Rules of Prey

her back and butt.
    “That’s never stopped you before,” she said.
    Lucas kept scrubbing. “You know some of the women I’ve taken out. Tell me a dumb one.”
    Jennifer thought it over. “I don’t know them all,” she said finally.
    “You know enough of them to see the pattern,” he said. “I don’t go out with dummies.”
    “So talk to me like a smart person, Lucas. Did this killer torture these women before he killed them? Daniel was pretty evasive. Do you think he knows them? How does he pick them?”
    Lucas turned her around and pressed his index finger across her lips.
    “Jennifer, don’t pump me, okay? If you catch me off guardand I blurt something out and you use it, I could be in deep trouble.”
    She eyed him speculatively, the water bouncing off his chest, his mild blue eyes darkened with an edge of wariness.
    “I wouldn’t use it before I told you,” she said. “But you never blurt anything out. Not that you didn’t plan to blurt out. You’re a tricky son of a bitch, Davenport. I’ve known you for three years and I still can’t tell when you’re lying. And you play more goddamn roles than anyone I’ve ever met. I don’t even think you know when you’re doing it anymore.”
    “You should have been a shrink,” he said, shaking his head ruefully. He cut the water off and pushed open the shower door. “Hand me that big towel. I’ll dry your legs for you.”
     
    A half-hour later, Jennifer said hoarsely, “Sometimes it gets very close to pain.”
    “That’s the trick,” Lucas said. “Not going over the line.”
    “You come so close,” she said. “You must have gone over it a lot before you figured out where to stop.”
     
    Two hours later, Lucas’ eyes clicked open in the dark. Somebody was watching. He thought about it. The ankle gun was in the desk . . . Then Jennifer poked him, and he realized where it was coming from.
    “What?” he whispered.
    “You awake?”
    “I am now.”
    “I’ve got a question.” She hesitated. “Do you like me more than the others or are we all just meat?”
    “Oh, Jesus,” he groaned.
    “Say.”
    “You know I do. Like you better. I can prove it.”
    “How?”
    “Your toothbrush? It’s the only one in the bathroom cabinet besides mine.”
    There was a moment of silence and then she snuggled up on his arm. “Okay,” she said. “Go to sleep.”

CHAPTER
5
    For the first twenty rings he hoped it would stop. He got out of bed on the twenty-first and picked up the receiver on the twenty-fifth.
    “What?” he snarled. The house was cold and he was naked, goose bumps erupting on the backs of his arms, his back, and his legs.
    “This is Linda,” said a prim voice. “Chief Daniel has called a meeting for eight o’clock sharp and you’re to be there.”
    “ ’Kay.”
    “Would you repeat that, Lucas?”
    “Eight o’clock in the chief’s office.”
    “That’s correct. Have a good morning.” She was gone. Lucas stood looking at the receiver for a moment, dropped it onto the hook, yawned, and wandered back to the bedroom.
    The clock on the dresser said seven-fifteen. He reached over to Jennifer, swatted her on the bare butt, and said, “I gotta get out of here.”
    “Okay,” she mumbled.
    Still naked, Lucas padded back down the hallway to the living room, opened the front door a crack, made sure nobody was around, popped the screen door, and got the paper off the porch. In the kitchen, he shook some Cheerios into a bowl, poured on milk, and unfolded the paper.
    The maddog led the front page, a double-deck headline just below the Pioneer Press nameplate. The story was straightforward and accurate as far as it went, with nomention of the Ruiz woman. The chief hadn’t talked about survivors. Had lied, in fact—had said the only known attacks by the killer were the three that produced deaths. Nor had he mentioned the notes.
    There was a short, separate story about Lucas’ involvement in the investigation. He would work independently of homicide, but parallel. Controversial. Killed five men in line of duty. Commendations. Well-known game inventor. Only cop in Minnesota who drove a Porsche to work.
    Lucas finished the story and the Cheerios at the same time, yawned again, and headed down to the bathroom. Jennifer was staring at herself in the medicine-cabinet mirror and turned her head when he came in.
    “Men have it easy when it comes to looks, you know?”
    “Right.”
    “I’m serious.” She turned back to the