn’t the type of man to stay with one woman very long, but for now he was hers and she intended to spend every minute she could with him.

  There was still a good two hours before he arrived and she was already getting anxious to see him. A small portion of the time was consumed by taking a walk through the house to secure doors and windows and then double checking to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. She was making a final sweep of the bathroom when Rennie realized she had almost forgotten her birth control pills. She always tucked them inside the medicine cabinet and would have been incredibly embarrassed if she’d had to ask Mac to drive back to the house for them before they left on their adventure to Disneyland.

  She carried the small packet downstairs and placed it in her purse, smiling to herself when she remembered their first night together and how surprised Mac had been to discover she was taking them. She thought perhaps an even greater part of his uneasiness had come from the realization he hadn’t even thought about it until they had made love for the third time…or was it the fourth? At any rate, he’d walked into the bathroom just as she was popping the pill into her mouth. Mac’s expression had instantly turned sullen.

  “You’re on the pill?”

  Rennie laughed at his reflection in the mirror. “Why are you frowning? I should think you would be elated to know there’s no chance your marauders have fertilized my eggs.”

  “I’m more concerned you were preparing to protect yourself against someone else’s marauders. Was there another man you considered sleeping with before you met me?”

  She’d turned to him, unexpectedly pleased by the idea he might actually be feeling jealousy. “That’s not why I take them.”

  He glanced at the small packet skeptically. “Women don’t usually take birth control pills unless they’re planning on having sex.”

  Rennie nodded, conceding the point. “True, but most women don’t have nightmares because they’ve experienced being sexually assaulted without ever actually being touched by a man. I worry about it, Mac. I’ve seen it happen so many times when I’ve linked with a victim, and then afterwards when I relive it in my dreams. It’s terrifying to know how often it occurs. The idea it might happen to me or that a pregnancy could result…”

  “God, I’m sorry, honey. I should have known…” He’d drawn her into his arms, his unyielding hug fiercely protective. “I’m here now. You won’t ever have to worry about anyone hurting you again.”

  How she wished he was here right now. Rennie checked the time and was disconcerted to see she still had another hour to go. Her eyes migrated to the telephone and the flashing light that indicated there were messages. She hesitated for several minutes before walking over to see how many calls she had received and grimaced to find there were so many that the entire tape had been filled.

  She sat down slowly, a heavy sadness washing over her. So many people with lost ones; so many who were willing to grab at any chance to find them. She couldn’t help them all, but surely she could help some of them. Rennie pressed the button and listened to the first message.

  After each recording she paused the tape to write down the name and number of the caller. A star was placed next to the names of those she picked up impressions from, the rest she would call back and explain how she operated and why she didn’t think she could help them. They would be hurt and angry, but she refused to raise any false hopes.

  Rennie was near the end of the tape and decided if she hurried, she would have just enough time to finish picking up the messages before Mac got there. She rubbed her eyes, weary to the bone from all the
voices and impressions she had been picking up on for almost an hour. But she was determined to help those she could so she pressed the button once more. The voice that bellowed from the speaker was harsh and cold and sent a terrified shiver racing through her.

  “You think you’re pretty clever, don’t you, bitch? Did you see what I did to my pretty Angel? Were you watching when I touched her or did you feel me too?” Rennie cringed at the sadistic laugh that followed. “I like that idea, nailing two women at the same time. Don’t worry, baby, it won’t be the last time. We’ll be together again soon, I promise”

  She reached out, stabbing frantically at the button to make it stop, an icy chill settling in her heart just as it had the night she linked with Angel. A dark mist was starting to gather, swirling around her, shrouding her in fear and pain and the anguished cries of his victims. She desperately tried to suppress it, but the link was getting stronger and she was too weak from taking in all the earlier impressions to fight it.

  Suddenly her body went rigid, her breathing slowed, and Rennie found herself linked with the killer once more.

  Chapter 8

  Mac pulled into the driveway, taking a few minutes to talk with Vince and send him on his way before going to the front door and giving it a hard rap. He waited for a few seconds and then pounded louder, but when Rennie didn’t come to the door, he started to worry. He told himself she was upstairs and didn’t hear him or maybe she decided to take a shower or had fallen asleep, but gut instinct told him something was terribly wrong.

  He wiggled the door knob, cursing under his breath because he knew Rennie always kept the dead bolt in place, making it impossible to break the door down. He stepped off the porch and circled around the right side of the house, searching for an easier point of access. The kitchen was at the back of the house and though the door would be just as secure as the front one had been, there was a large bay window he should be able to pull himself through.

  Mac looked around for something to break the glass with, his anxiety mounting when he couldn’t find anything. He raced back around the house and grabbed one of the larger potted plants Rennie kept on the porch and carried it back to the bay window. The glass shattered into a million pieces when the planter sailed through it and then landed with a resounding thump on the kitchen floor. Mac shrugged off his jacket and laid it on the frame to keep the shards of glass from cutting into him as he hauled himself through the opening.

  His heart thudded heavily in his chest at the dead silence that greeted him. Something definitely didn’t feel right. He paused just long enough to unholster his gun and then slipped past the kitchen, calling out her name as he made his way to the front of the house.

  Mac froze when he saw her lying on the floor.

  Pain tore through him, a red hot poker that lodged deep in his chest as a strangled sob gurgled from his throat. Time stopped, everything stopped; he thought maybe his heart had stopped as well. She was pale as a sheet, her body rigid and lifeless, her unblinking eyes staring blankly at him. He’d investigated enough murder scenes to recognize what those large, dilated pupils meant. Rennie was dead.

  Mac knew better than to touch her and chance contaminating the area by advancing any further, but he did it anyway, praying harder than he had ever done in his life that he was wrong and would find a pulse. His movements were slow and mechanical as he squatted down beside her, a harsh cry of anguish vibrating in his chest when he failed to discern a heartbeat. He rose to his feet and backed away, whispering her name because there wasn’t enough air in his lungs to speak it out loud.

  He’d promised to protect her…told her she didn’t have to be afraid anymore because she wasn’t alone. It hit him hard, squeezed his chest until he thought his heart would burst. If he hadn’t told her to wait for him, if she’d left when she wanted to, his beautiful Rennie might still be alive. Guilt washed over him in unrelenting waves. Oh, God, he couldn’t bear it. Mac turned away from her, his body trembling so bad he was barely able to pull his cell phone out and dial 911.

  “I need…” His voice broke for a moment. “I need to report a murder,” he croaked hoarsely.

  Somehow, he relayed the address and identified himself as a police officer before hanging up. Then he dialed the Captain’s cell phone and broke the news to him. Mac’s eyes stung from unshed tears as he moved stiffly towards the front door. Even in his numbed state he had the presence of mind to pull out his handkerchief to unbolt and open the door with. Then he walked out onto the porch and dropped down onto the stairs to wait for the police to arrive.

  ***

  Mac stared out the windshield as Ryan’s car trailed behind the ambulance carrying Rennie’s lifeless body.

  “I was going to take her to Disneyland tomorrow,” he said, oblivious to the empty tone of his voice. “She was so excited. You should have seen her face.”

  “I’m sorry, Mac. I know you really cared for her.”

  “I don’t understand what happened. There were no signs of forced entry, no visible clues as to how she was k-killed.”

  “We’ll know more after the autopsy…” Ryan clamped his mouth shut. “I’m sorry,” he repeated, lapsing into silence.

  Mac closed his eyes for a second then quickly opened them again. He didn’t want to visualize them cutting into her soft skin. The Captain had shown up along with Ryan and Vince to make sure the crime scene was handled with the utmost care. And to watch over him, no doubt.

  He hadn’t been able to do a thing to help. All he could do was stand there as they snapped picture after picture of Rennie and the surrounding area. Then the ambulance had arrived and he’d nearly doubled over with pain when they lifted her into the body bag and sealed it up. He’d asked Ryan to follow after them so he could be alone with her one more time before they tried to establish the cause of death by performing an autopsy.

  He’d been in the Medical Examiner’s room more times than he cared to remember when the surgical procedure had taken place, and though he’d been able to suppress his emotions then, he knew he wouldn’t be able to handle watching them do those things to Rennie. Ryan had reminded him not to touch her in case he destroyed critical evidence on her body, but Mac insisted on following the ambulance to the hospital anyway. He needed to say his good-byes first and refused to do it in front of a house full of investigators.

  The ride seemed to take forever, and getting her logged in and transported to the morgue took even longer. He was on a first name basis with the Medical Examiner and had made a request to have her taken to a private room before they shut her up in one of the coolers. Ryan waited with him while the arrangements were being made but neither of them attempted to carry on a conversation. He knew Dalton was responsible, though he was too torn up at the moment to try and figure anything out.

  He also knew Vince shared his guilt because somehow Dalton had managed to slip past him, both going in and coming out. Maybe he’d been in the house the entire time, it was impossible to say at this point. Dalton must have come from behind Rennie while she was on the phone because there had been no sign of a struggle. The phone had been pulled to the floor but that was it.

  Mac rubbed his chest, but it did little to alleviate the hollow pain. She must have been terrified. Had she thought of him in those last few minutes? Had she blamed him for not being there? How could he live with himself after this? How could he live without her?

  “Mac, it’s time.”

  He swallowed the enormous lump in his throat. “I’ll need a ride back to my car…”

  “I’ll be here,” Ryan promised.

  Mac followed the Medical Examiner’s assistant to the elevator, his heart aching as they sank deeper into the bowels of the hospital. The elevator lurched when it came to a stop on the lower level. He was led down a long corridor and turned right along a much shorter one until they reached the room where Rennie’s body lay. He thanked the assistant and slipped through the door, sickened by how frigid it was. She’d always been so incredibly warm,
and now she was as cold as this room.

  He stood beside the gurney staring down at the sheet that covered her. Thank God they’d taken her out of the body bag. His mind fought against it but the empty, aching void in his chest demanded he accept that she was gone. He would never kiss her sweet lips again, never hear the sound of her laughter or see that radiant smile.

  Damn it, why hadn’t he told Rennie how much he cared for her before it was too late? He should have hidden her away the minute he found out Dalton had escaped or after she had linked with him. But he’d foolishly believed having his men watch the house would keep her safe, and now there was nothing he could do to except say good-bye and grieve for his loss.

  Mac pulled the sheet off of her, grateful that someone had at least closed her eyelids so she couldn’t stare accusingly at him. The tears that had been hovering behind his eyelids slid down the sides of his face and dropped onto his chest. He reached out and caressed her cheek. She was cold, so cold, but her skin was still soft as silk and it gutted him to know this was the last time he would ever feel it beneath his fingertips.

  He shouldn’t have touched her at all, but now that he had, he couldn’t seem to break the contact. He took her hand, holding it for several minutes before lifting her finely boned fingers to his lips. Mac kept her hand in his as he gazed down at her.

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you,” he said shakily. “I should have let you leave when you wanted to and…and…Oh, God, Rennie, I failed you and I’m sorry, so sorry.”

  Hoarse, rasping sobs tore from his throat. He couldn’t say good-bye like this, not with her stretched out like a hundred other corpses he’d seen in his years on the force. He didn’t care what trace evidence was destroyed. He knew who was responsible and he also knew that Dalton would never live long enough to go to trial. If he had to spend the rest of his life hunting her killer down, he would.

  Mac leaned over and carefully lifted her into his arms. He carried her to one of the chairs that were lined up against the wall and sat down, cradling her to his chest. She had belonged to him. For a short time, Rennie had been his, only his. His eyes wandered over the delicate line of her jaw bone to her lips. He’d never met a woman who could thrill him with just a single kiss as she had done. Mac’s arms tightened around her. He buried his face in her neck, inhaling the soft scent of her skin, and cried for all that he’d had and all that he’d lost.