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He ended the call and then walked to the kitchen sink, where he splashed cold water into his face. Rachel followed behind him, grabbing a glass of water when he was done at the sink.
“Another body?”
“Yeah, looks like it. Not a doctor this time. A nurse.”
“The same sort of brutal attack?”
“Yeah. Sorry we fell asleep like that. I’ll come back by in the next few days or so to spend some actual time with you. But I guess I need to go for now.”
“I want in.” She said it in a way that she’d hoped might come out cute and a bit demanding. But she was afraid it came out as selfish.
“Rachel…”
“It’s just a crime scene, right?”
“Yes. But remember earlier today before we got to Archer Street, you said you wouldn’t undergo any physical activity?”
“Yes. And I know I ended up running after Redman, but if I hadn’t—”
“I know, I know.” He glared at her, and she saw within just a few seconds that he was going to agree to it. Behind his concern for her, he was just as excited as she was that they were more or less secretly working together on this case. “There will be others all over the scene. Local PD, probably forensics. Do you think you can make a point not to stand out too much?”
“Yes. Jack… the last thing I want to do is get you in trouble. I swear to you, I’ll be discreet and stay out of the way.” She almost added that she’d even stay in the car if that’s what it took, but she damned good, and well, she wouldn’t be able to do that.
“Can you be ready in five minutes?” Jack asked.
“Yes, absolutely. I’ll need to leave Grandma Tate a note, too.”
“Telling her what, exactly?”
It was a good question… a good question with an easy answer. If she was going to continue sneaking in to be part of this case, she was going to have to tell the truth about it—especially if she was heading out after midnight. She fully intended to be back in the morning, hopefully, before Paige even woke up. But she also couldn’t run the risk of leaving the house and not letting Grandma Tate know what was going on. If she woke up and found her, Rachel, missing, it would make things even worse.
“The truth, I guess,” she finally said. “I’m sure she’ll raise all kinds of hell, but I think I have to.”
“If she ends up hating me because of this, I’ll be very disappointed.”
“Doubtful,” Rachel said as she stepped out of the kitchen. “That woman adores you. Paige does, too.”
Leaving Jack with a smile on his face, Rachel hurried back through the living room to head upstairs to change.
***
She’d always felt that there was something calming and almost Zen-like about driving through the night toward a stop for a case. It was a strange feeling because usually, when they were driving to a location this late at night, there was going to be something bad waiting for them. But the mostly empty roads and the unwinding night ahead of them were calming. And it was no different now as she found herself looking to a likely brief and uncertain future.
The address that was texted to Jack came from someone on the State Police for a residence just two miles away from the hospital. It was a large, beautiful house with a U-shaped driveway that cut through the center of the large lawn. Of course, she knew that being this close to the hospital, a lot of the houses in the area were owned by doctors. Only, based on the call from the cop, this victim was a nurse, not a doctor—though she supposed the two might be a close enough link for a killer with a violent mindset.
Two police cars and a basic sedan were parked at the top of the driveway, and the porch light was on. When Rachel got out of the car, she allowed herself a moment to take it all in. While the dizzy spells from earlier in the day had not been very strong or significant, she still saw it as an alarm bell. She wasn't sure if she had simply pushed her body too far or if the sudden burst of motion and energy after nearly four weeks at home sitting on her butt had something to do with it. Regardless, she knew she needed to be more careful this time. As far as she could tell, her body and her senses were completely fine. If anything, being out and about at such an hour and feeling the familiarity of it all seemed to have cleared her mind.
As they walked to the front door, she noticed Jack looking over at her. She couldn't quite read his expression in this semi-darkness. It was the first time, though, she considered the fact that she may be a burden to him right now. Not only did he have the case to worryabout, but now his ill-loved interest was tagging along. Maybe her presence here was serving as a distraction to him. And honestly, she hated herself for not realizing it sooner.
But it was too late now. They were here, just a few steps from the front door. Jack opened the door and stepped inside. Rachel followed behind him, taking a good look at the hallway in front of her. The body was still there and, just like the other two crime scenes Jack had told her about, there was blood everywhere.
A lanky-looking cop approached them and gave a nod as Jack showed his ID.“Agents Rivers ad Gift, FBI.”
“Well, then, help yourself,” the cop said, his face slightly pale. “This is a mess. And, as we understand it, it might be a new piece to a case you’re working, yeah?”
“It looks that way for sure,” Jack said.
They stepped further into the house, and though the grizzly sight ahead of them was the focal point, Rachel took a moment to look at the rest of the surroundings. An enormous and well-furnished den sat to her right, presented by n large, arched walkway. She could just barely peek into the kitchen beyond it, the entire space made up of an open floor plan. The kitchen could also be seen by staring straight ahead and down the hall. It appeared that the woman, that was now dead on the floor, had been attempting to retreat there. A hallway branched off to the left, heading further back into the house.
