When the Tiger Kills

by Vanessa Prelatte

  She retorted in kind, “Fat chance, old man. You're not palming all this extra work off on me. You started this, you and Nick Melbourne. Now you can damn well finish it.”

  Turning to Dawn, she said, “How are you holding up, Detective?”

  Dawn met her gaze steadily and replied, “I'm fine, Lieutenant.”

  “Good. I just heard from your partner. He's finished taking your sister's statement and told her the truth about who she really is. She's asking for you now, Cimarron. So get your ass over to the hospital. That's an order.”

  Dawn arose with alacrity. “I'm on my way, LT.”

  She walked toward the door, but then stopped and looked back over her shoulder as Captain Penrose called out to her, “D.C.? When things settle down a little, meet me over at Fredo's some afternoon. I'll buy you a drink. You did good work on this one, you and Rafe. All of us should get together and celebrate. And we'll make a toast to Nick, too. He trained you, the both of you, so this is his victory as much as anyone else's. Let's lift a glass or two in his memory. Wherever he is right now, I'll bet there's a grin as wide as the Colorado River on his face, now that you have Marina back again. Hell, he might even be doing cartwheels up in heaven, for all we know.”

  Swallowing a lump in her throat, she responded, “Thanks, Captain. I'd like that.”

  Passing through the door into the hallway, she looked around for Ty, who had promised to wait for her. Spying him seated on one of the hard benches at the end of the hall, she made her way toward him. He had his cell phone out and was occupying himself by playing some sort of game on it. When he caught sight of her, however, he shoved his cell back into his pocket and rose immediately. Searching her face with a keen eye, he said, “How did it go?”

  “All right. He gave me some information about how Marina ended up with the Zarafins, and he had me identify a little dress that they found in Vivian Zarafin's house. It was the one Marina was wearing when she disappeared.”

  “Okay. So what's next?”

  “I need to get over to the hospital. Rafe told Marina - Lee - everything, and she's asking for me.”

  “C'mon, then. I'll drive you over.”

  “You don't have to. I can get over there on my own.”

  This time it was Ty who rolled his eyes. “Right, like I'm going to let you go through this on your own. Not happening, Dawn.”

  “Fine. Okay. Let's get moving, then.”

  She didn't say much on the way to the hospital, and Ty didn't press her for details. But as they approached the hospital entrance, he said, “Shit.”

  Dawn, who had shut her eyes momentarily, opened them and said, “What?” But she didn't need an explanation. Standing outside the hospital entrance was a veritable army of reporters. And the last thing she felt like doing was battling her way through them.

  She turned to Ty, but didn't bother to say anything, as she could practically see the wheels turning in his head. Content that he would come up with a plan for avoiding the press, she leaned back as he gunned the car past the entrance and sped away before anyone could even think about following. A few blocks down the road, he entered a parking garage and pulled into an empty slot. The security detail assigned to him that day pulled smoothly into the slot beside him. Getting out, Ty opened the door to the back seat of the other car and motioned Dawn inside. As he got in beside her, he told the driver, “Back to the hospital. There's a back entrance with a gated private parking lot that only doctors connected to the hospital are allowed to use. Take us there.”

  The driver nodded, but said skeptically, “How do you plan on us getting past the gate?”

  “Dad sits on the board, and The Lewellen Group has a part-ownership in this particular hospital. We've done it before. Just pull up, tell them that you're Lewellen Security, and hand them my ID. They'll let us through.”

  Ty pulled his driver's license out of his pocket and handed it to the driver, who grunted, pulled out of the parking space, and made his way to the exit of the garage. Ty ducked down out of sight, and Dawn followed suit. It was not a long trip back to the hospital, and accessing the hospital by way of the private back lot worked out according to plan. They both sat up again as soon as they passed the gate, and exited as soon as the car pulled up to the entrance. Once they were inside, Ty led the way to a bank of elevators. Pushing the Up button, he asked Dawn, “What floor?”

  Dawn said blankly, “I forgot to ask. Give me a minute and I'll text Rafe.”

  Ty waited patiently, and then just as the elevator doors opened, she said, “Fifth floor. Room 5421.”

  It seemed to Dawn that it took them forever, but it was actually less than a minute later when they arrived at the fifth floor and began walking down the hall toward Room 5421. When they got to it, Dawn paused for a moment just outside the door.

  “You want me to go in with you?”

  Dawn considered, then shook her head. “Not this first time. I think I need to talk to her alone.”

  “Okay. We passed a waiting area on the way here. I'll wait for you there.”

  The door stood halfway open, so Dawn gave it a little tap and then entered the room. Rafe and Maya Shilltoe were sitting in the chairs on either side of the bed, but they both stood up immediately when they saw Dawn. She saw Maya bend down and whisper something into Lee's ear and Lee shake her head in response. Maya gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and said, “I'm going down to check out the vending machines and get a little snack. I'll be back soon, Lee.” She didn't stop to talk, but just nodded at Rafe and Dawn as she left the room.

  Rafe, meanwhile, glanced from her to Lee and said, “I'll leave the two of you alone for a while, let you get reacquainted.”

  As he passed by Dawn, he gave her arm an encouraging squeeze. Once he had left, Dawn slowly made her way to the side of the bed.

  “Hi,” she said.

  There was an awkward pause while she waited for Marina – no, Lee, she reminded herself – to respond.

  Lee was feeling the awkwardness of the situation as well, so she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. “We don't look very much alike.” Then she flushed and said, "Sorry. That didn't come out quite like I meant it."

  Swallowing the lump that was threatening to choke her up, Dawn replied, “That's okay. And you're right. At first glance, we don't look much alike at all. You have Dad's coloring, and I take more after Mom. Dad was blond-haired and blue-eyed, just like you. I got Mom's dark hair and brown eyes. But there is a resemblence. If you look carefully, you'll see it in the shape of our faces and around the nose and the mouth.”

  After considering her for a minute, Lee said, “I guess you're right.” She was silent for a minute, and then asked hesitantly, "Do you have a picture of them? Our parents, I mean."

  "Not with me, no. But I have plenty at home. I can bring some with me tomorrow."

  "Sergeant Melbourne said that we had a brother, too."

  "Yes – Josiah. I have a family portrait of all of us together. It's sitting on the nightstand next to my bed. I'll bring it with me tomorrow as well."

  "I'd like that," Lee said. And then she added wistfully, “When I was growing up, I always wanted a sister.”

  Dawn reached out and grasped Lee's hand. Giving it a squeeze, she said, “You've always had a sister, Lee. You just didn't always know that you had one.”

  When Dawn entered the waiting room, she was surprised to find Maeve and Sloan sitting there with Ty. They all stood up when she walked in, and Maeve immediately came forward. Placing a gentle hand on Dawn's arm, she inquired, “How did it go?”

  “Pretty well, actually,” Dawn replied. She looked around and then inquired, “Did Rafe go back to the station?”

  “Yes. He said that he had a mountain of paperwork to do before he could call it a night. So everything went well with your sister?”

  Dawn nodded. “She asked me a little bit about the family, and I told her about all of you and about Aunt Mattie and Uncle Pete. She said she'd like to meet everybody
, but not quite yet. She's still getting used to the idea that she's not who she thought she was for all those years. It's not as hard on her as I thought it would be, though I suspect it would be a lot more difficult if Laurence Zarafin were still alive and facing charges along with Vivian. It turns out that she was much closer to him than to her. She and Vivian have had a rocky relationship for years. Apparently, Vivian was extremely possessive of Lee while she was growing up. That, along with her drinking problem, drove a wedge between them. Can't say that I'm sorry about that, by the way.”

  “What about her physical health?”

  “She's in pretty good shape, actually. She sustained a blow to the head when she fought with Makella while attempting to escape. Though it bled a lot, the doctors don't think that she has a concussion, but they're keeping her overnight just to be sure. She has a few other bumps and bruises from when she hit the floor of the garage and from when Makella tossed her into the back of the truck, but nothing else major. Up until her escape attempt, Makella apparently didn't hurt her at all, which is good news. It'll make the recovery process a lot easier.”

  “Are you staying with her tonight?”

  Dawn shook her head. “No. Her friend Maya came back, and she promised to stay with Lee unless the nurses kick her out. I decided that Lee's had enough for one day, so I told her that I needed to get going and promised to come back first thing in the morning. She said she'd like that, so I said goodnight and left." Looking at her watch, Dawn exclaimed, “I had no idea it was so late. I guess that we should all head for home.” When she saw Ty exchanging looks with his parents, she said, “What do you know that I don't?”

  “There are reporters in our neighborhood, on the street outside our house, Dawn.”

  “There are? We live in a gated community, damn it! How did they get in?”

  “At a guess, some of them must have friends or acquaintances in the neighborhood and used them to get past the guard at the gate. And as long as they stay on the street and don't set foot on our property, we'd have trouble making them leave, Dawn. Freedom of the press and all of that, you know.”

  “Okay, so what's the plan? Do we check into a hotel?”

  “That's what I suggested at first,” Maeve interjected. “I thought it would be best if you just came back to the hotel with me. But when I called over there to see about getting you a suite close to mine, the man at the desk said that there are reporters camped out there as well. So Sloan came up with another idea. He suggested that we all go back to his house, stay with him for a few days. I think it's a good plan, myself.”

  Dawn looked at Ty. “What do you think?”

  He shrugged. “I'm fine with going over to Dad's, but it's up to you, Dawn.”

  A slow smile spread across her face. “I'd love to see any reporter try to get past Sloan's security. Okay, let's do it. But what about Brody?”

  "I already talked to Brody,” Maeve said. “He's fine with the idea.”

  "Sounds like a plan, then.” Turning to Sloan, she said, “Thanks. Staying with you for a couple of days will sure save us a lot of unwanted attention.”

  Ty moved forward and put an arm around Dawn's waist. “Let's move out then.” To his father, he said, “I'll tell the guys who brought Dawn and me in to swing over and pick up Brody. He went back to Fredo's while Dawn and I were at headquarters. Then Dawn and I can ride back with you and Mom, if that's okay with you, Dad.”

  “Sure. There's plenty of room. We came in the limo.”

  Dawn was happy to hear that. Behind the blacked-out windows of the limo, they would all be safe from prying eyes. Then she had a thought. “What about Marina? Lee, I mean. I wouldn't put it past some reporter to sneak up here and try to get an interview with her.”

  “Good point. Now that Rafe has gone, I wouldn't put it past them either,” Ty affirmed.

  “I could station a couple of Lewellen Security guards outside the door,” Sloan suggested. “Tell them to check with Lee before allowing anyone into the room.”

  It only took a few seconds for Dawn to weigh the idea in her mind. “All right. Let me run it by her first, see if she's okay with it. Be right back.”

  She returned within minutes. “Lee's okay with the idea. She hadn't thought about the fact that reporters might try to get in and bother her. She was a little floored at the thought of having her own private security team, and she was also afraid of imposing at first, but I managed to talk her around. She said to tell you that she accepts your offer with thanks, Sloan, and she'd like to meet you tomorrow and thank you personally, if you're not too busy.”

  “I'll make the time. She's family now, Dawn.”

  Dawn was touched and found it difficult to speak, so she merely took his hand for a moment. Then she turned to Ty and said, “Come on. Let's blow this joint.” She and Ty led the way, with Maeve and Sloan following.

  The limo was waiting for them at the door, and they climbed into the back quickly. Ty paused for a moment to speak briefly to the team who had driven him and Dawn to the hospital; then he got in as well. The limo pulled away from the curb smoothly, and they were on their way.

  The drive to Sloan's house took about half an hour, so Dawn leaned back against the cushions and closed her eyes. Just for a minute, she thought. Just for a minute...

  When she opened her eyes again, she was surprised to find herself at her father-in-law's front door. Turning to Ty, she looked a question at him. He shrugged in response and said, “You were out for the whole trip here, Dawn. Come on, let's get out and get you up to bed.”

  He held out his hand and helped her out of the limo and through the front door, where Sloan and Maeve were waiting for them. She presumed that Brody must have arrived ahead of them and already gone to his room, as he was nowhere in sight. Pausing briefly to hug and kiss her father and mother-in-law goodnight, she followed Ty up the stairs to a suite on the second floor. She passed through the sitting room with barely a glance and proceeded directly into the bedroom beyond. Tossing her jacket onto a chair beside the bed and carefully placing her weapon on top of it, she was surprised to see some of her own toiletries set out on a vanity nearby.

  Seeing her bewilderment, Ty said, “I called Mrs. T. right after Mom and Dad and I first started discussing spending the night here, asked her to pack some things for both of us. After you gave the okay, I called and arranged for everything to be sent over here while you were talking over Dad's offer to provide some security guards for Lee.”

  "Oh. Good idea. I never even thought about what we were going to do about stuff for tonight and tomorrow morning." She walked over to the closet to check out the clothes Mrs. Tilner had provided, wandered into the bathroom to inspect things in there, and came back into the bedroom to examine the contents of the dresser. The fatigue she had experienced earlier in the limo seemed to have vanished, and she continued to prowl about the room restlessly. Ty stood in the doorway, watching patiently and waiting. He made a mental note to call Nolan and Sylvia Drizedale in the morning, schedule an appointment with them. Dawn was going to need to talk about this, and experience had taught him that the best place for her to do that was in a counseling session. But his wife wasn't going to wait for a counseling appointment to blow off some steam. He knew all the signs and symptoms. She had contained her emotions pretty well since her initial crying jag at Fredo's, but now an explosion was imminent.

  He didn't have to wait long. Whirling around and facing him, Dawn said sharply, "Do you know what that Zarafin bitch had the nerve to say, Ty? She said that she was a good mother to Lee. I'd like to go over there right now and shake her, make her face the truth. After I'd bashed her face in a couple of times, I'd say to her, 'You were never her mother! Her mother's name is Vana Cimarron! You had no right to her!'”

  Ty crossed over to her and caught her arms, tried to draw her close. But she resisted, pounding on his chest while she continued her rant.

  “Captain Penrose told me that she'd watched all the newscasts, read all of the ar
ticles about the case. She knew why the search for Marina was called off, what the police believed had happened to her, but she still didn't come forward and do the right thing. She tortured us - Aunt Mattie and me and everybody else who cared about Marina. Sixteen years, Ty! She let us go on believing the worst for sixteen years!”

  She kept it up for a little while longer, but eventually stopped pounding and dropped her hands to her sides, the rage she felt apparently expended somewhat. He put his arms around her and stroked her back, but said nothing. Eventually she lifted her head and scrubbed her hands over her face. Pulling out of his arms, she crossed over to the nightstand by the side of the bed, where a pitcher of water and a couple of glasses stood. She poured out a glass of water and gulped some down. Then she took a deep breath and said, “I pounded on you again, took it all out on you. I'm sorry.”

  “Yeah, and it's a great big deal, too. What with me being so delicate and all. But if you want to make it up to me, feel free.”

  Dawn's head snapped up as she looked him right in the eye. “Feel free? Are you kidding? You let me pound all over you. You could have stopped me at any time, and we both know it. You're not getting make-up sex over something so trivial.”

  Good, Ty thought. That distracted her. He put his most innocent face on, the one he knew she could see right through, and said in a wounded tone, “You pounded on me. You just admitted it. Shouldn't you have to do something to make up for it?”

  She slammed the glass down, walked over to the dresser and drew back her foot to kick it before remembering that she was a guest in someone else's house. Whirling around, she said, “I can't believe that you're thinking about sex at a time like this.”

  “Why not? You just found your sister after sixteen years. I'd say that calls for a celebration. And what better way to celebrate than with sex?”

  Exasperated, Dawn said, “Don't you ever think about anything else?”