Chapter 36
36
CAS
T hree fucking convenience stores to find the Dove dark chocolate John instructed me to get. Three. That clearly demonstrated what I felt for Alta was true love. Never in my life had I gone through that kind of hassle for a woman, and I never would’ve even considered it after a long damn day like today.
Four hours with the detectives and crime scene geeks was enough to push me over the edge of my limited patience. Tack on this scavenger hunt, and I was done. Done and very ready to see Alta.
My Lady.
Mine.
Even if she didn’t say she loved me back earlier, she was mine.
Surely she did though. She wouldn’t have said all those things if she didn’t, unless she said them as a distraction to not say it back.
“Damnit,” I grumbled. The phone in the cup holder vibrated, Peters’s name appearing on the screen. “What,” I said after flicking the SUV’s Bluetooth on.
“How’d it go?” The sound of his heeled dress shoes against a hard floor clicked in the background as he paced.
“Good. They found some human blood between Benny’s teeth. They sent it out for analysis yesterday on a rush order. Expect the results later today. It was a gunshot wound to the chest that took him down. I talked to the vet too. Benny’s doing better, and they expect him to make a full recovery.” I cleared my throat. “I’m telling Alta as soon as I get back to the cabin.”
“Anything else?”
“Nothing on the missing women. Still missing, of course. No evidence.”
“Fucker. Nothing new here either. The least-decomposed bodies were autopsied, and you’ll never believe what they found.”
“I’m scared to ask.”
“Nothing.”
“What?” I chewed on my lip.
“They didn’t appear to be sexually assaulted, no abuse, just malnourished and deep wounds around the wrists and ankles like they were restrained. We’re dealing with some sick fucker.”
“How do you mean?”
“I’m guessing his partner likes watching them free, and the main guy likes watching them as a captive. If he doesn’t hurt them, then seeing their fear, them trying to escape, gets him off.” He paused long enough that I checked the screen to make sure the call didn’t drop. “That gives me an idea. What if he didn’t assault them by penetration but got off on the fear, leaving behind evidence on their skin? The sicko could’ve wacked off and spilled his jizz on them.”
“Why not rape them?” I mused. “Seems like after the recon work they do, the work they put in to take these women, why not take it that next step? That doesn’t make sense, right?”
“Just a theory.”
“They identify all the women yet?”
Another long pause. Fuck, this sucked. This part of the case was awful—no idea how Peters dealt with it day in and day out. I would much rather be out protecting the public with a gun at my side than listening to someone go on and on about decomposing bodies.
“All of them. The DNA results came back an hour ago. The husbands have closure now.”
“When you heading back?”
“Soon, tomorrow maybe. I’ve done enough here, so I need to get back to the active crime scenes. We have to get this guy soon. He’s not showing any sign of slowing down.”
I tapped my thumb against the steering wheel at a red light. “You still think this has something to do with Alta?”
“Yup. And I did more digging on what happened in Texas ten years ago. She was right that he didn’t have any living relatives, at least none who would claim him. He grew up in the system. But I did find something odd.” My eyes flicked to the speaker. “Starting around ten, at every foster home he went to, something happened. Like a fire, or reports of him hurting other kids or even the foster parents. There’s abundant documentation that he was mentally unstable.”
“Not surprising.”
“No, but I still feel like I’m not getting the full story. The reports seem… vague. I can’t figure it out, but it’s like they were protecting someone else. Keeping another name out of it all. I’m still digging.”
My hands tightened on the wheel as I switched on the blinker to turn into the cabin community.
“Okay, call me with any updates.”
“Same, Mathews. Later.”
The second I passed through the entrance, unease grew in my gut. Ignoring the speed limit, I pushed my foot down on the gas pedal, sending me hauling ass down the street. Gravel kicked up behind the SUV as I took the sharp right into our cabin’s driveway.
Both feet slammed onto the brake, I skidded forward, the front bumper inches from crashing into the porch.
For a second, all I could do was stare at what was left of the front door. My heart ratchetted against my chest as fear like I’d never known coursed through my veins, turning my entire body cold and my thoughts sluggish. Shoving the driver door open, I drew my pistol from its holster and angled the barrel toward the doorway. Silently as possible, I crept up the porch steps, cursing at a faint creak of the wood.
Standing just over the threshold, I swept the room, angling my 9mm every direction my gaze went. Stepping through the splintered remnants of the door, I moved toward the two bodies lying prone along the ground on the other side of the room. Aware of my surroundings, I squatted by the unmoving Sadie and pressed two fingers against her neck. Internally I sighed in relief at the steady pulse thrumming beneath her skin.
I flexed my hands around the grip of the gun, gaining some blood flow to my locked fingers. Carefully stepping over Sadie, I again lowered to the floor in front of John. Unlike Sadie, John looked like he’d merely fallen asleep on the floor, whereas Sadie’s arms and legs were sprawled out as if she’d collapsed.
With the first press of my fingers against his jugular, I couldn’t find a pulse.
“Fuck,” I cursed under my breath. Moving to a different angle, I shoved my fingers deep into his neck, desperate to find a sign of life. A light, unsteady beat appeared, but it did nothing to calm my rising tension. He was fading. Fast.
Knowing he had limited time, I flew through the rest of the house, clearing every room, every closet faster than any one man ever had. After clearing the last dark corner, I yanked the phone from my back pocket and dialed Peters.
“Miss me already?” he joked.
“She’s gone.” It was all I could say, the only words that were on repeat in my head. “Gone.”
“What?”
“Alta, Lady, she’s gone. Sadie, John, drugged. Send an ambulance.” The phone clattered to the ground, my knees right behind it, almost cracking the bone with the hard hit. Gone. I scanned the room, looking for something I missed, but came up empty.
“Fuck!” I roared and shoved up with a punch to the floor. Neither Sadie nor John stirred. Not knowing what or how much they were given, I rolled both to their side so they wouldn’t choke if they threw up.
Sitting back on my haunches, I pulled at my hair, allowing the sharp bite of pain to ground me.
Think.
I had to think.
But I couldn’t. Every nerve, every thought centered around the growing grief and desperation to find Alta. I let her down. I told her she was safe with me and now….
My gaze flicked to John and zeroed in on his blue-lined lips.
Immediately I dropped to my knees beside his head, rolled him to his back and pressed palm over palm on top of his heart.
Where in the hell is that ambulance?