Page 29 of Serial Love

“Peach cobbler!” he exclaimed. Their eyes all turned toward Bethany.

“I…made…I mean, Gram and I made some…for all of you…to um…thank you for helping. And for last night…the um…fight.” Suddenly nervous again, she relaxed when she felt Jack’s arm around her shoulder pulling her in tight.

“Men, make yourselves at home like you normally do while I walk Bethany to her car.” He stopped and glared back at them, “And if I come back and the cobbler’s gone? There’ll be hell to pay.”

The men all laughed and watched as Jack started toward the door with her.

“Beautiful, remember to get Sally to watch Ann tomorrow night.”

Taking Jack’s hand, they walked out to her little car, now dwarfed between four other large SUVs and pickup trucks. He opened the door for her but stopped her from entering. He pressed her between his body and her car, leaning down to capture her lips.

Giving into the pleasure once more, she groaned and he wanted nothing more than to toss the guys out, forget the mission, and carry her up to his bed.

“It’s fine,” her voice broke into his thoughts.

He leaned down and touched his forehead to hers. “I’m sorry, babe. I so wish I didn’t have this meeting right now.”

“Jack, it’s not forever. It’s just for now. You call me when you can and I’ll let you make it up to me, big boy,” she teased, pressing her hips into his crotch.

Eyes wide, he said, “Oh baby, you’re going to pay for that.”

“Promise?” she whispered, kissing his throat.

“Guaranteed.”

With that, he swatted her ass as she climbed into her car and watched her drive away, determined to find a way to make his life work with a white picket fence.

11

After polishing off the cobbler, each pleased that she had made enough to feed eight large men, they relocated down to the command center.

“Glad to see you changed your mind about the lovely Ms. Bridwell,” Blaise commented, patting Jack on the shoulder.

“Gotta say, I’m nervous as hell, but…well…I’m glad too,” he responded with a nod to his men.

Settling around the table with their tablets once again in front of them and Luke at the controls for the information presented on the screen, they began their reports.

Bart stated, “Cam and I checked on the autopsy reports and interviewed the people who found the last three girls. Got some details on the cuts on the bodies.”

Luke flashed the gruesome photographs on the screen, as Bart continued. “No one’s made any identifications with the lacerations. They appear to be randomslicing of skin, in no particular order and no obvious message. But when we interviewed the first doctor who did the autopsy on Sheila Carlson, he mentioned he had been standing at her side while his assistant was at her head looking down on the body and in toward her feet. He said the assistant made the comment that it almost looked like arrows in the direction of her genitals toward her throat.”

Cam continued, “The doc said that they’d already taken pictures, so he wasn’t all that interested in his assistant’s comments, but it was something that stuck in his mind. Later he looked at the photographs, but he didn’t get that feeling at all. He mentioned it to the FBI who also have not seen anything obvious in the cuts.”

Monty said, “Even though the FBI haven’t latched onto that, I brought it to the attention of Shirley. She said it could be significant. We know the victims were alive when first tortured and were raped. If the killer obsesses over the genitals first, then makes his way up the body, with a throat slash last to actually kill, that would support a killer who’s driven by sex.”

“I thought most killers motivated by sex would go for hookers or hitchhikers or something like that,” Blaise commented.

“Not necessarily. Some do go for prostitutes,” Marc answered, “but they can also spend time scoping out their victims.”

“So, the ones who go for prostitutes may just be prowling around looking for an easy victim. This guy seems to be stalking his victims first,” Chad added.

“Right, so who’s got the time and access to move around like this? Granted his field of operation is narrowing, but this takes some organization,” Jack surmised.

“Salesmen, anyone who travels for business.”

“College recruiters,” Cam added quickly. “They travel around to high schools and work on college campuses.”

Luke began to put in more information, saying, “That’s good. Keep going.”

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