Chapter 24: A Growing Fear
*****A Few Days Later*****
Jason let Eli into his apartment. Both of them were sickened and exhausted. They had followed up a lead from the first victim's twin sister. She had a friend who lived in Neptune that wasn't a student. Joseph had questioned the girl and passed on what she told him to Jason. The girl, Haylee, had been seen in the friend's neighborhood. Sheriff Mars and his deputies had interviewed the neighbors and had not found anything. However, one of the neighbors had been out of town when the interviews had taken place. The out of town woman did remember Haylee because she had been driving a car that the woman admired. She'd chatted with Haylee as she was leaving her friend's house. Haylee had mentioned that she was going to a consignment shop to look for a new outfit. Since Haylee was at Hearst on an athletic scholarship, she was always looking for nice clothes at a bargain price.
Jason had met Eli at the shop, and they'd questioned the employees. One confirmed that she'd met up with some guy on her way out of the store. The woman said he was white, average height and build. He had on a hat and sunglasses, so they didn't get more than that. However, it was a major break in the case. Traffic cameras were then able to trace her car back to campus. The license plate had been switched out, so the campus police hadn't connected the car to Haylee. Her car had not been found even after they'd found her body. Locating the car was the first real break in the case. They were hoping it would lead to clues to finding Lexie, the girl that was currently missing—if the two girls were even connected. Jason, Eli, and Joseph were on campus when Keith had one of his deputies pop open the trunk. Lexie Jordan, the missing student, was inside. There was now no doubt the two victims were connected.
The guys would never get the sight of the poor girl out of their heads. Her eyes were open, a look of frozen horror on her face. Unlike the first victim, Lexie had her throat sliced. This really muddied the waters because a serial killer rarely used different methods to kill.
"Why did we go to campus again? Keith's got deputies. We didn't need to be there," Jason complained as he threw himself down the sofa, throwing his arm over his eyes.
Eli went to the fridge and grabbed two beers. "I see Nick stocked up for you," he said with a smirk as he handed one to Jason.
"Nah. I have my own fake ID," Jason said with a grin.
"I thought you left that behind in Chicago. Aren't you afraid your Dad might find out?" Eli teased.
"Funny. My fake ID is the last thing I'm worried about our father finding out about," Jason said with a grimace. He prayed that the story wouldn't make national news. Of course, he knew Nick would tell their father eventually. He was already prepared for the fall out.
"That was some messed up shit," Eli said with distaste. "I wish I'd not refused Joseph's offer to go in my place."
"You and me both," Jason agreed.
Eli joined him on the sofa and bit back a yawn. "You mind if I crash here tonight? I had to cancel dinner with Jazmin," he said. He hadn't got to see her nearly enough the past week.
"It's after midnight, so I'm sure she's asleep. But I know she won't care," Jason said with a wink.
Eli took a long drink of the beer. "I can't believe we might have a serial killer on campus," he said warily. "Rapists and a crazed Russian trying to kill V was bad enough."
"Don't forget Gory's family blowing people up," Jason reminded him.
Eli rolled his eyes. "Man, this town is cursed. Why did you move here again?" he asked.
Jason laughed. "We're from Chicago. A serial killer wouldn't even make the front page of the Sun-Times," he said with a smirk.
Eli grinned. He put down his beer. "Well, I'm going to go to bed. I'll catch you in the morning," he said.
"Good night," Jason said, glancing down out his cell. He knew it was too late to call Daisy. She had an early class. However, he didn't like not knowing how she was now that there was a second body. If something happened to Daisy, he didn't know how he'd survive.
His sister's nightmare with David was too fresh. Having her living with him did appease their father. However, he never told her how much it helped him. For the second time in his life, he had failed her—three times if he counted David's attempted murder. All his life, Jazmin had been more than just his sister. She'd been his champion, his confidante, his cheerleader, his best friend. They were fraternal twins, but he felt connected to her like she was an extension of him. Having her violated by someone they trusted had been horrible. Almost having her murdered had been worse. He would carry the guilt of that for the rest of their lives.
Jason picked up the picture on the table of the two of them at their high school graduation. He never knew he could love another woman as much as he did his sister. Then he met Daisy. She challenged him like no one ever had. She had soon become an addiction. When she'd broken up with him, he'd been devastated. Nothing had ever hurt him like that before. It had really thrown him. Being in love kind of sucked when the woman you loved didn't want to be with you anymore. Now that they were back together, Jason was terrified that he'd either screw it up again, or she'd get tired of him and leave him. For someone that had confidence in spades, feeling insecure about Daisy wasn't something he was comfortable sharing with anyone—not even Eli or his sister knew his concerns.
These two murders of young women the same age as Daisy and his sister had birthed a new fear inside of Jason. One that was growing like a living entity. The sight of the poor girl's slashed throat would haunt Jason for the rest of his life. If his sister or Daisy was the next victim, he'd never be the same. Jason was determined to not let that happen. He'd help find this sicko, and he'd convince Daisy to stay with him until the monster was caught. With fear clouding his thoughts, he went to bed, knowing sleep would not come easy.
In his sister's room, Eli stripped down to his boxers. Not wanting to scare Jazmin, he called out, "Princess, it's me." When she turned over and opened her eyes, he slipped in beside her.
"I'm glad you're here. What time is it?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.
"After midnight. Me and your brother were working on the case," he said. "I didn't want to go home."
She snuggled against him. "I always want you here with me," she told him. She raised her head up to look at him and noticed the wariness and sadness in his eyes. "Are you okay?"
"I will be," he said, kissing her softly.
"Did they find the girl?" she asked.
He nodded. "We were too late to help her," he said.
Jazmin's eyes filled with tears. "The poor girl. Was she hurt terribly, you think?" she asked.
"No, I think it was quick. She wasn't strangled," he said.
"You saw the body?" Jazmin asked with compassion.
"Unfortunately," he said with distaste. "I don't want to give you nightmares, so how about we talk about it tomorrow?"
Jazmin didn't need to know the details anyway, and she didn't like seeing Eli so upset. She moved slightly and kissed him. "How about I help you sleep?" she asked, a mischievous look in her eyes.
"If you're up for it," he said, smiling at her. For the first time since her rape, Jazmin took the lead. Eli's eyes filled with love as she loved him. She pulled off her nightgown, and he couldn't help his hands that reached out to touch her naked breasts. He didn't get to play long, though, because she had plans. She kissed him again and then slowly trailed her lips down his body until she got to his boxers. Although they had finally resumed their sex life, Eli was careful and gentle with her. He also usually did most of the work. This was the first time that she'd be the aggressor. When her hand and then her mouth closed around him, he forgot about the horror of his night and just let himself feel the pleasure only her touch could bring.
*****The Next Day*****
The murder of another co-ed on campus was all anyone could talk about. The look of fear on the faces of the women was everywhere. Mac walked with Parker to class, both upset.
"I just can't believe this!" Parker exclaimed.
"Yeah, it's awful. Those poor girls," Mac said. She waved at Max, who had saw her and waved first.
"Max is still going to school here?" Parker asked. "I thought he dropped out."
"No, he's still around. I don't see him much since he realized I wasn't going to go back with him," she shared.
"Who's the girl that he's with? His girlfriend?" Parker asked.
"Yes, he's in one of my computer classes and mentioned that her name is Autumn. He's pretty happy," Mac said. "He makes a point of not sitting by me. However, we occasionally chat."
"That's good," Parker said. Her phone buzzed the same time as Mac. The girls pulled them out.
"It looks like Veronica wants everyone at her house tonight for a let's not get killed session," Parker said, reading it.
"I'm sure she's already working on a profile of the killer," Mac said knowingly.
"I'd feel a lot better if she was on the case," Parker admitted.
"Well, Eli and Jason are," Mac said. "But I can't imagine Veronica not involving herself somehow."
"Do you think Daisy will actually move in with Jason until this ends?" she asked.
"Probably. She told him she would," Mac said.
"You're not going to abandon me and stay with Dick?" she asked anxiously.
"No, of course not," Mac assured her. "However, he may stay with us more."
"I'd feel better if he did," Parker admitted.
"Mackie!" a voice called out. The girls turned and saw Dick with Duncan and Chip. The girls went toward them.
"Hey, guys," Mac said, smiling. Dick pulled her in for a hug. He kept his arm around her as he greeted Parker.
"You girls okay?" Duncan asked, looking at Parker and Mac in concern.
"Yeah," Mac said. "But Parker and I would feel better, Dick, if you'd come stay with us. Daisy is probably going to stay with Jason and Jazmin."
"No problemo. I'll keep you safe!" Dick said confidently.
"I can't believe the shit that happens at this school," Chip said in disgust. "I'm so glad I'm graduating this year!"
"Let's hope the killer isn't Greek. We'll never recover," Dick said.
"True that," Chip said, shaking his head. "I'll see you guys later."
They said goodbye as Chip left. "I was talking to Nathan, Wallace's dad, this morning. He was with Dad at the house," Duncan said. "He says that he'd bet money the killer was a student on campus."
"Why would we suddenly have a killer? Don't psychos always do crazy things?" Parker asked.
"Sometimes, something triggers them," Mac said, thinking of Cassie.
"Yea. My brother was triggered by two of the bat boys that sicko coach molested wanting to go public. Beav didn't want that to happen," Dick shared, surprising everyone. He never willing talked about his brother as a killer unless he was casually mentioning the bare facts to a new acquaintance. Between Veronica and Mac, however, he'd pieced together what had happened to his brother. It made it easier knowing it hadn't come out of nowhere. Yes, the guilt of knowing he'd missed so many signs was always there. However, it comforted him to know his brother was broken and damaged. Dick didn't believe he was a sociopath, though. The killer on campus, however, probably was.
"Yeah," Mac said. "This person could've been triggered by anything. David hadn't raped anyone before Jazmin. But after that, he tried to kill her. We know what triggered him."
"Or could it be a new student?" Duncan speculated.
"We should wait and share our theories with Ronnie tonight," Dick said with a grin. "She's the expert!"
The friends smiled in agreement. "Be careful," Duncan said to Parker.
She smiled, feeling warm that he was concerned. "I will," she promised. She went to her class, thinking about Duncan. She sat down next to her friend Jessi, who was talking to Zack, another classmate.
"Did you hear about the girl?" Jessi asked. "I heard she was cut up really bad."
"Slice and dice," Zack said with a bloodthirsty grin.
"Not funny, Zack!" Jessi scolded.
"Lighten up. It was just a joke," Zack said. He was on the soccer team, so the girls had to tolerate him. Jessi was a cheerleader, too. Zack was blonde and good-looking. Sometimes he was bearable. Other times, his arrogance made the girls want to slap him.
"You shouldn't joke about murder," Jessi said in disapproval.
"I don't think she was cut up," Parker shared. "Daisy's boyfriend was there when they found the body. Just her throat was sliced."
Jessi shuddered. "That's awful!" she exclaimed.
"Jason's investigating the murder?" Zack asked with interest.
"J & E has been hired to assist the police," Parker shared.
"So you can give us the inside scoop!" Zack said eagerly. Jessi, too, looked interested.
"I'd rather not talk about it," Parker said with distaste. "My friends and I have had enough bad things happen to us."
Since Jessi knew more about her history than Zack, she kept him from asking questions and class began. Parker just hoped that this killer was caught before things got worse.
*****The Sinclairs'*****
Lauren woke up again feeling stiff and sore. She didn't feel like she did when she had cancer, so she wasn't too concerned. However, the weird symptoms she was having was starting to freak her out a bit. Besides a lack of energy and soreness, she had a constant dry mouth and her eyes bothered her. At first, she thought it was the flu, but she didn't have a fever. Nor was she sick to her stomach. Lauren knew she should mention it to her mom, but she didn't want to worry her. Her family had spent so much time being fearful of her health. Now that she was in remission, she was reluctant to get them worked up when it might be nothing.
As she got ready for school, she reached for her hair brush. That's when she noticed it. She looked at the palm of her hand. She had a rash. Freaked out, she looked at the other. There wasn't one. Relieved, she tried to put it out of her mind.
"Sweetie, your ride is here!" her mom called out.
"I'll be right down," she called back.
When she got outside, it wasn't Ryan waiting for her. It was Brad. The top was down on his convertible, and he waved at her.
"You know if you keep picking me up from school, people will talk," Lauren said as she got into the car, throwing her bag in the backseat. Yesterday, he'd picked her up, but Ryan had been with him.
"Ryan said if he didn't pick up his other girl at least a few times a week, he'd be in the dog house!" Brad said with a snicker. He didn't want her to know how jealous Kristen was of her and Ryan. Brad knew Ryan didn't see Lauren as more than a sister. One more reason not to have a girlfriend. They got crazy jealous and possessive. He ignored the voice inside that told him Lauren would never be like that.
"You know my mom can take me to school, Brad," Lauren told him.
"Yeah, I know," Brad said, not wanting to explain why he so willing volunteered to pick her up. He liked seeing her first thing in the morning. Her bright smile never failed to make him smile in return. Unlike so many others, she didn't really want anything from him. Even knowing that she had a crush on him hadn't changed anything. She didn't flirt or act coy. She was just Lauren, the sweetest girl he knew. "But I like picking you up. It keeps the 09er population guessing!"
Lauren laughed but couldn't help looking down at her hand. Brad noticed. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"I'm not sure. I have this rash on my hand," she admitted.
They were at a stoplight, so Brad reached over and grabbed her hand. He frowned as he looked at it. "Do you think it's allergies?" he inquired, running his thumb over it.
She shook her head, trying to not react to his casual holding of her hand. Then she confessed, "It's not the only thing that's been going on."
"What do you mean?" Brad asked, his pulse beginning to race as anxiety filled him. Was she sick again? Could she actually die this time?
She told him about the problems she's been having. "I feel okay. Not like I did when I had cancer," she assured him.
"You're sure?" he asked, finally letting go of her hand. The car behind him honked because he hadn't moved when the light changed. Absently, he pushed on the gas, autopilot taking over as he drove them to school.
"Yes. It's something different," she said with a frown.
"So you don't think it's an allergic reaction to something?" Brad suggested.
"If I just had a rash, yes. But the other symptoms have been occurring for days. An allergic reaction shouldn't last that long," Laure said. "Maddie is allergic to strawberries. If she eats one, she breaks out in hives. But she's fine the next day."
"You should tell your parents," Brad advised as he pulled into the school.
"I don't want them worrying about me again. Things are finally back to normal at home. Even Maddie and Mac are getting along. I don't want to rock the boat," she said as she got out of the car.
"What if something is really wrong? What if by not telling them and getting a doctor to check you out, you're endangering your health?" Brad pointed out as he walked next to her. Several students tried to get his attention. However, he was so focused on her that he ignored them. A few of his friends smiled in amusement. Amanda Bishop, though, said hello to Brad and when he didn't even look up at her, her mouth fell open in shock. Brad was hanging on to Lauren's every word, oblivious to all others. A look of anger grew on her face at the snub.
"If I don't start feeling better in a day or so, I promise to tell them," Lauren said as she opened her locker.
Across the hall, she didn't notice Amanda's dark look. Nicole walked up to her friend. "What's going on?" she asked as she opened her locker.
"Look at them," Amanda ordered. Nicole turned to look. Brad's laser focus on Lauren Sinclair explained it all. Amanda had been trying to get his attention the past two years. He hooked up with her once over the summer, but he wouldn't date her. Amanda was determined to be the one to land the elusive 09er. So far, she'd not had any luck.
"You know Brad doesn't look at her that way," Nicole said. "He just feels sorry for her 'cause she almost died. She's like Ryan's sister."
"She's not Ryan's sister! She's a Sinclair. His sister Mac is a Sinclair. He is not!" Amanda said with a glare.
"Same difference," Nicole said with a shrug. "They're family, and Ryan and Brad both think of her as a sister."
Amanda wasn't going to argue with Nicole. Brad wasn't looking at Lauren like she was a sister. She didn't care what anyone said. Brad did not think of Lauren as a sister. "We need to do something," Amanda said.
Nicole didn't want to evoke Ryan's wrath, however. He was insanely protective of Lauren. He was still giving her a cold shoulder over the flyer incident. "How about we hook her up with someone? If she's dating someone, she'll be less free to hang out with Brad. Plus, how Brad reacts will show us what he really feels," she suggested.
"Good idea," Amanda said. Then she grimaced. Did she really want another cute guy hanging onto the girl's every word?
Brad watched Lauren walk to class with a frown. She had made him promise not to say anything to Ryan. Fear for her made him very uneasy over his promise. What if something was actually wrong?
*****The Beach House*****
Duncan and Lily walked into Logan and Veronica's. Mac, Dick, and Parker were already there.
"Logie!" Lily said excitedly. She threw herself in his arms. He picked her up and covered her face in kisses, making her giggle. When she spotted Dick, she screamed excitedly and waved her arms. Logan set her down and she ran to Dick, who picked her up.
"Hey, guys," Duncan said, waving at his friends. They all said hello.
Parker gave him a shy smile. She been actively avoiding him because she didn't want to be tempted to rebound with him. It was too soon.
"Trina has Richie in their room. She said she'd keep Lily entertained," Veronica said.
Lily was busy telling Mac, Dick, and Parker all about the boy in her Pre-K class who was picking on her.
"He pulled my pony tail, so I kicked him in the leg!" she shared. "My teacher gave me time-out but didn't do nothing to Tommy! It's so not fair!"
She sounded so much like a teenager that they trio was hard pressed not to laugh. Dick, of course, snickered anyway. "It's not funny, Dickie! Everyone stares at you when you're in time-out! They laugh and talk bad about you!" Lily fumed.
"I'm sorry, pretty girl. I'm just picturing you kicking the kid. I bet you were bad-ass!" Dick said. He looked sheepish when Mac elbowed him. "I mean…what can I say instead of bad-ass?" He turned to Mac, expecting her help.
"Dick!" Duncan scolded. "Watch your mouth!"
"I was bad-ass!" Lily said proudly, savoring her new word.
Veronica groaned while Mac winced. Dick tried hard not to laugh, but it was beyond him. Great gales of laughter burst out of him.
"See what you taught her!" Mac exclaimed in disapproval.
"That's some funny shit, Mackie! Oh, my God!" Dick howled, tears running down his cheeks. Lily looked so proud, her hand on her hip. He'd never forget it. She was so bad-ass! He wanted to assure her of that but knew he'd get slapped for sure. Instead, he got up and fled to the kitchen away from temptation while Duncan told Lily not say that word.
"But Dickie said it! He wouldn't have said I was that if it was bad," Lily said, using an incredible grasp of logic on her father.
Duncan looked at Mac beseechingly. "Sweetie, Dick didn't mean it as an insult. Bad-ass is a grown-up way of saying tough, but it's not appropriate for a kid to say," Mac said.
Lily was satisfied with an answer that made sense and nodded. Dick was always getting in trouble. It's why he was Lily's favorite. He was so fun!
"Why don't I take you to Richie? He's really excited that you're going to play with him. He's crawling now," Veronica proudly told Lily, who didn't look impressed.
"He can't talk yet, so how do you know he's excited?" Lily asked as Veronica led her out of the room.
Duncan threw himself down on the recliner. "It's like she woke up the other day and just started asking questions. She never stops. It's exhausting!" Duncan complained.
Logan snickered. "I bet," he said. Then he yelled, "Dick, you can come back now!"
Dick came back in the room with a beer and an iced-tea, which he gave to Mac.
"The other day she asked me if I peed standing up," Duncan shared. His friends looked surprised. Dick laughed.
"Why did she ask that?" Dick asked. "How does she know about that?"
"One of her classmates informed her that he could pee standing up and she couldn't," Duncan told them. "She was very annoyed. The girl is too competitive. She informed me that she tried to pee standing up, but that she wasn't tall enough to stand over the toilet. She didn't know how boys did it."
"So what did you say?" Logan asked with a grin.
"I told her that boys' pee came out differently, so they could pee standing up. When she was older, I'd explain it better. She was not happy with my answer," Duncan said, rubbing his face warily.
"I guess she is a bit young to talk about private parts," Parker mused.
"You should have used Richie," Logan said. When Duncan looked confused, he grinned. "You know she's helped Veronica change his diaper. I'm sure she's noticed he has a penis and she doesn't. Just explain that when Richie gets older he won't need a diaper, and he'll aim his penis like a squirt gun into the toilet."
Duncan looked at Logan like he was a genius. Their friends laughed. "She's going to be so jealous," Mac said knowingly. The doorbell rang.
Logan got up and let in Wallace and Thea. Weevil was pulling up, so he waited. By the time Weevil was pulling in, Jason was driving up. Logan stayed in the doorway and greeted his guests. Weevil had Joseph with him. "That's a strange sight," he said to Jason, who was walking in with Daisy. Jazmin stayed by her brother's car to wait for Weevil.
Jason grinned. "Well, Joseph's been working on the case with us, so we figured Veronica would want to hear from him," Jason said.
"She will, but I can't believe Weevil drove him over here," Logan said, shaking his head.
"Just don't say anything. They have developed a truce of sorts. Joseph has been very helpful on the case. Don't rock the boat," Jason said.
It took a few minutes to get everyone situated. Veronica played hostess and passed out the drinks. Dick passed around the snack tray.
"So what have you guys found out?" Veronica asked Jason and Weevil.
"We were there when your dad opened Haylee's trunk. That's where they found the missing girl," Weevil said in distaste.
"Yes, Dad told me that. He also told me to stay far away from it," Veronica said.
"Yet here we are," Logan said darkly.
"I'm not going to doing any investigating," she told him. "But I can help. I'm been piecing together what I know."
"Both girls are students. Both girls have been students for at least two years. Haylee was a senior, and Lexie was a junior," Jason said.
"Both were hot," Dick added.
"True. They both were pretty," Veronica said. "Then again victims of murder often are attractive, especially women."
"So ugly girls are safer?" Dick asked, glancing worriedly at his very pretty girlfriend.
"Statistically speaking, yes," Veronica said. "Plain girls don't always attract the eye of a killer."
"Then I should be safe!" Thea said with a grin.
Wallace gave her a look of displeasure. "You are not plain!" he said vehemently.
"Yes, I am," she said easily. "Compared to the women in this room, I'm pretty ordinary." When her friends all protested, she laughed. "Guys, it's okay. I'm not ugly. I can be attractive. I'm fine with how I look. Pretty girls have too much drama."
"Ain't that the truth," Parker mumbled, not looking at Duncan.
Wallace, of course, heard her. His eyes zeroed in on her. "Why did you and Piz break up?" he asked her.
Everyone but her roommates looked shocked at the news. "What?" Veronica asked. "You and Piz broke up?"
Wallace was surprised no one knew. He gave Parker a guilty look. "I'm sorry! I didn't realize you weren't telling people," he said. "Piz told me over a week ago. I thought it was old news."
"It's fine. I just didn't want to talk about. I'm not devastated," she said with a shrug, glancing at Duncan, who was frowning. "We just realized him being in Los Angeles wasn't as hard as we thought it should be. If we were as in love as we thought, it would've been. He's happy, and I'm happy for him. If we're unhappy, then maybe we'll reevaluate."
"So you want to get back with him?" Dick asked, eying Duncan. "You can so do better."
"No, I don't want to get back with him. It's been two weeks, and I feel fine," Parker said. "How about we talk about something else?"
"Sorry," Wallace said sheepishly.
Veronica took control. "Mac, I was thinking you could do a digital outline of the girls' cyber life. Find out if they had any common interests outside of the typical Facebook, Linked In, or regular email," she suggested.
"I can do that," Mac said.
She looked at Jason and Weevil. "I'm sure you've re-questioned everyone Dad and his deputies questioned, right?" she asked.
"Yes. That's how we found the car. Joseph got a lead talking to the twin of the first victim," Jason said.
Joseph grimaced. "I don't like talking to relatives of a murder victim, especially a twin," he said with distaste. "Talking to cheating spouses is much more fun."
"Yeah, I remember," Veronica said. "But I prefer the honesty of grief. I don't feel like I have to shower after talking to victims' families."
"Haylee was here on athletic scholarship. What sport?" Logan asked.
"Basketball," Joseph supplied.
"Wallace, can you see what you can find out? Did you know her?" Veronica asked him.
"Not really. The girls ride on separate buses. If one of the guys is dating a female player, I may get to know them," Wallace said.
"I know a few of the girls," Jason said. "But I didn't know her either."
"Did she have a boyfriend? Date?" Veronica asked.
"Some of the guys we talked from the basketball team said she was friendly but never dated any of them," Weevil said.
"So you talked to the team?" Veronica asked.
"Not all of them. Just the ones we could track down in a day," Jason said.
"I'll talk to the guys," Wallace said. "I see them all the time."
"Haylee was a member of Alpha Chi Omega," Joseph supplied. "Her twin is also at San Diego State."
"What about Lexie?" Veronica asked.
"She's not in any sorority. She was a business major," Weevil answered.
"I had her in some of my classes," Dick said glumly. The entire situation freaked him out. "She was in AMA with me. American Marketing Association. She might've been in Beta Gamma Sigma."
"I thought you said she wasn't Greek?" Wallace asked.
"That's not a real Greek sorority. It's an honor society for business majors. You have to have a certain GPA," Dick said.
"So you're not a member?" Logan said with a smirk.
"No," Dick said with a shrug.
"Does she have a boyfriend?" Mac asked. "Or did she, I mean." She grimaced. It seemed wrong to talk about her in the past tense the day her body was found.
"Yes. He's also a business major. His name is Jack Turner. I talked to him today. He was really shocked," Jason said. "He's the one who reported her missing. They had a study date she didn't show up for."
"How long have they been dating?" Veronica asked.
"About a month," Jason said. "Jack said they were just beginning to get serious. He seemed to really care about her."
"Does he have any connection to the first victim?" Veronica asked.
"Not that we have discovered," Jason said.
"I'd make sure. I'd also look at all the men who they dated or rejected," Veronica said.
Dick got a disgruntled look on his face. "Jake did not kill anyone!" he exclaimed.
"I didn't say he did," Veronica said evenly. "However, a spurned lover is a motive. Serial killers who often target women are trying to punish someone."
"It's a good idea," Jason acknowledged.
"So what are we going to do in the meantime?" Parker asked. "I'm pretty creeped out."
"Don't go anywhere alone, especially at night," Weevil said.
"Don't make plans or dates with any new guys you've not known a long time," Jason advised.
"So we're positive the killer is a man?" Thea asked.
"Well, it'd take a really strong woman to strangle a basketball player and move their body," Veronica said. "I'd feel pretty confident saying we're looking for a man, probably a student."
They continued to brainstorm ideas and theories. The new danger was making the women afraid, but it helped being with friends.
When all their friends had left a few hours later, Logan pulled Veronica next to him in bed. "I don't like this, Veronica," he said.
"I'm not going to do anything. I promise," Veronica assured him. "I'm just working up a profile. Collecting data. I'm not going to question anyone. Weevil promised to keep me updated on all that they find out."
"I hope you mean that," Logan said, his doubt apparent.
Veronica looked up at him. "Logan, I love the life we've built. I've had enough risk in my short life. When I become an agent, I'll have more. But until then, I don't want to do anything to endanger my life or our happiness," she told him.
Logan gave her a searching look. "I love you more than anything," he said.
"I know," she said, smiling at him. "You're never going to lose me. I love you just as much."
Logan pulled her back against him, hoping this new nightmare would be over soon. Fear for her was already growing. He prayed she'd finally learned her lesson and that she'd keep her distance from the case. He also prayed her dad would find this new sicko and stop him. Stop him before anyone else was killed.
******Chapter End******