Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
The sound of the TV in the living room greeted him when he stepped inside the house.
A delicious, spicy smell lingered in the air, and he tossed his briefcase and keys on the table before striding toward the stove.
Someone had made stir-fry, and the remnants sat on the burner, the lid on the pan to keep them warm.
He pulled a fork from the drawer and scooped up a couple mouthfuls, leaning one hip on the counter.
Aside from the TV playing in the living room, the house was quiet.
He wondered if Audrey was taking another nap.
He stabbed another piece of chicken and shoveled it into his mouth, then headed toward the stairs to check on her.
He had left her in bed that morning, warm and soft from a night of lovemaking, and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t hope to get her back there again.
He had slept in her room the night before, and he looked forward to doing it again.
Now that she was starting to come around, he refused to backtrack.
The only change he was willing to make was moving her into his room.
He wanted her in his bed and in his house—permanently.
Though he had alluded to a serious relationship before, he knew she was still skittish from her divorce.
He felt like every time he took one step forward, she took two steps back.
After the previous night, something between them had changed.
The wall around her heart had cracked and begun to crumble, and for the first time in more than a month, ever since their first night together, he got a glimpse of the real Audrey.
She was funny and smart and gorgeous. He wasn’t going to rush things with her.
As long as she was there with him, that was all that mattered.
He jogged quietly upstairs and peeked into the guest bedroom, his eyes sweeping the empty room. Cocking an ear, he listened for any movement in the attached bath, but it remained quiet. He headed to the end of the hall where his room was located and paused in the doorway, a smile curving his mouth.
She sat cross-legged on the bed, his laptop, her phone, and a few papers spread out in front of her, and for a moment he just watched her.
His eyes skimmed over her from head to toe, taking in those long auburn locks that fell in unruly waves down her back and over her shoulder.
She wore a tank top and sweats, but her feet were bare, and he smiled at the sight of the soft pink polish tipping her toes.
Her head lifted when she noticed his presence, and her mouth curled into a small smile. “Oh, hey. I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Hey, beautiful.” She slipped off the bed as he approached, and he pulled her into his arms, tipping her head up for a kiss.
The kiss turned deeper, more passionate, and he slid one hand under her shirt, his thumb caressing the soft skin of her lower back.
She tasted so good and felt even better.
He wanted to strip her bare and tumble her back onto the bed she’d just vacated.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, common sense reared up, telling him to slow down, and he reluctantly broke the kiss.
“How are you feeling?”
“Good.” Her hands came up to his chest, her fingers stroking over the silk of his blue tie.
“Stay out of trouble today?”
Automatically, she stiffened, and he regretted whatever it was he’d said. He mentally played his words back as she pulled out of his arms and sat on the edge of the mattress.
He pushed the papers aside and took a seat beside her, his gaze riveted on her face. “Audrey?” She finally lifted her gaze to his. “Is everything okay?”
She nodded, concern clouding her eyes. “Have you heard anything about the man who shot at me?”
So, that’s what this was all about. He’d told her the night before when they were lying in bed that he’d reached out to Luke and his friends to do some digging.
He’d left out the fact that they were currently running background on Kellerman as well.
Turning to face her more fully, he pulled a knee up between them and cupped her face with one hand.
“Not yet, sweetheart. But they’re working on it, I promise. ”
She bit her lip. “What if they don’t find him? Or what if they’re chasing the wrong person?”
He stroked his thumb over her cheek. “They’re good at what they do, red. Between Knox’s guys and the police, they’ll figure it out.”
“I just…” She trailed off, seemingly having some sort of internal debate with herself.
Finally, she continued. “I don’t know if this is just a fluke, or if I’ve totally lost my mind, but I don’t know who else to talk to about this, and I don’t want to sound neurotic or anything, but I feel like there’s something here. ”
She took a deep breath, finally out of steam, and he lifted his brows in question as he gazed at her, still trying to process her words. “What are you talking about, babe?”
She stared at him for a long second. “Can I show you something?”
“Of course.”
“So, you’ve heard about the bodies they’ve found recently. Remember the first victim—the one I found in the cornfield?”
He nodded. “The police suspected homicide, right?”
“Yes. His name was Robert Tripp.” She picked up a couple of papers from the bed, then handed them to him. “This is his medical chart. His name came up in conversation right after he was identified, and one of the nurses mentioned that he was a patient at the VA.”
He quickly scanned them as she spoke. “Crazy.”
“I know, right? Well, if you remember, a second body turned up a couple weeks ago, just a few miles away from the first victim.” She handed him a second chart.
“Merrill Keane. They don’t know for sure, but they suspect he may have actually been killed before Mr. Tripp but wasn’t found until later. Same with the most recent victim.”
“Okay?” He wasn’t quite sure where she was going with this. It sucked, but people died all the time, in all manners.
She laid a hand on his arm, insisting on his attention, and he met her serious gaze. “You can’t repeat any of this, okay?”
He nodded, confused. “Of course.”
She drew in a deep breath. “When I found the first victim—Tripp—the medical examiner on the case noticed something strange. All of his vital organs were gone.”
He quirked a brow, surprised that she was telling him all this. “Gruesome. Animals?”
“Removed—surgically,” she added as his stomach twisted. “Organs can fetch a pretty hefty price on the black market, so it’s a good possibility he was killed and his organs harvested for profit.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face. “That’s… revolting.”
“Right.” She sighed. “Well, this may have been the same scenario. I was curious about Merrill Keane, and when I googled him, I happened to find out he was a veteran of the Gulf War. According to news reports, his body was badly decomposed by the time he was found, so there’s no conclusive evidence that they were removed. But…”
She stared at him. “That makes three bodies found within a three-mile radius over the past month. Both of the men identified had type O blood—which would make them universal donors.”
“You think they’re connected,” he said, understanding dawning.
She nodded. “The third victim still hasn’t been identified, but Merrill and Keane were both patients at the VA.
Keane was from a different branch, but his information was accessible.
Both men’s charts say they’re single with no next of kin listed.
What if someone targeted these men on purpose—say, a doctor who could perform the surgery? ”
“It’s possible,” he admitted. “What are you thinking?”
Her teeth sank into her lower lip. “Remember that argument a while back? Kellerman made it sound like they were talking about a patient, but now…”
Oh, Christ. He saw exactly where she was going with that. “You think Kellerman’s responsible.”
“Maybe.” She lifted one hand. “But I have no proof. I just… have this gut feeling. He has access to patient records, and God knows he’s capable of surgical procedures.”
Son of a bitch. This whole thing became more and more tangled each day.
They’d already determined that the gunman wasn’t Kellerman himself, and he knew from the man’s build that it wasn’t Edward.
So who was it? It was possible that the shooting at the coffee shop was totally random, but he seriously doubted it.
If Kellerman or Edward were involved in something of this magnitude, they certainly weren’t doing it alone.
“So… Do you suppose they’re in on this together? Or Edward could be blackmailing Kellerman for whatever reason,” he mused.
“Anything’s possible.” A tiny shudder ran through her. “But I’m glad you don’t think I’m crazy.”
“No, you’re definitely not crazy. I don’t believe in coincidences, especially ones as glaring as this. Besides…” His next words died on his lips as something suddenly occurred to him, and he held up Keane’s chart. “Wait—didn’t they just ID this guy?”
“I believe so, yes.”
His gaze narrowed on her. “Then when did you get these, and how?”
She stared at him for several long seconds and rolled her lips together before answering. “Today. At the VA.”
“Audrey—"
She pressed her palms to his chest as if she could physically hold down the anger rising within. “Just hear me out.”
He dipped his chin and glared at her, sarcasm dripping from his tongue. “Great, I can’t wait to hear what excuse you have for putting yourself in the same building as a man who probably tried to kill you.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, frosty eyes narrowed. “Don’t be dramatic. I was perfectly safe. Your dad went with me, and—”
“Oh, my God, I should have known.” He dragged one hand through his hair.
He grabbed up his phone and called Mason, who answered on the first ring. No greeting, he launched right in. “Hey, I was just getting ready to call you. We found out that Lucy Raines was in a car accident a little over a year ago.”
“I had no idea.” Why hadn’t Edward said anything? That was right about the same time they’d separated. What kind of husband would leave his wife after that?
“Apparently she’d been drinking and slid off the road and sustained some pretty severe trauma when the driver side hit a tree.”
He winced. “That sucks.” Car versus tree was never a good outcome.
“Doesn’t stop there. Guess who was with Lucy at the time?”
His gut tightened, and he had a feeling he already knew the answer before he asked. “Who?”
“Dr. Elijah Kellerman.”
He drew in a sharp breath.
“He was treated for mild injuries and released, but hers were much more significant. According to the report, she was driving and lost control. The car hit a tree, did a lot of internal damage.”
He closed his eyes. “Well, that answers some questions.” He explained what Audrey had just shown him. “I’m going to the police station with Audrey, then I’ll be over.”
“Don’t bother,” he said. “Tomorrow’s the funeral. I’m gonna hit it up.”
So he could see who showed up. Lucy was being laid to rest tomorrow, and news of her death had finally begun to whisper its way through the office. He wanted to be there, too. “I’ll meet you there.”
He’d bet his last dollar that Kellerman and Lucy had been having an affair.
What he didn’t know was how she was tied into everything, if at all.
It seemed significant somehow, but it was just one more piece of the puzzle that didn’t fit.
One thing he did know was, something strange was going on, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it before Audrey ended up hurt again.