caught and I intend to bring him down. He’s obviously unhinged and enjoys killing, and I don’t see him stopping anytime soon.”
She frowned, the gesture doing nothing to detract from her attractiveness. “He’s smart and he’s thorough. He hasn’t left a single clue behind for the police to work with. They are frustrated by their lack of leads. Right now he’s killing what most of society would deem bad guys, but that still makes him a murderer.”
“I totally agree.”
She gazed at him for a long moment. “What’s your story? You’re a successful, award-winning architect. What would make you want to suddenly become a killer-hunter?”
He certainly wasn’t ready to trust her with the details of the murder pact six men had made in the woods behind an abandoned baseball field.
To give the information he had to anyone presented a huge risk, not only to himself but also to the four other innocent men in the group. He felt responsible for the birth of the Vigilante Killer and he had to somehow figure out how to point a finger for the police. But first, he had to see which one of the remaining two men was the guilty one. And the only way to do that was to do some investigating of his own.
“Let’s just say I feel a moral obligation to go after him,” he finally replied.
She narrowed her eyes. “So you do know something.”
“I might,” he admitted.
Her eyes lit with an obvious hunger, and he momentarily wondered what it would feel like if her eyes lit up like that when she looked at him as a man and not just as a source for a big story.
“If we both want the same thing then there’s no reason why we couldn’t partner up. I can share with you all the information I have and you could share with me.”
The offer surprised him. He had to admit there was a part of him that had longed to talk about what he knew with somebody. But he’d never dreamed he’d share any of this with anyone, especially not with an ambitious reporter.
“I need some time to think about it,” he finally said.
“How much time?”
“I don’t know...give me twenty-four hours.” He wanted to stop the Vigilante Killer, but he’d certainly never thought about having a partner who may have some resources to help him achieve that goal.
She checked her wristwatch and then stood. “Okay, twenty-four hours it is. I’ve got to get home now to do my podcast.”
He rose as well. “I hope nothing we discussed here is in your podcast tonight,” he said as they walked to his front door.
“Contrary to what you believe about me, I know how to keep secrets. How can I catch up with you tomorrow?”
“How about you have dinner with me at D’Angelo’s. Do you know where it is?” Even as he asked the question he wondered what in the hell he was doing.
“I do. What time is good for you?”
“Shall we say around six?”
She nodded and then smiled. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“Tell Wally and Warren I said hi.”
Her smile turned slightly sheepish. “Will do. I’ll see you tomorrow.” With that she turned and hurried out to her car.
He watched until she pulled out of his driveway and then he closed and locked his front door. His brain spun wildly as he returned to his recliner and picked up what was left of his drink.
What in the hell was he doing even thinking about sharing what he knew with her? And he’d definitely lost his mind in inviting her out to dinner.
If he was going to work with her in any way, it would be a fine line he’d have to walk to make sure he didn’t incriminate himself or the others. But she was a wild card in this whole mess and he knew she wasn’t going to stop digging. At least if he worked with her he might be able to guide her investigation on a path he wanted to keep it on.
Still, he had to remember that she would throw him under the bus in a minute to get her story.
* * *
IT WAS JUST after five thirty when Monica angled her car into a parking place down the street from D’Angelo’s Restaurant. It was a popular place to dine with great Italian food and reasonable prices, but on a Sunday evening there would be fewer diners.
She’d come away from Jake’s house last night with the gut-burning certainty that he had some knowledge that would help move the investigation forward.
There had been shadows in his deep green eyes that had whispered of secrets, secrets she definitely wanted him to share with her.
Had she worn her royal blue cold-shoulder blouse tonight because she’d had several people tell her she looked sexy in it? Had she decided to wear her black skinny jeans because she knew they hugged her thin but shapely legs? Was it all in an effort to use her womanly wiles on him?
Maybe, but she had to admit part of it was for him to see Monica Wright not just as a sharp investigative reporter, but also as a desirable woman.
Which was completely ridiculous. The very last thing she wanted in her life was a relationship that would suck time and energy away from her work, but there were times she was lonely. It was really rather silly, but something about talking to Jake the evening before had made her think about her loneliness.
Maybe it was because from the moment she had met him, butterflies had danced in her stomach. And she hadn’t felt butterflies about any man in a very long time.
She raised a finger to her mouth and then dropped her hand back to the steering wheel. She was desperately trying to stop chewing her nails. It was hard to have pretty nails when you gnawed them ragged. Instead she now clicked them against her steering wheel as her thoughts continued to cascade in her head.
It’s about the story, stupid. This had been her mantra for the last five years, when she had really gotten serious about what she wanted to do. The advertising on her podcast paid her bills, but she wanted more than just financial security. She wanted respect. And identifying the Vigilante Killer and being responsible for his arrest would gain her that respect.
This was the first case where she didn’t just want to report the facts; rather, she wanted to make the facts. She wanted to hunt the killer.
It was definitely interesting to her that Jake had wanted nothing more than to kick her off his property until she’d mentioned the three other men and the Northland Survivor Group. He had suddenly become quite amenable after that.
He’d started out just being a possible human-interest story. Janet McCall’s phone call had changed all that. Talking to him last night had also changed that. He was so much more than a human-interest story. She had a feeling he might be the key to discovering the identity of the killer.
Her clicking fingernails stopped and she sat up straighter in her seat as Jake’s car pulled into a parking space on the opposite side of the street.
The butterflies took flight again in her stomach
