Before the Dawn(84)

The faint smile vanished from Julia's mouth. "You're not going to wind up on my table." She rose, and the wheels of her chair squeaked as she paced toward Dawn. "That's not going to happen."

A lump was in her throat. One that was very hard to swallow. "Trust me, that's not on my to-do list."

No humor lightened Julia's eyes. "I look at Jinx, and I see you."

Because Jinx had been so close to her. She knew me so well, but I didn't realize she was keeping secrets. We all keep them, don't we? And they don't do anything but eat us up on the inside.

But maybe...maybe Jinx and her secrets could be the key to the crimes. "I need to go back to her place." To my place. I've got the all clear now. The crime scene techs are done. I can head over and take a look around. Maybe she'd see something that the cops had missed.

Once more, her gaze turned to the sheet-covered body. I'll find him, Jinx. I'll stop him. She hurried forward and gave Julia a quick hug. "Thanks for your help. The next time I'm here, I'll bring you a po'boy." She turned for the doors.

"I meant what I said, Dawn." Julia's voice trembled. "Don't wind up on my table."

Dawn looked back at her. "I won't. I promise." She shoved open the doors and found Macey and Bowen huddled together in the hallway. They both looked up at her, their expressions guarded.

"I'm going home." She kept her voice calm. "Tucker told me last night the police finished their investigation there."

Macey nodded. "They did, but...are you sure that's the place you want to be?"

It was exactly where she wanted to be.

Macey stepped closer. Dawn could see the worry in her eyes. "Are you sure you're okay?" Macey pressed.

No, she wasn't okay. "A killer is hunting me. Just how okay could I possibly be?" She was scared and she was pissed and she needed to do something before there was more violence and death.

Sympathy flashed on Macey's face.

Dawn studied her and Bowen. "How do you feel about Tucker?" 

And again, that guarded look came back to both of their faces.

"Do you think he could be involved?"

She was hoping for immediate denials. She got hesitations.

"I think..." Bowen spoke slowly. "I think Tucker Frost is a man with many layers. And secrets that he likes to keep."

She knew all about his secrets, now.

"But do I think he'd torture women? Lock them in freezers and let them die?" He shook his head. "No. No, I have a real hard time believing the man I know would do that. But then...that's why I'm not in the interrogation with him right now. I can't be impartial." He inclined his head toward Dawn. "And I don't think you can be, either."

"No, I can't be." That was part of the problem.

"Bowen's about to collapse," Macey said, pointing toward the other man. "He's been working this case all night. He's going to crash-"

Bowen frowned at her. "Dammit, Mace, stop worrying. I told you, I'm fine."

"He's going to crash," Macey continued doggedly, ignoring his words. "So I'll accompany you back to your place." Then she glanced at Bowen. "We're going to need you later. Rest now, all right?"

His face seemed to soften as he looked at her. "All right." But when he focused on Dawn, all that softening was gone. "Watch your ass."

"I intend to."

* * *

"ARE WE DONE?" Tucker asked as he glanced between Hatch and Anthony. He kept his voice mild, with an effort. He'd answered every question they had, again and again. He'd played the game the right way.

Hatch nodded grimly. "For now."

Tucker rose. "It's been real, gentleman." A real pain in his ass. Someone is setting me up. He followed Samantha out of the interrogation room. They'd only taken a few steps down that hallway when he spotted Detective Torez. Torez was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, and his face was locked in hard, tight lines.

When he saw Tucker, Torez straightened. "Not so fun, is it?"

"No, it's not." Tucker's gaze swept Torez. "But you learned that last night."

Torez lifted his chin. "I'm not the killer. I made a mistake, but I would have never hurt Jinx."

"And I didn't do it, either. That means the son of a bitch who did is still out there."

Some of the fury left Torez's eyes. "Jinx was a kind woman. Smart, with a heart that was too soft." Emotion thickened his voice. "She looked for the good in people. That was her fault. She always thought there was good inside. But sometimes, there isn't. Sometimes, people are just rotten straight to their core."

Samantha touched Tucker's shoulder. "We need to talk in my office."