Free Faces of Evil [2] Impulse by Debra Webb Page B

– Lori, dammit.
    Not Detective Wells. Lori Wells . A friend she wanted to know better, to share experiences with. Jess hadn’t bothered with friends in a long time.
    Damn Spears .
    Burnett waited for her to go on. He watched for the weakness that would prove his theory about her not being able to handle the undeniably personal aspects of this investigation.
    Keep it together, Jess .
    “He sedates his victims to ensure complete cooperation. We discovered it in his last victims – Ketamine. With the injectable form, if the dose is right it works fast and doesn’t last too long. Gives him the time he needs.”
    “Is she – Belinda Howard – is she alive?” The hope in his voice never made it to his eyes. “There’s not that much blood in there.”
    “He doesn’t usually make the kill at the scene of the abduction.” Jess almost laughed. “The way his MO is changing, I’m not sure I can say either way with any real accuracy. At this point I’d have to conclude that it depends upon if he has a use for her. He,” she dragged in a steadying breath, “disabled her with the Ketamine, probably, made an incision of some sort to get the blood flowing and left his message.”
    Just to get Jess’s attention. The vic wasn’t even his type. None of this was logical, unless she set aside the profile she’d built over five years of intense study, and acknowledged that every step he’d taken this time had been about her. Getting to her, making her squirm. Generating desperation.
    “Where does this put Wells on the food chain?”
    Jess swept a wisp of sweat-dampened hair from her face. “Without exception,” the words she needed to say got trapped on a lump in her throat, “he disposes of one victim within twenty-four hours of taking the next.”
    Burnett didn’t say anything for a moment. Then he moved on from the topic, as if lingering there too long was more than he could manage at the moment. “Hogan called.” Burnett surveyed the street. “He went to the floral shop personally. Interviewed the two women who work there.”
    Jess held her breath.
    “It was him, Jess. Spears walked in and made the purchase with cash. Gave a generous tip for the delivery. There’s no security video but both women identified Eric Spears as the guy.” Burnett shook his head. “He waltzed right into a downtown shop and bought those flowers.”
    Jess closed her eyes. What the hell was he doing? Was he after her or just in the mood to torture her from afar? Was he so damned sure of himself after the fiasco in Richmond that he was no longer afraid of getting caught no matter how careless his methods?
    She opened her eyes, blinked to clear those graphic images from past cases attributed to the Player. There were things she had to do. “I need to call my sister before she hears about this some other way.”
    The media hadn’t found their way here yet but that would happen soon enough. Mostly she just needed some space. A minute or two to pull herself together without Burnett hovering.
    “Then we have to talk.”
    She’d expected that sooner. Like maybe on the way over here. The Bureau was up to something that wasn’t going to be fun for her.
    No surprise there.
    Jess made her way to where they’d parked and climbed into Burnett’s Mercedes, then closed out the world. The temperature inside the vehicle was stifling. She didn’t care if she melted. Her hand shook as she rummaged through her bag for her cell. Lily answered on the first ring. It took a minute to convince her sister that Jess wasn’t buying a house. Several more minutes were required to calm Lily down and coax her to listen after she learned her friend had been abducted. Suffocating became less desirable, forcing Jess to open her door since she didn’t have the keys to power down a window.
    “Lil, just stop and listen.” Five or so seconds later, her sister complied. “I know you probably won’t understand what I’m about to tell you, but I need you to