Savage Echoes (The Nickie Savage Series, Short Story Prequel) Read Free Page B

captive in some place with water, some outside cold place...
    She heard his car. Duncan had more secrets than just his eidetic memory. He was The Taste of L.A. who painted the rich and famous. And he liked to get his hands dirty working on cars. Like his memory, she would keep this secret safe for him, too.
    He walked directly to her and linked their fingers in silent greeting. What did it mean that his simple presence could reduce her blood pressure? It was foreign to her.
    Nodding in return, she squeezed, let go, then climbed the three wooden stairs to the door.
    "Tom Bradley?" she asked the man who answered. She'd already seen his picture and knew it was him. Short black hair. Brown eyes. Five-foot-eleven. Skinny as hell.
    "Who are you?" he murmured with a smile.
    She pushed aside her jacket and revealed the badge on her belt. "I'm Detective Nickie Savage." Holding up the picture of Serena, she asked, "Have you seen this girl?" She watched to see if he broke eye contact. Creating a lie?
    He didn't. Either he was telling the truth or was a stone cold freak.
    "I'm a law abiding citizen." He stepped aside and gestured with his arm. "Come in. Look around if you don't believe me."
    She turned to Duncan who was looking back at her. Bradley hadn't asked who he was. They exchanged knowing looks and entered the home.
    It was about the same size and style as the Flats' home but was precisely clean. A single dollar-store picture hung in the center of each wall. The coffee table and entertainment center held a total of two remote controls and the television.
    Bradley followed them silently. She glanced at Duncan every few minutes, watching as he scanned each room. He had a system when he entered any space or building, investigation or not. He stood at the entrance and took several seconds to scan the area. Not only would he carry an exact picture of each area of Tom Bradley's home, he had a knack at spotting details most people missed, even a detective.
    They didn't have time for a warrant and were lucky Bradley was arrogant enough to let them in this far. "May I?" she asked as she placed her hand on the knob of a closet door.
    "Of course. I said I have nothing to hide. I am a law abiding citizen," he repeated. It was creepy. He was enjoying this. Was it the attention?
    She knew the statistics of rehabilitating a sex offender, and they were close to zero. They found shoes, dirty boots, clothes and a hanger that held an array of belts on one side and ties on the other.
    As they went back down the stairs, Duncan glanced over his shoulder, giving her a look that said he had something to tell her. Funny how they could read each other's thoughts after only a few months as a... couple?
    But she trusted him. She gave Bradley her card and thanked him for his time.
    When they reached her car, Duncan turned to face her. "I have three possible locations. We should take a look."
    She considered as she leaned a hip on her police issued unmarked. "I need to check out the boyfriend, and I want to see about a teacher who didn't show up for Serena's class today. How did you—? You hacked into the police department database again, didn't you?" she said as she poked him in the chest.
    His smile was pure evil, and it sent waves of desire through her she shouldn't have been feeling at a time like this. "I'll follow you."
    As she walked around and opened her car door, she noticed the curtains fall in the front window of Bradley's home.
    * * *
    The first stop was a bridge over a highway just outside of town. Nickie hoped the others weren't too much farther out. She'd called in her location to the captain on the drive but couldn't very well ask for backup because Duncan thought he heard a location.
    Duncan pulled over in front of her, about two hundred yards from the bridge. She didn't mind walking on gravel in her heeled boots. Her ankles were made of steel.
    He wrapped his long fingers around hers as they stalked in the silence. Who did he think he was