Reese returned to the station to transcribe his interview with Cherie, and he printed out a copy for the chief before heading home to get some sleep. He lingered long enough to prepare breakfast for himself, then showered and got into bed.
He was always a light sleeper, and it was the sound of his cell phone vibrating on the bedside table that woke him. Reaching for the phone, he peered at the time. It was minutes after five. He’d been asleep for six hours.
“What’s up?” he asked, when he saw his cousin’s name on the screen.
“I suspected you were sleeping, but I just wanted to call to tell you to take the night off.”
Reese sat up. “Why?”
“I just got a call from the FBI’s field office in Tennessee that our resident prisoner’s DNA was found on a dead girl in Chattanooga. He’d stalked, raped, then strangled her to death. There were warrants out for his arrest, but he’d managed to evade being apprehended. Federal marshals will be here in the morning to extradite him to Tennessee. So you can tell Miss Thompson that there’s no need for her to testify, because he’ll be tried there for rape and murder.”
“So he goes from petty offenses to rape and murder. How old was the girl?”
“Fourteen.”
Slumping back against the pillows cradling his shoulders, Reese blew out his breath. “He’s an animal.”
“I don’t know if he realizes he’ll be facing capital punishment, which is a legal sentence under Tennessee law.”
“He’ll find out soon enough whether he’ll spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole or get a needle in his arm.” Reese knew that, if he hadn’t come along when he did, Cherie could’ve become another one of his victims. “Thanks for giving me the night off, and I’ll be certain to let Miss Thompson know she will not have to face this monster in court.”
“I know you’re off for the next two days, so now that you have a head start, try to relax.”
Reese smiled, even though Parker couldn’t see him. “Thanks.”
“No, thank you, little cousin.”
“Hang up, Chief, so I can go back to sleep.”
He ended the call, his smile still in place. It was a relief not having to work the midnight-to-8:00 shift just before his days off. Reese had told Parker that he was going back to sleep, but he knew that wasn’t possible now that he was fully awake. Scrolling through his phone’s contacts, he tapped Cherie’s number. She answered after the second ring.
“Hello.”
“I need to see you.” There was a long pause before she spoke again.
“Why?”
“Have some news to tell you, and I’d rather do it in person.”
“Okay. You can come on over.”
Reese ended the call and headed for the bathroom. He hadn’t planned to talk to Cherie again until it was time for her to appear in court, but this was news he knew she would welcome hearing in person.
* * *
The doorbell echoed throughout the house, and Cherie took a deep breath, held it, and then let it out slowly as she made her way to the door. She peered through the security eye to see the distorted image of Reese staring at her.
She unlocked the door and smiled. “Hello again.” It was the second time that day he’d come to her home. “Please come in.” The overhead light in the entryway shimmered off his jet-black hair, and Cherie curbed the urge to moan as his warmth and the sensual scent of his cologne swept over and through her.
“Thank you,” Reese said as he wiped his booted feet on the thick mat inside the door. “It’s nice and toasty in here.”
“That’s because I turned up the thermostat. Even though I grew up New England, I don’t like cold weather.”
“It gets cold here, too, but our winters are nothing like those up North. But if you don’t like cold weather, you should’ve moved to Florida or Southern California.”
“I don’t think so. I happen to like the change of seasons.”
“Well, you will get that in North Carolina.”
