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CHAPTER FORTY-NINE. Jake pointed at the gray metal chair next to her desk






Jake pointed at the gray metal chair next to her desk. Nicole obediently took a seat, nodding once at Rick. Jake logged into her computer, wanting to check e-mail before the lieutenant was around. She hoped Steven had found something.

" Did you have a good night? " Rick asked quietly, unable to keep the smirk off his face.

" I'm guessing it was better than yours." Jake looked up and met Nicole's eyes. She felt a sudden sense of loss, of regret. Yeah, as they'd said, it would be over soon. Nicole would go back to wearing her power suits and too much makeup, and Jake would simply fade from her life. Jake knew it was true, but it was hard to reconcile that with the Nicole she saw now. The woman sitting at her desk in blue jeans, sweatshirt, and hiking boots--hair still rumpled and wind-blown--was not the Dr. Westbrook Jake knew she would transform into. No, the woman sitting here now was the one that Jake wanted to haul back to her cabin and snuggle with in front of the fire. She was the one that Jake wanted to make love to as the snow fell in the mountains, the one that Jake wanted to sink into the hot springs with. Jake's heart ached as she realized that Nicole was the one she'd been searching for, waiting for. The one she wanted to share her life with. And she was also the one person she knew who could never share her life. Damn, but God and his jokes.

" Maybe. But at least I got some sleep." He lowered his voice. " You two look like you didn't sleep at all."

Jake ignored him and scanned her e-mail for something from Steven. There were two. The first at midnight. The second at two-thirty a.m. Damn. Stevie was like a dog after a bone.

" Got a couple of e-mails from Steven, " she said, opening up the first one.

Found your dead time, Jake. July 23, 1999. 9: 47 p.m., there are 93 seconds missing. This was hard as hell to find. I'm going to find a back-door into 911 now and cross match the date/time and see what shakes. I'll be in touch.

" He found it, " she said, looking at Rick. " Nine forty-seven. July 23, 1999." She glanced at Nicole. " Sound right? "

Nicole nodded. " Yes."

Jake opened up the second e-mail, her eyes widened as she scanned it.

The 911 log was deleted on July 25, 1999. You were right. It was from the outside. There was no trail to follow. Dispatch log was deleted from the inside. Your Lieutenant Gregory deleted it at 10: 21 that same night. I dug a little deeper and found two units, four officers unaccounted for between 9: 40 and 11: 00 that night. They were on duty. There is activity earlier in the evening and then again later. Their shift ended at 6 the next morning. I've got names, but let's do it in person. Inside job, Jake. Be careful. Delete the e-mails. I've already covered up my tracks.

" Well fuck me, " Jake murmured. She looked around, making sure Gregory was out of sight before printing out the e-mails. Then she dutifully deleted them both from her file. " We can't talk here, " she said quietly.

" What the hell is going on? " Rick demanded.

Jake stood, grabbing both papers from the printer and folding them, shoving the paper into the back pocket of her jeans. " We're in big trouble, Ricky. Come on, let's get out of here." She grabbed her coat from her chair and started walking, motioning for Nicole to follow.

" Jake? "

" Not here."

Then she stopped suddenly, Rick and Nicole nearly bumping into her. Lieutenant Gregory had just walked into the squad room.

" Where you off to? " he asked, brushing the snow from his coat.

Jake cleared her throat. " Started to snow? "

" Just flurries." He looked at Nicole. " What do you have? "

Jake stepped back. " This is Dr. Westbrook. We're heading over to her office now. She's going to allow us to dig a little into her files. I want to see if we can find a pattern with the crisis center. With five victims now, we'll have more to go on." She stared at her lieutenant, hoping Rick and Nicole would simply go along with her ramblings.

" Five? "

" Last night, " Rick said. " I thought the sergeant called you. I was taking Dr. Westbrook home. There was a body dumped there. Hanging in her garage."

" Another patient? "

Rick nodded.

" Salazar and Simpson? "

Jake looked around. " I haven't spoken with them this morning. Salazar was working on the profiles of the victims. I'll make sure she gets Dr. Westbrook's file on the latest."

" I don't have to tell you that Captain Zeller will get involved if we don't break this soon. I got a call from the chief's office, too. They have word that the paper is going do a story using the serial killer angle, and I believe they know the link with Dr. Westbrook now."

" Great, " Jake murmured. " That'll bring the crazies out."

" Keep me posted."

" Yes, sir."

They watched him walk into his office, and Jake let out a relieved sigh. " Let's go."

" Where? "

" Nicole's office might be safest. For now."

" What the hell is going on? " Rick hissed. " You're making me crazy."

" Good thing Dr. Westbrook is around then, eh? "

" Very funny."

 


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