Don't Forget Me

by Stacy Claflin

  He yawned. “No, I’ll actually be here in town. This is more like boot camp, more than fifty miles away.”

  “How much longer?”

  “A couple months, sorry.”

  “Don’t keep him outside,” Kenji called from in the house. “He’s probably exhausted.”

  “That I am.” Alex stifled another yawn.

  Ariana grabbed Alex’s arm and pulled him inside. “Come and see the project I’m working on. It’s my end of the year science experiment and is half my grade. Can you believe it? Half!”

  Kenji waved from the living room as Ariana pulled Alex toward the stairs, telling him all about her project.

  Alex tried to keep up with what she said, but had a hard time, fatigued as he was. He was just glad to see her.

  In her room, she pulled out some papers and a magnifying lens. “This is titled Magnifying Power and Focal Length of a Lens.” She went on to explain it in more detail, showing him charts and graphs.

  It all made Alex’s mind spin, but he was sure it’d have made a lot more sense if he hadn’t spent six hours in the classroom followed by two hours of physical training. The hardest part was staying awake during lectures. He and his fellow cadets would slap each other when someone nodded off. They had each other’s backs—they had to, or they’d never survive.

  “Are you listening?” Ariana gave him an accusatory look.

  Guilt stung. “I’m sorry, Ari. I swear I’m trying.”

  “It’s okay. Mom, Mimi, and Papi all zone out when I explain it to them, too. And they’re not dealing with boot camp. Are we going to go get dinner somewhere, or do you just wanna stay here?”

  The thought of going anywhere made every one of his muscles ache even more, but he couldn’t say no to her pleading eyes. “I did promise you a meal out.”

  Ariana clapped. “Thanks, Dad! Can I just fix my hair?”

  He kissed the top of her head. She was almost as tall as her mom now. “Sure. I’ll meet you in the living room.”

  Alex plodded down the stairs, half-tempted to lean against the railing and catch a few minutes of sleep there.

  Life would be so good once the academy was done.

  Downstairs, conversation drifted from the kitchen. Alex forced himself to keep walking.

  Zoey and Valerie were at the table, discussing the wedding. Zoey held up a tablet and was swiping her finger across the screen.

  Alex leaned against the doorway and took in her beauty. As always, she was gorgeous. He had known her for his entire life, and somehow Zoey managed to grow more beautiful every day.

  And in just over a few months, they would be married. His heart raced at the thought, despite the exhaustion. It was definitely Zoey and Ariana who kept him going through the insanity of the academy. Those two had him wrapped around their little fingers.

  Zoey glanced up at him, and her eyes widened. “How long have you been standing there? Some of this is a surprise, you know.” She put the tablet face-down on the table.

  Alex walked over, cupped her chin, and kissed her, taking in her fruity perfume. “I didn’t hear a word. I was too captivated by your beauty.”

  “Oh, stop.” But her grin told him she wanted him to keep going.

  He sat in the next seat and scooted closer to her. “It’s true. I don’t know how I think of anything when you’re around. Everyone else pales in comparison to you.” Alex glanced at Valerie. “No offense.”

  The corners of her mouth twitched. “None taken. Excuse me.” She smiled at them before heading for the living room.

  Alex leaned over and kissed Zoey deeply. He had missed her so much. If only the academy was done with already.

  He wrapped his arm around her. She snuggled against him for a minute, then pulled away and went over to the fridge. “Are you hungry? There’s some leftover casserole.”

  “Actually, I promised Ari I’d take her out for dinner. Want to join us?”

  “Oh, I don’t want to interrupt your daddy-daughter date.”

  “You won’t interrupt anything. Ari’s always thrilled when we’re all together.”

  Zoey rested her palm on her stomach for a moment before quickly removing it. “I’m not really hungry.”

  “Are you sure? We can go anywhere you want.”

  “Nah. I’m about ready to fall asleep, anyway. Next time you make it this way, we’ll all go out for something. Sound good?”

  Alex studied her. Something seemed off, but he couldn’t put his finger on what, exactly. Maybe it was just him. He had been ready to fall asleep in the middle of the staircase, after all.

  Ariana bounced into the kitchen, her hair now in a twisty braid. “Mom! Are you coming with us?”

  Zoey kissed Ari’s cheek. “Next time, baby doll. I promise.”

  Ari frowned. “You’re both always so tired these days.”

  “Don’t exaggerate.” Zoey’s eyes widened and she turned to Alex. “Don’t listen to her. Work’s just been extra busy. That’s all. Plus, planning the wedding is more work than I realized. Everything’s fine.”

  Alex put an arm around his fiancée. “Of course it is. Go home and get some rest, and we’ll plan dinner in a few days.”

  “Thanks.” She gave him a quick peck, then hugged them both before heading out of the kitchen.

  He studied her as she trudged away. Was it just his imagination, or was she actually acting strange?

  Target

  The TV screen flashed back to the police captain, who spoke vaguely about some bodies being found in a backyard.

  Breathing heavily, the man twisted his napkin so tightly, his skin caught in it. He threw it on the coffee table and swore.

  They knew about his graveyard.

  But the question was, how much did they know? Had they stumbled upon one of the sets of twins? Or had they found a bunch of the bodies? All of them, even?

  This was bad. Very bad. Not only were they going to take his treasures away, but that home would be under surveillance for quite some time.

  He wouldn’t be able to return to visit his prizes.

  They were used to him coming and soothing them. He liked returning to make them feel better, even though they weren’t alone. They had each other. He’d given them plenty of others for company underground. But they liked his visits.

  It was something he could feel in his bones.

  What would he do now? He hadn’t given any of his treasures another resting place. They were all together at the house.

  The man got up and paced, watching the news coverage. They either weren’t saying much, or they didn’t know any more than the police captain had said on camera.

  Maybe there was a chance they had only found a handful of the treasures. He could hold onto the hope of returning someday, even if it wouldn’t be as soon as he wanted.

  It might be time to start anew. He was running out of places to bury his prizes, anyway.

  This was clearly a sign, maybe directly from his precious treasures themselves. They were warning him.

  They didn’t want him to get caught. To get into trouble. They loved him as much as he loved them.

  He stopped pacing and flipped through the channels, looking for more coverage. Maybe another station was saying more. He stopped at the first one, but there was nothing new.

  He plopped on the couch and checked social media for more information. Everyone was an armchair detective these days. Someone had probably posted findings that weren’t being released officially.

  But there was nothing other than what the news stations were saying. There were theories flying around, but they were obviously the ramblings of attention-seekers. Nothing more. No truth to any of them.

  So far, he was the only one who knew what was really on that property. He intimately knew the stories of each of the girls. Despite the years, the decades, that had passed, no detail escaped him. In fact, he knew them more now than before. He’d relived every glorious moment time and time again in vivid detail.

  It was so te
mpting to post something. To prove to everyone how wrong their pathetic theories were. But that would do no good. He would only out himself and get arrested.

  Then what? No more treasures. No more sweet prizes.

  No. What he needed was a plan—and to stick with it. His best option would be to follow the case as closely as possible. Maybe even volunteer somehow to see if he could find out what the authorities knew but weren’t saying to the public. Keep your enemies close, and all that.

  His hands shook. The tremors moved up his arms and throughout his body. His stomach heaved and a wave of desire ran through him.

  He hadn’t been planning to find his next treasure for a few months, but now with the latest developments, he needed a fix. He couldn’t wait that long.

  He shook harder, desire pulsating through him like a drum.

  Problem was, he needed to be more careful than ever. One misstep, and he’d find himself on death row. The fact that he’d buried all his prizes in the same place meant they could tie him to them all.

  If they caught him.

  He would have to make sure they never would.

  So far, he’d been careful enough not to get caught. Now he would need to be twice as cautious. It wouldn’t be long before the cops figured out he found his treasures out of the area and brought them back with him.

  Once they made that discovery, they would know to keep an eye out far and wide. Every other city where he’d gotten his prizes would be keeping a lookout, too.

  He would either have to go farther away or somewhere new entirely. Going into Canada had been the perfect cover until they tightened the borders. Though he still might be able to get across in the vast woodlands.

  No. It wasn’t worth the risk. He needed to stay within the bounds of the country.

  The tremors grew more intense, until he could hardly breathe.

  He needed to find a new prize soon. Now.

  Desire twisted and squeezed his insides. He would have to be extra careful, but he didn’t have time to put into the pursuit that he usually did—and that was at least half the thrill.

  The man went back to his phone and scrolled through random people on social media. People in the surrounding states who posted public pictures of their kids. Nearby cities. Maybe closer would be better this time since he needed a quick fix.

  He saved several who looked like good options and kept searching until he had close to a dozen prospects. Then he narrowed them down to people who had posted photos with the location embedded into them.

  That only cut out three from his list.

  Next, he narrowed it down further by choosing the ones who posted everything. They would be the easiest to track their schedules.

  Three were just outside an area he knew well. If one didn’t work, that would leave him with two others in the same general area.

  Perfect.

  Now it was time to hit the road and find his next treasure.

  Unsettled

  Genevieve stared at her reflection in the two-way mirror. She wasn’t used to being in the interrogation room as a person of interest. However, she knew it wouldn’t last.

  Neither she nor her parents had anything to do with those bodies. Although it didn’t look good that some of the bodies appeared to have been buried while they were living there.

  But everyone would see it for what it was—some psychopath returning to his favorite location. That’s what it was, and the truth would prevail. Why would she or her parents have any ties to the older killings? There was no way to tie them to the newer ones other than the fact that they were buried on the property which, granted, didn’t look good on the surface.

  They were good, honest people. Hard workers. A lot of people could vouch for them. And she was a cop, for heaven’s sake. In this very force. People knew her work ethic. They liked her. Well, Chang didn’t, but even he had to know she wasn’t a killer.

  All anyone would have to do was to see how kids and victims clung to her over other officers, even the other female officers. She was safe. One who upheld the rules. Except she’d slept with the captain. She hadn’t just skirted a minor infraction, that was a big one. But look how it turned out—their one-night stand practically shouted, Sex is bad! Don’t do it!

  Genevieve sighed and glanced over at Tinsley, happily reading her novel and blissfully unaware of everything around them. Oh, to be a kid again.

  Except a normal kid would probably be freaking out right now. Tinsley had already seen so much, with two now-dead murderers for parents. It was no wonder the poor girl had shut herself away from the rest of the world.

  Genevieve’s mind flashed back to her own nightmare in the woods, and she shuddered. She was shutting herself away from the world in her own way, by taking her sabbatical. After pushing Nick away—into the arms of his ex-wife, no less—and being forced to face her demons in the woods, she needed this break from work.

  Not that work was allowing her to stay away. Look where she was—right back in the precinct, sitting in an interrogation room, albeit on the wrong side of the two-way mirror. And now she had to face Nick, too.

  And to think, all she’d wanted to do was plant rosebushes to get Tinsley out of the house and into some fresh air.

  Why did everything blow up in her face? She couldn’t even garden right. Not without it ending up as a crime scene.

  Who knew when they’d be allowed back home? Or if her parents would even want to return there after this was all said and done?

  At least she had the time to help them move. She had nothing other than time until she returned to work. But even then, she could still transfer to a different department. That would probably be for the best, whether she and Nick worked things out or not. They couldn’t be in a relationship with him being her superior, and she doubted she could work under him after everything that had happened.

  She stifled a yawn and glanced over at the door. When would someone come in and talk with her? Were they still grilling her parents? If only she could be with them, but they’d separated the adults. Genevieve had insisted that Tinsley stay with her. Since everyone at the department knew the girl’s story, they’d allowed it.

  Knock, knock.

  The door opened slowly. Nick came in and closed it behind him.

  Relief washed through Genevieve at seeing the face of the one she loved, but it was quickly replaced with disappointment. He was the last person she wanted to talk to right now. There were so many personal issues they needed to discuss before this.

  And that was exactly why she shouldn’t have slept with him.

  She sighed.

  Nick gave her a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry you two have had to wait so long.”

  Genevieve tried to ignore the tingles in her stomach. She didn’t want to look in his eyes, so her gaze landed on his broad shoulders. Then his kissable lips.

  Ugh!

  “How are you two holding up?” Nick asked. “Do you need anything to drink?”

  “I’m fine.” She turned to Tinsley, glad to not have to look at Nick. “Are you thirsty, dear?”

  Tinsley shook her head and turned a page in her book.

  Genevieve turned back to Nick, but focused on an ear this time. Nothing attractive about ears. Except that it looked completely nibble-worthy. She knew that much from experience.

  She took a deep breath and stared at a hole in the wall behind him. “How are my parents doing?”

  “They’re good. Done being questioned. Don’t worry, I told both Anderson and Garcia to be gentle with them. We all know you guys are innocent. But questions have to be asked. You know how it goes.”

  Genevieve nodded. “Are we free to leave?”

  “I still need to ask you a few questions. Is it okay with you if I’m in here? Or would you prefer someone else?”

  “You’re fine.” She immediately regretted her choice of words. The man was the finest on the planet, in every sense of the word.

  Nick sat down across from her and pulled out a pad o
f paper and a pen. He turned to Tinsley. “How are you doing?”

  Tinsley actually looked up from the novel and met his gaze. She didn’t speak, but she was looking at him. That was more than she interacted with anyone else since they’d arrived at the station.

  Nick offered her a friendly smile. “I know this is the most boring place on the planet—but don’t tell my boss I said that.”

  Tinsley actually smiled.

  “There is a candy machine in the hall. Once I’m done asking Genevieve a few questions about your house, I’ll let you pick something out. Does that sound good?”

  Tinsley nodded.

  Nick glanced over Genevieve. “Is that okay with you?”

  “Perfectly.”

  Tinsley flashed her a smile, then returned to her book.

  Nick adjusted his collar, made a note on his paper, then dove into the questions. They were all pretty basic. How long had her parents owned the house? When did Genevieve move in? Had they noticed anything strange about the house or property before today?

  She answered them almost without thinking. Her eyes roved over him, offering a pleasant distraction. It made it challenging to pay attention to what he said.

  “I’m going to ask about the DB’s now. Are you okay with that?” He glanced over at Tinsley. “I can take her to your parents.”

  Genevieve frowned. “She was with me when we found them. You’ll have to ask her the same questions eventually.”

  His mouth curved down. “She saw them?”

  “We were gardening together.”

  Nick’s frown deepened and he glanced over at Tinsley, who was engrossed in her book. “I’m so sorry. After everything she’s already been through.”

  Genevieve nodded. “The good news is that seeing those wasn’t nearly as traumatic as what’s she has already seen.”

  “That’s one way to look at it. She doesn’t seem distraught.”

  “Not now.”

  He arched a brow.

  Genevieve’s heart jumped into her throat. Why did such a simple gesture have to affect her so much?

  “Was she upset before?” Nick asked.