The longer I had watched the news, the more worried I got. Everyone already had their own take on what was happening. One of the channels was even calling it a serial murder already; I couldn’t believe it. I always kept up with the news, so I knew exactly what they were talking about when they brought up two other murders in the area. Who would even target these types of men? I kept wondering to myself, and was nearly giving myself a headache.
I had to change the channel to some trash television, so I could relax before work. Parker came up for snuggles and I let his rumbling breathing calm me down. I hadn’t realized how bothered I really was by the whole situation. I wondered why I had to be the one to be in that situation, to find that man there. I was surprised they didn’t need more from me. I was watching my phone expecting a call up until when I got ready for work.
I took another hot shower to calm myself down enough to be focused for my day. I didn’t have the kind of job where my mind could be somewhere else. I got dressed in my scrubs and sneakers, and tied my hair back. It was odd being an apartment complex with a dog, because I couldn’t let him out while I was gone; but my neighbor across the hall was a nice old lady that didn’t mind checking on him.
She had a key to my place, and I always reminded her when I was leaving. Parker needed to be fed once while I was gone, and then put in his crate for the night until I got back.
“Honey, you look like you haven’t slept at all!” Martha looked at me with her motherly face and smiled. I just smiled back and shrugged.
“It’s been a long day,” I didn’t go into all the details of witnessing a murder and all.
“Oh, okay. Are you going in early?” she asked me.
Martha had very signature looks. Her hair had gray streaks and her wrinkles were more like makeup than signs of aging. She always had the most comfortable looking sweaters on, always in earth tones. It was dark blue that day and she had tights on too; needless to say she was pretty hip. She was also a retired nurse, so that had been the beginning of our unique friendship.
“Yeah, I have the afternoon shift instead of the usual.” I normally worked what we called the dead shift, which was at midnight and onward. I was lucky to just be doing the night shift this time, because I was still so worked up about earlier.
“I see. So, when should I put Parker up?” She leaned in her doorway. I shifted on my feet and tightened my bag around my shoulder.
“The usual is fine. He was pretty worn out today.” I smiled softly.
“Okay. No problem. You have fun at work, honey.” She tapped my shoulder softly and I smiled in appreciation.
She was pretty much the only person in my life that worried about me. Dad was gone, Mom was never really around like she should have been.
“Thanks.” I took the short walk to the subway, and even greeted some of the regulars. I couldn’t help but notice a change in my demeanor. Looking over my shoulder, looking at people twice. I was being paranoid. Any time I saw a dark hoodie, I thought it was that shooter. I still had a chill from it.
By the time I got to my stop, I was highly considering taking a sick day. It was only three, so I was early for my shift at four. My phone rang with an unknown number as I walked the block to the hospital entrance.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Am I speaking with Rose Camden?”
The voice coming through the phone went right to my core, and I knew it had been too long since I had sex. I mean, come on—a voice.
It was a very sexy voice.
“Yes.”
“This is Detective Alex Jordan. I’m calling you regarding your 911 call this morning.”
Oh goodness. The deep, raspy voice belonged to a police officer. I could only imagine how he looked.
“Um, okay.” I took a deep breath.
“I need you to come in and make a statement.”
I stopped in my tracks and swallowed. I watched enough crime shows to know what that would mean. The statement would be first, and then I would be permanently attached to the case. I would have to testify if it ever went to court. I wasn’t sure I wanted to do that. I was still recovering from just witnessing the crime, I didn’t know if I could relive it so soon.
Then I felt what I would have done if it was a patient, or anyone in the hospital.
I sighed deeply. “I don’t know if I can do that,” I responded. It was silent on his end.
“I understand. But I just need a brief statement from you. It won’t connect you to the crime in any way.”
I knew he was lying, but I also knew I was being a little selfish. I knew I couldn’t give myself too much credit right off the bat, either. I decided to just take baby steps. “Okay. But I have work until nine.”
“That’s okay. Just come down to 78th and ask for me.”
I blinked rapidly at the ease of his voice once again. It was insane, to be so hobbled over a voice. “Okay. Um, Alex Jordan, right?” I checked.
Ugh. Why did it feel good to say his name?
“That’s right. See you soon, Miss Camden.”
His line went dead before I could even respond.
Chapter Six: Rose
After two hours I was ready to leave. I did always like the pace of the job, and the experiences I got to embark on, but sometimes it just got to be too crazy. I mean, why would anyone purposefully jump off their roof just to make a video? It didn’t make any sense to me at all.
Then of course, there were the usual Wednesday blunders. And to think, the day started out semi-normally. Before I witnessed a murder and all. Granted, I didn’t actually see that gun shot, but I heard it. And according to every news channel across the board, that gunshot killed that man.
I dropped the tray of syringes all across the floor.
“Rose, you okay?” Dina, my co-worker and only friend besides Martha, was right there to help me pick them up.
She was a fun, spunky woman who I would have never pegged for an ER nurse. Her straight brown hair was in sharp contrast to my unruly, black curly hair. But together, we always covered the most beds out of all the other nurses. If we were assigned partners like cops were, she would be mine.
“Yeah. It’s just an off day for me.” I huffed.
We picked up the syringes and stashed them in the sharps container. We went off to our usual chill corner behind the last exam room. It had an old bed and an odd smell, but it was literally the only place we wouldn’t be found.
“How so?” She took her hair bow from around her wrist and tied her hair up.
I always wore mine in a tight bun, so I wouldn’t be bothered by it, even still, it always found a way to let a few strands come loose.
“Long story. How is your man?” I changed the subject. I wasn’t even sure I was ready to admit what happened that morning, let alone tell Dina. I was still freaking out about having to tell the detective about it.
And yes, I was thinking about his voice pretty much all evening.
“Fine. Boring as usual, but he’s what I picked.” She half laughs and then half scoffs.
Dina had been with a quiet, English teacher since I had known her. They were polar opposites, but I guessed what they said was true. Anyway, Scott, her husband, was nice and he was a little older than her. I wondered how he even got her to settle down with him, but I guess that was what love did.
“He isn’t boring.” I giggled, “he just doesn’t want to hit the bars every Friday.” I knocked shoulders with her. She shook her head and shrugged unapologetically.
“Hmm. I spent all my fun years in class. Now, I can actually afford my nights out. Speaking of, you haven’t come with me in weeks. What’s with the blow off?”
I couldn’t lie to her, but I also didn’t really have a reason. “I don’t know. I’ve just been down. Maybe next week—hell, I can’t lie. Maybe the week after.” I smiled sadly.
Dina smiled and rested her head on my shoulder. “That’s okay. As long as you don’t blow me off here.”
“Pfft. How the hell
would I get through my shifts without you?”
“True. Our anniversary is soon, and I don’t even know what to get him. Ugh, last year was almost as much work as the wedding.”
It would be their second anniversary, and I doubted anything could top their wedding. It was in a library—Dina often said it was the only thing he would ever get his way in their marriage.
“Hmm. Sexy lingerie maybe. Sometimes that’s all you need. But what do I know? I haven’t gotten laid in months.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, I thought of that sexy voice on the phone. Of course, with my luck it would happen he didn’t match the voice at all. But I was still hopeful, and kept it in my imagination.
“Oh, Rose. See, if you would go out with me…” she sang.
“Oh no, nice try.”
We laughed together.
“We should get back to work. Our ten minutes of normalcy are up.” I hopped off the bed and stretched out; my yawn was wildlife-worthy.
“Ugh. Let’s go.”
As soon as we got back out, we were separated by a group of construction workers that got caught in a bad crane accident. Luckily, there were only external injuries. Just sutures, and keeping them calm. It would have been nice if they were all hot, sexy construction workers. But they weren’t. I sighed in exaggeration multiple times.
Hours later my shift was done, and I was headed to the precinct. I was practically bouncing on the subway on the ride there. I was nervous. Well, anxious mostly. I had no idea what I was walking into, and no idea how much of a role I would one day have to play. I hoped to just make a statement and never be bothered ever again.
“Hi, I need to see Detective Alex Jordan.” I tried to ignore the way his name rolled off my tongue. Similar to the way the young lady at the desk was ignoring me. Seriously, she barely even looked legal.
“What for?” She popped her gum and flipped her papers over like she was actually working. Maybe she was a volunteer or something. Her fresh highlights and French nails told me this was just a job to pay the bills and keep her happy.
“I need to make a statement. He knows I’m coming.” My patience was running very thin and I was dead on my feet.
“I’m sure he does.” She murmured in a way she must have thought I wouldn’t hear. Little did she know, I had keen hearing because of my job. I scowled and ignored it though.
She pulled out her cell phone and did some tapping, and I realized she must be mad about something. Maybe she was just having a bad day.
“Look, just go in the squad room and you’ll find him. He looks like Don Flack, you know the show?” Her waxed eyebrow raised and pointed me in the right direction. I nodded; CSI: NY was one of my favorites.
“Thanks.”
I clutched my cross-body purse and took the sharp left. The room was huge, and there were desks everywhere. I had never seen a police station in person, but I didn’t have much time to appreciate the décor before I started scanning the room for the detective. If he looked anything like the receptionist’s description…
“Do you know where I can find Detective Alex Jordan?” I asked the first person I saw.
A cop with a donut in his hand—just kidding, he had a manila folder. Though it would have been more exciting if he had a donut.
“Uh, yeah. His new office is down there.” He rolled his eyes and pointed just past me.
Why was everyone so annoyed with him? What the hell was I getting myself into? I wondered as I walked down to his office.
It was an old wooden door with a fuzzy screen that had the name scratched off. I guessed this guy didn’t want to be found. I knocked, and took a few steadying breaths before I heard him.
“Come in.”
And then I saw him.
First thing I did was wish I had changed my clothes. Or did something with my hair. But as it had it, I was in scrubs with blood stains on the hem of my shirt, my hair an awful mess of a bun; and he was leaning on his desk in slacks, a vest, and a crisp white dress shirt. In the face, he did look like Don Flack. But better; his jaw line was harder, his hair even more wavy and finger-combable—a beautiful brown color. His eyes, even in the dim lighting, were obviously gray and intense.
“Hello?”
Goodness. He asked me something. What was it?
“Oh, I’m Rose Camden.”
His eyes widened in shock and then his face softened in understanding. He set down the folder he was holding and stood up. Oh boy, he was so tall and imposing. He damn near took up the entire room. Well, his aura did. He was built like a son of Atlantis or something; broad shoulders, strong arms…wait, he had asked me something again.
“Are you alright, Miss Camden?”
“Oh, uh—in theory. You can call me Rose. I just came in to make that statement. Though I’m not sure how much help I will be. The whole thing is kind of a blur, and I haven’t really been myself since. Okay, I’m rambling.” I laughed nervously, but my throat was so closed up with nerves it was hard.
The look he gave me was one of amusement and something else I couldn’t place. I just tried to avoid his eyes, because they were so damned captivating. The kind that literally make your stomach become a world class gymnast, flipping all over the place. Instead, I looked at the deep ridge of his brow, and the sharp definition of his jaw. But he looked right in my eyes and I couldn’t look away. He was just so…
“That’s understandable. Why don’t you sit down?” He gestured to the chair across from his desk.
Once I did, I looked around a little bit. There were some open boxes, and the place was pretty bare. I wondered why; he seemed to have enough personality.
He leaned in front of me on the desk. I clutched my purse strap and looked up at him. That was when I noticed how he was looking at me; I mean, my body. It wasn’t much, I was in shape, but my hips didn’t match my small frame. That was all I had going for me, since I was an average B cup.
I managed to stare back at him, not knowing if I should just start talking. But he didn’t seem to want to look away either. It was like we were in a standoff or something.
“You stare a lot.” He broke the silence.
I swallowed nervously. “Sorry. You’re just good looking. For a detective, I mean. Usually they’re…never mind.” I tended to ramble and have no filter when I was nervous. Obviously.
“Okay then. Well, twenty-four hours ago, I was a regular cop. But look, let’s get this statement down while you’re in the talking mood.” His grin was more to himself, and made this slight dimple appear in his left cheek. The odd swelling feeling in my body was weird, to say the least.
“Okay.” I nodded with a slight smile.
He walked around his desk, and I could breathe better for sure. But it wafted his scent my direction and I nearly got up to sniff him. Goodness, it was like rough cologne mated with his natural scent and made an entirely new being. I had a keen sense of smell too, part of the job as well. It helped to know the difference between sour urine and salty urine—one was liver failure; the other was simple dehydration. I got off my mental tangent and focused on him again. He got out a pen and pad and looked at me expectantly.
“No tape recorder?” I tried to make a joke.
“Not this time. I just need an initial statement. When I hear more from the ME and the criminologists do some shit with their degree, I’ll see what we’re dealing with.”
My eyes go wide as I blink at him. “What…what could we be dealing with? That stuff on the news could be true? Because I was following the story since that first body turned up and—”
“Rose,” he held up his hand and stopped my rambling. I blushed deep with embarrassment, thinking I annoyed him or something. “I don’t want you to stress yourself out. You look like you’ve had enough to deal with today.” His eyes drew down to my scrubs. I nervously crossed my ankles and sat up straighter. At least I was wearing foundation. The rest of me…I was sure he had more beautiful women throwing themselves his way. I knew I needed to stop st
aring at him like there was even a sliver of a chance…
“Right. Sorry.” I took a deep breath.
“Okay, so I was walking Parker, my Lab. And all of a sudden, he goes crazy and runs down this um, tunnel thing? I don’t know. When I get there, he’s barking down these two guys. When I get there, the victim I guess is like on his knees and he’s begging or something and the other guy is in a dark blue hoodie; more navy like, and he has a silver gun. Looked like a .380 ACP.”
I opened my mouth to continue but he interrupted, “you know guns like that?” He stopped writing and raised a brow at me.
“Yeah. Army brat. Anyway, he has the gun and then sees me and I—” I stop as a gasp stifled my throat. It all became clear to me then, and I felt the color drain from my face. “Oh god, it was all my fault.”
My hands covered my face as I try to breathe normally.
“Rose? What was your fault?” He leaned over the desk and searched my eyes.
“I—what if he only shot him because I was there? One guy that saw his face, fine. But another witness? What if…”
“Rose, don’t go off on that tangent. I promise you, nothing happened that wouldn’t already have gone down, even if you weren’t there. This is more likely than not a serial murder, same guy and MO. I don’t want you to beat yourself up like that at all. Are you okay to continue?”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah. Well, there isn’t much. When I saw the gun I ran, Parker was right behind me. When I was a few hundred feet away, he…he shot. Oh, um, I called 911 as I was running. That’s it.” I blew out a pent-up breath and he stared back at me when he finished writing.
“Do you remember anything about his face at all? Anything that can make up a sketch?”
I tried to think, but I only saw the side of him covered by his hood. “No. Sorry. I have a photographic memory for numbers. But I’m usually good with faces, so I can match them up with charts. But I didn’t even see a thing…oh, he had a tattoo on his hand.” I point to the back of my hand, “on the back. It was a big triangle. Nothing else. Pretty shitty tattoo in my opinion.”
Cuff Me Page 2