He spotted a fishing magazine on a rack near the front and picked it up. He had this issue at home but hadnt had a chance to read it. If the night got long, he could fill the time with this, he decided, topping off the basket with the magazine.
The cashiers desk remained empty as he approached. He looked around, wondering if hed just missed someone stocking shelves somewhere else in the store. But he saw no one.
Hello? His voice seemed to echo in the empty store.
He glanced back at the door. The Closed sign faced him, so the Open sign was still facing the outside.
Hello? he called again.
The silence that answered seemed to swallow him whole.
He set the basket on the counter and leaned over to look behind it. There was no one lying injured or dead behind it. But a strange, sinking sensation in Gabes belly made him keep looking.
There was a back room behind the counter; Gabe could see the door to it standing barely ajar down past the cigarette kiosk. The back room was accessible only from behind the counter, and the counter was walled off with a latched door that wouldnt budge when Gabe tried to open it.
It wasnt tall enough to pose an obstacle, however. He jumped over the door and landed behind the counter, a few feet from the back room door.
Hair prickled wildly on the back of his neck, but he forced himself forward. Hello? he called again, giving the unlatched door a light push. It swung open with a loud, groaning creak.
The light was off in the back room, hiding most of the area from Gabes view. He felt along the wall until he located a switch and gave it a flick.
Yellow light from a single bald bulb filled the room with a muddy glow, revealing what the shadows had hidden.
A woman lay on the floor, her legs stretched out and her hands flat on the floor by her side. Her clothes were neatly in place and her eyes were closed. But across her belly, a series of bloody puncture wounds marred the pale gray of her blouse.
For a second, Gabe was no longer in the middle of a convenience store back room. Instead he was in the woods of Chickasaw County, only a few yards from the trucking company where Brenda had worked, staring down at the bloodstained body of his sister-in-law.
He forced himself to touch the store clerks throat to check for a pulse, knowing what hed find as surely as he knew his own name.
This killer wasnt going to leave behind a live victim. He never had before.
Gabe pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed 911.
Then he pulled out the card still resting in his back pocket. The one Alicia Solano had handed him before she let him out of her apartment.
Alicia answered on the third ring, her voice raspy and alarmed.
Its Gabe Cooper, he said tersely, not bothering with small talk, since he knew she wouldnt want it. Theres been another murder.
What? She sounded more awake now, and over the phone, he heard the rustle of fabric, as if she were throwing on a robe. Gabe was tempted to let himself dwell on the picture that rose to mind at that thought, if only to drive out the sight of the dead woman lying at his feet.
Hed give almost anything to get that image out of his head.
I stopped at a convenience store on Route 7Stillers Food and Fuel, he said aloud. Nobody came to ring me up, so I looked for the cashier. I found her in a back room. Dead. Its the same guy, Alicia.
As the other two coed murders? she asked carefully.
As all of them, he answered, his gaze drawn back to the murderers handiwork. All of Victor Logans murders. Or the ones he helped facilitate, he added, giving in to the probability that Alicias theory was right. Alicia, this guys still killing. And youre right. We have to stop him.
Chapter Four
It was almost two oclock in the morning before Gabe Cooper knocked on Alicias door. Shed spent the hours since his call on her sofa, certain shed be unable to sleep. But the long day at work and her stressful evening had taken a toll on her stamina. Gabes knock woke her from a dead sleep.
She pushed to a sitting position on the sofa where shed nodded off, taking a second to gain control over her jangling nerves. Tightening her robe over the shorts and tank top she wore as pajamas, she pushed to her feet. After a quick check of the peephole, she unlocked the door and let Gabe inside.
He looked haggard and apologetic. I should have just gone back to the motel instead. Its so late
She took his arm and led him to the sofa. No, I want to hear everything you want to tell me. I guess youve been with the cops?
Gabes hair already looked as if hed spent the last few hours running his hands through it. Another pass didnt do anything to improve its disheveled state. Yeah. They had a lot of questions.
She hadnt even considered they might think him a suspect. They didnt arrest you or anything, did they?
No. They called my brother Aaron, whos a deputy sheriff back home. He vouched for me. That seemed to be good enough for the locals.
This is so weird. Your just dropping by that particular convenience store at that particular time
Yeah, I think the cops were pretty struck by that, too. But its less than a mile up the road from my motel, and I hadnt eaten much dinner, so I went to stock up on some snacks. Gabe grimaced. Not really that hungry anymore.
Her chest ached with sympathy. He looked so tired. You know, maybe what you really need is sleep. We can talk about this tomorrow
Gabe shook his head. Its fresh in my head now. Best time to discuss it.
Okay. How do you want to start? Just tell me what happened, start to finish? Or skip to the details?
Nothing really happenedI went to the store, shopped for the food, and by the time I got to the counter, nobody had responded to the bell over the door that rang when I arrived. Gabes blue eyes met hers suddenly. Can I have some water?
Of course. Alicia kicked herself mentally for not offering something when he first arrived. She found a large glass and filled it with water, adding extra ice because shed seen the way hed eyed the glass earlier that evening with a mixture of amusement and mild disappointment. Southerners seemed to like an inordinate amount of ice in their beverages.
He took the glass from her. Extra ice, he murmured, a small smile curving the edges of his mouth.
She smiled back. I guess you earned it.
He cradled the glass between his large hands. It was so quiet. I called out, thinking maybe the clerk was in the back and hadnt heard the bell, but there was no answer.
So you went into the back?
He nodded. The back room was dark, but I could feel her. When I turned on the light, I knew exactly what Id see.
The haggard look in his eyes when he lifted his gaze to meet hers made her breath catch. She reached across and covered his hand with her own.
He looked down at her hand, slowly turning his own until his palm touched hers. I know you told me the signatures were similar, but when I saw her lying there He broke off, seeming unable to find the words.
She waited in silence, realizing Gabe Cooper was dealing with a lot more than just finding a dead body this evening. Hed found Brenda Coopers body, too. Hed been younger than Alicia was now, no more than twenty-one or twenty-two. It might well have been the first time hed ever seen a dead body outside a funeral home. And now, it had happened again.
She waited in silence, realizing Gabe Cooper was dealing with a lot more than just finding a dead body this evening. Hed found Brenda Coopers body, too. Hed been younger than Alicia was now, no more than twenty-one or twenty-two. It might well have been the first time hed ever seen a dead body outside a funeral home. And now, it had happened again.
Gabe cleared his throat, finally, and finished his thought. It was like finding Brendas body all over again. The pose, the wounds, the womans shape and overall looks. His gaze slanted toward her. You fit the profile, Alicia. You have to know that.
She nodded.
You have to be really careful, do you understand?
I know, she agreed. Shed thought of little else since shed first realized just how much she looked like the previous two victims and, if Gabes reaction were anything to go by, the third victim as well. Did you get a name for the victim?
Melanie Phelps.
Alicia gave a small start. Melanie Phelps was in one of her psych classes. I know her. About twenty-seven, shoulder-length dark brown hair, brown eyes
Gabe nodded. This guy is a lot more specific than I ever really gave him credit for being.
How would you have known? she asked sensibly. You knew about Brenda, and after the fact, you learned about the other women in Mississippi and Alabama, but with the scrapbook practically destroyed, you couldnt have tracked those people down and made the connections.
How did you do it? Gabe asked, waving his hand at the folder still lying on her coffee table. Youve already connected these murders to previous murders, including Brendas. Howd you even know where to look?
She listened for any hint of suspicion or skepticism in Gabes voice, but all she heard was curiosity. It started with a favor I was doing for a friend. Hes a police officer, and hed been the first officer on the scene at Meredith Lindens murderthe one at the TV repair shop in Blicksville. Anyway, he went to college in Livingston, and there was a case there that had been a big deal in town, and Tonymy friendthought Meredith Lindens case sounded suspiciously similar.
So he asked you to work your profiling mojo?
She bit back a smile. Something like that. I went with the premise that there had to be other similar murders, unsolved, since the guy was still killing. I started gathering information on unsolved murders in Alabama and Mississippi. Anyway, sometime last month, Cissy came to meshed heard about my side project, since by then I was thinking seriously about making it the topic of my dissertation, and I wasnt exactly being secretive about it. She told me about Victor Logan and his scrapbook.
And Brendas murder?
She nodded. The M.O. was so similarcurvy, dark-haired, dark-eyed woman in her mid-to late twenties, working alone late at night in a secluded area. Raped, then stabbed to death. She held back a shudder. I started searching through cold cases for that victim profile, making a list of possible victims based on characteristics the killer might find appealingbody shape, hair color, eye color, type of jobthat sort of thing.
The convenience store was in the middle of nowhere, Gabe said quietly. Melanie Phelps could have gone her whole shift without seeing anyone. Just like Brenda.
Alicia nodded, not missing the bleak tone of his voice. Hed clearly taken his sister-in-laws murder hard. She wondered if there was more to it than his being the person who found her. Did the police get anything from the security tape at the convenience store? she asked aloud.
Gabe released a soft huff of grim laughter. All the tapes were missing. The guy apparently knew what to look for and covered his tracks.
Alicia grimaced. Hes been at it a long time. Hes probably only getting better at it as he goes.
You know what? I shouldnt have come here. I gave the police a statement. Its probably going to be more accurate than anything that I can come up with right now. Rubbing his temples, Gabe stood. I should just go back to the motel and let you get some sleep. I can ask to see my statement tomorrow and refresh my memory then.
Alicia caught him as he started toward the door. Wait. Dont go.
He stopped and looked down, towering over her. The room around them seemed to close in on all sides, heat roiling the air between them. Alicia dropped her hand away from his arm, but her fingers still tingled from the feel of his sinewy muscles beneath her fingertips.
What? he asked, his voice little more than a murmur.
You can take my bed. Ill sleep on the sofa.
His eyes narrowed slightly at her blurted offer, and her cheeks grew hot with embarrassment. Had she really just invited a stranger to stay the night?
I think the killers probably through for the night. You should be safe, Gabe said.
She was tempted to latch onto the easy out hed just given her, but that wasnt really why shed asked him to stay. Sure, having him around would make her feel exponentially less vulnerable, but so would a German shepherd.
Thats not what I mean, she said, stepping away from him to try to regain her focus. I justyou came here because of me, and youve had a rough night because of me. The least I can do is give you somewhere homey and nice to stay instead of some Route 7 motel room.
The motels not so bad, he said. But she could tell the words were perfunctory.
She turned back to look at him. I make a mean omelet.
His lips curved. Now youre playing dirty.
And, okay, she admitted, I would feel a little safer if someone else was here tonight.
He laid one large hand on her shoulder, the touch gentle and undemanding. Still, the flesh beneath her robe tingled and burned as if hed caressed her. Ill take the sofa.
She eyed the brightly colored sofa warily, feeling a little guilty at the idea of his spending the night hunched up there, trying to make his long limbs fit. Its not very big.
Itll do. He dropped his hand away from her shoulder and sat on the sofa, hunching forward to rub his face. His palms swished audibly against the rough patch of beard growth shadowing his jaw. Im keeping you up. You probably have classes in the morning or something.
I have a lab at eleven, she answered softly, surprised by how much willpower it was taking not to snuggle up next to him on the sofa. Where had this sudden susceptibility to big biceps and sexy blue eyes come from?
She was a career woman. Dating was a sporadic thing for her, worked in around classes and studies. Shed tried dating entirely outside the criminology pool, which ended in disaster. Then shed tried dating a copnot quite a disaster, but no happy ending there, either. She couldnt give the time or attention required to nurture a long-term relationship.
Recently, shed stopped trying.
Why criminology? Gabes voice rumbled into the middle of her musings. She found him looking up at her, curiosity tinting his blue eyes with hints of smoky gray.
Why not? she countered lightly, not sure she really wanted to get into the whole sordid Solano family saga at this time of night.
My brother Aaron became a deputy after he was arrested for toilet-papering a neighbors house, Gabe answered, leaning back and threading his fingers together behind his head. Well, not immediately after. In between, he blew out his knee, ending a promising college and maybe pro football career. That might have had something to do with it, too.