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“Right. Well, now I know to monitor my drinks around Rain from now on.”
I rolled my eyes at Slade. “Or just don’t piss me off to make me want to create a chemical compound that would be virtually undetectable with a tox screen.”
“It scares me because I know you’re smart enough to figure it out,” Slade grumbled.
“Thank you.” I beamed.
“If there are a string of sudden unexplained deaths in the area, we know who to suspect first. And, Slade, you’re right—we know little about this unsub. We need to know why these victims, why knives, and what is he or she getting out of these kills? One thing we have going for us is the lengthy time period between murders.”
“Why do you think that is?” Slade asked.
Jameson turned to stare at the wall of photos and notes. “Hunting the next victim? The unsub knew victim number five was home alone, that the roommate was out of town. He or she had to stake out the house for days or even be close enough to hear the roommate’s plans.” Jameson jumped up and rifled through the files. “For fuck’s sake. Of course.”
Slade and I waited, both edging closer to Jameson to hear what he’d found.
“The two killed outside their homes was because they didn’t have a house but lived in apartments. With cameras and other security measures, the unsub wouldn’t be able to get to the victims in their home.” He straightened and ran a hand through his hair. “Which verifies the stalking aspect of the profile. Our unsub knew where they lived and planned accordingly. It also tells us these victims are special, targeted. We need to find out the why.”
I leaned back in the chair, rolling my head along the stuffed cushion. “Not to throw another kink in your gender debate, but it could be a small-framed male. He could easily slip through the points of entry and would be weaker than the victims, which is why he uses the blunt force to the head.”
“True. Not every male is made of pure muscle like me and Slade here.” I snorted at Jameson and shook my head, sending my hair slipping over my shoulders. “And, Rain, you can toss kinks my way anytime.”
Memories from last night’s dreams surged forward, making the earlier quiver in my lower belly return in full force. I covertly pressed a hand to my stomach, willing the sensation to go away. Discussing gruesome murders was not the time to be turned on.
“Muscle, my ass,” Slade chuckled, shooting Jameson an incredulous look. “You look like that skinny swimmer fucker.”
“That narrows it down,” Jameson muttered while fixing the cuffs of his dress shirt. “I want to see the crime scenes with my own eyes, walk the area and space to see if anything pops out at me. Who’s down for a field trip?”
I shot my hand up in the air, fingers wiggling, though the dampness in my armpit had me slowly lowering it back down. An hour or so stuck in a small room with the two hottest males I’d ever known had me sweating more than normal. Plus, the sudden hot flashes every time pieces of last night’s dreams wormed their way to the forefront of my mind. So being a little extra sweaty was okay.
Right?
Or…
Did I forget to put deodorant on earlier?
I mentally walked through my frantic morning after waking up late.
I was pretty sure I did.
I thought I did, but….
In a few minutes, I would be trapped in Slade’s car with these two. What if I forgot to put deodorant on and started to smell? They would think I didn’t shower and had horrible hygiene. Then any chance of the magical threesome dream would never come true. Not that I had a chance in the first place despite that, but intense body odor radiating off me in waves and making them gag would totally slash that sliver of hope I tightly clung to.
That settled it.
“Slade, can we swing by my house on our way to the first crime scene? I forgot something.”
“What is it?”
In a flash, Jameson’s hand came up and smacked Slade’s chest, making him grunt. “Don’t be so nosy, old man. What if it’s personal? Do you really want to make her say she forgot tampons?”
Slade’s brows pulled in tight. “Would it matter? Rain is thirtysomething and a doctor. Pretty sure she’s okay with talking about menstrual cycles.” I pressed three fingers to my lips to halt my growing smile while they had the oddest conversation ever. “It’s not like she’s thirteen and it’s her first period.”
“Know a lot about when girls start their periods, do you?” Jameson queried.
Slade wrapped a large hand around the back of his neck and squeezed. “I started fucking… I mean, dating earlier than most.” He sighed at Jameson’s pointed, raised brows. “Fine. Really young, okay? What can I say? I was always this damn good-looking.” NowthatI fully believed. Though now I really wanted to see a picture of teenage Slade. “Fuck, let’s just go. And yes, Rain, we can stop by your place on the way.”
Smirking, I slowly unfolded my legs and stood.