Vicious Read Free Page B

recognize the name, but then she’d been gone for a long time. Most of the places she had frequented as a fake ID toting teenager were long gone.
    “Popular nightclub over on Tenth. Detective Wells is there now interviewing the manager and the employees who worked last night.”
    Lori Wells was another respected member of SPU. Though Jess had only been away for the day, she was glad to be back at work with her team. She glanced at Harper’s profile as he drove through the darkness. These people felt like family.
    Her arms went around her waist. Being a part of a family was something she’d never been very good at. Her sister, Lily, would say Jess was too busy with work for family stuff. Frankly, it was high time she got the hang of balancing the two. The child she carried was depending on her.
    The baby was a secret she had to keep for a while longer—or at least until she figured out how to prevent Spears from discovering what he would no doubt see as a new pawn to use in his evil game.
     
    Raleigh Avenue, Homewood, 10:33 p.m.
    The small bungalow sat on a corner lot in a neighborhood that had seen better days. The homes were older, the yards a little larger. The cars belonging to the victims were parked in the driveway. Four BPD cruisers were on the scene with two blocking the street, while the officers kept traffic and pedestrians clear of the area. The crime scene unit had arrived and, of course, the usual news crew suspects. Questions were shouted at Jess as she walked toward the house. She ignored the reporters. There was nothing to tell just yet.
    “The ME en route?” she asked as she and Harper ducked under the yellow tape officially proclaiming the property as a place where bad things had happened.
    He nodded. “Dr. Baron’s heading this way now. She’s sent me three,” he glanced at his cell, “make that four text messages wanting to know what was taking us so long. She didn’t want to show up until you were on the scene.”
    They were all waiting for Jess to arrive and take charge. Murder was her specialty. Typically, she considered that an asset, somehow tonight she just felt tired.
    As tired as she was, she was surprised Deputy Chief Black wasn’t here insisting his division work this double homicide. He and Jess had issues when it came to who was assigned what case. Maybe Black was resigned to having her around.
    If he wasn’t, he might as well get that way. Jess was here to stay.
    “Officer Cook is taking statements from the two uniforms that were first on the scene.” Harper gestured to the official BPD car parked in the driveway behind the victims’ vehicles. “Jernigan’s waiting in the cruiser. She didn’t want to stay in the house.”
    “Can’t say as I blame her.” Jess looked from the cruiser to the home now filled with official personnel. “I’ll come back to Jernigan after I’ve had a look inside.” The sooner she examined the scene, the more quickly she could start to form an assessment of the killer. His every move told her something about him and his reason for committing murder. Uncovering the motive was key in finding the killer.
    The uniform guarding the front door stepped aside as Jess approached the stoop. Harper passed her gloves and shoe covers. “Thank you, Sergeant.”
    “I know you’ve seen a lot in your time with the FBI,” Harper was saying as he tugged on the required protective wear, “but this is damned bizarre. Whoever killed these women is one sick puppy.”
    Jess reminded herself to catch a last big breath before entering the house. “Lead the way, Sergeant.”
    The odor of coagulated blood hung thick in the air. Not that it had far to go in the small home. Forensic techs were snapping photos and dusting for prints in the main living area. There were no immediate indications of trouble. The space was sparsely furnished, with little of the usual clutter of everyday life. If the home had air conditioning, it wasn’t working very well. It was as hot