The Shark (Forgotten Files Book 1) (14 page)

Darla’s phone rang as she sat in a borrowed blue Chevy truck, staring up at the two women standing outside the diner. She knew them both. Sandy and Cassie. They worked for Tony.

“Yo,” she said into the phone. “What do you need?”

“I’m looking for a girl.” The deep voice sounded raspy.

The man’s voice was new to her but that didn’t mean much. She’d put up new ads on the Internet last week before Vicky got herself killed and Jax messed up Jo-Jo. “What kind?”

“Young. Dark hair.”

“When do you need her?” She didn’t have any girls now, but there was always a girl to be found on the street. She could be nice when it suited, and if the girl needed drugs or a meal, then convincing her to work could be easy.

“Tomorrow. I’m having an overnight party.”

“Overnight will cost you a grand.”

“That’s a lot.”

“If you can’t afford it, stop wasting my time.”

“All right, a grand. But she’s mine for the night. And she has to have dark hair and wear a yellow dress.”

She never questioned a john’s special request. Her job was to find him what he wanted. “Sure. No problem.”

They agreed to meet and she hung up.

As if Jax were sitting beside Darla, caution whispered in her ear. That damn Vicky had gotten herself killed and the cops were swarming around. Selling another girl now was asking for trouble. But a grand was enough money to get her and Jax out of the state as soon as he made bail and they could took care of that bitch cop and Jo-Jo.

She sniffed and took another drag before tossing her cigarette out the window. She glanced in the mirror and practiced her smile. The girl by the diner, Cassie, was a blonde, but that was easily fixed. She also belonged to Tony, but he would cut a deal with her if the money was right.

Shuffle of poker chips. Cigar smoke. Plush velvet. She lay on the soft couch, her brain addled with drugs. She had discovered too late the water she drank was laced with something. Who had drugged her? And why?

As much as she struggled to study the faces of the people around her, their features faded into a haze of blurred beige ovals.

The hum of male conversation pulled her attention toward her left. They were fuzzy, distant shapes. There were two, maybe three men. She couldn’t tell. Couldn’t see well enough to figure anything out.

“She’s waking up.”

“Give her more,” one of the men said. “We don’t need trouble.”

“Where am I?” she whispered. She was rolled onto her back and her sleeve shoved up past her elbow. Eyes narrowing, she stared into the featureless face looming over her.

Dark eyes. Pale skin. She was looking at the face of a ghost.

“Help me,” she whispered.

“This is the best help for you,” the ghost said. “It’ll keep you out of trouble and maybe, if you’re really lucky, alive.” A needle pricked her arm, its sharp point plunging below the surface. Only seconds passed before her mind fogged and her thoughts became disjointed. Her vision went black.

Riley sat up in bed, swallowing a scream. Shoving her hand through her dark hair, she gulped in air and stared at the shadows dancing across her small bedroom. Gripping the sheets, she clung to the familiar. The chair covered in a dark-blue pattern, the quilt neatly folded and draped over it. A few pieces of jewelry from her grandmother lined along her dresser.

She glanced at her trembling hands. For an instant she felt helpless. Lost. It took a few seconds before the haze of sleep passed and her thoughts sharpened.

A knock on her door had her sitting a little straighter. “Riley?” Hanna said.

She cleared her throat. “Yes?”

“You all right?”

“I’m fine.” She looked at the time displayed on her phone. It was minutes after two in the morning.

Hanna cracked the door, letting light from the hallway spill into the room. “I heard you cry out.”

Running her hand through her hair, she mustered a half smile. “I had a dream. You know how I’m always chasing bad guys, and sometimes I relive it during the night. Nothing to be worried about.”

The light behind Hanna cast a warm glow and helped settle her. “You’ve never done that before.”

“There’s always a first time.” Realizing her explanation wasn’t dispelling Hanna’s worry, she added, “I get worked up when I’m in a foot pursuit. And in my dreams I was chasing three guys.”

“Three? Really?”

“It was a dream, but they were armed. They were ready to shoot. I had to choose which one to go after first.”

“Okay. That’s too much of a riddle for me at two a.m. See you in the morning.”

The door closed but Riley didn’t lie back on her pillow. Instead she waited, listening for Hanna’s footsteps and the light under her door to click off.

Years had passed since she’d had that dream. Vicky’s death and Bowman’s reappearance had jostled loose too many skeletons from the shadows. She’d dearly love to shove them all out of sight but knew it wouldn’t happen tonight.

She tossed off her blankets and crossed to a small desk where she kept her laptop. She opened it. There’d been no time to research Bowman today. Too much happening.

In the search engine she typed:
Clay Bowman. Shield Security. FBI. Hostage Rescue Team.

A second passed before several listings on Shield Security materialized, but nothing on Bowman. That didn’t surprise her.

When he had been a part of the training team at Quantico, he was the quietest of all her instructors. He would stand, arms crossed, watching and speaking only when someone needed assistance. She learned through the class grapevine that his wife had died, and that softened her heart toward him and made her want to help. She had been naive enough to think she could make an immediate difference in his life. But his wounds ran bone deep and she’d learned the hard way that they were far from healed.

When she’d gone to his motel room, she knew she was throwing common sense to the wind but sensed he was as drawn to her as she was to him. So when she knocked and he opened the door, she stood her ground as he glared down at her. It had taken all her courage to kiss him. Bowman said nothing, but she felt his response. For a split second she thought he’d send her packing, when suddenly he pulled her into the room and kissed her back.

His touch unleashed a passion that made her knees weak. When he turned her to face the bureau mirror, she’d never wanted anyone more in her life.

As his calloused hands slid up under her shirt and cupped her breasts, he teased her nipple through the sheer fabric of her bra. Teeth nipped at the skin on the side of her neck. When she reached for the snap on her pants, she felt the energy and urgency in his touch as he slid his hands over her hips. He pushed her pants and panties down and slowly entered her. Their gazes locked in the mirror.

“Are you okay?” he whispered.

“Yes.”

He thrust inside her with an intensity that shattered the walls she’d built around herself.

Only later when she relived the moment, trying to understand why he’d asked her to leave, did she realize he’d never spoken her name. She shook off the memory.

She checked the time. Several more hours to go before the alarm went off at seven and she would have to drag Hanna out of bed for her track practice. Wide-awake and with no hope of getting back to sleep, she rose, shrugged off her nightgown, and tugged on her gym clothes. Cooper glanced up from his crate, but when she didn’t signal they didn’t have to work, he curled back up to sleep. She carried her running shoes and laptop into the kitchen and fired up the coffeemaker.

While toasting a frozen bagel, Riley thought about last night’s meal she’d shared with Bowman. She hated leaving good food on the table. No matter how many years had passed, she never forgot the raw gnawing of hunger dished out to her by the streets. Since those days, she never wasted food. God, the steak on her plate had been so tender she could have cut it with a blunt knife. And she’d left most of it. Damn.

Finishing the last of the bagel, she moved to her computer. She typed:
serial killer
,
New Orleans
, and
strangled girls
. Everything and nothing popped up, so she added the date from twelve years ago. A few references hit that briefly mentioned four girls, all minors, found dead. Strangled. Because the girls were underage, their names were never released. The bodies were all displayed in places where they could be easily found. There were no follow-up stories.

All victims matched a similar description. Dark hair, dark eyes, between sixteen and seventeen, and all runaways. Just like her.

None of the articles mentioned playing cards discovered at any of the crime scenes. That made sense. Always a smart idea for cops to keep a few facts undisclosed that only the killer knew.

Absently, her fingertips now went to her neck. There’d been no sign of bruising on her neck. The needle marks had healed on her arm. Now, she almost doubted it had happened. But the playing cards didn’t lie. They were the evidence that she’d been taken.

She opened the bogus social media page she’d created to see if Darla had reached out. Four more of her friend requests had been accepted but nothing from Darla.

The alarm on her phone sounded, startling her back to the present. She went into Hanna’s room. “Rise and shine. It’s time to get up.”

“It’s Saturday.”

“You said you wanted up early for the run practice.”

Hanna groaned and turned on her side. “Five more minutes.”

“It doesn’t work that way. Five more minutes always leads to five more, and besides, you never really fall back to sleep. It just prolongs the inevitable.”

Hanna pulled the blanket over her head. “Stop making sense.”

“I’ll make you a coffee. Want a bagel?”

“With extra cream cheese.”

Hanna’s pouty voice made Riley smile. She sounded like a regular teenager, which was a good thing. “Coming up.”

Fifteen minutes later, Hanna emerged from her shower. She was dressed and her hair was pulled back. She sat at the table and took several sips of the hot coffee. “So how many more days do you have off?”

“Three.”

She bit into the bagel. “Are you actually taking time off?”

“Sorta.”

“Meaning no.” She took another bite and chewed. “I read about that strangled girl. Did you see her?”

Riley rinsed out her cup and put it in the strainer by the sink. “I did.”

“Was it awful?”

“It was. In a nutshell, don’t talk to strangers.”

“You say that all the time.”

“I mean it. Is Mrs. Taylor picking you up today?”

“No. Julia is skipping practice.”

“So you’re driving yourself? Do you have enough gas in your car?”

She took another mouthful of bagel. “Put ten dollars’ worth in yesterday.”

“Chew and then speak.”

Hanna rolled her eyes, chewed, and made a show of swallowing.

“I’ll see you this afternoon.”

Hanna saluted. “Roger that.”

Riley gave Hanna a quick hug as she passed. She was a step from her room when her phone chimed the arrival of a text. She glanced at it. Clay Bowman. “Damn it.”

“What?” Hanna called.

“It’s a guy who is proving to be a big pain in my ass.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Saturday, September 17, 9:00 a.m.

Bowman arrived in front of the medical examiner’s office first thing in the morning. Shield had called in favors and gotten him this weekend interview with the pathologist who’d performed Vicky Gilbert’s autopsy.

Riley pulled up in her SUV. Out of the vehicle, her jacket flapped open as her heeled boots landed with hard, determined strides across the parking lot. Annoyance sharpened her dark eyes as her gaze speared him. “Mr. Bowman.”

“Riley.”

They each showed their IDs to the guard and moved toward the elevators. Riley kept pace, double-timing it to match his long strides across the lobby. When the elevator doors closed behind them, Bowman hit the “Stop” button, freezing the car in place. Her eyes bored into him, oblivious to the limited personal space in the elevator.

“We’re on the same side, Riley. I need your help.”

“Right.”

“I’m here to help.”

“Or to impede?”

“Careful,” he warned. He released the button and the elevator descended, the doors opening to the cool antiseptic air of the medical examiner’s offices and Joshua Shield.

Shield was dressed in his trademark dark suit with his shock of white hair combed off his angled face. He strode straight to them, his attention riveted on Riley. Dark eyes collected and inventoried details quickly. “Trooper Tatum. I’m Joshua Shield.”

“I recognize you from your press pictures.”

Bowman noticed that most people were intimidated by Shield. They dropped gazes, shuffled feet, or fidgeted in some way. Not Riley. She glared at him as if he were a rookie intern late for his first briefing.

Shield extended his hand to her. “Nice to finally meet you,” he said. “Mr. Bowman speaks well of you.”

Clasping hard, she held his gaze.

“Solving this case is a team effort,” Shield said.

Smiling, she shook her head. “We’ll see.”

Bowman gave her props for not pulling punches.

“Consider the advantages of my expertise,” Shield said. “My company resources helped you in the past.”

“You were an uninvited guest that I could have managed without.”

He grinned as if enjoying the sparring.

Before he could respond, Dr. Kincaid appeared. She wore a lab coat and glasses that covered slightly bloodshot eyes.

“Dr. Kincaid,” Bowman said. “We appreciate you meeting us. Sorry to get you out of bed so early on a Saturday morning.”

“Mr. Bowman, Mr. Shield, you gentlemen have friends in powerful places.” Calm and unruffled, she extended her hand to both.

Shield shook her hand. “We help each other out when we can.”

Dr. Kincaid glanced at Riley. “I’m assuming Agent Sharp called you.”

“No, it was Mr. Bowman. But I contacted Agent Sharp.”

“Good,” Dr. Kincaid said. “Follow me.” She led them down the long hallway and pushed through a set of double doors. “I understand you also want to see Vicky Gilbert’s body.”

“Correct,” Shield said.

“Your timing is fortuitous. The funeral home is picking up her remains in a couple of hours. Her mother opted for cremation.”

“And you’ve done a complete exam?” Shield asked.

“I have. I’ve collected enough samples so that we can run any kind of test conceivable in the future if necessary. The Gilbert family is anxious to have a memorial service.”

“Their daughter ran away from home over a month ago and they didn’t call the police or try to find her,” Riley said. “What’s the big rush now?”

A slight shift in Riley’s tone could have made her sound bitter. But she kept her voice monotone, effectively hiding any potential anger or resentment.

Bowman reached in his pocket and removed a slip of paper. “Dr. Kincaid, I’d like you to test for this sedative.”

“Propofol? That’s a very powerful narcotic and I don’t see it often.”

“If we’re dealing with the man we suspect is the killer, this is likely the drug he used on his first four victims. This killer is a creature of habit. The sedative is one of his signatures.”

Dr. Kincaid folded the note and tucked it in her lab coat pocket. “I’m already testing for Rohypnol thanks to Trooper Tatum’s suggestion.”

“You suggested it?” Bowman asked.

Riley met his gaze. “It made sense to test for drugs, including this particular one, which is common with sex offenders.”

Dr. Kincaid crossed to a bank of square refrigerator cubbies and opened the second one from the left. She pulled a long tray containing a sheet-draped body.

Riley moved toward the body, traces of sadness tugging at her cool facade.

Dr. Kincaid pulled back the sheet and revealed the pale, expressionless face of Vicky Gilbert.

Bowman’s anger sparked as he remembered the bodies he’d seen in New Orleans twelve years ago.

“The victim was eighteen,” Riley said. “By two days.”

“I can tell you from the autopsy that she was in good general health at the time of her death,” Dr. Kincaid added.

“Most of the Shark’s victims experienced some form of abuse before they ran away,” Bowman said. “Young girls like Vicky Gilbert are often the most vulnerable.”

Riley grew so still he wasn’t sure if she was breathing as Dr. Kincaid reviewed the autopsy summary.

“I’ve read about the New Orleans cases,” Riley said, her voice professional. “Many of the girls were missing for days if not weeks before their bodies were found. Mr. Bowman, you might know better than most what he does with them in the interim.”

Bowman pulled back the sheet a little farther, revealing the victim’s neck and the very top portion of the stitched Y incision on her chest. He was including her as much as possible because he wanted her to trust him. “We don’t know. But holding the victims for three days up to two weeks was consistent from case to case.”

Shield folded his arms, his gaze not wavering from the body.

“Was there any sign of sexual abuse in past victims?” Riley asked.

“In several cases it was clear the victims had engaged in intercourse, but there was no bruising. We ran DNA on all the samples and each originated from different persons.”

Riley tapped an index finger against the tray. “That profile fits with this victim, correct, Doctor?”

“That’s right,” Dr. Kincaid said.

“Vicky Gilbert was only missing a couple of days. Her friend Rebecca Wayne was in contact with her via phone two days before her body was found.”

“It appears the Shark is not as patient as he used to be.” Bowman stared at the deep bruising around the victim’s pale neck. How close had Riley come to dying? She wouldn’t like him protecting her. But until this psychopath was caught, Bowman was keeping close tabs on her.

“Did you come across the body of a white male in his early fifties? His name would’ve been Kevin Lewis,” Bowman said.

Dr. Kincaid glanced at Riley. “He came in yesterday.”

Riley stared at Bowman. “We haven’t released his name. How would you know about this?”

“I have it on good information that Mr. Lewis bought Vicky from Jax. I assumed the Shark killed him.”

“Really? Who told you about Lewis?” Riley challenged.

“Jax Carter.”

“He told you?”

“He did.”

Riley muttered an oath. “We found Kevin Lewis yesterday afternoon.”

“Where?” Shield asked.

“About a mile from where we found Vicky Gilbert.”

“How did he die?” Shield asked.

“He was shot,” Riley said. “Agent Sharp is getting a warrant to search his hotel room. It’ll be ready later this morning.”

“I’d like to be present when you do his autopsy,” Bowman said.

The doctor covered Vicky Gilbert’s body and pushed it into the cold cubicle. “That’s up to Agent Sharp.”

“Were there any men found around the time of the New Orleans victims?” Riley asked.

“Never,” Shield said. “We only found the girls. But several gamblers vanished in the Vegas area the summer after the New Orleans cases.”

“These gamblers ran with a rough crowd, but there is no loyalty. It’s understandable that when one disappears, it isn’t always noticed immediately,” Bowman said.

“Nothing guarantees silence like death,” Riley said.

“Please test Mr. Lewis’s DNA for any trace evidence of Vicky Gilbert,” Shield said. “I’d bet money he’s the one who strangled her.”

Dr. Kincaid moved three spaces over and opened another drawer. She pulled out the tray and drew back the sheet. They stared at the pale angled face of a man with neatly cropped hair. “Agent Sharp already ordered DNA on Mr. Lewis to be cross matched with Gilbert.”

“How did he know to look?” Shield asked.

“Lewis was a card player dumped near a dead girl with cards in her pocket,” Riley said. “He doesn’t believe in coincidence.”

Shield’s nod to Bowman conveyed his approval.

“I haven’t autopsied him yet,” Dr. Kincaid said. “I was planning to do that when Agent Sharp arrives shortly.”

Riley pulled out her phone. “I’ll call him to give a heads-up that Bowman will be attending.”

Shield checked his watch. “I’m headed back to the office. Clay, call me if you need anything.”

“Will do.”

Shield turned to Riley, extending his hand. “Been a pleasure.”

She grasped his hand, studying his face as if she were trying to peer behind his neutral expression. “Yes, sir.”

“If it’ll help,” Shield said, “I can offer you and Agent Sharp a briefing of my case notes on the Shark.”

“I’ll mention it to Agent Sharp.”

“I’m at your disposal.”

He released her hand and pushed through the swinging doors.

“I need to call Agent Sharp,” Riley said before turning and moving through the doors.

In the hallway, Bowman watched Riley raise the cell to her ear and pinch the bridge of her nose as she spoke quietly. She shot him an annoyed glance, a sign that Sharp was telling her to cooperate. Shield was already making calls and reeling in favors as he drove north.

Afterward, she looked at him with resignation. Bowman hadn’t expected to be greeted with open arms, but she didn’t attempt friendly.

“The conversation didn’t go well?” he asked.

“Agent Sharp reminded me I can only be a part of this investigation if I play by his rules. And the rules are now that I have to make nice with you.”

“Buy you a cup of coffee?” he asked. “Just don’t throw it on me.”

“Melanie’s Diner has the best.”

“Lead the way.”

A steady rise and fall of her chest tempered some of the tension in her face. “Right.”

He followed her to the elevator.

“The place I’m thinking of is a few miles from here. It’ll be quicker if I drive.”

“Sure.”

Outside, she led him to her SUV. When they sat in the front seat, the smell of rug cleaner and Armor All didn’t mask the scent of Cooper.

“Where’s Cooper?”

“At home. I’ll get him midday. And if I’m running late, Hanna will let him out.” She started the engine.

“He’s one hell of a dog.”

Mention of Cooper softened her tone a bit more. “He’s the best.”

“How often do you train with him?”

“We run through tracking skills at least weekly. We work out together daily.”

This close he noticed the scent of her soap and saw the faint wisps of damp hair by her ear. His text this morning about the autopsy had caught her off guard.

“Your training showed on the mountain. You both are in top form.”

“Thanks.”

He clicked on his seat belt, wondering how she’d put a thousand miles between herself and New Orleans and rebooted her life after she escaped the Shark.

“What else can you tell me about the Shark?” she asked. “How did you and Shield first come across him?”

“We were both working in the New Orleans FBI office when Joshua read about two young girls who were strangled in a one-week period. Both runaways found with playing cards in their pockets.”

“Dead runaways don’t warrant FBI interventions.” Her knuckles whitened as she gripped the wheel.

“He had a daughter once. She went missing when she was a young child. He was never the same after.”

“And when did his interest in the New Orleans case become official?”

“We were called in when the third and fourth girls were found. Again, cards in the pocket.”

Riley’s jaw tightened a fraction. “I did a search on the case. The media picked up the story. It was sensational enough to get some airtime but faded quickly. Has he struck again?”

“No. He’s been dark for twelve years.”

“Until now.”

Until you.

She pulled into the parking lot of an old diner that he’d never have considered as a place that made great coffee.

As if reading his thoughts she said, “Don’t let the looks of the place fool you. It’ll be the best coffee you’ve ever had. And if you aren’t worried about your figure, go for one of the doughnuts. Homemade each morning.”

“Cops and doughnuts. The cliché doesn’t bother you?”

“Not even a little.”

Bells jingled above as they entered the crowded diner. Booths lined the walls and bar stools circled a counter. Each seat was occupied. Riley waved to a hostess and moved to the takeout sign. She ordered two coffees and a doughnut for herself as she drew a slim wallet from her coat pocket. “Is that a yes or a no to the doughnut?”

“Pass.”

“Your loss.” She dropped five bucks on the counter and accepted the two cups. “Cream?”

“Black.”

“Right.” She dumped a sugar packet into her coffee and added a splash of cream. She sipped, closing her eyes and savoring the flavor before moving to a booth that faced out toward the door.

One taste of coffee and Bowman had to admit she’d been right. Damn good. He sat across from her in the booth, watching her bite into the doughnut and clearly enjoy it.

“Do you remember hearing anything about the New Orleans girls when you lived there?” Bowman asked.

She plucked two napkins from the dispenser. “No. I had my hands full with personal matters.” She glanced at him, her gaze darkening with annoyance. “Why do you keep pressing a connection to me and this case?”

“The fact that you were a victim of a crime does not take away from your accomplishments.”