Cynthia Eden - Into The Night

Bowen rose and stalked to the bathroom. Then he paused because he could hear Macey’s shower through the paper-thin wall. Macey, in the shower. Wet. Naked.

Just hours in the dark.

His hand lifted and pressed to that wall. Macey might think they were one and done, but he wasn’t so sure. Because...the thing about the dark...

It returned again. Every night.

* * *

“I WANT TO see the body.” Macey squared her shoulders as she faced Dr. Lopez. “I need to study the marks on Daniel Haddox’s body.”

Dr. Lopez had her hair pinned at the nape of her neck. She wore her lab coat and she had a big mug of coffee gripped in one hand. “Figured you’d be showing up.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “Though I thought you’d at least wait until eight a.m.”

“We’ve got two dead bodies in this town,” Macey said. “There didn’t seem to be a point in waiting much longer.” She’d barely been able to wait until the ME’s lab opened.

She’d taken a taxi over, leaving a note for Bowen. Because yes, she’d been a coward that way. But she knew he wanted to go and see the sheriff again. And she’d wanted—needed—to see Daniel’s body.

She’d also wanted to avoid an immediate scene with Bowen. Night-afters weren’t really her thing.

“Grab a coat and some gloves and let’s get to work,” Dr. Lopez said.

Right. Macey grabbed the coat and gloves and then she hurried to the table. The body was already in position. Just waiting—

“Is this weird for you?” Dr. Lopez asked, tilting her head as she studied Macey. “I mean, some of the stories say he was your lover.”

“He wasn’t.” Her voice was clipped. “He was just the man who tried to kill me.” Her gaze was on his face. And now he’s the man who is dead.

But she frowned as she stared at him. “Is that...blood...under his eyes?” His eyes were closed, but she swore she could see a faint line of red beneath his lashes. She leaned in closer to get a better view.

The ME did, too. “Looks like it. Could be spatter from his other wounds.”

Because he certainly had plenty of those. Macey’s gaze slid down his chest. His arms. She hadn’t touched him yet and...she was hesitant to do so.

It still doesn’t feel real. I’m standing over his body, and I still feel like this is a dream.

“I’d be glad,” Dr. Lopez announced.

Macey’s gaze jerked toward the ME.

“If it were me,” she added, staring at Macey from under the veil of her lashes. “If some guy had started carving me up like some freaking Thanksgiving turkey, I’d be glad when he died.”

“Not exactly like a turkey,” she replied even as her stomach clenched. Her hand hovered over Daniel’s wrist. The bruising there was so dark, a deep mix of blue and black. He fought against his restraints, tried to get free.

But there was no escape for him. Not this time.

“Sorry. I, um, sometimes I say things without thinking them all the way through.”

Macey glanced back at the ME.

Dr. Lopez gave a little wince. “It’s why I work with the dead. You know...they don’t care if I say something stupid. The living—they mind.”

Macey wasn’t sure what to say.

“Are you glad?” Dr. Lopez blurted.

Macey blinked. That was the only expression change that she allowed herself.

The other woman sighed. “I did it again, didn’t I?”

Yes. “We should start the exam.”

“Right. Sorry.”

Once more, Macey’s gaze slid back to Daniel’s eyes.

“He was as handsome as they said.” Dr. Lopez moved closer to the table. “But he looks different from the pictures I’ve seen. Bleached his hair blond. Interesting touch. With this hair, he looks a bit like your partner, Agent Murphy—”

“He looks nothing like Bowen.” Her voice had gone arctic.

“Sorry,” Dr. Lopez said. She tilted her head. “Do you think he watched any of those movies about himself?”

She thought he had. She thought he’d probably enjoyed them. Macey had been against those films, but no one had listened to her. One slick prick of a producer had even told her movies like that were called “unauthorized” for a reason. They hadn’t wanted her approval. They’d just wanted to share her horror with the world.

“Did you see the films?” Dr. Lopez pushed.

“Didn’t need to. I saw the actual attack.” She hadn’t needed some Hollywood remake of the worst night of her life. Macey sucked in a quick breath as she squared her shoulders. “I want to look at his eyes.”

Because it was bothering her, that swipe of blood that she could see right under each eye. It almost looked as if someone had tried to wipe away the blood.

“What do you think happened?” Dr. Lopez asked. “You think he killed Gale Collins?” She pointed to the cold storage lockers behind her. “You think he had a partner, someone who helped him kill Gale and then that person turned on the good doctor?”

“There was nothing good about him.” She reached for a light, and then, steeling herself, she began to reach for Daniel’s right eyelid.

Dear God.

She felt a punch right to her stomach. She shined the light into his eye, making sure she wasn’t mistaken. Then...then she lifted his left eyelid. “There’s something there.” Her voice sounded hoarse to her own ears.

Dr. Lopez crowded in close. She’d gone silent. She took the light from Macey, shone it into Daniel’s eyes. The left. The right.

Then she grabbed a pair of tweezers.

* * *

“WHAT IS HAPPENING in this town?” Sheriff Burt Morris demanded as he paced the small confines of his office. “First, that poor girl’s body turns up and now...now this? I thought you FBI agents were going to swarm in and catch the guy.”

“Someone else got to Haddox first.” Obviously. “Based on the way he was murdered, it’s apparent that the killer knew exactly who Daniel Haddox was...and what he’d done to his victims.”

Morris stopped pacing. He swung back toward Bowen. “Like...a partner? The guy had a partner? Is that what you mean?”

Macey had never said anyone helped Daniel Haddox when he attacked her. And no signs had ever pointed to the guy working with someone else. But... Haddox had been in hiding for a long time. Perhaps his MO had changed.

But the crime scene didn’t feel like some kind of partner-gone-wrong shit. It felt like a vengeance play. Payback.

“The cabin had been wiped clean,” Bowen continued. “Our perp made sure he didn’t leave any evidence behind.”

The sheriff’s shoulders sagged. “Is he going to kill again? That’s what I need to know, Agent. Are the people in my town safe—or is the killer going to strike again?”

Before he could answer, Bowen’s phone rang. “Excuse me.” He pulled out the phone and saw Samantha Dark’s name on the screen. “I need to take this call. Give me just a moment.” He strode into the hall and put the phone to his ear. “Tell me you’ve got some news we can use up here.” Because things took a serious right-hand turn straight to hell.

“I need you and Macey in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.” Her voice was brisk. “And I need you there now.”

“Uh, Samantha, we’ve got two bodies here. One of those bodies belongs to Daniel Haddox.” He knew she didn’t need the reminder. But... “And you just want us to pack up? In the middle of our investigation?” He marched down the hall, not wanting the sheriff to overhear. “The local sheriff is worried about another kill, and I have to agree with him. The Haddox scene was a freaking bloodbath, and things aren’t looking good—”

“Patrick Remus.”

At the name, ice tightened around his heart. “Patrick the Pyro? Shit, don’t tell me he’s in action again.” Because Patrick was a killer the FBI had been hunting for months. The guy was an ex-firefighter who liked the flames too much. He picked victims and trapped them in isolated locations. Then he set those poor souls on fire.