by Stone, Mary
The shower earlier had done wonders for his mood and he was probably a lot more acceptable to those around him. An early night of it would likely sharpen his mind and let him see something…anything in those damn papers that might lend a clue to Jaime Peterson’s whereabouts.
“Yeah.” Noah nodded slowly. “Maybe I will.” His thoughts, though, were with Winter.
He imagined her look of surprise when he came home. Maybe they could have an early dinner, then they could lay in each other’s arms for a long sleep afterwards. She needed rest as much as he did, and they needed some cuddle time together. In his mind, he wanted to take her thoughts off Justin for a short time, and if cuddle time led to something more sexual, he wouldn’t turn it down.
It wasn’t even the sex. Just being together was important, reconnecting to each other, not letting the pressures and strains of the investigation get the better of their relationship. It was already strained, but it was strong. They just needed to be reminded of that, both of them.
He looked at the couch and had a sudden urge to spit at it, and even cleared his throat to start a good old loogie. He turned the noise into a deep-throated chuckle and shook his head.
“What?” Bree smiled, wanting in on the joke.
“Nothing.” Noah wasn’t sure he could explain it. Sleeping at the office had become a symbol, a marker for the entire process of hunting down Winter’s brother, and he was anxious to be done with it, even if only for an hour or two. “But if I’m going to have to take care of myself, then you do too. You’re working as hard and as long hours as I am.”
Bree looked up through long lashes at her partner. “The difference is, I make this look good.” She laughed at her own joke, but that didn’t make her any less right. Still freshly pressed, not a hair out of place, clean clothes, she looked like she’d stepped out of a spa and was ready to take on the world. As long as she’d been his partner, he could never figure out how she pulled that off.
He shot her a quelling look.
“All right!” Bree laughed, her hands in the air to signal her surrender. “I could use a good long soak in a tub. I’ll see you back here in, what…?”
“Let’s call it a night,” Noah said suddenly. The urge for a normal life was overwhelming, and Winter needed him to be there for her, something he’d not been able to do for a while.
Bree looked at him for a long moment and then smiled. For the first time, he realized just how much she probably needed this too. “Good idea. See you in the morning.”
“Good night.” Noah draped his coat over his arm and threaded his way through the maze of desks and workers on the phone or tapping away at their computers.
Daylight almost came as a surprise. He’d seen so little of it lately, especially when it was also connected to going home. Being out in the open, despite the nasty chill in the air, was energizing all by itself.
The drive to the apartment was un-notable for a city commute. It consisted of the usual close calls and idiots who wove in and out of traffic to get three feet farther ahead at the next light. There was an old pickup that tailed him for a while, but as soon as there was an opening in the next lane, the truck sped by him and flashed him a finger for his troubles.
“Go ahead,” Noah grumbled to the driver as the truck accelerated out of sight. “I’m armed, try me.” He half-heartedly waved the kid off and headed for his exit.
He pulled into the parking lot next to the apartment building. The bright overhead lights were just turning on in the gathering twilight, but they covered the parking area well enough. Not that it mattered, usually. The building was in a good neighborhood and there hadn’t been any incidents reported in the area since long before he’d lived there.
It was easy to let your guard down. Even professionally trained agents relaxed when they got home. He parked, got out, and headed for the front entrance. Only something felt wrong. Off.
Noah stopped halfway there. There was a distinct feeling in the air, a sense that things had changed, shifted subtly. Just then, he wished Autumn and her sixth sense was there, just to get her feeling on the parking area. Something was just wrong somehow.
His hand slipped inside his coat, and he half pulled the pistol from the shoulder holster before thinking better of it. There was nothing there, no threat, certainly not enough to justify a shooting and all the paperwork that would go with it. He was being paranoid, having spent too long studying boogeymen. He was starting to see things that went bump in the night. Hell, even late afternoon.
He stuffed the gun back into place. The echoes of traffic and the occasional finger of wind that found its way between the buildings to stir the paper cups and scraps of paper on the ground bounced off the walls and back to him, but that was all he heard.
There was no breathing, no footsteps, no indication that anyone was near him. In the end he shook off the feeling and resumed walking.
And stopped.
Damn it, there it was again, that feeling.
Noah spun, gun in hand, pointing it in the direction he’d come from.
Nothing. There was no one there, just rows of cars stretching away behind him, one after another.
I’m jumpy. I really do need some sleep.
The gun went back into the holster, and Noah berated himself for being so easily spooked.
A front door opened, drawing his attention. An elderly woman carrying a cane nodded to him as she stepped onto the sidewalk and headed down the line of cars. He smiled and nodded in return before jogging to his door.
Paranoia.
It wasn’t paranoia if it was true.
As he reached his apartment, it occurred to him that he hadn’t called Winter first to let her know he was coming. She was probably poring over her papers. Walking in on that would be breach of the unspoken agreement. Not that it could be helped, he was already there, and he wasn’t about to turn around now.
He slid his key into the lock and twisted the knob with a little extra rattle, not wanting to startle her.
“Winter?” He waited in the doorway for her to answer, wanting to give her extra time to put her papers away.
He heard nothing. No rattle of papers, no shifting of folders. When he looked around the corner, the boxes she presumably kept her research in were still neatly stacked under the end table. The living room was in pristine condition. He’d been gone for hours, yet nothing had changed.
“Winter?” He called her name a little louder, wondering if maybe she was sleeping. Maybe she’d felt the fatigue of the day the way he had and was taking a nap. But the apartment felt empty. He knew that she wasn’t home without having to go through and look.
He pulled his cell from the inner pocket and pressed the speed dial for Winter.
“Hi, this is Winter, I’m not around right now, leave a message.” The phone beeped, followed by the long, expectant silence of a machine waiting for the human to do what they were supposed to. He hung up and scrolled to Autumn’s number, but the result was the same. Neither of them were answering their phones.
He didn’t like it.
After leaving messages for them both, he placed the phone in his inner pocket next to the gun. He blew out a breath, looking around the apartment, going from room to room and ending in the bedroom. His gaze fell on the bed. A king-sized bed with lots of room. It was all very appealing, but without Winter, he was looking at just another nap.
Dammit all to hell.
No longer tired and more than a little miffed, he took another shower, unsure of when he’d next get that chance. After changing into a fresh suit, he went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. He threw together a ham and swiss on wheat and grabbed a can of soda. He didn’t wait around to eat it, wrapping the sandwich to eat in the car. Within moments, he was out of there, carefully locking the door and testing it before heading back to his truck.
As he walked, that feeling returned, and the hair stood up on the back of his neck. He turned in a full circle, examining every space and shadow.
<
br /> Nothing.
“Stop being stupid,” he told himself. Maybe he just needed to turn his ass around and go to bed.
Better yet, he’d go back to the office and find this motherfucker.
The sooner this investigation was over, the better. Maybe they’d all get back to normal again? Maybe he wouldn’t be jumping at shadows like some pussy on crack.
With nothing else to do, he headed back for the Bureau. There was work to be done, and he was willing to bet Bree hadn’t left, nor had she ever had any intent to do so. When it came down to it, she was every bit as bad as he was.
He maneuvered the truck down the row and back out to the street.
It’ll be over soon.
He clung to that thought all the way there.
28
Aiden sat upright as Noah Dalton passed the open door to his office. “I thought you were taking the rest of the day off,” he called.
Noah swerved, changing direction to come back and lean on the open door. “I did.”
Aiden grinned and relaxed back in his chair until it creaked. “Power nap? Took you all of five minutes?” He gestured to Noah’s clothing. “At least you look better.”
“Couldn’t rest. Winter wasn’t there. I have no idea where she’s gone.”
“Are you worried about her?” Aiden tried to keep the question casual, but what he really wanted to know was whether or not he should be worried about her. Going missing without mentioning plans to Noah was unusual. Despite the fact that he’d asked Autumn to keep an eye on Winter, he’d heard nothing from her since they’d met in his office.
As if he’d read Aiden’s mind, Noah said, “Not really. She’s spending the day with Autumn. Winter is a smart woman and a good agent; she won’t get in over her head. And even if she does, Autumn will help keep her grounded. After all, it’s not Autumn’s little brother in question.”
“There is that.” Aiden would have felt a lot better if Autumn would have just sent a text, some update on Winter to let him know how she was doing. Then he might have been able to have something to reassure Noah too. As it was, the news he did have wouldn’t be reassuring anyone.
He sighed. Might as well spit it out.
“I just found out that Winter went to interview Cameron Arkwell.”
Noah cursed. In a flash of movement, the big agent no longer lazed against the door and was halfway into his office before he realized he’d even moved. “What the hell for?”
Well, at any rate, Noah had lost the tired, hangdog look. Hell, it had woken him up as well when he’d heard it.
“I don’t know. I wasn’t there. The guard that took her to him didn’t hear everything clearly. Whatever he said, it got a rise out of her. Apparently, Winter left in a hurry and Cameron giggled all the way back to his cell. He kept saying something about ‘baby Preacher,’ whatever that means.”
“Baby Preacher?” Noah echoed. “Jaime Peterson? I suppose it makes a kind of sense; I just hope the media doesn’t pick up on it. With a name like that, the press will have another darling and the world will form up into fan clubs for yet another serial killer. That’s the one thing we don’t need.”
“No, we don’t.” Aiden studied him intently, not liking the dark shadows under Noah’s eyes. “Why did you come back here, Dalton? You should be pounding your pillow.”
Noah shook his head, stepping back to close the door. “I wouldn’t have been able to sleep. I think it’s this case, but I felt like I was being followed.”
“You had a tail?”
“No.” The answer was automatic, but something about the day had clearly left him unsettled. Noah shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know. There was this kid in a truck that flipped me off, but other than that, things were fine until I got to the parking lot. Then, something just felt…” He shook his head, as if hoping to rattle the correct word into his mouth.
“Off?” Aiden offered.
Noah met his gaze. “Yeah. Off. I was most likely letting this investigation get to me.”
“You hesitated with your answer. You’re a good agent, Dalton. I trust your instincts, maybe more than you do. Why don’t you get with the Richmond PD, have them send a car into that parking lot and have them take a look? Couldn’t hurt.”
Noah nodded, but Aiden could see that Noah didn’t think much of the idea. He wasn’t sure why. After all, having a patrol car swing by a parking lot wasn’t a great imposition, and if there was a legitimate reason for Noah’s discomfort, they might be able to scare it away. Which could be good or bad. The fact that it was so close to the place where Winter lived was unnerving.
We’re all going to sleep better once her brother is safely behind bars.
A knock on the office door caused Noah to jump. Aiden noticed the jolt with interest. So, it wasn’t a feeling easily dismissed after all. To his credit, Noah recovered quickly, and Aiden pretended not to notice. Aiden edged past him and opened the door to a messenger, who handed him a large manilla envelope, an interdepartmental memo of some sort.
Aiden closed the door again and sat back down in his chair, already opening the envelope as he sat. He read the note, skipped to the summary, and handed the entire thing to Noah.
“What’s this?” Noah took the papers and began paging through them.
“The report we’ve been waiting on. I managed to get it on the highest priority. Apparently, yes, Kilroy has a direct relationship to Justin Black, but none to Winter. It’s not as direct a bloodline as a grandfather,” he reached out to tap the area where that was stated on the bottom of the report, “but it’s close enough to be, say, an uncle or grand-uncle.”
“So, he really was Justin’s long-lost relative.” Noah shuffled through the papers. “Does that explain why Kilroy took him?”
“What do you mean?”
Noah closed the report and slipped it back into the envelope. “I mean if Justin was his nephew or grand-nephew, considering what sort of man Kilroy was, and considering the sort of man Winter remembers of her father, it’s logical to think they had a falling out.”
“You’re stretching that one, you know. Girls always remember their fathers with a certain amount of hero worship. And that presumes that Bill Black knew about Kilroy’s ideology before Kilroy began killing.”
“So far as we know,” Noah countered. “But that would explain a great deal about why Justin was abducted.”
“Explain.” Aiden wasn’t following the logic. “What’s your reasoning?”
“I’m not sure.” Noah handed the envelope back to Aiden. “I’m just thinking that…” he dropped into the chair across from Aiden, seemingly thinking out loud, “if there was a falling out in the extended family, Winter’s father seemed to be a decent sort, regardless of Winter’s rose-colored glasses. So, if he broke off ties with a family member who was a psychopathic killer, then someone of Kilroy’s mental illness might want to reclaim his extended family.”
“All right, it’s thin, but I’ll buy it for now. It’s not something that would hold up, but if it helps…” Aiden folded his hands on his desk. “What else you got going on in that head of yours?”
“Well, if he’s stylized himself as Jaime’s grandfather, or even guardian, then we need to start thinking about where he would have taken the boy. He can’t have kept him in a cell all these years. Justin might be more than a little twisted, but he’s no shrinking violet either. He was running with Kent Strickland and Tyler Haldane. He had to have been wandering around like any kid, only under the name Jaime Peterson. I would think that calling himself Justin Black would have been problematic, and he apparently didn’t want there to be a problem.”
“Where are you heading with this?” Aiden didn’t want to make Noah lose his train of thought, but so far none of this was anything they didn’t already know, even if none of the details had come together quite this clearly before.
“Not sure.” Noah exhaled noisily. “Maybe I’m just letting things gel a bit, but Justin sent that video. I’m still wondering
about that. That was a stupid move. We weren’t even sure it was him before that. He basically stood up and confessed in front of a camera. Why? All just to tell Winter she wasn’t related to Bill Black? Why was it so important to him that she know that?”
“Maybe he’s cutting ties with her.”
Noah’s face grew pale. “Like her father cut ties with Justin’s…” he threw up his hands, “whoever in the hell it was. Grandfather? Grand-uncle?” Aiden watched as Noah’s face showed understanding and then fear. “That has to be it. Think about it, what if Bill cut ties with Kilroy. Kilroy reclaimed his extended family and killed Bill. Now, Justin cut ties with his half-sister, officially taking her out of the family tree.”
“You think Winter is his next target?” Aiden bolted upright in his chair, a feeling of horror washing over him.
“We haven’t heard anything out of Justin for days. What if he’s not keeping a low profile? What if he’s trying to find the right opportunity to strike? Winter hasn’t left the apartment except with Autumn, and then they’ve gone to very public places.”
“After that feeling you had in the parking lot?” Aiden reminded him.
Noah sprang to his feet and headed toward the door. “I’ll have a patrol car head over immediately. They can get there a lot faster than I can. At the very least, they can do a well-check at the apartment in case she’s back.”
“I’ll arrange for the local cops,” Aiden said, already picking up his phone. “You head home. And Dalton…” he waited until Noah turned to face him, “watch your back and trust your instincts.”
Noah nodded and headed out of the office while Aiden dialed the non-emergency number for local law enforcement. Picking his cell phone up in his other hand, he considered who else to call. He hated to call Bree back in. She’d only just left, but for this…he called and left a message when she didn’t answer the phone.
