Obsession Read online

  Then he glanced through the open door of Kendra’s room, and he felt his heart melt. Her petite frame was buried beneath a mountain of blankets, and only her head was visible. She was turned toward him, her dark eyelashes contrasting against her porcelain skin. Sometime during the night, she must have gotten chilled because there was now a knit cap covering her head that hadn’t been there when they’d gone to bed.

  He barely resisted the urge to move into the room to brush the hair off her cheek and feel the softness of her skin. His heart squeezed in his chest as he turned from her and forced himself to deal with the cold reality facing her. He moved to put another log on the fire before returning to the bedroom he had temporarily claimed as his own.

  Instinctively, he flipped the light switch to confirm that the electricity was still out. He then retrieved his cell phone from the night table and checked the time. Seven thirty-five. He called Elias, keeping his voice low when he answered.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, but I wanted to let you know that we lost electricity up here yesterday.”

  “Do you want me to send someone up there to pick you up? We can get ahold of a couple of snowmobiles if we need to.”

  “Actually, the road’s closed at the main pass so even snowmobiles can’t get through,” Charlie told him. “Believe it or not, we’re doing okay so far. Kendra is staying over at my place, and there’s a wood stove here for heat and cooking.”

  “You’re starting to sound like a Boy Scout.”

  Charlie couldn’t help it. “Hey, I got my Eagle.”

  “Figures.” Elias chuckled. “How’s the girl holding up? Any progress with getting her to consider protection?”

  “Still working on it.” Charlie glanced at the door, realizing that Kendra could wake up any minute. “Any progress on that person of interest I mentioned?”

  “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that.” Elias’s voice turned serious. “We can place Jed Burgess in California at the time of at least two murders so far.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah. Ray found hotel receipts lasting for about ten days each time,” Elias told him. “Both times, he left right around the time the victim was killed.”

  “That’s crazy. I didn’t think it could really be him.”

  “Sometimes these cases break more by luck than anything else,” Elias said. “Coramavich is heading up your way this morning to pick him up and bring him in for questioning.”

  Charlie thought about the ex-boyfriend Kendra had mentioned. He moved to the door and looked out to make sure Kendra wasn’t in the hall. Then he closed the door and lowered his voice. “I actually have another name for you to check out. Steve DeFoe is an old boyfriend. Their break-up was two or three years ago. If it was three—”

  “Then the timing could coincide with when the killings started.”

  “Exactly,” Charlie said. “Anyway, assault charges were filed, probably in LA, right after the break-up. He got into it with one of the bodyguards.”

  “We’ll check it out.” Elias hesitated a moment. “Do you have a way to charge your phone if the electricity doesn’t come back on soon?”

  “Yeah, I have a car charger with me.”

  “I still want you to check in with me every night.”

  “That might be a bit difficult under the circumstances.”

  “Night, morning. Whenever works. Just keep me up to date.”

  “I’ll do what I can.” Charlie hung up and closed his eyes for a moment. Then he moved back into the hall and peeked into Kendra’s room once more. Suddenly, the challenge of dealing with their basic needs seemed like the easy obstacle facing him. Keeping his distance from the beauty lying a few feet away was the one he wasn’t sure he was ready for.

  * * *

  “Elias?” Ray Underwood put a hand on the doorjamb to Elias’s office and waited for his boss to look up. “You have a minute?”

  “What’s up?”

  “We’ve got a problem,” Ray began. “I just got a call from Coramavich. He can’t find Jed Burgess.”

  “What do you mean he can’t find him? That town only has a population of about thirty during the winter months.”

  “Yeah, but with the electricity out up there, a lot of the locals have left town.”

  “What about his parents’ place?”

  “They were home, but he wasn’t. His mother said he headed up to Flagstaff for a few days to visit some friends. She said she didn’t know where he was staying. It’s hard to say if she was covering for him or not,” he told him. “When they checked out his place, the truck registered to Jed Burgess wasn’t there, but his snowmobile was. Odds are he didn’t go up the mountain in his truck since the road leading up to where Charlie is staying is still impassible.”

  “Did they check out the road?”

  Ray nodded. “Yeah, and they said there wasn’t any possibility of anyone making it past there until they get a plow in from Flagstaff to clear it out.”

  “When’s that supposed to happen?”

  “End of the week at the earliest.”

  Elias shook his head and muttered, “Great.”

  “Do you want me to call Charlie and let him know that Jed Burgess is still at large?”

  “No, he’s got enough to worry about.”

  “What about the other guy, DeFoe?”

  “We pulled the arrest report. The incident happened three months before the first victim was found.”

  “Do you really think it could be him?” Ray asked skeptically. “If it is, that would mean that Kendra is the person the Malibu Stalker has been obsessing over this whole time.”

  “It’s definitely a long shot, but right now, we’re chasing anything and everything.”

  “So we’ve got two suspects,” Ray said.

  “Three if you include Zack Prescott, the dancer that the LAPD questioned. They’re still checking out his alibis,” Elias told him. “The LA office is doing a work up on the ex-boyfriend. They should have enough data to pick him up for questioning within the next day or two.”

  “They checked out the computers of the six victims. None of them had spyware like the program that was running on Kendra Blake’s laptop.”

  “Maybe the spyware isn’t related to the murders,” Elias considered. “We still aren’t sure the bombings at Kendra’s concert and Joslyn’s photo shoot have anything to do with the serial killer.”

  “I know. Right now, everything is just speculation,” Ray said.

  “Stay on top of it,” Elias ordered. “William Blake is understandably concerned about his granddaughter, and I’d like to have some solid news to give him the next time he calls.”

  Ray nodded somberly. “Yes, sir.”

  * * *

  Sterling Blake paced the room repeatedly, his hand in his pocket, his fingers wrapped around his cell phone.

  “Honey, you’re going to wear a path on that carpet. Come sit down.”

  “I don’t want to sit down. I can’t believe we haven’t heard anything from her.” Sterling had pulled in a few favors to postpone the filming of his new movie, but he knew he only had a few more days before he would have to go back to work. At least the movie was nearly finished. Three or four more days of shooting at the studio, and then he could refocus on what was really important right now. Finding his oldest daughter.

  “Your dad said she called him a few days ago.”

  “Aren’t you worried?”

  “Of course I’m worried, but she’s a smart girl. I’m sure she’s fine.”

  “Why did she turn to my parents for help instead of us?”

  Monica Blake tilted her head and gave him a knowing look. “What would you have done if she’d called us?”

  “You know exactly what I would have done.” Sterling stopped pacing long enough to face his wife. “I would have traced her call and sent the Parsons to bring her home.”

  “Like I said, Kendra is a smart girl. I’m sure she knew what your r
eaction would be, and she obviously isn’t ready to come home yet.” She pushed a strand of her dark hair back behind her ear. “If you keep forcing all this security on her, you’re going to drive her away.”

  Sterling barely heard his wife’s concerns. Instead, his mind was already mulling over possible options. “Maybe I should see if Alan can set up a trace on my parents’ phone.”

  “Sterling, stop. If she needs our help, she’ll call.”

  “I hate not knowing where she is or how to get in touch with her.”

  “I know.” Monica stood up and crossed the room to lay a hand on his arm. “But for now, we have to accept that she’s a grown woman and that she can take care of herself.”

  “If anything happens to her . . .”

  “Nothing’s going to happen to her,” she assured him. “I’m sure you’ll figure something out to make sure she stays safe.”

  Sterling nodded slowly. “Actually, I do have an idea.”

  * * *

  Kendra rolled up the sleeves of the sweatshirt Charlie had lent her and started rinsing the dinner dishes as Charlie picked up a dish towel beside her. She smiled down into the sink, amazed at how easily they had fallen into a routine. The electricity had been out for four days, and somehow, Charlie had made the inconvenience an adventure. He included her in his numerous self-imposed chores, from digging his car out from under the snow to cooking meals and keeping up with the fire in the stove. They played games during the day and spent their nights talking in the dark. They had even started reading the scriptures together each morning.

  Most of all, Charlie talked to her. Really talked to her. She couldn’t remember anyone taking the time to get to know her like this or anyone who wanted to know more than what was right on the surface. He asked questions about her, her past, and her plans for the future. He was also genuine when he talked about his own family and about the various challenges they’d faced in the past.

  In just a few short days, Kendra already felt closer to him than anyone else besides perhaps her grandparents and her sister. Even her own parents probably knew less about her hopes and dreams for the future than Charlie did now. She supposed part of that was because they shared the same religious beliefs, including a desire to someday marry in the temple.

  It was odd, she realized, that she had been so desperate to find some time alone, and yet, now she couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to not have Charlie to talk to, to confide in.

  She wasn’t quite sure how to define their relationship. Friendship, certainly, but perhaps the beginning of something more. Whether Charlie would ever act on that something more was the real question. Ever since he brought up the Malibu Stalker, he had been oddly careful not to touch her beyond a brotherly pat on the shoulder or an occasional brush of their hands.

  At first, she thought she had misinterpreted his interest. She had been so sure he’d been about to kiss her that night, but since then, there were times she thought she had imagined that tender moment together. Then she would catch him looking at her, and that warm rush would wash over her again.

  She had wanted him to kiss her, a fact that still surprised her. So much time had passed since she’d dated, certainly a lot longer than the tabloids would have led people to believe. Now she hoped Charlie would act on the attraction that continued to spark between them.

  In fact, she found herself torn between hoping the electricity wouldn’t be restored so she would have the excuse to spend more time with Charlie and wanting the power to come back on so she could once again enjoy the many luxuries it provided.

  Amazing, Kendra thought now, that so many basic needs are so dependent on electricity. She was beyond grateful that Charlie had stocked up on oil for the lantern he’d bought and that he had proven to be quite adept at cooking on the wood stove.

  Although preparing food was a constant chore, Kendra found that mealtime was her favorite part of the day. She liked working side by side with Charlie and sitting down across from him at the table as they shared that time together.

  She smiled as she considered the way they had settled into their easy, almost domestic routine. They had breakfast together each morning, and then Charlie spent time reading through his stack of files while she worked on her music. After lunch each day, they played games or did various chores around the cabin. Then night came, and Kendra could revel in the quiet, undisturbed conversations they shared. Typically, he convinced her to play him one of her songs, not the popular ones he knew from the radio but whatever she was working on that day.

  Normally, she didn’t like to share her music until it was more polished, but she found she enjoyed playing for Charlie. He didn’t seem to care that she often zoned out while she was fiddling with a new melody. At times, she even found herself bouncing ideas off him, surprised at how helpful his comments could be, even though he wasn’t a musician.

  She could feel herself drawing closer to him, falling for him in a way she hadn’t expected. The more those feelings intensified, the more frustrated she became. If only I had more experience with men, she thought to herself. Of course, with her career it was unlikely things would work out with Charlie anyway. She supposed she should just enjoy the moment and not worry about the future until she really had to.

  She thought about the way she had waited each day, hoping that Charlie would do or say something to give her a glimpse of how he was feeling.

  Suddenly, her fingertips brushed his as she handed him a plate, and the resulting spark of attraction drew her back to the present.

  Pulling the plug on the sink, she looked over at him and told herself to stop obsessing. Then she opened her mouth and couldn’t stop the words from escaping. “Are you going to want to see me once we get out of here?”

  Charlie shifted to face her. “What do you mean?”

  “You know, get together.” Her shoulders lifted. “Go out.”

  He looked down at her for a moment, as though debating what he should say. Then slowly, he nodded. “I would like to go out with you once this whole ordeal is over, but there’s something I need to tell you.”

  “What?” Kendra asked, instinctively bracing against Charlie’s serious tone.

  “Kendra, the real reason I came up here was to—” The phone rang, interrupting whatever he might have said.

  Charlie’s jaw clenched, and he pulled his phone from his pocket. The moment he looked down at the caller ID, his whole body tensed. He looked down at Kendra, shook his head, and said apologetically, “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to take this.”

  Kendra nodded automatically. She watched helplessly as he flipped the phone open, barked out a hello, disappeared into the bedroom, and closed the door between them.

  Chapter 20

  “What?” Charlie snapped, not quite able to keep the frustration out of his voice.

  “Can you talk?” Elias asked in lieu of a greeting.

  “I can now.” He glanced at the closed door and tried to steady his emotions. “What’s going on?”

  “A couple of things you need to know,” Elias began. “First of all, we haven’t been able to locate Jed Burgess. It looks like he may have left town because of the power outage.”

  “Great,” Charlie muttered as he considered the possibilities.

  “Coramavich paid a visit to his parents’ place, and they said he went to Flagstaff, but they didn’t know where he was staying.”

  “Any more details on whether he was in California at the time of the other murders?”

  “Yeah. So far we can place him in the LA area for four out of the six,” Elias told him. “We’re still waiting on the last of his credit card records to see if we can place him there for the other two.”

  “What’s taking so long to get the credit card records?”

  “It was a mix up with the credit card company. They gave us access to the wrong account,” Elias said with a touch of annoyance in his voice. “That should be cleared up today.”

  “You said you had a couple
things to tell me. What else is going on?”

  “The LA office did some digging on Steve DeFoe. It turns out he was at her concert the night of the incident.”

  “Really?” Charlie considered this newest information. “Did you track down the arrest record for DeFoe?”

  “Yeah. It looks like the break-up with Kendra happened just over three years ago.”

  An uncomfortable thought weaved through Charlie’s mind, one he hadn’t entertained before, and one he hoped to put to rest quickly. “Did the break-up happen before or after the first murder?”

  “It was before the first murder,” Elias said, and Charlie could hear him rustling through papers. “A little more than three months before.” Silence hung on the line for a moment, and then Elias voiced Charlie’s fears. “You’re wondering if Steve DeFoe is the Malibu Stalker? If he’s killing people who remind him of Kendra?”

  “I hope not, but the timing would fit.” Charlie ran a hand over his face. “What if Kendra is the person the stalker is fixated on? If she is, it doesn’t matter where she tries to hide; he’s going to keep coming after her.”

  “Ray and I were talking about that earlier. The LA office is going to look into his whereabouts for the dates of all the murders. And, of course, we’ll keep checking out Burgess, especially since we can place him in California for four of the murders.”

  “Again, what is Burgess’s tie to Malibu? The only one I can think of is his association with the Blake family,” Charlie said, his stomach churning as he spoke. “Think about it. Kendra has had heavy security most of her life, especially since she was a teenager. One of these guys fixates on her but can’t get past the bodyguards to see or talk to her. He then takes out his frustration by finding substitutes.”

  “It would fit the psychological profile of the killer,” Elias said. “If the Malibu Stalker has fixated on her, that might also explain why she’s the only one with the spyware program on her computer.”