Page 10 of Serial Love

But as soon as the dismissive thoughts flew through his mind, he was forced to admit she intrigued him. The women he dated, if an occasional dinner and fuck afterward could be called dating, had been educated and in careers that offered them stability and financial success. While there had not been many, he could not think ofone that would give it all up to take care of an elderly relative and certainly not for the difficult labor of running a wooded cabin rental facility. In fact, the last date had ended after dinner, as the woman’s conversation became a list of the financial attributes she expected in a man and then devolved into her diatribe against men unwilling to commit.No thank you, ma’am!

Bethany’s parents, Ed and Susan Bridwell, were professors at a small university in Arizona, but it appeared they kept up with their daughter and Ann.They offer emotional support, but not able to assist with the daily needs that Bethany has taken on.

After a few more detailed, yet unproductive, searches, he closed his laptop. Checking the security of his property, he headed to bed. Taking a shower, he could not get the thoughts of her off his mind. The way his body responded to being held against hers. The protective stance she assumed when guarding Ann. The fierce glare in her eyes that could change to one of affection when aimed at her grandmother.What would it be like to have those eyes turned toward me? To harness that courage and passion.

His dick jumped to life at the thought of having her under him, and he knew his control was not going to make it better. Grasping his cock in his hand, he jerked off under the shower to the idea of making love to Bethany.Making love? Nope, just fucking for me. No time for anything else!

But as he came hard, he could not help but know that anything with the beautiful Ms. Bridwell would never be just a fuck.

5

Walking across the Montwood College campus, Jack felt ill at ease. Blaise at his side appeared to be embarrassed by the attention he garnered. Giggles and winks followed them, as the girls strolling by looked at the tall, muscular blond.

Jack, glancing at his investigative partner, noticed that while Blaise smiled back, he was not encouraging the behavior.

“It’s like being back in time,” Blaise said. “Hell, I almost failed out of my first year of college due to spending more time with pussy than I did studying.”

Lifting an eyebrow, Jack commented sardonically, “That’s a shocker.”

Chuckling, Blaise continued, “Hey, I got my shit together. Started hitting the books instead of the bars and once in Vet school I had no choice but to spend all my time studying.” Looking around at the young girls, he added, “Jesus, they look young. Were we ever that young?”

“About a thousand years ago,” Jack replied, knowing Blaise’s years being sent to shit-hole areas of the world as he worked against bioterrorism had hardened him.

Coming to the campus center, they saw two girls standing outside watching them warily. Jack, aware of his and Blaise’s size, stopped several feet away. “Sybil? Alice?”

The two girls nodded, and he introduced himself and Blaise.

“We know you have been interviewed by the police but thank you for agreeing to meet with us. Any information you can give us will help in finding your friend’s killer. Shall we go inside?” he asked, nodding toward the building behind them.

Once settled, he began with the basic questions he knew they had been asked before. Having read their police and FBI reports, he knew what they had said and wanted to see what they could add.

After gaining the preliminary information, he asked, “What was she wearing?” Seeing the girls immediately stiffen, he explained, “I’m not suggesting anything inappropriate on her part. We’re looking into any similarity between the victims, and it can be the smallest thing.”

Sybil nodded as she said, “She loved purple. She hated dressing up, but it was her birthday, and we were going to a club. So, she wore my purple top and a black skirt. She never wore heels, but she borrowed those as well.”

“She looked so pretty,” Alice added.

“What did she normally wear?” Blaise asked, noting the wistful look on the young woman’s face.

“She was always pretty,” Sybil stated defensively, looking at Alice.

“I know. I didn’t mean she wasn’t,” Alice defended. “But she normally wore longer skirts and she always had shirts that didn’t show her boobs.”

“Her parents were kind of strict,” Sybil added.

“Any special religious affiliation?”

The two girls pondered the question for a moment before Alice answered. “No, not that I can think of.”

“But,” Sybil added, “we were often hungover on Sunday mornings, so I can’t really tell you what she did. She wasn’t a drinker. Well, until the last night.” At that, her eyes teared up and Alice grabbed her hand.

“This was our fault, wasn’t it?” Sybil whispered, looking into the hard faces of the two men sitting in front of her. “We took her out. We took her to a bar. We left her alone.”

“Girls,” Jack’s voice softened. “The fault lies with the person who took her life. That’s where the blame lies. Squarely on their shoulders…not yours.”

“Tell us more about the man that was buying her drinks,” Blaise prodded, following Jack’s lead of having them focus on the killer.

Sucking in a huge breath, Alice said, “He was blond.” Looking up at Blaise’s hair, she added, “Not as blond as you. Kind of a sandy blond color.”

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