Lucky Like Us

by Jennifer Ryan

  “God, I wish I was here with you last night. You must have been so scared, and you’re probably scared now. Don’t be, sweetheart. Two really big guys are outside your door making sure no one gets in here. This time, they’re FBI agents. I haven’t been cleared to work yet, but thanks to you, the investigation will be closed by Tuesday. I was hoping to take you home that day. If you wake up right now, maybe I still can. Come on, sweetheart, wake up for me, so I can take you home.”

  He sat holding her hand, rubbing his thumb across the back of it, and hoping he’d feel even the slightest movement in her fingers. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been there staring at her when Rachel and Jenna returned along with the Judge.

  “Sam, let’s go home and let Elizabeth’s parents spend time with their daughter,” Jenna coaxed softly.

  Sam didn’t move or stop watching Elizabeth. He wanted to feel her move once. A strong hand clamped down on his shoulder, and he glanced up at the Judge.

  “She’ll be fine, son. Not to worry. I expect you at Sunday dinner tomorrow. She’ll know we’re all here with her. She’ll come back to us. I have no doubt.”

  “This is all my fault, sir. I can’t fathom everything she’s suffered. You should have heard her yesterday. She’d make a great lawyer. Hell, she’d make a great agent. She’s precise, sticks to the facts, doesn’t mince words, and keeps everything to the point. She was a great witness. And as you know, that’s rare. You should be proud of her.”

  Judge Hamilton smiled. “I am proud of her. She’s great at arguing her case. I have to say, I was disappointed she didn’t go to law school. She said we had enough lawyers in the family, and she wanted to do something fun, not taxing. She said she’d take cupcakes over nutcases any day of the week.

  “Once, when she was sixteen, she wanted to start dating. She wasn’t allowed at the time, but this one boy wanted to take her to the prom. I wasn’t in favor of the idea because the boy was older than her. In order to convince me he was respectable and would treat her well, she walked into my office and presented me with letters of recommendation, like some lawyer presenting me with legal briefs. She supplied one from the boy’s teacher, his mother, his best friend, and even one from another girl he had dated.

  “She knows how to get what she wants, and she’s fair-minded and understands that in order to make your side of the argument you have to be truthful and present facts and not emotion. That’s not to say she doesn’t have a heart. She’s got one bigger than most. She gives more than she’ll ever take.

  “That’s why I’m saying this for the last time. This is not your fault. You have done nothing but show concern for her well-being, and when Jarred came here to cause more trouble, you took care of him. I have no doubt that had you been with her last night you would have fought to the death to save her. I’ll expect no less when it’s time for her to go home and you’re assigned to protect her and find the bastard who did this to her. Are we clear?”

  “Yes, sir.” He wasn’t quite convinced, but having the Judge on his side did make a difference. “Did you let her go to the prom?” The image of Elizabeth walking into the Judge’s office and presenting her case nearly made him smile.

  “She presented a sound argument and the boy’s references were impeccable. They had a great time, as I remember. She wore a blue gown with her hair piled on her head. She was beautiful. They were crowned prom king and queen.” Judge Hamilton remembered the night fondly. “Her first dance and date with a boy. She was so excited when she got home with her rhinestone crown propped atop her head. She looked like a princess.” Those were memories to cherish. And by the look of the Judge, he had a lot of wonderful memories of Elizabeth. Sam hoped there’d be a lot more to come.

  A princess. Prom king and queen. Maybe they fit into Tyler’s cryptic message from his 1-800-PSYCHIC and the missing girl case.

  “You’ll call if there’s any change, or if she wakes up. I want to know right away. I’ll come back and see her later.”

  “You know we will,” the Judge assured him.

  Judge Hamilton liked Sam and any man who cared for his Elizabeth like Sam did deserved his sympathy. The Judge wondered how long it would take Sam to realize he cared for Elizabeth on a deep personal level and not out of guilt or responsibility. They’d make a nice couple. He hoped to see his daughter with someone as trustworthy and honorable as Sam. Maybe something would develop between the two of them. Sam was a good man. The Judge had no doubt about it. Elizabeth was kind and sweet. She’d bring joy into Sam’s dark world.

  Sam kissed Elizabeth’s temple and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. He hated to leave her, but her parents wanted to be alone with her, and she would want them before she’d want him. He headed for the door where Jenna waited. Rachel reached out to touch his arm as he passed. He gave her a reassuring look and walked out, leaving his heart and soul in that room with Elizabeth.

  Tyler stood talking to the agents guarding Elizabeth’s door. “Hey, I have a lead for you to follow on that missing girl. She’s in high school, if I remember right. Check to see if she went to the prom, and whether the guy she went with was the prom king. That might tie into your King of Hearts message.”

  Tyler smiled. “I’m surprised you considered the message and took it seriously enough to come up with a lead. Maybe I’m not crazy for listening to Morgan after all.”

  Sam shrugged, so Tyler left it alone. “I’m meeting the detective in a little while to go over the case. The file contained a picture of her and a bunch of girls at a dance. Maybe she went with a date. I’ll check it out. How are you doing with all this? How’s Elizabeth? Did you see her?”

  “I’m fine. She’s not.” Sam turned to address the two men guarding Elizabeth’s room. “No one but her immediate family and me goes in.” He waited for their nod. Grabbing Jenna’s hand, he headed toward the elevators to go home. He wanted to stay with Elizabeth, but he needed to get out of there before he collapsed on his knees by her bed and begged her, God, the universe, anyone, everyone for her to wake up.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  * * *

  Saturday, Noon

  HE PRESSED THE heavy weight up to the resting bar and rolled up from the weight bench. Sweat beaded on his forehead and chest. His muscles quivered from exertion, but the sense of euphoria that kept him up all night thinking about killing Elizabeth hadn’t waned.

  He wiped a towel over his face and body. He took pride in every sculpted muscle and believed in strength in both body and mind. He flexed his foot, the ache not so bad today.

  Anxious to catch the news of Elizabeth’s death, he switched off the blaring rock music he worked out to and tuned the TV to local news.

  “. . . survived an attempt on her life last night when the Silver Fox tried to kill Miss Hamilton in her ICU hospital room where she is recovering from serious injuries. She’s listed in critical condition and remains on life support at this hour. The entire Hamilton family is at her bedside. It’s unclear how the serial killer snuck past security without anyone seeing him. A security guard and nurse were injured . . .”

  Unable to control his rage, he chucked a ten-pound weight at the screen, cracking it and shutting the damn thing up.

  “Shit. How the fucking hell did she fucking survive?”

  If she hadn’t woken up, calling out for that damn agent, she’d be dead like she’s supposed to be. “Fuck.”

  Well, not again. Next time, he’d make her pay for fucking up his life. No way in hell was she leaving that hospital alive.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  * * *

  Saturday, 3:00 P.M.

  DETECTIVE SANDERS WAS going out of his mind. Two dozen case files cluttered his desk, all demanding his attention, and the most pressing one was Dianne Wales. The poor girl had been missing several weeks, not a single lead indicating who might have taken her, if someone had taken her, or where she might be. Her parents were, understandably, frantic and left him message upon message, hour after hour. He hated telling
them each and every time he had no new leads, or even an idea about what had happened to the seventeen-year-old girl.

  By all accounts she was a good student, well liked by her classmates. She held a part time job and had never been late. The parents appeared to have a strong marriage, no signs of trouble at home. It didn’t appear she was a rebellious teenager, or there had been some kind of sudden trouble. Her grades were consistently good, and she kept to a regular school and work routine.

  Unhappy the FBI was coming in today, Saturday of all days, to help with the case, his frustration grew. If he couldn’t find any evidence or leads, he didn’t know how some hotshot FBI agent could make any headway either.

  “Detective Sanders. I’m Special Agent Reed with the FBI. I’m here about the Dianne Wales case. I have some questions and possibly a lead.”

  “Agent Reed.”

  Detective Sanders shook the agent’s hand and gave him a cursory once over. The guy was big. Tall and broad, his dark hair and darker eyes made him look mean, even with his neutral expression.

  He thought he must appear the exact opposite of the agent. Oh, he had dark hair, more gray than brown these days, and brown eyes as well, but he was anything but tall, handsome, or strong. He’d gone the way of the doughnut many years ago. He was still sharp of mind though, and that’s what mattered when you were a detective.

  “I’m all ears. I don’t have anything new in the case. It’s as if Miss Wales simply disappeared.”

  “Did she have a boyfriend?”

  “Her parents said she dated in the past, but no one recently.”

  Tyler opened his copy of the file and took out the picture of Dianne at the school dance. “Did you ask the parents if she went to this dance with a date?”

  “No, not specifically. They provided several photos to post on the Internet, make up flyers, give to reporters and such. I can call them and ask if she went with a date. Why? Do you think it’s important?”

  “I don’t know yet. According to all reports, she was a model student and person. She stuck to pretty much the same schedule, but all of a sudden one day she up and vanishes after school. No one claims to have seen her once she got off the bus. Let’s start with the dance and work forward.”

  Tyler didn’t want to tell the detective about his message from Morgan. He could tell the story only so many times before someone thought he was crazy for listening to a woman he’d only met once and spoken to for less than a minute. Even he was starting to think he was crazy. Then again, she’d proven herself right every time she gave him a lead. And since a young girl’s life was on the line, he’d give Morgan the benefit of the doubt.

  “Let me get them on the line.”

  Detective Sanders dialed and waited for the connection to go through. “Mrs. Wales, this is Detective Sanders. No, ma’am, I don’t have any news. I’m here with Agent Reed from the FBI, and we have a few questions. Do you remember the photo you gave me of your daughter at the school dance? The picture was taken a couple weeks before she disappeared, you say. Did she go to the dance with a date? Chris Hillman. Did they date regularly?” He put the call on speaker for Tyler to listen.

  “They spent time together before the dance, but never went on any other dates. After the dance, they stopped seeing each other. Dianne didn’t say why.”

  “Mrs. Wales, this is Agent Reed. I’m sorry about your daughter. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”

  “No. I’ll do anything to find her,” Mrs. Wales said anxiously. “What do you want to know?”

  “Do you know if she and Chris were crowned king and queen of the prom?”

  “No, they weren’t. That went to one of her friends.”

  “After she stopped seeing Chris, was she upset or emotional about the breakup?”

  “I don’t think so. School and work kept her very busy, so her father and I didn’t get a lot of time to talk to her. We didn’t have any reason to be concerned. We gave her the freedom she’d earned. Everything seemed fine. I’ve spoken to all her friends and none of them have any idea what happened. She should have gone straight from school to her job. She never showed up. Something happened to my girl. You have to find her,” Mrs. Wales begged, crying in torrents.

  Tyler hated to make her cry. “We’re trying. Thank you for answering my questions. We’ll contact you if there is any news.”

  “Okay. I’m so glad you’re still looking for her, that she hasn’t been forgotten.”

  “No, ma’am. We’re doing everything possible to find her,” Tyler assured her.

  “Goodbye.”

  “Goodbye, Mrs. Wales.

  “Have you interviewed this Chris Hillman?” Tyler asked the detective.

  “We questioned a lot of her friends, but most were her girlfriends.” He grabbed the list off the pile of papers on his desk and scanned it. “He’s not here. Do you really think this kid has something to do with Dianne’s disappearance?”

  “I’m not sure, but I think it’s worth asking some questions. Who was Dianne’s best friend?”

  Detective Sanders checked his notes. “Leslie Monroe.”

  “Great. Do you have an address?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Let’s pay her a visit and see what she knows about Dianne and Chris. Maybe we can figure out what was going on between the two of them before we interview Chris.”

  They arrived at the best friend’s home and tried to get Leslie to open up about Dianne. Not so easy with her mother sitting next to her, making sure they didn’t push too hard for answers.

  “I don’t want to get Dianne into trouble with her parents, or with Chris,” Leslie said for the fifth time.

  Tyler tried to hold on to his patience. “Dianne is missing. We need to know about her life. You’re her best friend. If you know something, you need to tell us.”

  In the end, Leslie finally relented. “Dianne was completely in love with Chris. They’d been secretly seeing each other for a few weeks before the dance. The night of the dance they snuck away early and . . . they had sex.” She lowered her head and avoided her mother’s gaze. “It was the first time for both of them,” she added softly, her cheeks flaming pink.

  “Were they still seeing each other when she disappeared?”

  “No. Once Chris got what he wanted, he broke things off with her and started seeing another girl at school, then stopped seeing her about a week later, and started seeing another girl after that. Who can keep track at this point?” she said, disgusted.

  “How did Dianne take the breakup?” This could be the break they needed. Dianne might have run away to avoid Chris, or she might have harmed herself if she’d taken things badly. Either way, they needed to find Dianne.

  “Dianne didn’t take the breakup well, or the fact Chris was chasing after every easy girl at school. He used to be a really nice guy,” she said softly. Then she added scathingly, “Now, he’s a complete dog. At least, that’s the general consensus. He used Dianne, and he made sure everyone knew they’d slept together. Chris is lower than pond scum.”

  “Do you think Dianne ran away because of what Chris did?”

  “No, she wouldn’t run away. I mean, she was upset, but she really loved him, even though he is a dog. I talked to her a lot. She never said anything about running away. There’s no reason why she would. He isn’t worth it,” Leslie said, summing up her opinion of Chris.

  Tyler and Detective Sanders left, thanking Leslie for the information. “Do you think she ran away because Chris decided to sow his wild oats instead of stick with her?” It was a reasonable explanation. “Her first experience with a boy, the rejection could have been too much for her to deal with at such a young age.”

  Tyler didn’t think Dianne was the runaway type. “I don’t think it’s that simple. She’d keep in contact with her parents and friends if she were just upset over a boy dumping her. It’s got to be something more. I don’t think we’ll find this girl alive,” Tyler said sadly, knowing more often than not that was the ca
se.

  “I’ve had that same feeling for a long time now,” Detective Sanders admitted. “She’s been gone too long. She wasn’t a troubled teen or into drugs. We’re missing something. Maybe Chris can fill us in on what that is.”

  They found Chris in his driveway with a blonde pressed up against a pickup truck. With his hands on her hips, he locked lips with her, not realizing Tyler and Sanders stood behind him. Tyler took a moment to assess the young Casanova. About five-ten with too long brown hair, well below his T-shirt collar. He wore baggy jeans, several sizes too big, falling down his ass, showing off plaid boxers. Barefoot, he had probably just rolled out of bed with the blonde.

  The girl was pretty and fresh looking, her long hair tousled, her sundress wrinkled and well above her knees.

  Tyler cleared his throat, loudly, to get their attention. The girl’s head flew up, eyes wide at the sight of Tyler and Sanders. Pushing Chris away, she straightened her wrinkled dress, bit her lower lip, her eyes falling to the ground.

  “What do you want?” Chris asked, unhappy about the interruption.

  “Chris Hillman, right?”

  “Yeah, who wants to know?”

  Tyler remembered being a cocky teenager. He probably deserved a good pop in the mouth a few times for giving people attitude for no good reason. “I’m Special Agent Reed with the FBI. This is Detective Sanders. We want to ask you some questions about Dianne Wales.” He looked pointedly at the girl. “Do you have a way to get home, Miss?”

  “Yes, sir. Um, I’ll see you later, Chris. Call me, okay,” she said with a seductively sweet smile that absolutely caught Chris’s eye.

  “I’ll catch you later.” She walked away, and Chris followed the sway of her hips.

  Tyler hoped the sir was because he was an FBI agent, and she wanted to be respectful. Only thirty-one, he hoped he wasn’t already a sir to young ladies.