Page 54 of Shielding Aubree

"Fingers."

The word slipped free of her lips before she could stop herself.

Alara's expression had sobered, darkened with shadows that Aubree didn't want to name.

"We took high contrast photos of the... of the bodies of the other victims and each one had the same traits."

Aubree felt her own pulse pounding in her throat as Alara spelled out the truth that Aubree didn't want to hear.

"We have a serial killer on our hands, Officer Cueva, and I think he's going to come back for you."

Aubree made it to the corner of the room, nearly to the door when she dropped down to her knees and emptied her already empty stomach into the trash can.

Ruben sat backon the bench near the pool and stretched out his legs. He stole a glance over at his cell phone he'd set beside his thigh.

No new messages.

No calls.

Frowning, he wondered if he was making too much out of it.

One of the double doors out to the pool swung open and Ruben looked up to see Finn walk in with another man.

Catching Finn's eye, Ruben got up on his feet and found a smile for the new man.

Finn stopped a step away from him and Ruben held out his hand to shake the stranger's hand.

"Ruben, this is Jagger. Jagger Kline. He comes to us from ATF."

The hand that met Ruben's was cold, almost clammy, but one look at the man beside Finn, Ruben knew that it wasn't what Jagger was like all the time. Working at the Refuge, Ruben had met men and women in various stages of pain, suffering, and recovery. Jagger had a long way to go, but the fact that he still reached out to shake hands with a stranger. He was strong where it counted. He wasn't giving up. That boded well for his recovery. That spirit of reaching out?

That counted.

For a lot.

"Will I get to see you here at the pool?"

Jagger turned his head and looked at the pool, currently empty. "I used to like swimming."

Ruben felt his physical reaction to the other man's words and put it away before Jagger looked back at him. "I hope we can help you like it again."

He saw Finn's expression and knew there was a story behind it.

He wasn't going to ask about it in front of their client.

"Hey," he lifted a hand and rubbed at the back of his neck, "I was just about to sit down and put my feet in the pool. Care to join me?"

The look on Jagger's face spoke volumes. It said that Ruben was on the right track, but it wasn't going to be about pushing. It never was.

"I've been trying to get a hold of my girlfriend," Ruben tried to ignore Finn's curious look, "I haven't been able to get her on the phone and I'm trying not to worry."

Ruben looked at Jagger, meeting the other man's gaze.

Giving the man a rueful smile, Ruben toed off one sneaker and then the other before he lifted a foot to strip off his socks. "I'm going to stick my feet in the water and cool off a little."

Ruben saw Finn's curious look change to a smile where he was standing, slightly behind Jagger. "Join me?"

Jagger rubbed one palm off on his pants leg. "Yeah?" Then he wiped off the other. "Yeah." Jagger looked at Finn. "I know we still have some of the grounds tour left to do."

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