Dead Ringer (26 page)

If
he took her now, they'd have the weekend together.

He
had to wait another twenty minutes before a car pulled up in front of the
building. He watched as a man and woman got out. They walked hand in hand up to
the front door. Allen followed. The man pressed a four-digit code into the
keypad. 1-9-7-1.
The
door buzzed open and the couple
vanished into the building.

She is yours for the taking.

Ducking
his head, he moved to the door and punched in the code. The door buzzed open.
He went inside.

Smiling,
he bypassed the elevator and took the stairs to the third floor. The long,
carpeted hallway was quiet, and all six apartment doors were closed.

Quickly,
he moved down the hallway until he reached 3-A. He knocked gently on the door.

Footsteps
sounded inside the apartment. His heart raced. Rachel was within inches of him.
Soon she would be his. He shoved his hands into his pockets so she wouldn't see
his erection.

The
door snapped open.

She
stood before him and for a moment he was awestruck. Blond hair framed a pale
oval face and accentuated blue eyes. She was an anomaly in his Family.
A blonde with blue eyes among brunettes.
But she was Family.
She was his.

Rachel
seemed surprised to see him. But, like Jackie, she was ever polite, wanting to
please. She managed a smile. "Can I help you?"

His
throat felt dry. Silly, but he was tongue-tied or nervous. "Yes, you can."

"What
do you need?"

He
stared at her unable to tear his gaze away. Why
was he
sexually attracted to her and not the others? Why was his control slipping? It
didn't make sense.

Her
smile faltered. And he knew his hesitation and lingering stare set off alarm
bells in her. She started to close the door. "You must have the wrong person."

Allen
knew if he didn't act now the element of surprise would be lost. He shoved his
foot in the doorjamb. The next seconds unfolded quickly. His reflexes were
quicker than those of most skilled hunters. In one fluid move, he shoved open
the door, barged into the apartment, and slammed the door behind him. Before
she could scream he cupped his hand over her mouth and shoved her against a
wall. Her head popped back and her skull hit the wall hard. The impact left her
dazed, stunned, and pliable.

He
pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and shoved it into her mouth. He
dragged her across the room to a couch. She started to struggle. He slapped her
hard across the face and used his full weight to press her body into the
cushions.

"Don't
say a word, Rachel. Not one word."

The
menace in his words further ignited the fear in her pale eyes. Tears welled
inside.

He
pulled a needle from his pocket and shoved it into her arm. She flinched and
whimpered. Power surged in his body and desire lighted up every nerve ending.
With her under him, her heart beating hard and fast against him, the world felt
right. She couldn't join the Family until Sunday.

They
had forty-eight hours.

But
there was plenty they could do together.

Plenty indeed.

Saturday, January 19, 7:10
A.M.

Jacob
awoke with a start.

Sunlight
streamed into the room, and for a moment he felt disoriented. He glanced to his
right and left, as if he expected Tess to be there. And then he remembered that
he'd turned down a sexy, willing woman. Why?
Because of
Kendall.

Dumbass.

Jacob
realized his phone was ringing. He snapped the cell off the nightstand and
flipped it open. "Warwick."

"Did
I wake you?" Zack's voice sounded bright, alert.

He
cleared his throat.
Big brother.
"What's up?"

"We
got a hit from ViCAP."

Jacob
had taken several hours filling out the forms for ViCAP and submitted them to
Quantico. He'd not expected a response so quickly.

His
heart started to pump. "I didn't expect to hear back so quickly. What did he
say?"

"The
agent left a message on my phone at work. Briefly, he said there were two
similar murders in Anchorage, Alaska, five years ago. The women looked like our
two victims and were approximately the same age. Both women were strangled.
Their bodies were dumped, and it appeared as if they'd been held several days
before they were killed."

Jacob
rubbed the back of his neck. "Were the victims wearing charms?"

"No."

That
was a major difference, but he couldn't rule out the link yet. He checked his
watch. It was too early to call Anchorage right now. "I'm going to the gym and
then the office."

"I'll
meet you there."

"Don't.
Enjoy the day with your wife." Plus he didn't want to face Zack right now. He'd
been a nanosecond away from sleeping with the guy's sister.

"Okay."
Zack would need no arm-twisting to convince him to stay home. "But if you need
something, call."

"Will do."
Jacob closed his phone.
Then
stared at the other side of his bed.

He
thought about Kendall and wished she was there curled up on her side with
nothing on but the white cotton sheets of the bed. Opposites did attract. They
also exploded like matches and gasoline.

Jacob
was sexually attracted to Kendall, but long term anything between them was a
long, long shot.

He
thought about Tess's breasts pressing against his chest. God, but she'd tasted
good. And he'd said no.

"Dumbass."

Cole
Markham stamped his feet to ward off the cold that had seeped into his bones as
he'd waited outside Kendall's house. He'd tried to look busy, like he was just
out for a morning stroll, but he was growing tired of the cold. Sooner or later
she had to come out.

And
then, just after nine, she emerged from her house. She'd donned jeans and a
white parka with a fur-trimmed hood, tied her hair up in a ponytail, and wore
large dark sunglasses. Even dressed down, she was dressed up, and she moved
with an elegant grace that set her apart from most. She was a fine woman and
given a different set of circumstances he'd have tried to hook up with her.

But
he wouldn't.

She
was too valuable.

The
other night he'd caught her by surprise and she'd freaked.
Understandable.
Smart even. He was glad he'd taken the time to put a few boxes in the trash.
They'd been enough to convince the cops that he was legitimate.

He
didn't want a scene this time. So he'd waited for daylight.

The
morning air was cold, but he hardly noticed it as he crossed the street on an
intercept path.

When
she reached the corner she looked both ways. That's when he caught her
attention with a wave of his hand. "Howdy, neighbor."

Kendall
paused and then smiled. "So we meet again. But then, I guess that stands to
reason."

Cole's
shoulders tensed. "Why's that?"

"We're
neighbors."

"Right."

"What
has you out so early on a cold Saturday?"

He
shrugged.
"Breakfast.
Care to join me?" When she
hesitated, he added, "Come on."

She
shook her head. "In the last few months I've been working so hard I've barely
gotten out at all. It's been a while since I've done more than grab a meal to
go."

"Then
you must come."

Kendall
shrugged. "What would it hurt? A friendly breakfast with a good-looking man is
just the distraction I need."

He
flashed even, white teeth. "Great. There's a diner on the corner that's become
my home away from home."

"O'Malley's?
Good strong coffee and great omelets."

They
walked across the street, took a right, and headed up to the corner. The
O
'
MALLEY'S
red neon sign blinked in a large
glass window frosted by the morning chill. The place was open twenty-four/seven
and served a steady stream of customers. This morning was no exception. Over
half of the restaurant's thirty tables were filled with patrons.

Cole
opened the door for Kendall. Bells on the doorjamb jingled above. He escorted
her past the
PLEASE SEAT YOURSELF
sign to a table in the back. A few patrons recognized Kendall, a couple
gawked, and one pointed. She'd grown used to being recognized and he could tell
she enjoyed it.

The
top of each square table was covered in pictures of Richmond and sealed with
resin for quick cleanup. There was a jukebox in the corner and a bar in the
back.

A
redheaded waitress arrived at their table. She glanced briefly at Kendall and
blase recognition flickered in her gray eyes. That told Cole she saw Kendall
here regularly.

When
the waitress shifted her gaze to him, a genuine smile warmed her face.
"Here again?"

Cole
leaned back in his chair as if he were a veteran patron.
"Can't
resist your smile, Faye."
It always paid to be nice to the help.

The
older woman rolled her eyes at the blatant flattery in a way that showed she
enjoyed it. "You want what you had for breakfast yesterday?"

Cole
didn't even glance at the menu. "You've got it."

"I'll
have tea, dry toast, and an egg-white omelet," Kendall said.

Faye's
smile faded.
"Will do."

Kendall
waited until Faye left before saying, "So, it looks like you've made quite an
impression."

"I
like to talk to people. Faye and I struck up a conversation a few days ago."

Faye
delivered Kendall's tea and a coffee for Cole. The waitress hesitated a moment
as if hoping Cole would say something else. When he didn't, she moved on to
another table.

Kendall
swirled her tea bag around in her porcelain mug. "So how do you like Richmond
so far?"

He
picked up three sugar packets, opened them, and dumped the contents into his
coffee. "I like it."

"Settling
in at work?"

He
sipped his coffee and noticed a gold watch that looked
vintage
hugged her left wrist. "You know how it is in a new job. There's always a
period of adjustment."

"I
know." Her accent was neutral and he'd not have guessed she was from the south
if he'd not done some asking around.

"How
long have you been at the station?"

"A
few years, but I've only been the evening anchor for a couple of months."

"That
a big shift?" He rested his elbows on the table and wove his fingers together.
He stared at her with intensity because he wanted her to believe she was the
only person in the world.

"Yes."

"I'll
bet you're a huge hit."

She
shrugged. "I can't say everyone was thrilled about the change."

"Why?"

"Ex-model
turned anchor. Some don't think I have the chops for the job."

"Does
that bother you?"

"It
has spurred me to work harder than everyone else. And I'm good at what I do.
I've worked hard for what I have. The doubters will come around eventually."

She
was just as intense as he'd suspected she'd be. "I have no doubt you'll win
them over."

Faye
appeared with Cole's French toast, bacon, and eggs and Kendall's egg-white
omelet and toast. "Anything else I can get for you?"

Cole
picked up a slice of bacon. "We're good, Faye. Thanks." Kendall was a beauty,
even more attractive than her publicity shots and the on-air interviews he'd
screened. "So are you from Richmond?"

"Born
and bred."

"No
hankering for the big-city lights?" He popped the bacon in his mouth.

She
sipped her tea. "There was a time when that was all I could think about."

"And now?"

"I
like it here. I can't promise I'll be here forever, but for now it works."

There
was more behind her words. More of a reason why she'd chosen to
stay
in town, but he didn't press the issue. "I saw that
piece you did Friday on those murdered women.
Tough stuff."

Kendall
frowned. "It is, and very unsettling."

"Any ideas about motivation?"

"Lots of theories but no facts."

Silent,
Cole cut his French toast and took a bite. Then he asked, "Did the women have
any family?"

"None that I can find.
One was an only child and her
parents have passed. The other's identity hasn't been released yet." Thinking
about the murdered women dampened her mood.
"Enough with
murders.
Tell me about you. You'd said you were from out West?"

He
was careful to keep his answers simple. Otherwise he could trip up.
"Denver mostly.
A little time in Alaska."

"And
insurance brought you to Richmond?"

He
heard the questioning note in her voice.
"My own agency.
I decided to strike out on my own."

"But
why so far away?"

He
picked up his fork.
Keep it simple
. "I just finished up with a nasty
divorce," he said. "I wanted a clean start."

"Any children?"

"No,
thank God. Be a shame to drag them through something like that. My folks live
in Boulder. And I have a younger sister. Have you ever been out to Denver?"

"Went through the airport a couple of years
ago.
My flight
was delayed and I spent a few hours there. But that was it."

Cole
could tell Kendall was trying to sum him up.
Always the
reporter.
But he knew he was a hard man to read. He was accustomed to
hiding his thoughts.

"You
don't like talking about yourself, do you?" she asked.

He
grinned. "It's not that. I'm just boring.
Thirty-five.
Divorced.
Insurance.
Boring."

She
shook her head. "I suspect you are far from boring."

He
cut into his French toast again and stabbed a section with his fork. "I'd
rather talk about you."

"University
of Virginia graduate, did some modeling, and then got into reporting," she
recited like a standard resume.

"I
heard someone mention that you cracked a big story last year."

She
shifted as if the question made her uncomfortable. "Yeah, but I'd just as soon
not talk about it over breakfast."

"Oh, yeah, sure."
She was friendly to a point, and
then a wall thicker than a glacier dropped down.

Cole
asked Kendall a few more questions. She answered them. After an hour of idle
chatter he walked her home. All pleasant, all nice, just as he'd wanted it to
be. He wanted her to think he was a nice guy. He didn't want her to look too
close and figure out that the pieces in his own story didn't add up.

Jacob
spent the better part of an hour jumping rope. He stayed away from the punching
bag, instead opting for ab crunches and an upper-body workout with weights. He
showered, staying under the spray until the tightness in his muscles eased. He
dressed, snapped up his gym bag, and headed out.

As
he crossed by the ring in the center of the facility, two young boxers sparred.
He paused to watch. The shorter of the two boxers held up his gloves, signaling
the other fighter to take a break. Jacob had seen the shorter boxer fight
before. Had a good left jab but let his right hand drop too often. His name was
Lenny something. He recalled a few scant details. Foster care kid.
Hard worker.
Ambitious.

Lenny
spit out his mouthpiece and moved to the ropes. Sweat drenched his T-shirt and
dripped from under his headgear into ice-blue eyes. "Hey, you're Jacob, right?"