Killer Moves (9 page)

“Boyfriends?”

“Well, that’s where the similarities with Amy end. Amanda’s parents told us she’d decided to take some time off from dating to focus on her career.”

“Were they the same age?”

“No, Amy had just turned twenty-one. Amanda was thirty-eight. Different birthdays as well.”

“What about friends…acquaintances. Did they know any of the same people? I realize they ran in different social circles and they weren’t the same age, but maybe there’s a connection somewhere in the people they knew.”

He’d known this would come up eventually. It was the first rule of police work to try and find a connection between the victims. He knew he’d have to tell Kara everything soon, but he wasn’t ready to go there just yet. They weren’t at a place in their relationship where she was ready to hear about the others.

“I thought of that. We’ve checked them all. They didn’t know any of the same people or even hang out at the same places.” He couldn’t tell her that the only connection they’d found between any of the recent victims had been himself.

“What about Rachel?” Kara finally asked.

“No. There’s no indication that Rachel knew any of the original Angel’s victims, or the latest ones for that matter.”

“None of this makes any sense.” She put the folder down and rubbed her eyes.

“I know… Why don’t we try looking at this from a different angle. Suppose for a minute Ava actually did see into the mind of the killer—for whatever reason,” he added when he saw her fear. She knew the only reason the Angel would choose Ava would be because of her connection to Kara. “And he planned on targeting Justine Yamez for his next victim.” Kara read his thoughts. She grabbed the file on the Angel’s fourth victim. Jan Yates.

“It fits. Oh. My. God!” she whispered, and he glanced at the name of the next Angel victim.

“Kara.” Davis dropped the folder he held and reached for her. For once, she went into his arms without hesitating. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

“Davis, the next victim was Alicia Mathis. AM—Ava…Martin! Davis, he has to know Ava is your daughter otherwise he’d be targeting someone with the last name starting with B. How did he know? I haven’t told anyone but Gran. Oh my God, do you know what this means? He’s coming after our daughter!” He would have given just about anything to deny this truth but she needed to know. Just as she needed to know she would be killer’s sixth target.

“KB. Kim Billings,” Kara said almost to herself and then moved out of Davis’s embrace. “Davis, we had no reason to consider the names before now. KB. Kara Bryant. We’ve always assumed I was to be the Angel’s next victim, but maybe that wasn’t what he intended at all. What if his intention wasn’t to kill me back then? Maybe this was what he had planned all along. Maybe he’s just been waiting for this moment. Maybe this was just part of the game.”

Davis studied her expression for a moment. “Kara—”

“Think about it. It makes sense. The Angel never made a single mistake until me.”

“This could all just be a coincidence. We don’t know for sure this is the same person. It could be just some new creep copying the Angel’s MO. Until we do know this is the Angel, let’s not panic. We have Justine and Maggie. Ava’s safe and so are you. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“You don’t believe that any more than I do. This is the same killer. The Bureau, we, framed an innocent man. Frankie Shepard was no more the Death Angel than I was. We screwed up the last time, Davis.”

Something didn’t add up. He wasn’t telling her everything. Kara wanted to ask him what he was hiding but he was too close for her exhausted mind to think clearly.

She looked away as his fingers cupped her face. In a moment, he would kiss her. She couldn’t let him touch her and shatter her fragile control. She tried to get to her feet but Davis stopped her.

“No. Davis, don’t.”

“Kara, you know you feel it too.”

“You’re wrong. I don’t feel anything.”

“And you’re lying. I can always tell when you’re lying. I knew it the moment I saw you again. It’s not over for us, Kara, no matter how much you’d like it to be.”

She took a deep breath and looked away. “Maybe not, but it is finished for me.”

“Kara—”

“No. I can’t do this. Not again. I almost didn’t survive the last time.”

“Kara, I’ll be there with you. I won’t let him hurt you.”

She forced a bitter smile.
The Job.
Of course, Davis’s only concern would be the job.

“I’m not talking about the Angel, Davis. That was horrible enough—terrifying in fact—but it wasn’t the worst part of it. Watching you choose the job over me as I’d seen you do so many times in the past—that was the worst part. Do you have any idea how hard that became for me to accept?”

“It wasn’t like that. At least that certainly wasn’t the way I felt in my heart. But I’m sorry I made you feel that way. I love you, Kara. I’ve loved you from the beginning.”

Six years ago she would have been thrilled to hear him say those things. Now, all she felt was angry and resentful. She’d waited by the phone for months—years even—for him to come after her. But he never came.

“Stop it.” She tried to release her hand from his hold but Davis brought it slowly to his lips, kissing her palm. She struggled against her reaction to his touch. “You don’t love me. You love the job. It’s always been about the job. You thought I helped you solve the most exciting case of your career. Now it’s happening again. That’s the only reason you’re here now. You need my help again.”

“Kara, how can you say that after all we had together?”

“Had, Davis? What we
had
was great sex. The thrill of the hunt made it seem more intense. But that’s all that existed between us.”

“No. You know that’s not true.”

“Really? Then why are you here now? Why after six long years do you show up on my doorstep the moment the Angel appears again?”

“I came the moment I discovered I had a child.”

“Maybe. But you came because you need my help too.”

“Yes, okay, I won’t deny that! I need your help, but that doesn’t change how I feel about you! I love you, Kara. You’re all that’s kept me going for a long time. Thinking about you. About the possibility of being with you again.”

“Very touching, but I’ve heard enough. I’ll help you with the case because I want this monster put away before he can hurt my daughter. But let’s be honest with each other for once. This is work. Nothing more.”

She pulled her hand away and got to her feet.

“That’s not true. Kara, wait!” He called after her but she didn’t listen. She had to get away before the tears she’d been struggling to keep inside came.

Kara closed the door to her room and leaned against it. She still felt his touch on her hand. She pressed her palm against her lips to stop the sobs.

Don’t cry. Just let it go.

She stood perfectly still, chanting those words over in her head, when she felt the calming presence of her daughter. Ava sensed her mother’s pain and reached out to comfort her through the miles and miles of space separating them.

Kara remembered all the other times in the past when her daughter had done this. No matter how much she might deny its existence to Davis and Maggie and the world, and no matter how many different explanations she used to try and make herself feel better, she knew Ava had inherited the gift as well.

And so it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Ava knew Davis was her father. After all, Kara had told her as much in her thoughts of him in the past.

“I’m okay, baby. I’m okay. Don’t worry. You just take care of Grandma for me, okay? I’ll see you again soon,” Kara whispered into the silent room and felt Ava’s presence like a warm hug as she undressed and climbed into bed.

Chapter Five

“You let him back into your life. That was your first mistake, Kara. Thinking you can escape me again will be your last.”

Kara struggled to wake herself from the dream. She wanted him out of her head.

“No. You’re not real. You’re dead.”

She could hear his laughter, filled with hatred and insanity. He’d slipped further over the edge, becoming viler than before.

“You screwed me out of my next victim. Shame on you, Kara. You know how the game goes. But don’t worry. I have another in mind. She’s even better than that bitch in El Paso. Do you want to hear her pain?”

“No! No, this isn’t real!” Kara fought against his hold. But she could feel the terror growing inside her. Her terror. His latest victim. He had her. Here in her dreams she became far too real.

She was beautiful. Kara could see her long, straight hair, so like Justine’s, flowing past her waist. It appeared black almost but everything around her was dark. Kara struggled to see
his
face, but like all the times past, she saw nothing but darkness and an incredible malevolence surrounding him.
He
was the only one who’d ever eluded her completely. He taunted her with his power to remain anonymous every single time he reached out to her. Why was he different from the others? Was he like her? Did he, too, possess the gift? It would certainly explain why he’d remained a mystery. If she could just see him, she’d know his identity. She’d be able to prove once and for all that the Bureau had framed an innocent man. If only…

Someone shook her hard.

Davis!

“No.”

“Kara, wake up,” he said in a commanding voice that sounded so familiar. She tried, but the girl’s fear pulled her back. She was in a dark, cold place. Kara tried to make out the girl’s surroundings but it was impossible.

“It’s too dark. I can’t see.”

“Wake up, Kara. It’s just a dream. It’s time to wake up now.”

“No, just a minute longer. I can help her. I’m almost there.” But she wasn’t. Soon the darkness became thicker. The image disappeared entirely. Bright light dispelled the blackness as she opened her eyes.

The comfort of her bedroom replaced the horror of the dark place. She sat up in bed and reached out to Davis, clinging to him, her body soaked with sweat. Tonight the dream felt more real than ever before. She was crying from experiencing the girl’s fear.

“It’s okay,” Davis repeated softly against her ear, stroking back her hair from her damp face. “It’s only a dream.”

God, how she wished she could believe it, but she knew the truth. This was only the beginning. He was forcing her back to DC. Back to unfinished business.

Kara pulled a little away from Davis so she could look into his eyes. “It’s not a dream, Davis. It’s real. He’s real and very much alive. The Death Angel is back.”

His shocked gaze held hers. He didn’t believe it fully just yet but he would in time.

“Dear God, Kara,” he whispered. Touching her cheek, he wiped the tears away that clung there. “Not again. I won’t let this happen to you again,” Davis repeated more forcefully.

“There’s nothing you can do to stop it. He’s even stronger than the first time.”

He shook his head. The last of his doubts disappearing.

“Oh God, Kara. How the hell did Frankie Shepard become involved in this?”

“I don’t know.”

For a long time they simply held each other. The two of them had been the first to put the clues together in the past and had met with nothing but resistance and ridicule in the beginning. Would anyone believe them this time?

“We need to go to DC. We need to talk to the taskforce working the cases and see what they’ve come up with.”

“Yes.” She couldn’t fight it any longer. This would be her fate. She’d known this moment would come again since she ran away from it six years ago. In spite of the official Bureau line, Kara knew the Angel wasn’t dead. The way Frankie’s car went into the Potomac that night appeared to be too messy for the Angel. Too staged. Through the years, she’d felt him reaching out to her, pulling her back into the game.

Kara leaned against Davis’s chest. She no longer wanted to think about the case. Having him so close reminded her of all the times he’d touched her like this in the past.

“Kara?” He felt it as well. He hesitated for a second, struggling to do the right thing. But she didn’t want to do the right thing tonight. She wanted him. Wanted to make love to him until she could wipe away all the horror she’d witnessed through the young woman’s eyes tonight.

His lips touched hers. Familiar. Gentle. All she’d ever wanted. His touch held more than simple passion for them both. There was history between them. Anger. Love. All there.

“Not like this,” he whispered against her mouth. “I want you. God, I want you, Kara. But I don’t want the things you said to me earlier standing between us. I don’t want the job there either. And I certainly don’t want you coming to me because of him. When we make love again, I want it to be just about you and me.”

He untangled her arms reluctantly, stood and walked to the door. There would never be just the two of them. It was an impossible dream.

“I’ll leave Jessica a voicemail to let her know we’ll be arriving later today. I don’t think sleep is going to be possible for me, but you should try. I’m going to make some coffee and go over the case files again.”