Deadly Dance (10 page)

“Saved her?” Drake finished, his voice echoing in the eerily lit room. “No way. We never had a chance.”

“Neither did she,” Harrison said, his voice hushed, his face tight with emotion.

“How did you know?” Hannah asked, the words coming of their own volition. “To look for a cellar, I mean?” She lifted her gaze to his, and the pain she saw reflected there almost took her breath away.

He shook his head, his eyes moving back to Sara, hanging on the wall. “Because that’s where they found my sister.”

H
arrison sat on the front porch steps of the house by the lake, his thoughts rioting. Despite the fact that nine years had passed since his sister’s death, it might as well have been yesterday. Especially in light of the body they’d found inside. The forensics people were at work in the basement and bedroom. And the rest of the team was either inside helping or back at Sunderland trying to run interference.

There was no avoiding publicity now. And that meant that Avery would have his hands full dealing with the fallout. Parents, students, even professors—all with legitimate concerns—who’d be bombarding the college with questions and fears. Harrison was glad he wasn’t the one who had to cope.

“You okay?” Hannah asked, sitting down beside him on the steps, her voice laced with concern.

“Hey, this isn’t about me,” he said, lifting his hands. “Sara’s family members are the ones who are going to have to deal with all of this.”

“I know that. But you were already thinking about your sister, and now this. It can’t be easy.”

“It is what it is, Hannah. And talking about it isn’t going to help.”

“Okay,” she said, her face shuttering. “I guess I just thought that…” She trailed off, staring down at her hands, and he hated himself for being so short with her, but right now, more than anything, he needed to maintain control.

“I know you mean well,” he said, “but we need to focus on Sara’s murder, not my sister’s.”

She nodded and stood up, but not before he saw a flicker of hurt in her eyes.

This was why he didn’t do relationships. But with Hannah somehow it was different. He just couldn’t stand the idea that he’d caused her pain.

“I’m sorry. I’m not exactly at my best.” He stood up, reaching out to take her hand, the action surprising him almost as much as it surprised her. “But I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

“I understand. But you need to know that I… that we all care about you. And whatever you need—even if it’s just space—we’re here to give it to you.”

“That means a lot to me.”

He was standing on the bottom step and Hannah was on the top, so for once they were almost eye level. “I value our friendship, Hannah.” More than he was ready to tell her actually. Hell, more than he wanted to admit. “But right now, the best thing we can do for my sister is figure out who did this to Sara and stop him before he strikes again.”

“So you do think we’ve got a serial killer?” Avery
asked, striding out onto the porch, snapping his phone shut. Drake and Simon right behind him.

“I think it’s a definite possibility,” Harrison said as Hannah pulled her hand free, the color rising in her cheeks. Hannah always had trouble concealing her emotions. It was one of the things he liked best about her. She was always honest.

“That’s what the ME thinks, too.” Avery nodded. “But he doesn’t have the same degree of experience with serial killers that you do.”

“Hey, it’s been a long time since I worked for the FBI,” Harrison said. “I’m hardly an expert anymore.”

“Well, you’re the closest thing we’ve got right now. And I value your opinion.”

“So what does the brass say?” Hannah asked.

Avery had been talking to Langley trying to figure out who was going to take the lead in the investigation. Normally it would fall to the FBI, but with A-Tac undercover at Sunderland there were extenuating circumstances.

“They’re deferring to us—for now,” Avery responded, perching on the windowsill. Drake settled in next to Simon on the porch railing, Hannah dropping down onto a weathered bench next to the door. Harrison sighed and leaned back against a support column, itching for his computer.

“Meaning what?” Drake asked.

“Well, we’re clearly not set up for this kind of thing, but under the circumstances Langley feels like it needs to stay in-house. So we’re taking lead on the investigation. But there’s no way we’ll be able to keep this out of the press, so we’ve got to at least make it look like we’re routing things through proper channels. As far as the world
is concerned, we’re just a bunch of professors. And the brass wants to be sure it stays that way.”

“So how do we do that?” Drake frowned.

“Langley’s sending some operatives. They’ll pose as FBI agents. As far as the public is concerned everything will be coming from Quantico. But in reality we’ll be running the show.”

“There’s no way we’re going to contain this,” Simon said. “A serial killer is big news. The public is going to want to know what’s happening.”

“And they will. Everything except the fact that the professors of the college are actually CIA agents working the case. Look, it’s a difficult situation. But we’re still in the game, and that’s what matters.”

“Except that you were right the first time,” Hannah said, leaning forward, pushing her glasses up on her nose, the light catching the blue streaks in her hair. “We’re not fully equipped to handle this. I mean, Harrison has experience. But we need more than that.” She shot him an apologetic look and then continued. “We need a profiler.”

“Already ahead of you on that,” Harrison said. “If you think we can get it approved, I’ve got a couple of friends that can fill those roles. People I worked with when I was with the Bureau and Last Chance. Madison Roarke is a profiler. One of the best in the country. And Tracy Braxton runs Braxton Labs.”

Drake whistled. “You run in some pretty elite circles. I’ve worked with Braxton Labs before. On an archeological find. The outfit is tops when it comes to forensic pathology.”

“Can we trust them with our unusual situation?” Avery asked.

“Absolutely. They’re good people, both of them. Madison and I started at the FBI together. We were partners.” And friends. She’d been the one who’d forced him back to life after his sister’s death. Brought him back into the fold, so to speak.

“All right then, you contact them, and I’ll clear it through Langley.”

“What about Sara’s parents?” Hannah asked, leaning forward and propping her chin in her hands. “Who’s going to tell them?”

“I will. It’s my job as dean,” Avery replied. “And until we have a better handle on what’s happening, I’ll feel better if we keep our personnel limited to just the five of us. We’re going to have enough to deal with when you factor in the people Langley’s sending, and if approved, Harrison’s friends.”

“So besides calling in reinforcements,” Simon said, “what’s our next move?”

“I’m going to close the campus. No one in or out without clearance. For obvious reasons, we’re overly cautious about who we hire, so I’m thinking our man isn’t on staff at Sunderland. I’m also canceling classes for the rest of the week. Again it’s not a failsafe, but it gives students the option of going home without missing anything.”

“What about the ones who stay?” Hannah asked.

“I’ve issued an alert advising that everyone stay inside after dark, and if they can’t do that, then they’re to travel in groups. We know that there’s safety in numbers. These guys don’t like crowds.”

“Actually, some of them get off on that,” Harrison said. “But I’m not seeing anything here to make me think the unsub is playing that kind of game.”

“Unsub?” Simon frowned.

“Sorry.” Harrison shrugged. “Old habits. In the FBI we called the object of our investigations unknown subjects.”

“Unsubs,” Hannah repeated. “Has a certain ring to it. Although I like perp better.”

“You always did have a slant toward law enforcement.” Harrison grinned at her, feeling relieved that they were back to their usual banter.

“Well, whatever we call the bastard, we need to take him very seriously,” Avery said. “He’s already murdered a student, and it’s our job to make sure he doesn’t get the chance to kill another.”

“How do we know he’s only after students?”

“We don’t.” Harrison shook his head. “But for now, it’s the obvious assumption. And in the meantime, we need to start digging into Sara’s background. Try to find out if there’s anything there that might point us toward some other connection to the killer.”

“But you just said he was an unsub,” Simon said, “so how do we know what might connect Sara to him?”

“There are obvious links. If, say, Sara had been working at a club for extra money. Or if she’d been volunteering with prisoners or the homeless. Any little detail might help us as we try to see a pattern. In addition to that, we need to find out if there have been any other similar murders in, say, the last three months. That’s another way to establish a connection.”

“Sounds like something I can do,” Hannah said, flexing her fingers, clearly wishing for a laptop as much as Harrison was.

“Good,” Avery said. “And while you’re at it, look for a connection between Sara and Tina.”

“But we already talked to her,” Hannah protested. “And there isn’t one.”

“Well, maybe it’s something she’s not aware of. Just do a little digging and see what pops up. See what parallels she might have with Sara. Something that puts them in the same victim pool. Start with the basics, physical characteristics, common interests, background information. Anything you can think of that might prove to be a parallel between the two women. I don’t believe for a moment that Tina was chosen randomly.”

Hannah nodded, hating the idea of digging into Tina’s life without her knowing, but accepting that, for now at least, it was the best course of action.

“Drake,” Avery was saying, “I want you to interview Sara’s parents and friends. It won’t hurt to talk to the boyfriend again either.”

“Roger that,” Drake agreed.

“And in the meantime,” Avery said, “I’ll coordinate with Langley and the locals while Harrison contacts his friends. And, Simon, you’ll stay here and oversee the crime scene until reinforcements arrive. The important thing right now is to amass as much information as possible. That’ll make it that much easier for Harrison’s people to hit the ground running.”

“So we’re going to just let them take over when they get here?” Drake asked, his face reflecting his disapproval.

“No. We’re going to make them a part of the team. And together, we’re going to do whatever it takes to find this guy and bring him down before he has the chance to kill someone else.”

Avery stepped off the porch, pulling his phone from his pocket, the action signaling an end to the conversation.
Simon and Drake headed back into the house, leaving Harrison alone with Hannah.

“So I guess I’m heading back to Sunderland,” Hannah said, pushing to her feet to stand beside him. “I figure I’ll work faster if I have my computer. You coming?”

“In a little while.” Harrison turned to look at the house, the smell of blood sharp as it assaulted his nostrils. He closed his eyes, Bree’s smile filling his mind. “I want to stay here until they bring her out.”

Hannah reached out to touch his arm, her fingers gentle. “Harrison, it’s not Bree in there. You know that, right?”

Her words pulled him sharply back into the present, the image of his sister vanishing, the feel of Hannah’s hand warm against his skin. And for a moment, all he wanted was to hold her. To anchor himself in the here and now. But then the door swung open and a couple of techs walked out holding a bag with bloody evidence, and once again his mind was filled with images of his sister, his gut tightening with frustration and rage.

“I won’t let it happen again,” he whispered, fists clenching. “No matter what it takes. I owe it to Bree. Hell, I owe it to Sara.”

“Well, for what it’s worth,” Hannah said, her gaze locking with his, “we’re in this together. And I promise I’ll be with you—every step of the way.”

G
in,” Tina said as Hannah walked into the rooms where her TA had been sequestered. It was a small apartment on the top floor of the administration building, primarily used for visiting board members and dignitaries.

“I can’t catch a break with you,” Jasmine Washington grumbled, throwing her cards on the table. “She’s beaten me five times in a row. I hope you don’t mind that I’m here?” She looked up at Hannah, her dark eyes sparking with mischief. “I told the guy outside I was dropping off coffee. She waved at the Java Joe cups on the table. “But I just stayed.”

“I begged her to,” Tina added. “And the FBI dude hasn’t said anything about it. So it’s okay, right?”

The “dude” outside was actually CIA out of the New York office. But with his suit and tie, Reid Kotchner certainly looked the part of a G-man. There were also men situated at the entrance to the building. Avery had decided
that, until they better understood Tina’s role in all that was happening, it was best to keep an eye on her. And the suite had the added benefit of on-campus security.