Secret Hunger (The Harper Sisters)

by Satin Russell

  His words had the same effect as a bomb being dropped in the middle of the room. All five of them sat in silence as they digested this new information and the ramifications. Liz sighed. “Oh, Livvy…”

  A cold ball of fear sat heavily in her stomach. Her initial instinct was to curl up as small as possible and hide from the rest of the world forever. Agoraphobia was starting to look like a pretty good idea. Maybe she could become a hermit. Olivia worried her lip, frustrated with her options.

  She didn’t want to be trapped in her own life, dammit!

  As she scanned the faces of the people around her, she found Mason looking at her fixedly. She could feel him willing his strength into her and found that it actually did help to steady her nerves.

  Feeling fortified, she took a deep breath. “So, what can we do? I can’t live like this indefinitely. This guy needs to be caught.”

  CeCe grabbed her satchel and stood up. “Well, let’s get to work, then. Why don’t we go into the dining room, set up, and we can start putting together a sketch of this guy?”

  Happy to have something tangible to do, she nodded and got up from the couch. “Sounds good. How long does this usually take?”

  “Well, it depends. Usually it takes two to four hours, but I’ve known it to take longer.”

  Olivia stopped in her tracks. “A couple of hours? I never realized it took that long.” She looked longingly over at the dining room table. “I would really like to get started on this, but I still have to get ahold of my insurance agent and I’ve yet to go over to the café and look at the damage.”

  Struck by that thought, she turned back towards Brad. “That reminds me. When do you think we can get into the café?”

  “I’m thinking tomorrow. Like I said, we’ve had the forensic guys in there to do the preliminary work, but the fire department still has to go through and make sure it’s structurally sound.”

  Olivia sighed. “Damn. Okay, then.”

  CeCe placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “As far as the sketch goes, I’m sorry, but it’s important that we get to it as soon as possible. People’s memories tend to fade over time. Especially if the event was traumatic. We may also need you to come down to the station and take a look at some mugshots. Is there any way you can reschedule with your insurance agent?”

  Liz stood up. “I can call his office, if you’d like. I’m sure he’ll understand, given the circumstances.”

  Resigned, Olivia gave her sister a nod and then turned back to CeCe. “You’re right. Whatever is going to help catch this guy is more important.”

  CeCe gave her an encouraging smile. “Before we get started on that, I think we should go up and document your injuries first.”

  At Olivia’s look of distaste, CeCe gave her a sympathetic smile. “I know, it’s not pleasant, but it will help us build a case against him once he’s caught.” At this, she got a determined look on her face. “And he will be caught…”

  She appreciated the other woman’s attempt to reassure her. “Okay, then. You’re right, whatever it takes.” She started heading up the stairs. “Let’s get this over with.”

  Liz hung up the phone. “It’s all set. He said tomorrow will be fine. Would you feel more comfortable if I came up with you two?”

  Olivia hesitated. “I don’t know, Liz. You might find it disturbing. It’s pretty bad…”

  Liz gave her sister a bald look. “It’s probably not any worse than what I’ve been imagining. When I think about what could have happened, I just…,” Liz took a deep breath and tried to collect her thoughts. “I know you said it wasn’t my fault for being late, but I just need to make it up to you, ok? Can I come up and give you some moral support?”

  She smiled at her sister and gave her a hug. “Of course. You guys going to be okay down here?”

  Mason looked at her. “We’ll be fine. Do what you need to do.”

  With that, the three women headed up to the bedroom, leaving the men to their own devices in the living room.

  “So, I take it you guys are definitely an item now,” Brad said.

  Mason turned to him. “Yeah. That’s not a problem, is it?”

  “What? Oh no, not with me. It’s not like that between Olivia and me. I just hate seeing her have to deal with something like this. She’s already been through a lot with her parents. Actually, I’m glad she has someone like you watching her back.”

  Mason nodded. “It’s good to know she has a friend on the force that will be making her case a priority. She’s going to need all the help she can get. Especially now that we know this is Mendez.”

  “Yeah, I’m glad a lab was able to collect some DNA from the samples you got yesterday. I had my forensic guys go over the crime scene at the café, but the fire destroyed any of the evidence we may have gotten from it. Judging by Olivia’s account, it sounds like she got him pretty good. It would have been nice if some of that blood had been found.”

  “She’s tough, that’s for sure. I’m glad she could fight him off. But, you know, that’s also part luck. The fact is, he underestimated her and she caught him off guard. Next time, he’ll be expecting it.”

  “So, you think there will definitely be a next time?”

  Mason leveled a look at the other man. “I do believe he will try again, yes. But I don’t plan to give him the kind of opportunity that he had yesterday to get a hold of her.”

  “If you’re sticking around her too closely, he may not make another attempt for a long time. Are you prepared to put that kind of time and energy into this situation? I was under the impression you were planning to head back to your old position after the holidays. Isn’t that still the case?”

  Sighing, Mason ran a hand through his hair. “Well, there is that. I haven’t quite figured the logistics out for that yet.”

  “Look, I know it’s not what either of us wants, but maybe we should consider setting a trap for him. Help expedite this process.”

  “You mean have her act as bait.”

  “Well, there would be a few advantages, if we did it that way. One is that we’d be able to better control the time and place she gets approached.

  “Besides, you said yourself this guy could end up going to ground for a bit before making his move. In fact, the incentive is there for him to do exactly that. Especially now that his presence around here is known and the heat is on.

  “You know how it goes with these kinds of cases. We can’t sustain that level of interest in the public for long before people are looking to the next thing. Not to mention, it’s the holidays and everybody’s got happier times to be thinking about.”

  Mason sighed. “The point is, he can afford to wait me out.”

  Brad gave him a wry, twisted smile. “Basically, yeah. Not to put too fine a point on it, but you may not have the options you’ll need to beat this guy.”

  Mason’s hands balled into fists as he thought about what the officer had said. He knew Brad’s reasoning was valid, but didn’t want to face that possibility just yet. “Let’s just give it a little time before we consider that step. Let’s get through Thanksgiving first. Then, if nothing further has happened, we can try to bring it up to her.”

  Brad sighed. “I agree. That’s probably the best course of action for now. CeCe should have something later this afternoon. She’s the best, which is why I brought her. We’ll work on circulating the sketch and getting the media attention on it, see if anybody has spotted this guy. Then we can go from there.” He paused. “But, Mason, I want to make sure you’re looking down the line on this. You need to figure out just how committed you are.”

  “You’re right. I’ll think about it.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Hours later, Olivia, Liz, and Mason were following the two officers out of the house and locking the door. “Thank you for coming by to take my report, Brad,” she gave the man a hug and then turned to CeCe. “It was very nice meeting you.”

  “You, too, honey. You did really well today. We’ll
get this to the media outlets as soon as possible. I think we’re even in time to make the nightly news.”

  “I just hope it helps.”

  “It all helps.” CeCe gently placed her hand on Olivia’s shoulder. “You take care of yourself.”

  “Thank you, I will.”

  The three of them watched as the officers climbed into their car and took off. Shadows ran long in the fading afternoon light. Mason turned to the two sisters. “Liz, you sticking with us?”

  She nodded. “If you don’t mind. I haven’t been back to the café, either, and thought I’d take a look at it with you guys.”

  They all piled into Mason’s truck and headed into town. The ride was quiet and pregnant with tension. The closer they got, the more Olivia’s stomach turned into knots.

  Wanting to break the silence, Mason said, “Are you ready to see this?”

  “The truth? Not really.” She attempted a smile before turning more sober. “But it has to be done. I need to see what the damage is with my own eyes.”

  “Okay, I can understand that.”

  As they pull up from behind the building, she was struck by the bright yellow police tape that cut through the leftover, dingy snow, keeping the parking lot and the back door cordoned off.

  She could see the black smoke marks snaking their way out of the doorway and staining the decades-old bricks. There was a hole where the roof had collapsed which must have been where all the smoke had been billowing from the day before.

  Losing the restaurant was like a kick in the gut. She’d poured everything she had into it. In turn, it had helped her to support her family and had seen her through the darkest periods of her life. Other than the death of her parents, she couldn’t remember when she’d ever had a moment where she felt so forlorn and alone. She had hoped never to feel such a poisonous mix of anger and despair again.

  Mason continued down the street and turned the corner, parking on the other side of the road from the café. They all just sat there for a moment and took in the sight of the place. She was thankful when, after a moment, he reached over and took hold of her hand.

  Liz sighed and opened the door. “Maybe it won’t hurt so much if we do this quickly, like tearing a bandage off fast.”

  The two of them peered through the windshield at the café. They could see that the large plate glass windows had all been shattered, and even from this distance, it was obvious the place had been gutted. Olivia hesitated, not sure if she was ready to take a closer look at what lay within.

  “I don’t think anything is going to help, to be honest,” she said under her breath to Mason. “But let’s get this over with.”

  Just then, Jackie and Tom walked up and stopped at the police tape sectioning off the sidewalk in front of the café. With one final fortifying breath, she released Mason’s hand and climbed out of the truck to join them and her sister.

  Gasping at the damage to her friend’s face, Jackie burst into tears and rushed to hug her. “Olivia. Oh, my goodness, I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry! I can’t believe this has happened. Can you believe this happened? I can’t believe this.”

  Despite the pain from being hugged too tightly, Olivia didn’t let go of her friend, giving her the time to work out her emotions. She rubbed a hand down her back and reassured her. “I’m okay, Jackie. I’m okay.”

  “When I heard what happened, my heart just dropped to the floor. I would have come over to see you sooner, but Mason said you slept in this morning.”

  Releasing her, Olivia turned to Tom and was carefully enfolded into another hug. “Yeah, I guess I needed the rest because I actually woke up after eleven today.” Her voice cracked with emotion as she turned to face the damage. “Look at our beautiful café. It’s ruined.”

  Tom pulled back and quietly stared into her eyes. “The important thing is you kept your head about you, fought back, and managed to get away. This can be rebuilt. Will be rebuilt. You, my friend, are not so easily replaced.”

  Touched by the look in his eyes, she managed to calm down a bit. “I know, you’re right,” she whispered, “but seeing this for the first time is hard. I didn’t realize I would have such a visceral reaction like this.”

  “It’s a natural reaction to trauma,” Mason said, walking up to the little group.

  “Tom, I don’t think you’ve had a chance to officially meet Mason yet,” she said, introducing the two men.

  They both quickly sized each other up, and unspoken communication passed between them as two warriors recognized and acknowledged the signs of past battles in each other’s eyes. Mason reached out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise. Olivia mentioned she’s been having trouble with an unwanted suitor paying too much attention.” With that, he shot her a reproving look. “You should have let me know the extent of the trouble you were dealing with. I had no idea it was this bad.”

  Chagrined, she apologized. “I’m sorry. It’s taken me a while to accept the situation for what it is, and I didn’t really want to concern everybody over nothing.”

  Tom looked over the burnt husk of the café and back into Olivia’s eyes. “This is not ‘nothing.’” After a moment, he sighed and gave her another hug, accepting her apology.

  Turning back towards Mason, he said, “Jackie mentioned you might know who is behind all of this.”

  “We just got the results back from a DNA sample I had tested,” Mason said.

  Jackie’s eyes rounded. “Has it been confirmed?”

  At Olivia’s nod, all three women took a moment to hold on to each other. Each of them wiped their eyes when they parted.

  Jackie looked up at Mason with tear-stained eyes. “You were right, yesterday. You tried to warn us.”

  Liz interjected, “I was the one who was late.”

  Jackie gave Liz a hug too. “I was the one who left her, all alone…with that madman!”

  Despite everything, Olivia laughed a little. “You two. No having a guilt-off. Neither one of you did anything wrong.” She walked over and wrapped her arms around both of the two women hugging. “Please. I don’t want either one of you feeling bad about this. The only person who is guilty of anything is Robert Mendez.”

  Mason smiled kindly at Jackie’s red, splotchy face. “Honestly? He probably would have found a way to get to her at some point, regardless. There was nothing you could have done by staying. In fact, I’m happy you weren’t there to get hurt, as well.”

  Tom’s eyes turned to flint. “I’d kill him.”

  At that, Jackie gasped and slapped him on the arm. “Tom, really.”

  Tom just looked at her intensely. “That wasn’t meant to be a joke, Jackie. If he laid a hand on either you or Abby, I’d hunt that man down and kill him.”

  Mason’s barely controlled voice was edged in frost. “You’d have to get in line.”

  Tom gave him a measured look. “Well, as it is, he’s already made my ‘maimed’ list.”

  Olivia rolled her eyes and threaded her arm through Jackie’s. “Alright, you guys. We both get that you’re a couple of badasses,” she smiled to soften her words, “and we’re very thankful that you would want to protect us like that, but I’m not looking for anyone to be killed. I’d be happy just to have this guy caught, so he can be out of my life and the women he’s harmed in the past could get some measure of justice.”

  The five of them turned and faced the café, lapsing into silence and their own thoughts. After a moment, Olivia broke the quiet. “I wish we could go in and really see the damage that’s been done in there.” She fingered the police tape. “I wonder if there’s anything salvageable.”

  “When did they say you can get in there?” Jackie asked her.

  “Tomorrow, maybe. I’m not sure how long it’s going to be before we can get things up and running, but I promise you, I will find a way to make sure you two are taken care of.”

  “I appreciate that,” Tom said, “but you don’t have to worry about that right now. Just concentrate
on getting back on your feet, first.”

  “Well, still. I’m supposed to meet with my insurance agent tomorrow afternoon. I’ll let you know how it goes.” Olivia shivered. The afternoon light was quickly fading from the sky. “I can’t believe it’s already so late. I guess that’s what happens when you sleep half the day away.” Mason enfolded her into his arms.

  “Did you want us to be with you tomorrow when you go through the place?” Tom asked.

  Olivia shrugged. “Only if you want to be. Otherwise, I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

  “Oh!” Jackie exclaimed. “What about Thanksgiving this week?”

  “If you want, we can take over hosting the event…” added Tom.

  “Hm, I hadn’t even thought about it.” Olivia took a moment to consider. Granted, she did have a lot on her plate, but… “You know what? No. I still want to host this year. I’m not going to let this guy ruin it for me. Besides, since I’m not going to be at the café, I should have plenty of time to do the shopping and cooking. That is, of course, if you don’t mind accompanying me, Mason?”

  He smiled. He had very fond memories of the last time Olivia had cooked for him. “Do you mind if I invite Melody over for the holiday, as well?”

  “Absolutely. Of course she’s welcome.”

  Liz piped up. “I can always come by and help you get ready.”

  Surprised, Olivia turned to her sister. “But what about your shop?”

  “Oh, well, I talked to Paul and he said he’d take it over for a few days.”

  “Liz, you didn’t have to do that.”

  She gave her sister a stern look. “Seriously, Livvy? You’re my sister. Of course I did.” She shrugged. “Besides, it’s been awhile since I’ve taken some time off, and with the holiday this week, it’s not too busy.”