Killer Moves (23 page)

“I’m sure he did. What else did he say, Sally?”

“Not much. He promised to come see me again. I told him I would try to talk to Dad about him. I’ve always wanted to have a big brother, you see. But I never saw him again.”

“Do you still have the letters?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think I could take a look at them?”

“Are you going to keep them?” she asked, worried.

“No, no, I promise I’ll give them back. I just want to take a look at them.”

“Okay, but you have to promise. They’re all I have left of my brother.”

“I promise, Sally.”

Davis waited for her to return with a bundle of letters held neatly together by a rubber band. She handed them over reluctantly.

“Sally, do you know anything about a lock box your brother might have owned?”

“No. I told you, I only met him once.” Davis knew she was lying again.

“I see. Well maybe you could think about it and let me know if you remember anything else. Maybe something he said to you about a lock box. It’s very important. It might be the thing that clears your brother’s name.”

“Okay, I’ll try.”

Davis reached inside his wallet and handed her a card that had his cell number written on it. “It’s very important, Sally. Please call me if you remember anything at all.”

He was with her again, entering her thoughts in an all-too-familiar way. But this time he’d prepared for her.

“It’s time, Kara. Are you ready for me? I’ll be coming soon.”

She forced aside her first frightened reaction. She didn’t want him to read her fear.

“Not this time. Never again.”

Her attempt at bravery met with laughter.

“Oh yes! We have unfinished business, you and I. There are things to be settled between us. And I’m going to enjoy taking you almost as much as knowing no one will ever stop me this time.”

“Ms. Bryant?” Kara could hear one of the officers calling out to her but she felt detached from the things happening around her, aware of only him. “Are you okay in there?”

She tried to answer but he held her mind captive.

“Ms. Bryant!” In another minute, Kara knew Officer Soloman and her partner would enter her room. She had to make one last attempt at discovering his identity.

“Why do you hide yourself from me? Why not show your face? You know me. Let me see you.”

“Nice try, Kara. Just enough desperation to make me want you all the more. But you’ll know who I am soon enough. I can’t wait!”

“No! Wait!”
But the dream had already begun to fade with the sound of the door being forced open.

Kara sat up in bed as the two officers entered the room.

“Are you okay?” Officer Soloman asked while her partner searched the room in vain.

“Yes, yes I’m fine,” she managed to get out as the two women holstered their weapons at last.

“Bad dream?” Soloman asked.

If only you knew.

“Yes. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was dreaming. Certainly not that I was talking in my sleep.” She stopped for a moment to gather her breath. “I’m fine now.”

“You want some company?” Officer Blake asked.

Kara nodded and glanced at the clock next to the bed. Five in the morning on October second. A day she would never forget as long as she lived. As long as he lived.

“How often do you have those dreams?” Geneva asked. With the present danger eliminated, the officer’s curiosity returned.

“A lot. They’re happening more frequently as it gets closer.”

“Closer to what?” Judy asked, confused. It seemed strange to Kara that although she’d only known the two officers for a few hours, she trusted them completely. But then, she had to. Her life was in their hands.

She could almost picture Ed’s displeasure when he discovered she’d talked to subordinates about what would soon become the biggest case under his command.

“The anniversary of Frankie Shepard’s death.”

“You’re talking about the Death Angel case, aren’t you?” Judy clearly didn’t realize Kara’s connection.

“Yes.” Kara glanced at Geneva, surprised to find the officer hadn’t discussed the details with her partner.

“Wow. So you’re working on the copycat case with the feds?”

Kara considered how much to disclose to them. In the end, she decided she no longer had any allegiance to the Bureau. They’d cost both her and Davis dearly.

“That was the original thought, but now we’re starting to believe that Frankie might not have acted alone. Perhaps he was never involved, just someone the true killer set up.”

“You’re serious? So the Angel might still be out there? Which means the feds screwed up the first case. That must chap their butts,” Judy said with a wink to her partner. “You still want to be part of that circus act?”

Geneva ignored her partner’s reference to her aspirations.

“You were taken hostage by the killer, weren’t you? You were part of that first case,” Judy continued with her line of questioning. “I thought you looked familiar. I remember it was reported that he attacked you from behind and blindfolded you so that you didn’t see him. So why do you believe the Bureau nabbed the wrong guy?”

“We’ve discovered some facts about Frankie we didn’t know existed before. And some new information has come to light.”

“So the real killer is coming for you again, isn’t he, Kara? That’s why you’re in protective custody,” Geneva said at last.

“Yes, he’s coming for me.” She met both women’s curious gazes and waited. She couldn’t blame them if they wanted to walk away.

“Well, Death Angel or not, and I don’t care who he is, he isn’t taking you without a fight,” Judy said with confidence.

Kara couldn’t help but smile. Dear God she hoped Judy was right.

The sound of a phone ringing woke Davis from the dead sleep he’d fallen into after making it through only half of Frankie’s letters.

“Hello?” He glanced at the clock only to see it was almost noon. He’d been sleeping for hours.

“Shit!”
Kara!

“Agent Martin?”

It took him a long time to realize the small voice on the other end of the line belonged to Sally Shepard. This realization had him sitting up in the chair he’d fallen asleep in.

“Sally?”

“Yes.”

“Sally, are you okay?” he asked, while secretly praying she had some answers for him.

“Yes, I’m fine. Agent Martin?” she repeated in a wobbly voice that told him she was crying and had been for quite some time.

“Yes, Sally?”

“Agent Martin, I lied,” she whispered into the receiver.

“I know. But you’re about to fix that now, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me what you know.”

“I can’t right now. I’m at school. I called you on my lunch break because I couldn’t call from the house. My parents are suspicious. Dad dropped me off at school and told me that I had to go straight home. And that I couldn’t leave campus at lunch.”

“They’re just worried about you, Sally. Let me come to you.”

“No! I can’t talk now. I have to go. Can you meet me at my house after school?”

It was hard to control his disappointment. Time was so critical now but he couldn’t risk frightening the girl. Not with her so close to trusting him with what could be the one piece of evidence that would crack this case wide open.

Don’t let it come too late
, he prayed.

“Okay. But what about your parents?”

“I ride the bus home. They both work. They won’t be home for a while. My sisters either. They’re busy in after-school activities.”

“Okay, I’ll meet you there at…” Davis realized he didn’t have a clue what time school turned out anymore. “What time, Sally?”

“Four. Meet me there at four. Don’t be late.”

“I won’t, I promise. Don’t worry.”

Sally hung up the phone without answering and Davis sat listening to silence surrounding him. The letters were scattered across his coffee table, filled with pleas from a young man who desperately wanted to matter to his father. How Barry Shepard could reject his son, Davis couldn’t begin to understand.

He’d give just about anything to be able to call Kara. Instead, he checked in with Ryan.

“I was wondering when I’d hear from you. She’s fine. Don’t worry. We have her well protected. No one is going to get anywhere near her.” There was a strange elation in Ryan’s voice. Davis wondered if something had broken on the case.

“Thanks, Ryan. I don’t really know what I would do without you there for me. Anything new on the case?”

“Nothing yet, buddy. What about you?” Ryan asked, changing the subject. “I know you haven’t just been sitting around doing nothing.”

“No. I think I may have something that will break this case. But I won’t know for a while.”

“Davis, let me just stop you right there. Whatever you’re thinking about doing, don’t. Give me the information and I’ll take care of it. Don’t risk your life.”

“I can’t. Not this time.”

“Why not?” Ryan snapped. When he didn’t answer, he added, “For crying out loud, don’t try doing this alone.”

“I’m sorry, I have no other choice. But I am checking out another angle as well. Maybe you can help me with it.”

“Sure, anything. What is it?” Davis hated the frustration in his friend’s voice.

“Remember Rocky St. Clair from the Academy?”

“Yeah, sure. I haven’t seen him in years though. He retired, right?”

“Yes, a few years back.”

“What’s Rocky got to do with anything?”

“I asked him to help me check out the connection between Harrison and the missing instructor James Young. Can you get a photo of Harrison sent over to Rocky right away?”

“Davis, I’ve got that covered. We’ll find the guy in time.”

“With all due respect, time is something we don’t have right now. Rocky was there. He may remember Harrison as being James Young. If anyone can identify this guy, it’s Rocky.”

Chapter Twelve

The silence following this admission had Davis wondering if maybe he’d hurt Ryan’s feelings in some way by bringing in Rocky.

“Look, Ryan, we have to exhaust every single lead now. We can’t afford to let our egos get in the way of—”

“Is that what you think I’m doing? Dammit, Davis, I’ve done everything possible to solve this case and that includes standing beside you, defending your honor, when according to just about everyone at the Bureau, you’re involved in this up to your neck.” The disappointment in Ryan’s voice was hard to take.

“Does that include you?” he asked bitterly.

Ryan let out a heavy sigh. “No, of course not. How can you even think that?”

“I’m sorry, Ryan. I don’t mean to take this out on you. It’s just that I’m starting to feel as if I’m running out of friends.”

“You’ve got me. And Kara.” Something else surfaced in Ryan’s voice. Envy maybe? Davis never considered Ryan might be envious of his relationship with Kara.

“Ryan?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m here.” It was gone again, forcing Davis to doubt it had ever really been there. Maybe he’d only imagined it. Maybe this case was screwing with his head more than he thought.

“Are we okay?”

Ryan gave a halfhearted laugh, attempting to lighten the tension between them. “Yeah, we’re okay. We’ll always be okay. I’ll call Rocky right away.”

“Thanks. Just tell him I asked you to follow up. Tell him I have something I need to check on but let him know I’ll be in touch later today.”

“I’ll get right on it.”

“Oh, and Ryan, maybe we’d better keep this quiet for now. I don’t want to get you involved in my troubles.”

“Sure. Anything else?”

“Yes, can you check on Kara for me? You know what day this is, right?”

“Oh yes. How could I forget?”

The hours passed in an endless succession of minutes, ticking by. Kara could literally hear each tick of her watch reminding her that time was almost out.

She felt restless and angry that she was unable to do anything to save Davis. He was a sitting duck. She had protection, but Davis was out there alone and all but being accused of participating in these terrible crimes.

Unable to reach out to him emotionally, she needed to hear his voice to know he was okay.

Kara pulled Geneva aside and told her what she was planning.

“Kara, that’s not a good idea. You know if what you think is true, then chances are his phones are tapped.”

“If what I’m thinking is true, he knows exactly where I am already. Geneva, I have to do this.”

“All right, but make it quick. Your boss will have my job if he finds out about this.” She slipped her cell phone into Kara’s hand the second Judy was distracted. “Here, use this.”