Page 4 of Shadow Angel
“Oh, you’re no fun at all.” Beth grinned at him as if she was having the time of her life. “Haven’t you ever been undercover? It’s all about role-playing and getting people to believe you’re the character they see. You know if you’ve read my jacket, I went through training for undercover missions. I’m confident in my ability, and you know darn well I can handle myself. With the right preparation and backup, I figure I could bring down most perps.”
Shaking his head, Styles stood to refill his coffee cup. “I don’t figure it would take much preparation for me to walk into Outlaws as a customer, Beth. They don’t worry about who is coming through the door as long as they pay the cover charge. What makes you think a dancer would spill her guts to me? She doesn’t know me, and if I showed her my creds, she’d run for the hills.” He returned to his desk and opened his bag of takeout. “Pulled pork and coleslaw on a bun. You want one?”
“No thanks.” Beth kept her eyes on the screen. “I had something earlier. What time tonight?”
Thinking for a beat, Styles swallowed a bite of his bun. “Eight. We’ll give them an hour or so to get going.” He looked at her. “The dancers usually go around back. I’ll walk you to the door to make sure you get inside okay. The dancer’s entrance is in a dark alleyway lined with dumpsters.”
“Okay.” Beth was scanning her computer screen. “Oh good. There’s a store that sells Halloween and festival supplies in Rainbow. If we’re going to play dress-up, I’m going to stock up. That’s the problem with a small town, we don’t have a Walmart.”
Styles shrugged. “That’s what shopping online is for, Beth.” He sipped his coffee. “Keep the receipts. If you’re planning on using disguises in the future, we’ll use our budget.”
“Then we’d have to write up the undercover sting in a report.” Beth glanced up at him. “Sometimes, protocol goes out of the window when it’s necessary to decide on the fly—just like San Francisco. The director would expect a mission plan weeks before we make a move and in my experience by the time he decides it’s too late. In most situations, there isn’t time to organize a team for backup, especially in the backwoods towns we’re assigned to. We’ll need to be our own backup. I know you believe I’m reckless and fly by the seat of my pants, but I get the job done.” She lifted one shoulder. “I figure we both have our fair share of maverick when it comes to getting justice.”
Scratching his head, Styles took in the confident, rebellious woman in front of him. Dammit, she was so much like him it was frightening.
FIVE
In my mind’s eye, I see everything. In the daytime, I’m like a golden eagle flying in a thermal current viewing all below me. Mountains, forests, and rivers are part of my domain. As I circle high above, the towns below me form a perfect triangle, each joined by black snakes winding away through forests and alongside rivers. At night I prowl the streets, like a wolf hunting my prey. No one sees me. I blend into the background or hide in the shadows. My plans are set, each perfect place preselected for my darlings.
Excitement shivers in the pit of my stomach. Will she still be there waiting for me? So many times, they’re missing. Lately, I experimented with different animal repellants to keep them safe. There is nothing worse than finding one of my darlings torn apart by wildlife. Sweet memories fill my head, speeding my heart. I took my time to enjoy Cassie’s company, spending the entire night lying beside her. I loved the way her eyes stared blindly into nothingness and when her skin grew cold, I kept her warm. In the early hours of the morning, I bathed her meticulously, brushed her hair, and applied makeup. She looked so beautiful, and I wanted to stay with her forever, but my time was running short.
Today her stiff limbs will be pliable. It’s so important to leave her for the last time looking her best. My heart pounds as I walk through the wheatgrass. Taking a different path to the old building is essential. I can’t be discovered, I have so many more darlings to add to my collection. My hands tremble as I push open the door and move inside. The scent of her washes over me in the sweetest perfume. I go to her, and fall on my knees, rejoicing that she is whole, untouched, and as beautiful as ever. “Are you pleased to see me?”
The breeze through the broken window moves her hair as if she’s nodding to me. I laugh and cup her smiling face. The old sofa is perfect for her and I spend time arranging her legs just right. Her makeup looks fine, but I can’t resist brushing her hair again one last time. I loop a silken strand across my palm, and it seems alive as I draw it through my fingers to attach a pink bow and then cut the strand gently. I need a remembrance of our weekend together. I stand to leave and smile at her. She looks back at me as if begging me not to leave. She’s still the seductive little minx I craved, but no longer an obsession. I have so many more on my list. I take one last look to fix her in my mind. “Bye, Cassie. It’s been a blast.”
SIX
“So, what are you going to wear?” Styles leaned toward Beth over a meal at Tommy Joe’s Bar and Grill and raised both eyebrows. “It’s getting cold and I don’t want you dying of hypothermia.”
Amused by the way the tips of his ears pinked, Beth sipped a glass of very good Sauvignon Blanc and stared at him. She couldn’t tell him she had a trunk filled with various costumes. She’d gathered a variety of items from charity shops and complemented them with various trinkets to create a perfect disguise whenever she needed one. “You recall the ton of things I purchased in San Francisco when I went undercover as a sex worker?” In truth it hadn’t been a ton of things, but “say it and they’ll believe it” usually worked.
“Vividly.” Styles cleared his throat. “You kinda freaked me out.”
Biting back a smile at the memory, Beth shrugged nonchalantly. “Well, I have a variety of wigs and a box of disposable contact lenses in every color of the rainbow, even ones that look like snake eyes.” She pulled a slice of Black Forest cake toward her and lifted her fork. “I figured the green contacts and a red wig should be enough. The dancers change into their costumes at the club. They don’t parade around the streets wearing them, so I won’t get cold. I’ll just wear my jeans and sweater and I have an old coat. I’ll make sure I’m not recognized.” She looked him up and down. “You on the other hand will stand out like a red flag to a bull. The black Stetson with the snakeskin headband and the buckle on your belt are very distinctive. You’ll need to mess yourself up some before you walk me to the door or the game will be up before we start.”
“I can do that just fine. I passed as your pimp in San Francisco and I was wearing casual clothes.” Styles grinned at her. “That was a night to remember. Hey, did you ever hear any whispers about the drug dealers we took down?”
Shaking her head, Beth savored a mouthful of cake and swallowed. “You look happy now but at the time, you told me I was batshit crazy.” She met his gaze. “The local FBI agent who followed up never mentioned them, only the girls they rescued.” She shrugged. “I didn’t mind them taking the kudos. The end result was the same.”
It had been relaxing lingering over dinner and talking shop and about her plans for her cabin, but Beth wished she could go home and fall into bed. As Ryder’s BOLO and APB had yielded no response, she’d need to move mountains to find Cassie Burnham. “Getting back to the missing stripper, all we really know is the time she left the club.” She finished her cake and emptied her glass of wine. “You know as well as I do in an abduction after forty-eight hours the trail runs cold. The chances of finding her alive are minimal at best.”
“You’re talking like it’s a done deal?” Styles stretched out his legs and stared at her over his coffee cup. “Nate said the marks on the sidewalk were blood, but we don’t have Cassie’s DNA. People fall over and bleed. It could have been there for weeks.”
Nodding, Beth ran her finger over the chocolate frosting on her plate and when she noticed Styles watching her, wiped it on a paper towel. “It is a done deal.” She sighed. “Think about it. It’s not a disgruntled boyfriend or a kidnap-for-ransom deal or we’d have received a note or something. It wasn’t a drive-by grab and rape or she’d have shown by now. It was organized. Someone knew her shifts and waited for her. He could have attacked her in the alleyway, but from where her purse was found and the blood, which is her blood type, I figure he waited for her to come out of the alleyway and then hit her. Once she was on the ground, she’d be dizzy and easy to overpower. It would be too risky to kill her there, so chances are he dragged her into a vehicle. I’ve studied these killers. At this point they’re high on the rush of the abduction. They have their prize. This is when they’re most dangerous. He’d have his killing field planned and go there to do… whatever.” She waved a hand toward the door. “There are mineshafts all over. He could have driven in any direction, killed her, and dropped her down one. Our chances of finding her are one in a thousand at best.” She met his gaze. “I want to find her alive as much as you do, Styles, but we also need to be looking for signs of a body dumped close by. Once a victim is dead, the thrill is over… Well, it is for most of them.”
“You could be right.” Styles rubbed the scar on his chin. “I’ll send a message to the forest wardens so they’re aware she’s missing. They might spot a clue to the location of her body.”
Beth pushed her plate away and sighed. The chocolate cake was very good. “What type of clue?”
“Crows usually swarm anywhere there’s something dead.” Styles picked up his Stetson from the chair beside him and pushed it on his head. “They’ll call it in if they find anything suspicious.” He stood and Bear appeared from under the table. He bent to pat him. “I’ll leave him behind tonight as we’re going incognito.”
Gathering her phone and purse, Beth took bills from her billfold and dropped them on the table with a smile. “My turn to pay and it was my celebratory dinner for purchasing a cabin.”
“I’ve learned not to argue with you, Beth.” Styles shrugged and pulled on his gloves. “Although, TJ noticed the friction between us when it comes to paying the bill. He suggested we run a tab and split it at the end of each week.”
Finding his embarrassment charming when she paid the tab, she nodded. “Fine by me.”
Mist swirled through the streets as they made their way back to the FBI building. It was a cold evening that held the promise of winter. The crisp night air didn’t deter the townsfolk from venturing out to visit the diners or the saloons. Most nodded to them as they passed by and only a few crossed the road to avoid them. The doors to the FBI building clicked open and Beth hurried to her apartment to change. Satisfied her disguise was fitting for the part, she checked her watch and then stepped out into the passageway to wait for Styles by the elevator.
