Second Chances: A PAVAD Duet (10 page)

Thank God for Kelly. She’d
moved in with Ally on the pretext of a falling out with her
roommate, and had offered her three hundred dollars a month in
rent. Ally had agreed, even though she’d known that it was a
lie.

She owed Kelly so much, and
she’d never forget that.

She finished getting the
kids to bed, then changed into more comfortable clothing just as
Kelly’s car pulled in to the drive.

She met her friend at the
door. “You ok?”

“
Yes. No. Maybe.” Kelly put
her bag on the table by the door before flopping on to the couch.
“I am so freaking confused right now.”

“
I’ll bet. Did you get your
sisters settled ok?” Ally pulled two bottles of juice from the
fridge and handed one to the younger woman.

“
Yes. They’re sleeping
bagging it tonight, then my dad said something about getting
furniture out of storage. Gracie is overwhelmed. ”

“
I thought so. And
Emma?”

“
Emma is rainbows and
sunshine with everything. Thinks my dad is like some hero or
something.” Kelly’s voice wobbled. “Thinks that now the boogeyman
won’t get her anymore.”

“
And what do you think of
your father?”

“
I think he’s just a man.
He’s not as big as I remember. When I was little, Al, he would pick
me up and whirl me so high in the air I’d think I was flying. Now,
he’s just a couple of inches taller than I am.”

“
I think that’s pretty
normal about parents. Ryan used to think his father walked on
water.”

“
And now he won’t even talk
about him,” Kelly said, breath coming out in a long sigh. She
looked so tough and hard, with black clothes, multiple ear
piercings, and purple streaks, but on the inside, she was one of
the most vulnerable people Ally had ever met. “My dad was a good
dad. I can’t forget that. He never hit, never yelled. Always made
dinner, did the laundry. Even helped with homework. When he was
home. He was gone a lot of times, though. And then my mother was
different. Like Janus, the two headed god. When my father was home,
she was freaking June Cleaver. When he was gone, she was a freaking
horror.”

“
Bipolar?”

“
I think so. She’s never
said. I’ve never asked. It’s easier to just stay away.”

“
Did your father
know?”

“
About how she was? I
don’t think so. I used to wonder, but when I think back―no. I
remember her breaking my arm once.”

Ally’s juice backed up in
her throat, shocked at how casual Kelly had said it. She’d never
spoken of her childhood in Ally’s hearing. And Ally had never
really asked, sensing she wouldn’t want to talk about
it.

“
Yeah. I’d said something
she didn’t like when she was yelling at Emma for spilling her milk
on the kitchen floor, she grabbed my arm and jerked me across the
kitchen. Crack, there it was.”

“
What happened when your
father found out?”

“
I don’t think he ever did.
He’d been on a case, gone for three days. By the time he got back
she’d drilled the story into mine and Emma’s heads that I’d crashed
my bike when the neighbor’s dog darted out in front of me.
Reiterated it so much that Emma to this day thinks that’s what
happened. She was only four and doesn’t remember any differently
even though she was there. I was eight. Dad came home, heard the
dog story and went and bought me ice cream and a new My Little
Pony. That’s when I finally cried. When he got home. Because I knew
that if I cried when he was gone she would have punished me so
badly. When he was home we were the perfect family.”

“
And he never
knew?”

“
No.”

“
And you resent that
still.”

“
Partially.” Kelly’s bottle
hit the coffee table with a thunk. “How did he miss it,
Al?”

“
Sometimes, parents don’t
know everything, Kel. And when you love and trust your partner, it
never even occurs to you that they could be doing something so
abhorrent.” Like screwing their secretary, for instance. “If your
mom did such a good job of crafting stories to feed your
dad―stories you and Emma validated―he wouldn’t have known.
Especially if he was gone a lot.”

“
I guess.”

“
You need to forgive your
dad, Kelly. He loves you and he loves your sisters. Your mother is
the one to blame here, for the most part. Yes, your dad shares some
of that blame―but only a bit. She took you, hurt you, and hurt him.
He was a good dad when you had him―give him a chance to be a good
one again.”

Dan didn’t know what to do
with a teenage girl. He’d be the first to admit it. He also didn’t
know what to do with a twenty-one year old college student who
seemed bent on filling his once empty house with light, laughter,
and noise. Emma was a definite butterfly, and she drew people to
her almost effortlessly. Even Paige, who preferred spending most of
her time in the small basement apartment, had been coaxed upstairs
by the younger Emma.

Emma made up for the
quietness of her younger sister. At first it bothered Dan that the
teenager seemed so serious, but then he realized that was just who
Gracie was. A quiet introvert who preferred to watch the world
around her before deciding how to participate.

Kelly visited twice over
the weekend, the time tense and uncomfortable for both her and Dan.
He had to remind himself on several occasions to just take things
slow.

It was hard, after spending
a lifetime without his children to have them suddenly close by. The
reality of it somewhat overwhelmed him.

Monday brought quite a few
changes as well. He took part of the day to enroll Gracie in
Brynlock Academy then headed into the CCU where things were at
least familiar. If not normal. The CCU could never be called
normal.

“
Grab your gear!” Hellbrook
said less than five minutes after Dan settled at his desk. “We’ve
pulled a case.”

“
Shit! Hellbrook―I can’t
leave town right now.” Not until things settled with the girls and
his ex. He wasn’t taking the chance that they’d be gone again.
Never again.

“
Relax. So far it’s
local,” Georgia said from her characteristic spot beside her
husband. “Two bodies found along the banks.”

“
What brought us in?” The
CCU handled cases that other units couldn’t solve. A blend of
doctors, profilers, and former cops, their seven member team was
often the last option for cases.

“
They think it’s the
Ghost.” Norton grabbed his coat, hiding the holster he wore beneath
the soft leather.

The Ghost was the name
given to a serial killer they’d been after for at least nine
months. The man―or woman―had murdered twenty-three women in the St.
Louis and surrounding tri-state area and left no trace of forensic
evidence. They were no further along than when they’d first pulled
the case. Dan’s gaze sharpened, falling on Compton’s
face.

The boy had lost a good
friend six months earlier to who they suspected was the Ghost. A
St. Louis Metro cop, Becca Silvio and Compton had volunteered at
the same youth shelter. Silvio had simply never made it home after
her shift one night. Her body had been found in Benton Park.
Compton never said much about it, but Dan knew he’d attended the
funeral. Had spoken with the woman’s mother on occasion.

Dan knew the kid was taking
the Ghost personally. And taking a case personally could prove
dangerous. They had all seen too much evidence of that in recent
past. And had nearly lost several agents in the process.

“
How are they connecting
these bodies to the UNSUB?” Dan refused to refer to the killer by
the moniker given by the press. Nicknames for killers just seemed
to romanticize them. He figured it was best to call them what they
were: monsters, otherwise known as Unknown Subjects.

“
I’m not real clear on the
details. I’ve called in Evidence Recovery. A team will be meeting
us there.”

Once Dan hit the elevators
with the rest of the team he pushed thoughts of his daughters and
his personal life from his mind. There was no room for personal.
Not when on the job. Personal got people killed.

Compton was silent during
the drive. Dan took a moment to pull the kid aside after parking
the vehicle and exiting. “You know it might not be the
guy.”

“
I know.” Compton’s jaw
tightened as he looked past Dan’s shoulder to the covered bodies
lying on the pier. They were waiting for Dr. Bellows and her people
to arrive for collection of the bodies. “If it is, he’s escalating.
Becca’s murder was six months ago, and how many have we had since
then? Three? Yet now there are two bodies? He’s never killed two in
one episode before.”

“
I didn’t realize there had
been three more possible victims.” The two men followed the rest of
their team to speak with the local law enforcement who’d first
responded.

“
Last two were while you
were recuperating.” Georgia said, one hand holding the long dark
hair out of her eyes as the winds whipped around her. She shivered.
“Each kill is more violent than the last.”

Dan’s eyes drifted from the
woman before him to the latest vehicle to arrive. A dark SUV,
standard government issue, pulled to a stop and Doc Brewster was
the first out. She was followed quickly by Kelly and another dark
haired woman that Dan hadn’t met yet.

Hellbrook cursed roundly
and stepped in their direction. Dan followed, understanding
Hellbrook’s reasoning perfectly. They shouldn’t have been sent to
this sight. Hellbrook commanded their attention and the doc paused
just to Dan’s left, shivering. He shifted to block the
wind.

“
Before you process the
scene, doctor, there are some things in particular you need to look
for and need to know.” Dan listened as Hellbrook listed the
peculiarities of the UNSUB. “You have fresh eyes. We need that. But
for the duration, while working this case you absolutely must do
everything in pairs. And keep your eyes open.”

“
There’s something you’re
not telling us,” the doc said, straightening. Kelly and the other
woman stiffened. The dark haired woman’s hand dropped to the weapon
at her side. It was a telling gesture. She, at least, knew there
was a potential threat. Dan ran an eye over the doc and his
daughter. Neither was armed. Their choice, as forensic scientists
weren’t required to carry. Even though he thought they all should.
“What is it?”

“
The last female cop to
work on this case became the third victim,” Hellbrook said. “In
fact, this guy’s preferred choice in victims is women attached to
law enforcement, and we believe he picks some of his next victims
by watching the current victim’s cases. If you feel you are being
watched, report it.”

Ally didn’t need to hear
that. She shot a look at Kelly and Cody after Agent Hellbrook was
finished speaking. “Cody, take the perimeter. Kelly, second
body.”

Her people knew what they
were doing. And they could do it both quickly and thoroughly. Dan
and Dr. Compton stayed next to the pier, while the rest of their
team spread out. It was the first time Kelly had gotten to see the
CCU in action.

Ally listened with half an
ear to the two men’s conversation as she secured the first body for
transport. Dr. Bellows and her team were just pulling in, and the
bodies would be on their way to the morgue shortly.

“
Talk it out for me, son.
Take that damned Ghost out of the equation. What do you see?” Dan’s
voice was low, but Ally had to admit she loved the timber of it.
The strength and even the calm.

“
Victims. Both Caucasian.
Young. Mid-twenties. Probably attractive.” Dr. Compton’s words were
quick and clinical. “High quality clothing. Probably from the
wealthier suburbs or the more expensive downtown areas.”

“
Placement of the bodies?”
Dan asked.

“
Tossed. Or so it looks at
first glance. But they are in too nearly identical positions. Made
to look like trash. Like the UNSUB didn’t care about what happened
to them after he was done with them.”

“
And that tells you
what?”

“
This guy is methodical.
That he plans what he is doing down to the last detail. One reason
why we’ve yet to find tangible physical evidence. But why two?
We’ve never had two bodies before.” Dr. Compton moved closer to
Ally’s position. He knelt beside Kelly.

“
Surprise, maybe. He was
with one victim and the second startled him?” Dan said. He followed
the younger agent but didn’t kneel down. Instead he stood by Ally’s
side, his larger body providing some shelter from the wind. He did
it without thinking, and Ally appreciated it.

“
I don’t know. If this is
the Ghost, he plans things for every eventuality. He stalks his
victims, we’ve established that. The chance that he’d be
interrupted―something he’d work to prevent.” Compton nodded at
Kelly to continue processing. “If this is the same
guy...”

“
Forget that science in
your head, Josh. Is your gut telling you this is the same UNSUB or
not?” Dan asked, after offering Ally a hand up. She removed her
sterile gloves and bagged them before accepting.