Second Chances: A PAVAD Duet Read online

  He eyed Dan warily every time they got near to each other.

  Dan put thoughts of the boy aside when J.T. and Josh announced the hotdogs and hamburgers were ready.

  As everyone ate, Dennis pulled Dan aside. “What’s going to happen next?”

  Dan shot an eye over to where his three girls sat talking to the two docs. “We move on. I deal with their mother, somehow, and take it day by day. That’s what the little doc said.”

  “Yes. And good luck. Teenage girls and single fathers―even under the better of circumstances―it’s not always easy.”

  “I don’t know my children.” Dan kept his voice low. “How can I deal with that without causing them more harm than good?”

  “Do the best you can.” Dennis paused a moment as his grandson ran up, followed closely by the youngest Glendower boy. The kid had the look of his mother, all dark hair and big bright eyes. Dennis patiently examined the frog the boys had caught then reminded them to let the creature go when they were done playing with it so it could return to its family before he turned back to Dan. “You need anything―a good lawyer, anything―call me.”

  Dan knew Dennis―like the majority of older agents―possessed a law degree. So did Dan. “I will.”

  “Good, in the meantime, let me clear out this crowd, and you get your kids settled.”

  In less time than Dan would have thought possible the other man had accomplished just that, ushering first J.T. and Josh, and then rounding up the Glendower family. Then the Dennises were gone and it was just Dan, his girls, and the doc and her two kids.

  Dan walked the Brewsters to the door, thanked the little doc for her help, impulsively dropping a kiss on her cheek, then closed the door.

  He turned back toward his daughters and swallowed.

  Kelly was cleaning his kitchen, gathering all the silverware and putting it in the sink. She moved quick, jittery and avoiding his eyes. Emma was sitting deceptively still, eyes wary. Gracie was tired, nerves on her pretty face.

  “Girls.” He paused, then began again. “I’m glad you’re here. I’ve missed you all so much.”

  “Even me?” Gracie asked. His heart melted―this was the child he’d known the least. The one he’d missed the most with.

  “Even you, kiddo. Would you girls like a tour of the house? You can pick out a bedroom or two―or three. I’ve plenty of room.” His eyes met Kelly’s, but she was already shaking her head.

  “I can’t,” she said, and if he wasn’t mistaken a bit of guilt hit her features as she looked at her sisters.

  “Why?” Emma asked.

  “I can’t leave Ally yet.” Kelly looked back at Dan. “She’s had it rough the last six months. With her husband walking out. She needs me.”

  Dan nodded. A part of him―the selfish part―didn’t like it, but if she was a help to the little doc, why would he begrudge that? “You do what you have to do, Kelly. But just know that there will always be a place for you with me. And the door will always be open for any one of my kids.”

  She looked away, and it didn’t take any profiling skills to see that she didn’t believe him.

  Chapter 25

  Ally was exhausted. She’d stayed much later than she’d intended, and that meant there were two irritable and tired children when they pulled into the driveway of the small Craftsman she’d rented. She carried Aislin to her bedroom and tucked her in quietly. Ryan shuffled his way to his own room.

  It was nearly midnight and the kids had been up since six a.m. But they had had a great time. Dan’s home had so much room that the kids―hers and Marianna’s―had been free to run and spread out without tripping over each other.

  As for Kelly and her sisters, it was a probably one of the strangest nights of their lives. Ally felt for each and every one of the girls, but mostly for Gracie. She was so hungry for a parent’s love, yet so leery of her father that it broke Ally’s heart. Emma, on the other hand, seemed to feel like Dan was never gone. As if now that they’d found him, it was all going to be different. Unrealistic expectations in Ally’s opinion.

  Kelly hadn’t said much, just eyed everyone as if she expected blows. Ally had seen her act that way before, just never on quite so grand a scale. But Ally had faith that Kelly would adjust to the rapid changes that had occurred. It would just take her time. And all Ally could do was be there when Kelly needed her. Like Kelly had been for her.

  Ally would be the first to admit she’d leaned on Kelly a lot since Jack had left. Kelly helped her with babysitting, errands, housework. Even with the kids when needed. And to Ally’s shame―Kelly had sometimes helped out with groceries and utilities. Jack had taken all their savings, and had it not been for the generous relocation allowance each member of the team had been given, Ally would have been facing some serious economic hardships while she waited for the court’s decision on the bills she and Jack had shared.

  Thank God for Kelly. She’d moved in with Ally on the pretext of a falling out with her roommate, and had offered her three hundred dollars a month in rent. Ally had agreed, even though she’d known that it was a lie.

  She owed Kelly so much, and she’d never forget that.

  She finished getting the kids to bed, then changed into more comfortable clothing just as Kelly’s car pulled in to the drive.

  She met her friend at the door. “You ok?”

  “Yes. No. Maybe.” Kelly put her bag on the table by the door before flopping on to the couch. “I am so freaking confused right now.”

  “I’ll bet. Did you get your sisters settled ok?” Ally pulled two bottles of juice from the fridge and handed one to the younger woman.

  “Yes. They’re sleeping bagging it tonight, then my dad said something about getting furniture out of storage. Gracie is overwhelmed. ”

  “I thought so. And Emma?”

  “Emma is rainbows and sunshine with everything. Thinks my dad is like some hero or something.” Kelly’s voice wobbled. “Thinks that now the boogeyman won’t get her anymore.”

  “And what do you think of your father?”

  “I think he’s just a man. He’s not as big as I remember. When I was little, Al, he would pick me up and whirl me so high in the air I’d think I was flying. Now, he’s just a couple of inches taller than I am.”

  “I think that’s pretty normal about parents. Ryan used to think his father walked on water.”

  “And now he won’t even talk about him,” Kelly said, breath coming out in a long sigh. She looked so tough and hard, with black clothes, multiple ear piercings, and purple streaks, but on the inside, she was one of the most vulnerable people Ally had ever met. “My dad was a good dad. I can’t forget that. He never hit, never yelled. Always made dinner, did the laundry. Even helped with homework. When he was home. He was gone a lot of times, though. And then my mother was different. Like Janus, the two headed god. When my father was home, she was freaking June Cleaver. When he was gone, she was a freaking horror.”

  “Bipolar?”

  “I think so. She’s never said. I’ve never asked. It’s easier to just stay away.”

  “Did your father know?”

  “About how she was? I don’t think so. I used to wonder, but when I think back―no. I remember her breaking my arm once.”

  Ally’s juice backed up in her throat, shocked at how casual Kelly had said it. She’d never spoken of her childhood in Ally’s hearing. And Ally had never really asked, sensing she wouldn’t want to talk about it.

  “Yeah. I’d said something she didn’t like when she was yelling at Emma for spilling her milk on the kitchen floor, she grabbed my arm and jerked me across the kitchen. Crack, there it was.”

  “What happened when your father found out?”

  “I don’t think he ever did. He’d been on a case, gone for three days. By the time he got back she’d drilled the story into mine and Emma’s heads that I’d crashed my bike when the neighbor’s dog darted out in front of me. Reiterated it so much that Emma to this day thinks that’s what
happened. She was only four and doesn’t remember any differently even though she was there. I was eight. Dad came home, heard the dog story and went and bought me ice cream and a new My Little Pony. That’s when I finally cried. When he got home. Because I knew that if I cried when he was gone she would have punished me so badly. When he was home we were the perfect family.”

  “And he never knew?”

  “No.”

  “And you resent that still.”

  “Partially.” Kelly’s bottle hit the coffee table with a thunk. “How did he miss it, Al?”

  “Sometimes, parents don’t know everything, Kel. And when you love and trust your partner, it never even occurs to you that they could be doing something so abhorrent.” Like screwing their secretary, for instance. “If your mom did such a good job of crafting stories to feed your dad―stories you and Emma validated―he wouldn’t have known. Especially if he was gone a lot.”

  “I guess.”

  “You need to forgive your dad, Kelly. He loves you and he loves your sisters. Your mother is the one to blame here, for the most part. Yes, your dad shares some of that blame―but only a bit. She took you, hurt you, and hurt him. He was a good dad when you had him―give him a chance to be a good one again.”

  Chapter 26

  Dan didn’t know what to do with a teenage girl. He’d be the first to admit it. He also didn’t know what to do with a twenty-one year old college student who seemed bent on filling his once empty house with light, laughter, and noise. Emma was a definite butterfly, and she drew people to her almost effortlessly. Even Paige, who preferred spending most of her time in the small basement apartment, had been coaxed upstairs by the younger Emma.

  Emma made up for the quietness of her younger sister. At first it bothered Dan that the teenager seemed so serious, but then he realized that was just who Gracie was. A quiet introvert who preferred to watch the world around her before deciding how to participate.

  Kelly visited twice over the weekend, the time tense and uncomfortable for both her and Dan. He had to remind himself on several occasions to just take things slow.

  It was hard, after spending a lifetime without his children to have them suddenly close by. The reality of it somewhat overwhelmed him.

  Monday brought quite a few changes as well. He took part of the day to enroll Gracie in Brynlock Academy then headed into the CCU where things were at least familiar. If not normal. The CCU could never be called normal.

  “Grab your gear!” Hellbrook said less than five minutes after Dan settled at his desk. “We’ve pulled a case.”

  “Shit! Hellbrook―I can’t leave town right now.” Not until things settled with the girls and his ex. He wasn’t taking the chance that they’d be gone again. Never again.

  “Relax. So far it’s local,” Georgia said from her characteristic spot beside her husband. “Two bodies found along the banks.”

  “What brought us in?” The CCU handled cases that other units couldn’t solve. A blend of doctors, profilers, and former cops, their seven member team was often the last option for cases.

  “They think it’s the Ghost.” Norton grabbed his coat, hiding the holster he wore beneath the soft leather.

  The Ghost was the name given to a serial killer they’d been after for at least nine months. The man―or woman―had murdered twenty-three women in the St. Louis and surrounding tri-state area and left no trace of forensic evidence. They were no further along than when they’d first pulled the case. Dan’s gaze sharpened, falling on Compton’s face.

  The boy had lost a good friend six months earlier to who they suspected was the Ghost. A St. Louis Metro cop, Becca Silvio and Compton had volunteered at the same youth shelter. Silvio had simply never made it home after her shift one night. Her body had been found in Benton Park. Compton never said much about it, but Dan knew he’d attended the funeral. Had spoken with the woman’s mother on occasion.

  Dan knew the kid was taking the Ghost personally. And taking a case personally could prove dangerous. They had all seen too much evidence of that in recent past. And had nearly lost several agents in the process.

  “How are they connecting these bodies to the UNSUB?” Dan refused to refer to the killer by the moniker given by the press. Nicknames for killers just seemed to romanticize them. He figured it was best to call them what they were: monsters, otherwise known as Unknown Subjects.

  “I’m not real clear on the details. I’ve called in Evidence Recovery. A team will be meeting us there.”

  Once Dan hit the elevators with the rest of the team he pushed thoughts of his daughters and his personal life from his mind. There was no room for personal. Not when on the job. Personal got people killed.

  Compton was silent during the drive. Dan took a moment to pull the kid aside after parking the vehicle and exiting. “You know it might not be the guy.”

  “I know.” Compton’s jaw tightened as he looked past Dan’s shoulder to the covered bodies lying on the pier. They were waiting for Dr. Bellows and her people to arrive for collection of the bodies. “If it is, he’s escalating. Becca’s murder was six months ago, and how many have we had since then? Three? Yet now there are two bodies? He’s never killed two in one episode before.”

  “I didn’t realize there had been three more possible victims.” The two men followed the rest of their team to speak with the local law enforcement who’d first responded.

  “Last two were while you were recuperating.” Georgia said, one hand holding the long dark hair out of her eyes as the winds whipped around her. She shivered. “Each kill is more violent than the last.”

  Dan’s eyes drifted from the woman before him to the latest vehicle to arrive. A dark SUV, standard government issue, pulled to a stop and Doc Brewster was the first out. She was followed quickly by Kelly and another dark haired woman that Dan hadn’t met yet.

  Hellbrook cursed roundly and stepped in their direction. Dan followed, understanding Hellbrook’s reasoning perfectly. They shouldn’t have been sent to this sight. Hellbrook commanded their attention and the doc paused just to Dan’s left, shivering. He shifted to block the wind.

  “Before you process the scene, doctor, there are some things in particular you need to look for and need to know.” Dan listened as Hellbrook listed the peculiarities of the UNSUB. “You have fresh eyes. We need that. But for the duration, while working this case you absolutely must do everything in pairs. And keep your eyes open.”

  “There’s something you’re not telling us,” the doc said, straightening. Kelly and the other woman stiffened. The dark haired woman’s hand dropped to the weapon at her side. It was a telling gesture. She, at least, knew there was a potential threat. Dan ran an eye over the doc and his daughter. Neither was armed. Their choice, as forensic scientists weren’t required to carry. Even though he thought they all should. “What is it?”

  “The last female cop to work on this case became the third victim,” Hellbrook said. “In fact, this guy’s preferred choice in victims is women attached to law enforcement, and we believe he picks some of his next victims by watching the current victim’s cases. If you feel you are being watched, report it.”

  Chapter 27

  Ally didn’t need to hear that. She shot a look at Kelly and Cody after Agent Hellbrook was finished speaking. “Cody, take the perimeter. Kelly, second body.”

  Her people knew what they were doing. And they could do it both quickly and thoroughly. Dan and Dr. Compton stayed next to the pier, while the rest of their team spread out. It was the first time Kelly had gotten to see the CCU in action.

  Ally listened with half an ear to the two men’s conversation as she secured the first body for transport. Dr. Bellows and her team were just pulling in, and the bodies would be on their way to the morgue shortly.

  “Talk it out for me, son. Take that damned Ghost out of the equation. What do you see?” Dan’s voice was low, but Ally had to admit she loved the timber of it. The strength and even the calm.

  “
Victims. Both Caucasian. Young. Mid-twenties. Probably attractive.” Dr. Compton’s words were quick and clinical. “High quality clothing. Probably from the wealthier suburbs or the more expensive downtown areas.”

  “Placement of the bodies?” Dan asked.

  “Tossed. Or so it looks at first glance. But they are in too nearly identical positions. Made to look like trash. Like the UNSUB didn’t care about what happened to them after he was done with them.”

  “And that tells you what?”

  “This guy is methodical. That he plans what he is doing down to the last detail. One reason why we’ve yet to find tangible physical evidence. But why two? We’ve never had two bodies before.” Dr. Compton moved closer to Ally’s position. He knelt beside Kelly.

  “Surprise, maybe. He was with one victim and the second startled him?” Dan said. He followed the younger agent but didn’t kneel down. Instead he stood by Ally’s side, his larger body providing some shelter from the wind. He did it without thinking, and Ally appreciated it.

  “I don’t know. If this is the Ghost, he plans things for every eventuality. He stalks his victims, we’ve established that. The chance that he’d be interrupted―something he’d work to prevent.” Compton nodded at Kelly to continue processing. “If this is the same guy...”

  “Forget that science in your head, Josh. Is your gut telling you this is the same UNSUB or not?” Dan asked, after offering Ally a hand up. She removed her sterile gloves and bagged them before accepting.

  “Yes, it’s the same bastard,” Dr. Compton said harshly. Ally’s eyes jumped to his face. His jaw was clenched, his hands fisted.

  “Then we catch him,” Dan said. Ally turned back to him, not missing the slightly worried expression he sent the younger man’s way.