What Burns Within Read online

  She turned to Tain. “I see you’re still winning friends and influencing people.”

  He responded with a thin smile. “One out of two, anyway.”

  There was something about his mannerisms, his facial expressions, that made her suspect it was all veneer. That beneath the surface he was as fragile as a soft-boiled egg. Strike him in just the right spot and everything would come spilling out.

  She didn’t think he’d ever really put what had happened behind him, but she hoped she was wrong.

  Craig felt the icy stare on him when he pushed the Bruce Cockburn CD into the player, but he ignored it. It was as certain as death and taxes: what ever he liked Lori Price would loathe.

  Either that, or she derived some perverse pleasure from being difficult, which he had to admit was a distinct possibility.

  Bruce sang about screaming police cars, drunks, tunnels and bike paths while Craig drove through his own beat. His RCMP detachment covered Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody, three of the twelve cities that, in conjunction with a few villages and municipalities, formed the Greater Vancouver Area, or GVA.

  This part of the city suited him. Vancouver felt pressed in, the coast on one side, the Fraser River to the south and Burrard Inlet to the north, with more condos than trees and more people per square inch on an average day than shoppers in the mall on Christmas Eve. At least, that’s how it felt. The entire GVA was caught in the pre-Olympic boom, with skyrocketing housing prices and construction everywhere. Every vacant lot was being eyed for development. The Tri-Cities, as Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody were known, were no exception, but they had redeeming qualities, with the provincial parks hemming the north side, offering easy access to Burke Mountain to the northeast. Port Moody was a haven within the urban sprawl, hemmed by the Burrard Inlet but serving as the gateway to Buntzen Lake and Belcarra Provincial Park, miles of wilderness with hiking trails and waterways to satisfy kayakers and hikers alike. Coquitlam itself was a city, no question, but it was one that nestled against the backdrop of Mother Nature. It wasn’t unusual for hikers to encounter bears on the trails at Rocky Point, or even the odd cougar, and the number of coyote attacks on pets and people alike had risen in recent years.

  Although the GVA was made up of several cities Coquitlam lacked the heart of a central core where people strolled from shop to shop. Instead, residents flocked to malls and, in Craig’s opinion, “downtown” remained a term more for appropriate for Vancouver than anywhere else in the lower mainland.

  The Tri-Cities had their share of traffic problems and congestion, though, with commuters from Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge and even some from as far as Mission crossing Coquitlam on route to Burnaby and Vancouver. As a result, it wasn’t a quick drive back to the station.

  Once they returned it didn’t take long for Sergeant Daly to track Craig down for an update.

  “Shortly after her husband left she went to the bedroom to fold linen. There’s a back entrance by the laundry room, which opens up to a bathroom that has a second door to the master bedroom. I’m guessing that was the point of entry, because she said she had her back to the bathroom door when the lights went out and she felt someone grab her from behind.”

  “You’re guessing?” Daly asked.

  “There was no sign of a break in. Not even dirty footprints.”

  “And she didn’t hear him approaching. Thick carpeting?”

  Craig shook his head. “Beech tile in the bathroom and laundry room, and hardwood floors in the bedroom and entrance.”

  Daly arched an eyebrow. “He took off his shoes? What about the rest? Does it fit?”

  Craig nodded. “He slid a blindfold over her eyes and held a knife to her throat while he forced her to bite down on a gag. Then he pushed her facedown on the bed, tied the gag, tightened the blindfold and bound her hands behind her back.”

  “And raped her from behind.”

  “Anal and vaginal penetration.”

  Daly winced.

  Craig studied his notebook for a moment as he sat back in his chair, feet up on a box of overflowing paperwork on the floor. Then he looked up. Daly was leaning back against the desk.

  “He broke in during the day. He’s getting confident,” Craig said.

  Daly frowned. “What if her husband had been home?”

  “Then we could be looking at an escalation to murder. This guy is organized, efficient. He wears a condom. He comes with a blindfold prepared, and something to gag and bind the victim. He’s armed. And he doesn’t personalize the victim in any way, which means he sees these women as objects. He goes in, gets what he wants and gets out.”

  “And if he doesn’t get what he wants, he could get violent.”

  “As though being raped at knifepoint isn’t bad enough.”

  “I’m not disputing that. This is victim number three?”

  Craig was looking across the room. Lori Price pulled on her coat as she walked out the door.

  “Uh huh.” Craig shifted his eyes to look at Daly and flinched when he saw him turn from looking at the doorway where Lori had just disappeared.

  “Is this going to be a problem?” Daly asked.

  “If I have to have a partner, can’t I have one with a personality?”

  “Craig.” Daly folded his arms across his chest.

  “Look, I’m sure deep down she’s a decent person and I’m not saying she’s stupid, but she almost completely shut the rape victim down this time. She refused to let me participate in the interview. I only got in there after Cindy Parks tried to leave.”

  Daly sighed. “Lori is tough.”

  “Well, she’s trying too hard to prove herself.”

  “I’ll talk to her.”

  “Don’t bother. I don’t need people thinking you’re going to play dad and come to my rescue every time I have a problem.”

  The only response from Daly was silence, but Craig could imagine what Daly was thinking, and it was worse than having him say it. It was a moment before Craig could look up. “You know what I mean. But you have to let me stand on my own two feet.”

  “I didn’t want to—”

  Craig’s neck started to burn as he put up his hand to keep Daly from saying more. “I—”

  “Daly, we need you,” Inspector Hawkins called from across the room. Daly stood automatically, but paused before he left.

  “At least I don’t need to worry about any unprofessional involvements between you and your new partner.”

  “You got that right,” Craig muttered, swiveling in his chair as he watched Daly walk away.

  Daly’s office was a decent size. Even with Hawkins standing beside him, Tain didn’t feel crowded, for the moment. Still, he had to wonder if the news about Isabella Bertini would prompt Hawkins to force Tain to take a backseat on the case. He’d radioed in, so they already knew about the body.

  “Do you have a positive ID?” Daly asked once he’d closed the door to his office.

  “Her parents need to confirm it, but she matches the circulation photo. Green pants, purple shirt, a charm on a necklace with her name on it. There’s no doubt in my mind,” Tain said.

  “Where was the body found?” Inspector Hawkins asked.

  “The building was in the industrial area south of the Trans Canada, near the Fraser River. She was on the fourth floor in a room at the back, lying on a table under an open window.”

  “Anything relevant found with her body?” Daly asked as he sat down at his desk.

  Tain shook his head. “I can’t tell you much more than that. At this point I don’t even know if I’m going to be able to get inside and check the room. The fire had engulfed the building by the time I arrived, and they were just trying to contain it. Damn lucky they even found her and got her out.”

  “Who was the officer assisting you at the scene?” Hawkins asked.

  Tain felt the skin between his brows pinch. He had deliberately not mentioned Ashlyn when he called in. “Which officer are you referring to? There were
several—”

  “A plainclothes officer was seen questioning the firefighter with you.”

  Tain wondered how the hell Hawkins knew that. “Constable Hart, sir. She’s investigating the arsons and was on the scene when the body was recovered.” He noticed Daly’s head snapped up, but the sergeant didn’t say anything.

  “You know Constable Hart, don’t you, Daly?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good on the job, competent?” Hawkins turned back to Tain. “She worked with you last year, didn’t she?”

  Tain glanced from Hawkins to Daly, who was looking down at the desk now, face unreadable. It wasn’t hard to guess what was going through Daly’s mind. If Tain wasn’t up to the job, working with Ashlyn might be enough to send him over the edge, to bring it all back….

  “Constable Tain?”

  “Sir? Yes, sir. I worked with Ash…Constable Hart last year.”

  “Maybe we should consider reassigning her to this case. You wouldn’t have an issue with that, would you, Tain?”

  Before Tain could respond, Daly’s head snapped up again. “Ashlyn took over Robinson’s case when he died. I don’t know if it’s such a good idea to pass that case off again. She’s been building a rapport with the fire department, getting to know the system. There’s a lot of man hours invested there, and they seem to like working with her.”

  Tain thought of the way that at least half a dozen firemen had eyed the willowy brunette at the scene and tried to suppress a smile. They seemed to like working with her. Yeah, who wouldn’t? Ashlyn had silky hair, enormous dark eyes and a smile that could take your breath away, not to mention that she was smart, funny and more than capable of handling herself on the job.

  Not that he’d ever admit as much to her.

  “I’m not suggesting we pull Ashlyn off the arson case,” Hawkins said. “She was part of that task force last year. Multiple cases, simultaneous investigations. Right now, the arsons seem to be connected to the child abductions. It makes sense to me that the officers investigating those cases work together.”

  “Some of the arsons.”

  “Pardon me?”

  Tain flinched as Hawkins stared at him. “Some of the arsons seem to be connected, sir. Five fires have been linked, but we only have two bodies.”

  “It’s still the best lead we have.” Daly leaned back in his chair. He ran his fingers over his short brown hair and shrugged. “I don’t have a problem with Tain and Ashlyn working together. She has an empty desk across from hers. You can move your stuff there. Just as long as we don’t pass the arson case off. Ashlyn needs to keep a handle on it.”

  Tain looked at Sergeant Daly. “I’m fine with that.”

  “Excellent. I’ll go speak to the staff sergeant.” Hawkins turned abruptly and left the room, letting the door clap shut behind him.

  Tain glanced at the desk where Steve Daly sat.

  “Do you have a problem working with Ashlyn?” Daly asked him.

  “No.” Tain took a breath. “I thought you—” Tain did the sensible thing, for once, and shut his mouth.

  “I don’t have a problem as long as you both behave like professionals,” Daly said.

  “That won’t be an issue.”

  “For her, perhaps. Your reputation precedes you.”

  “I’ll be a perfect gentleman.”

  “I’m not asking for miracles, Tain. Just a bit of restraint.”

  Tain smirked as he walked down the hallway, still thinking about Ashlyn’s reaction when he’d slapped her ass. Daly would have had a stroke if he’d seen that.

  Ashlyn was waiting for him by the front door, dangling a set of keys from her fingers.

  “I see somebody told you the good news,” Tain said.

  “Good news? I was told I was stuck on babysitting detail. Nobody told me I was being pulled off it.”

  “Babysitting me? The real question is: can you keep up, sweetheart?”

  “Oh, you expect me to do something other than make you coffee and wear tight jeans?” She followed him outside.

  He snatched the keys from her hand. “If you feel it’s your womanly duty to inspire the hard-working men of this station, I’m not going to stop you.”

  She shook her head as he held the door open for her, gesturing for her to get inside. “I was wrong about you.”

  “You’ve realized I’m not the completely heartless bastard you thought I was when you first met me?”

  Ashlyn waited until he climbed into the driver’s seat. “I thought you’d changed. I just realized you still are a heartless bastard, and I’m inclined to add sexist pig to the list.”

  “Careful, Ashlyn,” Tain wagged a finger at her. “There could be a protest over such an offensive comment. A lot of pigs wouldn’t like it.”

  “Clearly your penance is over and mine is just beginning. What did I ever do to piss off the powers that be?”

  “I don’t know, but you’ve clearly caught Hawkins’s attention.”

  She turned to look at him, and he met her gaze with a solemn expression for a moment before turning back to the road. It never surprised her when he got serious. Quiet, introspective, completely focused. It was his obsessive personality and dedication that made it hard for him to let go of the job. Some guys drank. Tain’s poison of choice was work, and it had come close to destroying him once.

  The only thing that surprised her was when he relaxed and joked around with her. Something he’d done readily so far, and it had only been a matter of hours since they’d been re united at a crime scene. Months before she might have thought he was more sociable than the rumors inferred. Now she knew better. It was his way of burying his hurt. But he’d only joke with someone he felt safe with.

  Someone he believed would understand his pain.

  She pushed that thought aside as she considered what Tain had said about Inspector Hawkins.

  “This was his idea?”

  Tain nodded. “I don’t think Sergeant Daly was too keen on it.”

  “Steve will get over it.”

  Tain snuck a glance at her. “How do you know him?”

  “Platonically.”

  “Seriously.”

  “He was one of my instructors at the Depot.” The Depot was the common term for the academy where all RCMP officers completed their training.

  So Ashlyn has known Daly since her training to be an RCMP officer, when she was just a cadet. And Craig …Tain tapped the steering wheel with his thumb.

  “What are you thinking about?” Ashlyn asked.

  “If Daly thinks so highly of you, maybe you’ll help give him a good impression of me.”

  “Wouldn’t I need to have a good impression of you first?”

  He braked at the intersection and glared at her. She smiled innocently.

  “See, Tain, when it comes to putting you in your place, I can keep up.”

  Tain laughed. “You know what I was really thinking, Ashlyn?”

  “Enlighten me.”

  “It’s nice to have a partner who isn’t afraid to tell me off.”

  “Wish I could say the same.”

  “Huh. You know me. I’ve never been afraid to give you a piece of my mind.”

  “I know. I almost have the complete puzzle. You really should stop giving those pieces away.”

  He saw her grin as he turned back to look at the road. “Feels good to laugh, doesn’t it?”

  “At your expense? Absolutely.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” he said as he parked the car.

  He watched her smile fade, her mouth twisting. “I know.”

  “You ready for this?”

  She glanced at him sideways as she unclipped her seat belt and reached for the door handle. “Are you ever ready?”

  “Probably not, Ashlyn. Probably not.”

  “Constable Nolan,” he said into the phone.

  “Ye…need…ort…rime.”

  “I’m sorry, I can hardly hear you,” Craig said as he held his hand over hi
s right ear, although he knew it wouldn’t do much good. The room was almost as still as a church on a Friday afternoon. Craig reached for the volume dial on the phone.

  He heard the caller clear their throat. “I…I need to report a crime.”

  Craig rubbed his forehead. “Okay. Did you call dispatch?”

  “They redirected me.”