Hostile Desires

by Melissa Schroeder

  Del met her gaze and nodded. He knew she didn’t like being pitted against the police, not after what had happened in England. The apology that she read in his expression was enough to tell her it couldn’t be helped.

  “I do have a connection to the old ME, who should have been working here around that time. I might be able to get info about the case under the table, so to speak,” she said. “He won’t talk.”

  “Good,” Del said. “Let’s start digging into the files, but we have to do it quietly at the moment. Don’t go through official channels just yet.”

  She frowned. “I can’t start building a forensic profile of the killer without the official documents. But I can say I am working on an article on unsolved cases.”

  “That will fly with him?” McGregor asked.

  She didn’t bristle like she had when they’d first met. She had learned that his questions had more to do with curiosity than doubting her abilities.

  “Yes. I’m pretty well known for writing about serial killers and what not. I can say I want to rule it out as a possible kill of the Honolulu Strangler.”

  “She was shot. They will question you right away, and then people might start talking,” Adam said. “You know how people are.”

  She nodded. “But I have a reputation for being extremely thorough. Plus, remember, why would they even notice if I ask for all deaths during the time period of women from the ages of thirteen to thirty? It will just be included.”

  Del nodded. “Get that going. I’m going to have to tell the mayor and the governor about it though.”

  “You get to have all the fun,” Elle said with a smile.

  Chapter Three

  Graeme was looking over a report on his last assignment when there was a knock at the door to his office, and seeing his boss wearing a grim face, Graeme knew it was going to be bad news.

  “So, I was talking to the mayor and the governor.”

  Graeme let one eyebrow rise. “At the same time?”

  Del rolled his eyes, and walked into Graeme’s office. When he shut the door behind him, Graeme’s worries increased. If he wanted privacy, it couldn’t be something particularly good.

  Del grimaced as he sat in the chair in front of Graeme’s desk. “No, although that would have been preferable. Sort of like ripping off the bandage. Get it all over with in one hard tug.”

  “What’s up their asses?”

  “The case.”

  “You might want to be more specific, since it seems we’re handling about five at once.”

  “The cold case. Jenny Kalani.”

  Graeme nodded and leaned back in his chair. “They want us to take it up?”

  “As of right now, the HPD does not know of the link. The governor and the mayor agreed with me on keeping it quiet, and the only way to do that is officially investigate it under TFH.”

  That made him pause. It usually took a lot to get either man to assign TFH a case. It was when they felt it was better to put up with the hassle from HPD or the feds. An assigned case usually meant a bloody mess in the media.

  “They think HPD might interfere with the case?”

  Del shook his head. “No, but you know that they are much more integrated into the community than TFH. Someone will let it slip. Then it will end up on the news. We want to make sure that we keep this out of the news as long as possible.”

  “For the sake of their reputations?” Graeme asked, not even trying to hide his irritation with the situation.

  “Partly. The HPD got a lot of crap at the time for it. But it wasn’t totally their fault. They were knee-deep in the Honolulu Strangler case,” Del explained.

  “Their first serial case?”

  “Yes, and they were very overwhelmed by that. Remember, this was the eighties, long before DNA was being used in cases. Computers were barely used, and there was no national database of anything. No Internet. They were in over their heads, and the FBI was no use to them either. If the FBI couldn’t find a serial killer on an island, there was a sure bet the local PD wouldn’t, not then,” Del continued.

  “But, you’re saying that the public got irritated over this Jenny Kalani case. Apparently, they didn’t seem to complain enough. I’ve lived on this island a year. The public noticed and were horrified by her death. From what I can find on the case, Jenny came from a good hard-working family. She was just on her way back from the store with a gallon of milk when she was shot. But, with the fear and outrage rising about the serial killings, Jenny’s murder faded into the background.”

  “And she wasn’t tied to the Honolulu Strangler case?”

  “No. She was shot and not near any area where the women had been abducted. Those victims were strangled. Jenny was much younger than the other victims, and there was no sexual assault, as you said. I have Elle hunting down the ME’s report so she can start going over it.”

  “Hunting it down?”

  “Remember, this was before computers. Everything I have found was what I could find in the news.”

  “And what is the other reason?” Graeme asked.

  “If the bastard who killed Jenny Kalani is still roaming the island, they don’t want him knowing that gun has been used in a killing. He might freak out. If he doesn’t know it is missing right now, we have an advantage.” He sighed. “And there is the family to consider.”

  “Don’t you think they want to know if there is a lead in the case?”

  “Yes. But we also don’t want to get their hopes up. This might not lead anywhere. He might have snatched it from a home, or found it in one of the many drug hangouts. Finding him and the gun is of the utmost importance. If we don’t, and we can’t figure out how it ended up in his hands, or where it came from before then, we just won’t be able to do much.”

  It sounded like a bitch of a case, and it also sounded as if this was all leading up to something very bad for him. “And you are telling me this because...”

  “You’re lead.”

  It took a second to seep into his brain. “I’m lead?”

  Del nodded.

  “Bloody hell. Doesn’t Adam usually take these cases? He knows more people on the island than any of us. He’d have an easier time of working it than I would.”

  “Yes, but he’s got a bead on a human trafficking case. Cat and Marcus are working with the FBI and Secret Service on some kind of threat assessment for an upcoming conference.”

  “Bollocks. Marcus is working that one because that Tamilya is working the case for Dillon Securities for a few of the corporate bigwigs. Cat could handle it by herself easily.”

  The former DC cop had a thing for one of the security analysts, who worked at a private firm on the island. Marcus had been more than a little distracted by her.

  “Maybe, but he’s our best trained terrorist expert after working in DC for so many years. So that leaves you. Any of the team, including me, can help you, but I need someone to lead this up.”

  Bloody hell, he didn’t like this. He hated working kid cases, even if the kid had been killed before he had been born. He could take a straight adult homicide any day, but throw in a kid...Graeme hated them. It was mainly because he never knew how to handle the parents’ grief. He knew, even after all these years, the parents would be thrown back into their pain...reminded of their loss.

  But he didn’t really have a choice, so he nodded.

  “Another thing. You’ll need help from the doc on this. I know you two don’t get along well, but her insight will help you with the case.”

  “I can work with her, if she can keep herself from being a pain in the arse.”

  Del shook his head. “Cut her some slack. She’s not always that comfortable with policemen.”

  “She has no problem with you.”

  Del hesitated, as if weighing something mentally. Then he asked, “I guess you know she was married?”

  Graeme nodded.

  “He was a cop. Their breakup wasn’t pretty.”

  “Is there a breakup tha
t is?”

  “True, but this one played out in the press. They worked together, and she pretty much got shut out after that. It almost ruined her career. She has a chip on her shoulder, and maybe you hit too close to home.”

  He wasn’t really sure what that meant, and he didn’t want to. He just wanted to stay away from the prickly Englishwoman. If she stayed mad at him, it would be easier to resist the temptation she presented.

  “Okay. You know me, boss. I’m going to go where you send me.”

  Del nodded. “Thanks. They wanted me to take lead, but with my mom and sisters coming in next week, Emma has been kind of...well, hyper.”

  Graeme chuckled as he thought of Del’s bride-to-be. “Emma and hyper sort of go hand in hand.”

  “Double it. No, triple it. She is so freaked out about the wedding that she’s made herself sick. I have to deal with her and Sean, who blames me.”

  Del’s fiancée, Emma Taylor, had a very protective half brother, so Graeme could just imagine.

  Graeme knew the smile he gave Del wasn’t pleasant. “Better you than me. I am happily single.”

  “I was too. Happy in my bachelor ways. So don’t get cocky, Graeme, because life has a way of proving you wrong.”

  After he watched his boss leave the office, Graeme rose from his chair and looked out his window. He liked that he had a view of the outside when a lot of the other offices did not. It was smaller, which didn’t bother him. He’d grown up in a three-bedroom house with six people, so he knew how to live in small places. He’d happily traded that space for the view.

  He couldn’t see the ocean, but he did get a gorgeous view of the gardens and the Palace. He liked to watch all the people mingle about, enjoying the beauty of Hawaii. He didn’t think anything could replace his love of Scotland, but Hawaii was a close second. And here he felt he was doing something. After leaving the Royal Marines, he had been at a bit of a loss, but it all clicked when he had interviewed here for the job.

  And now he had his first official case to lead…with a woman who hated him. He remembered the first time he had seen her. She’d just finished an autopsy, her scrubs were covered in blood, and she had smiled at him. Just that, a smile, and her eyes had sparkled. He swore at that moment; his heart had actually stopped beating. Even now, he got sweats remembering the way his body had reacted. Hell, he’d wanted to seduce her right there and then, even covered in the muck of an autopsy. Just because she had smiled at him.

  Then, he had introduced himself. The moment she heard his accent, all happiness drained from her expression and the prickly attitude had emerged. Even so, he still lusted after her. He couldn’t seem to help himself. Which made him an idiot. He’d found a woman who made him itch beneath the skin, and she wanted nothing to do with him. Worse, she loathed him.

  Life definitely liked to bite him in the arse, and this time, the bitch had taken a big chunk of it.

  * * *

  Elle waited on the phone, waiting to hear about the ME’s report, when the door to the morgue opened. She should have seen this coming. Del had warned her she would be working with McGregor.

  “Dr. Middleton?” a voice over the receiver said.

  “Yes.”

  “We have no report for that case.”

  She frowned. “I saw that in the computer, but that makes no sense. This is an open case. A homicide.”

  “I understand, doctor, and you are more than welcome to come over here and look, but even the physical ME report is missing.”

  She sighed. “Thank you. If you should find it, make sure to contact me at TFH. And, could you send over the files about the other cases during the time period I asked for?”

  “I will.”

  She clicked off her mobile and looked at Graeme, who was frowning at her. It was nothing new, nothing that she shouldn’t have grown accustomed to over the last few months. It was her fault. She’d been the one who had bristled the first time they’d met. He was only reacting to her behavior, so it was her fault, not his. There was a very good chance that he had no idea why she acted the way she did.

  “We have a problem,” she said.

  “What?” he asked.

  “The ME report is missing.”

  “From the original case? Bloody hell, this gets worse and worse.” Then he thought about Charity’s findings. “How did Charity match the DNA.”

  “I talked to her about that earlier. She said that has to do with the Kalanis. They insisted on having a sample of Jenny’s blood stored at a separate secure location. When DNA started to get used, they paid the hefty fee to have hers tested and recorded. Most cold case nutters like Charity know of the companies. But there are more disturbing things than just the ME report going missing.”

  “That isn’t the most disturbing thing?”

  She shook her head. “It was not logged into the computer system when the others were. So I am not even sure if it disappeared directly after the murder, or if it disappeared later. There’s no way of knowing for sure.”

  “Damn. I really hate to have to talk to the parents if this leads nowhere.”

  “We might not have a choice, but I have a friend who might be able to help.”

  “This ME you talked about?”

  She nodded, thinking of him. “Yes. If anyone knows anything about the case, it would be Dr. Keahi.”

  “Will he keep his mouth shut?”

  She chuckled, thinking of the man she’d thought of as a second father for most of her life. “Yes. If he knows about it, he will be happy to help, and happy to keep quiet.”

  Before she could continue, Drew came bursting into the office. Tall, handsome in a geeky kind of way, Drew Franklin was the perfect assistant. He had more energy than she ever remembered having, and he didn’t hesitate to lend a hand.

  “It looks like they found the killer. It’s all over the news.”

  “They have him in custody?”

  He shook his head. “They’ve surrounded a house he’s in. There’s a standoff.”

  “Damn,” McGregor said. “Is it a Monday? It feels like a bloody awful way to start the week.”

  “It is and I agree. Let’s go watch upstairs. They have better screens,” Elle said.

  * * *

  By the time they reached the conference area, everyone had gathered to watch the breaking news. Elle noticed that there were just three seats, all close together. Graeme waited for Elle to take her seat, then he sat in the one next to her. Drew took the last one left.

  “What the hell does he think he’s going to do?” Charity asked. “He’s surrounded by men with big guns.”

  “Let’s hope he survives. We need him to be alive,” Elle said, without tearing her gaze away from the screen. He heard it there in her voice, the need to believe this man was going to help them with the murder from thirty years earlier.

  “Oh, there’s Carino,” Drew said.

  Graeme tore his attention away from Elle to look at the screen. Sure enough, the hardened detective had a megafone and was trying to coax the criminal from the house.

  “Does he have hostages?” Graeme asked.

  “They aren’t sure; that’s why they’re being careful with him right now,” Del said.

  “They’re using a heat sensor to see the heat signatures in the house,” Marcus said. “We used it in some hostage negotiations in DC. I’m sure you and Del have used it.”

  Both men had served in the military, so of course they had used it. She knew for a fact, they had both been active in Iraq.

  There was activity behind Carino, and Elle realized they were getting ready to do something. Canisters flew through the air, crashing through the windows. In the next instant, smoke billowed out from the openings.

  Within seconds, the door flew open and the suspect came running out, tumbling over the dilapidated front lanai, and then onto the barren yard. He was screaming in pain and coughing. The HPD rushed in and handcuffed him before pulling him up and dragging him over to the car.

 
“Well, at least now we can see if he still has the weapon,” Elle said glancing at Graeme. “Do you think Rome will have a problem letting you observe the interrogation?”

  He shook his head. “I’ll head over.”

  “And I can call Dr. Keahi and set up a meeting with him.”

  Both of them stood, but Del stopped them.

  “Remember, no matter how much you trust the HPD, we need to keep a lid on this case. Don’t tell anyone you are working this case specifically.”

  They both nodded and headed off in different directions. Elle just had to figure out how to keep the truth from the man who had known her almost her entire life.

  McGregor was right. This was definitely a sucky Monday.

  Chapter Four

  In the past year, Graeme had learned that once arrested, there were two types of junkies. There were the ones who would blather on, refusing to shut up. Unfortunately, Sam Katsu fell into the latter category. He’d been around the block, as the Americans liked to say. The first thing he had done, after trying to run away, was ask for a lawyer, then piss himself while in the squad car.

  Since that moment, he had been silent. Part of it was self-preservation. The other part of it was the little bastard was crashing hard. Graeme could see it in his eyes. When he did talk, it made no sense whatsoever. Graeme studied him through the two-way mirror. He didn’t look as if he could withstand a strong trade wind. His leg hadn’t stopped moving since the moment Graeme laid eyes on him, and the wild look in his eyes, along with the dirty clothes and tangled hair, told him the kid had definitely been living on the streets—or close to it.

  Rome stepped into the room and nodded at the officer who had brought Graeme in.

  “Hey, Graeme. Is there a reason you’re here?”

  “Just wanted to see him. This is the bloke who killed Joe?” Graeme asked, not moving his gaze from the suspect.

  Rome sighed. “Yeah. And more than likely, high as a kite at the time. Or, he was hurting for a fix so bad he would have killed his own grandmother to get enough money to buy.”