Not Alone

by Liz Bradford

  “Good night,” he said as he opened the door.

  “Night, Caleb.”

  Rebecca still didn’t understand why she was so apprehensive about this relationship that was developing with Caleb, but she was. She knew better than to fight her instincts, so she settled into the apprehension and hoped that it would leave as she got to know Caleb more. He was everything she had hoped for in a man, wasn’t he? Well, he wasn’t as tall as she would like, but that was stupid. At 5’7” she wasn’t that tall, but 3” heels would put her almost at eye level with Caleb. By other’s standards he was tall, but Callie’s dad had been 6’4”. Seriously, why was she thinking about him again? This had to stop. She went to bed, frustrated that she couldn’t keep her mind from comparing every guy to him. What was she going to do with herself? But at least she didn’t go to bed beating herself up over the case.

  Rebecca set her phone back down on her desk Wednesday morning. She had just talked to yet another florist shop. They had nothing for her. This process was getting tedious, and she was only halfway through her list.

  “Palmer.” The Captain’s voice boomed out of his office.

  She turned in her seat.

  He nodded his head toward his office.

  She looked at Doug, but he just shrugged. Her heart palpitated. The Captain didn’t look happy. She jumped up and scurried to Baker’s office.

  “Yes, sir?”

  “Close the door.”

  She bit her lip as she closed the door and walked over to the Captain who was leaning back against his desk.

  She waited.

  He picked up a small pile of folders off his desk. “Rebecca, I was looking through some old cases, and I found four domestic disturbance cases you’ve been point on, but nothing transpired. Four women reported something happened, but no charges were filed. I know your normal assignments are homicides, but every case you’re assigned needs to be followed through with.”

  She swallowed past the lump forming in her throat.

  Captain Baker opened the top folder. “For instance, Jane Monroe. She came in back in April concerned about her husband’s behavior. She claimed he hit her, and that he had become increasingly obsessive.” He met her eyes. His question for her was in his kind, but demanding eyes.

  “I… I’m sorry, sir. I remember her. Her husband sounded like a piece of work, but she wouldn’t even give me his name or their address. I really tried with her, but she didn’t really want to cooperate.”

  “I understand that can be the case, but there are three additional cases since then that look the same.”

  She didn’t have an answer for him.

  “Did you follow up with her?”

  “I did. I tried calling her a few times, but her number had been disconnected. I couldn’t find her name the DMV records either. I think she gave me a fake name and number. I did follow up with the others. One of them left her boyfriend. Another I know said it hadn’t happened again.”

  “Good. Don’t let this keep happening. If they are reporting something, follow through, talk to the abuser, too. And make sure you note in the file when you do follow up.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “You’re a good detective. One day I hope to have a Special Victims unit and then you can focus on homicides, but until then, do the job.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Are you and Ramirez making progress today?”

  She swallowed. Could she do anything right? “Trying to. I have yet to find a florist shop that connects.”

  “You’ll get him.”

  “I appreciate your confidence.”

  He smiled. “Like I said, you’re a good detective.”

  She turned and left his office, but once she exited the weight of the Captain’s reprimand slammed against her. These women. What if they ended up homicide victims because she didn’t follow through with their complaints?

  She walked to her desk and grabbed her phone and coffee cup.

  “Everything okay?” Doug asked.

  “Eh. I’m going to go get a refill. Want anything?”

  “Nope. I’m good.”

  She sulked out of the squad room and into the empty breakroom. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and stared at it. To call Caleb or not? Her heart lightened a little. She actually wanted to call him. So, she did.

  “Hello,” he said after the second ring.

  “Hey, Caleb.”

  “How’s it going?” The pitch of his voice told her he was happy she called.

  “Okay, I guess.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I just got called out for not following through on an old case.” She couldn’t believe she was breaking her own rule, but she needed his support. He had offered it, so why not?

  “Ouch. That’s never fun.”

  “No. I just hope I didn’t make it worse for the women who came to me looking for help. But one of them wouldn’t even give me accurate information.”

  “That’s not your fault then. I’m sure you did what you could.”

  “I tried. I really thought I did.” She walked over to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup. She and Caleb continued chatting for a few more minutes. They hung up before she wandered back to her desk.

  Doug raised his eyebrow at her when she got back to her desk but didn’t question her.

  She gave him a smile and then called the next number on her list. No luck there either. She set her phone back on her desk.

  Doug said, “I think we should talk to Tony MacDonald again.”

  She looked up at him. “The first victim’s husband? Why?”

  “Because he’s the only suspect we’ve had through this whole case. We’ve got three dead, now. Maybe we missed something.”

  “I don’t know. He had an alibi.”

  “A weak one.”

  “Even if he killed his wife, why would he kill the other two. He wasn’t a top-notch kinda guy, but would he murder?”

  “That’s the question.”

  “Why don’t you investigate him further? I’ll keep calling florist shops.”

  “That works. You’ll entertain it if I come up with something?”

  “Of course. You trust me, so I’ll trust you.”

  “It’s what partners do.”

  Her heart warmed. “Doug, you’re a good partner. I know I’m a bear to deal with sometimes, but at least you can handle putting up with me.”

  Doug smiled. “Bear? You’re nothing compared to the two little kids I have at home.”

  Rebecca laughed.

  Rebecca whipped the car into the station parking space and threw the car into park Monday evening. Doug had spent the second half of last week looking further into Tony MacDonald but hadn’t come up with anything substantial. It was a dead end. Pursuing the flowers as a line to the unsub had proved unsuccessful. Why couldn’t they catch a break on this case? They had completed the list, and not a single flower shop in all of Hazel Hill reported delivering flowers to any of the victims. Plus, they either had no record of anyone buying those kinds of flowers or too many people buying those flowers on the days surrounding the deliveries and the murders. Another dead end.

  “He must have a greenhouse or is picking them out of other people’s gardens.” Doug, as always, ignoring Rebecca’s over-the-top frustration.

  “We’re getting nowhere fast. This is ridiculous.” Rebecca got out of the car and slammed the door and headed into the station in a huff. She knew the flowers meant something, but they were running out of angles to search.

  Rebecca swung the door to the station open and stomped in, disregarding proper etiquette by not holding the door for Doug who was a few steps behind her. She knew she was acting a little too much like her five-year-old, but she didn’t care. She was mad. It had been two weeks since Crystal had gone missing. The killer could be out there right now snatching another woman away from her child. They had cops all over the city keeping an eye out all day. But no one had seen anything. She and Doug had been
out patrolling the streets too after they had talked to the last florist shop. She dropped her purse in the bottom drawer of her desk and plopped into her chair while kicking the drawer shut with a thud.

  “Get a grip, Palmer!” Adam Jamison said from across the room.

  She glowered at him.

  “Don’t.” She heard Doug tell Adam as he walked past her desk and sat down at his own.

  She leaned on her elbows and put her head in her hands. God, why do we have nothing on this case? Help us see what we are missing. She looked up at the murder board. They had added very little new information. Really, the only new information was that of the third victim. Henry and his forensics team had come up empty. The bodies had been scrubbed before he dumped them. Not a single fiber, not a single piece of foreign hair or skin, no dirt, no evidence of any kind. Dead end. The only thing they had determined was the type of ligature used to strangle and restrain them. It was a basic half inch rope you could get at any hardware store. Dead end. And the notes were leading them nowhere either - basic copy paper and ballpoint pen you could buy at most stores. Another dead end. Dead end after dead end. There wasn’t any trace evidence because he had washed their bodies so thoroughly. They did know he used bleach though, because that narrowed nothing down. This unsub was too clever. She shoved her hands in her hair and squeezed her head.

  “Palmer,” Doug said softly, “Go home.”

  She looked at her watch. It was already eight o’clock; she needed to get home to tuck Callie into bed. She nodded. She finished her paperwork for the day in record time and left as fast as she could. “Good night, Doug.” She said as she finally got up and left.

  She needed a good night’s sleep, because if another missing person report was sitting on her desk in the morning she wouldn’t be sleeping for the forty-eight hours that followed.

  She made it home as Amy was reading a final story to Callie.

  “Thanks for bringing her home, Amy.”

  “Not a problem. Just glad you made it before she fell asleep. I’ll see you ladies tomorrow. I’ll lock up behind myself. Get some sleep.”

  Rebecca gave her sister a hug before she left.

  “Mommy?”

  “Yes, Callie.”

  “I missed you today.”

  “I missed you too, sweetie. Thanks for being such a trooper when mommy has to work late.”

  “It’s okay. You have bad guys to catch. That’s important.”

  “But you are more important. You know that, right?” Her little look alike nodded. “Do you want to come sleep with me tonight, Callie?”

  She sat up and nodded excitedly.

  “All right, let’s go.”

  The next day Rebecca was happy to find no missing persons reports on her desk at all. She called over to that department, and they genuinely had none to give her. That was a relief. Not only did that mean that maybe this psycho killer had not taken another victim, it also meant that she wouldn’t have to cancel her plans with Caleb and his brother. Oddly enough, she still didn’t know his name. How bizarre!

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Jared bumped his head climbing into his brother’s ridiculously small sports car. He hadn’t brought much with him to North Carolina, so he had settled quickly into the extra room of his brother’s townhouse. He had a few more boxes on the way, but they wouldn’t be delivered for a few days.

  “So, we’re headed to your girlfriend’s house for dinner?” Jared asked. “What did you say her name was?”

  “Well, I don’t know if I’d call her my girlfriend. She wants to take things super, almost painfully slow. She’s still hurt from her relationship with her daughter’s father, so she’s struggling to get close. But she’s worth it. Oh, and her name is Rebecca.”

  “I dated a Rebecca once, although she went by Becca. So, she has a kid?”

  “Yep. Little girl named Callie. The sweet little girl looks almost exactly like her mom.”

  They stopped by a local bakery on the way and picked up a pie for dessert and then headed to Caleb’s “friend’s” house. They pulled up in front of a modest two-story house; he was impressed. She must have a decent paying job based on the house and the professionally manicured lawn. As they walked to the door, a knot formed in Jared’s stomach. It didn’t make sense. He couldn’t explain why he felt nervous, but that’s how he felt. He pushed the feeling aside and stood next to and a little behind Caleb as he rang the doorbell.

  From inside he heard a female voice yell, “Callie, they’re here, come on down, sweetie.” And then the door opened. The voice was familiar. His heart skipped a beat. The woman was standing off to the side where he couldn’t see her, and Caleb was standing in the doorway, so he waited.

  “I come bearing desert, as you asked.”

  “Thanks, Caleb, come on in.”

  Jared followed Caleb in but when he saw her stopped in his tracks in the threshold. His heart stopped beating, jumped into his throat, sank into his gut and started beating rapid fire all at once. He couldn’t breathe; all he could do was stare at her tall, trim body topped with her long flowing light brown hair. A vision dressed in jeans and a striped t-shirt.

  Caleb’s voice echoed in the background. “This is my brother–”

  “Jared?” she said. Her eyes were wide with shock, and her mouth agape. His face must have looked the same. He couldn’t believe she was standing there in front of him.

  “Becca?” There was a long silent pause. Jared stepped in a little further and shut the door, all without breaking eye contact. He didn’t want to blink, let alone break eye contact. Yet his eyes were drawn away as a little girl bounded down the stairs.

  She stopped three stairs up from the two-step landing. “Hi, Mr. Caleb. Hi,” she said to him. He went over and knelt in front of her on the landing so that he was at eye level with her.

  “Hi. I’m Jared. It’s nice to meet you.” He extended his hand, and she shook it with gusto. As he looked into the girl’s eyes it was like looking into a mirror with the narrow shape and the way the green encircled the brown around the pupil, quite the contrast to Becca’s round, blue eyes. “You are a beautiful young lady. I especially like your eyes.”

  “Thanks. It’s nice to meet you too. My mommy says my eyes are just like my daddy’s.”

  He could hear Becca sharply take in a quick breath.

  “How old are you, Callie? It’s Callie, right?”

  “Yep. I turned five right before school started,” she said proudly while holding up all five fingers on her right hand.

  Could it be? He smiled at the little girl and stood up and turned toward Becca. He raised his eyebrows in question to her. She closed her eyes and clamped her lips together and then nodded. This time it was his turn for a quick intake of breath. He held it then slowly let it out. He felt like someone hit him in the gut and knocked the wind out of him.

  “Callie, sweetie,” Becca said, “Can you go set the table for dinner? I already pulled the plates out they just need to go around the table please.”

  “Yes, Mommy.” The little girl skipped away.

  “Someone want to clue me in? I’m missing something. Apparently, you two know each other?” Caleb said. But Jared’s chest was tight, and his heart pounded as his shock turned to anger; he couldn’t speak. He just stared at Becca through narrow eyes. Thankfully, Becca answered Caleb.

  “Caleb, Jared… Jared is Callie’s dad.”

  The look on Caleb’s face was undefinable. His eye brows furrowed and then raised and then furrowed again. Confusion, disbelief, shock, and disappointment all wrapped into one. “Oh” was all he could manage as a reply. After a long pause he finally said, “I’ll go help Callie and put this pie in the fridge.”

  “Good idea. We’ll be along in a moment,” Becca said.

  All the while Jared could feel his anger mounting. Heat rose in the tips of his ears and his cheeks. He had wanted nothing more than to find Becca for the last five years, but now to know they had a daughter too… His blood
boiled. He had to get control. He was not going to let his anger get the best of him, especially not with her. He needed to show her how much he had changed, and this was the perfect opportunity. She knew what his anger could make him do. He had never hurt her and never could, but he had broken more than a few things during angry fits in the past. Lord, please help me get control and handle this situation properly. Let me shine your light right now. Give me wisdom and grace as I speak. He inhaled deeply several times and consciously relaxed his hands out of fists. Then he noticed that she had backed away a little. He hated the idea that he had scared her at all. But she stepped forward again as she saw him relax.

  “How could you not tell me we had a daughter?” He asked with as much kindness as he could muster.

  Her lips parted and then closed again. He could tell she was searching for the right words with how she started to speak several times before she actually spoke, “Jared, I tried. I was going to, but you left, and I had no idea where you were or if you would come back.”

  He could hear the hurt in her voice and that tore his heart wide open.

  “It had taken me weeks to work up the nerve to tell you, and the day I finally decided to tell you, you didn’t come home. So, since you had said that you didn’t know if you could ever in your right mind bring kids in this world… I decided to go to my sister’s. Figured you’d want it that way.”

  His heart shattered. “Oh, Becca. No, I would have changed my mind about kids in a second if I knew you were pregnant.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Her jaw quivered. She was fighting as much emotion as he was.

  He took a step closer to her and rubbed his hands together as he spoke. “Me too. I’m sorry I was gone so long. I’m sorry I ran off like I did. I was so messed up over what happened to Carl that I didn’t know what to do. I just needed to get away. But I should have talked to you. Been kicking myself about that for over five and a half years.” He ran his hands through his hair before letting them fall back to his sides. He looked down at his feet and then met her eyes. They were the most beautiful blue eyes, but the sadness in them cut him to the core. “When I came back, I hadn’t realized how long I had been gone, and you were gone with no forwarding address. The most anyone knew was that you had gone to your sister’s, but I couldn’t remember where she had moved to, and no one else knew either.”