Before the Dawn(77)

And they all looked grim. What else was new? He flipped the lock and pulled open the door. "I'm guessing you have news that warranted an in-person talk?" An in-person group talk? Not good.

Samantha's gaze swept over him. "Where's Dawn?"

"In the shower. She should be coming out any moment." His stare shifted to Bowen. "You look dead on your feet, man. When is the last time you crashed?"

Bowen's jaw hardened. "We need to talk."

Obviously. That was why the little group was at his door. Tucker stepped back, waving them inside. He glanced toward Dawn's room, and just then, her door opened. She stood there, clad in a pair of jeans and a blue blouse, her hair still damp and her feet bare. "What's going on?" Worry sharpened her voice as she hurried toward them. "Please, tell me no one else has been hurt."

Samantha glanced at Bowen. If possible, his expression went even darker.

"Tell her," Anthony snapped. "She needs to know what she's dealing with."

Dawn was at Tucker's side. Her arm brushed against his.

Anthony noted that touch and his eyes turned to slits. "Be careful who you trust, Dawn."

What in the hell was that supposed to mean?

Anthony took a step toward them, but Bowen threw out his arm, stopping him. "Cool down, Detective. Right now."

But Anthony didn't look cool. His cheeks had flushed. "You're covering his ass because he's one of yours."

"We're not covering anything," Samantha threw right back. "I told you already, his DNA wasn't a match."

"Someone tell me what's happening," Tucker gritted. He didn't like being in the dark.

Bowen glanced at Samantha. She nodded. With a sigh, he said, "I talked to Heather Hartley's former college roommate last night. Turns out, Heather had a boyfriend, a guy she was supposed to meet up with down here."

If possible, Anthony's cheeks flushed an even darker red.

Voice low, Bowen continued, "According to Catherine Peters-that's the roommate-Heather's boyfriend was FBI."

Shock rolled through Tucker. "You're kidding me." 

"Wish I fucking was," Bowen muttered. Then he cleared his throat. "According to Catherine, the guy had been working a case in Alabama-this was a few months back-and when the case wrapped up, he asked Heather to meet him in the Big Easy."

The sound of Tucker's heartbeat seemed far too loud as it drummed in his ears. He'd been working a case in Alabama just a few months ago. "We were in Fairhope," he said, inclining his head toward Samantha. He'd been working with her and several other agents. Coincidence, of course, but...

"Catherine never met the boyfriend." Bowen rubbed the back of his neck. The shadows under his eyes were dark. The guy had obviously pulled an all-nighter as he drove back from Baton Rouge. "But Heather told the roommate his name." Bowen's gaze darted to Dawn, then back to Tucker. "Heather called the guy Tuck."

He shook his head.

"I questioned her thoroughly." Bowen's stare was unflinching. "And she swears that Heather was dating an FBI agent named Tuck. The roommate never saw pictures of the boyfriend, never heard his full name. That was all she had to give me."

"It's not me," Tucker said flatly. "It's fucking obvious what you're thinking, but it's not-"

"We have a partial DNA match." Samantha's hands were at her sides. She leaned forward, rocking lightly on her feet. "It came from skin cells recovered in the gloves taken by Red. You know our team can be fast, and I gave them the order for a rush job. This screening was top priority. They moved heaven and earth to get the results this quickly for us."

Excitement heated his body. Good. Now they were getting somewhere. He'd hoped for more than partial results, but at least this was a start.

"To be clear," Samantha continued, "the DNA did not belong to Jason Frost."

"Because he's dead," Tucker snapped. He was sick of that refrain. He knew he'd killed his brother. I wasn't letting him ever hurt Dawn again.

Dawn's fingers found his.

"Dammit, you shouldn't trust him," Anthony snarled at her. "Dawn, don't you see what he's doing? You can't put your faith in him."

That guy was pushing him too far. Tucker's back teeth had clenched. His fingers threaded with Dawn's.

"The DNA was not Jason Frost's." Samantha eased out a low breath. "But as I said...it is a partial match. My techs believe that it's highly likely that a close relative of Jason's left that evidence behind. The DNA sample matched Jason's profile at most, but not all of the loci, and therefore the only conclusion that could be reached is that the killer we're after here is, in fact, genetically linked to Jason."