send the dress to their condo were made before Jerry ever exited the dressing room.
During dessert at the third café they’d patronized, Jerry received a text from Nate. Her smile froze in place as she read the cryptic message. It took effort to make it genuine as she raised her face to Ethan and the crowded room.
“Ooh, look honey, the dealer can deliver our painting this afternoon. I’m so excited, can we leave now?” She handed the phone to Ethan.
“Found her. Meet back at your place” was the message that sent a shiver of dread along Ethan’s skin. “Sure sweetie, let’s go.” Handing her the phone, he tossed several bills on the table and stood to take her hand.
The tall, black haired man in the corner watched them leave. He’d been watching them since they came in from his perch behind an oversized palm tree. She was perfect; tall, stunning with the same luscious brown hair as his Beth.
He’d come out today in hopes of running into the new couple, having seen their image plastered on the society section of the newspaper for the past few days. He wondered if she was as lovely in person as the camera suggested. He was not disappointed.
His sweet Sonja had proven to be a disappointment. Watching the life drain from her eyes had not given him the satisfaction he’d anticipated. It was because her Randall left town too soon, he thought, forcing him to move up the seduction timetable before he’d had a chance to adequately get to know her. He’d only been following Sonja a week before Randall left, giving him the opening he needed. He’d rushed the whole thing, not even taking time to find a replacement.
As soon as he’d seen Jerry’s image in the paper, he’d known she was the one. Now that he had found her in person, he was certain. The way she moved her head when she laughed at the supposed Duke reminded him of Beth. When she walked away from the table, her hips swayed with natural provocation, just like Beth’s.
He would take his time with this one, he thought as he took a last sip of coffee. No matter if he had to romance her from underneath Bennett’s nose, he would make this one special. Keeping his eyes on the pair as they waited at the crosswalk, he casually stood and followed them down the street.
Chapter Twelve
“A chopper spotted her on a ledge, miles from nowhere. There are a few hiking trails in the area, but it’s not a very populated spot. Forensics is searching for tire tracks, footprints and anything else on the landing above the cliffs. We could get lucky; it hasn’t rained in a few days, so the freshest ones could be his.” Nate’s image on the monitor looked weary.
“There’s no doubt that it’s Sonja?” Jerry asked.
“No, it’s definitely her. Time of death is roughly forty-six hours ago; she’s remarkably well-preserved for being left in the wild for two days.”
“Same M.O.?” Dylan’s long gait was eating up the hardwoods in front of the window wall.
“Clean slice on her neck, right to left. Tossed her over the cliff like she was a ragdoll. Sucker’s powerful; Sonja was not a petite girl.”
“None of them have been petite. He likes his women tall.” Ethan interjected.
“Did you guys spot anyone fitting his description this morning?” Nate asked.
“Not really. Men with longish black hair are not exactly a phenomenon in this part of the country. San Francisco has its share of hippies. But no one matching the description and also resembling a linebacker wearing designer clothing stood out. And he would.” Jerry left the pacing to Dylan; she’d already done her share of walking for the day. Instead, she and Ethan sat together on the sofa.
“What about you, Dylan, did Kim or the neighbor know anything useful?”
“Actually, yes. The neighbor confirmed the description of the red Mas, but she didn’t offer much else. Kim gave us a list of places that Sonja frequented, said Sonja was a stickler for her schedule, up until Oscar came on the scene. She
During dessert at the third café they’d patronized, Jerry received a text from Nate. Her smile froze in place as she read the cryptic message. It took effort to make it genuine as she raised her face to Ethan and the crowded room.
“Ooh, look honey, the dealer can deliver our painting this afternoon. I’m so excited, can we leave now?” She handed the phone to Ethan.
“Found her. Meet back at your place” was the message that sent a shiver of dread along Ethan’s skin. “Sure sweetie, let’s go.” Handing her the phone, he tossed several bills on the table and stood to take her hand.
The tall, black haired man in the corner watched them leave. He’d been watching them since they came in from his perch behind an oversized palm tree. She was perfect; tall, stunning with the same luscious brown hair as his Beth.
He’d come out today in hopes of running into the new couple, having seen their image plastered on the society section of the newspaper for the past few days. He wondered if she was as lovely in person as the camera suggested. He was not disappointed.
His sweet Sonja had proven to be a disappointment. Watching the life drain from her eyes had not given him the satisfaction he’d anticipated. It was because her Randall left town too soon, he thought, forcing him to move up the seduction timetable before he’d had a chance to adequately get to know her. He’d only been following Sonja a week before Randall left, giving him the opening he needed. He’d rushed the whole thing, not even taking time to find a replacement.
As soon as he’d seen Jerry’s image in the paper, he’d known she was the one. Now that he had found her in person, he was certain. The way she moved her head when she laughed at the supposed Duke reminded him of Beth. When she walked away from the table, her hips swayed with natural provocation, just like Beth’s.
He would take his time with this one, he thought as he took a last sip of coffee. No matter if he had to romance her from underneath Bennett’s nose, he would make this one special. Keeping his eyes on the pair as they waited at the crosswalk, he casually stood and followed them down the street.
Chapter Twelve
“A chopper spotted her on a ledge, miles from nowhere. There are a few hiking trails in the area, but it’s not a very populated spot. Forensics is searching for tire tracks, footprints and anything else on the landing above the cliffs. We could get lucky; it hasn’t rained in a few days, so the freshest ones could be his.” Nate’s image on the monitor looked weary.
“There’s no doubt that it’s Sonja?” Jerry asked.
“No, it’s definitely her. Time of death is roughly forty-six hours ago; she’s remarkably well-preserved for being left in the wild for two days.”
“Same M.O.?” Dylan’s long gait was eating up the hardwoods in front of the window wall.
“Clean slice on her neck, right to left. Tossed her over the cliff like she was a ragdoll. Sucker’s powerful; Sonja was not a petite girl.”
“None of them have been petite. He likes his women tall.” Ethan interjected.
“Did you guys spot anyone fitting his description this morning?” Nate asked.
“Not really. Men with longish black hair are not exactly a phenomenon in this part of the country. San Francisco has its share of hippies. But no one matching the description and also resembling a linebacker wearing designer clothing stood out. And he would.” Jerry left the pacing to Dylan; she’d already done her share of walking for the day. Instead, she and Ethan sat together on the sofa.
“What about you, Dylan, did Kim or the neighbor know anything useful?”
“Actually, yes. The neighbor confirmed the description of the red Mas, but she didn’t offer much else. Kim gave us a list of places that Sonja frequented, said Sonja was a stickler for her schedule, up until Oscar came on the scene. She
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