Fatal Desire, Teen Edition (6 page)

“It was just another drunk driver hitting a
telephone pole,” the investigating officer explained.

“I’m not so sure,” replied Derek.

He showed the officer his file and what he
had discovered so far. “I would like to take a look at the car if
possible, have the crime scene techs take a good look at it.”

The office nodded and told Derek where he
could locate the vehicle Ben was driving. Derek had it sent to
Jacksonville as well since the other car was already with that lab.
He called to see if they had made any progress so far.

“We found some paint transfer from another
vehicle on Stinson’s car,” the tech said. “We set up a simulation
of what we believe happened from the damage noted on the car. I’ll
send you the file so you can see for yourself.”

“Thanks man. I appreciate it,” Derek replied
as he hung up the phone.

A few minutes later, Derek’s phone indicated
a video message. He opened and watched the simulation the CSI tech
had sent. It showed a small black car following a small red car. As
the vehicles came to a sharp curve, the black car passed the red
car barely tapping the right front fender. The red car braked and
swerved missing the curve. This caused the red car to flip over
into the steep ditch and the driver to slam his head into the
steering wheel. This is what had caused Josh Stinson to lose his
life.

Derek shook his head. She was cleaver
alright. The authorities had assumed this was an accident but the
paint transfer proved someone had run Josh off the road on
purpose.

He still didn’t understand it. Was she some
sort of black widow? If a man got to close did she try to get rid
of them by causing accidents? But the fire at the gas station had
not been an accident. That man had been brutally murdered. Someone
had locked the door on purpose. Was she really that cold and
calculating?

He had been getting mixed reviews on Amber
Curtis. It was almost as if she had two different personalities.
Once she warmed up to people she was fun and caring. Patients
described her as a wonderful nurse in tune to their every need.
Coworkers described her as hard to get to know. But once she let
her guard down, that is how they put it, she was friendly and
outgoing. None described her as someone who would murder several
people in cold blood.

Derek’s next stop was Amber’s hometown of
Alma. He was careful here. He didn’t want to alert anyone that
Amber was under investigation. He couldn’t take the chance that
someone still kept in touch with her and would let her know he was
asking about her.

Derek researched Amber’s records and learned
of her parent’s death. He also discovered a straight A student and
a hard working nurse whom everyone he came in contact with love,
respected, and missed.

While digging though, Derek also found out
about a number of questionable accidents many of Amber’s coworkers
and friends had been involved in. None had been serious enough to
kill but one car accident had almost taken the life of Amber’s best
friend, Olivia Carnes now Olivia Green. Before Olivia recovered
enough to leave the hospital, Amber had moved to Birmingham.

Something didn’t add up in Derek’s mind. Why
would Amber try to hurt her best friend? Was Amber behind all of
these accidents or was someone framing her?

Derek decided to check in with the lab on Ben
Harrison’s car to see what they had found.

“Look’s like another set up to me, man,” the
tech told Derek. “I found unknown DNA on the passenger side of the
car and on the steering wheel. There is a possibility someone else
was in the car and may have tried to yank the wheel into the
telephone pole. I don’t have anything conclusive because the
evidence is too old to properly evaluate, but there was definitely
a struggle in that vehicle.”

“Alright, thanks,” Derek replied. He sighed
as he hung up his cell and put it back in his pocket. Time to track
down the object of his investigation and see what was really
happening.

Derek shook his head. He had been on this
case for a year now and she was finally on the run again. It had
taken a year for the Mississippi authorities to call in the FBI to
investigate, another six months to gather all his notes from the
places Amber had been, and two more for him to find her in New
Orleans. He had been surprised to learn she had been there over a
year and a half with no incidences.

Derek followed her for four more months
before she took off again. This time after the man she was dating
took a dive off of a cliff. He was still waiting on lab reports
from his death. It looked like an accident but he didn’t believe it
for a minute and he had strict instructions for the coroner to be
as thorough as possible during the autopsy. They were to treat it
as a murder investigation and he had requested full toxicology
reports.

It had been less than forty-eight hours since
the body of Jesse Chunn had been pulled up the cliff and the blond
beauty next door was vacationing on the ocean. Derek didn’t know
what to make of that.

He decided to wait until in the morning to
call the coroner to see what progress had been made. For now, he
would try to get some sleep. The tracking device on Amber’s car
assured him she would not get far if she left again.

♥
Chapter
5
♥

Amber woke with a start. She was still
sitting on the balcony. She must have fallen asleep. She looked at
her cell to see what time it was. 2:30. Amber tried to rub the
stiffness from her neck as she stood to go back into her room. It
was calm and peaceful tonight but she didn’t want to sleep outside.
Besides, she needed to change out of the clothes she had been
wearing all day.

Stepping into the bathroom, Amber turned on
the hot water and took a quick shower to wash away the day’s grime
from traveling. She slipped into a night shirt and curled up in the
hotel bed. Having second thoughts about her plans to travel clear
across the country, Amber sighed. She argued with herself. She had
been to four different states since leaving home and none of them
were far enough away to keep this maniac at bay. Her plan was
solid. She had made a good decision. She would stick to it.

Coming to that conclusion, Amber turned over
to go back to sleep. Only this time, sleep would not come. Amber
crawled out of bed, grabbed one of the paper cups off the bathroom
sink, unwrapped the plastic and filled it with tap water. She then
plodded to her makeup bag and took out the sleeping pills.

Amber hated taking medicines of any kind,
especially sleep aids. But since Olivia’s accident she had to take
them periodically to be able to sleep without seeing all of the
people her stalker had hurt or killed because she had gotten too
close to them.

Amber walked back to the bed and laid down
one more time. She finally drifted off to sleep thinking about
Olivia and the new life growing inside of her. Would she ever get
to meet Olivia’s child?

Several hours later, Amber stretched her way
to wakefulness. She had no plans for today. She decided to just be
lazy. Amber dressed in a pair of slacks and a button up blouse,
slipped on a pair of sandals and went downstairs to find some
breakfast. The hotel provided a full hot breakfast for its guests
daily and Amber decided to take advantage.

Walking into the room, Amber locked eyes with
a tall dark headed stranger. She felt her breath leave her body as
if a fist had slammed into her rib cage. Quickly looking away,
Amber walked to the bar and started filling her plate.

It had been so long since she had been
attracted to a man. Jesse had been nice but she wasn’t physically
attracted to him. She had just been ready to go out in male company
and enjoy the attentions of a man. It had been so long since she
had been able to have that opportunity. She had mistakenly believed
that after two years it would be safe. Wrong again.

Looking up, Amber found herself looking into
blue eyes that she wanted to just get lost in. The stranger had
also stepped up to the bar and was filing another plate with eggs
and bacon.

Amber’s hands started to sweat and she
thought she might drop the plate she was holding. She laid her
plate back down, switched to a plastic go box and decided to eat in
her room.

Avoiding those glorious blue eyes, Amber
filled her plate and grabbed some coffee and all but ran to the
elevator. She didn’t have a clue what she would be eating since she
hadn’t paid any attention to what she was putting on her plate. She
hoped it was edible. Oh well, if not she could find a restaurant
somewhere.

Derek could have kicked himself. What in the
world made him provoke her like that? He had been eating his
breakfast when he looked up and saw her standing in the doorway.
She looked over at him and stopped. He could have sworn he saw a
flash of appreciation in those brilliant green eyes of hers but she
looked away so quickly he couldn’t be sure.

Derek wanted to get closer. He had already
been spotted, no sense in hiding now. He walked over to the bar and
picked up a plate and pretended to fill his again. He studied her.
She had not yet applied her makeup, but she had flawless skin that
didn’t need covering. Blond hair flowed over her shoulders and down
her back. She carried herself like a queen.

Suddenly she looked up at him. This time he
saw raw desire in those eyes and he felt it in his stomach like a
punch to the gut. Before he could turn away, she put her plate back
and began filling a plastic one instead. He almost laughed out
loud. He wondered if she knew she had put gravy on her apples.

Before he could comment, Amber sprinted out
of the room. She was in the elevator faster than he could blink.
“Well, so much for small talk,” he mumbled to himself and walked
back to his table. Derek finished his meal and walked back to his
room.

Gravy on her apples?! You have got to be
joking. She didn’t even remember getting apples or putting gravy on
them. She rolled her eyes at the way she had acted. Had he seen her
poor the gravy over apples? Well at least the eggs were edible so
she wouldn’t starve. But she would definitely have to avoid Mr.
Good Looking Stranger for the rest of her stay.

After eating, Amber walked out of the hotel
and down the strip to see what shops were available. She picked up
a few touristy items and found a book that she would like to read.
Amber walked back to the hotel, dropped off her purchases and took
her book down to the beach.

She plopped down on a beach chair and began
to read. Amber loved to read. She could get lost in the stories and
forget for a little while just what was going on in her own life.
She could pretend for awhile that all was right in her world.

Amber read for a couple of hours then went
back to her room to take a nap. She wanted to be fully rested
before she hit the road again. She couldn’t help think about the
man she saw earlier that morning and wish she had the nerve to
smile and say something witty.

Falling asleep a few minutes later, Amber
dreamed about the stranger. She could see him perfectly. He stood
about six foot three inches and was sculpted as if he had been
carved out of stone. She assumed he must work out on a daily basis
to stay that fit. He had black hair and eyes the color of the deep
part of the ocean outside her balcony door. So blue and dreamy. She
wanted to touch him. Just to run her hands down his arms and chest.
Was it as hard as it looked?

Yes, she thought to herself as she did just
that. In her dream she continued to explore with her hands, running
them over his shoulders and down his chest. Feeling the muscles
ripple as she explored. She had never wanted to do this before. No
one in her life had made her want to just touch and feel.

Amber moaned in her sleep. The dream was so
real. She could smell him. He was wearing just a hint of cologne.
The smell had her wanting to bury her face in his neck and curl
into him. So she did. She sniffed and smiled.

It was a dream. Amber could be as bad as she
wanted. She nipped his earlobe and kissed his neck. She continued
to run her hands over his body as she explored the dark
stranger.

Suddenly, he grabbed her and kissed her until
she couldn’t breathe. Amber moaned again. What were these
sensations she felt in her stomach? She felt sick and hot, but she
knew it wasn’t a real sick feeling. She needed something, but she
wasn’t sure what. Emotions were swirling within her and she needed
him to touch her, but he wouldn’t. Why not?

The stranger seemed to be fading. Amber
called to him but she didn’t know his name. “Where are you going,”
she called. But there was no answer.

Amber jolted awake. She was drenched in sweat
and there was a strange feeling in her belly that she couldn’t
explain. The dream had been so real. She would have to make sure
not to run into that man again. She couldn’t afford for her stalker
to discover her smiling at him or talking with him.

Amber laid back on the bed with a smile on
her face. At least her stalker couldn’t see her dreams.

Derek laid on his own bed. He had just got
off the phone with the coroner and had discovered that Jesse Chunn
had indeed been murdered. He couldn’t have driven himself off that
cliff because his neck had been broken prior to going over the
cliff.

Derek breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t
think the girl he was chasing had the strength or the skill to snap
a man’s neck, especially one the size of Jesse. That meant there
was some other explanation for why she was on the run and why
people around her were dying. He would get to the bottom of it.

First, he had to shake her from his head.
Those eyes of hers could make a man want things he couldn’t have.
And the desire he saw in them made him wish he could take her back
to his place and protect her for the rest of his life.