Faces of Evil [2] Impulse (11 page)

“I like your new haircut,” Jess said when her sister remained silent. She swept her fingers through the thick chin length bob.

In grade school the teachers were always mixing them up. They had the same brown eyes, the same blond hair. Jess was the one who always got into trouble and Lily was the bookworm.

Blake, Lily’s husband, would gladly set anyone straight who mistakenly assumed Lily’s mild mannered temperament meant she was a push-over.

“Blake hates it.”

Surprised, Jess suggested, “You know men, they think long hair is sexy.” At least that was what Dan always said.

The thought stunned Jess. Where the hell had that come from? Mortification burned her cheeks. Thank God she hadn’t said
that
out loud. She really, really had to get her head on straight. As of a couple of hours ago,
Burnett
was her superior.

Lil shook her head, her lips trembling, tears streaming down her cheeks. “He’s considering taking a new position in Nashville. He’s furious I won’t agree to go with him. He thinks because the kids are leaving home, I shouldn’t have a problem with moving.”

No wonder Lily was fighting so to hold her ground. “When did this happen?” Except for having only two kids, Lily and Blake could be the Cleavers, their life together was so ideal. Or, at least, Jess had thought so.

Lily glared at her. “It’s been happening for months but you wouldn’t know that because you’re never here!”

There was that.

“I’m sorry.” Jess hugged her again. Then drew back and produced a smile. “That won’t be an issue in the future, sis, I accepted a deputy chief position with Birmingham PD. I’ll be around a lot more.”

Lily’s expression brightened. “That’s great. You can move in with me. The kids’ll be gone. Maybe Blake, too. We have lots of room!”

Jess lifted her lips into what she hoped resembled a smile but couldn’t do a damned thing about the dismay she felt widening her eyes. “Wow.”

Her sister smiled, swiped her tears. “It’ll be just like when we were kids.” She hugged Jess hard. “You and me against the world.” When she drew back, her smile widened to a grin. “We can go to church together, too! There are a couple very nice men your age who’re single for one reason or another.”

“Wow,” Jess repeated as she suffered through another exuberant hug. Exactly what she needed. A man who was single. . . for one reason or another. Awesome. Wouldn’t they make a pair?

Just like her and Burnett.

Dear God.

Five days. She’d been back in Birmingham a mere five days and Jess felt her life spiraling backwards more than two decades. Already her hard work to take the south out of her vocabulary and diction had vanished. She spoke as if she’d never left. Ten years ago when she’d fallen back into Burnett’s arms for a frantic tangle in the sheets, she had sworn she would never, ever be vulnerable to the man again. And here she was, skirting that old flame as if she hadn’t gotten burned badly enough the first time.

Evidently she was destined to repeat the same mistakes over and over.

When another ten minutes of discussion failed to convince her sister to leave town, Jess reluctantly gave up for the moment and joined Burnett and the others. Lily opted to remain in her room until her eyes weren’t so red anymore.

Shock and confusion related to the conversation with her sister warred with the worry and frustration associated with the case. None of which was conducive to Jess’s focus on the problems at hand.

Burnett and Lil’s husband stood near the fireplace, speaking in soft, quiet tones. Their posture warned that the subject matter was far from soft. The kids were sprawled on the sofa, Alice reading a book on her Kindle, Blake Junior surfing on his iPad. The two were as different as night and day. Lil’s son had dark hair and eyes like his father and he loved being in the thick of things, athletics, social activities, anything that involved lots of people and a challenge. Her daughter was the spitting image of her – of Jess – and Alice would rather curl up in a corner all alone and read her books.

Mercy, how did she make these people understand that this was not like the movies? This was real, the danger was real. And they didn’t seem to have a clue.

As soon as Burnett noticed her lingering in the archway that separated the family room from the kitchen, he shifted toward her. The move was subtle, the slightest turning of his body to face her. Whether it was the way he moved or just the way he looked, tall, strong and steady, Jess had never wanted to lean on those broad shoulders more than she did at that moment.

There she went, falling back into that same old pattern.

God, help her.

“She won’t budge,” Jess announced.

Saying the words weighed heavily on her shoulders, fueling the urge to lean against him. . .
her new boss
. A single-for-one-reason-or-another man.

Jess blinked. She straightened her weary body, drew her burdened shoulders back. She was stronger than this. Dammit. “You need to talk some sense into her, Blake.”

Shoulders down, hands in his pockets, and worry cluttering his face, Blake studied Jess a moment. “You really think we could be targets in this?”

Rather than march over and shake the hell out of him, she held onto her unraveling composure as best she could. “Belinda Howard was a guest in your home last night. If being here with me made her a target, do you really need to ask that question?”

Blake blinked, looked taken aback.

Okay, maybe he hadn’t deserved that. As miserable as he was making her sister just now, Jess wasn’t so sure. Nashville? Seriously?

“I think,” Burnett chimed in, “what Jess is trying to say is that it’s far better to be safe than sorry.”

Blake sucked in a harsh breath as if he’d only just awakened from a deep coma. “All right. I’ll make the arrangements with my brother in Pensacola. We’ll go there and stay a few days, get some time on the beach.”

Blake Junior looked up. “That’s what I’m talking ’bout!”

Alice made a face at his loud voice and turned back to her reading.

“Good.” Jess felt a wee bit relieved. “How quickly can you be packed and on the road?”

Blake Junior jumped up. “Five minutes, Aunt Jess.” He grinned as he hustled out of the room. The kid – man, actually – was as tall as his dad, a little over six feet, and every bit as handsome.

Lord, she felt old.

“We can be on the road by noon tomorrow,” Blake said, visibly braced for battle.

“Tomorrow?” Well, hell. The relief she’d felt faded. “Why not now?” It was summer. No school for the kids or Blake. What was the problem here?

Blake cleared his throat and met Jess’s glare with surprising determination. “I have an interview in Nashville first thing in the morning, but I’ll be back before noon. Lil and the kids can be ready to go and we’ll head out immediately.”

The professor had some balls after all, even if he was wrong. What idiot put his job before his family? “Every minute you delay,” Jess warned, “increases the risk to your family.” But then, how could she fault Blake when Lil hadn’t even been willing to compromise.

“I get my braces off in the morning, Aunt Jess. I can’t miss that appointment.”

Jess turned to Alice who was now frowning at her in that wish-you-would-go-away manner only teenagers could pull off. Great. Now Alice was mad at her. “That’s great, sweetie.”

“Deputy Chief Harris,” Special Agent Nora Miller spoke up, “I know you’re concerned for your sister and her family, but I assure you we have things under control. I’ll be here all night. In the morning I’ll personally escort Lily and her daughter to the appointment.”

The news of the career shift had certainly traveled swiftly. Probably by text. Jess hated text. Although she had enjoyed getting Gant’s goat with her resignation text.

“We’ll be fine,” Miller added when Jess didn’t immediately respond.

Jess stared at the agent. She was thirtyish. Probably four or five years’ experience. She seemed capable enough. Tall, athletic build. Brown hair coiled into a conscientious bun. Her made-for-comfort slacks and blouse were neat, conservative. Her shoes were the same; practical, well-polished leather oxfords.

She didn’t have a clue either.

Jess couldn’t fathom how to respond to her comment without offending the agent and upsetting Lily’s family. “Noon tomorrow,” Jess confirmed, resigned to their decision, “not a minute later?”

“Not a minute later,” Blake promised.

Jess shot him a skeptical look. “You’ll square that with Lil?”

“Before the kids and I are done, she’ll believe it was her idea,” he promised.

This was the best she could do, Jess supposed.

“Thank you for the coffee,” Burnett announced in the ensuing silence.

Jess gave her niece and nephew a hug and warned them to be extra careful. Under different circumstances she would have hauled her brother-in-law out back and demanded some answers. Nashville? What the hell was he thinking? Instead, she gave him an unenthusiastic version of the hug she’d given the kids and, with a pointed glance in the agent’s direction, walked out.

Burnett followed Jess out the front door as did the agent who had, thankfully, picked up on Jess’s subtle invitation.

Also sensing Jess had something to say to the FBI
lady
, Burnett jerked his head toward his officer standing at the street and said, “I’ll just be a minute.”

When Jess was alone with Agent Miller on the walk in front of her sister’s home, she said her piece. “Agent Miller, I don’t know the extent of your experience with killers like this one –”

“Ma’am,” Miller interrupted, “I spent the first three years of my career in Chicago before coming home to Birmingham.” She smiled – more of a smirk. “I know my way around the violent types.” She shrugged. “No offense, but, at this time, we don’t know for sure who this unsub is. Whoever he is, I assure you I have things here under control. And I will see that your family gets on the road by noon tomorrow.”

Maybe if she’d left it at her big-bad-city experience, Jess might have smiled right back at her and thanked her. . . but she hadn’t. . . and Jess couldn’t.

“Seventeen years,” Jess tossed back, “in too many places to name. I’ve seen it all, Agent Miller. I’ve analyzed the psychopaths who leave nothing but a greasy spot that represented what was once a human being. I’ve studied the true sociopaths who make the characters in a Stephen King novel look like altar boys. This,” Jess dragged in a breath to try and slow the mounting fury, “is the Player we’re dealing with and none of us have any aspect of this situation under control.”

Jess clamped her mouth shut. Too late. She’d already said too much.

Agent Miller nodded. “All right then. I’ll be extra vigilant, ma’am.”

No use denying a brick wall when she hit one. “Thank you, Agent Miller. I appreciate that. And I’m certain you’re aware of the danger to yourself as well as to BPD’s finest over there.”

Miller glanced at the officer. “I am.”

“Excellent.”

What else could she say? Not one damned thing. Jess walked straight to Burnett’s SUV and climbed in. Fear, disbelief, worry, confusion, anger. . . all of it bombarded her with renewed vengeance.

Burnett moved away from his officer, nodded to the agent and headed in Jess’s direction.

“Dammit,” she muttered. She blinked faster in an attempt to hold back the tears. Didn’t work. Hands shaking, she swiped at the blasted waterworks. If Burnett caught her crying. . . Damn Spears. Damn the Bureau. . . and damn her.

Burnett slid behind the wheel and started the engine. He sent a sideways glance her way.

“Don’t ask.”

He pulled away from the curb. “I know better.”

She closed her eyes and searched for a calm place. There was nothing she could do to further protect her sister tonight. All Jess could do was pray that they would be safe until they were on the road. As hard as it would prove, she had to set that problem aside and concentrate all her energies on finding Spears before either of the victims ended up dead.

Victims
.

Lori and Belinda.

Jess could not set their names and faces aside and view either one as a statistic in this case. Although most all victims in the cases she had worked over the years were innocent and hadn’t deserved the horrors they suffered, this was different for Jess. Personal. That these two women had become victims was her responsibility.

If either one died, it would be because of her actions or lack of action.

The silence set like gelatin while Burnett maneuvered the evening traffic on the interstate between Bessemer and Birmingham proper.

“We’ll pick up your suitcase,” Burnett said, slicing through that thickening quiet. “I’ll have your car brought to the house tomorrow.”

Jess turned to him, the weariness and disturbing thoughts shifting to the back burner. “I need my car.” She wasn’t getting stranded again.

“No you don’t.”

Her gaze narrowed. Oh, no. He could forget that idea. “I am not staying at your house, Burnett. We’ve had this discussion already.” Like five days ago. His parents were home now so he certainly couldn’t suggest their place.

Queen Katherine would have a stroke if Jess showed up there again. She was likely still attempting to restore to rights her museum of a home after Jess’s short stay. She should be ashamed of herself for doing a bit of rearranging just to annoy Burnett’s mother, but she hadn’t been able to help herself. Katherine Burnett had worked overtime to make Jess feel inferior back in the day. She had made no bones about the fact that she did not want her only son to marry a girl from a carousel of foster homes.

Jess had never been good enough. Why the hell that still bothered her was a mystery that might never be solved.

“You will either stay with me or you’ll go with your sister.” He glanced at her, that smug look infuriating her all the more. “Take your pick.”

He knew she couldn’t go with her sister. She needed to be here, on this case. Besides, her presence with Lil would only draw Spears’ attention to her and her family more so than the media already had. That wasn’t even an option.