Read Online Cavanaugh's Bodyguard by Marie Ferrarella - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Marie Ferrarella
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greeting. “Come in.”
She remained in the doorway, still uncertain. “Are you busy?”
“Not for you,” he assured her. And then he saw that she’d brought her partner with her. For backup? he wondered. Or was there another reason they had both come to him together? He searched his memory quickly, then remembered that while he was more than satisfied with the performance of Bridget and Josh’s division, the man who had been placed temporarily in charge left a few things to be desired—such as actual leadership qualities. He believed in giving people a chance to prove themselves in new situations, but he had been far too laid-back when it came to Jack Howard. He suspected that the man really didn’t belong in charge of other people. For one thing, the lieutenant lacked a very important leadership quality: empathy.
“To what do I owe this unexpected visit?” Brian asked, sitting down again behind his desk. He gestured toward the two chairs that faced his desk. “Take a seat, please.”
Both she and Josh immediately did as the chief requested. Bridget placed her hands on the armrests, giving the impression that she was ready to spring up to her feet at the slightest provocation. Tension fairly radiated from her.
“It’s not going as fast as we’d like,” Bridget said, responding to the chief’s question, measuring her words out slowly in an attempt to make sure that she wouldn’t say the wrong thing. She didn’t want the chief of detectives to think that she was some flighty person running to him with a complaint rather than going through proper channels.
Yet here she was, presenting her case. Proper channels were all well and good when there was a great deal of time to spare. But there wasn’t. She just couldn’t get away from the feeling that they—and the next victim—didn’t have a great deal of time left. That their time—like the days in the month of February—was exceedingly limited.
The Lady Killer was out there somewhere, getting ready to strike again. Soon. They needed to find him before he could, they just had to. And if that meant ticking off the lieutenant by going over his head after he turned her down, then that was what she had to do if she was ever going to live with her conscience.
Brian leaned forward and folded his hands before him on his desk. “All right, I’m listening,” he encouraged patiently.
“The fact is, Chief, we need more bodies. Live ones,” she clarified when the grizzly scenario her words suggested echoed back in her head. “This particular serial killer only strikes in the month of February,” she pointed out, although she had a feeling that the chief was already quite aware of that. The man was aware of everything , to the point that it was almost eerie.
“And if the past is any example,” Josh said, picking up the thread from his partner, “with each year, he tries to increase his number of victims. The first year he killed three women, last year he killed five. This year he already killed one woman and there are twenty-seven days left to go.”
There was no need to have the dots connected for him. Brian had already had his aide bring him a copy of the file on the Lady Killer. He’d gone over it first thing this morning. His breakfast had weighed heavily on his stomach by the time he’d finished reading.
“Go on,” he told the two people sitting before him.
Bridget spoke up first, not because she wanted the attention, but because, if this backfired, she was ready to take the blame. And if word got back to Howard that the request had been made over his head, she didn’t want Josh to be the one to take the flak. She was the lead detective on this case. Besides, Josh just might get it into his head to turn in his badge if Howard hassled him, while she would dig her heels in even further.
“We need more people working this case, sir,” she stated emphatically.
“I’m in complete agreement,” Brian assured her. Something like this, that
She remained in the doorway, still uncertain. “Are you busy?”
“Not for you,” he assured her. And then he saw that she’d brought her partner with her. For backup? he wondered. Or was there another reason they had both come to him together? He searched his memory quickly, then remembered that while he was more than satisfied with the performance of Bridget and Josh’s division, the man who had been placed temporarily in charge left a few things to be desired—such as actual leadership qualities. He believed in giving people a chance to prove themselves in new situations, but he had been far too laid-back when it came to Jack Howard. He suspected that the man really didn’t belong in charge of other people. For one thing, the lieutenant lacked a very important leadership quality: empathy.
“To what do I owe this unexpected visit?” Brian asked, sitting down again behind his desk. He gestured toward the two chairs that faced his desk. “Take a seat, please.”
Both she and Josh immediately did as the chief requested. Bridget placed her hands on the armrests, giving the impression that she was ready to spring up to her feet at the slightest provocation. Tension fairly radiated from her.
“It’s not going as fast as we’d like,” Bridget said, responding to the chief’s question, measuring her words out slowly in an attempt to make sure that she wouldn’t say the wrong thing. She didn’t want the chief of detectives to think that she was some flighty person running to him with a complaint rather than going through proper channels.
Yet here she was, presenting her case. Proper channels were all well and good when there was a great deal of time to spare. But there wasn’t. She just couldn’t get away from the feeling that they—and the next victim—didn’t have a great deal of time left. That their time—like the days in the month of February—was exceedingly limited.
The Lady Killer was out there somewhere, getting ready to strike again. Soon. They needed to find him before he could, they just had to. And if that meant ticking off the lieutenant by going over his head after he turned her down, then that was what she had to do if she was ever going to live with her conscience.
Brian leaned forward and folded his hands before him on his desk. “All right, I’m listening,” he encouraged patiently.
“The fact is, Chief, we need more bodies. Live ones,” she clarified when the grizzly scenario her words suggested echoed back in her head. “This particular serial killer only strikes in the month of February,” she pointed out, although she had a feeling that the chief was already quite aware of that. The man was aware of everything , to the point that it was almost eerie.
“And if the past is any example,” Josh said, picking up the thread from his partner, “with each year, he tries to increase his number of victims. The first year he killed three women, last year he killed five. This year he already killed one woman and there are twenty-seven days left to go.”
There was no need to have the dots connected for him. Brian had already had his aide bring him a copy of the file on the Lady Killer. He’d gone over it first thing this morning. His breakfast had weighed heavily on his stomach by the time he’d finished reading.
“Go on,” he told the two people sitting before him.
Bridget spoke up first, not because she wanted the attention, but because, if this backfired, she was ready to take the blame. And if word got back to Howard that the request had been made over his head, she didn’t want Josh to be the one to take the flak. She was the lead detective on this case. Besides, Josh just might get it into his head to turn in his badge if Howard hassled him, while she would dig her heels in even further.
“We need more people working this case, sir,” she stated emphatically.
“I’m in complete agreement,” Brian assured her. Something like this, that
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