that kind of monster scared the hell out of him. Unlike the fictional portrayals, as a profiler her fieldwork shouldn’t have been dangerous. “I’m asking if you were touched by this guy.” The reports about the Player’s work were gruesome, sadistic.
“He didn’t touch me,” she said as if she regretted that admission. “Not physically anyway.” Her lips tightened as if what she intended to say next soured on her tongue. “He hasn’t been released yet, but that will change by next week.” She drew in a big breath. “My actions sealed that deal.” She shook her head. “When those anonymous tips began, I decided to follow up on my own.”
Dan had a sickening feeling where this was going.
“The anonymous source led me right to the evidence we needed.” That distant look he’d seen more than once since her arrival claimed her weary features. “It was all there. Little treasures he’d taken from each victim. All of it. Only it didn’t connect to him. It didn’t even connect to the anonymous source who had covered his tracks with so many layers even the F-fucking-BI couldn’t trace any of it back to anyone. A ghost.” Fury seared across those weary features. “But I knew who he was. Spears reveled in showing me. He wanted me to screw up. Wanted me to feel…” She shook her head, fury tightening her lips. “This guilt and helplessness.”
She stared straight into Dan’s eyes. “He led me straight to what we needed but it was a setup. I was so caught up in his games that I didn’t see where it was going. I couldn’t produce the anonymous source. I damned sure couldn’t prove the alleged source was connected to Spears. I broke into a storage locker that was traced to a dead man and found the evidence we needed. Only I didn’t have a search warrant or reasonable cause so none of it’s admissible in the case against him even if I could connect a single shred of it to him.”
“He used you to prove he was untouchable.” The revelation shook him. “Damn, Jess. I’m sorry.”
Tears she would not shed glittered in her eyes. “They train us not to let that happen. I knew better.” She went for a laugh that came out more like a groan. “But I did it anyway because I was absolutely certain it was him. Spears will never be tried and convicted for those six murders, but it was him.”
“It’s no consolation that you were right.”
“None at all when you consider that a sadistic killer is about to walk.” She reached down and picked up her bag. “So.” She squared her shoulders. “I’m days away from being unemployed along with ten percent of the country and my reputation is in the crapper.”
His resistance shattered. His fingers curled around her upper arms. “You listen to me, Jessie Harris. You said yourself the Bureau had no evidence against him. What you found couldn’t be connected to him, inadmissible or not. The guy was going to walk whatever happened. You made a mistake that set back your career, but it doesn’t change who you are and how talented you are at painting a picture of the bad guys. If the Bureau doesn’t wake up and recognize your value, then they’re the ones who are screwing up.”
Jess patted him on the arm and presented a smile as counterfeit as any he’d ever seen. “I appreciate the sentiment, but we both know how this will end. Sure they’ll probably offer to ship me off to the middle of nowhere.” She shook her hear. “But that case will haunt me for the rest of my career. Walking away is by far the best choice.” She squared her shoulders. “Now, we have work to do.”
She turned for the door, he stopped her. “Is there any chance Spears still wants to play?”
If this bastard had connected with Jess on some sick level, he could make finding her and finishing his game a priority once he was released. Dan had left her alone at his parents’ house this morning. The possibilities of what could have happened had fear banding around his chest.
“He didn’t touch me,” she said as if she regretted that admission. “Not physically anyway.” Her lips tightened as if what she intended to say next soured on her tongue. “He hasn’t been released yet, but that will change by next week.” She drew in a big breath. “My actions sealed that deal.” She shook her head. “When those anonymous tips began, I decided to follow up on my own.”
Dan had a sickening feeling where this was going.
“The anonymous source led me right to the evidence we needed.” That distant look he’d seen more than once since her arrival claimed her weary features. “It was all there. Little treasures he’d taken from each victim. All of it. Only it didn’t connect to him. It didn’t even connect to the anonymous source who had covered his tracks with so many layers even the F-fucking-BI couldn’t trace any of it back to anyone. A ghost.” Fury seared across those weary features. “But I knew who he was. Spears reveled in showing me. He wanted me to screw up. Wanted me to feel…” She shook her head, fury tightening her lips. “This guilt and helplessness.”
She stared straight into Dan’s eyes. “He led me straight to what we needed but it was a setup. I was so caught up in his games that I didn’t see where it was going. I couldn’t produce the anonymous source. I damned sure couldn’t prove the alleged source was connected to Spears. I broke into a storage locker that was traced to a dead man and found the evidence we needed. Only I didn’t have a search warrant or reasonable cause so none of it’s admissible in the case against him even if I could connect a single shred of it to him.”
“He used you to prove he was untouchable.” The revelation shook him. “Damn, Jess. I’m sorry.”
Tears she would not shed glittered in her eyes. “They train us not to let that happen. I knew better.” She went for a laugh that came out more like a groan. “But I did it anyway because I was absolutely certain it was him. Spears will never be tried and convicted for those six murders, but it was him.”
“It’s no consolation that you were right.”
“None at all when you consider that a sadistic killer is about to walk.” She reached down and picked up her bag. “So.” She squared her shoulders. “I’m days away from being unemployed along with ten percent of the country and my reputation is in the crapper.”
His resistance shattered. His fingers curled around her upper arms. “You listen to me, Jessie Harris. You said yourself the Bureau had no evidence against him. What you found couldn’t be connected to him, inadmissible or not. The guy was going to walk whatever happened. You made a mistake that set back your career, but it doesn’t change who you are and how talented you are at painting a picture of the bad guys. If the Bureau doesn’t wake up and recognize your value, then they’re the ones who are screwing up.”
Jess patted him on the arm and presented a smile as counterfeit as any he’d ever seen. “I appreciate the sentiment, but we both know how this will end. Sure they’ll probably offer to ship me off to the middle of nowhere.” She shook her hear. “But that case will haunt me for the rest of my career. Walking away is by far the best choice.” She squared her shoulders. “Now, we have work to do.”
She turned for the door, he stopped her. “Is there any chance Spears still wants to play?”
If this bastard had connected with Jess on some sick level, he could make finding her and finishing his game a priority once he was released. Dan had left her alone at his parents’ house this morning. The possibilities of what could have happened had fear banding around his chest.
Similar Books
