by Karen Rose
“Then think of a place you felt safe,” Mary said. “Happy.”
Alex nodded and sighed and Daniel wondered where she’d finally gone.
Mary continued her slow, soothing routine, taking Alex deeper into a relaxing state.
“So, do you use hypnosis often with your homicide cases?” Meredith asked.
Daniel knew she needed to talk and the distraction would be a good thing for them both. “From time to time, mainly to generate leads. I’ve never gone with a case solely on a retrieved memory, though. Not unless I could independently verify it. Memories are fragile things, so easily manipulated.”
“That’s wise,” Meredith returned. Both of them had their eyes on the screen where Mary had progressed to determining how deeply under Alex had gone. Alex was watching as her arm lifted and stayed lifted. “Alex was already a believer in hypnosis from her work. That’s making Mary’s job easier.”
“Daniel.” Ed was pointing to the monitor. “I think Mary’s got her under.”
Alex had both arms in the air and was looking from arm to arm with detached curiosity. Mary told her to lower them and she obeyed.
“Now let’s walk to the stairs,” Mary said, taking Alex by the hand. “I want you to think back, go back to the day Alicia died.”
“The next day,” Alex said quietly. “It’s the next day.”
“All right,” Mary said. “It’s the next day. So tell me what you see, Alex.”
Alex made it to the fourth stair and stopped, her hand gripping the banister so hard Daniel could see her white knuckles on the video.
“That’s how far she went yesterday,” he murmured. “I thought she’d have a heart attack, her pulse went so high.”
“Alex,” Mary said with quiet authority. “Keep going.”
“No.” Panic had edged into Alex’s voice. “I can’t. I can’t.”
“All right. So tell me what you see.”
“Nothing. It’s dark.”
“Where are you?”
“Here. Right here.”
“Were you coming up? Or down?”
“Down. Oh, God.” Alex’s breath began to hitch rapidly and Mary gently pressed her down until she sat on the stair. Mary then brought her out, then took her under again.
When Alex returned to a hypnotic state, Mary began again. “Where are you?”
“Here. That stair creaks.”
“All right. Is it still dark?”
“Yes. I haven’t turned on the hall light.”
“Why not?”
“I didn’t want them to see me.”
“Who, Alex?”
“My mother. And Craig. They’re downstairs. I heard them down- stairs.”
“Doing what?”
“Fighting. Yelling.” She closed her eyes. “Screaming.”
“What are they screaming?”
“I hate you. I hate you,” Alex said, her voice even and level, disturbingly so.
“I wish you were dead,” Daniel murmured just as Alex said the same words in that even monotone. “She thought her mother was saying it to her.”
“But she said it to Craig,” Meredith said quietly.
“Who’s saying this?” Mary asked.
“My mother. My mother.” Tears were running down her face, but her expression stayed calm. Doll-like. A shiver of apprehension raced down Daniel’s back.
“What is Craig saying?” Mary asked.
“She was asking for it with her short shorts and halter tops. Wade gave her what she wanted.”
“And your mother? What’s she saying now?”
Alex stood abruptly and Mary stood with her. “Your bastard son killed my baby. You let him. You didn’t stop him.” Her breath quickened and her voice hardened. “Wade did not kill her.” She walked down a step and Mary held out her hands in case she stumbled. “You took her. You took her and dumped her in that ditch. Did you think I wouldn’t see the blanket, that I wouldn’t know?”
She stopped and Daniel realized he was holding his breath. He made himself exhale and draw another breath. Beside him, Meredith was trembling.
“What are they saying?” Mary asked.
Alex shook her head. “Nothing. She broke the glass.”
“What glass?”
“I don’t know. I can’t see.”
“Then come to where you can see.”
Alex came down the remaining stairs and walked to the doorway to the living room.
“Can you see now?”
Alex nodded. “There’s glass on the floor. I’m standing in it. It hurts my feet.”
“Do you cry?”
“No. I don’t want him to hear me.”
“What glass did your mother break, Alex?”
“From his gun cabinet. She has his gun. She’s pointing it at him and screaming.”
“Oh, God,” Daniel murmured. Meredith clutched his hand, hard.
“What is she screaming, Alex?”
“You killed her and wrapped her in Tom’s blanket and dumped her, like garbage.”
“Who is Tom?” Daniel hissed.
“Alex’s father,” Meredith whispered, horrified. “He died when she was five.”
Alex had gone still, her hand on the door. “She has his gun, but he wants it back.”
“What is he doing?” Mary asked, her voice very calm.
“He’s grabbing her wrists but she’s fighting.” New tears began to flow down Alex’s cheeks. “I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you like you killed my baby.” Her head wagged from side to side. “I didn’t kill her. Wade didn’t kill her. You can’t tell. I won’t let you tell.” She drew a deep breath.
“Alex?” Mary asked. “What’s happening?”
“She saw you. She told me she saw you.”
“Who saw, Alex?”
“Me. She says, ‘Alex saw you with the blanket.’ ” Then she flinched. “No, no, no.”
“What happened?” Mary asked, but Daniel already knew.
“He turned the gun under her chin. He shot her. Oh, Mama.” Alex leaned her temple against the door, wrapped her arms around her own body, and rocked. “Mama.”
Meredith shuddered out a sob, tears running down her face. Daniel squeezed her hand tighter, his throat too tight to breathe.
Alex stopped rocking, again going statue still.
“Alex.” Mary returned to her quietly authoritative tone. “What do you see?”
“He sees me.” Panic sharpened her voice. “I’m running. I’m running.”
“And then?”
Alex turned her head to look at Mary, her face pale and haunted. “Nothing.”
“Oh my God.” Next to him, Meredith was sobbing quietly, her fist pressed to her mouth. “All this time… She’s carried that all this time and we never helped her.”
Daniel pulled her to his side. “You didn’t know. How could you know?” But his voice was hoarse, and when he touched his face, his cheeks were wet.
Meredith turned her face into his shoulder and wept. At the console Ed swallowed audibly and kept taping. Serene and outwardly composed, Mary led Alex back to the chair and began the process of bringing her back. But when Mary looked up into the camera, her eyes were stark and horrified.
His arm still around Meredith’s shaking shoulders, Daniel pulled out his cell phone and dialed Koenig’s number. “It’s Vartanian,” he said, his voice cold, his rage barely leashed. “Have you found Crighton yet?”
“No,” Koenig said softly. “Hatton’s sitting with a group of bums now. One of them says they saw him two hours ago. Why? What’s wrong?”
Daniel swallowed. “When you find him, arrest him.”
“Yeah,” Koenig said slowly. “For beating that nun.” He paused. “What else, Danny?”
Daniel had nearly forgotten about Sister Anne. “For the murder of Kathy Tremaine.”
“Ah hell. You’re kidding. Dammit.” Koenig sighed. “Will do. I’ll call you when Hatton has a fix on his location.”
“Get backup before you go in.�
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“You bet. Daniel, tell Alex I’m sorry about her mom.”
“I will.” He slipped his cell back into his pocket, then nudged Meredith into motion. “Come on. Mary’s almost done. We’ll be there when Alex comes out of the house.”
Chapter Eighteen
Dutton, Wednesday, January 31, 10:00 p.m.
It was, Alex thought, surreal. Now that it was over, now that she knew…
But perhaps on some level she’d always known.
She looked over at Daniel, who drove from Bailey’s house toward Main Street with both hands clutching the wheel in a white-knuckled grip. He’d been stealing what he probably thought were surreptitious glances at her since he’d put her in the car and buckled her in with such gentleness she wanted to weep.
He had been. Weeping. She could see it in his eyes the moment she’d walked out of the house with Mary McCrady straight into his arms. He’d held her so tight… and she’d clung, needing him. Meredith had still been crying as she waited to wrap Alex in her arms. She’d begged forgiveness, when there was nothing to forgive.
It just was. And had always been. She just hadn’t wanted to remember.
Now she remembered, every last second of it, up until Crighton grabbed her by the collar and the world had gone black. The next thing she knew she’d been in the hospital, her stomach pumped of the tranquilizers the police told her she’d taken.
But she didn’t remember doing that. Before, she hadn’t questioned. Now…
How could I not?
She might never know. All she knew was that her mother had not taken her own life. At the same time, she’d had in her hands a weapon that could have saved her life.
That was the image that haunted Alex the most.
“She just stood there,” she murmured. “She had the gun in her hand and she just stood there until it was too late. If she’d fired, she might be alive right now.”
Daniel’s throat worked as he swallowed hard. “Sometimes people freeze. It’s hard to know what you’ll do in that situation. But it’s hard not to blame them after the fact.”
“I feel a little… detached, you know?”
“Mary said you would.”
She studied his profile. He was tired and worn. “Are you all right?”
He huffed a chuckle. “You’re asking me?”
“I’m asking you.”
“I… I don’t know, Alex. I’m angry and I’m… sad. I feel so helpless. I want to make this all go away for you, but I can’t.”
She laid her hand on his arm. “No, you can’t. But it’s awfully nice of you to want to.”
“Nice.” He drew a breath. “I’m not feeling very nice right now.”
She tugged his hand from the wheel, then brought it to her cheek. It felt good there. Solid and warm and safe. “At the beginning I panicked. I couldn’t think of a safe place to go and I thought, ‘What if we went to all this trouble and Mary can’t hypnotize me?’ ”
“I know. I wondered where you’d finally gone. I hoped it was someplace nice.”
She rubbed her cheek against his hand. “There was a moment this morning, after we’d… you know… finished. I looked up at you looking down at me and thought it might have been the most wonderful moment of my life. That’s where I went.”
His fingers tightened around hers. “Thank you.”
She kissed the back of his hand. “You’re welcome.”
They arrived at her bungalow, passing the unmarked GBI vehicle parked on the street. Meredith had left Bailey’s house with the two agents who would take her and Hope to the safe house after she’d gathered their things. One of the agents sat in the backseat, guarding Hope as she slept.
Daniel came around to open her door, then pulled her to her feet and into an embrace so tight, so huge, that Alex wished she could just stand there with him forever. She slipped her arms under his coat, around his waist, and held on. His heart was thundering beneath her ear and she understood she’d affected him on a level that was entirely new. Unfamiliar ground, he said… Could it have been only two days before?
Alex felt like she’d lived a lifetime in those two days.
Daniel pushed her hair away from her face, his lips grazing her cheek, making her shiver. Then he whispered in her ear, husky and hot. “This morning, Alex, what we did was not you know. We made love. And I’m not even close to being finished.” He tipped up her chin and pressed a hard fast kiss to her mouth. “If that’s okay with you.”
This was the bright light at the end of the tunnel. They had a chance to make something good out of so much darkness. “It is.”
“Then let’s go in.” He pulled away with a grimace. “I forgot all about Riley today. I’ve never left him alone so long before. He may have had an accident in your house.”
She smiled up at him. “It’s okay. I have renter’s insurance.”
His arm wrapped possessively around her, they walked to the front porch. Then as one, their steps slowed. Meredith stood in the middle of the living room, her arms crossed over her chest, scanning the room with weary futility. Everything had been ripped apart-drawers dumped, crayons littered the floor, and the sofa where they’d made love had been slashed, the stuffing everywhere.
“I don’t think my renter’s insurance will cover this,” Alex murmured.
Meredith looked up, her eyes narrowed. “Somebody was looking for something.”
Daniel stiffened. “Where’s Riley? Riley!” He ran into Hope’s room, Alex on his heels. The other agent was in there surveying a similar state of disaster. “Where’s my-?”
The agent pointed down where only a tail could be seen sticking out from under the bed, wagging like a metronome in slow motion. Daniel heaved a sigh of relief as he gently pulled Riley out. Riley gazed up with his sad basset eyes and Daniel cupped the dog’s head in both hands, scratching behind his ears. “What happened to you, boy?”
“I found a bowl on the floor in the bathroom, under the window,” the agent said. “The window was open and the bowl still had a little canned dog food in it.”
“I left a bowl of dry food in the kitchen. Riley can’t have canned food. It’s bad for his stomach.” Daniel’s jaw clenched. “Whoever did this drugged him.”
Alex checked Riley’s eyes. “He looks dazed. Would he have barked at an intruder?”
“Loud enough to wake the dead,” Daniel answered. “We need to get the food in that bowl tested.”
“Well, there’s quite a mess in the bathroom,” the agent said. “Doesn’t look like too much of the canned food stayed in him.”
Alex met Daniel’s eyes. “Could have saved his life.”
Daniel frowned. “What could they have been looking for?”
Alex stood and looked around the trashed bedroom with a sigh. “I have no idea.”
“They did the same thing in my room,” Meredith said. “Thank goodness I had my laptop with me. Where’s yours?”
“It was in the closet. Daniel, can you open it?”
He’d already pulled a pair of gloves from his pocket and slid the closet door open with one hand. It was completely empty. “What was on your computer, Alex?”
“Nothing, really. Maybe old tax returns, so they have my social and my address.”
“We can report it to the credit agencies tomorrow,” Daniel said.
Meredith cleared her throat. “Alex, where’s your thing?”
Alex looked at Daniel. “Is my gun still locked in your trunk?”
He nodded grimly. “Yeah. Although I’m sure they brought their own, just in case.”
Alex’s shocked gaze flew to Meredith’s. “If we’d been here…”
Meredith nodded unsteadily. “But we weren’t. And Hope’s safe. She may have to wear the same clothes for a few days, but she’s safe.”
“We can pick up what you need on the way to the safe house,” the agent said. “Everything here’s going to need to stay the way it is until we can process the scene. You want to call CSU, Vartanian, or s
hould I?”
Daniel rubbed his head and Alex could see the headache lurking in his eyes. “If you would, I’d appreciate it, Shannon. I need to get Riley to the vet. There’s an all-night emergency clinic near my house.”
“I’ll make the call,” Shannon said. “You need help getting the pooch to your car?”
“No.” Daniel scooped Riley into his arms, settling the dog’s head on his shoulder like a baby’s. “He’s a lead butt, but I got him. Call when you get to the safe house, Meredith.”
“I will.” Meredith pulled Alex to her in a fierce hug. “When will I see you again?”
“Tomorrow morning. You’re bringing Hope in to do her hypnosis, right?”
Meredith’s nod was shaky. “I hope I can make it through another one.”
“You will. Thank you for being there with me tonight.”
Meredith faltered. “Alex…”
“Sshh. Hush now. You couldn’t have known. So let it go.”
“You call me when you get to Vartanian’s. I assume that’s where you’ll be tonight.”
“Yes. That’s where I’ll be.”
Athens, Georgia, Wednesday, January 31, 11:35 p.m.
Mack flinched, the buzzing of his cell phone startling him. Careful not to reveal his hiding place, he checked his phone and frowned. It was a text message from Woolf. He wondered if Woolf had followed him here. But he’d been careful. No one had followed him. And Woolf should be busy right now.
He opened the text message. Thanks for tip. Here at scene. Who is he? 2 much blood 2 see face. Need ID before 12 for a.m. edition.
He hesitated, then shrugged. Up until now the Woolfs had been able to reason that he might just be an anonymous tipper and not necessarily a murderer. It was his experience that people could tell themselves all kinds of things to make themselves feel better, and the Woolfs were no exception. Romney, Sean, he texted back and hung up.
The Woolfs might not leap to his command anymore. But he was almost finished with them anyway. He heard footsteps. A male voice. Female laughter.
“You should let me drive you home,” the man said.
“I’m fine. I’ll see you in class, okay?”
There were sounds of kissing, then a male groan. “I want you. It’s been three days.”