Crucified (6 page)

Taylor burst
out laughing. “You’ve got to be kidding.

“
I’m dead serious.” She put on her best cop face.

He raised a
brow as he studied her. “Come on, Dianne, who’s going to want to be
on a team with me?”

She shrugged.
“Me, for starters.”

“
You’ll get a bad rep hanging out with the likes of
me.”

“
This isn’t a popularity contest.”

He sat as if
pondering her proposition. “Under one condition.”

The mischievous
glint to his baby blues piqued her curiosity. “And that would
be?”

“
We take the bike.”

Her pulse
raced, not sure if she could maintain any semblance of
professionalism sitting behind him on a motorcycle. “I’m afraid
that’s not possible while I’m on duty.”

He rolled his
eyes.

“
How about we go for a short ride after the Watch?”

He rewarded her
with a smile. “You got yourself a deal,” he agreed offering his
hand.

She clasped his
hand and shook. He tightened his hold and lifted her hand to his
mouth. Tiny electric impulses traveled up her arm.

A panel truck
passed the office window. Dianne snatched her hand from his. “It’s
the cleaning crew.”

She spun on a
heel and opened the door. Taylor’s muffled chuckle followed her out
of the shop.

After giving
the crew instructions, she walked over to where he sat leaned
against his bike.

“
They should be done in an hour or so.”

“
I think I’m going to head out. They don’t need me here, do
they?”

“
I don’t think so. I guess I’ll meet you at the station around
seven?”

He nodded.

Dianne hurried over to her car. She ran her fingers over the
top of her hand where she still felt the warmth from his kiss.
Behind the wheel, she looked in the mirror.
What the hell were you thinking agreeing to go for a
ride?

She frowned and
turned the key in the ignition, forcing her plans for the evening
to the back of her mind. Preacher Adams was expecting her in less
than ten minutes. Dianne steered the Sedan through town. She nodded
her approval upon seeing two uniformed police officers manning each
exit of the post office.

How the hell did the psycho get past the guards?
Maybe he wasn’t working alone, maybe he had an
accomplice.
Although it made for a
plausible possibility, her gut instinct told her he worked alone.
The boldness of posting the pictures told how proud he was of his
handiwork. He wasn’t about to share the spotlight with
anyone.

She parked the
car next to the rectory, and prayed Casey’s father hadn’t been told
about the latest picture. Not that she relished the thought of
having to tell him. She just felt he deserved to be told as
delicately as possible.

Preacher Adams
and Casey’s house sat in the shadow of an old stone Baptist church.
Dianne took her time strolling through the lush grounds. Clusters
of rose bushes were tamed to a circle in the center of the
immaculate lawn.

Flat stone
slats served as a walkway intended for visitors to fully enjoy
them. She stooped over, holding a particularly red bloom, its sweet
perfume a welcome diversion from all the ugliness. The hand carved
door to the rectory opened with an ominous creak.

Dianne let out
a breath she hadn’t been aware she’d been holding. She summoned up
courage from deep within and made her way over to a very frail
Preacher Adams.

“
Good day, Reverend.” She offered her hand as she stepped in
next to him. “Is there someplace we can sit outside and talk
privately?”

“
There are benches in the courtyard.”

He closed the
door behind him and led her around the side of house. A circular
pattern of stepping stones intertwined benches and flowers. Being a
true gentleman, he waited until she sat down to follow suit. He
seemed so fragile. With each movement she feared he’d shatter.

“
You have news, don’t you?” He kept his gaze diverted to the
ground. His shoulders started to tremble.

“
We got another picture.”

He raised his
face, his blood shot eyes searched for a hint of what that
meant.

“
He’s tied her to a cross.” Dianne gulped down the threat of
tears as she watched him shrink before her eyes.

“
Crucified,” he said barely above a whisper before he buried
his face in his hands. A pathetic whimper escaped.

She inched over
to his side and laid an arm across his shoulders. “I promise you.
We’re going to find this guy.”

“
I’m sorry.” Preacher Adams took a crumpled hanky form his
pocket and dabbed at his eyes.

“
You have nothing to be sorry for.”

He sighed. “I
am a man of God. I preach about faith, and trusting in our Creator,
even when we don’t understand the things that happen in our lives.”
He pressed the hanky to his eyes, his body racked in sobs.

Words escaped
her. She didn’t have any answers for him. People came to men of God
in their darkest times. Who did men like him go to? She never
realized what a lonely existence a preacher led. Being separated
from his daughter must be like losing a part of himself.

“
I promise you, we have every available man looking for Casey.
I need you to be strong for me. We need to go over the list of
church members.” She patted his hand until his cries changed to
heavy breathing.

“
Of course.” He stood up and rolled his shoulders back. “Come
with me.”

Dianne followed
him next door to the church. He led her down a narrow corridor. On
one side, ornate windows towered above her, on the other, bright
white walls were offset by exposed structural members of gray
stone.

She didn’t have
the heart to tell him about ‘Jezebel’ being carved across her
stomach. It wouldn’t serve any purpose telling him now. She needed
his help, and if she told him, it might just be the final push over
the emotional edge he teetered on.

Over the next
hour, they sat in his musty office and compiled a list of over a
hundred members to be questioned. Hopefully the process of
elimination would cut this number in half.

“
Okay.” She closed her notebook and put the cap back on her
pen. “I think this will do for now. I’d better get over to the
station and feed these names into the database. You’d be amazed at
what can come up.”

Preacher Adams
shuffled over to where she stood and clasped her hands. “Thank
you.” He looked deep into her eyes. “I’ll be praying for you.”

Dianne blinked,
touched by the sincerity in his voice. Not trusting herself to
speak, she squeezed his hands and nodded. She removed her hands and
made a beeline for the door. “I’ll be in touch.”

His image
stayed with her the whole way back to the police station. Dark
circles framed bloodshot eyes, as his gaze followed her from his
office. His hopes of finding his daughter, placed squarely on her
shoulders.

Back at the
station, Seth sat behind a makeshift desk, thick files strewn
across it. He looked over the rims of his glasses. “Any luck?”

Dianne tossed
the notebook in front of him. “We need to feed these names into the
database, there are about a hundred of them.”

He pursed his
lips and let out a burst of air, which set his long bangs in
motion. “We’ve got four more agents coming in this afternoon. We’ll
put them to work trying to eliminate some of them.”

She dropped
into the chief’s chair and closed her eyes. She put two fingers to
her temples and rubbed. “Time’s ticking. I’ve got a bad feeling
about this guy. If we don’t find her fast, it’s going to be too
late.”

“
I couldn’t agree with you more.” He took off his reading
glasses. “Why don’t we grab a bite to eat after I get these names
in here? We’ll brainstorm and see if we can come up with a
plan.”

Dianne sighed
wearily. “I’ve got a Watch in an hour or so.”

“
Since when?”

“
Since I talked Taylor Danson in participating.” She raised a
brow, waiting for his response.”

“
That’s not such a bad idea. Maybe it’ll get some of the
townsfolk off his back.”

Gee thanks. You were supposed to tell me not to do it.
“Let’s hope so.” She got up and grabbed a chair
from in front of the desk and slid it over to Seth’s station. “Give
me half the names.”
This could be a long
night
.

Chapter
Seven

His watch read
exactly seven bells as he locked up his bike. He didn’t like the
idea of leaving her unattended, but if he had to, this was probably
the safest place. It wouldn’t surprise him if whoever messed up the
shop’s windows would want to have a go at his bike if they had the
chance.

Taylor thought
of a million reasons why he shouldn’t go out on a Watch while he
washed and waxed MJ that afternoon. Bottom line, the redhead was
right. He needed to show them he wanted this animal caught just as
much as they did. If he was honest with himself, he’d admit
spending time with the sexy agent played a big part in his decision
to participate.

The door to the station creaked open and Dianne stepped out.
She’d traded her uptight fed wear for faded jeans and an oversized
sweatshirt with Police Academy stamped across her chest.
She’d even taken her hair down.
How the hell am I going to be able to concentrate
on anything with her looking good enough to eat?

She stood at
the front door. Her infectious smile had him returning the
gesture.

“
Any new leads since we talked last?”

Her smiled
faded. “I’m afraid not.” She stepped down to the sidewalk. “We’re
running a few names as we speak.”

Taylor shook
his head. “He had to have slipped up somewhere.”

“
We’re going to find him. I just pray it happens
soon.”

“
Well, let’s get this show on the road.”

“
We’re going to do a walk through town. I need to talk to a Mr.
Pillar.” She raised a brow. “Do you know him?”

He chuckled.
“Everybody knows him. He’s the guy you want to catch up on all the
latest town gossip.”

“
Good. Maybe he saw something and just doesn’t realize
it.”

They walked
side by side toward Main Street. Old man Pillar lived above the
bookstore. On a nice summer night like this he’d normally be
sitting out front on his bench. Since Casey disappeared, he’d taken
to sitting in his apartment by the window.

“
What can you tell me about Mr. Pillar, other than the fact
he’s a gossip?”

“
I’ve only lived here just over a year myself. I know he owns
the bookstore, and his daughter’s been running the show since his
eyesight started to go.”

Dianne waved to
the two officers guarding the main door to the Post Office. Main
Street was a virtual ghost town. None of the shop owners sat out
front of their stores like usual. As they rounded the bend Pillar
sat on his bench.

“
That’s odd. He must’ve known you were coming.”

“
I never called him.” Her brow creased.

“
You didn’t have to. Word travels pretty fast in
Johnstown.”

“
Good evening, Mr. Pillar.” She offered her hand. “I’m Agent
Dianne Parker.”

The old man
smiled and shook her hand. His milky blue eyes accessed Taylor.

“
You already know Mr. Danson, I presume?”

Tiny wrinkles
lined his eyes as he trained his gaze on him. “Yes. I’m surprised
to see him though.”

“
In spite of what you might think, I want to find Casey as much
as you do.” He narrowed his gaze at the spindly old man.

His old eyes
searched Taylor’s and he gave a quick nod before turning his
attention back to Dianne. “So what brings you by?”

“
I want to talk to you about Casey’s disappearance. Did you see
anything or anyone out of place this past week?”

The old man
clicked his tongue, and rubbed his jaw. “I’m afraid I can’t be of
much help. These old eyes aren’t what they once were. You know, Ray
might’ve been right all along.”

Dianne raised a
brow. “Who’s Ray?”

“
Ray Gilbert, he owns the hardware store. He always said it was
just a matter of time before one of the girls in town bit off more
than she could chew.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
The way they stand around town in their short skirts,
fluttering those lashes at any guy who looks their way.”

Dianne’s gaze
darted to Taylor’s. She apparently drew the same conclusion as he
did.

Maybe Ray is
the one who took Casey?

“
Where can I find Ray?” She flipped open her ever present
notebook.

“
He lives above his hardware store across the street. Most of
the business owners live above their stores.”

“
When was the last time you talked to your friend
Ray?”

Old Man Pillar
sat down on the bench, his brow knit. “Hmm, let me think on that.”
He took a toothpick from his sweater pocket and stuck it between
his yellowed teeth.

Taylor stifled
a chuckle as Dianne’s eyes rolled impatiently.

“
You know, I don’t think I’ve talked to him for at least a week
now. With everything going on, I guess he’s just keeping to himself
like most folk in town.”

She snapped her
notebook shut and stuffed it into the back pocket of her jeans.
“Thank you. You’ve been a big help. If you think of anything,
anything at all, give a quick call over to the station.”