Bleeding Out

nostalgic languor vanished when Noah walked in with Kennedy. Reluctantly, she pulled her legs off the chair and sat up straight.

'Hey, Lieutenant.'

The drawl was like nails on a blackboard. Frank clenched her back teeth, acknowledging Kennedy with a quick bob. Noah clapped Frank's shoulder and took the chair next to her. Within seconds, Nancy appeared.

'Hi, No. I haven't seen you in ages. Did they kick you off the squad for being too handsome?'

'Yep, that's it. How'd you know?'

'It's obvious. Bring another mug?'

'You got it.'

'And you, hon?'

Nancy's smile to Kennedy was returned.

'Ma'am, a Coke, please.'

'Sure you don't want a shot of rum in that?' Johnnie asked.

'I reckon straight'll do me just fine.'

'Only sober cops I've ever seen have got God,' Johnnie said challengingly.

'Or a wife like Leslie,' Bobby muttered. She hated him drinking after work, but once or twice a month he'd go out on Friday night anyway. He and Noah had swapped plenty of sleeping-on-the-couch stories.

'You're not gonna get all preachy on us are you?' Johnnie dogged.

'Darlin', what was your name again?'

'Johnnie.'

Kennedy nodded. 'Tha's right. Johnnie.' Then she leaned toward him and said, 'Son, I don't even know you yet but you're already gettin' on my nerves.'

'Wait'll you get to know him,' Noah laughed, 'then he'll really piss you off'.'

Johnnie waved disgustedly, muttering something about uptight bitches, and moseyed off to the men's room. The young narc turned her attention back to Noah. 'So, tell me more about this dickhead I'm gonna be freezin' my ass off for.'

'Not a whole lot to tell. We could be barking up the wrong tree, but it's more to go on than nothing. Just keep in mind that much of what we've got is theory, and be flexible.'

Kennedy nodded her understanding. Noah explained their logic while Frank watched the young woman. The hick act was good, but twice now Frank had seen daggers winking under the guise.

'We've got some physical evidence on this guy. Size, weight, hair—not much else. Most of this is from the description the girls gave us, and we had a witness who saw someone matching this description where the third girl was raped. The wit estimated his age as somewhere between late twenties to early thirties. Frank likes the younger end of the range.'

'How come?' she asked Frank, who shrugged and addressed her beer mug.

'He's smart but he's not confident. That usually comes with experience and/or age. He's eluding us but he's not mocking us. That says he fears us to some degree, respects us. You see that more in younger perps. The level of anger in these attacks would be hard to sustain for years on end. He's probably been holding this in for a long time and can't anymore. This guy's canny, though. I think he'd do it more often if he thought he could get away with it.

'As it is, he's committing these perps on a fairly regular basis. For the most part his assaults are premeditated and inherently risky, suggesting his caution is overruled somewhat by his compulsion. Again, we can look at the escalation of his attacks—as his confidence increases he spends more time with each victim and becomes more brutal. An older man might have already plateaued out, not exhibit such a steep learning curve. He'd probably be more aggressive from the git-go, take much larger risks. And I'd expect his vies to be more carefully considered. Our guy seems to settle for whoever comes his way, also characteristic of a younger personality.'

'And you think he's going to go for me just because I'm young?'

Noah looked at Frank. He sighed when she didn't answer and picked up the slack. 'Young, and in the right place at the right time. And if you act right, he'll sense that you're tentative, vulnerable. Hopefully he'll be attracted to that. Almost all the girls we talked to were real hesitant and uncertain. Somewhat afraid of us.'

'Don't you think that's just normal for a girl who's been traumatized and is talking to the police?'

There was the merest hint of a challenge in Kennedy's questions. It irked Frank, but Noah didn't seem to notice.

'Sure, but you can see it's a basic part of their personality, too. It's their vulnerability that appeals to him. It makes him feel confident and in control. It doesn't look like he's actually stalked any of his vies, but he definitely prefers a certain personality, so he must be watching them at least for a little while.'

Nancy paused at their table and poured the rest of a pitcher into Noah's glass.

'You guys ready for another round?'

Frank nodded and Nancy asked, 'Who's your friend?'

Kennedy smiled, and before Noah could answer she shook Nancy's hand and introduced herself. Frank watched the women boldly appraising each other. Their mutual interest was suddenly clear to Frank. She drained her mug, chagrined she hadn't picked up on Kennedy sooner.

Nancy smiled, 'Nice to meet you.'

'Likewise,' Kennedy replied with disarming attention.

Nancy blushed lightly as she wiped at the table, asking Frank if she'd eaten today. Frank thought for a moment before answering no.

'Are you going to?'

Nancy smiled down at her, but Frank was intent on Kennedy's wide grin.

'No,' she said grimly.

'Fra-ank,' the waitress chided, then turned to Kennedy. 'How 'bout you, hon? You want something to go with that Coke?'

'I reckon I would,' she said, raking Nancy's solid figure just long enough for the innuendo to register. Then she sat back and asked nonchalantly, 'Ya'll got 'ny french fries in that there kitchen?'

The way she said there sounded like they-uh and Frank was amazed anyone could think that sticky inflection was charming. Kennedy's blatant flirtation was equally astounding. Nancy wasn't even a member of one of the most homophobic police forces in the nation and she was more discreet.

'I reckon we could rustle some up for ya,' Nancy teased, playing with the accent.

'Well, that'd do me fine. An' how 'bout a salad, ma'am? Could I get one a them, too?'

'Only if you start callin' me Nancy. Ma'am sounds so old. I'll bring you a menu.'

'Tha's awright. Just gimme your house salad, with ranch dressin', an I'll be happier'n a pig in a sty.'

Just when she thought Kennedy couldn't get any lower, she impressed Frank by taking out a shovel and digging deeper. Noah chuckled, and Frank cut him a withering glare.

'Where were we?' Kennedy asked, innocently crunching an ice cube.

Frank pushed away from the table.

'I'm out of here. See you in the morning.'

'Aw, come on,' Noah protested. 'We just got here.'

Despite his pleas to stay, Frank slung her jacket over her shoulder and walked away, suddenly inexplicably angry. If she had turned around, Frank would have seen Kennedy smiling curiously at her retreating figure.

They didn't joyride together anymore. The boy missed that. He and his father had fun then, cruising, picking out the whores. The old man always let him pick whichever girl he wanted. The boy liked the younger girls, the younger the better. His father was really good about that. They'd drive for hours until the boy found a girl he liked.

But now that all was gone. The boy was alone with only his magazines and his memories.

17

The next morning, Frank looked out the rainy window and thought briefly about going back to bed. She was cold but refused to turn the heat on, rationalizing that this was southern California. She