Wild

by Meghan O'Brien

  Chapter Six

  Eve knew she was in trouble the moment she walked into the morgue. Detective Jacqueline Battle was peering over Dr. Wayne Black’s shoulder as he examined a fresh corpse, a bad habit she had that always made Wayne nervous. Jac glanced up as Eve entered the room, eyes going from concerned to angry in a millisecond. Instantly Jac rushed to her side.

  “What happened?” Before Eve could react, Jac cupped her face between her hands. Eve looked away as Jac examined her injuries, trying to ignore how comforting she found the touch of familiar brown fingers. “Wayne said you were running late. He did not tell me about this.”

  “That’s because he didn’t know,” Wayne said from behind Jac. He pushed aside the magnifier he’d been looking through and stepped to Jac’s side, genuine compassion in his eyes. “Did this happen in Golden Gate Park?”

  When Eve called in she’d told Wayne only that she was running late and would be in before noon. He hadn’t questioned her further, but clearly he regretted that omission now. Eve willed herself to appear far calmer than she felt. “I’m fine—”

  “Fine?” Jac dropped her hand to Eve’s chin, gently turning her face so their eyes met. “This is not fine. Who did this to you?”

  “A man attacked me in the park this morning.”

  “Attacked you?” The panic and heartbreak in Jac’s eyes hit Eve square in the stomach, a visceral reminder of the love she used to see there every day. “What did he do?”

  Blushing, Eve stepped back and adjusted her glasses. She read the unspoken question in Jac’s eyes and shook her head. “Not that.”

  “So it was a robbery?”

  “He did take my purse,” Eve said, trying to ignore the look of alarm Jac failed to suppress. “But I don’t know if that was his motive.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He…” Eve struggled to revisit those terrifying moments. “He threatened me with a knife when he had me down on the ground. He acted like he was getting off on my fear.”

  Jac swallowed and the color seemed to drain from her face. “Wayne was just examining a body we found in Golden Gate Park this morning. It looks like she was slashed to death with a knife.”

  For the second time that day, time seemed to slow to a turtle’s pace around Eve. She put her hand out, hoping to find something to rest against before her legs stopped working. Jac came to her side and led her to the counter that held her forensic tools. Eve stared at her favorite retractor and forced herself to calm down. That didn’t necessarily mean anything. The victim’s murder and her own attack could easily be isolated events. It was truly within the realm of possibility, Occam’s razor be damned.

  “It might not be the same guy.” Jac’s voice had gone from scolding to reassuring. She’d always been good at knowing when not to push. “But we’ll definitely want a statement from you. It might help.”

  “Of course,” Eve said. Taking a deep breath, she straightened and stepped away from the counter. She approached the examination table quickly, not allowing herself to falter at the sight of the dead woman’s violent wounds. Multiple cuts and stabs across the torso and face, signifying a no doubt terrifying and painful last few moments. Two vicious slashes to the neck, most likely the actual cause of death.

  It could have been her on that table. Could Wayne and Jac have brought themselves to examine her mutilated corpse?

  Jac touched her back. “Maybe you should take the rest of the day off. Nobody would blame you.”

  Eve shrugged away from Jac’s hand. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m fine.”

  Jac grasped her elbow and walked her to the corner of the room, out of Wayne’s earshot. To Eve’s relief, he stepped back to the corpse and continued his examination. At least one of them could proceed as normal.

  “Eve, I won’t pretend there isn’t a chance that your attacker is also our killer. After what you went through this morning…” Jac’s chin trembled and she instantly tightened her jaw. “You need to take care of yourself. Looking at that woman’s body won’t help you right now.”

  “Sure it will.” Work always helped. Eve just needed to distance the victim from her own experience, even if they’d met the same man in the park earlier. “I have to do something, Jac. I can’t go home yet.”

  Jac nodded reluctantly. Then she said, “How did you get away?”

  Eve cursed her fair skin when she felt her cheeks flush. She knew her story was slightly incredible and didn’t want to look anything but confident as she told it. “A wolf.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I don’t know. My glasses were broken, but it looked like a wolf. Maybe it was a dog. Anyway, it attacked the guy and knocked him away from me. Then it bit his arm and the guy ran away.”

  Jac swallowed, looking as though she might be sick. “That’s…lucky.”

  “I know.” Eve shuddered at her memory of the man’s weight on top of her. “I don’t know what I would have done if he hadn’t shown up.”

  “Personally, I hope it was a dog.” Jac grimaced. “Easier for animal control to deal with.”

  “It could have been, I guess.” Eve touched her temple, wincing at the tenderness. “That would make more sense.”

  “I’m not saying you’re wrong. Even in that situation, I’m sure you’d know the difference between a wolf and a dog.”

  “Maybe it was a malamute. Or a wolf hybrid.”

  “You think whatever it was could have killed our victim?”

  Eve shook her head. “No, she was stabbed. With a knife.”

  “I figured,” Jac said. “But I thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

  “Besides, this wolf was…” Eve paused, unsure how to explain the way the wolf had only seemed interested in scaring away her attacker. “It wasn’t aggressive. At least not to me. It jumped on the guy who was hurting me, then left as soon as I was safe.”

  Jac stared intently at Eve’s face, probably trying to decide if her story was credible or trauma-induced. It was a cop look, one Eve had seen many times. “Why didn’t you call me? I would have come and picked you up. Taken you to get new glasses.”

  She’d considered phoning Jac for only a moment. Then she’d decided that it was a slippery slope back into Jac’s arms, and it was better not to fall into old habits. “I’m not your responsibility anymore. Remember?”

  Pain flashed through Jac’s eyes, and Eve couldn’t decide how that made her feel. The petty, mean-spirited part of her was happy. After all, Jac had hurt her worse than anyone ever had. But the part of her that still loved Jac recoiled at her impulsive words. No matter how badly Jac had screwed up their romantic relationship, she’d always been there for Eve as a friend.

  “I’m sorry,” Eve said. “A woman at the park helped me get cleaned up and let me use her phone. I figured I would talk to you once I got to work.”

  Jac folded her arms over her chest, looking small and sad. “You know, even though we aren’t together anymore, I do still care about you. Deeply. I want to be there for you when you need me, Eve.”

  Eve bit back the first comment that came to mind. I needed you last year when you were cheating on me. I needed you to need me, and you didn’t. Instead she said, “I appreciate that.”

  “When are you going to talk to the police?”

  “I thought I just did.”

  Jac brushed the back of her fingers over Eve’s cheek. “To give an official statement, I mean.”

  “Soon, I guess. Maybe you could come with me.”

  Jac’s throat tightened and her eyes filled with emotion. “Of course.”

  “Thank you.” Eve turned away quickly. She was too fragile to deal with all that Jac was leaving unspoken. “You’re a good friend.”

  She didn’t know what to make of their friendship these days. When they first broke up, things between them had been chilly at best. Eve was embarrassed and angry about Jac’s betrayal, and guilt made Jac short-tempered and difficult to be around. Having to continue to see one another professionall
y had been a real challenge, and more than once Eve had questioned whether staying in San Francisco was good for her own mental health. But about six months ago, Eve woke up one morning ready to let things go. Shortly after that, Jac’s attitude had changed as well.

  Their conversations had become less formal, and their interactions had become warm again. Now it almost seemed as though some of the old love had returned to Jac’s eyes. Eve tried her best not to see it. She’d forgiven Jac, but she refused to be lured back by the same charm that Jac had wielded to seduce other women while they were together.

  “Eve—”

  “Let me just take another look at the victim before we go. Okay?” Eve walked to the examination table, nodding curtly at Wayne’s sympathetic look. He straightened, all business. That was the great thing about him. He understood that work was therapy for her, and he always allowed her to get lost in it. “What have we got, Dr. Black?”

  “Victim is in her early thirties, Latina. She’s been dead about six hours. Multiple stab wounds and shallow slices, double-edged blade.” He tilted his head and studied her face. “It appears she died from the slashes on her throat, though there is evidence of petechiae on the face and eyelids.”

  Eve assessed the pinpoint hemorrhages that marred the woman’s tan skin, then glanced at what remained of her throat to confirm bruising. “So she was strangled as well as stabbed.”

  “Yes.” Wayne hesitated, then said, “The killer was on top of her when he asphyxiated her. Two hands around her neck.”

  Eve touched her own throat where her attacker had dug his thumbs in, restricting her breathing. She had a terrifying flash of memory: being unable to breathe, thinking she was about to die. Jac gently rubbed her lower back, pulling Eve into the present. Eve dropped her hand and took a deep breath.

  “We didn’t find any identification on the body,” Jac said. “We don’t know who she is. Her body was left in a heavily wooded area of the park, very secluded. I doubt we would have found her already if it hadn’t been for the phone tip.”

  Eve moved away from Jac, pretending to study the stab wounds. She tried to remember the knife her attacker had used to nick her breast, but knew she wouldn’t be able to determine if it had been the murder weapon. The details were just too fuzzy. “Someone reported the body?”

  “A woman.” Jac walked around to the other side of the table so she could meet Eve’s gaze. “She didn’t leave her name. Said she was taking her morning jog when she found the body.”

  Hearing Jac’s skepticism, Eve said, “You don’t believe her?”

  “That’s an awfully secluded jogging route for a woman to take at six thirty in the morning. She’s either lying or foolish beyond belief.”

  Eve stiffened. Jac wasn’t directly rebuking her for choosing to walk in Golden Gate Park alone, but her voice held a definite undertone of judgment. Grateful for the reminder that Jac wasn’t her knight in shining armor, Eve turned to Wayne. “Any evidence of sexual assault?”

  He shook his head. “No. She was found naked, but with no bodily fluids or evidence of penetration.”

  “Okay.” Eve walked to the counter to pick up her purse, then remembered she no longer had it. Feeling naked, she tugged at the hem of her borrowed shirt and took a moment to collect herself. “Start gathering hair and fiber evidence. I’m leaving to go talk to the police, and I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Looking to Jac, she said, “Let’s get this part over with.”

  Nodding, Jac tentatively approached her. “Eve, what I said before, about the tipster—”

  “Don’t worry about it, Detective Battle.” Eve put on her best neutral expression, ignoring the way Jac winced at the formality. “I understand.”

  Jac let her walk out the lab door without comment, but as soon as they were in the hallway, she grabbed Eve’s arm and tugged her to a stop. Shaken by the unexpected contact, Eve pulled away sharply.

  Jac held her hands up and took a step backward. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, I’m sorry.” Eve exhaled. She had to get a grip. If she wanted Jac to believe she was okay, she had to act the part. “I’m still a little shaken up.”

  “Understandably.” Jac gave her a contrite grimace, ducking her head. “I meant that I’m sorry if I upset you in there. I know we used to argue about your walks, but I don’t want you to think—”

  “I don’t.”

  “It wasn’t your fault, Eve. And I’m glad you’re okay. It never once crossed my mind to say I told you so or anything shitty like that.” Jac tugged on an unruly sprig of her kinky hair, a nervous gesture Eve knew well. “I promise.”

  Though Jac’s promises had ceased to mean very much months ago, Eve took her hand and squeezed gently. She let go after a single beat. “Thank you.”

  “You should stay at my place tonight.” Clearly reading her reaction, Jac said, “I’ll sleep on the couch. Totally innocent. I just…don’t think you should be alone.”

  Warmed by the offer, and more tempted than she wanted to admit, Eve shook her head. “Thanks, but I’m fine. Really.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Stay strong. She increasingly found herself repeating this mantra around Jac. Stay strong, and whatever you do, don’t say yes. “I’m sure. If I need anything, I’ll call you.”

  “Okay.” Jac frowned. “But I don’t like it.”

  “Noted.” Shoving aside her conflicted feelings for the moment, Eve gestured down the hallway. “Shall we go to the station?”

  To her relief, Jac turned and led the way.

  Chapter Seven

  Selene couldn’t concentrate. She saved the changes she’d made to the corporate logo she was designing and shut down Photoshop, then her computer. Her deadline was in three days, but she wasn’t in the mood to keep pretending that she might make progress. Right now, work was the last thing on her mind. Refusing to give her a moment’s peace, images of the body in the park filled her thoughts, along with worry about the odd look Renee had given her that morning when she returned to find Selene untied and waiting with the rest of her payment at the front door. But most of all, thoughts of Eve distracted Selene.

  True to her word, Eve had called Selene at eight o’clock the night before to check in. Terrified to let things escalate between them, Selene had let the call go to voice mail. And she’d regretted it every minute since. For fifteen years now she’d believed she just wasn’t meant to be with anyone, but Eve was undeniably different. They had a connection, and Selene was almost positive it went both ways. Would it be possible for Eve to accept Selene for who she was, or did she represent yet another heartbreak?

  She couldn’t know without allowing Eve into her life. And that was the one thing she wasn’t sure she could do.

  Trying not to think about how badly she wanted to return Eve’s call, Selene wondered instead about the man in the ski mask. What had he wanted? Judging from the way he hadn’t attempted to remove any clothing past tearing Eve’s shirt, it seemed unlikely that he had intended to rape her. If he had, Selene would have expected him to be actively working toward that goal when she came upon them. But he’d been focused on tracing his knife over Eve’s chest, watching her face. Clearly Eve’s fear aroused him.

  Though he’d taken Eve’s purse, he probably hadn’t intended to rob her, either. The time he had obviously spent with her on the ground suggested that his interest had been Eve, not her bag. He had reminded Selene of a predator on the hunt, and she couldn’t help but worry that his ultimate goal had been murder.

  Maybe she hadn’t killed the woman in the park. What if Eve’s attacker had?

  The thought brought sick, momentary relief, then worry. As much as she didn’t want to believe she was capable of murdering someone, if that man was responsible for the dead woman, a killer had targeted Eve. And he knew where she lived.

  Selene pushed back from her desk and stood up. More than twenty-four hours had passed since the attack, but the weather had been typical San Francisco: cool and damp. Surely his scent
would still be there. Doing nothing wasn’t an option, so she walked to her window and opened it slightly. Then she stepped away from the curtains to undress.

  If she were smart, she’d try to forget about Eve and move on with her life. Especially if she hadn’t murdered that poor woman in the park. She could still slip back into the shadows unnoticed, call to the police notwithstanding. She had already broken her rules once for Eve, shifting into wolf form in public. If she wanted to keep her secret, she needed to not make a habit of it. Simply having anything more to do with Eve would violate her ultimate rule: Relationships lead to heartache and pain, so avoid them at all costs, romantic ones in particular.

  A relationship with Eve would quickly turn romantic. The connection between them was intense, and that force would surely pull them together physically. Selene wouldn’t have the strength to resist it. Eve wouldn’t realize that she should.

  Then what? How would Selene explain to Eve why she always disappeared the day before a full moon, only to return the day after? A lover would want to know such things. That was why Selene never let herself get involved.

  But Selene was already involved—whether she liked it or not. Even now, she could feel the faintest hum of Eve’s emotion at the edge of her consciousness. She tried not to tune into it, didn’t want Eve inside her head, but the transmission was persistent. It was also faint, which made Selene want to focus in even more to make sure Eve was all right.

  “Damn it.” Selene pulled off her panties and tossed them on the couch with the rest of her clothing. She glanced at the window, steeling her nerves before breaking another rule. “What are you doing to me, Eve?”

  She wanted to see if she could follow the man’s trail through Golden Gate Park after he left the scene of the attack. She didn’t have a plan. Chances were she would follow his scent to the edge of the park only to lose it on the street or at a BART station, but she had to try. Even if she managed to never contact Eve again, Selene wanted to do everything she could to protect her. This was the only place she knew to start.