Obsession (30 page)

Dan
would be safe.

Jess inhaled deeply, pushed aside the emotions warring inside her. She knew what she had to do.

Speaking of Burnett, he had left her a voicemail asking her to be at his office at nine this morning for a post mortem.

And he wasn’t here.

She blew out another big breath of impatience.

A long drive lay ahead of her and the daunting task of clearing out her office. Pack up her house and put it on the market. Since she was about to be officially unemployed, there would be no paying that enormous mortgage payment with unemployment benefits. Her savings wouldn’t last more than a few months.

Her sister had begged her to stay at least until Jess decided her next step. Lily had even gone as far as having her friend and realtor show up for dinner last night with property listings for Jess to peruse. Lily was a wonderful sister, the perfect wife and mother. Her son was in his senior year at UA. Her daughter would be going there herself this fall. Jess suspected her sister was feeling empty-nest syndrome descending. Jess couldn’t deny feeling an emptiness coming herself.

Mainly, she just didn’t know where she went from here.

As much as she loved her sister, Jess could only take her perfect, careful world in small doses.

And drawing Spears away from Birmingham had to be her top priority.

She checked the time on her cell. 9:15. Where the hell was Burnett?

The door opened and in breezed the handsome but tardy chief. Jess mentally rolled her eyes at her own foolishness. The handsome part was irrelevant and formed in her head far too effortlessly.

“Jess, I’m sorry.”

Sheriff Griggs marched in right behind him.

“Morning, Agent Harris,” the Jefferson County sheriff offered.

“Morning, gentlemen.” She presented a perfunctory smile.

What was this about? She had said her goodbyes to Lori and Chet Saturday night. This morning she had expected a similar hit and run with Burnett.  A quick review of the final details of the case. A goodbye handshake—okay, maybe she had hoped for something more than a handshake—and then she would be on her way. She had dressed in the ivory suit that was her favorite. Whenever she wore it she always got lots of compliments. And the matching ivory stilettoes were sexy. At least they made her feel that way. A woman needed her armor when facing such an uncertain future.

She ordered the trivial thoughts from her head and focused on the here and now. Maybe Griggs had opted in for the post mortem. Burnett stood behind his desk. The sheriff had settled in the chair next to her. Then again, maybe she needed more than armor. The mood in the room carried the distinct feel of a setup.

“Has there been a new development with the case?”

“Nothing you don’t already know.” Burnett took his seat. “The sheriff and I spent most of the afternoon yesterday discussing certain other issues we have in common. But, first things first.”

She braced for unpleasantness. Burnett hadn’t even bothered with good morning. Besides, she wasn’t sure what their discussions had to do with her unless the two felt she was the issue. That would certainly put the icing on the farewell cake.

“Your conclusions about the Murrays were spot on,” Griggs commented, drawing her attention to him. “The denial about their son’s death, all of it.”

Jess nodded. She would never say as much out loud but after the debacle with Spears, she had, on some level, doubted herself several times over the past few days. It felt good to know she could still get the job done. With some outstanding help, admittedly.

“Did either of them reveal how they chose the girls?” Jess had drawn her own conclusions but the Murrays were unique, as all humans were, they would have their own individual methods for acting on the motives driving their obsession.

“Mrs. Murray skimmed the papers for academic accomplishments.” Burnett’s expression turned grim. “She made preliminary choices then moved in closer to watch the girls. Once she had ruled out those she perceived as unfit, she found a way to get close to each of her approved candidates.”

Jess understood that reality was difficult for him, considering Andrea had been one of her choices. Though all the girls had come away from this nightmare basically unharmed physically, months, maybe years of counseling were in order.

“The exception, of course,” Griggs chimed in, “was Reanne. Murray saw her for the first time at a church revival shortly after Tate’s death. She never forgot how spiritual Reanne and her family appeared. That appealed to the woman somehow.”

“And, Dana,” Jess pointed out. “She was chosen for different reasons than the others and approached differently as well.”

“That’s right,” Burnett said with a shake of his head. “Mrs. Murray wanted her to suffer.”

“But Dana took a step the Murrays didn’t expect. She reached out to Dr. Sullivan.” Jess hoped the girl understood how smart she had been to reach out to someone.

“Her actions provided a major break for our investigation,” Griggs allowed. “We might still be wondering what the hell was going on.”

Jess couldn’t argue with his assessment. The Murrays had certainly covered their tracks. Still, no matter how well thought out the plan, there was always a deviation. A mistake or oversight. There were no flawless crimes.

Spears attempted to intrude. She pushed him aside. His crimes were not flawless…she just hadn’t found the imperfection yet.

That was someone else’s job now.

“Mr. Murray has been quite forthcoming,” Burnett said, drawing her from the troubling thoughts. “His wife, on the other hand is a little too far over the edge to provide reliable details.”

“Any word on the Debarros girl and the infant’s remains?” Jess wished closure for that family. They had waited a long time. Too long.

“Officially no.” Burnett’s regret was palpable. “But Mr. Murray admitted that his wife had brought the girl home. He wanted to protect his wife and son so they kept her in the basement until the baby was born. The girl died in childbirth and the baby died soon after. They never called a doctor, just let nature take its course.”

The thought of how that little girl must have suffered emotionally and physically made Jess sick. “I suppose that made Christina even more of a loser than being the daughter of an illegal immigrant did.” The Murray woman was one twisted lady. “Totally unfit for her son.”

Griggs shook his head. “This is definitely a case for the textbooks. The Murrays were just everyday people without so much as a parking violation on their records. They weren’t killers, yet three lives were lost.”

Jess didn’t bother reminding him that no one was exempt from the potential for evil. The Murrays had been good people but fear and tragedy had set their lives on a different course.

She wondered how much of the situation Dr. Sullivan had suspected when she dared to go to that farm looking for Dana. Whatever she knew or didn’t know, looking for Dana rather than sharing her knowledge with the police had cost her life.

“The Debarros case is a perfect example of what Sheriff Griggs and I discussed yesterday.”

Jess shifted her attention back to Burnett.

“We’re not happy with how a situation can so easily slip through the cracks for any number of reasons. Lack of manpower, language barrier, or, like the one we just solved, no clear-cut legal approach.”

“We both have our various divisions,” Griggs continued from there. “The usual suspects.”

“Patrol, Support, Detectives,” Burnett noted.

“Homeland Security, Criminal, Internal Affairs.” Griggs made a rolling motion with his right hand. “On and on.”

Jess nodded for a lack of anything else to say. These two were up to something.

“We need a new unit,” Burnett announced. “One with a jurisdiction encompassing the entire county and whose resources are funded equally by the city and the county. We’ve run the proposal past the powers-that-be. That’s why I was late this morning. We have an approval to reallocate the first year’s funds.”

“Have you outlined a mission statement for this unit?” Jess was glad to hear about their plan. Victims like Christina Debarros should never fall through the cracks. But, honestly, Jess didn’t see what this had to do with her.

“We’re hammering that out now,” Griggs answered. “The unit will be classified as a Special Problems Unit. Numerous departments across the country have developed units like this and have seen a measurable drop in violent crimes. That’s our goal. But we’re expanding on the tried and true concept.” He emphasized the last with his hands. “We’re making it more like a special crimes or major crimes unit that encompasses the tactics of SPU. To have a unit devoted to the crimes that just don’t fall into one of the usual categories. Devoted to the criminals who don’t fit the usual profile.”

“This would be a deputy chief’s position,” Burnett told her. “The pay and benefits are in line with that of a federal agent with eighteen or twenty years on the job.”

Wait a minute. “What are you two up to?” Jess looked from Burnett to Griggs and back.

Griggs stood. “I’ll leave you two to iron out the details.” He thrust his hand at Jess. She accepted the enthusiastic shake. “Congratulations, Deputy Chief Harris. Glad to have you on board.”

Before Jess could say what, thanks or
shut up
, he nodded to Burnett and promptly exited the office.

The shaking started deep inside. Jess tried to stop it. They were offering her a job. Since she didn’t have one, she was flattered. But…

“Before you say no, Jess...” Burnett got up, came around to sit beside her. “Think about it for a day or two. We need you here.”

No, no. She would not cry. She battled back the burn of tears. “I sincerely appreciate the offer. But I don’t know if I can do that. Coming back here is…” She shook her head, didn’t know how to explain. The Spears situation…

He leaned forward, braced his forearms on his thighs. “I’ll make a deal with you. You stay here for six or so months and get this started for us and I’ll make sure you have all the space you need. The past won’t get in the way. You have my word.”

Could she do this? Was she out of her mind? But how could she say no?

Definitely out of her mind. 

“I need time to settle my affairs in Virginia.”

“Take…” Burnett shrugged “…a whole week.”

“A week?” Now who was out of their mind? “I need two.”

“Two then.”

“I’ll need to find housing.”

His gaze narrowed. “Speaking of houses, my parents got back from Vegas yesterday afternoon. My mother was up all night putting things back where they belonged. She’s threatening to fire her housekeeper.”

Oops. “Your mother is too good to clean her own house?” Jess didn’t know why she was surprised. “What does she do all day?” He started to answer and she held up her hands. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.”

He grinned. “Don’t worry, I smoothed it over.”

Jess felt no remorse. The thought of Katherine in such a tizzy gave her a great deal of satisfaction. “Before I agree to this trial run, what kind of staff will I have?”

“Besides the necessary admin, we’ll start with a couple of detectives, a forensics tech. Maybe a couple of uniforms.”

“Sounds doable.” She took a deep breath. “I have two conditions before I even consider your offer. One is that I get Lori and Chet. And that officer who helped out with Sullivan. Cook, I think his name is.”

“I don’t know about that, Jess. Wells and Harper are two of my best.”

“You don’t want this new prototype unit to have the best?”

“Okay. Fine.”

For a guy who hated that word he sure used it a lot.

“What’s your second condition?”

“That I have the full authority to conduct my investigations
my
way.”

“As long as you don’t break the law.”

“I can’t promise you I won’t bend it from time to time”

“Deal. Anything else?”

Reality deflated the excitement she had allowed to build. “We can’t anticipate what Spears will do.”

“The Bureau has assured me they will stay on top of that situation.
We
will stay on top of that situation. You have my word.”

She could see that Lily and her family stayed safe if she were here…but if she left maybe their safety wouldn’t be an issue.

Burnett held out his hand for a shake. “Welcome aboard, Deputy Chief Harris.”

“Not so fast, Burnett,” she cautioned. “I need a day or two to think about this.” Jess understood that if she accepted this offer she would be taking a giant leap backward.

But
sometimes
a woman had to step back and take stock of her life before moving forward.

She placed her hand in his and gave it a shake. “I’ll give you an answer tomorrow.”

He held onto her hand. “I think we had a conversation to finish.” He leaned in.

Jess held her breath. Told herself that this was not a smart idea. Especially if they were going to be working together.

His lips brushed hers, and her resolve melted. What the hell? She had twenty-four hours before she had to say yes. She leaned into his kiss.

A rap on the door drew them apart.

Jess touched her lips to quell the fire. Regretted her impulsiveness. If she were seriously going to accept this position, he couldn’t be her boss and her lover. Not even for just today before the boss part was official.

“Don’t,” he warned, as if he’d read her mind, “do that. We will take this part one day at a time.”

His receptionist entered the room. “Chief, I’m sorry to intrude but this package was delivered for Agent Harris. It’s labeled urgent.”

“Thanks, Tara.”

Jess sat at attention. Who would send a package to her? Gant? She couldn’t think why. “Let me see that.”

Burnett reviewed the information on the front. He shook his head. “It’s a special courier delivery, Jess.”

“Local?”

“Definitely.”

“It got through security so it isn’t likely a bomb.” Even as she said the words an icy cold replaced the heat he had stirred. Bombs weren’t part of Spears’ MO, she reminded herself.

Except that he thrived on eliciting fear and having the entire building in jeopardy would do exactly that.