Fatal Desire, Teen Edition (16 page)

Matt decided he would have to visit each
county to get the information he needed from each case as the
locals were not very forthcoming with all of the evidence. Each was
too concerned with solving their own cases to allow the Federal
Bureau of Investigation to interfere. Once the media had gotten
wind of the connection between the bodies, the individual police
departments had no other alternative but to hand over the evidence.
He believed in cooperation and giving credit where is was due, so
going to each local county and talking with the cops involved in
the different investigations was best all around.

Thanks to the media, Georgia residents were
in a panic. This could be good and bad. Good, because girls of the
type of TGT's victims were being careful not to go out alone. Bad,
because vigilantes, seeing something they think is suspicious, tend
to hurt innocent people. Matt sighed and ran his hand across his
face.

Matt reached for the phone and called his
brother. He hated to bother him, but he wanted his input. Derek was
with his wife looking for a baby doctor, but Matt knew this
couldn't wait. He also knew his new sister-in-law would understand
the urgency.

"Derek Stevenson," Derek answered the
phone.

"Hey, Derek," Matt said.

"Hey, Matt. What's up? Miss me already,"
Derek teased his brother.

"Yeah, you know I just can't do my job
properly without little brother looking over my shoulder," Matt
quipped back. He had been thrilled when Derek had requested a
transfer from his job in Washington, D.C., to his office in
Atlanta. The brothers had often conferred on cases during their
career but none so much as when Derek was tracking the stalker of
the woman who was now his wife.

They worked well together and everyone in the
Bureau liked the matchup. The brothers solved cases.

Matt filled Derek in on the cases coming
across his desk and informed him he would need to go out of town to
look into them.

"Want me to come with," asked Derek.

"I could definitely use your insight, but I
don't want to take you away from Amber so close to her delivery,"
Matt replied.

"Amber will understand. Besides, the baby
isn't due for three months. Surely we will have caught up with this
maniac by then," Derek answered.

Matt breathed a sigh of relief. With the
Governor breathing down his neck it would be nice to have Derek
along for the ride. Two sets of eyes are always better than one.
"Thanks, Derek," Matt said.

"No problem, Brother." Derek hung up the
phone and turned to Amber who was looking at him with a question in
her eyes. He explained what Matt had just told him and she agreed
he needed to go with Matt. She assured him she would be just fine.
They had just returned from the doctor's office so Amber went
upstairs to pack a bag for her husband.

After finishing that task, Amber went into
her kitchen and packed some homemade goodies for the men. Both
enjoyed her cooking so she packed as much as she could so they
would not have to eat fast food everyday they were gone. She kissed
her husband and sent him on his way.

She thought about what Derek had told her.
She hated to think about what those poor girls were going through.
She could relate to being stalked, but thanks to Derek, her stalker
had been unable to harm her physically. Emotionally, yes. But not
physically, although she had no doubt he would have tried.

Emma Grace is a small town Southern girl
whose love of books has been handed down through the women in her
family for many generations. Emma has often sat with her mother or
grandmother each reading their own books and enjoying the others
silent company. Emma is the mother of three beautiful children and
is married to a loving, devoted husband. It was her husband and
children who encouraged her to write her own books for others to
enjoy.