Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Oh God. “Give me details.”
“Riley mentioned something about going through the crossover list again but looking for guys with a link to BDSM. You know, checking for anyone in leather, pics of whips, chains, ropes….”
“That was Dan’s idea too.”
“Whatever. The point is, I’ve spent the last three hours on Grindr. I set up a fake account.”
“You did what?”
“Hey, if our killer can do it, then so can we. I downloaded photos from BDSM sites—did you know there are stores where you can walk in and buy all this sh—stuff? Anyhow, I posted all the photos, and I got a bite. Some guy called Jesse Monroe. I did an online search for him, and there’s a shitload of pics of him out there in leather chaps, leather jocks, a harness, holding…
well, I don’t know what the fuck he was holding, but it sent shivers through me, I can tell you. ”
“So he’s into BDSM. So are a lot of gay guys.”
“Yeah, but this guy is on our list, and none of these pics made it onto his Grindr profile. He arranged meetings with all the victims.”
“Including Cory?”
“Yup.”
“Then we’ll have interviewed him already. If he’s on the list.”
“I checked. We haven’t. Don’t ask me how we missed him, but at least he’s on our radar now.” Gary heard the bubble of excitement in Lewis’s voice.
“Okay…. Much as I would love this to be our guy, and much as I hate to pour cold water on your enthusiasm, don’t you get the sense that our man is an intelligent guy? Would he be that obvious?” The letters, the anagram, the way he’d hidden his tracks….
“Then let’s go talk to him and see if he has an alibi for all the murders. Get a sample of DNA. At least look at the guy.”
Lewis was right. They had to take a look, even if something about the whole business niggled him. “Okay. First thing tomorrow, we’ll bring him in for questioning.”
“I’ll bring him in,” Lewis fired back. “I’ll take Riley with me. Best if you keep out of this. Remember what Travers said.”
“Fine. You and Riley can bring him in.”
“Great.”
“And Lewis?”
“Yeah?”
“That fake account business… I’m impressed.” He meant it. He hadn’t believed Lewis could be that diligent.
“Hey, we’ve all gotta step out of our comfort zone now and then, right? I can put up with a few hours of guys asking to see my dick—and worse—if it means we catch the son of a bitch. G’night.” He disconnected.
Gary went back to making tea, his mind replaying Lewis’s words. The BDSM angle worried him, and he wasn’t sure why. But if this Jesse Monroe was on the list and he hadn’t been questioned yet, that was enough reason to bring him in.
If they were lucky, he was the missing piece. If his alibis checked out, then it would be back to the drawing board. But if he was their man, Lewis would crow about it. Gary could already hear him.
See? There was no need for a psychic.
Gary poured boiling water onto a teabag, absently swirling it in the hot liquid, his thoughts drawn back to Dan.
And if it is our man, Dan can leave.
He’d only been there one day.
Gary wrapped his hands around the cup. I don’t want him to go yet. The realization forced him to analyze his motives for wanting Dan to stick around, and one thought came to the forefront.
What if Dan had the answers to his questions?
And am I brave enough to ask them?
Tuesday, May 29
“Good morning.”
Gary jerked his head up at the softly spoken greeting. Dan stood in front of his desk, wearing the same suit as the previous day, only with a blue shirt and tie.
Damn. He looks good. Then he shoved the thought from his mind. It had no business being there, not at work. Besides, he wasn’t sure if Dan would be able to pick up on his emotions. “Morning.”
Dan glanced around the busy room. There were several desks, each one occupied as detectives typed reports, read documents, or made calls. “Where are Lewis and Riley?” He flushed. “If it’s okay to refer to them like that.”
“They aren’t here, so you can refer to them any way you like.” He bit back a smile. “You should hear some of the things I call Lewis when he’s out of earshot.”
“I can imagine.” Dan’s deadpan delivery didn’t detract from the twinkle in his eyes.
“We had a breakthrough,” Gary told him. “They’ve gone to bring in a suspect.” He stood. “And in the meantime, I did as you requested. There’s a box in the case room, those items you wanted from Evidence.”
“Oh good. Then let’s go.”
Dan followed him to the small room, and once they were inside, Gary closed the door behind them. “I thought you might need a little quiet to concentrate.”
“Thank you. It does help.”
Gary gestured to the chair, and Dan sat. “How about we do the same thing as yesterday? I hand you an item, and you see if you can sense anything.” When Dan regarded him in silence, the skin on Gary’s arms prickled. “What have I said?”
“I was thinking…. You really do believe now, don’t you?” He smiled. “What a difference a day makes.”
“I’m not a stupid man,” Gary returned in a quiet voice. “You gave me proof. Why would I not believe in your gift?” He gestured to the evidence box. “Same as yesterday? No information about the victim, just the item?”
Dan nodded. “I’d prefer that.” He removed his coat and hung it on the chair, then sat with his hands in his lap, breathing deeply, his eyes closed.
Gary waited by the table, watching as a layer of calm enveloped Dan until his chest rose and fell steadily, each breath slow and even.
“I’m ready,” Dan said, his voice low and deep.
Gary reached into the box and withdrew a bag containing a coil of red rope. He removed it from its covering, then placed it on Dan’s upturned palms. Dan held it between his hands, his fingertips tracing along its length, his brow furrowing.
Gary understood Riley’s remark about finding it fascinating. Watching Dan at work was certainly that. What drew his attention were Dan’s long lashes, dark against the cream of his complexion, the clean line of his jaw, the fullness of that lower lip….
Twenty-four hours had elapsed since their first meeting, and if anything, the attraction he’d felt to the slight, handsome man had intensified.
I don’t understand why he affects me the way he does.
Cory’s voice was in his head. You sure about that, honey? Or do you just not want to admit the truth?
Dan opened his eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m not getting anything.” He held out the rope to Gary. “Give me another. I’ll try not to take so long this time.”
Gary frowned, but when he glanced at his watch, he realized what Dan had meant. Fifteen minutes had elapsed. “Take as long as you need.” He replaced the rope in the box and took out another. Once he’d handed it over, he took a step back.
Dan smiled. “You’re fine where you are. Besides, that scent you wear? It calms me.” Then he closed his eyes again.
Gary forgot about the time, the muffled noises from beyond the door, the murmur of traffic from outside, and focused on Dan, the sound of his breathing, the movement of his hands as he touched the rope, and the tiny changes in his expression.
Dan opened his eyes once more and shivered. Gary checked his watch. Ten minutes had passed. “You felt something.”
He nodded. “A lot of rage in this guy.”
“Do you mean the killer?”
Another nod. “I think so. There are definitely two different energies connected to this. But there’s another emotion—guilt.
So much guilt that it almost swamps the anger.
And I’m picking up something that can only be from the victim.
” His eyes widened. “Surprise. He didn’t see this coming.
It’s almost as if….” He closed his eyes once more.
“As if what?”
Dan paled. “He knew him. He knew the killer.” He opened his eyes as Riley came into the room, and Gary stilled at the sight of his clearly agitated state.
Riley expelled a breath. “I think you should see this guy.”
“Did you bring him in?”
Riley nodded. “Sure, an hour ago, but he’s not talking, and he’s asked for his lawyer. We’ve had him in an interview room for the last twenty minutes, and we can’t get a peep out of him.”
“Did he indicate he was willing to help with inquiries?” Gary asked. Riley grimaced, and Gary stared at him. “Okay, what happened? And why am I only hearing about it now?”
“When we got to his address, there was no answer. Then this old guy from across the hall opened his door and said he’d been about to call the police.
He’d heard sounds coming from Monroe’s apartment that scared him.
Well, then we heard something, and Lewis didn’t hesitate.
He busted the door down, announced we were the police, and charged in there. ”
“I take it you found something.”
Another nod. “He was in the living room, and he wasn’t alone.
He was dressed up in a harness and boots—that was all—and he was holding some kind of a whip.
There was another guy, naked, tied up and gagged, facedown over the coffee table.
But there was GHB, a pair of cuffs, rope…
. And the tied-up guy was clearly about to be… you know.”
“Did Detective Stevens ascertain whether what was going on was consensual?” Dan inquired.
“I took the gag off of him, and the first thing that popped out of his mouth was he was there voluntarily.” Riley swallowed.
“Lewis asked if he wanted to bring charges, but he said no, absolutely not. Then Lewis decided he was too scared to tell the truth. The guy had these marks on his back too, you know, from the whip. Monroe was yelling about his door being busted in, the invasion of his privacy. So Lewis told him to put some clothes on because we were taking him in to answer some questions. He said no at first, but I convinced him what he had to say might help us. He wasn’t happy about it, but he agreed. ”
“And once he got here, he clammed up.”
Riley nodded. “Lewis went in there, and as soon as he started asking about whatever it was we’d interrupted, Monroe demanded to be allowed to call his lawyer. I mean, we hadn’t even arrested him at that point.”