Page 91 of Girl Between (Dana Gray FBI Mystery Thriller #5)
Dana sat in the shaded courtyard of Café Beignet, which conveniently backed up to the police precinct. The rain had washed away the fine dusting of powdered sugar that normally covered the green cast-iron bistro tables and chairs. But still, the air smelled sweet despite the bitterness of her mood.
Through the thick boughs of the magnolia tree Dana sat under, she could see Agent Creed briefing the press on the precinct steps. George stood stoically behind him.
She and George were supposed to be on their way to speak to Elizabeth Barton’s mother, but when Creed commandeered him for the press conference, Lena suggested Dana join her for something to eat besides the stale donuts in the precinct break room.
“It was worth a try,” Lena said as she stabbed her red beans and rice with a black plastic fork.
“There has to be a more accurate way to run the search,” Dana mused as she took another sip of her iced café au lait.
George was right. The Royal Street Café Beignet was better than Café du Monde. At least here they had more to offer than fried dough. Dana ordered a salad but was too distracted to enjoy it thanks to Creed’s brush off .
He’d patronizingly assured her that they were looking into the organ trade angle.
Thanks to her persistence, he’d actually humored her request for a TNC search of medical schools.
When it didn’t change the suspect pool, he’d implied she stick to her day job and leave the rest to his team of professional profilers.
Normally, she would’ve taken a comment like that in stride, but Jake wasn’t being dramatic when he’d said Creed was ushering in a new regime.
The new group of young tech-savvy agents did little to inspire her confidence when it came to profiling.
It was an art form of reading human behavior developed over time and in the field.
Neither of which the fresh-faced batch of BAU profilers could have honed.
It wasn’t that Dana was particularly gifted when it came to human interaction, but being an awkward outsider had its perks. She’d spent a lifetime learning how to be invisible, which gave her unique observation skills.
Plus, cracking four of the FBI’s most high-profile cases in the past five years built her instincts and confidence.
Both of which were telling her she was right about her hunches.
What she hadn’t expected was the skewed results of the TNC search thanks to every endocrinology and neuroscience program worth its salt still citing the antiquated procedure in their reference material.
“What about Landry?” Dana asked. “Where did he go to medical school?”
Lena shrugged. “Not sure actually. I think it was somewhere up north.”
Dana desperately tried to recall the diplomas she’d glanced at his clinic. “Landry’s not from here?”
“No. His wife was though. That’s why they settled here to start their family and medical practice.” Lena shook her head. “It’s so sad. I don’t know if I’d have the strength to go on the way he has.”
“Don’t tell me you’re a Saint Landry fan, too?”
Lena’s pierced eyebrow rose. “I’m guessing you’re not.”
“I didn’t say that,” Dana argued, but Lena only laughed.
“Then you forgot to tell your face. ”
Dana schooled her features. “Sorry. Bad habit. I’m used to spending more time around the dead than the living. They don’t judge my facial expressions.”
“Amen to that!” Lena grinned and leaned closer. “Some days I think it’s the best perk of the job. Well, that and free air conditioning. Sometimes, in the dead of summer, I sleep in the morgue just to stay cool. Though don’t go spreading that around. My dating profile is dismal enough.”
Dana mimed locking her lips.
“Speaking of dating,” Lena hedged. “What’s going on with you and Det. George?”
It was Dana’s turn to laugh. “Nothing, though not for his lack of effort.”
“Be careful with him,” Lena warned. “Vince may act like a flirty playboy, but it’s a front he puts on to keep himself from getting hurt again.”
“Again?”’
“Yeah, after Sophie.” Lena sighed, “It’s not like it’s a secret, but he doesn’t like talking about it.”
“Okay,” Dana leaned in, waiting for her to elaborate.
“His fiancée Sophie died a while back. Leukemia. Diagnosed right after he enlisted. She kept it from him. After the diagnosis her health went downhill pretty fast.” Lena sighed again, her eyes glassy with emotion.
“They were high school sweethearts. He didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye.
After that, he just kinda closed himself off.
Doesn’t date, doesn’t do anything other than work, really.
But I’ve seen the way he looks at you. I haven’t seen that since Sophie,” she said wistfully.
Dana studied Lena for a moment, wondering how long the woman had been in love with Vincent George.
She refrained from asking. Instead, Dana said.
“Thanks for telling me. I’m not here to cause anyone more pain.
George is a great guy. I hope he gets back out there.
But that’s not why I’m here. I’ve got my own baggage to sort out. ”
“With sexy Agent Shepard?” Lena asked, eyebrows comically wagging.
“We’re just colleagues,” she answered.
“Please! I’ll say it again. Tell your face.”
Dana could feel her cheeks heating. She really needed to work on her poker face. “How about we focus on the case?”
“Boring,” Lena snarked before loudly slurping the last of her iced coffee through her straw.
“What are the odds that the Harvest Girls are really connected to this case?”
“Don’t know,” Lena said. “I’ve heard the Harvest Girls story since I was a kid.
It’s an urban legend around here, just like the Grunch or Rougarou, or LaLaurie Mansion.
Told to keep kids from seeking out mischief.
The fact that we could be uncovering actual facts about the Harvest Girls gives me goosebumps. ”
“I was at the cabin,” said Dana. “Seeing the names of those girls carved into the wall … it made it more real than I’d like to admit.”
“I don’t know how likely it is the cases are connected, but it’d sure be nice to put those rumors to rest once and for all. This city’s got enough dark history without adding fabricated fiction to the mix,” said Lena.
“You know, generational killers often insert themselves into society in a way that gives them access to investigations. Helps them control the narrative, stay hidden long enough to keep a killing spree like this going.”
“Agent Creed mentioned as much in his briefing,” Lena replied.
“Landry bolted quickly after Creed shared the suspect pool.”
Lena rolled her eyes. “He’s not FBI or NOPD. Not much for him to do at the moment.”
“You’re here.”
“Yeah, and technically I’m employed by the state. Louisiana parish law is sticky. Basically, my job is on the same rung of the ladder as the police. But like I said. There’s not much for me to do right now. My hands are tied unless you got a new body, which I think we’re all trying to avoid. ”
“I just find it odd considering you invited Landry to stay for lunch. Plus, he’s on the task force. Shouldn’t he make himself available in case his expertise is needed?”
“He’s got a phone. We can reach him if we need to. And as far as excuses go, running a free health clinic and caring for his terminally ill daughter go a long way.”
“Sounds like the perfect cover.”
Lena crossed her arms over her bright pink scrubs. “Let’s assume you’re right. Take a long, hard look at Dr. Landry. Do you really think his scrawny old ass is dragging bodies around this city’s cemeteries at night?”
“Maybe he leaves the heavy lifting to his partner. But he’s old enough to know how to perform this particular TNC, and he’d have been around when the Harvest Girls went missing.”
“I know you’ve got good intentions and good instincts Dr. Gray, but I’ve gotta say, you’re wrong about him. Dr. Landry loves this city. And he’s devoted his life to taking care of its people.”
A strange thought caressed the dark corners of Dana’s mind, like an old itch asking to be scratched. It was Jake’s voice she heard, echoing through her memory. Love can make people irrational, unpredictable.
He’d said that to her on their first case together, right before everything unraveled.
Unable to quell her intuition, Dana prodded Lena for more. “Tell me about Dr. Landry’s daughter.”