by Jane Godman
“At home, she would go straight back to sleep after her nighttime bottle.” Alyssa smiled as Kennedy bounced up and down with excitement. “Tonight, she’s ready to party until dawn.”
Melody held out a hand to the baby, who grabbed her finger and tried to bite it. “At least she hasn’t picked up that there’s anything wrong.”
“And she doesn’t seem to be missing Everett.” Alyssa cast a longing look in the direction of the door. “Not yet.”
“I have to ask this, even if you tell me to mind my own business,” Melody said. “But why aren’t you and Everett still together?”
“This.” Alyssa leaned back, resting her head against the hard cushion of the chair. “Knives, hospitals, bad guys hiding in the shadows. Those are just a few of the reasons why I can’t be with him. It’s what split us up last time. It’s just too hard for me to see him in danger.”
Casey looked perplexed. “So the reasons were all on your side?”
She frowned at him, confused by the question. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, nothing. It’s been a long night and I’m talking nonsense.” She could tell he was embarrassed, was instantly backtracking and trying to cover up for what he’d just said.
Alyssa wasn’t fooled. There had always been a nagging doubt at the back of her mind. How many times had she tried to figure out what was behind Everett’s emotional disconnection? Whenever he became tongue-tied about his feelings, hadn’t she sworn there was a cause he was hiding from her?
“Are you trying to say Everett had his own reasons for why he couldn’t be with me? Was it about something that happened in his past?”
Casey held up a hand in a backing-off gesture. “Hey. That’s something you’d need to speak to Everett about.”
“What is?” They all turned at the sound of Everett’s voice from the doorway.
He was seated in a wheelchair, watching them. A porter wheeled him right into the room, then activated the brake before departing. Everett’s right arm was in a sling and his face was pale but, otherwise, he appeared healthy. His gaze went from Alyssa to Casey and back again, missing nothing in the process.
“Oh, thank goodness.” Overwhelmed with relief, Alyssa hurried toward him. “What did they say? Can you come home?”
He gripped her shoulder with his good hand as she kneeled beside him. “First things first. What does Casey think you need to speak to me about?” Looking past her, he gave his brother a challenging stare.
“I was wondering whether you, Alyssa and Kennedy should come and stay at my place for a few days.” The idea may have been on Casey’s mind, but Alyssa thought his response was a little too smooth. And if she thought that, chances were his twin could see right through him.
“Thanks, but we’ll be fine at home.” Everett’s smile encompassed them both. “And, although that was a nice try, I’d still like to know what you were really talking about.”
* * *
The surgeon who had done the procedure on Everett came into the waiting room to see him. “Luckily there was no nerve or blood-vessel damage and no fracture of the forearm. I removed the knife slowly, then repaired the muscle that had been injured by the stab wound. After that, my concern was the flesh surrounding the penetration site.” He gave a small, tight smile. “Even after my best efforts, you will have quite a scar.”
“But I can go home, right?” Everett asked.
Before the doctor arrived, Casey had briefly filled him in on the details of what had gone on while he had been in the operating room. Since then, his brain had been working on two levels. One was in this room, responding to the conversation that was going on around him. The second was in basic caveman mode. He had to protect his family. Injured or not, that was his only job.
“I see no reason to keep you here,” the doctor said. “The procedure was lengthy, but it was successful. The range of movement in your hand and elbow should be back to normal within two weeks and I’ll arrange for you to see a physiotherapist. Don’t overdo it, but don’t rest, either. Keep the arm movements undemanding but regular and try to rebuild your strength gradually.”
After Everett had thanked him again for his help, he left.
“Before we get into the conversation about how I drive you home when I don’t have a baby seat in my cruiser, how about I take your statement?” Casey regarded his brother with a touch of sympathy as he reached into his shirt pocket for his notebook.
Intense weariness washed over him, and Everett was tempted to tell his twin in no uncertain terms exactly what he could do with police procedure. But he knew as well as Casey did how important it was to get a witness’s statement as soon as possible after the event. Although he wanted to get Alyssa and Kennedy back to the apartment, where he could keep them safe, he also wanted his attacker caught.
“Okay.” He shot Alyssa an apologetic glance. “Let’s get this over with.”
His account of the attack was factual and concise. He’d taken enough witness statements to know exactly what Casey needed from him. Although his brother had a series of questions to go through, he raced ahead, anticipating each one and answering it before Casey had even begun to ask it. Scribbling frantically to keep up, his twin frowned as Everett finished his account.
“It was late. Why had you gone outside at that time?”
Everett glared at him. He had hoped they could dispense with supplementary questions. “I needed some air.”
Casey tapped his pen against the page. “You were at the exit to the parking lot, almost on the road itself. Yet you weren’t wearing a jacket, or even a sweater. On one of the coldest nights of the year, after a rare heavy snowfall. You want to tell me more about that breath of fresh air?”
“I was thinking about going for a run.” Could Casey tell he was gritting his teeth? Everett sure as hell hoped so.
Tilting his head to one side, his brother glanced at his worn sneakers without comment.
So help me, Casey, I hope I get to interrogate you in similar circumstances one day. It wasn’t true, but the thought allowed him to release a little frustration.
“Tell me about your impressions of the guy who attacked you.”
Everett shrugged. “It happened so fast. The only real sense I got was that he was small and slight. He was also fast and nimble. It could even have been a woman.”
Alyssa raised frightened eyes to his face and cradled Kennedy closer. “You don’t think—?”
“That it was Georgia?” He took her hand. “How could it have been?”
Her shoulders slumped. “You’re right. I know you are.” She returned the pressure of his fingers. “But who else would be waiting in the dark? With a knife?”
“Probably the same person who tried to run me down. And the list could include any number of people I’ve put behind bars. My job as an FBI agent doesn’t win me many friends among the criminal community,” Everett said. “Sorry. But it’s the truth.”
Casey flipped through his notes. “You said you think this guy was waiting specifically for you.”
“That was how it felt. He made no attempt to rob me. Just came out of the darkness, straight at me, and tried to stab me.”
Casey appeared lost in thought for a moment of two. “How long do you think he was there before you came out?”
“I’m not a mind reader.” Everett rolled his eyes in Alyssa’s direction. “And it didn’t occur to me to start a conversation while he was trying to gut me like a fish.”
“You’re missing my point, smart guy. I don’t know why you went out for a ‘run’—” he put air quotes around the word “—on a snowy night in sneakers and a T-shirt. Since you are my brother, I trust you and believe it wasn’t for any villainous reason, so I don’t care. But think about it from the attacker’s perspective.”
Everett looked down at his arm resting in its sling. “Any particular reason why he get
s to have a point of view in all this?”
“He, or she, was also out tonight. By the targeted nature of the assault, it seems likely he was waiting for you. But he couldn’t have known you’d come out when you did. It’s not like you went for a regular ‘run’ at that time. I’m not a gambler, but I’d say the odds of you emerging from the apartment at all in the snow, and at that time, must have been close to nil.”
“You can stop with the air quotes.” Everett gave his brother a warning look. “Just get to the point.”
“Unless he was there tonight, and every night, waiting around in the hope you’d show, he had another motive for being outside your apartment with a knife.”
Alyssa gave a little cry as Casey’s meaning became clear.
“He wasn’t waiting for me to come out.” Everett’s lips tightened into a thin line. “He was planning on coming in.”
* * *
Kennedy studied her bowl of fruit with all the interest of a food critic about to deliver a scathing review. Picking up a piece of banana, she carefully rubbed it between her thumb and forefinger. Holding out her hand to Everett, giving him her sweetest smile, she offered him the slimy mess.
“You know what? I think I’ll stick with coffee.”
Undeterred by his lack of interest, Kennedy found an orange segment and began to suck on it noisily.
“She’s the only one who got any sleep.” Alyssa smothered a yawn as she spoke. “It doesn’t matter to her whether it was in her crib or in my arms.”
“Why don’t you take a nap now?”
She could hardly believe the guy with the face the color of curdled milk and the black bags beneath his eyes was telling her to get some rest.
“Uh, because one of us has to watch Kennedy, and you need sleep more than I do?”
He hunched a shoulder. “I have too much to do.”
“You’re on a leave of absence.” As soon as she said the words, their irony made her flinch.
“Right.” He carefully flexed the fingers of his right hand. “Tell the guy who left his knife in my arm about that.”
“What will you do?”
“Probably exactly the same things Casey is doing right now.” He gulped coffee like it was his lifeline. “Look for similar crimes. Search the databases for anyone matching our suspect, even though we don’t have much to go on. Check out the weird alligator sneakers and see if they are sold in any local outlets. Go through my arrest list, see if any of them are carrying a grudge, then cross-check that with who is out of jail free and likely to be in this area. Find out if any of Georgia’s associates are mixed up in this.”
“You said you planned to visit Ray Torrington again.”
“Are you okay with this?” He shook his head. “What a dumb question. What I mean is—”
“What you mean is ‘why aren’t I freaking out in typical Alyssa style?’”
“That’s not what I said.” His voice was gentle. “I know what you went through when your dad died.”
She bowed her head, taking a few moments to stir her own coffee. “When we were together, your job was there, but it was distant. I never had to face its consequences. In my imagination, that made it grow into some kind of beast that was lurking on the edge of our lives just waiting to pounce. I couldn’t rid myself of fear—even the certainty—that you would be killed in the line of duty. Since we’ve started to care for Kennedy, I’ve been plunged into the reality of what you do.”
“I wish it didn’t have to be this way—”
“So do I. But now I’ve been forced to confront your world, I see it for what it is.” She looked up to find him watching her with a puzzled expression. “You mentioned the positive side of your job. Although I don’t know if I’m there yet, I do know your training and experience are what Kennedy and I need to keep us safe. The reason I’m not freaking out is because the things I once hated are the very things I now appreciate.”
Everett placed his hand over hers. “Is that what you were talking to Casey about at the hospital?”
“Partly. I told him we broke up because I couldn’t bear to see you in danger.” She held his gaze. “It was funny. He seemed to think there could be another reason. He said I needed to talk to you about what that was.”
Watching him, she glimpsed everything she was hoping for. Momentarily, his expression was stripped of all pretense—the armor he wore was gone, and his fears and vulnerabilities were on display. Her breath caught in her throat. Was she about to find out a truth she had barely been aware of?
Then the light in his eyes changed. It pained her to see the battle taking place inside him. His dilemma was clear. He could let go of the defenses he’d worked so hard to build and risk being hurt, or leave his armor in place and never rebuild their relationship.
Four years ago, she’d reasoned that, if he loved her enough, he would one day tell her what had hurt him. Although she’d speculated about the cause of his emotional distance, he had never given her even a glimpse behind the walls he’d put up. Now, she decided he needed a prompt...
As she reached for his hand, the security buzzer broke the moment and Alyssa—the mild-mannered third-grade teacher—muttered a curse. “One of these days, I swear I am going to rip that thing out.”
Everett raised an eyebrow at her. “Really? I’ve never heard you use words like that before.”
“Long night.” She pressed the backs of her hands to her burning cheeks.
He spoke into the speaker system and returned looking slightly bemused. “It’s two of my FBI colleagues.”
Alyssa’s heart rate kicked up a notch. “What do they want?”
“I guess we’re about to find out.” Everett went to open the door. A tall, competent-looking woman and a younger stocky man entered. “Alyssa, meet Agents Karen Hayes and Shawn Heath.”
They nodded a greeting. Although Agent Hayes glanced at Everett’s arm in its sling, she made no comment. “I’ll get straight to the point. You submitted a report expressing your concerns that Sean Dodd didn’t commit suicide and kill his wife at the same time, but that both were murdered. The senior special agent saw enough merit in that to have it investigated. Since you are on a leave of absence, the case was assigned to us.”
“There have been a few developments you should know about,” Everett said.
The two agents exchanged a glance. “That’s exactly what I was about to say to you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Georgia Dodd escaped from her prison cell yesterday,” Agent Hayes said. “I don’t know if she has a reason to stay in the area—”
A loud hiccupping noise from the direction of the high chair drew their attention. Kennedy, having tired of eating her fruit, was now dropping it piece by piece onto the floor. Finding she had a new audience, she clapped her hands and waved.
“Georgia has a very powerful reason to stick around,” Everett said. “I don’t know why she would want her niece, particularly if she murdered her brother and sister-in-law, but she won’t leave Cactus Creek until she gets what she wants.”
Chapter 12
Alyssa shook her head as she surveyed the living area. When she had first seen it, she had wondered how they would fit two adults and a baby into the cramped space. Now it contained three FBI agents and a deputy sheriff, as well as her, Kennedy and Melody.
“Maybe I should go.” Melody squeezed around the kitchen counter with a fresh pot of coffee in her hand.
“You stay right where you are.” Alyssa gave her a stern look. “I need all the support I can get in this testosterone-charged atmosphere.”
“One of them is a woman,” Melody whispered.
“I think they give out macho swagger with the FBI badge,” Alyssa murmured back. “Regardless of gender.”
They directed a shared glance of female sympathy in the direction of Agent Hayes, who was doing her
best to ensure her male colleagues conducted the investigation on her terms. The developing closeness Alyssa felt toward Melody was just what she needed right now.
Having had such a turbulent childhood, she found it difficult to trust anyone to be there when she needed them. Right from the start, Melody seemed different. Somehow, Alyssa knew that, if she was ever stranded in the middle of nowhere, Melody would set off in her pajamas in the middle of the night to find her. If she was in a car wreck, she’d open her eyes to find Melody at her hospital bedside holding her hand. Finding her had been like coming across a rare and priceless jewel. Alyssa wasn’t planning on letting her go anytime soon.
Maybe she should apply the same principle to finding the right man?
Her eyes shifted across the room to Everett’s face. His tiredness appeared to have vanished as he spoke heatedly, vetoing one suggestion and agreeing with another. Although the four law-enforcement officers seated around the table were equal in rank, there was no doubt who was in charge. The others deferred to Everett, with only Casey questioning him now and then, or offering suggestions to supplement his ideas.
“You said you split up because of his job.” She became aware of Melody watching her. “But you knew he was FBI when you met. Was there something specific that led to your decision?”
Alyssa picked up the baby monitor and led Melody into the kitchen, where they could talk undisturbed while she prepared Kennedy’s lunch. The baby, having been overwhelmed by the desire to entertain her visitors, had grown tired and fallen asleep in the middle of an energetic game of peekaboo.
“Everett had only just joined the Bureau when we started dating,” she said. “When he first graduated, he worked for a high-powered law firm as a paralegal. I don’t know the circumstances, but it didn’t work out. My dad was killed in a violent attack and I...well, I’ve always been scared of losing anyone else I get close to in the same way. But we were just goofing around at first, you know? I was twenty-two. I wasn’t thinking ‘Is this is the man I want to spend the rest of my life with?’”