No Mercy--A Mystery by Joanna Schaffhausen

Author:Joanna Schaffhausen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

* * *

In the morning, Ellery tried calling Detective Manganelli to tell him about the geographic profiling that Reed had done, but he wasn’t answering his phone. She left a message and then emailed him the results. “That’s that,” she said as she closed down her laptop. “Now we wait for him to do his thing, I guess.”

“He knows how dangerous this man is. He’ll be motivated to follow up.”

Ellery stood up and shoved her hands in her pockets. She nodded in the direction of his suitcase. “Looks like you’re all packed.”

Reed cast a begrudging look at his carry-on, which had taken him all of ten minutes to prepare. Easy in, easy out. In six hours he would be back inside his empty apartment. More important, from McGreevy’s perspective, Reed would be back at his desk the next morning, with Ellery once again confined to his past. At least they had managed to go the past thirty-six hours without any sort of threat or vandalism. Reed walked to the window and looked down onto the street at the passersby, none of whom seemed to be skulking about. Still, he felt distinct unease. “I don’t like the thought of leaving you here alone when we still don’t know who’s been threatening you,” he said as he turned to her.

Ellery was all business this morning, with her hair pulled back and her shirt tucked in, almost as though she were still in uniform. “We’ve discussed this already. You can’t stay here—I won’t let you.”

He knew this, of course he did. There was no way he could live out his days on her lumpy, furry couch. “Maybe you could stay with someone else for a while. A friend, or…”

“No, that’s not—that’s not necessary.” Her face faltered, just for a second, and Reed realized suddenly that he had hit a tender spot. Maybe she didn’t have any friends—how could she, given her insistence on living her life in anonymity? Ellery drew herself up and squared her shoulders. “I have double locks. I have my gun. If anyone slips a note under my door again, I’ll be sure to contact Detective Banyon.”

“And me.”

She tilted her head as if considering. “And you,” she allowed at last. This would have to do for now. “Now let’s get going before you miss your flight.”

She drove him to Logan in the rented SUV, and this time, Reed barely registered the passing scenery. It felt like he was always leaving her. When she pulled over at the terminal to drop him off, she set the car in park and took a deep breath. “This is it. Thanks again for coming up here. I’ll be sure to let you know what Manganelli has to say.”

“Call anytime,” he said, looking into her eyes to show he meant it. “If there is anything I can do, please let me know.” He’d said approximately the same words to her years ago without really meaning them; now it felt as serious as a wedding vow.

She stared back at him for a long moment and then gave a tiny nod.

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