Scene of the Crime: Baton Rouge. Carla Cassidy
Still, I know it sounds crazy, but I feel like I’ve been touched by pure evil.”
She straightened her shoulders and drew a deep, steadying breath. She couldn’t allow herself to get spooked by a single phone call—Alex would pull her off the case if she appeared that weak.
“What did your caller identification show?” Alex asked. She was pleased his voice held no sympathy, no coddling tone.
“Unknown caller,” she replied, also glad that her voice held no sense of the cold turmoil inside her. “He probably made the call from a throwaway phone. He’s too smart to allow himself to be traced.” She paused a moment. “If it really was him, then why me?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because you’re the only woman on the team?”
“How would he even know that I’m on the team? The article this morning didn’t mention any names.”
“I don’t have any answers for you right now,” Alex replied, his voice deep and his eyes fierce as he held her gaze. “But I promise you that by tomorrow we’ll have some. If there’s a leak in the department, I’ll get to the bottom of it.”
She saw the depth of anger simmering in his beautiful eyes and would hate to be the person on the receiving end of that ire.
“We can’t know for sure that it was really the perp who made the call,” he said thoughtfully. He took a drink of his coffee and set the cup back down. “There were plenty of news reports out of Bachelor Moon when Sam and his wife and little Macy went missing. The call could have just come from some creep.”
“Creeps don’t generally know my phone number,” she replied dryly.
“We’ll figure it all out,” he said in an obvious effort to soothe, but she knew it was more likely than not that they wouldn’t learn how he had gotten her phone number.
They fell silent for the next few minutes. She sipped her drink while Alex slugged down his coffee and got up to order himself another one. She had a feeling it would be a sleepless night for him as well as for her.
Macy. Why had the caller mentioned the little girl who had already found purchase in Georgina’s heart? Perhaps he had just reasoned that since she was a woman, the child would be the best way to get to her. What a calculating creep.
By the time Alex returned to the table, Michelle and the man who had stood behind her at the autographing table walked through the door.
The big bruiser had his arm around Michelle and a scowl on his face that indicated he was definitely not pleased to be here. “Why would the FBI want to talk to Michelle?” he asked as the two of them reached the table where Georgina and Alex were seated.
“Maybe you’re the one we need to talk to,” Alex countered as he stood.
Georgina released a sigh. She’d already had enough drama for one night. She didn’t need a macho showdown between the two men. “Why don’t we all sit down and we’ll explain exactly what brought Michelle to our attention.”
Michelle took the stool next to Georgina. “I already know why you want to talk to me. This overly protective brute is my boyfriend, Jax White. Sit down, Jax, and let them ask their questions.”
Jax took a seat as Alex returned to his. “I know the people I wrote about in my book are missing,” Michelle said. “But that’s all I know about the situation.”
“So the kidnapping of these agents isn’t part of a publicity stunt to sell more books?” Alex asked.
Michelle shot him a derisive look. “I don’t subscribe to the ‘Any publicity is good publicity’ theory.”
As Alex questioned Michelle further, Georgina tried to put the phone call out of her head and instead get a read on the woman and man seated at the table with them.
“I have some contacts in the agency,” Michelle said, “and they pointed me to Sam Connelly, Amberly Caldwell and Jackson Revannaugh as three of the best profilers who had all recently solved fairly high-profile cases. I decided to showcase them in the book as some of the best of the best when it comes to catching killers.”
“And exactly how did you do your research?” Georgina asked.
“She sure as hell didn’t kidnap the agents,” Jax exclaimed in obvious irritation.
Michelle ignored his outburst. “Unfortunately none of the agents would grant me interviews, so I did my research the hard way—by getting files on the cases they’d worked, by reading every article and news item I could find. I traveled to Mystic Lake and here to Baton Rouge to talk to some of the people who were involved with the crimes. I talked to the people in the towns, friends of the missing people. I also tried to talk to friends of the FBI agents. Unfortunately they all refused to talk to me.”
Her chin rose defensively. “I worked hard to write the stories of heroes and the criminals that they caught. I saw in the paper this morning that a task force had been formed to deal with the case of the missing FBI agents. I knew you’d be coming to question me, but I can’t help you. I don’t know what happened to them. I can’t help you in any way in your investigation.”
Jax stood and placed an arm around Michelle’s shoulder. “Are we through here?”
“One more question...where were the two of you four nights ago?” Alex asked.
“At my home in New Orleans,” Michelle answered without hesitation. She exchanged a glance with Jax.
“Do the two of you live together?” Georgina asked.
Michelle hesitated a beat before replying. “No, but Jax spends most nights at my place. I’m sure he was with me four nights ago.”
Jax squeezed her shoulder. “And now I think we’re through here.” Michelle rose as if his hand on her shoulder was a magical wand that lifted her off the stool.
“Where can we reach you if we need to ask you more questions?” Alex asked.
“I’m leaving tomorrow on a book tour. If you’ll give me your email or fax number I’ll have my agent send you my itinerary,” Michelle said.
Alex pulled a card from his pocket. “My cell phone and email is there. If I don’t get that itinerary from your agent by noon tomorrow, then we’re going to have problems.”
Michelle nodded and the two of them left the coffee shop.
“Want another coffee?” Alex asked.
“No thanks. I think I’m ready to call it a day.” She knew they’d talk about this little interview in the car, but once the author and her boyfriend had disappeared from sight, the phone call Georgina had received filled her head once again.
Minutes later they were in Alex’s car and headed toward her house. “I feel inclined to do a little background check on Mr. Jax White,” Alex said.
“Probably wouldn’t hurt,” she agreed. “There was just a moment when Michelle said that Jax was with her on the night that Jackson and Marjorie disappeared that I didn’t quite believe her.”
“Maybe he decided to help his lover get a little extra publicity with her book,” Alex said. “He’s big enough to carry bodies over his shoulders and he looks like a man who might have a record.”
“And he knew I was an FBI agent and had time before they met us here to make that phone call.” Her stomach ached as she thought of the call.
They spoke no more until he pulled into her driveway. He cut the engine, turned out the car lights and then looked at her, his features visible in the streetlight next to her driveway.
“You want me to take your cell phone?” he asked.
She frowned at him in surprise. “Why would I want you to do that?”
“In case he calls again...so you don’t have to deal with it.”