Crucified (3 page)

She breathed a
sigh of relief when she saw that the picture remained on the board
untouched. Young Casey was no longer bound, oozing sores bled where
her wrists and ankles had been taped, the skin ripped from her
face. The young girl lay with her eyes closed, naked.

Please let her be sleeping
.

Seth ordered
the chief to stand watch over the picture while they questioned
everyone and anyone who might have seen something. Nobody saw
anything out of the ordinary, and no one saw who put the picture up
on the board.

He raked his
hand through his hair, his eyes ablaze. “Dianne, we need to send
for some more men. There’s no way in hell anyone should be able to
walk up to this board in broad daylight unnoticed.”

“
I’m on it.” She’d keyed in the head office on her cell before
he’d finished his tirade. The entire time she hadn’t taken her gaze
off of the photo of Casey.

What kind of
animal would do this to a young girl? More importantly, what would
he do next?

Chapter
Three

Chief Walker
suggested they call a town meeting. He seemed to think they’d have
better odds of finding Casey if they got the town’s people
involved. Taylor had no desire to attend this meeting, since
everyone deemed him guilty. The chief made a rather convincing
argument. He pointed out that by being there Taylor would show them
he had nothing to hide. Like it or not, he’d have to make an
appearance.

The silence
that permeated Johnstown slowly lifted as news of the town meeting
traveled. More and more people lingered in the streets, huddled in
groups speculating Casey’s demise.

He arrived at
the Community Center at exactly seven o’clock. Just because he’d
agreed to come, didn’t mean he had to socialize. With standing room
only inside the hall, it looked as if every resident of Johnstown
had made it out. Preacher Adams occupied the front row, a skeleton
of the man he’d been a week ago. He sat with his hands folded in
his lap, his lips moving, undoubtedly in prayer for his little
girl.

Chief Walker,
Deputy Lucas, and Agents Mann and Parker filed in through the stage
door. They seated themselves behind a long table in front of the
restless crowd. Chief Walker took hold of the microphone.

“
If I can have everyone’s attention,” he shouted above the
noise. “Please, people, take your seats so we can get this meeting
under way.”

It took a few
minutes for the room to fall silent in wait of what would come
next. Taylor leaned against the wall next to the exit. He wanted to
be able to make a quick escape in the event the crowd turned on
him.

“
I want to thank you all for being here tonight. I know how
concerned you are about Casey. We are doing everything in our power
to find the animal responsible for taking her.” He cleared his
throat and wiped his brow with a crumpled hanky he’d pulled from
his pocket. “I’m sure by now you know we’ve got some visitors to
Johnstown. This is Agent Seth Mann and Agent Dianne Parker from the
FBI.” He gestured to each agent in turn.

The crowd
erupted in a round of applause as the chief handed Seth the
microphone. Dianne sat rigid in her seat. Only once did her gaze
fall on his, just to divert it again in seconds flat. Her entire
demeanor spoke Fed.

I wonder what
she’s like off duty?

Seth explained
all about the watch group to the townspeople. There would be five
groups in total, rotating shifts to walk the streets of Johnstown.
If anyone saw anything out of the ordinary, they’d have hand-held
radios to alert the authorities. Headquarters had dispatched a
group of officers who would be on duty in shifts, around the
clock.

Taylor wasn’t
oblivious to the constant looks in his direction. In fact, if looks
could kill, he’d be dead. Contrary to all of the accusations, his
concern for Casey was genuine. Unfortunately, he doubted any of the
groups would welcome him with open arms. He’d just have to do his
part on his own. Maybe, instead of taking his usual route along the
ocean to work, he’d switch it up. He stifled a laugh as he pictured
the glares in his direction as he rode MJ through town.

The noise level
increased ten-fold as the meeting came to a close. He slipped out
the exit and jogged down the front steps to his bike when he
noticed Agent Parker leaving the hall. Her silhouette against the
lights showed how very much a woman she was no matter how hard she
tried to hide it.

“
You wanna go for a ride, Officer?” He leaned against MJ and
flashed his pearly whites, enjoying the confusion in her
eyes.

“
Never on duty, Mr. Danson.” Her voice sounded a bit shaky. She
started down the stairs in his direction.

“
I guess you don’t want all of them to think you’re
fraternizing with the enemy.” He nodded toward the hall.

Dianne stopped
in her tracks, a safe distance away from the bike. “I haven’t been
here long enough to make an assumption in regard to your
innocence.”

He watched
conflicted emotions spiral in her gaze. “Do you ever let your hair
down?”

Dianne cleared
her throat noisily, seemingly rendered speechless. He stepped
toward her and squeezed the clip holding her hair in place. Her
green eyes grew big, and he reveled in the look of shock on the
sexy agent’s face. He trailed a finger down her jaw line. “You
should wear it down more often.”

Her breath
hitched, and she abruptly stepped back. Her hand flew to her heart.
“I have a job to do, Mr. Danson.”

Taylor chuckled
wryly. He put the hairclip in her moist palm, and closed her
fingers around it. He kept his hand over hers. “I’ll do whatever I
can to help find the girl,” he said in all seriousness.

“
Thank you,” she replied, her voice barely above whisper, as
she pulled her hand from under his.

Taylor shook
his head and shrugged. “Are you sure I can’t persuade you into
going for a little ride?”

Dianne blinked
rapidly and smiled. “Don’t tempt me. I still have to go back in
there to help organize a few street watch teams.”

He clicked his
tongue and put two fingers to his forehead in a salute of sorts.
“Your loss, little lady.”

He turned and
threw a leg over his bike and kicked MJ to life in one stroke. “You
know what they say about us bikers…” The rumble of his engine
drowned his words out as he took off toward the ocean.

He took one
last look in his mirror to find her standing in exactly the same
spot he’d left her. Had he actually witnessed the all-business
agent grow a tad flustered? He breathed in the aromatic ocean
air.

Taylor
experienced a different view each time he rode near the ocean.
Tonight, a couple of dolphins played in the moonlight, dipping in
and out of the glistening expanse. Who would believe amongst such
beauty, a young girl had been taken against her will and was being
subjected to unthinkable abuse? In this new age of complex
technology, there still wasn’t such a thing as an infallible human
being. Whoever this sick bastard was, there had to be a clue
somewhere that could lead them to Casey.

Maybe Agent
Parker would be able to find her in time. She definitely seemed
more competent than Chief Walker—a quick-witted investigator, he
wasn’t. An image of her thick auburn hair cascading down over her
shoulders after he’d released it from the confines of a much too
uptight bun, set his pulse racing. He caught a glimpse of the woman
behind the badge tonight, and he looked forward to delving deeper,
that is, if she let him.

At just past
midnight, he pulled his bike into his garage—much later than he
usually got home on a work night. He liked living here, his nearest
neighbor lived a mile down the road. He didn’t consider himself a
loner, he just enjoyed his privacy. Out back of his bungalow, his
gaze roamed the star-filled sky. As far as the eye could see were
fields of sleeping Lupins. Their tall, gentle spikes in the morning
light, a kaleidoscope of purple, pink, blues and white.

Taylor was
always happiest when surrounded by the elements of nature. On a
clear day he saw the ocean from his bedroom window. Whenever he
spent any time in the city, claustrophobia quickly settled in.

Sleep came easy
for him that night. As he faded into the unknown realms of his
dreams, his thoughts drifted to Agent Parker. He wasn’t sure why
she’d taken up residence in his mind. He did, however, enjoy the
image of her on the back of his bike. He’d bet money if her
profession were taken out of the equation, the sexy redhead could
surely rock his world.

****

“
You know, I could see myself living in a sleepy hallow like
this.” Dianne twirled her sunglasses from her finger. The sun
dipped in behind the looming mountains.

“
You’re kidding, right?” Seth turned the Sedan down another of
the quaint side streets they’d traveled most of the day.

“
I’m dead serious.” They passed a two-story home with a
wraparound porch. A young mother sat on a porch swing, rocking her
baby back and forth.

“
Don’t you ever get tired of the fast pace in the
city?”

“
What’s got into you? I thought you loved being in the
limelight.”

She shrugged
and let out a sigh. “I don’t know, maybe I’ve seen one too many
cases like this over the years.”

“
You’re tired.” Seth pulled up out front of the bed and
breakfast. “Nothing a good night’s sleep won’t cure.”

“
I think I’m going to take a drive down to the ocean, clear my
head.”

Concern etched
her partner’s brow. “Do you really think that’s a good idea? That
sick bastard who took the girl is still out there.”

She smirked.
“There’s a sick bastard around every corner.” Her expression
sobered. “I’ll be fine. You go get some sleep.”

Seth opened the
car door. “Do you want me to come along?”

She pushed him
out the door and waved him away as she slid across the seat behind
the wheel. Guilt tugged at her conscience as she pulled out into
the street. She’d neglected to tell Seth what was really on her
mind. The results from forensics came in earlier that day. The
smudge on the bottom of the Polaroid turned out to be oil,
synthetic oil…the kind used in motorcycles.

One of the first things she’d learned in her line of business,
there’s no such thing as coincidence. Taylor Danson rode a
motorcycle,
and
he
owned an auto shop. Personal feelings aside, she couldn’t just let
this go.

She turned off
the headlights before she pulled over to the shoulder of the road
across from his house. A full moon illuminated the lonely country
road. She didn’t remember making a conscious decision to come out
here. Had her cop sense been clouded by the ruggedly handsome
biker?

Dianne prayed
for another explanation for the oil smudge. The single shred of
evidence they’d found, and it led directly to Taylor. She’d be a
fool to dismiss it.

She opened the
door and slipped out into the night. A purplish glow on the horizon
cast the perfect backdrop on his bungalow. Her gaze darted in all
directions as she ran across the road and crouched down under a
window at the front of the house. Her heart thumped so loud, it
wouldn’t surprise her if it woke him up. With extreme caution, she
inched her way up to peek over the windowsill.

“
What the—” she shouted as strong hands pulled her back to the
ground by her shoulders. In seconds flat, her arms were pinned to
the ground and she looked up into the glaring eyes of Taylor. His
bare chest a startling contrast against night sky, he waved a
baseball bat above his head.

“
Agent Parker?” The anger in his eyes softened and he eased up
on her arms. “What the hell are you doing out here this time of
night?” He dropped the bat beside them and lowered himself until
his face was a mere whisper from hers.

Dianne gasped for breath, unable to speak. She pushed him away
and rolled to her side, coughing to mask her embarrassment.
Nice fix you got yourself in. How the hell are
you going to talk yourself out of this one?

“
I, I have car trouble.” She struggled to her feet, and looked
across his front yard to the Sedan.

Taylor followed
her gaze. “Why didn’t you ring the bell, or use your radio to call
for help?” He narrowed his eyes at her.

She shrugged
and the corner of her mouth lifted. She stifled the urge to burst
out laughing. Not that she found anything about this situation
funny. “I guess I could have.”

“
You’re lucky I didn’t swing first, and ask questions later."
He picked up the bat and smacked it against his open palm. He shook
his head and started to walk away. “Let me grab a flashlight and
get some shoes on before I take a look at your car.”

Shit!
There hadn’t been time to
think, so she’d come up with the lie about her car.
How stupid am I? For Gods’ sake, he’s a mechanic.
The second he pops the hood he’s going to know it’s a
ruse.

Dianne sprinted
across the front lawn and popped the hood of the Sedan. She sat
behind the wheel and turned the key. The Sedan roared to life just
as Taylor appeared at his front door. He walked up to her window,
his brow creased.

“
I just wiggled the wires on the battery and she started right
up.” She shrugged. “Go fig.”

He scratched
his head and attempted to smooth back the disheveled mass.
Confusion clouded his eyes. “Hmm, that happens sometimes.”

“
I’m sorry for waking you.” She held her breath and shifted her
gaze from his firm, tanned chest, awaiting his response.