Don't Touch (15 page)

Amber didn’t even stutter she just stood up
and stomped out. The judge waved Jackson over sliding a couple
hundred dollars in his hand. “Take the girl out somewhere nice.”
The detective’s mouth opened but the judge clasped his shoulder.
“You can’t afford where I’m making you reservations, so shut up and
wine and dine the woman right. If I were still your age I’d do it
myself.”

All the pagers went off at once.

Chapter 12

“Sorry Judge but I think dinner’s on hold.”
The man smiled and told him where to take her when they had time.
He would call and make sure they got a table as soon as they walked
in.

Just in case something like this happened,
Ryan had brought a pair of slacks with her. She changed in the back
seat as they drove. “Is it another body?”

Thomas was trying not to look in the rearview
mirror. “No better, they may have a location. It fits most of the
descriptions you’ve been giving us. Hopefully you can tell us it is
and there’s something to identify the killer.”

When they arrived, Ryan mentally tried to
pull every detail from each of the visions. Looking for any small
clue that could say there. “Jack does that area look burned? “

“Yeah, forestry has been doing control burns
in this area for a couple of months now. You said you smelled smoke
once didn’t you?”

“I did but I think that was for one of the
first two and Sandra Tate was found five years ago.”

Thomas looked at his notes from the search
team. “That wasn’t one of the reasons they chose this place. Just a
couple blocks further up.”

They turned down a winding road that took
them into the forest. There was a small blue trailer sitting on the
side of a lake. The home was fairly new and the yard was neat and
trimmed. Ryan got out of the car as Jackson and Tom introduced
themselves and explained their presence to the people working in
the yard. While Tom soothed the upset older couple, Jack returned
to Ryan’s side.

“They’re giving us permission to search the
grounds but we can’t go in the house. There really isn’t enough to
call for a warrant so that will have to do.”

Leaning on the car and looking with more than
her eyes, she tried to mentally compare the pieces of the home in
the visions with this place. “This isn’t it. We’ll look around to
make it look good but this isn’t it. This place it too new, the one
in the vision is a late 1970’s model. I grew up in one just like
it. “

They went around to the lake but it was all
wrong. “No this is too neat, maintained. The place I saw was grown
up with wild weeds and brush. It wasn’t part of a community like
this place either. It has to be in the middle of nowhere. Those
women screamed and he didn’t stop them. There’s neighbors close
enough to hear a dog barking.”

She walked down to the water gazing at the
forest on the other side. This wasn’t the right place no matter
which side they stood on. After a few minutes they thanked the
couple and headed out.

Thomas and Ryan went through the list of
possibles and eliminated ninety percent of them. “It was hard to
get to. I don’t know where that came from but it was. It was like
on a trail or something.”

Thomas looked at his map and noted a lake
barely accessible. “How about Blue Sink? Either of you know
anything about it?”

Jack cleared his throat as Ryan busted out
laughing. “I think you remember about as much as I do. It was a big
make out point in high school the only way to get to it is ATV’s or
four wheel drive.”

They made a quick stop exchanging the car for
a truck and two four wheelers. After unloading the bikes Ryan put
on her helmet and mounted ready to go. The men gave her a look.
“What? You think you get to have all the fun, I don’t think so
boys.”

Jack took a seat behind her before Thomas
could even suggest it. It was a rough ride through the forest to
the lake. Surprisingly it hadn’t changed much. Ryan grinned. “I
can’t believe I spent so many weekends out here.”

Jackson snorted, “I can’t believe we don’t
remember each other. Of course I don’t remember a lot of what went
on out here except collecting beer cans.”

Thomas sat back and snorted. “You two out
here partying, I wish I could have seen it.”

Ryan got off the ATV and looked around. There
were a lot of trails running into the woods. She went to the water
first. It was as clear as it was when she was a sassy teenager.
Being careful where she stepped she walked the edge. There were a
lot of Water Moccasins around the lake and they were aggressive
poisonous snakes.

One area in particular caught her eye. There
was a lot of brush she remembered. “Jack, come here and push me
around will you?”

They recreated bits of her visions, the
killer pushing her through the weeds and brush. “This is the kind
of stuff that was there but there’s too much sand and dirt. The
edge of the lake was grassy, wild grass not yard grass.”

They walked down a couple of the trails for a
while until the sun started to move. Thomas emptied his shoes of
sand. “We better head back, maybe back at the office I can try to
narrow stuff down a bit more. Reliving your childhoods eliminated a
few more factors at least to give the computer a better chance at
finding us a searchable area.”

Jack sat on the four-wheeler. “Such
confidence in your department software.” Ryan put her hands on her
hips and stuck out her lip mockingly. He laughed. “My turn hop on
or I’ll leave you like Jeanie Snook.”

Her mouth fell open. “That was not you!” He
nodded and Thomas questioned them. Ryan shook her finger at Jack.
“Jeanie was the ultimate blonde cheerleader. All the guys wanted
her and all the girls wanted to be her. I couldn’t stand that chic.
No matter how nice you were with her, she snubbed her little nose
because you weren’t with the “in” crowd. Jackson Prince you are my
hero!”

He bowed over the handle bars starting the
engine. “Yeah, well she deserved it. We were drunk and things were
getting heated. Then she took a look at me and suddenly pulled them
up, buttoned back down and demanded I take her to some guy named
Sam. I told her I’d tell him where she was and left.”

Thomas shook his head. “And to think I
associate myself with the two of you.”

As they headed back toward civilization Ryan
laughed. “We grew up and became respectable people, mostly.”

That night after showers and dinner Jackson
sat at her computer, checking his email. There was one in
particular that just seemed to say open me. He didn’t recognize the
address, usually he deleted odd names but instead he double
clicked. No message just a couple of pictures. Suddenly his heart
jumped in his chest, as the first image loaded.

He printed the two photos out and just
stared. “This can’t be real.” He dialed Thomas and had him check
his mail. Nothing. Next he called the techs at the station to try
and trace the source of the address. Frustrated he growled when
they told him it could take days to a couple of weeks to narrow the
owner of the account down. Ryan came into the den baring
coffee.

“What’s wrong?”

Running hands through his hair Jack patted
the chair next to him. “Check your email for a message from
katchme.” There was nothing there but a note from Amber which Ryan
deleted without reading. Jack set the photos on the table and she
paled.

“Where did these come from?”

“They were in my mail. I don’t know how he
got it. No message just these two images. Copy pasted into the body
of the letter not an attachment either. Do you recognize any of
this?”

Ryan turned the first picture of an old dirty
trailer with a pencil. “This is what we were looking for Jack.
That’s the one I’ve been seeing. Now I’m scared.”

She looked up at him trembling. Jackson had
on gloves so he could use the computer, he took her hand and pulled
her closer. “I’ve already got the techs tracing the e-mail address.
That’s all we can do for now.”

“Not all.” Ryan reached out and touched the
photo. “Nothing. I guess because it came from the e-mail not the
one he took. I wish I understood this more, even Barbara says she’s
learning new things about her so called gift. But how did he find
you?”

“I don’t think he knows where I’m at or
anything about you. This is my department e-mail. My name is on all
the reports. I have to admit this is getting weird. There is no
known ritual involved that we can find. It’s like he has his own
kind of ritual. We still don’t know where or how he’s picking them
up. Nothing points back to this guy but this trailer in the woods
and we’re not doing a good job of finding it.”

They sat looking at the shabby home for a
while. Jack finally shoved it away and pulled Ryan with him into
the living room. “Enough for now, we’re going to enjoy dinner and
kick back then start again in the morning.”

Dinner wasn’t enjoyable. They both stole
glances toward the den and Ryan hadn’t cracked even a slight grin
since they arrived home. Her thoughts were torn between a serial
killer and a sister that betrayed her.

Finally she just pushed back her plate and
went out to the porch. Jackson gave her the few minutes it took to
finish his meal to be alone. Then went out and sat with her. Just
sitting there showing her she wasn’t alone even in this. After a
bit he convinced her to go to bed.

Not able to sleep Jack got up and pulled up
some maps on the computer. He was looking for hiking trails; maybe
there were some that just weren’t used anymore. It was around two
in the morning when his phone rang. “Don’t tell me.”

The voice on the other end was Thomas. “I
wish I didn’t have to, but it’s worse than just number eight.”

“How could it be worse?”

“It’s Amber Reign.”

Swearing as he hung up the phone Jackson
debated on waking her up. She would hate him if he didn’t. He
tiptoed into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. The room was
warm Ryan had a window cracked open and the sheet thrown back. Her
Tinkerbell nightshirt riding up her long legs. Brushing hair from
her face he whispered. “Ryan, hun you need to wake up.”

She sleepily opened her eyes glancing at the
clock. “There’s another body?”

“Yeah.” Jack set her up and wrapped his arms
around her before breaking the news. “The victim has been
identified as Amber.”

Pushing him away and jumping from the bed she
flipped on the lamp. “Are you sure?”

“Tom made the ID himself. I’m so sorry, you
stay here. I’ve got to go to the scene.”

She pulled cloths from the drawer. “No, I’m
coming. Don’t leave without me.”

He took the jeans and tee shirt from her
hands and tossed them on the bed. “You don’t have to do this. I do.
I’ll call you as soon as I get there and make sure for myself,
alright?”

Grabbing the jeans and jerking them on Ryan
glared at him. “Of course it’s not alright. I am apart of this
case, Jack. It really doesn’t matter who the victim is. This is the
earliest we’ve found a…..body. I need to go while the evidence is
so fresh. I read in the book Barbara gave me that impressions are
stronger the closer you can get to them after being left.”

Before he could argue further she was dressed
and waiting on the porch. Jack grabbed the pictures he had printed
out from the e-mail.

They arrived at the old cemetery in Mt. Dora
the yellow tape visible from the parking lot. “Why don’t you wait
here until their done?”

Chapter 13

Her answer was getting out of the car and
walking with him. Amber was laying on the grave her hair like a
halo around her face. The harsh lighting set up make her look more
ashen. There were eight wounds in a circle. Amber had just turned
twenty-eight last month. Ryan hadn’t sent her a birthday card. She
had felt abandoned by her sister.

Now she was looking down on Amber thinking
she should be feeling something. Anger, sadness, maybe even hate
for someone taking her away before Ryan could exact revenge or
forgive Amber’s actions against her. But there was nothing but
numbness, just another corpse in the dirt.

The grave was fresh unsodded with a canopy
over it. There was only a piece of cardboard on a stick for a
marker. The knife positioned by Amber’s side as with the others.
The crime scene tech was bagging her hands and checking underneath
the body. “Can you check her front pocket for lipstick and a
mirror?”

The tech patted the pockets of the jacket
then the jeans. Feeling something in one of the jean pockets she
pulled it open and looked inside with a flashlight first. Pulling
the lipstick and mirror out he laid them on the body. They were
photographed and bagged. Thomas told the girl to leave that bag
with the body for now. Turning to Ryan he hugged her gently. “Hey.
you okay?”

Nodding she looked at the man standing in
expensive slacks and a dark blue button down shirt and tie with
tiny white diamond shapes on it. “How do you manage to look like
that at three in the morning?”

“You just can’t help perfection, baby.” He
grinned. “You didn’t answer my question though?”