Chapter 24

A car drove by Clara and Gracie's townhouse. Wayne checked out the older man and woman going under the twenty-five miles an hour speed limit as he sat on his motorcycle in the driveway. Over the phone pressed to his ear, Gomez listed his frustrations with the unsolved cases.

He put the phone in his other hand and pressed it to the other side of his head. "Have you looked in the database for old rape cases, stalking, harassment charges? This guy will probably be a repeat offender. Someone local."

While Annie Morgan hadn't been sexually assaulted, Megan Hillard had been violated. Both bodies were found naked and abandoned in an area not frequented by foot traffic. Yet, their bodies were placed as if the killer had taken time after their deaths to make them comfortable. Limbs were down and together. Eyes were closed.

"I've got Officer Whitley researching past cases for those who were sentenced for similar crimes." Gomez continued, "Besides being young, both victims had long blond hair and had similar family backgrounds. There's something there, right in front of me, and I can't see it. If they'd both been sexually assaulted, it would make more sense, and we could declare it a violent sex crime. Now, we're stuck between a sex related homicide and premeditated murder, on top of abduction charges. There's only one thing that would point to a lust murder."

Wayne stood from his bike. "What's that?"

"I can't say. It's the one thing that we're keeping back from the families and the public." Gomez cussed. "I'm waiting for a call back from the detective on my request to make the information public. Maybe someone, somewhere, will call in with a clue."

"How long is that going to take?"

"The way the judge works...twenty-four hours if he's in a good mood."

"Why not sooner?" asked Wayne, frustrated at the lack of exchange.

"Jesus..." Gomez paused. "Fuck it. Can you come into the station? You might have the answers. You've lived in this area longer than I have. If I wait, we're wasting time. The sooner I verify my recollections with someone who can tell me if I'm remembering right, I can get men out in town and catch this son of a bitch before he strikes again."

Wayne lifted his head as another car drove by. A woman with two children in the backseat. "Yeah, give me a few minutes, and I'll head that way."

"I'm in the office. Walk on back," said Gomez. "Thanks, Wayne."

He disconnected the call. The twins still had an hour before they were due at the bar to get things ready to open for the day. He'd need to call one of the Notus members to escort them across town. Once he finished with Gomez, he could go to the bar and make sure Clara was protected. Until law enforcement made a press release that there was a serial killer in St. John's which would have everyone paying attention, he hated having Clara around the public unprotected.

Slipping his phone into his pocket, he walked through the front door and found Clara sitting in the living room. He gazed down her body and back up to her eyes. It physically ached to look at her and imagine something happening to her. He couldn't let that happen. Any threat toward her, or Gracie—which affected Clara, needed to end.

"I need to go." He hooked his hands in his vest pockets. "Gomez needs me down at the Police Department."

She shot to her feet. "Is someone else missing?"

He stepped to her and wrapped his arms around her. "No, sweetheart. He wants to talk about the cases, or I wouldn't leave you. I'm going to call Thad and see if he or one of the others can come over and guard the house, then escort you to the bar and stay there until I can get away."

"Oh." She frowned, shook her head, and said, "Yeah, that's okay. You need to go."

He kissed her. "I'll set things up."

Turning away from Clara, he caught sight of Gracie standing at the bottom of the stairs. He lifted his chin, acknowledging her, and then concentrated on calling Thad. Walking to the window, he waited for his MC brother to pick up and got Thad's voice mail.

"Hey, give me a call. I need to head into the P.D. and need someone to come stay with the twins." He peered out through the slats in the blinds and called Chuck next. When the call connected, he dropped his hand from the window. "Hey, I need a favor."

"Anything, brother," said Chuck.

"Gomez wants to see me at the station. Can you come over and stay with Clara and Gracie and when it's time for them to go to work take them to the bar and wait for me to show up?" He turned away from the window and caught Clara looking at him while talking to Gracie, and winked.

Clara offered him a shaky smile. Damn.

She put up a brave front, but she wasn't comfortable with him leaving.

"Yeah. It'll take me an hour. I'm over at Skyland Parts picking up the new muffler for my bike," said Chuck.

"Nah, that's too long." Wayne ran his hand through his hair. "Where's Thad?"

Chuck said, "Thad's over on Elm helping Will move out of the apartment and into the house he just bought."

"Will from work?"

"Yeah."

"Damn." Wayne needed to get to Gomez, but he wasn't going to leave the twins alone. "How about Glen?"

"His mom called and wanted him to come over and help his dad install a new dishwasher. He's supposed to be back at two this afternoon, and then he's meeting us all at Vavoom's."

"Okay. I'll figure something out. See you later." Wayne disconnected the call.

Clara had looked at Gracie before she walked to Wayne. "We'll be fine. It's daytime and a Sunday. The neighbors are home. Also, Gracie told me Paxton is swinging by the house to get our key for the storage unit before we have to leave for work because he's going to pick up two more tables for us to have at the bar. We won't be alone long."

"Paxton knows what happened here with the break-in?" he asked.

Clara nodded. "We told him, so he was aware that he had to be careful at work when he goes into the alley."

"Get him on the phone." Wayne handed his cell to Clara.

While he waited, he glanced at Gracie. She stood with her arms crossed watching them both and listening to the conversation. He couldn't read her expression. It was only then that he realized that after he and Clara had sex that morning, his girl hadn't hummed.

Why the fuck hadn't she given him a song?

"Hi, Paxton. This is Clara calling from Wayne Shaw's phone. Wayne would like to talk to you." She smiled at the floor and laughed softly. "I know, but I wasn't sure what name showed on the screen. Okay, here he is."

He filled Paxton in on what was going on and asked him to come over now, and the twins could follow him to storage and then the bar, that way they weren't left alone. Wayne hooked Clara's neck and thrummed his thumb along her skin.

"Thanks, man. 'Preciate it." He disconnected the phone and looked at Clara. "Paxton will be here in five minutes."

"Yeah, he lives close." Clara inhaled and stepped toward the stairs. "I'll get my purse and put my shoes on."

She grabbed Gracie's hand on her way out of the room and took her sister with her. Wayne, uncomfortable with handing her safety over to anyone, stepped back over to the window. Clara was right. The neighbors were home, and the guy across the street was washing his car in the driveway. Unless with him, Clara and Gracie always stayed together wherever they went. Paxton would watch over them.

He was hopeful that Gomez was getting closer to getting some suspects to follow-up on. While he understood enough of the procedures law enforcement must follow to properly charge someone for a crime, torturing women, abuse, and killing someone convinced him that some people didn't deserve to live or have a fair trial. They needed to face the front end of a bullet.

***

He stood under cover of the bus stop at the end of the street. From his view, he could barely make out the twins' house. What he could see was the motorcycle in the driveway that'd been there all night. He couldn't wait any longer. Each day the biker was with the women, the harder it would be to take the one who hadn't been brainwashed by the man. He had a chance to save her.

It was his job to take care of her. He wouldn't make the same mistake again. This time he'd be more patient.

He reached into his pocket and fingered the three packs of matches. With the biker at the house, he couldn't set fire to the townhouse and draw the women outside. He avoided men like the biker. They were nothing but trouble, always thinking they could outsmart him.

At every turn, something went wrong. But, he'd received the sign. It was time.

He walked off in the opposite direction of the house. The picture he'd taken from the twins told him he was going to get the right woman.

Impatient, he jogged to his car and stopped. No, he couldn't use his car. He'd need to steal another one. He looked all around, spotted a junk car on the other side of Lombard Street, and smiled. Walking back to his car, he planned everything out.

He'd leave his car close to Vavoom's, jog the four blocks back to steal the car, and be ready. All he had to do was make sure he timed everything right.

His waiting ended today. He would finally have his Barbara.