Disarming Detective (13 page)

Logan dropped into the chair next to her. “They are, but it’s not going anywhere. They don’t have any leads. You have some new ideas on that?”

“Kind of. I think we should have them ask anyone who talked to Laurie while she was here if she ever mentioned meeting someone. And I think the officers should also ask every one of them if they ever saw Theresa with anyone besides Becky.”

Her lips pursed, and her expression turned serious, intense. “Given what was going on outside, I’m having second thoughts about involving the media in this. But since the officers are still canvassing on Laurie, let’s use what we’ve learned about Theresa today.”

“Okay, that makes sense.” Logan reached across her for his laptop, which he’d left in the conference room during their drive out to his grandparents’ farm. “While you do that, I’m going to track down blue vans.”

“Thanks.”

Ella picked up her pen again and got back to work, but not before he saw something spark in her eyes. Logically, she might not have been sure about it, but he knew she felt that the van was connected. And so far, Logan trusted Ella’s instincts more than those of any other law enforcement officer he’d ever met.

She was smart. And she was familiar with this kind of killer, far more than he’d ever be, far more than he ever wanted to.

Logan powered up his laptop, intent on locating every blue van within a fifty-mile radius. He’d go door to door if he had to, but he wasn’t stopping until he’d checked out every single person who owned one.

* * *

E
LLA
HAD
NEVER
thought of herself as a jealous person. But as she strode into her new hotel across town and spotted Lyla lounging in the lobby, obviously planning to ambush her, that emotion bubbled up, strong and sour.

It was late and she was exhausted. She didn’t have the energy to deal with a typical reporter right now, let alone Logan’s supermodel-impersonator ex-fiancée.

Ignoring Lyla, who’d jumped to her feet, Ella tiredly told the man behind the check-in desk, “I need a room. Detective Greer called ahead.”

As Lyla crowded up next to her, Ella was suddenly glad she hadn’t let Logan come inside with her. That would’ve been a career-killing story for both of them.

Logan had driven her to her old hotel to get her bag and check out, arranged a room for her here, and then stopped the car in front of the lobby doors. The hopeful look in his green eyes had told her that, with the slightest encouragement, he’d park and come in with her.

A shiver of desire raced through her veins. She’d almost done it. Almost thrown caution aside and invited him to her room. Almost told him to forget the hotel entirely and take her back to his house. But a tiny thread of sanity had prevailed and she’d gotten out of the car, fast. And alone.

Because as good as she knew they’d be together, with every day in his company, Ella was becoming increasingly certain that this was about more than lust for her. Certain that after one night of passion with Logan, she’d spend the rest of her life looking for anything that could possibly compare. And coming up short.

“Here you go, ma’am,” the hotel employee told her, handing her a key card. “Room—”

“I got it,” Ella said, looking at the number on the key card. She didn’t want Lyla knowing her room number and harassing her there.

As she turned away from the desk, stupidly hoping that if she just ignored Lyla, the woman would go away, Lyla stepped into stride beside her.

“I’m Lyla Evans. I’ve been reporting on the serial killer case.” She held out a manicured hand that Ella ignored.

“O-kay,” Lyla said in response to the snub. “Look, I know you probably don’t want to talk to a reporter, but—”

“No, I don’t.” Ella cut her off, stabbing the Up button on the hotel elevator.

But when the elevator arrived, Lyla got in with her.

Ella threw her an exasperated look, aware that she was being rude, but not able to help herself. “Are you planning to camp out outside my hotel room? I have no comment on the investigation.”

“You’re the profiler, right?” Lyla pressed anyway. “From the FBI?”

“I have no comment.”

Lyla gave her a camera-ready, practiced smile and stepped in front of her so Ella couldn’t ignore her. “Don’t you think the residents of Oakville have a right to know if they’re being stalked by a serial killer?”

Ella raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I’ve seen the press. I think they’re plenty scared. If you were really interested in safety, you’d be coordinating with the police, not chasing headlines.”

Lyla blinked, took a step back. “The police aren’t all that interested in cooperating.”

The sigh that had been building in Ella’s chest broke free. “They might have been, if you’d approached this differently. I’m sorry, I just don’t have any comment.”

As the elevator reached her floor, Ella got off, half expecting Lyla to follow. But she heard the door shut again, and when she glanced behind her, Lyla wasn’t there.

Her relief was short-lived, though. Her cell phone rang, and when she looked at the readout, she saw the call was from her boss.

She quickly let herself into her room, dropped her bag on the floor, then took a deep breath and picked up. “Isabella Cortez.”

“Where are you, Ella?” From the pissed-off tone of her boss’s voice, she could tell he already knew the answer.

Dread sank hard and fast to the pit of her stomach and Ella sat on the edge of the bed. She might be about to lose her job. At least by sitting down she’d do less damage if she fainted.

“I’m in Florida, sir. I’m consulting on a case unofficially, as a civilian.”

Her boss released a succinct string of curses that told her that answer wasn’t acceptable. “You work for the FBI, Ella. You can’t consult unofficially.”

“Sir, I thought this might have been connected to my friend’s case. Now I’m pretty sure it’s not, but—”

“You thought it was about the Fishhook Rapist?”

“Yes.” Her boss knew how important solving that case was to her, how it had led her to the Bureau in the first place.

“Ella, you’re a good agent. I like having you on my team. Don’t screw around with your career by taking side jobs.”

“Sir—”

“You’re scheduled to be on vacation through next week?”

“Yes, sir.”

He sighed. “Fine. I’m probably too busy to be watching every little piece of Florida news anyway.”

“Thank—” Ella started, but he cut her off.

“Just get the TV stations to stop talking about FBI involvement. You’re there as a civilian, which is nonsense, but the Bureau isn’t taking any responsibility for this. And I don’t care where the investigation stands at the end of next week. You get back here, or there won’t be a position for you to return to. Understand?”

“Yes, sir,” Ella said meekly.

After he hung up, she closed her eyes and dropped backward so she was lying across the bed.

She had just over a week to find Theresa’s killer. And she had a very bad feeling it wouldn’t be nearly enough time.

Chapter Ten

“I don’t think this case is connected to Maggie’s.”

In response to her announcement, there was a long pause on the other end of the phone.

Ella leaned back against her hotel headboard. California was three hours earlier, and knowing Scott, he hadn’t been sleeping at 10:00 p.m. He was either out looking for a woman to charm, or more likely, he’d already found one.

“Hang on a sec,” Scott said finally. She could hear him moving around, then a minute later, he asked, “Are you sure?”

“I’m not positive yet. I’m going to try to talk to the medical examiner in the morning, but I think this killer is a baiter.”

“Different MO,” Scott agreed.

He didn’t sound disappointed, just resigned, because a decade was a long time to keep hoping the Fishhook Rapist would finally be caught. Every year, that horrible anniversary rolled around and she, Maggie and Scott gathered together and tried to distract each other, dreading the news the next morning.

“I’m sorry,” Ella choked out, mortified to hear the tears in her voice. “I really thought it was him. I really thought I had a chance to get this guy.”

“It’s not your fault, kiddo,” Scott said, and Ella smiled at the nickname he’d had for her since she’d first moved to town and met him and Maggie.

Scott was only a year older, but he had two younger sisters and even before Maggie’s rape, he’d taken that role very seriously. He’d quickly extended his big brother protective role to her, too.

Most of the time, these days, she found it funny. After all, she was an armed FBI agent. She was long past needing a big brother to look after her. But once in a while, it was comforting, reminding her of everything that was good about growing up in their small town.

“I know.” Ella sighed wearily. “But I just wanted to end this.”

“I know you did,” Scott said. “I did, too. But sooner or later, he’s going to mess up and he’ll get caught.”

“I hope so.”

“What else is going on?” Scott asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Come on, I hear it in your voice. Something else is upsetting you.”

In spite of everything, Ella felt herself smile. Her family might have pulled away since she’d joined the Bureau, but Scott and Maggie never let her down. “My boss heard about me coming down here. I’m getting some heat for it.”

“Well, I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Your boss knows how good you are—he’ll get over it. And if the case isn’t connected, then you can come join us in California, lie on the beach for a week and relax before you have to go back and deal with him.”

Even knowing Scott couldn’t see her, Ella fidgeted. “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Well, the police...they need my help on this.”

Scott snorted with laughter. “You are such a bad liar.”

“I
can
help with this case.”

“That’s not what I mean and you know it, Ella. What else is going on?”

“Uh...”

“It’s that guy I saw you with at the airport, isn’t it?” Even over the phone, Ella could sense Scott’s grin. “Don’t tell me you finally found someone who’s actually worth your time?”

“Yeah, and he happens to live about a thousand miles from me.”

“So what?”

“Well, that’s a long way to travel for a dinner date,” Ella tried to joke, but it ended up sounding dejected instead of funny.

“Ella. People have long-distance relationships all the time.”

“Yeah, well, I can’t even make them work when the guy lives down the hall from me.”

“Maybe that’s because you never wanted to badly enough before,” Scott suggested with a seriousness in his voice that told Ella he and Maggie had talked about this.

Was he right? Was it really that simple?

Ella glanced in the mirror across from her bed, at the tired eyes staring back. Her job was important to her, but it wasn’t her whole life. Had she never made time for her relationships before because she hadn’t found the right person?

“Hey, kiddo, don’t let me upset you,” Scott said, making her realize she’d gone silent for too long. “Just think about it.”

“You’re right,” Ella agreed. “And I will.”

Hanging up the phone, Ella slid under the covers and closed her eyes, an image of Logan grinning at her, those green eyes sparkling, instantly filling her mind. Maybe she was foolish to keep resisting the pull between them. Maybe they
could
make something work.

She smiled as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

“
W
HAT
HAPPENED
WITH
you and Lyla?”

Ella cringed as she finished buckling herself into the passenger seat in Logan’s car. Had she really just asked that? She’d been thinking it, but she’d intended to ask about talking to the medical examiner regarding Theresa. She couldn’t believe that had come out instead.

Before she could backtrack, laugh lines appeared beside Logan’s eyes and he said, “Good morning to you, too, Ella.”

“Sorry.” Ella felt herself redden. “She was waiting at the hotel last night and I—”

Logan twisted in his seat to face her. “She was
what
?”

“She wanted an interview.”

Logan swore under his breath. “I’m sorry about that, Ella.”

“Yeah, and about what was on the news... My boss called last night.”

Logan actually looked a little queasy as he asked, “Do you have to leave?”

“No, my boss is a good guy. He’s giving me some leeway on this.”

Logan’s shoulders dropped, and he seemed relieved as he nodded and pulled away from the hotel.

“But he’s going to be pissed if he keeps seeing mention of the FBI in the news, because my involvement is definitely not sanctioned. Is there anything you can do?”

“I’ll take care of it.”

Ella willed herself not to get any more flushed than she probably was as she admitted, “I was kind of rude to Lyla yesterday. She’s probably not going to want to do me any favors.”

Logan’s eyes narrowed as he headed in the direction of the police station. “I’d have been rude to her, too, if she’d been waiting to ambush me for a story.”

“Yeah, but I’m usually more professional. I think just knowing about your history with her sort of...” Ella threw her hands up. “I don’t know. Sorry.”

Logan glanced at her quickly before returning his attention to the road, but that look told her he was surprised. And maybe a little pleased.

“That’s been over for years. Believe me, right now, there’s no one else.” He added softly, “You don’t have any competition.”

The heat in Ella’s cheeks turned to fire. What did he mean by “right now”? It was the perfect opening for what she’d considered asking him all last night—whether there was a chance for them beyond her time in Florida. But her mouth didn’t seem to work.

Logan glanced at her again, probably waiting for a response, and still, Ella felt frozen.

She’d never thought of herself as a coward. When it came to the job, back in the gangs unit, she had a reputation for always wanting to be on the first team through the door.

Even on her worst day in the unit, when she’d been shot and was bleeding out on the street, she hadn’t done the sensible thing and played dead. Instead, she’d dragged herself farther into the line of fire, trying to get to her partner, not knowing it was already too late. She’d gotten her partner’s killer before he’d gotten her, and then she’d put a tourniquet around her own leg while she waited for backup. The FBI had given her a letter of commendation for her actions that day. She hadn’t thought of herself as a coward then.