“Agent!” When Jordan didn’t pull away, Rebecca shouted again. “Agent Gray!” Rebecca slammed a folder down on the table loudly. “I can take care of myself. If Mr. Hudson wants to see his wife, I’m sure we can arrange it.”
She wasn’t sure what made her agree to it, especially after he had thrown himself at her. Something in his eyes made her change her mind. She wanted to see how he reacted when he saw the body. Perhaps then she would be able to judge his guilt or innocence. She was buying into the whole grieving husband act, and she didn’t want to be wrong.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll have one of my uniforms escort you to the morgue.”
He merely nodded and sat down in the chair dejectedly.
Rebecca followed Jordan out of the room. “You want to tell me what the hell that was?”
“He came at you.” Jordan knew she sounded defensive, but Rebecca had accused her like she was the bad guy.
“He didn’t come at me. He was emphatic. The guy just lost his wife. Give him some slack.”
“That slack could have gotten you hurt. You saw the look on his face, and you know his history.” Jordan felt the need to defend her actions. “Besides, I’m not sure I buy the whole grieving husband bit.”
“Really?” Rebecca studied her profile until Jordan met her gaze. “I didn’t get that.”
“I can’t put my finger on it, but I don’t like him.” Jordan’s time on the streets left her with the ability to read people. She was usually a pretty good judge of character, and she bristled at the fact that Rebecca doubted her judgment.
“If he is the guy, he’s a pretty damn good actor.” Rebecca opined. “I bought his act. Besides, we didn’t get a hit in the Combined DNA Index System for the DNA, and Richard Hudson has a record.”
“
“Violent yes, but not necessarily a killer.” Rebecca felt like playing the devil’s advocate, getting under Jordan’s skin. “Besides, it seems nuts to kill seven other people, just to cover the murder of his wife.”
“Stranger things have happened. I’m still having Matt run the sample you gave us against his DNA in the National DNA Index System.”
Rebecca rolled her eyes and walked away leaving Jordan running to catch up.
Jordan caught her arm. “Listen, come back with me. I had our profiler look at the case files, and I think he has some thoughts on our UNSUB.”
“Fine, but after this, you are buying me lunch.” Rebecca’s lip curled up slightly, and Jordan felt warmth effuse her body. This new feeling of wanting more than just sex with Rebecca was quickly becoming part of who Jordan was, and she wasn’t too thrilled with it.
“I guess I owe you at least that much…” Jordan smirked. “…for making this whole working together thing so incredibly enjoyable.”
“Funny, smart ass. Let’s get this whole profile thing out of the way. I’m getting ready to start, and I’m totally craving something chocolate.”
Chapter 11
“Julien, this is Detective Rebecca Foxx with the Chicago Detective Division.”
Rebecca stepped forward and shook hands with an attractive gentleman, whom she put at close to fifty. His hair was brown with slightly grayed temples and when he spoke, she had to keep from rolling her eyes. What was it with hiring people with foreign accents? It reminded her of commercials that used foreign actors because supposedly some survey indicated people actually bought more of a product if the actor had an accent. “Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Redmond.”
Jordan directed Rebecca towards a chair and handed her a bottle of water. “So, Julien, what do you have?”
“Well, originally I thought he was targeting lesbians, but the most recent victim changed that idea. I believe we are looking for a male in his mid to late thirties. One who is very angry and is lashing out at whoever or whatever is around him. I believe he might be suffering from some form of impotency. The thought of being less of a man has made him resentful.”
Julien expanded his thought. “I believe that he may have been married at one time, perhaps even still married. He feels emasculated because he cannot father a child. Something happened to push him out of reality. Given the fact that the space between murders has shortened, he is losing touch with reality. It’s quite possible that his wife left him for another man, one who could get her pregnant, and he sees that as another sign of personal failure. He also believes he is above the law, or at least above getting caught. He leaves his victims in plain sight, which leads me to believe he feels superior to law enforcement. That he is too smart to get caught.”
“What do you make of him taking the babies?”
“He feels a certain need for the familial bond with the child. Perhaps he believes that the child is his own, perhaps filling the parental void that was left by his inability to father a child. He does it with almost tender precision, and I would guess his treatment of the fetus will border on loving. That is his one act to erase the violent death that he just committed.”
“Violent. That fits Richard Hudson.” Jordan couldn’t help the feeling that he was involved in these cases, much more than Rebecca was willing to admit.
“Like I told you before, that doesn’t make him our killer.” Rebecca held her gaze until a slight blush crept into her cheeks. No matter how hard she tried, she was not as immune to Jordan’s handsome looks as she wanted to be.
“One other thing, ladies. He was interrupted when he attacked Julie Keppler. I have seen the crime scene photos from the homeless man. He is very angry that he was not able to kill his mark. He is not going to accept failure. He will try to kill her again, if at all possible. Combine that with the fact he knows that the condom with his DNA was left at the crime scene, and you have a killer who is mentally unstable at best. Julie could very well be in danger again.”
“Have you spoken to Assistant Director Mitchell about that?”
Julien shook his head. “Not yet. I was hoping we would not need to address that with her.”
“I don’t want to have to, but I think you’re right. We need to make sure she is guarded at all times.” Jordan turned her gaze toward Rebecca. “I think we need to dig a little deeper and find out what Richard Hudson is hiding. I can’t shake the feeling he isn’t as heartbroken as he pretends to be.”
Rebecca opened her mouth to respond, but stopped when her hip started to ring. Rebecca pulled her phone out of its holster and took the call. “Foxx.”
When she finished talking, she hung up and pushed back in her chair. “Uniforms already brought Hudson to the morgue. They’re sitting on it until I get there. Wanna take me for a ride before lunch? I want to see his reaction to the body.”
Jordan opened her mouth to answer and caught the warning look in Rebecca’s eyes. For now, she had to leave that comment alone. “Sure.” She glanced to her left. “Julien, thank you.”
“It was my pleasure, Jordie. Detective Foxx, it was a pleasure meeting you as well.”
Rebecca followed Jordan outside. Her eyes fell to Jordan’s shapely bottom. Standard issue, black khakis should not look that good on anyone, but Jordan made them look sexy. She unconsciously licked her lips, and somehow had the wherewithal to lift her eyes before she walked out the door. She ignored the knowing smirk on Jordan’s face, hoping she hadn’t caught her staring. Oddly enough, that was the last thing she needed, but the one thing she wanted.
“So, are you starting to believe me?”
“Maybe I’m not buying the whole guilty thing yet, but I’m a slow learner.” Rebecca waited while Jordan opened the door for her, still not accustomed to being treated like a lady. “You might have to teach me.”
“I’m a great teacher.” Jordan teased lightly. She walked around the back of the car, a smile on her face. If
