by Mary Burton
The last five years had not changed her. She looked just as she had in high school. Small, petite, she always had a way about her that made him want to protect her when he wasn’t fucking her.
He pressed his forehead against the rough bark and gently rocked back and forth. He wanted to see her again. Touch her. Hold her. Be inside her. Life was always more vivid and jazzed when he was with her. What had she called them once? Bonnie and Clyde.
He dug his cell from his pocket and dialed her number. As her phone rang, her head turned and she picked up the phone. For a long moment she stared at the display and he thought she might pick it up. But then she hit silent as her mother appeared in view.
Amber turned from the window, as if he did not exist. Almost like she knew he was out here, watching her.
Pressing the phone to his head, he needed her. He wanted Amber so much.
Be patient. Be patient. She promised they would be together soon. Very soon.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Thursday, October 5, 9:00 P.M.
Overhead lights of the Nashville Police Department’s parking lot hummed as Georgia crossed to her car. She left Deke at the medical examiner’s office hours ago and returned to her lab where she spent several hours processing a robbery scene. As she cut across the lot she could only think about food. She was starving.
“Georgia!”
She turned at the sound as a tall, lean man stepped from the shadows. He wore a dark blue shirt from a local garage that skimmed his muscled biceps and chest. His black beard was thick and his dark hair tied back.
She looked around the lot, irritated she’d not paid more attention to her surroundings before she walked out of the building. “Can I help you?”
“I’m Hal West. Carrie’s boyfriend.”
She reached in her purse, thumbing the canister of mace she always carried. “Right. The guy that likes to put bruises on the mother of his child. How the hell are you, Hal?”
He held up a crumpled napkin. “I found this in her purse. When I asked her what it was about she got real jumpy. Mind telling me what my girl is doing with your number?”
Jamming her thumb under the safety on the mace, she hoped this jerk stepped closer. “I told her that when she’s tired of being your punching bag to call me.” She was outmuscled, but knew if she showed any kind of fear he would take the offensive. “When she wises up, I’ll see to it she leaves you for good.”
“Fuck you.” He ripped the napkin and threw it on the ground. “You got no business in my life.”
She pulled her phone from her back pocket and hit the 911 speed dial icon. “You got no business beating on a woman half your size, pal. Let’s see how badass you are when the cops show up in less than a minute.”
He advanced a step, his fists clenched. In the distance she heard sirens and knew valuable seconds would separate her from the cops being able to stop real trouble.
“Is there a problem here?” The deep male voice belonged to Jake Bishop.
Georgia looked past Hal to see Jake standing outside the circle’s edge of light. His feet were braced, his hand rested on his gun as if hoping.
Hal’s gaze remained locked on Georgia. “I’m having a conversation with the lady. She’s glad to see me.”
Georgia shook her head. “Detective Bishop, I’ve told Hal here the cops are on the way.”
“What’s the issue, Hal?”
Hal stared at Georgia, grinding his teeth as if he were chewing on a bit. “Nothing. I got no problem.”
“He hurt you in any way,” Jake asked Georgia.
“Nope.”
“Threats?”
“Nothing to charge him with.” There would be no holding Hal tonight, but that didn’t mean the trouble was over.
A marked squad car raced into the lot and stopped, catching the trio in the headlights. An officer got out of the car. “What’s the trouble?”
Hal shook his head. “No trouble.”
“Then leave,” Jake ordered.
Hal flexed his fists, but he turned and moved along the line of parked cars until he reached a beat-up truck. He got behind the wheel, fired up the engine, and peeled out of the lot.
Georgia looked at the officer, allowing herself to release the breath she’d been holding. “Thanks for the quick call.”
“We’re set,” Jake said.
The officer nodded, got in his squad car and left, leaving them alone.
“How long has this been going on?” Jake asked.
“That’s the first time I met Hal. But I know his girlfriend. Hal likes to knock her around and I offered her a place to stay if she ever wised up and left his ass.”
He faced her, the light from the streetlight cutting across his face. “Did he do anything to threaten you in any way?”
“No. This is the first.” She pressed trembling fingers to her forehead. “But I’m sure it won’t be the last.”
His hand rested near his weapon, the ring on his finger tapping against the grip of the gun. “Shit, you’ve got to be more careful.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m sure if he wasn’t pissed off when he arrived, he was when he left.”
“Don’t take this lightly, Georgia. I’ve seen stalkers before. Hell, ask your brother Alex what it’s like to deal with a stalker. His fiancée, Leah, went through hell and back with her stalker.”
“He’s all bluster. He’s used to backing down. But you’re right. I’ll be more careful, but I am worried about Carrie.” She dialed a new number on her phone and listened until she landed in Carrie’s voice mail. She detailed what had happened and told her to be careful. She also repeated her phone number and offer for a place to stay.
“Shit. You’re taking this too lightly.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Taking a break. I’ve been reviewing tapes since I left Scott Murphy’s motel room. Figured you were working and decided to stop by.”
“Why are you so nice to me?”
“I don’t know. You sure don’t deserve it, yet.”
Good. He was annoyed. At least the evening wasn’t a total loss. “Any more leads on the guy who was spending time with Elisa?”
He studied her an extra moment as if sensing the tangle of emotions. “Not yet.”
“Brad tells me the motel room was filled with prints.”
He flashed one of his smartass smiles. “You forensic folks are the turtle in this race.”
Talk of work soothed some of the chaos. “Slow and steady wins the race.”
“You keep telling yourself that when I cross the finish line with my suspect.”
“My evidence will keep him behind bars.”
“It’ll help, but I could do without.”
That prompted a laugh. “You’re so sure of yourself.”
“I’m sure I know how to chase a trail and catch bad guys.”
She understood what he was doing. Grating on her last nerve to make her feel better. Words rose up in her and caught in her throat. “Thanks for showing up when you did.”
He offered a slight nod of the head. “You can count on me, Georgia. I’ve got your back.”
“You do,” she whispered.
A heavy silence settled between them. In the distance she heard people talking, knew others from the station were approaching their own cars. She tightened her hand on her keys.
He leaned closer, his body eating up a little more of the wedge of space between them. “I’m not kidding, Georgia. Don’t underestimate Hal or think he’ll forget about you.”
“I won’t.”
Finally, he stepped back and allowed her to open her car door and sit. Silent, Jake stood steady as she closed her door and turned over the engine. In the rearview mirror she watched as he stood in the parking lot staring in her direction. She watched until she turned the corner and he vanished from sight.
* * *
Georgia wasn’t sure how long her eyes had been closed when her cell rang. She sat up on her couch, dropping the televis
ion channel selector as she twisted around and searched for her phone. She glanced toward the television and the muted infomercial that displayed some kind of kitchen gadget that could peel and dice.
She found her cell between the cushions of her couch and accepted the call without bothering to look at the number. She wasn’t on call tonight, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be called in to a rape or homicide scene.
“Hello.” Her voice sounded like sandpaper, forcing her to clear her throat. “Hello.”
“Georgia Morgan?” The feminine voice sounded small and charged with fear.
“That’s me. Who is this?”
“It’s Amber Ryder.” She hissed in a breath and then slowly released it.
“What’s happening?” Georgia stood, dusting cracker crumbs from her shirt. She’d not intended to fall asleep on the couch when she’d switched on the romantic comedy. However, she’d dozed almost immediately and at this moment couldn’t have told you a thing about the plot.
“I’ve been mugged.”
She rubbed her eyes. “Where are you?”
“I’m at a convenience store.”
“What happened?”
“I was inside buying beer and I walked to get in my car when a guy showed up out of nowhere. He tried to take my purse, but I fought back. He shoved me to the curb.”
“Are you hurt?”
“I’m bruised up. And I’ve a cut on my forehead that’s going to need stitches.”
Georgia blinked the fatigue from her eyes, trying to clear her thoughts. “What do you need?”
“Can you take me to the hospital? I know you don’t know me that well, but I just don’t know who else to call.”
Georgia blinked the fatigue from her eyes. “Yeah, sure. Give me the address.”
Amber rattled off her location. “I’ll come get you. Just sit tight.”
Georgia hurried into her small kitchen and set a K-Cup into the coffeemaker. While it gurgled, she washed her face in the kitchen sink, tucked her shirt into her jeans, and finger-combed her hair before tying it in a ponytail. A few minutes later, coffee in hand, Georgia was backing out of her parking space at her apartment complex. It was two-forty a.m.
The roads were empty except for the occasional delivery truck and marked police car. The drive to the East Nashville address took only twenty minutes. When she pulled up in front of the convenience station, there was no sign of Amber. Parking, with the engine still running, she surveyed the lot, studying the shadows. She thought about Hal stepping out, grabbing her, luring her into a trap.
Her hand on her phone, she unrolled her window. “Amber!”
Seconds later, Amber slowly walked out of the shadows, a fistful of napkins pressed to her bloody forehead. She hurried around to the passenger side of the car.
Georgia unlocked the door long enough for her to get in before relocking it. She turned on the dome light and looked at Amber, blood soaking the napkins and oozing down the side of her cheeks. “Who did this to you?”
“I don’t know. He came out of nowhere.”
“Did you call the cops?”
“No. I don’t want to deal with cops right now. Please. I don’t need an interrogation.”
“They’re here to protect you.”
Amber winced as she pressed the wound harder to staunch the flow. “I can’t deal with them now.”
“Okay. Let’s get you to the emergency room.” Georgia put the car in drive and pulled out of the parking lot.
Amber laid her head back against the seat and drew in a steadying breath. “This is not how I pictured my return to Nashville.”
“Have you received any other texts?”
“A few calls and hang-ups but no texts.”
“Who’s calling?”
“I didn’t recognize the number.”
She pulled the napkin from her head and grimaced at the sight of the blood. “It was stupid of me to go out so late, but I was craving a beer.”
Georgia frowned as the stoplight turned yellow. She punched the gas and slid through the intersection as the light turned red. “Where’s your mother?”
“Working, I think. Or maybe she’s off her shift now and gone out with friends for a drink. That’s her favorite part of the day, or at least it was when I was in high school.” She grimaced as she pressed the napkin back on the wound.
Amber turned a little toward Georgia, her face half shadowed in the darkness. “I heard about that poor girl on the news. I’m guessing that’s why you and the detective had to leave so quickly.”
“We’ve been meaning to get back to you but there’s been no time.” She shoved out a breath. “You’ll hear this soon from someone, but we found Bethany and Mike’s bodies.”
She rolled the window down to get some fresh air. “I heard on the news they found something at the park. How did you find them?”
“The murdered girl was in a cave. Bethany and Mike were behind her in another chamber.”
She pressed a hand to her temple. “I don’t understand. Why would all three bodies be together?”
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”
Tears tightened her throat. “My God, after all this time. We finally know where they are. How did they die?”
“We’ve not released that yet. Still doing tests.”
“My God,” she whispered again as she stared out the window at the rushing lights. “Mrs. Reed will be devastated. And Mr. Marlowe was very dedicated to Mike. His son was his world. He’ll not rest until he finds out what happened. I didn’t like the guy, but he doesn’t deserve this. No one does.”
Georgia tightened her grip on the wheel. “We want to talk to you again.”
“Of course.” She shook her head. “God, after all this time and they were right here.”
Amber moaned softly as more pain seemed to course through her head. When it appeared to pass, she was pale and her clear eyes murky.
Georgia, sensing Amber’s condition was worsening, drove faster, even running a red light until she spotted the hospital ahead. Pulling into the parking spot reserved for emergency, she ran around the front of the car and helped Amber stagger to her feet.
The two women made their way across the lot, and by the time they reached the emergency door entrance, Georgia was able to flag down an orderly and get Amber into a wheelchair.
The next half hour centered on getting Amber into an ER room, changed into a gown, and seeing that her paperwork was filled out. Georgia was relieved when Amber removed an insurance card from her wallet.
A nurse examined Amber and determined she would need a dozen stitches. “That’s a nasty gash. How did you get it?”
“I was mugged. As I was running away, I was shoved and hit the curb. Cut my forehead, I think the blood scared the guy away.”
Frowning, the nurse nodded. “Let’s get you numbed up and then sutured. I’m also going to ask the doctor to check in on you because you might have a concussion. Have you ever had a head injury before?”
“I had a bad fall five years ago and suffered a grade-three concussion.”
“Okay, the doctor might order an MRI.”
Amber closed her eyes. “Sure. Fine.”
The nurse returned within a few minutes with a supply tray. She numbed the wound and then stitched up the gash. A doctor appeared and ordered an MRI and she was then wheeled away.
Georgia made her way to a breakroom and poured herself a cup of coffee. She checked her phone and discovered she had a few missed calls. At the top of the list was Jake Bishop. This time, she dialed his number.
“Where are you? You haven’t answered your phone in hours,” he said.
“Amber was mugged. She split her head open and needed stitches. I drove her to the hospital.”
“Why did she call you?”
She shoved a stray curl from her eyes. “She didn’t have anyone else.”
“She’s staying with her mother,” he countered. “Nine-one-one works.”
“Mom i
s MIA and Amber was afraid the rescue crew would call the cops, and she doesn’t want to deal with more cops.”
“Is that really smart, Georgia? Amber is part of an active investigation.”
“Shit, Jake. She didn’t have anyone.” She walked down the hallway out of the breakroom toward the sliding glass doors. The sun hovered at the lip of the horizon ready to rise and leaking pinks and reds into the waning night sky. “I couldn’t exactly tell her to take a cab.”
“Why not?”
She sipped her coffee, which tasted bitter. “Because I’m a nice person, remember?”
“You’re a soft touch, Georgia.”
A shiver climbed up her spine. She had the sense someone was watching her, and on reflex, hesitated as she scanned the lot. She saw no one.
“Are you there?”
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“When does Amber leave?”
“They’re talking about admitting her. Once I know, I’ll leave.” Her stomach grumbled, reminding her she’d not eaten a decent meal in a while. “So, why are you in such a rush to talk to me?”
“Just checking in.”
“Why?”
“I’m asking myself that question right now. Mainly, I wanted to make sure Hal didn’t return.”
She turned and moved back into the hospital, taking comfort from the bright lights and the hum of conversation. “Aw, that’s sweet. How did it go with the surveillance tapes?”
Silence and then a frustrated sigh. “I think we spotted our guy on surveillance tape buying rope eight days ago. But he kept his head ducked and his face turned as if he expected cameras.”
“Smart guy.”
“I’m smarter.”
* * *
He stood outside the hospital waiting for the nurse to leave Amber’s room. He thought about the gash in her head and all the blood that had streamed down her face when he’d seen her fall. She’d cried out in pain but had kept her cool. He was glad she only required some stitches. At one point, he feared all the blood loss would kill her.
When he saw the redheaded cop leave just after sunrise, he knew Amber was stable and resting. He reached for his phone, needing to call Amber. He dialed her number, but she didn’t answer.