The Seventh Victim (Texas Rangers 1)

Raines stretched his shoulders as if a burden had been lifted. “You think she wants to help?”

“It would be nice,” Beck said.

Raines nodded toward the back door. “As much as I’d like to stay, I won’t because one look at me and she’s liable to lock up. Keep me posted?”

Beck drummed impatient fingers on the conference table. “Can’t make a promise I might not keep.”

Raines laughed as he opened the door. “Fair enough.”

Santos followed Beck into his office. The men barely had thirty seconds before Lara appeared at Beck’s door. Her hair was back in a long braid and her face freshly scrubbed of makeup. She wore jean shorts, a red T-shirt, and sandals. She gripped the strap of a satchel purse, which grazed her hips.

She looked so young and afraid. If he’d not known her age he’d have sworn she was barely twenty, a college student herself. He noted a slight tremble in her left hand, and he could see her breathing was shallow.

Beck, the man, wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her everything would be fine. Beck, the cop, kept his expression neutral. “Ms. Church, this is Ranger Santos. We’re working with him on the recent murders along I-35.”

She glanced toward Santos and nodded. “Ranger.”

He nodded. “Ma’am.”

Her gaze shifted quickly back to Beck. “Do you mind if we speak alone?”

“Does this have to do with the cases?”

She swallowed. “Yes.”

“Then as tempted as I am to send Santos away, I can’t. We’re working this case together.”

Her jaw tightened, and for an instant he thought she’d bolt. “I came here to talk to you, Ranger. This isn’t easy for me.”

“I know that, Ms. Church, but I need all eyes and ears on this case. I can’t afford to miss any detail.” He pulled out a chair for her. “Why don’t you have a seat and we’ll talk? It’ll be casual, and there will be no pressure.”

She released a tense breath and took the seat. Standing behind her chair he caught the scent of fresh soap and chemicals. She’d been in her darkroom so whatever had pulled her away from the art had been serious.

Santos took a seat to her right, and Beck took the other to her left.

“Did you remember something?” Beck said.

She crossed and uncrossed her legs. “No. I haven’t remembered. I had a visit today from Monica Silver.”

He frowned. It should have occurred to him that the older woman would track Lara down after she’d referenced the paper’s article. “What did she say?”

“She told me about her daughter. She showed me a picture of the girl when she was fifteen.”

Beck noted the way Lara perched on the seat as if she’d bolt at any second. “What else did she say?”

“Not much more. But she wants me to remember.” Absently, she tugged at a loose thread on her purse.

“We all want that,” he said carefully.

She leaned forward. “I want to remember. I do. But I kept telling you that I don’t think there are any memories there.”

“Dr. Granger is the one to help you with that.”

She pursed full lips and released a sigh. “I’ll talk to her if you’ll set it up.”

Suspicion overrode relief. “Why the change?”

She shook her head as if chasing off the last bits of resistance. “Maybe the last seven years have loosened something up.”

His gaze never leaving her, he leaned forward and picked up his phone. He punched a couple of numbers. “This is Beck. Ms. Church is in my office. Can you come down? Great.”

“She’s coming?” Lara sounded surprised and a bit panicked.

“Be here in a minute. Can I get you a coffee or water?”

“No thanks, I’m fine.” She tightened her hand on her purse. “Mr. Raines found me while I was shooting yesterday.”

A muscle tensed in his jaw. He wasn’t sure what pissed him off more: Raines’s silence or her ignoring his command to stay away from the crime scene. “You were at a crime scene?”

Blue eyes flashed. “That’s not the point.”

“It is the point. I thought you agreed not to go to the scenes alone right now.”

“You told me not to. I didn’t agree. And again, this line of questioning is about Raines.” Her tone, peppered with sass, told him she wanted a fight.

He’d not give her one today. He needed her on his side. “He’s an asset.”

“I don’t like him.”

He spoke carefully. “I told you from the get-go that I would do whatever it took to catch this killer, Ms. Church. If that means working with Raines then so be it.” To shift the conversation, he said, “What reaction have you had to the article?”

“My answering machine is full of calls regarding it. The messages are mostly from old friends and acquaintances digging for dirt. Reporters.”

For a moment he was silent. “No one that gave you the creeps?”

She sat straighter. “Lots of nosy, goofy people, but no one that set off alarm bells.”

“Where’s Lincoln?”

The conversation shift had her relaxing a fraction. “I dropped him at the gallery. Cassidy is not thrilled, but she’s dealing, seeing as I’m turning into a moneymaker for her.”

“You’re selling prints?”

Amazed pride strengthened the tone of her voice. “Four since the article came out. And a large online order.”

“Do you know what pieces sold?”

“I didn’t ask. I was too stunned t

hat any sold.”

“Let me know when you find out. I want to know which of your crime scenes are catching folks’ attention.”

Color drained from her face as if she fully understood the meaning behind his questions. “Do you think he’d buy one of my prints?”

“What better memento of a crime than a print created by one of the victims?”

Her voice lost its edge. “I didn’t think about that.”

Before he could respond there was a soft rap on the door, and they turned to see Dr. Granger. She wore a dark blue skirt, a white shirt, and sensible heels. Red hair twisted into a ponytail and dark-framed glasses emphasized green eyes. “Gentlemen, to what do I owe the honor?”

“I was hoping you could help me to remember,” Lara said.

Beck stood beside Lara. “Dr. Granger, I’d like you to meet Lara Church. I mentioned her to you earlier.”

Dr. Granger crossed the room and extended her hand to Lara. “It’s nice to meet you. I read the article in the Sunday paper and some of the case files.”

Lara cleared her throat. “My life is an open book.”

Dr. Granger shook her head. “The facts are helpful, but they don’t tell the whole story.”

“Everyone thinks key pieces are in my head.” Lara moistened her lips. “I can’t promise, but I want to try to remember.”

“Excellent,” Dr. Granger said. “We can do it now if you wish.”

Lara nibbled her bottom lip. “Better now before I lose my nerve.”

Dr. Granger knit long, slender fingers together at her waist. “Gentlemen, Ms. Church and I can go back to my office, or we can talk here. Either way you two need to leave.”

“Santos and I would like to observe,” Beck said.

“No,” Dr. Granger said. “This doesn’t work so well given Ms. Church’s history with the police and psychiatrists.”

Lara lifted her chin. “You’ll tape whatever I say, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then they’ll hear it anyway. They might as well stay. Like I said, my life is an open book.”

“We’ll sit back and out of the way,” Beck said, making an effort to soften his tone.