Harlequin Intrigue April 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Carol Ericson (beginner reading books for adults .txt) 📗

to Kyra chatting with Brandon. She lifted her eyebrows at him, and he nodded her way, a sense of relief flooding his system. He’d spared her from any more random cards showing up on her doorstep. He didn’t even need to take the credit for it.

He grabbed a file from his desk and signaled to Brandon to follow him to the briefing room to start the slideshow. When everyone was gathered, Jake presented the Melrose info, calling out the two sheriff’s deputies from the West Hollywood division on loan to the task force to help canvass that area. Then he turned the meeting over to Billy for an overview of their efforts in identifying the Malibu fire victim.

Jake wound up the meeting by asking for any new information or clues. One of the detectives who was working closely with the medical examiner’s office confirmed that both Marissa and Kelsey had small puncture wounds in their necks, which may have been how the killer had gotten the women away from their cars and into his without much of an apparent struggle. Both toxicology tests were pending. Jake assured everyone once the drug used to subdue the women was identified it would give them another avenue to check.

“This guy is not as clean as he thinks he is.” He signaled Brandon to bring up the last slide, which contained pictures of the three murder victims. They had to remember the stakes here. “Anything else?”

From the back of the room, Kyra’s hand shot up and uneasiness stirred in his gut, which was reason number eighty-eight why you didn’t get involved with anyone from work. “Ms. Chase? You have something to add?”

Her voice, confident and composed, rang out. “I had an extensive conversation with Marissa Perez’s friends this afternoon over the phone, and I wanted to bring up the issue of the jewelry and Kelsey’s missing nose stud.”

She commanded the attention of the room with her cool, professional demeanor, and a little flicker of pride tapped his chest, although he didn’t know why or at least didn’t want to look at it too closely. “Go ahead.”

“Marissa’s friends told me she always wore a jade bracelet. I don’t know if that was found on her and the friends don’t, either, as her belongings are still in evidence. I wanted to know if the jade bracelet was found with Marissa.”

Jake turned to his partner. “Billy?”

“I don’t remember.” Billy pointed a finger at Brandon. “Can you find and bring up the photo of Marissa’s possessions?”

Brandon turned off the connection from the computer to the display and began clicking through the electronic files on Marissa’s case.

Brandon murmured to nobody in particular. “Got the files. Clothing, jewelry. Here.”

He reactivated the display and a photo of jewelry appeared on the screen.

Jake said, “Zoom, please.”

The image of the pieces got bigger and contained a pair of hoop earrings, two necklaces—one with a cross, the other with the letter M, and three rings.

“I don’t see a bracelet. Anyone see a bracelet?” Jake glanced around the room. “So, Marissa wasn’t found with a jade bracelet her friends say she wore all the time and Kelsey didn’t have her nose stud, which her parents said she’d just gotten. Either those pieces were lost in the struggle, at the dump sites or our boy is taking something other than his victims’ fingers for his trophy. To be sure Marissa didn’t just leave it at home that day, I’ll reach out to her roommate again.”

Kyra coughed and Jake jerked his head up. “Anything else, Ms. Chase?”

“Uh, no.” She stepped back to her place against the wall.

“Lights.” Jake waved an arm in the air. “Thanks, everyone. Good work. We’ll get this guy. I can feel it.”

The team members who had desks in the war room shuffled back to their seats, the rest left for their own desks or left for the day.

As Jake pulled up a chair to his own desk, Kyra sauntered over and leaned her hip against the corner. “I did have something to add at the end, but I didn’t want to announce it.”

“Oh?” Jake’s pulse ticked up a few notches. He couldn’t help it. Excitement and drama seemed to swirl around this woman, and it drew him into her orbit every time.

“Marissa’s roommate, Darcy, was on the call today and she invited me over to their place tomorrow—not only to look for the bracelet but to talk with her. She’s still pretty upset.”

“Can’t Darcy just look for the bracelet herself? That’s what I was going to ask her to do.”

“Darcy is staying with friends right now. She can’t go back to the apartment.”

“Understood. Thanks for letting me know.” His cell phone, sitting on the desk next to his computer, buzzed with an incoming text.

Kyra glanced down at it and then at his face. “Do you need to get that?”

“It’s just a text, not a call.” He drummed his fingers on the desk. “Is there anything else?”

“No.” She picked up his phone and handed it to him, and then pushed away from the desk with her hip.

He looked down at the display and a text from Mike’s Bike Shop. He tapped it, and he scanned the message from Matt Dugan.

I left those cards but someone paid me. if you wanna know who and u want the 411 on Mimi, I take cash

KYRA SLIPPED THE set of keys to one of the LAPD detective squad sedans into the pocket of her jacket, which she usually wore in the chilly AC of the station. She caught her breath as one of the guys from the task force swept up behind her to drop off the keys to a squad car.

He smiled and said, “You’re a good addition to the task force. Glad to have you on board. Have a nice evening.”

“Thanks. You, too.” Her fingers curled around the keys so tightly they pinched her fingers.

She had to be ready for Jake’s exit. Would he go straight to his meeting with Matt? She hoped so.

Hearing voices