Sinner Repent Read online

  “Semen?”

  Callie continued, “Yeah, looks like right before she bought it, Sammie Jean was servicing a gentleman. If we find him, we’ll have another piece to the puzzle, or at the very least, the last person who saw her alive.”

  “And you can tell it was right before, how?”

  “Sheriff, if she went back into the bar and had a drink, she would have washed away the DNA.”

  “Maybe it was the killer’s semen?” suggested Jimmy Lee, trying to be helpful. He desperately wanted to be able to do what she did. It fascinated him to no end and looked exciting.

  “I doubt it,” Callie said. “That would mean he’s differentiating from their pattern, and it doesn’t seem likely since there hasn’t been any trace left behind when the rape occurs.”

  “So, she was assaulted?”

  “Oh, yeah, Sheriff, big time. The coroner said she was all torn up inside.”

  “So, whoever did it was angry.”

  “I don’t think angry covers it. This whole killing was done in a rage. First, she was struck in the head, and then she was brutally assaulted, multiple times. I can’t help but think that whatever she was doing last night, was the catalyst for the anger.” Callie paused before continuing, “Find the man who left the semen, Sheriff, and you’ll have another piece of the puzzle.”

  “God damn it! Stop it, Callie!” he blurted in frustration.

  The deputy jumped in his seat.

  “Sheriff, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said standing up.

  “I’m talking about us and the condescending way you keep insisting on calling me by my title, instead of my name. To them, I’m the sheriff. To you, I’m either your boyfriend or Quinn!”

  Yeah, she wasn’t budging on this one.

  “Sheriff Gaines, until you give me a good reason why you keep getting angry at me for no provocation, there is no ‘US’! Get that through your thick skull.”

  Jimmy Lee took that moment to escape for his life.

  Quinn rubbed his eyes in frustration not knowing what he could do to get it back to the way it was. How do you tell a woman that you’re a jealous SOB, and keep her from running for her life? Every previous woman, who found out this dirty little secret of his, hightailed it for the hills. If he admitted it, she was gone too.

  Quinn was damned if he did, and damned if he didn't.

  “It doesn’t matter. We need to get to Ollie’s. You have work to do,” Callie added, as she answered her ringing phone.

  “Hey, gorgeous! We’re hitting town. Where are you?” came the pleasant voice over the phone.

  Man, she missed both men and couldn’t wait to see them.

  “I’m glad that you safely arrived, Luke. Right now, we’re heading to ‘Ollie’s Wilde Hare’, where the last body was found,” she replied, watching Quinn.

  “We’ll meet you there. How hard can it be to find?”

  “Like you finding a date on Saturday night,” she drawled, having to laugh.

  “So, what you’re saying is it’s easy, huh? Like shooting fish in a barrel?”

  Callie was glad some things never changed. It was good to see that the constants in life could still cheer her up. “See you in a few minutes,” she replied, hanging up the phone. Once more, the look was on Quinn’s face. “Are you ready?”

  “Yeah,” he said, gruffly.

  There was another lie.

  He didn't want to meet the Feds. He wanted to kick their asses all over his town. What could he say? This was what lived in him.

  Now, more than ever.

  They rode in silence all the way to ‘Ollie’s Wilde Hare’. When he pulled into the parking lot, Callie saw two handsome, familiar men standing against a black Denali. One wore a tie, and the other a polo shirt and mile wide grin.

  “There’s your Feds, Sheriff. It looks like they beat us here,” said Callie, hopping down out of the truck. Calmly, she headed toward the men, grinning wickedly.

  Quinn swore her hips were swaying more than usual, and he could feel his blood boil when she ran the last few feet, only to launch herself at the taller agent. Then, he saw the kisses.

  It was official.

  He was going to lose it.

  The flush began spreading over his entire body, and he forced himself to start breathing as much as he could. It wasn’t easy watching the woman he was crazy about in the arms of not one man, but two.

  If he survived this day, it was going to be a miracle.

  Callie enthusiastically kissed and hugged her brother. It seemed like forever since she had seen him. When she stared up into his face, she was met with the same exact eyes. In fact, he also had the same hair, only he kept it incredibly short.

  As he grinned at her, Callie remembered why the ladies loved him. “You’re looking as handsome as ever, Nate,” she drawled, earning herself another hug and kiss on the forehead.

  “It’s good to see that you’re doing well, Callie. I was worried about you. It’s not like you to call us in.”

  She hugged him again, wishing there wasn’t a giant black hole taking up residence in her chest.

  “I’m okay, Nate. I swear.”

  As her brother, he knew better. He wasn’t buying that lie at all, and his intent was to get to the bottom of it before they left to go home.

  Callie moved on to the next man and laughed when he picked her up and swung her in a circle. Where Nate was day, Luke was night. He was a beach bum blonde, handsome as sin, and had baby blue eyes that could melt any woman’s heart.

  “Hey there, gorgeous,” he drawled, kissing her on the lips. When the sheriff stiffly strolled toward them, he could feel her tense in his arms, and that wasn’t Callie at all.

  Something was definitely going on, and it wasn’t good.

  Hugging her, he whispered into her ear. “Oh boy! Who’s the guard dog? That man’s ready to go for the jugular over us being near you. He’s got a wicked jealous streak in him. I can see it from here.”

  Honestly, that caught Callie off guard.

  Observing Quinn, she realized that Luke saw what she hadn’t even noticed. Thinking back, it dawned on her that he was getting angry every time that she had called Luke on the phone.

  Immediately, her heart softened as she understood his hostility. He wasn’t angry with her, he was angry in general at her good-natured flirting with the men.

  Quinn was simply jealous and unsure how to express it.

  That melted the ice.

  “Put me down, you big oaf,” she said, squirming in his arms.

  “Yeah, maybe you should put her down, if you don’t mind,” Quinn insisted, as the feelings of rage tried to bubble over.

  When Callie approached him, she surprised him by taking his hand in hers. For some reason, the anger was gone, and she was back to being her warm self. He wasn’t going to question it. Instead, he gratefully accepted it.

  “Sheriff Quinton Gaines, I’d like to introduce you to two of the biggest reprobates in the FBI. This is Special Agent Lucas Mars,” she offered, pointing at Luke. “And this stunningly, handsome man is, Director Nathaniel Carter, my big brother and Luke’s boss.”

  At her introduction, a few things happened. After the shock of finding out that Callie didn't have a relationship with the one man in her past, there was calm. Then, there was more embarrassment over his behavior.

  “You’re related?” he asked, staring down at her.

  “Yes, he’s my much older, stauncher, stick in the mud, brother.”

  “Hey!” Nate said, yanking on her hair playfully.

  Quinn saw it now. There was the family resemblance, once you looked for it.

  “Callie, I’m sorry,” he began. “I thought,” he said before being cut off.

  “I get it now, and it’s okay, Quinn. I’m not upset anymore, but you could have just told me. I would have reassured you, and this wouldn’t have been eating away at you, big guy.”

  His heart stopped hurting as she squeezed his hand and forgave him
.

  Nate Carter held out his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sheriff Gaines. I hope that we can live up to any expectation set by Callie.”

  She snorted. “I did tell him that you could tie your shoes by yourself.”

  Luke laughed. “I love when you two have to work together. It’s always funny to watch. This is going to be one hell of a free–for-all. Buckle up, Sheriff,” he warned.

  Quinn returned the handshake. “It’s nice meeting you,” he answered, putting his arm possessively over Callie’s shoulders. “Thank you for coming down here on such short notice.”

  “Callie said that you have a hot one going on here, and Nate was gracious enough to clear us to help out. He doesn’t often take vacation time and work ‘unofficially’ off the FBI clock, so write this day down in your calendars,” teased Luke.

  Quinn was appreciative. “We don’t usually have that much crime here, but this has the town terrified. I’m afraid as more bodies turn up, it’s going to cause widespread panic. Until this morning, we had nothing. Callie figured out the meaning of the words, carved into the victims, but unfortunately, that’s all I have.”

  “Don’t worry. She’s really good at profiling. When she left, my boss, Gabe Rothschild, offered anything to get her to stay. In fact, I talked to him, and he told me to tell you to come back. Your position is still open.” Nate would love to see his sister return. She was missing her calling.

  “She told me about why she left the city and helping the FBI, so I can understand her reasoning,” he answered, nonchalantly. Quinn knew she was really good at what she did. If Callie wanted to go back, he would be okay with that.

  Well, as long as they remained a couple.

  Quinn noticed that when he mentioned her past, a look circulated between the two men, and then back to Callie.

  “Did she now?” asked her brother.

  “She did. There aren’t any secrets between us,” he stated, knowing that his bottled-up jealousy had been a lesson for him. From here on out, those were going to be his words to live by.

  Callie appreciated what he had just said, and was proud of him.

  Quinn led them all toward ‘Ollie’s Wilde Hare’, still holding on to her possessively.

  She had to know. “Where are you two wild men staying while you’re here?”

  “We were planning on bunking with you,” said Luke. “That way you can feed us and do our laundry, just like before.”

  Quinn dropped his sunglasses onto his face. “Yeah, I’ve got some bad news on that one. It’s not happening for a couple of reasons. Callie’s staying at my place, so you’ll be bunking by yourselves. You’ll have to find another maid.”

  Her brother lost it. “There’s no way in hell that my baby sister is staying with a man who she isn’t married to,” declared Nate. When his sister grinned wickedly, he was appalled. “How long has Callie been shacking up with you?”

  Quinn wasn’t deterred. “Are we talking shacking up as in the biblical sense or us as roommates? You know, just to clarify the question.”

  Nate went red.

  Everyone, there in the room, watched the flush creep up his throat to his ears.

  “Yeah, anyway, Callie’s been staying with me since someone threatened her and tried to break into her house the other night,” he answered, pulling her tighter to his body. The action was done both possessively and protectively.

  Both Feds turned toward her, and she really wanted to kick Quinn’s ass.

  “What?”

  “When were you going to tell us?”

  “You wanted me to call you after I had sex with Quinn and tell you about it? Isn’t that a little awkward?” she teased, trying to calm her brother down before he had a stroke. Nate had always been protective, but after she was hurt, he went over the line into obsessed with her wellbeing.

  “Uh, this is bad timing, Callie. Apparently, humor isn’t appreciated right now,” murmured Luke, pointing at his partner.

  Callie glanced up at Quinn. “This is why I didn’t tell them. My brother thinks that I’m his child.”

  “Sorry, but how was I to know that you didn’t tell them that the killer threatened your life and we’re sharing a bed?”

  It was like Fourth of July occurred early.

  Callie could see the fireworks going off as her brother faced off against Quinn, ready to do battle. The sheriff was taller and built more like a football player, but she had a sick feeling that a brother defending his sister’s honor could be lethal.

  “Knock it off,” she said, sliding in between them, placing a hand on each man’s chest. “I’m a grown woman, and get to decide who I want to sleep with, and where I’m staying,” Callie hissed through clenched teeth.

  Quinn smiled menacingly at the two agents, as if tempting them to piss Callie off. Yeah, his work here was done. “I have to go interview witnesses, baby. When you solve this, let me know.”

  He walked away wearing a mile-wide grin on his face.

  Yeah, his work here was done.

  Inside Ollie’s, the staff members and patrons were sitting patiently, waiting to be interviewed by the sheriff’s department. They had been called in to see if they had seen anything happen last night with Sammie Jean. For now, this was their best chance at getting another lead.

  Quinn first wanted to begin with the owner. Since he was also the bartender, he figured that it was the best place to start. “Hey Red, how’s it going?”

  “It was good, Sheriff, until I found Sammie Jean in the dumpster this morning,” he replied, looking pale.

  “Walk me through her night. When did she arrive, and who did she pick up?”

  “That’s a tough one, Sheriff. I don’t usually keep track of the regulars. They come and go, and are more like the fixtures than customers.”

  “Try and give me something, Red.” Quinn took in the man’s appearance. He continually rubbed his face nervously, and swayed from foot to foot. Quinn wasn’t sure if he was scared or just trying to alleviate some of the weight his body was trying to carry.

  “I think she arrived at her normal time, around six, but we were busy and I didn’t take any notice of her usual antics.”

  “Antics?” he asked, looking up from his notebook.

  Red sighed. “She comes in, flirts, get some drinks, and joins a man outside,” he said. “And that’s all I know, I don’t police the parking lot.”

  “Do you think she was making money out there?”

  Both men knew it was likely that she was working the oldest profession known to man.

  “Yeah, probably.”

  “Were you sampling her wares?” he asked, watching the man closely. Before he answered, Quinn already had the answer.

  Red dropped his voice. “Don’t tell my wife, but sometimes I did. Can we keep this quiet?”

  Quinn knew that men were going to be men, and Sammie Jean hit on everyone, him included. “I’m not saying anything, unless I find that you’re involved in her murder. Then, I’m telling your wife personally.”

  He shook his head, wildly. “I didn't! I swear!”

  “Then, thank you, Red,” he said, walking over one of the waitresses. All that he could hope now, was that someone saw who Sammie Jean had left the bar with last night.

  He crossed his fingers as he got down to business, doing his job.

  * * *

  Callie faced off against the two agents who were giving her really unhappy looks at that moment. She didn’t need to explain herself to her brother, or their friend.

  “Listen, I don’t think I need to justify sleeping with Quinn,” she finally said, earning more of a glare. “I’m a big girl.”

  “Callie, if you think that’s why we’re pissed, then you’re thicker than a rock.”

  She lifted an eyebrow at the insult.

  “Someone broke into your house, and you didn’t call either one of us?” questioned Luke. “We deserve to know when something like that happens.”

  Callie glared at them. “Wha
t about when you were shot in the leg? You never told me about it, Luke,” she stated, turning on her brother next. “And you,” she pointed accusingly. “Remember the knife wound to your shoulder that I had to hear about from the dancer you were screwing around with?” she said, angrily. “You know, the one with the really big…” She didn’t get to finish as her brother immediately cut her off.

  “It’s different with you, Callie. We almost lost you,” said Nate, pulling her into his arms. When he released her, Luke took his turn.

  There were days when having two men who were overprotective was a blessing and a curse. For now, she was going to try and cut them a break.

  Callie sighed. “Fine. Let’s go to the station, and I’ll start filling you in on the dead women. Maybe you’ll see something that I don’t,” she stated, as she headed toward the bar. “Let me tell Quinn where we’re going. I don’t want him to worry about me.”

  Both men glanced at each other in surprise. Their tough Callie was checking in with a man?

  Holy shit!

  Someone call the press.

  This had to be serious.

  Callie headed into Ollie’s, only to receive quite a few speculative stares. Since Quinn was in the middle of an interview, she opted to stand against the wall until he was finished talking to a scantily clad woman. Apparently, she was attempting to pass herself off as a waitress.

  As she was forced to watch the woman touch his arm and bat her big doe eyes at him, Callie could feel her blood pressure start to rise. Now, she understood what he must have been feeling when she was hugging the two FBI agents. Callie could tell when he finally realized that she was near because he started right for her, a big smile on his face.

  “Hey, baby,” he said softly. Immediately, she shuttered her emotions, but he caught it. “What’s wrong?” he asked, starring into her eyes.

  “Nothing, darlin’. I came to tell you that I’m heading back to the conference room to brief Nate and Luke on the killings.”

  “Okay, I’ll be in as soon as I finish interrogating the ladies,” he said, grinning.