The Heart Of A Killer Part 3

Dante went into the kitchen to get Ellen some water. Gabe followed. aYou get in touch with Jeff?a he asked Gabe.

aYeah. Heas out of town. Heas as wrecked about George as the rest of us, and as confused about where it happened. None of this makes sense, man.a Dante nodded. aTell me about it.a He brought Ellen a gla.s.s of water and box of tissues. After a while, she stopped crying and contacted a friend, who came over and collected the kids. Once they were gone, as typical for Ellen, she sat, straightened her shoulders and looked at them.

aTell me what happened.a Anna looked to Dante. She was giving him the opportunity to take the lead, to decide how much to tell her.

She deserved the truth. All of it.

Dante grasped Ellenas hand. aHe was beaten to death. Andasomeone carved a heart in his chest.a Ellen sucked in a breath and held her hand up to her heart. aWho would do this?a Dante wished he could tell her about the connection to that night twelve years ago. But he wouldnat. He couldnat. Not without betraying his brothersa"and Anna.

aWe donat know yet, Mrs. Clemons,a Anna said. aBut weall do everything we can to find out.a aThank you,a she said, then turned to Roman. aWill you work the case, too?a He nodded. aThey wonat want me to because George was my father, but Iall do everything I can to be involved.a She held out her hand and Roman grasped it.

This was family. Dante had missed it. And head come home too late to save it.

aThereas more,a Anna said. aAn ounce of cocaine was found in Georgeas pocket.a Ellenas eyes widened. aDrugs? George doesnat do drugs. Never did.a aDo you have any idea why he would have had drugs in his pocket?a Anna asked. aMaybe one of the foster kids was mixed up in drugs and he was interceding on their behalf?a Ellen shook her head. aNo. None of the boys staying with us have drug-related issues. I canat think of any reason head be involved in that. George was strict about no drugs in this house. You took drugs or brought any into this house, you were in deep trouble with him. Head personally call the police on one of the kids if he found drugs. For him to be found with drugsa"a her eyes watered aa"itas an insult to his memory.a aWeare all pretty sure it was a setup, Ellen,a Gabe said, laying his hands on her shoulders. aThe police will get it figured out.a She grabbed for a tissue. aBut in the meantime, theyall put in the record that he was found with drugs on him. And that doesnat sit well with me. George would be so hurt by that.a She shuddered out a sob, and Dante wanted to make this all go away. He wanted to back up one more day, get here sooner. He wanted to stop all this from happening.

Could he have?

Dante didnat want to leave Ellen, but she said her two younger sisters were coming over. There were funeral plans to be made, and he didnat want to get in the way. They all took their leave with the arrival of her sisters. Dante promised to come back tomorrow. She grabbed him in a fierce hug.

aDonat disappear.a He kissed her cheek. aIam not going anywhere. I promise. And if you need mea"for anythinga"you call.a She pulled back, her eyes shimmering with tears. aI will.a They all walked outside, and Dante looked up at the clear sky. G.o.d, it was still hot out, and he had no idea what time it was. Late.

Roman and Anna were huddled near his car, whispering. Arguing. Roman finally took off, and so did Gabe, leaving the two of them together.

Anna was about to get into her car, but Dante headed her off.

aAnna.a Her head shot up and she pinned him with a glare, but didnat say anything.

Head forgotten how beautiful her eyes were. As a teenager, shead been so pretty with her hair always in a ponytail, her face shaped like a heart, her skin dark in the Italian way, her eyes the color of the finest whiskey. And her moutha"head never truly been able to appreciate her mouth, with her full bottom lip that begged for the tugging of a manas teeth.

He hadnat been quite a man yet, hadnat had the time to fully appreciate Anna, never got to see her blossom into a woman.

She was so pretty at sixteen. Now? She could stop traffic.

It had been a rough night. The kind of night when a man thought about grabbing what he wanted before it was too late.

Head denied himself what he wanted for a long d.a.m.n time. Things like home. Family.

Anna.

His jeans tightened as she stared at him and he stared back, but he didnat think she was l.u.s.ting after him the way he l.u.s.ted after her, since she was probably thinking he was guilty of some kind of crime. Or maybe she thought he was guilty of a lot of sins that had nothing to do with the murder tonight.

He probably was.

aYou need something?a she asked.

Loaded question. aNot really.a aThen I need to go. Iam busy.a She was brushing him off.

He wasnat going to let her.

aAnna.a aWhat?a aI havenat seen you in twelve years. Have a cup of coffee with me.a

Three.

Annaas stomach clenched. Just being in the same vicinity as Dante Renaldi again made her dizzy. His presence brought up memories shead shoved so far into the past she hadnat thought about them in years.

Or tried not to think about them. Tried like h.e.l.l not to think about them. Until tonight.

Coming upon that murder scene in the alley tonight and seeing Dante had stolen every breath in her lungs, had made her legs go weak. Her first instinct had been to turn around and walk awaya"no, run away. Shead almost called another detective in to take the scene, but she refused. This was her job. Theread be no excuse for walking. Plus, Dante, Roman and Gabe had been there and shead needed to know why.

She didnat like it. It had all been too much like twelve years ago, the night humid and smelling like recent rain, the asphalt streets slick and mirrorlike as shead driven onto the scene. Shead seen plenty of dead bodies and people standing over dead bodies since shead been on the force, had worked plenty of crime scenes with Roman. It wasnat until shead spotted Dante and Gabe that the shock of awareness had hit her. The familiarity had cloaked her in heavy memories she still hadnat been able to break free from, clouding her thoughts and jumbling her normally stellar police process. She was organized and relentless in pursuit of a case. Was this fate getting back at her for her part in what happened twelve years ago?

Fate was awfully f.u.c.ked up sometimes.

aWell?a She lifted her head, found Dante staring at her.

Losing herself in thought wasnat like her, either.

aWell, what? I said I was busy.a aI asked you to have a cup of coffee with me.a aIam on duty, Dante.a aLater.a aI wonat be finished for a while.a aIall meet you in the morning.a She sighed, feeling suddenly tired. aWhy?a aBecause I want to talk to you.a aWhy?a She knew it was juvenile to repeat the question. She was stalling.

aHave coffee with me in the morning and Iall tell you why.a And so, apparently, was he. She should say no, walk away. Maybe then head go and leave her alone, leave the memories alone.

But for some reason, she couldnat let it alone. Curiosity, maybe. And maybe he had some information on Georgeas death. A cup of coffee and some conversation could yield some info.

aFine. Meet me at Uncle Billas Pancake House at seven-thirty.a aSee you then.a She didnat exhale until he walked away from her and got into his car.

She climbed into hers and drove to the precinct, her body on autopilot while her mind tried to process everything that had happened tonight.

A body in the alley, killed just like the guys had killed Tony Maclin. Beaten to death. And not just any body, but George Clemons, the boysa foster father.

A connection.

Then the heart carving, just like hers.

Shoving the thoughts aside, she drove into the parking lot of the Metro police station, turned the engine off and sat there, needing a minute or two to collect her thoughts and just breathe.

What did it all mean? And why did it happen just as Dante came to town?

Was he the connection?

The station was always quiet at night, she thought as she walked in. She could use a little quiet right now, some time to think about the events of the night. She sat down at her desk and picked up the now-cold coffee, grimacing at the bitterness. She dumped it in the trash and went to the machine for a soda, then stared out the window at the few cars that pa.s.sed by this time of night, wondering where they were going and what they were doing. Going to work, getting off work, leaving the bars?

Where was Dante right now?

Not that it mattered.

She still couldnat believe he was back after all these years, after all this time and finally having reconciled herself to never seeing him again. She didnat know whether to be angry or curious or how to feel about the ache inside her chest that had settled there ever since shead seen him tonight.

Theread been too much to process at the crime scene.

Being in the alley again. Seeing the guys there. The body and how George was killed.

Dante.

And shead still had to do her job.

This was a nightmare.

She took the drink back to her desk and stared at her computer monitor, knowing she had a report to file, and knowing she wouldnat fill in the background information of what she knew had happened twelve years before.

But the past had just collided with the present, hadnat it?

She didnat like mysteries like this. And she definitely didnat like questions without answers.

She rubbed that spot on her chest that always hurt on rainy nights, then opened a new investigation file to make some notes.

She looked at her watch: 3:00 a.m. and d.a.m.n if she wasnat already antic.i.p.ating that breakfast.

Four.

Anna was an hour and a half late, figured Dante wouldnat hang around and wait for her, or maybe wouldnat show up at all.

She hoped he wouldnat be there. One less thing shead have to deal with. She was tired and she wanted to go home, take a shower and forget the night had happened.

She walked in and took a look around. He was easy to spot since it was past the breakfast rush hour. There were only two other tables occupied. Dante sat in a booth at the rear of the restaurant, his back to the wall.

Interesting.

She told the hostess she was meeting someone and headed toward where Dante sat nursing a cup of coffee, two menus sitting on the edge of the table.

aYou waited.a She slid into the booth.

He lifted his head, smiled at her. aYeah.a aSorry Iam late. Paperwork had to be done.a He shrugged. aIf you didnat show, Iad head out.a aSo you ate already?a aI got hungry after an hour or so, figured youad chickened out.a She bristled. aI donat chicken out.a He didnat reply, so she poured coffee from the carafe on the table. aYou sleep yet?a aNo. Iall sleep later.a aWhere are you staying?a He shrugged. aDonat know yet.a aSo maybe youare not staying?a He lifted the cup to his lips, then smiled. aTrying to run me out of town, Detective?a He was saved from her biting retort by the waitress, who took her breakfast ordera"actually her dinner order.

aYou look tired. Long night?a She nodded.

aWhy the night shift?a She took a long swallow of coffee. aMore crime happens at night. Less time spent sitting at a desk. Weare out on the streets and thatas where I like it. Besides, I donat have a shift. People donat die on shifts. I work when I work.a He leaned back in the booth and studied her with his unfathomable gaze. Years ago she couldnat get enough of his eyes, could stare into them for hours, getting lost in the blue depths until shead lost track of time. She used to think she was the luckiest girl in the world that Dante Renaldi had chosen her as his girlfriend.

Theyad sit together in secluded spots like this and make all kinds of plans about their future together.

Until that one night changed everything.

And then Dante had up and left without a word.

So much for their pledge to spend forever together, no matter what.

aYou thinking about work, or about me?a he asked, forcing her gaze from her cup of coffee and her thoughts away from the past.

aWork.a She wouldnat tell him her thoughts had been centered on him. He didnat need to know that him showing up had dredged up memories shead long ago buried.

aAny leads on George?a aI canat tell you that. Itas an ongoing investigation, one in which you might be a suspect.a He laughed, and the sound rippled through her nerve endings.

aYou arenat serious about that. It was George who was killed. My foster father.a She shrugged. aSo?a aAnd I just got here.a aI hear better excuses than that from people who pulled the trigger with witnesses standing right in front of them.a aAnd probably lousy excuses from those who didnat. Isnat it your job to weed out those who did from those who didnat?a Wasnat he a smart-a.s.s? aYes.a aThen I guess it wonat take you long to figure out I had nothing to do with Georgeas murder.a She drained the cup and refilled, not taking her eyes off Dante while she poured.

aYouare wondering about my motivation for showing up all of a sudden after twelve years, and ending up right in the middle of a murder.a aYou have no idea what Iam thinking.a aSome things come back pretty easily.a He shrugged. aI used to know a lot about your thoughts.a aI was sixteen at the time, Dante. I didnat have too many thoughts back then that didnat center on you. Pretty easy to figure me out.a He leaned forward, clasped his hands together. aAnd now youare all complex?a She frowned. aI didnat say that.a aYou didnat have to. Itas easy enough to tell.a He leaned back. aYouad have to be with the job you do. Solving crime requires a lot of thought.a She cracked a smile. aAny particular reason youare trying to flatter me?a aJust stating the obvious. No flattery intended. You canat be a fumbling dumba.s.s and make detective.a Settling in and talking to him was easy. She hated that head made it so easy.

Her food arrived and just in time, since her stomach grumbled. Vending-machine food for the past ten hours just hadnat cut it. She was starving. She dived in as if she hadnat eaten ina G.o.d, she couldnat remember when shead had her last decent meal. Ignoring Dante, she put all her concentration into shoveling food in her mouth, not coming up for air until shead scooped the last of her eggs onto her last bite of toast. She avoided licking her fingers because she had company at the table, instead used her napkin to wipe her hands.

When she looked up, Dante was studying her again.

aWhat?a aYou used to pick at your food. I was always afraid you were anorexic.a She snorted. aI wasnat. I was a picky eater. Clearly, Iam not one now.a aObviously. You crammed every bite of food from that plate into your mouth. I was waiting for you to lick the plate clean.a aI pondered it, then decided against it. You might have been appalled.a He laughed. aHey, if youare hungry, go for it. Or you could just order another meal.a She drained her orange juice and set the gla.s.s and plate to the side. aNot necessary. Iam sufficiently full now.a aItas nice to see you eating.a aIave gained an appet.i.te over the years.a He shifted and looked under the table.

aWhat are you doing?a He straightened, his gaze roaming from her face to the rest of her. aChecking to see if you have a hollow leg, because judging from your body thereas no way you can eat that much and not gain weight.a She laughed. aI burn it all off working. And itas not like I get three squares a day of food like this. Most of the time Iam lucky to grab a granola bar or c.r.a.p from the vending machine at the precinct. A full plate like this is a rarity.a aYou have someone at home to cook for you?a Clever. aYou mean like a housekeeper?a aNo, like a husband.a aNice fishing expedition. No husband.a He leaned back. aJust figured by now youad be married with kids.a aI am married. To my job.a aYouare too beautiful to be married to your job.a aThatas a s.e.xist remark.a He didnat appear concerned, just took another sip of coffee, then said, aOkay, then. Youare too beautiful to be without a man.a aI didnat say I was without a man.a aSo you do have someone in your life.a aI didnat say that, either.a His lips curled. aCagey.a Despite her intent to keep her conversation with him cool, she couldnat help but enjoy this cat-and-mouse game of Twenty Questions. aWhat about you? You certainly look like too much man to be without a woman.a He leveled one seriously hot look on her that made her toes curl.

aHow do you know Iam without a woman?a She laughed, letting out some of the stress that had been tightening her shoulders. aI think if you had a woman somewhere you wouldnat be sitting here with me.a aYou are a good detective.a She lifted her cup to her lips and smiled. aThatas what my dad says.a aSee, this is what surprises me. You never wanted to be a cop like your dad.a Her smile died. aThings changed.a aYou mean what happened twelve years ago?a aI donat want to talk about twelve years ago.a aWhat if I do?a aIs that why youare back? To bring up the past?a aNo. I came to see you, to see everyone.a She hated asking it, didnat want him to think she craved the answer. But the question needed to be answered. aWhereave you been?a He shrugged. aHere and there.a aThatas a lousy answer to give a cop.a His lips lifted. aYeah. But, really, not much to tell. I drifted, wandered, picked up work in one spot, then moved to another. I didnat stay in one place too long.a aI could find out where youave been.a His grin widened. aYou could try.a aAre you challenging me?a Irritation made her breakfast coil up like an angry snake in her stomach.

He reached across the table and grasped her hand. aNo. I didnat come back here to p.i.s.s you off.a She pulled her hand away. aYouare working pretty d.a.m.n hard on it.a He inhaled, blew it out. aThereas nothing to tell you. I saw a lot of theacountry. I was restless. And I needed to get out of here.a Escape would have been nice for her, too. But that hadnat been an option. aYou picked a h.e.l.l of a time to just pick up and leave, Dante.a He stared down at his coffee cup, then back up at her. aYeah, sorry about that.a That was it? Shead been attacked, had gone through the worst trauma of her life, and the one person she thought she could count on had abandoned her when she needed him the most. And all he had for her in the way of explanation was asorry about thata?

She stared him down, refusing to let him run this time. aYou know, thatas just not good enough.a To his credit, he didnat flinch, instead held her gaze. aI know it isnat.a aPretty interesting coincidence that you show up and George is killed.a He drained the last of the coffee in his cup. aLousy coincidence. I wish Iad been back sooner.a aHow much sooner?a aSoon enough that I could have prevented it.a She leaned back in the booth. aHow could you have prevented it?a aI donat know. Someone lured him to that alley and beat him to death. If Iad been here maybe I could have stopped it.a aRoman was here. Gabe was here. Jeff was here. None of them stopped it.a His gaze shifted to the window where morning traffic crowded the street. aI know. I still think I might have been able to do something.a He turned his attention back to her. aSomeone else knows about that nighta"about what happened.a Shead been avoiding thinking that. aOr it could be coincidence.a aOh, come on, Anna. Youare smarter than that. Itas no coincidence he was killed in that alley. Thereas a connection.a aHe was found with drugs in his pocket. It could have been a drug deal gone bad.a aYeah, right. And then they beat him to death and carved a heart on his chest.a She shrugged. aIam just thinking of all angles.a aThereas only one angle. Someone saw what happened twelve years ago.a She looked around the restaurant. No one sat by them, but still she leaned forward. aBut why George? He had nothing to do with it.a aI donat know. He had no connection to that night. Thatas the part that doesnat make sense.a To her, either. She had a lot of thinking to do, and she was too d.a.m.n tired to do it clearly. She needed to recharge, then tackle it again once shead had some sleep.

She picked up the bill and slid money to the waitress as she stood. aI need to go.a As she headed out the door, awareness of Dante on her heels p.r.i.c.ked at her as she pushed through the front door and toward the parking lot.

aI invited you to breakfast. I would have paid.a She slid on her sungla.s.ses and pulled her keys from her pocket. aIam capable of paying for my meal. It was nice to catch up with you, but Iam tired and Iam going home.a aIall follow you.a aI donat think so.a He had the nerve to smile at her. aIam following you anyway. I want to make sure you get home okay.a aAre you serious? Iam armed. Iam a detective, for the love of G.o.d. And itas broad daylight. Iave been taking care of myself for a lot of d.a.m.n years now, Dante. Just because you swept back into town thinkinga"I donat know what the h.e.l.l youare thinkinga"doesnat mean you need to start protecting me. My days of needing you as my bodyguard are over.a She stopped just short of blurting out that head failed as a bodyguard the last time shead seen him, but the words stuck in her throat, refusing to come out.

Even she wasnat that cruel.

He moved in closer. aIam sure you donat need someone to watch over you. I know you can take care of yourself. But Iam here and this is what I used to do. So Iam following you home.a She hated that he was here, messing up her life, making her want things shead wanted for a long time, then pushed to the back of her mind, forcing herself to forget.

She inhaled the scent of him. Big mistake, because G.o.d help her, she wanted to put her hands on him, and in that moment she realized the feelings she had for him werenat dead.

More likely it was just that she hadnat been laid in a really long time. Dante was still a prime specimen of male beauty. Which was the only reason he had this effect on her. She needed a fast release of tension and he was a man.

But she already knew he wouldnat be a quick f.u.c.k and out the door. They had too much history.

And dammit, theyad never had s.e.x.

That night twelve years ago had gotten in the way.