Don't Look Back (28 page)

How about hello? Good morning? He mocked himself into untying his tongue.

“Good morning.”

She smiled and met his eyes. “Good morning. Thanks for doing this.”

“Not a problem.” Dakota held the door for her and waited until she was settled before he shut it.

He climbed back in the driver’s seat and an awkward silence filled the car.

Road construction on one of the back streets to Jamie’s house held them up about twenty minutes, and during that time, he kept shooting her looks, trying to read her expression.

“Are you all right?”

“Yes,” she gave a little laugh. “I guess I just feel silly. I don’t know what happened back at Sam’s house last night and I’m embarrassed,” she admitted. “I was just thinking about everything and remembering and . . .”

He took her hand, kissed her knuckles. When she flushed and looked up at him through her lashes, his heart thumped. “It’s okay, Jamie.”

“Thanks.” She squeezed his fingers and left her hand in his. Finally, the road crew waved them through. Then they were at the house.

Jessica, the cop who’d been there the day he’d gotten conked in the head by the creep, sat out front. They still kept someone on Jamie’s house at all times in case the guy decided to come back.

She waved as Dakota pulled into the drive.

Jamie climbed out, pulled her keys from her bag, and acted like she couldn’t get inside fast enough.

“Hey, hold on a minute okay? I want to have a look around, all right?”

She jumped, nerves obviously back. “Oh, okay.”

While Jamie sat in the car with Jessica, Dakota walked the perimeter. He found nothing out of place or any reason to be alarmed.

Back at the front door, Jamie joined him, opened it, and paused on the threshold.

He nearly ran into her. “What is it?”

“My alarm wasn’t on.”

“What?”

“When I opened the door, there wasn’t any sound. There’s always the long beep that warns you that you have forty-five seconds to punch in your code before the alarm sounds. That didn’t happen.”

Dakota pushed around her and pulled his weapon. “Wave to Jessica to get in here. Then you stay right on my back, all right?”

Jamie shoved down the familiar fear and waved Jessica over.

The woman exited the car, frowning. Approaching, she placed a hand on her weapon. “What is it?”

“Someone’s been here.”

“That’s impossible. I’ve been here since seven o’clock this morning.” Even so, she pulled the gun from her holster.

“I know, but my alarm wasn’t armed. Did you reset it after you got my stuff the other day?”

“Absolutely.”

“I thought so but had to ask.”

They entered the house and Jamie found Dakota in the den. “Come in here and see if anything seems off to you. We’re going to sweep your house together. Be like glue on my side.”

Jamie stepped in and looked around. She shook her head. “Everything looks fine.”

“Do you have any gloves?”

“You mean like surgical gloves?”

“Those would do.”

“Yes. I have a few more. Stitching you up only took one pair.”

Surprise at her sassy comment in the midst of the serious situation made him blink.

She closed her eyes. “Sorry, I’m scared.”

“I know, Jamie. Can you get them?”

“Sure.” He led her through the house and into the bathroom, looking in every direction as they went, gun trained in front of him. She opened the linen closet door and pulled down the first aid kit from the third shelf. Slipping the gloves on her hands, she looked at him.

“Okay, let’s go back in the den.”

“No,” she said slowly, thinking. “If he was in my house, he would have made whatever he was up to personal. Breaking in my house is personal. Invading my space at work. That’s personal. Attacking my sister . . .”

“Personal,” he nodded. “Okay. What’s left?”

She looked at him. “My bedroom.”

“Didn’t he leave that picture in your Bible?”

“Yes. But if he came back, he had another message to leave me.”

Dakota motioned toward the back of the house. “Let me check it first. When you go in, keep your eyes open for anything remotely strange.” He looked back at Jessica. “Call Jake and Connor, will you? Tell Jake to rap three times on the door so I know it’s him.”

She nodded and got on her phone.

Jamie followed Dakota into what used to be her haven. Now, it just looked like any other room. A place she wouldn’t feel safe sleeping in anymore.

Just one more thing he’d managed to take from her.

Clenching her gloved hands into fists, she tamped down the bubbling anger. Not now.

Dakota asked, “Well?”

She went straight to the end table near her bed and opened the drawer. Pulling out her Bible, she opened it. The well-worn pages crinkled under her fingers as she flipped through it.

“Nothing in here.” Putting it back, she turned, went to her dresser and rummaged through every drawer, her skin crawling at the thought that
he
might have done the same thing only hours ago.

“I don’t see anything out of place.”

Giving a disgruntled sigh, she placed her hands on her hips and gave the room a three-sixty.

Everything in its place.

Then her gaze landed on the door to her bathroom.

Closed.

Now that was odd. She always left it open. Heart thudding, she approached it, and with trembling fingers reached for the knob.

“Wait!”

She stopped, breaths coming in hurried pants.

“Jamie, look at me.”

Dragging her gaze from the bathroom doorknob took superhuman effort. She focused in on his eyes. Those intense blue eyes that seemed to see into her soul. “Why?”

“What is it?”

“The door’s closed. I don’t normally close it.”

Jessica stepped into the room. “Jake and Connor are on the way.”

Without taking his eyes from Jamie’s, he asked Jessica, “Did you close this door after you packed up Jamie’s things?”

“Uh . . . I’m not sure, I mean, I could have. If it was open, I don’t think I would have, though.” Her brows drew together. “I’m sorry, I just don’t remember.”

“Stand back and cover the door,” Dakota said. “How far out is Connor?”

“He was at the hospital. He’s probably in the driveway by now.”

Jessica slid sideways and Jamie moved out of the way, but made sure she could see what they were doing. Sweat slicked her palms. That familiar chest-tightening sensation closed over her.
Not now, not now.

Three raps sounded on the door.

No one turned.

Breathing shallow breaths, Jamie kept the attack at bay. Focusing on Dakota and Jessica, she wiped her palms on her jeans.

Stance tense, nerves tight, Jessica held her gun pointed toward the door.

Connor entered the room, his steps silent, his presence bringing comfort. Glad Dakota and Jessica had backup, Jamie faded back against the wall next to Dakota.

Jessica stayed ready but allowed Connor to take her place on the side of the door. Dakota stood opposite.

The two men exchanged nods. Dakota reached out a hand to twist the knob.

With a shove he opened the door.

A blinding flash exploded from the room.

Connor, Dakota, and Jessica flung themselves backward and hit the floor. Dakota rolled and pulled Jamie down beside him.

“What was that?” he hollered.

“A camera flash,” Connor grunted as he hauled himself to his feet.

“Stay here.” Dakota’s words filtered through the fog of terror. But she kept control.
Breathe.

Connor disappeared inside the bathroom. Jessica followed. Her gasp, Connor’s “Aw, no . . .”

Jamie stood on shaking legs. Dakota held her upper arm. She tried to enter the bathroom and pulled up short when Connor came back out. Jessica stepped around him and disappeared from the bedroom, phone tucked to her ear.

“What is it? What did you find?” Jamie knew it had to be bad. Connor’s face looked like he’d dipped it in bleach. “What is it? Let me see.”

Connor shook his head. “You’re not going in there.”

Dakota raised a brow, focusing on Connor’s face. “It’s . . .” He swallowed.

With a sudden twist, Jamie was out of Dakota’s grip and past Connor before either man could move. “Jamie!”

At first she didn’t see what had so upset Connor and Jessica. Then she moved to the tub and stopped, transfixed, horrified by the scene before her.

Maya, her friend, counselor, and prayer partner, lay in Jamie’s tub, eyes staring at nothing, throat slashed. The note taped to the ceramic tile above Maya’s head read “Stop trying to find me. I’ll find you when the time is right. Enjoy the picture. Save it so I can add it to my collection.”

Jamie’s old cell phone sat on the back of the toilet.

It began to ring.

27

Dakota looked for something to pick the phone up with. He needed gloves. Before he could find something, Jamie had the phone in one of her already gloved hands and pressed the answer button.

Without him having to ask, she put it on speakerphone. The way her hand trembled, he was afraid she was going to drop the device, but her jaw had that determined set to it that said she was doing what she had to do once again.

He doubted she realized tears streamed down her cheeks.

He waited for her to speak. She said nothing, just stared at the phone.

Agitated breathing came over the line.

Still Jamie held silent.

He mouthed, “What are you doing?”

Her eyes flicked from his back to the phone. The stubborn set of her mouth didn’t change. The tears had trickled to a slow drip.

A noise from the bedroom caught his and Connor’s attention. Connor motioned he’d take care of it. Jake and Serena, no doubt. He turned his focus back on Jamie.

Why didn’t she say something?

Rustling came over the speakerphone. Then a low-pitched noise. A growl?

“Hello, Jamie. Being stubborn like that sister of yours, I see.” Dakota strained to hear the gravelly voice, wishing he could tape the call or trace it.

Jamie closed her eyes and clamped her upper teeth into her bottom lip. And still she didn’t respond.

Then Dakota realized what she was doing. He remembered the conversation in the hospital with Samantha. An idea hit him. He pulled out his own phone, a Blackberry, and found the right button. Voice notes. He hit record and held it near Jamie’s phone.

She looked at him, at his phone, understood what he was doing, and angled the phone closer to his.

“Speak to me, Jamie, tell me how much you miss your hero.”

She turned the phone from her and gagged once. Took a deep breath and held still.

Voices in the background. Listening hard, he tried to recognize the place, anything about the call.

Nothing.

“Speak to me!” the voice on the other end roared. Flinching, she pressed the other hand still encased in the glove to her mouth. A barely perceptible whimper escaped. Dakota doubted the person on the other end of the phone heard it.

“I know you’re there.” Although back in control, Dakota could hear undercurrents of rage in the words. “Well, if you won’t talk to me, then I will talk to you. Tell your friends to stop their searching, their snooping into business that isn’t theirs. Tell them that unless they stop, more people will die. People close to them. Like an Anabelle Richards in San Antonio, Texas. 126 Arrow-wood Drive, I believe it is.”

Dakota felt the bottom drop from beneath him. How had this guy tracked down his mother?

“Or maybe a young lady by the name of Jenna Wolfe? I believe she’s staying with her grandparents at the retirement home.”

Dakota shot a look at Connor, who’d returned from telling Jake and Serena to hold off for a bit. And to be quiet. The man looked furious. He was already dialing a number to provide protection for the people this guy had just named.

“I know you’re there! I know you’re all there! Stop looking for me, you’ll never find me. I hide very well.” A low laugh that sent shivers through Dakota. This guy really creeped him out. “And tell your bodyguards they’re wasting their time. I can get to you anytime, anyplace. And I will.”

A shudder wracked her body and Dakota placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently, encouraging her. Letting her know he was there.

More breathing, a heavy sigh. “Talk to you soon, Jamie, very, very soon.”

Click.

Jamie dropped the phone and sank to the floor, burying her head against her knees.