by Clare Revell
Still in two minds as whether to go to the self-defense class or not, Adeline tugged her baggy tee-shirt down over her knee length jogging pants. “Do I look all right in this? Or is it too tight?”
Ben put a paw over his nose.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence. I know I don’t look great. But we can’t all have a wonderfully proportioned figure like Jas, unfortunately. Mind you, it’d be nice to be able to eat what I like without worrying about piling on the calories.”
Her gaze fell on the newspaper lying on the table. A blonde girl with blue eyes smiled at her. The same girl she’d seen in the latest ‘vision’. The same girl who died at the hands of the man the press called the Herbalist—the latest of five women all strangled by a man who vanished without a trace each time.
Adeline let out a deep shuddering breath. She’d seen each girl just before their death. At least that’s what she assumed, as the clothing the papers described matched what she’d seen. She hadn’t even told Jasmine about the visions, because she’d insist on her telling Dane. Maybe she should. Then again she didn’t want to be laughed out of the police station. But five women had died now. Maybe she should just chance it and say something to Sgt. Holmes tonight or when he brought Vianne to collect Amelia Jane.
Ben appeared with his leash and Adeline smiled. “Yes, all right, we’ll go now.” She clipped on his leash and slung her bag sideways across her body. Leaving the house, she headed down the street towards the church. Both she and Ben loved walking and it made sense to do that rather than use the car—unless it was pouring with rain.
There were around fifteen ladies of various ages in track suits standing in the church hall when she arrived. Ben settled on the floor by her bag, his wide eyes watching her. His tail thudded on the floor, a sure sign he was content. She signed to him to stay.
She turned around and smiled seeing Rachel. Also deaf and able to speak, Rachel taught sign language but the two of them usually conversed totally in sign.
“Hey,” she signed. “How are you?”
Rachel hugged her and then signed rapidly. “I’m good. How are you?”
“Not sure I should be here.”
“Why’s that? You look good. Ready for action.”
Adeline rolled her eyes. “I look frumpy compared to everyone else. You look great in your tracksuit. Not sure I’m cut out for this.”
“This old thing?” Rachel dragged her hands down her clothes before signing a response. “You’re fine in what you have on.”
“I shouldn’t have come. I’ll take Ben home.”
“Please stay. All we do is try to throw Nate on the floor. We don’t succeed, but we try and we always have a laugh.” She paused. “There’s coffee and cake afterwards.”
“Like I need cake,” Adeline protested, patting her stomach. “These trousers barely fit as it is.”
“So pretend they shrank in the wash and buy new ones. It’s what I do.”
Adeline smiled. From the corner of her eye, she saw Nate come in. He looked gorgeous in his jogging pants and close fitting tee. It showed every line of his chest off to perfection. He caught her gaze and shot her a beaming smile. Her heart thudded and her breath hiked.
Rachel nudged her. “You all right?”
“Fine, why?”
“You’re blushing. You like him?”
“He wouldn’t give me a second look, so what’s the point?” Glad Nate couldn’t understand a word of their conversation, Adeline changed the subject. “I think he’s ready to start.”
Nate glanced around the group. “Good evening ladies. I’ll start with a basic recap for those joining us for the first time tonight. The main aim of this class is to teach you how to remain safe on the streets. Carry your bag sideways across your body and under your coat if you can. Always have a phone with you if you have one. Yes, I’ll be teaching you how to defend yourself if an assailant comes up to you. But the most important thing is avoid the situations where you might be in danger in the first place.”
Adeline watched his lips. He was speaking very fast, but she managed to catch most of what he said. She raised a hand to get his attention. “Avoid them how?”
“If you’re on your own, and see something or someone shady or drunk, or a group of rowdy youths, for example, cross the road to avoid them. Or step into a shop. If you can’t cross the road or avoid them, pull out your phone and ring someone, anyone or pretend to make a call.”
She nodded. “Thank you.”
Nate smiled. “Welcome. Now we’ll move on to a few basic moves if someone does surprise you. Daphne, care to be my victim?”
Daphne nodded and made her way to the center of the room. Adeline watched as Nate explained how to stamp on the attackers instep and then twist, bringing an elbow down sharply into his groin.
“You should also use your head. If someone puts an arm around your throat and hand over your mouth, bite hard, and then shove your head back as far and hard as you can. Ninety-nine percent of the time they will then relax their grip enough for you to break free. And if you kick them as well, you should have time to run. Scream and shout at the same time, draw as much attention to what is happening to you as you can.”
Nate glanced around the room. “Miss Monroe, would you like to try?”
Adeline pointed to her chest. “Me?”
He smiled. “Unless there is another Miss Monroe, yes, I mean you.”
Adeline moved onto the mats. He stood in front of her. “Now I’m going to come up behind you. I know you won’t hear me until my arm goes around your throat, but that’s fine. Just do exactly what you’ve been shown. And remember to use your head.”
“I’ll try.”
“Good girl. Turn around.”
Adeline turned around, tensing as she stood there. She glanced over at Rachel, who signed ‘don’t look so scared’ at her. She smiled faintly. An arm went around her throat choking her, and another arm grabbed her waist. Panic filled her and everything she’d been taught went out of her mind. She struggled hard, seeing Ben leap to his feet and come running across.
She brought her left foot up sharply against Nate’s shin and then stomped on his foot. At the same time she flung her head back as hard and fast as she could, feeling something crunch as she did so.
Nate let go and staggered backwards.
Adeline stood there wondering why everyone else in the class looked horrorstruck. Nausea flooded her. What had she done? She turned around to see Nate sitting on the floor. His face was bright red, his eyes glistened, and blood poured from his nose like a never- ending flood.
3
Nate pulled the car off onto the road.
Vianne’s reflection shifted in the car seat behind him. She inspected him from under the brim of his fisherman’s hat she’d insisted on wearing. “So tell me again how you broke your nose, Uncle Nate.”
Nate studied her in the driving mirror. “You know very well, pumpkin.”
Vianne giggled. “In a self-defense class, but you didn’t tell me who did it. Was it one of your little old ladies who couldn’t say ‘boo’ to a goose?”
Nate’s cheeks burned, and he looked back at the road, not wanting to see his bright red reflection in the mirror or the huge white bandage across his nose. “Something like that,” he muttered. “Now you have to promise me that you’ll let me do all the talking when we get to the doll hospital.”
“All right.”
“And no more climbing on chairs and dropping Amelia Jane. I can’t afford to keep getting her repaired. Next time it might be you in the hospital for days having your arm and eye mended.”
“True. But you have to promise not to hide her anymore and put her on top of the wardrobe. I’ll put her away properly.”
Nate looked at her. “Deal.” He pulled into the parking space at the back of the doll hospital. I should have done this without her. I really am not looking forward to this conversation with Miss Monroe. But I can’t leave Vianne here on her own.
; He got out of the car and let Vianne run in to the red brick building ahead of him. He locked the car and followed slowly.
Susie winked at him from the desk. “She was right. It is a shiner.”
Nate’s cheeks burned. Had Miss Monroe been boasting over what she’d done? “I’m sorry? Who said what?”
“Vianne. She ran in here, like, saying you’d got a broken nose and a lovely black eye. Was it, like, a run in with a bad guy?”
“Not exactly,” Nate said, not having thought he could be any more embarrassed than he already was. “And hello to you too, Miss Vickers.”
Susie grinned at him. “Hey, Sgt. Holmes. Dr. A’s in the office. I’ll, like, give her a shout.”
“Thank you.” Intrigued as to how that would work, Nate scrutinized Susie as she tapped on the key pad in front of her. Immediately a light flashed on and off several times in the other room.
Susie looked at him though half closed eyes. “Can I, like, sign your plaster?” she teased with teenage enthusiasm.
“Not you, too,” Nate groaned. “That’s all I had when I went into work this morning.”
Susie laughed as Adeline came into reception.
“Sgt. Holmes, do you want to come…” her voice faltered, before she recovered, “…through to the office. Susie, can you take Vianne over to Jasmine to do the discharge paperwork?”
“Sure, Dr. A. Come on, Vianne.”
Nate followed Adeline into the office, this time taking more notice of it. It suited her to a tee. A carefree set up that meant she didn’t mind what anyone thought. Uncluttered, yet full of knick knacks, it shone with her vibrancy and joy. He shook his head at her offer of coffee and sat down by her desk.
“I’m really sorry about your nose,” Adeline said biting her lip. “How is it?”
“Broken.”
“Is it very sore?”
Nate held her gaze. “It sticks out like a sore nose.” His lips twitched and as a smile spread over her face, he chuckled. “And yes they took the mick out of me something chronic at work when I went in first thing this morning.”
“Took the wick?” she asked her face creasing.
“Mick…Mickey… teased me.”
“Ah, right.” She smiled at him. “Yes, I understand taking the mickey. I just didn’t catch what you said. Sometimes if words look similar it’s easy to confuse them.”
“Ah, right. Anyway as tempting as it was to lie and say a big ten-foot-tall burglar did it…”
Adeline snorted with laughter. “More like a short woman, who shouldn’t have been in a tracksuit in the first place.”
Nate pushed a hand through his hair. “Why’s that?”
“Because someone like me doesn’t belong in a self-defense class. Your nose is a prime example. I’m uncoordinated.”
“Honestly, you did exactly what I told you to do. In fact you could say I asked for it.” He winked. “Literally. So don’t feel bad about it, please.”
“OK.”
“Anyway, as I was saying, as tempting as it was to say it was a ten-foot-tall burglar, I work in M.I.U. so that wouldn’t work.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t catch that.”
“M.I.U.” He saw the confused look and wished he could sign it to her. “Murder Investigation Unit.”
“Got it.” She smiled at him. “What our American friends would call homicide.”
Nate nodded. “Yes.” His keen gaze took in the pile of newspaper clippings on the corner of her desk. “You’re following my case.”
Adeline glanced down at them. “Your case?”
“Dane and I are heading this one up. Not that we’re making much progress.” He drew in a deep breath. “And I didn’t just tell you that, either.”
“Oh…” She swallowed hard, her bearing changing and becoming distinctly uneasy.
All of Nate’s senses kicked into action, his copper’s antennae twitching.
She knew something, or at least thought she did.
“What is it?”
Adeline sucked her lower lip into her mouth, worrying it with her teeth. “This is going to sound stupid, but…” She took a deep breath. “I saw them. All of them. They all had their hair tied back or up.” She picked up the top clipping. “She was playing on a swing and wearing a red jacket. This one was walking the dog and wearing blue.”
Nate jolted as if he’d been struck by lightning. Those details hadn’t been released. Was he wrong about her? Was she somehow involved with the murders? “Wait a minute. How did you know any of this?”
Adeline carried on speaking as she sifted through the papers. “She was on her way to dance class in pink. This one was jogging in a gray toweling track suit and the first one…”
Nate put a hand on her arm, cutting her off.
She jerked her head upwards in surprise.
He held her gaze. “How do you know all this?”
“I told you, I saw them.” She took a deep shuddering breath. “Call it a vision or whatever, but, I just see them. Sunday in church, just as we left I lost my balance, and you asked if I was all right.”
“I remember. You insisted you were fine, despite my thinking otherwise.”
Adeline pulled out the picture. “I saw her on the swing, then on the ground. The same way I saw all the others.”
“Do you ever see him?” Nate asked.
“No. I don’t think so.”
He looked at her. “Let me call Dane. Then I’ll take Vianne over to Cassie’s, and I’ll be back to take a proper statement.”
“You believe me?”
Was that surprise on her face? Had she really expected him to laugh at her? Any other cop might have done. Every part of his police training screamed at him to disregard what she’d said and to go with the evidence. But Nate’s faith left him open to things that most people wouldn’t consider.
“As crazy as it sounds, you just told me things we hadn’t released to the press.” He stood up. “Let me drop Vianne off and pay you for mending Amelia Jane. She has dozens of dolls, but that one is more important than a teddy bear.” He pulled out his wallet and handed Adeline the exact money.
Vianne came running into the office. “Look, she’s all fixed, and she can see now.”
Nate smiled at her. “That’s wonderful. She looks really good.”
Vianne nodded and turned to Adeline. “Thank you for mending her, Dr. Adeline.”
“You’re welcome. Just take care of her.”
“I will.” Vianne tugged on her hat. “Much obliged.”
Adeline giggled. “I haven’t heard that in years. My grandmother’s green grocer always used to say that. He had a huge truck filled with fruit and veg. He came around every Saturday afternoon. He’d come to the door and tip his hat just like that and ask if she needed anything. Then he’d go and get it and when Nanna had paid him, he’d say ‘much obliged Mrs. Price.’”
Nate grinned. “I think my nan had the same guy. His name was Bill.”
“That was him. Dark hair, always wore a green flat cap and had a dark blue jacket on with a blue money bag around his waist.” Adeline looked at him. “Wow. Where did your nan live?”
“Onibury Close.”
“You’re kidding.” Her eyes lit up. “Nanna lived at forty-five.”
Nate shook his head. Incredible. So close all these years and never knew. “Twenty-six. Almost opposite.” He smiled. “Anyway, I must go drop Vianne off. I won’t be too long.”
“Why isn’t she in school today?”
“The teachers are on strike. No idea why. They just are.“ Vianne grinned at Adeline then looked at him. “Have you asked her yet?”
“No.”
“Go on, then.”
“All right, all right. You’re an impatient pumpkin this morning.”
“You’re the one wanting to leave.”
Nate knocked her hat playfully and laughed when she grabbed it and readjusted it. “Miss Monroe, I have something to ask you.”
“Please, Sergeant, call me
Adeline.”
“If you’ll call me Nate.”
She smiled. “I can do that, Nate.”
Shivers ran down his spine and twisted around him. Sudden warmth flooded him at the way his name sounded falling from her lips. For a moment he felt like a giddy school boy and this was before he’d asked her anything. Get with it. It’s not a date. It’s just dinner.
“Then, Adeline, Vianne and I were wondering if…”
Vianne cut him off and grabbed Adeline’s hand. “Would you like to come to dinner at our house tonight? Uncle Nate is making wormy mess.”
Adeline’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she looked at Nate. “You’re making what?”
“Spaghetti bolognaise.”
She appeared even more confused and shook her head.
Nate pulled his notebook from his pocket and wrote it down.
“Ah.”
“It’s not a date,” he assured her. “It’s just a thank you for fixing the doll and watching Vianne the other day.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know, and I know you probably don’t usually accept dinner from all your patients’ relatives, some doctor/patient thing no doubt, but Vianne would like it.” And so would I. He stood there, his whole body coiled like a spring waiting for her answer.
“He can make other stuff if you don’t like worms,” Vianne added.
“Spaghetti is good. I’d like to come very much, thank you.”
Nate smiled, his heart doing somersaults. And this wasn’t a date. However would he react if he ever did ask her out? Where’d that come from? How did I get to this point, Lord? From women aren’t to be trusted to considering what it would be like to date her. In less than a week. And after she broke my nose.
“Cool. Then we’ll see you about six.” He took Vianne’s hand. “And Dane and I will be back in a few for that statement.”
He led Vianne out to the car and opened the door for her. As she did up her belt, he pulled out his phone. He shut the passenger door as the call connected. “Dane, it’s me. We’ve got a lead on the Herbalist. I’m going to drop Vianne off at the manse and I’ll come and get you. But hang on to your hat, because you are not going to believe me when I tell you. No, not over the phone. I’ll be with you in ten.”