Chasing Shadows.pdf

Sable Grey

CHASING SHADOWS

SABLE GREY

Venus Press LLC

CHASING SHADOWS

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CHASING SHADOWS

ISBN: 1-59836-294-1

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Sable Grey

Dedication:

For my Husband who continues to turn me on with his love and his violin.

CHASING SHADOWS

An old Grandfather looked to his grandson who had come to him with anger at a

friend who had done him an injustice and said...

"Let me tell you a story. I too, at times, have felt great hate for those who have

taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do. But hate wears you down, and does not

hurt your enemy. It's like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die.

"I have struggled with these feelings many times. It is as if there are two wolves

inside me; one is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and

does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to

do so, and in the right way. "

But...the other wolf... ah! The littlest thing will send him into a fit of temper. He

fights everyone, all of the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and

hate are so great. It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing.

"Sometimes it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try

to dominate my spirit."

The boy looked intently into his Grandfather's eyes and asked, "Which one wins,

Grandfather?"

The Grandfather smiled and quietly said, "The one I feed."

- A Native American tale told many times around the Sacred Fire

Sable Grey

Chapter One

Thunder sounding above and the soft slap of her shoes against the sidewalk

carried Dixie across the Salacity Junior College Campus to the scene of the crime.

"Agent Daniels, FBI," she said, flashing her badge. The officer on site looked up at her,

his eyes narrowing slightly.

"FBI?" He stiffened, instantly signaling his unhappiness about the fact that she

was there. Of course he is, Dixie thought, I'm invading on his territory. She'd be pissed

as well if it were the other way around.

She offered an apologetic smile. "I just go where I'm told," her gaze dropped to

the badge on his uniform shirt, "Officer Dillion. Do my job, get paid, go home and pay

bills." It was a routine familiar to her and it usually worked, but Officer Dillion wasn't

softening. She doubted he had a soft side to show her even if he could. When she

approached she had easily sensed his determination and drive...and closeness to the

murder. That alone told her that it was another strangling and that this cop had probably

already invested hours trying to find the killer himself. Either that or worse, he knew the

victim.

He regarded her silently so she switched gears a bit. "They only sent me. I don't

like working with other agents. I'm a special kind of agent and I don't interfere."

"No?" He grunted and shook his head as if he wasn't buying anything she said.

"So you aren't about to go over there and meddle in this case?"

Fine. He could have it his way. She met his gaze and didn't flinch beneath his

glare. "This is the fourth murder in two months, Officer Dillion. I can't see how

anything I do here will make whatever you've already done worse. I'm to do my job and

report back to my superior. Now, you can cooperate and be in on anything I find...or you

can get the fuck out of my way. Either way, my bills will get paid this month."

Again his gaze narrowed, but his regard for her shifted slightly to make way for a

tiny flicker of respect. He took a deep breath and glanced around.

CHASING SHADOWS

She waited, watching the lights of the patrol cars behind them flicker blue across

his strong features. Finally he exhaled loudly and turned, waving her to follow him.

"Marianne Moore. She's...was...a student here. She was on her way to the girls'

dormitory when it happened; last seen by her boyfriend around midnight. She was

dragged from the sidewalk, strangled, and then cut like the other three."

Dixie stopped walking, her eyes focused on his wide back.

His stride slowed, then he turned and looked back at her. "Don't you want to see

the body?"

Dixie nodded and forced her legs to start moving again. Five years of this but still

she never got used to it. Even several feet away, she could smell the death. It knotted her

stomach and dried her mouth. It would take her hours to get away from that smell.

As they approached, she brought her hand to her mouth. Marianne Moore had

been about twenty years old. She was slim, with a petite frame. Easy to overpower. Her

blouse had been ripped open. Obscenely dark cuts sliced against the lifeless pale skin of

her breasts and upper body. Bile rose in Dixie's throat and she turned quickly away,

gulping air into her lungs.

"Are you okay?" Concern edged the officer's voice.

"Who found her?"

"A professor made the call to the police. He found her on his way back to his

apartment around four a.m." He was at her side. "Is this your first murder case?"

Dixie imagined she looked wet behind the ears and green in the face. She took

another breath of air, but only succeeded in taking the scent deeper. And then to her

horror, the image of her mother's own twisted body flickered in her mind. No. No. No.

She tried to push it aside before her hands started to shake.

"Just give me a minute," she murmured. She'd only been nine years old and had

sensed the intruder's presence long before his silhouette had moved past her doorway.

She'd been paralyzed with fear, couldn't move, couldn't breathe. She squeezed her eyes

closed. But she'd heard her mother's door open.

Her father was working late again. He wouldn't be home until after midnight.

And when he did make it through the door, he found her curled up against her mother's

lifeless body. He'd shouted and rushed forward, reaching for both of them, horror

enveloping his expression and Dixie's senses.

Sable Grey

The memory suddenly changed. The image of her parent's bedroom shifted to

just an empty space . "Chase them away," a voice whispered. Chase what away? "The

shadows."

Dixie's eyes flew open and her gaze swung to Officer Dillion, who stood

watching her. "Did you just say something?"

"No, I was giving you a minute." His expression was suddenly cautious. "Are

you...okay?" She turned and looked around. Someone had definitely reached out to her.

Someone close...someone who had similar gifts. Someone like her.

"Who is that?" She studied a round face with features that reminded her of Bette

Midler. A mop of unruly curls barely touched the woman's shoulders as she leaned

against the hood of one of the patrol cars.

"Ginger Gregory. She teaches journalism."

"Is she the one that found the girl's body?"

"No. Professor Shadow is the one that made the call. That's him beside her."

Dixie's gaze shifted to the tall, lean man that stood beside the woman. She

blinked. How'd she not seen him first? Shadow, she repeated mentally, watching as he

peered down at the clipboard one of the officers presented to him with through a pair of

wire rimmed glassed perched upon the bridge of his very straight nose. His hair was ink

black, cut short, with gray frosting each temple. Cheekbones rode high on his face,

creating a long, narrow illusion that contrasted against his thick black brow. Though she

couldn't see the color of his eyes, his long, dark lashes softened his otherwise sharp

features.

"Ginger is just a busy body and wouldn't leave once she got here," Dillion

growled. "Some of the other officers are scared to death of her. I was about to remove

her myself when you walked up."

"She's a friend of Shadow's?"

"Not that I'm aware of. I've only met the man once at the museum but he didn't

strike me as anyone that kept a lot of people around him." Dillion supplied. "Sylver

Shadow, he teaches psychology and ancient mythology."

The laugh tumbled from Dixie's lips before she could stop it. "You made that

name up," she accused.

"I didn't. And his name isn't all that's weird about him." He continued, "About

two years ago, his wife ran out on him."

CHASING SHADOWS

"People split up all the time." She dragged her gaze away from the professor and

faced Dillion. "There's nothing weird about that."

"Yes. But it was their wedding night and she ran out on him in the middle of it to

check herself into a mental hospital." Dillion crossed his arms. "Why did the FBI send a

new agent? One with a weak stomach?"

"They didn't. They sent one who would find out what they needed to know."

Dixie sighed when he just stood there looking at her. "I've been with the Bureau for five

years and I've worked many murder cases. I just never get used to it."

"You could always just sit back and let me do the work."

She winced. "Don't sound so hopeful." Turning, she glanced back at Marianne's

body. "Okay, I think I'm ready. Let's try this again." Lifting her chin, she forced herself

to walk forward. Again, she felt that tickle of respect seeping around the hard edges of

Dillion's energy.

"If my wife had run out on me when we got married, I think I would have

checked myself into a mental hospital," Dillion said lowly as they halted in front of the

body. "I'd be crazy without her."

Dixie knew he was trying to distract any nausea she might feel. She was wrong

about Officer Dillion. He did have a softer side. It just wasn't the kind of soft she was

accustomed to.

"I didn't picture you as the type to have a wife," Dixie admitted as she gazed at

Marianne's body.

"Hoping I was single?" There was a hint of humor.

"Don't flatter yourself." she retorted and his grunt sounded almost like a laugh.

"Can you leave me alone with her for a few minutes?" Dixie knew what had to be done.

And Officer Dillion had a strong presence. She didn't want him interfering. Darq

Dillion. The name suddenly popped into her head. No way. She nearly laughed. Did

everyone around here have strange names?

"Alone?" His voice made her blink away her amusement.

"I don't need much time to do what needs to be done."

"Why can't you do it with me here?" He sounded suspicious.

"Because you are a bit intimidating. I think you do it on purpose. And I need

peace. Go stand over there." She waved toward a tree. "Just be quiet and keep still."

Sable Grey

She felt him bristle and almost laughed. He probably wasn't used to taking orders. She

wondered if the police chief had a hard time controlling him.

After some hesitation, he moved away. She could still feel his gaze when he

stopped a few feet away but there was enough distance between them that she could

concentrate. She knelt down and closed her eyes. Blocking out the noise around her, she

focused all of her energy on the body. The scent reached out for her but she pushed that

aside as well. When she opened herself up, it came quickly.

The light over the sidewalk was out as Mari walked quickly toward the dorm. She

shouldn't have stayed so late at Rob's. Three murders and here she was walking after

midnight in the dark. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

Her thoughts scattered when a sound found her ears. Soft steps. Behind her. She

turned and smiled, releasing a breath.

"Thank God, I was just about to scare myself silly...." Her smile faded instantly,

however, and her eyes widened with disbelief, then horror. "You?" Her throat closed

and she shook her head as she began backing away. The breath she just released sucked

back into her lungs, readying to scream. ***

"What the fuck are you doing?"

The images scattered and Dixie cursed as she felt someone moving toward her.

She opened her eyes. Through their blurry vision, she saw the officer approaching. But

the connection wasn't broken. Something hit her in the stomach and then it felt as if her

head snapped backward, cracking against the cement of the sidewalk. Fingers wrapped

around her neck, squeezing tightly enough that it choked off her breath. Reaching up she

knew she would find no one's hands there at her neck. She was feeling what Marianne

had felt in those last terrifying moments.

Hands held her as she felt the concrete beneath her back. Then the grass, cooling

the burn left by being dragged across the concrete. The crushing pressure on her throat.

Hot breath in her face. Dixie couldn't move as Darq moved closer, barely able to realize

that it was him and not the perp and though she knew his hands were on her shoulders,

she couldn't really feel them. She was too deep into the vision.

CHASING SHADOWS

Instead she felt pain slice across breasts. A low growl vibrated, sounding

animalistic and inhuman. She felt the satisfaction that bore down from the attacker as

another sliver of pain sliced across her chest. Another. Another.

Dixie's heart pounded as she felt the pressure applied on Marianne's neck

strangling her own. She couldn't breathe. Another slicing pain. Pain in her lungs as she

tried to draw a breath around the fingers that held her...

Let go. A voice came from nowhere. Let go of it.

"I can't," she croaked.

Let go and chase it away.

"I need to..." Dixie closed her eyes. She only needed one glimpse at the attacker.

Just one. But darkness was swirling around her. Not me, she corrected herself,

Marianne. Marianne is dying .

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