Page 17

Chapter 17

Brenna lay for several minutes in the circle of Nick’s arms, enjoying the sight of him sleeping, his naked chest rising and falling with every breath. Midnight-black hair fell over his forehead, and Brenna longed to brush it aside. But she didn’t want to wake him yet.

Her emotions were too raw, and she needed time alone to work through what had happened during the dark morning hours.

With a glance at the clock, she realized it was nearing noon, and the others would wonder where they were.

Although she longed to stay snuggled in Nick’s arms, she needed to get away from him and think.

Carefully, so as not to awaken him, she slipped from the bed, gathered clothing and left the room. Closing the door behind her, she locked herself in the bathroom, dressed quickly and pulled her hair into a ponytail.

Other than her lips being a little swollen and a bit of beard burn on her throat, she didn’t look any different. But she felt like another woman stared back at her from the mirror.

Blowing out her cheeks, she bent to brush her teeth and left the bathroom without another glance at the stranger in the looking glass.

Nick would be angry she’d left, but she had to get away and think without him in the vicinity. Careful not to make a sound, she tiptoed out of the room and eased the door closed. Not until she was safely out of the hotel, did she take a deep breath and run for her car.

When she arrived at the station, Brenna headed straight for the war room.

“Hey, Jensen, where’s Tarver?” Paul sat at the computer, a cup of coffee perched on the edge of the desk.

“I left him at the hotel, sleeping.”

Paul frowned. “That’s too bad.”

“Why?”

Melissa walked up beside her, wearing gloves and a mask and carrying an envelope. “You got another one of those letters.”

Brenna’s gut erupted in a flutter of nerves.

“We didn’t think you’d mind if we opened it.” Chief Burkholder spoke from the doorway.

“Hi, Chief.” Brenna shrugged. “I’m glad you did. I’m tired of the notes. Hell, I’m tired, period. What did he say this time?”

“He didn’t say anything,” the chief said.

“Huh?”

Melissa held up a sheet of paper. “He sent us a map.”

“A map?” Brenna leaned close to the paper. It was a computer printout of an online map with two bright red stars near the center of the page.

“We figure it’s the locations of Gomez and Carmichael. He’s impatient for us to find his little presents.” Chief Burkholder sighed. “I have a forensics team on their way out to both locations.”

“What about the map? Can we get any information from it?” Brenna wanted to take the map from Melissa, but she didn’t dare without gloves.

“I’m working that angle.” Paul sat with his gaze intent on the computer screen. “I have a buddy in the bureau who traced the Maury Travis case in St. Louis. He’s already working to pinpoint the IP address of the computer that generated this map.”

“How long do you think it’ll take?” Brenna asked.

“No telling.” Paul tapped a pen on the desk. “It took them four days on the Travis case.”

Her chest squeezed tightly as she thought about all the people the killer could take out in that time frame. “We don’t have four days. This guy tried to kill Robin last night.”

“We have two cops on her room at the hospital. He’d be a fool to try killing her after last night.” The chief slipped an arm around Brenna’s shoulder. “Heard you went for a swim to get her out of that truck.”

A chill shivered its way down her spine despite the warmth of the chief’s arm. “That’s right. Unfortunately, Jason Conlin didn’t make it.”

A cell phone chirped, and everyone in the room glanced down at his or her cell phones. It was the chief’s.

“Chief Burkholder.” As he listened, every gaze in the room was on him.

Brenna held her breath.

When he finally ended the call, he sighed. “They found Gomez’s and Carmichael’s bodies.”

“Damn.” Melissa walked to the whiteboard and made notes of the locations and dates as the chief relayed the information.

“That wasn’t all, they said.” The chief stared around the room at the team assembled.

“What? Another body?” Paul asked.

“No. The levy is leaking like a freakin’ sieve, and it’s only a matter of time before it breaks. The mayor and emergency management team have issued an immediate evacuation order for the city.”

Brenna’s heart thumped against her ribcage. “Great. Nothing like a flood to get in the way of catching a murderer.” She’d been through the last flood and knew the chaos of a citywide evacuation. “Geez, he could take out anybody, anywhere, anytime. This is going to be a disaster.”

Chief Burkholder shook his head. “And we’re going to need every cop on the force to direct traffic out of town. We won’t have enough for the evacuation, much less to watch out for every single woman.” He hurried to the door and yelled, “Sergeant Behrendt!”

The desk sergeant raced into the room a minute later. “Yes, sir?”

“Mobilize every available man. The city is under a mandatory evacuation order issued by the mayor.”

“Yes, sir.” The sergeant spun and left the room to carry out the orders.

Melissa stood beside the whiteboard, her gaze on the empty doorway. “Where will everyone go?”

“Bismarck, Minot, and some of the smaller towns in between. The emergency management team will notify nearby towns and cities to expect evacuees.” He gave them a twisted smile. “You guys are on your own. Let me know if you need anything from the force. I have a city to clear.”

Paul reached for his cell phone. “Time for our fearless leader to come to work.”

Brenna’s heart leaped into overdrive at the mention of Nick. She wasn’t ready to face him after last night. She’d opened up to him more than she’d ever done with any other man. It had left her feeling...exposed.

Her phone rang at her side, and she pulled it from its clip, breathing a sigh of relief that it was her sister’s number flashing across the screen and not Nick’s. “Hey, Alice. What’s up?” Besides the water, a killer and the fact I’m falling for an FBI agent.

“Have you heard?” Before Brenna could respond, she continued, her voice fast and high-pitched. “They’re evacuating Riverton.”

“The chief just informed us. Are you okay?”

“Yes, a little nuts, but okay.” Her usually calm and unflappable sister didn’t sound so okay.

Brenna gripped the phone tighter.

“I can’t get hold of Stan. He’s out on a call and not answering his cell phone. I need help getting Mom loaded into the minivan. I can’t do it by myself with the little ones. Can you come for a few minutes? I hate to ask the neighbors when they’re all as busy as I am.”

Brenna stared around the room at Paul and Melissa. They hadn’t found the killer yet, and when people started leaving, they might not find him. Her sister had never asked for help and had taken on the burden of caring for their mother without complaint. “I’ll be right over.”

“Thank you.” Alice’s gratitude came across in a gust of a sigh.

Since Paul was on the phone with Nick, Brenna turned to Melissa who lounged against the conference table, staring up at the whiteboard of evidence. “I need to run to my sister’s house for a few minutes. I should be back before Nick gets here.”

Melissa pushed away from the table. “I’ll go with you.”

Paul flipped his phone shut. “Go where?”

“My sister needs my help with my mother. It’ll only take thirty minutes tops.”

“Good, because Melissa and I just got orders to round up your brother-in-law’s employees for a little questioning about internet cables before they leave town. That means we have to call them in now.” Paul stood and stretched. “Which reminds me, the boss man wasn’t happy you skipped out on him.”

Her face burning, Brenna turned away on the pretext of slipping into her jacket. “He’ll get over it. Besides, I don’t need a babysitter.”

Melissa touched a hand to her arm. “We know you’re not a baby, but that killer has you in his crosshairs, and it’s just not safe out there.”

Brenna glanced at the two agents staring at her with concern in their eyes. “I’ll be careful. I’m only going to my sister’s and back.”

Melissa frowned. “Still, I think I should go with you.”

“We need to catch a killer. Questioning those employees is a higher priority than escorting me. You better get to it.” Brenna zipped her jacket. “I’ll be back in thirty minutes.”

Before they could lodge further protests, Brenna swept out of the room and through the station.

Her sister needed her, and she couldn’t let her down. Besides, what could happen in thirty minutes?

Nick scrambled into jeans, shirt and shoes, cursing when he stubbed his toe on the metal bed frame. Why the hell hadn’t she woken him? She knew the rules, and she’d gone off without him.

Dread settled low in his gut. After talking with Paul, he knew Brenna was safe at the station, but he couldn’t help worrying. With the city in an uproar to evacuate, the killer could capitalize on the chaos and make his move on Brenna. And Nick wouldn’t be there to run interference.

He accomplished the trip to the station in less than ten minutes, gripping the steering wheel so tightly at each stoplight he thought for sure the damned thing would break in two. His instinct told him Brenna was in danger, and he was running out of time.

After parking in a no parking zone in the station lot, Nick leaped from the sedan and raced into the building.

Paul met him at the door to the war room, his face excited. “We have an IP address!”

“I thought you were questioning Klaus’s employees.” Nick pushed past him, his gaze scanning the room’s interior.

“We are, or will be, once the police bring them in. But did you hear me? We have an IP address.”

When he didn’t see any sign of the female Special Agent, Nick asked, “Where’s Brenna?”

“She should be back in...” Paul glanced down at his watch. “...fifteen minutes.”

“Back?” Nick grabbed Paul’s shoulders in a steely grip. “Back from where? The bathroom, the soda machine? Please, tell me she’s in the station.”

Paul’s brow furrowed, and he shook off Nick’s hands. “Get a grip, buddy. She ran over to her sister’s house to help with her mother.”

“By herself?” He held his breath for Paul’s answer.

The other man cocked a brow at Nick. “Yeah. She said she’d be back in thirty minutes. That was fifteen minutes ago. She should be on her way back about now. Is there a problem?”

Realizing he might be overreacting a bit, Nick inhaled and exhaled twice before he spoke again. “I don’t know. But you and Melissa knew I didn’t want her out there alone.”

“She insisted. Besides, it’s broad daylight. This guy hasn’t attacked in the daytime.”

“Not that we know of.” Nick glanced at his watch. Fifteen minutes seemed like a long time. “What were you saying about an IP address?”

“Like I told you over the phone, I had a buddy of mine run a scan of the most common mapping databases used to find the IP address of the computer that generated the map we received in the mail this morning. Anyway, we got a hit. Thank God this is a small town. We should have a phone number and a name in the next thirty minutes to an hour.” Paul grinned and dropped down into the seat in front of the computer.

“He’s made his mistake.” Hope flared in Nick’s chest, but his satisfaction was short-lived when he glanced down at his watch. Without Brenna there, he couldn’t feel good about anything. He shoved his hand through his hair as he walked over to the whiteboard. “When did she say she’d be back?”

Paul’s hands paused over the keyboard. “Who, Brenna?”

“Yes, Brenna!”

“Ten more minutes.” Paul’s phone rang. “Maybe that’s her now.” He tapped his phone screen and lifted it to his ear. “Fletcher speaking.”

Nick’s gaze could have bored a hole into Paul’s phone, but he still couldn’t hear the caller’s voice.

Paul glanced his way and shook his head, silently telling him it wasn’t Brenna. Then he turned his attention to the caller. “Great. Give it to me.” Paul listened, jotting down the information. Then he said, “Thanks, Joe. I owe you one.” He hung up and grinned. “We’ve got him!”

“Got who? What are you talking about?” Nick asked. Right now, though his eyes stared at the whiteboard details, his thoughts focused on nothing but Brenna.

“The killer. We traced the IP address and came up with an address and name.”

Nick walked over to the table where Paul sat. “What’s the name?”

“S. Klaus,” Paul said, not looking up.

In mid-stride, Nick stopped as the name crashed through his preoccupied thoughts to his brain. Fear gripped him in its icy clutches, freezing out everything but the words Paul had uttered.

“What did you say?” Nick asked, wanting, needing the confirmation.

“An S. Klaus,” Paul repeated. “At 214 West Nodak Street.”

All the blood drained from Nick’s head. Stanley Klaus was the one who’d sent the map and notes.

Stanley Klaus was their murderer.

“Damn!” Nick’s fist pounded the conference table.

Paul jumped. “What’s going on?”

“Stanley Klaus is Brenna’s brother-in-law.” Before he finished the sentence, he was halfway across the room, tossing his jacket over his shoulder.

“The man married to the sister she went to help?” Paul trotted to keep up with Nick all the way out to the parking lot.

Nick unlocked the door to the sedan and climbed in, his thoughts on the house on Nodak Street and the woman walking into a possible trap. “One and the same.”