Joe climbs in and slams the door behind him, causing birds to flutter from the treetops around them. Ducking the upset fowl, Rachel dives into the car. That was close. She glances outside to find them still swarming around. She's had a fear of the feathery things ever since she watched the movie about the birds on TV. Rachel looks outside to find they're settling down.
"We made a trip for nothing," Joe says, smacking his hand against the dash.
A pleasant thought pops into her head. Rachel's chocolate eyes light up. An ornery smile etches across her face. "It doesn't have to be for nothing," she says in a sexy voice.
He turns to find her batting her eyes, a come-hither look on her face. "What do you have in mind?'
"The one thing we can't do at the station." Leaning over, she brushes her lips against his. "I've been waiting a long time for this day," she says, staring into his dark bedroom eyes.
Pulling her in close, Joe kisses her. Strumming his finger down her face, he asks. "Have I told you how beautiful you are?"
"Not in the last hour or so."
Joe leans in for another kiss when his cell vibrates across his dash. "It never fails."
We can continue this at my place tonight."
"I'm looking forward to it." Kissing her one last time, he scoops his phone from the dash. "You're on speaker, Jerr."
"I hate to bother you, love birds, but I thought you should know. We just found another body at the Shamrock Motel. It appears to be the same MO as the others. I have forensics at the scene, and uniforms are interviewing the guests. I have the other techs looking at their security footage and the traffic cams. Is there anything else I should do?"
"It sounds like you've got it all covered." Recalling their conversation a few hours back, he adds, "You handled this like a pro, Jerr, the way I knew you would."
Jerry says, "I'm just doing like you taught me, boss."
"Well, keep up the good work."
"I will, sir. Oh, and the guys want me to congratulate you and Rachel on your upcoming wedding." Jerry laughs.
Joe sneers as his passenger, Rachel, chuckles. "You're not funny, Jerry."
"The guys think I am."
Joe hears cackling in the background. "See you soon, smartass." Hanging up the phone, he turns towards Rachel. "Your time is coming, Detective, your Sharon, and Jerry's."
Rachel laughs again.
***
The team finishes up when Joe and Rachel pull up to the scene. Joe first sees Jerry barking out orders. Then he notices how everyone is busily carrying out his plan. "I think he'll make a fine sergeant, don't you?" Joe asks, admiring Jerry's proficiency.
Rachel's mouth drops, her eyes widen, and her face turns pale. "You're not quitting on us, are you, Joe?"
"Of course not."
Rachel breathes a sigh of relief.
"The Captain wants me to take over when he retires, and I'd like Jerry to take the sergeant's position. Once we pass our exams, of course."
Rachel shakes her head, trying to comprehend the news. She figured he'd be there until his dying day. "Did you just say that the Captain is leaving?"
"It's a forced retirement, but it's long past due after thirty-five years."
Fire shoots from her eyes when she asks, "Who's behind all of this?"
"His wife, Millie."
"Sweet little Millie?"
"I'm afraid so. The captain's wife has gotten sicker and can't take care of herself anymore. He first talked about hiring a caregiver to be with her when he's away, but then the captain decided that he would rather be there himself. He says he wants to spend as much time with her as he can before she passes."
"I can understand that."
"Don't tell anyone I told you, alright? He says he doesn't want any sad goodbyes."
"When is his final day?"
"The end of the month."
"Does Jerry know?"
"I asked him about it yesterday and hinted about the promotion again today."
"What did he think?"
"He says he wants to, but I can tell he's a little worried about the exam."
"I'm sure he'll do fine."
"Try convincing him that."
Joe's odd actions become crystal clear. Snapping her fingers, Rachel turns and says, "So, that's why you've been spreading the praise on so thick."
"I'm that obvious, huh?"
"I thought I would have to take boots and a shovel to work quite a few times this week." Rachel laughs.
"I wasn't that bad."
"Maybe not for you six-footers, but it's getting pretty deep for us, shorties," she says, rating her hand above her head.
Chuckling, Joe shakes his head.
"We should throw the captain a party to show him how much we care."
"That's what he doesn't want, a teary goodbye."
"We have to do something for him after all his years on the force."
"Why can't you just honor his wishes, for once?"Joe asks, pretending to be annoyed.
"What if we throw a party just because?"
"Everyone would give us the third degree, trying to figure out why."
"You're probably right about that." She glances out the window, hoping she'll come up with another idea. Snapping her fingers, she says, "It'll be a national police celebration party then." Chuckling, she climbs out of the car.
That's what I'd hoped she'd do. Joe smiles, following her across the yard. "So what can you tell us, Jerry?" he questions, stepping up beside him.
"The victim died the same way, a wound to their carotid artery. Sharon says our victim died between eight and midnight, like the others, and the victim was beating premortem."
"Did you see anything on the security footage?"
"We found Jackie headed toward our victim and then leaving an hour later covered in blood."
"So she's taking over, now Ava is behind bars?"
"It seems that way, boss."
"What can you tell me about our victim?"
"His name is Mike Morgan. He's recently divorced and has two convictions for DWI."
"Everyone they've targeted seems to have at least one DWI."
"I was just about to mention that, boss."
Jeff runs towards them. Joe and Jerry turn around. "Sir, sir, we just got another call about a body over on seven south," Jeff replies.
"Jerry, Jeff, I want you to take forensics and head on over. I'm going to get a team together and see if we can locate her once and for all."
"Everyone on the force is already searching, boss."
"I'm going to get Eureka PD and the sheriff's office involved. Do an extensive search."
"What do you want me to do, Joe?" Rachel asks.
"Take one of the cars and cruise the town."
***
Rachel has been driving around town for hours, but Jackie's tan Lincoln isn't anywhere. Where on earth can she be? Rachel thinks, pulling onto the rugged backroad for the third time tonight. The town is small, and there are just so many places she can hide.
She notices the sun breaking through the darkness when she gazes across the horizon. People will be out and about soon, she sighs.
A thought occurs to her as she bumps down the weather-beaten road. What if Jackie is using someone else's vehicle instead of her own? Whose car would she have access to? Her partner's? Wouldn't Ava's car have been seized during the arrest? I think I'll check to be sure. Rachel pulls up to impound a few minutes later. "I'm looking for the dark blue Toyota that came in two days ago."
Taking a clipboard down from the wall, the man scans the list. "It says here that Stone County took possession of it a couple of hours after it arrived."
Why would they be interested in this case? "Did they sign for it?"
"No car ever leaves this lot without going through all the paperwork first."
Aggravated, Rachel shifts her stance. "Can you tell me who took it?."
He glances at the list again. The detective's name is Morgan. She showed me her credentials and forfeiture papers on the car."
"Thanks for your help."
"No problem."
Puzzled, Rachel turns towards her car. Why is Stone county involved in our case? Maybe Joe will know. She starts to dial a number when she hears a dispatcher's voice boom across the radio. "More dead bodies? Will this nightmare ever end?"