Chapter 10
Ten
Adrian was on the way home after a long day of handling complaints by neighbors fighting with neighbors, as well as trying to find missing dogs, cats, and even a pig.
He’d sent two officers to Grady’s General Store to scare the heck out of two kids who’d tried to steal candy.
His mind kept drifting back to several months ago when a serial killer was operating in Sanctuary.
Working with Erin Delaney and her friend Kaely Quinn had made him feel like an actual police chief.
He’d moved to Sanctuary to get away from all the death and destruction he’d had to deal with in Chicago, so why was he so irritated with his job right now?
His life was good. For the most part, Sanctuary lived up to its name.
He really was happy here. But after helping to catch a serial killer, he now felt rather useless.
An odd call from the FBI also had him worried and was probably the reason he was thinking so much about the past. He’d considered contacting Erin to let her know about it, but after sharing the contents of the call with his administrative assistant, Lisa Parrish, he’d changed his mind.
Lisa felt that telling Erin about the call might make it harder for her to do what she needed to do now.
Lisa was usually right, so he decided to keep quiet—for now.
He sighed loudly. “Stop it,” he said to himself.
Jake looked at him as if he were being chastised.
Adrian reached over and patted his head.
“I’m not talking to you. You’re a good boy.
I guess I’m the one who needs to straighten up, huh?
” He took a deep breath. “You weren’t happy in Chicago, Adrian,” he mumbled.
“You’re not going to start complaining about Sanctuary.
This is where you want to be. This is what you want to do. ”
As if he’d lost the ability to control his thoughts, his mind drifted to Erin.
Her wide green eyes, her short blonde hair, and her incredible smile were burned into his mind.
Was he missing the excitement of doing real police work, or was he just missing her?
He couldn’t answer that question. Not yet, anyway.
Maybe someday. The truth was, Erin wasn’t interested in him that way.
She’d never given him any indication that they were more than friends.
He realized suddenly that his hands were gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were white. He took a quick breath and loosened his hold.
Jake barked suddenly, and it made him jump. He looked over at his furry friend. “You okay?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”
Jake barked again and looked out the window. They were passing Erin’s cabin. “Sorry, boy. She’s not there. Neither is Chester.”
Jake pulled against the strap that kept him secure in the passenger seat.
“No,” Adrian said sharply. “They’re not home. Settle down.”
Jake didn’t listen, just kept barking loudly and squirming in his seat.
“Do you need to go outside?” Adrian asked. He’d taken him out before they left the station. He shouldn’t need to go so soon again, but Adrian pulled over in front of Erin’s place. Better to be safe than sorry.
He started to get out of the Jeep so he could take care of Jake when he noticed something unusual.
Before she left, Erin had told him that she’d programmed some of the lights in her house to come on at six o’clock in the evening while she was gone, but the cabin was dark. He’d have to call her and let her know.
Suddenly, lights came on. He looked at his dashboard.
It was eleven minutes after nine, a strange time to set a timer.
He put the truck in gear and pulled into the driveway.
Telling Jake to stay, he got out, grabbed his flashlight, and walked up to the house.
He shone the light through the windows. Then he circled around the cabin, looking into each one, making certain everything was secure. Nothing seemed out of place.
When he was finished, he went back to the Jeep, planning to put Jake on his leash and give him a chance to do his business. But when he opened the door, Jake was sound asleep.
Adrian shook his head, got into the driver’s seat, and headed home.
He wanted to chalk Jake’s behavior up to something else—maybe he saw a squirrel or some other animal, and it set him off?
But his dog had started barking when they were near Erin’s cabin.
Had he seen something that Adrian hadn’t?
He tried to dismiss his concerns, but a soft voice inside him seemed to be whispering something different.
“You’re just bored,” he said, admonishing himself. Still, the timing of the lights seemed odd. He’d call Erin tomorrow and ask her about it. The anticipation of hearing her voice cheered him more than it should have.
As he drove home, he tried to push thoughts of her out of his mind. But they weren’t easily vanquished.
The waitress brought Noah another cup of coffee.
He thanked her and took a sip, hoping they’d made a fresh pot.
His first cup had been closer to sludge than actual coffee.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t any better. Might even be worse.
Tonight, he wasn’t worried that the caffeine would make it hard to sleep.
He was exhausted. He loved working for the BAU, but this recent rash of murders was keeping his team working late, trying to understand a serial killer who couldn’t be understood.
He was different. Copying murders from books wasn’t a signature.
Unless he had a beef with authors, but usually someone like that wouldn’t buy books in the first place.
Or they’d just leave bad reviews. Using their books to kill?
It had certainly been done, but not like this.
It wasn’t just the method. He was writing poems that included the books’ titles.
He was detailed, organized, precise—and very angry.
And he wasn’t leaving any evidence. What they had now wasn’t enough for the police and the FBI to go on.
Although law enforcement had tried to keep the killings under wraps, it wouldn’t be long before the media picked up the story.
Then things would get much more difficult.
The public could be helpful, but most of the time, panic set in, and law enforcement was overwhelmed with tips that only wasted time and resources.
He really just wanted to go home, but when he’d gotten a call from Lee Johnson, a guy who’d recently joined the men’s group at church, he had to respond.
He’d volunteered to mentor Lee. Well, actually, Lee had attached himself to Noah’s side.
He was the one who’d asked Noah for help.
It wasn’t that Noah didn’t want to mentor him.
He did. Noah was just concerned that he wouldn’t be able to give him all the time he might need.
But a commitment was a commitment. So, here he was at an all-night pancake house in downtown Dumfries, Virginia, instead of nestled in his comfy bed, sleeping next to Kaely.
Kaely’s friend, Erin Delaney, was staying with them, but he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be home in time tonight to meet her.
Not that he could talk to her about the case anyway.
The FBI was strict about things like that.
Kaely had arranged for Nick Skinner to come by and clue her in.
After he deputized her, she’d be able to officially help with the case.
It would be easier for him to discuss things after that, but he still needed to be careful.
The FBI realized it wasn’t her fault that a killer had copied his last murder from her book, but they had to be absolutely certain she wasn’t involved or that she didn’t have knowledge that could help find this UNSUB.
Sometimes people knew things they didn’t realize were connected to a case.
He’d seen that happen many times. There was some reason the UNSUB had picked her novel.
Investigators needed to find out what it was.
“Here you go.”
The waitress put two plates in front of him. Pancakes and a side of bacon. He’d missed dinner with Kaely. Baked spaghetti. One of his favorites. He suddenly realized how hungry he was. The pancakes smelled amazing.
“I’ll get your butter and syrup,” she said.
“Thank you,” he said with a smile. “Maple please.”
She’d just left when Lee walked in the door.
Noah waved at him, and he headed toward the booth.
Lee was the kind of man most people wouldn’t notice.
Everything about him was plain. Brown hair, brown eyes, medium build.
He mostly wore jeans and T-shirts. But nothing too colorful.
It was like he was there . . . but not there.
“Thanks for meeting with me,” Lee said as he sat down.
“You’re welcome. I told you to call if you needed to talk.”
“You look tired,” Lee said.
“Right now, I’m just hungry. Want anything?”
Lee hesitated, and Noah felt like an idiot.
Lee worked for a lawn-care company and lived in a small apartment not far from the church.
Noah had been inside his place. It was bleak.
The paint on the walls was peeling, and Lee had been sleeping on an old mattress on the floor.
Noah and Kaely gave him a new bed frame and mattress, telling him it was a bed they weren’t using.
It was true, but not completely accurate.
They’d purchased it just for him. Kaely also sent him new sheets and a couple of blankets they had.
Their pastor gave him odd jobs whenever he had something, which helped some.
Lee utilized their food program, so at least he wouldn’t go hungry.
Didn’t mean he had money to spend in a restaurant.
“My treat,” Noah said, quickly. “I’ve got one of those two-for-one coupons. If you don’t eat something, it will go to waste.”