Karen Rose - Have You Seen Her?

He'd almost had her in his clutches, the little cheerleader with the big smile. Too bad she turned out to have a brain, too. He'd called her, told her to meet him, like they'd planned. But at the last minute she refused.

Refused.

Not because she thought he was a killer, she'd said, no way. She was just being careful.

Careful.

Bullshit. She knew . He could hear it in her voice. And he couldn't leave any loose ends for Thatcher to trip over.

He'd have to break his own rule, just this once, and make another house call.

Wednesday, October 12, 8:00 A.M.

The team was waiting as Nancy came in, white as a ghost. Holding a single sheet of paper.

Steven shook his head, knowing even as he reached for the report what it would say. Read it and felt a fist squeeze his gut to water. "No." He looked up at Nancy's pale face, fury and memories of Alev making his hands tremble. "I can't believe this. Not another one."

There was silence around the table, then Sandra exploded.

"After all the assemblies? The warnings? Dammit, who's missing now? And what was she thinking to meet someone after dark?"

Steven stared at the report, his brain kicking into full gear. "She didn't meet him, Sandra. She didn't leave her house. Voluntarily."

Davies abruptly pushed his chair from the table and crossed to Steven's side, holding out his hand. Steven gave him the report and turned to the others. "She was ripped from her bed. He was there, in her bedroom." His hand closed into a fist. "He's finally popped."

"He's out in the open," Liz murmured. "Now we have to find him. Who is she? Who is the girl he ripped from her bed?"

Davies put down the report. "Kelly Templeton. Roosevelt High."

"Rudy's playground," Harry said from behind clenched teeth. He still looked shaken from the ordeal the day before. "God, I want that little sonofabitch to fry."

Steven rose to his feet, every muscle in his body taut. "To a crusty little crisp. Kent, let's get you and as many other Forensics as we can free up over to the Templeton house. He's left something there, I know it. And we'll find it if we have to rip up every damn floorboard and carpet fiber. Liz, can we bring him in now? Please ?"

Liz nodded slowly. "As long as we bring in anyone else that knew her. As long as we don't single Rudy out."

"She was a cheerleader," Sandra said curtly. "She probably knew everyone in the school."

"Which may include Brad," Nancy reminded him and Steven felt his heart stutter and clench. Even though Brad seemed okay now, Steven still didn't know what had caused the rift.

But he knew Brad. Ultimately trusted his son. His heart quieted to normal. "That's okay. He's a smart kid, maybe he can tell us something we don't already know." Then his mind prickled, a plan beginning to form. "You're right, Sandra, she probably knew the whole school, so we'll go to them. Nancy, call the principal and arrange to have any students who knew her brought to a closed room in groups of ten." He looked over at Liz. "I assume a videographer's out?"

"Without parental consent? You assume correctly."

Steven shook his head. "Damn Bill of Rights," he said and made Liz smile. "Sandra, special duty for you. You'll ensure our teens have liquid refreshment."

Sandra raised her brows. "And do I get tips for this?"

Steven grinned, feeling his adrenaline pumping. "No, you don't serve. You let the school serve from their supplies. You, my dear, just collect the trash. Label each cup carefully. I want Rudy and his friends to drink something. And I want you to carefully make sure the used cups are garbage they no longer want." They could search garbage without a warrant. He wished he'd thought of this before. "Got it?"

Sandra's lips curved. "Got it. We can get DNA from his cup."

"You'll have to get DNAs from all the cups," Liz cautioned and Steven shrugged.

"Hell, Diane's back from her cruise all rested. I think she can handle the job, don't you, Kent?"

Kent nodded with mock sobriety. "Absolutely."

"Plus, how we prioritize the evidence won't matter in the long run as long as we run and compare all the samples, right, Liz?"

Liz looked amused. "Right."

Steven turned to Harry and immediately gentled his voice. "Harry, can you handle another crime scene with Kent?"

Harry looked grim. "After yesterday, I can handle anything. How much worse can he get?"

The question took the wind from all their sails.

Steven saw yesterday in his mind once again, as clearly as if he were still standing amid the body parts and the signs. "I don't want to know. Let's not give him a chance to show us."

Wednesday, October 12, 8:50 A.M.

Jenna was reviewing the reading assignments the substitute had given her class when Lucas interrupted. "Dr. Marshall? Can I have a word with you?"

Glad to see himafter the tumult of her weekend, Jenna turned from her ____________________ ____________________with a smile-that immediately dissipated whenshe saw the look on his face. Lucas was Tightened.

Her first thoughts flew to Casey as she dusted chalk dust from her hands. Still she injected humor into her voice. "Class, read section six again. You all missed the finer points the first time."

She walked to the back of her classroom amid teenaged groans, her heart wildly beating in her throat. Lucas followed her into the hall and pulled the door shut behind them.

'"Casey?" Jenna asked immediately.

Lucas shook his head. '"No." He looked into her classroom from the oblong window in the door. "There's been another girl abducted," he saiu quietly, still looking into her classroom.

Jenna frowned, then her heart rose into her throat again. Sixteen, cheerleader. One empty desk in the front row. The hallway blurred as she sagged back against the wall to keep from falling. "Kelly?' she whispered.

Lucas swallowed. "Yes."

She remembered the look on Steven's face the night be-fore. The unspeakable horror he'd seen. Perpetrated by the monster that now held one of her innocent girls. He had Kelly . Nausea rolled through her stomach and she had to fight to keep from throwing up. "When?"

"Last night. The police want to talk to the students, ask them what they've seen. Groups of ten. I'm setting it up in the conference room. Since she was in your class, I want your kids to go first."

Jenna pushed her trembling body from the wall. "We're halfway into the period. Which kids do you want to go first, because you won't have time for them all."

Lucas turned from the window, his face wooden. "Pick ten. We'll get the others in their classes as the day goes on." He raked taut fingers through the silver hair at his temples. "I can't believe this is happening. Does Thatcher have any idea who's doing this?"

Jenna shook her head. "I don't know," she murmured, fighting a wave of nausea. Dear God. The last girl had been the worst crime Steven had ever seen. And he had Kelly. Think, Jenna. Move . "I'll send the first group down." She'd divide the class alphabetically, she thought, mentally running down her roster. The first ten would be last names A through H. Steeling herself, she went back into her classroom to break the news no one should ever have to hear.

Wednesday, October 12, 3:30 P.M.

Steven, Sandra, Liz, and Nancy had interviewed over a hundred teenagers. Most were shell-shocked, unbelieving that one of their own had fallen prey. Lucas Bondioli was their mainstay, guiding teens into the conference room, preparing lists of names of those they'd talked to, those they hadn't.

Bondioli sat in on every group, which seemed to put the students at ease. Steven was glad to have him, knowing he could pick up on expressions that were out of the ordinary for any given teen.