Chapter 4

So, his puppet, Dr. Ken Dodson, had talked to someone about the women he'd killed.

He'd dubbed himself Jack after Jack the Ripper, but unlike his idol, he didn't have the stomach for the abdominal mutilation. But taunting and torturing, yes. He loved to hear them scream when he wielded his knife.

Jack placed the earpiece on his desk and folded his hands in front of him. The bug he'd installed on Dodson's phone had come in handy today. Dr. Jonah Harris knew more than Jack was comfortable with, but apparently Dodson hadn't elaborated.

Maybe if he snuck into the medical examiner's office and destroyed the evidence on the body, no one would be the wiser. A small spill of muriatic acid to damage the body of his latest victim might keep the cops from landing on his doorstep. Oh, sure, it'd bring in an investigation, but Jack knew how to stay under the radar. But without Dodson, the body in the morgue had the potential to ruin everything.

With a quick check of his schedule, he decided if he took an early lunch, he'd solve his problem and be back before anyone missed him.

Jack stood, grabbed the keys from his desk, and exited the building. He kept a change of clothes in his car for those occasions that required his special attention.

He'd get in and get out, destroying evidence his goal—not his normal crusade of teaching an immoral girl a lesson.

He slipped into his car and pulled out of the parking lot.

On the way to the ME's office, he finalized his plan.

Find his latest victim, eliminate the proof of murder and his special gift to his girls, then set fire to the room. Making it look like an accident would be challenging. He doubted he'd have that opportunity. So why not go for it and make a statement? After a quick stop to acquire muriatic acid and a bottle of lighter fluid, he'd destroy the evidence and light the bodies on fire for good measure.

And maybe, if the situation allowed, take care of Dr. Harris at the same time.

* * *

After a straightforward autopsy, Jonah collapsed in his office chair and pulled a file from the messy stack to his right. The office's administrative assistant, Bonnie, had already railed on him for his lack of organization when she'd attempted to find the document earlier that morning. The truth of the matter—he knew the location of everything on his desk. Or at least which pile. His office only looked like chaos to others.

He flipped open the file and scanned the report, confirming he'd grabbed the correct one.

"Did you find it, Doc?" Bonnie asked from the doorway.

"Yup. Here you go." He held out the report.

"I have no idea how you know where anything is in here." She accepted the file and tapped it on the doorframe before she hurried down the hall.

He ran a hand over his head and glanced around the messy room. Maybe he should ask Noelle to help him get it organized. A smile tugged on his lips. The disaster he called his office would drive her nuts. She'd probably go running and screaming at the idea of trying to dig through it all.

Pushing the thought away, he sat and opened the bottom drawer on his desk. After last night, his instincts had told him to hide the information he'd procured from Ken's office. He had no clue what details his boss had planned to tell him, but Jonah figured he'd start with the man's current cases and see if anything aroused his curiosity.

Papers in hand, he noted the names, identification numbers, and the basics about the cases. Nothing jumped out at him, but his inquisitive side nudged him to continue investigating his hunch.

His focus never leaving the documents, he retrieved his cell phone from his pocket and tapped the corner of it against his chin. Another set of eyes might help. Someone who had a police background and looked at deaths and crimes from a different angle. Matt and Decia were out of the question since he hadn't come clean with them—yet. He trusted them but wanted solid proof before accusing a well-respected man—a man he considered a father figure and who had mentored him when he'd made the switch to the medical examiner's department—of hiding evidence. Even if Ken had admitted it.

His thumb swiped the phone screen, and he hit speed dial for Noelle.

"Burton."

"Hey, Elle."

"Jonah. Is everything okay?" Concern laced her tone.

He wanted to smack himself. He hadn't thought about her worrying about his call. "A little stiff, but I'm still doing okay. That's not why I called."

"What can I do for you?"

"I'm going to pull the two bodies from the cold storage cabinets and take them into autopsy two. I want to examine the bodies." He let the unsaid reason hang in the air, unwilling to chance someone listening.

"That sounds like a reasonable plan."

"I'd like you to join me. Give me your opinion." And working beside her wouldn't be a hardship either. He shook his head. Wonderful. Now his brain was making up more ways to spend time with her. "You know, from a law enforcement point of view."

"Got it."

Man, speaking in vague sentences killed him, but he had no intention of saying his concerns out loud. "Will you come?"

"Of course. I'll be there in about fifteen minutes." He heard the shuffling of papers, then the jingle of keys in the background. "Let Bonnie know so she'll let me in, then I'll find you."

"Thanks, Elle."

"Anytime." She clicked off the phone.

He called Bonnie, approved Noelle's visit, then leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever imagined his friend and boss would so blatantly disregard his oath.

Why, Ken? Why?

Jonah let out a long breath. Time to get it over with and pull the bodies noted on Ken's docket. He memorized the case numbers and tucked the files in his bottom desk drawer, which held his protein bars and other snacks. With the documents hidden under the mess, he pushed from his office chair and headed down the hall.

He opened the door to the cold storage room. Several metal tables occupied the middle of the room. Stainless-steel cold drawers lined the wall to his left. An exterior exit sat on the far wall, and floor-to-ceiling supply cabinets filled the area to his right. If he wanted a cursory view, he'd stay in this room, but he wanted to visually examine both bodies, so he'd wheel them into autopsy two, where he'd told Noelle to meet him.

The latch popped on the first drawer. He slid the body from the middle drawer and scooted it onto a rolling table without lowering the sheet that covered the person's face. Then he retrieved a second rolling table and did the same for the body in the lower drawer. He pushed the table toward the middle of the room, next to the first one, and returned to close the storage door.

A cord wrapped around his throat, closing off his airway. He clawed at the cable, attempting to get his fingers underneath. The breath of the person strangling him hissed in his ear. Jonah wasn't a small man. He was muscular, but being taken by surprise had left him defenseless. Refusing to go down without a fight, he kicked out. His shoe clanged against the metal drawer, knocking him off-balance. The cord tightened on his neck. Jonah twisted and flailed to no avail.

If he didn't get air soon, he'd die from asphyxiation. He struggled against the tightening ligature. He fell forward, causing the cord to press harder against his neck. With his head tipped down, he took the opportunity and slammed back into his attacker's face. The man grunted and loosened his grip slightly, enabling Jonah to get a sip of air, but it wasn't enough.

The assailant recovered and yanked the cable tighter.

God, are You still there? If so, I really need Your help.

"Jonah." Noelle's voice floated down a long tunnel.

I'm here.He tried to call out, but black dots whirled in his vision and pushed him toward the abyss.

Seconds later, his body went limp.

The cold, hard surface of the storage drawer broke his fall, and the world fell away.

* * *

A disinfectant smell reached Noelle's nose. She released the air from her lungs, thankful the odor of a decomposing body hadn't greeted her. She hated autopsy rooms, but she'd sacrifice her comfort for Jonah. She peeked into autopsy two and called out a second time, then moved inside and scanned the empty space. Her days as a detective with the Savannah Police Department came roaring back. Her hands fisted. When she'd worked in law enforcement, witnessing autopsies had ranked high on her dislike with a passion list. It brought back too many memories of how close she'd come to lying on the cold metal table.

A shiver snaked up her spine at the stillness surrounding her. She moved to the hallway. "Jonah, where are you? I thought you said autopsy two."

A clunk from two doors down had her moving in that direction. "Jonah?"

A faint odor of smoke mixed with an accelerant drifted in the air. She halted and tilted her head, searching for the source and a clue as to what had her on edge.

The slam of a door jerked her from her thoughts. She drew her weapon from the holster on her hip and sprinted to the cold storage room.

Gun at the ready, she eased the door open and stood stunned at the sight before her.

Two bodies lay on roller tables, their skin eaten away, and the sheets that had once covered them were on the floor, engulfed in flames.

"What in the world?"

Noelle did a quick visual sweep of the room, then shoved her Glock into the holster. She rushed to the fire extinguisher on the wall and released it from the holder. With the nozzle aimed at the flames, she squeezed the trigger on the extinguisher. White foam sprayed the red-and-orange fingers flickering near the bodies.

Whoever had set the blaze hadn't done it that long ago. The sprinkler system hadn't kicked on yet. Was the arsonist still around?

Satisfied she'd smothered the fire, she placed the canister on the floor, then raced to the back exit and propped open the door. The smoke hanging in the air dissipated. With the ventilation complete, she withdrew her cell phone from her pocket and made the first of several calls.

"Detective Slaton."

"Decia, this is Noelle." She wiped the sweat from her forehead while she gave a quick rundown of what had happened. "The weird thing is I have no idea where Jonah is."

"Hang tight. Matt and I are on our way."

"Thanks." Noelle hung up and moved to the desk in the corner of the room to call the building's security. She lifted the receiver on the phone and stared at the lack of cord attached to the headset.

She jumped at a thump behind her and dropped the phone. It clattered to the floor. On instinct, she yanked her Glock from the holster.

A loud bang came from inside one of the cold storage drawers where they kept the dead bodies. Palms sweating, she aimed her weapon at the bottom drawer. Her heart pounded.

Dead people did not make noise. She inhaled, steadying her breathing, and pushed away the ridiculous thoughts.

Glock aimed with one hand and fingers of the other wrapped around the handle, she yanked opened the drawer.

A gasp sent her pulse skyrocketing.

"Jonah?" His hand shot up, and she grabbed it. "I've got you."

"He s-surprised me. I c-couldn't fight him off." His teeth chattered.

"Someone attacked you?" She holstered her weapon and wrapped an arm around him, helping him to a seated position.

"No, I take naps in the cold storage all the time." The words came out as a whisper. He folded his arms across his chest, shivering.

"Not funny." She took in the scene around her. Acid-burnt bodies, a fire, Jonah locked inside a drawer, the missing phone cord next to him. "Wait. Jonah, look at me."

He lifted his gaze to her.

There. On his neck. Red marks in the slightly curved pattern of a stretched telephone cord. The sight made her sick. "He tried to strangle you."

Jonah nodded and winced.

"Hold on." She made sure he didn't topple over, then hurried to the desk. She grabbed the office chair and rolled it to him. "Let's get you out of that drawer. Then I'll find you a blanket and call the paramedics."

Noelle assisted him onto the chair and moved him away from the cold storage. "Decia and Matt will be here soon. I'm sure they'll want to hear what happened, as do I. But first, let's get you warmed up."

"I like that last part."

She cringed, knowing the reason for the raspiness in his voice.

Noelle scanned the room, looking for anything to chase away his chill. She hurried to the opposite side and grabbed two lab coats hanging next to the supply cabinets. "Here. It's not perfect, but it'll do until I can find a blanket." She draped them over his shoulders.

He pulled them tight, tucking his chin into the material. "Thanks."

"Once you're given the medical okay, I'm taking you to my place." Noelle rubbed his arms to help increase the blood flow. "Jonah, we need to talk."

Before he responded, Matt and Decia, along with Bonnie, ran into the room.

Bonnie took one look at Jonah and her eyes widened for a split second. "I'm notifying security to lock this place down. Then I'm getting you the biggest cup of coffee possible, Doc."

"I'd appreciate that."

The admin gave him a quick chin nod and rushed from the room.

Matt hung up his cell phone. "The paramedics are on the way."

"I don't?—"

Matt held up his hand and crouched beside Jonah. "Look, Doc. I know you don't want the attention, but do me a favor. Let me look out for my friend."

Jonah's shoulders drooped. "Okay."

His quick acquiesce had Noelle snapping her gaze to him. She hadn't noticed earlier, and in her defense, her full attention had been focused on getting him out of that drawer, but fear clung to him like a second skin.

She knelt beside him, opposite Matt. "Jonah, we"—she gestured to Matt and Decia—"will protect you. That maniac will not get away with hurting you again."

The tension eased from his features.

Bonnie hurried in. "I found this in the staff room." She handed a wool blanket to Noelle, who exchanged it for the lab coats. "Doc, here's that coffee I promised." The woman held out the mug.

Jonah wrapped his hands around the cup and held the steaming liquid under his chin. "Thanks, Bonnie."

"I'll go keep an eye out for the paramedics." The admin rushed out the door.

"Feel like answering some questions? Or do you need a few more minutes?" Decia asked.

Jonah swallowed a sip of coffee and grimaced. "I'm good."

Noelle glared at him. "Quit downplaying it."

"I'm serious. I'm cold from my time in the refrigerator, but I wasn't in there long enough to do damage. My throat is sore inside and out, but I don't have serious injuries." He pinned her with his intense gaze. "As I said. I'm good."

At times, she wanted to clock her friend. Jonah tended to take care of others but not himself. She'd seen it when he'd cared for her last summer. He'd taken a week off, then when he finally went back to work, he'd work his shift, go home to feed his cat Samson, and within thirty minutes, he'd arrive at her house and stay until midnight with her. Then he'd do it all again the next day.

"You can talk all you want, but the paramedics will take a look at you, then I'm escorting you to the EGA office to talk with Alana and Juliette before taking you home." She folded her arms, daring him to challenge her.

Matt choked on a laugh. "She told you."

Decia elbowed her partner in the ribs. "You're not helping." The detective focused on Jonah. "Tell us what happened. And Noelle, jump in when you can."

Noelle nodded and waited for Jonah to speak.

Jonah took another sip of the hot coffee and lowered the mug. "I pulled two bodies for a visual examination. I'd placed them on the roller tables and turned to close the drawer when a guy wrapped something around my neck and proceeded to strangle me. I fought back, but he'd surprised me, and I didn't have time to react. Right before I passed out, I heard Noelle call my name. Then I fell and don't remember anything until I woke up inside the drawer." His gaze drifted to the cold storage. "Can't say I ever want to do that again."

"I don't blame you." Decia turned to Noelle and raised an eyebrow.

Noelle wanted to kick herself for not trusting her instincts. She'd known something wasn't right. But she'd pushed it aside, and Jonah had paid the price for her not acting on that gut feeling. "Jonah called me a little while ago, asking for an investigative eye on the two cases he's referring to. I agreed to come down and got here soon after he called. I went straight to autopsy two, where he said to meet him, but the room was empty. So I called out. When he didn't respond, I continued down the hallway and came in here. The two bodies on the table were mangled, and the sheets were on fire, but the smoke had yet to fill the room. I grabbed the fire extinguisher and put out the flames. That's when I heard Jonah pounding on the inside of the drawer."

Decia finished jotting down her notes. "I bet that was a bit disconcerting."

Noelle snorted. "Ya think?" The look on Jonah's face when she opened the drawer might haunt her for years to come. "Anyway, that's how I found him."

"Anything else?" Decia asked.

She shook her head. "Not that I can think of. Jonah?"

He stared at the floor. "No. Nothing."

Decia glanced at Matt and back to Jonah. "Why did you pull those bodies?"

Jonah jerked his attention to the detectives. "I…um…"

Noelle scrambled to come up with an answer. She knew he didn't want to reveal Ken's secret—yet. Decia and Matt would have to put it into a report, and the information might leak. If Juliette's theory about an insider was correct, they'd tip off Ken's killer. "He's helping with a case."

"Riiiiight." Matt scowled. "Want to try again?"

"Not especially." Determined not to expose the falsified reports without evidence, she'd do what she hated. Beg. "Decia. Matt. I appreciate you have a job to do. But please, trust me—us?—on this. At minimum, give me a little more time."

Decia snapped her small notebook closed. "I know you have law enforcement privileges, but that doesn't mean you're above the law." The detective appeared more concerned than irritated.

"Believe me. I'm well aware." So far, all they had was hearsay. Confessions of a dead man. Once they had evidence, then she'd have to bring them in on the investigation. Noelle rested a hand on the detective's arm. "I won't do anything to make you regret my request."

"Good enough," Decia said as the paramedics entered the room. "We'll get out of your way and send in the crime scene techs. But Noelle, I expect a call."

"You'll get one." And she would. As soon as she and Jonah confirmed Ken's confession.

Matt patted Jonah on the shoulder. "Take care, Doc."

"Thanks." Jonah shifted his attention to the paramedics and consented to the examination.

While the medics got busy treating his injuries, the crime scene crew arrived and snapped pictures and dusted for fingerprints. Noelle used her cell phone and took a few pictures of her own.

She glanced at Jonah and winced at the red marks on his neck. She tapped the speed dial for the EGA office to call an emergency meeting. Jonah didn't know it yet, but he'd just gained full-time bodyguards.