The Way to a Man's Heart

"At least he's made a couple of mistakes this time," Marx said and raised a finger as Malden started to speak, "yeah, 'he' is presumptuous. But the psych guys..."

Malden shrugged but kept her frown.

"This Nadi was missing, what, three days? And she's not one to do that sort of thing, right?" Malden and Ambrose both nodded. "Same as the others. So she was held against her will. Somewhere, but our guess close to the drop site. Because, like the others, she wasn't actually killed until the night she was left out."

"About that," Ambrose said, "docs say she was definitely strangled, apparently he screwed up, only left her unconscious. But the temperature was right at freezing all night, hypothermia shoulda done her in. Also, wrists and ankles showed she'd been restrained, but not with anything rough nor something like handcuffs, as the marks weren't extreme."

"Matches the others," Marx said.

"Docs are checking her over top to bottom, she's been very cooperative," Malden said, "but you say mistakes? Plural?"

"He left this one alive. And he told us what car he drives."

"Someone hit the pole," Malden said and it was her turn to ask for a moment, "but we've no proof it's connected to Nadi. But, okay. Timing works. Jensen, the guy who reported the pole, has a farm out past the location. The turnout is the closest access to the clearing, but not the only one. But hardly anyone uses that road, so it'd be the best choice IF you were dropping off a body. Which gives us another question. How did our perp know about the clearing? And the road?"

Engels worked at her laptop and displayed a composite of four aerial views of wooded areas.

"This location fits. All of them have been similar. At first we thought maybe he was using one of the online satellite tools, but like you said, if the pole was him, he knew which road to use. Much harder to get that from the maps."

"Jenkins had driven past about six p.m. night before, said the pole was fine. So it was between then and just past seven the next morning, when he called the utility," Malden read from notes from her folder, "their crew got there just past nine."

"It seems like someone with lots of local knowledge," Marx said, "but 'local' is pretty damn big, not quite three hundred miles here and farthest other victim. At least we know about. Someone who gets around."

"Just to play devil's advocate," Malden said, "I like this Nadi, but... we've had pranks, although this would be one of the more extreme ones. But things get going at the College."

"The noose and the clothes," Engels said, "we've managed to keep both of those pretty quiet."

"Hell, you hadn't even told US about those, before we called this one in," Ambrose said, "you'd just mentioned the ages and body types of victims, and she's well within those. The College always has 'stay safe' programs going, so we just asked them to amp those up. The deaths had made the news, but no one was especially worried."

"And one more thing," Malden said, "Jane told us Nadi was, uh, is a virgin. Big deal around the group, they're always trying to get her laid, but she's picky or shy. And the docs said there was no sign of sexual assault."

"So... same as the others," Marx said, "well, on the no assault part. Can't say about the virgin part."

"We're not likely to keep the noose quiet anymore," Malden said, "but, okay. Our perp just... fucked up. Assuming it is his car... Artie."

"Bits left behind," Ambrose said, "Toyota Corolla, last few years. Silver. No coolant, so didn't pierce the radiator, so likely drivable. Damage be obvious. But, no shortage of those registered. Even here in the sticks. We've alerted highway patrol and nearby departments. And, like we did when Nadi was reported missing, we've asked the utility guys to keep their eyes open. They get around."

Malden upended her mug and drank the last. "So... okay. When this breaks, the perp'll know he effed this one. What's been his pattern?"

"Three weeks," Engels said, "that'll take us to just before Valentine's."

"So will he come chasing this Nadi again... or will he hightail it somewhere else?"

*****

"Hey, Nadi!" It was a group effort, but it wasn't a yell that greeted Nadi as Jane pushed the door open from behind her. But even with the softened individual tones, the cumulative effect was still forceful.

"Oh... hey," Nadine said as her face morphed from confusion to joy as she gave the room a broad smile.

"Hey," Jane said from behind the brunette, "make room! It's cold out here."

The door opened into a combination kitchen and dining area that seamlessly transitioned into the large living room of the small house. The crowd of young women and men backed up and spread across the two spaces. Jane nudged Nadi and the brunette led them in far enough to let her blonde roommate push the door closed.

"Welcome home, Nadi," a redhead said as she stepped forward and wrapped her target in a hug, which was returned.

A tall young woman with light brown hair gestured and four more attendees stepped forward to join in the hug. After a moment, she spoke firmly.

"C'mon, let them get their coats off, at least."

Most of them gave Nadi quick hugs before the redhead helped her remove her coat, she grabbed Jane's coat and turned to face the wall of bodies.

"Make way," she said in a tone that brooked no objections. A gap formed and she turned left into a hallway.

"Thanks, Sherry," Nadi said as she hugged the taller brunette, "I'm... uh, but, why?"

"Val and me thought we should have a party," Sherry said, "and Jane asked if you minded..."

"I didn't say no," Nadi said with a smile as she scanned the crowd, she paused when she saw a young man with slightly shaggy brown hair, he smiled shyly but held her eyes and she tilted her head before she moved on, "but so many. I'm... nothing."

"Shit, girlfriend," Jane said, "we had to turn a few no-hopers away! But enjoy it, tonight and the weekend... then it's back to class."

Soft whoops to that as Val pushed her way through the crowd, her coats disposed of, and threw her arm over Nadi's shoulders and the brunette slid her arm across the other's lower back and rested her hand on the opposite hip. She caught eyes with the other two and Jane gestured and the crowd shuffled back.

"You're sure this is okay, Nadi?" Val's voice barely above a whisper as Jane and Sherry stood close and nodded. "We know you said okay at the hospital, and the docs said to go ahead, but if this gets to be too much... say the word."

"And we'll turf everyone out on their asses," Sherry said, "except you. We have the spare room you can escape to for a bit if you want. Why we're here and not your place."

"It's like our place, just everything here is bigger! Wouldn't all fit, barely get me and Jane in," Nadi said as she bit her lower lip and shrugged, "but, gotta get back to living... but might think about a few changes."

"Like not wearing a bra, eh, girl?" Val said and smirked. "I'm a bit jealous. Finally. We've always told you how awesome they are."

"Oh, uh," Nadi looked down at her white blouse then up and smiled, "too obvious?"

"She told me she wanted the blouse," Jane said to the pair, "I took the cami and bra she always wore with it..."

"Didn't feel right, too many layers," Nadi shrugged, "first night of the rest of my life."

"Okay then," Sherry said before she took a step back and looked around, "if anyone leaves hungry or thirsty, your own damned faults!"

A cheer went up. Val steered her friend toward the dining table.

"We're having the food catered—-," the redhead said.

"By Knight's Pizza and Dragon Chinese," a young man in the crowd offered in a loud voice.

"Damn right," a young woman said, "who the hell here wants to eat any of OUR cooking?"

Nadi joined in the cheered laughter.

"As I was asking," Val said firmly, still arm in arm with other, "we have a good selection. Plenty of soft dr—-."

"Fuck that," Nadi said, "if someone doesn't get a glass of wine in my hand in the next ten seconds, people are gonna be sorry!"

The hospital had been good. Everyone had been so kind and while they asked lots of questions, they'd been so polite about it. Jane and Val and Sherry had made them give her time to herself. Time she'd used to trawl through the memories. A few of the faces here she couldn't find, but as she'd learned, no one expected her to be PERFECT. None would be angry. Such luck.

And now she reviewed specific memories. Guidance about the pursuit. She'd never really acted on it... or much tried it. That was over. There were new sensations to be had. But, play it cool.

She'd noticed him first at the PE building, a warren of gyms and locker rooms. She didn't like organized sports, but she'd always enjoyed the different exercise machines, and Jane was a fitness rat, so gym visits another thing that tied them. Nadi didn't share any classes with her target, but she'd pointed him out to Jane one night, and she'd had little more first-hand knowledge of him. Like tonight, there'd been those glances. Half smiles. But neither had approached.

Which must've been the reason he was here. He circulated freely, apparently knew plenty of the attendees, but didn't seem deeply connected. Jane was the only one of them with a current regular, but her Iain was away at a soccer tournament for the weekend, so her attention had been close, but she'd finally relaxed as Nadi had floated and laughed.

Whoever had invited him, Jane had to have had a part. Nadi had done as Jane had advised, had caught eyes but he seemed to follow the same playbook. Shy looks that would hold, but not linger overmuch. But it was time. It wouldn't be a rush. Jane had reminded her of the upcoming Valentine's Day party. She'd talked to everyone, had hugs, kisses... so now. She didn't have the heart that Jane said would be necessary to 'seal the deal,' as her beautiful blonde roommate said. Set the stage.

"Hi," she said in a halting voice, "you're Jaden, right?"

The handsome face turned to look slightly down at her face. She liked the flashed gaze that went lower and she held her shoulders back and hoped she was right that his struggle to look her in the face again was admiration and not fright. She knew her shirt was snug, not so tight as that nice yellow one had been, but they'd taken that one and wouldn't give it back. That this one wasn't transparent but wasn't exactly opaque on its own had been a subject of veiled conversation and dashed stares, but she didn't care. She wasn't who she'd been. She knew it was something she shouldn't wear to class on Monday, but for tonight... all's fair in love and war. Whichever this was, as Jane and Sherry and Val never tired of reminding her.

She wiggled her toes. She liked socks. She definitely liked socks. But when the shiver ran up her legs as she edged closer to Jaden, and he didn't move, she wondered about her other style change. Probably not, these jeans were snug and showed off what Jane had always called 'your cute butt,' but unlike the shirt, even hinting at transparency was not on offer. But warm weather would return. And with it, the short skirts Val was always on her to wear. People might know about her other style change THEN. She tensed the muscles in her crotch, thighs and hips. Liked the pressure from her jeans.

The handsome young man smiled. "And you're Nadine... am I allowed to call you Nadi? Do I get to be your friend?"

She shifted so they stood in a vee, her right arm and his left just touching. Each held a drink, her third wine and she wasn't sure how many beers in, but this one was halfway done.

"If you want, I'd like that." She wondered if her nipples had grown, the cloth seemed tighter around her chest. And her crotch. She fought the urge to look at HIS crotch, or, better, to slide her hand there. To see. Like Sherry had said a few months back she'd done once, when they were all drunk and Nadi had been embarrassed to not have stories to tell, about boys or girls. Val was so naughty, she talked about boys AND girls. Goals. Long term. But now.

"I've seen you in the PE building," Jaden said, "you have some guns on you."

She shivered when he escalated and caressed her right bicep with his left hand. He'd had to shift away, but this was just recompense.

"Those are lame," she sniffed before she grabbed his wandering hand and guided it to her abdomen, just above her waistband, "I think these are more impressive."

He didn't resist, but she saw the surprise in his eyes. But he pressed the backs of his fingers against her and she guided him from left to right. They stopped and pressed slightly harder. She really wanted his hand a few inches higher... or lower. Whichever. He had two hands. One each.

"It was a forty pound weight I think I saw you with, back before Christmas," he said, "doing crunches. That was... well, incredible."

She encouraged his hand to track around her waist and onto her lower back, used her elbow to nudge it to cover the waistband... Once again, she'd've been happy with it lower... between. Maybe he'd work out her secret.

"Watched me close?" She said with what she hoped was a chiding, yes, that was the word, chiding tone. "Damn. I thought it was me watching you do those squats!"

Squats. Oh yeah. Her hands all over those thighs while he kissed her abs and moved... was that physically possible? Goals. So many goals.

"But you didn't come talk to me," she hoped her new tone was disappointment, but still a bit of chiding, "I was all sweaty and probably smelled bad."

She hoped his expression wasn't anger or distress, but a couple of fingers wandered lower on her jeans. She pushed back.

"No, I'm a lame-o," he said, "you're too cute for me."

She snorted. It'd come out without her thinking. She'd done it when she'd meant to laugh in the hospital and had surprised Jane for an instant. But, new Nadi, new sounds. He raised an eyebrow.

"I'm too cute for you, hah! Although," she used her elbow to nudge his arm lower, "my butt is pretty cute, I've been told."

She watched the unasked question, then his smile broadened. She shimmied her hips as he squeezed her buttocks before he offered steady pressure.

"Like I said, too cute for me," he said, "but I'm just stupid. I DID spend Christmas working on my 'game,' for when the new semester started and I planned to just stay in the gym 24x7 till you showed since we don't have any classes together. But... uh..."

His hand rose, but she nudged into him and he kept it on her lower back.

"Yeah," she said quietly and looked him in the eyes and her voice hardened but stayed low, "someone strangled me and left me naked in a fucking forest."

She leaned her head into his shoulder, then pulled it back and looked at him again. 'Me' was doing a bit of work, but he needn't know that.

"But now I'm here, with you," she said softly, then waved her left hand and looked around at the crowd that'd thinned by about a third, "and with people I love and who love me."

She pushed her arm around his waist and hugged him and after an initial hesitation, he pulled her tighter.

"But... I'm, uh...," she trailed off as he loosened his hug in response to her pulling back enough to look up at him.

"Ah... whatever you need," he said quietly but with a firm nod.

She rose on her tiptoes as she looked at him, his right eyebrow crocked up but he read her and bent his neck.

The kiss started too hard, but he adjusted his lips and hers passed through a smirk before they settled with firm but not intense pressure against his. Both mouths were slightly open but it took a count of two before her tongue made a tentative foray just into enemy territory, where it met an equally tentative sentry. Both explored along the border, neither made the move to penetrate deeper past foreign shores.

She'd closed her eyes, but not her ears. Were they gasps, or murmurs of approval or disapproval? Not her concern. She wasn't sure how happy she truly was that each of them had their 'free' hands not so free. She tried to push her chest against him... against anything... wanted to feel if he'd responded to this, like boys are supposed to when they like a girl. Finally, she loosened her contact, her tongue retreated and he followed suit.

"I'm... sorry... gonna be kind of a bitch," she whispered, "I... will you come to our Valentine's party? I... want... really want... but, can't... tonight..."

"Ssshhh," he'd shifted his beer bottle to free his index finger and touched her lips, "if you think that ANYTHING will keep me away from the Valentine's party... "

She smiled and kissed his finger. "Jane says I have to get a heart for you, so you'll know. I don't have one yet."

He grinned. "Just so long as you'll be there..."

"No, I have to get the heart."

He bent and kissed her quickly and smoothly. She was... holy shit. Her crotch was soaked! She hoped he took her odd expression for anything but what it really indicated. Then it hit her.

She spun and put her wine glass hand around him, sloshed a bit, but hugged him with her head sideways against the top of his chest. He pulled her. She hoped that he'd take her hip's encroachment between his thighs as the accident that it wasn't.

She purred. She was a bit unclear on sizes, knew they varied, sometimes considerably but lacked first-hand knowledge. But for now it was everything she'd hoped for. She heard him release a long breath as she pressed. Then she backed up and smiled at him. She pushed up on her toes and kissed him quickly.

"I... should be going," he said, "but, February 14th. At the campus Clubhouse, right?"

She nodded, her grin undiminished.

"I'll be there at five."

"Yeah." She hugged him and he hugged back. She rubbed her hip against his erection. She had the idea you shouldn't leave 'em like that, but Jane had always scoffed. 'Keeps 'em keen, just don't do it too often. They have ways to deal with it a few times, but they'll get upset and go away if it's too much.'

He took a deep breath and they separated. She again fought the urge to look down, to see their respective crotches. His bulge and her... wet spot... like she'd peed her pants? Maybe THAT was why girls wore undies... She had no plan to ever wear a bra again, except maybe in the gym. But this other issue needed some thought. She walked with him and in a daze as he thanked and said goodnight to her friends. Her posse.

Jaden seemed to be the dam breaking, and after a moment it was just Nadi and her posse.

"You okay?" Jane asked in a low but clear tone as she held Nadi's hands. Val and Sherry both nodded.

"Yeah," Nadi said in a distant voice, but she looked each friend in the eyes, "but, uh, does it show?"

"Does what show?" Val asked.

Nadi looked down, pushed her crotch forward a bit. "I wet myself."

Before the questions could start, she went on. "Oh, uh, didn't pee. But... uh..."

Jane pulled her into a hug. "Our little Nadi is all grown up!"

She released the brunette and spoke in a somber tone. "You're sure? Jaden?"

Val continued the speech. "My fuck buddy Willie knows him. Says he's ridiculously nice. And has a hell of a bod."

"Yeah, he does," Nadi said, "I... uh, felt it."

She caught her tongue between her lips to a round of laughter.

"I told him Valentine's. I need to get a heart like you told me, Jane. And, I, uh, can you help me next week? You and Iain?"

"Um, well, he gets back from the soccer tournament Sunday night, so, yeah, I guess. But, uh, with what?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow," she looked into the distance, "I'm suddenly tired and want to go to sleep in my own bed finally and hopefully have those messy, gooey dreams you tell me about. Not the... other ones."

Jane pulled her into another hug. Sherry and Val joined quickly.

"I'll get your coats," Val said firmly as she strode into the hallway.