since they’d grabbed Jace Edwards and nothing was playing out the way they’d expected. Facial recognition hadn’t brought them anyone other than Edwards, so they’d focused on the vehicle – and that was a dead end, too. The only bright spot was that there were no new reports of missing girls – yet. They knew that wouldn’t last. That’s why Evan was in a video conference with Derek and Rudy, trying to figure out where this guy had started his killing.
“So we have three similar cases in New York, five in Maine, two in New Hampshire, and fifteen in Connecticut?” Evan asked.
“Four in Rhode Island, three in New Jersey, and there might be two in Pennsylvania, but we’re still waiting on the data to be sent over,” Rudy said.
“So we’re looking at over thirty different murders that have enough similarities to be the work of one unsub,” Evan said. “Holy crap.”
“Another Samuel Little?” Derek asked.
“Maybe. I mean, Little ended up with a total of sixty murders linked to him, but he claimed ninety. The agency is still investigating cases that may belong to him,” Evan replied. “Rudy, send me the murder books on all of these cases. I want to pick them apart myself. If they’re not already in electronic format, make them that way.”
“Got it,” Rudy replied.
“Thanks. Derek? I need you to go to Connecticut and visit the…how many towns? Anyway, I need you to go talk to the detectives on those cases and find out what you can.”
“Four towns – and none of them are next to each other. Groton, New Haven, Mystic, and Bridgeport. Looking at the dates, I’m thinking he started in Bridgeport and moved his way up the coast,” Derek said.
“Then start in Bridgeport,” Evan suggested. “Let’s see if we can figure out who this asshole is before he ups his total once more.”
The call ended and Evan leaned back in the chair and stretched her arms up over her head. She’d been sitting too long and really needed a run. The weather was chilly but the rain wasn’t supposed to start until later that night, so she got up and changed into her running gear. Bone conduction headphones played her music and still allowed her to hear what was going on around her – she’d never run with earbuds. Silencing what was going on around you was a good way to end up on the coroner’s slab.
Evan took a moment to stretch on the porch before she started down the sidewalk. Three blocks and she’d be at the beach and then she’d really let herself go. The rock music helped her get out of her head and just breathe – it kept her from thinking about any one thing in particular. She could just let her thoughts flow and focus on the feel of her running shoes hitting the ground and her body working like a well-oiled machine.
Haven’s main beach was a curve of sand and rock that ended in more rocks that helped shelter the little harbor. Approximately twenty miles of coastline edged the town, but only eight miles of it had enough sand to be considered a beach. The rest was rocky New England coast with piers and jetties built out for private or club use.
This time of year, the only people you’d find on the beach were runners or dog walkers. The wind off the water had a bite to it and Evan pulled her knit cap down low. The last few yards of her second return to the parking area, Evan walked to cool herself down some before she would jog back home at an easier pace. A sip of water from the bottle in her pocket, and Evan climbed back up the steps to the parking area and started towards home. She was a block from the house when Max pulled up next to her.
“Not answering your phone?” Max asked.
“I went for a run,” Evan replied.
“I can see that. Get in,” Max said.
“Nope. I’m going home, then showering, and then I’ll go back to work,” Evan said.
Max heard the tone in her voice and gave her a nod. “Okay, then I’ll see you at the house.” He stepped on the gas and pulled away from her, only to park in the driveway a few yards ahead.
Evan opened the door and kicked off her running shoes as Max came in behind her. “Just take a seat. I’ll be a few,” Evan said as she made her way to her room.
Truth be told, she was more than a little irritated with Max trying to order her around. Hell, she was still irritated with him after his little temper tantrum the morning after they’d spent the night together.
If the twins weren’t in danger and no one was bleeding, then Evan deserved to have some downtime and invest in some self-care. She took a long shower and washed her hair, then blow-dried it and touched up her makeup. Black jeans, a dark green sweater that brought out the green in her hazel eyes, and her favorite house slippers made her feel warm and cozy. She opened her bedroom door and the scent of freshly ground coffee filled her senses.
“I hope you made one of those for me,” she called out.
“I did,” Max replied and handed her a mug as she stepped into the kitchen. “So, I heard this guy might have over thirty kills to his name?”
“Yeah, we’re still checking them all out, and the murder books should be here in the next few hours, but that’s the preliminary guess.”
“Want help going over the murder books?” Max asked.
“Not yet. I want to get an overall impression first, then do a deep dive and see if they are truly close enough to be considered the same killer. Derek is headed to Bridgeport, Connecticut where the earliest cases we’ve found were located. If they truly are his first kills, then we can create a timeline and start looking for connections.”
“We’ve upped patrols around town with a particular focus on the high school and community center. No, I didn’t choose the community center – that’s just the Chief being political. None of the girls in the target range hang out around there, but it’s the mayor’s pet project. I did add a few more patrols around the downtown shopping area, but my focus is on the high school and surrounds.”
“Don’t bother with the community center at all. I’d put an extra car outside Dottie’s Diner. This time of year? That’s where the cheerleaders and jocks hang out after practice and games. It’s the major social hub outside of the high school,” Evan said.
“Good point. I hadn’t thought about Dottie’s,” Max said.
“That’s because you don’t have teenagers keeping you up on the latest social news,” Evan replied. “Now why did you feel compelled to hunt me down while I was taking some time for myself?”
Max had the grace to look a little sheepish. “I got worried when you didn’t answer the phone and I’d been trying to reach you for an hour. I know, it’s stupid. I just got this feeling something was wrong and needed some reassurance. I’m sorry.”
Evan cupped her mug in both hands and stared at Max. That statement right there? That showed more emotional growth and understanding than any ten adults she could name. Even with the little snit he’d thrown. Her silence had grown to an uncomfortable length, so she cleared her throat and gave him a smile. “That’s really sweet of you, and I’m sorry you were worried. I got off a video conference and just needed to get out and clear my head. I felt the phone vibrate, but decided I needed to do this for me first. Doing it now, before I took on anything else. I learned the hard way that if I don’t make sure I take care of myself, I’ve got nothing to give anyone else – including the job.”
“That’s not an easy thing to learn. Harder still for people in our line of work, where everything really is life-or-death. Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to help right now?” Max said.
“I’m caught up on everything except paperwork, and when those murder books start coming in, I’m going to dig into those. I’ve also ordered a huge white board that’s hinged so you can close it when you don’t want people to see what you’re working on. I can put it across from my desk and just close it up when the girls are likely to come in. As much as I like the software version, it’s not as useful when working on something this complex.”
“Yeah, I like the software version for simple cases, but when you’ve got over thirty bodies across eight states or more, we need to lay it all out,” Max said. “I’ll help you set it up when it arrives if you’d like.”
“It’s supposed to get delivered later today. How about you come by for dinner? Harper’s cooking so it’ll be healthy and taste good,” Evan said.
“Sure, I’d like that,” Max replied. He drained his mug and rinsed it out at the sink. “I should get back at it. Want me to bring anything?”
“Ice cream from The Creamery?” Evan suggested.
“Done. See you tonight, Van,” Max said and left the house.
Evan watched him walk back to his vehicle and bit her lower lip. It was getting harder and harder to keep the distance between them. She shut the door and set the alarm, then refilled her coffee mug. Time to make a dent in the never-ending pile of paperwork.
Dinner was some kind of rice and vegetable dish with grilled chicken that tasted pretty good. Harper pretended to be horrified at the idea of ice cream for dessert, but when Max handed each girl a pint of her favorite flavor – coconut chocolate almond for Hayden and peppermint for Harper – she squealed, grabbed a spoon, and went to join her sister in the sitting room for a movie.
Max had also grabbed Evan’s favorite – berry blend – and his, maple walnut – and they went into her office and shut the door.
“The girls seem to be adjusting to their new reality,” Max said after a bite of ice cream. They both sat on the loveseat, half-facing each other.
“Sometimes. They’re generally happy kids, so it’s hard for them to stay down for long. The other day, Hayden said something about wanting to show her mom a new music video – and she burst into tears. She’d had a moment where they weren’t dead. I remember that happening when Em and I were small. Both of our parents died so close together, one blow after another, that we started to expect another hit. After a while, we got comfortable and focused on getting through each day in a new place. Once we got comfortable, there would be times we’d forget they were gone.”
“Dad died just before I went to college, as you know. When Mom remarried within a couple of years, it felt wrong. Now I understand that she really needed someone in her life, and Mario is good to her. They love their little place in the Keys and have a hectic social schedule. When they decided to move to Florida, I didn’t want to lose the old house, so I sold the place I’d had with Sue Ann and bought it. Spent another chunk of change getting it updated and fixed the way I like, and now I’m glad to have it.”
“The will says to sell this place when the girls go to college, but I’ve already discussed with the estate lawyer that it’s not something that has to be done. I want to make sure the girls always have a place to call home. Whether they keep this for themselves, rent it out for income, doesn’t matter. Who knows? They might decide to sell it and split the money. That’s a couple of years down the road anyway – but life is good at handing out wild cards, so having options is something I want them to feel comfortable with.”
“Is it weird for you, living here?” Max asked.
“Sometimes, yeah. I’ve been going straight out since I got here, so I haven’t really had the time to process it all. I keep thinking Emery will come home and yell at me for rearranging her office.”
“I wish she could,” Max said. He got up and closed the lid on his ice cream. “I can’t eat any more. How about I get us a couple of coffees?”
“Sure, here, put mine back in the freezer, too? And thank you for bringing them. It’s been a long time since I had ice cream as good as what the Creamery puts out.”
Max took the containers and spoons and left the room while Evan curled into the loveseat and closed her eyes. She just wanted to give herself a minute to relax before they got to work.
He pushed the door wider with his hip and carried the two mugs into the room, then paused when he saw Evan curled up. A soft snore told Max she was asleep, so he put the mugs down and unfolded a throw blanket to cover her up. Instead of leaving, he took his mug and sat in the wing chair and watched her sleep.
If anyone had told him six months ago that he’d be sitting here, watching Evan Wylder sleep, he’d have arrested them for being under the influence of narcotics. Yeah, the events that brought her to this place were horrible – but the fact she was here? That was a dream come true for Max. For so long he’d tried to do what had been expected of him. Rise through the ranks. Get married. Buy a house.
He should never have married Sue Ann. He hadn’t loved her the way you should love someone you plan on being partnered to for life. Not the way he loved Evan. The day he’d come home from work to find a letter from Evan and all of her things gone? That had been worse than the day his father had died from a heart attack. Even now, going over it for the umpteenth time, he still didn’t understand why she’d left. Yeah, she said Emery needed her, but that’s not forever, right? She could’ve gone to help Em and still been in his world – but she’d disappeared off the planet and it had been almost two years before he heard she had just graduated Quantico. What she’d been doing all that time, he never knew. He did know that Emery had a rough pregnancy with the girls and almost died – and the girls almost didn’t make it – but that didn’t explain all of the missing time.
A part of Max really wanted to know everything – and another part of him wanted to just be glad she had returned, and appreciate the opportunity to get to know who Evan was now. From what he could tell, she was the same brilliant, compassionate woman he’d known all those years ago. Now, though, there was a core of strength and resilience that impressed him, and a core of self-awareness that he found as sexy as her intellect.
He finished his coffee and turned off all but one lamp before he slipped out of the office and closed the door behind him. Hayden stepped out of the kitchen and almost bumped into him.
“Whoops,” Hayden said and backed up. “Sorry ‘bout that. Hey, thanks for the ice cream. That was really awesome.”
“You’re welcome. Evan’s asleep on the loveseat in there. We were supposed to get some work done, but she’s exhausted, so I’m going to go.”
“Should we wake her up later? So she doesn’t end up all stiff or something?” Hayden asked.
“Naw, it’s big enough for her and she’s got her head on the pillow by the arm of the loveseat, so she should be okay. She needs the rest more than she needs to be moved.”
Hayden gave him a nod, then took a breath and let the words out in a rush. “Are you gonna find who killed Esha?”
“Yes, we are. That’s what your aunt and I have been working on. We just need you girls to be extra careful and aware of your surroundings. You see anything weird, or something that makes you feel off? You tell us.”
“Everyone’s really scared. The school told us to go in pairs or groups, but there’s a whole bunch of kids going to a party on the bluffs tomorrow night. We’re not going because we’re not stupid – but a lot of kids are planning on being there,” Hayden said.
“The Chief and the Mayor are talking about setting up a curfew, but they won’t do that yet because the businesses are freaking out and it causes a lot of chaos and lost income. Be extra cautious, okay? I don’t think your aunt, or I, could deal with it if something happened to you girls.”
Hayden reached out and hugged Max. He stiffened for a moment, then wrapped his arms around her lightly and patted her back.
“Thanks for being around. Harper and I feel safer when you’re here. Not that Auntie V isn’t a badass or anything, but you know Haven and you don’t bullshit us.”
“Does Evan ever bullshit you?” Max asked as he pulled back and looked into Hayden’s eyes.
“Well…no. But I don’t fully trust her yet.”
“Why not?”
“There’s a secret in this family and no one ever spoke of it – and now Auntie V is the only one that knows it. I don’t like it when people aren’t completely straight with me, so it bugs me.”
“Do you think it’s a secret that will hurt you if you find out what it is?” Max asked.
“Maybe. The moms said that sometimes secrets are there to protect us. I’d like to believe that, but I don’t like being lied to. Not telling us what the secret is, is like lying.”
“You might think of it like that, but it could just be something that needs to be left in the past. My mother is happily married to Mario now, right? But when she first started dating him, she kept it all a secret from me. She didn’t want me upset at her finding a new man so soon after my father had died. She didn’t want me hurt. When she finally told me about her and Mario, and the way she made sure I knew how important he was to her – well, it didn’t hurt as much as it would have if she’d said something earlier. I also learned that my father had not been faithful to my mom – and that hurt. It changed how I viewed his memory. I didn’t need to know that – it came out in a conversation by accident. The first secret? It was to protect me, and years later, I can understand why she did that. The second one? I had no reason to know it – and it only hurt me. It could have just been left unsaid. Do you get what I’m saying?”
Hayden looked thoughtful as she processed what he said. “Yeah, I get it. Maybe it’s something that’d just hurt and not do us any good, right?”
“Right,” Max said.
“So it’s sort of lying, but not?”
“It’s not lying if someone just doesn’t want to tell you something. Lying is if they tell you something false instead of the truth.”
“And just refusing to tell someone something isn’t lying. I get it. Thanks, Max,” Hayden said.
“You’re welcome,” Max replied as she went back into the living room.