Temperature Rising (17 page)

“There will be plenty of hot water because I’m going to have to make mine cold.” She turned slowly to look back at him.

“Go on, sweetheart, I’m hungry.” He left it open to which hunger he wanted her to contemplate, and contemplate she did.

Since Laken couldn’t help keep her thoughts away from marrying Mac, she had a whole array of things to think about, but as they got ready to leave, her mind switched focus to the problem of finding the killer. She had actually figured Mac planned to leave her tucked away in his apartment, which would’ve been fine because she did feel safe there, and he had plenty of reading material to keep her busy. She was totally surprised when he said he was taking her with him.

“Where are we going?” she asked as he turned out of the garage.

“To your office building.”

“Why? You really can’t think it was my boss who broke into my apartment.”

“No. I want to see what kind of security cameras are around the front of the building. You said you felt the Hunter watching when you quit. I want to see if we can find someone that fits your description of his build who was paying a lot of attention to you that day. That is, if we’re lucky enough to have any cameras pointed that way, and they haven’t been cleared yet. A lot of places work on a week-long loop, so we still might be in time for a look if we have the angle.”

“You think we might actually see him?”

“It’s a long shot but worth a try. I just hope we can get permission to view the video. Otherwise, we’ll have to try for a warrant, and I’m not sure how that would go without solid proof he was there.”

Laken missed what he said next as she felt spears of hope and dread go through her simultaneously. Could they find him? The thought had never occurred to her that a security camera might see him, or they might have a chance to pick him out. She prayed that it might actually be possible.

Chapter Eleven

Mac’s badge got them right in to see the chief of security. They were informed the recordings from that day were still there, and when Mac told him they hoped to find a possible killer, it didn’t take them long to get the clearance from the building manager.

Three cameras covered the front of the building. It took only a couple minutes since they had a very close approximate time for Mac to catch the image of Laken coming out. He had the manager slow the picture down, and watched Laken, vivid even on the black and white footage, burning with righteous indignation as she confronted her boss and handed over the blueprint.

He heard the catch of her breath beside him as she watched herself turn back to the building, and the man caught her, handing over the card. There was awe and exaltation on her face as she moved to open the door, then she faltered, almost going down. The camera again caught a view of her face, and this time, it was filled with terror. Her head turned back to study the crowd. Several people came up behind her, and she managed to stumble through the door. She remained pressed to the glass, her attention on the outside for several minutes before she finally forced herself away.

“That’s what we want.” Mac forced his focus from her image on the screen to other people in view. “Can you back it up just a little and go through it frame by frame?”

The scene on the sidewalk had drawn attention from several men. Mac saved pictures of each. Almost two hours had passed and they were on the third and final camera angle when a man in the top corner of the screen caught Mac’s attention. Even though he was back in the shadows, Mac could tell he was riveted by what was happening. As Laken moved back to the door, the man shifted to watch her. When she turned to look back, he pulled back, stepping in behind a passing person, turning away so not to be noticeable, but he didn’t leave.

Laken jerked beside him, her attention shifted from the section she was studying, and the security chief jumped up from the terminal where he was doing his own work to lean over the back of the chair.

“Watch.” Mac backed up the video. “Now look at this guy here.” He pointed to the screen and played it forward in slow motion.

When the man obviously dodged back, Mac heard a catch in Laken’s throat. He let it play a second more before he reached up to freeze the recording, and turned to her, even more certain. “What do you think?”

Laken’s hand had come up to cover her mouth. Her eyes held a glassy, fearful look. He reached out, catching her other hand that was balled tight. Her knuckles were white. “Laken,” he said her name softly, stroking his thumb over her knuckles soothingly.

Her eyes came from the screen to him. She swallowed hard and shuddered. “I don’t know. He’s in the shadows, and I didn’t get a very good look at him that night. He had a raincoat on, but I think it could be possible.” Her eyes went back to the frozen image, and she visibly shook. Mac could feel the fear in her and knew, though they had no proof, he was their man. That was the Hunter. He wanted to catch Laken up into his arms. To take her away were she didn’t have to think of killers and danger, but he had work to do now. His own thrill of the hunt filled him.

He turned back to the security chief. “Can I take this to see if our tech can come up with a cleaner image?”

The man started nodding even before he finished the question. “It’s already been approved that if you found anything interesting, you take it.”

“Thanks.”

“You really think that’s the guy?” The security chief looked to the screen, then to Laken and back to him.

“Yeah, I do. Now we just have to identify him.”

****

A half hour later Mac was repeating the same words to his captain. He knew it was stretching for the superior to accept it without any evidence. But after what the man had witnessed with Laken, he okayed for the priority tech time to try to come up with a clearer image that they could use for identification.

Captain Carter looked out his office window to where Laken sat at his desk. “Has she…” He paused and drew in a deep breath, seeming reluctant to say the words. “…seen any more visions?”

“No.” Mac shook his head. “You have the full report and tape from Dr. Shannon.”

“Yeah, our victim is hanging in there. The doctors still aren’t saying for positive, but they say it’s looking up with each hour that passes. I want this guy.” The stony, means-business attitude settled over the captain and he left it at that.

Mac didn’t need more. He wanted the killer more than anyone there. He looked out at Laken. It was personal for him.

The captain switched subjects behind him. “The tech got a lot of prints off her apartment, but there was no match. So whoever did it hasn’t got any priors, and I’d say was ticked off enough to not be thinking clearly enough to worry about prints.”

Mac thought for a minute before he turned back. Icy certainty filled him. “It wasn’t the Hunter. The Hunter’s too methodical. He wouldn’t blow like that, unless he’s really losing it. I can’t see him far gone enough to not wear gloves like he has so far.” Mac took a breath, working it out in his mind as he talked. “I think gloves are part of his MO, not just so he doesn’t leave evidence. It’s that he doesn’t want to get his hands dirty with them. They’re beneath him. It’s what he’s proving. They’re not as good. Beautiful, but back-stabbing. Steps on them, again because they’re beneath him. He’s going to tread them under, when he’s done with them.”

“It fits, and I concur about the apartment. Though, you do realize that means someone else isn’t happy with your girlfriend?”

There was no need for the captain to point it out. Mac had figured that out before they had left there the day before. So he simply nodded. “I can’t leave her alone, unprotected.” He figured he didn’t need to say not only was she the only witness they had, but she meant the world to him personally, and he was right.

It was the captain’s turn to nod. “You’re going to keep her around here while you work?”

“Yeah.”

“If you have to follow something up or she wants to go home, grab an officer to put on her. I’ll okay it for now.”

“Thanks.”

“All right, back to work.”

Mac reached for the door, but the voice behind him stopped his hand on the knob. “Get this guy, Mac.”

He looked back over his shoulder. “I will.” It was an easy promise to make, and in that instant, he realized they both knew it would likely be the last big act of his career. Looking to the woman waiting for him at his desk, he could honestly say he didn’t mind as long as it meant he got to spend the rest of his days with her. He steeled his shoulders. That meant he needed to find the Hunter — fast.
“Not until he kills me.”
The unwanted words came to his mind. He wasn’t going to let that happen. Laken was his. The Hunter had picked the wrong prey this time because he wasn’t getting her.

Laken stood as he approached her. “What did your captain say?” Anxiety poured off her.

“We’re going with the video. They’ll get working on it right now. It might take some time though. So until then I follow up other leads.”

“What about me?”

“For now, you stay here with me.”

She nodded. “I need to go home sometime to start cleaning up.”

“I’ll get an officer to take you home in a little while if that’s okay.”

A shudder passed over her, and she nodded again. “You think it’s necessary?”

“I’m not going to take chances.” He reached out and caught her hand, giving her fingers a squeeze. “You okay here?”

“Yeah, I raided your bookcase before we left.” She pulled a book from her purse.

It was one of his favorite authors. “That’s a good book.”

“I like him but haven’t read this one yet.”

“It’s a good time then.” He directed her to a chair and hoped the adventures of Dirk Pitt could keep her mind from her own real life and death battle.

It was only about an hour until the end of his shift when Jonesy came up with a lock on one of the guys they had been checking out. He had dated the first victim, and she’d reportedly dumped him because her job was taking off, and he didn’t take it very well. Mac didn’t like letting Laken out of his sight but agreed to let an officer take her home.

Fifteen minutes later, Laken stood in her doorway and sighed. It was all she could do to keep the tears from surfacing. Her neat little apartment was an absolute wreck. Behind her, Jeffers, the officer escorting her, let out a low whistle. “I’d say someone was mad. You okay, ma’am?”

She drew in a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “Yeah.” She knew what to expect, but it wasn’t any easier than it had been seeing it the day before. Tentatively she stepped through the doorway. “I’d say make yourself comfortable but that might be hard.”

“It’s okay. What can I do to help?” the man volunteered.

“Well, first I need to call my insurance company and make sure I can start cleaning up.” It only took a couple minutes before she was assured that the adjustor had been out. He had all he needed, and her claim was being processed.

So they set to work uprighting undamaged things. To the side of the door they made a pile of broken items and sacks of her possessions that had been reduced to garbage. Laken held the pieces of a small horse statue, which she’d gotten as a present when she had been about ten and horse crazy, and she bit her lip to keep tears back. With a sigh she dropped it into the garbage bag. She jumped at a sudden knock on the door. Laken moved toward it, but the officer motioned her back, positioning himself beside the door before she looked through the peephole.

Laken let out the breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding. “It’s Mrs. Simmons. She lives across the hall.” When he nodded and moved back, she took a second to steady herself and opened the door.

“Hello, Mrs. Simmons.”

“Oh, Laken, it was you I heard. I was afraid when I heard a racket in here.”

Laken wasn’t fooled. Mrs. Simmons had known it was her all along. She had just waited until she couldn’t stand it any longer before her nosiness drew her to cross the hall. “Sorry we disturbed you. We’re just trying to clean up.”

“Oh, pish posh. It is so unbelievable. To think this could happen here. I’ll tell you, it makes me so nervous. Howard agreed to stay with me a couple extra days until my nerves settled down. He is such a good boy. When are you going to go out again?”

Laken wondered what Howard had told her. Obviously, it didn’t entail the truth about how the date went. “Actually, I’ve met someone else, and we’ve become serious.” There was no way she was going to let her know about Mac‘s proposal. Mrs. Simmons was nice and meant well, but she was a huge gossip. And Laken hadn’t even had a chance yet to call her family and tell them she was engaged. A wave of reassuring warmth washed over her as she thought about Mac.

The woman glanced at the police officer, who was keeping a discreet eye on her from the kitchen, then turned back to her. “That nice man you were with the other day, the one that brought you flowers?”

It hit hard when Mrs. Simmons mentioned the flowers. Except for one she had pressed in a book to save, the others were sticking out of the garbage with the vase she had put them in. “Oh well, yes.”

“He did seem very nice. A little rugged though, don’t you think?”

Laken could almost see the woman figuring how to work her nephew back in, not that Laken was going to let that happen. “You don’t happen to have a couple boxes do you, Mrs. Simmons?”

Her neighbor jerked, obviously caught by surprise. “Oh yes, dear, of course. I should’ve thought. The broken glass. It really doesn’t go in trash bags very well.”

“Yes,” Laken agreed.

“If you’d like to come get them, I think I have at least three or four.” Mrs. Simmons turned to her door.

Laken looked back over her shoulder at the policeman. “I’m going across the hall to get some boxes.”

Concern creased the officer’s brow. “Leave the doors open so I can see you.”

Laken nodded, feeling that it sounded excessive, but not willing to take any chances. She followed Mrs. Simmons. Her apartment was a two-bedroom, one of the bigger ones in the building. Still, it felt cramped with all the woman’s knickknacks. She had a special fondness for porcelain cats and dogs. They each had names, and she pampered them as if they were real, which Laken had thought was funny until one day the woman confided she was extremely allergic to animals but had always wanted a pet.