BATON ROUGE (9 page)

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself half on his chest as their mouths remained melded together. Someplace in the back of his mind he knew she was giving him no more than her body. She’d always been generous with that, but she’d never been able to achieve any real intimacy with him outside of the bedroom. He would never really have her heart. She kept that so closely guarded.

He shoved this thought away as he focused on the here and now. These moments of this night were all he had and he wanted to savor each and every one.

She slid her hands up and down his naked chest and pulled her mouth from his to nuzzle into the hollow of his throat. His hands glided down her back to the edge of her nightshirt. He was already fully erect, ready to tear her nightshirt over her head, pull her panties off and take her as he’d never taken her before.

But he didn’t do any of those things. He knew it was important that he let her set the pace, nonverbally telling him what she needed and when. It was a lack of control that had driven her to his bed. He knew instinctively that he needed to allow her to be in total control now.

She sat up and pulled her nightshirt over her head and tossed it to the floor, then straddled him and leaned forward to kiss him again, her bare breasts against his bare chest.

The contact was immensely pleasurable as she plied his mouth with heat and hunger and her nipples pebbled hard against his skin.

The only thing keeping them from complete intimate contact was his boxers and her panties, but she seemed in no hurry to take them off as her lips once again trailed from his mouth, down his jawline and then over his chest.

He was in a dream that he hoped would never end, a dream he’d had a thousand times since the day she’d left him. She sat up and he reached to cup her breasts, paying special attention to her hard nipples, and was rewarded by a low, deep moan that escaped her lips.

He wanted her moaning. He wanted to make it impossible for her to ever want another man. She was all he’d ever wanted, all he’d ever needed and he loved her as he would never love another woman.

She rolled off him just long enough for her to remove her panties and at the same time he quickly shimmied down his boxers and kicked them off.

When she straddled him once again, all he could think about was burying himself in her, possessing her completely for the length of time he could control himself, for the length of time she’d allow him.

As if reading his thoughts, she grasped his hard length and then guided him into her. As she sank down, she once again moaned with pleasure.

He tensed, trying to maintain control as her tight moistness surrounded him. She looked beautiful in the moonlight and he had to close his eyes to focus on not letting go too soon.

“Now I feel warm and safe,” she whispered.

Whatever words he might have said in response vanished as she began to rock her hips back and forth. The friction of her movements shot blood through his veins, stole every other thought from his mind.

She gasped and began to move faster and he knew she was on the verge of a climax. He thrust upward, wanting her there before he lost all semblance of control.

And then she was there, shuddering uncontrollably as she half laughed, half cried out his name. His own control snapped and wave after wave of pleasure jolted through him as he found his own release.

She collapsed on his chest, utterly boneless against him as their breathing found a more normal rhythm. She finally raised her head to look at him. “I’m not sure I have the energy to move.”

“Then stay right where you are.” He stroked his hands down her slender bare back and wished they never had to move again.

“Do you mind if I sleep in here with you?” she asked. “Just this one night,” she added as if wanting to remind him that this was a one-shot deal.

“Do you really think I’m going to tell you no?” he replied wryly.

“I’ll be right back.” She slid off the bed and disappeared down the hallway to the bathroom. He got up and went into the master bath and then found his boxers on the floor and pulled them back on.

He was back in the bed when she returned to his room. She pulled her nightshirt over her head and then got beneath the sheets and snuggled against him.

He stroked her short, silky hair and closed his eyes, wishing the night would never end. Unfortunately, as far as he was concerned, the night was far too short. He awakened just before five to a dark room and the other side of the bed empty.

He pulled on a white robe that he’d gotten when he and Georgina had taken a cruise for their honeymoon and followed the scent of freshly brewed coffee down the hallway.

She sat in the chair at the table where she’d always sat in the mornings when she’d lived here. She was still clad in her nightshirt, her hair a spiky mess that only made her more beautiful to him.

She smiled at him. “You’re up early.”

“You’re up earlier.” He got a cup of coffee and joined her at the table. There was a sense of déjà vu about the scene. They had always begun their mornings with coffee at this table, with her in her nightshirt and him in his robe. “Bad dreams?”

She shook her head. “No, I just woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep. Instead of fighting it, I decided to go ahead and get up.” She frowned. “Did I wake you up?”

“No, I woke up on my own.” He curled his fingers around his coffee mug, unsure where to take the conversation next. He knew she certainly didn’t want any morning-after chatter.

“We need to check everyone’s alibi for last night,” she said, letting him know she’d been thinking about the case. “I know the person who tried to grab me was a man, so Michelle doesn’t need an alibi, but her boyfriend does.”

“I’ll get everyone on the alibi situation as soon as we get to work. In the meantime, yesterday evening we decided it might be a good idea to talk to Professor Jacob Tanner.”

“Why does that name sound familiar?” she asked.

“He was in line in front of us at Michelle’s book signing,” Alexander replied.

“That’s right. I remember Michelle greeting him.” She paused and took a sip of her coffee. “So, why are we interested in talking to him?”

“We found out that he taught both Michelle and Roger in a class about killers and aberrant behavior. We thought maybe he might be able to give us some insight into the two.”

“You mean you want to ask him if either one of them were bed-wetters, fire-starters or into torturing small animals?” she asked teasingly.

He grinned, knowing she’d just named what were supposed to be three precursors to becoming a serial killer. In his years of chasing killers, he had yet to find a bed-wetter among the group. “You never know what he might remember about those two, and right now he’s just a straw for us to grasp in hopes that something fresh will come out of it.”

For the next thirty minutes he caught her up on everything that had occurred the day before after she’d left. The fact that there was so little to tell her cast a pall of frustration through him.

Even more frustrating was the fact that the perp had come so close to grabbing Georgina last night. Thank God he hadn’t succeeded, but Alexander should have managed to catch him. He could have ended it all last night if he’d just run a little faster, if he’d just tried a little harder.

He stared at Georgina, now cast in the glow of the morning sunrise. A fist of tension balled up in his chest. “After what nearly happened last night, we’re going to be stuck together like glue.”

“I know I’m a target now,” she said. “But, what happened after what nearly happened last night isn’t going to happen again.”

Her sentence would have been quite confusing to anyone else, but he knew she was telling him that she wouldn’t be sharing his bed again. When she’d said one night only, she’d meant it.

He would have to live with that. What he couldn’t live with was somehow screwing up and causing danger to grab Georgina. He couldn’t go through another Kelly Gilmer failure, especially with the woman he loved as yet another victim.

Chapter Nine

“Last night our perp tried to grab Georgina,” Alexander said.

It was seven o’clock in the morning and everyone was in the war room. When Alexander made his first announcement to the group, everyone turned to look at Georgina.

“I just happened to be driving by her place and saw her grappling with Bob in her front yard. He ran when I pulled up and I tried to follow, but lost him in the darkness. What I want everyone focused on today is getting alibis as to where Jax, Michelle and Roger were last night between the hours of nine and ten. I want the alibis checked and rechecked.”

“Aren’t Michelle and Jax on some book tour?” Nicholas asked.

“Yes, and according to the itinerary I got from Michelle’s agent, they were supposed to be in New Orleans all day yesterday and until tomorrow. She has a signing there tonight.”

“It’s only about an hour and a half drive from New Orleans to here. They could have driven back here, attacked Georgina and been back at their hotel by midnight.”

“And Roger doesn’t do his news show on Wednesday nights so he could have been anywhere last night,” Terry said.

“I want to know where
anywhere
was,” Alexander replied. “Right now Roger and Jax are the only halfway viable suspects we have. I particularly want to know Jax’s whereabouts last night since we now know his parents died in a house fire about ten years ago. Do we have any more information about that fire?”

“I checked all the records from the investigation and it was definitely arson. Jax was at the top of the suspect list but was a hundred miles away when the fire occurred and the authorities could never make anything stick. The case remains open, but hasn’t been worked in years,” Matt said.

“It still just could be a coincidence that Bob told Georgina he killed his parents and Jax’s parents died in an arson fire,” Nicholas said. “Or Bob could have been lying about everything he told Georgina.”

“He wasn’t lying,” she replied. Despite everything she had endured the day before, this morning she looked cool and confident.

“How can you be so sure?” Nicholas asked.

“Trust me, I know he was telling the truth. We’re looking for somebody who grew up with abuse and trauma in his childhood. He’s filled with rage and, according to his own words, has visions of becoming the greatest serial killer of all time. But he’s also tightly controlled, a planner and a very organized kidnapper/killer and that will make him even more difficult to find.”

She drew a deep breath and glanced around with a faint blush. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to go into a long, boring monologue.”

Alexander smiled at her. “Not boring, definitely things we all need to keep in mind.” His smile fell as he glanced around at the members of the team. “We also think he’s well educated, probably has a good job and may even be married and have a family.”

“This isn’t your ordinary thug,” Frank added. “He’s managed to remain elusive in two different cities, at two different crime scenes.”

“Right now my money is on Roger Cambridge,” Nicholas replied. “He has photos and reports about each crime that he shouldn’t have. He’s admitted to being in both Mystic Lake and Bachelor Moon.”

“I just want to know where he was last night when Georgina was attacked, and I don’t want you all making phone calls to the persons of interest,” Alexander said. “Frank, Matt and Nicholas, I want the three of you to take off for New Orleans. Check and double-check on Michelle and Jax. If they said they ate at a particular restaurant, then you go to the restaurant and confirm it.”

He turned his gaze toward Terry. “I want you to rattle Roger’s cage, and Jeff and Tim, you continue to work on potential locations in and around swamp areas.” He paused and then sat down. “What are you all waiting for?”

It took only minutes for the room to clear out, leaving behind only Alexander, Georgina, Tim and Jeff. “Grab some coffee and relax, it’s too early for us to head over to the college campus,” he said to Georgina.

“I’m coffeed out,” she replied. “Tim, how is the search going of the buildings you’ve located?”

He frowned. “The locals have checked out about thirty locations and found nothing. They’re being very cooperative, but there are also a lot of empty warehouses and buildings in and around the swamplands.”

“Eventually you’ll stumble on the needle in the haystack,” Georgina said with a warm smile to the younger agent.

The tip of Tim’s ears turned pink. “Thanks. Let’s just hope I find the place before the student decides he’s learned all he can from his teacher captives.”

Georgina’s eyes held the same kind of horror that rippled through Alexander at Tim’s words. It struck home again that if the seven kidnapped people were still alive, it was only because Bob allowed them to live.

He had the power to keep them as captives or kill them, and there was no way any of the team could guess when Bob would decide that his captives were more hindrance than help.

Alexander knew he was working against a ticking clock and he had no idea when the clock would strike the time that people would die. And the team had so little to go on in finding those people and the man who would end their lives when he decided.

It was just before nine when Alexander and Georgina parked in one of the college lots behind the Division of Humanities building. In this building, students learned philosophy, psychology and criminal justice. It was also in this building that Dr. Jacob Tanner taught his classes and had his office.

“West wing, second floor,” Alexander said as they entered the front door along with several students. While they had waited for it to be late enough to come to the college, he had done some background digging into Jacob Tanner.

The professor was highly esteemed and his classes were the most popular among the students. He was only thirty-two years old but had zoomed through his education and had gotten his job teaching here four years ago. He lived alone in an upscale townhouse near the college and liked to play chess and bridge with fellow teachers.

“I don’t know if he’ll remember Roger, but we know he definitely has maintained some sort of contact with Michelle,” Georgina said as they took the stairs to the second floor. “I wonder if he had any contact at all with Michelle’s boyfriend.”

“We should have checked records to see if Jax attended college here. To be honest, it didn’t occur to me. He doesn’t exactly read as a college-educated man.”

“Maybe he’s fooling us with his brawn act. Maybe Michelle likes a smart man when it comes to mental stimulation, but likes a thug as a bodyguard and in the bedroom,” Georgina replied.

“Would you like a thug in the bedroom?” Alexander asked.

She shot him a dirty look. “You know exactly what I like in the bedroom, Alex, and we’re not taking this particular conversation any further.”

He liked the way her cheeks flamed with color. She might have told him that last night was an anomaly that wouldn’t happen again, but she wasn’t as immune to him as she wanted him to believe.

They easily found Professor Tanner’s office, and Alexander knocked on the door. “Just a minute,” a woman’s voice drifted through the door. He exchanged a glance with Georgina who shrugged. Maybe the professor was important enough to warrant a secretary.

The door opened to reveal a young woman with wheat-colored hair that was pulled back into a severe bun, and she was clad in tailored slacks and blouse. She looked as if she were desperate to appear older than she was.

“May I help you?” she asked.

“We’re looking for Professor Tanner,” Alexander said.

“He’s not in yet. I’m Megan James, his student assistant. Is there something I can help you with?” Her smile was cool and professional.

“When do you expect Dr. Tanner to be in?” Alexander asked.

“In about fifteen minutes or so. He has a nine-thirty class.”

Georgina displayed her badge. “Then we’ll just come in and wait for him.” She didn’t give the young assistant any opportunity to protest, but instead pushed past her and into the room.

Alexander followed as Megan stepped back. Jacob Tanner had a cushy office, with a bank of windows that looked out on trees and green space. There was a small desk, neat and tidy, and a love seat in hunter green.

The walls held wildlife photos, but it was the bookcase behind the desk that drew his attention. Abnormal psychology books lined one shelf, the collection impressive. The other shelves held books on Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer and all the notorious serial killers through time. There were even several books about Jack the Ripper.

“Is Professor Tanner in some kind of trouble?” Megan asked worriedly as she gestured for them to sit on the love seat.

“No, nothing like that. We just have a few questions to ask him.”

Megan sank down in the chair at the desk. “That’s good, because he’s the best. All the students love him, and his classes are always the first ones to fill up.” It was obvious Megan had a bad case of hero worship going on.

“How is he to work for?” Alexander asked, just passing time.

“Wonderful. He’s so patient and kind, and it’s been an honor for me to learn from and work for him.” She smiled beatifically.

The door opened and the man of the hour walked in. Megan jumped out of his chair behind the desk while Georgina and Alexander rose simultaneously from the love seat.

“What’s this? Some kind of a welcoming committee?” Jacob Tanner cast the two agents a pleasant smile. He was tall, medium weight, with dusty-blond hair and blue eyes. He was handsome in a boyish way, which was probably what made him a favorite among the female students on campus.

“They’re FBI agents,” Megan said. “They want to talk to you.”

“Oh, okay.” Tanner didn’t appear concerned. “Megan, why don’t you go on downstairs to the theater and make sure the podium and video equipment is ready to go for today’s classes.”

Once the young woman had left the room, Tanner closed the door behind her and walked over to his desk chair. “Please,” he said, gesturing them back down on the love seat as he sat. Official introductions were made. “What is it that you think I can help you with?”

“We saw you at Michelle Davison’s book signing last week and from what we understand she was a student of yours,” Alexander said.

Tanner nodded. “One of the brightest I think I’ve ever taught. Is she in some kind of trouble?”

“She’s a person of interest in a case we’re working on. What do you know about her boyfriend, Jax White?” Georgina asked.

Seated so close to her on the love seat, Alexander was surrounded by Georgina’s scent and he tried hard to ignore it and focus on Tanner, who had a look on his face as if he’d tasted something unpleasant.

“Jax was also a student of mine. He barely passed my class and I don’t think he actually graduated. He was bright enough but unmotivated. Michelle could do much better when it comes to boyfriends.”

“What about Roger Cambridge? We understand he also took several of your classes,” Alexander stated.

Tanner leaned back in his chair and smiled in open amusement. “Roger Cambridge. He was a good student, he never missed a class, but he also loved to draw attention to himself. He wanted to make sure everyone knew Roger Cambridge. I’m not surprised that he’s doing his cheesy internet show. He desperately wants his fifteen minutes of fame.”

“Enough to kidnap FBI agents and make the news so that he can report the news?” Georgina asked.

Tanner’s brow creased. “Roger was intense. He really got into the classes, sought extra time with me to discuss various elements of the serial killers we studied in class. Do I think he’s capable of committing a crime?” He leaned forward and shrugged. “To be honest, I don’t know.”

“We understand that your classes are some of the most popular that are offered,” Georgina said.

He leaned back again and smiled. “You have to admit there is something fascinating about the criminal mind and what men and women are capable of doing to each other. In the classes, we explore the nature versus nurture theory and we go into details of some of the most infamous serial killers.”

“Do you have any students now that ring bells of having the potential to commit crimes?” Georgina asked.

Tanner laughed. “I have to admit that I’m sure there are some maladjusted, troubled young people who are drawn to the class because of their own issues. Can I forecast who of those students will go on to become killers? Absolutely not. It would be nice for everyone if I could easily identify any students who would go on to commit violent crimes.”

He looked at his watch and stood. “I’m afraid I need to leave. I’ve got a class to teach. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“No, but if we think of something we’ll get back in touch with you.” Alexander and Georgina stood and together the three of them left the office.

“Good luck to both of you, and I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help,” Tanner said as they walked down the hallway toward the stairs. “I once considered becoming a police officer, but then I thought of the danger involved and changed my mind. Those who can, do, but those who can’t, teach, right?” He gave them another pleasant smile and then hurried ahead of them and disappeared through a doorway.

“Well, that was a big waste of time,” Alexander said in frustration as he and Georgina left the building and headed for his car. “He wasn’t able to help us at all.”

“Maybe not, but I found it interesting that he remembered Roger and Jax. It’s obviously been several years since they were in his classes and Tanner has had hundreds of students since then.” Georgina stopped talking long enough to get into the passenger seat and then resumed when he was behind the wheel.

“Maybe it’s time we dug a little deeper into Roger, maybe put a tail on him. If he’s looking for his fifteen minutes of fame, maybe he is our man,” she said.

“Maybe,” he agreed. “We’ll see what the others have as far as alibis for last night on everyone. Roger better hope he has a damn airtight one.”

He tightened his hands on the steering wheel. “What really worries me is that we don’t even have Bob on our radar, that he’s not Roger or Jax, but rather somebody we haven’t even come into contact with other than the phone calls to you.”