“What have we here?”

Tony took out a handkerchief, bent and gingerly lifted a small pile of photographs. He brought them out into the light of the foyer and laid them on the hall table. The grim expression on his face and furious glint in his eyes made a chill race up her spine.

“Tony? What is it?” Erin asked.

Tony turned to one of the police officers. “Call it in. This is a crime scene. We need forensics here stat.”

Erin stepped closer for a look at the photographs splayed across the tabletop. Her stomach twisted in knots and her legs threatened to collapse. They were photographs of her.

At the grocery store. Coming out of work. Sitting on the porch. Playing with Jack in the yard. There were even pictures of her at the Easter picnic fundraiser.

And every picture had a black X over her face.

DIANE BURKE

is the mother of two grown sons and the grandmother of three wonderful growing-like-weeds grandsons. She has two daughters-in-law that have blessed her by their addition to her family. She lives in Florida, nestled somewhere between the Daytona Beach speedway and the St. Augustine fort, with Cocoa, her golden Lab, and Thea, her border collie. Thea and Cocoa don’t know they are dogs, because no one has ever told them. Shhhh.

When she was growing up, her siblings always believed she could “exaggerate” her way through any story and often waited with bated breath to see how events turned out, even though they had been present at most of them. Now she brings those stories to life on the written page.

Her writing has earned her numerous awards, including a Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence.

She would love to hear from her readers. You can contact her at diane@dianeburkeauthor.com.

Midnight Caller
Diane Burke

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me…

—Psalms 23:4

To my siblings, Thomas Donahue, Michael Donahue, Cathy Joki, Brian Donahue, Brendan Donahue and Lori Hoskins—each one in their own unique way helped shape me into the person I am today.

To Dan, Claudia, Jeptha, Jesse, Luke, Dave and Esther—the keepers of my heart.

To Sarah McDaniel and Tina James for their encouragement, patience and wisdom—you made this story the best it could be.

To Sergeant Eric Dietrich and retired detective John Foxjohn—who gave generously of their time and wisdom.

To Connie Neumann, author, mentor, friend—at my side from beginning to end. Thanks so much.

To the KOD lethaladies critique groups—both groups helped me shape and grow this story. Thanks doesn’t seem good enough.

To Bill Burke—you believed this day would happen long before I dared to hope. I wish you had lived long enough to see it. But somehow I believe you already know. I miss you so very much.

And most of all, to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ—my shelter, my strength, my joy. All praise and honor is yours.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

ONE

Friday, 3:30 p.m., Florida

His fingers tapped an angry rhythm against the handle of the scalpel hidden in his pocket. Where was she? He checked his wristwatch for the third time in as many minutes. Her shift had ended thirty minutes ago. She should be standing in that doorway by now.

Alone.

Vulnerable.

A boom of thunder, like cannon fire, shook the ground. A stinging stream of water hit his face, but still he didn’t move from beneath the tree. He simply raised his umbrella and continued to stare at the entrance to the hospital.

Finally!

A petite woman in her early thirties paused in the doorway of Florida Memorial and frowned at the weather.

What kept you, sweetheart? What’s the matter? Afraid a little rain might hurt you? He chuckled at the irony of his thoughts. He shoved his hand back into his pocket, grasping and releasing the weapon. His pulse quickened. His skin quivered in anticipation.

From a distance, he watched as she rummaged through her tote bag and pulled out a magazine. A grin twisted his lips. Like that’s going to protect you. Like anything could protect you now.

Eyeing the storm once more, the woman placed the magazine over her head and dashed to the parking lot.

He shadowed her at a discreet distance, not that it would have mattered. She was so busy trying to save herself from the storm, she was oblivious to her true danger.

She fumbled with her keys and dropped them. Seeming to realize the futility of trying to stay dry, she lowered the magazine, scooped up her keys and unlocked her car door. Her blond hair, wet and matted, hugged her skull.

He took out his own keys and slipped into the truck parked behind her blue minivan. Adjusting the rearview mirror, he watched her back out of her parking space. Her brake lights glowed at the stop sign before she signaled and turned into the late-afternoon traffic.

He turned the key in the ignition.

Hurry, little one, this way and that. None of it will matter because death is right behind you.

“I hate cops!” The kitchen door slammed shut behind Erin O’Malley. Seeing her aunt and son sitting at the table, she grinned sheepishly. “Sorry.” She deposited the groceries in her arms on the counter.

Aunt Tess chuckled. “Sounds like someone got another speeding ticket.”

“Yeah, going forty-five in a thirty-five zone. I’m a genuine NASCAR driver.”

“Mommy, it’s not nice to say you hate cops,” Erin’s five-year-old son, Jack, mumbled through a mouthful of cereal. “Cops are the good guys.”

Good guys? One of those good guys had raised her, teaching her all she needed to know about secrets, pain and loss. And Jack’s dad had been one of those “good guys,” too. But it didn’t stop him from hightailing it out of their lives when Jack was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. No, thank you very much. She’d had enough of those “good guys” to last a lifetime.

“You’ve packed so much cereal in your mouth that the pressure has clogged up your ears, little man. Mommy said she ran into some ‘great cops.’” She kissed her son’s forehead and ruffled his hair. “Besides, what did I tell you about talking with food in your mouth?”

“Oh-kay.” Jack gulped and swallowed his last bite. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”

Erin was daydreaming about a day off and almost didn’t hear her son. A day of rest. Puttering around in her garden. Reading a book from her growing to-be-read pile. Maybe even sneaking in a bubble bath. The temptation to indulge herself brought a smile to her lips.

“Now, Jack, I think your mother might be a bit tuckered out.” Tess patted his hand. “Why don’t you and I have a picnic in the backyard and let your mother get some rest.”

Jack turned to face her, his eyes wide. “But, Mommy, you promised.”

The urgency in his voice snagged her attention. She blinked and just looked at him while her brain scrambled to get out of daydream mode and process what he said. She remembered now. They’d been planning to attend the annual Wish for the Stars fundraiser and today was the big day.

This year it coincided with the upcoming Easter holiday. Carol Henderson, her best friend and member of the planning committee, told them the opening ceremony included a parade led by the Easter Bunny and more than five thousand eggs hidden away for the hunt. Later, there’d be music, hot dogs, hamburgers, soda and chips. All for a nominal price of admission.

Jack grew more excited as the day approached. His excitement must have stemmed from the thought of having a whole afternoon to play with Amy, Carol’s daughter. Best of friends just like their moms, they had fewer play dates due to crazy work schedules now that the hospital was transitioning to the new building.

Or maybe he was excited because he loved picnics.

Either way, Erin had to admit she was looking forward to the event herself. She’d been antsy lately. Feeling unsettled. Wary. And not sure why. Probably because winter had clung longer than normal to Florida this year.

Or maybe she felt unsettled because she hadn’t been sleeping well lately because of prank calls throughout the night.

Erin’s gaze fell upon the small walker beside her son’s chair and her heart clenched. No matter how tired she was or how inviting a relaxing day at home might be she knew she couldn’t let her son down. After all, asking to go on an Easter egg hunt wasn’t unreasonable. She glanced at her watch. If they hurried, they’d be just in time for the parade.

“Finish your milk and we’ll go,” Erin said.

Jack reached for his glass and knocked it over.

Erin grabbed a dish towel and started to sop up the liquid.

“I’ll get Jack changed,” Tess said.

Erin nodded. “Thanks, Tess. Don’t know what we’d do without you.”

“Never mind that,” she said, but blushed beneath the compliment. She shooed Jack toward the bedroom.

Erin glanced at the empty doorway and thought about how lucky she was that Tess had moved in to help after Erin’s father, Tess’s brother, had died. It had taken years for her father and Erin to reconcile but she had been devastated when he was killed. She didn’t think she would have made it through without Tess and her newfound faith to comfort her.

The phone rang.

Lost in thought, the trilling sound startled her. It rang a second time. She stood perfectly still, staring at the instrument like it was a dagger poised to strike. Please, God, not another one.

She hugged her arms to her body. Uneasiness crept up her spine. She was surprised she was letting a few anonymous telephone calls make her this jittery. It had to be that boy down the street. He had harassed the neighborhood for days last year until his father discovered what he was doing. He was probably up to his old tricks. She needed to get a hold of herself. And she needed to go have a chat with the boy’s dad.

Erin grabbed the phone on the fourth ring.

“Hello.”

Silence.

“Hello?”

No reply. She’d answered at least a dozen calls over the past three days, half of them waking her in the middle of the night.

“I know you’re there.” Erin pressed the phone tightly against her ear. Straining to hear something. Anything. The breathing grew heavier, but still, no one spoke.

“Quit calling here or I’m going to call the police.” She slammed the phone in the cradle. Yep, it had to be a bored teenager playing a prank. Absently rubbing her arms, she continued to stare at the instrument. But it didn’t feel like a prank. She didn’t hear muffled giggles on the end of the line. She heard—She didn’t know what she heard. She only knew that her instincts blared an inner warning that something was wrong and she had learned through the school of hard knocks to trust those instincts.

“Ready, Mom?” Jack rolled his walker across the room and grinned up at her, wearing his favorite green-striped shirt with the dinosaur logo and a pair of jeans.

Shaking off her anxiety as the result of lack of sleep, she leaned down and hugged him. “You bet. Let’s go.”

Less than an hour later, while they waited by the side of the parade route, Erin’s sense of uneasiness returned. Crazy as it was, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching them. Goose bumps shivered along her arms. Glancing over her shoulder, her eyes roamed the crowd. Children and adults formed two lines up and down the parade route. Some of the parents had brought folding chairs. Others stood. Children sat cross-legged in the grass. A young couple chased a laughing toddler bent on escape.

Nothing sinister. Nothing ominous. Why couldn’t she shake this feeling?

Erin recognized many of her coworkers from the hospital. She couldn’t identify everyone by name, but she’d passed them in the halls or had ridden with them on an elevator. She waved to the ones she did know and nodded to others. It seemed like half the hospital staff came. Dr. Clark and his family. Shelley from the cafeteria crew. Mr. Peters from housekeeping. Even Lenny, the lab tech, had come. But that was no big surprise. The hospital cosponsored the event and all personnel had been encouraged to buy a ticket.

She turned her head and her eyes lit on her friend. She waved for Carol to join them. Erin banished her anxiety when Carol elbowed her way through the crowd and stood beside her.

“Can you believe this?” Carol asked. “I knew we’d have a crowd, but this is twice as many people as I expected. Times are tough. Money is tight, but it didn’t stop folks from reaching into their wallets to buy a ticket for a good cause, did it?”

Carol scooped Amy up into her arms. The child’s soft blond curls framed a little round face which held a smiling mouth and the slightly slanted eyes of a three-year-old Down syndrome child.

“You’ve done a great job, Carol.”

“Not just me. The committee worked hard and it looks like it paid off.” Music began playing and the excitement of the crowd became palpable. The sound of children’s laughter and yells of excitement tinkled in the air like wind chimes.

“The parade’s about to begin. Look,” Carol said, pointing to her right. “Here comes the Easter Bunny.”

He steadied the camera and clicked a picture. Then, he took another. He cursed when people moved in front of him and obstructed his view of her. Move. All of you. Get out of my way. He elbowed his way through the crowd until her image filled the camera lens again. Click. She threw her head back and laughed. Click. She shaded her eyes against the sun while she talked. Click. Click. Click.

Her son waited for his mother’s attention. The child leaned heavily on the walker, shifting his weight from one leg to another. But his mother was too busy flapping her gums to pay any attention to him. The boy tugged on her shirt. She glanced down, signaled for the child to wait a minute and returned to her conversation. He knew it. He knew he was right about her. She was self-centered and selfish. A rotten excuse for a mother.

He wasn’t at all surprised when the boy wandered away. The woman didn’t even notice he had gone. A deep hatred flowed through his veins like molten lava. She was like all the other women. Soon he would make her pay. Click. First he had to finish the job he started last night. Click. She’d pay, all right. Click. Click. She deserved to die.

The sun beat down without mercy as Tony Marino looked out over the crowd from his vantage point on top of the picnic table. Not even a hint of a breeze. This kind of weather you expected in August in Florida not April. Remember spring, Lord? Supposed to be warm and balmy, not hot and sticky. But it was hot. Miserably hot. And he wasn’t any closer to finding a lead on this case.

He wanted to curse so badly his lips twitched. Five years ago when Tony had found the Lord and decided to mend his ways, cursing seemed the easiest vice to attack first. He was wrong. As a detective for the Volusia County sheriff’s office cursing had been a natural part of his daily conversation. No different than any other word. He started out promising himself to say a prayer and put a dollar in a jar each time he uttered a curse word. When his prayers took hours and his jar collected enough money to buy a small car, he knew it was going to be more difficult than he first believed.

But he succeeded.

Not one errant word in five years.

Until today.

Sweat rolled down the back of his neck and beaded on his forehead. All he could think about was the case. He wanted to call his partner. See if there were any new leads. He wanted to get back to the files on his desk. Maybe he’d missed something. He wanted to be anywhere but here. What a colossal waste of his time, babysitting a stupid rabbit.

He glanced at the cage resting beside him. The rabbit didn’t look hot or uncomfortable despite the crazy multicolored cape tied to its body. It just chomped away on a carrot totally oblivious to the world. Lucky rabbit.

He couldn’t believe he’d been roped into this job in the first place. Carrying the “Easter Bunny” at the head of the parade and officiating at the opening of the Easter egg hunt. He knew the captain liked his men to volunteer in the community. Winters had played Santa for the kids in the hospital. Garcia, dressed as a super hero, had toured the schools and talked about the danger of drugs. But when his number had come up on the volunteer list, what did Sarge assign him? Easter Bunny duty at the fundraiser for the Wish for the Stars Foundation. Great foundation. Fulfilled dreams for sick children. Good for the kids. The pits for him.

Tony had agreed to do it not just because it was his turn. Or because it was for a charity he deeply believed in. But last night another woman had gone missing. He planned to mingle with the crowd. Keep his ears open to idle conversations. Keep his eyes open for anything out of the ordinary. Because something was very much out of the ordinary. A monster had invaded their peaceful community. They’d already discovered two bodies and now a third woman was missing.

Tony scanned the crowd for the hundredth time. It looked like a Norman Rockwell painting and he smiled in spite of himself. Children of all ages, shapes and sizes covered the grounds like ants at a picnic. The organizers had done a good job of dividing the kids not just by age group, but also by disability. Children in wheelchairs were accompanied by volunteers to help them hunt and many of them picked up their own eggs using long-handled reachers.

His eyes slid over the adults. Mothers helped their children. Fathers snapped pictures. Was one of them a murderer? Experience had taught him that the most frightening serial killers were the ones who could blend easily into the normal thread of life. The neighbor waving hello as he mowed the grass. The guy delivering the morning paper. The man walking his dog. Now a killer was here in his community, kidnapping and brutally killing women. Tony was determined to find him.

The smell of charcoaled hamburgers wafted across the lawn. His stomach growled in response. He hadn’t had more than a doughnut and coffee for breakfast. He was more than ready to relinquish his furry charge. The rabbit could go back to doing whatever rabbits do and he could grab a burger and head back to the department.

In his peripheral vision, he caught a glimpse of movement. He turned his head. A boy, five maybe six years old, approached. Tony groaned. Just what he needed. A kid coming to see the rabbit. He watched the child push the walker with the speed and determination of a little man on a mission. Tony grinned. The boy reminded him of himself when he’d been that age. Full of curiosity and excess energy. He’d been a real handful for his single mom. To this day he never knew how she managed to raise him all on her own.

An unruly mass of red hair sprouted from the kid’s head. He looked like a cartoon character who had stuck his finger into an electric socket. In the distance, a woman with bouncing auburn curls was in hot pursuit. Must be the mother.

The child pushed the walker up to the table and stared into the cage.

The boy’s serious expression intrigued Tony. “Why aren’t you hunting eggs with the other kids?”

“He’s not real, is he?” The boy’s frown deepened.

Tony glanced at the rabbit and shrugged. “Looks real to me.”

“There’s no such thing as an Easter Bunny. It’s all pretend.” The boy’s shoulders slumped and his lower lip jutted out.

“Jack, don’t bother the man.” The mother had caught up. Winded from her race to catch up with her son, her words came in short gasps. Her eyes held the remnants of fear probably from realizing he had wandered away. “Why did you leave without telling me?” She lowered her voice to a whisper meant for her son. “You know the rule about talking to strangers.”

A blond-haired woman, her arms wrapped around a child with Down syndrome, appeared behind them. “Don’t be too hard on him, Erin. We were talking. It was probably hard to resist coming to see the Easter Bunny. Right, Jack?”

Jack looked at Tony. “Do kids really get wishes? Or is that pretend, too?”

“Why? Do you have a wish?” Tony asked.

The boy nodded. “I’ve been wishing and praying every night and I didn’t know how God was going to help me. But I heard Mom and Aunt Carol talking. She said that kids get to make a wish and sometimes that wish comes true. Since you’re in charge of the Easter Bunny, I figure God wants me to ask you.”

“Jack.” The mom placed her hand on the boy’s shoulder. “What are you talking about? What wish?”

“Yes, Jack,” Tony said with a grin. “What is this wish that’s so big you’ve been praying about it?”

“I need a dad.”

“Jack!” The mother coughed and sputtered. Her friend gasped and then burst into laughter.

“Not a real dad,” Jack spoke faster. “A pretend dad would be fine. But I need him by eight o’clock next Saturday.”

“Eight o’clock?” Tony, just as surprised as the mother, could only echo the boy’s words.

Jack’s head bobbed up and down. “Mrs. Meltzer at Kidz Club says it doesn’t have to be a real dad. It can be a stepdad or an uncle or a grandfather or even a big brother. That’s what you need to ride the boys’ bus to Disney World. But I don’t have any of those things. It’s just me, my mom and Aunt Tess. I really want to go on that bus.”

The mother’s face and throat flushed with color. She was an attractive woman. Slender. Medium height. Auburn hair. Green eyes. An appealing package. The woman seemed to be struggling to find something appropriate to say. “Jack,” was the only word she managed to whisper.

“Moms get to go. And sisters, too,” the boy continued. “But they have to ride on the second bus. Only the guys get to ride the first bus. Mom’s going with me. But if I don’t get a pretend dad, I won’t be able to ride the first bus with the rest of the guys. I don’t want to ride the girls’ bus.”

“Jack Patrick O’Malley, you stop it right this minute.”

A smile tugged at the edges of Tony’s mouth. Obviously, the mother had overcome her embarrassment and slid right on into mad-as-all-get-out.

“I don’t want to be different from the other kids,” Jack said, ignoring his mother’s outburst. “My legs don’t work right. I can’t play with the other kids at recess. I have to use this stupid walker all the time. I want to go on the boys’ bus. I want to be just like everybody else even if it’s only for one day. Can you do it? Can you get me a pretend dad for Saturday?”

Tony drew in a deep breath.

Lord, how am I supposed to handle this? Couldn’t he have wished for a train set or an action figure? No, he had to hit me in the gut with this. Please, Father, give me the right words.

“That’s a pretty big order.” He looked into the expectant, freckled face staring up at him and, again, saw himself as a boy. Although too young to have any real memories of his police officer father who had been killed in the line of duty, he remembered only too well the pain of growing up without a dad.

Tony’s chest constricted when he saw the trust and hope reflected in the boy’s eyes. “Some things are tough, Jack, even for me,” he said gently. “But I’ll see what the Easter bunny and I can do. Why don’t you go with your aunt?” He pointed toward the refreshments. “I need to talk with your mom.”

Carol, still chuckling, led Jack and Amy away.

Erin watched the man get down from the table and stretch to his full six-foot-two height. He was tall, dark and lethally handsome. She wished the ground would open up and swallow her. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “When he said he had a wish, I thought he would ask for a new toy or a video game. I don’t know what to say.”

Her discomfort deepened when with an athletic grace he covered the distance between them in seconds. His T-shirt strained against his muscular arms and chest. A pleasant masculine scent teased her nostrils and Erin squelched a sudden, irrational urge to move closer for a deeper whiff. But it was his eyes that moved her. Deep, dark, chocolate eyes lit with amusement and a hint of something else. Empathy?

Empathy she appreciated. Sympathy she didn’t need from anyone.

“Relax,” he said. “Don’t you know? I hang out with the Easter Bunny. Who knows better than me the surprising things that slip out of the mouths of kids?” He offered his hand. “I’m Tony Marino.”

His grip was firm and strong.

“Erin O’Malley.”

He released her hand and gestured for her to wait. He pulled a wallet from his back pocket, withdrew a business card and handed it to her.

“I work for the Sheriff’s Department.”

“You’re a cop?” What else could go wrong today?

Tony nodded. “A detective.” His eyes held a warmth and compassion that made his next words easier to hear. “I’d like to volunteer to accompany Jack on the boys’ bus.”

This tall, muscular man with a giving heart and a voice like hot, southern honey made Erin stand up and take notice despite his bad taste in permanent employment.

He nodded toward the business card. “You can verify my credentials before Saturday, ma’am.”

She refrained from answering and tried to make sense of her ridiculous, and completely unexpected, attraction to him. Just the word cop usually worked like a bucket of ice-cold water. And the fact that he was a member of the untrustworthy male species normally cinched the deal.

“Why would you want to ride the bus with my son?” she asked.

“That’s what today is all about, isn’t it? Granting wishes to kids?” He leaned close. His breath fanned her cheek and he whispered in her ear as if they shared a secret all their own. “I know from personal experience what it feels like to grow up without a dad. I know what it would mean to your son to ride the bus with the other boys.”

“I…I…” A multitude of emotions bombarded Erin. Surprise. Embarrassment. Curiosity. Goose bumps danced along her arms when those chocolate eyes locked with hers. She glanced at the card in her hand and, for once, was speechless.

“Don’t answer now,” Tony said. “Just think about it and let me know.” With a wink and a wave, he picked up the rabbit cage and left.

Erin was touched by the man’s kindness. Helping out for the Wish for the Stars fundraiser. Volunteering to ride the bus with her son. But she had promised herself not to get involved again with any man, especially a cop. Men lie and men leave.

After church, Tony entered the station. He had prayed hard at the service that morning that the Lord would provide a lead, a direction, something to help them find the missing woman before she became the next victim. He walked past the bull pen and headed toward the lockers. His senses heightened. Something wasn’t right. Knowing how he hated Easter duty, the guys had been ribbing him all week. Now that he had actually done the deed not a sound came from the peanut gallery.

He nodded to Richard Spence and Brad Winters as he passed their desks. They looked up, nodded and returned to work. Thank You, Lord. It’s about time they moved on to something else. They’re good detectives, but sometimes they act like jerks.

Tony crossed the break room and opened his locker. A flood of rocks…no, not rocks…eggs…plastic eggs bounced off his head, his shoulders and rolled over his feet. Loud, raucous laughter sounded behind him. Tony saw Spence, Winters and a half-dozen other guys squeezed into the doorway, straining to get a bird’s-eye view.

“Funny, guys. Real funny.” Tony had to admit it was a pretty good prank. He chuckled, kicked a path through the eggs, and elbowed his way past the gawking men to his desk. His backside barely hit his chair when a loud, commanding voice caught his attention.

“Marino, don’t get comfortable. Spence. Winters. In my office.” Sergeant Greene hollered from his office doorway. Expecting to be chastised for the egg incident, they filed into the room like guilty schoolchildren and flopped into the chairs in front of the desk.

The sergeant slid a manila folder across the desk. “Here’s the latest information on our missing woman. Now we have a face to go with the name.”

Tony picked up the folder, flipped it open and looked at the picture inside. She was an average, pleasant-looking woman. Brown hair. Brown eyes. Her smile warm and generous.

“Cynthia Mayors is thirty-one, married and has two children under the age of eight,” Greene said. “Her husband was notified this morning and is making arrangements to fly home from Iraq as soon as possible. Meantime, Child Protective Services has been called in to care for the kids.”

Frick and Frack, otherwise known as Spence and Winters, respectively, leaned sideways stealing a glance at the picture. Spence squinted his eyes and looked closer. “She probably ran off with her boyfriend.”

“Didn’t you hear?” Winters asked. “He said she’s married, stupid.”

“Since when does that mean anything? Just because she’s married doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a boyfriend,” insisted Spence. “Matter of fact, I’m sure of it. Look at that picture. She’s grinning from ear to ear. You only see grins like that when everything is new, exciting, and reality hasn’t hit you over the head with a cast iron pot. Don’t see married folk grinning like that as the years add up.”

“Speak for yourself. You wouldn’t know a good marriage if you fell over it. The ink’s not even dry on your divorce papers yet. What divorce is it, anyway? Three? Four?” Winters brushed a piece of lint from his impeccably ironed trousers. “I’m married fifteen years this May and if you took a photo of me today, I’d be grinning up a storm.”

“Really? You’re sitting there grinning? Then I’m thinking I need glasses ’cause the only thing I see when I look at you is the same old sourpuss who walks around here all day like his shoes are too tight.” Spence looked pleased with himself for the comeback.

“Enough,” the sergeant yelled. “Can we get back to the matter at hand and leave the school yard antics outside?”

Spence and Winters glared at each other.

Bringing the conversation back to business, Tony said, “I didn’t see or hear anything out of the ordinary at the picnic yesterday, Sarge. I’d bet no one even knows she’s missing. When was she last seen?”

“Friday. A couple of the nurses report she left right after the three o’clock shift change. She never arrived home. The babysitter called it in late Friday night.”

“Has anyone mentioned anything that might help us out?” Winters asked. “Trouble at home? Trouble on the job? Anybody hanging around or bothering her?”

“As you know, we’ve just begun the investigation,” Sarge said. “So far we know her husband’s in Iraq. She talks about her family a lot, especially her kids. Carried umpteen photos in her purse and took the time to show them every chance she had. Other than her husband being away, everything seemed good on the home front. From what I’ve heard, she’s well-liked by her peers. As far as a stalker, no one noticed anyone suspicious hanging around.”

Sergeant Greene leaned back in his chair. A scowl twisted his features. “The particulars of her disappearance match those of the other two women we’ve lost.”

Winters said, “How do you figure, Sarge? Both our prior victims were single. This one’s married.”

“And both our other ladies are dead,” Spence said.

“That’s why we’ve got to move on this pronto, gentlemen,” Sarge replied. “All three women seem to have disappeared into thin air. No witnesses. No signs of struggle. Two of the women left their jobs and never arrived home. The third woman left her home for an appointment and never arrived. That’s enough to tie them together for me.”

The sergeant tossed his chewed yellow pencil on the table. “It’s worth a hard look. If there’s a connection between Cynthia Mayors and the other two victims, I want to know it before she becomes victim number three. This isn’t New York or Chicago. If a woman’s body shows up here, we’re probably looking at a domestic dispute, a drug overdose or a bar pickup gone bad. Two women disappear in this community and then turn up dead? That raises the hair on the back of my neck. A third woman vanishes? I gotta tell you I’m wondering if Ted Bundy’s younger brother just moved to town.”

“We hear you, Sarge. We’ll get on it right away,” said Winters.

Tony picked up the folder and carried it back to his desk. Yesterday’s picnic had been a waste of his time. He should have been out with the other men canvassing the neighborhood, conducting interviews.

The image of a freckle-faced boy and a mom with auburn hair popped into his mind. He had to admit it hadn’t been a total waste of time. He might have the chance to do something special for a handicapped kid. That made him feel good.

He loved kids but decided never to have a family of his own. Choosing to be a cop was a twenty-four-hour, seven-day-a-week, dangerous job. He didn’t want to subject a child to the possibility of growing up without a father. Been there, knew that pain. So he fed the occasional paternal urge with his sister’s kids or helped out with the church youth group.

Besides, what kind of father would he be? He’d never had a role model. Just like that kid he’d met today. No uncles. Not even an older brother. His mom didn’t bring dates home to meet him ’til his late teens. It had been just him, his mom and his sister. What if he didn’t measure up? He saw the results of bad parenting every day on his job. Nope. No kids for him.

Tony dragged his hand over his face. He needed to buckle down and work. But on what? They didn’t have one lead that hadn’t been investigated. As much as it sickened him, he had to acknowledge they’d hit a brick wall and couldn’t do another thing but retrace their steps until the killer made another move.

He flipped open the folder and studied the picture. This woman was somebody’s wife, somebody’s mother, somebody’s friend. Experience told him she was probably already dead. Sarge was right. Three was a very unsettling number.

TWO

Erin tugged the business card out of her pocket.

“I see you still haven’t thrown that away.” Tess plopped her ample girth onto a nearby kitchen chair. “Must be you are at least considering the lad’s offer.” The older woman squinted. “What are you doing in here, anyway? Cleaning the kitchen is my job.”

“I thought I’d give you a hand.”

“You know what they say about two cooks in a kitchen…”

Erin smiled. Tess was notorious for spouting the first line of famous sayings and never finishing them. One of these days, she was going to put her on the spot and see if she even knew the other halves of those sayings.

“So?” Her aunt peered across eyeglasses riding low on her nose and waited.

“I have no intention of taking his offer seriously.”

“Is that so?” Tess pretended to brush nonexisting crumbs off the table into her upturned palm. “Even though you went through the trouble to find out he is, indeed, an honorable law enforcement officer?”

Erin ignored her.

“Even though Jack has his heart set on riding the boys’ bus? Even though the gentleman was nice enough to offer to ride with him? You’re just not going to do it. Makes sense to me. Sure it does.”

Erin sighed. “You don’t understand. I can’t ask a total stranger to play Jack’s dad. It’s humiliating.”

“First of all, lass, he’s not a stranger. He’s a police officer from our very own community who has a kind heart for a handicapped boy. And you’re not asking him to play Jack’s dad. Just to accompany him on the bus. Besides, he volunteered.”

“We’ve been over this a hundred times. No. Now that’s the end of it.”

“Harrumph. That’s stubbornness and pride speaking.”

“Well, it must be an inherited trait.” She shot Tess her best “don’t go there” glare.

The older woman pushed back her chair and stood. “Maybe you ought to pray on it. I know Jack’s been praying every night. Did you ever stop to think that maybe the good Lord put this police officer in your path as an answer to Jack’s prayers?”

Silence stretched between them.

“I’m going to check on the boy. It’s obvious I’m talking to a brick wall in here.”

Erin shook her head. What was she going to do with Tess? The sixty-five-year-old had a bad habit of pushing too hard in things that were just none of her business and Erin hadn’t found a loving way to discourage the meddling.

Walking over to the trash, she tossed the card in the bin. There. That’s where you belong. You’ve caused enough trouble in this house. She stared for several minutes at the small white rectangle lying atop discarded lettuce. Instead of a business card, she saw dark eyes framed by crinkled smile lines. She felt the soft caress of his breath against her skin. She smelled the musky, masculine scent of him.

Shaking her head to rid herself of those nonproductive thoughts another image slipped into her consciousness, the pleading eyes of her son. Before she could change her mind, she snatched the card back up, swiped it on the leg of her jeans to wipe off any lettuce residue and shoved it back into her pocket.

Erin had finished sweeping the floor when Tess reentered the room. “Everything, okay?”

Tess chuckled. “The lad’s built a small city in the living room with those plastic blocks. Maybe he’ll be an architect when he grows up.”

Before she could respond, the phone rang. She snatched up the receiver. “Hello?” Erin paused for several seconds before repeating her greeting. “Hello, is anybody there?” She strained to listen and was certain she heard breathing. Someone was there. Why didn’t they answer? Her mouth twisted in a frown and she hung up.

“Who was it?” Tess asked.

“Nobody. Probably a wrong number.”

“Funny, they can’t dial the number they want, but they can remember our number long enough to call it a dozen times by mistake.”

Erin poured herself a mug of freshly brewed coffee and joined her aunt at the kitchen table. “Maybe it’s a telemarketer. These days a computer dials the number and connects to a salesperson only after you answer. It takes a bit for the connection to go through.”

“Uh-huh.” Tess pushed her bifocals down her nose and stared intently at her niece. “And I suppose you’re wearing your worry face because you’re afraid you might be missin’ the sale of a lifetime?”

Erin chuckled and sipped her coffee.

“I might be getting a little deaf, lass, but I’m not blind. Someone’s been calling this house at odd hours for the past four days and I never see you talking to anyone. What’s going on?”

Erin shrugged. “Honestly, Tess, I haven’t a clue. I answer. They don’t. End of story.”

“Don’t tell me ‘end of story.’ Did you write down the number from your caller ID?”

“There isn’t one. It just reads unknown name, unknown number.”

“You need to find out who it is.”

She patted the older woman’s hand. “Don’t get in a dither. It’s just some teenagers playing a prank. They’ll get tired and move on to someone else.” She carried her empty mug to the sink.

“Erin O’Malley, you sit back down here and listen to me.”

Erin, surprised at her aunt’s tone of voice, did as she was told.

“We’re not livin’ in the world I grew up in.” Tess waggled a finger at her. “Used to be you left your doors unlocked. You knew your neighbors and everybody watched out for everybody else. Today it’s a world of strangers. Nobody even takes the time to know the person livin’ right next door. There are more bad guys and less of a way to know who the bad guys are until it’s too late.”

The animation and emotion in her aunt’s face surprised Erin. “I never knew you had such strong feelings about this.”

“Why shouldn’t I? Age blesses one with wisdom, lass. We are two single women living alone with a handicapped child to protect. You need to be more concerned when something strange happens. How can you protect yourself, or us, if you don’t keep your eyes open to what’s going on around you? And what’s going on around you right now isn’t right. You need to fix it.”

“And how am I supposed to do that?” Erin asked, suddenly suspicious of her aunt’s true motives. “Call a cop? Or did you have a particular detective in mind?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Tess ducked her head.

Erin almost laughed out loud at the expression on her aunt’s face when she realized her ploy hadn’t worked.

“Shame on you for trying to scare me,” Erin said.

“I’m speakin’ the truth,” Tess insisted. “If you used that brain of yours, you’d be smart enough to be scared.” Tess carried her own empty mug to the sink. “I don’t see how it could hurt to ask the detective’s advice. He’s expecting you to call him anyway. So do it.” She glanced over her shoulder. “And just so you know, I meant every word I said.”

“You’re right. I need to report the calls,” Erin said. “I would have called the police before now, but I really thought it was Billy Sanders. Remember last year when he harassed everybody in the neighborhood for days with heavy breathing and giggles?”

Tess nodded as she started washing her cup. “That boy needed a good swift kick in his…”

“Anyway,” Erin said. “I thought he was doing it again, so I went over to see his dad this morning.”

“Really? How’d that go?”

“It’s not Billy. His dad tells me the boy has straightened out. Joined a church youth group. Matter of fact, he was away this past weekend at a Christian teen camp.”

“Good for him,” Tess said. “So what are you going to do about the calls?”

Erin crossed the room and wrapped her arms around her aunt’s back, resting her cheek against the back of her head. “I am going to call that ‘fine, young detective’ you keep pushing down my throat. But you better know, old woman, that I’m on to you and your sneaky ways. I already made up my mind to call the detective. Calls or no calls. I want Jack to ride the bus with the boys.”

Tess squealed, turned around and pulled Erin to her despite the soap suds on her hands. “I knew you’d come to your senses. It just takes time for reasonable thoughts to get through your thick, Irish skull.”

“I love you, too, Tess.”

Tony clenched his teeth so hard his jaw hurt. Ever since he got the call about a corpse discarded in the tall grass by the Tomoka River, he had been dreading this moment. He nodded to Winters and Spence, who had just pulled up. Telltale yellow tape roped off the crime scene. The forensics team was already at work, taking pictures of the body and carefully gathering evidence.

“Hey, Keith.” Tony acknowledged the motorcycle cop who had been first on the scene. “What do we have?” Spence and Winters drew up behind him.

“I was heading north on Airport Road when these two kids ran out of the woods, screaming to high heaven and white as sheets. This park has a reputation as a good fishing spot. Seems they got more than they expected. They went into the brush close to the river and, literally, fell over the corpse.” Keith nodded toward the boys. “I got them calmed down. They’re waiting over there for their parents to pick them up.”

Two boys, about eleven or twelve, stole glances in their direction. The shuffling of their feet and the slight green tinge to their skin attested to the fact they wanted to be as far away from the park as possible.

Winters said, “We’ve got this,” and he and Spence headed toward the boys.

Tony ducked under the yellow tape and gingerly approached the medical examiner.

“Hi, Sally.” It never ceased to surprise him how a sweet, grandmotherly looking woman would choose to spend her days surrounded by corpses. Go figure.

“Tony.”

“What can you tell me?” He squatted beside her.

“Not much yet. Looks like she was killed elsewhere and dumped here. I’ll have more specifics for you after I get the body back to the morgue. She fought back. Should get some good DNA samples from under her nails.”

Tony glanced at the corpse and knew two things instantly. The body’s injuries matched the visible injuries of the other two corpses. And Cynthia Mayors, the woman who had disappeared from the hospital after her Friday shift, was no longer missing.

Several hours later Tony trudged into the office, tired, hungry and with only one thing on his mind: finishing his report and going home.

“Hey, Tony,” the desk clerk yelled. “A woman called a couple of hours ago. Left her name and number. Said something about meeting you at the Easter picnic and wanted to talk to you about a problem she’s having.”

As the clerk’s voice rang through the room, Tony grimaced. He glanced at his fellow officers. Here we go. Round three for pranks and jokes. But right now he didn’t care. He had hoped she’d call. He didn’t like to think she would let her kid down. He took the message from the clerk and headed back to his desk. At least he’d be able to make one little boy’s life a little happier. He wished he could have been in time to save Cynthia Mayors’s children from the world of hurt he just delivered to them.

“I’ll get it!” Tess’s voice drifted down the hallway after the doorbell rang.

Erin retested the water temperature for Jack’s bath, then stepped aside. Jack held on to the safety rail and lowered himself onto the nonskid mat. Erin placed clean pajamas and a towel on the toilet seat cover and made sure the walker was placed safely within reach. “I’ll have hot chocolate waiting for you when you’re done.”

Jack, already covered head to toe with soap bubbles, grinned at his mother. “With whipped cream and marshmallows, please. And can I have one of those chocolate chip cookies you hide over the ’frigerator?”

Erin chuckled. “We’ll see. Make sure you clean behind your ears.”

She walked down the hall and entered the kitchen. “Who was at the—” A rush of pleasure raced through her body at the sight of the man standing beside her aunt. Dressed in a dark gray suit, white shirt and patterned tie, he was even more handsome than when she’d seen him at the park. And those eyes—should be a crime walking around looking so good.

“Hi. Remember me? I didn’t bring my rabbit with me. Hope you don’t mind,” he said.

Her aunt chuckled and busied herself wiping the counter.

“Of course, I remember you, Detective Marino. Please, sit down. Make yourself comfortable.”

“Call me Tony.” He slipped off his jacket and loosened his tie. “Hope you don’t mind. It’s been a long day.”

“Not at all. I know how you feel. The ER can be stressful at times, too.”

“You work at the hospital?” Tony raised an eyebrow and wondered if she knew Cynthia Mayors.

“I’m a nurse in the emergency room,” she said with a nod.

“Would you be likin’ a spot of coffee, lad?” Tess asked.

Tony acknowledged her. “That I would, ma’am.”

“Call me Tess. You’ve already met my niece, Erin.”

Tony extended his hand to Erin. He smiled broadly, his teeth even and white against his tanned skin. “Nice to meet you again, Ms. Erin O’Malley.”

There it was. Gorgeous smile. Eyes so captivating it was difficult to look away. Because of her instant attraction to him, Erin expected the familiar goose bumps when her hand slid into his grasp, but she wasn’t prepared for this strong pull of emotion and found it surprising. Even a bit confusing. What was the matter with her? He was a cop, remember? Cop, as in don’t-even-think-about-it cop. Not to mention the fact that he was a hunk. In her experience the words male and hunk in the same sentence always spelled trouble, always caused pain.

Tony released her hand. His smile reached his eyes, tiny lines crinkling at the corners just as she remembered.

“I’m glad you called. What time do you want me to pick the two of you up?”

“I…I’m not sure,” she stammered. “The bus leaves at eight-thirty.”

“I’ll be here at seven-thirty. That should give us plenty of time to load anything Jack needs and get there with time to spare.”

“Sounds good to me,” Tess answered for Erin and placed mugs in the middle of the table. She picked one up and handed it to Tony. “See if this nonalcoholic Irish coffee doesn’t cure what ails you.”

“Nonalcoholic Irish coffee? Isn’t that an oxymoron?” Tony lifted the cup and sipped the dark liquid. Feigning an Irish brogue, he said, “I just had meself a drop of pure magic.”

Tess blushed like a schoolgirl.

Erin chuckled. This guy can charm the socks off of anybody. When the phone rang, she gestured for her aunt to remain sitting and got up to answer it.

“Hello?” The soft rumble of conversation from the table drifted toward her and made it difficult to hear. She strained to listen for a voice on the line. “Hello?” The silence continued and an insidious trickle of fear knotted her stomach. She slammed down the phone.

Erin knew Tony had noticed the trembling in her hands when she rejoined them at the table and, ashamed of herself for being so easily scared, she folded them on her lap. Feeling the need to explain, she shrugged and said, “Heavy breathing. Hang-ups. Nothing to get upset about.”

“How long have you been getting these calls?” Tony asked.

“Since Thursday.”

“How often?”

“Hard to say. No set times or frequency.”

“Except at night,” Tess interrupted. “He’s been calling five, maybe six, times a night. No one in this house has had a solid night’s sleep in days.”

“Have you reported it to the police?” Tony asked.

“Erin has a thing about police. She hates cops. Didn’t she tell you?” Tess ducked the censoring look from Erin.

Tony’s lips twitched. He seemed to be struggling not to grin. “Hate cops, do you? Well, you’re either a convicted felon who’s done hard time or a lead-foot driver with multiple tickets. Which one is it? My nickel is on lead foot.”

Tess laughed out loud. “See, lass. They don’t call him a detective for nothing.”

“About those calls?” Tony’s eyes held concern and kindness.

“I filed a complaint earlier today,” Erin assured both of them.

“The best bet is to let your answering machine screen your calls,” Tony continued. “Pranksters won’t call for long if their calls are never answered. I don’t think they have as much fun heavy breathing into a recorder.”

Tess chuckled.

“I think I’m going to change my number and let the answering machine screen the calls,” Erin said.

“Wow, hitting them with heavy artillery. They must have scared you a little more than you’re willing to admit,” Tony said.

She stared into his eyes. Her silence communicated how right he was.

A young boy’s voice filled the air. “I’m ready for my hot chocolate and cookies.”

All three adults turned when Jack entered the room. Erin and Tony stood to greet him.

The boy, his wet hair plastered to his skull and still dripping on his blue and green dinosaur pajamas, scooted his walker up to the table. “Hi. You’re the man from the park. What are you doing here?”

Erin’s eyes met Tony’s and a grateful smile graced her lips. “He’s giving you your wish, Jack. He’s going to be your dad-for-a-day.”

THREE

Erin’s breath caught in her throat. Her eyes burned. I will not cry. I won’t. She watched from across the parking lot as Tony and Jack inched their way toward the front of the bus line. It had never been more evident to her than now that she couldn’t be everything her son needed. He needed a dad in his life. A dad she had been unable and unwilling to provide. Sadness threatened to overwhelm her. A lone tear escaped and slid down her cheek.

Tony paused before boarding the bus and looked over his shoulder. His eyes locked with hers. He winked, just as he had when they met, sending her a silent assurance that he understood and everything was going to be okay. Then, he lifted Jack to carry him up the steps.

Erin shook her head when she looked at Jack. His cowlicks stood at attention no matter how hard she had tried to gel, mousse and spray them into place. But it was Jack’s grin, so wide it barely fit his face, that clenched her heart.

“Bye, Mom,” he yelled, waving furiously. His contagious excitement made Erin bounce and wave in return despite the tears that stung her eyes. Her baby was growing up.

From the second they had passed through the turnstiles, Erin had understood why they named it the Magic Kingdom—from the quaint gift shops, the incomparable anima-tronic rides, the fireworks behind Cinderella’s castle and the parade down Main Street. The day had been long but exciting and memorable. Tony had been great with Jack. Never losing his patience with the ever-talking, constantly-in-motion boy as they waited in lines or made their way through the crowds. It had been more than Erin expected, much more. For just today, she had allowed herself to pretend they were a family and realized that Jack wasn’t the only one who missed having a male figure in their lives.

Tony elbowed his way through the restaurant. “Where do kids get their energy?” he asked as he placed their trays on the table.

Erin helped Jack position his wheelchair and then slid on the bench beside Tony. “He doesn’t look energetic now.”

Jack, stuffing chicken fingers and fries into his mouth, looked like he could fall asleep chewing. His eyes were heavy and even the din of people talking and bustling past their table didn’t faze him.

Erin’s legs throbbed and muscles she didn’t even know she owned screamed in protest from the hours they had spent racing from one side of the park to the other, not wanting to miss a single thing. She leaned down and rubbed the painful knot in the back of her calf.

“You okay?” Tony asked, nodding his head at her calf. “I can get rid of that cramp for you.”

“No, thanks. It’s okay.”

“Look, trust me.”

Trust him? He had no idea how impossible that would be.

“Pull your toes toward your nose. It releases the cramp. When you get home, massage your calf and put a warm compress on the muscles. It should help.”

She pulled her toes upward and the seizing pain subsided.

He hid his grin at the surprised look on her face.

“So how do you know so much about leg cramps, Detective?”

Tony shrugged. “Played football in college. Dealt with a couple dozen of them.”

She smiled up at him and the bright sparkle of her green eyes stole his breath away. Wispy red curls framed her oval face, cascading in waves over her shoulders and down her back. Full, rosy lips drew his attention. To his surprise he found himself wondering what they’d feel like pressed against his own.

Tony gave himself a mental shake. He was here to do a favor for a boy. Nothing more. He had no time in his schedule or a place in his life for a woman—and most definitely not a single mom with a kid. He needed a distraction and he needed it now. When he glanced across the table, he laughed out loud. Jack, his head propped on his elbow, his mouth hanging open, was sound asleep.

“Looks like Jack’s down for the count.” Tony grinned. “I thought if he didn’t wind down soon, I’d be the one sitting in that wheelchair with him on my lap.”

Erin laughed and the delicate, musical sound made him think of wind chimes in a gentle breeze.

“Maybe we ought to call it a day and head back toward the buses. What do you say?” Tony asked.

“My thoughts exactly.” She gathered the empty food containers and stacked them on her tray.

Tony didn’t want to be but he was drawn to her. Despite his internal alarms telling him to run to the nearest exit. Despite the knowledge that he had nothing he could offer her. This type of woman wanted commitment, permanence. Two words not in his vocabulary.

Yet she intrigued him. She was an enigma. Vulnerable yet strong. Feminine yet fiercely independent. He found the combination intoxicating. He slid his arm around the back of her chair and lifted the edge of her jade silk scarf, letting the delicate fabric slide through his fingers. “This color looks good on you, brings out the color of your eyes.”

“Thank you.” Her words came out in a husky whisper. Her pulse drummed against the slenderness of her throat. Erin stood and began clearing the table. “Jack had a wonderful day,” she said, keeping her eyes averted and her head down. “I don’t know how to repay you.”

“How about dinner Friday night?” Tony winced the second the words flew out of his mouth.

Erin almost spilled the tray. She set it back down, took a deep breath and faced him. “Nothing personal, Tony. You’re a great guy.”

Tony didn’t know whether to breathe a sigh of relief or be offended.

“Ouch,” he said. “Men know those words are the kiss of death.”

“You’ve been really good to Jack…and to me,” Erin said. “But I’m not looking for a relationship right now. And even if I was…which I’m definitely not…I have an ironclad rule. I don’t date cops.”

“Rules are meant to be broken,” Tony replied.

Wasn’t that the truth? Wasn’t he breaking his own ironclad rule to avoid all women with strings attached? No one had more strings than a single mom. He cocked his head and studied her. “A man must have hurt you deeply.” Maybe that was what pulled him. Just his protective instincts rising up. He could deal with that. Before she could answer, he said, “It doesn’t matter. I’m not asking you for a date.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Dinner Friday night is not a date?”

“Nope. It’s another opportunity for you to shower me with thanks for a job well done. It’s a chance for me to talk about myself to a captive audience. It’s even an opportunity to discuss world events and the weather. But it certainly isn’t a date.”

His lopsided grin almost broke her reserve. She ducked her head so she didn’t have to look into those gorgeous brown eyes. She liked this guy. And she didn’t want to.

She carried the tray to the trash. Lost in thought, she didn’t notice a person trying to squeeze past until it was too late. He slammed into her with the force and speed of a defensive football player. Making a frantic grab for the nearest post to break her fall, she glanced over her shoulder. The man not only hadn’t slowed down, he had already disappeared. Steadying herself, she vowed to pay closer attention to her surroundings and keep her mind off of Tony before she got plowed over.

When she returned to their table, Tony’s silence made her think he had accepted her answer. Erin bent down to gently wake Jack, but before she did, she stole a glance in Tony’s direction. When their eyes met, he did the only thing he could have done to stop her dead in her tracks. He winked.

“He did what?” Carol asked as they sat together behind the nurse’s desk in the emergency room.

Erin chuckled. “The egotistical, know-it-all winked at me.”

“Are you going to go out with him Friday night?”

“No. He can wink all he wants. A rule is a rule.”

Carol finished writing her nurse’s note. “The nerve of the man. Well, that’s it, then. You have to kill him. And there’s not a jury in the world that would convict you.” She leaned over Erin’s chair and stage-whispered in her ear, “Because they would be too busy finding you certifiably insane.”

“Ms. Erin?” Lenny Richards, one of the hospital phlebotomists, interrupted their conversation. “I’m headed to the lab. Call me if you need me.”

“Sure, Lenny.” Erin smiled at the man and his face lit up. She watched him walk to the elevator and a pang of sympathy hit her. Nature had played a cruel joke on him. Deeply pitted skin left over from adolescent acne coupled with ears sticking out from his head seemed harsh enough. But his mouth didn’t quite fit his face. He held his lips slightly parted so often she wondered if he could close them.

“The guy gives me the creeps,” Carol said.

“Says the Christian, Bible-toting woman in the room,” Erin chastised.

“I’m polite when he’s around. I don’t speak negatively about him to anyone—”

Erin raised an eyebrow.

“Except to you. And you don’t count because you’re my best friend. I tell you everything.”

Erin shook her head and gave an exasperated sigh.

“Besides,” Carol said. “I don’t remember reading anything in the Bible about ‘Thou shalt not recognize creeps.’”

“I’m sure there’s a passage in there somewhere.”

“Tell you what, you find me the passage and I will not only repent, I’ll bake the man cookies every week for a month.”

“You’re just trying to get me to read more of my Bible. I recognize your underhanded ways.”

“Is it working?” Carol smiled widely. “Trust me, Erin. The more you read, the more you’ll want to read. God will speak to your heart and you’ll delve in there all on your own.”

Erin mentally pictured the leather-bound Bible that Carol had given her two weeks ago. She’d been reading it every night before bed. She knew what her friend said was true. The words moved her, inspired her, and she found herself getting up a half hour early each morning to read more.

“Why do you dislike Lenny?” Erin asked.

“I don’t dislike him. I feel sorry for the guy. I’ve even put him on my prayer list.”

Erin knew her expression revealed her skepticism.

“I have,” Carol insisted. “But he’s creepy.”

“He’s probably lonely. It wouldn’t kill you to be friendlier to him.”

“Okay. You’re right. I’ll work on it.” Carol leaned on the arm of Erin’s chair. “Speaking of being friendly, you should be friendlier to Detective Marino. Ever since the Easter parade, the nurses have placed Tony at the top of their eligible bachelor list.”

Carol looked Erin straight in the eye. “Anyway, you have to admit he’s got the ‘it’ factor. Maybe it’s those brown eyes. Or that drop-dead-gorgeous smile. Or his soft, sensitive side when he leads a parade for kids or accompanies other kids on buses.”

Erin laughed and threw her hands in mock surrender. “Okay, enough already. I get the point.”

“All I’m saying is if you don’t want him, then you better step out of the way before you get trampled by the ladies in line behind you.” Carol’s eyes softened. “The man is kind to your son…handsome…gets along well with your aunt…handsome…makes you laugh.” She placed her index finger to her lip. “Oh, yeah, did I say he’s handsome?”

“He’s a cop.”

“He’s a man.”

“Yeah, that, too. Strike two.” Erin took a swig from her water bottle.

Carol scooted her chair closer. “He’s a good man. And we both know from experience the good ones don’t come along very often.”

“Isn’t that the truth? I haven’t met one of those ‘good men’ yet. I’m beginning to think they belong in the same category as glass slippers,” Erin said. “Even if I wanted to take a chance—and I don’t—to see if he really is a good guy, I can’t. He’s a cop.”

“Cop is what he does, not who he is.”

“We both know that’s not true. They don’t turn off at five o’clock. They live and breathe their jobs 24/7.”

She reached out and cupped one of Erin’s hands. “You know I wouldn’t suggest something I thought would hurt you. You’re my BFF, remember?”

Erin smiled at the memories of the BFF, or Best Friends Forever Club, they had formed in middle school. She squeezed her friend’s hand in acknowledgment but remained silent.

“I think you’re wrong for not giving this guy a chance,” Carol said. “He’s the real deal. Single. Hardworking. Kind.”

“Yeah, a real Boy Scout,” Erin said.

Carol threw up her hands. “What am I going to do with you? This is the kind of man most women pray for. When the Lord blesses you by plunking him smack dab in your path, you don’t chase him away.”

Erin blinked hard to hold back tears. “I can’t. I want to but…I just can’t.”

After several minutes, Carol said, “Sometimes that baggage you carry around gets pretty heavy, doesn’t it?”

“Baggage? It wasn’t me who broke my marriage vows and cheated with every cute skirt in town. I’m not the one who deserted my son when he was born less than perfect. And it won’t be me who lets another man hurt me again—or my son. I just can’t take the chance.” Erin ducked her head.

Silence stretched between them.

“Well, if you can’t, you can’t. Come on.” Carol jumped up and pulled Erin from her seat. “No ambulance sirens. The board’s cleared. Ride up to the fourth floor with me. Sue Branson’s babysitting Amy and they stopped to see the clown. Maybe we’ll meet Mr. Right in the elevator. Who knows?”

“Wait a minute.” Erin followed Carol onto the elevator. “I thought you said Mr. Cop was my Mr. Right.”

“He is,” Carol said. The elevator doors slid shut. “Just not Mr. Right Now.”

“Since when does the hospital pay for entertainment for the pediatric floor?” she asked as they exited the elevator and elbowed their way through the crowd.

“Since they can get two for the price of one,” Carol said. “That’s Jim Peters. Sanitation engineer by day. Clown on the side. He loves the kids. He used to come and entertain them after work. The parents and kids loved him so much that Dottie, in Personnel, told me they decided to throw him a couple of extra bucks to do it officially once a month.”

A white-faced clown with orange hair, a big nose, a red outlined mouth and a single black tear painted beneath his left eye scooted among the children. He pulled coins from behind their ears. He made tiny action figures mysteriously appear in the pockets of their pajamas.

The clown selected one child, sitting in a wheelchair, and crouched beside him. Pointing to the tear on his cheek, the clown pretended to be sad, bent down closer still, and squirted water at the boy from a flower on his lapel. The boy hit the clown with his balloon. Both child and clown laughed and the clown fell back on the floor. Within moments all the children jumped on the clown, hitting him with their balloons, laughing and rolling over his flattened body.

Erin joined in the laughter. “He is great with the kids.”

“I know. Amy and I found out about him accidentally. You know how hard it is to get a doctor on weekends. A couple of months ago, Amy had an ear infection. Robert Stone promised he’d take a look after his rounds if I brought her here. We discovered the clown while we were waiting.”

“That sounds like something Robert might do.”

Carol raised an eyebrow. “I thought it was over between the two of you.” She tilted her head. “It is, isn’t it?”

“Of course, it’s been over for ages.”

“That’s what I thought you told me. Why did you dump him, anyway?” Carol grinned. “He’s not a cop.”

Erin shook her head from side to side in mock exasperation at her friend’s teasing. “No, he’s not a cop. Truthfully, he’s really a nice guy.”

“I’m beginning to think nice guys don’t stand a chance with you, O’Malley.”

Erin ignored her.

“So? What did the nice guy do to get dumped?”

Erin shrugged. “I was looking for light and casual. He wasn’t. So, I broke it off. When I realized how much I hurt him, I decided to stop dating period. I’m not interested in a relationship with any man. I only dated him to get out and have a little fun with someone I liked and respected. It hadn’t dawned on me that it had the potential to turn into something deeper for the other person. I hated that I hurt him. I won’t do that again to somebody else.”

“Mama.”

Carol scooped three-year-old Amy up into her arms and hugged her tight.

Sue Branson followed closely on Amy’s heels, whispered a few words in Carol’s ear and stepped away.

“Don’t know what I’d do without Sue,” Carol said. “She babysat Amy for the last three Friday nights for me.”

Erin glanced at her friend. “Are you dating again? Why didn’t you tell me? I’d watch Amy for you. Who’s the lucky guy?”

Carol’s face flushed. Before she could reply, a male voice interrupted.

“I thought I saw the three of you over here.”

“Hello, Robert.” Erin smiled at the six-foot-tall man and watched in amusement as Amy reached out her arms to him. He lifted the child, held her in the crook of his arm and didn’t offer a word of protest as she tousled his hair with her hands, laughed and did it again, entertaining herself as if she had invented the game.

“Good to see you, Erin. How have you been?” he asked.

“Just fine, Robert, and you?”

“Good.” His eyes no longer held the traces of hurt and anger she had seen after their breakup. With a sense of relief, she realized something else, a sparkle, a genuine happiness seemed to reside there now.

“We’re watching the clown show,” Carol said. “Or, at least, we were.”

The show was over and the clown gone.

Erin glanced at her watch. “No wonder. Look at the time. I have to get back downstairs. It’s almost time for shift report. I want to get home before Tess puts Jack to bed.”

“I’ll be down in a minute,” Carol said. “I have to wait for Sue to come back from the restroom.”

Erin nodded and slipped away from the group. The elevator was packed to capacity and a second group waited to board. Not wanting to wait, Erin slipped into the stairwell and took the steps two at a time. She had just cleared the second landing when she heard the heavy metal door slam behind her. She smiled. She wasn’t the only one too impatient to wait.

Erin exited on the ground floor. A quick glance at her watch made her increase her pace. Her fifteen-minute break had quickly stretched into twenty minutes. Erin needed to hustle and get back to the ER.

The hospital was in the process of building a new facility out near the interstate. The grand opening was set for this summer, but some offices had already been moved and a couple wings of this building already closed. Erin rushed past a door leading to one of the empty wings and then turned around and went back. This wing cut right across the middle of the ground floor. If she took this shortcut, it could save her valuable time she would otherwise spend racing like a rat in a maze through the other corridors. She’d end up in the same place anyway, but this route would get her there in half the time.

Erin warred with herself. She was the kind of person who followed the rules. She didn’t claim to be sick when she wasn’t. She didn’t cheat on her taxes. She stopped at red lights. She did her best to live a good, clean, socially obedient life.

Except for her love of speed. Erin could almost feel an accelerator pedal beneath her foot and grinned.

Ignoring the Caution—Do Not Enter sign, she glanced both ways to make sure she wouldn’t be observed breaking the rules and slipped inside. It took her eyes a second to adjust. Instead of the bright fluorescent bulbs throughout the hospital, this area was lit by single bulbs placed strategically along the way. Erin began walking down the dimly lit corridor.

Furniture, file cabinets and medical equipment waiting for transfer to the new facility loomed on all sides of a small walkway and cast monstrous shadows on the floor. The silence made Erin uneasy. Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea. She increased her pace. A rustling sound behind her made Erin pause. Was someone else in this deserted part of the hospital? She stood still and listened.

Nothing.

She continued moving toward the exit.

Bang. The sound of metal hitting the concrete floor echoed through the room. Erin’s heart slammed against her chest. Someone was in here with her.

“Hello. Is anybody there?”

Silence.

Why didn’t they show themselves? Her breathing quickened and her pulse raced.

Rooted to the spot, she stared into the darkness. She thought she saw a furtive movement in the shadows.

“Hello?”

Ice-cold fingers of fear crept up her spine. Erin wasn’t stupid enough to stand around in the darkness waiting for answers that didn’t come. She sprinted toward the exit and burst through the door. Never before had she been so happy to see the ebb and flow of people moving through the corridor.

What was the matter with her? Since when was she afraid of the dark? That’ll teach her to break the rules. She collapsed against the wall, leaned her head back and tried to catch her breath.

“Miss Erin? Are you okay?”

Erin glanced up. Lenny stood beside her, holding blood specimen tubes housed in plastic bags in both hands.

Erin’s chest heaved from the exertion of the last few minutes but she managed to smile.

“I’m fine, Lenny.” She pushed off the wall, grateful to see the entrance to the ER straight ahead. “Just getting a little exercise on my break.” She nodded and hurried past him.

The rest of her shift passed without incident. After report she waved at Carol and said goodbye to her peers. Erin hurried to the lobby. Her nerves were still on edge and she’d be glad when she was home. She rummaged around the bottom of her purse for her keys and stepped outside. Pausing for a moment in the entranceway, she glanced up.

God, it’s so beautiful tonight. Look at those stars. I’m constantly in awe of Your breathtaking creations.

The breeze ruffled her hair. She shoved her hands into her jacket pocket but couldn’t find her scarf. She fumbled in her purse, admonishing herself for the hundredth time for owning a purse without separate compartments, and came up empty. Where is it? She chewed her bottom lip. Think. When was the last time you had your scarf?

She shuffled the purse contents. Cell phone. Wallet. Lipstick. Tissues. Paperback.

This color looks good on you, brings out the color of your eyes.

Tony. The silk scarf slipping ever so slowly through his fingers. She stared into her purse. The scarf was gone.

Lost in thought, she walked to her car and almost missed the item tucked beneath her windshield wiper. Erin pulled out the dead, withered rose and opened the small white note wrapped around the stem. She held it under the lamp light and read it. Then, read it again. Her fingers trembled and the note slipped to the ground.

FOUR

Sergeant Greene stood in the front of the room. “Okay, men. What do we have?”

“The autopsy report is back on Cynthia Mayors,” Tony said. “Same findings as Anne Morton and Leigh Porter with one difference. She fought back hard enough to provide DNA material for testing.”

“Yeah, if we come up with someone to test,” Spence grumbled.

“Official cause of death,” Tony continued, “in all three cases was exsanguination.”

Brad Winters spoke up. “Let me get this straight. He did what he wanted with these women and then what? Did he just pull up a chair and watch them bleed to death? I don’t get it.”

“Let’s hope none of us ever understand that kind of rage,” Tony said.

“Where are we with suspects?” Sarge asked.

Spence cleared his throat. “None, Sarge. Zip. Nada.”

“Spence and I are going to take another run at the convenience store where Anne Morton worked,” Winters said. “Most of us have the habit of frequenting the store closest to our home. You know, the wife calls and you run in to get milk or bread on the way home. Maybe this guy was a regular customer. One night he goes in there and she says or does something that sets him off. Something made her a victim.”

“Yeah, Sarge. And if he does live in the area, then the other clerks might recognize him as a regular. We’re hoping now that some time has passed and they’ve gotten over the initial shock of the murder they might remember something.”

“All we got out of the manager last time was that Morton was dependable,” Winters said. “Never missed a day of work. Even brought her kid to work with her once when her babysitter was a no-show.”

“Husband? Family? Friends?” Sarge asked.

“None we could find,” Spence replied. “The lady went to work and went home to her kid. Period.” He leaned back in his chair and sighed audibly.

“Three women. Three different lifestyles with no visible connection,” Tony said. “One worked as an assistant manager at a convenience store. One worked as an administrative assistant for a local contracting company. Our third victim was a nurse. Two white, one black. One single, one married and one going through a divorce. Three different neighborhoods, three different economic situations. The only obvious connection is that all three victims have children. Lord help us if that is the only criterion this nutcase uses. Imagine trying to protect all the moms in this world.”

Sergeant Greene clamped his teeth down hard on a yellow pencil. After a moment of contemplation, he barked, “Are you suggesting these are random killings? That there’s no connection between these victims?” He shook his head. “Don’t buy it. There’s got to be a common link. Something ties these women together. You’re missing it, fellows. Dig deeper.”

“That’s why we’re going back to the convenience store,” Winters said. “Maybe we can jog somebody’s memory. Maybe a customer who hung around too much. Or Morton complained to a coworker about a rude comment. Something.”

“I might have something,” Tony said. “Leigh Porter’s pastor called. Something’s been nagging at him. He doesn’t think it’s important, but obviously, whatever it is, he wants to get it off his chest. I made an appointment rather than have him tell me over the phone so I’d have the opportunity to probe a little. Maybe it’ll lead somewhere.”

“Good. See what you can turn up.” The sergeant gathered the papers in front of him and stood. “Let’s not waste time. We’ve got a serial killer to catch.”

Tony slid out of his car, arched his back and removed his jacket. He reached into the backseat, withdrew a small bag and hung his jacket on the inside hook above the side window. Before walking up to Erin’s front door, he stretched again. It had been a grueling day.

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