The Body Hunters (18 page)

 
          "I think I know how I feel.
"

 
           Instead of listening, he took her hand in his. "Sweetheart, trust me on this. I won't put any more stress on you. Cassie recommended this wedding planner who works miracles. Monday, I'm going to give her a call and we can start planning it out, that way it takes the burden off of you. Whatever type of ceremony you want we'll have. If you want to have our wedding in the Virgin Islands, Jamaica, even in New York, whatever you want is yours."

 
          Standing up from the dinner table, Gerard kissed Danny on the forehead like she was his child not his fiancée and excused himself. He had paperwork in his office that needed to be sorted through
.

 
           Dumbfounded, Danny remained where she was, not believing that Gerard hadn’t heard a word she’d said. She picked up her wine glass and swigged all of it down. She got up from the table leaving the dishes where they were.

 
           "Let the asshole clean up." She mumbled, going to bed in the guest room where she spent most of her nights, since Gerard had a habit of working late hours.

 
           Lying alone in the dark, her mind wandered again to Agent Stone. What a name she bemused. The image of Stone in the thread bare towel once again barged into her thoughts.    She found herself breathing just a little harder, her pulse quickening at the thought of the possible image of what was underneath that skimpy towel
.

 
           Oh, God, why am I thinking this? She admonished herself. Turning over on her side, she decided to pick another image for falling asleep. Waking up with a start three hours later, she was surprised to find Gerard in bed with her in the guest room.

 
           He stirred awake. ’What's wrong honey?”

 
           "I just had a bad dream I was falling, probably too much spice at dinner.” She said, meaning the last part as a personal jab at his cooking. "Go back to sleep.”

 
          Gerard had already turned over and was fast asleep again. He hadn’t even heard her words
.

 
           "So much for my knight in shining armor." Danny muttered under her breath.

 
           She had conveniently forgotten to mention that her fall in her dream was broke by a strong island man catching her, the incomparable Aiden Stone.

 
           Aiden and Alejandro arrived in Dallas after a two and a half hour red-eye flight from Phoenix. As soon as their feet hit the ground, they got in contact with their superiors' contacts in DC and the agents working at the Dallas field office to let them know that it was imperative that they meet. Within hours, a conference call was scheduled with Peterson and SAIC Johnson in Washington, while ten weary-eyed Dallas field agents were called in for an early morning briefing
.

 
           Courtesy of the Bureau, a dark SUV was waiting for them at the airport. The two agents took the time before the briefing to check into yet another motel to freshen up from their flight. Their breakfast was eaten at a hole in the wall diner that boasted the best cup of coffee in Dallas. Aiden enjoyed the hotcakes and the homemade breakfast sausage, but the coffee had the consistency of motor oil and tasted like sludge.

 
           Mulling over his breakfast, his thoughts drew him back to Danielle Labouleaux. The woman was loitering in his mind, and for some reason he couldn't evict her. He was actually feeling the pang of her absence and didn't like it one bit. Pushing down his burgeoning feelings for the very engaged investigator, he swallowed the last of the mysterious liquid claiming to be coffee and paid for their meals.

 
           Steaming Styrofoam cups were scattered all over the oblong conference room table as yawns weretraded among the sleepy federal agents. Agents who had been rousted out of bed did their best to appear alert sitting at the table while others stood on the sidelines engaged in hushed conversation speculating on what the fuss was about. Since the Special Agent in Charge from DC was involved, they bet it was a really big deal
.

 
           All chatter ceased as the head of the Dallas field office entered the room followed by Stone and Ramirez. A techie set up a high tech IP phone in the center of the table and tested the connection to make sure Peterson and Johnson's voices could be heard. He also set up a power point projector screen and a laptop for the two agents to use for their presentation. Before letting them have the floor, the Dallas SAIC introduced the two visiting agents Ramirez and Stone.

 
          "Over the past few days, Agent Ramirez and I have gathered valuable information on the disappearance of Sherry Cavender." Aiden began. The briefing reminded him of the meetings his unit used to have in Afghanistan before they left for patrol
.

 
          "We've discovered that Sherry's murder wasn't just a random kidnapping. She also wasn't the only victim." Clicking a button on the laptop, he displayed the dozens of victims on the screen. The macabre autopsy photos stared back at the room full of agents. "We've been able to discern that there are at least a dozen cases where young women have been murdered, presumably by the same killer.
"

 
          With another click of the mouse Aiden brought up a map of the United States. Just as Danny had set up the map at her apartment, the digital map was filled with over a dozen colored dots representing murders that fell under the same killer. A hushed murmur of conversation filled the conference room
.

 
          Special Agent Peterson spoke up from the IP phone. "We are in the process of communicating this information with the field offices in the states represented on Agent Stone's map. We'll also be coordinating with local law enforcement on these cases. Somewhere along the line it's possible that he's slipped up and left some evidence.
"

 
           "You said that the Cavender murder wasn't a random kidnapping. What do you mean by that?" Agent Gaines asked.  She and her partner Holmes were seated near the front of the room
.

 
          "It's been speculated, but we were able to determine that Sherry was working as a prostitute. Initial reports were that she was just a runaway.
"

 
          "Where are you getting all this information?" a curious agent asked. "We've been working this case a month and haven't been able to get any leads.
"

 
           It was Lucius' turn to speak through the phone. "I referred agents Stone and Ramirez to one of our consultants. She worked for the Bureau a few years ago and has a knack for compiling information and statistics in cases like this."

 
          Aiden figured Lucius didn't want the other agents to know they were employing psychics to solve murders, though he couldn't blame the man for keeping quiet about his sources. If someone would have told him about psychics working for the FBI years ago, he would have laughed in their face
.

 
          "From what we're able to tell Sherry may have been targeted specifically, which doesn't fit with the rest of the victims. The rest of the women were illegal’s.
"

 
          "So why was Sherry targeted?" Holmes wondered aloud
.

 
           Aiden rubbed his chin in contemplation. "I've been wondering the same thing myself. I have a couple of hunches but nothing concrete yet."

 
          "Our consultant gave us another possible lead." Alejandro said, clicking the mouse another time. A webpage featuring the walk-in clinic appeared onscreen
.

 
           Aiden added, "Our consultant also found information linking this clinic to Ms. Cavender. Agent Ramirez and I will pay them a visit this afternoon."

 
          “Since they're a free clinic, it's possible they've helped some of the hookers in the area." One of the agents suggested shrugging his shoulders
.

 
          Aiden nodded his head. "That's where we'll start. Agent Ramirez has emailed all of you the specifics of the other cold cases that may be involved.
"

 
          A few more minutes were spent assigning duties to the other agents and going over last minute details. Save for a few minute details, the meeting came to a close. The Dallas SAIC would send a few agents to stake out the walk-in clinic for any sign of suspicious activity, while Stone and Ramirez would talk to the staff. The Dallas Field office would get in contact with the local police department and look into the other Jane Doe cases. Lucius Johnson was flying agents from Washington down to the homicide locations in the other states to consolidate the cases and comb over the evidence. Thanks to the efforts of Danielle Labouleaux, things were finally progressing in the Sherry Cavender case
.

 
           Aiden and his partner started their investigation where it all started, right in the neighborhood where Sherry was abducted. With the number of boarded up and burnt up homes outnumbering the ones that were currently occupied, urban decay seemed to be on the rise again. Their bureau issued SUV attracted curious glances from residents who figured that they were either the police or dope dealers
.

 
          Aiden acquainted himself with the area by driving through the neighborhood that Sherry had occupied prior to her death. It boggled the mind that a girl who grew up on a sprawling ranch occupying several hundred acres, with parents who would provide her anything she wanted, would fall so far as to wind up in a neighborhood where people struggled to survive a day or an hour at a time
.

 
          "Do you believe in all that psychic stuff Ms. Labouleaux was talking about? You know, about her being able to get clues from dead people?" Alejandro asked his partner who was trying to decipher graffiti that tagged an abandoned storefront
.

 
           "Yes, I believe it." Aiden said without hesitation and finding himself for the umpteenth time since they left Phoenix thinking about Danny. He silently cursed him for bringing her up.

 
          The young agent shuddered despite the high temperature outside. "I don't know. All that talking about dead people doesn't sit right with me.
"

 
          "One thing I learned when I was in the Marines is that there are some things that can't be explained. So why try?" Aiden told the younger man. "I try to keep an open mind about stuff like that. I mean, she was able to give us a lead we didn't have just a week ago. That's gotta count for something. There's a reason Johnson gave me her information in case we needed her help." He omitted the fact that like Danny he was also a psychic. The last thing he needed was for the rookie to start looking at him cross eyed and freaking out
.

 
          "I guess you're right." Ramirez concluded
.

 
          The outside of the free clinic was exactly as Danny had described it with the bold red lettering and the cubed glass windows. Stone's sunglasses concealed his eyes as he exited the Suburban and surveyed his surroundings. The former Marine had seen neighborhoods in Kabul that were more inviting than this one. Save for a few suspicious homeboys loitering around an ancient Cadillac and scoping out the Suburban like it was a piece of candy, no one paid the two agents much attention. Stone made a point of slightly lifting the side of his shirt to reveal his shield and the Glock posted at his hip to let the teens know the Suburban was off limits
.

 
          Leading the way, Aiden pulled open the heavy doors to the doctor's office. The fluorescent lights in the waiting room needed changing, the illumination reducing things to a sickly yellow. Two exotic, but world weary looking women in dingy clothing were sitting in plastic chairs staring blankly ahead. A few out of date magazines loitered on cheap faux wood tables while an even older television played a cable cooking channel. Typical waiting room posters were plastered on the walls giving tips on everything from heart attack prevention to the warning signs of diabetes. A glass partition separated the receptionist from the rest of the waiting room
.

 
          The woman behind the glass hesitantly looked up from her smart phone. She made no attempt to conceal her annoyance with being bothered. "Can I help you?
"

 
           On cue, Stone and Ramirez displayed their shields and introduced themselves. At the mention of the FBI, something akin to apprehension flashed in the woman's eyes.

 
           "We're investigating a murder and would like to ask a few questions."

 
          "Have a seat. Someone will be right with you." She fired back, pointing with fingernails that were too long to be functional in an office environment
.