I Will Fear No Evil (Psalm 23 Mysteries Book 10) (10 page)

“Perhaps, but let’s just say there is a greater pattern, a greater concern.”

There was something she clearly didn’t want to tell him. That was not particularly surprising. In his experience the F.B.I. usually kept their cards close to their vest.

He forced himself to straighten slowly as the dizziness finally faded away. “You didn’t answer my question,” she said. “Are you okay?”

“Not really. This girl was my sister-in-law’s roommate. And I was talking to her last night about her concerns that my sister-in-law hadn’t been home in a week and she had a bad feeling something had happened to her.”

Trina whistled. “Well that puts you smack dab in the middle of this mess, especially when you consider that you’re the detective assigned to the first pentagram murder.”

“Don’t I know it,” he said with a grunt. “And please, let’s not call them the pentagram murders. That’s just the sort of name the press loves to get wind of and run with making all our jobs so much harder.”

“It’s your turf, I’ve no desire to make things harder on you,” Trina said with a shrug.

There was something about her that was slightly off. He totally believed that she was a Fed. She had that vibe to her, but there was something else. Before he could stop himself he asked her bluntly, “So, are you with the unit that investigates occult crimes?”

“Among other things,” she said.

He blinked in surprise, shocked that she hadn’t bothered to deny it. He decided to press his luck further. “You ever seen some of these symbols that she’s got written all over her?”

“A few,” Trina admitted. “Though certainly not all of them.”

“Care to share?”

She pointed to a marking on the girl’s left hand. “That one is an ancient symbol representing immortality.”

“Not that it did Michelle any good,” he said morbidly. Truth be told he was struggling to keep it together and not let worry for Traci or her sister overtake him completely. The more he stared at Michelle’s body the harder that was getting.

“Tell you what, you take a look around, and I’ll do the same. Then we’ll question the man who found the body together. After that we’ll have a sitdown and you can fill me in on everything I need to know.”

“You’re the boss,” he said.

“Think of me more as a willing partner with a bigger computer database and a lot more experience with...this type...of case.”

And there was something about the way she said those last few words that made him wish he’d never encountered this type of case, whatever it was.

The crime scene reminded him of the last one. The location was completely different, but everything else was the same, right down to the markings on the body and the fact that both women had been wearing similar white nightgowns. He told Trina that. She had nodded and taken it all in. The groundskeeper had no information to share other than that he’d been there to check on a couple of things, saw her, and called the police.

“So, what did you see?” he finally asked Trina as they were standing out by his car.

“Pretty much what you did. I’ll be interested to know what the coroner finds, for both bodies.”

“You and me both.”

She shook her head. “Look, I’m jetlagged, you look tired, let’s regroup in the morning, okay?”

“That works for me.”

She nodded, then headed for her car. Once there she turned and looked at him. “Detective, it’s a nice clear night, the moon is bright. Good night for a coven meeting, don’t you think?”

Before he could say anything she got in the car and drove off, but she had given him an idea. He pulled out his phone and called Liam. To his surprise his partner picked up.

“Why are you answering your phone, you’re on vacation,” he growled.

“Why are you calling me when you know I’m on vacation?” Liam countered.

Mark sighed. “Because I need your help with something. It’s so potentially dangerous that even I’m not stupid enough to go it alone.”

“That’s saying something,” Liam said.

“Yeah. So, where did you end up going?”

“I’m home right now. Just been doing a lot of day trips, doing all the touristy things I’ve never done. Did an overnight trip to San Francisco, but that’s the farthest away I’ve gone.”

“I hate to ask, but-”

“I can be dressed in five minutes. Where do you want me to meet you?”

“The park downtown. Meet me in the parking area on the south side.”

“Done.”

Liam hung up and Mark got into his car. He hoped that Trina was right and that it was a good night for a coven meeting because he had questions and he hoped some wiccan somewhere had answers. Before he could find out, though, he had to make sure Traci was okay.

Cindy had made it through the rest of the day and as soon as she got home she changed into her fluffiest, fuzziest fleece pajamas which sported cavorting cats. She was standing in front of the refrigerator unenthusiastically taking inventory of her leftover options when the doorbell rang.

She closed the refrigerator and headed to the front door debating whether it was a get out the vote volunteer or Jehovah’s Witnesses at the door. She’d had visits from both groups a lot lately. When she looked through the peephole, though, she was surprised to see Jeremiah standing there with a large bag in his arms.

She opened the door and stepped back to let him enter. She closed the door and followed him into the kitchen where he set the bag down on the counter.

“I brought Chinese food. I hope that’s alright,” he said.

“Sure,” she said, struggling to make sense of his sudden appearance. “Did we have plans tonight?” she asked, searching her memory and not coming up with anything.

“No, we didn’t,” he said. He cleared his throat slightly and turned to her. “But I thought we needed to talk.”

She felt a slight sinking sensation in her stomach. She’d been wanting to have a real conversation with him for weeks and this should be a good thing, but the way he phrased it made her nervous.

“About what?” she asked cautiously.

“About everything that happened in Israel. About...us.”

She still couldn’t judge what type of conversation it was going to be because he had his head down a bit and wasn’t making eye contact with her. It certainly wasn’t looking good, she thought.

“I’m sorry I’ve been so distant. I’ve been struggling with a lot of things.”

“I know,” she said softly. “And I want to help you with those.”

“The truth is, I haven’t wanted help. I’m not sure if I truly didn’t think anyone could help or I was just afraid to open up.”

She stepped forward and put her hand on his chest. “Whatever you need, I’m here for you,” she said, trying to meet his eyes.

She finally succeeded, and his eyes were burning with intensity. The look in his eyes reminded her of those few stolen moments on the Temple Mount after they had defeated the terrorists and her heart began to beat faster at the memory.

“I know, you’ve been a saint. The problem is, I haven’t been here for you. Everything that happened, it can’t have been easy on you and I wasn’t here for you to talk to. That was wrong, and I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?”

Something had changed since she’d seen him the night before. She had no idea what, but she was beginning to feel a profound sense of relief. She stepped closer to him and put her other hand on his chest as well. “I can forgive you,” she said, gazing up into his eyes. “But on one condition.”

She was playing with fire and she knew it, but weeks of uncertainty and growing frustration could not be undone with mere words at this point.

“What is it?” he asked, sounding worried.

It was now or never. She suddenly wished she was wearing something less fleecy and more attractive. There was no help for it, though, and she had already committed herself.

“I need you to prove to me that the things you said that day weren’t just in the heat of the moment, that you meant them then, and that you still do.”

She started to slide her arms up to his neck. His phone rang and he stepped back and pulled it out of his pocket. She felt like screaming, but she forced herself to take several deep breaths.

“It’s Mark,” Jeremiah told her. He wasn’t sure if the detective had perfect timing or terrible timing. He knew that Cindy had wanted him to kiss her, but there was so much he wanted to talk over with her first. He answered the phone. “Hello?”

“Did you make nice with Cindy?”

“Yes.”

“Give her some reassurance?”

“I tried.”

“Good, because the three of us have got to get our mojo back in a serious way.”

“What’s going on?” Jeremiah asked, hearing the anxiety in Mark’s voice.

“There’s been another murder, same kind of thing. Only this time it was my sister-in-law’s roommate. Worse, she was just telling me last night that Lizzie hasn’t been home for a week and she ran up the red flag and called Amber who called Traci who sent me over there to investigate.”

Jeremiah turned to look at Cindy and put the phone against his chest to muffle his voice from Mark. “Traci’s sister Lizzie is missing and her roommate who alerted the family just turned up dead, the second victim of whoever killed the girl in the basement.”

Cindy went pale, but nodded resolutely. “We’ve got to get over there.” She walked over to the counter, picked up her purse, and started for the door.

“Um, maybe you want to put some clothes on if you intend to solve mysteries tonight,” he said.

She glanced down at her pajamas and blushed. “Right, on it.” She put down her purse and headed for her bedroom.

Jeremiah put the phone up to his ear. “I’m back.”

“Put some clothes on? Just exactly
how
did you make nice with Cindy?” Mark asked.

Jeremiah was about to snap at him that it was none of his business, but he remembered their earlier conversation and thought about what Cindy would want him to say. “I came over just a couple of minutes ago to surprise her with dinner, and she was already in her pajamas. Which she is still wearing,” he said, just to make things crystal clear.

Although as soon as he said that he imagined her in her room right then taking them off in order to change into other clothes. The thought was distracting to say the least and he actually missed whatever it was Mark had said next. It was probably just as well.

“Where do you want us to meet you?” Jeremiah asked.

“Better make it our house. Traci’s going to want to be a part of this given that it’s her sister we’re talking about.”

“Okay, we can be there in fifteen.”

“Actually, get started without me. I’ve got a couple leads I have to chase down first. I know she’s going to want to talk and the sooner you guys are over there watching out for her and the babies, the more settled I’ll feel.”

“You think they’re in danger?” he asked sharply.

“I don’t know what to think at this point. Look, I’ve got to run. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Mark hung up and Jeremiah stood there for a moment trying to process everything. Then he walked forward and knocked on Cindy’s door.

“Almost ready,” she called.

“It sounds like we need to get over to Mark and Traci’s as soon as possible,” he said.

“Let’s take the food over with us,” Cindy suggested.

“Good idea. I got a little carried away with the ordering and there’s more than enough to share,” he said.

“Great.”

She opened the door. She was wearing a green satin tank top and a black skirt. She was stunning. She brushed her hair back with a careless hand and he felt his pulse begin to race. She picked up a light sweater and put one arm into it.

“What do you think we’ll be doing? Do you think I need to put something warmer on, like a heavier sweater? Or I could put on jeans. I mean, if we’re going to be possibly out-”

Jeremiah reached out and pulled her to him. The feel of the satin beneath his fingers made his head spin as he kissed her. This was what she wanted, proof that he had meant everything he said. After a startled moment she began to kiss him back, twisting her fingers in his hair. If she knew how wild that drove him she wouldn’t do it. He should tell her.

He broke off the kiss and his eyes took in the room behind her, and then he heard himself saying, “Actually I think you’re a bit overdressed.”

“It’s what I wore to work today. You think the shirt is too fancy?” she asked.

“I don’t think the clothes are too nice. I think you’re wearing too many of them,” he said, pulling the sweater she’d half put on off her and tossing it onto the floor before pulling her in tighter. He wrapped his arms around her, molding her body to his and all the careful control he’d built up, all the walls, came crashing down.

“You’ve been so cold, distant,” she said when he began trailing kisses down her throat.

“I was wrong, so wrong. I’m sorry. I should never have let you doubt me, doubt what I feel.” He buried his face in her hair and breathed in its scent.