by Shelly Knox
Moaning, her throat strummed the contentment that washed all over her. Her tired brain finally slipped into sleep.
She stood in a foggy space for several minutes until the shroud lifted. Long hallways jutted off the space like the spokes on a bicycle. She chose one and wound her way through the long hallway, searching for a way out. She had this sense that someone pursued her. Piper followed the passage and closed doors appeared on both sides. She wanted to throw each door open to find the truth inside. She tried door after door but all of them locked her out from the truth behind it. Piper feared the truth would devastate her. She tried one more door and opened it.
“No, no, no!”
Piper sat up with a start. Her heart pounded. The prophetic dream had touched a nerve. She’d seen pregnant Keri, with her blonde hair and green eyes. Could Keri be next? No, that couldn’t be what it meant. She wouldn’t think of the dream. She didn’t want to think about it.
The elderly masseuse opened the door from the hallway and popped her head in. “You’re awake. Hope you had a nice nap.”
“Uh, sure. Thank you. How long have I been asleep?”
“Oh, you slept through most of the massage, but I’ve only been finished for about five minutes.”
Piper hurried to dress so she could try Keri again and make sure she was okay. She wasn’t ready to apologize; she just wanted to know that her sister was safe.
Chapter 41
Curled up on the bed, Piper barely moved when Jaxson entered the hotel room. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand and it read eleven fifty-six. Almost midnight. She’d tried Keri off and on all day. Finally, she’d texted her brother-in-law and he texted her back, letting her know that Keri was busy with her anti-trafficking charity in the other room—and was fine. That allowed her to relax after the dreadful nightmare.
She opened one eye and whispered, “Sleeping…don’t wake me.”
Tazzie didn’t want to be bothered either. Once she caught the scent of the intruder, she closed her eyes and began her soft snoring again.
He took off his uniform, locked his weapon in the gun safe and then snuggled next to Piper while in his underwear. “I need to shower. Sleep tight, sunshine.”
Maybe she was wrong earlier. Maybe he wasn’t pushing her away. Maybe the case was getting to him as bad as it was getting to her.
Piper heard the shower running and Jaxson humming and decided to get up. He was humming a sad song, and she recognized from past experience that meant he had a bad, depressing day. She moved to the mini-fridge and studied the selection. Picking the small bottle of whiskey, she opened it and poured it into a glass. She added one ice cube and a small splash of bottled water. She reached back inside the fridge and grabbed a bottle of white wine for herself.
When he exited the bathroom, he wore nothing but a towel around his waist.
She offered him the drink. “You okay, babe?”
A smile turned up one corner of his mouth and his eyes sparkled. “You still remember?”
“Of course, I remember. In case I haven’t said it, Jax, I never stopped loving you. I was devastated you walked away from us.” Piper opened her bottle of wine and poured it into a glass.
“Could you quit reminding me of that?”
Her eyes widened and she lifted her gaze to meet his. “I didn’t mean anything by it. Honestly.”
He paused, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I know. I’m just tired.” Jaxson’s Southern accent really came out with that statement. She could always tell when he was exhausted—his Southern drawl sounded a lot thicker than when he was well rested.
She leaned against the wall cabinet that held the television and dresser drawers. Her nightgown hung loosely over her naked body. “What happened today? Something horrible. I know you too well.”
“Oh, sunshine, I want to tell you so bad. I want you to comfort me and tell me this too shall pass.” He sat on the edge of the bed. “I want you to remind me that not all humans are as horrible as this guy.”
She took a sip of the wine. “Okay, then let’s do something to take your mind off today.
“Jaxson, I want to make love.”
“No, Piper. I don’t want to rush it.”
She took his drink and then pushed him back onto the bed. She placed both of their drinks on the nightstand. Then she climbed on the bed and pulled his towel off. Straddling him, she zoomed in on how hard he already was. He wanted her too. She bent down and kissed his neck. Her blonde hair cascaded around his head. His hands held her at the waist. She let her tongue follow the edges of his chin, then up to his sharp cheekbones. She teased his mouth before letting his take hers in a kiss they hadn’t shared in over two years. His tongue explored her mouth like a soldier coming home after years away; hers tentatively searched his, lingering and dancing, and delighting in the familiar place.
She was home. In his arms, their bodies entwined, she couldn’t fathom why she’d pulled away from him days ago. She needed him inside her. She needed the connection, the love. She needed to satisfy their sexual desires.
He throbbed between her upper thighs and she rubbed him until he ripped off her gown and started to roll her over.
She stopped him. “Wait. I need to be on top.”
“Okay, sunshine. But you’re driving me mad. I want inside now.”
“Hmm, not yet.” She let her kisses trail to one nipple and then the other, both as hard as his penis had become. The scent of fresh soap and sex sweat flooded her senses as he rubbed his arms up and down hers. His touch was soft and sensual. She stretched her legs out the length of his and scooted down as her kisses and tongue tantalized the familiar road to his one weakness.
Then she was there. Her tongue played with his shaft, the tip, and down to the base. In one long lick back to the top, she pushed his dick into her mouth until her lips outlined his base. His moans and growls and writhing let her know he enjoyed this as much as her. She could feel how wet she was. She sucked her lover until her cheeks hollowed with the strength of her need. She ran her tongue along his tip and the slit, coaxing, demanding his hot nectar. But not just yet.
She hurriedly sat up and straddled him, then pressed his tip into her—guiding him into her tight, satiny heat. She moved quickly at first and he massaged her breasts, making her nerves shoot off like electrical fireworks. She slowed to make it last longer, but he gripped her hips and drove her hard up and down until she couldn’t breathe. He didn’t hesitate. He mercilessly thrust hard and quick until his muscles tensed and his body arched. His hand reached inside the lips and was met with a wet, hot core. His finger found and then teased her clitoris until she screamed in ecstasy. Her body curved backward and then fell forward—satiated, happy, spent.
They laid in each other’s arms for a long time, not speaking, just enjoying being close. Finally, Piper said, “I know you had an awful day today. You want to tell me what happened?”
He tightened his grip on her. “I wish I could, sunshine. But, it’s a criminal offense to break a gag order.”
“Okay, then let me tell you what I know. It may surprise you. There is a total of eight female bodies. All appear to have been stabbed in the chest, but not all were pregnant. That means that we either have a serial killer who changed his MO, or we have two.”
Astonished, he sat up taller. “How do you know this?”
“I’ve still got it.” She smiled at him and tilted her head to the right. Her lips automatically puckered as she smiled at him, all the while flirting. “So, are you upset because there may be two killers; because you don’t have any clues; or because eight women and five babies are dead?”
He shook his head in amazement as he sipped his drink. “You’re in the wrong field. You should be a detective. And I’m upset at all of the above. But we don’t know the babies are dead.”
Piper tried really hard not to smile. She could get information out of him without him even knowing. She became animated as she rushed to share the rest of the informatio
n with him. “Look, this is what I think. The serial killer caught the attention of someone who wanted to or already sold babies and needed another supply chain. Since this serial killed the women with the type most adoption families look for in babies, a human trafficking person approached him and offered him money if he just changed one tiny bit of his MO: pick a pregnant woman. I don’t know how much babies are going for, but I know a co-worker of mine is trying to buy a baby for his wife. I didn’t hear how much over the phone, but how many husbands would do the same for their wives?”
He sat up and tucked another pillow behind his head. She took his hand and moved up higher on her pillows as well. She reached for the nightstand and grabbed their drinks. She handed him his. They both sat there a moment and took a mouthful of their respective drinks.
After a moment, he raised his eyebrows. “How did you figure that out?”
“It didn’t take much. I heard my co-worker on the phone promising his wife he would get her an infant, even if he had to buy it. That’s what struck me when the women turned up but with their babies removed. Look at the mothers. Blonde hair and blue eyes. The father’s DNA will be different. But because every child carries the mother’s mitochondrial DNA, this may have the human traffickers thinking the mothers have the dominant DNA, which isn’t true. Different genes are dominant, and others aren’t.”
He bowed slightly toward her. “I’m amazed at how much you have figured out. Now just don’t tell anyone or I could lose my job. They will think I broke the gag order.”
“There’s one more thing.” Her shoulders moved back a tad and her chest thrust forward. “I heard that the ME found possible foreign tissue.”
“No one is supposed to know that. That was the reason for the gag order.”
She shrugged. “I have connections. But here’s my point.” She punched her index finger toward him for emphasis. “If it doesn’t turn up in CODIS, we can try genetic genealogy or DNA phenotyping. I have a contact who can backtrack from the DNA and find family DNA matches that could lead to a suspect. It doesn’t always work, but it’s a shot. She also drills into parts of the genome that actually code for the differences between people. This can lead to a sketch of the suspect.”
Jaxson just sat there and stared at her. He finished his whiskey and after a second or two, he said, “Are you fucking kidding me?”
In the middle of finishing her wine, his surprising reaction made her choke on her drink. She coughed a few times as he patted her back. Finally, she said, “I didn’t expect that reaction.”
“Piper, you’re a bloody genius! I’m going to speak with Brittany Walker as soon as possible.”
“And she is…”
“She’s the DNA department supervisor.”
“Your local forensic lab won’t be able to do this, but Connie Pemberton is in Dallas for the week. She can do it. She has been solving cold cases for almost a year with genetic genealogy and DNA phenotyping.”
He set his empty glass on the nightstand and put one arm around her back and the other he wrapped around the front of her, squeezing her a moment. The sudden touch took her off guard a moment and he let go when she tensed.
“I love the idea. You have great instincts. Thanks for not putting the information you’ve figured out into an article. I know you would scoop every reporter out there.”
“I wanted to check with you, first. That’s why I didn’t put it in the story I turned in this evening. I was afraid since we were together, it would hurt you.”
“I’ll tell you what we can do. We can go see Captain Lewis tomorrow and share with him what you figured out and that you want to publish the information in your next article. He can approve some of it and disapprove other parts, but at least he will know it didn’t come from me and that I brought you to him when you shared your ideas. Is that okay with you?”
She couldn’t contain the smile that swept across her face. She forgot how much she enjoyed brainstorming and sharing ideas with him. “Whatever keeps you from getting in trouble. Now that I’ve shared my ideas on the case and agreed to meet with your supervisor tomorrow, can we discuss what you think? How close am I to the truth?”
“You know you are right on the money. You’re too smart for your own good sometimes.”
For a brief second, an unwelcome memory flooded to the forefront: when she figured out Samuel was the serial killer and she agreed to meet him. That one horrible mistake changed her life forever. “Not always.”
“True, but don’t downgrade how smart you really are. You figured out that there are women who weren’t pregnant. How you did that I have no idea. How did you know that the serial killer started with non-pregnant women? We argued about the MO for hours. You saw what some of us didn’t. The ME couldn’t find the specific stab wound in every case. But in most, an upward thrust pushed the tip of the blade into the heart.”
Piper gave a locked, closed-mouth smile. She’d never tell.
Chapter 42
Jaxson walked into the Crime Scene Investigative offices and headed for the DNA supervisor’s office. The hallways appeared antiseptic and bland. An undertone of chemicals drifted in the air. Brittany Walker’s relatively new promotion didn’t make her shy away from hard decisions. She took over the position as if she had had twenty years on the job already. He knocked on the closed office door.
“Enter.”
He eased open the heavy, wooden door and stuck his head inside. “I’m Texas Ranger Jaxson Wyatt and I’m a little early, Ms. Walker.”
“Brittany, please. And I know who you are, Ranger Wyatt. Come on in.” She pointed to the seat in front of her desk. “Have a seat.” The small office didn’t leave much room for meetings. Her minimalistic decorating included a small vase of realistic silk flowers, a silk dish garden displaying four different types of plants, and two small photos on her desk—one a man and the other a couple who could be her parents.
He took his hat off and entered. “Thank you for seeing me so quickly. Please, call me Jaxson. I understand you received the DNA that was recovered in our case so far. I’ve also heard that we could possibly get a genetic genealogy profile of the suspect. And furthermore, a DNA phenotyping that provides a sketch of the suspect. Is that true?”
Barely noticeable, her head jerked back. “That’s a nice thought, but we’ve never done anything like that here.”
“I’ve heard that a DNA specialist named Connie Pemberton travels to assist in finding murderers all over the country. She’s in Dallas this week. Perhaps we could ask her to come up here to help us or take a sample of DNA to her in Dallas?”
She nodded. “I’ve heard of Dr. Pemberton. She’s fantastic. Let me see what I can do. Can I have one of your business cards? I’ll call you when I have an answer.”
“Absolutely.” Jaxson pulled a card from his breast pocket and handed it over to her. He stood. “I won’t hold you up any longer. I appreciate your time and look forward to hearing from you.”
Brittany rose from her chair and offered her hand. “Glad to be of assistance. I know how urgent this is. I’ll make it a priority.”
Jaxson shook her hand, then placed his hat atop his head. “Thanks.” He headed toward the exit and then paused after he opened her office door. He turned to her and gave her a two-finger salute. He left the building with a bounce in his step that he hadn’t had since the gruesome gravesite was found.
Chapter 43
Jaxson rubbed his eyes, tired from scanning the computer for cases with MOs similar to those they had determined. His phone buzzed. “Ranger Wyatt.”
“Hi, this is Brittany Walker from the DNA department.”
Stunned by the unexpected call, it took a moment to find his voice. “Don’t tell me you have an answer already.”
“No, but I have contacted the DNA specialist Connie Pemberton. I thought I’d be leaving a message. It’s after eight. Isn’t it time for you to be off duty?”
“Probably, but this case… What did you find out?”
/> “Pemberton will be here later in the week. She already has what she needs to begin her work. We hope she’ll be able to link the DNA to a familial sample in the database she uses and provide a sketch of the potential suspect with phenotyping.”
“That’s phenomenal—no pun intended.”
Brittany chuckled at his lame attempt at humor. “I’m excited to see her results.”
“Thank you, Ms. Walker, for taking the lead in this mission.”
“No problem. We need to get this monster off the streets. We need to find those babies.”
“Did she give a timeline on this?”
“I explained what the suspect was doing and she said she would put a rush on the results. She is flying her team to the area so she can have all hands on deck.”
“Fantastic. Thanks again and keep me informed.” He jumped up from his chair and yelled yes as he pumped his fists in front of him. “Finally, maybe we can get some traction in this case.”
Chapter 44
The busy street gave him a safe hiding place in plain sight. He blended in with the other pedestrians as he followed her to her car. She struggled to get her nine-month girth into her red Mini Cooper, while he jogged to his twelve-year-old Toyota Camry. He knew a lot about Louisa Alverez, more than his contact would want him to. But that’s what he did. That was part of what got him off. He didn’t mind making a little money on his compulsion, but he did mind changing how he did it. That’s why he still had to slit their throats—why they couldn’t die from the stab wound to the chest. He had to open their throat from ear to ear.
