CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
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Remy found it hard to look at Keane, who still had bloodstains on his white dress shirt and his khaki pants. She couldn’t help but glance down at his hands though. It appeared that he’d washed the sticky fluid from them, but her stomach revolted all the same at the thought. The gruesome sight of so much blood and the faint coppery odor brought back memories she would soon rather forget…not that she’d ever been successful in doing so. Horrific images from the night her sister was killed resurfaced, and she swallowed down the bile that had burned the back of her throat.
“The police have scoured this building top to bottom,” Keane shared from his position in one of the two guest chairs. Brody stood by the glass wall that overlooked Lake Eola. The way his jawline was set warned her that he wasn’t thrilled she’d chosen to come here instead of the hospital. “There is no sign of him anywhere.”
“Why don’t you head home back to the estate and get washed up?” Brody suggested, looking over his shoulder at where a policeman stood guard outside her office door. Remy figured she had less than thirty minutes to get things in order here at the office before he said they needed to leave. “There’s not much more you can do here. I want to get Remy back to home base now that she has the staff in order. Varan has veered so far off course from the routine he painstakingly set at the beginning of his release that I feel as if we’re heading in the opposite direction. We need to take a minute and figure out what the hell he’s hoping to accomplish with this act of lunacy.”
She didn’t have to be told what appeared to be David’s uncharacteristic acts of frustration, demonstrated by his attack on Carol, didn’t reconcile with the behavior of a man whom was so meticulous in planning his kills. He’d been very methodical in targeting and designing Anna’s attack down to his toolkit. The other cases had also shown a high level of sophistication from what Brody had shared with Remy. He was smart enough not to leave any evidence behind at any of the crime scenes, but the modus operandi on all the killings had been astoundingly similar.
Why target Carol in such a haphazard way—cutting her in a manner in which she could be saved, leaving witnesses behind to positively identify him as the perpetrator?
Remy choked back the sob that had abruptly hit the back of her throat. This was all on her—completely her fault. She was to blame for what had happened here this morning because she’d gone into hiding. David was searching for her, and by doing this he was sending a message. He would do whatever was necessary to finish what he’d started four years ago.
Carol was blameless. She had a husband, two grown children, and a heart of gold. She certainly hadn’t deserved to be stabbed in such a brutal fashion and left to bleed to death on the cold marble floor.
“I’ll find the case officer assigned to supervise Varan’s release after I change out of these clothes,” Keane advised as he pushed himself to his feet. “His freedom of movement just dried up. As of right now, the police have cars sitting on his mother’s house, the Park Plaza Hotel, Remy’s apartment building, and a few other likely places. It’s only a matter of time before this is over for good. We have Varan dead to rights over this attempted murder.”
Remy continued to stare at her computer monitor, knowing full well that Keane was addressing her just as much as Brody. She still couldn’t bring herself to look up at him. As for the few other places he was referring to, one of those locations would be Anna’s old house. Her stomach churned at the thought David would use that site as a place to go to ground.
That’s what he wanted, right? He wanted to meet with her face to face.
Remy would do so without a second thought if it meant that no one else would get hurt. Anna was dead, Carol was still in surgery, and Ralph was still recovering from a sudden, mysterious heart attack, which Remy was certain had something to do with the case. Granted, the latter wasn’t positively connected, but it had crossed everyone’s mind.
“Remy, we’ll find him and he will either spend the rest of his life locked up inside an eight by eight padded room or we’ll drop him like a hot rock,” Keane reiterated firmly, though he wasn’t telling her anything she hadn’t heard before. Hadn’t the prosecutors expressed that very same opinion at her sister’s trial? Why did everyone assume that a killer would automatically be locked away for the rest of his or her life? Unfortunately, she’d come to learn that the justice system didn’t work that way. He needed to die. That was the only final solution she was interested in hearing anything about. “Varan ruined the one chance he’d been given. He won’t be provided another.”
Remy forced a smile to her lips to appease Keane, accepting that he was just trying to make her feel better. It was human nature to try and empathize the best alternative. She was fast coming to the conclusion that only David’s death would give her the peace she sought.
What type of person did that make her?
“Thank you, Keane,” Remy managed to say after she cleared throat. She picked up a pencil that was on her desk and settled it into the holder to give herself something to do. “I appreciate everything you did today to help Carol.”
Brody had been rubbing the back of his neck when she caught another sideways look from him, but he didn’t call her out on the formality she’d chosen to use when acknowledging Keane’s heroics. What she really wanted to do was hug the man and maybe help him to reach the same conclusion she had.
Keane had saved the life of a close colleague, someone Remy thought of as a friend, and a woman who was meant to be David’s next victim…at the price of letting David escape.
Remy wondered if stopping to save Carol had been an agonizing choice for Keane, or had he known immediately the right thing to do? Had he considered that squeezing a quick bullet into the back of David’s head as he ran away would have solved all their problems just as easily? Remy was wondering if that made her the same as David. Did her homicidal rage make them kindred spirits or was she justified in her thirst for his blood?
The office had been chaos upon her arrival, but she quickly took control in spite of her fear that they would receive word of Carol’s passing. Fortunately, she was still fighting for her life while the surgeons were doing their best to help her keep her leg.
David had simply walked up to her and reached down into her groin with a curved blade. He’d pulled up so hard that Carol had actually lifted up off the ground as the razor-sharp knife scored the bones on the inside of her hip as he cut completely through her femoral artery, leading down into her left leg and all the surrounding tissue. It was just as savage as a wild dog attacking helpless prey, only they didn’t laugh with glee as their victims bled out.
In the meantime, Remy had held a meeting inside the larger conference room away from where Carol had been attacked. The entire area had been screened off and the forensic team was poring over the evidence as they spoke. The area outside Remy’s office where Carol’s desk was situated was still considered a crime scene. It might very well be days before the marble floor could be properly cleaned, thus reminding everyone every minute of the day what had occurred here.
Remy had no choice but to address the situation and inform everyone that she hadn’t been taking personal time off from the office, though no one appeared a bit surprised by her admission. Any one of these people could have said something outside of this office without ever realizing they’d given any information to a perfect stranger. David most likely had overheard a random conversation between two employees having lunch at the corner diner.
Remy had quickly turned the discussion to business and had delegated the more important accounts to Bruce and Elliott, while requesting the less experienced ad executives to pitch in on the accounts that required less hand-holding while their campaigns ran on as scheduled. It was more than apparent that Ralph or Remy couldn’t give the attention needed to those clients. In the meantime, she then gave everyone permission to either head home or to go to the hospital to donate blood in Carol’s name.
Business would resume tomorrow, and building security would be increased to ensure everyone’s safety. Family was more important than anything, and Ralph had built this company to thrive by creating such an atmosphere. Those who needed to take more time off needed to forward their request to HR prior to their departure today. All requested leaves would be granted without question.
Forsythe Advertising would close their doors for the rest of the day to be there for their colleague. What Brody didn’t know was that she would be there as well.
“Are you about ready?” Brody asked, having already walked Keane out past the police officer. He picked up her purse from her desk, which she’d had by her side this entire time. She trusted Brody to keep her safe, but she’d learned long ago that things didn’t always go as planned. Her firearm inside her purse was added security, just in case. “We should head back to the house and let the police do their job. Keane’s right, you know. Varan will be arrested, and this will all be over.”
Remy inhaled slowly, wanting to prolong this amity a little longer. She stood from her desk chair, allowing it to roll backward as she stepped around the desk and into his arms. He hadn’t hesitated, and his warmth soaked into her cold body. His belief in justice and his strength to see things through were admirable. She wanted his view on life to infuse itself into her, like the heat of his body.
“Thank you for last night,” Remy whispered, resting her cheek against his dress shirt. She would no doubt leave a makeup stain on the white material, but that was the least of their worries at the moment. She closed her eyes as he tightened his hold on her and rested his chin on top of her head. Not even the height of her heels made her taller than his shoulders. “I needed to feel something other than…”
“Oh, sorry,” Keane said the moment he opened the door, not appearing apologetic in the least. His surprise was quite evident, but he was quick to regain his composure. Remy immediately took a step back, though Brody had taken ahold of her hand. “I should have knocked. Sorry. I thought you’d want to know that Carol made it out of surgery. She lost some mobility, of course, but they think she’ll make it provided there are no further complications.”
“Thank you.” Remy tried to disengage her fingers from Brody’s, but he held tight. Did he not care how this position might look to his colleague? “Um, we’ll be headed to the hospital shortly.”
“Excuse me?” Brody was looking directly at her, missing the rise of Keane’s eyebrow at her statement. How could either of them think she was just going to go hide away in the countryside while two of her friends were in the hospital? “I think it’s best for everyone involved if we head back to the house.”
“I understand that is your position,” Remy said, succeeding in getting her fingers back as she took her purse from his other hand. She then walked over to her keyboard, logged off the network, and then shut down her computer. Keane was still standing in the doorway, though it was more than apparent he was grateful it wasn’t him who had to deal with her. “I’m the reason Carol is in the condition she’s in, and I should be the one to explain that to her.”
“And as soon as Varan is in custody, then I’ll personally deliver you to her hospital room,” Brody assured her, though Keane was raising a hand to interrupt.
“I’ll let you two sort this out. I’m going to change and then meet up with Varan’s case officer. I’ll keep you up to speed.”
Keane closed the door behind him, and Brody picked up as if his teammate hadn’t said a thing.
“In the meantime, it’s in your best interest to stay out of sight.”
“Why is that, Brody?” Remy decided to walk around the other side of the desk, already knowing that he would try to stop her from exiting the office. He surprised her by catching up with her before she was even halfway across the floor. “You’re not going to change my mind. I’m sure that someone has already called Julia, and in turn she told Ralph. I don’t have a cell phone where they can reach me, so I’m sure they’re worried. I need to speak with Ralph to let him know that everything is taken care of here, and then I need to explain to Carol that it was never my intention for her to—”
Remy couldn’t even get the words out, but she had to believe that she could compose herself before they arrived at the hospital. She looked down, catching sight of her business suit all buttoned up and appearing professional. It gave the air of competence, which was what this office needed at the moment. Everyone had looked to her for guidance and she’d given it to them. She would do the same for Carol.
“This wasn’t your fault, Remy.”
“Then whose goddamn fault was it?” Remy asked in a surprisingly loud voice, raising her gaze to meet his. Brody gave her an understanding smile that made her wish they were back at the house, but there were things she needed to take care of first. He’d become her sanctuary, but not even he could shelter her from what had happened and what the future could potentially hold for her. “David is nowhere to be found. You and I both know he could stay hidden for days, or worse…he could go on a killing spree, leading the police halfway across the United States. That’s on me, because I’m the one he wants and can’t find. He said it numerous times during the trial and he’s shown the lengths he’ll go to in order to reach out to me.”
“If you even suggest of making yourself a target, I will—”
“I’m not saying that at all,” Remy said, though she was privately reserving the right to take that action should the need arise. She wouldn’t do anything without him by her side though. She found that she sought out Brody every time she was about to break down during her conference meeting. His demeanor alone caused her to feel as if they were lying on the beach without a care in the world, and that was a damned appealing resource. It was nothing but a ruse, but his presence somehow grounded her. She had a right to be selfish a little bit, didn’t she? “Right now, all I want is to explain to Ralph what has taken place, before checking in with Carol. It’s not all that complicated.”
Brody was shaking his head at her decision, but she could tell by the softening of his dark eyes that he’d give her this time to be with those she cared about. He placed a single finger underneath her chin and tilted her face so that she had no choice but to look directly at him as he made his stipulations.
“You go nowhere without your firearm, you stay by my side from the moment we leave this building, and you follow any directives instantly if I give them to you should we get into a threatening situation.” Brody searched her gaze for any hesitation, following up his terms with an appeal. “Do you promise me you’ll do so, Remy?”
“Yes,” Remy answered, raising up on her tiptoes to seal her pledge with a kiss. “I promise.”
Brody finally stepped to the side and opened her office door, alerting the officer to let his supervisor know if anyone tried to enter this floor from either the elevator bank or the stairs. There were multiple businesses occupying this building, but this floor was now off limits to anyone who wasn’t an employee of the firm.
They both started toward the elevator, though Remy had to avert her gaze from where Carol’s desk was screened off. She decided to use the cleaning service recommended by the crime scene investigators. There would be no attempt at saving the large throw rug that had been purchased during one of their recent renovations. It would be thrown out with tomorrow’s garbage, as per her instructions.
“So,” Brody said, starting up what appeared to be a lighthearted conversation once he’d pressed the button that would deliver them to the lobby. “No chance at all of me talking you out of going to the hospital?”
“None whatsoever.” Remy shot him a sideways look when he slid his hands inside the pockets of his cargo shorts. She then looked forward to catch his gaze in the mirrored doors of the elevator. Their appearances were as different as night and day. “I have to do this for my own sanity.”
“What if I promised you a skinny dip in the lake to erase your worries?”
“You mean the one with the baby alligators in it?” Remy asked, surprised that he would suggest such a thing. Unless he hadn’t known. “I think I’ll pass. Mommy Alligator might not approve.”
Remy was pretty sure this was the first time she’d ever rendered Brody speechless, but the fact that David was still out there somewhere weighed heavily on her mind. She thought she heard Brody murmur about her being nothing but trouble again, but he’d already pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and was searching for something.
Whatever it was, she doubted it would result in the location of David’s whereabouts. Brody most likely wanted to get back to his mission control center where he could nail down each and every camera leading away from this building, but he’d already admitted to there being quite a few areas where there was no camera coverage.
Was there a chance Brody could pick up his trail if he spent long enough piecing together the timespans? Sure. But she’d already overheard him speaking with the lead officer about having used Forsythe Advertising’s network to log into his system that would access the cameras, and it was as if David had disappeared into thin air.
Remy shifted her shoulders to ease the tremor of unease traveling up and down her spine. Out of all the scenarios she’d gone over in her mind regarding David’s release, this hadn’t been one of them.
It left her wondering what else he was planning that they weren’t prepared for.
*
He should feel bad for having hurt an innocent woman, but her suffering was a sacrifice to the greater good. Her blood was still on his hands and he lifted his fingers to his nose, inhaling the copper scent into his lungs.
Lovely.
His own blood pumped quickly through his veins at such an exquisite fragrance.
He wanted more.
He wanted Remy’s, for it would mean he’d succeeded in releasing her soul from the demon who’d possessed it and was currently inhabiting her cursed body.
It wouldn’t be long now until he saved her.