by R. T. Wolfe
Sorry I missed you—
The door opened before she could finish. "Mom?" Rose headed toward the front of the house. "I was just leaving you a note."
Her mother walked in with Dave. "There. Rose is here. You can go now." She turned to Rose. "So glad you came by," she said and hugged her. "He's become my shadow. Not that I don't like it, but I know he can't get much done like this."
Dave looked at Rose, then down at her mother and back to Rose again. "Don't leave her alone." He kissed both of them on their foreheads before leaving for the station.
Rose led her mother back into the kitchen. "Sit, Ma. I'm making you some hot tea."
"Thank you. I feel like I should be doing that for you. You've been working so much." Her mother sat and folded her hands on the table. "So, are you ever going to tell me the story with you and Andy?"
Rose poured water into the teapot and set it on the stove. "First ..." She sat and set her hands on the table. "I know you worry and I see now why you worry, but I want you to stop. I want you to stop and I want to say I'm sorry for—"
Her mother shook her head. "No need."
"Yes, much need. You need to know that I took off because I couldn't get a handle on what you've been through. Still can't. Not yet. Mostly, I want you to know that I don't care about him. I guess I've never told you that before because I don't think of him. I don't consider him my father in any way. He's an ugly man who hurt my mother. For years. When I think about it... I can't help it; I get angry. Very angry."
"Stay away from him, Rosemarie. Don't you ever—"
"No, no. I'm not stupid. Mom, I'm sorry. I wouldn't... I won't. Ever." Rose shook her head clear, stood to get down two mugs and tea bags, and set them next to the stove. "I need to know." She turned to face her, leaning back against the counter. "Daughter to mother. Woman to woman. I need to know everything."
Her mother sighed and nodded. "All right." Then, walked over and took Rose's hands in hers tightly. "All right, but first I need you to look at a drawing. A police artist's rendering of him. I meant for you to do that yesterday before you ran out."
"It's not going to bother me." Rose held on loosely.
Reaching over and opening the corner kitchen drawer, her mother pulled out a copy of the nine-by-twelve-inch police rendering and held it close to her chest, facing outward.
So, Rose thought, that's the bastard. Blood boiling, she worked to memorize it. "I've never seen him before," she said flatly.
"Take it. Keep it with you." Her mother held it out.
Rose shook her head but held her hand out anyway. "If you want, but I won't forget."
Placing the copy in her outstretched hand, her mother emphasized, "Show it to whomever you can; Andy, your boss. He's a very dangerous man."
Taking a cleansing breath, Rose clasped her fingers around the paper. "Yes. I see that he is. I can take care of myself. Black belt remember... wait a minute. That's why—"
Her mother kissed her on the cheek as the teapot whistled.
* * *
"I was speaking hypothetically," Rose tried interrupting Andy's conversation between him and her boss.
Dr. Gray slouched comfortably in his padded office chair with fingers dug deeply into his front pockets, legs straight out in front of him. He nodded as he looked through her to Andy. "This will be a good opportunity for her assistant to get her feet wet without Rose there to pick her up when she falls down. Wart won't like it, but the bird will survive for a few days."
"Gracie." She felt like she was talking to the air. "Her name is Gracie—"
"Thank you, Paul." Andy held out his hand. "I'll bring her back in one piece."
Andy turned to her as if he just noticed she was there, then lifted his brows.
She stood with her arms crossed and head cocked. "What the hell are you doing? I have summer camp field trips, a list of animals that need care and an eagle to train."
"Grace can do it," Andy and Dr. Gray responded in unison.
She turned to head for her office. "I have interns and fundraising—"
Andy took hold of her arms, turned her. "It can wait." He picked her up, setting her over his shoulder.
"Okay, now this is mature." She bounced up and down with his stride.
"I'm leaving work, too, remember? We both need this." He headed toward the main lobby.
She first tried kicking and squirming; it was like trying to bend steel. So instead, she dug an elbow in his back, resting her chin on her palm as he walked.
She closed her eyes as she bounced over Andy's shoulder. What if Gracie wouldn't eat? What if she slides back on her training? What if the interns don't stay on the right feeding schedule for the baby opossums? What if her mother needs her? She sighed. She hadn't needed her through almost two decades of this.
Andy's strong, warm hand effortlessly held onto her thigh as they bounced through the hall. What if she didn't get the chance to be with him like this for weeks? Months? It was only a long weekend.
When they entered the lobby, the room fell silent. Too embarrassed to speak, she worked up her most intimidating glare.
Wes quickly turned and looked the other direction.
"I see you smiling, McGee."
* * *
The sun had yet to come up as Duncan sat in the white wicker couch of his uncle's guesthouse. Coffee in hand and feet propped on the matching coffee table, he read the morning news on his tablet. Crickets along with early morning birds and frogs were awake and easily heard, as the house was close to the creek. But, he wasn't really listening.
Lifting the cup to his lips, he inhaled the smell of strong, black coffee as his eyes narrowed. He took his time memorizing the face of the man on the home page of the Northridge Gazette site. The man with Rosemarie's eyes. His gaze shifted momentarily to the clock display in the corner of the screen, then back to the rendering. Time to get your ass up, Andy.
He used his speed dial as he read the article.
A scratchy and clearly irritated voice fumbled with the phone on the other end. "I'm on vacation. Go to hell."
"You need to get over here."
He could hear his brother rearrange the phone and let out a small grunt. "Everything okay?"
"No. How fast can you arrive?" He set the tablet aside and picked up his laptop. He could be much faster with a real keyboard and he had a lot of work to do.
"Shit, Duncan." There was a long pause before Andy repeated, "Shit. Give me an hour."
"An hour then." Duncan hung up and his fingers started moving.
* * *
Andy drove the SUV. His aunt would already be up, but the rumble from the Maserati would wake Nathan and his cousins. Dawn had passed and he could see the reflection of the homes all along the perimeter of the still water on the lake. The air was unseasonably cool for this time in the summer and smelled crisp and damp. He took little notice. His mind was on Duncan and what was going on with him.
Walking in without knocking, he found him sitting at the kitchen table flying across the keyboard of his laptop. He recognized his brother's posture. Concentration. If Duncan woke him up at the frigging crack of dawn and made him postpone leaving on his trip with Rose just to help him with hacking, he might very well kick his ass again.
The last time Duncan wanted his help, he remembered, was to look into the files of a client who was dragging his feet in paying him. The dude claimed to be close to filing Chapter Eleven when, in fact, they found records regarding a few million in gold ounces kept in out-of-state safety deposit boxes.
Duncan turned to acknowledge his arrival, and it took only one look for Andy to know this was big. "Sup?" Andy tilted his head up once.
Duncan changed screens and turned the computer to face Andy. "You didn't show this to me. You should have showed this to me."
Andy turned his head partially away, but kept eye contact. "I told you what was going on."
"But you didn't show me the sketch of him. I've seen him. I think he might have been followin
g Rose."
The muscles along Andy's shoulders tightened reflexively. Goose bumps prickled at the back of his neck. He took the seat next to his brother and listened. His head spun. When Amanda confessed the identity of Rose's father, of how the man had stalked and extorted her for years, he had felt pity and compassion for Amanda. He had felt a sense of need to protect Rose's heart as she worked to sort this out. Amanda made it perfectly clear that the man had no idea of Rose's existence.
But was that wrong? He thought of where she would be right then and picked up his cell. His brother watched clearly with judgment but didn't offer his opinion.
"Hey." Andy stood from the table and paced slowly.
"You should've slept in, but I'd hoped... I mean I figured you'd be at work." He ran his free hand through his short hair. "He's all right, but we're gonna need to leave a little later today." His hand clenched in and out of a fist but he spoke calmly. "Can you meet me in a little while? Say eight-ish?" Andy looked to Duncan who was back at his keyboard but nodding. "I'll pick you up. See you."
Duncan's fingers flew and he still didn't look but spoke up. "Are you ready to go on?"
His head might have been in a fog, but the information Andy had taken in and his option of the next few steps were in perfect clarity and likely matched that of his brother's. "I'm all right. Where are you at on there?"
Duncan finished a few strokes, then turned the screen to face him. "I'm in three internet cafés in three different states. I've got their pass codes memorized, but I need you to look it over."
Andy took lead and started backing up each process to look at the big picture. This was how they worked. Duncan had the memory; Andy had the sense of building. "You've got some holes, here." He pointed to the screen. "Here. And here." Andy worked while his brother got up to warm his coffee and to make Andy a to-go cup. They sat for nearly an hour, Andy working with Duncan over his shoulder, giving suggestions when needed.
"We'll need to move remote next." Andy ran his hands over his face.
"And we need to wait for someone to log in to track their ID and password key strokes."
They spoke at the same time regarding their next stop. "Internet café and coffee?"
Nodding in succession, Duncan copied files to a flash drive, logged off and shut down.
"First, the police station. I'll meet you there. I'm going to pick up a paper copy of the Gazette."
"Okay. I'm going to pick up my girlfriend. I'm sure she'll take this well," Andy said sarcastically.
"Are you sure you don't want to wait until after your trip to tell her?"
"Can't say I didn't think about it, but no. I won't keep this from her. Or anything else ever again."
* * *
Tossing a newspaper on Tanner's desk, Dave paced the worn carpet. On the front page of the Northridge Gazette was the sketch artist's rendering of Rose's biological father. "Copies of the profile and the sketch are also both printed and posted on newspaper sites in each of the five cities that have reasonably confirmed case connections."
Together, they turned at the knock on the door.
"Duncan." Dave looked honestly surprised. His first instinct was to tactfully explain that he was in a meeting and to come back later. Then, he realized Duncan had never once stepped foot in the station before. "I'll be just another minute. Would you mind waiting for me in my office?"
Duncan nodded and turned. As he swaggered down the hall, he wondered if he should bother yet with rescheduling his flight, which was taking off at that moment.
He opened a door down the hall with the plastic nameplate reading Detective Nolan next to the doorjamb. Walking in, he first scanned the room from top to bottom just as he habitually did when he entered anywhere new. Then, he headed to the case board.
He'd read the article that went with the photo, knew the man had Rose's eyes and was able to fit the pieces together easily enough. His eyes traveled to the other women—all dead and badly beaten, some naked.
"Who are you and who gave you permission to be in here?" Duncan had heard the footsteps before the voice.
Slowly, he turned and saw a uniformed officer standing with a white paper tray that carried a coffee and an enormous soda. The other hand rested on her gun, although he judged it to be more of a comfortable stance rather than a threat. Cat-like, steel-gray eyes kept contact with his, even though he sensed they were looking him up and down peripherally.
Turning back to the case board, he answered, "Duncan Reed to the first question. Detective Nolan to the second."
She walked over and pulled an empty slide across the case board. "Have a seat, Mr. Reed. He's due shortly."
He obliged. "Do you mind?" he asked, referring to the blank sheet of paper he pulled from the printer next to Dave's desk.
The officer shrugged and went to stand near the window, clearly babysitting him. He certainly could have had a less appealing sitter. Casually, he began sketching as he returned the favor and watched her through his own peripheral vision.
* * *
Dave turned back to his boss. "We're compiling an extended data search for victims who've reported a combination of more than three robberies with batteries or robberies with sexual assaults over the past decade as far west as Illinois and as far south as Virginia. How much longer can I keep the extra paper pushers?"
Tanner shook his head. "I can't make any promises, but keep what you need for now."
"Nick's gone above and beyond again. We won't be keeping her long. She's gathered more solid leads than the rest of the team put together."
"Yes, I've thought about that. I think an early promotion might keep her around a little longer. She's earned it. I don't want to rush you, but are you going to see about your friend?"
"Oh, shit." He stacked papers and stuffed them into his file. "I'll keep you updated, sir. Thank you for the support and the manpower."
He walked briskly to his office, running the next several steps in the investigation through his head. He was feeling better but not quite on his game. This was personal, and he knew he had to keep it professional, cross all of his Ts and dot all of his Is if he was going to keep the case. He walked in and saw his assistant standing by the window, the case board covered and Duncan with an ankle resting on top of his knee, an elbow leaning on the arm of the chair.
Duncan didn't stand.
"Duncan Reed, Officer Nickie Savage. Officer Savage, Duncan Reed."
"We've done introductions, sir. Mr. Reed here stated that you requested he come into your closed office to wait."
Dave smiled at the public face Nick could turn on a dime. "That's right. He's an old family friend." He turned to Duncan who hadn't moved since he walked in. "What can I do for you, Duncan?"
Duncan pulled out his phone and Dave assumed he was checking a text. "If you could give me just a few minutes, your daughter and Andy are..." The three of them heard her before they saw her.
Chapter 25
Andy held the door for Rose. He let her fume, red-faced and breathing hard.
"Bastard!"
"Officer Nickie Savage, this is my daughter, Rosemarie and her... boyfriend, Andy Reed."
The officer gave him and Duncan and once over.
"Yes, they're brothers," Dave answered her silent question.
She held out a hand. "I recognize you from the news," she said to Rose, then offered a hand to Andy.
Dave used what Andy thought sounded like a disclaimer. "Her language tends to be a little more colorful when heated up and not in front of a camera."
Andy placed a hand on the middle of her lower back. She didn't elbow him. That was a good sign.
"What brings you all here?" Dave sat partially on the corner of his desk.
Rose blurted, "Let's let Duncan start. He's the one that saw the bastard."
"In person?" Dave dropped his file on his desk.
"Yes, walking along the street in front of my folks' home."
Andy watched Dave take three breaths, then sat in his chai
r. "Why don't you start from the beginning?"
Expectedly, Duncan didn't change his annoyingly relaxed posture. "Rose was walking her dog. She stopped to greet me. I squatted down to rub his ears... the dog's ears that is, when movement from down the drive caught my eye." Duncan looked toward him to see if he had indeed shared all of the details with Rose. Andy nodded.
Visibly shaking, Dave took out a notebook and pen. "Where exactly were you, Duncan? Up by Nathan's house, the middle of the drive, down toward the street? Please be specific."
"Up by the house. I was loading some things in my rental, getting an early start on packing some things for my departure." Duncan looked at his watch. "Which was a half hour ago."
Ignoring the reference to Duncan missing his plane, Dave went on, "Are you sure it was this man?"
Duncan sighed, annoyed, and squinted but only slightly. "I remember thinking the eyes looked familiar. I didn't think too deeply about it at the time, since I had no idea of what you now have hidden behind that whiteboard." Duncan nodded his head toward the covered wall. He rotated the paper in his hand that Andy hadn't noticed until just then. "This is Rose's father, biological father," he corrected in respectful succession to Dave.
Duncan held up the sketch he'd been drawing.
Officer Savage took a step forward, craned her neck, then tilted her head back, looking down her nose at Duncan.
Andy didn't turn his head or his gaze from Dave.
The drawing was definitely of Rose's father, dressed in a light jacket, dark jeans and ball cap, and had a dark wound circled with light markings around his neck. His hair was sloppy, short and black with lighter pieces showing through.
"Bastard," Rose repeated and paced.
The officer interjected, "You drew this just now? You're quite an artist, Mr. Reed. It's interesting how you gathered this much detail from a, what, half-second glance from down a drive that is long enough to have up by the house, middle of the drive and down toward the street sections."
Duncan maintained his casual posture, but this time, he turned his head to look at her straight on. "Don't hold back, officer, say what you really have on your mind."