A Box Full of Trouble Read online

  “Do you? Over-confidence can be deadly.”

  Aiden gritted his teeth, but he forced a smile. “So, tell me about your partner. How long have you and Thad Brady been working together?” The murders all made sense now. He’d been on the SSK’s tail before—come so close to catching him. But he’d never gotten there because there were two killers, not just one. The killer known as John Wexler had been working with the loner Thad Brady. Aiden knew that when he went back and put together the timeline of each of the murders, they’d discover a lull in killings during the time Brady served in the military—if his military record hadn’t been forged and fabricated. “Tell me about Brady.”

  “Working alone can be so tedious. It was simply a blessing when I found someone who enjoyed my work as much as I do.” Frasier stepped deeper into the room. He appeared to be enjoying the situation.

  Trouble, on the other hand, jumped on the counter, pacing and growling. Aiden had already checked out the cabin. There wasn’t a back door. No one could come in behind him and take him by surprise. Frasier might have a gun, but if he went for it, Aiden could easily check him. Aiden knew better than to take anything for granted, but he moved in closer to take the minister down. His heart pounded with adrenalin. After the many years he’d chased this killer, now he was within capture. He thought of Kayla and her goodness, snuffed out without a qualm. His finger tightened on the trigger.

  “Take your hands out of your pockets and sit down,” Aiden directed Frasier. “Take that kitchen chair right there.” He indicated a heavy wooden chair.

  “I know you’d like to shoot me. Revenge is indeed sweet. But what about the bookseller? What about Tammy?” Frasier moved slowly into the room, carefully withdrawing his hands from his coat. He wasn’t holding a gun, but he was holding something. Aiden ducked instinctively and went in low for the tackle, but not before the stream of pepper spray struck his shoulder, sending caustic fumes into his eyes.

  He turned in mid-air and hit Frasier’s torso with all of his body weight. The killer lost his footing and went down hard, his finger still depressing the spray. Choking and his eyes burning, Aiden fought on. He jumped on top of Frasier and bent his wrist so that the spray went straight into the killer’s eyes.

  Frasier screamed, but his pitch went up a notch when Trouble leaped from the counter onto his groin, claws furiously digging in. Aiden knocked the pepper spray from Frasier’s hand and then slugged him hard. There was no need to hit him again. The pepper spray had done its work. Frasier’s eyes were red and swollen and he was gagging and choking on mucus.

  Aiden snapped the handcuffs on him and patted him down. He removed a knife, a pistol, and two Phantom silk stockings. He hoped the stockings had been intended for Tammy and Paula, because that would mean Frasier hadn’t yet finished his kill. But the wild card was Thad Brady. Where was the SSK’s partner? It was possible Frasier had stashed Tammy somewhere, but it was more likely that Brady had her.

  Aiden went to the sink and washed his hands and face. Frasier was on the floor, still choking from the direct hit of pepper spray. “Where is Tammy?” Aiden asked.

  “By the time you find her, there won’t be a lot left. Did you know there are still bears in Alabama? And coyotes. I’ve heard rumors of panthers. I think of Tammy as a sort of sacrifice to nature. She is alive, for the moment. My little bit of bargaining power.”

  “Shut up.” Aiden was weary of Frasier’s manipulations. He unsnapped one hand and re-cuffed him to a stout post that supported a beam. He pulled the cord out of a lamp and set to work hog-tying Frasier, pulling the binding tight. The killer wouldn’t have an inch of wiggle room, and Aiden didn’t care how uncomfortable he might be.

  “You’ll shut off my circulation,” Frasier said conversationally.

  “File a complaint.” Aiden had one goal, now that he had the killer restrained. He had to find Tammy. When Frasier was trussed up so that he could hardly move, Aiden stepped back. “Now you’re going to tell me where Tammy is.”

  “I doubt that.”

  Aiden’s fists clenched. In his years in law enforcement, he’d never believed he was capable of beating a restrained prisoner. Now, though, he realized that he not only could, but would. If it meant saving Tammy, he would trample his honor and his integrity. The only thing that mattered was finding her and taking her safely home. He would do whatever it took to get Frasier to tell him where Tammy was.

  “She’d better be alive and unharmed.”

  “I told you she’s alive, but then why would you believe anything I said? That’s a problem, isn’t it? I could tell you I left her in a small cave in the cup of the crater. Or in a hotel room in Montgomery. Or floating down the Alabama River. How would you know which one is true?”

  “I could beat the truth out of you.”

  “And yet you’d still be faced with the dilemma of trying to decide which truth.”

  “Tammy is with Thad Brady, isn’t she?”

  Frasier arched his eyebrows, and what looked like genuine surprised flickered over his face. It was gone so quickly, Aiden couldn’t say if he’d actually seen it.

  “Aren’t we the clever one?” Frasier asked.

  Aiden sought a trace of the kind, compassionate man who’d built housing projects for the homeless, who’d begun after school programs for children. Frasier McNaughton had been an integral part of the Wetumpka community. And it had all been a lie constructed to give him easy access to young women he intended to murder.

  “How many women have you killed?”

  “In total, twenty-nine. In Wetumpka, five.”

  Were Tammy and Paula Scott the last two? He knew Frasier wouldn’t tell him. Not even if he tried to beat the truth out of him.

  “I know you’re a lying sack of bones. You’re right. I don’t believe anything you say, so I might as well drag you outside and shoot you. Or maybe leave you here. I’ve heard a human can survive three days without water, but I’m not sure that takes into account freezing weather. Maybe that’s what I’ll do. Save the state some money prosecuting you and housing you in a prison.”

  Frasier smiled. “You won’t do it. I know you far better than you know yourself, Aiden. You’re driven by the lust for revenge, but your code of honor is more important to you than satisfaction. Even if I told you how Kayla begged for her life, you still wouldn’t kill me.”

  Aiden picked up his gun. It would be so simple to shoot him. Bring about the justice he’d chased for such a long time. He acknowledged the desire and pushed it into the back of his mind. He would not become the thing he sought—a brutal killer.

  Trouble was at the front door crying frantically. The cat wanted him to follow. Could Trouble find Tammy? Frasier had walked to the cabin from somewhere, and that somewhere might include Tammy’s location. “I’ll be back for you, Frasier.”

  “I’m sure you think you will.”

  Aiden was tempted to kick the smugness off Frasier’s face, but he wouldn’t waste the time. Tammy was his priority. And Trouble was already down the steps and heading into the woods in the direction Frasier had come from. He had to find Tammy and he had to call Rob to send deputies to pick up Frasier before Brady came back and tried to help his partner in crime.

  He took off at a jog, the cat sprinting ahead, leading the way.

  * * *

  We have to find Tammy, but as the son of a famous sleuth, I have to say my gut instincts are telling me that Frasier still has a wild card up his sleeve. He was way too complacent about being captured. He didn’t struggle much at all. That bit with the pepper spray seemed lame to me. And he seemed…satisfied. As if Aiden had somehow played right into his hands.

  Why hadn’t Frasier simply left town? He could be hours away by now, planning his next identity. He loves the cat and mouse—which by the way is an expression that annoys me. He gave up far too easily. Aiden gets this, but his focus is on finding Tammy. We need more manpower. We can’t hunt Tammy and guard Frasier, and I fear that will come back to haunt us.r />
  Which makes me wonder where Thad Brady might be. If he’s Frasier’s partner in the killings, then he is equally as deadly as the SSK. It’s possible Brady is the puppet master and Frasier the helper. And it’s also possible Brady is hiding here in the woods, waiting to take Aiden down with a sniper’s shot. Just because Aiden has the M24 doesn’t mean Brady is weaponless. The man could have an arsenal buried out here in a survivalist bunker. Mr. Deputy and I can take nothing for granted.

  My keen olfactory abilities put me on the path Frasier took to get to the cabin. It isn’t that hard to retrace his steps. I just hope we come out somewhere with cell phone capability. We need backup. And we need it now.

  It’s occurred to me that Aiden and I might be rushing to find a body, but I can’t believe that. My connection to Tammy Lynn is…cosmic. Our souls are attuned. I believe I would know if she were dead, and I’m not getting any sense of that. So, it’s on the wings of hope that I scrabble through the underbrush and climb these ridiculous ridges.

  Tammy, we’re coming. Don’t give up on us.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The sun finally topped the trees, and not a moment too soon. Hypothermia hovered at the edge of Tammy’s conscious thoughts as she pressed her body against a large rock, hoping to absorb some of the sun’s warmth. Frasier had been gone over an hour. He’d left her out in the elements with no coat or warm clothes to speak of. She knew he intended to kill her, but he seemed to have left her to freeze to death.

  She called out loudly. “Help! I’m being held captive.” She’d been doing that every five minutes since Frasier took off. She didn’t have any real sense that someone would hear, but she couldn’t stop trying. Tom Wells might happen by. Or even a hiker or geologist studying the impact crater. She wasn’t ready to die. Not by a long shot.

  Thinking back over the recent turn of events, she tried to sort out how she’d missed all the telltale signs in Frasier. Most shocking was his physical transformation when he zipped out of the padded suit he was wearing. He’d made it such a part of his personality and gait that when he stepped out of it, he’d seemed to have a completely different body. Judging from the hair on his exposed chest, which was brown, Frasier’s red hair came from a bottle. Everything about him was a lie. And she hadn’t detected a thing.

  Frasier had tricked all of them, from Rob on down to the church congregation. And the entire town. Several women had paid with their lives. Frasier has done this over and over again in different towns. He’d moved in, killed his victims, destroyed the community’s trust, and gone to his next target. Until now, his identity had never been exposed. She couldn’t wait to tell Aiden what she’d learned about Frasier, and she hoped Aiden would be able to track him back through the years more completely.

  She hoped she’d be alive to help with that.

  Tammy pushed her thoughts past the possibility of her own death. She couldn’t let herself lose hope. That would be Frasier’s ultimate victory. The thing he desired more than anything. To see the hope die in his victims. Well, when he returned, he wouldn’t find her broken and afraid. She would fight to the bitter end.

  She twisted the handcuffs against her skin until she was bleeding, hoping that the blood would allow her to slip free of them. Ignoring the pain, she thought about the future. After she’d successfully freed herself and found her way to a working phone, she would call Aiden. She’d confess that for a brief moment, based on what Thad Brady had told her, she’d considered Aiden might be the SSK. She’d lost her trust in him. But that negative moment had also shown her something very important—she wanted Aiden to be in her life. The pain she’d felt at the idea that he might be the SSK told her how much she’d come to care for him. Somehow, that pain had freed her from the fear of Aiden leaving town and abandoning her. Even more importantly it had shown her that she’d fallen for Aiden. She’d allowed her heart to finally open completely, risking everything.

  She understood that she’d sought the security of Wetumpka because she didn’t believe that love could offer her safety. Now she knew better. She loved Aiden because she had no other choice, and she believed he would protect her feelings above all else.

  Whatever time she and Aiden had together, she wanted it. It might not be permanent, but that mattered far less than not having any time with him. Abandonment wasn’t the worst thing she could face—never having the courage to risk was far worse. She would risk and she would fight. Fraiser McNaughton—whatever his persona—wasn’t going to steal this from her. She was alone and afraid, but Aiden was looking for her. He would never give up and neither could she. As she sawed the handcuffs against her bloody wrists, she remembered how it felt to be in his arms, to kiss him. She held onto that and ignored the pain. She would have that again.

  But first she had to escape. And quickly. Frasier would return, and when he did, he would kill her. She had to find a way to run.

  She worked against the handcuffs that held her. The steel bracelets were too tight, and not even the slick blood helped. The cuffs were secured to the chain by a stout lock. She might be able to smash the lock, but the chain was so short she couldn’t reach any of the useful boulders scattered around the area. Frasier had left them tantalizingly close—just out of reach. He was calculated in his efforts to destroy her spirit.

  A noise in the underbrush made her shift around to hide behind the rock. Now she regretted her full-throated cries for help. What if she’d brought someone else who might harm her? She was beautifully staked out, like a scapegoat waiting for the tiger’s attack.

  When the black cat popped out of a bush and ran straight for her, crying like a young kitten, she couldn’t believe it. She stood up. “Trouble!” She held out her arms and he jumped right into them. “How did you get here?”

  He nuzzled her face.

  “Tammy, are you hurt?”

  She looked up to see Aiden striding toward her. Still holding Trouble, she stepped toward him. Now wasn’t the time, but she couldn’t wait. Without any explanation, she kissed him, and she thought her chest would crack with the pressure of her love. “I’m so glad to see you.” Trouble jumped to the ground.

  Aiden pulled her into his arms and looked deep into her eyes. “You’re okay?”

  “So far. He’ll come back. We have to get away.”

  “Frasier is detained. He’s cuffed in Brady’s cabin. And hog tied. But Brady is his partner. We’ve got to get out of here and find a place with cell phone reception.”

  Aiden examined the handcuffs and the chain. “I’ll have you out in a jiffy. A handcuff key will open most cuffs.” He used his key and the steel bracelets popped open. They fell to the ground with a clank of the chain, and Tammy was free. Tammy had never tasted such sweet freedom, but she saw the worry on Aiden’s face. “What’s wrong?”

  “I didn’t search Frasier for a handcuff key, which means he might be able to free himself. He’s tied up pretty good, but I was counting on the handcuffs to ultimately hold him. We have to get moving.”

  “Let’s go back and get him.”

  “We’re not going back there. If he managed to get free, he could be waiting for us in an ambush. He was pretty smug even after he was captured. He has a plan, and I don’t know what it is. We have to get help.”

  Tammy was more than ready to comply. She was freezing and at least movement would warm her up. “Do you know where Thad Brady is?” Tammy asked. “He was snooping around my house last night. I slammed the car door on his legs. I thought he was the SSK.”

  “You weren’t wrong. Frasier and Brady have been working together. That’s why the SSK has been so hard to catch. Did you call Rob before Frasier brought you out here?” Aiden had struck out toward a pine forest. The trees grew together so densely it looked like a black wall in the distance.

  “No,” Tammy admitted. “I was in Frasier’s clutches before I realized what was going on. I never suspected him. I fell for it. He brought me out here.” She stopped to look around. “Do you know where we are
?”

  “That trail leads back to the main road, but it’s a long walk. We need to hurry and use caution. Have you seen Paula Scott, Brady’s girlfriend?”

  “No.” Tammy knew what that likely meant. If the young woman was missing, she was either being held somewhere or she was dead. She’d been a beard for Brady and Frasier’s sick activities. And unless they could find her, she’d pay with her life. “So Brady was definitely working with Frasier. That’s a strange couple, don’t you think?” She trudged after Aiden, whose long stride put her in high gear. At least they weren’t climbing a ridge. Yet.

  “I don’t know how long they’ve been working together. Maybe before coming here. I can’t believe I never considered that the SSK worked with a partner. There was never any indication. The other FBI profilers all concurred that the SSK was a lone killer.”

  “Ninety-seven percent of serial killers work alone.” Tammy realized she sounded a little nutty. “That’s based on reading crime fiction and interviews with authors. But it was a logical assumption.”

  “Maybe you and I both should take up romance reading,” Aiden said. He cast a wry smile over his shoulder. “In fact, I’m going to insist. Once this is over, we are both going to the beach with a stack of romantic novels and lots of tequila.”

  “That’s a deal I’m happy to make,” Tammy said. If she and Aiden got out of this mess alive, she intended to devote her time and energy toward learning all about the deputy and what romantic fantasies he might have. “Any reception yet?” she asked. They had hit a downhill stretch, and Aiden was moving so fast she found it hard to talk and keep up.

  He pulled his phone from his pocket. “Not yet. This area is a huge dead zone.”

  “What about Tom Wells’ house?” she asked. “Is he closer than the road?”

  Aiden slowed. “Yes. But I’m not sure we can rely on him for help.”

  “You think he’s in this with Brady?” Tammy had known the recluse for a long time, and while he was prickly and downright fanatical about his privacy, she’d never considered him to be a criminal, much less a killer.