Casanova Killer (14 page)

“After that, he visited me almost every night until my foster mother caught him. I was nearly seven when she sent me back to the state for placement with another family. By then, daily beatings and nightly rapes were part of my reality. I didn’t know any different, I thought everyone lived like that.” Jerry paused and took a deep breath. “My next foster family had two teenage sons who also liked little girls. At least the beatings stopped for a while when I lived there.” Jerry closed her eyes for a long moment.

“That’s about the gist of it, different homes, same variation of the same two themes. If it wasn’t the father raping me, it was the sons. The funny thing is that, more often than not, it was the women, the moms, who beat me. My looks have always been a curse.” Jerry stopped and looked at Ethan, touched by the trail of tears that lined his face.

“You think that your beauty caused those people to treat you that way?” Ethan’s use of Jerry’s description of ‘those people’ did not register. He was solidly on her side, united against any and all who would hurt her. “You were just a child.”

“Obviously, that didn’t matter. The males told me I was beautiful, even while they were grunting on top of me and the women said that I was too beautiful as they brought down the belt or the switch or whatever they had handy.” Jerry loosened her grip on Ethan’s hand, using her free hand to rub her eyes. “I can’t believe I told you all that.” She let out a deep breath in a long sigh. “I’ve never told anyone.”

“I’m glad you told me. I understand what drives you to go after the worst of the worst.” Ethan paused, carefully considering his next words. “Did you ever go back as an agent and seek justice for the little girl?”

“I haven’t been back to Louisiana since I left for college. If I can help it, I’ll never go back.” Jerry shifted her eyes to his. “There’s no amount of justice that could ever equal the brutality I endured. I’ve already lived through it once, I have no desire to revisit it during a trial. And before you ask, I did contact Louisiana Children’s Services and report the incidents. I’m trusting that they do their job and remove the families from the foster system.”

Ethan didn’t press the issue; Jerry had to live with her past the best way she knew how. If it was best for her to drop it, he’d let it go too.

“You did what you could.”

“I did what I could.” She agreed and continued. “Things did get better when I was a teenager. I’d begun running away from every home they placed me in, so they stopped placing me. I lived my last two years as a ward of the state in a group home. School became my one solace; I excelled in all of my classes. College was possible thanks to scholarships and awards. I applied to the FBI straight out of college and was lucky enough to be accepted.” Jerry sat up straighter, feeling lighter than she had in years.

“I’d say the FBI are the lucky ones.” Ethan felt the shadows fade away and her confidence return.

“They are.” Jerry smiled. “It’s a mutual love fest.”

Ethan couldn’t believe the radiance he saw on her face. Only moments ago her eyes were blank and the contours of her profile had been bathed in hard shadows. Now, her eyes were clear and shining and the air of tension that held her together seemed to melt away. Powerless to resist, he lightly gripped her chin and leaned towards her for a kiss.

Jerry didn’t stop him, not that she wanted to. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so free. Sharing her story with Ethan had lifted a weight off of her shoulders that she didn’t realize was there. Opening up to him allowed her to inch closer to acceptance of her past and farther away from self-recrimination.

Soft and sweet and filled with wonder, this kiss held shades of mutual discovery, tender acceptance and a hint of sorrow for the shattered child left broken in the past.

Shades of red-orange turned to midnight blue as they sat quietly watching the sunset. Their arms entwined, Jerry’s head lay on Ethan’s shoulder as they enjoyed the calm after the emotional upheaval of intense revelation.

Chapter Thirteen

Dylan found them cuddled on the sofa staring at the lights of the city when he arrived thirty minutes later. Carrying a bag of Chinese food, a six-pack of beer and a long, white box, he walked in unannounced. The room was dark, but for the glow of a thousand points of light just beyond the window.

Interrupting the air of serenity, he flipped on the first light switch he came to and announced that dinner was served.

“I thought you guys might appreciate something more down-to-earth tonight, rather than that fancy 5-star stuff you’ve been forced to eat lately.” He ignored the still entwined couple and placed dinner on the table.

“How thoughtful of you,” Jerry’s voice was serene, without a trace of sarcasm.

“I thought so.” Dylan glanced over to see that they hadn’t yet separated. “Come and get it while it’s hot. I got a little bit of everything.”

Giving Jerry a quick squeeze, Ethan leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I don’t think he’s going to leave until we eat.”

“I don’t think so either.” Jerry whispered back, then paused. “I am a little starved, come to think of it.”

“Good, so am I.” He kissed her lightly on the forehead and released his grip so she could stand.

“Did you get anything spicy?” Ethan asked Dylan as he followed Jerry to the table.

“You tell me,” Dylan offered up a container with something that made Ethan’s eyes water.

“Smells good,” Ethan tried not to choke on the fumes.

“What’s that?” Jerry nodded towards the large shiny box Dylan had dropped by the door.

“Dunno, the doorman gave it to me to bring up. Said it arrived for Mr. Bennett.”

“It’s nothing,” Ethan blushed, not willing to share Jerry’s surprise with Dylan. “Just a little something I picked up today.”

Jerry narrowed her eyes at Ethan suspiciously. She had a feeling that the contents of the box were for her, not Ethan. “When?”

“I’ll tell you later.” Ethan sent her his best ‘please drop it’ look. “Did you have any luck with the secretaries?” He looked at Dylan and tried to change the subject.

“Assistants. And yes, I did.” Dylan looked between Jerry and Ethan, then shrugged. Whatever was in the box was not his business. Who cared if Slick bought her a trinket. “All four remembered an unusual phone call within two weeks of their bosses leaving town. The caller identified himself as a travel coordinator, supposedly with the same major airline that each man was scheduled to fly. Said he was conducting a random security check to confirm the flight dates and flight numbers of the upcoming trips.”

“That’s not out of the realm of possibility.” Jerry added as she filled her plate with fried rice.

“That’s what the assistants thought, so they gave the man the information he requested. Being the competent women they are, they made notes as to the man’s name and position with the airline; he used the same name for all, Oscar Worth.” Dylan passed another carton to Ethan. “Of course we checked with the airlines, none of which have an employee by that name.”

Jerry spooned several pieces of sesame chicken on top of the rice. “What are the odds that he used his real name?”

“Slim to none, I’d say. Though he may have procured the Mas using the same alias. Jimmy’s checking on it.”

“At least we know how he knew that the men were out of  town.  Trouble is, I don’t have an assistant for him to infiltrate.”

“You do now. An agent from the Sacramento office will arrive tomorrow. We’ve also arranged for office space for your investment business, just around the corner. It’s being furnished as we speak.”

“Impressive.” Ethan nodded at Dylan, then looked at Jerry. “We’ll check it out tomorrow.”

“That’s the plan.” Dylan told him between bites. “Chances are, Oscar will want  to follow Jerry around a bit tomorrow. We can wait until he shows up, then lead him over.”

“Based on his timeline with previous victims, he’ll follow Jerry for about two weeks before he makes contact. Courtships take about a week before he moves in for the kill.” Dylan reached for his second beer.

Three weeks to spend with Ethan, Jerry thought, then felt a pang in her gut that was unrelated to the Chinese food. Such a short time, but she’d take what she could get.

Ethan’s thoughts were running along the same line as Jerry’s. Three weeks to spend with the woman who invaded his every thought before he let some maniac try to kill her. He frowned into his Szechuan shrimp.

Ignorant of the direction of Jerry and Ethan’s thoughts, Dylan stiffened as a sudden flash of insight scrolled before his eyes. He saw Jerry sitting on the sofa only a few feet away from the dining table, crying as if her heart would break. He saw himself, awkwardly trying to comfort her without any success. Ethan was nowhere in the picture.

The flash left him as quickly as it had come, as they always did. Typically, Dylan’s clairvoyance referenced images of events as they happened. This one had to be a vision, rare for him, as he knew it had yet to be.

What the hell did it mean? he thought. Why was Jerry crying and where was Ethan? Glancing up at the other man, he noticed a scowl on his face that wasn’t there before. Jerry was also deep in thought, which left Dylan time to consider the meaning of his flash of insight. Did Ethan get hurt or killed on the mission? From what he’d walked in on earlier, both times, he knew that Jerry was already emotionally invested in Ethan, so his death could elicit a reaction like the one Dylan had just witnessed.

No, Dylan thought, he didn’t die, Slick just left her high and dry after romancing her six ways from Sunday. Dammit, Dylan nearly pounded his fist on the table, I knew it. He glared at Ethan who was ignoring him completely. The son-of-a-bitch does exactly what I knew he would, from the very first time I saw him.

“Dammit,” Dylan’s tone was menacing.

“What?” Jerry and Ethan asked together, both jolted from their reveries.

“Nothing.” Dylan growled, not willing to tell Jerry about his gift, even if it meant saving her from herself. She was already head over heels for the man anyway, he  reasoned, the damage was already done. Nothing he could say now would make a difference.

“It had to be something, you sounded madder than an old wet hen” Jerry smiled at him.

Dylan rolled his eyes at the analogy. “Thanks, but it’s nothing. Just something I forgot to do. How’s the sesame chicken?” He tried to change the subject.

“It’s delicious. How’s the hot stuff?” Jerry wrinkled her nose at the aroma coming from both Ethan and Dylan’s plates.

“Good.” Both men answered her at the same time.

They made small talk for the remainder of the meal. Dylan tried his best to be civil to Ethan, but it was challenging.

Ethan found no rest on the usually comfortable sofa bed, but he knew the fault lied with his thoughts, not the mattress. Jerry’s revelations had thrown him for a major loop. He knew that his anger would not help her, so he squashed the instinct to find and throttle every man who had ever laid hands on the child she had once been.

The flip side of his gut reaction to her childhood pain was an overwhelming sense of wonder that she had shared such deep, personal trauma with him. That she trusted him enough to open up about such horrendous memories, to speak of secrets that she’d kept buried for so long with him, a man she barely knew.

But they did know each other, he reasoned. In ways that defied reason, their souls had connected on a level neither could have predicted. Admitting that he loved her was easier than he’d ever thought it would be. As irrational as it seemed, he felt as if she had always been a part of him. He knew without a doubt that he would do anything necessary to protect her, from now on.

He smiled at the memory of her delight when he finally gave her the green dress. He could tell by the reverent way she’d held the dress to her that she’d never owned anything so lovely or so dear. It took him nearly an hour to convince her that it was hers; that he’d bought it, not the agency and that he insisted she keep it. Stubborn as she was, the desire to own the fabric art won out over any argument she managed to find. He looked forward to spoiling her again and again.

Jerry found sleep came easier than she could ever remember. Thoughts of nestling close to Ethan as they watched the sunset over the city warmed her right down to her toes. She still had trouble believing that she’d told him about her past, but she couldn’t deny the stillness that sharing her story had left in her soul. Finally, she felt a healing begin that was long overdue.

Sighing, she thought of the silky green work of art now hanging on the back of her closet door. Who did anything as thoughtful as to buy something that expensive just because he liked the way she looked in it? Ethan did and it amazed as much as it delighted her.

As she drifted off, she thought of Ethan lying in the next room, and wondered how wonderful it would feel to have his arms around her all night long. Soon, she promised, soon.

“Nice office,” Ethan commented as Dylan opened the door to him and Jerry. “It’s an impressive setup.” Trailing his fingers along the shiny mahogany desk, he turned to admire the view of the city.

“It’ll do. Were you two followed?” Dylan noted Jerry’s serene expression and felt his anger towards Ethan rise up.

“Yes, we would have been here sooner, but Oscar only just arrived.” Jerry answered. “Did you place the tracking devices on his cars last night?”

“Piece of cake. The Mas was in the garage, along with the blue sedan and the homeowner’s Prius. We tagged all three.”

“Well done.” Ethan nodded. “He won’t get away from us again.”

“And we’ll know it if he’s romancing anyone else.” Jerry added.

“Absolutely,” Dylan told her. “We’ve also kept a tail on him, they change every three hours so he won’t recognize the cars.”

“Do we have a photo yet?” Ethan asked.

“Working on it. The only way to get a clear shot is through the front window; all of the others are too heavily tinted. Two local agents dressed as tourists will be sightseeing around his vehicle shortly, they should be able to take pictures from several angles.”

“Sounds good.” Ethan told him. “When is my assistant due to arrive?”

“Any time now,” Dylan offered, just as a short, pixie-like woman breezed through the door like a tiny whirlwind.

“Agent Dawes?” She marched straight to Dylan and stuck out her hand. “Agent Reed, pleased to meet you.” She shook his hand briefly, then turned to Ethan. “You must be my boss, Ethan Bennett. A pleasure.” She pumped his outstretched hand with the grip of a bulldog.

“The pleasure’s all mine, I’m sure.” Ethan remarked, but she’d already moved on.

“And you must be Jerry. Delighted.” She took Jerry’s hand with the same grip. “Is this my desk? Seems to be missing a few things.” Moving away from Jerry, she plopped her bag on the desk. “No worries, I’ll have us set up in no time.”

Dylan found his voice just as she took a breath. “I’m glad you could join us, Agent Reed. We’ll see to it that you have whatever you need.”

“Call me Janice. I know my job is to channel information to the unsub when and if he makes contact, but I intend to be of more use in the meantime.” Janice donned a pair of wire-rim glasses before looking up at Dylan. “My skills of observation are excellent, deciphering coded reports is another strong suit and my powers of deduction are above reproach. Use me, Agent Dawes, in any way you see fit.” Slowly, she slid the glasses down her nose, peering at him over the wire rims.

Dylan nearly choked on his tongue at her obvious double meaning. “Um, call me Dylan. I appreciate your willingness to help, Janice. If anything comes up, I’ll let you know.”