Lorie O - Strong, Sleek and Sinful

“Where did he tell you he would meet you?”

“At the bowling alley.”

“Do you know why he suggested the bowling alley?”

There was silence for a moment. “Probably because he knows I hang out there with my friends a lot. He wanted a place where I would be comfortable.” Dani’s voice cracked and she coughed, trying to cover up emotions over a boy who had turned out to not be who she thought he was. “ Or at least that is what I thought.”

“Okay, so you go to the bowling alley. Did he tell you what car he would be in, or how to find him?”

“He said he would meet me there. I figured he meant inside.”

“What happened when you got to the bowling alley?”

“I never made it inside. I was walking across the parking lot when this big black car showed up. He pulled up so quickly behind me I thought he would hit me, but then his driver’s-side door opened and he tried grabbing me.”

There were shuffling sounds and murmurs that Kylie remembered being Dani crying. Kylie slouched in her chair, stroking her coffee cup with her finger, while the tape continued playing. Dani had endured so much, and Kylie worried for her life, especially now that she had successfully escaped the grip of a killer. After the murder last night, it possibly being the fifth life Peter had taken, his craving for blood, for death, would grow. It was stereotypical of a serial killer. Kylie’s thoughts went also to the other girl whose father had followed her and prevented her from meeting the boy online. Sally Wright’s father had reported there was no boy at the meeting site but a man. Would Peter go after Sally and Dani again?

“Did he ever talk to you?”

“He said, ‘Dani, get in the car.’ But it wasn’t Petrie. It was a man. He wore a baseball cap, but I would know him again in a second if I saw him. He had really blue eyes and dark hair and he was white.”

“Arrange a lineup for her,” John suggested. “I’m skeptical that her memory is as strong as she suggests, but we can do a lineup of the police officers downtown.”

“Do you really think that would work?” Kylie raised her gaze to him lazily. She needed to get out of here, although if she did, the first thing she would do was track down Perry, and that wouldn’t be pretty. “Dani knows most of the officers who work with her uncle.”

“How do you know that?” John challenged. “Has she told you that? Or has Flynn informed you his niece is well acquainted with everyone he works with?”

“No to both,” Kylie snapped, the throbbing in her temple intensifying. She slid her chair back, deciding maybe a search for aspirin would help. “Her uncle has been on the force for seven years. It goes without saying, since he is so involved in her life, that she would know at least a handful of police officers in this town. Not to mention she is a sixteen-year-old who was born and raised here. That alone would make many of the faces familiar to her.”

“I have to agree with Kylie on that one,” Paul interjected. “I also think this kid needs some serious protection, possibly more than her uncle can provide, just being a cop.”

Kylie leaned forward and paused the tape. “We know Peter drives a black Suburban, late model.”

“With forged tags that can’t be traced,” John interrupted. “Honestly, Kylie, you don’t have shit to nail this guy.”

She stared at him, her head pulsing all over. If it didn’t hurt so badly, she would give John a piece of her mind. Bringing up Perry, arguing that the two of them could nail this guy if just given a little more time, would start a full-fledged fight that any other time she would welcome. In spite of no sleep, she still felt like she had energy to burn.

“I’m a hell of a lot closer than I was a week ago,” she said, biting her lip to prevent from saying more.

She would save her energy, and her head from exploding, for a battle she actually wanted to fight. When she found Perry, there would be words. Maybe they hadn’t voiced out loud where their relationship stood, but he’d made it damn clear he wanted something between them. For him to say that and then flirt with another woman, and at a crime scene no less, was beyond unacceptable. Kylie couldn’t wait to kick his ass to kingdom come. Attack first and listen to explanations later. That is if she decided to hang around to hear any lame excuse he might have. She knew what she saw. She might look young, but she wasn’t born yesterday.

John slapped the table, standing when Kylie did. “There’s only one solution.” He leaned forward and popped the tape out of the cassette player, then fingered it as he walked toward the door. “You’re going to set up another meeting with this Peter guy. But this time, you’re going to go with him. The only way we’re going to nail this guy is to catch him in the act. Even if all we bring him in for is assaulting you, we’ll get the confession out of him for the others.”

John walked out the door and Kylie slumped back into her chair.

“Nothing better than finding out you get to be assaulted first thing in the morning.” Paul tried to make light of it, but there was compassion in his eyes when he looked down at her.

“I’ve endured worse.” She sipped her coffee, willing herself to get back up out of the chair. “I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night. I had a second meeting with Peter. He no-showed and hasn’t been online. If I could have made him meet me last night instead of Elaine Swanson, I would have.” Maybe I’ll go home and crash for a few hours and then see if I can connect with him.”

“Sounds as if last night was pretty nasty,” Paul said, grabbing the tape recorder and unplugging it from the wall. “That picture they tagged as evidence has got to have your cop friend pretty pissed off.”

“Picture?” She frowned, realizing she hadn’t taken time to read the reports Paul would have prepared for her. “What picture?”

Paul finished winding the cord around the recorder and stared at her. “You doing okay?”

“Yup. Just tired. I haven’t read the report on last night yet. What is this picture you’re talking about?”

Paul shook his head. “There was a picture in the victim’s hand when she was found. It was printed on typing paper. The picture was of one of Lieutenant Flynn’s nieces that had a message written across it in marker. It said: ‘Guess who is next?’ ”

Kylie was out of her chair before she realized it. “I’ve got to go,” she said, waving her hand over her shoulder and bolting for the door. She had to find Perry.

It was worse than she thought. Kylie wasn’t even sure which way she drove. Perry wouldn’t be home. She couldn’t go to the station, although she had half a mind to do so. She wanted to see that picture, and by all rights she could demand to see it. She had the proper credentials. No one would deny her access once she flashed her badge. But agreeing to work undercover meant just that. Kylie couldn’t just go and blow her cover because she was pissed, and because it would be convenient to do so at the moment. Paul would arrange for her to see it, or at least a copy.

As she turned at the next light it dawned on her that she was headed to Perry’s sister’s house. It wasn’t even lunch-time. There wouldn’t be anyone there, unless they kept Dani home from school again today. If so, someone would be with her. Kylie couldn’t imagine Perry’s Chief allowing him to become her personal bodyguard. Although she could see him telling his Chief where to stick it if Perry felt protecting his niece was of paramount importance. And of course he would think that.

“God. You need to quit being a chickenshit and just call him.” Kylie had vowed repeatedly over the years if she was anything, she wasn’t a procrastinator. If something needed to be done, she jumped in and dealt with it. “Well, something needs to be done about us, mister,” she grumbled, fishing through her purse next to her and pulling out her cell phone.