Unspeakable (28 page)

“Hey, there she is.”

She forced herself to follow Cinco’s gaze across the pool, where a quartet of young women were walking. They wore red, athletically cut bikinis that showed off toned abs and muscular buttocks. One of the four was the owner of a blue Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.

“Which one is she?” Elaina asked, because she had
yet to meet anyone who looked at all like their driver’s license photo.

“Girl closest to the pool,” Cinco said. “You want me to come with you?”

“No. Thanks.” This woman worked at some bar where Cinco hung out, which meant he had a conflict of interest. Elaina would conduct the interview herself. She got up from her stool.

And cut a glance at Troy, still immersed in titillating conversation. She ignored the sting and set off to salvage what was left of an exceedingly crappy day.

CHAPTER 17
 

Jamie Ingram?”

She looked up from her group of friends. “Yeah?”

“Could I talk to you a moment?”

Four pairs of eyes stared up at her curiously. They were seated in the sand, stretching out before their next match.

Jamie’s gaze moved from Elaina’s stitches to her friends, then back to Elaina again. “What about?” she asked.

“It’s kind of private, if you don’t mind.”

She shrugged and stood up, and Elaina led her to a pair of empty lounge chairs near the tiki torches. It wasn’t the quietest spot on the beach, but she wanted some light so she could read this girl’s facial expressions.

Except she wasn’t a girl. She was twenty-three. Old enough to know better than to get involved with the wrong guy.

They sat down, and Elaina could feel the woman checking her out. Elaina adjusted her bikini top. She wore it beneath an untucked, unbuttoned cotton blouse that concealed the Glock in the holster at the small of her back.

Jamie’s gaze lingered on the frayed cuffs of the shorts Elaina had created just a few hours ago from a pair of jeans.

“You’re a cop, aren’t you?” Jamie asked.

“Why do you say that?”

“I don’t know. Why else would you want to talk to me?”

Elaina watched her eyes. She looked wary. Curious. But not nearly nervous enough for someone who had taken part in a murder.

“My name’s Elaina McCord. I’m a special agent with the FBI.”

Jamie pulled back slightly. “What’s going on?”

“Are you aware that your boyfriend’s been taken in for questioning?”

Her startled expression was Elaina’s answer. “What’d he do now?”

“What do you think he did?”

Her lips tightened at this, and Elaina knew she needed to watch her step here.

Elaina leaned back on her palms and looked up and down the beach. “I used to play volleyball,” she said. “I was a hitter. You?”

She waited a moment before answering. “I’m a setter mostly. But four-on-four, we do some of everything.”

Elaina nodded. “And your boyfriend likes to surf?”

Jamie looked at her cautiously. “Surf, skim board, wake board. He likes water sports.”

“And he likes to party, too, I take it?”

She didn’t say anything.

“He gets down to Mexico a lot. You ever go with him?”

“
How would you know how much he goes to Mexico?”

Elaina smiled gently and waited for her to grasp the gravity of the situation. She saw the fear bloom in Jamie’s eyes when she caught on.

“Two arrests for possession,” Elaina said. “One for assault. You sure you want to invest your time with a guy like that?”

Jamie glanced down and toyed with a bracelet on her wrist. It was like one of those Livestrong bracelets, only purple instead of yellow.

“You like to hike, Jamie?”

She glanced up.

“I know Noah does. I know he was seen by two witnesses at the Laguna Madre National Wildlife Refuge last week. The day after a young woman went missing, as a matter of fact. He wasn’t alone.”

Jamie swallowed. Elaina could feel the tension coming off of her.

“He’s a memorable guy,” Elaina said. “I think it’s the hair. Personally, I remember him from the marina the day they brought in the remains of a butchered girl. He wasn’t alone then, either. You were with him.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Elaina looked at her. “You didn’t do anything right, though, did you?”

She looked defiant now, and Elaina switched tactics. “How old are you, Jamie?”

She hesitated a moment, probably wondering if it was a trick question. “Twenty-three.”

“That’s two years older than Gina Calvert. You know who that is, don’t you?”

The defiant look faded, and Elaina continued. “She
played volleyball, just like you. Probably right on this beach. And then she disappeared. Do you know what happened to her?” Elaina paused and watched her face closely. “It was so horrible, they couldn’t even put it on the news, did you know that? Imagine how her parents must have felt, learning what happened to their little girl.”

Jamie glanced over her shoulder now, clearly desperate to get back to her friends. “Look, I really need to—”

“We can do this here or at my office,” Elaina said. “It’s your pick.”

She looked down at her lap. Dance music thumped from the speakers nearby, making even the chairs vibrate. Elaina waited.

“We were hiking,” she said finally.

“Where?”

“One of the trails near the alligator pond.”

“What day?”

She met Elaina’s gaze. Bit her lip. “June fifteenth. About one o’clock. We were
hiking,
okay? That was it. We didn’t put her there.” Jamie looked down again and fidgeted with her bracelet. The silence stretched out, and Elaina waited for her to fill it.

“I should have called the police earlier. I know that.” Her voice wobbled now. “But we were scared, all right? You would be, too.”

“You’re right, I would.”

Jamie shook her head. “I don’t know who would… do something like that. To anyone. Even an animal. God, it was just…” She shuddered. “It was sick. But it wasn’t me. Or Noah.” She had a plea in her eyes now. “You have to believe me. He wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

“His record says otherwise.”

A whistle sounded, and Jamie glanced backward. The volleyball match was starting, and her team was waving her over.

“I need to go now.”

Elaina watched her, trying to read her face. She looked scared and flustered, and Elaina believed her when she said she wasn’t involved. Whether her boyfriend was involved was another matter, but Elaina’s gut told her no. His age, for one thing. And his whole demeanor. Whoever masterminded these killings was sharp. Clever. Capable of gamesmanship and staying one step ahead of the police. Noah Neely wasn’t capable of passing a piss test.

“I’m going to be in touch,” Elaina said now. “We need more information from you about what you saw that day.”

Jamie nodded.

“And if you have plans to leave town, I strongly suggest you change them.”

She nodded again and stood up. “I understand. You’re wrong about Noah, though.” She fidgeted with her bracelet again, and Elaina noticed the dragonfly on it. Her heart skipped.

“What happened to that girl—it wasn’t him who did it,” Jamie said. “You’re looking for someone else.” She started to step away, and Elaina caught her wrist.

“What is that?” she asked.

Jamie frowned at her, and Elaina released her arm.

“That design on your bracelet,” Elaina said. “What does it mean?”

“Nothing. It doesn’t mean anything.” Another whistle sounded, and Jamie glanced over her shoulder.

“But what—”

“It’s just a bracelet,” she said, and dashed away.

Troy watched Elaina return to her stool to debrief Cinco and some other members of the task force. Very low profile, all of them gathered around like that. Elaina had mastered the local attire, but the other agents may as well have been wearing neon signs. Troy shook his head with disgust as they conducted their little powwow. If their perp, whoever he was, happened to be here tonight, he no doubt would have aborted his plans by now or moved on to better hunting grounds.

Elaina paid her tab. He watched her say her good-byes, knowing from the way she avoided even a glance in his direction that she knew good and well he was here. Maybe she’d sensed him. Troy could relate. He’d felt her presence the instant she’d set foot in the place in those frayed denim shorts that showed off her legs.

He caught up to her on the beach.

“Knocking off early?”

She kept walking. “I’m going to bed.”

He wisely swallowed all the crude comments that popped into his mouth. “How you feeling?” he asked instead.

“Fine.”

Yeah, right. She looked like someone fighting off a migraine and losing, and he would have bet money she hadn’t put any grease in her system to combat that hangover.

She picked up her pace. He matched her stride without effort.

“You know, you’re barking up the wrong tree with Jamie Ingram.”

She didn’t respond.

“I’ve known that girl since she was a kid, and she’s not involved in this.”

“Oh, really?” she said. “And what about her boyfriend? Is he one of your playmates, too?”

“He’s a burnout. Used to be a competitive skater, but far as I know, he hasn’t done a lick of honest work in years. He’s not your killer, though.”

She kept going.

“Think about it, Elaina. You’re looking for someone shrewd. Above-average intelligence and highly motivated. That kid isn’t motivated to get up off the couch.”

She stopped and turned to face him. “Since when did you become a homicide investigator?”

“I think I know a little bit about criminals. I
have
written a few books on the subject.”

“I’ll let you know when we need your expert advice.”

She was in Ice Queen mode. And if he hadn’t been up with her half the night, he might have bought into the act.

“You’re pissed off at me,” he said, and she rolled her eyes. “You should be. I was a jerk.”

She started to walk away, but he caught her arm and turned her around to face him.

“I’ve never set out to make a woman feel cheap before. I guess it worked.”

She looked out at the water. “Let’s just forget it. It doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me,” he said. He should have acted
cool and aloof—like she had—but catching her trying to sneak out of his house had made him hotter than hell. And he’d done what he always did when he was hotter than hell—he’d turned mean.

Elaina shook off his arm. “Let’s both agree it was a mistake, okay? Let’s move on.”

He watched her, trying to read her expression in the dimness. “Move on, as in what?”

“As in, let’s go back to being… friends or… professional acquaintances or whatever it is you want to call what we were before I spent the night with you.”

He eased closer. She moved back fractionally, and for an instant, her gaze dropped to his mouth. She was remembering last night, and he saw the moment she realized she’d given herself away.

“Friends?” he said. “You really think that’s possible?”

“Of course I think it’s possible. Don’t you?”

Not a chance in hell.

“Sure,” he said. “We’ll try it your way.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, why not?” He stepped back from her.

She hesitated a moment, then started backing away. “Well. Good night, then. I’ll see you… whenever.”

“’Night, Elaina.” He nodded. “Be sure to lock your doors.”

Elaina watched the pretty receptionist pick up the phone and prayed that Mia was in today.

“Mia, it’s Sophie, down in the lobby.”

Elaina breathed a sigh of relief.

“Yeah, I’ve got a visitor here for you. Ms. Elaine McCord.”

“It’s Elaina.” She nudged her ID across the counter again, hoping the woman would notice the three big letters up at the top. The security at this place bordered on ridiculous.

“Okay, I’ll tell her.” She hung up the phone and graced Elaina with a movie-star smile. It was the same expression she’d worn when she’d informed her that Dr. Lawson wasn’t answering his phone, and no, it wouldn’t be possible for Elaina to just swing by his office and poke her head in.

“Dr. Voss will be right with you,” she told Elaina now.

“Thank you.”

“If you’ll just clip this on.” Another smile as she passed Elaina a visitor’s badge.

After donning her label, Elaina wandered over to the window and gazed out at the perfectly manicured grounds. A group of buzzards circled in the distance, and she shuddered to think what sort of feast had caught their attention today. This place was strange, no doubt about it. She wondered what nearby ranchers must think of the new neighbors with all their Greek architecture and rotting corpses.

An elevator dinged open, and Mia strode across the lobby. She wore the lab coat Elaina recognized, along with a curious expression.

“Elaina. What a surprise.” Her gaze darted around. “Is Troy with you?”

“Not this time, no.”

“I just called him yesterday with an update.” A little crease formed between Mia’s brows. “He didn’t tell you the results won’t be ready until later this week?”

“He must have forgotten to mention it. Anyway,
that’s not why I’m here.” Elaina glanced at the receptionist, who was pretending to be busy on her computer while she listened to every word. “Do you mind if we talk in your office?”