Sinful Crime Read online

  Jake looked over at Jo. “You should have been standing by the door.”

  “Oh, so this is my fault?” Jo shook her head and pushed Rowan out of the way as she went around her.

  “Hey, authorized personnel only!” screamed Rowan behind them.

  But Jake was not stopping. He could see the girl down the hall, and he knew she was headed for the back exit. “You follow her. I’m going around back.” He took off in the direction from which he came and found Rowan on the phone with the manager.

  “They are after Missy!” she said as he passed.

  Jake headed out of the building, and as he got around to the back, the service entrance door flew open, and Missy ran out, full speed ahead.

  Jake caught up to her as she reached her car, and he threw her against it. “Why are you running?”

  “Because you want to take me in!”

  Jake pinned her, his hand planted firmly on her chest and his legs caging her in against the side of the blue SUV. “For questioning, Missy. That’s it! But you’re making it much worse than it has to be.”

  Jo stormed out of the side door with the manager fighting her all the way. “Step off, or I’m going to arrest you for obstruction!”

  Jake glanced over and saw that Jo had succeeded in getting the manager off her ass, but he kept his attention focused on Missy. “I just want to talk to you.”

  Jo stepped over, taking out her cuffs. “Do I have to slap these on you?” She was good and pissed off, and Jake figured if he’d had to run in those heels, he would be as well.

  “Enough,” he said. “You’re coming with us. If you try to run again, I’m going to thinks it’s more than paranoia, you feel me?”

  “Fine. But I don’t know anything.” Missy gave him a hard look.

  “And yet, Kellen knows I talked to you. You want to keep denying that?” Jake grabbed her arm and hauled her across the parking lot, her feet moving with his to keep up.

  Jo walked ahead of them and opened the front passenger door. “Get in,” she said with frustration in her voice.

  The ride down to the office seemed much longer in anticipation of talking to her. Jake wondered if she were capable of killing anyone in Madden’s style, but the younger girl wasn’t guilty of anything but caring too much about her family.

  They arrived at the station, and Jo got out before Missy could bail again. She took the girl by the arm, and Missy jerked away. “Hands off of me unless I’m under arrest.”

  “Don’t tempt me,” said Jo.

  Jake liked seeing her focused and firm. It was unnecessary, but he knew better than to tell her to calm down again. “We’re going to the interrogation room on the end,” he said to both women. “I want to make sure that we’ve got privacy.” From his experience, the other men in the office would want to linger around the door if he wasn’t careful, and sure enough, heads were already turning as they led Missy down the hall.

  They brought her to the room, and when Jake turned to shut the door, Sam was standing at it. He waved Jake out. “I heard there was some trouble with the last murder, that it looks like a copycat.”

  “Yeah, hey, could you keep that under wraps? We’re not wanting anyone discussing the cases outside of the station.”

  “You don’t think that’s your culprit, do you? She didn’t seem like she could hurt a fly.”

  “Nah, we’re just still trying to find the Hangman. I don’t want his trail getting cold because someone out there is creating a diversion.” Jake hated to give his friend the brush off, but he needed to conduct his business. “Could you keep the others out of here? I don’t want any gawkers when we come out.”

  “Sure thing.” He turned and went down the hall, where he cut off one of the other officers who was being nosey.

  Jake walked inside and shut the door. Then he drew the blinds, just in case Sam let anyone get by. He’d chosen that specific room because while it had recording, there was no two-way mirror. He turned to find Jo standing in the corner, her eyes hard on Missy.

  Missy sat staring straight ahead. “Can we get this over with?”

  “Yeah, I think we should. You need to tell us what you know about Madden, and we’ll let you go and never bother you again.”

  “What’s up her ass?”

  “She wanted to bring you in a long time ago, and I’m not sure she’s happy you tried to run.”

  “She made it sound like you were going to arrest me. I didn’t do anything.”

  “That’s not true,” said Jake. “You were at the cabin with Madden, and he knew we talked. He called me.”

  That got her attention. “Why would he call you?”

  “We have a copycat.” Jo looked up when he told the girl, as if she protested, but Jake shook his head. “I wondered if you could tell us if that’s part of the plan.”

  “A copycat?” She shook her head and lifted her chin. “Kellen didn’t want to involve anyone else. And that’s all I’m saying.”

  Jo stepped forward. “Then I’m going to arrest you.”

  “What for? I’ve not done anything wrong. I can’t help it who I’m related to. Thanks to your brother, he’s the only family I have left.” Missy gave Jo a pointed look.

  Jo didn’t seem to flinch when she told her, but Jake knew it had to hurt all the same. “And a lot of other people are without their fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters because of your cousin’s husband. That doesn’t justify anything. And in case you’re wondering what I could hold you for, try aiding and abetting, for one, and if that isn’t enough, you’re certainly making a case for accessory after the fact.”

  “I don’t have anything to do with him. And as for a copycat, I don’t have a clue. I wish I knew where Kellen was. I’d beg him to turn himself in. I can’t believe this is what he’s become, but he loved my sister and his daughter with all of his heart, and when they were murdered, when the system failed him, he died inside. He grew bitter and vengeful, and now I’ve lost the only family I had left. I don’t know what to tell you, so you might as well let me go.”

  “Were you quitting your job?” asked Jake.

  “Yes, and just in case you need to know, I’m putting the farmhouse in my name too. I’m selling the other property. I already have the paperwork and have for a while now. It’s perfectly legal. Kellen said if anything ever happened to him, to do it. I think this qualifies.”

  “He set you up really well, didn’t he?” asked Jo. “And I’m sure your loyalty and silence are a perfect payment in return.”

  “Fuck you. I’d rather have my family back than all the property in the world, and besides that, once Kellen’s gone, it’s all mine anyway. He wanted me to make sure no one took it from me.”

  “Won’t do you any good in jail,” snapped Jo.

  Missy stared daggers at Jo. “If you’re going to arrest me, do it. Otherwise, stop with the threats.”

  Jake cleared his throat and stepped between the women. “The only reason we’re not going to do that is because I believe that you’ve been through enough. But I need you to cooperate with us, Missy. If there is anything you can do to help us, please do. You know as well as I do, this won’t end well for Kellen. He’s going to die, whether he gets caught and goes to jail or he offs himself.”

  “What could you do for him at this point?”

  Jo let out a breath. “Maybe get him life instead of death. He could live a comfortable life behind bars. Three squares and a place to rest his head.”

  “That’s torture,” said Missy, who shook her head. The two women were like fire and gasoline. And it wasn’t getting any better as Missy continued. “I know Kellen, and he’d rather be dead than to have to sit and think of what he’s lost. He’s done it long enough, thanks to Kyle Young. I tried to tell him not to do this.” For the first time since they caught her, her eyes filled with tears. “You think this is easy for me?” She turned her glare on Jo. “How many times I’ve wanted to die just to see my sister again? You can call her my cousin all y
ou want. But I know what she was to me.”

  Jo shrank back a little as Jake walked over. “Give me a moment with her, Jo.”

  “Are you seriously sending me out?” she whispered.

  “Wait outside, Detective.” He gave her a pleading look, and she hurried out.

  Jake moved closer to Missy. “I know it’s hard, but we just want to do the right thing and stop him before anyone else has to get hurt.”

  Missy looked up at him, her eyes much harder. The cold stare coming from them was filled with rage and hate. “You mean before her father and brother are the next victims, don’t you? We all know that’s where this will lead, right? To those animals. Her father is a vile human whose dirty money and payoffs saved that piece of shit he calls a son from justice. And her brother? Oh, I hope they both die horrible deaths at Kellen’s hands. Call my wishes aiding if you want, but I’ve never helped him. But I hope that he succeeds. And as for how he goes out? He should be the one to make that decision. While I hate it, I’ll respect it.”

  “Those are strong words,” said Jake.

  “You should have helped him a long time ago. Part of this is on you. And now you’re going to try and stop him from getting the justice you know he deserves. You know what he’s been through.”

  “Not this way, Missy. He can’t play judge, jury, and executioner.”

  She closed her eyes. “To Kellen, it was the only way.”

  “I care about you, Missy. I don’t know if you’re telling me the truth or not, but you need to stay away from him.”

  “Noted, but for the record, he would never hurt me.”

  “Maybe so, but you said it yourself. The Kellen you knew is dead, and make no mistake, if I ever think you’ve had the shot to talk to him, I’m hauling you back in, and I’m going to arrest you.” He stared deep into her eyes. “None of us want that.”

  By the look in her eyes, he could tell that even she wasn’t sure what Kellen was capable of.

  Chapter 3

  Kyle

  Kyle leaned forward, stuck the rolled bill to his nose, and snorted the line he’d cut for himself. As he closed his eyes and savored the moment of bliss, he heard a knock at the door.

  “Dammit,” he mumbled, wiping the residue off the glass-top table.

  After being nude since fresh out of the shower an hour ago, he grabbed his shorts and pulled them on. “Who is it?” he asked, thinking it was probably his old man who he was expecting to hear from. His father had gone to pay off his debt without him earlier in the day.

  “It’s me,” said a soft voice. “Dannie.”

  Kyle rolled his eyes and opened the door. The girl was a glutton for punishment, and he wasn’t in the mood for company. “Hey, darling,” he said, leaning in to give her a kiss.

  She jerked back. “What happened to you?”

  “I was jumped. It’s okay, though.”

  “Where were you? Here? At the Rockford?” She cupped his face.

  He wanted to jerk away from her touch, but he endured it. “No, it’s cool. I was out driving around when I stopped for a minute to check a tire and was hit from behind. They beat me up but were scared off before they took anything, thank God.”

  “Where were you?”

  “Trade street, I believe. You know I don’t know the area very well.”

  “Did you file a report?”

  His eyes widened. “No, why would I do that? I can’t identify them, and they didn’t take anything.”

  “That doesn’t matter. You’re supposed to report a crime, even when you hear about one. You should, especially if you’re the victim. Next time, they could really hurt you and steal your money. You’re lucky they didn’t steal your rental. You’d really be in trouble.”

  His buzz was slowly dying from her nonsense, and he was growing to despise the sound of her voice. “No, leave it alone. I don’t want to alert any cops or get any attention cast on me. I mean, think about this, Dannie. I’m the senator’s son. I could be in the spotlight in a matter of minutes, and then what happens to our deal? You have to think and use your brains, babe.”

  Dannie paled and sat on the sofa in front of the place he wiped the cocaine from. “I’m thinking. I guess I’m just not used to dating a celebrity. Especially when it’s my nature to report a crime. I mean, working at the station rubs off on me, you know?”

  “Yes, I know. So what did you come by for?”

  “I didn’t think I had to have a reason other than wanting to see you.” She eased back against the cushions. “But since you mentioned it, I wanted to tell you what happened at work today.”

  He suddenly remembered why he kept her around. “Do tell. Is it juicy?” He sat beside her and put his arm around her neck.

  “Well, for some reason, Chief Milner called a meeting and was preaching about how we shouldn’t be discussing the case outside of the office. It really freaked me out, considering what we’ve been up to. But things might not be as easy as they were before. Everyone is getting so tight lipped.”

  Kyle thought on it a minute. For them to crack down, something had to have changed, and whether or not it was due to the recent killing was hard to tell. If they had figured things out, then maybe they knew it wasn’t Madden? He’d taken steps to ensure they had.

  “It’s okay. Just do your best.” He shrugged it off, knowing it didn’t really matter anymore anyway. He had the style down enough, and whatever was going on, he didn’t think they were smart enough to put two and two together and come up with him. “So, anything else good happening?”

  “There was another murder. That judge we saw. The one who took over for Mathews. He’s dead.”

  “What?” He drew a little circle on her shoulder, her flesh like silk beneath his fingers as the drugs were still in effect.

  “Yes, he’s dead. Can you believe it? Apparently, the Hangman doesn’t want anyone taking over the positions he cleared.”

  “Yeah, that’s crazy. It will be perfect for the book. I can see the scenes in my head.” His cock was hard, and she had her hand on his leg.

  Dannie moved in closer. “That was hot, the other day with you and me. I’ve never had anyone get that kinky before. I have never felt so dirty.”

  “That’s because you were being a bad girl,” said Kyle. “What kind of secrets are you going to tell me to be a bad girl now?”

  “I don’t know. I might have heard something that could be of interest.” She leaned over and captured his lips with a long, lingering kiss. “I might have to be naked to tell you.”

  Kyle smiled, reached over to her knee, and pushed her skirt up. “How about I do some exploring while you get started?”

  She moved down in her seat to give him better access. As he rubbed her through her panties, he leaned in and whispered, “Tell me.”

  “They said that they might have two killers on their hands.”

  Kyle froze a moment. He had hoped that they would think the Hangman had killed Tate Bodin.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “What makes them think that?”

  “I’m not sure, but for some reason, they say there is evidence that could point to two killers.” She kissed him again, but he pulled away. “What’s the matter? You look disappointed.”

  “I thought you were going to tell me something juicy and vulgar to light my creative mind on fire like before.”

  “I didn’t get any details.” She reached down and put her hand on his.

  He rubbed her slowly and then slipped two fingers under the elastic of her lacy panties. She had earned that much, and he was horny, so he figured, why not?

  “Could you let me know if you find out anything else?”

  She gave him a pointed look. “Only if you tell me what a good girl I am for sharing secrets.”

  “Oh, I’m about to show you, babe. Just wait.” He took her hand and got to his feet. Then he pulled her up and walked her to the bed.

  She giggled as her eyes went to his erection. “Looks like you’ve g
ot a lot to show.”

  Kyle grinned. “Come on. Let’s lay down, and I’ll show you.” He needed a little bit of stress release. With all that was going on, not only with the murder, but with his father, the shit with Stan and Spinks, and Kendra being unreasonable, she would be the perfect distraction.

  Dannie laid back in the bed, and Kyle moved closer, positioning himself above her. She reached up and cupped his face. “Do you think you’ll be healed in time for the gala?”

  His mood shifted. “Would you stop talking?”

  “I’m just concerned. I hate that you can’t report it.”

  Kyle pulled away and sat on the edge of the bed. “You’re seriously going to go on about that fucking gala? I’m on edge as it is, and I already explained why I can’t report it. You know, you need to watch it, Dannie. I don’t want it getting around that I’m even in town, much less that I was attacked. It’s fucking embarrassing.” He shot to his feet and paced the room.

  Dannie sat up. The look of disappointment and worry that he was upset with her was all over her face. “I’m sorry. Come back to bed, and let’s not worry about it. I’m sure you’ll heal in time for the gala, and no one will have to know.”

  He could care less about the fucking gala, and he was beginning to resent he’d ever made it up, but bitches like her needed something to keep them around. With the idea of a big event in the future—something she was really baited by, as most shallow women were in his experience—he could keep her around for his use. He had to keep up the charade for as long as possible and hope that she knew how to keep her mouth shut. “Promise me, Dannie.”

  “Promise you?”

  “That you won’t say a word to anyone.” He gave her a harsh look as he sat on the edge of the bed beside her and took her hand.

  “I won’t. I promise. I know you might not understand this, and I know it’s very sudden, but I’m falling for you, Kyle. I want us to have a wonderful relationship. Not just a partnership.”

  He understood it too well. He’d often been used by women who thought that they could get to his money, and while he was glad Dannie was a useful tool, he had no intentions of ever making her anything more than what she was to him: a warm mouth to spill secrets, and a place to put his cock. “I feel the same. I’m just irritated and sore. It hurts to lie down. I think I may have a few cracked ribs.”