Garrett crawled back to the cell door, pulled himself to his feet, and waited for his master to hand him a weapon. He knew the drill.
He slid the Taser into Garrett’s hand. “Her name is Erin. I want you to Taser her, and then I want you to kiss her while she writhes on the ground. Make it a good one, Garrett. Pretend it’s your wife you’re kissing.”
Garrett had been beaten and abused for so long, he no longer questioned his master’s authority.
Garrett held up the Taser, flipped the switch, and jabbed her in the shoulder.
Erin screamed. Arms flailing, she dropped to the ground. One quick jolt was all it took. As she thrashed around on the floor, Garrett crawled on top of her and brought her mouth to his.
A thump and a howl coming from the other cell made him groan. He walked over to Dog’s cell and banged a fist against the door. “Knock it off in there.”
More wailing sounded, forcing him to pull out his keys. Before he had a chance to step inside, his phone buzzed, reminding him it was time to feed the animals. Garrett and Erin forgotten, he relocked Dog’s cell, then walked back to where he’d been sitting on the stool and began gathering his things. A flash of movement caught his eyes. He looked up, surprised to see Erin standing so close.
Her arm shot out through the space between the bars.
Zap.
The metal tongs pricked the side of his neck. The pain was surprisingly shocking, sending him to the floor. On his side, teeth clenched, he saw her reach for his bag and then struggle to pull it into her cell. There was nothing he could do but watch her dump its contents onto the ground, her fingers clawing through his things.
As Garrett cowered in the corner, the palms of his hands clutching both sides of his head, the girl continued her search, determined to find something that wasn’t there.
He’d been right about her. She was feisty and brave. And he couldn’t wait to discipline her.
THREE
As Colin walked to his car, he inwardly scolded himself for volunteering his services.
His reasoning was twofold.
Number one, he was busy working the Heartless Killer case. The serial killer had been leaving a trail of fear throughout the city of Sacramento for six years now. Every morning before school, parents warned their children to be aware of their surroundings and never go anywhere alone. Even the wariest residents were unnerved.
The FBI profiler who had been brought in to help said the Heartless Killer was a smart, single white male, a loner between the age of twenty-nine and thirty-six who came from a troubled family and had most likely suffered significant abuse. The list went on.
Traits of many serial killers.
Nothing new.
Based on his findings, Colin would add that this particular single white male killer was fearless. He went into people’s homes and took victims from public places in broad daylight without being detected. That was not something a lot of serial killers did. When it came to his victims, the killer didn’t seem to care about gender or age. He wasn’t a sexual predator, but like most serial killers, he enjoyed power and control.
Twelve months ago, the last time the killer had struck, every detective in investigations had been pulled in to work the case. Whenever that happened, they worked twelve-hour shifts until the leads dried up, which was where they were right now. Although he’d gotten six hours of sleep last night, the longest in a while, Colin was surviving on fumes.
The second reason he shouldn’t be running after Olivia was because he’d vowed to stay away from Jessie after he’d made the mistake of suggesting they turn things up a notch and start dating. Jessie had not hesitated to tell him she wasn’t ready to be anything more than friends.
He knew dating a cop wasn’t easy, since cops tended to be inquisitive, worked long hours, and always had a target on their backs, but Jessie came with her own set of difficulties. She was a complicated woman who could be stubborn and much too serious.
And yet, despite it all, he loved her.
She was compassionate to a fault. She was patient and understanding, and his daughter, Piper, adored her. Jessie was everything he wanted in a relationship. And yet the moment she’d told him she wasn’t ready for anything more, he’d walked out of her life. He’d thought it would be easier for both of them, but now he knew better. He missed her.
He used his key fob to hit the “Unlock” button from a few feet away. Then he pulled out his cell phone and called Olivia. No answer.
As he pulled out of the parking lot, his phone rang. It was his sister, Emma. He hit the “Talk” button on the console. “Hey, sis. What’s going on?”
“Where are you?”
“On my way to pick up Olivia from school.”
“Olivia Cole? I thought you and Jessie were finished.”
“It’s a long story.”
“I bet.”
He said nothing. Merely waited for her to state the reason for her call.
“Kimberly is getting married,” she finally blurted.
“Interesting.”
“Why is that?”
“I saw her two days ago when I was picking up Piper, and she didn’t say a word. But good for her. I hope she and Nate are very happy.”
“His name is Niles.”
“And you called me to tell me this, why?”
“Because she asked me to be her maid of honor.”
The news shouldn’t have surprised him or bothered him in any way, but it did. It didn’t matter that he and Kimberly had been divorced longer than they’d been married. His ex-wife had a way of making sure he always knew what she was up to, always finding a way to update him with every detail of her life, making sure he knew she was doing just fine without him. Asking his sister to be in her wedding would only help her cause. It wasn’t enough that his nine-year-old daughter rattled off a long list of Nate’s glowing attributes every time Colin had her for the weekend. “I didn’t know the two of you were that close,” Colin said. “Isn’t Nate the guy she met at Starbucks?”
“His name is Niles, but what’s your point?”
“They’ve known each other for what, a couple of months?”
“Two years this Friday.”
Wow. Time really did fly. The truth was he didn’t like Nate. There was something about the guy that hit every nerve. He didn’t like the idea of Nate being a father figure to Piper.
“Are you still there?”
“Yeah, still here.”
“So, do you mind?”
Before he could figure out what Emma was talking about, his phone buzzed. “I’ve got another call coming in. Sorry. Gotta go.”
“Call me later,” she said.
“Will do.” He picked up the incoming call from Levi Hooper, forensics, and said, “Detective Grayson.”
“More bad news,” Levi said. “Blood and hair samples from the homicide in Citrus Heights came back. We have nothing to tie this murder to the Heartless Killer.”
While Colin let that sink in, Levi asked, “What’s next?”
“Briefing first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Okay, I’ll make sure everyone’s there. See you then.”
Colin drove up to the curb in front of C. K. McClatchy High School, climbed out of the car, and took a look around. Then he called Olivia’s number for the second time. Still no answer.
A few kids lingered here and there, mostly stragglers waiting to be picked up. Inside the front office, there was an elderly woman wrapping things up for the day. The school day had ended twenty-five minutes ago, and she hadn’t seen Olivia. Colin figured Olivia had either gotten a ride home or had decided to walk.
But since he was at the school, he made the rounds and checked the library, the cafeteria, and the football field before he headed back to his car.