“Anything else?” she asked.
“Nothing else, just this and the body.”
The teapot Kane held was a simple one. Plain white, made of china, probably available in any number of stores, nothing that would help them find the person who had left it beside the body of a woman he had killed.
It wasn’t the teapot itself that was giving her the creeps. It was what it represented.
It was a sign.
A message.
“Anything inside the teapot?” Jonathon asked.
Kane lifted the lid and glanced inside. “Just this.”
Reluctantly, Allina held out a gloved hand and took hold of the paper Kane handed her. She held it so she and her partner could read the short inscription.
If she’d had any doubts before they were gone now.
Unfortunately, neither she nor her partner needed to manufacture any potential scenarios about who had killed this woman.
They knew who it was.
They didn’t know the why, but they knew the who.
Or at least in general times but they didn’t have his name.
And this wasn't this first victim.
The Nursery Rhyme Killer had struck again.
* * * * *
8:28 A.M.
All night he had dreamed about Summer Height.
Luke was enamored already.
He was trying to downplay things though. This was his usual MO. Meet a beautiful woman, fall hard and fast, rush into a relationship, think it was the real thing, and he was falling in love, then have everything come crashing down around him.
He didn’t want a repeat of that.
Ever.
He wanted to play this one smart. He didn’t just want to jump in with his blinders on. He liked Summer, he felt an attraction to her, he needed to take that and build on it.
It wasn't going to be an easy sell to Summer though.
Last night, after snatching her hand from his she had quickly made her excuses and practically run out of the house. She was scared because she’d felt the same thing he had when their hands touched. She’d felt the connection, and for some reason that made her afraid. He didn’t know why, perhaps she was coming off a bad breakup, but whatever the reason, Luke was confident that he could persuade her to go out on a date with him. He should have plenty of chances to get to know her since she was best friends with his brother’s wife.
“It won't work.”
Startled, he blinked and looked up to find Nick standing over him. His brother had invited him over for breakfast, it seemed like they both wanted to bridge the gap between them and try to salvage their relationship. But they didn’t have a lot in common. Or really anything besides DNA. They might never be close, but Luke wanted to at least get to the point where they hung out together sometimes, spent holidays together, and actually got along. “What won't work?”
“Summer. That’s what you’re thinking about, right?” Nick set down a plate of waffles and took a seat at the table.
He thought of denying he was thinking about Summer but decided it was useless. Nick knew about his obsession with women and dating. Instead, he asked, “Why?”