Ripped in Red (3 page)

“There,” she said. “Earlier, I thought I heard something.”

Colin unlatched his gun. “Let’s take a closer look.”

Shaking the rain from his hair, he led the way in the direction she pointed. He stopped a few feet into a thick stand of trees. “Someone stood here.” He squatted. “See the prints? Looks like a size eleven gym shoe.” Why hadn’t she said something earlier?

“Here is a scrap of fabric. Could be from our unsub.”

Colin stood. “If you thought someone was watching, why didn’t you say anything?”

“I wasn’t sure. It wasn’t until I thought more about it that I remembered.” She snapped a picture of the fabric on the branch, then used tweezers to pull it free. She dropped it into a small bag. “At first, I thought it nothing more than nerves.”

“You’ve got good instincts, Cassidy. Trust them.” He placed his foot beside the print while Cassidy took a picture. “Even if nothing pans out, go with every gut feeling.”

“I usually do.” She placed her camera and the scrap of fabric into her case. “A second murder in two days rattled me a bit. I’m focused now.”

“It was the poem, not the dead body that threw you off kilter.”

“Think what you want.”

She sure was a prickly woman. As beautiful as the landscape of Scotland and as sharp as a thorn bush. He’d break through her defenses, eventually. He had to. They had to be able to trust each other. But, he had a feeling his partner trusted very few people.

He gave the area another quick scan, hoping they hadn’t missed anything else. When the killer struck again, and Colin knew he, or she, would, he’d keep a sharp eye on their surroundings. If he showed up at one crime scene, he’d show up at another.

What was he looking for? Why hadn’t he taken a shot at the officers? Did he get off on watching reactions to his deed? Possibly, but Colin thought it might be deeper than that. After the poem Cassidy received, he had a sinking feeling that the women might be some kind of sick, twisted gift for his partner.

4

C
assidy tossed her keys in the bowl on the foyer table and headed to the kitchen. Nothing ended a day on the job more than a glass of wine and a bowl of popcorn. She sipped her Moscato while she waited for the microwave to signal her meal was ready.

She’d messed up. When they’d examined the body that morning, and she’d felt eyes watching her, she should have investigated then, and not chalked it up to nerves and an over-active imagination. They’d lost valuable time. If she had taken her feeling to heart, the killer might be behind bars right that moment.

The microwave dinged, and she withdrew her supper. Maybe not the most nutritious meal, but it was her favorite. Popcorn and a drink was what she needed after the last two days.

She moved to the living room and turned on the television. Agent Weston stood behind a podium, alerting the town and surrounding areas to the possibility of a serial killer in their midst. She was good, telling them what they needed to know, but not giving so much information that she jeopardized the investigation.

Cassidy sat on the sofa and balanced the bowl of popcorn on her lap. Colin could have been one of the agents in charge. Why be content to work for a small town police force? Cassidy would give her eye teeth for an FBI offer. Her partner was definitely an enigma. Just when she thought she had him figured out, he surprised her. It seemed Colin MacKenzie might be more than a handsome face and a killer smile. Too bad she only wanted to know enough about him to work with him.

Popcorn and glass of wine finished, she turned off the television and climbed the stairs to her room. She placed her holster and gun on the bed, then whipped off her shirt. She froze. The closet door was open about two inches. Meticulous to a fault, Cassidy had a place for everything in her house and never left doors open that were meant to be closed.

She slowly slid her weapon from its holster. Mouth as dry as desert sand, she soft-footed her way to the closet and whipped the door open. Empty, except for jeans, tee shirts, and her few dressier items of clothing. She turned a slow circle in her room. Nothing seemed out of place. Her few pieces of jewelry rested in a crystal candy dish on the dresser. The latest crime novel she was reading sat on the nightstand.

She moved to the bathroom. Towels hung straight, hygiene products in place. Had she been so preoccupied with yesterday’s murder that she hadn’t noticed her open closet? There was a first time for everything, her old partner used to say. Still, the fact that something seemed off wouldn’t leave her. She wouldn’t brush it off as she had that morning. Instead, she did a thorough sweep of her home…and found nothing amiss.

There was no other explanation. She was getting sloppy.

Back in her room, she flopped across the bed and stared at the ceiling. She had to have left the closet door open. Her windows were locked, so were her doors. Had her mind been so consumed with the case that she’d forgotten parts of her morning routine?

Ugh. She got up and headed for the bathroom. After turning on the water, she got undressed, dropping her clothes on the floor. She reached over and closed and locked the bathroom door. If someone had gotten into her house, she definitely didn’t want to be caught naked.

Her cell phone rang from the nightstand in the bedroom. They could leave a message. She stepped under the hot spray of the faucet and closed her eyes. A big mistake. The faces of the two victims swam across her eyelids.

What if the man who killed them really was the same one who had taken her mother’s life? Was it possible that after all these years, her mother’s case would finally be solved?

She lathered her hair and turned her back to the faucet. Was Colin right and the perp was fixated on Cassidy? Why? She didn’t fit the profile of the victims. Well, not in her day-to-day life. If she dressed nice and put on makeup, she would be just as pretty. She rinsed and turned off the water. Others in law enforcement wouldn’t take her seriously if she looked like a Barbie doll.

Still…a momentary thought of luring the perp from hiding by upping her looks flitted across her mind and was quickly dismissed. Jeans and sweatpants were better suited for a law officer in the small town of Clear Springs.

Her cell phone rang again. She sighed, wrapped a towel around her, and hurried to answer it. The caller hung up before she could press the button.

“Why aren’t you answering your phone?”

She grabbed her gun and whirled, keeping a tight hold of her towel. “Colin! I could have shot you.” She narrowed her eyes. “How did you get in here?”

“I picked your lock.” He leaned against the doorjamb, looking as delicious as a slice of chocolate cake. “You don’t have a very good security system.”

“Why are you here?” She set her gun back on the stand and headed for the bathroom.

“You didn’t answer your phone.”

She rolled her eyes and slammed the door. Of all the nerve. A smile teased at her lips. The wide-eyed look on his face at seeing her in nothing but a towel almost made her forget her anger. Almost. Darn. She’d forgotten to grab clothes.

She opened the door an inch. “Could you hand me those clothes over the back of the chair, please?”

“You sleep in gym shorts?” He squeezed them through the crack in the door. “Not very sexy.”

“No one to impress.” She quickly got dressed and ran a brush through her hair. She stepped out of the bathroom and glared. “Explain again why you’re here?”

“Oh.” He pulled a folded sheet of paper from his pocket. “I was doing some computer searching and ran across this website you might be interested in. Mind if I use your computer?”

“In here.” She led him to the second bedroom which she used as a guest room, not that she ever had any guests, and an office. She flipped the top of the laptop and stepped aside.

Colin’s fingers flew across the keyboard. What he pulled up make her stomach roll.

“How did you find this?” She watched in horror as the first victim, Amber Wilson, dashed through the forest, glancing with terror over her shoulder. The video went on to film her killer slash her throat.

“Here’s the other one.” Colin clicked to another link.

“My God.” Cassidy’s knees sagged. “Snuff films.”

He nodded. “I’m not convinced the films are the reason for the murders, but merely a convenient means to let others enjoy the unsub’s handiwork.”

She leaned against the desk and put a hand over her face. Not once in her years as a detective had she seen something so sick.

Colin grabbed her by the shoulders and yanked her to him. Before she could take a breath, his head descended, his lips claiming hers.

For a second, she responded, before stepping back and stomping on his foot. “What are you doing?”

“Ow.” He grabbed his foot and grinned. “I thought you were going to faint. Kissing you was the first thing I could think of.”

~

Her lips were as soft and sweet as he thought they’d be. And, for a moment, she’d melted and returned his kiss. His partner wasn’t as made of ice as she pretended to be.

“Don’t do that again.” She poked his chest with her finger.

“No promises.” He motioned back to the laptop. “Now that that’s out of the way, any ideas how you want to handle this?”

She shook her head. “What made you think to look for these videos?”

“I couldn’t sleep. I kept feeling as if there was something we were missing, so I started playing around. If I were a killer, proud enough of my handiwork to send the detective in charge a love poem, what would I do?” He rubbed his hands down his face. “It’s disgusting how my mind works sometimes.”

“Can we get a trace?”

“I’ve already notified the FBI agents. Hopefully, they can do more on their end.”

“Can we close down the site?”

“Sure, but the killer will just open a new one.” He grabbed her elbow. “Let’s get something to eat.”

“I had popcorn.” She yanked free.

“That’s not dinner.”

“How can you eat after watching that?”

“I’m a healthy male with a clear conscience.” Mostly, anyway. “Let’s grab a burger.”

“Fine. Give me a minute.”

He watched as she made sure her closet was closed, checked under her bed, and then made the rounds of the house checking doors and windows. She was thorough. He shook his head at her OCD tendency and held the front door open for her to go ahead of him. “You really need to update your security. I know a guy.”

“I’m sure you do.” She slid behind the wheel of her jeep and smiled through the window.

Colin laughed and dashed through a lightly falling rain to the passenger side. Working with Cassidy promised to be fun. “You’ll have to let me drive sometime,” he said, sliding into the jeep.

“You can try if I’m ever incapable.” She turned the ignition and backed from the drive. “I know just the place for good barbeque where they won’t mind that I’m dressed like a teenage boy.”

A sexy teenager, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. They remained silent until she turned into a burger joint with outdoor seating. The smell of roasting beef teased his growling stomach. He loved dive places. They often served the best food.

“I’ll order,” Cassidy said, sliding from the jeep. “Double bacon cheeseburgers with seasoned fries and lots of sauce. You’ll love it. Want a beer?”

“Yeah.” He followed her, pulling out his wallet. A man never let a woman pay for dinner. At least not this man. He slid his money through the order window before Cassidy was finished giving their selection.

“Feeling emasculated?” She quirked an eyebrow.

“Not anymore.” He grinned and sat at a table for two under the red and white striped awning. The night was cool, but the view in front of him was hot.

Long shapely legs under sagging shorts. A too-big-for-her tee shirt, and a cascade of red hair. Even dressed as she was, Cassidy was definitely the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He was one lucky Scot.

Her amazing emerald eyes narrowed as she approached the table. “Are you laughing at me?”

“Admiring the view.”

“Right.” She shook her head as she took her seat.

“You seemed jumpy when I got to your house.” He folded his arms on the table. “Mind telling me why? Don’t say it’s because I surprised you. You weren’t that surprised to see someone in your house. Why?”

She sighed. “My closet door was open when I got home.”

He pressed his lips together to keep from smiling. “That’s it?”

“I never leave it open. You saw me prepare to leave tonight.”

True. She had checked her closet and made sure it was closed tight. “Did you sweep the place?”

“Yes.” She shrugged. “I’m sure I was preoccupied this morning.”

“Don’t brush it off.” He’d make sure he checked her home before leaving for the night. It could be nothing, but with the type of person they were dealing with, he wasn’t taking any chances. From the stern look on Cassidy’s face, she wasn’t either, no matter how inconsequential she tried to make things look.

“May I take a look at the case board on your mother’s murder?” He asked as a young man brought their food. “I know you have one.”

Her gaze could cut steel. “Why?”

“Maybe I’ll catch something you’ve missed.”

“I haven’t missed anything.” She pointed a french fry in his direction. “Now that we suspect she was killed by the same man who killed these women, I’ll take a deeper look.”

“It can’t hurt to have two sets of eyes going over it.” He bit into beefy heaven. Bacon grease mixed with cheese on top of a well-cooked burger and a homemade bun. “This is wonderful.”

“I come here a couple of times a week.”

“I can see why. What’s our plan for tomorrow?”

“The morgue. Maybe the medical examiner can tell us something new.” She dipped her fry into an orangish sauce. “We’ve got to get a break soon, or this case will join the cold case files.”

He put his hand over hers. “We’ll catch this guy. Have faith. My guess is…he’ll come to us.”

~

Draco watched from his parked car as the detectives enjoyed their food. He’d followed them from Cassidy’s home, pleased to see that the man hadn’t stayed long and Cassidy left wearing the least sexy and revealing item in her closet. Still, those were her nightclothes. She needed to be careful. Any infraction with the Scot would result in serious consequences. She belonged to Draco. No one else. One day, she would realize this.

He lowered his binoculars, still able to see them clearly, even though Cassidy’s gorgeous features were a bit blurred by the rain. The bible said that a woman’s beauty should come from within. Her’s radiated so brightly, it dimmed the sun. She was truly a jewel among women. Just as her mother had been, before succumbing to the lure of vanity.

His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. Mary Jones. Her killing of the first woman on her list had been sloppy. No finesse. “Yes?”

“When can I do the other one?”

“You need some training, Mary.”

“I know I got carried away. It won’t happen again.” Her smoker’s voice rattled, grating on his nerves.

“Perhaps, you can practice on Harold.”