Oracle Rising (40 page)

Maura winked at Juliett. “Luke and I are the same size, and I could probably carry him. I have the tattoo art, so enough said.”

“Maura!” Avalon said. “Come on! Now you’re just trying to torture me. Nate only has that one tattoo.”

She snorted. “No. Tell him to get more if you want to ogle someone.”

“I saw the ones on his arm,” teased Juliett. “It was peeking out from beneath his t-shirt.”

“That’s right—torment the blind woman. You two suck.”

“I’m going to tell Nate that you’re asking about other men,” Maura warned.

She gasped. “You wouldn’t.”

Actually, she wouldn’t. Avalon was right. She genuinely loved this woman, and she was marrying into the family. Their circle had grown a lot in the last year. “You’re lucky I’m afraid of your alter ego, Oracle.”

She snorted.

“So what do I do?” Juliett asked. “I need advice.”

“Do you want to be in it for the long haul?” Maura asked. “Marriage is a shitload of work. Men are needy.”

She thought about it.

“I do.”

“Well, you’re a nurse. You can go anywhere. My career was a little harder. Move here.”

“Do you think it would work?”

“Uh, he’s crazy about you,” Avalon replied. “I can see his aura.”

“What else do you see?” she asked.

Avalon looked. She went quiet as she sought the answer to the woman’s question.

Then she saw it.

She gasped.

“What?” Juliett asked.

Avalon couldn’t tell the woman. There was no way. She had to come up with something to distract her. “I think I saw his penis.”

She started laughing. “I need more coffee,” Juliett said, getting up. “Maura, would you like some?”

“Yeah, black please, and no more caffeine for her. She’s done.”

The woman walked away.

She stared at Avalon. “Spill it. I know that look. You don’t peep at penises. That’s not your thing.”

“I got her back on track, but something has happened.”

Maura lowered her voice. “What?”

“She lives.”

“And?”

“He doesn’t.”

Maura sat back on the couch. “Holy hell. We have to figure this out, and fast. We can’t let that happen. She’s falling in love with the man. If he dies...”

Avalon knew what it meant.

All that was left was to pray that whatever had changed fate’s path would switch back.

And soon.

Or Juliett’s one shot at happiness was gone forever, and Rhett was a dead man.

       
                
* * *
  O R A C L E   * * *

Saturday Eight A.M

It took them a while to pull all the files from his father’s career and his. Rhett never realized that he’d arrested quite that many people in his time as sheriff.

While he wanted to exclude the minor things, Luke and Nate thought otherwise.

It could be the smallest thing that proved to be the starting point for this crazy person.

Obviously, this killer wasn’t playing with a full deck.

As they had packed everything up, and got ready to go, a young woman rushed in, looking panicked.

“Are you the sheriff?” she asked.

He held out his hand. “I am, miss. What can I do for you?” Rhett inquired.

“I work for Katie Wolf. My name is Mary Beth. I was just told she was killed. You have to tell me that’s not true. There’s no way she’s gone. We were just out partying last night.”

This piqued all their interest.

It looked like they might have a surprise witness to interview.

“Can I get you something to drink?” Luke asked. He knew they needed her to calm down.

“Thank you, but I’m good.”

“Can you tell us about last night?” the sheriff asked.

She nodded wildly. “We went out for drinks. Katie closed a big real estate sale, and we were going to get our booze on. There was no work today, so we figured why not?”

Her eyes filled with tears.

“She’s not dead, right? This has to be a bad joke.”

“Unfortunately, her home caught fire last night. We’re still waiting on an ID before we can answer that,” Rhett offered.

“I can do that.”

Yeah, no she really couldn’t.

“It was bad, Mary Beth. It has to be done by dental records.”

She gasped.

Rhett pushed on. “What did you do while partying last night?”

“We grabbed a martini at
‘Archie’s’
. They make the best ones in town. Then we danced a little. The DJ was smoking it.”

“Did anyone bother her?”

She shook her head. “Katie was easy to get along with. You couldn’t really piss her off.”

“How about when you left?” Luke asked. “What happened?”

She closed her eyes. “We both headed out, but then I had to pee. I ran back in to use the ladies’ room, and when I came out her car was gone. We were parked side by side. I just assumed everything was fine.”

Yeah, not so much.

“Wait! Is this that serial killer? The fire wasn’t an accident, was it? If it was, you wouldn’t be asking me all these questions.”

“You’re right,” Rhett said. “Now, can we continue? We need your help to build a timeline. Then we can work on figuring out who did this to your boss.”

Yeah, and his once friend.

She nodded, wiping her nose with a tissue Nate had handed her. “I can’t believe this.”

“Was anyone bothering her at work?”

“It was just the two of us, so no.”

“How about a client?” Rhett asked, pushing on.

She thought about it.

“OH MY GOD! Yes!”

They all jumped at her exuberant outburst.

“Who?” Rhett asked.

“We rented a cabin to this man,” she began, giving them the address. “He didn't pay up, and she went there Thursday to boot his ass out. He wasn’t happy. He told her he was going to curse her. He was crazy.”

What do you know?

They had a crazy killer.

Maybe they were one in the same.

“What is his name?”

She pulled out her phone to look it up. “His name is Sawyer Ewing. When she stopped by, he didn't have any furniture. She thought he was squatting, and Katie wasn’t happy.”

Luke began running the man. When he pulled up a state ID, he showed it to the woman. “Is this him?”

She stared at it. “Yes, but he had less hair.”

Nate gave the signal, and Luke continued working.

“Do you think he killed her? He was too much like a drifter. I warned her. She felt bad and let him move into the cabin. Every time she went by, he never answered the door. Last time, she brought a key. It looked like he was camping in the middle of the room. It looked like a freaking campsite.”

That had their attention.

That’s what wasn’t far from Rhett’s house, and where they found the purses. Could a drifter be responsible?

That explained why the first four killings happened in the next town over. Was this man wandering and committing the crimes?

Nate signaled Luke, who got it without even saying a word. That was the benefit of working together all those years.

“You said he had a tent in the place?”

“Yes. It was a red one. She took pictures as proof in case we had to call you, Sheriff. She didn't want him to have a leg to stand on.” The woman held out her phone for Rhett.

Slowly, he checked them out.

“Can I have a copy of these?”

“If it helps find Katie’s killer, you can have my whole damn phone.”

She sent them to the email Nate gave her.

“We’ll keep working on this,” Rhett promised.

The woman seemed to buy it.

“You better, Sheriff. If you don’t, I’ll be spearheading the campaign against your reelection. She was my family and my friend. I’m going to miss her.”

She burst into tears.

Nate played good cop and escorted her out.

The second she was gone, Luke whistled. “You gotta hate jobs that are based on elections.”

“Yeah, if I had a dollar for every time I was handed that ultimatum in this town, I wouldn’t know what to do with all that money,” he admitted.

Luke kept typing.

When Nate returned, he waited for his partner to finish the search. Before they left there, he needed something substantial. Once back at the cabin, it was time to use Ethan Blackhawk’s profile.

It was burning a hole in his pocket.

Nate wanted to see what was in it in the worst way.

“What did you find?” he asked when Luke glanced up from the tablet.

“We definitely have a drifter. Sawyer Ewing was a vet. He served a tour in the Gulf war, and then came home. Apparently, he’s been in and out of vet hospitals ever since. He is one screwed up Marine.”

“So we have a war hero gone off the grid. He’s trained to use weapons, and has psychic ability?” Rhett asked. “Does that sound weird to anyone but me?”

“It sounds off, but then again…before meeting Juliett and Avalon, I never knew their gifts existed. I would have told you it was all bullshit,” Rhett stated.

“What if his ‘psychic skills’ were a figment of his imagination,” Rhett suggested.

Nate thought about it. “I doubt it. If that were true, that would make your girlfriend insane, and mine the queen of crazy. They both interacted with him.”

Yeah, he forgot about that.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” he added.

Both men laughed.

“Sorry,” Luke said. “Comforter sharer, bed buddy, sex partner, or whatever you want to call her.”

“Hey! Don’t talk about her like that. Juliett is a lady! She’s not some…”

Rhett realized what the Fed had just done. He riled him up to see his reaction.

Both men grinned.

“For the record, sheriff, dudes don’t defend girls to other dudes, unless they matter. I’m willing to bet my shiny badge that she’s important.”

“I didn't say she doesn’t matter. She’s just not my girlfriend. I wish she was, but…”

Ahhhhh, they got it now.

The man was hooked, but the woman had left him floundering with an undefined definition of their relationship.

It happened all the time.

“Maura was like that. The first time we had sex, she told me to my face that we weren’t a couple.”

“What did you do?” Rhett asked.

“I dogged her every step until she fell in love with me. Then I took a bullet for her. That always gets my Marine babe all mushy.”

Nate laughed. “That should get her angry. I swear you’re insane when it comes to adrenaline.”

“How about you?” he asked Nate.

“I looked at her and the first time we made love, she told me she loved me. I didn't have any issue with catching my girl. She fell into my lap.”

And he was thankful every day.

“What should I do?”

“Be honest,” Nate suggested. “If you’re not telling her the truth, there’s too much room for bad shit to go down.”

Yeah, he recalled that from his marriage.

“Chase her to the ends of the earth,” Luke suggested. “What woman doesn’t like to feel special? They say they don’t, but women want a man who says ‘yes dear’, is wild in bed, and who will follow her to hell in back.”

“I agree. I tell Avalon whatever she wants to hear, but my fiancée can see the future. If I even try to lie…” He drew an imaginary-like line across his throat. “Fortunately, the sex with a much younger woman makes up for it.”

Luke laughed. “Right now, she knows you’re talking about her.”

“But only in a good way. I have a twenty-five year old wife to be. Who scored the man lottery? Me.”

Rhett laughed. “Thanks, guys. I appreciate it.”

Nate offered him a fist bump. “Welcome to the taken club. It’s only as hot as you make it.”

Rhett agreed.

He’d do anything to make Juliett happy.

But would he give up his life in Crosspointe to follow her home?

That would be the big question.

Now…he needed to find the answer, and fast.

Chapter TWENTY

Rhett’s Cabin

The minute he was home, and he saw her smiling face, Rhett was at peace. Juliett was perched on his couch, shoes off, and laughing with Avalon.

He’d never seen a more beautiful woman.

She filled his heart with so much joy, that he couldn’t lose this moment. If she wouldn’t stay here, then he’d follow her anywhere. How could he not?

He didn't want to lose what he’d just found.

What he was feeling was something that only she gave him. In fact, Rhett didn't even recall his ex making him this happy. This pleasure was a byproduct of the woman still wearing his shirt.

“Hey,” he said, entering his home.

She glanced over at his voice, and the smile changed.

It got brighter.

Bigger.

More gorgeous.

“Hello, handsome,” she said, moving toward him. She hoped he wouldn’t mind, but she needed to give him a hug.

When he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off the ground, her heart thumped in response.

“I missed you,” she whispered, right before kissing him. As her mouth met his, she plundered. Juliett made it count. She was going to take the advice she was given.

She was diving in head first.

When he pulled away, his eyes were big. “That was one hell of a welcome home kiss. I’m going back outside to come in again. Pretend you didn't just do this, and do it all over again.”

She laughed. “Do you want some coffee?”

He would kill for some. “Bless you.”

Rhett took off his gun and dropped it on the table. All the while, he kept watching Juliett in his kitchen.

She looked good there.

It was almost like he had made it for her.

Maybe he had.

He was just using it until she strolled into his life. He watched the other two men kiss their women. When they glanced over at him, they were all grins.

Maybe relationships could be good—if you found that perfect person.

Juliett handed him a cup of coffee, and motioned toward the creamer on the table beside his gun.

“I drink it black, honey,” he offered, as she sat beside him.

“Good to know,” she offered. “I’ll keep that in mind for the next time I make you coffee.”

His heart thumped. Rhett wanted her to make him coffee every day for the next fifty years.

Nate cleared his throat when he saw the sheriff staring at her with that puppy dog look.

“Did you three stay out of trouble?” He probably didn't want to know, but it was polite, so he went with it.

“Yes,” they all said together, and then began laughing.

All three men stared at them.

That couldn’t have been good.

“Why do I feel like I should be afraid?” Luke said.

The women just laughed more.

“When are we doing this profile thing?” Maura asked, changing the subject. “I got jack shit on Walter Longfellow. He’s totally off the grid. There hasn’t even been a ping to his personal information in the last thirty days.”

That was interesting.

Nate told her about the woman who showed up at the sheriff’s office and the drifter.

They all listened in fascination.

“Are you thinking my brother and the drifter are playing some sick game?”

They didn't know.

“Well, let me clear up the whole DNA thing. Wally is my full brother. We had the same parents. If Doctor Allen said my DNA didn't match, then neither would his.”

They got that, but still…they had to cover every base. It was part of doing the job right.

“We get that, Rhett, and this has nothing to do with us on some crazy witch hunt. We just want his location, and to ask him some questions. You walk the straight and narrow, and you said he didn’t. If someone is trying to hurt you, or the family name, who do you think it’s going to be because of?”

Rhett got it.

“I pulled his sheet.”

The sheriff looked surprised.

“When I do a background check, I do a deep one,” Maura offered. She slid the man’s police rap sheet across the table to her boss.

Nate picked it up.

As he read it, he glanced over at the man.

“Have you seen this?”

He shook his head. “No. I don’t check up on Wally. All I know is he did time for that B&E murder.”

Nate handed it to him.

Rhett read it, and immediately, his whole physique changed. He became tense, angry, and quiet.

“I now get why you’re looking at him. I think you should pursue this avenue.”

“I’m sorry,” Nate began.

“It’s not your fault. He made his choices. If he’s doing this, or helping someone by feeding them information about me, then he deserves to rot in jail.”

He glanced over at Juliett.

If she got hurt because of his brother…

There would be hell to pay.

“How about we play with the profile?” Avalon suggested. “That might help alleviate some of the questions you have.”

Nate pulled out the printouts that Ethan Blackhawk had sent him.

“He’s pretty specific on this killer. While he doesn’t buy into the psychic thing, he does think he’s crazy.”

Avalon laughed. “His wife thought the same about me, and now she believes. Maybe Mr. Blackhawk should spend a few weeks with me.”

“Hell no!” Nate said. “One, he’s my boss. Two, you’re my babe. The two should never intersect—for my sanity sake.”

She grinned at him.

“What else?” Luke asked.

Nate continued, “I sent him the updated information that you’re being targeted, Sheriff, by this killer for some reason, and he agrees that it’s likely a personal attack. This screams vengeance.”

They all made notes, especially the sheriff. It wasn’t often he got a profile from the Feds.

“What else?” Maura asked.

“He’s going to be young. Ethan thinks in his thirties or forties. Not much older.”

“Why?” Avalon asked.

Nate flipped a few pages. “It’s because he’s not being overly cautious. He’s covering his tracks, but he’s not stressed about it. Ethan feels that’s what someone who is young and inexperienced would do.”

“Good point,” stated Rhett. “He knows to burn the place down, but not to seal up with a condom.”

“I don’t understand why he was killing women in Laramie. Did he live there? Do we have someone who doesn’t have a stable life? If so, that should be a way to narrow it down, shouldn’t it?” Rhett asked.

“Yeah, it’s looking more like all of this is about the sheriff. If that assumption is correct, that means that Laramie was a practice town.”

“And me?” she asked.

“Coincidence. You felt them dying and ran here. It was easy for him to follow. This has to be his home base.”

“I ran this type of crime,” Luke stated. “We didn't have any in other towns. If this was a drifting serial killer, there would be clusters and pockets of other mass killings.”

“None?” Rhett asked.

“None. I’m betting Nate is right. He started in Laramie, getting his practice on, and now he’s here. Maybe he followed you home, Juliett, and fate just put you in his path.”

Her lower lip quivered.

Rhett was angry, and for good reason. “This is all my fault,” he stated. “My life, or my brother’s, caused seven women to die. He killed those four in Laramie to practice, and then the three here to make me bleed. That’s a hard pill to swallow.”

“This isn’t your fault, Rhett,” Juliett said. “You didn't do this. We have to stop blaming ourselves. If we do that, he’s going to win.”

“She’s right,” Nate said. “You can’t control the crazy. You just have to stay ahead of it and try to cut it off before it derails. Luke and I have chased a lot of killers. Hundreds. There have been ten years of watching what some sicko can do to another human being. This isn’t your fault.”

Juliett took a chance by taking his large hand in hers. He stared down at their joined fingers, and immediately there was calm. It looked like she was using her gift.

Rhett was so relaxed, that he brought their connected fingers to his lips and left a gentle kiss there.

Juliett nearly swooned.

“Fate had a plan, and you were the bait to start it all,” Avalon admitted. “These things happen.  We can’t question the motives, even if it’s horrible. Fate is fate.”

Yeah, and he was going to die. Avalon had to figure out a way to save him. Juliett needed him.

He was a good man.

“Well, ‘these things’ suck,” stated Rhett.

Then again, it brought her into his life. That was a miracle in itself.

“What do the women have in common?” Maura asked. “Other than the sheriff,” she added.

“They were young, they liked to party, and they liked music.”

“So, we’re back to the DJ again,” Luke stated. “He keeps popping up on our list.”

“We’re going to find him in the morning and get that interview done. We had three girls go missing after heading to
‘Archie’s’
. That might be the hunting ground.”

Rhett hated to be the bearer of bad news, but it was time. “Everyone goes to
‘Archie’s’
. I’ve been there with all of my deputies to watch the game. I’ve seen the fire department and the ME there too. You four and Jagger might be the only ones who don’t go there.”

Yeah, he had a point.

“I have to revisit your brother for a second,” Maura asked. “I just got his cellphone information. His last call was over a month ago, and it was in Laramie.”

It was looking worse and worse for Wally.

“Go ahead and ask.”

“How was his relationship with your mother?” Maura inquired, as she flipped through Ethan’s profile. “The head Fed thinks he might be hurting women because of some deep seated mommy issue.”

“He was her favorite. She spoiled him because he’s the baby. If anything, the day she died, he came unraveled. He was her sun, moon, and stars.”

“And your dad?” she asked, trying to get the profile to fit.

“I was his favorite. We did everything together. It’s why I probably became a cop. My father was incredibly disappointed in Wally. He broke the law, got arrested, and disgraced himself. My father took his reputation seriously. We lose our jobs if we look bad.”

They all thought about it.

“I can smell the smoke,” Rhett admitted. “What do you need me to do?”

“We need to find him, and now that drifter. It’s become more and more important. We’re running out of leads. We need to find something, and fast.”

All of their cells chimed at the same time.

Rhett looked around. “What happened?”

Nate read his text and then slid it across the table to the man. “Jagger is sitting on the house. He’s alerting us.”

‘Media just pulled up. They’re setting up cameras outside. It looks like three dead women were enough to get them salivating.’

Well, shit!

This couldn’t be good, and Rhett knew it.

“I guess I have to handle this.”

The Feds weren’t touching this one. It would stir the media up even more once they found out that the FBI was on the scene. Plus, Nate was supposed to be on a sabbatical after Avalon’s death. The last thing he needed was for the media to put this on the wire. BNN would be playing it over and over again in a loop.

It might pique the president’s interest.

“You go deal with them, and Luke and I will go wrap up the interviews. We need to get our hands on Dennis Tucker. That DJ won’t be spinning anything tonight if he tries to dodge us again.”

“What should I tell them?” Rhett asked, referring to the media.

“Very little,” Nate admitted. “We need more time. Stall and get us some. We can’t rattle this killer. If he leaves…”

Yeah, it would mean hunting him to another town.

That was easier said than done, but what choice did he have?

This was a mess.

Rhett was buried in it.

       
                
* * *
  O R A C L E   * * *

Rhett knew what he had to do. First things first, he called his office to take care of the missing drifter situation. Catching Roosevelt Prince, as he came on to shift, he asked the man to handle it. While new on the force, he was more than capable of running it.

He knew the eager young cop would leave no stone unturned in his search for Sawyer Ewing.