Beyond the Shadows (12 page)

She shrugged. “We were handed a suspect who fit the crime. We didn’t need to look any further. What’s the old saying? Never look a gift horse in the mouth.”

He winced at the reminder. “Yeah, but now we’re finding out all its teeth were rotten.” He sighed heavily and reached for the next file on his list, mumbling under his breath, “I never was a fan of horses, now I know why.”

She shook her head with a small smile. Picking up another file, she punched in the next number and braced herself for the emotionally draining call. It had the same result. She sat back and waited for Nate to finish his conversation with the fifth and final call, but listening to his side of the conversation, she could tell it was unanimous.

When he turned to face her, his skin was drained of color and his hands shook. “Shit. Every single one of them. You too?” At her nod, he swore again.

She sat up straight in her seat and stretched the kinks out of her back. “So I take it, there was no jewelry found at Williams’ Funeral Home during the warrant?”

He shook his head and leaned back in his chair, hands gripping the armrests. “No. Not that anyone looked. But the search was thorough. We would have found the crosses if they were there.” His mouth twitched in a parody of a smile. “Mr. Williams didn’t strike me as a particularly devout man.”

“So,” she said slowly, thinking aloud. “The question is why is the killer removing the jewelry? Are they reminders of his kills? His trophies? Is it that simple, or is there another reason?”

Kelly’s cell phone chirped at her elbow and she glanced at the screen with a frown. Sergeant Blackwood. “Hi, Sir. What’s up?”

A man of few words, he didn’t bother with any niceties. “Are you there with O’Leary?”

Her gaze cut to Nate. “Of course. He’s getting much better by the day, thanks,” she added, but as usual, the sarcasm went over his head.

“Excellent, but that’s not why I’m phoning. We have a situation here. The copycat struck again.”

Her stomach cramped up and she closed her eyes.

“Did you happen to see the news report last night?”

“Yes, sir.”

“The reporter from that segment was found by a jogger this morning, her chest carved with a cross.”

Ice gripped her by the throat and a strangled gasp escaped.

“The media are going to be surrounding you guys, especially after tonight’s current affairs show airs. They’ll be baying for blood, saying we haven’t done our jobs, and making the community feel nervous. I want you to reassure them we have and are actively pursuing the copycat. Got it?”

“Yes, sir,” she answered and hung up. Her hand shook as she placed the phone on the table. Nate’s eyes bored into hers, waiting. She studied his face as she relayed the Sergeant’s call.

“Why her?” Even as he asked the question, his gaze cut to the lounge room and hers followed. She swallowed heavily and moved woodenly to the television, Nate at her back.

Pointing the remote at the screen, she found the story, re-wound a few frames, and then paused on an image of the reporter. A gold cross rested in the hollow of her throat. Kelly’s gaze collided with Nate’s. “That’s why.” Habit had her fiddling with the cross around her own neck.

He frowned and jerked his chin at her subconscious action. “That’s how he’s
choosing
his victims. Why they don’t seem to fit any pattern. The necklace is the common thread. They’re random until that point.”

Kelly shivered and dropped her hand, unsure of how to broach the other thought in her mind. From the moment he’d mentioned it, it had disturbed her. Finally, she decided just to say it. “The shadow figure you saw earlier—it kind of smacks of the Grim Reaper doesn’t it?” She rubbed the sudden goose bumps pebbling her skin. “Maybe there’s something to it.”

He stilled. “I’ve been wondering the same myself,” he mumbled, then clearly uncomfortable, changed the subject. “We need to see the scene photos of this latest victim. See if she’s also bare-necked before we can be totally sure. Until then, our theories are just that.”

Kelly nodded. “I can swing by the station while I do a spot of food-shopping. We’ll starve otherwise. I’ll have my phone on me, so call if you need anything, okay?”

“Yeah, go,” he waved her off impatiently, his tone curt. “Weren’t you telling the big cheese just moments ago how much better I’m doing? I can handle a couple of hours on my own.”

“Great. See you soon.”

He grunted in response and carefully made his way back to the table to pore over the paperwork. Effectively dismissed, she set her jaw, snatched up her wallet and car keys, and strode down the hall. The man could be a block of ice. His voice stopped her at the door.

“Kelly.”

She glanced back over her shoulder to see that he’d followed her as far as the hallway, his hands clenched around the edge of the doorframe.

“Be careful out there.”

Her jaw loosened and she smiled. “I will,” she responded and left his apartment with a glow warming her belly.

Chapter Seven

After a brief conversation with the receptionist about Nate’s health, Kelly pushed through the heavy door that led to the offices out behind the station. Her appearance met with whoops and loud greetings from the mainly male staff. Dishing out smiles, she wound her way towards her desk.

“Hey, Kelly. What brings your fine self back here to brighten my day? Thought you were busy nursing that lucky son-of-a-bitch, O’Leary.”

She grinned at Reece McCabe, the precinct’s serial womanizer and blew him a kiss. Compliments tumbled naturally from his full, sensual lips to every woman who crossed his path, as easily as river water over rocks. Even though she knew that, it never hurt to have a gorgeous man lift her confidence. Her gaze ran over the tall detective, not for the first time, admiring the thick, black hair, gym-fit body, and devastatingly handsome features. Although she could appreciate his appeal, he did nothing for her.

“You finally thinking of giving me a go, darling?” he asked. His tone, deliberately pitched low, sounded intimate.

Her gaze shot to his, and he gave her a slow wink.

“Just checking out the pretty packaging is all,” she teased back. “With all that fancy advertising, it’s a shame the product underneath doesn’t have much substance.”

“Ouch!” With theatrical flair, he clutched his chest and flopped back in his chair, his dark eyes twinkling up at her. “You wound me, fair lady. Since you’re not here to whisk me away, it must be about work.” He sobered and straightened up. “You’re here about the copycat killer.”

Kelly’s smile dimmed and she nodded. “The boss around?”

He shook his head. “Out playing golf with his cronies. You’re safe for the moment, but you’re meant to be on leave,” he admonished.

“I know. But the sergeant phoned to inform me about the latest development in those killings. He wants me to pacify the media when they pounce, and you know how O’Leary is,” she rolled her eyes. “He’s antsy. I figured it would be better for everyone if he’s kept in the loop. He’s being a pain in the ass and if he’s busy, it might just keep me from smothering him while he sleeps.”

McCabe grinned. “Good move, Appleton. I always knew you were more than just a pretty face.” He reached for a file on his desk. “I’ll copy these for you and let you be on your way. Can’t have the Neanderthal home alone for too long. I bet his patience is wearing thin right about now. I wouldn’t put it past him to start canvassing the area already.”

“
Patience
?” She snorted. “That’s assuming he had some to start with.” Her gaze followed him as he strode to the copier. She bit her lip and reined in her own impatience, wanting to view the photo of the crime-scene. Distracting herself, she glanced around the familiar drab building divided by partition walls into makeshift cubicles. Her first day now held the dreamlike quality of memories from a lifetime ago.

As a new recruit, she’d expected and prepared for a bit of good-natured ribbing. And she’d gotten that in abundance, by Reece in particular. Her mouth curved at the memories.

Nothing prepared her for the impact a set of green eyes had on her from the very first meeting. Nate had been cool and remote when they were introduced. Although he was not as overtly muscular as Reece, the power in his tall, lean body was apparent. The power of his will had shown behind those hooded eyes even more so. They shook hands and his grip tightened fractionally. Had he felt it, too—that zing of instant recognition? She bit her bottom lip to prevent the gasp from escaping, and his gaze had dropped to her mouth, the cool green of his eyes sparking with heat. Then in the next instant, he released her hand and stepped back. A frown heavy on his brow made her doubt the explosive connection even occurred outside of her imagination.

After that first meeting, she noticed he kept his distance. Nothing obvious, nothing that would suggest his displeasure about being in her company, but to her, it was apparent. When the sergeant announced their partnership, she was at once thrilled and apprehensive. At last, Nate would have to acknowledge her, and she could begin to figure out how the man ticked. Boy, how wrong she’d been. Although he’d been forced to interact with her, he never offered anything of a personal nature, and the scowl he wore around her became more of a fixture.

McCabe returned with the sheets encased in a brown folder, breaking her out of her musing. “Thanks Reece,” she offered as he handed it to her.

His brows rose at her use of his first name, and his eyes sharpened on the shadows under her eyes. The lazy grin fled. “O’Leary had better be treating you right. If he isn’t, tell him I’ll be over to knock his block off—injured or not—okay?”

Kelly laughed and squeezed his forearm affectionately. “Will do, thanks.” She raised the folder in farewell. “See you next week.”

“See you then, doll.”

With the case notes burning a hole in her hands, she concentrated on keeping her pace steady and her features unconcerned. The last thing she and Nate needed were to have their contemporaries start questioning their interest in this case. They might discover the same parallels and dig deeper. What was a bad situation would only get worse. At least this way, they still held the element of surprise over the killer. He had no idea they were on his tail.

She placed the file in the passenger’s seat, started the car, and drove off with her fingers gripping the steering wheel in a stranglehold. Once out of sight of the precinct, she abruptly pulled over. She couldn’t wait any longer. Glancing furtively around the quiet suburban street, she opened the folder and stared down at the six by four color photos. Bare neck, clean scene, and what looked like the signature post-mortem carving of the chest. But no sign of a necklace.

Slapping the folder shut, she closed her eyes and rested her forehead on the steering wheel, daunted at the enormity of their task. It was just her and Nate against an unknown and dangerous man who had been loose on the streets for far too long. Without the reassurance of having the rest of the force behind them, the whole case rested on their shoulders. She already felt herself crumbling under its weight.

A sudden rapping on the side window made her jump. “Oh!” Her eyes widened on the sight of a lanky youth in a dirty baseball cap and a skateboard under his arm peering in at her.

“Are you okay, lady?”

Kelly offered a tremulous smile. “I’m fine, thanks. Just been one of those days.”

“Cool. See you.”

“See you,” she responded and watched him drop his board back to the ground and skate off without a care in the world. A faint smile touched her lips as her normal positive nature asserted itself once more. The stranger’s touching concern, and a teenager at that, reminded her there were more good people in the world than bad. She would do well to remember that in the future.

With a sigh, she deliberately pushed the folder to the floor of the car and filled her mind with the mundane task of composing a list of groceries.

****

A weary two hours later, Kelly pulled back into the underground parking lot. The plastic bags threatened to burst at the seams as she juggled them to get a hand free and stab the elevator button. Once the doors closed, she dropped the bags at her feet with a sigh and wriggled her fingers to encourage circulation. Yeah, the view was to die for, but practicalities like getting shopping from the car to indoors, proved to be a bitch. Still—it was nice to get out. Idly, she wondered if Nate would like a change in scenery. God knows, it could be their last chance before the media scrum descended on their door after tonight. She swallowed the nerves at the thought of tonight’s screening and shelved it to the back of her mind.

The door swung open promptly at her knock. Nate moved aside, but he still stood too close as she passed through, her nostrils catching a whiff of his unique, compelling scent. He went to take a bag off her, but she moved it out of his way before he could and his hand brushed against her hip instead.

“No, I can do it,” she said a little too breathlessly. “You’re healing and I’ll be damned if I’m patching you up again.”

His eyes darkened to jade, and his mouth set in a petulant line. “I’m sick of feeling useless. I need to do something.”

She eyed him over the bags she dumped on the kitchen counter. Tension radiated from his every pore. “Fine. You can put these away while I make us a picnic lunch. We both need to get out for a while.”

“Good idea. I feel like I’m about to burst out of my skin.” He rolled his shoulders then rummaged through the bags. He pulled out a pot of basil pesto and a bottle of spirulina with a grimace. “Is this actually meant to be food? It’s green.”

She arched a brow and snatched it out of his hands, suppressing the smile threatening to curve her lips. She found the packet of pita chips, tore open the top, and grabbed a couple then scooped up a generous helping of pesto.

“Try it before you dismiss it. I promise you’ll love it. It’s delicious.” She followed him when he backed away, turning his head and clamping his lips together. She matched him step for step until his back hit the stove. “Oh, don’t be such a baby,” she taunted, grinning in earnest now. “Trust me, would you?”