THE BRIDGE (18 page)

“It’s actually morning, but who’s counting?” Smiling, he showed her a black, square device in his hand. “I’m sure I mentioned that I’m a cyclist, and we get special privileges for the bridge.”

Elise shivered but plodded on ahead of Jacoby. Would he force her to jump? He’d have to shoot her first. She’d never jump off that bridge. Maybe he just planned to slice her up as he did the others. As he did Courtney.

She hugged herself. She should’ve never gone with Jacoby when John had to leave. She could’ve just stayed at the crime scene or waited with security at the building until Sean came back for her.

“Sean’s going to know it’s you. Why else would you take off with me?”

“Well—” his feet crunched on the gravel behind her “—I thought of that and figured I could just tell him I took you back to his place and had to leave myself. I’d be beating myself up about leaving you alone, but you’d still be dead.”

“He’ll never believe you. You’re leaving too many clues, too much evidence.”

“Ah, evidence. I’m quite good at covering up, but I have other plans for Detective Sean Brody.”

Elise’s heart jumped. “You’re not going to hurt him?”

“What is it about all that dark brooding masculinity that drives women wild? I believe you’d die for him. Would you, Elise? Would you die for him?”

“Shut up.”

“You must get that level of maturity from your kindergartners, like that little Eli.”

She whipped around on him. “What do you know about Eli?”

“Enough.” He shoved her and she tripped. “Now get moving.”

Her teeth began to chatter as the chill seeped into her bones. Just like that other night. Would she wind up in the bay again?

He clicked his remote control device, which unlocked the security gate to the pedestrian walkway. He pushed it open and left it ajar.

“Won’t the cyclists be suspicious about an open gate?”

“Happens more than you think. Besides, I’m expecting company.”

Again, her heart lurched in her chest just as her feet hit the pavement of the walkway. Would any cyclists be crossing at this time of morning? It had to be getting close to three o’clock. The walkway opened at five to pedestrians.

But something told her they wouldn’t be here at five.

“Stop.”

She slowed her steps and grabbed a lamppost. “What are we doing?”

“Waiting. Have you ever wondered how it would feel to jump, Elise? Four seconds. They say it takes four seconds to fall before you hit the water. That’s a long time to change your mind.”

“People must be desperate, lonely.”

“Or guilty.” His gun hand wavered. “I get lonely sometimes. Does it fascinate you, Elise? This bridge? It fascinates me. Always has, and I grew up here.”

“It’s beautiful. Maybe that’s why they choose to have their last moments here.”

He snorted. “You know nothing of depression or desperation. The last thing on your mind is beauty.”

“Why don’t you just turn yourself in, Dan?”

“You remember my name? Seems like you only had eyes for Brody.”

“Of course I remember your name, Dan. C-Courtney liked you, too. She told me about her new client. She liked you.”

“Courtney is beautiful.”

“She would’ve helped you, Dan.”

“She tried. She wanted to.”

His aim had slipped, and she tensed her muscles. Could she tackle his legs?

“Elise!”

She jerked her head up to see Sean jogging toward them on the pedestrian path. How had he found them?

The smile spreading across Jacoby’s face told that story.

“Perfect.” Jacoby grabbed Elise’s arm and dragged her closer, the gun leveled at her head. “Stop where you are, Brody. This time I was telling the truth about the coordinates.”

Sean’s chest heaved and every breath pained him. What did this psycho plan to do with Elise? “It’s over, Jacoby. When I saw your car in the parking lot, I called it in. How did you expect to get away with this?”

“Does this spot look familiar to you, Brody? Do you know this spot on the bridge? Have you been here before?”

“It’s where my father jumped. It’s where they found his things.”

Elise sobbed, her face a pale oval in the mist.

“Exactly. And now you’re going to do the same thing.”

“No!” The fog swallowed Elise’s scream.

“You’re going to murder the lovely Elise, and then the Alphabet Killer is going to jump, just like his father the Phone Book Killer did.”

Sean ground his teeth. “My father was not a killer.”

“That’s funny. My mother never believed he did it, either.”

“What?”

“We lived in the city then. It was the Phone Book Killer who got me interested in police work, in homicide. I always thought he did it, but my mother claimed nobody that handsome could be a killer.” He shrugged his massive shoulders. “You Brodys live charmed lives.”

“Yeah, really charmed.”

He yanked Elise’s hair. “Do you want mine instead? My father was a petty thief and pimp, in and out of jail. Your father even arrested him once for domestic battery. How about that?”

“You have a good life, Jacoby. You’re respected in your field.”

“
My
field isn’t
your
field. I wanted to be a police officer. I wanted to be a homicide detective.” He shoved Elise against the guardrail. “I didn’t pass the background. Now, how is it I couldn’t pass the background with my father but you could with yours?”

“Maybe it was your psych eval, Jacoby. How much do you think you can hide?”

“How much can you?”

“I never tried to hide anything. Is that what this is all about? You’re jealous of my wonderful career and life, so you went on a killing rampage.”

Jacoby slapped Elise across the face, and Sean clenched his fists and took a step forward.

“Not really, Brody. I just like hurting people. I guess I am like my old man, and you’re going to be just like yours.”

“But I’m not.” Sean rolled up his sleeve. “Is that why you got the tattoo? You wanted to blame all the murders on me?”

“Nice touch, wasn’t it? Of course, it was just a temporary one I got in Santa Cruz that washed right off.”

“You’re dreaming, Jacoby. You can’t pull this off.”

He rested the barrel of his gun against Elise’s temple. “You’re going to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge, or I’ll shoot Elise in the head and dump her over. Then I’ll shoot you and dump your body over. Is that clear, Brody?”

“If you do it that way, it’s going to spoil your little scenario.”

“One way or the other, you’ll both be dead. Who knows? You might survive the jump. I hear you need to go in feet first at an angle. You’re even wearing heavy boots.”

“Sean, don’t even think about it.”

Jacoby smacked Elise’s other cheek and Sean almost went for him.

“Or I can slice and dice Elise while you watch, leave her body on the bridge and then shoot you. I’ll figure it out, but it would be easier for you if you just jump. Now.”

Sean took a step toward the guardrail. The wind lashed his face. He’d make the SOB kill him here, unless he could get the gun away from him...and off of Elise.

“Sean, don’t.” Elise twisted away from Jacoby.

Jacoby raised his weapon, but Elise scrambled on top of the guardrail, throwing one leg over.

“Elise! What are you doing?”

Jacoby crowed and trained his gun on Elise straddling the guardrail. “I knew she’d die for you.”

“If I jump, it’s just you and him, Sean. And you’re a superstar cop. He’s just a guy who takes fingerprints.”

And then she rolled over the edge.

Sean bellowed and rushed Jacoby, who’d lowered his weapon in momentary shock. Sean drove his shoulder into Jacoby’s iron chest and twisted his arm back.

The gun dropped from Jacoby’s hand and skittered across the cement. They both lunged for it, but Sean was taller with longer arms and reached it first. He tensed his body, waiting for Jacoby’s attack, but felt nothing but cool air.

Gripping the gun, he rolled onto his back—just in time to see Jacoby go over the guardrail.

Sean staggered to his feet, sobs building in his chest, taking his breath away. Why had Elise done that? Why had she sacrificed herself for him?

“Sean!”

His stomach dropped. “Elise?”

“I’m down here, on the ledge.”

Sean leaned over the guardrail. Elise was huddled on the two-foot-wide ledge. Warm relief poured through his body and he reached over the rail for her.

“My God, what did you do?”

“I knew the ledge was here. When I rolled over, I grabbed for these pipes to hold myself up and pulled myself to the ledge.”

“Jacoby?”

“He went right over me. I hope he saw me before he started flying.”

Sirens wailed in the distance.

“Now they get here.” He extended his arms. “Hold on to me and I’ll pull you over.”

He clasped her arms and pulled her up until she was folded over the guardrail. She rolled onto the ground from there.

Sean sat down next to her because he didn’t think he could stand another minute. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap. “You plunged me into the deepest darkness I’d ever known before.”

“I knew it would distract him enough for you to get the upper hand.”

“A bit drastic, but then you go for the dramatic.”

“I didn’t see any other way.” She snuggled against his chest as the sirens drew closer.

“You seem drawn to the bay, one way or another. Must be fate.”

She placed her cold hands on each side of his face and pressed her lips against his. She whispered, “This is the only fate I want.”

Epilogue

The music grew frenzied and someone smashed a plate.

Elise lightly scraped her fingernails across Sean’s tattoo. “You told someone to do that.”

He grabbed her hand and kissed her fingers. “You jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge for me. I can arrange for a few broken plates. But I’ve got a question for you.”

“Fire away.”

“Did you ever sign up for one of those online dating services?”

Her cheeks sported a pleasing pink. “No. Why would you think that?”

“The two other women who were murdered had profiles on Lovelines.”

Elise wrinkled her nose as she spread more tapenade on a cracker. “Not unless...”

“Not unless what?”

“Courtney was teasing me about being dateless one night and threatened to register me.” She put down her cracker and dropped her lashes. “Maybe she did it as a joke. It’s something Courtney would do.”

He brushed his fingertip across her cheek. “I’m sorry, but it looks like Courtney may have steered Jacoby into your life before you brought him into hers.”

“It doesn’t make it any better.”

“I know. When you lose a friend, especially like that, the pain will come out of nowhere and strike you.”

“And you know all about that.”

“My pain has been fading a little more every day—because of you.”

He cupped her face with one hand and nibbled on her earlobe.

Two of the waiters approached them and dragged them onto the dance floor, where they joined half the restaurant in a Greek dance that nobody knew.

Ten minutes later, laughing and breathless, they collapsed in their chairs. “Two months ago, you would’ve never seen me out there.”

“If you hadn’t brought attention to yourself by all that PDA, they never would’ve singled you out. You’d better learn the ropes. Sometimes, you’re just asking for attention.”

“And you know all about that, Runaway Bride. How’s Ty doing back home?”

“He’s fine. He has an amazing story to tell all the ladies and a missing finger to prove it, so he’s lapping up all the attention.”

Sean’s cell phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out.

Elise touched his arm. “Everything okay?”

He held the display out to her. “It’s my brother, Eric, the FBI agent. He was able to order some additional toxicology reports on Dr. Franklin, and he had a trace of some chemical in his bloodstream.”

“Sean, that’s great—I think. Is it great? It might prove someone murdered Dr. Franklin and it might have something to do with your father’s case.”

“Maybe it will, but my life isn’t on hold anymore. I’ll help Eric if he needs it, but right now I have some living to catch up on.”

She grabbed his hands. “Great. Then let’s get started, because there’s something I’ve been wanting to do with you for a while now, and it’s only eight o’clock, so we still have time.”

“Really?” He gave her his best wicked grin.

“I want to take a walk with you on one of my favorite places in the city.”

He tilted his head. “Let me guess—the bridge.”

She nodded, her big blue eyes wide. “Are you in?”

“Let’s go, but no jumping and no swimming in the bay.”

“Got it.”

Later, when they walked hand in hand across the bridge, the lights of the city twinkled in the mist and a boat skimmed beneath them.

Whatever drove his father, Sean knew he had a different destiny—and the brave, fearless woman beside him would be a part of it every step of the way.

* * * * *

Carol Ericson’s
BRODY LAW
miniseries
continues next month with THE DISTRICT.
Look for it wherever Harlequin Intrigue books are sold!

Keep reading for an excerpt from RELENTLESS by HelenKay Dimon.

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