Shelby's Secret (Once a Marine, Always a Marine Book 4) Read online

  Giving him a scathing look, she weighed her options of getting around him without explaining who she was. But the heels were problematic. “Who says I’m press?”

  He frowned at that.

  She was glad. Casey reluctantly admitted the guy was cute. Tall, but with a thinner build than most of the cops she was used to dealing with. Not that he was skinny—no—he was well muscled. He had serious blue eyes that contrasted interestingly with sandy brown hair that would look great tussled after sex. She noticed he was giving her a thorough once-over as well.

  While he liked what he saw, his gaze remained serious and he was still frowning. “I guess you could be a hooker with a hard-on for crime scenes.”

  She burst out laughing because it was such an outrageous thing to say. Casey didn’t even take offense at being called a hooker, especially since her heels were fuck-me red to match her lipstick. He clearly hadn’t seen the local flavor if he thought the Phoenix hookers took this much time with hair and make-up. Seeing a shadow over the new guy’s shoulder, Casey peeked around to see Mike. “You gonna help me out over here? Your rookie thinks I’m a hooker.”

  “High-priced call-girl maybe, but hooker?” Mike’s eyebrow was raised.

  Casey smiled at him and shook her head. “At least it’s more accurate. You call—I’m a girl—here I am. All dressed up and unable to get to the body because Deputy Do-Right here is blocking my way.”

  “Daniel Wolfe meet Casey Henderson, senior medical examiner.” Mike made the introductions. “You look great, Case, sorry to pull you out of whatever you were doing.”

  “No worries, Mike. My date was a dud.” She tossed her keys to the cute detective saying, “Be a doll and grab my case out of the trunk, will ya?” Then she swept around Detective Wolfe and followed Mike toward the building. By then, she was all business. “I expected more patrol cars. Who found the body?”

  “Your errand boy. He played a hunch off a video feed our suspect sent to a witness. Turns out he was right. We’ve got a couple of patrol units enroute now to secure the perimeter, but they’re not coming inside so the scene has stayed as pristine as I could make it.”

  “New guy has some chops, huh?”

  Mike nodded. “He’s a good guy. Came over a couple of weeks ago from burglary where he was making a name for himself. This is his first homicide investigation.”

  “He’s cute.”

  “Well, I’m not really into guys, so I’ll take your word for it. And if you start talking about his ass or package, I’m leaving you alone with the rats.”

  She laughed as she followed Mike though the remains of an office space and out into the warehouse. The smell was enough of a warning that she knew her heels were toast. When they stepped into the warehouse and she saw the poor girl lying on the bed without any eyes, Casey got mad. “I’d like to peel off this asshole’s face while he squirms.”

  “Stand in line,” Mike muttered.

  “This is Shelby Lynn’s third video, isn’t it?” She’d made a point of looking them up after the first murder.

  Mike nodded and moved to the side.

  She would need more light, but she could take the initial photos relying on her flash. Casey paused, “This guy has a serious fetish for Shelby Lynn. I hope she has massive security.”

  “She does, but this is worse than just a fetish. He’s sending her email videos of the crime scenes while they’re fresh.”

  “Shit.” She moved as close as she could to the bed without actually stepping into the red mess on the ground. “Is it just me, or does this feel like this wacko is going serial?”

  “Three bodies by the same killer makes a serial killer, correct?” Daniel’s voice cut into the gloom.

  Casey turned and saw that he had her kit. “That is the accepted number,” she replied. “But the cooling-off period is very quick for this guy. Two days between bodies is fast. Either he’s done this before, or he’s got a time frame in mind.”

  “But we don’t know how long he’s had the women yet,” Mike chimed in. “So the time frame could be longer. Plus he waited until Shelby got to town to begin his little fantasy re-creations.”

  “Why the videos?” Daniel asked. “I mean, what’s the point of re-creating them and sending them to her?”

  “Being sick and twisted isn’t enough?” Casey said it offhandedly as she circled the bed in the center of the room.

  “Not usually. Even the crazies have a reason for what they do, even if we don’t know what it is. What do you think, Mike?”

  Casey stopped taking pictures and focused on Mike. He stood with his hands in his pockets looking around, taking in the scene. His posture was relaxed, but she’d worked with him enough to realize that under his laid-back attitude was a man who took homicide personally. The only thing that gave away the anger simmering underneath was the tick in his jaw that betrayed how his teeth were clenched. She’d found Mike to be smart and good at puzzles, especially when the case seemed hopeless. So she was curious about his take on the psychopath.

  “This is about the message in the songs. Our boy wants to believe Shelby Lynn is singing directly to him. Maybe even writes her songs about them as a couple. He’s showing he’s been watching her, listening to her, and this is his way of wooing her.”

  “Jesus,” Casey said. His voice was devoid of emotion, but the ring of truth was there. It felt right. And one thing that Casey had learned over the years was to trust her gut.

  Mike went on with a seemingly carless shrug, “I checked with police records in Nashville. They don’t’ have any cases like this and she was based there for the last fifteen years, in between tours.”

  “So this guy was waiting for her to come home, because she’s originally from here, isn’t she?” Daniel said.

  Mike nodded. “Born and raised. Could be coincidence that he picked this time and place, but now that she’s close enough to touch, he’s going after her sooner or later.”

  “Because he thinks they belong together,” Casey said. A shiver slithered over her, and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. It was creepy to think about someone watching her that way. Thinking of her that way. Poor Shelby Lynn.

  Mike’s cell phone rang, and he turned away to answer it.

  Casey would have to wait until they could rig up some lights to get better pictures. Glancing at Daniel Wolfe, she noticed he was breathing through his mouth. The pang of sympathy surprised her, but she went with it. “Why don’t you walk me outside, Detective?”

  He turned to her and nodded, blowing out a quick breath and matching his strides to hers. Casey thought he was relieved to get away from the smell.

  The stench of death was something she was used too and reminded her of the work she loved, so the smell never bothered her. She was about to say something to break the silence, when Mike did it for her.

  “We have a problem.”

  “What now?” She would already be up for too long processing this scene. She wasn’t anxious to add more troubles to her list.

  “We’ve got a missing woman.”

  Daniel ran a hand through his hair as he frowned. “Why are we getting the call? Shouldn’t that be missing persons?”

  Mike’s brow was deeply furrowed as he looked at them both. “The woman was taken from a hospital parking lot and, with the exception of hair color and being a little taller, she could be Shelby Lynn’s twin.”

  Chapter 7

  The afternoon sun woke Shelby as it lasered through a crack in the curtains. Her body had finally taken over and shut off her mind, allowing some much-needed sleep. The black-out drapes were pulled closed so only the clock on the nightstand told her how long she’d been out. She stretched and yawned, feeling her jaw crack as she woke up and took inventory.

  Overall, she felt better. Less terrified than last night, and more determined than ever to end her public life. This concert deal was bringing in enough money to set up her and Rebecca for the rest of their lives. Not that she wasn’t already wealthy, bu
t she needed this last hurrah, as a goodbye to her dream as well as putting a period on her portfolio. Financial security for the future was what she and Rebecca needed. And this tour was giving her that.

  But in the wake of the murders, she’d had Madge cancel all her remaining public appearances. Shelby would do three shows, making them the best she’d ever done, and then fade away from the spotlight. Her dreams had come with a higher price than what she earned. And she was ready to begin again. With a new dream. A better one.

  Something moved in the corner of her eye and her head whipped around in alarm. Clothes were piled up on a plush reclining chair, and in the center of that flashed a pair of eyes. Shelby reached out and flipped on the lamp by the bed. “What are you up to?” she asked, shoving curls out of her face.

  But the eyes only blinked and then little shoulders shrugged up and down delicately.

  Shelby smiled and held up the covers.

  The pile of clothes exploded into every direction as a little body shot from the chair and jumped into the bed.

  Wrapping her arms around the girl, Shelby asked, “Did you already eat?”

  Rebecca nodded and snuggled into Shelby.

  They leaned against the headboard together, and Shelby wished Rebecca would chatter away like she used to. She’d been like a little monkey, always moving and talking and getting distracted. Now she was too still, too mute and very unhappy. And Shelby didn’t have the first clue how to help her.

  The psychologist they hired said Rebecca would start talking again in her own time.

  “Any ideas what we should do today?”

  Another shrug.

  “You want to go out and look around? We could go shopping and get something to eat?”

  A negative shake of the head.

  Shelby sighed. She didn’t mind staying in the house, but she was getting cabin fever. The only thing that stopped it from being worse was because the house was so damn big. She needed to rehearse, but she didn’t want to leave Rebecca long enough to do it. Besides, her band had been with her since almost the beginning, and they were the best. They would be rehearsing, but they didn’t actually need her there with them. Her band made her sound great, and they would continue to do so, even if she didn’t show up. “How about swimming?”

  That suggestion got a slow nod. The property boasted an enormous zero gravity pool on the property they hadn’t tried out yet. Guess it was time to work on her tan.

  Madge poked her head into the room and when she saw Rebecca curled up with Shelby under the bed covers, she came all the way inside. “I’ve been looking for this one. I hope she didn’t wake you.”

  Shelby hugged the girl closer while shaking her head. “Nope, I woke up all on my own. Rebecca never made a peep, did you?”

  That got a frown from the little girl and a small smile from Madge. Shelby had been told not to tip-toe around the fact that Rebecca refused to speak, or couldn’t speak, due to the trauma of missing her mother. To treat her normally, including joking around. “We were thinking of going swimming, Madge. How about you join us?”

  But the older woman shook her head. “I have more calls to make and some business to handle, but you two go ahead. I’ll have the chef put a basket of snacks and sandwiches together. Unless you want breakfast, Shelby?”

  “No, just fresh fruit and maybe cheese and crackers would be good for me.”

  “Would you like something special, Rebecca?” Shelby asked, knowing she wouldn’t get an answer. And she didn’t.

  The little girl shifted away and left the bed. She moved slowly and deliberately, like an old woman, not the child she should have been.

  Shelby wished for something she could do to bring a bit of joy back into her life. She’d tried everything from toys to secret trips to visit the world-famous mouse in both Florida and California, but nothing worked.

  Madge ruffled her hair as she left the room and then turned to Shelby. “I’ve hired several Phoenix police officers in an off-duty capacity to patrol the grounds. They’ll start tonight.”

  “Do you really think that’s necessary? Our guys have been great and have handled everything so well.”

  “They’re a security team, they’ve never dealt with a serial killer. This isn’t the regular overzealous fan. This is more serious than anything I’ve ever seen before and it will ease my mind to have them around. Besides, our guys need to sleep sometime, instead of splitting their shifts and leaving us one pair of eyes short.”

  Shelby couldn’t deny that added patrols would make her feel better, and supporting local officers was a great way to help them, while they helped her. Plus, her security guys were tired. They all were on edge these days. “You’re right, Madge. The guys need some serious rest, and we could use the help.”

  “I’ll go see the chef now. You girls have fun at the pool and wear some sunscreen.”

  Shelby smiled softly as Madge left the room. The older woman never had any kids of her own or even been married. Said doing so would have cramped her style, but she’d taken on Shelby and Abby as if she’d been a mother her entire life. And Shelby loved her for everything she’d done for them both. To her, Madge would always be more than a mere manager.

  ***

  Mike stopped by the office even though today was technically the first of his three days off. He’d finally turned over the early morning crime scene to Wolfe and Casey, although the way those two are sniping at each other when he left might have been a bad idea. But he trusted they could remain professional long enough to gather all the evidence before moving the body to the medical examiner’s office.

  He gave the day shift Sergeant the rundown of what he had and left messages with dispatch to call him if they got anything good. And then he left. A tip or actual eyewitness would be a blessing, but Mike wasn’t holding his breath. This killer was good. Mike would have to be better.

  In the meantime, it was time to make Shelby and Rebecca disappear. When he arrived at the mansion on Camelback, he and his truck were recognized and he was waved through the gate.

  Madge met him at the door. “You have news?”

  He shook his head. “Not about the homicides, but a development has occurred in the case.”

  “By the look on your face, I don’t imagine it’s good.”

  “It’s not.”

  She waved him toward the large room that was serving as a sitting area and office space.

  The same place Shelby had been the night before when she’d been staring off into the cityscape. He moved to the window and noticed he could see the pool from where he stood. More interestingly, he could see the people in the pool.

  Rebecca splashed around, but she wasn’t smiling. That poor little girl was lost and needed to find her smile again. Madge said they were doing everything they could think of to help her through it. He could see Shelby’s head in the water, as she watched the young girl. She smiled and laughed and her mop of hair resisted the water’s efforts to tamp it down.

  “Alright, we are alone in here. Tell me what’s going on.”

  “You did great by hiring some off-duty guys. I saw two at the gate and another one roaming the property outside. I’m guessing that was a suggestion from the Chief?”

  Madge nodded. “It’s was a good one, too. Our security team was tired and needed the rest. They’ll take over again at night.” She cocked her head at Mike and crossed her arms. “Tell me what’s bad enough to come over personally.”

  Mike turned from the window and faced the woman standing by the couch. She was in tight jeans and a Tennessee Titan’s jersey, which just made her seem broader through the shoulders than she really was. “There’s been a kidnapping.”

  “And you think it’s related?”

  Mike pulled a picture out of his back pocket—a copy made by the missing person’s detective assigned to the case. The smiling picture of a woman with corkscrew-curly strawberry blond hair and blue eyes a shade lighter than Shelby’s own. Only a year or two younger as well. He ha
nded it over. “This is why I’m concerned.”

  Madge hesitated and then took it from his hand. “Jesus Christ,” she said. Then she sat on the couch arm. “When was this woman taken?”

  “About the same time we were discovering the second crime scene.”

  Madge looked up from the picture and frowned. “So you actually found another scene? Was it just like the video?”

  “Exactly the same. This guy is really getting a taste for it.”

  “Jesus,” she muttered again.

  “He’s working his way up to Shelby herself. You understand that, right?”

  “That poor girl.” Madge stroked a thumb over the picture. Then she raised a sad gaze to meet his. “What else can we do to protect Shelby and Rebecca?”

  “I have a plan, but I need you on board before I approach Shelby because she’ll look for your opinion, and I need it to match mine.” Mike knew he looked hard and inflexible, but the woman in front of him gave him the same look. Nothing would happen unless she okayed it. And Mike respected her for it.

  “Let’s hear this plan.”

  He told her. And explained the where, the what, and the who, before providing a couple of phone numbers.

  She gave him a narrowed-eye look. “Can you keep her safe?”

  “I can. If, for even one moment, I felt she’d be safer somewhere else, that’s where I’d take her. And if our boy is skilled enough to follow me, then he’ll be in my playground, and that’s a place he’ll regret for the rest of his short life.”

  “I don’t want a world of hurt—” she said quietly, “—I want dead. For Shelby and for those poor girls he mutilated.”

  “Yes, Ma’am. Understood.”

  ***

  Shelby was waterlogged. Even though Rebecca didn’t smile, she splashed around and did handstands—everything that a normal happy child did while swimming. They’d taken a break and eaten some gourmet sandwiches with apple slices and caramel.