Faces of Evil [4] Rage (20 page)

While her cup of coffee brewed, she sent him a text saying she’d bought out the Fresh Market and had a kitchen full of food now. She bit her lip and waffled on how to word the next text. “What the hell?” She typed the message and hit send before she lost her nerve.

Phone in hand, she paced the floor while she waited for his response. Yes. I would love to come to dinner on Saturday night.

She smiled. She would need dishes, cookware, and a sofa before then. And she needed curtains for all these windows if she expected to have any privacy. When this case was closed, if she and Dan had even five minutes alone she suspected they would need some serious privacy.

Her heart thumping with foolish anticipation, Jess walked around the room and tried to distract herself from thoughts of sex with Dan. She needed a few rugs here and there. Maybe a side table for her bed. She paused at the window that gave her a view of the city lights in the distance and got lost in the undeniable beauty. She could get used to this place. It wasn’t too much to take care of. No yard or exterior maintenance. If something broke she would call her landlord.

All she needed was a maid and it would be like she was back at the Howard Johnson, only with a way better bed and neighborhood.

Snagging her coffee and her Glock, just in case, she went out onto the deck and leaned against the railing. She needed a glider for out here. She could sit and enjoy the cooler temps at night. When fall came, it would be really nice.

Not that she was sure she would still be here in the fall. Mr. Louis had offered her the place until she could get back on her feet. He might not want a permanent tenant. She glanced toward his house. There were lights on in his house but she hadn’t seen any sign of him at any of the windows.

In fact, she hadn’t seen him at all. She hadn’t even met him. But there hadn’t been time really. Admittedly, the situation was a little strange, living over the garage belonging to a man she’d never laid eyes on.

Jess sipped her coffee. “Mmm.” She should have had one of these convenient gadgets ages ago. Movement on the patio behind the house drew her attention there. Her pulse skittered. She wasn’t sure if it was a person or an animal. She squinted and tried to see if anyone was down there. Last night’s message—
you’re next
—had ice slipping through her veins.

She went back inside and engaged the new locks, then wandered to the sink to leave her cup there. After turning out the lights, she peeled off her robe and climbed onto the bed. A sigh escaped her as she sank into the pillows.

“Where have you been all my life?”

Her cell vibrated and she felt around in the dark. It was caught between the pillows. She stared at the text message on the screen and all those soft, sweet sensations vanished.

Pleasant dreams.

She sat up and surveyed the darkness. The idea that she’d thought someone was outside resurrected old fears.

Spears couldn’t be here… he wouldn’t dare. He was assuming she was in bed. That’s all. Wherever he was he would know it was bedtime here. She thought about that night at Dan’s when Spears had sent her the same kind of text message. He had been there… watching.

Jess scrambled out of bed and got her Glock. She tucked it under her pillow and laid her head there. If he showed up again he was a dead man.

She didn’t know how much time passed before she drifted off, felt like hours. One mantra kept playing over and over in her head and followed her to sleep.

I’ll get you, Spears. Just you wait and see
.

But first I have to find a little red-haired boy who believes in angels.

D
evon didn’t mind the dark. It was almost like being home. But it wasn’t. It smelled different. Like dirt, but somebody else’s dirt.

The angel had put tape over his mouth and his hands and feet. His wrists hurt. His ankles, too. The tape was too tight and he couldn’t move around. He really needed to go to the bathroom. He’d already done number one in his pajamas. He tried to hold it as long as he could, but when he went to sleep he forgot to hold it. Felt yucky. His sister would be mad when she found out.

He wondered if she was looking for him. She’d probably be mad about him leaving Mrs. Nicholson’s house too.

His stomach growled. It would be nice to have some potted meat. Seemed liked a bunch of hours since he ate. Maybe days. He couldn’t tell.

The angel had put him under here and hadn’t come back. Maybe this was where he would be living now. He kinda thought heaven was in the clouds, not under somebody’s house. He could hear moving around in the house. He wondered if his mommy was under someone’s house? Once or twice he even heard some kids crying and hollering.

Maybe the angel had brought them here too. This might be just a hiding place before they went to heaven.

But he wasn’t dead. He didn’t want to get dead.

Devon wished he could be up there with the other kids. They might know what the angel was gonna do to them.

Mostly he wished he could go home and be with his sister. Leslie would be all worried.

If he could get loose he might be able to find his way home. He wished he hadn’t gotten scared when the angel caught him. His sister told him that angels didn’t hurt live people. But he went inside himself anyway and he didn’t get to see which way they came.

He twisted his hands but it didn’t work too good. The tape covered his fingers, so he couldn’t work them. Made it hard to move even a little bit.

Maybe if the angel came back he could ask to have some water. He wished he could go home and get his own water and potted meat. He wished he had his backpack and flashlight too.

Angels probably didn’t let you have wishes.

A man shouted mean words at somebody. Devon jumped. He stared up through the darkness. There was a man in the house with the crying kids. He was mad or just mean. He kept hollering. A woman was screaming and crying.

Something crashed. Somebody was real mad. He didn’t like all that hollering.

It got all quiet.

Devon held real still and listened hard.

Something scraped and dragged underneath the house… not far from where he was stuck.

A bright light shined in his eyes. He squinted against it.

His heart started jumping as the light came closer and closer. His body shook and he went number one some more.

The light stopped real close to him but he couldn’t open his eyes ’cept a crack ’cause the light was so bright. Was it the angel’s light?

Devon closed his eyes and tried to remember how to pray.

Please, God, tell your angel to take me back home. I promise to do better
.

Dunbrooke Drive, 11:00 p.m.

D
an stared at his cell. He’d been resisting calling Jess for nearly an hour now. He just wanted to ensure she was okay but that would only annoy her. She didn’t like him checking up on her. She’d invited him to dinner on Saturday. What else did he want?

He exhaled a big breath. Everything. No point pretending. He wanted to explore every inch of her as if he hadn’t already touched every part of her. He wanted her with him at night when he closed his eyes. He wanted to see her face first thing each morning when he opened them once more.

Slow down, pal
. The one thing he understood with complete certainty was that Jess would not be pushed. He had to let this happen in its own time.

The late news droned on in the background. The highlights from their press conference had been replayed a dozen times on every local channel. Jess was quickly becoming Birmingham’s new hero. He wondered if she had any idea how that was going to change her life.

He had to be careful of the advice he offered her these days. She’d given it to him straight when he’d taken her home from the hospital. Balancing the work relationship and the personal stuff was giving her a hard time. He hadn’t meant for that to happen. He had hoped they could find a way. But not at the expense of her peace of mind. Or her happiness.

That aside,
he
wasn’t happy with her new living arrangements. He would have much preferred she move into a normal apartment building or home. This over-the-garage place popping up out of the blue from someone she or Lily didn’t really know didn’t sit well with him.

He’d run a background search on George Louis. Lily had been wrong about the widower part. The man had never been married. He’d lived with his invalid sister until she died ten years ago. She had never married either. The two had moved to Birmingham thirty-four years ago. No records whatsoever, not even a parking ticket. Louis had worked with one of the city’s top architectural firms until nine years ago, when he retired shortly after his sister’s death.

There was absolutely no reason to suspect anything untoward. But this was Jess, and Dan couldn’t not worry about her safety.

Not with Eric Spears still out there somewhere. Jess’s old boss at Quantico kept Dan apprised of any updates. They had nothing. No idea where Spears was at this point. There was no record of him coming back into the country but that meant nothing—not when a man like Spears was involved. He had endless resources.

Bottom line, Dan needed to have a talk with Mr. Louis just to make sure he understood Jess’s situation. Maybe that was all he needed to get comfortable with her new living arrangements.

The thing was, as much as he wanted to be with her every chance he got, he wanted to protect her. For him, the problem with balance was that one ultra-sensitive issue. Jess was a strong, independent woman. He cramped her style on and off the job. Pushing her away with his need to protect was not his intent.

He tossed his phone onto the coffee table and puffed out a weary breath. Well, it had taken them two decades to get to this place. He shouldn’t be surprised that it was going to take some time for them to reach the next level.

The doorbell rang. Dan shoved off the couch and considered that he was shirtless and in his pajama pants but whoever was at his door needed to consider the hour and appreciate the fact that he was even answering. Could be Jess. Not too many others would have the nerve to show up at his door at this hour. If there was a department issue, he’d get a call.

He checked the security peephole.
Sylvia?
He drew back, puzzled. Maybe she’d learned something new from Gabrielle Grayson’s lab results. But they’d had this conversation already. She could not act in an official capacity on this case under any circumstances. He couldn’t prevent Leeds from allowing her to be involved as an observer, but that was as much leeway as the law would allow. Anything beyond that and the investigation would be jeopardized.

He opened the door. “Sylvia? Is everything all right?”

She surveyed his bare chest and lifted a skeptical eyebrow. “Make yourself decent. We have to talk.”

“Come on in.” He tried to be patient with Sylvia. He really did. But she went too far any time they were forced to interact. He gestured toward the living room. “Have a seat and I’ll go make myself decent.”

Dan refused to let his frustration get the better of him. There was no use fighting a battle he couldn’t win. The Baron family was by far the wealthiest in the city and her father carried the weight of a Senate seat. What was the chief of police to do except be accommodating, as long as it didn’t break the law? Truth was, they had a personal connection that he couldn’t pretend never existed. More of that baggage he carried around after three ex-wives.

He rummaged through his bureau and grabbed a tee. That was the best she was going to get. He dragged it on as he made his way back down the hall. She paced the living room. Whatever she had on her mind, she was worked up. Not unusual. The Barons were never satisfied with the status quo.

“Would you like coffee? Water? Bourbon?” If he recalled correctly, her favorite drink was bourbon.

“No thanks.” She stalled in the middle of the room and leveled her full attention on him. “Gabrielle called me the day before she was murdered. She wanted to talk but I didn’t have time. I told this to Harris but she doesn’t seem to have followed up.”