Plain Jane (28 page)
Authors: Carolyn McCray
“Don’t go facedown yet, Torres. We’ve still got another killer to catch.”
Crap. In the flurry of activity, Ruben had forgotten to relay the news. “No. I got a call. Martin went back to his place. Unis picked him up a few minutes ago.”
Glick shook his head and patted Ruben on the back.
“The ugly and the stupid.”
Yep.
Not surprisingly, Kent was right, yet again.
CHAPTER 115
The sun crested the horizon as Kent drove Nicole home from the hospital. She leaned back in the seat. Her cheek rested against the headrest.
Half asleep, half awake.
It took some effort for him to keep his eyes on the road when she had her bedroom eyes like that. Bedroom-and- morphine-for-the-pain eyes, Kent reminded himself. There would not be any makeup sex this morning.
“I just want acknowledgment that I was right,” Nicole said out of the blue. Was it the drugs talking?
“Right about what?”
Nicole smiled a broad, lazy, sedated smile. “You stole my car… Again.”
Kent kissed her hand. “It’s not stealing if it’s
ours
.”
Her lips spread into a full smile as the car stopped.
“We’re home.”
Normally not the gentleman, Kent thought stabbing victims might demand slightly more attention, so he hopped out of the car and ran to the other side, opening the door for Nicole. He then helped her up the steps, through the door, and onto an oversized chair.
“My, my,” she said as he lifted her leg and set it upon the ottoman, then gave her a selection of some of his very finest comics to read.
“Now don’t expect this kind of service forever.”
“Why not?” Nicole asked. “You owe me.”
That he did
, Kent thought as he leaned over and kissed those lips one more time. Could life get any better?
“I’ll go fix us some breakfast.”
“The meat is from the store, right?”
Kent didn’t let his expression change.
“Funny. Now read up.”
CHAPTER 116
Ruben squinted. Where was that light coming from? He glanced over. Shit, it was the sun rising. He’d been up for nearly twenty-four hours, with no end in sight, as Glick approached. Ruben got up out of his seat and stretched.
“Turns out you were right, Captain.”
“How so?”
He pointed to the towering stacks of paperwork on his desk. That’s what happened when your profiler gutted your suspect. “Harbinger ended up needing me for something.”
Instead of giving a grin, Glick shuffled his feet. “Yeah… Well… Speaking of Kent…”
No. He couldn’t deal with anything else from that man. But his captain didn’t look like he was going away soon.
“What now?” Ruben asked.
“Rebecca’s uterus…”
“Showed signs of an abortion, right?”
“Well, we don’t know,” Glick said.
What was the captain getting at? And what did it have to do with Kent? “So the report isn’t back yet?”
“No, it’s back. It’s Rebecca…” Ruben’s look prompted Glick to finish his sentence. “She didn’t have one.”
Okay, that didn’t sound right. Rebecca’s abortion was the linchpin of Kent’s theory. It was the thread that sewed the entire case together.
“She’d had a hysterectomy, then?”
“Um, yeah. On the day she died.” Glick strongly emphasized the next part. “
After
she died.”
“Oh my…” The implications ricocheted. Kent’s last case. His self-admitted cannibalism. “He took it?”
Glick shrugged and toyed with a paper clip on Ruben’s desk. “There were a lot of people who had access to the body before the coroner got to it.”
Ruben just gave his captain a “you’ve got to be kidding” look. “So are we going to go over there and bust him?” When Glick didn’t answer, Ruben emphasized, “
Again
?”
But all the captain did was shrug.
CHAPTER 117
Kent nudged the meat with his spatula as it sizzled and crackled. Nicole wasn’t going to be too thrilled by his selection, but hey, he had to use what was on hand.
“Do you want OJ?” Kent called over his shoulder.
He waited for her response, but it didn’t come.
“Hey, Nic,” Kent said as he slid the meat onto a paper towel-lined plate. He didn’t need her whining about the fat content as well.
“Hon?”
Figuring she must have fallen asleep, the profiler buttered the toast and set it out on the table. The scrambled eggs and fruit were already in their serving dishes. It was a table even Martha Stewart would have approved of…well, except for the meat. Hopefully with all that food, Nicole would not notice that portion of the breakfast.
“Darlin’, the doctor told you to eat with that medication,” Kent said as he entered the living room.
Not only was Nicole not asleep, she was up, digging through her purse. He rushed over. Kent knew she wasn’t used to his new and improved knight in shining armor gig, though surely she must have known he would’ve gotten her purse for her.
“Babe, I’ve got it.”
Just as he came up next to her, he noticed she was cramming something back
into
the purse. His profiler senses began to tingle.
“Whatcha got there?”
Biting her lip, Nicole lifted the sealed baggie from her purse. The contents were pink, bloody.
It was a uterus.
To be more exact, it must have been Rebecca’s uterus.
Kent stood shocked. Pinned in place. His lips wouldn’t move. Nicole hadn’t gone back to check Rebecca’s pulse, she went back to take her womb.
Quickly shock transformed to pride. That was doctoral- level stalking in action.
He kissed her forehead. “Coffee, hon?”
Nicole’s worried look transformed into a grin. “Maybe some milk?”
“Whatever the lady wants,” Kent said as he walked back to the kitchen. Out of the corner of his eye, the profiler watched Nicole stroke the tissue through the plastic, then toss it into the crackling fireplace.
That was his girl, all right.
Afterword
Thank you so much for trying out an indie author like myself! Hopefully you were as shocked, horrified, and as slightly disturbed as I had hoped to make you!
If you enjoyed
Plain Jane
, I would love to ask you a favor and go back to
Amazon
and leave an honest review. We indie authors live and die by our reviews!
If you are looking for more of my writing (including a Harbinger short story), check out the books listed in the next section.
Other Works by Carolyn McCray
Anatomy -
The Harbinger prequel short story to Plain Jane
Anatomy
- the greatly anticipated prequel short story to
Plain Jane
. See where the Harbinger Mystery series began!
Praise for The Harbinger Mysteries…
“Wickedly macabre and blisteringly paced, Plain Jain marks the debut of a thriller for the new millennium.
Brash, funny, terrifying, and shocking, here is a story best enjoyed with all the lights on.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you!”
NYT Top Ten Best Seller
James Rollins
“This book is so creepy. I made the mistake of starting in one night before bed. Not only did the story line keep me turning pages, it freaked me out to the point that I didn’t want to turn off my light.”
The Book Goddess
Book Reviewer
“This one had me flipping pages until 2 in the morning. I knew when I saw the quote from James Rollins (one of my favorites) that I would get at least my money’s worth out of the book, but I had NO idea what laid in store for me.”
Mimi
Novel Ideas
Overview:
Girls have gone missing.
Can Kent find the killer before another child dies?
Find out in
Anatomy
! Click
here
to purchase.
* * *
Dark Lullaby –
A Harbinger short story
Dark Lullaby
is a 12,000+ word stand-alone short story (with no spoilers) that takes place after the
Plain Jane
: A Patterson-style thriller with a dash of Hannibal.
Praise for the Harbinger Series…
“Loved the character Harbinger – he’s unsettling, disarming…and brilliant! His chemistry with the female detective is terrific. If you like The Mentalist, you’ll love this dark, satisfying short story! I’ll definitely be reading more Harbinger stories.”
BookBabe
Amazon Reviewer
“The only downside to this book is it was too short. Loved the dark humor from Harbinger. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.”
Michelle Lockard
Amazon Reviewer
“Wow - what a punch packed by this short story! Quickly develops the characters, lots of interesting details and segues, and then, pow! a surprise ending. What more can you ask?”
Tawny Lee
Amazon Reviewer
Overview:
Girls have gone missing.
Can Kent find the killer before another child dies?
Find out in
Dark Lullaby
! Click
here
to purchase.
* * *
All Hallow’s Eve –
The one night it’s BAD… to be good
If you are in the mood for some more great serial killer catching I also have,
All Hallow’s Eve: The One Night it’s BAD to be Good.
People are being martyred but not for their faith. Instead the deaths are part of a serial killer’s sick game as he chooses his victim by their name… then kills them in that Saint’s grisly manner.
What people are saying about
All Hallow’s Eve
…
“Scary and smart,
All Hallow’s Eve
is perfect for anyone who wants to read a horror story that makes them think. From the intricate psychopathology of the serial killer, to the hair-raising tension, to the skewering of pop culture,
All Hallow’s Eve
is simply a great read.”
Book Reviewer
“Beautifully written and masterfully executed. You will keep guessing until the end who could have planned such a horrific night! Do not read this while alone in the house!”
Book Reviewer
To sample or purchase
All Hallow’s Eve
, click
here
.
* * *
9 th Circle –
9 Circles. Infinite ways to die.
