Page 27 of Deadly Secrets
“And my brain is full of serial killers and sigils. After I get some sleep, I’ll deal with the airlines.”
“You’re welcome to crash at my place.”
She wondered what that looked like. During their break after dinner, he’d taken her into his office to search some files he’d pulled together on similar religious killers stretching back to the early 1900s. As he’d mentioned earlier, there was a couch and treadmill in his office. There were also free weights, a punching bag, and some other giant bag hanging from the ceiling that fighters used. He had a small, private bathroom with a shower, filled with manly things like a razor and aftershave that had scented the entire office with a sexy, outdoorsy smell.
Not that she’d been nosy. Okay, maybe she had. She just couldn’t resist asking to use his restroom so she could see what was in the medicine cabinet.
“That’s kind of you,” she said now, glad he couldn’t see her cheeks redden at the memory of thinking about him naked in that shower stall. He’d mentioned he had to work a lot of weird hours and stay late. Sometimes he slept at the office. “But really. I just need to pick up the rental and then I’ll find a hotel. In the morning, I’ll figure out flights and all that junk.”
He took the turn for the freeway heading to SDSU. “I have a friend who works the night shift at the Hyatt. I’ll give her a call, see if they have rooms available.”
A woman friend who worked at an expensive hotel? What a surprise. “Really, it’s no problem. And the Hyatt’s out of the budget.”
“I’m picking up the tab since you helped us out. Don’t worry about the expense.”
They hadn’t solved anything, but she’d given them more angles to look at. “Wow, you certainly throw money around for a government employee.”
He shrugged off the comment. “We have a stipend for these things.”
More like he was keeping secrets. She couldn’t let it go. “So do other enforcement agencies, but they don’t have the digs you do, or the expense accounts, apparently. You either have friends in high places, Dr. Walsh, or a pretty cool talent for stretching a dollar.”
He was smiling again, but kept his attention on the road. “Could be both.”
“I don’t need to waste taxpayer dollars by staying at the Hyatt. I’ll go back to the Days Inn. I’ll be fine.”
“I really appreciate all you did for my team.”
“I didn’t do much in all honesty. I wish I could do more.”
“You gave us a new lead on there being more than one killer. Most of all, you gave the team hope. We haven’t had any of that in a while.”
“Determination can take you pretty far, but when you keep hitting walls, it’s hard to sustain the drive. That’s where hope comes in.”
“Spoken like someone who’s been there.”
“More than my share. Few people in our present-day world see the need for archaeology or anthropology if it conflicts with progress or rewrites the history books, which it nearly always does. I believe the past can teach us many things, as can examining all the world’s religions. Unfortunately, I’m afraid I’m in the minority. I’ve hit a lot of walls.”
SDSU signs became more frequent and they left the freeway, winding around the dead campus to the designated parking area where Brooke had left her car.
Tall, overhead lamps spotlighted several others in the lot, two in handicapped slots. Roman drove past several empty rows to the rear east corner, which had been the only open spot the previous morning for her rental.
At least its still there. Not anticipating a delay in picking up the car, she hadn’t paid for an overnight sticker. The last thing she needed was to get towed on top of everything else.
But in a way, she was disappointed to be here. Disappointed to see that lonely blue car waiting for her. She’d been energized and excited, helping the team understand sigils and possibly realizing there was more than one killer. Not that multiple killers was good, but they needed to know what they were up against. The more killers in the mix, the more likely one would make a mistake.
Leaving was hard, though. She had more ideas for them to investigate, all of which she’d have to write up in a document tonight while the ideas were fresh. After she slept and dealt with the airlines, she’d forget half of them.
She probably wouldn’t sleep much anyway. The gruesome images in her head wouldn’t go away. Aleisha’s voice kept echoing in her ears.Find him.
Understanding religious zealots had been a driving force in Brooke’s life. It was one of the reasons she’d gotten her masters in religious studies. The depths humans would go in the name of their gods was a horrifying thing.
Roman slowed the car, the headlights shining on her rental. Brooke unbuckled her seatbelt and held out her hand. “Well, thanks, Roman. I appreciate the food and the ride. I’ll send you my notes as soon as I get them all together, and I wish you and your team the best of luck stopping The Reverend and his group.”
He ignored her outstretched hand and squinted at her car. “Hold on a minute.”
Putting the Jeep in park, he got out. As Brooke grabbed her purse, she watched him walk to her rental and bend down.
What was he looking at? He turned on his cell phone’s flashlight and something sparkled on the ground. Was that glass?
