“I wanted to talk to you about something and to talk to Clark Lovell, but he’s not here and Joe said he hasn’t been back all evening. Any idea where he is?”
Reese rubbed his chin. “No, he’s probably at his place in town, but I have no idea where that is. What’s going on, Alex? This is the second time you’ve inquired about Lovell.”
Reese heard the hesitancy in Alex’s voice before he said, “I’d rather we talk in person, Reese. I’m on my way to where you are.”
“You don’t have to hang around here, Reese. Honestly, I’ll be fine,” Kenna said a short while later when Reese returned with her coffee.
“Doesn’t matter. I’m staying. When you leave here, we leave together.”
Kenna shook her head. She had just explained to Reese that her boss had requested that she stay at the hospital with her sketch pad just in case Lynette came out of her coma sometime during the night. If Lynette said anything, it would be worth it. Kenna had no problem making herself comfortable next to Lynette’s bed, but Reese refused to leave her alone and go home.
“You’re wasting your time, Kenna, if you think you can convince me to leave,” he said. “This whole thing with Lynette has freaked me out. Before, they were women I didn’t know, but now the bastard has hurt someone I do know,” he said.
“Besides, I’m meeting with Alex in a few. He’s on his way here now,” Reese said, interrupting her thoughts.
“Alex?”
“Yes, for some reason he wants to meet with me tonight. It’s something about Clark Lovell.”
Kenna nodded, wondering what it could possibly be about. “Well, I’ll be by Lynette’s bedside most of the night. They’ve stationed an officer right outside the door in case someone tries slipping in.”
Reese brushed a strand of hair from her face. “I know you won’t be able to use your cell phone up here, so I’ll check back with you in an hour or so to see if you want a coffee refill.”
She smiled, appreciating his care and concern. She reached up and placed a kiss on his cheek. “You are a jewel, Reese Madaris, and I plan on keeping you around.”
“There’s no doubt in my mind I’m keeping you, so get to work,” he said, smiling. “I’ll be right downstairs if you need me.”
“All right.” She placed another kiss on his lips before turning to walk in the opposite direction. She stopped long enough to speak to the police officer posted outside Lynette’s room. She smiled at Reese before opening Lynette’s hospital room door and going inside.
Alex was about to get out of his car when his cell phone rang. It was Christy. “Yes, baby, what’s up?”
“That information you were waiting on came through regarding anyone in Houston who purchased that special type of gum. The list is pretty long, so it’s not as unusual as we might have thought.”
He nodded. “Okay, so everyone wants whiter teeth,” he muttered. “How about taking those names and running a check against their employment history to see if any of them just moved to the area? It shouldn’t take long to get the list. You should have it in your hands in less than an hour,” he said.
“All right. Did you see Lovell?”
“No, he’s at his place in town, wherever that is. I’m at the hospital getting ready to talk to Reese.”
“Reese? What’s Reese doing at the hospital?”
Alex took the next few minutes to tell Christy what Reese had told him. “How awful. At least she managed to escape before heavens knows what could have happened to her. The news broadcast said that the woman was an undercover cop, but I didn’t know she was someone Kenna knew personally,” Christy said.
“I can see them wanting to keep Kenna around just in case she comes to. She’s probably the only woman who can positively identify the killer now.”
Alex nodded as he glanced out of his windshield as his mind shifted from what Christy was saying to the figure that was
getting out of a parked vehicle and hurriedly walking toward the hospital entrance.
“Christy, I have to go. Call me back as soon as you get that information.”
Sir Drake glanced at the two men waiting to take their turn at pool. He studied one in particular. “Any reason you’re so restless tonight, Ash?”
Ashton’s hand tightened on the bottle of his beer. There was no reason for him to be anxious, but Drake was right, he was. He had talked to his wife, Nettie, a few moments earlier and knew she had left Sisters and had gotten their triplet sons ready for bed and had planned to retire herself. She was having their daughter in six months and according to her, their little girl was just as active during this pregnancy as her brothers had been. That meant they would definitely have their hands full when she arrived the first of the year.
“Not sure, Drake, but it has something to do with that damn killer. I can feel him.”
Trevor glanced over at Ashton. “You can feel him.”
“Yes.”
Both Trevor and Drake gave Ashton their complete attention. “Why are you feeling him, Ashton? Is someone we know threatened?” Drake said slowly.
Ashton drew in a deep breath. “Not sure.” He pushed the mass of hair that fell to his shoulders aside to rub the back of his neck. “And because I’m not sure, that’s what worries me.”
He asked both men a question. “If you were in the killer’s shoes, knowing the person you tried to snatch was a cop and that every police officer in this city was gunning for you, what would you do?”
“If he’s smart he would lay low for a while and then when the coast is clear, haul ass as far away from Houston as he can,”
Sir Drake said first. Drake paused. “But then we aren’t dealing with a smart killer, are we?”
Ashton shook his head. “No, but we’re dealing with a devious one.”
“He believes every victim counts for something and that it’s his God-given right to take that person’s life in whatever way he sees fit,” Trevor said in a voice that was beginning to sound just as uneasy as Ashton’s.
Ashton put down his beer bottle with a loud thump. “And he’s a bastard who’s never had any victims survive,” he said with concern.
“Especially someone who could finger him,” Sir Drake added, putting down the cue stick.
“I think we need to go to the hospital. Most of the cops are out looking for the killer, and that makes the victim an open target,” Trevor said as they headed out the door.
“We’ll call Alex after we get there and check things out,” Ashton threw over his shoulder.
Chapter 29
C
lark Lovell turned around slowly to confront the person he knew had been following him. His stance was just as deadly as that of the man standing a few feet in front of him. “Is there a reason you’re following me?” he asked with a steely voice.
“I know who you are,” Alex said.
Lovell’s features didn’t change. “I don’t have a clue as to what you’re talking about, stranger.”
Alex made sure he kept his hands out to his side to show Lovell he wasn’t a threat. “I’m no stranger, really. Think back almost fifteen years ago. It was a chance meeting, but one that had a profound effect on me, and the first case I’d ever worked for the Bureau.”
The man’s features changed to a deep frown. “I still don’t have a clue as to what you’re talking about.”
“I think you do. In fact, I
know
you do. You’ve tried changing your appearance, but it wouldn’t take much for someone who was as impressed with you as I was during that time to remember.”
Lovell sized Alex up as the intensity in his gaze deepened. “Who the hell are you?”
A tentative smile touched Alex features. “I’m Alex Maxwell. I was an FBI agent at the time—fifteen years ago. I wanted to be you when I grew up. You hadn’t been an agent for long, but already you were a legend. And it—”
“And it cost me everything!” Lovell said through clenched teeth.
Alex knew what he meant. He had read the report tonight. “I’m sorry. I recently found out that the group you had taken down retaliated by killing your wife and newborn daughter.”
Alex drew in a deep breath, thinking of his wife and daughter. He couldn’t imagine something like that happening. He wouldn’t know how he’d go on after such a tragedy. Lovell, whose real name was Brent Dawkins, had resigned from the Bureau, never to be heard of again.
“Okay, so now you know,” Lovell said. “I died the day I lost my family. Leave me in peace. I’m no longer that person.”
“You sure?”
At that moment the entrance door to the hospital swung open and Reese walked out. “I came out to get some fresh air,” he said.
Reese knew why Alex was there, but he turned a curious look at his employee. “Lovell, what are you doing here?”
Lovell looked at Alex. “Reese is my in-law, and to be quite honest, Lovell, I’m wondering the same thing. What are you doing here?” Alex asked.
The man slowly walked down the hall past several police officers still lounging around. Other than glancing at him and nodding, they didn’t take his presence as of any significance. He smiled. If they only knew.
He continued walking down the hall. He knew exactly what
room she was in. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t be wearing any shoes for him to take something to remember her by.
He rounded the corner and slowed his pace when he saw a police officer stationed directly outside the hospital room door. He shifted directions and went down another hall. He’d assumed once he cleared the officers lounging in the waiting area he would have had clear passage, but he now saw that wasn’t the case. He had to alter his plans. Then he smiled when he thought of something.
Clark looked from Reese to Alex. “Since this is a free country, I don’t have to answer that,” said Clark.
“You do if you want to live,” a deadly voice said from behind. Alex glanced beyond Clark to see Sir Drake seemingly materialize out of nowhere. Not surprisingly, Trevor and Ashton also appeared. Alex shook his head. Sometimes he wondered about those three.
“It’s okay, Drake. He’s not a threat,” Alex said, not taking his gaze away from Lovell.
“So you say,” Trevor said gruffly.
Alex chuckled, still holding Lovell’s gaze. “So I know.”
Reese released a frustrated sigh. “Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?”
“Nothing is going on,” Lovell said in a quiet, yet steely tone. “This guy’s got me confused with someone. A mistake I will accept.”
Alex chuckled. “Any other time I would accept your right to privacy, Dawkins, but not this time. The stakes are too high. Too many women have been killed. You’ve been keeping up with what’s been going on in town. I have proof you purchased a police scanner, which means it’s still in your blood, regardless of what happened.”
Alex paused. “So we can do things one of two ways. “You can meet with the five of us and—”
“The six of us,” an irritated feminine voice said from behind Trevor, Drake and Ashton. None of the three turned, since they knew who the voice belonged to, and recognized the fact that they were in hot water.
Alex tried to keep the smile off his face when he said, “Okay, with the six of us, or I can request that one of those police officers that keep looking over here take you down to headquarters for questioning. Tonight they’re not trusting anyone.”
Lovell lifted his chin and his fiery gaze all but threw sparks at Alex. “Fine,” he snapped. We will talk.”
Then without saying anything else, Lovell turned and continued toward the hospital’s entrance and the others followed.
Kenna found herself dozing and forced herself to wake up, stay alert. She glanced over at the bed where Lynette was resting silently. The doctor who had come in earlier had said she was doing well and breathing on her own, and that although she was still in a comatose state, he expected her to come out of it at some point.
That was what Kenna had needed to hear, and that piece of information had been the only thing that had finally sent Lynette’s parents home. They knew that more than anything Lynette would want them to take care of Aleena and assure the little girl that her mother was fine.
Kenna checked her watch. It was close to two in the morning and Reese was still at the hospital, refusing to leave until she did. He could be such a stubborn man at times, but she smiled, thinking that was one of the reasons she loved him so much. He was loyal to those he cared about, and she knew without a doubt he cared about her.
He had asked her to marry him and she had accepted. Even now, whenever she thought about it she would get goose bumps all over her body, would want to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.
Needing to stretch the kinks out of her body, she placed her sketch pad aside and stood. Earlier a nurse had come in and said things would be rather slow for the rest of the night and asked if she wanted a cot to be brought in. At the time she had declined, but now she wasn’t sure that had been a good idea.
Moving over to the window she gazed out. It was pitch black outside. Earlier the parking lot had been swarming with reporters and police officers. Now there were only a few of each.
Wanting to switch her thoughts to pleasant things again, she recalled last night and how she had spent it in Reese arms, and how she had a feeling that once they were together again, he would make up for tonight, when they were apart.
She slowly turned around when she heard the sound of the hospital room door opening. She pasted a smile on her face when she recognized the person. “Wendell, you’re making rounds pretty late, aren’t you?”
He stopped short and she could tell he was surprised to see her there, standing over in the corner of the room beside the window. And then, as if he’d regained his composure, he stiffened and then said in an all-business and strictly professional tone, “I’m Dr. Thomas.”
The five men and one woman decided to gather in the prayer room that was located next door to the hospital chapel. They felt it would provide the privacy they needed.
Sir Drake sat next to his wife and in a low growl asked, “Where’re my children?”
Tori smiled sweetly at him then answered smartly, “Not home with their father, that’s for sure.”