But then most of the women in the Madaris family knew their way around the kitchen—the men as well, thanks to Mama Laverne’s mandatory cooking classes. He’d been forced to take her cooking class. And although he had resented it at the time, he appreciated it later. He wasn’t the casserole chef that Luke
was, but he could hold his own. Kenna always complimented him on the meals he made for her.
He glanced over at her. As usual she looked beautiful, and he’d made sure she had gotten a good night’s sleep. He was glad of that.
“You okay?” he asked her softly.
She glanced up at him and smiled. “Yes. What about you?”
He chuckled. “I couldn’t be better.”
Even though they slept late, they’d dressed quickly and still made it to church before the preacher’s sermon. After church they returned home and took a nap before getting dressed to come to his grandparents. He felt good. No—he felt great. At the moment, he couldn’t be better.
Without warning he stopped walking and pulled Kenna into his arms. He kissed the surprised look off her face and deepened the kiss when he heard her soft moan of acceptance and surrender. He hadn’t realized until now how much he enjoyed kissing, but that was only because it was Kenna.
He heard several family members clearing their throats, and for a while he ignored them. But when it seemed they wouldn’t stop, he gave up. He released Kenna’s mouth as he held her around the waist and glanced toward his grandmother’s doorway where Corbin, Lee and Nolan stood. From the looks on their faces, they seemed rather amused.
“Aunt Carrie said not to give her neighbors something to talk about by kissing Kenna in the front yard, Reese,” Lee said, grinning. “I’ve heard of kissing cousins but never kissing friends—must be a new thing.”
Reese glanced down and saw the blush that appeared on Kenna’s face and thought it was priceless. “Don’t mind them,” he whispered. “They’re just jealous. Come on. Let’s tell everyone our good news.”
It was only when everyone was seated at the dinner table a half hour later that Reese, with Kenna sitting by his side, got
everyone’s attention by tapping his glass with his knife. Everyone got quiet and looked at him expectantly.
He smiled at the people gathered around the table who meant everything to him—his family. “I just want to say that a few days ago, when we met at Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Marilyn’s home, my mother asked me a question that I did not answer.” He smiled in his mother’s direction. “Do you want to ask me the question again, Mom?”
Kenna sat next to Reese and tried to steady her heartbeat. They had talked about it earlier, and knew they wanted his parents, grandparents and brothers to know first. But it seemed fitting that his cousins, who were more like brothers, should hear the news as well.
“Yes, Reese,” his mother said, smiling as she glanced from Reese to Kenna. “Something you did that night made us think that perhaps there was more going on between the two of you than friendship. Is there?”
Reese reached out and captured Kenna’s hand in his. A smile touched his lips when he gazed over at Kenna before turning to his mother. “Yes, Mom, Kenna and I love each other. I’ve asked her to marry me and she’s accepted.”
Pandemonium broke out at the table and it was hard for Reese to decipher who was the happiest—his parents, grandparents, brothers or cousins. They all adored Kenna.
“About time,” his grandfather roared after his father brought the table back to order. But that was only after everyone had given the couple congratulatory hugs.
“Mama said the two of you were more than friends and were just pulling our legs,” his grandfather continued, beaming proudly.
Reese shook his head. “In all honesty, Grandpa, we were only friends. Things changed once we began living under the same roof.”
“You came to your senses.” His father laughed. “Just like Luke did with Mac.”
“And we can’t forget Clayton and Syneda,” his grandmother chimed in.
“Yes, Madaris men might be slow at times, but in the end they prove just how smart they are,” his mother added.
Reese lifted Kenna’s hands to his lips, agreeing that his mother just might have something there.
Alex looked across the room at the four people assembled in his office and shook his head. Tori had been the bait, but other than the two cowboys who Drake had scared out of their wits, their trap had yielded nothing. It was the same with Trevor and Ashton.
“I can’t believe the number of women out at night alone,” Trevor said, shaking his head. “You wouldn’t know that a serial killer was on the loose in the Houston area. We did surveillance at the mall last night and you wouldn’t believe how many women were out shopping alone.”
“More than one woman tried coming on to me as I walked around the Galleria. For all they knew, I could have been the serial killer,” Ashton said in disgust.
“You know why,” Tori said. “They don’t think it will happen to them. They just can’t fathom being a victim.”
Ashton started pacing. “He’s going to strike again. I can feel it.” He turned to Alex. “What have you come up with since we last met?”
“It seems what we have is a killer who’s as careful as he is methodical. He never leaves any forensic evidence and it seems he never kills his victims in the same place that they’ve been abducted. He takes them somewhere else, kills them and then dumps their bodies.”
Ashton nodded. “That would account for why there’s so
little evidence left behind, since he moves his victims from the abduction site.”
Alex nodded. “I had a chance to speak with Professor Lawrence, a renowned criminology expert who has profiled serial killers. He’s been studying the Shoe Killer and thinks the reason he targets women and takes their shoe may have something to do with his childhood experiences. The shoe is a symbol of some kind. He was probably abused as a child. And chances are he never got over it.”
Sir Drake lifted a brow. “He has a vendetta against a damn shoe?”
“Yes, and that includes the woman wearing it.”
No one said anything for a moment. “I still can’t understand why he hasn’t attracted any attention,” said Trevor. “How is he able to just blend in?”
Alex leaned forward in his chair. “I don’t think it’s a matter of blending in. I think women probably feel comfortable around him, they feel they can trust him.”
“Even after all the media coverage?” Drake said.
“Yes. You heard what Ashton said. Even with a serial killer out there, women were still coming on to him at the mall,” Alex said.
“But Ashton is the exception,” Tori said, grinning. “He’s attractive, so women will take their chances.”
She paused a moment. “I agree with Alex,” she said. “Whoever this guy is, he’s a person who presents himself as nonthreatening, someone a woman feels she can let her guard down with and trust. Ted Bundy lured women because of his smile and his easy manner. It wouldn’t surprise me if this guy has some kind of professional job like a lawyer, a doctor, a college professor, or he might even be a wealthy businessman. It’s a sad commentary, but some women don’t take precautions when it’s an attractive, seemingly well-mannered guy.”
“I hear what you’re saying, Tori,” Trevor interjected. “But
I think he may have some sort of military training or is very athletic. You can’t convince me that none of these women fought back.”
Everyone got quiet again. “I’m having the gum wrappers analyzed,” said Alex. “I couldn’t believe the authorities in Miami and Minneapolis didn’t take a closer look at that evidence. Plus, there was some sort of chalky substance on the clothing of several of the murder victims that I’m having analyzed as well.”
Tori arched her brow. “And why wasn’t it analyzed before?”
Alex shrugged. “It was, but was later dismissed as nothing important to the case. I’m having it examined again.” He paused. “Also, I have recently discovered something else that’s interesting.”
“What?” Trevor asked, lifting his head.
“There’s a man working for Reese who was hired just about a month ago.”
Trevor’s gaze sharpened. “Reese?”
“Yes. I saw him at Reese’s ranch yesterday. There’s something about him that’s familiar. I’ve seen him before. I’m certain of it, but I can’t recall where.”
“Did you check him out?” asked Sir Drake, his curiosity piqued.
“Christy is handling it. So far we can’t find anything on him. Good or bad,” Alex said.
“Christy’s good,” Tori said thoughtfully. “If there’s anything out there, she’ll find it.”
“And I have,” Christy said, walking into the room looking rather smug. “I think all of you need to read this report.”
Lynette sat at the restaurant with her partner, who’d been working undercover with her for a week. He was new to the department, a rookie by the name of Gus Ingram. They had gone to an Astros game, and after driving around posing as a couple and checking out several places, they’d decided to grab
something to eat. Things were pretty quiet, other than a few people hanging around after the Astros win. No one was in a hurry to go home.
“I’m going to step outside a minute to call my mother to check on my little girl,” Lynette said, grabbing her cell phone out of her purse. “I’ll be back by the time our order is ready.”
“Okay.”
She smiled. Gus was okay was far as rookies were concerned, but she would have preferred a partner with more experience. Lynette stood not too far out of Gus’s sight. She was near the restaurant entrance away from the door. She had just ended the call and was about to head back inside when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and for a brief moment recognized the face. Suddenly she felt a hand covering her mouth. The last thing she remembered was a hard blow to the back of her head.
Chapter 27
“Y
ou look happy, sweetheart,” Reese said, opening the door to let Kenna inside once they’d returned home from the family dinner.
She gazed up at him. “I am. And it’s all your fault. I think your mother is happy, too. She kept telling me over and over how much she wanted to help me plan the wedding. It means a lot to me, since I don’t have any family.”
Reese locked the door and then crossed the room, pulling Kenna into his arms. “But you do. You’ve always had me, and you had my family even when we were just friends.”
Kenna nodded. A part of her had always known that.
“And speaking of weddings, don’t you think we need to plan one before my family takes over and plans it for us? I seem to recall that you mentioned you didn’t want a huge wedding and that you’d much prefer a small one.”
She chuckled. “Yes, but is that possible with your family?”
“It’s possible if that’s what we want.”
At that moment Kenna was overflowing with love for Reese. He was close to his family, but he was willing to do whatever made her happy. But nothing could make her happier than being his wife, so she wanted a huge wedding so that everyone could be there to share in their joy. She was about to tell him that when his cell phone rang.
“Umm, I wonder who’s calling,” Reese said, fishing his cell phone out of his back pocket. He smiled. “It’s Clayton.”
“Yes, Clayton, what’s going on?”
“The womenfolk got cabin fever, so we thought we would take them to Sisters, if you and Kenna want to join us.”
It would be a good time for them to announce their engagement to the rest of the Madaris family and friends.
“I’ll check with Kenna, but that sounds like a plan.”
Lynette slowly came to and winced at the pain from the whack on her head. It was dark and she was lying in a cramped space. It was then that she realized where she was and what was going on.
Oh, my God! I’m inside the trunk of a moving car.
She closed her eyes, remembering bits and pieces of what had happened. She’d stepped outside the restaurant to make a call to her mother to check on Aleena, and she’d been hit on the head. But how could that be? She’d felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around as recognition slowly dawned.
She drew in a deep breath and coughed when she inhaled the exhaust fumes from the car. She wiggled her hands free, grateful that the man hadn’t taken the time to securely bind her wrists. The trunk wasn’t very big, but she was able to shift her body around. Recalling her police academy training, she began feeling around for anything she could use to escape.
It didn’t matter that the car was in motion. She didn’t plan to be inside the trunk when her abductor reached his destination. She knew that if she didn’t escape, she would likely be killed.
Her heart began beating faster and she tried not to think about the situation she was in. She knew the identity of the Shoe Killer and he was planning to make her his next victim. She would never see her little girl again, her mother, her family, her…
She shifted her body again, refusing to think of what could happen. He had everyone fooled and he certainly wasn’t who he appeared to be. It was up to her to escape. She was good at reading people, but this time she hadn’t picked up on anything.
She refused to give up and used her fingers to locate the latch to release the trunk. She felt something, like a small flashlight. Gripping it tightly with her hands, she removed the panel covering the taillight and with all the force she could muster, she began smashing it out. It was then that she saw the cable that connected the latch to open the trunk. She pulled the cable, and the trunk latch clicked. She hoped and prayed that the killer was unaware that she’d succeeded in unlocking the trunk. She opened it slightly.
The vehicle was moving fast, and she knew she was taking a big chance. But she also knew if she remained in the trunk she was in greater danger. She would wait a few minutes to see if he slowed down just a bit, and then she’d take her chances. The opportunity came a few seconds later. She drew in a deep breath, said a quick prayer and jumped out of the trunk, tumbling into the darkness and onto the street, hitting the pavement hard. She saw a car’s blinding headlights coming straight toward her and caught her breath. The driver slammed on the brakes within a foot of her. He jumped from the car. “Hey lady, are you okay? What happened?”