“You want this water?” he asked, tapping the plastic bottle with his boot.
“Or you want me to take it back outside? Stand up.”
Slowly, reluctantly, she got on her hands and knees, and then stood up.
The blindfold hid most of her face. The flashlight now pointed at her feet. She was taller than he had remembered, but the loose clothes could not disguise her fine figure. There was definite defiance in her posture, and Jared didn’t like that. Jared liked his women compliant.
“Turn your back to the door,” he ordered.
She complied, and he reached for the light and played it over her body.
“Take your shirt off,” he said.
She just stood there. He waited for her to say something, but she remained silent.
“I said, take your goddamned shirt off.”
She did not move. Jared reached down and picked up one of the three water bottles. He twisted the top off with an audible snapping sound, then poured the entire bottle out onto the concrete. It made an unmistakable sound, and he thought he saw her stiffen when he did it.
“Take your shirt off,” he said again, discarding the now-empty bottle onto the concrete floor, where it clattered into a corner.
This time, she did it, pulling the shirt over her head and dropping it onto the floor.
“Now your halter,” he said.
“Do it.”
She paused for a few seconds, then slipped out of her sports bra. He played the flashlight over her back and ordered her to turn around. She slumped a little and then complied. Her breasts were everything he expected, although her ribs were showing in the harsh white light. Must be the diet here, he thought with a mental guffaw.
“Now the rest of it.”
She hesitated again, turning a little bit, as if to shield herself. He picked up another water bottle and shook it.
“The rest of it. Do it! Now!”
She complied, bending forward to take off the rest other clothes. Then she straightened up and took a deep breath. Her hands hung down at her sides.
“Turn sideways,” Jared commanded, playing the flashlight over her white
body. She did as he ordered, and then he told her to get down on her hands and knees. She bent her head to one side for a moment, as if trying to figure out what he was going to do. But then she got down on her hands and knees, her body in profile to him.
Jared walked over to the pile of blankets and then walked all the way around her, enjoying his rising excitement. Damn, she has a great body, he thought. She must work out.
“Put your head down,” he said, still walking around her. She sighed, the first sound she’d made. Then she put her head down on the blankets.
Jared continued to walk around her, circling her like a predator, reveling in her utterly vulnerable position. He was just about to approach her when he thought he heard something out on the street. He immediately switched off the flashlight.
“Not bad, girlie,” he said softly.
“Not bad a-tall. Next time, we’ll do something about all that.”
He went to the door, listened carefully, and then stepped back through, pulling it shut softly but firmly. He replaced the padlock and closed the bail into the base of the lock as quietly as he could. He turned around and moved sideways to the corner of the building, waiting for his eyes to adjust to darkness again. As his ears strained to detect any noises out on the street, his mind’s eye replayed the scene inside, the great-looking girl with her rump in the air, totally helpless, asking for it, he was sure. Not so defiant, was she, not once she was down there on the blankets. His throat thickened. He’d definitely come back, get him some of that. He listened some more, but there was nothing going on, no one here but him and that crazy old man in there, brewing up his bomb.
On Thursday morning, Janet Carter arrived a half an hour late because of a monster traffic jam. She was surprised to find Billy waiting for her at the security desk when she entered the federal building.
“Thought I ought to warn you,” he announced as they badged in and bypassed the metal-detector station.
“There are some people upstairs in Farnsworth’s office, want to talk to you.”
“
“Some people’?”
“Yeah. One guy’s from the FCI Division at Bureau headquarters; the
other one, a woman, is from Main Justice, I think. Looks like a pro wrestler in drag. Larry Talbot is acting like he’s about to get fired. He thinks it’s about that missing college students case.”
Janet frowned. She’d dropped the Kreiss case after talking to the shrink. She’s been busy for the past two days reviewing the evidentiary report on a complicated truck hijacking case that was going to be heavily dependent on physical evidence. It had been almost refreshing to work in her specialty again.
“Hasn’t that whole deal gone up the line to MP?” she asked as they got on the elevator.
“Yep. Sent it up Tuesday to Richmond. I thought you were off that thing.”
“I am. I haven’t touched it since—” “Since?” Billy asked quietly.
“Well, I’d already made one call, Friday, before the boss fanged me about it. Lady called back Monday, but it wasn’t anything conclusive.
Some history about one of the parents.”
“Edwin Kreiss perhaps?”
“Well…” she said, making a face. She pushed the button for the fourth floor and then swiped her security card. She remembered that she’d briefed Billy on the case.
“Well, wait till you get a load of the political appointee gorgon from Justice,” Billy said, suppressing a yawn.
“Serious shit.”
They went directly to their office, where they found Larry Talbot pacing around like a nervous cat. His eyes lit up when he caught sight of Janet.
“We need to talk,” he announced without preamble.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Billy said there’re some people from Washington? To see me?”
“Yes, indeedy,” Talbot said, taking her elbow and pulling her to one side of the office. He lowered his voice to a harsh whisper.
“I think it’s something about that Kreiss character. Is there something you need to back-brief me on?”
She explained about the call to the staff psychologist, keeping the exact timing of the calls a little vague.
“But that was it, and Billy’s already sent the case file to Washington via the Richmond field office. I’ve been on the Wentworth Trucking case since then. What’s the big deal?”
Talbot looked around for Billy, but he had left the office.
“Whatever it is, the boss had to leave his conference early and come back here to deal with it.”
Janet blinked.
“Not to be repetitious, Larry, but what’s the problem? I tied off a loose end with a case that’s been sent to MP. End of story.”
Talbot shook his head.
“Farnsworth is pissed. He’s acting like you went up to D.C. and burgled the director’s office.” He looked at his watch.
“Shit. You need to get downstairs.”
“Jesus, Larry, can’t I at least get some coffee?”
