Forever Mine by Carolann Camillo Page B

garage, climbed into his police issue vehicle and leaned over to open the passenger door. She settled in and engaged her seat belt. He pressed the opener, and the garage door slid up with a muted squeal. It reminded Allie to press him into further service and ask him to oil the metal tracks. While he maneuvered the car into the street, he belatedly pulled his safety belt across his chest. A big ticket, except he was on the other side of the law.
    He steered the car onto the Great Highway and headed north. Once in the flow of traffic, he reached into the glove compartment and fished around for his sunglasses.
    “Keeping cool during the phone call was tough on you,” he said. “You pulled it off like a pro.”
    She’d earned another compliment from him, her second in less than a half hour. Third, if she counted the one he’d written on his yellow pad. Allie’s tension eased somewhat, and she wondered what it would take to garner a fourth.
    “Yeah, you earned a good citizen’s badge today. Dave’s sticking to his purpose, which is to build a warm relationship with you. All we need is one small slip up from him and…” Sutter helped himself to one of the water bottles Allie had placed in the drink holders. “…the only women he’ll ever connect with again might be a cop, a defense attorney or a judge. Though I doubt he’d hire a woman to defend him. On second thought, maybe he would hire a female attorney. One sitting beside him would suggest a woman need have no fear of him. A judge he’d have no control over.”
    He held the wheel and the bottle with his right hand and unscrewed the cap with his left. The car never wiggled an inch. She always waited for a stop sign or light before attempting such a maneuver. He took a long pull from the bottle.
    “The first time I spoke with him,” she said, “before I knew he might be a…you know…serial killer…” She forced the words out against her will. “I didn’t think too much about it. The call lasted maybe a couple minutes or so. I never expected to hear from him or Jimmy again. When I did, I wondered what was going on. Unlike Jimmy, Dave sounded educated, like he was an architect or a lawyer or something.” She reached for the other water bottle and unscrewed the cap. “Do the authorities know much about him?”
    Sutter swung a quick glance at her then turned his eyes back to the road.
    “Some. One night in a bar, he tried to poach another man’s date. The brawl that ensued started with a shove. Dave landed the first punch before a bunch of guys joined the fray. The cops were called and hauled them all in. Jimmy included. Dave claimed to be a law student at the University of Washington, which earned him no concessions at the jail. The hell of it is he was enrolled for two terms. Dropped out three years ago. So far, the educational information, and his connection to those women, is all the information the authorities have on him right now. They’ll let us know what else they come up with.”
    “I guess he’s pretty clever.” Wily .
    “Probably. Although the ones with brains screw up almost as much as the dummies do.”
    Allie supposed no one would ever accuse Sutter of being a dummy. From what she’d observed, he came across as alert and intelligent. She had no doubt he took every aspect of his job seriously. Even to anchoring a gun to his running shorts to protect her.
    “Do you think Dave and Jimmy are still up in Washington?”
    “They disappeared after the bar brawl. They never showed up for their court date. My guess is not.”
    “What do you suppose the chances are that the next time he calls he might be in the city?” She shuddered at the thought.
    “That’s anyone’s guess. Hard to say unless he phones again and gives his location. Just remember, he’ll never gain entry to your house. Not with either me or Thompson there. I promised to keep you safe, and I never break a promise.” He turned toward her and offered a hint of a smile,