She would have liked to avoid the sympathetic looks of nurses, and the police officer that came with Theo. Joanna knew what they were thinking. She was lucky Vanessa had witnessed the incident when waiting outside the bar for the cab to arrive, even luckier she could describe the man. A couple of bystanders had offered their phones, but nothing conclusive had come from their recordings.
Was it Grace’s boyfriend? Someone completely unrelated? How many enemies had she made in the past years? Her head hurt. Joanna didn’t want to try and answer any more questions. She would have preferred to be alone right now, but apparently that was not an option.
“Think,” Theo said. “Before or after you met Grace, were there any threats?”
“I keep to myself, and I like to have a drink on a weekend night,” Joanna said. At the moment, it was of little relevance how often she’d had more than one drink on a weekday. “That’s hardly threatening to anyone. Decker’s widow moved away right after the trial, and she never tried to contact me. Other than that, I can’t think of anyone who’d want me dead. How’s it going on your side? You really think Grace is going to make bail?”
“I hope not,” he said, shooting a quick resigned sideways glance at Vanessa who shrugged.
They were an odd kind of family, sharing everything, Joanna thought.
“Can I go home now?” she asked. “There’s nothing else I can tell you.”
Theo waited until the other officer was out of earshot, then he said, “I know you’re both going to be mad at me in a second, but if it’s not me, someone else is going to ask that question. How much did you have to drink tonight?” His tone was tinged with disappointment, though it was unclear if that went for Vanessa or Joanna.
“I saw the man clearly, and I told you so.” Vanessa was furious. “What does that have to do with anything? Yes, we had a few drinks, now what? We didn’t make the whole thing up! Hell, I really have other things to do with my life!”
Joanna assumed their earlier conversation about past regrets might have to do with her intense reaction. She, on the other hand, was almost used to being doubted. What did that mean?
“Enough,” she said. “We had enough to drink. I could have just slipped, but we all know I didn’t, and if the other people hadn’t reacted this quickly, I wouldn’t be here to talk to you.”
Theo nodded. “All right. We’ll find him and get ourselves some answers. Get the information out. I’ll drive you home. Vanessa, you’re coming with me?”
Vanessa followed without any further word.
The scene wasn’t encouraging Joanna to try her luck with Rue, though somewhere deep down inside, she really wanted to. Perhaps being alone scared her more than involving Rue in some kind of imaginary or real danger…but it wasn’t up to Joanna to make that decision for her.
Half an hour later, she stood in the bathroom, still feeling nauseated and chilled. No bones had been broken, she was lucky that way. Joanna didn’t feel very lucky.
“Are you okay in there?”
Vanessa had insisted on coming with her. Joanna hoped she would go, and at the same time, she was scared of when she would.
“Peachy. You can go home now. It’s Christmas Eve, for Christ’s sake.”
“Yeah, and why would I be there all alone? It’s all right.”
“You can’t stay here,” Joanna said, taking inventory of all the cuts and bruises from her encounter with concrete and solid ice. Judging from the picture, the concrete and ice had clearly won this round. Damn it. She wasn’t going to cry. Not now, not again. “There’s no space, and I’m not sharing a bed with you.”
“Oh, I don’t know, that armchair looks pretty comfortable.”
“What is Theo saying about this?”
“Theo is working. He’ll let me know as soon as they find the guy. You shouldn’t be alone right now.”
Joanna thought it was ridiculous, this conversation through the bathroom door. That made her want to cry even more. She was sure Theo and Vanessa had conspired together, and they didn’t even think she could take care of herself.
“I’m going to smoke.” That might work as a threat.
“No, you’re not. Your bed is ready, and we’re both going to get some sleep.”
Joanna leaned against the door, deciding she had no more energy to fight the inevitable.
“Do what you want.”
When she got out of the bathroom, she saw that Vanessa had indeed made the bed. The couch transformed into a small double bed, and despite Joanna’s warnings, Vanessa had made herself comfortable on one side of it.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to get too close. Relax. Everything is going to be better tomorrow.”
Joanna had no idea where her boundless optimism came from, but she didn’t ask.
“Let’s hope and pray,” she said. “Good night.”
* * * *
For Grace, it was a Christmas miracle. The police wouldn’t have the DNA results before the holidays. She’d make bail the moment she could get a hearing.
She was still furious, at Edward, at herself. How could she have not seen this coming?
What if she didn’t make it out?
There was no doubt Edward would find another partner soon—he was charismatic and convincing when he wanted to be.
Where would that leave her?
And what if she gave him up?
Grace shook her head. There was no guarantee that the police would find him, and for sure, he wouldn’t forget who had ratted him out. It was better to stick to the plan. Hopefully she could convince him to do one more before they got the hell out of Dodge. Yes, that one more. It mattered to her. After that, it was probably smart to take a break. She needed to come to terms with how Joanna had brushed her off, then only returned for trying to get information out of her. Once she got her revenge, she’d be able to let go and leave.
Grace sighed.
If only the DNA results didn’t come in…they were always careful, but they might have gotten a little carried away with Felicity at the killing site. If the cops had found it…She needed to get out of here within the next few hours. She hoped Edward would speed it up a bit. After all, she had given him so much in the past years.
* * * *
When Joanna woke, she was confused by the smell of coffee and food, even more so, when Kira came out of the kitchen a moment later.
“Good morning,” she said. “I hope you’re hungry. Merry Christmas.”
“What…?”
“Your friend Vanessa called me, because we all know you’d be too proud to do it, and I’m glad she did. You shouldn’t be alone right now.”
“She’s crazy,” Joanna mumbled. “You have a family. It’s Christmas.”
“We are family too, remember?”
Joanna did remember. They had been there for each other during the long dreary days in prison. She didn’t want to deepen the subject.
“In any case, we’re okay. We did the gifts early this morning—it’s not like the kids haven’t been up since four-thirty or so—and I arrived before Vanessa left. You were dead to the world.”
“That’s not a pretty phrase.”
“No, it’s not,” Kira agreed. “Come on, let’s eat. She said they’d call you when they find the guy.”
Joanna shrugged. “I’d feel better if they caught him…did she say anything else?” The deadline to keep Grace behind bars must be almost up. “I’m just going to make a quick call, okay?”
“Hurry up. The eggs are getting cold.”
“Yeah.” As she moved around the apartment, various pains made themselves known. Aware of Kira’s gaze, she tried not to wince as she picked up her cell phone and chose Vanessa’s number.
“Hey, it’s me. I wanted to let you know there was no reason to take Kira away from her family today—but thank you—and if there’s any news regarding Grace.”
“Oh, there’s news,” Vanessa said triumphantly. “Good news. Grace is going to stay with us a little while longer.”<
br />
“Great. Thank you.”
Joanna finally joined Kira in the small kitchen, thinking the day was starting with gifts after all.
* * * *
Kira had struggled for years with an abusive boyfriend who pinned his drug business on her when he was busted. She had worked hard to get back on her feet after the prison sentence, and managed better than most. Thinking of her story, Joanna once again reflected that it might be time to count her own blessings. She had friends in unusual places that cared about her. They were her family.
“I didn’t buy you a present,” she said wistfully.
“I didn’t think you had the time, hunting after serial killers and all.” Kira’s voice softened. “Don’t you think it’s time to let go?”
She had undoubtedly seen the printouts, as had Vanessa.
“Believe me, I was starting to see the wisdom in that. Then someone tried to throw me under the bus.”
Kira looked troubled.
“This is exactly the reason why you should stay out of it. You don’t have the resources you used to have.”
“Well, I still own a gun, and sometimes I can guilt Theo or Vanessa into telling me things.”
“That’s not the same and you know it. I want you to be around, Joanna. Someday I might tell my kids how I made it through on the inside, and I want them to know who did that for me.”
“Let’s not talk about this now.” Joanna sipped her coffee. “I want to enjoy the one time someone made breakfast for me. I really appreciate it.”
“Promise,” Kira insisted.
“What, to back out and let these guys do whatever the hell they want? What if the cop who busted your ex had this kind of attitude? Just let it go, because you can’t get them all anyway?”
“You’re right,” Kira said. “Let’s not go there.”
Chapter Thirteen
Rue sat on her living room couch, with the TV Christmas special running in the background as she contemplated her options. She hadn’t gone back to Mitchell’s, instead written and sent her official resignation. There was no turning back. So far, none of the companies she was supposed to interview with, had contacted her with bad news, but it was the holidays.
She had told her parents earlier that she couldn’t make it before the 27th, as she had to work over Christmas, but that was a moot point now. She wondered if she should change her plans, call them and go. Rue hesitated. Her parents were middle class, had worked their way up to achieve their goals which seemed modest in comparison to the opportunities Rue had. They would be worried to hear she had quit a well-paying job with no new one safely lined up yet, but she thought they would eventually understand she had to follow her conscience. They had heard the occasional ignorant comments from neighbors regarding Rue, so they weren’t strangers to blatant homophobia. She could probably explain herself, but that was part of the problem—she needed time to think, not dispute. She wanted answers from Joanna. For a moment, she fantasized about introducing Joanna to her parents, unsure how that would go.
They always had accepted her without conditions or any catch. Certainly, they would wonder about Joanna’s story.
She jumped when her cell phone started vibrating on the glass coffee table, hoping it could be the woman who had occupied her thoughts almost 24/7 since their last, rather disastrous meeting. As it was, the message came with mixed news.
She remembered Vanessa from the night she’d first met Joanna, but what she had to tell Rue wasn’t so reassuring.
“Oh my God,” she said out loud. Her next thought, rather irrelevant given the circumstances, was that it was Christmas day. She shouldn’t come empty-handed, right?
A plan was forming in her mind. She could still see her parents in two days, use the rest of the time to figure out what was really going on, with Joanna, between the two of them.
Rue packed a small overnight bag—too optimistic?—put on her coat and left her condo, mentally calculating which grocery store would by best to swing by on her way.
Halfway there, she shook her head to herself, laughing though the news made her feel more like crying. She had jumped at the chance to see Joanna again and hopefully help her out in a difficult situation, not even knowing if Joanna was interested in that help.
If that didn’t give her all the answers, Rue didn’t know what would.
Despite the dire occasion, she felt excited.
* * * *
They had done the dishes together and settled in the living room. After another half hour, Kira looked at her watch with a sigh. “I’m sorry. I guess I have to go.”
“Don’t be sorry for that. I’m sure your folks are waiting for you. Thank you—for everything.”
At the door, Kira hugged her, and Joanna tried not to wince.
“You’re welcome. And remember what you promised, okay?”
Joanna didn’t think she would feel like investigating today, or pursuing any difficult conversations. Instead, she might go straight back to bed once Kira was out of the apartment. She had a lot to think about, but she wanted the conflicting voices to be silent for a little while.
The doorbell rang, which set off an instinctual reaction. She pulled Kira back into the apartment and put a finger to her lips. After last night, she had felt surprisingly safe in her home, but it was better to be safe than sorry. She didn’t expect anyone at this time. Vanessa was still at work. Who else would come to see her? She didn’t want to risk her friends’ lives too.
“Who’s there?”
“It’s Rue. Are you going to let me in? I hope so, because I brought food.”
Joanna spun around to face Kira who shrugged.
“Don’t look at me. I really need to go now. If you’re looking for a suspect, I think Vanessa got her number from your cell phone. Just a theory. Bye, J.”
“Yeah, sure, come on up,” Joanna said, hitting the buzzer before she let Kira out. She waited in the hallway. Kira waved and turned for the stairs.
The manipulative tactics of her friends amazed her. Obviously, Vanessa felt like she had a lot to make up for. Then Joanna realized that she was wearing an old shirt and sweats and looking more than a little worse for wear. Did Rue know what happened? Was that why she was here? She had no more time to give these questions a lot of thought. She heard the sound of the elevator.
The doors opened and Rue stood in front of her with two grocery bags, her eyes widening when she looked at Joanna.
“I, uh, I’m so sorry about what happened. How are you doing?”
“Okay, I guess. You want to come in?”
“Yes. Sure. I thought we could put this away for now, and I’ll make us something later. I imagine you don’t feel like cooking much?”
Despite herself, Joanna had to laugh.
“That wouldn’t be so different from any other day, but…Hey, I’d understand if this is too awkward for you, and you don’t want to be here. I know Vanessa put you up to this, with or without Kira’s help.”
“I didn’t need much convincing,” Rue said softly as she walked inside. “I thought maybe we could be friends too—at least. Does that sound stupid? I have until the 27th. I promised my parents I would see them then. And I had a rather unpleasant conversation with your dad which convinced me to quit my job.”
“Oh Rue. You shouldn’t have done that.”
Rue halted for a moment, obviously becoming aware she’d hardly taken a breath since she walked in.
“Don’t worry, it wasn’t as spontaneous and reckless as it might sound. Well, it’s still kind of reckless. I have a couple of interviews next week. He wasn’t happy though.”
“Let’s put this away, and then we can talk,” Joanna said, unsure how to take this news from Rue. The last thing she’d wanted was to create trouble for her. After all, she still did care. “Wow. What is all this?”
“I wasn’t sure what you had in the house. I wanted to make sure I had everything.”
They worked silently, and after Joanna’s fridge and tiny pant
ry were filled to the max, she led Rue into the living room.
“Okay. Now tell me what this is all about. I didn’t mean you should quit the job, I’m sorry if it came across that way. It’s not up to me, and…I overreacted. I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry too. I should have told you. But honestly, that’s not even what it was all about. I knew a long time ago I had to leave certain things alone, that if I didn’t, everything would come to the surface. Well, it did.”
“I know how that feels.”
She had made compromises and concessions when she was younger, but sins of omission got her only so far. When Lawrence confronted her about her sexuality and gave her an ultimatum, Joanna wasn’t willing to gamble on her identity any longer.
“I know you do, and whatever he might do now, you gave up a lot more. I’ll be okay. I’ll find another job.”
“What can he do?” This was odd, like talking about a malevolent stranger. Maybe it was her way of denial. She hadn’t talked to her father in many years, and a part of her still wondered if she could have done anything to avoid this outcome.
“Not that much, I don’t think so. Not everyone in town is queasy about hiring a lesbian, especially when that has nothing to do with the job…and I wouldn’t want to work for one of his pals anyway, that wouldn’t be much of a change.”
“In that case…congratulations?”
Rue laughed. “I’m not sure. I think so. Now tell me what happened to you.”
* * * *
A young woman called the precinct in the late afternoon, claiming her neighbor, Marshall Stevens, looked exactly like the man who had pushed a woman in front of an oncoming bus the day before.
It turned out Stevens had been a nuisance to the whole apartment building, harassing the women, scaring the kids whenever he had the opportunity.
Now, Theo and his partner Allison were interrogating him, while Vanessa had stolen away from her desk to watch from behind the two-way mirror. This case interested her. Of course, everything about Joanna Mitchell interested her ever since she’d made the decision that changed both of their lives irreversibly, boasting her career and ending Joanna’s. Vanessa had felt guilty every day, more in the beginning, less so in the past year, but she still felt a sense of responsibility. The idea of a serial murderer coming after Joanna made her uneasy, mostly because she knew her friend wouldn’t back away from the challenge.
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