Double Jeopardy (Entangled Select) (5 page)

“Harvey never did like recordkeeping, which was a prime bone of contention with everyone.”

Lauren thought of the state-of-the-art computer system and staff she’d left behind. She was grateful that she was familiar with the computer her new office used. “That was the first thing I noticed. I’m just glad I like a challenge.” She eyed him as she set down her menu after deciding on chicken in wine sauce. “Such as, how does an assistant district attorney with a slight Texas drawl end up in a California desert town filled with more than its share of yuppies who think they’ve found nirvana and a bunch of old-time locals who wouldn’t mind the town going back to the rural way it was? Not to mention the ongoing controversy over why you won’t wear a tie in court.”

He grimaced. “Someone’s been talking.”

“It seems your refusal to wear a tie has become a legend around the courthouse, since none of the other attorneys are allowed to get away with it,” she pointed out. “And the drawl is not easy to miss for someone who spent two years in specialized training in Houston. Rumor has it you’re too good a prosecutor to be out here and should be where you could properly utilize your skills. Sound familiar?”

“It just goes to show the town knows what it’s doing in attracting quality help.”

Her gaze didn’t waver from his. “Such as prosecutors who have secret admirers?”

The tic in his jaw told her that wasn’t one of his favorite subjects, either. “Who told you about that?”

She ignored his abrupt tone. “Do you honestly think it could have been kept a secret? In fact, some people are thinking of starting a pool to guess the lady’s identity. Although they didn’t exactly give it the grim overtones you seem to be exhibiting. More like talk of flowers and small gifts and such.”

His jaw worked furiously. “We’re trying to keep it quiet.”

Lauren understood immediately. “This isn’t about some shy little thing that has a crush on you, is it? You’re really spooked about it.”

He waited until their waiter left their plates before speaking. Even then, he lowered his voice to ensure he would not be overheard by neighboring diners. “A few months ago, it was nothing more than something that flattered my ego. Flowers sent with thank-you notes, things like that. Before I knew it, it turned into an out-of-control situation with my home being broken into and women’s things left there. I have no idea who’s doing it or why.”

“The only gossip I hear is about flowers and notes.”

“Because the police are trying to keep it as quiet as possible,” he explained. “This woman has broken into my house I don’t know how many times. No matter how often I change the locks she finds a way to get in. She’s played nasty tricks on women I’ve dated, she leaves messages on my voicemail, and sends gifts—some so personal they’re almost embarrassing. Not once has she given me any hint as to her identity. She acts as if I should know who she is.”

Lauren nodded. “Typical fatal attraction. I’m sure you’ve investigated the women you might have parted with on less-than-friendly terms. I hate to say it about my own sex, but a scorned woman can be a very vengeful creature and eager to inflict horrible pain. I performed a post on a man who told a woman he’d dated a total of three times that he didn’t think they were compatible and they should start seeing other people. She couldn’t handle the idea he was rejecting her and went after him with a carving knife. By the time she finished…” She left the rest unsaid.

Josh shuddered at the thought. “I’ve seen my share of these cases, which leaves me even more unnerved, now that I’m one of those statistics.”

“I gather you don’t suspect me if you’re willing to talk so openly about it.”

“You weren’t in town when it all began and, to be honest, I can’t see you terrorizing anyone. I have an idea you’d prefer to face your victim.”

She laughed at that. “Funny you should say that.” The brief look of pain crossed her face so quickly he wasn’t sure if he’d imagined it.

Lauren waited until they began eating before bringing up the subject again. “Has anyone worked up a psychological profile on your stalker?”

Josh winced at the term, even if it did fit. “We’re a small town, Lauren. We don’t have the resources, probably because so far, we haven’t had the crimes to warrant them. Plus, no one thought it was serious enough to go on the outside for help.”

“From what you’ve said, it sounds as if the problem is increasing, which means it isn’t anything you can take lightly.” She sipped her wine before continuing. “I have a friend who used to work as a suspect profiler for the FBI. She now has a private practice and does some police consulting on the side. Dana’s been looking at the growing number of stalkers and their victims. She’s already done some very extensive research on the subject and worked up some interesting views about them. I’m sure she could work up a profile, or at least offer some ideas. So far, she’s been right on the mark with her profiles, so she might come up with something that will give you a clue to the woman’s identity.”

He sighed as he contemplated his steak. “Right now, I’d settle for a name, address, and telephone number. Even a vague location of where she lives would be helpful.”

Lauren smiled her sympathy at his frustration. “If it was that easy, we wouldn’t need to worry, would we? But I’m sure she can come up with some ideas that might help you get a clearer view of your unwanted admirer. She will need to look over the police reports so she can have an overall picture of what’s gone on.”

Josh never believed in thinking things over, so he gave his answer immediately. “If you’re willing to call her and see if she’s interested, I’m more than willing to put together a file of whatever information she needs to figure this out. I’ll accept help from anyone who offers it. I want this woman out of my life.”

Lauren held up her wineglass in a silent toast. “Don’t worry, Josh, we’ll learn the identity of your secret admirer and pay her a visit. And while we’re there, we’ll suggest she wait for an invitation before she decides to drop in again.”

He tapped his glass against hers and said on a grimmer note, “That’s an invitation she won’t see in this lifetime, because when this is all over, I plan to see her sitting in a cell for a very long time.”

Chapter Five

“Hey, Doc.” Detective Kevin Peterson stuck his head around the door to the autopsy room. He deliberately kept his gaze averted from the form lying on the stainless steel table in front of Lauren. “Any chance you’re almost finished cutting up that stiff? I’d like to have a talk with you.”

Lauren looked up. Her features were hidden by her surgical mask, and the goggles she wore to prevent bone splinters and dust from flying into her eyes made her look like something out of a futuristic film. “Come on in, Detective. I have no problem in talking to people while I work. And, by the way, the word we use around here is ‘deceased,’ not ‘stiffs.’ We do try to keep a little class.” Her eerie appearance belied her words.

He inadvertently looked in her direction and turned a nasty shade of green as he watched her hand her assistant a kidney to be weighed. “I make it a practice of not being present at any openings I don’t absolutely have to attend.” He swallowed the nausea crawling up his throat.

Her face mask shifted as she smiled. “I’m almost finished here. Why don’t you wait for me in my office? There should be some coffee left in the pot.”

“I’ll see you there.” He didn’t hesitate in taking her up on her offer.

Ten minutes later, Lauren walked in her office to find Kevin lounging in the chair opposite her desk. He whistled an off-key ditty as he idly leafed through the contents of a manila folder. By reading the label on the folder, she knew it was one he’d taken from her desk.

“I swear, you cops are worse than a five-year-old child. Can’t you respect anyone’s privacy? Or is it just a habit with you that you feel you have to read other people’s reports?” She plucked the folder out of his hands and dropped it back on her desk as she walked around to her chair.

He shrugged, not the least embarrassed to be caught snooping. “There’s some pretty gory stuff in there. Judging from the pictures, I’d say his body was out in that house for quite a while. That’s the Thompson case, isn’t it?”

Lauren nodded as she opened a desk drawer and pulled out a tube of hand cream. “Chemicals are hell on the hands, even when you’re wearing gloves,” she explained, squeezing a dab in the palm of her hand and rubbing the lotion into her skin. The faint scent of vanilla mixed with the more tangy chemical smells. “There’s no evidence of foul play—nothing more than a straightforward heart attack. I’d say he’d probably been dead a good four or five days before anyone thought to check on him, and with the warm days, his body started decomposing pretty fast. Seventy-four years old, no family.” She shook herself out of her doldrums. “So what can I do for you?”

Kevin smiled. “No ‘Make an appointment with my secretary’ or putting me off like a big city hot-shit coroner would?”

“Since we’re not in the big city anymore, I don’t see why I should act like a big-shit coroner. And, knowing my secretary, she’d probably not enter you into my appointment calendar anyway. I also doubt you’d come down here unless you had a good reason, although I’m not complaining. It’s so seldom we get drop-in visitors who can still breathe and function on their own.”

She settled back in her chair and propped her feet on top of her desk with the ankles demurely crossed as she watched him with a steady gaze. If he didn’t want to get to the point right away, she wasn’t going to push the issue. She noted the sandy blond hair, bright blue eyes, and lightly tanned features of a man who would always look like a boy. She imagined he had no trouble soothing older women with his boyish charm or intimidating men with that darker hidden side of his. His teal polo shirt tucked neatly into khaki trousers that sported his detective’s gold shield lent to his boyish appeal.

He grinned. “I can’t believe it. A doc with a sense of humor. Can you cook? And if you can, will you marry me? I have this weekend free. We don’t need to have a big wedding, do we? I hate crowds, and white makes me look so washed out. Of course, we have to make sure not to let my wife know about this. She hates the idea of sharing.”

She stretched her arms over her head as she rotated her neck to relieve the tension. “This weekend looks good for me. I wouldn’t worry about wearing white. I’m sure if we searched hard enough we could find something in a nice, soft shade of cream for you.”

Kevin’s smile warmed even more. He knew this was one lady he could work with easily. The word was already out that she was whipping the department into shape, and reports were reaching detectives on time instead of their having to call down, demanding and making threats when they didn’t get them. “You’re not only prettier than ole Harvey, you’re quicker. Or maybe I should say that Josh is the quick one. He didn’t waste any time in snapping you up before anyone else had a chance to say more than hi,” he elaborated.

“From what I’ve heard of what happens to women snapped up by Josh Brandon, I don’t think I would consider it the chance of a lifetime.”

His only reaction was a slight narrowing of the eyes. “Do you listen to rumors, or did Josh tell you?”

“Josh.”

He leaned back in the chair, resting his clasped hands across his belly. “How much did he tell you?”

Lauren shrugged. “Enough to know there’s a woman out there making his life hell. She’s graduated from simple adoration to a bit of terrorizing his past lady friends, and she’s even starting to retaliate against him. I’m not an expert, but I’d say if she isn’t found and stopped soon, someone could end up badly hurt.”

He nodded. “Then you know we’re talking about your typical fatal attraction here. The lady leaves no concrete clues, but she does make sure that Josh knows she was on his turf.”

Lauren thought of the day she’d sensed someone had been in her house.

Finding the open perfume bottle top on her dresser still bothered her, and she hadn’t been able to wear the fragrance since. She now took the extra time to make sure all the doors were locked securely before she left home and she made arrangements to have a security system installed. She offered the company a bonus if it was installed fast.

“Even without finding any clues, I would think you could come up with some idea of who she could be. Or has he been that popular with the women over the years that the list is practically endless?” She only hoped she didn’t sound as if she was fishing—even if she was.

“Josh works with a lot of women’s issues—spousal abuse, rape, you name it.” Kevin pulled out a pack of cigarettes and looked hopefully around for an ashtray. “Mind if I smoke?” He held up the cigarette and a lighter.

“Not allowed in here and if I were you I wouldn’t light up unless you want to end up on my table before the end of the day. I quit a year ago and still don’t have the willpower, not to mention tolerance, to sit around a smoker,” she told him, as she reached into a drawer and pulled out a squirt gun. “Just a little insurance, in case anyone doesn’t believe I mean it.”

“You reformed nonsmokers are a pain in the ass, you know that?” With one last, wistful look at the pack, he put it back in his pocket. “Okay, back to Josh. Because of all the women’s causes he’s worked with, Josh has a lot of ladies who’re grateful to him. We’re figuring one of them is behind this. As we’ve learned from past cases, it’s the overly grateful women who turn out to be the most dangerous ones.”

“They decide he’s done it for them personally, not because of the issue involved. They see it as a declaration of love.”

Kevin nodded. “Josh pulled a copy of the files. Said you have a friend who has experience in this area.”

“Dana has a pretty strong background in the subject. She was one of the first to follow some of the stories on stalkers and see patterns in their behavior just as there are patterns in serial killers,” she explained. “She’s written some informative articles on stalkers and has since become an expert in the field. I thought it might not hurt for her to look the case over and see if she has any suggestions. I realize I’m venturing into your territory, and I apologize for that, but I didn’t think you’d mind any help you could get.”

“It may be my territory, but I’m adult enough to welcome it.” He shook his head. “This bitch has me up against a wall. She’s so clever it’s downright scary. Sometimes I pray she’ll just disappear down some hole or move to another town. I figure she’ll make some other guy’s life hell. And become another cop’s nightmare. But next time around, someone might get lucky.”

Lauren tented her fingers, peering over the tips. “Is there a reason why you’re talking so openly about this case to a civilian?”

“The best kind of reason.”

“Meaning?”

Kevin didn’t believe in pulling his punches, and he figured the woman seated across from him was strong enough to take the worst he could throw at her. And if his hunch about her and Josh turned out right, she was going to need to know what could happen.

“We don’t know very much about this woman, but the few clues we have tell us she’s decided she’s put her brand on Josh and she’s going to make sure anyone who tries to poach on her territory will get hassled in the process. She’s getting a lot nastier about it, too.”

She grew still. “Give me some examples.”

“What we once figured were nothing more than random vandalism and harassment to a few people we’re now giving more serious thought to. And that’s because each of them had dated Josh at one time. And they were usually the ones to call it off.” He didn’t need to pull out his notebook to refresh his memory. “It started out as little things at first. Prize roses cut. Paint thrown against front doors. Obscenities painted on outside walls. Phone calls in the middle of the night, then the caller hangs up. Two women Josh saw a few times had their tires slashed. When he broke up with them, the tricks stopped as suddenly as they’d started. The latest was a pretty nasty joke involving the lady’s job promotion. She now considers Josh lower than dirt.”

Lauren leaned forward in her chair and laced her fingers together, resting them on top of her desk. “This may not be anything at all, but you may as well know that one evening when I got home from work, I sensed someone had broken into my house. Except I couldn’t find anything taken.”

Kevin’s gaze sharpened. “Is this feeling something like a woman’s intuition? Was there proof someone had been in there even if nothing was taken?”

“Have you ever been somewhere and had the hair stir on your arms or on the back of your neck because something just doesn’t feel right? It was that kind of feeling. I couldn’t find anything concrete, nothing even looked out of order in my drawers, but the stopper to one of my perfume bottles was lying on top of the dresser next to the bottle. I normally would have thought I’d done that myself except I hadn’t worn that fragrance that day. I had all the locks changed the next day and a security system will be installed tomorrow.”

He nodded his approval. “Did you tell Josh about this?”

She shook her head. “No reason to. Mr. Brandon and I are not an item, no matter what anyone thinks.”

Kevin muttered a curse. “That doesn’t mean his ‘friend’ doesn’t think so, since she has a habit of jumping to quick conclusions about women Josh so much as talks to. I suggest you start acting a hell of a lot more cautious when you’re anywhere on your own.”

“I’m not foolish enough to think I’m invincible, but I’m not going to look over my shoulder every thirty seconds, either,” she retorted, thinking back to a time when she’d done just that and, as a result, ended up a nervous wreck. It took a lot of inner strength for her to take back her life. “I can’t imagine why this woman considers me a threat.”

Kevin pushed himself out of his chair. “Maybe it’s her woman’s intuition at work. I want you to call me if you ever again think an unwanted visitor dropped by. Next time, we’ll dust for prints and see if we can find anything.” He dropped a white business card on her desk. “Changing your door locks is a good idea, but I’ll warn you now that she’s gotten around new locks and security systems before.”

She nodded.

“Dr. Hunter, Pete needs you.” A bored-looking Sophie appeared in the doorway. “Now.”

Kevin shot Lauren a sympathetic glance as he walked past the secretary. “Good luck, Doc.”

“I should have listened to my mother. She wanted me to be a dermatologist,” she muttered, dreading to think what problem her assistant had gotten himself into.

…

She wondered how long it would take them to discover the paperwork mix-up. Considering how inept Pete Ignatius was at times, it was incredibly easy. Which was why she’d made sure the all-important file error would be blamed on him. How far would he get before he realized the error? And his only recourse would be to tell Lauren what had happened. It would throw their precious schedule off for good, which would then throw the blame on her. Yes, she even made sure of that happening.

Her chuckle stopped cold at the reminder of why she’d chosen to make this woman’s life miserable. They had no idea she’d seen them at the restaurant Saturday night. She tried to tell herself it was a business dinner. Until she saw the way Josh looked at Lauren. A look of wonder, as if he couldn’t imagine a woman like her could ever come into his life. As if he was the luckiest man in the world to have her with him. That was when the pain struck. A pain that sent white-hot darts through her body as she watched Lauren look back at him with that same faint wonder. How dared she think she could seduce him away from her?

She knew that type of woman. They liked to tease a man, lead him on, and promise him all sorts of things. Look how all the others did just that to Josh. They were nothing more than trash. She made sure to show him exactly what they were like. She wanted him to see how evil they could be. And, in the process, she’d let him know how devoted she was to him by rescuing him from these women.

“Hi, haven’t seen you in a while. JoAnne and I are going over to that new salad bar. Want to come along with us?” Lauren laughed, walking up to her. “I even promise not to talk about how my morning went or how I spent it!”

Her lips stretched in a natural smile as she looked at the object of her hate. Her expression was so bright and cheerful as she gazed at Lauren that the coroner could never guess how much she really despised the woman. “Thanks, Lauren, lunch with you and JoAnne sounds like something I really need. You would not believe the crazy morning I’ve had.”