Deep in the Night

This is one chapter of a longer crime/romance story that is connected to the other parts. To fully appreciate the story, please start at Part 1 and read through. Thanks.

Part 4 Jordan Decides To Take a Chance At Love

Jordan awoke at dawn. She switched off the TV remembering with a groan what she had done to herself the night before.

Oh well. I'm only human, but I've got to concentrate on work and not that Raven woman,

she thought.

Seeing that it was too early to start work, she put on a T-shirt, shorts and running shoes and went for a jog. With her erratic schedule, exercise was anything but consistent. She tried to get in a work out whenever possible. Not only did it keep her conditioned for the physical aspect of her job, but the FBI conducted periodic physical agility and stamina tests. Every agent was required to pass them or they were put on light duty and issued a certain period of time to get themselves back into shape. She was in good physical shape despite being a special agent in criminal profiling mostly stuck in an office.

She had been on the case a couple of days now and was at the point of boiling down several leads. Sheriff Hagan had called her in on the case in the hopes that her psychological training would help in a series of grisly murders. She was glad to help and besides, it got her out of the office.

She headed west along Main; running helped her to think and she concentrated on sorting through the clues she had amassed so far. The open plains loomed ahead and Jordan came upon a trailer park on the outskirts of town. She decided to make that her turn around point. She had just started to head back when a Jeep Wrangler passed her, stopped and backed up along side her. Jordan recognized the blonde driver, the talky waitress at the diner. Oh no, just what I need.

"Hi, Jordan!" Sherie yelled. "Seen any aliens yet?" Without stopping, Jordan shouted back, "Yeah, just last night. Almost caught it, too."

She fished for information on Raven, "Have you talked to Raven yet?"

"I met her She's a fascinating woman."

"Jordan, why don't you take a break, you look a little sweaty. I'm done my shift and my trailer is here, I can give you a drink." Sherie was hopeful. She could smell Jordan's perfume from several feet away and it was having an effect.

"No thanks, Sherie, I'm fine. See you around." Jordan sped up the pace cutting the blonde off from further conversation.

Jordan turned into the parking lot of her motel. A teenage boy was vacuuming the pool. He waved to Jordan and out of curiosity she glanced at Raven's office on the west end of the motel. A pink neon sign in the large plate glass window in front said:

Welcome - Office

She slowed to a walk, but saw no sign of Raven. She went on to her room and she jumped into the shower. The lovely toiletries had been refreshed. A half hour later she was dressed and headed to the Sheriff's Office.

"Hi Jordan, there are some messages and a fax for you." Sarah handed Jordan the pink message slips and several pages of fax. Jordan leaved through them; the fax was the list of male employees from the meat plant. Jordan located the detectives and asked them to remove the plant employees' names from the suspect list; it would eliminate approximately 60 men. Jordan figured they could shorten the list to 40 suspects.

Gary, the sullen detective who she rejected for a date yesterday, adopted an inflated southern accent and said, "Sure thing of'cer Connor, ya'll know us state police ain't good for much more."

"Not until you prove it." Jordan retorted. She walked away into the conference room leaving him and his partner alone in the room.

"That bitch gets on my nerves." Gary whined.

"You just don't like following orders from a woman. Besides, you'd still sleep with her given the chance." Casey concluded.

"Of course. She probably ain't getting any. That's what she needs, someone to give it to her. Correction, she needs me to give it to her."

Casey snorted, "Well I'm sure you blew your chances."

"Hey, bet's not over, sweetheart."

Casey teased, "Would you like to start paying me now? I'll take it in installments if you don't have all the cash."

"I got something for you to take, Casey." Gary teased back making a lewd gesture. He stepped close to Casey and said quietly, "Hey, babe, by some miracle you win, I'll pay you double if you let me watch."

"Watch this, Gary." She flipped him the bird. Then, before Gary realized what was happening, she grabbed his right wrist with both hands and twisted it outward, forcing Gary to turn his back to her. She bent his arm behind his back, saying as she held him in the lock, "Sorry partner, what happens between two women is not for a man's eyes. And, I told you, don't call me babe!"

Gary broke free and wrapped his arm around Casey's neck in a fake chokehold. She squealed loudly.

Sheriff Hagan bellowed from his office, "What the hell is all that noise out there?" He emerged into the hallway and saw the horseplay between the two detectives.

"You two quit foolin' around and get to work!"

Gary let Casey go and they walked away giggling. Once she was away from Gary, she peeked into the conference room and saw Jordan looking at her phone messages. "Jordan, uh, may I speak with you a moment?"

Casey stepped into the room and sat in one of the chairs. "I would like to apologize for my partner's behavior. He has this male ego thing."

Jordan shrugged it off, "The women of law enforcement have to deal with it everyday in every town in this country. I don't think it is ever going to change. Women best suited for this job are the ones who can handle the male attitude. At any rate, it is unnecessary for you to apologize since his behavior is not your responsibility."

"Thanks, Jordan." Casey was grateful. "I'm just afraid we got off on the wrong foot. I don't want any strain between us. I'm looking forward to solving this investigation with you."

Jordan smiled, "I never felt that there was any tension between us. As long as everyone does their job, things will go smoothly. I expect 150% from everyone."

"Rest assured Jordan, you can count on us. Gary acts like a smart-ass, he is used to having his way with women, but he is an excellent cop. Once he gets over the fact that you didn't fall instantly in love with him, he'll come around."

"Don't they all?" Jordan stated, laughing.

I wouldn't know what that is like, Casey thought.

Jordan continued, "So, on that note, what have you two discovered?"

Casey became animated as she was excited to share their findings with Jordan, especially since she wanted to impress Jordan. We talked to several family members and neighbors of the first two victims. Let's see, Amber Collins, 23, and Ellen Bentley, 28. As you know the same circumstances occurred. Their houses were broken into, 11:30 p.m. for Amber and 12:45 a.m. for Ellen. Both women had already been in bed when they were attacked. Amber was a manager at K-mart and had to be in at 6 a.m. the next morning and Ellen had gone to bed early because she was ill. At the mention of Ellen having been ill, Jordan's ears perked up.

"Why was she sick?"

"The family wasn't sure, thought she might have eaten something bad. It couldn't be the flu. Her murder occurred in late May, long after the flu season ended."

"All right Casey. Find out how long she had been sick. Since the two of you interviewed those folks, I want you to be the one to return. They will feel more comfortable talking with detectives they already know. Also, I want to know who saw each of the victims last and if they were involved in a relationship with anyone."

"I can answer that for you now Jordan. The first victim, Amber, 22, had broken up with her boyfriend 2 months before her death and Ellen's husband was killed in an accident at the meat plant a year ago. Amber lived on the second floor of a house owned by an elderly woman."

Ellen, 23, the second victim, lived in the same house she had shared with her husband. She works at a ranch about 10 miles east of Shawnee. Neither of them had children and the parents of both victims lived out of state."

In all three cases the victim had a boyfriend or a husband out of town or working. They all had an elderly landlady or neighbor who saw them last.

Jordan was quiet for a moment. Everything she predicted about the killer was confirmed with each bit of information they acquired. He knew his victims, and their routine very well and witnesses, if any, were unreliable.

"Good job Casey. When you continue the interviews, find out about the victim's social habits. I want to know what they liked to do when they weren't at work."

"We're on it Jordan." Casey got up to leave. She started to head out of the room but paused at the door and turned back to face Jordan.

Gathering up her courage, she blurted out, "Listen Jordan, I know you are busy, but I was wondering if you would like to go out for a drink this evening."

"A drink? I don't know Casey. Thanks for the invite, but I really don't have any free time when I am involved in investigations."

"Sure, I understand. Maybe later." Casey left feeling disappointed. She knew Jordan went to the Hagan's the previous evening. Maybe they were just talking shop, she tried to reassure herself. At least Gary wasn't within earshot to hear their conversation; she was spared his gloating.

Jordan returned to scan through her phone messages. Mrs. Harker had called so Jordan contacted her first.

"Hi hon." Florence Harker greeted Jordan on the phone. After you left my house yesterday, oh, about an hour later, there was a car parked out front of Christy's house. Now I can't be sure, but it looked sort of like the one I saw that had been parked outside that night I watched Christy come home."

"Did you get a make and model, Mrs. Harker? Or, better yet, a license number?"

"I think it was one of those Japanese cars. I don't know cars very well, but it was black with four doors." Jordan scribbled down the information; she would have the deputies check the Dept. of Motor Vehicles.

"Thank you Mrs. Harker." Jordan hung up the phone.

The bastard was watching me, waiting for me while I was in Christy's house, Jordan thought, not uncommon for a serial killer to return to the scene of the crime. But now he knows what I look like.

Sorting through the rest of the messages, she noticed a name she had heard somewhere before. She called out to the front desk, "Sarah, who is this Terrell Grant? What does he want?"

Sarah answered back, "He's been calling here for the past three weeks. He says he wants to help with the case. Sheriff Hagan ignores him. Now, he's asking to talk to you."

"How does he want to help?" Sarah's head then popped into the doorway of the conference room, she was all smiles as usual, "He doesn't say; just that he has some expertise that the sheriff should take advantage of. Need some coffee, Jordan?"

"Please." Sarah left the room and Jordan yelled out to her, "Make that decaf. With cream and sugar."

She dialed the number for Terrell Grant and got an answering machine.

Jordan waited for the beep and stated, "Mr. Terrell, this is Agent Connor with the FBI. I am returning your call. You can reach me at the sheriff's number."

One of the other messages had been from Jordan's best friend, Taylor. She used her cell phone to call Taylor at her shop. She owned an interior decorating business in Reston, VA. and had been her friend for years. She also knew about her preference for women, but they had never been lovers.

"Taylor, guess who?"

"Hi, honey. Where the hell have you been? I have been trying to reach you for days. You haven't called or emailed me. I had to bribe your office assistant to tell me where you were."

"And, what did you bribe her with?" Jordan asked laughing.

"What else? I told her I would give her a free consultation on her living room. Now you're costing me business, dear. Whatever are you doing in New Mexico?"

"Same old thing." Jordan informed her. "A serial killer, an understaffed, inexperienced law agency, male egos and enough gossip and rumors for a soap opera."

"Sounds like fun." Taylor answered sarcastically. "Have you met anyone?"

Jordan started slowly, "Well, I did sort of meet someone. Her name is Raven. She owns the local motel. And she is the talk of the town. Apparently she keeps to herself, so everyone thinks she has a big secret."

"What does she look like?"

"She's very exotic looking and, I don't know if it's a coincidence, but I think I saw her just last night in a old erotic movie."

She didn't want to say to her best friend that she had watched a porn movie.

"Wow, Jordan. You met a gorgeous woman with a past. You sure know how to pick them!"

"I don't need to tell you why Taylor. I am not going to let the same thing happen to me as what happened with Marianne. Besides, I don't even know if she likes women, except as an actress."

Taylor's voice became almost stern, "Listen Jordan. You can't live alone your whole life. It isn't healthy. I know you want to be cautious because of what Marianne did to you, but are you going to shut people out forever? True, there's no guarantee that you won't get hurt again, but that is a risk you have to take."

Jordan said quietly, "You may be right."

Taylor sighed over the phone, "Look, honey I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but I am your best friend and I would never advise you to do something that would hurt you. Go slow. Comprende?"

"Taylor, I don't plan on being in Shawnee long. It wouldn't be fair to her or me to initiate something that has no future."

"She'll be lucky to have you. If I was into women, I know I would be chasing you all over town. You be careful with your case. ."

"I am always careful Taylor."

Taylor gave a snort, "The hell you are, you take to many risks with killers and not enough risks with love. I want to be able to see you again. We'll do lunch when you get back. Take care, babe. Love ya."

"You too, Taylor. Good bye."

Jordan ended the call and heard a noise in the hall outside the door. She called out to the hallway, "Did you need something??"

"Oh, Hi, Jordan. It's Hagan. I didn't want to interrupt your call." Hagan had actually been close enough to the door to hear all of her conversation. He knew a lot more about Jordan than he knew before, that was for sure.

He popped back into the conference room, "Just wanted to see if you wanted to go to look at the latest suspect list.

As she looked at the names with Hagan she thought just maybe a relationship with Raven would be just what she needed. Raven could help her to forget the past.

Jordan was beginning to look at the situation in a new light. She couldn't deny the feeling she got the previous night with the exotic woman. If Raven was the right one, she didn't want to miss the occasion to find out.

So she decided to take Taylor's advice and go slow; at least that way, no one would get hurt. They could just have fun for a while as they got to know each other.

I hope you don't mind some company today Raven, because I plan on taking you up on your invitation!

Jordan thought with a growing excitement

***

Later that day lunch with Hagan and a few others was unusually quiet. He wasn't saying much and after a few social niceties about the weather they ate in silence. Hagan was actually thinking about his perception of Jordan after he overheard her call with a friend and learned Jordan's preference for women as lovers.

He shouldn't even be interested in what her personal like was about or anything beside her work on his case, but he couldn't help his feelings.

She was so feminine and attractive that he found it difficult to separate her life from her performance or especially to believe she liked women. He was from a small town and never knew about women with other lifestyles until he went to junior college. Even then it wasn't something he paid attention to.

He just knew some girls were tomboys and liked to ride horses and work around the ranch while other girls had tattoos, underarm hair, and no makeup. He saw them with their girlfriends hanging around and hitting the bars and knew they didn't have men around. Later in life he learned and taught himself to be tolerant of others and their lifestyles. He certainly didn't have any serious prejudices he thought, but sexist attitudes about feminine women were embedded in him nonetheless.

So to him an extremely attractive well-groomed woman like Jordan just didn't fit his mould of a woman who wanted only women. Perhaps she was bi-sexual and dated men too. He would continue to believe until she proved him wrong that she actually liked men and this was some strange phase in her life.

He had to admit he might be falling for her though. Obviously he was a married man 20 years older than her with a lovely wife and children, but he was a man nonetheless and she was almost intoxicating to be around.

Jordan had no such thoughts about Hagan, or any other man in the town, at all. As she ate lunch she tried to concentrate on the case, but the exotic dark haired Raven kept creeping back into her thoughts like a vine that slowly takes over it host.

They walked back in silence to the Sheriff's Office and Jordan spent a long, weary afternoon searching databases. VICAP, or Violent Criminals Apprehension Program allowed her to track types of crimes. She attempted to find murders similar to Shawnee's. There were plenty of killings due to knife wounds, but none that fit the same M.O. The deputies were checking hospital records and travel schedules; little by little they were able to eliminate a few men off the list who were either out of town at the time of the murders or who were in the hospital or who otherwise had legitimate alibis. The time went by and it was 5:30 when Jordan checked her watch.

There was chatter out in the hallway of the sheriff's building and Jordan stuck her head out to inquire about the commotion.

"What's going on?" Jordan asked.

"The volunteer firemen's carnival ends tonight. Everyone in town usually attends. I have to get the deputies over there to control traffic for the parade," Hagan explained.

Jordan's mind was buzzing, "Bill, if everyone in town is going to be there, it would be an excellent place for a killer to discreetly scout out his next victim. I hope traffic control doesn't take too long, it might be a good idea to have everyone search the grounds."

"Sounds good, Jordan. I'll gather everyone up."

Jordan informed the staff, including the two detectives, that they were looking for a lone man who may have a camera or camcorder to record his next prey.

"Of course, he will be paying close attention to women who are similar in description to the victims. If you see any possible suspects, just follow him and keep an eye on his behavior. Obviously, we can't arrest anyone at this point."

"Jordan, I'm meeting Evelyn and the kids at the food tent. You ought to try it. The ladies' auxiliary makes the best country dinners and Mexican plates in the state."

"OK, then, I'll see you at the carnival tent in a hour or so," replied Jordan and she left the office for her motel.

Little did she know she was to see more than she bargained for later that night.

(To be continued)