The Body Finder

CHAPTER 10

JAY CAME OVER AS SOON AS VIOLET CALLED HIM; she didn’t even have to give him a reason. He was there in less than ten minutes.

Of course, he’d heard about what had happened to Hailey. Everyone had. Buckley was a small town, and news traveled fast…especially bad news.

When he got there she told him what she was thinking about doing. It was nothing dangerous, at least as far as she was concerned, and she hadn’t expected Jay to disagree with her about it. So when he did, she was more than a little bit surprised by his stubborn reaction.

“No way,” he insisted, and his voice left little room for argument. “There is no way you’re going to go around looking for this guy.”

Violet was shocked by the tone in his voice, and by the harsh look he shot at her. She thought maybe he misunderstood her plan, so she tried to explain it to him again. “Jay, I’m only going to public places, like malls and parks, to see if I can get a feeling for who this guy is. Who knows, maybe he goes to places like that to find them, maybe he hangs out there waiting to pick out a girl to…you know, kidnap.” She tried to make her argument sound logical, but there was a desperate edge to her voice. “I’m not going alone…you can go with me. We’ll just hang out at different places to see if we can find him. And if we do, we’ll call my uncle. It’s not like we’d do anything stupid.”

“‘Anything stupid’ would be going out to look for a killer. I won’t let you go looking for trouble, Violet. This guy is dangerous, and you need to leave it to the cops. They know what they’re doing. And they’re armed.” He sounded like he thought she’d lost her mind, and maybe she had, but she had already made her decision.

“Look, I’m doing this. I was just asking you to come along with me.”

“You’re not,” he insisted. “Even if I have to tell your uncle and your parents what you’re planning. I promise you, you’re not doing it.”

She could feel her temper flaring. “You can’t stop me, Jay. If you tell on me, then I’ll lie. I’ll bat my eyes innocently and promise not to go looking for this guy. But I swear to you that every chance I get, even if I have to sneak out of the house to do it, I will be trying to find him.” She stood up, meaning to glare back at him, but instead found herself craning her neck just so she could see his face. The awkward position didn’t steal any of her thunder. She refused to back down. “I mean it, Jay. You can’t stop me.”

Jay glared incredulously back at her. Emotions ranging from disbelief to frustration and back to disbelief again flashed darkly across his face. He seemed to be fighting with himself now. But when she heard him sigh, and then saw him raking his hand restlessly through his hair, she knew she’d won. His icy determination seemed to melt right before her eyes.

“Damn it, Violet.” He sighed brusquely, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly. “What choice do I have?” he asked as he practically squeezed the life out of her.

She wasn’t sure how to react to him now. It definitely wasn’t a tender hug, but the close contact made her undisclosed desires stir all the same. She couldn’t help wondering if he felt even a fraction of what she did.

His arms were strong, and she felt safe in the circle of them. She’d never imagined that she could feel so comfortable and so uncomfortable at the same time. She waited within the space of his embrace to see where this was going.

“So, how is this going to work?” he demanded roughly against the top of her head.

She froze. “What do you mean?” she asked as her heartbeat sped up.

He released her, and she realized that he wasn’t talking about them-he was talking about her plan to find a killer. She tried to ignore the sharp stab of disappointment she felt.

But she recovered quickly. “I was thinking that we would start going out, you know, to places where our friends, and girls from other schools, might hang out. We can go after school and on weekends, for as long as it takes, until either the police catch him, or until I cross paths with him. Either way, he needs to be stopped, Jay.” She looked up at him again, this time feeling vulnerable for an entirely different reason. “I just don’t think I can sit by while more girls are abducted, or worse, found dead.” Her voice fractured on the last word, even though she was trying to stay composed. She hated feeling so helpless and weak, and she hated admitting that she needed help. But she did.

She needed Jay to go with her. Because despite her bold words about doing it by herself, it was all just a bluff. She really wasn’t sure if she could do it on her own.

“All right,” he finally agreed, flashing her the same stupid grin that always made her heart stutter, even though he still seemed uncertain. “How ’bout we start by going to the movies tonight? We can make sure the theater is safe.”

It took some doing to convince her parents to let her go out after the news of Hailey McDonald’s disappearance. If it hadn’t been for Jay’s promise not to let her out of his sight, they would never have agreed at all. They seemed to feel even better when Jay insisted on driving, since his mom’s car was infinitely more modern than her beater Honda.

After checking the movie times online, they decided on an action flick that had just opened and was playing at the nearest theater, in Bonney Lake, the city where Brooke Johnson had lived.

If someone had been searching for teenage girls to abduct, Saturday night at the multiplex would have been the perfect place to go. Clusters of kids, ranging from probably eleven or twelve all the way into young adulthood, moved in swarms around the freestanding building and drifted aimlessly around the crowded parking lot. Inside the lobby, they were like energetic herds as they moved into, and out of, the theaters.

Violet had never really stopped to watch the groupings before, and it was a bit like watching spastic monkeys at the zoo. But they weren’t really what she was interested in tonight.

She was there to find a killer. It was only a bonus that she was there with Jay.

They ran into a group of friends from school who were seeing the newest gross-out comedy release, and they stopped to chat for a few minutes. The girls in the group perked up the moment they realized that Jay Heaton was around, and Violet felt a twinge of satisfaction that he was her date tonight…even if it wasn’t really a date.

Once Jay was in her sights, Amanda Kaufman’s appreciative gaze never left him. “Hey, Jay,” she said, practically purring at him, ignoring everyone else around her-including her boyfriend, who wasn’t paying any attention. “You look great.” She reached out and rubbed his chest. “I like your jacket. It’s sooo soft,” she cooed.

Violet looked at it, wondering if she’d missed something special. She hadn’t. It was just a plain gray hoodie-pretty much like every other hoodie that every other boy in school wore every single day.

Violet looked at Jay and raised her eyebrows. She knew he noticed her glance, even though he was pretending to ignore her.

“Thanks,” he said to Amanda in a voice that was a little too congenial, and Violet realized that he liked the attention.

Amanda giggled, and Violet nearly laughed out loud at the high-pitched sound that came out of her mouth. Amanda’s boyfriend, Cameron, a senior football player, was too busy talking about next week’s game with his buddies to even notice that his girlfriend was flirting right under his nose.

Violet tried to pay attention to her surroundings, concentrating on sensing anything unusual.

She already knew that one of the imprints would be a glowing, oily sheen like that from the girl in the lake, and she would easily recognize it on the killer if she saw him. She just didn’t know what his other imprints would be.

But it didn’t take Violet long to realize that there was nothing out of the ordinary in the lobby, so instead she sipped her Coke and watched the girls fawn over Jay. She kept thinking that she should be jealous of all their attention, but she just couldn’t manage it because she was having too much fun watching them make fools of themselves. And that included Jay.

The other two girls in the group were encouraged by his reaction to Amanda. Yvette Siegel tried next, and her boyfriend was just as clueless as Amanda’s. “I bet you’ll look great in your tux,” she praised Jay.

“Did you already pick one out?” Alexandra Yates asked. She was the only one without a boyfriend, and she stepped forward, practically shoving the other two girls-her friends-out of her way to get closer to him.

Violet would have laughed out loud, but instead she choked on her soda when it went down the wrong way. All three of the girls suddenly noticed her standing there for the first time. She tried to suppress the coughing fit, but she couldn’t stop it.

Jay reached out to smack her on the back harder than he really needed to. “You okay?” he asked, and Violet shot him a deadly look as she coughed into her closed fist.

“I’m fine,” she gasped, barely getting out the words in between her own choking. She nudged his helping hand away and glared at him.

He grinned back at her.

“Hey, Violet.” Alexandra was the only one who actually acknowledged her there. “What about you? Have you picked your dress for the dance yet?”

Violet cleared her throat once more as she nodded her head. “I’m all set, I think.”

“Where are you guys eating that night?” Amanda’s voice had taken on a pouting quality that didn’t suit her at all. “Have you made reservations?”

Violet realized that the girls thought that she and Jay were going to Homecoming with each other. “Oh, no”-she corrected the mistake-“we’re not going together.”

That seemed to immediately cheer up Amanda again, even though Violet was pretty sure that the other girl was already going to the dance…with her boyfriend.

“Really?”

“Really. Violet’s going with Grady Spencer,” Jay told all three girls as he smiled oh-so-innocently at Violet.

“And Jay’s going with Lissie Adams,” Violet revealed to the trio, smirking back at him.

“Oh,” Amanda whined again, sounding completely dejected. And from the tone of her voice, Violet was a little surprised that Amanda didn’t stomp her foot when she said it.

“Hey, we gotta get going, our movie’s about to start,” Cameron reminded Amanda as he reached out and pulled his girlfriend away from Jay. “It was nice talking to you.” He actually said that last part with a straight face, even though he hadn’t spoken so much as a single word to either Violet or Jay.

Violet watched them go, while all three of the girls, at different times, glanced back over their shoulders to get another look at Jay before they left. Jay nudged Violet conspiratorially.

Violet’s eyes widened as she glanced up at him. “What the hell was that all about?”

Jay looked serious for a moment, and then he winked at her. “It’s good being one of the beautiful people, that’s all.”

“Oh my God, Jay, they were practically slobbering on you.” For the first time in a long time, Violet was nothing but amused by another girl’s antics around her best friend. It felt good…not feeling even a little bit resentful about the attention they were showering on him.

Jay laughed, nudging her again. “Jealous?”

Violet almost choked on her drink again. “How could I be? They were acting like complete idiots. I’m serious-I think Amanda might have actually drooled on herself a little.”

Jay handed the woman at the entrance to the theaters their tickets, and after he pocketed the stubs he reached over and took Violet’s hand. It was a friendly gesture, something they used to always do, and it felt nice.

The theater was only about half full, so they were able to find a spot off to the side that was relatively private. Once the credits rolled, Violet’s mind began to wander again, to their real purpose for being here tonight. To catch a murderer.

So far she’d sensed nothing…or rather, nothing but the outlandish behavior of other girls around Jay. She’d sensed no echoes of the dead all evening, and she supposed she might have been expecting too much to think that it would happen so quickly…so easily.

She resigned herself to the fact that this might take a while.

In the meantime, she and Jay sat shoulder to shoulder throughout the movie, and the warmth of him pressed up against her made it difficult for Violet to concentrate. She tried to remember when exactly he’d started to smell so good to her, or when his touch had become like a mood-altering narcotic.

She glanced sideways to see if she could tell what he was thinking, if their casual contact was affecting him the way it was her, but his face was blank, completely unreadable, as he watched the action on the oversized screen.

She leaned toward him and whispered, “I have to go to the bathroom.”

She stood up to go. And so did he.

She gave him a questioning look. “I’ll be right back,” she said quietly.

He followed right behind her.

“What are you doing?” She was starting to get irritated.

“I’m going with you.”

“Yeah, I got that,” she said, her voice getting louder now. “Why?”

He pushed her along from behind until they were out of the darkened theater and standing in the dimly lit hallway.

“I can go to the bathroom by myself,” she insisted, putting her hands on her hips and cocking her head to the side.

“No, Violet. You can’t. I told your parents I wouldn’t let you out of my sight, and I meant it. Besides, until you decide to stop hunting for this guy, I’m not letting you do anything by yourself.” That stubborn set of his jaw was back. “Now, hurry up,” he said as he leaned casually against the wall outside the ladies’ room.

Violet didn’t want to waste her time arguing, so she just shook her head as she opened the door. “You’re crazy! You know that, don’t you?” She didn’t wait for him to answer as she disappeared into the empty bathroom, but she swore she heard the sound of his laughter following her inside.

There was something mildly creepy about the pale, washed-out bathrooms at this theater. They were usually empty while the movies were running in the multiplex, and the cold, ghostly lighting cast an almost menacing pallor across the small, white, hexagonal tiles of the floors. The fluorescent tubing even made an ominous humming sound that echoed against the walls around her. She was actually kind of glad that Jay was waiting outside the door.

Violet hurried in and out of the stall, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror as she washed her hands. Even in this lighting, she had to admit that she didn’t look too terrible. She’d never really thought of herself as pretty, but she knew she wasn’t unattractive either. She never wanted to be one of those girls who looked for flaws, picking themselves apart with unjust criticisms.

She turned on the air dryer hanging on the wall, but got impatient with how long it was taking and finally dried her hands on her jeans as she went back out to where Jay was waiting for her, still leaning casually against the wall.

She didn’t stop to wait for him, and he had to rush to keep up with her. “What took you so long?” he whispered as they looked for their seats in the dark again.

She didn’t respond to his question; she was still annoyed that he thought she needed an escort just to go to the restroom. But once they were sitting, Jay reached out and took her hand once more.

Violet didn’t complain about it. She liked it too much to complain.

His hands were strong and so much larger than hers now. His skin felt thicker-tougher-than her own, and the contrast was exhilarating. Just his touch made her feel warm all over.

She was disappointed when the movie came to an end, even though he showed no signs of releasing his grip on her hand. And she was more than a little embarrassed to realize that she’d barely paid attention to the show at all. She’d had other, more interesting, things on her mind. She desperately hoped that Jay didn’t ask her any questions about the movie she was supposed to have watched.

They saw Amanda’s little group on their way out to the parking lot, but this time Jay barely acknowledged them, simply nodding his head in their direction as they passed. Violet was aware of the looks exchanged by the three girls as they made it clear that they’d noticed he was holding her hand.

Jay must have seen it too, because he gave her hand a quick, reassuring squeeze.

It made Violet curious about all the times that she thought Jay was completely clueless about the attention he’d been getting from the girls at school. She wondered if he was more aware than he let on about how much interest he’d stirred in the female population at White River High.

And then her blood ran cold as another thought occurred to her. If he wasn’t entirely ignorant about what he was doing to the other girls, what did he know about her own thoughts and fantasies? Could he possibly suspect how she really felt about him? Was she as transparent as Amanda and the other girls at school had been?

That would be terrible! Violet thought miserably. She was going to have to be more careful around him and stop obsessing over him like one of his little groupies.

She decided that, from this point on, despite the fact it was something she desperately wanted, she couldn’t risk ruining what they had. Their friendship, which had been a part of her life for almost as long as she could remember, was far too important to her to do anything that might jeopardize it.

She pulled her hand away from his, feeling suddenly decisive and strong. But it turned out to be less a show of resolve than she’d meant it to be, considering that they’d reached the car and she would have had to let go anyway. Jay opened the passenger-side door, and she slid inside.

She looked down at her hand, which was still warm from his touch, and she could already feel herself missing the contact with him. She didn’t entirely understand the sense of loss she felt about something that she’d never really had in the first place.

Besides, Violet thought, she had more important things to worry about right now.

She needed to find the killer, to stop him before he could hurt anyone else.

How was she ever going to do that if she was too busy crushing on her best friend?