Deadly Obsession (7 page)

A buzzing greeted her ears as Braden opened his door. She frowned and looked around the truck. “You hear that?”

“I think it’s coming from your purse.” He slipped the key into the ignition.

She grabbed her purse from the floorboard and fished her cell out. She frowned when she saw her boss’s number. “Hey Charles, is everything okay?”

“Are you sitting down?”

She frowned. “Yeah, why?”

“Hannah Jenkins was found murdered in her home this morning.”

A flash of cold slithered across Lilly’s skin. She never should have gotten out of bed this morning. “Murdered?”

“The medical examiner estimates time of death sometime Friday evening.”

It was now Tuesday. Disbelief burned the back of her throat. Hannah had not only been her therapist, she’d been a dear friend. Whenever Lilly had needed someone to talk to, day or night, it hadn’t mattered, the older woman had always been available. For the past year she’d been Lilly’s rock. She’d been the one who’d finally okayed her to return to field duty. Lilly blinked back hot tears. “How?” She choked on the word.

“The official cause is asphyxiation, but she was tortured for hours before she died.”

Lilly put a hand to her throat. “Tortured?” She could barely get the word out. Braden glanced at her sharply but she didn’t acknowledge him.

“Yes, and her office was ransacked. According to her client list, only one file seems to be missing, though.”

She knew the answer before she asked, but she had to nonetheless. “Whose?”

“Yours. And there was a message left behind for you.”

“Message?” She stared blindly out the window at the passing trees and cars as she tried to digest his words.

“Whoever did this is sick. There was a photograph of you tacked to the middle of her desk. Written in her blood was the message ‘This is just the beginning, Lilly.’”

She closed her eyes. “Damn,” she muttered.

“My sentiments exactly. Listen, as soon as the funeral is over, I want you on the next plane back to D.C.,” her boss said.

She rubbed her temple. “That’s not going to happen.”

Charles was quiet as she relayed the serial type murders and the bizarre turn of events since she’d arrived, including her recent attack. After she wrapped up, she asked, “Was Hannah tortured like the other women?”

“No. It wasn’t pretty but it was nothing like that. Whoever killed her wanted information, but they also weren’t professional. This was more sadistic in nature.”

Lilly couldn’t fight off a shudder. The thought of Hannah suffering at the hands of some monster made her sick. And angry.

Charles spoke again before she could respond. “You’re under protective custody then?”

“Yes.” She glanced at Braden. His hands were clasped tightly on the steering wheel. She wondered if he was annoyed that she’d told her boss so much, but the man had the highest clearance in the country.

“I’m going to send someone else to Hudson Bay,” her boss said.

“No!” It came out louder than she’d intended.

“Well, what do you expect me to do?”

“
Please
don’t send anyone else. I’m handling this.” Charles had practically coddled her since she’d returned from Africa and it was embarrassing. She couldn’t let him give her any more preferential treatment. They were stretched thin just like every other government agency. She wasn’t going to waste NSA resources on this especially since anyone he sent wouldn’t be equipped to deal with a serial killer any better than she. They weren’t the FBI and of the few people he might send, she knew they wouldn’t get along with the locals and would just piss off everyone at the station. Not exactly productive to the case.

“How much do you trust this Braden Donnelly?” He smoothly switched topics.

“Why?” She couldn’t imagine why he was asking. Her boss knew exactly who Braden was and what his role in her life had been. Before she’d been hired by the NSA, her entire life had been dissected, including an extensive background check.

“You don’t think he could be responsible for any of this?” His voice was calm.

She snorted loudly, earning her a strange look from Braden. “No way. Why would you ask that?”

“No reason. I just wanted to get your gut reaction on him.”

“Why? You wouldn’t ask that without a reason.”

Charles sighed, but at least he answered. “He came to see you a year ago…when you were in the hospital.”

“What?”
She was thankful Braden couldn’t hear the other half of the conversation.

“He flew in with your aunt, but he wasn’t family and I knew he was your ex so I wouldn’t let him see you.”

Braden had come to visit her? After nearly a decade of silence, he’d come to see her in D.C.? Lilly wondered why her aunt had never mentioned anything.

“Are you there?” Charles asked.

“Yeah. Listen, I’ll call you back later, okay?”

“Lilly, I’m sorry. You were in and out of consciousness and I didn’t want anything to upset you. Your aunt was angry at me, but I made an executive decision and the hospital listened.”

“How long…” She didn’t want to finish the question in front of Braden.

Thankfully her boss understood. “He was there about a week.”

Her throat seized for a second but she found her voice. “I’ll call you later.”

As they disconnected, Braden pulled into the parking lot of the police station. “Everything okay?”

She stared at him for a long moment, debating if she should say something. Lilly couldn’t believe he’d come to see her but she shoved those thoughts from her mind. “I think things are a lot worse than we imagined.”

In as few words as possible she told him about her therapist’s murder, the vile message left for her, and that her boss wanted her to come home. While the murders in town weren’t similar to Hannah’s, she had no doubt the same person had committed all of the killings. Why else would someone take her file? Or leave her a message? After she finished, Braden nodded his agreement about the connection.

Then he slammed his fist against the center console. “Damn it! None of this makes sense.”

Instinctively she reached out and squeezed his arm. “We’re going to find this guy. No matter what, he’s only human. He
will
make a mistake. If he hasn’t already.”

Unexpected heat flashed in his dark eyes as his gaze trailed to where they were connected. Immediately she let go of his arm, inwardly cursing herself. She wasn’t a touchy-feely person. Or at least she wasn’t anymore. Not by a long shot. And touching him was playing with fire. Hot, burning, sensual fire she needed to stay away from.

Braden held out his hand as Lilly passed the signed statement to him. “Let me file this and we’ll get out of here.”

“I still can’t believe this is happening
here
of all places.” She leaned back in the leather seat and crossed her legs.

He grabbed a pen from the mesh holder on his desk and signed off on the statement. “We’ve managed to keep things quiet, but after what happened to you today, I think people might talk.”

A small smile played on her pretty lips and his entire body heated up. “They’re going to be talking anyway. I got a few double takes when we were driving through town today.”

“Can you blame them? You’ve been gone a long time.” Too damn long. Sometimes he wondered if he’d let her go too easily. He cleared his throat and veered his thoughts in another direction. She’d made a choice and that’s just the way it was. He couldn’t start second guessing himself now. “Tell me about the tattoo on your hip.”

She shrugged and shifted against the seat. “There’s not much to tell. About two years ago I was in Japan on assignment. One night a couple of the other women and I were out drinking and three of us got tattoos.”

It didn’t sound like her, but he didn’t comment.

As if she read his mind, she continued. “It’s not something I’d normally do, but we’d been there nearly six months working our assess off with no down time. I guess I just went crazy that night. I think it’s cute, though.” She said the last part defensively, as if she thought he was judging her.

“It’s…” Cute wasn’t the word that sprang to mind. Hot, sexy, yes. Cute? No. “What about the people who were with you that night?”

“Two women who used to be agents, but are now analysts since getting married. I’m in touch with both of them and as far as I know, they’re both still on assignment. One’s in Wyoming, the other is in Germany. My team was a lot bigger than that, but no one else was with us that night.”

“Has anyone else seen your tattoo?” Somehow he managed to squeeze the question out. His voice even sounded normal. Unfortunately he didn’t want to hear the answer. If someone had seen the tattoo, chances were they’d seen her naked. It might help in narrowing down the suspect list, but it left a foul taste in his mouth.

“What do you mean?” Her brow furrowed.

“A boyfriend, one-night stand, whoever. Who’s seen you naked in the past couple years? Any ex-boyfriends who didn’t want to break up?”

To his surprise, a bright shade of pink spread across her cheekbones. “No one.”

His disbelieving bark of laughter earned him a nasty glare, but he still pressed her. “There’s been nobody in two years?”

She glanced down at her hands. “I travel a lot. And it’s been more like three years if you want to get technical. Thanks for reminding me,” she muttered.

When she met his gaze, he could see the truth in her eyes. And it relieved the hell out of him. The overwhelming sense of relief was unnerving. “Okay, so no ex-boyfriends with a grudge. What about co-workers? Anyone who might hate you enough to do this?”

As she shook her head, her dark hair swished seductively around her shoulders and he inwardly groaned that he even noticed. “It’s not likely. I work with a lot of the same people, but every six months I’m on a new team in a new location. Everyone I work with has undergone intensive psychological evaluations. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but it is improbable.”

Braden rubbed a hand over his face. “I know it is. I just wanted to cover all our bases. It’s got to be someone we both know anyway. And after what happened to your therapist…this is getting too personal,” he muttered.

A sharp knock on the glass door interrupted them.

Detective Isaacs stepped in. She nodded once at Lilly then focused on him. “I just got a call from Laura King that Mallory Spinoza hasn’t opened up her yoga studio this morning.”

He shook his head. “And she thinks that warrants a police emergency?”

“Mallory’s car is in the parking lot. It could mean nothing, but didn’t you guys date or something?”

He risked a quick glance at Lilly and nodded. “We went out once.” The one date had certainly been memorable though. Mallory had gotten plastered on margaritas and thrown up in his truck. Then she’d offered to give him a blow job while he was driving.

“You want me to head down there and check it out?” Vanessa asked.

“Nah, I’ll go.” Today was supposed to have been his one day off, but that obviously wasn’t going to happen. “Lilly, want to come with me and I’ll take you to get your rental from there?” He could have left her at the station or had someone else take her to get her car, but every primal instinct he possessed wouldn’t let him. She was involved with this and he needed to keep her close.

She nodded quickly. “That works.”

Hudson Bay wasn’t that big so most of the stores and businesses were located off Main Street. The drive was short and as they pulled into the parking lot, Lilly pointed to a small red car. “Is that hers?”

“Yeah.” The two-door vehicle sat by itself in a corner of the lot and a few other people loitered by the back door. As far as Braden knew, Mallory kept her studio open seven days a week. She opened later on Sunday, but she was religious about her job.

As soon as he stepped out of his truck, Laura King confronted him.

“Something’s wrong, Sheriff. I just know it.”

“Now calm down—”

“I found this by her car.” She shoved a black compact at him. “This is hers and it’s expensive. I know she wouldn’t have just left it lying there.”

“All right. I’m going to need you to get back in your cars. All of you.” He raised his voice a few notches as a group of four other women started to cluster behind Laura.

He was surprised when they silently marched back to their vehicles. Of course, none of them actually got into their cars.
That
didn’t surprise him. What was he going to do, arrest them?

Lilly rounded the vehicle with a frown etched on her face. “Do you have a key to this place?”

He scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. “No. I’m just gonna have to break a window or call a locksmith.”

“I can try picking the lock…if you want.”

“You can do that?”

She shrugged. “One of the guys I work with taught me how. I’m not a pro or anything, but it might save you a repair bill.”

He glanced over at the group of women huddled together. The sooner they got this over, the better. “Why not?”

Braden covered Lilly as best he could while she jimmied the lock. He wasn’t sure if he should be worried or impressed that she carried a lock pick set in her purse. Even though she said she was an analyst, she almost acted like a field agent. She carried a SIG and she could pick locks? For some reason, he found that incredibly sexy.

He swiveled back toward her when he heard the click of the metal lock sliding out of place.

She straightened when she was finished. “How are we going to do this? Am I going in with you?”

Considering the weapon she carried he figured she could take care of herself. Under normal circumstances he’d leave her outside but after what they’d just learned about her therapist he didn’t want her out of his sight for even a moment. “Yeah.” He waited until they were inside to draw his weapon.

She did the same.

As they crossed the lobby, his skin tingled. It wasn’t something he could put his finger on, but experience told him that something was wrong.

“You smell that?” Lilly whispered.

Nodding, he continued through the lobby toward the open studio. It was something he’d smelled when he’d been in the Marines, in Afghanistan. There wasn’t a single word to describe the putrid, acrid stench, but he knew what it was.

Death.

It permeated the air like the smell of rotten food.

“Why don’t you stay out here?” he murmured.

Lilly snorted under her breath and he didn’t bother arguing. At the arched entrance to the open studio, he jerked to a halt.

“Shit.” Lilly breathed out the word as she peered around Braden.

Mallory Spinoza’s lifeless body hung against the wall, suspended by some sort of ropes. A thick mass of dark blood pooled below her dangling feet.

“She probably died this morning,” Lilly said quietly.

They wouldn’t know until Hailey ran the autopsy, but he guessed Lilly was right. Everything about the scene was too fresh. “Come on,” he ordered, needing to get away from the body.

Without waiting for a response, he headed back toward the main door. By the time they were outside, he noticed how pale Lilly was. “You okay?”

“I’ve seen worse. I’ll be fine.” Her voice was monotone and she sure as hell didn’t look fine, but he didn’t comment.

“You mind covering the door while I get rid of them?” He nodded toward the growing crowd.

“Of course not.”

Braden gritted his teeth as he crossed the parking lot. Things had just gone from bad to worse and there wasn’t a big chance he’d be able to keep this murder out of the news anymore. Mallory lived alone, just like the other victims, but she was a well-known face in the community. And she had a lot of family. There was no way in hell he was going to be able to keep this quiet.

He was glad he hadn’t eaten breakfast this morning because he wasn’t sure he’d have been able to keep it down. Seeing Mallory like that made it hard to keep his professional face on. Everything about these killings was brutal, sadistic and too damn personal.

When Lilly saw a media crew pull into the already full parking lot, she fished her NSA badge out of her purse and hung it around her neck. She wasn’t exactly worried about someone writing an expose on police impropriety but just in case this ever went to trial, Lilly didn’t want Braden taking heat for letting her on the scene without proper ID.

Hailey was inside with Detective Isaacs and Braden was deep in conversation with one of the officers. They’d roped off most of the parking lot with crime scene tape but they hadn’t dispersed the crowd. Just the opposite in fact, it was growing by the second.

And no one but her seemed to notice the tall blonde in the red skirt and matching jacket who ducked under the tape and was making a beeline for Lilly.

Lilly stepped in front of the glass door and crossed her arms over her chest. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Lilly Carmichael. Well, well, look who’s come home.” The woman’s words dripped with unexpected sarcasm.

Lilly narrowed her gaze. The woman looked slightly familiar but she couldn’t place her. She ignored her statement and took a step forward, forcing the blonde to move back. “Again, what are you doing?”

The woman rolled her eyes and held out a tape recorder. “What does it look like? I’m here to cover the story.”

After Lilly had been rescued in Africa she’d been harassed by reporters at the airport in Djibouti, when she’d touched down in D.C. and then for weeks afterward. Even talking to a reporter left a bitter taste in her mouth. Not to mention the woman still hadn’t identified herself and that just pissed Lilly off. “Get behind the tape and tell your crew they better not get any ideas either. You don’t have the authority to be here. That yellow tape means this is a crime scene.” She spoke slowly, enunciating each word as if the woman was a small child.

“What gives you the authority to tell me what to do?”

Lilly adjusted her arms so that her badge was visible. She didn’t respond because she didn’t want to actually establish that she was working with the Hudson Bay County Sheriff’s Office. The Department of Defense logo across the top of her badge spoke volumes all by itself.

“Well…” The woman’s voice trailed off as she glanced around. She turned back to Lilly and her face split into a wide grin. “We’ll just see about that.”

She followed the other woman’s gaze to see Braden barreling down on them and he did not look happy. Tall, blonde and bitchy obviously didn’t have as much clout as she thought.

“Braden, this woman is trying to tell me I need to leave.” The other woman’s saccharine sweet voice grated on Lilly’s nerves. Not to mention the way she said Braden’s name was far too intimate for Lilly’s taste. She’d never been the jealous type but she could practically feel herself growing claws.

“This
woman
is right. Why the hell would you think it would be okay to contaminate a crime scene? Get back behind the tape.”

Lilly’s eyes widened when the other woman shrugged and not-so-subtly adjusted her cleavage. “I didn’t think you’d mind.”

“You need to clear out of here
now,
” Braden said through gritted teeth.

The woman looked from Braden to her and then back. Lilly smothered a smile when she huffed away and started ordering her cameraman around.

“Friend of yours?” she asked, not bothering to keep the amusement out of her voice.

His brows furrowed. “I can’t believe you don’t remember her. That’s Rebecca King.”

“Rebecca who…oh. Wow, she looks different.” In high school she’d been about fifty pounds heavier and her hair had been curly, not stick straight. She’d always been nice as far as Lilly remembered. “What’s her problem?”

Braden shrugged and averted his gaze.

“Oh my God, don’t tell me you dated her too?”

“Hell no!” His response was so instantaneous and heated she believed him.

Not that Lilly cared one way or another. Or at least that’s what she tried to tell herself. “What were you talking to Officer…”

“Officer Jordan. He said he thought he saw a gray truck in the parking lot next door earlier this morning, but he didn’t pay attention to the license plate.”

“Does he remember the make or model?”

“Two door Chevy. He thinks. Maybe about a decade old.”

She bit back a sigh of disappointment. “So that narrows it down to about half the town.”

“Exactly.”

A tap on the door caused them both to turn. With a grim expression, Hailey motioned with her gloved hands. Once they were inside, Braden locked the door behind them.

“We’re done cataloguing everything. Before we cut her down I’d like Lilly to take another look at her body.” Hailey focused her attention on Lilly. “That is if you don’t mind. I know you’re an analyst or something, right?” When Lilly nodded, she continued. “It couldn’t hurt to get a fresh set of eyes.”