Obsession by Debra Webb

down to the floor. She bent down, tucked her notepad and pencil inside then straightened and looked him dead in the eye. “I thought I was infallible. After all, in twelve years as a profiler I had never been wrong. If I created the unsub’s profile in a case, I was spot on every time. The unsub always found. The case always closed successfully.”
    Another of those listless, one-shouldered shrugs spanned the silence. “We had the guy. I knew it was him. But I should have recognized his game.”
    He wanted to stop her right there. The pain in her eyes, on her face almost undid him. Yet, selfishly, he wanted to know all of it. Whatever had hurt her like this, he needed to know.
    “The Bureau has been tracking this guy for five years without a break. Until this time. I started receiving anonymous tips that he had a partner.” She shook her head, her lips trembling. “The others were skeptical, but not me. I knew this was no nutcase vying for attention. I could feel it.”
    Her hand went to her hair, tucked a tuft behind her ear. “I saw what they couldn’t.” For the first time since she started talking, her gaze drifted to his. “I wanted to nail that son of a bitch so badly that I didn’t recognize he was hiding from the others what he deliberately showed me. The first time I interviewed him it was crystal clear. A sense of utter self-confidence radiated in his posture. No fear whatsoever in his voice or his eyes. Instead, there was challenge. He practically dared me to try and prove it was him.”
    She shook her head. “He tortured, raped and murdered six women this go around. We suspect there have been dozens of others in the past five years. But like this case, there wasn’t a lick of evidence. He was too smart. Too prepared. None of the murders have ever been connected to an unsub.”
    “ The Player . Oh my God.” She was on that case? Eric Spears, the man suspected in that high profile case, was one sick SOB. Not only did his torture last for days, near the end he would release his victim, giving her hope of survival, only to track her down and finish her off. “The investigation is all over the news. They may have to release their primary suspect.”
    She nodded. “Because of me.” Jess turned away from him, hugged her arms around herself. “I screwed up and the worst kind of murderer is most likely going to get off scot-free.”
    “Jess, you should have said something.” He moved up behind her, wanted to touch her but he wasn’t sure she would appreciate that kind of intrusion just now. “I wouldn’t have asked you to do this if I’d known what you were dealing with up there.”
    “Don’t you see?” She turned to him. “If I’m not working I’ll spend all my time focused on what I can’t change. There’s something I can do here. I need to do this, Dan. I need to find these girls.”
    Not only did he understand, she was right. The last thing she needed was to be sitting around obsessing on a situation over which she had no control.
    “Whatever happened up there, I know one thing for certain. Without your help, we were getting nowhere. You’ve already shown all of us that you can see those little, seemingly insignificant things we miss. We need you.”
    “I should’ve been up front with you when you called.” She closed her eyes and gave a little shake of her head. “I skirted the law because I was so certain I had him. His psychology screamed at me. He’s the one. Somehow he knew that and he had his accomplice set me up.”
    “That part wasn’t on the news.” But he wouldn’t have expected it to be. The first rule of politics was to cover one’s ass. He searched her face, wished he could relieve the worry and frustration he saw there. “You sure you’re okay?”
    That fragile side she’d allowed to surface vanished. “I’m fit to work this case, if that’s what you’re looking for.”
    “Sounds like you got damned close.” The idea of how close she may have gotten to