BATON ROUGE (4 page)

“Thanks, so do you.”

He didn’t look all that different from what he looked like every day. The only difference was his black slacks were paired with a black-and-blue pin-striped shirt instead of the regular white dress shirt. His blazer was the same one that had been slung across the back of a chair for most of the day.

“I’m so excited,” she continued. “We’ve only been at it for a day and already a lead has come to light.”

“We don’t know how good this lead might be,” he replied in an attempt to temper her enthusiasm. “The odds that we’re going to solve these crimes tonight by attending a college bookstore autographing session are pretty minimal.”

“True, but at least it’s a place to start.” She shifted positions to face him more fully. “We’ll solve this one, Alex. We’ll solve it and save every single one of those people.”

The diminutive use of his name felt both familiar and intimate and he shoved away the wave of warmth that suffused him as he heard it. She was the only person in his life who had called him Alex. Both professionally and personally he’d always been Alexander.

“We’re a long way from a solve, but I hope your optimism plays out,” he said gruffly.

Damn her green dress and her use of Alex. The last thing he needed was to get lost in memories, in questions from the past that would splinter his attention. He needed to remain focused on the case and nothing else.

The Baton Rouge College campus was both huge and beautiful. Stately stone buildings were linked together by tree-lined sidewalks, and courtyards with benches invited students to gather for impromptu study sessions or social activities.

The bookstore was along a side street, and Alexander was surprised to discover the parking lot next to it full. He found an open curbside space about a block away and he and Georgina got out of the car to walk in the sultry evening air. “Feels more like early August than September,” Alexander said.

“It is warm. Looks like she’s drawn quite a crowd,” Georgina said.

“Murder and mayhem always sell well,” Alexander replied with a touch of disgust.

Georgina shot him a quick smile. “You can’t blame people for being interested in the same things we are. If the readers who buy these kinds of books are freaks, then that makes you and me super freaks.”

Alexander laughed, knowing that she was right. Neither of them would be where they were if they weren’t drawn to the dark side of humanity.

He fought the impulse to place his hand at the center of her back as they walked side by side, as he used to do. It had always been a proprietary touch and he hadn’t had that right for two years.

Focus,
he thought as they entered the door to the busy bookstore. This job was his chance to stanch the nightmares of failure that played over and over again in his head. He was haunted by a single dead young woman; he couldn’t imagine seven people haunting him if he didn’t get this job done right.

Alexander estimated Michelle Davison to be in her mid-thirties. She was an attractive blonde with blue eyes and appeared to be greeting her fans with genuine warmth and friendliness.

There was a long line before her, and as he and Georgina fell into the line, he also noted the man who stood just behind the table where Michelle sat.

Tall and muscular, although he was neatly dressed in slacks and a short-sleeved white shirt, he looked like a thug. A tattoo rode the side of his neck and others crept up his muscled arms. Boyfriend? Bodyguard? Partner in crime?

Alexander couldn’t help the suppositions that raced through his mind. His plan was to buy a book, chat like a customer and then once the signing was over have a more in-depth discussion with the author.

“I didn’t expect this kind of crowd,” he said, leaning closer to Georgina.

“I checked her out before you picked me up. This is her fifth crime book and she’s grown quite popular,” Georgina replied. “You think the guy behind her is her agent?” she asked dryly.

Alexander flashed a tight smile. “I’ve heard that literary agents are tough, especially those from New York City.”

A small laugh escaped Georgina and the sound pooled warmth in the pit of his stomach. It had been over two years since he’d heard the sound of her husky laugh.

He averted his gaze from her and instead focused on the other people inside the store. It was possible the very man they sought was right here in the room, eager to buy a book about the people he’d kidnapped.

Or perhaps Michelle took her research to a whole new level and she and the mountain man behind her were responsible for the disappearances of the FBI agents. It would make one hell of a publicity stunt.

His stomach knotted. Could that be what this was all about? Surely not. He hadn’t seen any publicity concerning the missing FBI agents and the book that was being sold. The various departments involved had been playing the details of each case close to their vests.

As far as Alexander knew, no reporter had tied them all together to come up with a serial kidnapper at work. Until this morning, when it was reported that a task force had been formed. He’d like to get his hands around the neck of whoever had leaked that information.

He glanced at Georgina and noticed that she was perusing the crowd with narrowed eyes. She was probably thinking the same thing he was, that the perp might very well be right here in this room, eager to buy a book about the people he held captive. Hopefully the author they were about to meet would have some answers.

He breathed a sigh of relief as finally there was only one person in line before they’d be at the author’s table.

“Professor Tanner,” Michelle greeted the man in front of them warmly. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

“Now, how could I miss such a special event for one of my best students?” the tall, well-built man replied.

“You’re part of the reason I’m where I am,” Michelle said as she signed a book for him. “Your classes were always so fascinating.”

“Thank you. Let’s hope there continue to be plenty of students who enjoy my classes.” He took the book she’d signed for him and then Alexander and Georgina stood before the author’s table.

“Hello, would one or both of you like a book autographed?” Michelle asked with a bright smile.

“I’d like one,” Georgina said. “You can just sign it to Georgina.”

“And we’d both like to have a little chat with you when this is all over this evening.” Alexander pulled his official identification from his pocket and placed it on the table.
To hell with the idea of pretending to be a fan,
he thought. He just wanted to cut to the chase.

Michelle looked at it and then at him with a faint alarm on her pretty features. Alexander quickly tucked his identification away.

“Can we talk someplace other than here?” she asked. “I’d rather not have any of my readers know that the FBI is questioning me about anything.”

“There’s a coffee shop about three blocks from here at the corner of Magnolia and Mission Road,” he said.

She nodded. “I know the place.” She glanced at her wristwatch. “I’ll be here for another half an hour or so. Shall we meet there in about an hour?”

She appeared curious and a bit apprehensive, but not particularly scared or guilty. Alexander was eager to question her and find out what, if any, role she might have played in the crimes. “Make sure you’re there. Otherwise we’ll find you someplace where it might be less private.”

“I’ll be there,” she replied, her lips morphing into a thin line as she turned her attention to Georgina. “Did you really want a book?”

“Yes.”

Michelle quickly signed the book and handed it to Georgina. “I hope you enjoy it,” she said as if by rote.

The two of them left the table, paid for the book and then exited the still-busy bookstore. It wasn’t until they were back in Alexander’s car and headed to the coffee shop that Georgina spoke.

“So, thoughts?” she asked.

“I have several. My first thought is what a great publicity stunt it would be for the three agents she wrote about in her book to suddenly go missing.”

He felt Georgina’s gaze lingering on him, could almost hear the wheels churning in her head. “It would be a great publicity stunt, but there’s been nothing in the news until this morning to let people know that we’ve determined that the missing FBI agents are tied together.”

“Odd, though, that the news broke on the morning of her book signing.” He glanced over to her, noting how pretty she looked in the faint glow of the dashboard lights.

“Odd, or coincidental,” she agreed. “Nobody in the crowd caught my eye as looking particularly suspicious. Even Michelle didn’t look overly worried or guilty when you showed her your identification and said we needed to talk to her.”

“I guess we’ll have a better feel for her after questioning her,” he replied as they pulled up in front of the coffee shop.

They grabbed one of the tall tables in the back where they would have a little more privacy, although there were few people in the place. Most of the college students would frequent the coffee shop throughout the day, but on a Saturday night they would all have better places to be.

“Sit tight. I’ll go get us some coffee,” he said. She sat on one of the tall stools and opened the book she’d bought as he headed for the counter.

“I’d like a medium black coffee and a medium caffe mocha, hold the whipped cream.” He was vaguely surprised that what had been Georgina’s favorite drink rolled effortlessly off his tongue after all this time. He wasn’t even sure if she still drank what he’d just ordered for her.

He paid for the drinks and grabbed them, and as he turned to face her, he immediately knew something was horribly wrong. She had her cell phone at her ear.

Her face was the pale shade of death, but her eyes were huge and darted at him frantically. He raced to the table at the same time she set her cell phone down with a hand that visibly shook.

“Georgina, what happened? Who was on the phone?” He set the cups down and reached for her hand. Her icy-cold fingers grabbed onto his and held tight.

“It was him.” Her voice whispered from her. “He said he was the person we were hunting.” She drew a deep breath, some of the color returning to her cheeks as she disengaged her hand from his and instead curled her fingers around the warm cup in front of her.

“Are you sure it wasn’t some sort of a prank phone call?” he asked.

Her green eyes held a faint tinge of fear as she slowly shook her head. “He said he’d be in touch again and that Macy told me to get a good night’s sleep, that I was going to need my rest if I was going to save her.”

Myriad emotions rose up inside Alexander, questions about if the call had really come from the man they sought and when he might make contact again. More importantly, why out of all the task force members had he connected with Georgina? His stomach clenched tight.

Did this mean that Georgina was in danger?

Chapter Four

Georgina took a drink in an effort to warm the cold that had gripped her insides the minute she’d heard “his” voice on the phone.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Alex asked, his handsome features fraught with concern.

“I’m fine. It was just such a shock.” She took another drink of her coffee, subconsciously noting that Alex had ordered her favorite. But even the comfort of the familiar drink couldn’t chase away the horror that still held her in its grip.

“What did his voice sound like? Young? Old? Any accent that you could discern?” Alex asked. He leaned toward her, as if he wanted to wrap her in his arms, and for just a brief moment she wished he would.

She remembered far too well how it had felt to be cradled in Alex’s arms...the sense of safety, of security she had found there.

Instead she stared down into her cup and then looked back at him. “It wasn’t his real voice. He obviously was using some kind of voice-altering equipment. Still, I know it sounds crazy, but I feel like I’ve been touched by pure evil.”

She straightened her shoulders and drew a deep, steadying breath. She couldn’t allow herself to get spooked by a single phone call—Alex would pull her off the case if she appeared that weak.

“What did your caller identification show?” Alex asked. She was pleased his voice held no sympathy, no coddling tone.

“Unknown caller,” she replied, also glad that her voice held no sense of the cold turmoil inside her. “He probably made the call from a throwaway phone. He’s too smart to allow himself to be traced.” She paused a moment. “If it really was him, then why me?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because you’re the only woman on the team?”

“How would he even know that I’m on the team? The article this morning didn’t mention any names.”

“I don’t have any answers for you right now,” Alex replied, his voice deep and his eyes fierce as he held her gaze. “But I promise you that by tomorrow we’ll have some. If there’s a leak in the department, I’ll get to the bottom of it.”

She saw the depth of anger simmering in his beautiful eyes and would hate to be the person on the receiving end of that ire.

“We can’t know for sure that it was really the perp who made the call,” he said thoughtfully. He took a drink of his coffee and set the cup back down. “There were plenty of news reports out of Bachelor Moon when Sam and his wife and little Macy went missing. The call could have just come from some creep.”

“Creeps don’t generally know my phone number,” she replied dryly.

“We’ll figure it all out,” he said in an obvious effort to soothe, but she knew it was more likely than not that they wouldn’t learn how he had gotten her phone number.

They fell silent for the next few minutes. She sipped her drink while Alex slugged down his coffee and got up to order himself another one. She had a feeling it would be a sleepless night for him as well as for her.

Macy. Why had the caller mentioned the little girl who had already found purchase in Georgina’s heart? Perhaps he had just reasoned that since she was a woman, the child would be the best way to get to her. What a calculating creep.

By the time Alex returned to the table, Michelle and the man who had stood behind her at the autographing table walked through the door.

The big bruiser had his arm around Michelle and a scowl on his face that indicated he was definitely not pleased to be here. “Why would the FBI want to talk to Michelle?” he asked as the two of them reached the table where Georgina and Alex were seated.

“Maybe you’re the one we need to talk to,” Alex countered as he stood.

Georgina released a sigh. She’d already had enough drama for one night. She didn’t need a macho showdown between the two men. “Why don’t we all sit down and we’ll explain exactly what brought Michelle to our attention.”

Michelle took the stool next to Georgina. “I already know why you want to talk to me. This overly protective brute is my boyfriend, Jax White. Sit down, Jax, and let them ask their questions.”

Jax took a seat as Alex returned to his. “I know the people I wrote about in my book are missing,” Michelle said. “But that’s all I know about the situation.”

“So the kidnapping of these agents isn’t part of a publicity stunt to sell more books?” Alex asked.

Michelle shot him a derisive look. “I don’t subscribe to the ‘Any publicity is good publicity’ theory.”

As Alex questioned Michelle further, Georgina tried to put the phone call out of her head and instead get a read on the woman and man seated at the table with them.

“I have some contacts in the agency,” Michelle said, “and they pointed me to Sam Connelly, Amberly Caldwell and Jackson Revannaugh as three of the best profilers who had all recently solved fairly high-profile cases. I decided to showcase them in the book as some of the best of the best when it comes to catching killers.”

“And exactly how did you do your research?” Georgina asked.

“She sure as hell didn’t kidnap the agents,” Jax exclaimed in obvious irritation.

Michelle ignored his outburst. “Unfortunately none of the agents would grant me interviews, so I did my research the hard way—by getting files on the cases they’d worked, by reading every article and news item I could find. I traveled to Mystic Lake and here to Baton Rouge to talk to some of the people who were involved with the crimes. I talked to the people in the towns, friends of the missing people. I also tried to talk to friends of the FBI agents. Unfortunately they all refused to talk to me.”

Her chin rose defensively. “I worked hard to write the stories of heroes and the criminals that they caught. I saw in the paper this morning that a task force had been formed to deal with the case of the missing FBI agents. I knew you’d be coming to question me, but I can’t help you. I don’t know what happened to them. I can’t help you in any way in your investigation.”

Jax stood and placed an arm around Michelle’s shoulder. “Are we through here?”

“One more question...where were the two of you four nights ago?” Alex asked.

“At my home in New Orleans,” Michelle answered without hesitation. She exchanged a glance with Jax.

“Do the two of you live together?” Georgina asked.

Michelle hesitated a beat before replying. “No, but Jax spends most nights at my place. I’m sure he was with me four nights ago.”

Jax squeezed her shoulder. “And now I think we’re through here.” Michelle rose as if his hand on her shoulder was a magical wand that lifted her off the stool.

“Where can we reach you if we need to ask you more questions?” Alex asked.

“I’m leaving tomorrow on a book tour. If you’ll give me your email or fax number I’ll have my agent send you my itinerary,” Michelle said.

Alex pulled a card from his pocket. “My cell phone and email is there. If I don’t get that itinerary from your agent by noon tomorrow, then we’re going to have problems.”

Michelle nodded and the two of them left the coffee shop.

“Want another coffee?” Alex asked.

“No thanks. I think I’m ready to call it a day.” She knew they’d talk about this little interview in the car, but once the author and her boyfriend had disappeared from sight, the phone call Georgina had received filled her head once again.

Minutes later they were in Alex’s car and headed toward her house. “I feel inclined to do a little background check on Mr. Jax White,” Alex said.

“Probably wouldn’t hurt,” she agreed. “There was just a moment when Michelle said that Jax was with her on the night that Jackson and Marjorie disappeared that I didn’t quite believe her.”

“Maybe he decided to help his lover get a little extra publicity with her book,” Alex said. “He’s big enough to carry bodies over his shoulders and he looks like a man who might have a record.”

“And he knew I was an FBI agent and had time before they met us here to make that phone call.” Her stomach ached as she thought of the call.

They spoke no more until he pulled into her driveway. He cut the engine, turned out the car lights and then looked at her, his features visible in the streetlight next to her driveway.

“You want me to take your cell phone?” he asked.

She frowned at him in surprise. “Why would I want you to do that?”

“In case he calls again...so you don’t have to deal with it.”

“If he calls again it’s because for some reason he wants to talk to me. You can’t protect me, Alex. I can handle this. I’m fine.”

She saw the frown that shot across his brow. “You’re always so damn strong, Georgina. You never need anyone.”

She drew in a breath. “Are we talking about a phone call or are we discussing personal history?”

Leaning his head back, he raked a hand through his thick dark hair. “I don’t know, maybe a little of both,” he admitted.

“I won’t discuss history,” she replied. “What’s done is done. All I’m interested in is catching this guy and saving not only our fellow agents but precious little Macy. I’ll keep my phone and if he calls again I’ll record the call and you’ll be the first to know.”

She opened the car door in an effort to stanch any further conversation that might turn to old heartaches and failures. “I can do my job, Alex. I don’t need you to do anything but watch my back as a good partner would.”

She got out of the car and shut the door and hurried toward her house. It was only when she was inside that she saw the lights on Alex’s car beam on and then he pulled out of the driveway.

She locked her door and then went into her living room where she placed her gun, her official identification and her cell phone on the coffee table. She didn’t want to admit that the phone call had completely creeped her out. The fact that the person on the other end of the line had called her by name had ignited a fear in her that she hadn’t felt for a very long time.

Had the call really come from the man who held little Macy and the others captive? And why had he focused his attention on her when there were seven other members of the task force?

Maybe it was just some jerk who had managed to get her phone number and make the call. Crimes often brought out the mentally ill and the pranksters to play in the game.

Still, she couldn’t discount the sharp intuition that told her he’d been the real deal.

She got up from the sofa and moved to the window to peer outside into the night. Her front yard held trees and bushes, hiding places for somebody who might be watching her.

Was he out there right now?

Watching her?

For the first time since her divorce she wished Alex were here with her, to assure her that the boogeyman wasn’t after her, to hold her in his big strong arms and make her feel safe.

She’d told him she was fine, that she didn’t need anyone. The truth was she was afraid to tap into any need she might possess.

Needing anyone, loving anyone made you vulnerable, made you appear weak. And Georgina knew better than anyone that weakness could set the predators circling overhead. And they would circle until you were too weak to fight them off when they attacked.

* * *

A
LEXANDER
DROVE
AIMLESSLY
after leaving Georgina’s house. He often did his best thinking while in a car cruising without any specific direction, and at this moment he had a lot on his mind.

He wasn’t particularly satisfied that Michelle and Jax hadn’t pulled off a world-class publicity stunt. The two had set off tiny alarm bells in his head, but it was too early for the alarms to be a signal that they were guilty.

It would be interesting to see how this case played out as Michelle went on her book tour, if the kidnappings became a tool for garnering her publicity.

His bigger concern was the call Georgina had received, a call she was certain was from the man they hunted. He’d expected the perp to make contact again, but he’d assumed it would be by another note sent to headquarters. He hadn’t expected the “reach out and touch someone” approach.

He definitely hadn’t expected Georgina to be the one touched so personally by the perp. If it had really been him...if it hadn’t been some kind of sick prank phone call, he reminded himself.

He knew he’d gone against protocol by not taking her phone away from her and carrying it immediately to one of the tech men to see if they could identify the location from where the call had come.

Turning down a dark side street, he knew he was betting on three things...that the call had probably come from a phone they wouldn’t be able to trace, that the call itself hadn’t lasted long enough for any kind of a trace, and finally that the potential perp would call her again.

Tightening his fingers on the steering wheel, he thought of that instant when he’d seen fear in the depths of her beautiful green eyes, when he’d seen the faint tremor of her hand as she’d placed her cell phone on the table. She’d recovered quickly, as she always did...as she always had.

As much as he’d loved her, that was the part of her that had frustrated him to distraction during their marriage. She gave him all the passion she had in her heart, in her soul, when they made love, but she never gave him her hopes, her fears or her dreams.

She’d given freely of her body, but had offered him no intimacy of her heart or soul, had shared nothing of her past to allow him to see what kind of influences had made her into the woman she’d become.

As he turned the car to head home, he told himself the last thing he should be doing was thinking about the days and nights he’d spent with Georgina, the love for her that still simmered in the very depths of his heart despite the fact that she’d walked away from their marriage seemingly without a backward glance.

He had a case to solve, seven people who were depending on him to find them. What he’d like to know was how the perp had focused in on Georgina? Had he read the paper that morning and managed to dig up the names of the people on the task force? Had he zeroed in on Georgina because she was the only woman on the team?

There was no doubt that there was a snitch someplace in the office. There was always a snitch willing to sell out names of agents and/or details of ongoing cases. There was always a bad apple somewhere. Alexander just wished he could be certain that the bad apple wasn’t on his task force.