Oracle Rising (39 page)

At least they didn't derail because of his earlier incident.

“What can you tell us?” Nate asked.

Everyone moved into position. Jagger stayed near the door, and Maura was watching the yard from her position behind the couple. It was interesting when Marines were on duty. They were always prepared for the worst.

“We were sleeping.”

“Together?” Nate asked.

The sheriff glanced over. “Yes. Together.”

Nate raised his hands in surrender. “Gotcha. Cool down, Sheriff. I was just making sure your location was clearly noted and alibied.”

“Well, it is.”

“Go on, Rhett,” Avalon offered.

“All I know is that she woke up screaming. As soon as I could think straight, I gave her paper so she could write down what she saw.”

“Good idea,” Luke stated. “Tell us about the dream.”

“It was horrible. It was awash in this red haze. It looked like someone was pouring blood across my vision.”

Luke made notes.

“There was this loud music. Almost like a tribal beat. Then I saw his hands choking her. He was wearing gloves.”

“Could you see any of him?”

“Yes. I could see his wrist. He’s white.”

She’d told them that once, and it still didn't help them out.

“What else?”

“He threw her in the trunk of her car. I could tell it was hers, because she was trying to get her key in the lock.”

She started shaking.

“Juliett, look at me,” Avalon said. “You can do this. Focus on the details. It’s like that movie you were watching. It’s make-believe. The killer can’t hurt you, just like in the movie.”

“How did she...?” he asked.

“She just knows,” Luke said. “You get used to it.”

Juliett refocused. “I can do this.”

“Do this for Rhett. Someone wants to hurt him. You have to help us find this man.”

That was all she had to say.

Juliett would do anything for Rhett.

She closed her eyes.

Avalon could see her aura changing. She was slipping back into the memory. “That’s right. Go deeper. You can do it. It’s just a movie.”

“After he got her there, he tied her up and raped her. His clothes were on. He unzipped, did it fast, and laughed. He’s doing it just to do it. There’s no lust. He wants to hurt someone.”

They all knew who. The sheriff was being subtly framed, and they didn't doubt he was in the middle of this mess.

“Can you see her face?”

“Yes, I can. She’s pretty. I think she’s blonde.” She paused before continuing, “He’s dumping alcohol on her. He found some in her place, or he brought it with him. I can’t tell.”

They all listened.

“He waits for her to wake up. As soon as she does, he strikes the match. He wants to terrorize her. He loves every second of this.”

They knew he was sick, and this was more proof.

“She’s burning,” Juliett stated.

Avalon touched her leg. “Tell them.”

She swallowed. “He was talking to me.”

Immediately, Rhett’s body went tense. He hated that the woman he was holding in his arms was suffering like this. It was all his fault. Someone, somewhere, had it in for him, and she was going to pay for it.

He was pissed.

“What did he say?” Nate asked. “We need to know exactly what he said to you. It may give us a clue.”

God!

She hoped it did.

Juliett wanted this over with, and soon.

‘I know you’re watching me. I can feel you. Before this is over, this will be you. Be afraid.’

Rhett kissed her on the shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “If I could, I’d take the dreams for you.”

She didn't doubt it.

He was that kind of man.

“What else?” Nate asked, pushing for as much as he could get from her.

“I have a partial address. I could see her door. There wasn’t a clear number, but I have a street name.”

“It’s Harper Road. It maybe was two hundred or twenty. I’m not really sure.”

Rhett blinked, his stroking hand paused on her leg. “Wait! Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am. Why?” When she opened her eyes, she could see the fear in his. This rattled him even more.

“You know who it is, don’t you?” Nate asked.

He nodded. “Yes, I do.”

They all stared at him.

Juliett jumped in to defend him. “I’m his alibi. Rhett and I were very engaged in some activities of our own. There’s no way it could be him.”

“You were sleeping,” Maura stated.

“And the second I woke up, he was there. If this is happening real time, he couldn’t have killed her and been back in bed in seconds.”

Maura figured she was right.

“Is the next victim connected to you again?” Nate asked.

“Yeah, that’s where Katie Wolf lives. She’s my age, and she owns a local business. In fact, Juliett’s cabin was rented through her company. It’s a real estate firm. She sold me this land right after I was married.”

Juliett ran her fingers over his cheek. Worry lines were forming, and she could relate. He was being hunted too. This killer was stalking him in reality, and Juliett in her dreams.

“Did you have a personal relationship with her?” Luke asked.

“Yes. I had sex with her.”

Juliett tensed. He could feel it. In her eyes, he saw that look women get when they find out a man has had other women before her.

“When?”

“I was sixteen. She was my first girlfriend. We both lost our virginity together.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. While her mouth was by his ear, she whispered reassuring words to him. That was a long time ago, and a ghost from his past. She was grateful that everything he said about the last few years hadn’t been a lie.

Then she realized how territorial she was becoming.

Yeah, this was bad. She was falling in love.

“After her, I started dating Nadine. There hasn’t been a long line of women in my life. If the killer is going to start poaching them, we can narrow it down pretty fast. There was Katie, my wife, and now…”

They all looked at Juliett.

“Well, then I guess we know who to watch,” Maura stated. It made it simple and yet complicated all at once.

Avalon reassured them all. “She’s safe. I can see snippets of her future. She’s not going to die by his hand.”

They relaxed, especially Rhett.

“With each victim, it’s more and more clear that this is all about you, Sheriff. This person is after you.”

“What do we do?” he asked. “How do I stop him?”

Nate had yet to work that out. “Our plan is fairly simple. If she saw the fire, it’s happened. We’re going to head there and see if the ME can tell us anything. Hell, maybe the fire department can. At this point, we’ll take anything.”

“Okay, we can do that.”

“I have a profile from my boss. Later today, we’ll go over it. Maybe it’ll shake some things loose in your memory. Maybe you’ll be able to put a face to the crazy.”

“I can do that too.”

“This part you won’t like.”

“Uhhh, okay, what is it?”

“We need to find your brother. Can you call him?”

He pointed at his phone on the table. “You should probably call him. His name is Walter. He may curse at you. We aren’t exactly best friends. Our lives split a long time ago.”

“I will. We also need the files for all the major crimes you’ve handled. Someone hates you.”

“Well, that list is a long one. There’s every asshole in Crosspointe, my ex, her attorney, the mayor…”

Yeah, they had a lot of work to do.

“I’m not winning any popularity contests. I run this town by the books. That’s why criminals hate me, and law abiding citizens keep electing me.”

Nate picked up the phone and searched for Walter’s number. Instead of calling from the sheriff’s phone, he dialed from his. That way, the brother might not dodge him.

He was wrong.

It went right to voicemail. “Nothing.”

“Told you,” Rhett stated.

“Give me the number,” Maura offered. “I’ll track him. I can run the number through the software and find the last known ping. As long as he has his GPS on, we’ll have him.”

He scribbled it down on the bottom of the paper that Juliett had used to make her notes. Then he handed it to the man. “What now?”

Nate pointed at Jagger. “You’re on patrol. Keep it on the DL. I don’t want anyone to see you. It’s time for you to use those ghost skills for good use.”

“I love this part of my job.”

Jagger pulled his hoody over his head and slipped into a pair of black gloves. He grinned wickedly. “I’ll see you later.”

With that, he jogged toward the back door. He was going to work his way around the house through the thickest part of the trees.

“Maura, you and the ladies are going to hang out here. Shoot to kill. Anyone comes in with the intent hurt them, take them out.”

Rhett was skeptical. “Maybe I should stay.”

Luke laughed. “No offense, Sheriff, but I’ve seen her kill five men as she tracked them through a pitch black forest. You don’t want to be here. You might get in her way.”

The woman pulled off her dog tags and slid her wedding ring onto the chain. “See you later, lovelies,” she said, dropping it over her head.

“Maura, find the brother while you’re here.”

“Got it.”

She grabbed the tablet from her husband’s messenger bag and the four Glocks inside.

The sheriff watched her strap two to each thigh, and two across the vest she was slipping into.

“She’s really GI Jane,” he muttered.

Luke wiggled his eyebrows. “Yeah, and it is so damn hot! My wife is badass.”

Nate was up and out of the chair. “Everyone kiss your significant other goodbye,” he said to the sheriff and his partner in the field. “We have a fire to find.”

The men did what they were told, each kissing the woman they cared about.

Luke grabbed his wife, dipped her low, and made it count. “Have breakfast ready for me when I get home,” he teased, after he broke away.

When he slapped her on the ass, she started laughing. “Bye, babe. Don’t put any bullets in that fine ass of yours. It’ll piss me off.”

He winked at her.

Nate pulled his fiancée to her feet. “If you feel anything off, you need to alert Maura. I’ll come right back here for you.”

She touched his cheek. “Yes, Nathaniel. I’ll see you later.”

He headed for the door.

Rhett turned Juliett’s face toward his. “Please be safe. I need you to be here…” He couldn’t finish. It was hard to put the words together.

“I understand.”

With that, he gently kissed her.

She sighed when he pulled away. “I’ll be safe.”

Sliding her off his lap, he stood. “I’ll see you when I get home.”

She watched him leave.

“He’s crazy about you,” Avalon said. “I can see his aura. It’s burning like a flame.”

“Is that good?” she asked.

“It is if you feel the same about him.”

She didn't feel the same. Juliett knew the truth. She was past crazy.

She was madly in love.

Chapter NINETEEN

Third Victim’s

Home

When they pulled up, there had been one hell of a blaze. Now, it was nothing more than smoldering ash. As they exited the Hummer, Rhett saw Trent Calvin, his buddy at the fire department.

“Hey! Trent!” he called.

The fireman jogged over, ducking beneath the safety line they had set up.

“Hey! Rhett, it looks like we have another one. We just cleared the ME to go in. He said it’s the same as the others.”

Great.

The mayor, media, and town were going to go shit nuts over this.

“Yeah, we had a tip that it would be. What else can you tell us?”

The man nodded at the two Feds beside him. “You want to discuss it in front of civilians?” he asked.

Nate and Luke lifted their jackets at the hip. There sat gold badges and their Glocks.

“Ohhhh, the FBI,” Trent whispered. “Gotcha! I guess that answers that question.”

“How about you tell us what you have?” Nate asked. “We’ll keep it quiet. We’re trustworthy like that.”

“There was some sort of catalyst that got the fire going. We think it was alcohol, but we won’t know until we test it.”

Luke made notes.

“Any idea who owns the house?” Trent asked.

“Katie Wolf.”

Her name drew recognition. “That Katie?” he asked, lowering his voice. “Your first girlfriend?”

He nodded.

“Man! I’m sorry, dude. That sucks.”

Yeah, he was well aware. This whole serial killer case was on his last nerve. If it wasn’t horrible enough, the woman he was falling for was smack dab in the middle of it too.

“Oh, there’s the ME,” Trent said. “I’m going to get out of my gear and back to the station. Have a good night. There’s still some time until dawn. Try and catch some zzz’s.”

That wouldn’t be happening. Rhett didn't think he’d ever sleep again.

“Doctor, what do we have?”

“A body. If you want me to wave my magic wand and pull her ID out of my ass,” he began.

Nate interjected. “Hey, Doc? That’s probably Katie Wolf, and the sheriff was her friend. Maybe you can downgrade the douchebag behavior and cut him a break, okay?”

The man stared at the sheriff. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I’ll get you the autopsy as soon as I can.”

“Thank you. I’d appreciate it.”

They headed back to the Hummer.

“Well, to my office?” he suggested. “I can make some coffee and we can start digging out all those files.”

It sounded good to them.

“We can start with you,” Luke stated. “This definitely feels personal to me.”

“Yeah, someone hates my freaking guts.”

It was looking that way.

“Hey, Director?” Rhett stated.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for putting him in his place. I’m sick of an ME with a chip on his shoulder.”

“I don’t blame you. It would be exhausting.”

He had no idea.

       
                
* * *
  O R A C L E   * * *

He was amused.

As he hid in the shadows, he watched the man with the two agents. Sheriff Rhett Longfellow looked like hell.

That was exactly what he had hoped for.

It was tough when perfection was marred by humanity. For so many years, the man was pristine, but now all his flaws were coming out.

He was bare for the world to see.

Too bad this was only the beginning.

Rhett Longfellow had so much more suffering in store for him. If he could only see what the future would hold.

He’d weep.

Before this was over, he’d take what the man loved, crush it beneath his boot, and laugh the entire time.

It was going to be fun to watch.

When it fully unfolded, the man would be nothing more than a puddle of weeping mess.

His life would be over.

Longfellow deserved it.

His blood was tainted. The family was nothing but trouble, a disappointment, and guilty of so many sins. In fact, there were so many, they were uncountable.

This was a long time coming.

In the end, justice would prevail. The sheriff would be forced to accept his punishment—flaws and all.

If he had his way, they’d all die.

One asshole at a time.

       
                
* * *
  O R A C L E   * * *

Rhett’s Cabin

Dawn

It didn't take long to get Avalon acclimated to her surroundings. Maura simply walked her around the room, and the woman memorized the layout.

It was a pretty spacious place, and the sheriff didn't exactly have a million pieces of furniture. Avalon counted a chair, coffee table, and couch.

He appeared to be a simple man.

That fascinated her since Juliett was so complex. The saying that opposites attract had obviously come into play.

As she sat on the couch, Juliett brought her a cup of tea. After handing it to her, she joined the woman.

“Are you sure you don’t want coffee?” Juliett asked.

Maura had to stop her. “Do not give Avalon coffee!”

She started laughing. “Apparently, I get buzzed and ask lots of personal questions.”

“Uh, that’s regular tea.”

“Really? Then this won’t be shocking,” she said. “Maura?”

“Yes?” she asked, as she tried to pinpoint Walter Longfellow’s location.

“How was the honeymoon?”

“Sex filled.”

“That’s it?” she asked. “After all we’ve been through, you’re going to leave it at that?

Maura laughed. “Well, we arrived on the island, and I immediately jumped my sexy new husband. We had cocktails and then he jumped me.”

“Nathaniel asked me to marry him.”

Maura acted surprised. While she and Luke had been told already, Avalon deserved the opportunity to share her big news. “What? Really? Mr. Planning actually went for it? I never saw this day coming. I thought for sure we’d have to all take a class and there’d be a PowerPoint presentation.”

Avalon was well aware. She couldn’t believe it either.

“I have a question.”

Maura was ready for it. Who knew what she was going to come up with?

“What?”

“Will you be my matron of honor? I want you and Callie to split the job.”

Maura grabbed her coffee and headed over. “You know I will, Avi. It’d be my pleasure to be there with you on your big day.”

“I’m betting Luke and Quinn are probably going to be Nathaniel’s best men. I know we all like to keep it in the family.”

It was true.

They absolutely did. It wove them all closer together.

Juliett listened to the women talk. It must be nice to have this kind of comradery. She didn't have a close friend to have this conversation with. Then again, she never believed she’d get married.

Who’d want a freak?

Then Juliett remembered promising Rhett she wouldn’t call herself that.

Avalon could see Juliett’s aura morphing, so she opted to include her in the conversation. “So, you slept with him, huh? Spill it.”

There was a pause.

“I told you not to give her caffeine. She’s like a Gremlin. You don’t feed her after midnight or get her wet either.”

Avalon scrunched up her brow. “I don’t know what that means.”

Both Maura and Juliett laughed.

“It’s a movie reference, honey. I’ll explain later.”

Juliett was quietly sitting there.

“Well? You have to spill it. Getting you two together was a lot of work. I need details.”

This was something Juliett always wanted. Friendships eluded her, but now she saw the chance to make one.

She went for it.

“Yes, we did, and it was spectacular.”

Maura moaned. “You’re going to get her started. I warned you.”

Avalon grinned. “I’m not going to ask her anything personal,” she said. Then she did it anyway. “How hot was it?”

Juliett couldn’t help herself. “My panties melted to the floor.”

All three women laughed. The visual of that was familiar. Each had moments like that with the men they loved.

Nate was sexy and quiet.

Luke was hot and wild.

The ladies got it.

“I really felt something,” she admitted.

“God! I hope so! That would suck if you didn't. Half the fun of sex is feeling ‘something’.”

Maura snorted. “And
here we go.”

“I meant here,” Juliett said, placing her hand over her heart. “The second we got naked, and I stared into his eyes, I was screwed.”

“Been there,” the two women said.

“When I first saw Nathaniel in one of his dreams, I felt so much, but I didn't understand it. It was confusing.”

“Oh, I’m really confused,” Juliett replied.

“Why?” Maura asked.

“It’s happening so fast.”

“If it’s any consolation, I saw Nathaniel in that first dream and I knew. I told him I loved him after three days. He said it after four. Men move slower. It’s apparently a flaw in their gene pool.”

Maura handed her a book. “You’re supposed to be practicing your Braille.”

She groaned. “Mom! I’m too tired to go to school today.”

They laughed.

Maura cut them both a break and shared her personal life with them. It wasn’t like her to kiss and tell, but Juliett really looked scared.

Love shouldn’t freak you out.

That was a lesson she had to learn too.

“I tried to escape Luke. He asked me out, I said yes, and the second I kissed him, I knew he was dangerous. My heart skipped, my palms got sweaty, and I fell in love. I’m not one to be rattled, since you can’t be in my line of work, but he got to me.”

“What did you do?” Juliett asked.

“I ran like a chicken and hurt him. It damaged his heart. Everyone has wounds from bad experiences. He didn't give up, and for that I’m grateful. When he saved my ass, I fell even more. Who doesn’t love a man who saves the day?”

“It’s sexy. When Nate was abducted, and they tortured him, I couldn’t believe it. He really loves me, and I’m lucky.”

Juliett sipped her tea. “Rhett was damaged by his ex-wife. I don’t know if he’ll ever feel anything for me.”

Maura and Avalon laughed.

“Oh, he feels something. Rhett was watching you with man eyes. They get all mushy and sentimental, and then they get bossy and start telling you what to do,” Maura stated. “That’s how you know.”

“Was he doing that?” She knew he was bossy, but she loved it. When he called his bedroom ‘ours’, it melted her heart.

“Yes!” they said together.

“Fix him, make him fall in love, and take it from there,” Avalon said. “We made it, so you can too.”

Maura agreed. “He accepts you for who you are, and you have to do the same. Luke makes me crazy. He’s compulsive, wild, and out of control. The man likes to take irrational risks with his life, and it makes me cringe. I can’t help it, since I’m a planner. Then I see him with no shirt on, all those tattoos crisscrossing his body, and I forget how to think.”

Avalon opened her mouth.

“No. I’m not describing my husband’s body and tattoos. That’s beyond friends and sisters. Forget it.”

She laughed. “I tried.”

“I wish men came with a manual,” Juliett stated. “I’m not used to having someone want me like this. Men run from me. Rhett is blocking the path with that big body of his.”

Avalon opened her mouth again.

“NO! She’s not describing his body either. You’ll have to use your imagination.”

“You’re no fun.”

Luke told her that all the time. Then she proved him wrong in bed, just to make a point.

Maura had to know. “What does your heart tell you about him?”

“That he’s amazing. His body is beyond sexy. I get all twitterpated when he takes off his shirt. There’s something to be said about a big, strong man.”

Avalon agreed. “I love that Nathaniel can carry me around.”