Coming Back

by Tabitha J Arment

  When he turned around and found Veronica leaning against the door he grabbed her arm and pulled her off of it. Moments later Blake and four patrol officers ran through it.

  Blake spoke as the others grouped around Ben and Veronica. “I’ve got the bomb squad and the crime techs on the way. I want both of you back in the building right now.”

  They were both ready to argue; they wanted to see what was on the card. But before they could say anything, the other officers started herding them into the station.

  They were escorted back to Blake’s office and told to stay there until Blake came and got them. Once again, they were ready to argue or try to break out, but the entirely glass wall between the office and the rest of the station discouraged them.

  They sat for ten minutes without speaking or moving before Veronica turned to Ben and finally said something. “So, what do you think was on that card?”

  Ben put his arm around her shoulder and hugged her to him. “I guess we’re about to find out.

  Half an hour after that, Blake stormed back into the room. “Bomb squad cleared the car. The techs are going over it right now. I wanted to show you what was on the windshield before they took it with them.”

  Once he finished he slapped it down on the desk in front of them. “Turns out it was a photo, not a card.”

  They both looked down and gulped. The photo that they were looking at was of the two of them on Ben’s couch last night in a compromising position. There was a note written in red ink across the top of the photo, ‘YOU THOUGHT NO ONE KNEW?’

  Blake sat down in the chair across the desk from them, “Is there something you’d like to tell me?” If Blake had worn half moon glasses, Veronica would have sworn he was pretending to be Dumbledore.

  Ben and Veronica slumped back into their chairs and looked at each other.

  She spoke first, “Deja Vu.”

  Ben was far more angry than anything else, “Bastard bugged my house!”

  Blake cut in before either of them could continue. “That much is obvious. I’ve sent a team to your place to sweep for bugs and collect them all. It’s gonna take a while so you two are gonna have to find another place to stay for the night.”

  Ben and Veronica were both still staring at the photo with identical expressions of shock and anger.

  She was the first one to snap out of it. “Yeah, uh, my apartment has been cleared. I guess we could both stay there tonight. I was kind of hoping to be able to stay away from there for a while, but...desperate times, right?”

  Ben looked up at Blake, “Can we stop by my place first? Charlotte and Ace are still there.”

  Blake sighed and nodded, “Fine, but make it quick and settle down for the night.”

  Ben and Veronica nodded their understanding and got up to leave.

  Before they could make it out of the door, Blake stopped them. “What you two do when you leave this building is none of my business, but don’t let it affect your working together. If it does I’m sending Veronica back out on the street and she won’t be working with the detectives again anytime soon. There is a reason why we discourage partners from dating. I know you aren’t official partners, but for the moment you might as well be. If I see any of...this...in my station, there will be no second chances.”

  When they made it back out into the parking lot they both realised that they didn’t have a car there.

  “I guess it’s a good thing that my car is cleared. It’s not that far a walk to the crime lab. Let’s go get it.”

  Ben shook his head, “We need your keys first.”

  Veronica started digging through her seemingly bottomless purse. “If I remember correctly, I put my keys in my purse when we left my apartment last. I don’t think I ever took them out… Ah ha!...Victory!”

  Veronica waved her keys in the air. “Well, alrighty then! To the crime lab!”

  Veronica was suddenly happy that they had finally hit October, because they had gotten past the worst of the Phoenix heat. It was almost pleasant out as they walked down the sidewalk that was interspaced with palo verde trees. Every few steps, their hands would brush together as they walked.

  After about ten minutes, Veronica hesitantly grabbed his hand. She refused to look at him until he shifted his hand to intertwine their fingers. She blew out a relieved breath and smiled at him.

  “So, my guess is that by tomorrow everyone is gonna know about that photo. What are we telling people?”

  Ben sighed because he knew that they were eventually going to have to have this conversation. “I suppose we tell them the truth. Something happened that we weren’t expecting...now we’re figuring out what it means. Other than that, it’s none of their business.”

  Veronica gazed forward while she contemplated his words. “I guess that works. It’s just that...I just got back...and Nick was your best friend...this is really complicated.”

  Ben stopped walking and pulled her to a stop with him. “Believe me, I know exactly how complicated it is. I am well aware that if Nick hadn’t died you two would be married with a child and I would probably still be enjoying a string of one night stands. You and I were never meant to feel any of this. I can’t help but wonder if you are only feeling this because Nick was my best friend. I don’t wanna be his substitute.”

  Veronica raised the hand that was not twined with his and placed it on his cheek. “I have absolutely no idea why this is happening. I wasn’t planning on it either. In fact, I didn’t want it. I’ve never wanted a substitute for Nick. All I know is that this, whatever it is, it’s more than just a physical attraction. There are real feelings here. I just don’t want to push them too far too fast.”

  Ben seemed to accept that answer because he smiled and continued on his way. “I’m glad we got that conversation out of the way. We both knew it was coming. Now we can go back to enjoying ourselves.”

  Veronica smiled and squeezed his hand.

  About five minutes later they arrived at the crime lab.

  As they entered the building, Joe, an old friend of Veronica’s, hurried forward and pulled her into a hug. “It has been way too long.”

  Veronica nodded and hugged him back.

  After they spent a few minutes catching up Ben and Veronica headed back out of the building. “You know...If Joe weren’t old enough to be your father, I might be a bit jealous.”

  Veronica laughed as she unlocked the door to her beautiful, green SUV. “I’ve missed my car.”

  While they had settled into their seats, Ben turned on the radio. After a second, Imagine Dragon’s “Radioactive” started blasting through the speakers.

  Veronica jumped and moved to turn down the volume. “Sorry. When I’m alone in the car I usually like listening to it loud.”

  Ben shook his head, “Don’t apologize. I do the same thing. Let’s go get the pets.”

  Veronica put the car in gear and started driving. In what felt like no time at all they were at Ben’s house collecting Charlotte and Ace. They were there long enough to talk to the team of men sweeping through his house searching for surveillance equipment.

  So far they had only found a camera and microphone in the living room, but neither Ben nor Veronica wanted to spend anymore time in that house until it was thoroughly searched. Whoever it was that was watching them had already spied on too many private moments and conversations for their liking.

  One thing that bothered both of them is that they could not figure out how he managed to get into the house. Ben was a cop. He never left his house unsecured, and there were no signs of forced entry. Either this guy was the most accomplished lock picker in the world or he somehow got his hands on a key to Ben’s home. This disturbing thought had Ben calling a locksmith before they left the house.

  When they got to Veronica’s apartment, neither one of them wanted to go inside. They knew that the bugs were being removed from Ben’s house, but they did not want to think about what could be in her apartment. With Ben carrying Charlotte and Veronica hol
ding on to Ace’s leash, they both paused at the door.

  “Maybe we should wait. We could call Blake and have this place swept too. We don’t want anymore pictures of us floating around. We’re gonna have a hard enough time living down the last one.”

  Veronica wanted to agree with him so that she did not have to go into the apartment again, but there was something she had to do first. “No, he knew we would have to come here tonight. I want to see if he left anything for us this time.”

  Ben squared his jaw and nodded.

  He passed Charlotte over to Veronica and pulled out his gun. As he moved to step in front of her, Ben caught the annoyed look on her face. “Humor me.”

  Veronica huffed but moved behind him.

  Ben pulled out his keys and inserted the spare that Veronica had given him after she moved into the building.

  Once the door was open, Veronica put Charlotte down and drew her own gun.

  This time it was Ben’s turn to take on a disgruntled expression.

  Veronica shot it right back at him, “That’s the best you are ever gonna get.”

  Ben pursed his lips, but nodded anyways. “Fine.”

  As a unit, they moved through the apartment as they cleared it. They separated momentarily while Veronica cleared her bedroom and Ben moved down the hall to clear the spare room that Veronica had turned into a library shortly after she moved in.

  While Ben was in the library he heard a clatter coming from Veronica’s room and then hurried footsteps. He took off, running down the hall. The few seconds that it took him to reach her room felt like the longest seconds of his life. He could feel his heart beating so fast, he was sure he would have a heart attack. The entire way down the hall he was kicking himself for not going in with her. They both knew that eventually the killer was going to try to hurt her or worse and he let her walk in on her own.

  As he moved down the hall with his gun drawn, he prayed that when he got there he would find Veronica and not an empty room. He had no idea how she could have been taken so quickly, but he did not want to find out if it was possible. He never knew that so much could pass through a person’s mind in such a short amount of time. He found himself making promises to God that he had never made before if only he could find her safe.

  As he approached Veronica’s open bedroom door, he could see her gun lying on the floor in the threshold of the room and he felt his heart leap into his throat. Please…

  When Ben fully entered the room he was stunned to a stop by the scene before him. The entire room was covered in rose petals; literally every flat surface. He saw a card on the bed and cautiously moved forward.

  ‘ENJOY.’

  Moments after reading that he heard a sound coming from the bathroom to his left. He quickly spun on a heel as he once again raised his weapon. He could not see anything so he started walking towards the door.

  Once more, a few seconds felt like a lifetime as he crept towards a room that may or may not contain something he did not want to see. During that time he recognised the sound that he was hearing. It was the sound of someone retching. When he finally reached the door and turned to face the rest of the room he found Veronica kneeling in front of the toilet puking her guts out.

  Ben let out a breath that he had not realized he had been holding, and holstered his gun. Once it was safely back in place he walked over to Veronica and held her hair back as she continued to vomit. When that turned into quiet sobbing he stood and walked over to the sink to retrieve a towel for her. While his back was turned he heard the toilet flush and then Veronica walked up behind him and beat him to the sink.

  She turned the tap on and filled her mouth with water so that she could wash the taste away. Once she had cleaned up a bit she moved back into the living room to find her phone and call Blake to have him come run the scene at her apartment again. While the phone was ringing she looked over at Ben and said, “I’m so tired of this.”

  Not for the first time, Veronica was well and truly terrified. Her secret plan to use herself as bait had failed epically. The killer had gotten into the station's parking lot and her apartment without ever being seen. Deep down she knew that this was the killer telling her that he could get to her anywhere. It did not matter how many people she had watching her, he would always be there. She had never feared for her life more than she did in this moment. The only thing she could think of to give her any kind of hope was that he might not have come up with a plan to deal with the surveillance cameras in the station’s parking lot and they might finally find out what he looks like. The chances were slim, but at the moment it was all she had to cling to.

  Twenty minutes later, it was a familiar scene as Blake, a few patrol officers, and several crime techs combed through Veronica’s apartment.

  “How does he keep getting into our homes? There has never been any sign of a break in.”

  Blake appeared to be as annoyed as she was. He was not a fan of getting these calls every day. “I don’t know! I guess that’s something we’re gonna have to ask the sick son of a bitch! That is of course if we can ever catch the bastard!”

  Blake had always been know to be even tempered, so to see him lose his cool once again so soon after yelling at them in the exact same apartment was enough to silence everyone in the room.

  Ben had found a cat carrier that he had left there once and placed an annoyed Charlotte in it. Now both she and Ace were waiting by the door.

  “It’s looking like Ronnie and I are gonna have to find another place to stay for the night. I have to admit, I’m starting to run out of ideas.”

  Natasha spoke from the doorway. “No need for that. You two are staying at my place for now.”

  Veronica motioned for the patrol officers to let her into the room and then hugged her. “You know I only called you to avoid another pissed off visit at the station. You didn’t have to come all the way down here.”

  Natasha pushed her off. “Yes, I did.” She turned to Blake, “These two look like they haven’t had a proper meal all day. I’m gonna go take them for food. I don’t care if you want them to stay. By the sounds of things, they’ve been through enough today. If you want to ask them any questions it can wait until tomorrow.” Then she turned and flounced out of the room.

  Ben and Veronica were sure that Blake was going to take his gun out and shoot her right there in the living room, but for some reason her outburst seemed to lighten his mood a bit.

  He looked over at the pair and said, “Well, you heard her.”

  They jumped and followed after their friend once they retrieved their pets, and found Natasha in the hallway.

  “Tasha, I thought he was gonna kill you. What in the world would make you think it was a good idea to talk to him like that?”

  Natasha stood sassily with her hip thrust out. “Oh, please! That man knows I could snap him like a twig.”

  Ben and Veronica shared the same incredulous look and waited for the real story from their friend.

  She deflated a bit, “Fine! I called him when I was on my way and asked him if he needed you two tonight.”

  Veronica started laughing first, but Ben joined in soon after and said, “So, you asked permission before you did that! Yeah, you’re super tough!”

  Natasha shoved them both. “Hey, hey, hey! No laughing! Not only did I put your boss in a good mood, but I am going to be feeding you and giving you a place to sleep tonight.”

  Veronica did her best to put on a straight face. “Okay, no laughter...but let’s get out of here now. You were right when you said we haven’t eaten much. Not to mention the fact that I recently emptied out the entire contents of my stomach. I would kill for a burger right now.”

  Natasha promised that she would stop at Five Guys on the way back to her place so they could get settled in. By the time she made it there with three delicious smelling bags of food, Veronica had already found the extra bedding and made up the guest bed while Ben fed the pets.

  The three of them spent a night wa
tching movies on the couch while they scarfed down delicious burgers and ridiculously greasy fries.

  Natasha was determined to give the two of them at least one normal night in the midst of all this insanity. The only rule was that nobody was allowed to drink any kind of alcohol. Natasha was still not fully recovered from the night before and did not think that she could survive adding any more liquor to her system.

  In spite of all of the crazy things that they had been dealing with for the past few days, they did all manage to have fun. After a while it became evident that everyone in the room was in desperate need of sleep so they slipped off to their beds.

  Veronica made a mental note to remember to thank Natasha for not making a big deal about the sleeping situation in the morning.

  In all honesty, Natasha desperately wanted to comment on it and would have any other night. Given what had happened at Veronica’s apartment though, she decided to hold off on that until there was a night when Veronica had not been terrorized by an obsessed stalker.

  DAY 8

  Ben rose with the sun because he wanted to wake up before either Veronica or Natasha. Like he did when he stayed at Veronica’s apartment, he made breakfast before anyone else in the house gained consciousness. It made him laugh how both of them stumbled almost simultaneously into the kitchen as soon as the smell of bacon had made it through the whole house. In never ceased to amaze him how well developed their sense of smell was even in sleep.

  When they entered the room and saw the amount of food that he had already made, they practically tackled him in gratitude. Neither one of them were morning people so having a guy around that was willing to wake up and make them food was seriously useful.