Dark Hunger (A Nick Teffinger Thriller / Read in Any Order) by R.J. Jagger, Jack Rain
Authors: R.J. Jagger, Jack Rain
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wasn’t lighting up in neon. She had been gone almost a day and a half now.
Not good.
Someone obviously had a motive.
Who?
And what?
Suddenly his cell phone rang and Geneva’s voice came through. “What’s all this talk about you being off the case?”
“Where did you hear that?”
“The 104 news, twenty seconds ago.”
Not good.
“Where are you?”
“Jena’s.”
“I’m heading over.”
Fifteen minutes later a red Viper pulled into the cobblestone driveway and Geneva stepped out, wearing jean shorts, a black T-shirt and a baseball cap with a ponytail pulled through the back. She hugged Teffinger and said, “This is nuts. I don’t understand what’s going on.”
Before Teffinger could answer, his cell phone rang.
It turned out to be Tanker, the chief.
“We have a development,” he said. “Now don’t get pissed or take this personally, but the Cherry Hills P.D. wants your Tundra to see if Jena’s blood is in it.”
“Give me a break,” Teffinger said.
“You’d do the same thing in their shoes,” Tanker said. “It’s standard procedure.”
True.
But it still sucked.
“They’re in the spotlight,” the chief added. “They have no choice. They won’t find anything and then we’ll be one step closer to having them off your back.”
They won’t find anything.
The words resonated in Teffinger’s head.
Then he realized why.
“Oh, man—,” he said.
“What?”
“They will find something,” he said. “Well, let me rephrase it, they may find something.”
“What do you mean?”
“Jena was seriously drunk that night,” Teffinger said. “She had the radio cranked up and was swinging her head and singing. All of a sudden she said, Ouch, and got still. When I looked over, she was holding her hand to her nose, and it was bleeding.”
“So her blood is in your truck?”
“I don’t know,” Teffinger said. “It wasn’t bad and I handed her a bunch of Kleenexes right away. But she may have touched something while her fingers were wet. I just don’t know.”
“Where are you?”
“Jena’s house.”
Silence.
“I just thought of something else and it’s not good,” Teffinger added. “She put the Kleenexes on the floor. I’ll bet you dollars to donuts there’s blood on the mat.”
“Where are the Kleenexes?”
“Gone—I threw them out at a gas station.”
Silence.
“Okay, here’s the plan. Bring your truck down to headquarters,” Tanker said. “And above all, don’t clean it or throw the mats away. I’d rather have them find blood in there than find it wiped down or tampered with.”
Teffinger hung up and looked at Geneva.
“Good news,” he said. “They’re zeroing in on a suspect.”
Her face lit up.
“Who?”
“Me.”
TEFFINGER EXPLAINED WHY he had been taken off the case. At first, Geneva was horrified, but then calmed down when Teffinger assured her that he wouldn’t back off.
Not in a million years.
“You feel like helping me?” he asked.
“Yes.”
Abso-freaking-lutely.
“Okay,” he said. “We’re going to walk around the neighborhood and see if any of the houses around here have security cameras pointed at the street. If they do, you’ll knock on the door, explain that you’re Jena’s sister, and ask if they have any tapes from Tuesday evening through Wednesday daybreak. If they do, see if they’ll make you a copy. Don’t take the originals, though, no matter what. They’re evidence and we can’t afford to break the chain of custody.”
“I thought you already talked to the neighbors,” she said.
He nodded.
“We did, but only the closer ones,” he said. “Now it’s time to widen the circle.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Day Four—April 15
Friday Afternoon
______________
THE MYSTERIOIUS EXOTIC BLACK WOMAN had Tripp’s full attention. So much, in fact, that he seriously thought about having his fun with her instead of Lauren Long. Sure, the manhunt wouldn’t be anywhere near as
Not good.
Someone obviously had a motive.
Who?
And what?
Suddenly his cell phone rang and Geneva’s voice came through. “What’s all this talk about you being off the case?”
“Where did you hear that?”
“The 104 news, twenty seconds ago.”
Not good.
“Where are you?”
“Jena’s.”
“I’m heading over.”
Fifteen minutes later a red Viper pulled into the cobblestone driveway and Geneva stepped out, wearing jean shorts, a black T-shirt and a baseball cap with a ponytail pulled through the back. She hugged Teffinger and said, “This is nuts. I don’t understand what’s going on.”
Before Teffinger could answer, his cell phone rang.
It turned out to be Tanker, the chief.
“We have a development,” he said. “Now don’t get pissed or take this personally, but the Cherry Hills P.D. wants your Tundra to see if Jena’s blood is in it.”
“Give me a break,” Teffinger said.
“You’d do the same thing in their shoes,” Tanker said. “It’s standard procedure.”
True.
But it still sucked.
“They’re in the spotlight,” the chief added. “They have no choice. They won’t find anything and then we’ll be one step closer to having them off your back.”
They won’t find anything.
The words resonated in Teffinger’s head.
Then he realized why.
“Oh, man—,” he said.
“What?”
“They will find something,” he said. “Well, let me rephrase it, they may find something.”
“What do you mean?”
“Jena was seriously drunk that night,” Teffinger said. “She had the radio cranked up and was swinging her head and singing. All of a sudden she said, Ouch, and got still. When I looked over, she was holding her hand to her nose, and it was bleeding.”
“So her blood is in your truck?”
“I don’t know,” Teffinger said. “It wasn’t bad and I handed her a bunch of Kleenexes right away. But she may have touched something while her fingers were wet. I just don’t know.”
“Where are you?”
“Jena’s house.”
Silence.
“I just thought of something else and it’s not good,” Teffinger added. “She put the Kleenexes on the floor. I’ll bet you dollars to donuts there’s blood on the mat.”
“Where are the Kleenexes?”
“Gone—I threw them out at a gas station.”
Silence.
“Okay, here’s the plan. Bring your truck down to headquarters,” Tanker said. “And above all, don’t clean it or throw the mats away. I’d rather have them find blood in there than find it wiped down or tampered with.”
Teffinger hung up and looked at Geneva.
“Good news,” he said. “They’re zeroing in on a suspect.”
Her face lit up.
“Who?”
“Me.”
TEFFINGER EXPLAINED WHY he had been taken off the case. At first, Geneva was horrified, but then calmed down when Teffinger assured her that he wouldn’t back off.
Not in a million years.
“You feel like helping me?” he asked.
“Yes.”
Abso-freaking-lutely.
“Okay,” he said. “We’re going to walk around the neighborhood and see if any of the houses around here have security cameras pointed at the street. If they do, you’ll knock on the door, explain that you’re Jena’s sister, and ask if they have any tapes from Tuesday evening through Wednesday daybreak. If they do, see if they’ll make you a copy. Don’t take the originals, though, no matter what. They’re evidence and we can’t afford to break the chain of custody.”
“I thought you already talked to the neighbors,” she said.
He nodded.
“We did, but only the closer ones,” he said. “Now it’s time to widen the circle.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Day Four—April 15
Friday Afternoon
______________
THE MYSTERIOIUS EXOTIC BLACK WOMAN had Tripp’s full attention. So much, in fact, that he seriously thought about having his fun with her instead of Lauren Long. Sure, the manhunt wouldn’t be anywhere near as
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