WATCHING (12 page)

The town medical examiner
—
a former veterinarian
—
had collected the woman
’
s body two hours after Hell and Georgia arrived. He
’
d be taking her back to Rapid City where Dr. Bellows and her assistant waited. Hell would have preferred to have Bellows been the one to collect the body in the first place but the town police had already acted on it before the CCU agents were notified. It had taken Hell pulling his federal jurisdiction for the town officials agreeing to take the body to Bellows. Once the body was on its way, the remaining locals left, after being cautioned to not speak with anyone but Hell
’
s agents regarding the case.

Handers, Stanton, and Stephenson left, taking separate vehicles. Hell gave last minute instructions to the two officers assigned to guard the site for the night. Forensics teams would be out early the next morning to scour the countryside for any clue to the woman
’
s identity, or to who had killed her.

Chapter
13

****

Hellbrook must be crazy, letting the princess wander these woods with just the handful of agents around. Too damned dark, for one thing.
Too damned dangerous for her.

She
was so damned small, as small as any of the victims. Same coloring, too. And now they knew the bastard got off on women, too. Not just little girls.
Stupid
of Hellbrook, not to keep her by his side.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.

If Hellbrook wasn
’
t going to watch her, then
he
would. He offered to help her act out the attack but she declined. Said he was too tall. He covered a snort; he was as tall as Hellbrook. Bet she wouldn
’
t mind working with him. Still, he stayed close, and it didn
’
t matter whether she liked it or not.

When the princess was nearly finished she went in search of Hellbrook. He waited until she found the unit chief then took off toward the vehicles.

Damned Hellbrook hadn
’
t checked on the princess even once the entire time they
’
d been on scene. How would he have felt if something had happened to her? The way it had happened to his Linda?

He
’
d turned his back on her for a second and some dope-head bastard had pumped six nine millimeter rounds into her. He
’
d held her until she
’
d bled out. He could still see the stain of her blood on his palms. There had been so damned much of it.

It would serve Hellbrook right. Somebody should teach him to value his woman a bit more.

It took him seconds to have his knife hilt deep in first one of Hellbrook
’
s tires and then the other.

He
’
d
show Hellbrook that his woman wasn
’
t always safe. Maybe then the other man would learn.

Chapter
14

****

Georgia already waited inside the warm confines of the SUV
—
as they
’
d worked, the temperature had continued to drop and Hell had forced her to wait in the vehicle while he gave last minute instructions. She hadn
’
t liked his orders, but Hell was the boss, and he
’
d reminded her of that. He finished giving the locals instructions before walking to the vehicle and his partner. It didn
’
t take a profiler to see that she was fighting exhaustion, and probably hunger as well. It was nearing midnight and they had only had five hours to sleep after returning from the Turn Around the night before.

Hell climbed in the driver
’
s seat.
“
Sleep in an extra hour tomorrow, Georgia. I think you
’
ve earned it
.
”

“
And will you be sleeping in
?
”
s
he asked around a yawn.

“
No
.
”

“
Then neither will I
.
”

Hell remained silent as he put the SUV into gear.
Stubborn woman.
Exhausted, but refusing to admit it. Why? Because that was a sign of weakness?

Georgia fell asleep, her head leaning against the side of her seat, her face turned toward Hell. She hadn
’
t lasted long after he
’
d pulled the vehicle back onto the dirt road. Hell smiled when she hummed a bit and released a sigh. He turned the heat up, pointing the vent more toward his colleague.

The SUV jerked and he tightened his hold on the steering wheel. He didn
’
t know if there had been a rut in the road or what. He slowed his speed.

Then the entire SUV jerked and he pulled off the road, onto a small muddy shoulder, to allow any other traffic to pass. Not that there was any. The gravel road was silent, deserted; they had been the last to leave the site.

His passenger woke.
“
What
’
s going on
?
”

“
I
’
m not sure
.
”
Hell threw the SUV into park and pulled the emergency brake.
“
I
’
ll need you to hold the flashlight
.
”

“
You know
...
I
’
ve seen horror movies that start out just this way
.
”
She grabbed her flashlight with one hand and opened her door with the other.

Hell laughed. She
’
d said it with so much levity, but he didn
’
t miss the way she pointed the flashlight in both directions of the highway. She was a little spooked. And he had to admit, dark deserted gravel road, no one around for miles-
-
it did evoke memories of slasher films
-
-and real life crime scenes they
’
d both seen too many of.
“
That
’
s not helping, Georgia
.
”

“
So change the tire and let
’
s get back to civilization
?
”
Her words were both a question and a suggestion and had him laughing full out. So finally something scared the good doctor? Who would have expected her to be afraid of the dark?

“
Stay close if you
’
re that afraid, Dr. Dennis. I
’
ll protect you
.
”

“
Haha. I can protect myself. But you, sir,
you
make a pretty big target
.
”
She shivered in the cold air, causing the flashlight to wobble.

Hell said nothing else, his attention now directed to the rear tire. He swore, all joking stopped.
“
Georgia,
the
tire
’
s been slashed
.
”

She straightened, going from shivering woman to prepared agent in less than a second. He heard the sound of her pulling her weapon from her holster and she moved to stand at his back.
“
Can you change it or fix it
?
”

“
I don
’
t know. I
’
ll check the spare
.
”

“
And the rest of the tires. If they slashed one, they may have done more
.
”

And they only had one spare.

“
Not one tire, both rear ones. Cut, enough that with the road pressure they
’
d go flat
.
”
He slammed a hand against one tire.
“
Dammit
.
”

“
Who, you think
?
”

“
Either the UNSUB or someone with a beef with law enforcement. There
’
s more than a few in this area with distrust of the federal government
.
”
Hell wiped his hands on a rag that he
’
d pulled from the back of the SUV.

“
With only one spare, we
’
re screwed
.
”

“
We could call for an agent to come get us
.
”
Georgia pulled her phone from her pocket.

“
Cells are useless. No signal
.
”
Hell checked his.
“
We have three choices. Stay with the vehicle, hike back up to the site, or head towards town and hope we find a building. Or whoever did this
.
”

“
You
’
re telling me that even though we
’
re
forty minutes driving time away
—
we
’
re
stuck out here
?
”
Georgia asked.
“
Great. great. And you told K.D. not to wait up for us, didn
’
t you
?
”

“
That about covers it
.
”
Hell watched her, face remaining inscrutable.
“
So what
’
ll it be, then
?
”

“
Don
’
t look at me!
”
Georgia shook her head.
“
You decide. No matter how we look at it, I
’
ll probably be outvoted
.
”

“
We should stay with the vehicle. On the chance that Dan or Brockman comes looking
,
”
Hell said.
“
We
’
ve probably got about three hours worth of gas. We should save that in case the temperature drops even more
.
”

Ten minutes later they had cleaned out the back cargo bay of the large SUV, shoving the equipment into the front passenger seat. Georgia was thankful it was a huge vehicle, and with them removing the tire iron and basic tools and supplies, there was a considerable amount of space. Still, it would be cramped for both of them.

***

Nearly an hour of stilted silence passed with them crammed in the cargo bay. Hell kept his eyes on the area outside their vehicle, his weapon close at hand, always conscious of the woman beside him, her eyes dark and mysterious in the glow of the interior light. Georgia
’
s attention was focused on the other side of the vehicle.

She sighed, a haunted expression on her face that reminded him of the woman they
’
d left at the hospital that afternoon. Hell asked the question before he thought it through.
“
Was Katherine Montehue right
?
”

“
What do you mean
?
”
Her words were quiet, guarded.

“
When she guessed that you..
.
”
Dammit
, he hadn
’
t meant to bring up what had to be horrible memories for her. But he wanted to know, wanted to understand the woman beside him in a way he hadn
’
t expected.

“
That I knew what she was going through? Yes. To some extent. I wasn
’
t raped, if that
’
s what you
’
re asking. But it was close, too damned close. Had my father not arrived when he had, it would have happened. It
’
s not something I like to talk about
.
”
Her tone made it perfectly clear she didn
’
t want to talk about it at that moment, either.

“
Is that why you avoid victims when you can? That
’
s not entirely healthy
.
”
He
’
d wondered before, having noticed that she stayed far away from the victims of their cases. He
’
d assumed it was because of some coldness or aloofness on her part. But she
’
d been so compassionate with Katherine Montehue.

“
And you
’
re the expert on my mental health? I think we both can say you don
’
t know me well enough to make that claim
.
”
Sarcasm was evident now.

It was an obvious defense mechanism. He wondered why he
’
d never noticed before now. Had he not been looking deep enough whenever he argued with her?
“
True. I apologize for prying
.
”

“
But you
’
re always going to wonder about it. Wonder if it
’
ll make me break while on a case. You
’
ll always doubt whether I can deal with it. Those doubts would find their way into performance evaluations. I
’
m not stupid and I
’
m a psychologist, too, Hellbrook
.
”
Her voice rose, yet he had to wonder if it was him she was talking about. It sounded more like she was voicing her own doubts. He could understand that.

“
You have to admit, rape is an act that has far-reaching influences, long-term, on a person
’
s psyche
.
”
He tried to keep his words non-threatening, non-evocative.
Just
a statement that they both knew was correct.

“
Yes. And many people triumph over it. I did. People triumph over things all the time
.
”

“
Ah, but did it lead to your career choice? That
’
s significant, don
’
t you think
?
”
He didn
’
t know why he pushed, why he couldn
’
t let it drop.
It had to have shaped her into what she was. Did she realize that?

“
Partially. So why did
you
join the Bureau
?
”
She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at him with a challenge on her face.

“
I was recruited right out of graduate school. It sounded intriguing at the time. And the Bureau financed my law degree four years later
.
”
And it sounded exciting and challenging
—
two things he
’
d always needed. He
’
d gotten that with the CCU
—
and much, much more.

“
They must have wanted you pretty badly
.
”

“
Apparently, I filled a need. You
?
”
He had been lucky, at first
,
i
n his early days, but he
’
s worked hard since then to achieve what he had. He was proud of it.

“
I wasn
’
t recruited, but my application passed through pretty quickly
.
”

“
Because of your father
?
”
Figured. Edward Dennis doted on his daughter, had probably saw to it that everything she needed or wanted was handed to her throughout her entire life. That was another thing that he
’
d resented about her early on. He
’
d worked for what he had, two jobs while in college and grad school. Had tutored on the side when the opportunities arose. He
’
d not had a college fund and the scholarships hadn
’
t covered the costs of living. He
’
d worked.

“
No. Actually, he wanted me to set up a private psych practice in St. Louis. He was furious when I told him I
’
d applied.
The life of an agent is no life for my daughter!
”
She shifted as she spoke, dislodging the blanket he
’
d insisted she use.
“
That
’
s what he told me. I found out later it was some of his colleagues who pushed for me. They thought I
’
d be like my father. Like
investigative
skills are hereditary or something
.
”

“
I can understand that. He
’
d want to protect you
.
”
He
wanted to protect her, and that desire had tripled in the last few days. He had always wanted to protect her, even when he
’
d resented her.
From that first case they
’
d worked together, he
’
d wanted to put himself between her and any physical threat.

“
Because of what happened to me
?
”
She tensed, and her tone turned heated.
“
Because I
’
m a daughter and not a son
?
”

“
No. Don
’
t go giving me the evil eye, doctor. I
’
m saying that a father wouldn
’
t want his child in this business. It
’
s grueling, emotionally taxing, and it takes time away from your family
.
”
She was the only one of his agents that had a family waiting on them. Dan had children, of course, but he
’
d not seen them in fifteen years. Carrie was an orphan, her parents murdered when she was a small child. Compton was like Hell in that he was the only child of a single mother. Both their mothers had passed away, so no one waited on them.
Norton
’
s
parents were in Detroit, but from what Hell knew they didn
’
t have a close relationship. K.D.
’
s parents were in New York, and the woman had confessed to Hell once that they thought she was involved with a law practice in St. Louis.

“
Yet it
’
s perfectly ok for my father or men like him to do it. Like you for example
?
”
If possible her glare intensified and her spine stiffened.

“
Honestly, I don
’
t have anybody to be concerned if I don
’
t come home after one case. My mother died six years ago, and she was it
.
”
Unlike her. Georgia had that little boy waiting on her. Hell had never forgotten that. The consuming need to see to it that Georgia returned to that little boy had started on their first case together when that bullet had ripped through her shoulder. Hell
’
s biggest fear as a kid was something happening to his mother and him being left all alone. It was hard not to transfer that fear to any child of a single mother, especially a single mother he was responsible for keeping safe.

“
I
’
m sorry
.
”
Her words were soft.

“
What did your fiancé think of your job
?
”
It was hard to sustain a marriage with the type of job they had. He knew it, and that was one reason why he
’
d never tried.

“
Bryan? He worried, of course. But he knew I was an agent before we
’
d even met. So he really couldn
’
t come back and say
I had
to quit. He fell in love with me as it was, like I fell in love with the pediatrician who loved to laugh and hike and camp and play baseball
.
”
A loving smile crossed her lips.

“
He was a doctor
?
”
Hell half resented the dead man for being able to put that smile on her face. Had he ever given her a reason to smile-in anyway at all? Hell didn
’
t think so.

“
Yes. He and Rick had a practice together in Kansas City. Rick was general practice, Bryan pediatrics. Jules had met Rick when she got him to consult on an autopsy of one of his patients. They hit it off so well they were married three months later. I met Rick
’
s brother at the wedding. He
’
d brought Matthew, and I fell for the kid first. Bryan a day later, I think. People loved Bryan, and I was no exception. Thankfully, it was mutual
.
”

“
I
’
m sorry you lost him
.
”
And he was. She changed when she spoke about the man, became animated. Like when she
’
d spoken of her son in his hearing. She
’
d loved him, that was obvious. He found himself unwillingly curious about the man
—
what kind of man had won the beautiful Georgia Dennis? What would it take for another man to win her now?

“
Me, too. Matthew won
’
t remember him, and that hurts every
day. Bryan loved his son and he loved me. I do have hours of home video but it
’
s not the same. Bryan and Rick
’
s mother, she
’
s still living. Hasn
’
t seen Matthew or Jules in at least two years. Doesn
’
t want to. I don
’
t understand that
.
”
She shook her head.

“
Frozen from the grief, maybe
.
”
It had hurt her, the woman
’
s neglect. The man
’
s mother would have been someone to share her grief with, someone who understood and knew the man. Hell hurt for her for a moment. When his mother had died he
’
d had no other family, except some aunts he
’
d never met. He
’
d never forget how alone he
’
d felt. Still, the little boy had had Georgia, and her father. As much as Edward Dennis irritated Hell, he couldn
’
t deny that the man loved his child and grandchild.

He
’
d learned in the last six months that when Georgia was out of town, Edward Dennis kept the boy. He
’
d never expected that.

“
Yes. But to miss out on Matthew
—
Jules is the same to some extent. She loves him but she always keeps a bit of a barrier between them emotionally. Matthew is a carbon copy of his father physically. And his uncle. And that hurts Jules so much. I
’
ve tried to help her but I can
’
t
.
”
She sniffed and he jerked his eyes back to her face.
He didn
’
t think he could handle her crying.
“
If possible, I think Jules was hurt the worst of all of us. She
’
s not the same at all. Completely different person. It hurts
.
”