“Why wouldn’t I be?” Then she realized he meant seeing the bank again since the buildings were side by side. “I promise, I won’t freak just seeing the place.”
The smile reached his eyes this time. “I can’t imagine you freaking over anything.”
“Really? I’ll let you in on a little secret then. If you want to maintain that belief, keep any and all cockroaches out of my sight.”
“I assume we are talking the insect type?”
“Yes. But I’m not crazy about the human variety either.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
Her little blue car sat where she’d left it, looking completely normal in a world gone mad. Jerome’s fancy sports car, however, was missing from its usual spot, she noticed.
“The police towed Jerome’s car,” Noah told her without being asked. “I have to collect it from the impound lot. But not today.”
She heard him, but couldn’t tear her eyes away from the sight of the busy bank. “I can’t believe they’re open for business as usual—as if nothing happened inside.”
When Noah lightly touched her back to guide her to the car, Sydney clamped down on visions of hooded men, guns and blood.
“You okay?”
Determinedly, she closed off the picture of balloons rushing toward the ceiling. “Fine.” She settled in the passenger’s seat, grateful that Noah was willing to drive. The battle with Wickowski had left her drained and tired again.
Laura’s spacious two-bedroom unit was on the top floor of the six-story building. Sydney halted as soon as they turned the corner on her floor.
“What’s wrong?” Noah demanded.
He didn’t wait for an answer because they could both clearly see the apartment door standing ajar. Someone moved around inside. Noah stepped in front of her as if to shield her from attack.
“Go back downstairs,” he whispered.
“No.” She gripped his arm as the door swung wide.
Noah shoved her against the wall and spun toward the danger. Only it was Laura who stepped into the hall, her expression going from merely startled to shocked.
“Noah! And Sydney? Oh, my gosh! What are you two doing here?”
Noah strode forward. “I thought you were away.”
“I was. I got back this morning.” Laura waved off her explanation. “Never mind that, the apartment was burglarized! The place is a mess.”
Noah peered inside, sweeping the overturned furniture with a glance. “Did you call the police?”
“Of course! They’ve come and gone already. Sydney, are you okay? I’ve been so worried and… Good grief, what are you wearing? What happened to you?”
“She was attacked in her hospital room early this morning,” Noah explained.
“What? Who attacked her? Sydney, are you okay?”
“Let her get inside and sit down,” Noah said.
“I can speak for myself,” Sydney interjected. “I’m fine, Laura. What happened here?”
Laura shrugged. “The police said they’ve had a number of apartment break-ins the past few weeks.” She led them inside, stepping over a spill of books and CDs near the doorway. “Be careful. You don’t want to fall. Should you even be out of the hospital?”
“I’m fine,” Sydney reiterated, but it was a lie. Seeing the destructive mess spread before her was twisting her insides into knots of apprehension.
“Be careful there,” Laura instructed. “The police said the burglars leave a mess as part of their signature. No finesse, just dump and grab. They’re in and out for the cash or valuables.”
Noah turned a chair upright for Sydney to sit on. She accepted it gratefully, all her energy draining away. Noah’s grim expression spoke louder than words. The responding officers might have considered this a routine break-in, but he didn’t.
Neither did she.
“What did they take?” Noah asked.
Laura shook her head. “Nothing, as far as I can determine. Frankly, I’m surprised they didn’t leave a donation. We don’t exactly have a lot of stuff in here a thief would want. No cash, and I had my good camera with me, thank heavens.”
She waved at the mess. Even pictures had been pulled from the walls.
“They missed my grandmother’s diamond brooch and earrings. Now those would have made it worth their time, but I had the jewelry rolled up in a pair of socks. They dumped the drawers without going through the socks.”
She shared an ironic smile with Sydney, who explained for Noah’s benefit. “She has tons of socks.”
“Hey, my feet get cold, what can I say? When I’m not in uniform I like to be comfortable.”
“So nothing was taken?” Noah persisted.
Laura shook her head. “Hannah and Bruce already moved most of her stuff to their new place. And my new roommate isn’t moving in until next week. It was mostly my things and Sydney’s.”
“What about photographs?”
Sydney stopped breathing.
Laura stared at Noah as if he’d taken leave of his senses. “Why would a thief want photographs?”
Sydney knew what Noah was asking even before he said the words.
“Do you have a wedding picture of Sydney and Jerome?”
Her lungs refused to expel the air inside them.
“Of course.”
“May I see it?”
She exhaled while gripping the armrest with her good hand. Laura crossed the room and began to rummage around.
“Here it is. Why do you want this?”
The glass was cracked and the frame was bent, but the picture inside was identical to the one the police had taken from the fake orderly. But in Laura’s copy, Jerome’s half was still intact.
“What’s going on, Sydney?” Laura demanded.
Sydney didn’t answer. She stared at Noah. Her hand swept the room. “It could be a coincidence.”
“I don’t like coincidences.”
Laura’s eyes widened. “You think our burglary has something to do with Sydney’s attack? What exactly did happen this morning?”
Noah filled her in briskly and Laura went from shock to anger. She hunkered down next to Sydney, taking her friend’s good hand and giving it a quick squeeze.
“Oh, Sydney, how awful. But if it’s the bank robbers, why are they coming after you? I thought you couldn’t identify them.”
“I can’t.”
“She’s the only witness left alive,” Noah reminded them.
Laura stood up. “I don’t get it. Those creeps made off with almost a million dollars. Why aren’t they in Brazil or something?”
Noah crossed to the sliding glass door. The balcony looked out over the busy city street below. “We don’t know that Sydney was attacked by one of the bank robbers, Laura.”
“Well, who else? I thought you didn’t believe it was a coincidence.”
“I don’t.” He turned back to Sydney. “Are you sure you don’t have an enemy? One you haven’t told the investigators about?”
Sydney shook her head. Laura looked exasperated. “An enemy? Sydney? Not a chance. Everyone loves her.”
The women exchanged a look that stirred his curiosity to life. They were hiding something.
“Her employers are distraught over what happened,” Laura concluded.
Noah watched Sydney. “No irritated customers, ex-lovers, something like that?”
Sydney simply shook her head again.
“That leaves the bank robbers.” Noah turned back to the street, studying the pedestrians and parked cars.
“Maybe they don’t know she can’t identify them,” Laura suggested. “Or maybe they just don’t want to leave any loose ends.”
“Thanks a lot,” Sydney said with a weak attempt at humor.
“Sorry. But why else would they come after you?”
“An even better question,” Noah said, “is how the men who robbed the bank would know about Sydney’s connection to this apartment.”
After a second of shock, the two women sh
ared another of those hidden exchanges that said they were holding something back.
“This is no time for secrets, Sydney. You want to tell me what that look is all about?” Noah demanded.
Laura answered quickly. “Sydney was staying here before Hannah’s wedding.”
Pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. “Why?”
“We were making up wedding favors and doing…well, girl stuff.”
“Isn’t your apartment only about ten minutes from here?”
Sydney wouldn’t meet his eyes.
“You obviously have no idea what goes into planning a wedding,” Laura said defensively.
“Who knew Sydney was staying here?”
“Everyone. All our friends, anyhow. It wasn’t a secret.”
Sydney nodded, but she still wouldn’t meet his eyes.
“Noah, are you implying the bank robbers are someone we know?” Laura demanded.
He weighed his words carefully before he answered. “Not necessarily.”
“Not necessarily?” Laura squeaked.
“Sydney’s identity wasn’t revealed by the news media, but it wouldn’t have taken much to discover who the surviving victim was.”
Laura gaped at him.
“As for learning the location of this apartment, all they had to do was follow you here from the hospital.”
Laura jumped, looking spooked. “Follow me?”
“Or Hannah. What time did you discover the break-in?”
Laura hugged herself, nervously rocking back and forth on her heels beside the chair he’d righted for her. “I got here around ten, maybe ten-fifteen.”
“Then it’s possible.”
“What is?”
“That the same person who attacked Sydney this morning did this.”
“Noah, you’re scaring me.”
“A little fear might be a healthy thing right now. Sydney managed to summon the nurse so her attacker had to leave in a hurry. It’s possible he came here next.”
Laura looked at Sydney and back at him, her expression frightened. “Why?”
“Good question.”
Sydney met his gaze. “Maybe I was just in the wrong hospital room at the wrong time and the two incidents aren’t connected at all.”
“He had your picture in his pocket,” Noah reminded her.
“Well, what does he want from me?”
“That’s the big question,” Noah agreed. “Right now, I think we’d better get your things and get out of here. We can discuss possibilities later. Laura, if you’ll show me where her stuff is?”
“I can do it myself,” Sydney argued. “I’m not helpless.”
“Don’t strain your voice,” Noah admonished. “Although you do sound better.”
“She does?” Laura asked.
“Tea’s a miracle drug,” Sydney whispered.
“Huh?”
Noah relaxed. If she could make a joke, Sydney was handling this latest development pretty well. She struggled to her feet. Noah resisted the impulse that nearly sent him to her side.
“We’ll leave as soon as you’re ready,” he said instead. “I don’t think you should stick around here either, Laura. At least not until the police catch whoever did this.”
“I hadn’t planned to stay after I saw the apartment. I was just waiting for the super to come up with a new door. He said they have to replace this one.”
“You’re welcome to come with us. I switched hotels and booked a set of adjoining rooms after Sydney fell asleep.”
“Thanks, but I called the stewardess making tomorrow’s run with me right after I talked to the police. Connie has a place close to the airport. I’m going to spend the night with her. To tell you the truth, now I’m having second thoughts about staying here at all. Ever.” She gave a deliberate shiver. “Come on, Sydney. While that’s a cute outfit, it isn’t really your style. His, I take it?”
Sydney managed a nod while Noah explained she was wearing his favorite jogging outfit.
“I have a feeling it looks much better on you,” Laura told him.
Noah cast an appraising eye at Sydney. “I wouldn’t necessarily say that.”
Laura smiled. “That’s what I like, a gentleman. Come on, Sydney, I’ll give you a hand getting changed. You have no idea how glad I am to see you up and around. You had us really worried. They wouldn’t even let us visit you. Hannah was so upset she didn’t want to go to the Virgin Islands with Bruce.”
Noah listened to Laura’s voice as they headed for the master bedroom. The tone, if not the words, conveyed Laura’s nervousness. He prowled the apartment, restlessly setting furniture back on its feet while he waited on the women.
The answering machine blinked silently when he lifted it from the floor. Noah hesitated a moment, then he depressed the play button.
“Laura, it’s Gunnar. Give me a call. It’s important.”
Noah frowned over the unusual name. He’d met a lot of people over the past few days, but no one called Gunnar. Which meant absolutely nothing. Laura was young, single and attractive. There was no reason for him to have met all her friends. He shouldn’t have given in to impulse and listened to the tape, but if he was right and Sydney’s attack was connected to the bank robbery, what would the robbers want from Sydney?
Unless…
He clenched his teeth, feeling disloyal for what he was thinking. The police and the FBI would check on Jerome and all his acquaintances. They’d also check Sydney and her friends. He couldn’t help wondering if one or both of them had known the robbers. The thought was unsettling. He had to hope the FBI knew their job, even if they had fallen short when it came to protecting her.
Protecting her had become his mission. Anyone who sought to harm his sister-in-law was going to have to go through him first. He stared at the street below, wishing Sydney would be open with him. He’d already concluded that there was trouble between Jerome and her even before he’d learned she’d been staying with her friends.
Still, she hadn’t faked her grief earlier. Whatever their relationship, Sydney had felt something for Jerome.
He bent to right the bookcase and collect the fallen CDs and books. Part of him wished he could just return to duty and throw himself back into work instead of trying to unravel the bits and pieces of this situation, but Sydney and the baby were his responsibility—whether she liked it or not.
“IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE Noah and Jerome are brothers,” Laura said, detaching Sydney’s hand from the sling so she could get into the cotton sundress they’d selected because its built-in bra made the process easier. There were a lot of things she wouldn’t be able to handle one-handed, Sydney realized. Getting dressed was the least of them.
“Noah isn’t as good-looking as Jerome, of course,” Laura was saying, “yet Noah’s got…something. Know what I mean? Is he as nice as he seems?”
Sydney knew what Laura was asking. Over the past few months she’d laid her fears and troubles on her friends’ confidential ears.
“Noah has his share of arrogance,” Sydney said carefully, “but he can be reasoned with. At least so far.”
He was also strangely comforting to have around, though she didn’t add that part. The feelings he aroused in her were much too unsettling.
Laura seemed to understand that Sydney didn’t want to discuss Noah. She immediately changed the subject. “You really are a mess, my friend. Look at those bruises.”
“Thanks.”
“How’s your head?”
Sydney pinched the bridge of her nose and offered another lopsided smile. “It hurts.” But at least her throat was feeling better.
“Are you really okay? I mean—”
“I know what you mean. I’m fine, Laura. My mind feels a little detached, but that’s probably a good thing. It’s hard to explain, but I almost feel as if all these events have been happening to someone else. There just hasn’t been time to think.”
“I’m not surprised. I gather Noah doesn’t know? About you and Jero
me, I mean?”
Sydney shook her head. “You and Hannah are the only ones who know I was filing for divorce.”
“That’s what I thought. I won’t say anything. It’s your business, after all.”
Laura had begun collecting Sydney’s belongings and folding them into the small green suitcase.
“I’ll just take a few days’ worth of clothes, Laura. I can come back for the rest later.”
“Okay.” She paused when she came to the silky turquoise dress and matching shoes. “Why don’t I put this in my extra garment bag?”
Sydney had tried to avoid looking at the soft mound of material the intruders had left crumpled on the floor, but the dress pulled her gaze like a beacon. She couldn’t hide from her memories any more than she could change the past events. The bridesmaid’s dress symbolized the final battle between her and Jerome. A battle she’d known was coming even before he’d seen her trying it on that night.
His autocratic demands had been growing steadily. As had his possessiveness. For someone who had no intention of doing more than giving her an occasional peck on the cheek, he’d become downright controlling in so many ways she’d begun to feel suffocated. The cheerful, outgoing man who’d courted her with such determination had begun to disappear completely whenever they were in private. Instead of building a relationship based on their friendship and desire for a family, they’d drawn further and further apart. Talking had done no good. Jerome had become edgy and quick to anger of late. Discussions quickly turned to squabbles that made her heartsick.
The dress had been the final straw. He’d entered her bedroom without knocking and immediately told her to take it off. His wife wasn’t wearing something like that in public. The vee cut was far too revealing and the color was all wrong. She’d just have to tell Hannah she couldn’t be in the wedding.
Sydney had stared in shock, but Jerome had been completely serious. Curbing her anger, she’d tried to reason with him. Jerome was more irrational than ever. Noah’s unexpected call had given her the time she needed to collect some belongings and leave.
She shook her head to rid it of the awful memories and found Laura gazing at her with an expression of pity. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
My Baby, My Love Page 6