Seeking Evil (Looking Into The Mind Of A Killer Series) (13 page)

* * * * *

“
What about Cheryl Larsen?
”
Rick asked while hanging onto to the grab handle of the
truck
as John whipped around a slow moving Caddie and zigzagged in and out of the light afternoon traffic heading into the city.

“
Slow down, will ya? It won
’
t do anyone any good if we end up in a body bag
,
and I for one have a date this weekend I
’
d like to keep. I already have the serial killer screwing with my love life. I don
’
t need you
doing it too.”

John glanced at his partner who
’
d closed his eyes, fearing the worst. Grudgingly, John slowed the
truck's
speed. Rick was right. Anna was safe for now.

“
Cheryl Larsen has no living relatives to ask
, but I remember she was
a nurse.
We should check to s
ee if she ever worked at one of the hospitals where some of the previous transplants might have taken place.
“

After his partner
popped an eye open and noticed John
’
s somewhat more rational driving
, he
decided
it was safe
to open the other.

Rick swore under his breath.
“
Okay. I
t
’
s a start. There has to be some connection between her and the others. Shouldn
’
t we be checking out the new victims?
”
h
e added when he realized where they were heading.

John nodded.
“
Yes.
”

“
But you want to see her first?
”

John didn
’
t answer.

“
I can have Ryan help with the rest of the victims
’
medical records. I trust him to keep his mouth shut.
”

John breathed out a sigh of relief. He knew the AD would be expecting him to do his job without prejudice.
Warren
didn
’
t know about his personal relationship with Anna and John for one hoped to keep it that way. As far as he was concerned, she was simply Aaron
’
s widow.

“
Yeah, if you could. I just need…
”

“
I know, buddy. You need to make sure she
’
s safe.
”

* * * * *

Anna
awoke to the familiar sound of John
’
s voice close by and
she
was comforted.
Her
face
was
plastered against the table. An empty Styrofoam cup close by and
Gemma
nowhere to be found.

Anna
sat up quickly, disoriented for the moment. Bev and Ed were not there, only John and his partner. When they saw
that she’
d awakened, Rick left
them
alone after a
simple
nod of acknowledgement for
Anna
.

Once he
’
d left
,
Anna
was at a loss again. Being alone with
John
here was too familiar.
She
asked about Bev.

“
She and Ed have been taken to a safe house. I was hoping to keep them out of this as much as possible.
”

His thoughtfulness brought tears close.
T
o cover
her
emotional confusion,
Anna
remembered
Gemma
.
“
Where
’
s my dog?
”

John
stepped outside
and she
could breathe again.
H
e returned carrying a hyperactive
Gemma
in his arms.
“
I had someone walk her.
”

When
Gemma
spotted
Anna
, she squirmed in
John's arms
until he let her go.

Anna
scooped
the dog
up and accepted the kisses
Gemma
offered.
“
Thank you, John.
”

He stood watching
Anna
for a moment. He
’
d found something.
She’
d seen that look a thousand times in the past.
“
Anna, I need your help.
”

John waited for
her
to say something. When
she
couldn
’
t, he took the seat across from
her
.
“
We have a lead, o
u
r first real lead.
”

Relief collided with fear.
She
was scared again.
“
What is it?
”

“
My partner and I
have
discovered
that
two of the previous victims had
organ
transplants years ago.
”
The questions were all there, but
Anna
was too
stunned to say anything Surely,
this could
n't
be
a
coincidence
, yet she
struggled to understand its importance.

She
hadn
’
t thought about that part of
her
life in a long time. The sickly girl
she’
d once been
was another lifetime ago
.
She’
d come so close to death, hours really, before the call came through. A heart had been found.
She’
d lived while someone else had died.

“
How did you…
”

“
I didn
’
t.
”
He
’
d seen the painful truth in
her
. John
’
s resentment was easy to read.
“
Did Aaron know at least?
”

She and
John had shared so much of
their s
elves with each other. It surprised
her
that he
’
d never asked
her
about the scar, but then when
they
were together,
other things occupied their time
.

Anna
cleared
her
throat and answered him.
“
Yes, he knew.
”

“
Dammit, Anna, why didn
’
t you tell me?
”

“
Because it was none of your business.
”

The warmth and
anger
in his eyes challenged that.
“
I think it
was
. Everything about you
was--
is my business.
”

His answer thrilled
her
a little too much.
“
I
’
m surprised Aaron didn
’
t mention it.
”
She
deliberately
tossed
his former partner's
name
out
between
them
because things were getting too personal
.

Anna
watched John visibly regroup.
“
He didn
’
t,
”
he said quietly.
“
Believe it or not, Aaron didn
’
t share all aspects of his life with me. Maybe he had his reasons.
”
The implication was clear. John suspected Aaron knew about
their relationship
.

Anna
struggled to shift the conversation back to the case.
“
You think my transplant along with the others is in some way connected to the killer?
”

“
Yes. Maybe. I don
’
t know. I
’
m pulling the records of all the victims.
”
His gaze locked
on
Anna
.
She
knew
her
records would be included in that list.
She
wasn
’
t sure
she was ready to
relive those days when
she’
d faced death almost daily.

Anna realized
John continued to see things
she
didn
’
t want him to see.
“
What do you need me to do?
”

He hesitated for a moment longer and
she
knew. John needed
her
to take another look at the case. Profile it. See what
she
could come up
with
.

“
There
have
been two murders before he came after you. My partner is checking on those two victims
’
medical history right now.
”

“
Al
l
right, I
’
ll do it
,”
s
he
answered a little too quickly, surprising him. He
’
d expected more of a fight.
She
couldn
’
t let John see the truth.
She’
d help solve his case and catch the man who wanted
her
dead, but
she’
d do it because
she
needed answers more than
she
wanted to remain in fear.

She
needed to know
the
secrets
Aaron had
kept from
her
.

John watched
her
for a second longer
then
slowly
he nodded.

He got to his feet.
“
Good. I
’
ll have the files delivered to a safe house. You
’
ll be more comfortable there. If you
’
ll excuse me for a moment, I have to brief Mark on the latest findings.
”

He left
Anna
in the hands of two of his subordinates. Of all the places in the world, the Hoover building
had to be the
one that represented safety to the wor
l
d, but today, nothing about the place
represented safety
for
Anna
. Aaron
’
s ghost was everywhere around
her
, as were the questions
she
desperately needed answered.
And every beat of her heart chime
ed
unfinished business. Unfinished business.

* * * * *

John had seen that look in Anna before. The night
Aaron filed for divorce. She'd come
to him asking for
his
help in understanding the change in Aaron. He
’
d skirted the issue. Convinced her she was making too much of Aaron
’
s
irrational mood swings, his distant behavior. In truth, he'd
begun to suspect something was different in his friend
beyond
the
affair with Cheryl Larsen or even the other women that Aaron had hinted at. Those were just symptoms. John knew Aaron didn’t love any of them, including Cheryl. He'd
loved
Anna once.
They
were a sign. A sign that something was seriously screwed up in Aaron’s world.