Page 26 of The Survivor
Sam nodded.
“Okay, then it should be easy to find out where the flowers came from. What was the designer’s name?”
“Angelo D’ Alessio. He sent the arrangement to thank me.”
Something yanked at Blake’s insides. Was that jealousy?
Whatever the annoying feeling was, he couldn’t help but ask, “Thank you for what?”
Sam’s cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink. “I modeled the final piece of his collection, a diamond-studded G-string. I don’t usually do runway work, but he’s a friend and I owed him a favor.”
The wordG-stringcoming out of Sam’s sexy mouth was enough to set him on edge.
Next to him, Rick coughed. Blake suffered another jealous pang when he realized that Rick had probably been picturing the same thing.
Samantha Dawson wearing nothing but a G-string below her waist.
He willed away his arousal and forced his brain back to the northern region of his body. “Okay, so we’ll compile a list offlorists and people in related fields. This week we’re meeting with the task force, so—”
The ring of his cell phone cut him off. Glancing at the caller ID, he suppressed a groan. Knight. This couldn’t be good, his boss calling back so soon.
He picked up the phone, somewhat reluctant. “Corwin,” he said in lieu of a greeting.
“Turn your television to FOX. Now.” Knight hung up before Blake could open his mouth.
With a sigh, he rose from his seat and gestured for Rick and Sam to follow him into the living room. He grabbed the remote control from the coffee table and flicked on the set.
“Samantha Dawson, one of the highest-paid swimsuit models in the business, is alive.” Wayne Reynolds’s irritating voice filled the living room, making Blake curse out loud.
Holding a microphone, the reporter stood in front of Chicago General looking like the cat who’d just swallowed the biggest canary in the flock. The screen split to show Vanessa Highland, a FOX anchor. Addressing her correspondent in the field, Vanessa asked, “Are you sure about this, Wayne?”
“Yes, Vanessa. I just received confirmation from the funeral home that supposedly cremated Dawson’s body. One of the staff members there confessed that the body had never been brought to the home. He suspected all along she was still alive.”
“I’ll have that jerk fired,” Blake muttered.
“As you know, Vanessa, Dawson was attacked by the man the media dubbed the Rose Killer, who is still at large. The Rose Killer has already taken the lives of four women and Dawson was believed to be his fourth victim. Apparently, she survived the assault and was placed in protective custody by law enforcement.”
“For her own safety, Wayne?”
“Yes. My source in the Chicago Police Department informed me that the Rose Killer is a very sick, very dangerous individual.”
“No kidding,” Rick spat out.
“And Vanessa, although Police Superintendent Jake Fantana denies that any of the victims were sexually assaulted, we believe rape is a likely component.”
A soft gasp tore out of Sam’s throat. From the corner of his eye, Blake saw her sag against Rick’s arm.
“Wayne, why would Samantha Dawson come out of hiding, now of all times?”
“It could be related to the fact that Cindy Wilcox has been admitted to the hospital for complications with her pregnancy. My sources tell me that Dawson and action-star Bruce Wilcox’s wife are very close. We believe Dawson decided to risk her own life to be with her dear friend at this difficult time.”
Blake pressed a button on the remote and with a loud crackle the screen went black. He turned slowly, not bothering to fill the devastating silence hanging over the room. He noticed that Sam’s entire face had gone pale, as white as the snow covering the lawn. She trembled visibly, no longer holding on to Rick’s arm but obviously swaying on her feet.
“My dear friend?” she finally burst out. “I don’t even know Cindy Wilcox! And…sexual assault?” Disbelief turned to horror. “How could he…why would he…”
With a strangled sob, she spun on her heel and ran out of the room.
* * *
