A Reason To Breathe (4 page)

“See ya, Ball Breaker.”

“See ya, Just Jack.” I replied as he walked out the door and down my steps to his truck. I got a chin lift as he climbed in, then he waited for me to close my door. I turned the lock and then watched from my front window as he turned out my drive, and headed back down the mountain. It was after he was gone, and I was thinking about his strong hands and soft lips on mine, when I realized I’d forgotten I’d been broken into, shit, I’d been dazzled
...
That man was lethal on more than one part of my body.

Moving towards my bed, I saw a business card lying on my table; I picked it up and read the fine print. Jack Gunnison, Sheriff, Gunnison County
. I bet there’s a fascinating story behind that name.
I grabbed my phone where I left it on the table and punched in the number of his cell. When the cursor flashed for the name, I started to type in “Jack” but stopped, smiling, I typed in “Bossy.” For some reason that just fit him, since the moment I’d met him, he’d been bossing me around.

I decided to send him a text so he’d have my number, why, I have no idea; I needed to keep my distance. Anyone who could kiss me dizzy could not be good for my state of mind. And after Barry told me women don’t last with Jack, I didn’t need to be added to the long list of women he’d dumped. But good manners pushed me to do it, so I hit the fabulous little microphone on my message screen, and spoke into it.

<
Thanks for rescuing me; this is Jennifer, in case you rescue more than one damsel in a night
>

I put my phone down and headed to the bathroom, not expecting a text back or at all since he was busy, so I was surprised when he texted back quickly.

<
You lock your doors?
>

<
Of course
>

<
Windows?
>

<
Yes, Jack
>

<
Then get to sleep, babe, no thanks necessary, the pleasure was    all mine
>       

<
Anyone ever tell you, you were bossy?
>

<
Nope
>

<
Interesting
>

<
Sleep
>

<
Fine
>

 
No more texts came, so I went to the bathroom and then climbed in bed and curled around my pillow. I thought about the last two hours, and decided Jack was a good guy, but very, very dangerous for my heart
.

Chapter Four

It Takes A Village To Solve A Crime

       “Jenny, get your ass over here, girl.” I heard Ben shout, as I entered McGill’s. I was getting a to-go order; their pancakes are the bomb, and after the night I’d had, I needed some stick to your ribs comfort food. Ben and Gerry were sitting at their regular table as I walked in, so I turned to them smiling.

“Morning, gentlemen, you doing ok, this morning?”

“What’s this we hear about you having an intruder up at your cabin last night?” Gerry shouted.

“How on earth did you hear about that so soon? Jack just left four hours ago.”

“Nothin’ gets past this town, you know that girl, now answer the question. Did you have someone break into your cabin?” Gerry asked again.

“Unfortunately, but they didn’t take anything but my pride. Jack thinks they were looking for something to steal, and I scared them off when I woke up.”

“Jack you say? Made the call on his night off?” Ben asked surprised.

“He was up already, so he was close when I called the station.”

“He isn’t concerned it was the killer at your place last night?”

“Uh, I don’t think so, why would the killer be after me?”

“You fit the profile.” Ben explained.

“Profile? What profile?”

“The one Gerry and I put together after you left last night.”
Oh, good lord, why did I open my notes in front of these men?

“Me and Gerry worked on it last night and figured out these women were all 35-40, brown hair, brown eyes and single. That’s what serial killers do; they find a type and go after them.” Impressed they’d come up with that, I told them.

“Ok, guys, good catch, I’ll pass that along to Jack if I talk to him.”

“If you’re going to be investigating this for a story, Ben and me think we should help you out. We know everyone within five counties; we’d know a killer if we saw one.”

I raised my eyes to the ceiling looking for strength. These men were like crazy uncles, and I loved them dearly. I’d rented my cabin from Ben, and he’d left his cool log furniture so I wouldn’t have to buy new. But I’d promised Jack no interference, and something told me Ben and Gerry putting their two cents worth in might piss Jack off, and I’d seen him bossy, I didn’t want to see him pissed.

“Guys I don’t know what to say, you—”

“Nothin’ to say Jenny; we’re gonna help you on this, and that’s that. Now, we’ll meet here every day after Rosie shuts down. She’s got the inside scoop on the women around here, and maybe we can figure out who the next target is, then Jack can just be waiting to grab this guy when he strikes.” Ben finished, and I stopped right before I could argue against his idea. Opening then closing my mouth, it occurred to me that,
that
wasn’t a half bad idea. If this guy had a type, then we could figure out who in the county matched it, and feed the info to Jack.

“Aren’t the women they found strangers?” I inquired.

“First victim, Jamie Smith, was from over in Ouray, and the one found yesterday was identified as Cindy Baker from Lake City.”

“Ben how do you know this?”

“I got ears, Jenny, I use them.”

Right, how could I forget, these men knew everything that went on in this town. I pondered this information for a moment and then figured what could it hurt? Sitting around in a diner with Ben, Gerry and Rosie, talking the case through could only help clear up ideas, right?

“Ok, guys, you’ve got a deal, I’ll meet you back here at three; that work for you?”

“That it does, Jennifer,” Gerry called out with a smile on his face.

“Orders up, Jennifer,” Rosie shouted, so I headed to the bar, paid my ticket and waved at the boys as I headed to my car. For the first time since I got to Colorado, I felt excited about my job, and then I stopped and turned my thoughts to women who had died and felt like the scavenger Jack said I was. I needed to find a way to help, not just sensationalize the story. There were enough bottom feeders in the press; I didn’t need to become one of them.

*
                            *                            *

Jack

       “That’s right Agent Rowe; two murders in two months, both victims had brown hair, brown eyes, and middle to late thirties.”

Scribbling on my note pad, I waited while Agent Rowe, with the FBI, searched the national database for any killings that matched ours. Forensics had come back on the latest victim. Cindy Baker, from Lake City, was a single woman who worked at the Java Hut in the tourist town. She was divorced with no children and had moved up to Lake City in the last year from Pagosa Springs. The first victim, Jamie Smith, from Ouray, was also a transplant from Denver, explaining why no one had known either woman.

“Sheriff, we don’t have any known murders matching your victims. If you have another body turn up with the same M.O, give me a call back, and I will present the info to my superior and we can start a profile.”

“Agent Rowe, I’m trying to avoid another victim, you’re supposed to be the experts on serial killers, and I’m inviting you to come to my county to assist.”

“Sheriff Gunnison, I appreciate the position you’re in, but we have thousands of murders we’re investigating at this time, and until it’s clear we have a serial on our hands,
my
hands are tied.”

“I’ll be sure to pass that along to the next family I notify, when another one of my residents turns up dead.” I bit out. Slamming the phone down, I raked my hand through my hair, “Fucking Feds.” Most small town Sheriffs don’t like them pissing all over their jurisdiction; I could give a fuck if it meant one of my own was safe from this asshole. I needed to find this guy and find him fast. Yanking up the phone, I dialed Drew.

“Drew, you got time to meet with me?”

“Up to my elbows in guts, Jack, what can I do for you?”

“I want to take a look at the lividity marks on the back of Cindy Baker.”

“Ok, I’ve got another two hours’ work in front of me, meet me at the morgue in two and half, that work for you?”

“I’ll make it work, see you then.”

“Grady.” I shouted down the hall to my Deputy. Grady Hall, who had two years on the force and was a competent cop, was also the Mayor’s son. Though only twenty-three, he worked hard and had a sharp mind. I see a future Sheriff in him, and try to include him in all investigations to groom him for this job.

“You bellowed Jack?”

“Get me the phone records of both murder victims, and a timeline for their last-known whereabouts.”

“You got it, Jack.”

“Where’s Barry?”

“He called in, said he was checking on the Stewart woman, making sure she didn’t have any more trouble last night, should be in, in about an hour.”

“Who the fuck told him to do that?”

“I figured you did?”

“Christ.”

Barry was checking on Jenn? Since when did he do a callback, he didn’t take the callout?
I felt anger crawl up my gut, and tried to press it down.
Did Barry know Jenn before yesterday? Was that why he’d leaked information about the second victim?
  “Her fucking eyes my ass.” I felt my jaw tighten, and my anger spike. “Fuck.”  I grabbed my phone and found Barry’s cell number and hit send.

“Todd.”

“Barry, you wanna tell me why you’re on a callback with Ms. Stewart?”

“Uh, just checking in with her making sure she’s ok, why?”

“I was the lead on her break-in, again, I’ll ask, why are
you
on
my
callback?”

“Jesus… she’s a friend, ok… I just wanted to make sure she was all right.”

“What kind of friend, Barry?” He paused before answering and I felt my anger spike.

“That’s none of your business, Jack, you wanna bust my balls about being on your callback, fine, but I don’t have to answer to you about my relationship with Jennifer.”

“Fair enough, now get your ass back to the station.” I disconnected and immediately dialed Jenn’s cell.

“Hello?”

“You at home?”

“Jack?”

“Babe, are you at home?

“No, I’m on my way into the paper, why?”

“Good, lunch, Mike’s Burgers, noon.”

“You sound pissed? Has there been another murder?” Taking a deep breath to tap down my anger, I tried again.

“Bad morning, can you make lunch at noon?”

“Um, yeah, why are we having lunch?”

“Jenn, you gotta eat; I gotta eat, so we’re eating together.”

“Right…. um, Jack?”

“Yeah?”

“Is this you keeping an eye on me?” She asked sounding sweet and confused.

And there it was, the reason why she intrigued me… No games to get my attention, no acting coy or disinterested, just sweet and honest.

“Yeah, Babe, this is me keeping an eye on you.”

“Ok,” she whispered. And for the first time this morning I smiled.

*
                            *                            *

       “You want menthol for your nose?” Drew asked as he shoved a jar in my face.

“I’ll survive, I hate smelling it the rest of the day.”

Standing in the morgue with the body of Cindy Baker, I thought again how I needed a vacation. Two women dead and no clue to the killer, and once the residents found out what was happening there would be panic. And every man or woman, who’d ever had an odd encounter, would call in, and we’d be so overwhelmed with calls, it would be hard to separate fact from fiction.

“She’s on her stomach so we can look at the lividity marks. I also took thermal pictures to see if I could raise the image.” Drew pointed to an x-ray hanging on the light board, and I could see two inch lines running down her back.

“Ok. Show me the body.”

Drew threw back the sheet and the bloated body, of what was once a beautiful woman, lay face down in death. I ignored the smell and concentrated on the marks. Four distinct straight lines two inches wide and two inches apart covered her from ankle to shoulder. Studying the marks, it hit me.

“Those look like they came from the bed liner of a truck?” Drew studied the marks then looked up at the ex-ray picture and nodded.

“I would agree, those look consistent with a bed liner.”

“Did you find any fibers on the body or clothes?”

“Dirt consistent with the dump site, some fibers that we’re running through mass spec. I’ll call you when the results are in.”

“You get anything from under the fingernails or teeth? Any skin?”

“Nothing in teeth, stomach contents shows she ate three hours before death, last meal was pizza. Fingernails showed nylon fibers, again, running that through mass spec.”

“Ok, keep me updated, I need to find this sonofabitch and fast.”

“You’ll be the first to know when the results are in.”

I slapped Drew on the back and made my way out of the morgue. I looked at my watch and noted the time; I needed to get to my truck and head over to Mike’s for lunch with Jenn. I didn’t have time to start something with this woman, but I’ll be damned if that was going to stop me. You made the time for a woman like Jenn, if you didn’t, someone else would.

*                            *                            *

Jenn

       “You’re having lunch with a man?”

“Bailey, it’s just lunch, he asked me and I agreed.”

“Mom, I think that rocks.”

“You do?”

“Well, yeah, Dad’s been gone over a year, and you’re young and beautiful, why not find some guy to rock your socks off.”

“Bailey, I’m having lunch, not sex.”

“So have sex for dessert.”

“This is what I get for having a kid so young, you think I’m your best friend instead of your mother, I’m not discussing sex with you.”

“Who aren’t you discussing sex with?” Said a deep voice behind me.

  I was waiting for Jack outside Mike’s Burgers, talking with my know-it-all daughter, when I heard Barry’s voice in my ear. I turned and laughed. “No one, Barry, just talking with my daughter.”

“Ah, gotcha.” Raising my finger, indicating I needed a minute to finish my call, I turned my back.

“Bailey, I have to go, I’ll call you tonight, everything going ok? You need anything before I go?”

“School rocks, Mom, don’t worry about me. You’re finally in Colorado; go have fun.” Smiling at her response, I looked up and saw Jack coming down the sidewalk. I felt my heartbeat pickup just watching him walk. One things for sure, with Jack around I wouldn’t need to worry about aerobic exercise. I heard Bailey talking in my ear, and I tuned in long enough to hear her say she needed to go, so I took my eyes off Jack and responded.