Serial Games (Virginia Justice Book One) (2 page)

Her unassuming manner put her at odds with how he conducted a chase. He recalled her embarrassment over the size of her office. Clearly humble about her promotion within the ranks of the department, if she lacked the fortitude she needed on a manhunt of this magnitude, Brandon would get all he could from her now and leave her behind. No sense in allowing a sheepish woman into the fray, even if she did study crazies for a living.

“The details on his escape are a bit fuzzy, but it is my belief Burrows had inside help,” Brandon said.

The space between Maggie’s brows creased. She crossed her arms and stared intently at him. Brandon’s neck grew hot at her observation but the sensation quickly subsided. Her concentration was on Burrows’s next move, not on Brandon himself.

He continued. “Sometime between location stops, Burrows was able to get free of his restraints, overpower the bus driver, and make his escape. He was last seen heading south on Interstate 95.” He stopped to allow her time to process the information. Maggie let out a small breath. Her stare didn’t relent. She appeared calm and collected. Perhaps he misjudged her ability to remain cool under pressure.
So far, so good
.

“So let me guess: you want me to help you track him?”

Brandon nodded slowly. “I’ve been authorized by my superiors to bring you on as a special consultant. You were instrumental in his capture before, so my superiors and I believe your expertise in this matter is too valuable to pass up.”

Brandon noticed she looked down again. Her top teeth pinned her bottom lip. FBI agents never struck him as self-conscious, unless fresh from the academy. Every outward appearance from her firm handshake to her form-hugging skirt suit spoke of confidence, but if she didn’t possess it…

He suddenly wished he didn’t notice how lovely she looked. A slight pang of disappointment hit him, and then irritation layered on thick. Regardless of her pleasing appearance, he couldn’t ignore his best lead on Burrows. His operation needed her prowess. Brandon calculated the amount of time this case demanded he spend with Maggie: lots of long hours…several days at the very least. His eyes stole quickly over her form again. Well, at least it wouldn’t all be for nothing. He enjoyed working with a pretty face, even if he did place them in the off-limits category.

“I’m honored the Marshal Service wants my help. Although, I’d be the first to say others worked equally hard on the Burrows case.” She sat up straight, her gaze level. “We caught him before and we can do it again. He knows this, and hopefully it will cause enough anxiety for him to make an early slip-up.” She squared her shoulders. A devilish grin spread across her features. “Then we’ll have him.”

Brandon’s breath caught at her determination. He had completely misread her body language.
I take it back
…

****

“Great. I brought over something I think you should take a look at.” Brandon dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out a clear, tiny plastic bag. Maggie eyed the slip of yellow paper inside the bag. “This was left behind in Burrows’s seat. I’m thinking deliberately.”

Maggie took the baggie Brandon handed her. “You are next,” she read softly. Her pulse quickened.

“I see two options here. Either someone handed him that piece of paper, or he left it for someone.”

“I’d say with almost complete certainty it’s the latter.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Maggie detected a trace of doubt in Brandon’s voice. She looked up and turned the paper around for him to see. “This is his handwriting.”

Brandon leaned forward and snatched the bag from her hand, his eyes narrowed on the paper.

“You’re sure?” Disbelief laced his voice.

“Trust me, Marshal, I know everything about this man.” Maggie stood and walked toward the opposite office wall and the safe where she kept her case files. The archive division stored old files but the desire to have Burrows’s on hand never left Maggie, even after his trial had ended. She heard Brandon rise to his feet and walk in her direction. She glanced over her shoulder to see him staring after her. “There was a real lack of a paper trail in the original case. We have very little writing samples from Burrows. It was easy to memorize the strokes of his hand.” She reached the cabinets and worked the combination lock on the safe.

“I’m impressed.”

Maggie didn’t allow the praise time to settle. “The real question is who is it for,” Maggie called over her shoulder.

“It’s my instinct to believe it is for someone, but we also need to assume he dropped it by accident.”

Maggie stopped working the lock. She turned to Brandon, her voice direct. “Everything Burrows does is deliberate. If this note was left behind as you say, he wanted someone to find it.” Maggie shrugged. “Now, whether it was for another inmate or law enforcement is an answer I’m afraid I don’t have. Yet.”

“What is your gut telling you?”

Maggie smiled.
Gut instinct
. Profiling was a scientific discipline, but it couldn’t replace the age-old investigative tool. As she pondered his question, her smile waned. “Honestly, I don’t know.”

“Really, Maggie? You said you knew this man.”

She looked over at him. His teasing half-smile created a handsome angle to his jawline. Heat rose to her cheeks and she tried not to think about how her name rolled deliciously off his tongue.

But it did.

And she thought about it.

The sound of her name…not the tongue.

“I’d like to take a look at the bus he was on, and talk to those present at the time of his escape to get a better handle on his intentions.” Maggie returned to try the combination lock again. Old safes were tricky.

Brandon nodded. “We can do that. I’ve already conducted preliminary interviews myself. You can take a look at the notes and see if maybe I missed something.”

“Oh, I’m sure your interviews were thorough,” she rushed to say over her shoulder but stopped when he gave her a full grin. Her heart thumped. Too attractive for his own good and a confident flirt.

Get a grip
.

He put his cell to his ear and she heard him give someone an update. “I’m at her office now. Give me a call when you have that report. Thanks.”

“How much of a head start does he have on us?” she asked when she heard him finish. She heaved a big sigh when the safe drawer opened with a metallic thud. She needed to get to that bus. If Burrows left behind this clue, she could identify others less subtle. Hopefully, they would have him in custody by tonight. Maggie’s insides churned as she remembered the newspaper headline she’d read earlier. Soon, the same headline would show up again if Burrows continued to roam free.

“Significant. He’s been on the run for at least twelve hours.”

“
Twelve!
” She whirled around.

Brandon winced at her reaction, and then grimaced. Maggie tried to steady her nerves. She didn’t want to offend the US Marshals. She pulled at one of the lower drawers where she kept her old case files and swiftly skimmed through the dividers. Twelve hours was a significant amount of time in the law enforcement world, especially when chasing down a murderer.

“I’ll admit it took us a minute to figure out what was going on, which is why I’m convinced he had help from someone on the inside.” His footsteps sounded nearer. “The driver was only pistol-whipped to unconsciousness, thank God, and all methods of communications were confiscated.”

Maggie found the gray folder, where she kept the most important specifics of the Burrows case. She turned around. Brandon ran a hand through his wavy hair. It distracted Maggie for a moment. She noticed how it curled at the nape of his neck, and shined somewhat.

“Actually, several inmates escaped and we lost time in the confusion of doing a roster check.” He spoke again.

Maggie nodded.

“I wasn’t passed Burrows’s transfer file until the last hour or so. Again, there was confusion as to who was missing.”

“You said he headed south on I-95?”

“Well, that was the route of the transfer bus. It was destined for Wallens Ridge.”

“Is that a supermax?”

“Yes. Located way in the southwest, basically at Virginia’s western-most point.”

“Hmm. Well, it didn’t get very far…” Maggie said, almost to herself. She heard Brandon chuckle. She looked up and met his veiled gaze, but his smile hinted sarcasm.

“I have the CliffsNotes version of Burrows’s file. Let’s go.” She closed the drawer of the safe and quickly turned the dial to seal it shut.

Maggie faced Brandon, who leaned against her office door, his attention on her. His appraisal caused her to warm. Maggie dipped her head again, and gestured toward the door. “Shall we?”

Brandon’s eyes narrowed on her. She paused. Did she say something wrong? Did he expect more? Their best lead rested with the transfer bus. Did he disagree? She opened her mouth to ask what he thought, but he pivoted and opened the door.

“I’ll drive you to where the bus is located.” He stepped out of the office and Maggie followed.

Well, that was strange. Don’t start profiling him, Maggie. You have Burrows to worry about, and that is enough trouble
. Maggie’s gaze caught Doug’s, who stood across the room at another agent’s desk. Maggie put a hand on Brandon’s arm to halt him.

“Just a moment, Marshal.” She hurried over to Agent Fairbanks. “Doug, I want you to pull everything in the archives on Burrows.”

Doug’s brows creased and he held up a hand. “Wait a minute. Burrows? Maggie, what is going on?”

She leaned in. “Burrows escaped,” she whispered.

His eyes widened. “What?”

“I’m on my way to see the transfer bus where he was last seen. I’m hoping there’s something more that will shed some light on where he is, or might be going.”

Doug nodded, his expression grave. He had worked the case with her; he understood the danger Burrows presented. “Give me a call from the bus when you’ve decided what you want to do.”

“I will. Thanks.” She turned to walk back toward Brandon. He stood where she left him, arms crossed, stance intimidating.

“Something I need to know?” Brandon asked when she approached. He uncrossed his arms and linked his thumbs into his belt loops. Maggie caught a glimpse of a shiny, gold-tinted US Marshals badge resting on his hip.

“Most of the people who worked the Burrows investigation have since transferred to other divisions or offices. Doug and I worked on the Burrows case together. I’ve asked him to pull the archives while we’re gone.”

“Will they give us anything we can use?” Brandon led the way to the elevators.

“Well, I have my observation notes and other annotations I believe were crucial to piecing the murders together, along with a psychology workup of Burrows. The archives hold everything else such as interviews, surveillance notes, financials — nothing we would use just yet. Don’t worry; the moment something stands out, I’ll give Doug a call.”

The elevator doors opened and they stepped inside. Brandon pushed the button labeled for the parking garage. “If this guy is as good as he seems on paper, there might not be anything that stands out.”

Maggie frowned at the possibility. The FBI didn’t apprehend Burrows because he wanted to be caught. He sent no letters to the local police, nor left clues for investigators to follow. Burrows made a life out of killing: a life he’d rather not have surrendered. Now privy to the investigative methods Maggie used to catch him, Burrows possessed the upper hand. And Maggie knew all too well he wouldn’t make the same mistakes twice.

Brandon’s head hurt. The pain had started at the base of his neck and crawled its way to the front. He stifled a groan as reality settled in. Burrows was this profiler’s first and most dangerous case. He would prove to be a challenge. Although Brandon relished the chance of sparring with an intelligent fugitive — unlike the few idiots he had caught recently — if his determination waned in the slightest, he would lose Burrows. Brandon possessed the most stellar fugitive recovery record in the DC office, and he aimed to keep it that way. Crazy, brilliant serial killer or not. Any man he tracked, he captured.
And this one won’t be any different
.

Brandon cast a curious glance at Maggie. Something about the woman who sat beside him put him on edge. Pretty women without much substance used to sway him, but not anymore. Heart and character, as well as beauty, appealed to him most. Brandon smirked as he put the car into gear and drove out of the parking garage. Earlier in her office, she’d blushed. His neck heated, and with a set of his jaw, he stilled his emotional reaction to the memory. Never did a woman so instantly attract him. At least not since…

He pushed aside the thought, and sighed.
This Burrows better slip up soon or this is going to be a long trip
.

“Is Sally Mayes there?” Maggie spoke into her cell phone. “Yes, this is Agent Weston with the FBI. She knows who I am.” Maggie paused slightly. “Um, yes, that’s correct,” she stated more softly.

Brandon gave her a side-glance.
Who is Sally Mayes?
That name wasn’t listed in any paperwork he’d received about Burrows.
If there’s anything else about this case I don’t know about
… The rays from the bright sun hit the windshield and he grunted. His eyes adjusted from the darkness of the parking garage.

“Sally? It’s Maggie Weston. Where are you right now? At work? Good. Whatever you do, stay there, where someone can see you. I’m calling a uniform to come by and escort you… Sally, Burrows didn’t make it to prison and he is um, well…” Maggie put a few fingers to her temple. “He’s escaped.”

Brandon caught sight of her cringing; he imagined the woman on the other line in hysterics. “Sally, please calm down. He’s closer to me here in DC than he is to you. We can’t be sure of his plans just yet but we’re going to take every precaution to ensure your safety. Just let me get on the phone with the county sheriff’s department and we’ll have round-the-clock surveillance on you.
You will be safe
.”