Chapter Seven Brad #2
“To play with us.” I shrugged. “Which means these girls are more than likely not his first kills. He’s too cocky.” I rubbed my head. “Tell me there was something inside we could run with.”
Wes pulled the letter out through the tear on the side of the envelope and held it up. “Nothing but traces of the butterfly root.”
“Why go through the work of mailing it? What’s the point?”
I let that swirl around my head. “Like I said, he’s playing with us.” Wes grunted in agreement.
“Oh, Wes, could you check for DNA on this napkin?” She handed him the bag, and he gladly took it.
“Of course.”
“Thanks.” Bree turned away as she answered a call, and Wes wiggled his brows at me.
“She single?”
“No.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Never in a million years did I expect my new partner to attract so much attention.”
“Have you looked at her? She’s gorgeous.” Wes lowered his voice. “All I can picture is her in a pair of lab glasses, a white coat, and her hair pinned up with a pen.”
“Fuck,” I huffed and tried to push the idea of her with her hair up in a messy bun that exposed her neck out of my head. Flashbacks to my mouth there didn’t help.
“What’s wrong?” Bree was suddenly at my side.
I shot Wes a look to behave. “Nothing.”
“All right. Well, Oliver, Shelly’s boyfriend, is at work at the gym just round the corner, and he said he’s got time to talk with us in between clients.”
“Great.” I waved at Wes. “Thanks as always. Enjoy your day.”
“I’m sure you will,” he teased, and Bree looked at him, confused, but I pulled her along.
“Bree?” Officer Smith met us at the front doors. “You mentioned you had something for me to look into?”
“Yes, thanks, Adam. Can you maybe ID the guys in the background of this photo and find me a name to go with this phone number?” She handed him a photo and a copy of the phone number she’d found.
“Anything for you guys!” He smiled and whisked them away.
We didn’t need the car, so we walked down the road toward Muscle Gym. I was glad we didn’t drive, as it was hard to park there at the best of times.
Bree filled the silence as we walked. “Wes seems nice. You two seem close.”
“We go back a long way.”
“I got that impression.” She tucked her hair behind her ear as she fished through her bag for her ringing phone. After she read the caller ID, she sent it to voicemail.
“Everything good?”
“Yes.” She wouldn’t look at me and slipped her sunglasses on in a poor attempt to shield her face from me.
“Remember Wilson Saunders?”
She shook her head with a laugh. “Now, that name takes me back.”
“Remember how he asked you out, and when I asked you about it, you denied it?”
“I plead the Fifth on that one.” She chuckled. I didn’t say anything, and she looked up. “What was that trip down memory lane for?”
“I’m just pointing out that I know when you lie. You did then, and you’re doing it now.” I waved toward her bag.
“Pff.” She held up a hand as we slowed to cross the street. “You know jack shit.”
I stood behind her and lowered my lips to her ear. “When it comes to you, Bree Jaminson, I know more than you think.” I tapped her arm to get her to walk when the light turned.
“Is that so?” She tried to play it cool, but I could see that faint blush she got when she was excited. “You think you know me so well?”
“I know I do.” Bree and I had been good friends, and I’d always had feelings for her, but they were complicated.
What if I made a move on her and it didn’t work out?
I’d lose her altogether. I hated when guys would flirt with her.
She was pretty and smart. She had a self-confidence most girls didn’t.
She attracted a lot of attention, including from me, but she was the girl next door, the kind of forbidden fruit that I wanted to taste, but I was scared to go for the whole thing.
I was protective of her and always made sure she was okay and no one messed with her.
Over the years in high school, I had learned a lot about her reactions to things. Like where she blushed or how she dipped her head to the side and used her hair as a curtain when she was unsure of her own feelings. I had known back then I wanted her, and I had been sure she wanted me too.
My head slipped back to the times we’d given in to our attraction back in high school.
Once when we were in the basement watching a horror movie, the power went out, and she grabbed for me.
I pulled her close, and our lips touched, but just as I started to deepen the kiss, the power flickered back on, and the moment was lost.
Another time, we rode horses way up into the hills to watch the sunset.
A coyote spooked the horses, and they ran off and left us.
We spent the night up there together. I made a fire, but with no sleeping bags, I wrapped myself around her body and held her all night long.
It was a moment I’d never forget. It would have been the perfect time to move things forward, and I hadn’t taken it.
All that stopped after we stumbled on that double homicide.
Things changed between us. We both pulled back from one another, and, I realized later, I’d thrown myself at Sherry and shut Bree out.
Sherry had been my safety net back then.
I hated the attention and desperately needed to be anyone but that boy who witnessed that terrible event with that girl.
“Well, I guess we’ll see how much you think you know about that, won’t we?” Bree turned to look at me over her shoulder.
“What does that mean?” I held open the door, and she marched through with the police-issued ID badge Captain had given her held up to the front desk. “We’re here to see your personal trainer, Oliver. He knows we’re coming.”
“Yes, okay.” The young guy behind the desk nodded and made a quick call. “He said he’ll be right over and that you can wait in that room right there.” He pointed across the hall.
“Thanks.” I nodded, and we headed to the glass room to wait.
I was glad to have the nice, quiet place to chat.
The fewer people who knew what was going on, the better.
I couldn’t help but take a moment to tease Bree some more.
It was entertaining to see her squirm, and the playful flirting made me feel young again.
“I know you very well,” I went on. “One of my favorite things I notice is how you get this little bit of pink that spreads across your chest whenever you get excited or”—I hesitated—“turned on.”
“I haven’t had sex in almost two months, if you must know.” She folded her arms.
I liked that answer. The sudden thought of her being intimate with someone else bothered me.
“Well, that’s a lot of info.” I jumped out of the way when she swatted me.
“Don’t blame me for being wound up,” she scoffed. “I’m only human.”
“A horny human, you mean.”
Her face lit up. “Not after tonight.”
That caught my attention. “You got a date?”
“I do.” That hit me in the stomach like a dumbbell, not that I’d show it. “Something like that.”
“Well, I’m happy for you.” I ground my teeth. I sat up straight as Oliver opened the door.
“Sorry, my client got tangled in the ropes.” He tried to hide his amusement.
“It’s a thing. I know why you’re here.” The weight of what happened to his girlfriend grew evident on his face.
“Ms. Jaminson, you said you only wanted to ask a few questions, so I’ve got ten minutes before my next client.
Whatever you need to ask, ask. I want to help you find this sicko. ”
Bree took the lead. “Great. I’ll get right to the point.
” As she was the one who’d found the iPad, it was right that she would run the show here—plus she had a way with people that I didn’t.
I enjoyed watching her work. “I appreciate you taking the time to talk with us. Excuse me if I’m blunt, but does Shelly have a TikTok account? ”
His head dropped forward, and he let out a sigh. “She did have an account, but after an argument she promised to get rid of it when we were six months into us dating.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because she was talking to a guy on there, and when I found out, I was pissed.”
“She was cheating?” Bree pulled out her phone.
“Not physically, but emotionally she was, yes.” He sank into a chair. “It was her professor.” He licked his lips. “Look, I want to sit here and toss that shithead under the bus. I’d like to point a finger and say he killed her, but it’d be a lie. It wasn’t him.”
I leaned forward. “How are you so sure?”
“Because he died three months ago from complicated surgery or something. The guy was like in his forties. If you ask me, fate just stepped in.”
Bree closed her eyes, and I could see she was frustrated that her lead might have just gone cold.
With one last effort to save the lead, I pulled out the iPad from Bree’s purse. I clicked it on and opened the app before I turned it around so he could see it.
“At the risk of upsetting you further, I have to ask you something.”
“Brad.” Bree bit her lip, clearly unsure of what Oliver’s reaction would be. “Maybe we . . .”
I looked back to Oliver, who squinted at the screen. “I see.” His face went through a series of painful emotions.
“Do you have any idea who this is?” I pointed at the Puff the Magic guy’s name. “Or why he’d be all over her page?”
“No, but I’m not on that platform. All that is like a different world to me. I use Instagram for work, because I have to. I’m not much for posting.”
“I get it.” Bree reached over and turned off the screen. “I’m sorry. I’m sure that’s hard to see.”
“I should have known she still had that account. She gave it up too easily.” He looked at his watch and stood to show he needed to go.
“Shelly was in her prime and had everything going for her. Things came easy to her. I’m here working overtime just trying to make it through school without any help. ”
Bree squeezed his forearm. “That’s admirable, Oliver, and will count to the right person. Again, thanks for meeting with us. Just keep faith we’ll find this guy.”