No Ordinary Killer (20 page)

Dallas jumped and moaned when Cooper dropped across
her.

“I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”

“No, I think I was more startled by the unexpected
shots than hurt.” She closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating on the
surrounding sounds. “I think he’s moving,” she whispered. “That was a branch
breaking underfoot. There, you hear it?”

“You’re right. Here’s your gun. Lay low and don’t try
being a hero.”

“Ditto, Cooper,” she whispered. “Don’t go getting
yourself killed. You hear me?” What frightened her more: Cooper dying at the
hands of the killer or that she might never see him again? How could she
possibly have fallen under the spell of Cooper Reynolds? Rule number one: never
start a relationship with a policeman, detective, or any type of service man.
What was she thinking? And now it was too late, she cared about him already.

* * *

 
Megan stretched
her back upward, then rolled her head from side to side. Page thirty stared
back at her. She pushed her chair from the computer and slowly strolled to the
window. It was an incredibly beautiful day. The flower garden below called to
her. Megan was tempted, but didn’t take the bait.
Physical Evidence
wasn’t going to write itself. And the sooner she
was done with this whole thing, the better.

She returned to the table and studied the crime scene
photos. What a sick monster he had to be to mutilate such a lovely young woman
like this. Would the reader be more sympathetic if the book read from the
victim’s point of view? That wasn’t possible, since once the killer had done
his deed, the point-of-view would have to stop with the death. And switching to
the detective’s view point wasn’t as dramatic or violent as sharing the insight
of the killer. Yet, this angle was unnerving and … should she foreshadow that
the detective could be the killer?

The idea fascinated Megan. What if she cast a doubt,
that the detective might be manipulating the evidence? That the detective was
able to unfold the murder scene just the way he wanted the other detectives to see
it. Megan froze in her thoughts. Was her lover the killer? It would explain how
he knows everything about her and Cooper as well as the murders.

Megan sat at the keyboard.

“You know I’ll never be
caught, don’t you?” The killer slid the scalpel across his tongue without
cutting it.

“Sooner or later, you all get
caught.” Ella spat the words at him.

“That was gutsy of you, dear.
You know you’ll pay.”

“You’re going to kill me
anyway. Why should I give you the satisfaction of seeing my fear? By the way, I
wrote all about you in my journal. You’ll never find it but I’m sure—“

He tightened the rope round
her neck. “Before we’re done, you’ll tell me all the details. If you don’t
think you will … let me inform you, lovely Ella, you will. I’ll start skinning
you at the collar bone inch by inch just like the Indians did, until you tell
me everything. You’ll beg me to kill you.”

“No, that’s not how this is
going to happen. You either let me go and I won’t say a word to anyone or
you’ll kill me. Just keep in mind, you’ll be looking over your shoulder
wondering when they’ll find that journal and then you.”

With the tip of the scalpel,
he cut a fine line starting at the sternal notch to just above her belly
button. “Where is your journal, Ella?” Her moans of pain excited him. He leaned
over and licked a salty tear from her cheek.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Her body jerked forward.

The pain reflected in her
eyes revealed a new level of distress. “What’s happening?”

Her laughter carried a hint
of childish payback. “You didn’t check my medical records, did you?”

“Why? What the hell’s
happening?”

“I have … a heart condition.
Under this much stress I won’t last more than thirty minutes.”

“You’re shittin’ me? You have
pills or what?”

“Now you want to save me …
how delight—“ Her voice stopped as another spasm tormented her chest.

“I’m not ready for you to
die. Tell me where the journal is and I’ll call the paramedics.”

Her laughter caught in her
throat, then her body collapsed … limp. He had no doubt she was dead. Damn … damn
… damn. This was not how he’d planned it. He blew warm air into his frozen
hands and shivered. The deed was done.

Megan smiled. She liked it. The killer most likely
won’t like it that Ella cheated him. He won’t have the thrill of the kill. He
won’t know where the journal is. He lost control.

* * *

Cooper wanted nothing more than to be on his way to
Missoula. He’d had enough side-tracks and misdirection. Something serious was
going on, and now that Dallas was shot, things had gone from annoying to damn
frustrating.

He moved with caution, making each step, each
movement, each decision a good one, inching his way closer and closer to where
he believed the attacker lay waiting. Cooper stopped and listened. He swung his
leg over a log and a blue grouse froze in place.
Snap.
Was it behind
him? He inched around a tree and paused.
Snap.
There it was again. Had
he switched from hunter to being the hunted?

Was the killer moving toward Dallas? Cooper’s heart
beat against his chest. He’d left her hidden between two boulders—alone. If the
killer found her first, would he finish her off? Damn. He should have stayed
with her.

With experienced skill, Cooper retraced his steps,
mindful the perp could be anywhere. Toe-heel, he moved stealthy back to Dallas.
The cold nuzzle of a gun pressed into his neck. How the hell did the killer get
the drop on him?

“I’m better at this than you are.”

Cooper didn’t recognize the disguised voice behind
him. “Guess that’s obvious, since you’re holding the gun.”

“Lucky for you, it’s not your time to die. I have
plans for you. Now your pretty IA agent wasn’t so lucky.”

“If you killed her, there won’t be a hole small enough
for you to crawl into.” Cooper swallowed hard. He couldn’t think of anything
but Dallas. Why hadn’t he stayed with her?

“It almost sounds like you care about that little
filly. Guess you’re going to miss her … huh?”

“You bastard! I’m going to put you away for the rest
of your miserable life—if it’s the last thing I do.” Cooper pressed his neck
against the gun. “Why not face me like a man? You weasel in and out like a
sneaky coward. Face me. Let’s have it out right now. You and me … like men.”

“You’re in no position to taunt me like this, Cooper.
You always think you’re in control. The leader. The one who has the edge. Well
this time you don’t have fuckin’ anything. I’m leading you around by a nose
ring, and you don’t have a clue what the shit is going on. You will soon enough
… but then it’ll be too late.”

“Too late for what? What the hell are you talking
about? Who the damn hell are you and why are you doing all this?”

“Good things just fall in your lap. You have never had
to work hard for a damn thing in your life. Well that’s all about to come to a
screeching halt. Your golden ticket has just been torn in half. When you’re rotting
in jail, you can try and figure this out. I guarantee … it will drive you nuts.
Don’t think you’ll ever completely figure it out. Just know that this time I’ve
outsmarted you. This time your world will crash down around you … and you’ll be
all alone.”

“Did I do this to you? Please tell me. Can’t we talk?
There is no way I intentionally hurt you. If I put you in prison and you were
innocent, I apologize. Let me help you find the real killer. I’ll even give you
a public apology.”

“See … there you go. It’s all about you, isn’t it?
I’ve waited a long time to see you squirm. To see you suffer.”

“Fine. You want me, you got me. Then let Dallas be.
She certainly had nothing to do with this situation between us. Leave her out
of your revenge for me.” Cooper stretched his neck up and slightly to the
right, then caught a glimpse of movement to his right. Was it Dallas?

“Look how concerned you are. Are you falling for the
lovely Dallas Fortune? She’s much too good for you. Why she believes you’re
innocent is beyond me. Her track record for the truth is rather excellent. What
she sees in you is a wonder. But then, the girls have always liked you.”

“How do you know so much about me? Who the hell are
you and why are you trying to destroy me?”

“All good questions. I bet you’ll be asking yourself
these same questions ten years from now. You think you’re one damn good
investigator. Face it— you’re a damn fuck up, Cooper. You couldn’t even keep
that pretty little wife of yours in your bed. She is quite the fuck. But you already
know that, don’t you?”

Cooper clenched his teeth. “Have at her. She’s long
since left my bed. Are you the prick she had the affair with?”

“Still having the affair with, you mean. You stupid
shit. She was sleeping with me before and after you married her. She likes sex
and you, my man, could only give it to her one way. She likes variety and
excitement. You even wonder if those twins are really yours?”

Cold sweat washed over Cooper. He didn’t give a damn
about Megan but his children were a completely different subject. “You stay
away from my kids.”

“Loose use of the term if you ask me.”

 
The cold nuzzle
burned into his neck. “What do you want?”

“Soon you’ll find out. I have more work to do before
that time comes.”

A hard blow to the back of the head sent him spinning
downward.

* * *

“That last chapter ended so incredible. I’m so proud
of you, Megan. Is the detective really the killer? I’m so intrigued.” Jessica’s
tone rose.

“Guess you’ll have to wait to find out.” Megan leaned
back in her chair and propped her feet up on the table.

“There’s one problem with that.”

She rolled her eyes, annoyed Jessica would have a
negative comment already. “And that is what, exactly?”

“Well, these crime scenes are based on true cases. If
you start inferring the killer is a detective, well then … aren’t you saying
the wrong people went to prison? Aren’t you making a case for reasonable doubt
and all three cases could ask for an appeal? I’m not sure we want to be a part
of that.”

“Jessica, what part of
fiction
don’t you get? If I spin a foundation for a different
ending, don’t you think this will lead us down a path that is less likely to
have a copycat? In the long run, we’ll be able to point out to the public this
is a work of fiction based on three actual cases.”

“Now that you mention it, I think that’s a great
point. It will take some of the liability off our shoulders. That’s smart,
Megan. I like it.”

“Well, thank God, because I wasn’t planning on
changing it. When are you releasing the first case?”

“I’ll be presenting it to the Board this afternoon.
I’d say the end of the month.”

“How can you possibly have it ready for print in three
weeks?”

“One week, Megan. We have the covers ready and we’re
dropping everything to get this in print yesterday. We are so excited.”

“You have got to be kidding. Do you have any idea—“

“Stop right there, Megan. You have eighty-thousand
dollars that says we can do what we want to do with this book. You don’t like
it, tough!”

“But … but, I’m not prepared to … I mean … it could
have ramifications that we haven’t thought through. Jessica, we need to stop
for a second and make sure this is what we—“

“My office has already made that decision. Also, we’ve
paid you more than we’ve ever paid an author up-front. You’d better get started
on the next murder, Megan. In less than a month it will be hitting the market.”

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this. You seem
driven to get this out.”

“What exactly do you mean?”

“It’s almost as if … you’re being forced to get this
book in print.” Megan paused, then grew serious. Of course Jessica was being
forced to get
Physical Evidence
on
the market. Wasn’t she being forced to write it?

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Megan. I
think you’re getting a bit paranoid. I have a job to do, and I’m doing it. You
agreed to these conditions. If you don’t want to uphold your part of this
contract, we’ll take you to court for breach of contact.”

“I’m sorry, Jessica. I know we discussed the
conditions for this book. I’m just feeling stressed. I have a feeling we’re
both doing what we have to do.”

“What are you talking about?”

Megan dropped her feet to the floor and adjusted the
back on her chair. “I think we’ll both be glad when this book is finished and
behind us.”

“I’ll agree with you there.”