His eyes soften, and he stands from his chair. I push my chair away from the table and look up at him. He kneels down in front of me. “Why did you tell me that?”
“Because I…I want you to know how I feel,” I say softly. “I keep losing everyone that I love.” A tear runs down my face. “I don’t want to lose you without telling you everything.”
He reaches up and his thumbs wipe my tears away. “I’m not going anywhere,” he says softly.
“You can’t promise me that.”
“I can and I will.” He takes my hand in his. “I’m gonna prove it to you every day.” He lifts it to his lips and gives it a soft kiss.
I allow a few more tears to run down my cheek before I wipe them away. “How could she have let that happen?” I ask him. “How could she…?” I sob as the tears come once again.
He wraps his arms around me, and once again, I cry into his shirt. “I want to hate her,” I say truthfully.
“Shhhh.” He pulls away from me and lifts my chin so I have to look at him. “She tried to save them. She tried to save her,” he says softly.
“How do you know that?” I ask, wiping my face.
He gestures to the papers on the table. “I’m going over the report.” He sighs heavily.
“And?” I need to know what happened.
He kneels down beside me once again and pushes my wet hair from my face. “I don’t know enough yet, but when I do, I’ll let you know. Okay?”
I nod as I wipe my eyes. “She was trying to save her?” I whisper and he nods. “But why? Who would want to hurt them?”
“I don’t know,” he responds honestly. “But I’m gonna find out.”
“How? You quit.” Word got back quick to the hospital about what happened at the police station. A couple of nurses who work there are married to police officers. They informed their wives of Parker’s outburst and resignation. After I heard that, I had to come home to him. I needed him as much as he needed me.
“You think that’s gonna stop me?” he asks with a smile.
“What about her phone records?”
“What about them?”
“She had called me. Said that he had called her and asked her to meet him at that house. I called you. Why didn’t you answer?” I demand.
“I never saw where you called. My phone doesn’t show I had one.” He pulls out his phone and shows me his recent phone log.
I sigh heavily. “Come on. You need more sleep than just a couple of hours.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
PARKER
I sit at the table going over the paperwork of what had happened to Megan and Ashley while Kat sleeps on the couch. I can’t wrap my head around what I’m reading.
“Motherfucker,” Slade hisses getting my attention.
“What?” I ask as I look up at him. Slade sits straight across me and Tate sits in the chair beside me. I called them up after I put Kat back to sleep. And of course like the best friends they are, they came running.
“You’re damn cat is fucking shit up,” he growls as he shoos Puss Puss off the table and tries to straighten the papers that she rearranged.
“I need to go back to the house,” I say looking them over. “I need more than what I have here.” Which is shit! All I have is what I was able to get online.
“Thought you quit?” Tate asks as he chews on a straw like a savage.
“I did.” I sigh.
“And? You think they are going to give you information?” Slade questions. “Your boss hates you. Former boss,” he corrects himself.
I stand from my chair and look at Tate. “Keep an eye on her. I’ll be back,” I say before walking out of the kitchen. I go over to the couch and place a blanket over her before I lean down and give her a kiss on her forehead. Then I walk out of the house heading straight for the precinct.
I walk in like I own the place with my head held high and my shoulders back.
“Parker?” Mason says, surprised as he stands up from his seat. I shove my hand into his chest pushing him out of my way. I’m on a mission and don’t have time to explain myself to anyone.
“You can’t…” The captain’s secretary stands from behind her desk as I go to enter his office.
“O’Hare?” he says with a smirk as I barge into his office. I walk right up to his desk and slam my hands down on it.
“I want my job back,” I demand. He goes to open his mouth, but I don’t give him a chance to speak. “I’m the best fucking cop you got,” I say and take a deep breath. I really wasn’t all that prepared. That was all I had to say. I stand up and place my hands on my hips. “Well?” I demand.
He leans back in his seat and opens his top drawer. He places my gun and badge on the desk and slides them to me. I gather them off the desk and turn around to walk out.
“I want all the paperwork you have on the case,” I order. It’s been a little over twenty-four hours. They should have some information that I can go on. Autopsy and forensic evidence could take weeks. But I don’t have weeks. I need to get this settled now. Megan and Ashley deserve that.
He opens a different drawer and pulls out some papers. He places them on the desk as well but covers them with his hand. “You’re off the case,” he informs me.
I smile as I reach down and rip the papers out from underneath his hand. And then I turn to walk out. “O’Hare?”
“Yes, Sir?” I ask turning back to face him.
“You’re not a homicide detective. Remember that.” He looks down at the paperwork on his desk and I smile. Today I am.
*****
I look down to my ringing cell and press ignore when I see it’s my father. “Bastard,” I mumble to myself.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Slade asks as he moves the yellow caution tape out of his way.
“I need to see it.” As a cop, you’re taught to act on instinct. I remember seeing the bag sitting on the floor by the two bodies, but I don’t remember the way they were laying. Once Mason had announced that Ashley was dead, I went straight to Megan. Then when I found out how far out the ambulance was, my reaction was to take her myself.
“But what is there to see?” he questions as we come to the front steps.
“I don’t know,” I snap. “If you didn’t want to come, you should have stayed at home.”
He grunts. “I’m trying to help you out.”
“Then shut the fuck up,” I order, opening the front door. The metallic smell of blood instantly hits my nose, and I breathe out a long breath.
We walk into the house and I make my way straight toward the hallway where we had found them. “You found them on their backs?” Slade asks.
“No,” I say as I look at the two blood stains where both bodies laid. “We found Ashley face down. Megan was on her back.”
“What were the logistics on the bullets?” he asked.
“There are none. No bullets were recovered,” I say frowning.
“So they were here long enough to pick them up?” He looks around the hallway. “Maybe they took other things as well. A robbery?”
I shake my head. “She had a bag packed.”
“A bag packed with what?”
I pull out the pictures that the team took of the evidence. I remember it lying by Ashley’s head on the floor. “Little girl’s clothes. And some bathroom stuff.”
“So she was leaving,” he guesses. “But why?”
“There was only one shot fired,” I say reading over the paperwork.
“How is that possible? There were two victims. Two bullet holes.”
I shake my head as I look around the hallway myself. I walk down to the end of the hallway and come to a room. I push the door open to find a bedroom. It’s like a fucking bomb went off. Shit strung all over the place.
“Damn,” Slade says entering. “Looks like someone was not happy in here.”
I rub the back of my neck as I try to play it out. “Okay. She had clothes packed. So maybe she was grabbing clothes.” I t
urn to face the door and walk out back into the hallway. I turn and look at Slade. “If Sadey was in danger, what would you do to help her get away from it?”
“Pick her up and run with her,” he says with no hesitation.
“Exactly,” I say, leaving the room. “That explains why they had one bullet but multiple entries. She was holding her to her chest as she ran down the hallway. Ashley was shot in the back. And Megan was shot in the front. She was holding Megan against her chest while she tried to get away.”
Slade scratches his head. “I don’t understand though. You had to kick the front door down, right? To get in. So, how did they get in?”
“The back door.” I make my way through the back of the house and find the back door.
“It’s fine,” Slade says looking it over.
I sigh, “Then let’s check the windows.” I look around. “I don’t…” My phone rings.
Kat lights up me screen. “Hey?” I say softly, walking through the back door not wanting to be in the house while I speak to her.
“Tate said you left,” she says through a yawn as if she just woke up.
“I did. I went and got my job back.”
“That’s good,” she says softly and it physically hurts me that I’m not there for her to hug. I can tell in her voice that she’s still not over her breakdown.
“What are your plans for tonight?” I ask her.
“I’m about to take a shower and start getting ready for work.”
“I don’t think you should work tonight,” I say softly.
She’s quiet for a few seconds. “What do you expect me to do?”
“Stay home with me. I’ll be back soon.”
“Okay,” she responds sounding a little more at ease. “I’m gonna call into work then.”
We hang up and I walk back into the house. “So all the windows are clear,” Slade informs me.
“Well, it makes sense. She was seeing someone. She could have let them in. Or he could have let her in,” I say running my eyes over the paperwork one last time. Her name is not on the lease. It is under that ghost named Perry. “It says back door kicked in.”
“What? Where?” he asks coming over to me.
“Right here.” I point to the statement. “Are you sure it looked clean?” I ask.
“I thought it did.” He walks away from me and goes over to the back door once again. We both bend down to look at it. “Yeah, it looks like a normal door.” He then looks down at the paper. “Why would you write that down? Did you think it was at the time?”
“I never made it to the back door. I never made it past their bodies in the hallway.”
“So, who wrote that report?” He takes the papers from me. “Mason.”
I yank them back from his hands. “What?” Why would he? I pull my phone out of my pocket and call up his phone. He answers on the third ring.
“What’s up, Parker?”
“Why did you lie in this report?” I demand. Silence on the other end of the line. “I know you lied about the back door. Tell me why?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says in a rush.
“Listen, you son of a bitch,” I growl. “I’m at the house right now. I have your statement in my hands, and I just checked the back door. It has not been kicked in.”
Click! He hangs up. “Fuck.” I curse dialing up the station calling the direct line to the captain.
I don’t even give him a chance to speak. “It’s Mason.”
“What? Is this you, Parker?”
“Yes. I’m at the house, sir.” I give him a quick rundown on what I have found out and he puts out an APB on Mason’s patrol and personal vehicle.
“Thanks, sir,” I say hanging up and looking over to Slade. “We gotta get back home.”
We make out way back to the front of the house when my phone rings. It’s my father. I press ignore once again. What could he possibly want to talk to me about?
*****
KATHERINE
I sit on the couch as I numbly watch TV. I see something move to the right of the room and look to see Tate walking toward me. “I gotta run. Missy has a doctor’s appointment. I shouldn’t be gone long.”
I nod. “You’re fine. I just spoke to Parker, he should be home soon,” I inform him.
I stay seated as he lets himself out. I lay down on the couch and close my eyes. My body is physically exhausted. I had called into work and told them I wasn’t coming in tonight. They said they had taken me off the schedule for the remainder of this week due to my outburst yesterday. And I knew they meant that in the nicest way possible. I need some time to grieve. Time to come to terms with all that I have lost over the last month.
My eyes open when I hear the sound of the doorbell. I wipe my face and make my way to the front door. I frown when I see a cop dressed in uniform standing on my front porch. “Can I help you?” I ask.
He nods. “Hello, Katherine. I’m office Mason. A friend of Parker’s.” I remember him. He was the one who arrested me the second time. The handsy bastard. He reaches out his hand and I reach out mine to shake it. “He told me to wait here for him.”
“Why are you waiting for him?” He had just said he wanted to spend the evening with me. Did he get called in?
He smiles politely. “We have some work to do on the homicide case that happened last night.”
“Do I need to call him for you?” I ask, already starting to move away from the door to get my phone.
“No, ma’am,” he responds calmly. “I just spoke with him. It should only be a few minutes.”
I nod my head as I take a step out of his way to allow him to enter. “Thank you.” He nods his head and enters.
“Would you like some coffee? Water?” I offer.
“Coffee would be nice.”
I make my way into the kitchen and I watch him out of the corner of my eye as he follows me. He sits down at the kitchen table, and I start making his coffee. “So, how long have you known Parker?” I ask making small talk.
“Almost two years,” he responds as he looks around the kitchen. I go to ask him another question when his phone rings.
“Hello.” I watch him as he looks out the back sliding glass door and sees Boner laying on the back porch. “I’m here now,” he answers, and the hairs on my back stand up. Something doesn’t seem right. “Yes. About thirty minutes.” He hangs up.
“Was that Parker?” He has to be getting close.
“No.” He looks down at the table, and he fists his hands. “That was my boss.” He looks up at me and his blue eyes darken. “He wants me to deliver the package.”
I swallow nervously. “Maybe we should call Parker,” I suggest as I take a step over toward the back door.
He stands, shoving his chair back. It falls to the floor, and Boner gets up off the back porch. “Don’t worry.” He smiles cruelly. “You’ll see Parker soon enough.”
I turn and run for the back door. If I can just open it to where Boner could get inside… I feel a hand twist in my hair and I cry out before he shoves me into the sliding glass door. I fall to the ground holding my face, as I taste blood.
Boner starts to bark. He reaches down, grabs me by my hair again, and yanks me to stand. I go to punch him in the face, but he throws his free arm up and blocks it. “Fucking bitch,” he hisses as he shoves me forward. I trip over my own feet and fall to the floor. I try to crawl, but he kicks me in the ribs. He kicks me so hard that I hit the bottom cabinets. I try to scream, but nothing comes out.
I lie on the floor trying to take a breath. I blink trying to stay awake as my vision fades in and out. Parker will be here soon. I grab my side as I hear the familiar sound of handcuffs. “No.” My voice trembles with fear. If he gets them on me, I won’t have a chance.
“Oh, yes,” he says standing over me. “Now be a good girl and place your hands behind your back,” he says sweetly as if he’s trying to coax a child to take their medicine.
I shake my head quickl
y as I try to take in a few breaths. Fuck, I think he broke a few ribs.
He sighs heavily as he kneels down beside me. He wraps his hand in my hair and yanks my head back. “It will be worse if you fight me.”
If I can just keep him here long enough. Until Parker shows up. “Go fuck yourself,” I hiss.
He leans down and places his face in front of mine. “That’s what you’re for, sweetie.”
I spit in his face. He stands and yanks me up by my hair, tearing strands out of my scalp. I grit my teeth not wanting to give him the satisfaction of screaming. He shoves me down, face first onto the kitchen table.
My vision fades once again and the room spins from the power behind it. I try to fight him, but my arms just won’t work as he pulls them behind my back and places the handcuffs on me. “Help!” I scream, but he spins me around quickly. He acts like he’s gonna walk away from me but at the last minute he steps to me and raises his elbow. It connects with my face and I feel an instant pain shoot through my face before it all goes black.
*****
Pain like I’ve never felt before wakes me. I try to open my eyes, but I can’t get them to open. My entire body aches and my head pounds. My body sways as I sit on my knees. I try to move my hands, but they are cuffed behind my back. I can feel the blood run down my hands from how tight they are. “Parker?” Even my words are slurred due to my busted lip and swollen tongue.
I hear a laugh come from in front of me. “The princess is awake,” I hear a male’s voice say. Then his voice comes closer as if he’s sitting right in front of me. “He’s not here yet, but he will be soon.”
“What do you want with him?” I question trying to open my eyes, but they just won’t. They’re swollen shut.
I hear a pair of shoes coming toward me from behind. They click as they make contact with the concrete. “He has been fucking with my business,” a familiar voice says. I know that voice. Where do I know it from?
A hand grabs my jaw and I cry out with the pain. My heart start to race and my breathing picks up. I try to pull out of the grasp, but it just tightens on my face.
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