Conduit (17 page)

Emily glanced at the clock and
sighed. At any moment, Nathan would arrive for their meeting. She was nervous,
not about seeing him, but about discussing her newfound relationship with Jake.
She feared what Nathan had to say, and why he decided to come see her only after
Jake revealed to him that they were dating.

Earlier that morning, Cassie left to meet with Keith about
their Heartland Insurance contract. Keith wanted to review the last details of
their contract to make sure both parties were happy, and Cassie was eager to
get out of the office for something other than a case.

Emily was grateful for the reprieve from having to explain
Nathan’s visit to Cassie. She sent Cassie on her way with the assurance that
she would handle the interviews they had scheduled for the morning to add a new
private investigator to the firm. She was determined to prove Jake wrong about
her reluctance to hire a new employee. Though having placed the ad just last
night after Jake left, twenty résumés already found their way to her email
inbox. It wouldn’t be long before they were training a new investigator.

Even though Emily knew the interviews were necessary, she
really wasn’t up for them, or work of any kind. Jake was too far under her skin
for her to concentrate with any effectiveness. She had become a clock watcher,
counting down the minutes until that night, when they would spend the evening
in with a movie at her house.

They wanted to see each other for lunch, but Jake was
finishing up his jury pool report for Nathan for Monday’s jury selection. Once
he completed the report, he would be free to spend as much time with her as
they wanted until Friday morning, his next meeting with Nathan.

She wished they had the luxury of being reckless and
shirking any responsibility that kept them away from each other. Nothing, it
seemed, could stop her from thinking about him. The incredible speed at which
their relationship escalated should have petrified her, but she embraced their
future. The only thing more exhilarating than falling in love with this amazing
man she met three days ago was the knowledge that he was also falling in love
with her.

Her phone beeped and Beverly called out over the intercom. “Mr.
Wolk is here to see you.”

Emily’s nerves jumped. “Thanks, Beverly. Just send him on
back.” He was no stranger to their office, having visited her several times a
week during their dating escapade.

A moment later, Nathan poked his smiling face through her
office door. Emily rose from her chair to greet him and he pulled her to him in
a large, familiar hug, lingering just a moment too long. While he sat, Emily closed
her office door.

She decided to sit in the chair next to him, rather than in
her office chair behind the desk. As soon as she relaxed in the chair, she noticed
he wore the shirt she had bought him on their trip to a beach resort in San
Diego. A deliberate attempt to make her remember their time together, his
choice in clothing both amused and irritated her. Nathan always knew what cards
to play, even when he knew better than to play them.

After he complimented her appearance, she asked, “So what
brings you out this way? Do you have a case for us?” She opted to play
ignorant, rather than bring up Jake first.

“You know we have our own in-house investigators,” he said. “If
it was up to me, we would hire you for all of our cases. Everyone knows you and
Cassie are the best in town.”

“Thank you, but you didn’t come all this way to tell me
that.”

“No, I didn’t. I wanted to ask you about Jake Hanley.”

His direct approach to the topic reminded her so much of
their relationship. Nathan never minced words, and he had no problem putting
her under his spotlight. “I met Jake at the party Saturday night.”

An unmistakable anguish laced his voice. “So it’s true you’re
dating him?”

“You didn’t believe him when he told you?”

Nathan smirked. “You caught me. Maybe I didn’t want to
believe him.”

“This shouldn’t come as a shock to you, Nate. I was going to
start dating again sooner or later. Plus you’ve been dating Trisha for a few
months now, so you really shouldn’t have too much to say about me doing the
same thing.”

“But it’s not the same thing. Trisha is a rebound.”

Emily flinched at his statement. “Do you realize how bad
that sounds?”

“Yeah,” he said. “It does sound really bad, but it’s true.”

“Maybe you should give it a go with Trisha. It could possibly
work out between you, but you’ll never know if you keep holding her at a
distance.”

“It’s much too late for that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Imagine you get a bowl of soup in a restaurant. You stir
the soup with your spoon and a hair rises to the top. You can take the hair out
of your soup, but you can’t eat the soup because you know there was a hair in
it.”

“And this has what to do with Trisha?”

“You’re the hair in our relationship.”

“I’m not sure that’s something I want to be compared to,”
Emily said.

“My relationship with Trisha will never work because you’ve
been in it, whether you know it or not.”

“Your relationship with Trisha will never work because you’ve
turned it into a farce. Why are you keeping her around? Cut the poor girl loose
before you hurt her even more.”

“I already planned on ending it tonight. After I saw you
Saturday night, I knew I couldn’t keep it going with her. The whole thing isn’t
just hard on her, but on me as well. When I’m with her, I only think that she’s
not you.”

Pain stabbed Emily’s heart and she accepted responsibility
for his inability to get over her as easily as she did him. She had led him on
for so long in their relationship, had played the part of the perfect
girlfriend, even if she didn’t realize it until the damage was done.

“I’m really sorry, Nate. I honestly didn’t mean to hurt you.
I want nothing more than for you to find whoever it is you’re meant to spend
your life with.”

“I want that, too. I guess it’s hard because I feel like you
were over me the minute you broke it off, and I’ve just been floating around
without purpose, hoping you’ll change your mind and come back to me. When I saw
you Saturday, I thought maybe there was still a chance for us. Then I found out
you’re dating him.”

“You don’t want us to get back together, Nate. You think you
do, but you deserve to be with someone who loves you, who will give you everything
you need. I’m not that person. I will always care about you, but it stops with
friendship.”

“As much as it hurts to hear that, I know it’s true.” Nathan
stood up and started for the door. “I’m sorry that I came this morning. I
shouldn’t have stirred all this up again and I’m afraid I’m sounding rather
pathetic.” He raised his eyebrows and huffed. “Again.”

“You don’t sound pathetic.” Emily got up and turned toward
him. “But what do you really want from me, Nate?”

“Closure.” He walked over to her until she was backed up against
the desk. He took her hands in his. “I need closure.”

Her nerves kicked into high gear with his close proximity.
She wasn’t afraid that she would be tempted to kiss him, but she was worried he
might just try in a last ditch effort to get back together. She shifted
uncomfortably. “I want you to have that as well, but I’m not sure how to give
that to you.”

Nathan locked eyes with hers. “Does he make you happy?”

Emily noticed he hadn’t used Jake’s name since he first
brought him up. “We’ve only been on three dates.”

“You would know by now if it wasn’t going to stick.”

“Yes, Jake makes me very happy.”

Nathan nodded with resignation. “I wish I could tell you
horrible things about him. I even thought up a few crazy stories on the way
over here to warn you away from him, but I can’t lie. I knew there was
something special about him the minute I hired him, and he’s been fantastic for
the firm. More than that, he’s honest and genuinely nice. I guess you could say
he’s an all-around great guy, which is rare among our breed.” He sighed and
looked away from her. “I just wish I knew what he has that I don’t.”

“I know you won’t let my relationship with him affect his
job,” Emily said, “but I need for you to let the idea of us go. Even if I hadn’t
met Jake, you and I had no chance of getting back together. Just tell me we can
still be friends.”

Nathan squeezed her hands. “Of course we’re still friends. I
should have known you two would be a perfect fit. If we aren’t meant to be
together, then I couldn’t imagine you with anyone else other than him. He will
treat you right and he’ll give you the world, I’m sure.”

“Thank you, Nate. You don’t know how much your approval of Jake
means to me.” Emily kissed his cheek and wrapped her arms around him. “You’ll
find someone so much better for you than I ever was,” she said.

He pulled back from her and smiled. “I hope you’re right.
But when I do, I’ll need your blessing as well. I’m not letting our friendship
go to the wayside because you’ve run off and met Mr. Right.”

“Please don’t be too hard on Trisha tonight. She doesn’t
deserve to suffer because of me.”

“I promise to make it quick and painless,” Nathan said. He
opened the office door. “And I promise to stop using your friendship to try to
woo you back to me. You are far too important for me to lose you completely by
acting childish.” He waved and left her office.

Emily walked back around her desk, fell into her chair, and
picked up her cell phone. She typed out a text message to Jake.
Met with Nate, all is good
. She pushed
send, and then typed out another short text.
Miss you
.

She chewed on her bottom lip and stared at her phone,
wondering if she said too much too soon. She didn’t want to scare him away, but
she also wanted him to know she was thinking about him.

Her phone beeped and his reply text popped up on the screen.
Miss you, too. Can’t wait until tonight.

Butterflies fluttered around Emily’s stomach and heart, and
she leaned back in her chair. She had so much work to do before the first
interviewee arrived, but instead she closed her eyes and thought about the heat
of Jake’s kiss.

Her phone’s intercom beeped, dragging her out of her
reverie. Beverly’s voice filled her office. “Ms. Cobalt is here for her
interview, and Cassie is on line one for you.”

“Please put Ms. Cobalt in the conference room, give her an
application to complete, and make sure she’s comfortable. I’ll be right with
her.”

Emily clicked the phone over to the blinking extension. “Hey,
Cass. What’s going on?”

“How are the interviews coming?” Cassie asked.

“Just getting ready to start the first one,” Emily said. She
pulled up Gina Cobalt’s résumé on her computer to print an extra copy. “How did
everything go with Keith?”

“We’re all set. The terms are exactly how we wanted them. We’ll
both meet with him on Monday morning to sign the contract. I’m heading back to
the office now. Oh, and Uncle Leo called. There’s another body.”

Emily drew a sharp breath, and the darkness returned to her
mind full force. It had never disappeared completely, but was simply hiding in
the back of her mind while she met with Nate and daydreamed about Jake. “That’s
not good,” Emily said.

“I talked Uncle Leo into letting us go to the crime scene
this afternoon.” Before Emily could protest, Cassie said, “Don’t worry, the
body has been taken away already, and there’s no blood. I think if we visit the
crime scene, you might pick up on something the police haven’t.”

“I agree,” Emily said. “I’ll see you when you get here.”

After she hung up the phone, the darkness pressed deeper
into her mind, tangling itself in the fibers of her brain like a thorny weed
taking root. She had to search out the source of the darkness to know how to
get rid of it. Walking around the crime scene of the latest body might be the
key, especially since the victim found there had screamed Emily’s name while
being tortured to death.

Stephanie Price transferred the last
grocery bag from her shopping cart into the trunk of her car. As she pushed the
shopping cart toward the metal cart corral, another shopper walked up to her
and asked if he could take the cart for her. She gave him a genuine smile and
thanked him.

By far, Stephanie was the friendliest conduit David had come
across in all his travels. Two weeks ago, he met her at a bagel shop, where she
bought breakfast for the office staff she managed. She didn’t become irritated
when the cashier twice read her large order back to her incorrectly, but she repeated
her order with patience and a smile. Everywhere he followed her since that
morning, Stephanie exemplified kindness.

But a kind heart wouldn’t save her.

The strength Stephanie exhibited as a conduit surpassed even
Jillian, but he was already geared up to kill Jillian when he found Stephanie,
so she had to wait her turn. Jillian had been so strong, and had impressively reinforced
the connection he had with Emily. It worked to his advantage to kill Stephanie
after Jillian in order to cement their bond.

Since Jillian, Emily was in his mind every second of the
day, and even when he slept. It wasn’t just that he thought about her all the
time, but he
felt
her with him. He
still had a little ways to go before he could summon her to come to him, but
with every girl in his basement, he came closer to his goal.

Stephanie backed her car out of her parking spot and David
watched her weave through the tangle of cars vying for a parking space at the
busy market. While she had been in the store, David walked through the lot and
knelt down on one side of her car, pretending to tie his shoe. With one hand on
his shoelaces, the other hand attached a small magnetic case containing a GPS
tracking device on the underbelly of her car.

He turned on the application he installed in his phone, and
in real time watched Stephanie’s car drive down the street and toward her home.
David turned the key to start the ignition of his own car. With the GPS device
active and functioning, it was time for him to set up the rest of his trap for
her.

Every Tuesday evening, Stephanie had a standing date with
her two sisters at a small diner. They always closed out the diner, talking and
laughing over burgers, greasy French fries, and chocolate shakes. The owners of
the diner were gracious to their valued regulars, and allowed them to stay in
their booth until just after the eleven o’clock closing time.

Stephanie lived in Haysville, while her sisters lived in
Goddard. Located on the west side of Wichita, the diner was much closer to
Goddard than to Haysville, giving Stephanie a long drive home. After dinner, Stephanie
made the trek to her house, where she lived with her roommate of three years.

Through his research, he found Stephanie’s cell phone provider
had a five mile dead zone on one of the rural roads Stephanie always used to
drive home. That late on a weeknight, the deserted road in the middle of that
dead zone was the perfect place for Stephanie to run into unexpected road kill.

As David drove toward the place where he would take
Stephanie away from the world, he thought about his perfectly designed plan. His
bold assumption that Stephanie would be the only car coming down the road at
that time of night placed an exceeding amount of pressure on him. Everything
had to be timed just right to avoid any witnesses.

One of the riskiest and most complicated kidnappings to
date, David enjoyed the risk of the plan almost as much as he would enjoy the
kill. After taking Jillian in the middle of the day, he needed a daring plan to
keep him excited about kidnapping Stephanie. Just like Jillian cooperating with
getting into the back of his car, his plan for Stephanie would go just as
smoothly. Very soon, Stephanie would get him closer to Emily. After that, nothing
could come between them.