Catch Me If You Can Read online

  She took a long silent breath. Jake Mackenzie had broken her heart years ago. How would she get through this without him uncovering more than a killer?

  She broke out in a cold sweat that had nothing to do with the corpse at her feet.

  Chapter Two

  She had changed. A lot. Lynn Lawton wasn’t a kid anymore, but a grown woman. In her khaki uniform, a gun at her hip, a pair of handcuffs hooked to a belt loop, a badge on her shirt, she exemplified the ideal professional he had no doubt she was. And she was still sexy as hell.

  FBI Special Agent Jake Mackenzie did his best to hide his surprise. He’d never have guessed Lynn would wear a uniform or carry a gun. Lawyer, maybe. Even a forensic specialist. Not a cop.

  He looked closer. There were some unmistakable things about her that would never change: huge blue-gray eyes, the curve of her mouth, a body that had been heart-stopping over fifteen years ago had filled out in all the right places. She looked damned good in that uniform.

  The way she glared at him, her chin jutting out was all too familiar. It was the same look she’d given him when he’d told her he was leaving town. Why hadn’t he asked her to come with him?

  Over the years, he’d figured it was the biggest mistake of his life.

  “Got yourself a big one.”

  “Not something we’re accustomed to around here.”

  Jake surveyed the scene. Three bodies lay next to shallow graves. The coroner was about to move them. Lynn would have to wait. He strode over, introduced himself. “Give me five minutes. Then I’ll get out of your hair.”

  He knelt beside the body closest to him. Female, early twenties, no visible wounds and, according to the decomposition of the body had been in the grave quite a while.

  Lynn walked up beside him when he stood. “Know her?” he asked.

  “Oh, yeah! I know them all.”

  “Wanna expand on that?”

  “Not here. Finish your preliminary inspection and meet me at my office. I’ll fill you in.” She turned and walked away. After a word with one of the deputies, who looked vaguely familiar, she went to a car that had Sheriff, Hancock County, stenciled on the side.

  Her walk hadn’t changed. It still brought his heart into his throat. Damn. By now, she probably had a husband and kids; either that or a dozen guys panting after her.

  What did it matter? He’d screwed his chance a long time ago. Today, he’d been sent to find a serial killer.

  She turned back before she got to her car, pointed to two of her deputies, one on hands and knees, the other stringing tape beside him.

  He nodded. They’d found something and Lynn wanted him to check it out.

  He turned away, eager to do his job, both of them, and get out of town.

  As he drove to the sheriff’s office an hour later, he surveyed the town. It too, had changed. He passed more quaint shops than had been here before. A coffee shop with the name, Julie’s Coffee and Sweets out front was one of them. Under a colorful awning were small white wrought iron tables and matching chairs. Most of them were occupied. There were more cafes, an artist’s gallery, and several more cafés lining the street. It was both familiar and strange to come back and see the changes. Since his family had been part-timers, he doubted anyone but Lynn would even recognize him.

  He parked in front of her office, walked up to the front door, and went inside. Situated a block off the main drag, it contained a large room with a counter stopping anyone from going in without permission. A dispatcher sat behind a desk, a deputy sat at one of several unoccupied desks, his face wreathed in concern.

  This was a no frills office. No pretty oak desks, but old metal ones. Beat up old file cabinets lined one wall. No fancy high-tech toys that he could see.

  Jake stepped up to the counter, introduced himself to the only deputy on duty, asked to speak to the Sheriff, and was promptly ushered to her office.

  She stood when he walked in, but didn’t come to greet him. His gaze swept the room. It held a look he would never associate with Lynn Lawton. An old, heavy wood desk sat beneath the only window, a computer on the left hand corner, a phone beside it. Centered on top were three file folders. Next to the desk was a lone file cabinet that was probably new forty years ago.

  The only picture on the wall was of her dad. Of course. Her dad had been sheriff for twenty-five years. This must have been his office. “How is your dad?”

  “Gone.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t know.”

  “How could you?” She motioned him to take a seat. Which he did. For some reason he felt out of place here. He wondered what Lynn felt.

  Probably nothing. It had been too long.

  “So you followed in your dad’s footsteps?”

  “I guess you could say that.”

  He wanted to take that look off her face, the one that said to stick to business. For some reason, he didn’t heed the warning. He wanted to know more about her. About what she’d been doing since they’d seen each other. If she was married.

  “It couldn’t have been easy. There aren’t many female sheriffs around. How did that come about?”

  She shrugged. “Wasn’t too hard.”

  “Who was the competition? Male? Competent? Well-known?”

  “Pretty much describes Roy.”

  “Roy Webb? The kid who was always at the house with the bunch from your school?”

  “That’s him. You saw him at the crime scene.”

  “Thought one of the deputies looked familiar. How is that working out? A man who wanted to be sheriff working for you has to be awkward.”

  “It’s not. Roy and I came to an understanding when I won the election. It works just fine.”

  “Good. I’m glad. Don’t see that too often.”

  “With his background, he’s done amazingly well. He’s ambitious. Always does a good job. He’ll go far.”

  “Maybe get your job.” He teased.

  Lynn’s eyebrows lifted with surprise. “His goal is higher. He wants to be mayor.”

  “And you’ll back him.”

  “I have nothing but good things to say about Roy.”

  “He had a crush on you, you know.”

  “Did not.”

  “Sure he did. Why do you think he was always showing off with all those contests he insisted on?”

  “Had nothing to do with me. He was showing off for Beth.”

  “He asked you to the prom. Remember?”

  “He was teasing, Mackenzie. Let’s get to the crime.”

  “First question. How did you know the victims?”

  She sat down, pushed the folders across the desk. “I copied everything I had. Once you’ve read the files, you’ll know as much as I do.”

  “They were all reported missing?”

  She nodded. A look crossed her face. Pain. He knew it well. It was one you got when you thought you should have stopped a crime before it happened.

  “Clues?”

  “Read the files. Then we’ll talk.”

  He picked them up, lifted his gaze from the files to her.

  “I’ll need an office, or at least a desk. Can you manage it?”

  “Not a problem. Will you be doing this alone or will the FBI send more help?”

  “After they get my report, they’ll decide. I’ll let you know.”

  She nodded.

  “Do you have any idea who could have done this?”

  “At times I had more than a few suspicions. Nothing panned out. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.”

  “Good enough.” He dropped the files back on the desk. “How have you been, Lynn? How is your mother?”

  Her mouth tightened. As if he had no right to ask. Maybe he didn’t, but he’d liked her parents, was sorry to hear her dad had passed.

  “I’m fine. I like my job. My health is good. My mom is the same. Is that enough information?”

  Wow!

  He sat back, gave her another appraisal. She was angry. From her perspective, she was justifi
ed. They’d been in love, deeply and passionately in love. The day he’d received his acceptance letter from the FBI, he’d been so ecstatic he’d thrown himself into his car and was at her house in less than ten minutes. When he’d thrust the letter at her, her face had fallen.

  “You’re leaving?”

  With the stupidity of youth, he’d answered, “Of course. I’d be crazy to pass up this opportunity.”

  “I guess you would,” she’d told him as she handed the letter back.

  He’d had enough sense even then to see she wasn’t happy about it. Though she knew he’d sent in his application, he supposed she’d thought it wouldn’t happen. “Nothing will change. I love you. You love me.” He’d picked her up, swung her in a circle, kissed her lips until desire made him stop. “When I graduate I’ll come back for you.”

  But he hadn’t. She’d never answered his letters. Didn’t take his phone calls.

  Their home here had been a second home for his family. A getaway place, his dad had called it. A place where they played instead of worked. There was a pool and a tennis court. Inside, a wine cellar, a pool table, and a half-dozen TV’s.

  Back then they came almost every weekend. Though they’d lived in New York where his dad worked, they’d flown into Bangor in his dad’s private jet almost every weekend. They’d loved Lobster Cove. Liked the quiet, colorful town, and had planned to retire there. That’s when he’d met Lynn and the kids she hung with. Soon the Mackenzie house was the place to be, especially in the summer months when school was out and the family was there for the summer.

  Then they fell in love. Planned their lives. Only when he mentioned the FBI, she grew silent. Like his parents, she’d thought he’d follow his dad into the financial world. But the thought of spending his life doing nothing but piling up more bucks left him cold.

  He never remembered not wanting to be FBI.

  Now he was.

  But when he looked over at Lynn, he realized what he’d given up.

  There had been no one in Lobster Cove he’d been close enough to ask about her. He’d presumed she’d moved on, found someone else.

  Most likely she had.

  Even so, he’d brought up some residual hurt he never intended.

  They’d have to work together. It was important they did it in harmony without letting the past get in their way.

  She moved past him to the door. “I’ll show you the room we’ve set aside for your use.”

  Gathering up the files, he followed her out. Tried not to be obvious when his gaze kept going to her hips.

  She stopped at a door, opened it, and waved him inside. “You can use what we laughingly call our conference room.”

  His gaze swept the small room. There were two phones on a six-foot table, a fax machine, printer, and scanner.

  “I presume you’ll use your own computer. We have no extras, but can let you use one if the need arises.”

  “This will do.” At least the room had a door, he thought.

  She followed him in, went to the window. “The view isn’t great, but you’re not here for local color.”

  “Sorry to say, I’m not.”

  She pulled up a chair and sat at the end of the table. He sat across from her and wondered what was on her mind.

  She took a deep breath. “Tell me why you were in town, Mackenzie. There’s no way you could have gotten here this fast unless you were already in the area.”

  Lynn wasn’t one to accept a snow job. Hell, it wasn’t a secret anyway.

  “I don’t know if you were aware that my parents died shortly after I entered the academy. What you probably do know is that their home here has stood empty ever since. The trust wants to sell it. I took some vacation days to come here and look over the property, see what needs to be done, then decide whether to sell it or keep it.” He paused. “My boss knew where I was headed. When we got the call he asked me to take a look.”

  “Who made the call?”

  “I think it was one of your deputies. The boss didn’t give me a name.”

  “Probably Roy,” she said. “Shortly after you left, I read about the plane accident that killed your parents. I’m so sorry. I remember all the good times we had and how the two of them seemed to enjoy the boisterous kids who invaded their space.”

  “They did enjoy it. Sometimes, I thought they had more fun than we did.”

  Past events crowded his head. He could see his parents as they laughed and interacted with the kids. How they kept the food and drinks coming. No wonder the kids had enjoyed their place so much.

  They were silent for a moment. No doubt she was remembering those times as well.

  She stood to leave. “I’ll let you get to it. There’s a lot of information you need to be aware of before you take the next step.”

  Standing, he looked at her. “I suppose you already know what your next step will be.”

  “Actually, I have three families I need to talk to. I wanted to get you settled first, then I’ll be on my way.”

  “The hardest part of the job.”

  “Yes,” she agreed.

  “I’m going with you.”

  She jerked to a stop at the door. “That isn’t necessary.”

  He pointed to the files. “If anyone in the three families had been an original suspect, then you can bet your life I need to come with you. It’s important to see their reaction.”

  “Then you’d better get a move on. If the lookie-loos find out the names of the victims, we could already be too late.”

  Chapter Three

  Sheriff Lynn Fucking Lawton won’t solve this case.

  She couldn’t even solve the easy ones dropped in her lap.

  Now it will be worse than when the whores disappeared.

  About time the bitch sheriff got what was coming to her.

  ****

  By the time the three families had been informed of their loved ones deaths, Lynn was exhausted. They were in her cruiser and on their way back to the office. She looked over at Mackenzie. He didn’t look any better than she felt. It had been heartbreaking to watch the families’ faces crumble from expectation and hope, to despair. After leaving each house, Lynn’s heart grew heavier.

  All she wanted now was to go home and take the longest shower on record. But that wouldn’t happen for a while. “What do you think?” she asked Mackenzie.

  “I think we picked a helluva profession. Times like this, it stinks to high heaven.”

  “You’re right.” She sighed. “But since we did, and this case is already a bitch, did you come to any conclusions?

  “I have no idea what’s in your files. But at first glance, I’d like to share a few thoughts.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “The senator’s son, Ted, has a few lugs loose. He didn’t so much as lift an eyebrow when he found out his sister had been murdered. Either he didn’t comprehend, he was trying hard to hide his true feelings, or hide the fact that he did the deed.”

  She nodded. “Go on.”

  “The second victim’s husband, Joel Nelson, was too matter-of-fact. Like he expected the news. Was that because he’d given up? Or because he knew?”

  Even as a teen, she’d known Mackenzie was sharp. As an adult he was amazing.

  “What about Sherry?”

  “Sherry’s a puzzle. Her parents were genuinely shocked. I think they suspected foul play or their daughter would have made contact years ago. I’ll have to spread the net on her. Check out boyfriends, acquaintances.” He looked at her. “What did you uncover when she disappeared?”

  “Not much. She was the average teen going back to college after a short break. From all the reports I got back then, she was level headed and excited. She wanted to be a doctor.” Lynn shook her head. “What a waste.”

  “They all were,” he agreed.

  They rode in silence back to her office.

  Lynn pulled her cruiser up to the curb and got out, Mackenzie on her heels.

  “I suppose you’
ll stay at the house.”

  “I will. I’m glad I had a cleaning crew in this week. At least I won’t choke to death on the dust.”

  “I’ve always loved that house. Maybe because we had so much fun there.”

  “I’m having a hard time with the idea of selling it.”

  She looked over at him as they entered the office. She waved at the deputy on duty. “No reason to keep it, is there?”

  “None,” he agreed, his mouth tight.

  “At least you can enjoy it while you’re here.”

  “While we’re chasing a killer? I don’t know about the enjoying part.”

  Lynn opened the door to her office. “I have work to do and you have files to read. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He nodded and left. She heard the door close to the room he’d been assigned and slumped against her own door. It had been pure torture to sit next to the man she’d once loved so deeply. Every gesture, every look, every smile, brought back memories she’d blocked for years.

  Memories of the fun they’d had at the house he was about to sell followed her to her desk. She saw a younger Mackenzie; though back then she’d called him Jake. She saw her friends: Roy, her deputy, his future wife, Beth who now brought the prisoners—if they had any—meals. The same as Beth’s mother had when she was alive and well. Like her mother had been, Beth was an excellent cook. The county had a regular guest who Lynn suspected got drunk on purpose so he could spend a day or two behind bars just to get a few good meals.

  Her mind drifted back to another time. A carefree time.

  She saw kids in the pool. Saw Roy urging them to compete in a contest to see who was the best swimmer. Roy had always loved a challenge. Smiling, Lynn realized he hadn’t changed. This case would fascinate him. He’d dig in to find the killer. She was proud of him and all he’d accomplished. Though he’d lost his chance at being on the city council last year, it hadn’t hardened him. He’d claimed one day he’d make mayor. And reminded her of her promise to back him. She would. They’d made a pact when she won the election. Her handful of degrees gave her the expertise. His years on the force gave him the experience. Together, they’d be formidable. Which was how it had panned out. He’d been deputy under her father for years while she was getting her schooling. Many thought he’d automatically be voted in as sheriff. Others thought differently. It had taken a few months after Lynn graduated to talk her dad into making her a deputy. It was only after she promised there would be no hard feelings if he fired her for incompetence if she couldn’t hold up to the job that he agreed. He’d told her later he knew she had the skill, but back then she didn’t, and had tried doubly hard. She was still trying to be as good at the job as her father.