Chapter 17

Captain Judy Cerroli was a middle-aged, no-nonsense career cop with a hard edge. She’d risen through the ranks, broken through the glass ceiling, and beaten down the old boys’ club with her impressive solve-and-conviction rate. Most of the cops who worked at the Briggston Police Station respected her.

In Aiden’s case, it was more than respect. He owed her. Big time. She’d gone out on a limb and hired him when no one else would, showing a faith in his detecting abilities he so desperately needed. She’d given him a chance to redeem himself, and in the process earned his undying loyalty.

He tapped on the doorframe. The captain hadn’t looked happy when she ordered him and Joe to her office. Something was up, and whatever it was, he was pretty certain he wasn’t going to like it.

“Enter.” Seated behind her desk, a frown on her weathered face, she pointed at the two plastic visitor chairs. “Sit.”

Aiden’s gut tightened at her gruff command. Ever since Amanda Jacobs had gone missing, the captain had been on a tear to find the young teen. Pressure from above, and the clamoring of the press made her cranky. But at that moment, she looked more than upset. She looked downright pissed.

Her gray eyes were hardened steel, her mouth drawn in a tight line. A few strands of her silver-streaked hair had escaped her usually neat bun and floated about her face, adding an unexpected softness, so at odds with the angry set of her mouth. She slapped a piece of paper on her desk. “We have a body.”

Aiden’s head jerked up. “A body?” His heart sank. “They found Amanda Jacobs?”

“No, it’s not her.” The captain shook her head. “Two days ago, hikers in Lynn Canyon found human remains. The ME examined the body and determined the victim was a young female, with signs of blunt force trauma to her skull, a broken jaw, and cracked ribs. She’d been bludgeoned to death.” She opened a file folder and tapped her finger on a paper and read from the medical examiner’s report. “The approximate age of the victim was sixteen.”

“Do they have an ID?” Aiden ground down on his back molars.

The captain shook her head. “Not yet.”

“What’s this girl’s death got to do with us?” Joe asked. “Lynn Canyon isn’t in our jurisdiction.”

She shoved a folder toward Aiden and another to Joe. “Take a look.”

Aiden flipped open the file and studied the color photograph of the victim. His stomach sank to his toes. The girl in the picture had long, dark brown hair, big blue eyes, and a grimace of permanent terror and the blank stare of death on what used to be a pretty face. The floor fell out from under him, and he scrubbed his face. “She looks like our missing teen, Amanda Jacobs.” And Candace Cooper. But he didn’t say Candace’s name aloud. Not yet. Not until he knew the lay of the land.

Cerolli nodded. “That’s what I thought.”

Joe tapped his fingers on the photograph. “Come on, you two. You’re reaching. Lots of girls have long dark hair. Big deal. Long hair’s the style these days.”

Aiden ignored him and focused on the captain. “So, there’s a possibility the two cases are related? Do you think—” He stopped. He didn’t have any hard evidence. It was just a gut feeling, and he knew all too well what Joe thought of gut feelings.

The captain’s gray-eyed gaze zeroed in on Aiden. “Spit it out, Farrell. What are you holding back?”

“The Lynn Canyon victim and Amanda Jacobs have similar appearances.” Aiden sat forward, swallowed, and took the leap. “Candace Cooper does as well. I know she’s a lot older, but—”

Joe blew a loud raspberry. “Come on, Farrell. Just because you have a hard-on for the pretty professor, doesn’t mean the cases are connected. The perp who attacked her was probably a junkie looking for easy cash for his next fix.”

Aiden’s face flamed, and he fisted his hands, but before he could tell Joe just what he thought, the captain’s hard-edged voice cut in.

“That’s enough, Breacher.” She pinned the older detective with a glare guaranteed to shut up even the most-hardened felon.

Joe slumped in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, a mutinous look on his florid face. But he shut up.

Captain Cerolli smoothed her hand over the file folder. “The medical examiner who worked the homicide victim’s case in Lynn Canyon said her blood showed a high concentration of ketamine. And here’s the kicker. It’s the same chemical signature as the examine found in Candace Cooper’s blood.” She drew in a deep breath. “So, it’s looking more and more like the cases are related.”

“What?” Aiden’s heart thumped. “Are you saying we might have a serial killer on the loose?” If not for the intervention of the drunken frat boys, Candace could have been killed. Had the attacker planned to kidnap and murder her? Was that why he’d injected her with enough examine to knock out an elephant? His heart thumped so loudly he was surprised the others in the room couldn’t hear its furious pounding. Candace was at risk. The man who’d attempted to kidnap her would try again. He’d seen it before. The sick perverts refused to accept failure. They didn’t stop pursuing their chosen victims until they were caught and tossed in jail.

The captain and Joe were watching.

He schooled his expression and forced himself to breathe and think like a cop, not some guy who really liked a woman and feared for her safety. Besides, this wasn’t just about Candace. Time was running out for Amanda Jacobs. She’d been missing more than three months. No one spoke the words out loud, but everyone knew the statistics. The longer a victim remained missing, the less chance she’d be found alive. Every minute counted.

“Detective Farrell? Are you all right?”

He blinked as the captain’s stern voice drew him out of his troubling thoughts. The concern on her face made it obvious his attempt at calm hadn’t fooled her. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

She studied him for a long minute, and then tapped the file folder on her desk. “As I was saying, we can’t be certain, but it looks like the three cases could be connected. Whoever murdered the girl in Lynn Canyon may have also kidnapped Amanda Jacobs. He could be the same perp who attacked Dr. Cooper the other night.”

“Come on, Captain. You’re not buying into this cockamamie theory, are you? Candace Cooper’s way too old. She’s like in her thirties, right?” Joe snorted. “You know what these wackos are like. They pick a type and stick to it like a religion. No way would a guy like that change the age range of his victims.” Joe cracked his knuckles, the popping sounds loud in the tension-filled office. “The perp who killed the girl in Lynn Canyon isn’t the same guy who attacked Candace Cooper. I just don’t see it.”

“We need to view this situation with an open mind.” She raised a finger. “First, we have a sixteen-year-old homicide victim, a missing fifteen-year-old girl, and an adult female who was attacked.”

She raised a second finger. “Two of the victims were injected with animal-grade ketamine.” Another finger joined the first two. “All three woman have similar appearances—tall with slim builds, long, dark-brown hair, and blue eyes.” She held up a fourth finger. “And finally, all either vanished or were attacked within the past three months.” Her eyes narrowed, and her mouth thinned. “I think there’s a good chance we’re looking at a serial offender.”

“What about Lori Ann Carson?” interjected Breacher. “She was attacked and raped at the college, but she’s a blonde.” He sat back with a smug look on his face. “How do you factor that attack into your little scenario?” Joe cracked his knuckles again.

Aiden winced at the annoying popping sound. “The perp who assaulted Lori Ann was someone different entirely. She wasn’t injected with ketamine. But, like I said, these are just theories.” He inhaled a steadying breath and caught the captain’s eye. “There’s something you should know—something I just learned.”

She leaned forward. “What’s that?”

“When I interviewed Candace…er…Dr. Cooper, she remembered another detail about the attack.” His heart rate kicked up, and he rubbed his icy hands together. He was really going out on a limb now. “She recalled something her attacker said.”

She arched her brows and nodded for him to continue.

“He called her Candy Girl.”

The crease between her brows deepened. “The guy knew her name?”

Aiden nodded. “According to Candace, the only person who has ever called her that was her older sister, Charlene Cooper. It was their secret pet name.” The mention of Charlene’s name was like a bomb detonating in the small room.

“Charlene Cooper?” The captain’s eyes widened. “She was one of the Forgotten Five, wasn’t she? The girl they never found?”

He nodded. “She’s Candace Cooper’s older sister.”

The furrow between her brows deepened. “Dr. Cooper is certain that’s what her attacker said?”

He nodded.

“Interesting.” She tapped her fingers on her desk. “How would the perp who attacked Candace Cooper know the secret name her sister called her?”

Aiden shrugged. “No idea.”

“Wait a minute.” Joe blew out a breath, spraying droplets of spit across the room. “This is ridiculous. There’s no way these cases are connected. You’re not buying his ridiculous theory, are you, Captain? That’s—”

She held up her hand, stopping his outburst. “Until we learn something different, we’re treating these recent cases as if they’re connected. As for linking them to the Forgotten Five case—” She grimaced. “Let’s hold off on that until we get more evidence. If the media caught wind, they’d go ballistic.”

She rested her elbows on the desktop and fixed Aiden with a thoughtful look. “Detective Farrell, I want you to talk to Candace Cooper again. From what I’ve read, people injected with examine can have memory recall hours or even days later. I want to know every detail of what she remembers from that night. If we’re right, and these cases are connected, she’s our only witness. We also can’t lose sight of the fact a child is missing. Finding Amanda Jacobs has to be our priority.”

A frisson of unease slid down Aiden’s spine. “How are we going to protect Candace Cooper?”

Captain Cerroli’s forehead furrowed. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” She nodded at Breacher. “Joe could be right. Maybe we’re reaching for straws. There’s no way I’ll get funding to assign a protection detail for Dr. Cooper on what little evidence we have.”

Aiden bit back his frustration. Candace’s life was at stake, but it always came down to money. City budgets were tight, and a small police department like Briggston had few discretionary funds. Besides, the captain had a point. There was no definitive evidence the three cases were connected. It was all speculation.

Joe stood, and his knees popped. “Okay, Captain. Nice talk. My partner and I’ll arrange another interview with Candace Cooper.” His tone made clear how unappealing he found that idea.

“Not so fast, Breacher. Both of you don’t need to talk to the witness. I want you to work another angle.”

Joe paused, his hand on the door handle. He arched his shaggy brows.

“I want you to continue to check out veterinary clinics in the area. Find that source of ketamine.”

Joe frowned. “But tomorrow’s Saturday, and I’ve been working extra hours all week. I was planning on—”

She cut him off. “We have one dead girl, a missing teen, and a college instructor who was assaulted. The pressure’s on. The top brass wants this case solved yesterday. If we can find where this lowlife’s getting his drug of choice, maybe we can nail him.” She blew out a breath. “I don’t care about your personal plans. I want you both hard at work all weekend long, if that’s what it takes. The chief okayed overtime hours on this case.”

Joe opened his mouth to protest, but the captain held up her hand. “I don’t want to hear any excuses. Until Amanda Jacobs is found, this office doesn’t rest.” She leveled her gaze at first Aiden and then Joe. “You hear me?”

Joe’s expression turned sour, but he nodded. “I’ll get right on it.”

Aiden shot his partner a look. Joe never worked weekends. Not ever. He belonged to a competitive bowling league that met every Saturday morning. Missing a match because the older detective had to work a case would definitely rankle, but he wouldn’t go against a direct order, not when he was so close to retirement.

“I’ll set up a follow-up interview with Dr. Cooper as soon as possible.” Candace was in danger. He knew that with a visceral certainty that had his heart thumping. Someone, whether it was Isaiah, or some other perverted snake, was after her. The nightly phone calls, the attack on campus…all were connected. Given the chance, the perp would strike again. It was up to Aiden to stop him before that happened.

The phone on Captain Cerroli’s desk rang. She grimaced. “That’s probably the chief wanting an update.” The phone pealed again, and she waved them out of the room.

Aiden hurried to his desk, gathered his stack of case files, and stuffed them in his leather case, one thought raging—protect Candace. No matter what he had to do, he’d make damn sure she was safe. She’d suffered enough in her life. He turned to head out, but Joe blocked his way.

“Lucky you. You’re spending the weekend with the all-too-pretty Dr. Cooper, while I’m running my ass off tracking down veterinarians.” His lip curled in a sneer. “You’re the one with a dog. You should be checking the vet clinics.”

Aiden threaded his hands through his hair. He didn’t have time to stand around sparring with his cantankerous partner. “Look, Joe. I know you have a beef with me, but it’s time you got over it. This case is too important to allow petty differences to get in the way.” He hefted his bag and hung the strap over one shoulder. “You heard the captain. She assigned us each a task. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to do my damnedest to find Amanda Jacobs and catch the jerk who abducted her.”

He shoved past Joe’s stocky frame and stormed out of the detective bullpen. He should have offered to switch assignments with his partner. The last thing he should do was spend more time alone with Candace. She was attractive, honest, and incredibly courageous. Her wounded vulnerability struck a chord. No matter how hard he resisted, she’d managed to knock down the walls he’d erected, and all he could think of was her.

He’d made a mistake before and messed up big time. No way in hell would he go down that road again. He clomped down the stairs to the lobby, pushed through the exhausted duty cops heading home after their twelve-hour night shifts, shoved open the reinforced glass door, and stepped onto the empty sidewalk.

It was still early. Rush hour, or the morning six-car lineup at the town’s only downtown traffic light, hadn’t started yet, and the street was quiet. He fought back a yawn. It had been a hell of a long day, and it wasn’t even eight o’clock. He’d been hard at the job since well before dawn, and all he had to show for his labor was a dead teenager and a shitload of questions and wild theories.

He strode down the sidewalk to the police parking lot. His SUV was parked between a green van and a tiny white, two-door hybrid. He unlocked the driver’s door and settled behind the wheel.

Every cell in his body demanded he talk to Candace. She knew something about the case she wasn’t telling him, and he had every intention of finding out what that was. He couldn’t shake the certainty the clock was ticking. Every second counted if they hoped to find Amanda Jacobs alive. Candace was smack in the middle of the case. What her role was in this nightmare, he had no idea, but the case was finally building momentum after being stagnant for months.

But before he could question Candace, he had to take Tracker for a quick walk. The poor dog had been locked in his crate since Aiden had left in the middle of the night, and Tracker’s bladder would be bursting.

He strapped on his seatbelt and started the car. With a quick glance in his mirrors, he pulled out of his parking spot and onto the street.