Don't Touch (7 page)

Jackson didn’t say anything he just sipped
his coffee. He was enjoying seeing the world through her eyes. Ryan
had been sequestered so long that it was like taking a kid to
Disney. An hour and a half went by as they sat watching the boats
and jet skis move across the lake. Jack nudged her. “It’s been
longer than an hour, ready to go?”

Ryan gave him a sheepish grin. “Can we go to
the museum first?”

Jackson would take her to the moon if she
asked. The Lake Eustis Art Museum wasn’t very big but they always
had a showcase of artwork. Some local artist, others from all over
the country hanging in the gallery.

Jack hadn’t ever gone for any artsy fartsy
stuff. He only hoped she

wouldn’t ask him to take her to the ballet.
But the moment they walked in he felt it was worth it. Ryan stood
before each painting taking in every inch of it before moving on to
the next. The way her eyes traced the lines, he could tell whether
she had liked it or not.

The curator greeted them and they discussed
the artist and the landscapes. The use of Eastern and Western
painting techniques. The doc was one smart lady.

He felt lucky to be the one to see her first
day out. Then his cell rang. “Prince.” It was another victim. Ryan
ended her conversation as he hung up. Damn, he really didn’t want
to ruin this for her. “I’m sorry, we gotta go.”

Smiling she put her arm in his. More relaxed
than he’d seen her and more beautiful. “It’s been over an hour
anyway.”

Pulling in the drive he started to turn off
the engine. She put a covered hand on his. “You don’t have time, I
can walk myself in.”

Standing she leaned back in. “Promise to call
if it’s another one of ours?”

He nodded and she gave him that crooked
smile. “Thanks Jack, this afternoon meant a lot to me.”

Before he could reply the door was shut and
she was up the walk. He did wait until she was inside before
heading down the road. “Meant a lot to me too.”

Tom was already there. The scene was the
local cemetery. Many of the cemeteries in Lake County were hundreds
of years old. This was one of those with real tombstones and
statues not just flat slabs. He found Tom standing by a button
nosed brunette looking back up at him lifeless.

The girl dressed in jeans, tee, and a hoodie
lay at the headstone of a civil war soldier. Her arms placed at her
sides and her lovely long hair splayed like a halo. The hoodie was
zipped but the blood pattern from the wounds below was plain to
see. The knife this time was placed on the opposite side. And once
again no blood pool. “Her eyes?”

“Just like the others.” Lord looked over the
area again. “It’s him I would almost guarantee it but he’s changed
some of his MO.”

After the tech took photos, Jackson unzipped
the jacket. The deep wounds were in a distinct circle. The area
felt like Tina Kessler’s house, that feeling that something was
just off. “She’s got a lot of foliage in her hair, and her sneakers
are full of sugar sand.”

Grass was all that was within the acres of
the graveyard. The tech assumed the detective was talking to him as
he gathered evidence. “That doesn’t really peg a location down
though. This stuff is in my backyard in Mt. Dora and my mother’s in
Umatilla. All over the forest.”

Jackson gave him the look. “Thanks for
narrowing that down for us.”

The tech smirked but did get a move on before
replying. “I’m sure you're doing your royal best to solve this
case, Detective Prince.”

Thomas was ready to spring into the rescue of
the tech but Prince just glared and let it go. His partner was
shocked. “You feel okay?”

“Yeah why?”

“You didn’t hurt him.” Tom took another look
at his partner as the man shrugged. “You were with her this
afternoon. That’s what took you so long to get here.”

“With who? You were out with Silvia right?”
Jackson trotted to the car and retrieved his personal digital
camera. He snapped a couple of pics of the knife and the area. “It
will take too long to wait for the others.”

Thomas shook his head. “Well you can drive
this time.”

Jackson tried to find any marks on the grass
or area that said the body had been drug and from where. Not
finding anything he started for the caretaker who found the body.
“Mr. Glass? You found the victim?”

The old man nodded somberly. Why was it
cemetery caretakers were usually somber elderly men? Mr. Glass took
a deep mournful breath. “I come out every dawn to check the
flowers. Have to get rid of the dead ones you know. Can’t have a
grave with something dead on it, only thing dead is supposed to be
in it. The old soldier’s grave had a different flower this morning.
Nobody here that early in the day. Only soul was that flower.”

Prince asked a couple more questions then
walked back to the grave where Tom stood. His partner held the
camera up. “I guess we’re going to see your ME?”

“No, we’ll take it to Ryan tomorrow.” At
Tom’s raised brow he shrugged again. “What, she was going to call
her sister for the first time in months. I just think that it’s
important for her to get a little normal in before we thrust more
of the weird on the good doctor.”

Walking to the cars Tom couldn’t resist
needling. He had never seen Jackson act like this about a woman.
Especially one involved in a case. “So where did you take her on
your date?”

Tom was rewarded with the glare he expected.
Then Jack surprised him by leaning on the car and running a hand in
his hair before answering. “I took her to the Lake Walk and the
museum. It was like she was seeing it all for the first time. You
should have heard her talking about the paintings at the museum.
She isn’t crazy, Tom, just lost.”

Tom stood across from him. “Just be careful
you don’t get lost. I admit she is a beautiful woman and I’m
grateful for her helping out but we’re stepping on shaking ground
using her. Heinz finds out…..”

“Yeah I know, I could be spending the next
ten years of my career directing traffic. The Cap would just love
that.”

The next morning when they walked into the
station Jackson felt it hit the fan and blow in his face. Heinz
yelled for them across the room. The detectives cautiously walked
into the office. The Captain tossed a newspaper at Lord. “What the
hell are you two doing out there? I told you to keep it quiet now
there is an article on serial killings and the first three are
listed as local cases as yet unsolved. Explain!”

They couldn’t. The details were covered up as
best as they could manage. However, it was a small county the local
cops could have talked and put the pieces together or the medical
examiner’s office. Tom wouldn’t put it past Flak to leak for
publicity. The techs were usually trustworthy knowing their
evidence was on the line in situations like this.

Heinz screamed for a few more minutes and let
Tom go. He stood over Jackson trying to be intimidating. “You were
seen out on the lake yesterday with a woman. I expect that crap
from Lord. But you Prince I expect to stay on the case. Is it
possible that your girlfriend is the leak?”

Jackson cleared his throat. “No sir, she’s
just a friend nothing going on. And she doesn’t have anything to do
with the cases.”

Heinz eyed him as Jackson wondered why it
would matter if he was seeing someone. With a stern warning to lock
down everything with case information the Captain practically threw
him out of the office.

Margie walked by examining their backsides.
“Don’t worry boys it’s all there.”

After talking to her sister last night Ryan
watched the sun rise with a smile for a change. Amber was going to
come over tomorrow night with a couple of movies. A girl’s night
in. She sat on the porch sipping her ice tea thinking about her
afternoon with Detective Prince. He needed her and getting her back
into a “sane” state of mind was the best way of getting what he
needed.

She didn’t mind though. It was wonderful to
sit on the Lake Walk and browse the museum. She hadn’t realized
just how much she missed those things.

Ryan owed something to him for helping her
see that she wasn’t crazy and she wasn’t as lost as she had
thought.

Hearing the car pull in the driveway she
pulled out her wallet to pay for her wonton soup. Looking up she
didn’t find Chinese food. “Oh, hello Detectives.”

Thomas gave a small wave. “Hi, um, sorry to
bother you. We’ve got some new photos.” She ushered them in as he
spoke. “These are different; I think it is the same man but …. Well
have a look for yourself.”

He handed her the file. The photo on top was
a girl similar to the others only outside, laying on a grave. “He
changed his methods of operation, not good for us. Why did he
change?”

They watched her slip into work mode. Jackson
wondered if this is what she looked like in the autopsy room. Her
face serious, there was weight to her voice as she spoke. She
touched the photos lightly and arranged them on the table. “I’ve
been experimenting since yesterday. As long as I handle the edges
lightly, I’m good. Now though time to see the bad.”

She touched the knife’s image. It was the
same gloved hand. But there was something new. There was a flash of
that lake again, too quick to identify but it was a tiny lake. But
there was emotion. Pushing the picture away she sat down.

Thomas looked a bit worried. “You alright,
your eyes are glassy.”

A curt nod. “I’m fine. He’s irritated. I saw
the same work glove, and a… a… flash of that lake. I can’t tell you
anything about it except that it’s small. But I could feel his
aggravation at being discovered.”

A tear trickled down her cheek and Jackson
knelt by her chair. “Hey it’s okay.”

She wiped it away. “No I’m alright it was
just unnerving. I’ve never felt anything that strong. He’s pissed.
I don’t get it though, does he understand that we’re looking for
him now?”

Tom sighed. “It was leaked to the papers.
They did an article on serial murders and the first three are named
as an unsolved serial. We’re trying to trace the leak so it doesn’t
go any further.”

“He must have read it and recognized
something and changed his M.O. to throw you off. No idea who
leaked?”

Tom shook his head. Ryan sorted through the
pics she was beginning to think this was useless when an idea she
wasn’t fond of hit her. She looked at the detectives. “Take me to
the scene.”

Jackson put a hand on her jean clad thigh. It
was the only thing covered he could touch. “Whoa, I don’t think
that would be a swift idea.”

She looked him in the eye. “Why not? If I can
handle the pics I can go to the scene. I don’t particularly like it
either but objects are much better than pictures. Come on you owe
me. You kept me out past the hour you promised.”

Thomas was willing to try it at this point.
They had started searching for homes on small lakes but nothing had
turned up. “The moment you feel uncomfortable you tell us and we
bring you home. No exceptions. As bad as we need to stop this guy
we don’t want you hurt either.”

She jumped up and hugged him then ran to the
bedroom for her jacket and shoes. Thomas gave Jackson the do not go
there look.

When they arrived the area was still corded
off by yellow tape. Ryan visually examined the site. Pulling her
cell phone she looked at the detectives. “I don’t want to screw
this up. Barbara is the one who has been helping me figure out how
to use… this thing.”

Jackson listened to the call and was
impressed at how she was able to get the answers she needed without
disclosing case information. Ryan was definitely not the leak. Once
she clicked the phone shut Ryan stood for a moment and took in the
scene.

She walked around outside the taped area.
Then with a deep breath ducked under, Jackson close behind.
“Barbara said to start with objects first. The only real object is
the headstone.”

It was beautifully aged marble. Confederate
flag etched on each side of the name. She wondered what the soldier
would think of his south now. Shaking her head to help clear her
thoughts she let her right hand hover over the stone. It crackled
with energy. She pulled her hand back and rubbed it on her jeans.
Jackson put a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s go.”

She patted his hand with her gloved left.
“No, I just wasn’t expecting that. It’s kind of like a static
charge around the stone.” When he let her go she placed her right
hand on the stone. The world fell away for a moment as she felt
bits of time colliding in the form of memories.

Grief from over a hundred years ago as a
young widow shed tears right where Ryan’s hand rested. Tears fell
from her own eyes. Faces like a flip book flashed making her gasp
until the vision settled on a familiar gloved hand. The hand
steadied him as he stumbled over the empty flower vase in the
darkness. “It is the same man, tall; the girl is in his arms. He
chose this spot because of the tree. She would be covered. As he
posed her he felt sad. He kissed her forehead then stood and walked
away.”