Page 6 of Scorched (Killer #2)

Caesar’s brows rose at the united front. After a quick glance around at the room still full of his peers, Caesar’s glare returned. “You three don’t scare me. You can’t do anything to me.”

“Maybe they can’t, but I can.” Paul Fletcher stepped through the doorway and stood a good six inches taller than Caesar.

His muscular chest was developed and solid.

Not to mention, Paul was a trained federal agent, and he looked like it, from the way he stood to the cold look he directed toward Caesar.

Elise let the breath out that she’d been holding. Glad for the interference, she knew she’d ultimately pay for not dealing with the problem herself. Now that Paul had stepped in, Caesar would find another time to test her and possibly Kendall and Alex. Not good.

Caesar stared at Paul as if weighing his options and then he shrugged. “I got better things to do.” He pushed past Paul and left the room.

“You okay?” Paul looked at her with a concerned frown.

With a half dozen students still gawking, she squared her shoulders and nodded. “Yes. I’m fine. Just another day in the classroom.” She shot a glance at the teens still standing around, her eyebrows rising. “Don’t you have homes to go to?”

They ducked their heads and scurried out the door, except for Alex and Kendall.

“I can’t believe what Caesar tried to pull. Someone needs to take him down.” Kendall threw back her shoulders as if she’d like to be the one to do it—all five-foot-two girl with attitude. “We’ve got enough going on around here without him playing the class jerk.”

Elise grabbed Kendall’s arm. “You be careful around him. He’s got a lot more bulk to him than you, and apparently, he’s not afraid to throw it around.”

“He doesn’t scare us,” Alex said, standing as tall as his five-foot-four-inch frame would go. “I’m a black belt in Tae kwon do.”

“Yeah, but he has eighty pounds on you,” Elise reminded him.

The teen’s eyes narrowed. “Doesn’t matter how big you are. What matters is how you use what you have.”

“Yeah,” Kendall added. “I took self-defense, too.” When Alex shot her a surprised look, she blushed. “My dad insisted.” Kendall’s brows rose. “It could happen to anybody, look at that woman who disappeared last night. She was taken from her home right here in Breuer.”

The blood in Elise’s head rushed to her stomach and she swayed. “A woman disappeared?” She frowned at Kendall. “How did you know? ”

“My dad works for the sheriff’s department.” Kendall laughed. “I guess the cop thing runs in the family.”

Elise’s gaze connected with Paul’s. “Did you know about this?”

Paul nodded. “I got word about it last night.”

Heat rose in Elise’s cheeks. Instead of blasting Paul, she turned calmly toward the teens. “Kendall, Alex, did you need me for anything?”

“No, ma’am,” Kendall responded.

Kendall and Alex left Paul and Elise alone in the classroom with the door half-closed.

Paul visibly braced himself.

As well he should.

As soon as the kids were out of earshot, Elise launched her attack. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“We don’t know whether or not the woman’s disappearance had anything to do with the note,” Paul said.

“Still, I want to know what’s going on.” She paced across the classroom and back, only to stop directly in front of him. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. How could you? You know what it means to me.”

“Exactly.” Paul’s lips twisted. “If I’d told you about the woman, you wouldn’t have slept a wink.”

“You think I slept last night?” She dropped her voice to just above a whisper. “I had nightmares about him all night. This morning, I swear I saw Stan in every face on the street. Is he or is he not dead?”

Paul sighed. “We don’t know with absolute certainty. ”

“That’s not good enough, damn it.” Her eyes filled with moisture, and she stepped closer.

“You don’t know what it’s like to look over your shoulder every second of the day.

Or the hell you go through when you let your children out of your sight to go to school.

To school, for heaven’s sake.” Her voice cracked and tears spilled over the edge of her eyelids and down her face.

“Why didn’t you make sure he was dead then?

If he is alive, what have I done to this town?

What have I brought with me by moving here? ”

“You haven’t brought anything. We don’t know if it’s your husband or someone playing a prank on you. You have to give us time.” He clasped her arms and stared down into her face.

“Time?” She looked up at him through a haze of tears. “Does that missing woman have time?”

A noise at the door drew Paul’s attention, saving him from answering.

Kendall stood there, her eyes wide, her hand hovering, as if to knock. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Her glance darted to Elise and then to the desk where her backpack lay. “I forgot something.”

“Get it,” Elise said through her teeth, turning her back to the girl.

Kendall dove for the backpack and almost made it out the door when Elise swung back.

“Kendall, wait.” She scrubbed her hand over her cheeks and frowned at the teen. “How much of our conversation did you overhear? ”

The girl eased around. “Not much.” She didn’t look Elise in the eye when she responded. “I have to go.” She spun toward the door.

“Kendall.” Paul stepped in front of her. “How much did you hear?”

“Nothing I’ll repeat. I swear.” Kendall looked around Paul to Elise. “Alex and I like you, Ms. Johnson. You’re our favorite teacher. We’d never do or say anything that would hurt you.”

Elise stared at her for a long moment. “It’s very important that whatever you think you might have heard doesn’t go outside this room.”

The girl nodded, her eyes wide, scared. “I promise, it won’t.”

“Go home, Kendall.” Elise gave her a crooked smile, but the smile faded, and she added, “And lock your doors.”

When the young lady had gone, Elise glanced up at Paul, a worried frown pinching her forehead. “If word gets out about my problem, I’ll be kicked out of this school so fast, I won’t know what hit my backside.”

“I don’t think the kid will rat on you.” Paul stared into her eyes. “Are you ready to leave?”

“Yes.” She glanced around the room one last time as if checking for stray students. “My sons will be home soon.”

But she didn’t move, yet. “Maybe I should turn in my resignation now and save the school the worry. ”

“Don’t borrow trouble, Elise. You’re a good teacher. You have a right to a life.”

“Yeah, so do the rest of the people of Breuer.” She looked up into his eyes, her jaw tightening. “So did the woman who disappeared.”

Paul raised his hands as if to reach for her and then let them drop.

Elise slung her handbag over her shoulder.

Paul gripped her elbow and hurried her out of the classroom and out to the parking lot.

“We’ll take my truck.” He released his hold on her arm and waved toward a big, dark gray pickup parked in the visitor’s parking area.

“No, I’ll need my car.” When she tried to step around him and go to her car, he snagged her arm.

“That’s what I came here to talk to you about.” He held the passenger door open. “Before the boys get home, I have something to tell you, and I don’t want you driving while I tell you.”

“You mean there’s more?” She closed her eyes and swayed.

“Yeah. Get in.” He all but lifted her into the seat and closed the door. When he’d climbed in beside her and had the door safely shut, he turned in his seat. “They found Lauren Pendley this afternoon. She was the missing woman.”

“Oh, God.” Elise pressed her fist to her lips, tears welling in her eyes. “Where?”

Paul hesitated .

Elise laid her fist in her lap and raised her chin. “Just tell me.”

“They found her in the Guadalupe River bound with Ethernet cable.”

His words hit her like a punch in the gut.

“Oh, God, oh, God.” Elise wrapped her arms around herself and rocked back and forth in her seat.

“The woman had been strangled, tied with Ethernet cable and dumped, just like the women in the Dakota Strangler case,” Paul continued. “One other disturbing item to note,” he paused, “she went by Lauren, but her first name was Alice.”