Hide and Seek (Criminal Profiler #1)(58)

“Well, he’s done a damn good job.”

“Time to turn the tables, Ms. Kennedy.”

“Okay.”

“Where are you living these days?”

“In town. I live in the third-floor attic room of an apartment building. My room has no windows. Crazy, right?”

“Not at all,” Macy said.

“I haven’t done anything.” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

“You’ve survived.” Macy paused while Rebecca collected herself. “Do you live alone?”

“Oddly, I live with my mother. I’ve come full circle. Can you imagine being our age and living with your mother?”

Macy had loved her mother and mourned her death deeply, but they had not been the best of roommates. She had always assumed their issues had grown out of their personalities. Nonstop-action Macy versus television-game-shows Mom. Computers versus magazines. A thirst for adventure versus a fear of the unknown. She realized now that what had stood between them hadn’t been temperament, but the secrets surrounding her birth mother.

“No.” She softened the abrupt answer with a smile. “One last question. Ms. Kennedy, did you know Cindy Shaw?”

Her eyes blinked. Twice. “Yeah, I knew her. Everyone knew everyone back then. It was small-town living, not like it is here today.”

“Do you have any idea what might have happened to Cindy Shaw?” Macy asked.

“I was pretty messed up that fall, and she was the least of my worries. Why are you asking about her?” Rebecca asked.

Macy was beginning to wonder herself. “Because no one knows what happened to her.”

Rebecca wiped away a tear. “Cindy had a pretty shitty life, and she wasn’t getting along with her brother. It was probably just too much for her.”

“She ever contact anyone after she left?” Macy asked.

“I never heard her name again.”

Macy wrote the initials CS on her notepad and circled it a few times before she asked, “Were you dating anyone around the time of your attack?”

“Paul Decker and I went out a few times in the weeks before it happened, but I kind of stopped calling him back.”

“You broke up with him?”

“Yeah, I suppose I did.”

“Do you think he was your attacker?”

“Paul? No. He didn’t attack me,” Rebecca said.

“Why do you say that? You didn’t see the guy’s face.”

“I would know if it were Paul. I mean, we were together if you know what I mean.”

“Sex?” Macy asked.

Rebecca blushed and glanced toward Bennett. “Yeah. Sex.”

“And he wasn’t angry with you for breaking it off?” Macy prompted.

“It was really a mutual thing,” Rebecca said.

What might have been mutual in her mind might not have been in his. “Did he also date Cindy?” Macy countered.

“Paul dated around and probably still does. Any smart girl knows he’s never going to be in it for the long haul. But sometimes fun and sex are all a girl needs.”

Fun and sex. Both concepts were far from Macy’s life right now. “Ms. Kennedy, thank you for your time.”

“Look, I know I said I don’t like talking about this, but if talking will help find Tobi’s killer, I’ll talk to your friend.”

“Agent Spencer will be in town tomorrow. Will you see her then?”

Her body tensed, but she nodded. “Absolutely.”

Rebecca walked Macy and Bennett out the door. After Macy gave her a business card, they moved out to the parking lot. The half moon was bright. She checked her watch. Seven thirty.

“I think Tobi’s killer was practicing with the rape victims and he came close to murdering Ms. Kennedy,” Macy said. “He figured it out with Tobi.”

“Yes, he did.” Bennett looked almost resigned. “We have to solve this case.”

“I know.” She studied the deputy. “We both have a lot riding on this.”

Bennett nodded. “We’re in this together.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Macy said.

Bennett shoved out a breath, shaking her head.

The quip was intended to breach the strain always humming between them. But judging by Bennett’s deepening frown, it was going to take a blowtorch to thaw out the deputy’s icy layers.



He was thirstier than he thought and grabbed another beer, drinking until it was drained. Another rim shot and a miss. He scooped up the empty beer can and slammed it into the trash.

“You’re a disappointment,” he said to the semiconscious woman in the corner. “I expected more of a challenge from you. The best wins are earned.”

Air hissed over her lips as he threaded his fingers together and cracked his knuckles.

“Look at me.”

Her eyes twitched, and that was enough for him to know she was still in there. They still had at least one more moment to share.

He squeezed, and her body’s primitive reflexes sent a warning to her muscles, which tensed. He held steady pressure. His erection pulsed. His heartbeat quickened.

Five, six, seven, eight.

Older and wiser, he didn’t want death to come in a quick, heady rush. No more spiking adrenaline to ruin his rhythm.