Jane Doe's Return by Jen Talty Read Free Book Online Page B

blankly at him. Her blue eyes lost their spark.
    “It’s important for partners to know and understand each other.” He smiled, leaning back in his chair.
    “I don’t see my family.”
    “I’m sorry.” Travis wanted to reach out and touch her, comfort her. “Why not?” He knew he shouldn’t ask, but the desire to know what made her tick outweighed his good senses.
    She took a deep breath and glanced at the ceiling. “I didn’t have the most pleasant childhood. When I took off for college, I never looked back.”
    Instinctively, he reached out and took her hand. Something in her voice told him there was a whole lot more to that story, but he wouldn’t pry. Whatever it was, she was doing her best to move past it.
    She pulled her hand away, took her napkin and wiped her mouth, then tossed it on her empty plate. “I don’t dwell on it.”
    “You’ve obviously overcome a great deal to get where you are. You should be proud.” He lifted the plates and took them to the sink.
    “I am. It took me two extra years to get through college because I had to work to pay for it. I take responsibility for the outcome of my life.” She stood next to him at the sink, washing a plate with vigorous strokes.
    Gently, he took the plate from her hands. “I think it’s clean.”
    “Oh.” She rubbed her hands on her jeans, the kind that hugged the outline of her body. Right along with her not so loose T-shirt. “Most people want to feel sorry for me. I hate that.”
    “Hard to feel sorry for someone who’s taken charge of their life. Besides, we all have our demons.” He finished clearing the table to make room for the files. “Now, I want to know what you think about those cases.” He desperately needed to get his mind away from her womanly shape.
    “The only thing that comes up on all the cases is a mark on the back or the side of all the victims. In this case,” she pushed a piece of paper in front of him, “it could’ve been caused by the barbed wire on the nearby fence. This second one, it seems obvious that the killer used a knife or some other sharp object.” She tapped her finger at the picture of the girl found the day before she had arrived.
    “This one looks like the tearing of the skin could’ve been from being dragged on the ground. This other case, the one you showed me last night, looks like he might have branded her or burned her.” She never looked up. She kept her eyes and attention focused on the papers in front of her. There was a slight hitch in her voice.
    When he looked at her strictly as an agent, he had to admire her concentration. “Not strong enough.” He took in a deep breath. “Nothing really there to connect them by the scarring on their bodies.”
    She arched like a cat, rolling her fists in her back. “They’re all runaways and in their teens.”
    “True, but we need more facts in the killer’s
    M.O. which really doesn’t match, not just the victims.” She looked across the table at him. “But you think it’s the same guy.”
    The ability to speak one’s mind had always been something Travis admired in others; he liked the way she spoke her mind with him. “So do you.” He stretched his legs out and leaned back, closing his eyes. A decision had to be made. These cases were open and the FBI was investigating them as a part of the Tri-City Joint Task Force; therefore, so was she. He had to wonder whether or not he should completely trust her. And what his boss would do to him, if he found out. “Okay, maybe we should dig a little further,” he said, opening his eyes.
    “Where?” She sat up in her chair, excitement echoing from her voice.
    He’d felt the same eagerness when he’d first started. “We start with this last case and work backward, but remember, this is on the bottom of our priority list. Any calls coming into the office come first, unless some other agency or law enforcement office asks us specifically to dig up these cases—got it?” Travis closed up