“Come on, Scout. Take the bait!”

THIRTY-ONE

CARINA WOKE TO A TERRIFIC SMELL. Had to be a dream. Nothing that came from her kitchen smelled that good.

She grabbed Nick’s T-shirt, pulled it over her naked body, and followed her nose.

Nick stood in front of her stove in his boxers and nothing else. His muscular build took her breath away. He glanced over his shoulder when she entered the room. “Good morning, Sleeping Beauty.”

“You must be Merlin,” she said, wrapping her arms around him from behind. “Conjuring up food out of nothing.”

“I found the linguica in your freezer. Canned tomatoes and olives. I threw away the green cheese, but fortunately the eggs were fresh.”

She remembered buying a dozen eggs the last time she went shopping because one of the few things she could make in the kitchen was chocolate chip cookies. But she hadn’t had time since Angie’s murder to even think about baking.

She kissed his bare shoulder. “Great in bed and in the kitchen. I think I’ll have you stick around awhile.” Though she was being flirty and flip, her heart twisted as she realized Nick would be returning to Montana in short order. She admired that he’d stayed on the case even after his brother had been cleared. Nick’s dedication to the job and his desire to seek justice for the victims was as sexy as his physique. But he couldn’t take an indefinite amount of time off, could he? He had responsibilities, more than just to her or this investigation.

A deep sadness shot through Carina. She dropped her arms and poured herself a cup of hot coffee. Nick was a keeper. But she’d thought Jim was a keeper, too, and look what had happened there.

Nick was like Jim in that he didn’t like to talk about himself or his feelings. But when she prodded a bit, Nick opened up. She liked that he wasn’t afraid to share what disturbed him, that he was willing to let her see inside, even when things weren’t perfect.

She couldn’t remember a time when she’d really pushed Jim to talk. If she had, maybe things would have been different. But maybe she hadn’t cared as much as she’d thought she had.

And if things were different, Nick Thomas wouldn’t be half-naked in her kitchen cooking her breakfast.

“Sit,” he said, dishing up something that smelled far too good to come from her stove.

Her stomach growled as Nick served her a plate of scrambled eggs with linguica sausage, olives, tomatoes, and green chiles-hot sauce on the side.

“I’m in heaven,” she said, pouring hot sauce liberally over her food.

“Heaven was last night,” Nick said, sitting across from her and taking her hand. He kissed her fingers, taking a moment to plant a seductive kiss on the tip of her index finger. Hot chills raced down her spine.

“If you keep doing that I’m going to forget breakfast and take you back to bed,” she said.

He smiled, licked her finger, then dropped her hand when the phone rang.

“Hello,” she answered.

“It’s Patrick. He took our bait.”

“He’s in the chat room?”

“Not yet, but he read the message we sent from ‘Elizabeth.’ ”

“Great. I’m going to jump in the shower, then meet you at the station.”

“Shower, but wait for my call. As soon as he goes into chat it won’t take me long to get his ISP, and the DA came through with the warrant. I just have to fill in the provider.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

She filled Nick in on her conversation with Patrick.

“I haven’t showered yet.”

“Neither have I.”

“It would be a shame to waste water.”

“Yes, it would.”

“Eat.”

“Fast.”

They ate only half the food in front of them before Carina dropped her fork. “I can’t wait.” She grabbed Nick’s hand, pulled him out of his chair, and led him down the hall to the shower. She turned on the shower, then pulled off her shirt, leaving her completely naked. She smiled and pushed Nick against the door, seeking his mouth with hers.

“You taste good,” Nick mumbled as he nibbled her lip. His hands were on her bare ass, holding her tight against him.

When had she felt so right, so comfortable with a man so quickly? Never. It was as if she and Nick had been friends and lovers for years.

“We have to do this fast,” she said, her breath quickening.

Nick gathered her tight into his arms, kissed her, water running over them. “Fast now, slow tonight. Very slow.”

He bathed Leah, but couldn’t stop thinking about Elizabeth. She’d asked for his help.

He itched to get back to his computer.

He could drown Leah. That would be fast. Just hold her underwater a couple of minutes and that would be it.

But that didn’t do it for him. He wouldn’t have the connection with her. He wouldn’t get the same high.

He began to understand now what he’d been doing wrong. The watching, the waiting, that was the anticipation. That’s what he needed more of. He was patient, he needed to be more patient. He’d been a little reckless, he could admit that now that it was all becoming clearer. He should have waited longer before taking Jodi. And Leah.

After this, he’d take some time off. Months. Plan the next one more carefully. Find someone innocent, unused. Like Becca.

It was the watching that turned him on. Then the killing that completed it. The games in between were fun, but they didn’t give him that intense rush.

That’s why Becca worked. He’d been watching her for a long time and he must have sensed her freshness. Though he hadn’t planned to kill her until Jodi screwed everything up, it had all worked out in the end. He had killed her quick, felt her die, his body one with hers.

He wasn’t going to drown Leah. He was going to regain that oneness he had had with Becca.

Leah whimpered.

“Shhh, Leah. It’ll all be over really soon.”

“What’s taking him so long?” Patrick asked, slamming his coffee mug on his desk. Cold coffee sloshed over the sides.

“He might be upset that it took her a while to respond to him,” Dillon said. “Give him time. He’ll definitely go into the chat room. He won’t be able to stop himself.”

“I hope you’re right. We’re pinning everything on this trap working.”

“I’m right. Just wait.”

Carina’s cell phone rang as soon as she stepped out of the shower. The after-sex glow disappeared as soon as she listened to the distraught voice on the phone.

“What happened?” Nick asked when she hung up.

“That was Maggie Peterson. She said her sister, Leah, never came home last night and when she called Leah’s boyfriend, he said she’d left at five this morning because she wanted to go home to change before work.”

“Maybe she went straight to work.”

“Her car is still at her boyfriend’s.”

“You think it’s our guy.”

“If it’s not, it’s a huge coincidence.”

“Where’s Kyle Burns?”

“With Maggie. She said he was there all night.”

He tied Leah back on the bed, on the sheets he’d bought just for her, and dried her off. Touching her made him feel good. Her breasts were small and soft. Her stomach flat, smooth, so fair. A navel ring protruded from her stomach. He frowned. Why hadn’t he noticed it before? He’d been too preoccupied thinking about Elizabeth.

He hooked the ring with his finger and ripped it out.

Leah’s back arched and a scream vibrated in her chest. Tears rolled down her face.

“Sorry,” he said, though he didn’t mean it.

Becca and Jodi didn’t have navel rings, but he’d kept one of their earrings. He looked at his own navel. Three hoops, two gold and one silver with charms, protruded from his stomach.

He reached into his desk and took out the piercing gun. The first time he’d had it done professionally, then he’d swiped the handheld device.