Dead Certain - Mariah Stewart [72]
He wondered when he’d gone from wanting to kill Amanda, to wanting her.
He wondered if it mattered. His plan hadn’t changed. He’d still kill her. But if he could have her for a while first, if he could indulge himself in her for a time, why shouldn’t he have that pleasure?
He closed his eyes and thought about having spent the night in Dolores’s bed. He felt himself start to grow hard, remembering the enthusiasm with which Dolores had thanked him for his gift. He slid the zipper down on his jeans and freed himself, stroked himself, an image filling his mind’s eye.
Dolores’s body, Amanda’s face.
Amanda’s face. Amanda’s body.
Everything he wanted to do to her. Everything he would do to her.
God, he couldn’t wait.
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
“Was it more rounded like this, do you think, or was it more oval-shaped?” Dana slid the sketch pad across the table to Amanda.
Amanda studied Dana’s efforts. “I’m not sure,” she said, and shook her head slowly. “I’m sorry, but I just don’t remember. I really didn’t study the pendant all that closely. Marian had bought several pieces at the same sale and was showing them off all at once. I do remember that the general shape was round, that there were concentric circles in the middle there, just like you’ve done, but I don’t remember what kind of bale was at the top and whether or not it had stones in it, and I don’t remember if there was some sort of gold fretwork around the outside. I seem to think there was, but I can’t swear to it.”
She looked up at Dana and exhaled slowly, one long tired breath. “I’m so sorry. That’s the best I can do.”
“Hey, don’t apologize. You did just fine. We have a fairly good description of the pendant, enough that should alert the dealers throughout the county that we’re looking for a similar piece.” She stood, smiling. “I’ll run this past the chief, then maybe we’ll put it out to the press and the pawnshops throughout the county.”
Dana bit her lip, examining her work. “Maybe we should send it out a little farther. Down to Philly. No, all of Pennsylvania. North Jersey, New York.” She looked up at Amanda as if just remembering that she was there. “Though I’m betting we don’t find it. I’m thinking he’s going to keep it. A pretty souvenir. Which would be good for us, you know?”
“Because when you find the pendant, you’ll know you’ve found the killer.”
“And then”—Dana scooped up her drawing and headed to the door—“we’ll hang him with it.”
“Nice work.” Sean looked over Dana’s sketch. “Very nice. I’ll get someone to send out the faxes right now.” He glanced at the clock. “And if I hurry, I can get a press conference in before the early news begins, show it off. Get the local papers to run the sketch.”
“You don’t believe he’s pawned it, do you?”
“Not a chance.” He shook his head. “He’s holding on to this or keeping it someplace close to him, where he can see it.”
“That’s what I thought, too.”
“But there’s always that one-in-a-million chance that he’s decided to dump it. We’d be foolish to operate only on assumption here. There’s too much at stake.”
“Maybe we’ll get real lucky. Maybe he’s shown it to someone.” Dana glanced at her watch. “It’s well past noon. I’d like to leave for lunch. Do I take Amanda with me?”
“If you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind, but I know that my spending time with her takes an officer away from the investigation.” She leaned against the doorjamb. “Last time I looked, we only had five other officers in the department.”
“Nothing we can do about that. We can’t take the chance that he’ll move in on her if she’s alone.”
“Have you thought about asking for help from the FBI?”
“For all of about thirty seconds,” he snapped.
“Sorry.” She took a few steps back, surprised by the sharp tone of his voice. “I just thought . . . It’s just that we have such a small department. Maybe we could use a little help, that’s all.”
“We have some fine officers. We’ll do just fine.”
“Sean, I didn