Chapter 7

Two steps ahead

 

Another one.

Always two fucking steps ahead.

“Kelley Morris, twenty-nine. Stab to the stomach, face bludgeoned with a blunt object.” Joel added the new picture to the board.

Lauren Marshall, Kylie Peters, and Kelley Morris. Three young women senselessly murdered.

“Everything fits.” Mandy joined Joel at the whiteboard to add the girl’s DMV picture. “The media has released the story. They broke the news a little after 3 a.m., shortly after the body was found. It replayed at 6 a.m. Kilby has decided to use the coverage to his advantage and set up a hotline. The PD made a statement as well about the extra police presence, trying to settle the public’s fear.”

“So much for keeping it quiet,” Ben mumbled.

“Yeah. You knew that wasn’t going to happen as soon as the buzzards caught a sniff,” Joel huffed.

The public was going to be in a panic, and there were going to be thousands of well-meaning citizens calling in with information, stretching the PD’s already thin resources.

It was barely coming up on 9 a.m. and my day had already gone to hell in a handbasket.

My phone vibrated, an unknown number flashing on the screen.

“SA Clark,” I answered.

“Hi. Um. This is Meadow Holiday. Is this Nick?”

“Hi, Meadow. Are you okay?”

She sounded like she’d been crying and her voice was shaky and unsure.

“I didn’t know where else to go.”

“Go? Where are you? Are you safe? Stay put. I’ll come to you.”

I was already out the doors of the BAU heading to the lobby when I felt Mike at my back.

“I’m here. Well, at the address on your card. I’m sorry to bother you.”

“Here? In the parking lot?”

We made it to the front of the building, and I scanned the area for Meadow, but I didn’t see her.

“I’m in my car. I’m too afraid to get out,” she cried.

My heart pounded in my chest, and an unexplainable fury pulsed through my veins. She was scared to death. That pissed me off enough, but if one hair on her head was hurt, I’d lose my ever-loving mind.

“There.” Mike pointed to a white Honda Accord. Sure enough, Meadow was in the driver’s seat, her forehead on the steering wheel.

“You did the right thing staying in your car. I want to look out your window. Mike and I are walking toward your car now.” I watched as she lifted her head, looking toward the building. “Do you see us?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t want to scare you more than you are. Mike has his weapon drawn; it is for our safety. He won’t hurt you.”

“I see you,” she sobbed.

A few more strides and we were at her car. I disconnected and shoved my phone in my back pocket and opened the car door, not bothering to check the area before I pulled Meadow out and into my arms. I knew Mike would cover me while I took care of Meadow. I scanned her from top to toe, no blood or visible injury. Thank God.

“What do you need from your car?” I asked.

“Keys.”

I reached in, pulled them from the ignition, slammed the door, beeped her locks, and gave Mike a chin lift. Without a word, Meadow allowed me to guide her into the lobby, down the corridor, and into the BAU office.

When we entered Mike broke away, going to his desk to give us privacy.

“Are you okay? Did someone try and hurt you?”

I was going out of my mind not knowing what’d scared her bad enough to drive to the FBI office listed on my business card. She didn’t even know if I was there.

“I saw it,” she cried.

“Saw what?” I walked her a few more feet to the closest desk and sat her down in the chair. I knelt in front of her and asked again, “Did someone hurt you?”

“No. I’m not hurt.” Thank God. “I saw the news. Is that why you came to see me? You think he did that too?”

Fuck.

Goddamned news media.

There was only so much I could tell her, but I had to be honest.

“Yes. That’s why we came to see you.”

“Ohmygod! Is he going to do that to me? She didn’t have a face left. The news said she didn’t have a face! Nick! He’s gonna do that to me.”

Christ Almighty.

“Hell no!” Meadow blinked and brought her gorgeous green eyes to mine, more tears spilling out of the corners. “No one is going to hurt you. We’re not sure if your case is related, there are a few details that we haven’t disclosed to the public that are different.”

“I would’ve looked like that girl if the waitress hadn’t heard me screaming when she went out back to throw away the trash. I know it.”

I’d read Meadow’s file, and I wouldn’t tell her, but I agreed. The waitress had saved her life. Unfortunately, or fortunately for the waitress, she was smart and didn’t run in the alley to help Meadow. She’d stood by the back door and yelled into the bar for the kitchen staff to come and help her. She was right to not rush out by herself, but the person who hurt Meadow got away unseen.

“We don’t know that, and we don’t know if they’re related.”

“I was attacked on the seventh,” she sobbed.

I knew she was. The team and I firmly believed that Meadow Holiday was supposed to be victim number one.

I waited for her to slowly come back to herself and asked, “There were eleven victims who were attacked on the seventh, and I’m not accusing you of anything but did you not hear about the murders on the news?”

“No. After the… you know… I checked out. Emotionally, I mean. I could barely function through the day at work; I’d been moved from my position in sales to a file clerk. I was in the back of the office alone all day. No one spoke to me because they were all afraid I’d have a break down or something, and I had this huge scar on my face. No one wants to see that. It’s gross. So, they put me where no one would have to look at me. When I got home, I’d either sit and try and remember what happened or I’d go online to my survivor message board. Sometimes I’d read, but I never watched TV. I still don’t. The news is scary; TV is full of violence, and truthfully once you’ve lived it, you don’t want to watch it. Besides, whenever I see the beautiful actresses, it just reminds me of everything I’m not.”

I closed my eyes and shook my head; there was so much I wanted to say, none of it appropriate for me to say to a victim. Who had allowed this beautiful woman to suffer alone in silence? No one stood by her to pull her up and dust her off and remind her of her worth. It was a damn shame.

“First, you are beautiful.” I stopped to touch the side of her face, a feather-light trace of her scar. I shouldn’t have said that, and I really should not be touching her. But fuck it – in for a penny, in for a pound. “This doesn’t make you any less so. You are strong, and I don’t care how long it took you, you did it. You pulled yourself together and survived. I’m sorry this is happening, but I’ll make sure you’re safe.”

Another line I shouldn’t have crossed. Never promise something you can’t deliver. We’ve yet to catch the offender - fourteen dead women, and still nothing.

“I’ll talk to that Dr. Mandy, sorry I forgot her last name, if you think it will help.”

So fucking brave. She reminded me of my Aunt Reagan in that regard. When I was eleven and first went to live with my Uncle Nolan, Reagan had been kidnapped and held on an abandoned oil rig. The man that took her was using the rig as a makeshift hospital to harvest black market organs. Before my uncle could get to her, one of Reagan’s kidneys was removed and sold. My aunt pushed through her pain to make sure everyone around her was okay. My family tried to shield me from as much of the details as they could, but that experience was a defining moment in my life. Right before my eyes, I watched as my family came together to rally around my aunt. Family was everything.

I didn’t think Meadow had that, yet she was still strong, willing to try and remember to help someone else.

“Mandy Brown. I want you to take some time and think about it. Don’t make a knee-jerk decision because of what you saw on the news. Hypnosis doesn’t always work, but if it does, you will remember things that your mind has buried.”

“It wasn’t only the news. I’ve been thinking about it the last few days. I was going to call you; I was working up the nerve. When I saw the news, I panicked. I’m sorry I came here, but I couldn’t think of anything else to do.”

“I’m glad you did. I told you if you needed anything to call,” I reminded her.

“Yeah, but when you said that, I don’t think you meant from the parking lot in a middle of a psychotic break.”

“Red, I’ve seen psychotic breaks, and that wasn’t one. When I told you to call me, I meant from anywhere, anytime. You did the right thing. Let me get you something to drink, and I’ll see where Mandy is and introduce you. Sorry, we don’t have Sam’s vanilla coffee here. You’re stuck with water, bureau coffee, or I’m sure I can find you a soda if you’d like one.”

Her pretty, creamy skin tinted pink and she smiled. “How’d you know I like vanilla coffee?”

“Probably the same way you knew my name was Nick.”

“What do you mean, you told me your name.”

“No, Red, I introduced myself as SA Clark. And I did show you my credentials, but I always cover my name with my finger when I flip my shield. I don’t like the public knowing my full name.”

Her blush deepened, and she cracked a smile. “Okay. You totally caught me. I knew your name from Sam’s, but I didn’t want you to think I was a stalker or something. I’m not. It was the first day, and we were standing next to each other. Becky called out Nick, and you reached for the coffee, so I kinda knew from that.”

She was so damn cute when she forgot to be scared and wasn’t hiding her face.

“Same way I knew what kind of coffee you liked. So? What will it be?”

“How bad is the bureau coffee?”

I was so happy to see the smile hadn’t left her face and even happier that I put it there.

“Palatable, barely.”

“Coffee, please.”

“Coming right up. I’ll be back.”

I found Mandy and the rest of the guys in the conference room. Thankfully they’d drawn the blinds on the only window that looked out into the main area of the office. The last thing Meadow needed to see was pictures of thirteen dead women. I caught everyone up on Meadow’s willingness to try hypnosis. Everyone nodded their approval and Mandy followed me to meet Meadow.

I made a quick introduction, gave Meadow her coffee, and left them talking. I thought she’d feel more comfortable speaking with Mandy alone. Now I wasn’t so sure. Every few minutes I’d look up and catch Meadow giving me sidelong glances, but when I tried to hold her stare, she’d look away.

Damn Nick. Get a grip.

I had a bad case of wishful thinking.