by Dale Mayer
He walked into the bedroom and studied the open drawers. Some clothes remained, tossed into disarray. There was a night table sitting beside the bed. Using a tissue from the box on top, he pulled the drawer open to see a few personal items inside but nothing important. He glanced over the bed and realized there was a second door. He walked around the bed and pushed the door open. A small en suite with a bathtub and shower. He turned on the light. And stared. The toiletries presumably from the counter had been tossed to the floor. A pair of sandals sat on the small mat and…
A body lay crumpled, fully dressed in the bathtub.
A man.
A very dead man.
Chapter 7
Tia raced through Simone’s house, following on Dean’s heels. This didn’t make any sense. She made it to the bedroom as he stepped into the bathroom. Her heart stuttered to a stop when she heard him say, “Shit.”
She glanced around the light disarray in the bedroom. Simone was meticulously clean. She’d never have let her bedroom look like this. And…her suitcase was gone.
She brightened. Good. Simone had managed to clear out.
Dean came out of the bathroom, his phone against his ear.
“Stefan. She’s gone. There’s a dead man here.”
What?
Tia snuck around him and raced to the bathroom to see the folded body of a man. “Oh God,” she whispered. “It’s Brennan.”
And heard a sound behind her.
She spun around.
Dean glared at her.
As in he glared at her.
As in he could see her.
Shit.
She caught her breath and waited, her eyes darting to the entrance where he spread his legs in a square stance, effectively filling the doorway. He wasn’t going to let her out. Did he know she was there or was he only guessing? He’d had wonderful hearing in the hospital. And she’d just spoken out loud.
But he didn’t know for sure.
She slowed her breathing down.
“You might as well show yourself. I’m not letting you out of here.”
The nerve of him. What did he know? This was her friend’s house he was searching. Did he have any answers – no. He couldn’t stay here all day. She’d just wait him out.
“Stefan, your little tricky friend is here too.” Dean grinned. “At least I think it’s her. I can hear her, not see her. She’s in the bathroom with the dead man.”
There was silence while she considered her options. She felt like a school kid caught out on a prank.
“No, I’ve called in the police. The place will need to be gone over. So far I’m not sure where Simone is, but it looks like she left in a hurry. The question now is did she kill this man before leaving?”
“No, she wouldn’t,” Tia muttered. “They’d been together for years.”
“Ah, she speaks,” mocked Dean. “Did you hear that Stefan? Tia says the man was Simone’s partner.”
Dean listened for a few more minutes. “You can make that decision. I’m not. She’s here and she’s your problem. Finding a dead man shoots my chance to get some sleep tonight. I’ll call you tomorrow if we find anything.”
He closed his phone and tucked it into his pocket. “Why waste energy trying to hide? I know you’re here. You obviously came in my truck so stop being a child and show yourself.”
“I’m not a child.” She dropped her energy guard and showed herself. “It’s been a long time since I was a child – if I ever was.”
And something in her voice must have gotten through to him for he stared at her hard for a moment then gave a clipped nod. “Then stop disappearing and running away.”
“I’m being hunted,” she said sarcastically. “Maybe that doesn’t mean anything to you, but I’d kinda like to stay alive, thanks.”
“I got that. But if you’re going to hide from those trying to help you, how far do you think you’re going to get?”
She hated the truth of his words, but trust wasn’t something she did easily. “What do you think happened here?” She motioned to the bathroom, deliberately not mentioning the body at her feet. She had no trouble recognizing Brennan. Simone had talked about him for years, even sending Tia photos, but Tia hadn’t actually met the man as he hadn’t been home last night – deliberate choice on their part. The less people who knew she was here the better.
Not that her attempt to keep him out of this mess had done anything for him.
“She either was attacked by him or someone else came in and killed him but she got away. Or she killed him then left.”
But Tia was already shaking her head. “She wouldn’t have killed him. They had arguments like any relationship, but she’d never kill anyone. She was a nurse. She lived to help people.”
“Let’s say I believe you for the moment, what do you think happened here?”
“I think I made a mistake and somehow someone followed me to her place and went after her. She might have had a warning considering she packed a few things. Simone is very street smart.” She’d have disappeared by now. Chances were good Tia wouldn’t ever see her friend again. As long as Simone was free and clear, Tia would be happy for her.
Her heart tripped over the thought of Simone not being free. Could she have been taken? She was a beautiful woman and she was Tia’s friend. She didn’t know if the asshole would do anything to Simone or if he’d keep her as part of his living collection. If so, maybe then Tia could get to her and save her before it got too bad. As long as she was still alive, she could heal. But Tia had to find her and save her. If she hadn’t been taken then there was no finding her. She had street smarts. She’ll find you – if she cares to.
She walked out of the bathroom and collapsed down on the side of Simone’s bed. “I suppose the cops will be all over the place now.”
“In a few minutes, yes.”
“And you have to stay here?”
“Not for the whole mess of things about to happen, but I will have to for at least an hour or so.”
She nodded. It was just setting in. Simone had lost Brennan and she had lost Simone. She stared dry-eyed at her present life and didn’t like the look of it. The future was even more depressing. Shit.
“You can go into my truck and wait. Don’t let them see you. Oh wait, damn it. What about your fingertips. Do you leave prints?”
She nodded absently. “I do but I haven’t touched anything.” She straightened. “Oh, but I did earlier.”
He nodded, his tone serious as he said, “We might need to take your prints to compare to the ones here.”
A broken laugh escaped her. “No, you won’t need to. You’ll run the prints and mine will come up.”
“Come up for what?” He walked to stand in front of her, effectively caging her in case she tried to bolt.
Only she had no plans to bolt. She was just realizing what kind of trouble she was in. Stefan might not be able to save her this time.
“Just how much trouble are you in?”
“Prison type of trouble,” she said shortly. “Maybe.”
“What did you do?”
“I escaped a place where I was supposed to stay. Only I was a prisoner. When I had an opportunity, I ran and never looked back,” she said softly. “With my prints all over the place, they might think I did it.”
“Did what?”
“Killed the doctor,” she whispered. “But I didn’t kill anyone. I’m not even sure he’s dead. If he is, then I think whoever did kill him is after me…and if he’s not dead…then he’s the one chasing me.”
*
This was why he didn’t like cases involving psych wards. Sure, a dead man was chasing her.
He stared down at the bent head, her body solid enough to make anyone believe she was there. And she was – at least right now. Where she’d be in a few minutes was a different story.
He groaned. The problem was – there really was a dead man in the bathroom, and if her friend was in trouble then in theory her story might check out. He trusted Stefan.
He didn’t trust someone he couldn’t see from one moment to the next.
That she could do that blew him away and that she’d taken him for a ride – literally – twice now, just pissed him off.
But…what if she was telling the truth? What if someone was after her and the world thought this man was supposed to be dead?
She’d have a hard time convincing anyone otherwise.
“Tell me the whole story.”
Just then sirens hit the air. She gave a broken laugh. “No time. Story of my life.”
He reached down and grabbed her arm. “Stop it. This is no time for games. Did you or did you not kill someone?”
She glared at him. “I did not.”
He gazed intently into her eyes and saw nothing but painful truths.
Then she ruined it by saying, “But I wanted to. And I will if I ever get the chance.”
He gave her a little shake. “Stop it.” He wanted to give her a much harder shake, and maybe rattle her cage enough to get some sense inside. “You can’t go around saying things like that.”
She stood up. “And I can’t keep living on the run. I thought I was fine all this time. I thought I was safe to come out of hiding and contact Stefan for a way to get out of this mess permanently, but he, whoever he is, found me. He found Simone.”
The police cars pulled up to the front of the house.
“You’d better go,” she said. “You have to meet them at the door or else they’ll assume you got into trouble here yourself.”
She was right, but that didn’t mean he wanted to end this conversation. “Go wait in my truck. I’ll finish up as fast as I can.”
She nodded, but it was a little too fast. A little too easy.
He glared at her. “Don’t let anyone see you and don’t leave my truck. If you want help to get out of this nightmare, you’ll do what you’re told for once.”
She glared right back. And disappeared before his eyes. He glanced down at the arm he held in his hand. It felt solid. Like an arm, skin, flesh. But all he could see was the bedding behind her. She shifted slightly and it was as if someone on the bedding moved, but he couldn’t really see who. Now that he knew what he was looking for, he could make out a slight outline of a person.
“That is crazy. How did you do that?” Then he heard the voices downstairs. “Never mind, we’ll talk later.”
He let go of her arm, knowing that the chances of her sticking around weren’t good, but he had to deal with what he could see at this point, and that was the dead man in the bathroom.
Taking the stairs two at a time, he went down and opened the front door for his coworkers.
Chapter 8
She had no intention of hiding away in the truck. Not right now. She waited in the bedroom for the men to arrive, and arrive they did. Cops in uniform. Men in suits. Guys in some weird coveralls. The whole town looked to have shown up. Maybe she should have left after all. It would be hard to find a place to stand and not be in the way. She might seem invisible but she was solid. If they ran into her, they’d realize that soon enough. There was no deck here or balcony doors for her to escape. Torn between wanting to be here to see if they found anything and wanting to escape to keep her cover, she realized several of the men were leaving to grab more equipment from the vehicles. She skittered down the stairs behind them.
Outside, she stood undecided, trying to figure out her next move. She didn’t have much cash on her, the night was quickly turning to morning and she needed rest. While she was worried about her friend, getting answers quickly wasn’t likely to happen.
There was a cool dampness to the early morning air. She’d spent many such nights just walking. Not sure of her next step. She recognized the atmosphere tonight. It held the inner confusion she’d felt many times before.
Dean’s truck was in the driveway, but there were so many people around she could hardly open a door without it being noticed. Still, he had no canopy, making it easy for her to hop into the back and lie down on the hard box. She sighed and closed her eyes. She wouldn’t be able to sleep, but she desperately needed to think.
The conversations rolled around and through her consciousness as she lay there and waited. She sat and watched as more vehicles arrived. The ambulance driver unloaded a gurney and took it inside and upstairs. A few minutes later, Dean walked toward her. She didn’t know if he’d seen her or not.
He opened his driver’s side door. Then stopped. He turned toward her and said in a low voice, “It’s more comfortable inside. Hop in.”
Damn it. How was it he could see her now? He hadn’t been able to before? She jumped down out of the box and slipped into the front cab. She’d have sworn up to five minutes ago she’d be leaving without him. The last thing she needed was to hook up with a cop.
Well, maybe not the last thing as walking away from Simone’s house hadn’t appealed either. And it wasn’t like Dean was easy to ignore. Brown wavy hair that was short but just impudent enough to have a curl cover his forehead. Square jaw and those eyes. They meant business. The thing about him that almost reassured her was that hard determined attitude. As if he was someone to be counted on. Someone she could lean on – just for a moment. Someone who wouldn’t let others down.
Okay, she liked to read fiction, and it sounded like she was writing a story right now. Still, it was her story, so she could do what she wanted. Casting him as the hero worked, but herself, yeah she was the furthest thing from a heroine as possible.
“You okay?” he asked.
She studied his profile. Yeah, square cheek bones, square jaw. Lean features. Brilliant eyes. She sighed. Definitely dependable take charge kind of person. So damn appealing. But not for her. Never for her. That wasn’t something she could afford in her life.
Especially not now.
“I’m fine,” she said shortly.
“You don’t sound it.”
She snorted. “Duh. My best friend is missing and her partner is dead. What am I supposed to think?”
“I don’t know. He’s been shot.”
She gasped. “What? I didn’t see any blood or bullet holes.”
“Small caliber, and the way he was folded over stopped the bleeding from spreading. As soon as they straightened him out and got him on the gurney there was enough blood to see the hole.”
“In the heart?” she questioned.
He nodded. “In the heart. That makes it up front and personal.”
“Shit.” At his sharp look, she snapped, “They are going to look at her as the killer and at no one else now. In the heart, small caliber, bathroom and her missing. Someone who knew him well, had access and opportunity. Simone just became the prime suspect.”
“She did. However, they are printing the house so you are likely to come up as a suspect pretty quick if what you say is true.”
“Of course I will,” she muttered, staring out the window. She’d given up on her camouflage a long time ago, as long as there was no chance of others seeing her, but now she wanted to go back to being invisible so he couldn’t see her – couldn’t read her.
She was used to hiding. Keeping her thoughts, feelings, actions secret. Not this pain of stripping down each of her outer layers. And that seemed to be what he was doing to her.
And what was really confusing was she was letting him.
“I want you to stay with me.”
At his words she swiveled in the front seat to stare at him. “What? Why?”
“You need a place to crash, I have one. You need help and I can help.”
“And again, I have to ask, why?” His words had hit her like a blow to the side of her head. He was a stranger, and yet he was offering to help her. She didn’t get it.
“You need help.”
“Maybe I do. But I can handle my own affairs.”
“Prickly aren’t you?” But he said it with laughter in his voice.
“Why were you at the hospital?” She knew but wondered if he’d offer something she didn’t know.
“What?” Everything he was saying was throwing her off sideways. “Safe?” Her voice rose in confusion. “I thought you were guarding me?”
“Sure, as in bodyguard. You weren’t a prisoner,” he said. “Stefan was trying to make sure no one made an attempt to get at you while you were unconscious.”
“Oh,” she said in a small voice, sinking back down on her seat. “I woke up, realized something was wrong if I was being guarded and was afraid I was a prisoner again. I just wanted to get the hell out of there.”
“It wasn’t like that.” He turned a corner. “Stefan asked me to keep an eye on you.”
“Stefan?” Okay now she was really confused. “He was there when I was attacked too. There were several people. I didn’t know who they were. It was all so confusing while I was fighting for my life, and when I woke up, I seemed to be confused still. I didn’t know who was who or who was on whose side.”
“And neither did you give anyone a chance to explain.” He waited a moment then asked, “Are you always this combative?”
Still lost in her thought, she didn’t catch his question at first, then it filtered through. “No,” she said shortly. “It comes from running from bad guys all my life.”
“All your life?” He slid a sideways glance her way as he approached a right hand corner. He returned his gaze to the road and made the turn. “We’re almost at my place.”
“And if I don’t want to stay?”
“Then don’t.” He shrugged. “You’re not a prisoner. Leave if you want. But you’d be safer with me.”
*
He hoped she’d stay with him but had to wonder at himself. He’d never been into prickly pear cactus women before. In fact, he wasn’t into any cacti, and she definitely qualified as one. He understood she was in trouble and hadn’t had an easy time of it, but he was trying to help her. So was Stefan but she didn’t seem to believe that either.
Stefan’s loyalty to people was never in question. He helped so many people in so many ways it made Dean angry to think that this girl doubted him.
He also had to wonder what the hell he was doing bringing her home. If he did, he couldn’t in any way bring his son home. Not if she was bringing danger with her.