Between Midnight and Dawn (10 page)

Steel determination settled into his spine as his gazed flicked back to Nicole, who stood where he’d left her, chewing nervously on her thumbnail, anguish plainly written across her beautiful face. Every protective instinct inside him readied for a fight to the finish. Turning back to the body, he spotted blood on the woman’s forehead, partially hidden under long bangs.

Moving closer to investigate, he knelt down and carefully tipped the woman’s face toward him. Staring into her wide, sightless eyes filled him with deep sadness. They were a dark golden-brown, so very similar to Nicole’s and his mother’s, and every other victim Rob had been able to connect to the Clove Hitch Killer. Gently sweeping bangs off her forehead, Kyle saw his mother’s first name scrawled in blood.

“Sonofabitch,” he gritted out, all the emotions from that terrible time slamming into him.
What the hell did the guy think he’d accomplish with this?
All it did was make Kyle even more determined to bring him down.

Even if it meant using Nicole as bait.

That knowledge sent rage flashing through his system. At Barber or himself, he wasn’t sure. Balling his hand into a tight fist, he struggled to get himself together as memories of his parents flooded his mind. The pain of their loss just as deep today as it’d been all those years ago.

Mouth slammed tight, Kyle’s nostrils flared and he filled his lungs with a steadying breath, then slowly blew it out. Letting his anger control him wasn’t going to help catch this guy. Standing, he locked his emotions down and turned back toward Nicole, striding over to pull her into his arms.

Holding her close as she trembled against him, he whispered soothing words in her ear, knowing he was a complete bastard for using her.

Rob was right about the guy’s rapidly deteriorating mental state though. It wasn’t a smart move dumping her here, showing the killer was now operating out of rage and not the careful planning of his previous kills. That made the guy even more unstable, upping the danger to Nicole.

Writing his mother’s name on the victim’s forehead was meant as a
fuck-you
from the freak, and Kyle got the message loud and clear. A line in the sand had been crossed, and he and Barber were now in a head-to-head battle. A battle Kyle was determined to win.

His rage toward Barber warred with the need to keep Nicole safe.
Nothing will happen to her.
He’d make sure of that . . .

But now, not only would he have to explain everything to the sheriff and hope he didn’t get thrown off the case for withholding information, Nicole would learn he’d been lying to her this entire time.

Chapter 10

Having received a call from Kyle about another murder, Rob turned down the road leading to Nicole Chambers’ place and spotted flashing lights in front of her home. At least three cop cars, an ambulance, and a couple unmarks crowded her long driveway.

Another squad car blocked the road about halfway down, and a uniformed police officer stood next to a black sports car he recognized as belonging to Sheryl. Thinking about the sassy blonde had his heart racing like a pimply teenage boy on a first date with the lead cheerleader.

After leaving Nicole’s last night, she’d invited him out for a drink. She’d been bold about it, flirting outrageously and leaving no doubt her interest in him. Rob had been completely charmed. Following her to a local brewpub near her place, they’d spent a few hours getting to know each other better over a cocktail and snacks. Not only was she beautiful, smart, and self-assured, she had a fun sense of humor and had kept him entertained well into the night.

“Get it together, Catalino,” he muttered to himself as he neared the vehicles. The older officer wore a scowl, shaking his head and pointing back down the road from where she came.

Rob’s lips quirked, figuring the little spitfire was giving the cop hell for not letting her through. He’d been unable to get the woman off his mind, as hard as he’d tried.

Maneuvering his vehicle behind hers, he shoved the car into ‘park,’ grabbed his badge out of the open console next to him, and climbed out.

Still scowling, the older officer spotted him, shifting into a defensive posture as Rob approached, his hand near his weapon.

“Hello, Officer,” Rob said, lifting his badge up for the cop to see. “The sheriff’s expecting me.” He met Sheryl’s worry-filled, wide green eyes. Bringing his attention back to the police officer, he said, “The lady’s with me.”

Sheryl gave him a grateful smile.

The cop studied his badge for a moment before nodding, waving them on. Returning to his squad car, the man backed-up so they both could pass.

Without saying anything, Rob opened Sheryl’s car door, receiving a soft “thank you” before she got in. He followed her up the crowded driveway, parking his car next to hers as the ambulance slowly drove off. He managed to make it to her sports car in time to open the driver’s door for her.

Even as upset as she appeared, her eyes brimming with concern, she couldn’t seem to rein in her flirty smile, and it hit him with the power of a lightning strike. The woman flirted like most women breathed, and there was no denying his strong reaction to her. He wanted her. And she’d made no bones of the fact she wanted him.

So why am I fighting it?
Maybe if he gave into his desires, he’d be able to get her out of his head and concentrate on the case.
Maybe.
Not convinced having Sheryl once would be enough. Every time he saw her, he had to fight the urge to gather her into his arms, feel all her soft curves pressed against him. He offered her his hand to help her from the car.

“Hi, Rob.” Her sultry voice invoked images of hot sex and even hotter kisses on a dark stormy night where their passionate lovemaking would surpass the tempest outside. Something told him she’d be a wild lover.

She rose from the car, until their bodies were mere inches apart. In a pair of delicate red pumps, she was nearly as tall as he was. It’d only take a slight dip of his head to cover her lush mouth with his own. And it took every ounce of willpower for him to refrain from doing just that.

Her hair smelled of strawberries, mixed with her own natural fresh scent, light and airy. She was hard to resist, especially when she leaned into him, as if drawn by a magnet.

His grip on her hand tightened, and he struggled with the desire to say “to hell with it,” and tug her into his arms. Instead, he gave himself a mental kick in the ass and released her hand, putting needed distance between them.

“Why are you here, Sheryl?” His words came out gruffer than he’d intended, but lust was roiling through his body, screwing with his concentration. He couldn’t remember a time when a woman had affected him the way this particular leggy blonde did.

She tugged her lush bottom lip between perfect white teeth, then released it, leaving it slightly reddened and even more tempting. “I left my cell phone last night and was stopping over to pick it up.”

Her gaze darted to the police cars filling Nicole’s driveway. “What happened? All the policeman would tell me is Nicole’s okay. But
something
happened.” She took a step toward the house, worry lines creasing her lovely face. “Was she attacked again?”

Rob put out an arm to stop her forward motion, regretting the action when her small, firm breasts pressed against his arm. His body tightened. He slowly lowered his arm back to his side, fisting his hand to keep from touching her again. “Nicole’s fine, but there’s been a murder. The body was left in front of her house.”

“Oh no!” She raised one slim hand, with red-tipped fingernails, to her chest. “But she’s okay?”

Rob gave a curt nod. “Just shaken up.”

“Wh-Who was it?” She teetered unsteadily on her feet.

Rob gripped her shoulder to steady her. As if in response to his silent plea, she fell against him from chest to thighs. And, she felt real nice. “Not anyone from the area we know of.”

One hand resting above his heart, she straightened, squeezing her eyes shut, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

He worked his lower jaw, the need to shelter her from the ugliness of the situation detonating inside him. Maintaining a firm grip on her shoulder, not wanting to let go until he was sure she was okay, he lifted his other hand and brushed silky golden strands off her cheek. “You okay, darlin’?”

Curly lashes swept up, and their eyes met. “Yes,” she assured him, taking a step back and putting more distance between them. “But I need to see Nicole and make sure she’s okay for myself.”

Rob nodded. They headed up the front sidewalk, while he tried to ignore his attraction to the beautiful woman at his side. “I’m sure she’ll be glad to see you. And the sheriff will need your statement from last night, so this’ll save him a trip to your place.”

When they entered, Kyle was speaking with the sheriff, but he didn’t see Nicole anywhere. When Kyle spotted him, relief flashed across his face. But Rob could also tell his friend was angry, it showed in the hard set of his shoulders, the way his hands flexed at his sides, and the look of fury in his eyes.

“Rob,” Kyle said, “glad you could make it.” The smile he gave Sheryl didn’t reach his eyes. “Nicole’s in the backyard with Charlie. I’m sure she’d love to see you.”

Eyes wide, Sheryl gave them all a shaky smile. She hurried across the living room and slid back the patio door. Rob spotted Nicole watching the dog play, while a uniformed officer stood nearby.

After the sliding glass door shut behind her, Rob turned his attention back to his partner and the sheriff. “So, what do you need from me?”

The sheriff’s expression was grim as they all three took a seat. “Kyle informed me he’s here undercover, and you’re leading the search for a serial killer.”

A bit of a stretch, but close enough to continue working the investigation with the local authorities. Rob dug in his shirt for his badge, handing it to the sheriff. “Sheriff, we believe—”

“Dean,” the sheriff said, handing his badge back to him. His face was hard, filled with determination. “No need for formalities. Although that young girl wasn’t from the area, I take it personally she was killed in my town.” He lowered his brows, anger flaring in his eyes. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep Nicole, and anyone else under my protection, safe. Now, who’s this serial killer?”

With growing respect for the sheriff, Rob asked, “Have you heard of the Clove Hitch Killer?”

Recognition flashed across the sheriff’s eyes, and his gaze took on a hard edge as he nodded.

Rob continued, “We have reason to believe the guy’s an ex-cop by the name of Allan Barber. He’s kidnapped, raped, tortured, and murdered more than a dozen women over a twenty-year period. That we know of. We expect there were others.”

Dean’s mouth pinched tight before he said, “C.H.K. I remember the case. An ex-cop, huh? And you think he’ll be back for Nicole?”

Kyle jumped in, “I’m sure of it. That’s why I’ve been staking out her place.”

Dean’s eyes narrowed on Kyle. “And you had this information the night she was attacked and you said nothing?”

Kyle stated flatly, “I had no proof, and I wasn’t officially on the case at the time.”

Rob jumped in, hoping to save his partner’s ass. “Kyle contacted me with his suspicions, and I did some digging. Enough that my captain gave the go ahead for the investigation.”

Kyle broke back in. “We planned to stop by and fill you in on everything.” He shook his head. “But we didn’t expect him to grab another victim so soon.”

“Right,” Rob said. “It’s not his M.O.”

Still scowling at Kyle, Dean said, “All right. We’re on the same team here, and I want this guy as much as you do. If I understand it, you’ve been staking out Nicole’s place without her knowledge?”

Kyle gave a curt nod. “I didn’t want to frighten her, and I had no real proof, just a gut feeling.”

Dean didn’t seem to like that answer, leveling him with a hard stare. “Okay. But you’re telling her now.”

It wasn’t a question.

Rob felt for his friend, but Dean was right. Nicole’s life was on the line, and she deserved to know everything.

“Yeah,” Kyle muttered, glancing into the backyard with a grimace, as if knowing he was going to be in deep shit with the woman. “And, so we have full disclosure here . . . We believe my mother, Sharon Wade, was his first victim.”

To give the sheriff credit, the man didn’t so much as twitch a muscle at the information, or ask why Kyle was on this case. Only said, “That’d explain the name on the victim’s forehead.”

Kyle tore his eyes away from Nicole. She appeared more relaxed now, probably because Sheryl was with her. They’d already taken the woman’s body away, and the crime scene techs were gathering the evidence.

Now it was time to inform Dean about the video cameras. Nicole was going to be angry with him when she found out he’d been spying on her. He turned back to the sheriff and Rob. “It’s possible I caught the killer on video.”

Dean looked confused for a moment, before his eyes narrowed again. “You’ve got her under video surveillance?”

Kyle gave a curt nod. “Audio too.”

Dean stood. “Okay, let’s see what you’ve got.” His demeanor indicated he was still none too pleased.

Not yet ready to deal with the fallout from Nicole, he stuck his head out the sliding patio doors. “Ladies, we’ll be back shortly, we’re heading over to the cottage for a bit.”

Nicole stood, confusion covering her face. “What for?”

“There’s something I need to show the sheriff.” When Nicole took a step toward him, he held up his hand. “No. I need you to stay here.” He waved toward the uniformed officer standing nearby, guarding the women. “Officer Randall will be here for your protection.”

When she opened her mouth to argue, he said, “Please, Nicole. I’ll explain everything later.”

Her mouth pressed into a firm line and her eyes narrowed. He knew she didn’t like being shut out, but he couldn’t deal with her anger right now, and she would definitely be angry. Hopefully not enough to kick him out, because she needed protection.
His
protection. “Please,” he repeated.

With a mutinous expression that didn’t bode well for the upcoming conversation, she nodded, crossing her arms under her softly rounded breasts, distracting him for a moment. Even angry her beauty took his breath away, with cheeks flushed a lovely rose shade and narrowed doe eyes shooting daggers at him. He wanted to tug her into his arms and kiss her pouty mouth until she wasn’t mad at him anymore.

“We won’t be long. I’ll explain everything when I get back.” Without waiting for her answer, Kyle left with Rob and Dean, taking only a moment to walk the short distance to the cottage.

Entering the living room, they made their way over to the oversized monitor with the split screen, showing both her backyard, as well as a wide front-yard view from the surveillance equipment he’d installed in the tall oak tree across the street from her house. Hopefully, it would have been light enough outside to capture Barber in the act.

Kyle turned down the audio so the women’s conversation on the back patio was almost muted. Only leaving it loud enough to hear if something happened that placed them in danger. Which he wasn’t too concerned about at the moment. Not with the police presence there.

Kyle hit rewind on the video feed until they spotted an image standing near the ditch at the edge of the camera’s range. Dressed in dark clothing, it was obvious they were looking at a large man with broad shoulders.

“It could be Barber,” Rob said.

Given the man’s size, it could easily be Barber. But they needed to see his face if they wanted to arrest him. But it was a dark night, making it difficult to make out his features.

“It’s him,” Kyle growled, as he hit rewind again. “The way he keeps his head turned away, it’s almost like he knows where the cameras are.”

The three of them continued to study the video from different angles as the man delivered the woman to the ditch, slitting her throat. Cursing, Kyle slowly reversed the feed, watching as the dark figure, who he knew was Barber, lifted the woman from the ditch and walked backward out of camera range.

They’d watched each camera angle multiple times, when Dean leaned forward and pointed at the screen. “Stop. Rewind that part, Kyle.”

Kyle hit the rewind button as the man stood with the woman in his arms.

“Again,” Dean barked.

Again and again, they watched the frame, until Kyle was able to zero in on the split second when the man was somewhat visible in the grainy footage as he moved backward, the moonlight sliding over his face for the briefest of an instant, before falling into shadows again.