B00CCYP714 EBOK

by Bradshaw, R. E.

  “So he went over there and finally killed the object of his rage.” Rainey finished Danny’s thought, as they so often did for each other.

  The partitioning curtain at one side of Rainey’s bed was flung back suddenly, revealing Katie clutching a change of clothing for Rainey to her chest. She walked over and gave Rainey a nonchalant peck on the cheek.

  “This scene is getting old, don’t you think? Me showing up in the emergency room to find you and Danny huddled together after another harrowing escape from the clutches of a madman.”

  Rainey grinned at Katie. She knew this was an act. If she had not taken one already, Katie would need a moment to process the reality of the situation. At some point, she would show her fear of what could have been, and what might be her future.

  “Trouble finds you, Rainey,” people commented time and again. No matter how Rainey tried to stay out of trouble’s path, it crept in under the doors and through the cracks in the walls. It followed her on the street, peeked in through her windows, posted pictures on the Net, tried to frame her for murder, or make her the murdered victim. Short of a new name and face, Rainey was pretty sure she was doomed to have trouble as a companion the remainder of her days. The life she built with Katie made facing that prospect a lot less daunting.

  Rainey slid an arm around her wife’s waist. “I thought you were under armed guard at home, but I am very glad to see you.”

  “You’re just happy I brought your clothes,” Katie said with a wink, “and the armed guard is in the hall.”

  They would hold each other close later, say all the appropriate thank you prayers, and always remember each moment was precious, but for now an arm around a waist, a nonchalant peck on the cheek, and a wink said all that needed saying.

  The crowd around Rainey continued to grow, as a nurse came in with her release papers, followed by Brooks who announced loudly, “Rainey Bell, you are one hard ass woman to kill. There, I said it. It’s what everybody else was thinking.”

  Rainey signed documents for the nurse, and smiled at Brooks. “I think that’s a good thing, don’t you?”

  “You have an angel on your shoulder, that’s for damned sure.”

  “Hey,” Rainey said, playfully wagging a SpongeBob bandaged finger. “You need to clean up your vocabulary or Katie won’t let you near the kids.”

  “She’s right,” Katie interjected. “Rainey is only allowed short supervised visits.”

  “Speaking of visits,” Danny said, “I’m afraid I have to head back to Quantico tomorrow afternoon. Paula and Curtis will stay to help with evidence collection and a victim statement. There won’t be a trial, but a lot of families need answers.”

  Rainey took the clothes from Katie. “Could you guys give Danny and me a second?”

  Once they were alone, Rainey climbed out of the bed, peeled off the hospital gown, and began to dress. There was no need for the pretense of modesty. Danny found her staked out naked with a Y-incision carved into her chest. Diffidence was no longer an element of their relationship. When her head popped out of the black turtleneck she was pulling on, she saw Danny was holding out an envelope to her.

  “Here, this is my entire grand jury testimony,” he said, careful to lower his voice. “It matters what came before and after that statement.”

  “I know that, Danny. Keep it. I don’t need to see it.”

  He slipped the envelope back inside his jacket. “I do believe you had nothing to do with Dalton’s death and that you don’t know who did. I suspect you do not want to know. I also believe, under the right circumstances, anyone can commit murder.”

  “I expect that you would do so for my kids,” she said, pulling on a worn pair of jeans.

  “That I would,” he said, and there was no further need to discuss it.

  Katie brought comfort clothes, her subtle way of signaling it was time for her wayward investigator to come home and stay awhile. Rainey sat down in a chair to put on her shoes. Danny leaned in very close, his hands on the arms of the chair. What he had to say, he wanted no one else to hear.

  “The information on the Michael Paul Perry case is not, and I repeat, not coming from inside the bureau. His family is the reason we had to cover up the autoerotic asphyxiation, so I doubt they are leaking anything.”

  “Someone at the jail, maybe?” Rainey whispered. “I don’t care, really. I just don’t want to be hung out to dry. I let them make it look like I scared that boy into suicide, when the truth was I turned him on so much, he could not resist the temptation to jack off in his preferred fashion. By the way, proving my point that he had very poor impulse control and should be denied release.”

  Danny straightened and took a step back, allowing Rainey the space to put on her shoes. “Who’s framing you for murder? Any ideas?”

  “A few. I’m not really worried. My Glock was in so many hands, no way that charge sticks to me.”

  “Committing a murder just to discredit you is a bold move. This person feels wronged by you and wants to see you suffer. Be very careful, Rainey. If the attempts to bring you down continue to fail, physically attacking you or someone you love becomes the only option.”

  “Let’s hope I figure it out before that happens,” Rainey said, standing, and reaching for the jacket she managed to keep from the evidence collection team.

  Danny pulled her into a hug. “I really thought you were gone this time,” he said, clutching her to him.

  Rainey hugged him tightly. “You’re not getting rid of me that easy. I love you, Danny.” She pulled back to smile into his face. “Come for a long visit soon. We’ll watch basketball, play with the kids, and not mention murderers or crimes. It’ll do us both good.”

  Danny released his hold on her. They walked out side-by-side. “You know, I’ve got to get me one of those,” Danny said.

  “One of what?” Rainey asked.

  He smiled over at her. “A life, Rainey. I need to get a life. It looks good on you.”

  Sheila and the armed agent waited with Katie and Brooks by the nurses’ station. Rainey did not know the agent, but the suit was a dead giveaway that he was FBI. She could see the strain of the last few days written on Sheila’s face. Even a seasoned investigator like Sheila Robertson would need time to process the horror of what she had seen this evening. This was just the beginning. Someone had to sift through all the evidence and then tell the families what happened to their loved ones. She did not envy Sheila that task.

  “Good to see there was no serious damage. Thank you again for all the help,” Sheila said, as Rainey approached.

  “You’ll be getting a bill, don’t worry about that,” Rainey said, chuckling.

  Sheila leaned closer, speaking softly. “Stick some extra charges on there for having to deal with Rex. He’s coming up behind you.”

  Rainey turned to see Rex King homing in on her position. Katie saw him, too, and was about to launch into him when they heard and witnessed the strangest thing. A young woman with chestnut brown curls, green eyes, and wearing a Durham Police Academy sweatshirt, stepped out of an examination room on crutches, one ankle bound in an air cast.

  “Hey, Dad, thanks for coming. Can you grab my gym bag?” She said to Rex.

  “Sure, honey,” Rex replied, in a sweet fatherly tone that Rainey was unaware he possessed.

  He ducked into the room and emerged with the girl’s bag slung over his shoulder. Rex caught up with his daughter in the hall, still not noticing Rainey was there. The dropped jaws of the people near her were an indication everyone was as stunned as she was. Brooks, who had no idea who Rex King was, spilled the beans loudly.

  “Damn, that could be your clone, Rainey Bell.”

  Katie joined in. “How do we know it isn’t?”

  “I remember when you looked like that,” Danny said.

  “Well, now that explains a lot,” Sheila said under her breath.

  Rex turned ashen and came to an abrupt halt when he spotted Rainey. He watched as the two people he was so
desperate to keep apart met in a head-on collision with fate.

  The young Rainey clone was the first to speak. “Look, Dad, it’s Rainey Bell.” She didn’t seem to notice that her father was no longer following her. She hopped over to Rainey, gushing with excitement. Balancing on one crutch, she extended her hand. “Hi. I’m Wendy King. I think you know my father.”

  Rex was panicked, and Rainey felt compelled to help him out. She could have been an ass about it, but she chose not to play games using a young woman who was apparently her half-sister as a pawn. “Yes, Detective King and I are old acquaintances.” She shook the girl’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Wendy. So, you’re in the academy?”

  “Yes, sprained my ankle training on the obstacle course tonight.”

  “You were running the course this late at night?” Rainey asked, intrigued by Wendy’s commitment.

  “If you want to finish at the top, you have to work hard, especially if you are a woman. But I’m sure you understand how that is,” Wendy answered. “You’re one of my role models.”

  Rainey saw Katie grin out of the corner of her eye. “Thank you. I consider that high praise from such a dedicated recruit.”

  Wendy flashed a smile that sent Rainey crashing back through time to her own twenty-one-year-old image in the mirror. This girl was born when Rainey was on the cusp of joining the bureau. She was the un-jaded version of an enthusiastic young Rainey, both their father’s daughters. Rex may have nurtured the child, but there was no denying Billy Bell’s genetic contribution. Rainey was quite sure that it was easier for her to see the resemblance in Wendy, than for the younger woman to see her reflection in Rainey’s forty-two-year-old face. Everyone else certainly saw it.

  “I finished my criminal justice degree at State, last semester. I’m trying to get into Quantico, but the waiting list is long,” Wendy said. “Thought I should get some training and experience and try again.”

  Rex had joined them by now, sheepishly quiet in his greetings to the group. When he made eye contact with Rainey, she could see the fear that she would expose his secret. She let him sweat while she reached in her jacket pocket and pulled out a Bell’s Bail business card. She borrowed a pen from the nurses’ station and wrote two numbers on the back of her card.

  “Wendy, this is Supervisory Special Agent Danny McNally.”

  Danny shook Wendy’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “It’s an honor, sir,” Wendy said.

  Rainey smiled. Her half-sister had learned to play the game well. She handed Wendy the card. “I’ve put SSA McNally’s private number on the back of this card, along with my own. Use the numbers wisely. You’ll know when it is appropriate. Good luck on your quest to join the bureau. I’m sure you’ll make a very fine agent.”

  “Thank you very much,” Wendy said, taking the card and grinning at Rainey. “Everyone says I look like you. I take that as a compliment. I hope I can have a career like yours as well.”

  Rainey mirrored her sister’s smile. “I’m sure you will far exceed my accomplishments.” She shook Wendy’s hand again. “Let me know if I can do anything to help you.”

  “We should go, Wendy,” Rex said. “You need to get that ankle elevated.”

  “Okay, it was nice to meet you and thanks again,” Wendy said, and crutched away.

  Rex followed his daughter, walking very close to Rainey. “Thank you,” he whispered as he moved past her.

  When they were out of earshot, Sheila turned to Rainey. “I see it now. Rex didn’t want you around the department because of his daughter, who is obviously related to you in some very big way.”

  “I’m no geneticist,” Brooks said, “but if that girl isn’t your daughter—”

  She paused long enough to give Rainey the opportunity to say, “No, I did not have a child no one knows about.”

  “Then your daddy got busy with that girl’s momma.”

  Katie smiled up at Rainey. “You know she’s going to come knocking on your door looking for answers, don’t you?”

  Rainey watched the sister she had not known she had limp away. “Yes, but that needs to be her decision, not mine.”

  #

  Sheila, Danny, and Brooks left the hospital to rejoin the investigation, leaving the armed guard with Rainey and Katie. Rainey did not think it was necessary to keep him around, until Katie explained he would have to give them a ride home. She sent Katie and the agent up to Mackie’s room, promising to join them in a few minutes. She had a couple of people she needed to see first.

  The colonel and Bladen were placed in a double room, so neither would have to be without the other. The falling concrete ceiling had broken Colonel Asher’s leg, but he would be fine. He was sleeping when Rainey stuck her head in the room, but Bladen stared back at her. She walked over to stand by her bed.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Bladen answered honestly.

  “It’ll feel like that for awhile. Just be patient with yourself,” Rainey offered, remembering the fog in her brain after her attack.

  “My dad said he would not have found me without you.”

  “He wouldn’t let me give up on you. He said you would make it.” Rainey reached out and squeezed Bladen’s hand. “I owe you my life. Had you not come along when you did, I’m sure he would have pulled the trigger. Thank you. You are an incredibly brave young woman. I can see why your father is so proud of you.”

  A tear trailed down Bladen’s cheek. “After the explosion, I woke up and saw the smoke and fire. When I came up out of the rubble, I could hear him talking. I don’t remember much after that.”

  “Don’t try. Just know that you are my hero,” Rainey said, patting Bladen’s hand. “You never gave up.”

  Bladen tried to smile. “I couldn’t give up. I knew you were coming. An angel told me.” She peered into Rainey’s eyes. “He looked like you, my angel. I’ll never forget those green eyes.”

  Billy Bell had been busy of late. Rainey did not mind sharing her guardian angel with Bladen, and silently thanked him for looking out for the colonel’s daughter. She dug in her pocket for another card. Finding a pen on Bladen’s bedside table, she wrote her number on the back.

  She handed the card to Bladen. “You’re going to need someone to talk to. My private cell number is on the back. You call me anytime, day or night.”

  Bladen’s tears came faster now. “Thank you.”

  “Tell your father to call me when he’s feeling better. And Bladen, please remember the most important thing. You did what you had to do to survive. Nothing else matters.”

  Rainey crossed to the colonel’s bed and patted his sleeping hand. “Hooah, Colonel,” she whispered, and then left the Asher family to their healing. She had family of her own just a few floors up.

  #

  Junior was talking with the agent outside of Mackie’s room. He rushed to Rainey and hugged her, lifting her from the floor in his excitement.

  “I am so glad to see you in one piece,” he said.

  “Put me down. You’re going to break my ribs, Junior,” Rainey said, but she was laughing.

  Rainey was glad to be alive, but she had not forgotten that someone tampered with her weapon. She looked up at the man she considered a little brother and shooed away any doubts.

  “Junior, when Mackie is on his way to recovery, you and I need to sit down and look at these runners we’ve hired. One of them may be involved in setting me up. I don’t know that for sure, but something isn’t right, and I’m going through everything in my life to find out what it is.”

  “We did deep background on all of them. Nothing came up,” Junior said.

  Rainey nodded. “I know you did your job. What I’m looking for, I think, and this is just a hunch, but I believe there is a connection to Martin Douglas Cross.”

  “That writer,” Ernie said, coming out of Mackie’s room in time to hear the last part of Rainey’s conversation. “He’s tried every way he can
to get around me to get to you. It wouldn’t surprise me if he found someone willing to sell information.”

  “We need to know who that is,” Rainey said.

  Junior agreed. “I’ll start looking for financial connections and dig around a bit.” He hesitated before asking, “Do you want me to look at Gunny too?”

  Rainey trusted Gunny enough to leave her with the children, but she didn’t want Junior to overlook anyone or anything. “Yes, look at everyone,” she said, and then smiled mischievously. “Look at Ernie, too. You never know what she might be capable of.”

  Mackie’s deep bass voice rumbled into the hallway, preventing any retort from Ernie. “Get in here, Rainey Bell.”

  Rainey dodged Ernie’s attempt to swat her butt. “You’re slowing down, old woman,” she said over her shoulder as she escaped into Mackie’s room.

  “So, this is where you’ve been hiding,” she said, crossing the room to his bed. She paused to give Thelma a hug, before delivering a peck to Mackie’s cheek. “You look better than you did last night. I guess being able to breathe has a lot to do with that.”

  Mackie chuckled, which caused him to wince in pain, but he smiled through it. “I hear you survived a building exploding over your head. Cookie Kutter called you ‘unbreakable.’ I think that’s the nicest thing she’s ever said about you.”

  “She won’t be talking about me much longer. I have proof she’s paying the guy who’s taking pictures for the blog site. I’m fairly sure we’ll be closing the chapter on the stalker/blogger soon.” She frowned. “Wait. I thought they weren’t telling you what I was up to.”

  Katie supplied the answer. “We told him you were alive and well first, before we let him watch the helicopter surveillance footage of the fireball you survived.”

  “Really, they have footage?” Rainey said a little too eagerly.

  “Yes, Rainey, they do. Imagine what it was like watching it live,” Katie said, a little edge creeping into her voice. She pointed up at the television. “They just keep showing it, so we thought it best to tell him.”