Predatory Game (GhostWalkers, #6)(106)
“Actually Jess interviewed me for the job at his home, not here at the station, and Patsy was there. I was new in town and she had coffee with me a couple of times. Not like a date or anything, she was just being nice to me. But I like her.”
Saber grinned at him.
Brian raked a hand through his hair. “Not like that. Don’t start. And at least tell me if Calhoun is all right. He must have been really upset over his sister being attacked.”
Saber settled into her familiar chair. “Yeah, you could say he was upset. He’s pretty amazing for being in a wheelchair. I was impressed.” She tapped the mike, a habit she couldn’t break, her restless fingers moving everything around within reach. “It feels good to be back.”
“That nutcase that keeps calling you,” Brian said, “I’ve been listening to the tapes over and over and he’s distorting his voice, not a lot, but enough that I’m beginning to think that it’s someone you know. And some of the calls were prerecorded.”
Saber’s head snapped up. “What do you mean, prerecorded?”
“I don’t think he’s there. I think…” He broke off abruptly and shook his head.
“Oh no, you don’t. You can’t just stop there. This whack job records his distorted voice on tape and then calls the station and uses the recording?” That made no sense at all.
“I think he arranges for the phone to call in automatically, like the telemarketers, and when the phone on our end answers, the recording kicks on.”
“Why would he do that?”
“You tell me.”
Frustrated, Saber glared at him. “You’re driving me crazy. Men are crazy. Whoever said they were the logical sex? You’ve obviously been thinking about this and you must have a theory.”
“I’m not stupid enough to tell it to you, because it’s so farfetched. Figure it out yourself and tell me what you come up with.” He glanced at the clock. “You’re on in five.”
Brian had jinxed her for the entire night. She just couldn’t get into her normal rhythm. It wasn’t a bad show, but she didn’t shine, that was for sure. Why would someone use a device to make a call demanding to talk to her? What if she’d agreed to talk to him? What if he’d gotten past Brian? So the object of the phone call hadn’t really been to talk to her at all.
Whoever had broken into her house likely would be the same nut. Surely, there couldn’t be two separate people fixating on her. So why would he call and not be on the other end of the phone to talk to her if she took his call?
Her gaze strayed to Brian several times over the course of the next few hours, her body slowly growing tense. She studied his face. He had a boyish face, laugh lines around his eyes, his mouth always ready to smile. But when she really examined him, it occurred to her that those boyish good looks could be hiding something much more sinister beneath. Goose bumps raised along her skin.
She did another short broadcast, talking about nothing she could remember, her mind suddenly consumed with the reality that Brian moved with grace and carried himself like a man who could handle himself. And what did she really know about him? He’d arrived in town right before she had. And he saw Patsy occasionally. Her pulse thundered in her ears and her mouth went dry.
Had he said that to subtly warn her that he could hurt Patsy anytime he wanted? When had she let her guard down enough to stop being suspicious of everyone around her? She snuck another look at him—the set of his shoulders, the smooth way he moved. He was good at his work, easy to work with, he fit in.
What was she thinking? Where was she going with this and why was she suddenly tense and apprehensive? She bit down hard on her lip, distracted enough that she nearly missed her cue. At Brian’s frantic signals, she sent her soft, whispery siren’s voice out over the airwaves, gave a little commentary, and introduced the next run of songs. All the while her mind was turning over the puzzle, trying to piece together an answer.
Feeling Brian’s gaze on her, she turned and glared at him through the glass. She signaled him to come into the booth. Brian sauntered in, looking cockier than ever.
“I want to hear your theory.”
“What’s yours?” he countered.
“If I know him, obviously he’d have to disguise his voice.”
Brian nodded. “My feelings exactly.” He leaned one hip lazily against the console and regarded her from his lofty height.
Saber leaned close to him, moving her hand until it rested close to his arm right above his wrist. She drummed her fingers beside his arm, using her nervous habit to cover her movement. “And if he used a recorder, is it possible that he wants to be in two places at the same time?”
She tuned her heartbeat to his, listening to the rhythm, allowing her body to sync with his. If he was nervous, it didn’t show in his body rhythm. His heartbeat and pulse were steady. Her fingertips very lightly slid against his skin. “Like if it was you, Brian, you could call and still be here to take the call.” She made certain as she made the suggestion that even as she sounded casual, she checked to see if there was even a slight abnormality in his pulse.
He grinned at her. “Me? I like you, honey, but not that much. It’s a lot of trouble to go to, and I’m kinda on the lazy side.”
Absolutely no change in his rhythm. If Brian was lying, he would be able to beat a lie detector with no trouble at all. She didn’t believe he was that good. She slipped her fingers back to the surface of the console and resumed the “nervous” drumming. “It was a wild idea, but actually not a bad one. If the person is someone I know, wouldn’t it be a great way to keep suspicion from them? They could be with me when a call came in.”