Jerking open her office door she ran out of the room, unable to breathe. She ignored Sandra’s stunned expression as she bolted past her, tears staining her face. She didn’t stop until she burst out into the bright sunshine, gasping for breath. Leaning against the wall, she slid down it, placing shaky hands over her face.
She couldn’t stop thinking about Ana. She couldn’t stop thinking about the pain she’d gone through, all because she’d known Gena. It was her fault Ana was dead. This was all happening because a killer was fixated on her, like some avenging angel determined to destroy anyone Gena loved.
Lifting her eyes to the sky, she closed them, feeling the sun’s warmth on her cold face. “I’m so sorry, Ana,” she whispered, dropping her head to her chest in sorrow.
***
He glared at Gena from where he sat across the road. The dark tinted windows of his four wheel drive obscured his presence. Watching her slide down the wall, his lips curved into a smile. He was unable to hide the thrill it gave him seeing Gena Evans fall apart.
A chuckle erupted from his throat when she put her face into her hands and began to cry openly. He’d finally broken her. He was unstoppable. Detective Gena Evans would never stop him. Turning the key in the ignition, he whispered quietly, “Soon, Gena.”
He gave her one last lingering look of contempt before he drove away from the Precinct.
***
Gena lifted her head from her hands when someone touched her shoulder gently. “Gena, drink this.”
Lifting her head higher, she looked up into Frank Delucci and Jase’s sympathetic eyes. Taking the bottle Jase offered, she ripped open the cap and took a sip, swallowing deeply.
Wiping her mouth with the back of her sleeve, she dropped her eyes back to the pavement. “It’s my fault,” she whispered. “This maniac is killing my friends because he’s targeting me. In his sick and twisted mind, I’ve offended him somehow and this is his vengeance.
We’re fucking blind. We have no clue at all to who this maniac is, what his motives are or what his next move will be. He’s blinded us completely. We’re at a loss, completely in the dark.”
She didn’t miss the quick glance Jase shot Frank Delucci. Frustration ate at her and her voice was sharp, “What do you know?” Waiting for them to answer, she struggled to keep her emotions in check, anger bubbling to the surface. “You know something, damn it. What aren’t you telling me?”
Jase hunched down beside her, resting his back against the precinct’s concrete wall for balance. “Gena, Frank and I don’t believe you caused Ana’s death. After you and I left Jesse’s place last night, I started thinking about everything that’s happened. You mentioned you hadn’t stayed in touch with Carolyn after university; you think this is all about you, but I’m not sure it is. There’s just something not right about it all.”
“You mean apart from the fact my friends are being murdered one by one?” Gena said sarcastically, scowling in annoyance when Delucci’s lips twitched in amusement.
Delucci inclined his head, his expression and voice both soothing her even as his words sent chills down her spine. “Gena, we don’t think you’re the person he’s targeting at all.”
She shook her head emphatically, pursuing her lips firmly together. “How can you say that? He left me the bloodied message at the last crime scene. He sent me that god awful video clip. Now you’re saying it has nothing to do with me? I’m sorry, I can’t believe it.”
Jase grinned wickedly. “Gena, we’re not saying you haven’t pissed this guy off. For some reason, he’s definitely got you in his sights. I’m not sure why he’s drawing you into his twisted game, but I don’t think it’s your attention he’s craving. It was Frank who suggested who his real target could be.”
“Stephanie,” Gena breathed, picking at the label on the water bottle she held, her hand tightening around it. “Are you sure? He left me the message?”
Delucci ignore her question, asking pointedly, “Did Stephanie Carovella know Ana Ferrier very well?”
Gena paled. Dropping her eyes to her water bottle, she focused on peeling the label off the bottle. Contemplating the question, she lifted her eyes up to meet Delucci’s. “Yes, she did. I met Ana through Stephanie. Why are you asking me about Stephanie’s relationship with Ana?”
He ignored her question, the admission displeasing him. “And she kept in touch with both Carolyn Mathers and Angel Monroe?”
“Yes, of course. Where the hell are you going with this?” Gena asked angrily.
“Just how well do you know Stephanie Carovella?” Delucci asked abruptly. He wasn’t surprised to see Gena’s eyes blacken with fury at his line of questioning.
“If you’re damn well implying Stephanie was involved in these murders, you’re dead wrong. Stephanie loved each of those girls like they were family. In a sense they were. Angel, Carolyn, Stephanie and I all went to university together. There’s nothing we didn’t know about each other.”
Pressing her palm against the wall to support herself, she rose from where she was squatting, glaring at Delucci with ill-concealed disgust.
Delucci raised his hands in defense. “I had to ask Gena, you know why.”
Gena snorted. “You had to realize it would piss me off.” She noticed the way Jase shifted uncomfortably in response to Delucci’s question and avoided her eyes. She meshed her teeth in frustration. “What the hell are you not telling me, damn it?” she growled, not bothering to hide her growing fury that Jase and Delucci were working together.
Both of them were acting as if they were the leading Detectives on these murders- like they were still partners. These were her cases and she’d be damned if they were going to stonewall her.
Jase stood, leaning against the precinct wall. He kept his voice low when he spoke, not completely comfortable with what he had to share.
“Gena, after I left Jesse’s place last night I started thinking about each case and the common dominators. I couldn’t shake the feeling we were missing a crucial point, an important piece of the puzzle to bring each murder together. I went back over every detail we’d uncovered, analyzing each murder and each case, and it kept bringing me back to one person, Stephanie.”
“Gena, we’re not saying she committed the murders, but we think she know more than she’s letting on,” Delucci said.
Gena shook her head in denial, shooting Jase a look of disbelief. “No, Jase. Stephanie would absolutely tell me if she knew anything about these murders. She knows we need all the help we can get.”
Delucci frowned at Gena’s quick denial. He wondered if her friendship with Stephanie was causing her to be biased. He knew she honestly believed her friend was being completely open with her, but their friendship could cloud her judgment.
Trying another tactic, he smiled warmly at her. “I’m sure you truly believe your friend wouldn’t keep anything from you, but I’d still like to sit down with her anyway.”
Gena smiled back. “Of course Frank, I understand. I’m sure Stephanie will be happy to tell you what she knows.” Her eyes narrowed speculatively. “What makes you think Stephanie isn’t telling us everything?”
Delucci shrugged nonchalantly. “I just wondered, what with the sealed file and all.”
Gena’s mouth dropped open, shock making her stumble back against the wall. Steadying herself, she closed her mouth, swallowing hard. “Sealed file? What sealed file?” she asked croakily, the words tumbling from her mouth.
Jase reached out to grab her arm when she stumbled and she slapped it away in irritation. Putting her hands on her hips, she demanded, “Well?”
“Gena, I didn’t go home last night. I called Frank and asked him to meet me here. We started digging into Stephanie’s background.”
“Why the hell wasn’t I informed about this investigation? These are my god damn cases. She’s my fucking friend!”
“Gena, you were in no state to investigate anything. You’d just lost Ana. You needed time to grieve,” Jase said softly
.
Giving him a filthy look, she spoke between clenched teeth. “Frank, what sealed file?”
Delucci smiled at Gena’s fury. He knew she felt like he was usurping her, but he was just doing his job. He also knew she wouldn’t think twice about the doing the same, if the roles were reversed. Again he wondered if her friendship with Stephanie Carovella could be clouding her judgment.
“The lovely Ms Carovella has a sealed file. She’s either been a very bad girl or she witnessed a very bad thing. The file’s been sealed. If I was to hazard a guess, I’d say it was by the Feds.” he said, wanting to gauge Gena’s reaction to the news.
Jase grimaced. He knew that what he was about to tell Gena would rock her to the core. “Gena, after Frank and I found about the sealed file, we started to wonder what other skeletons she might have in her closet.”
“And do you know what we found out about the friend you claim to know so well? The one, who you said wouldn’t hide anything from you?” Delucci brutally pressed on, interrupting Jase.
Gena was silent, unable to speak, her body rigid with shock. She tried to process the news about the sealed file, but found it difficult to believe. Savagely she mentally kicked herself. No, this wasn’t true. Stephanie always had been the secretive type. The fact she had a sealed file wasn’t as much a shock to her as the fact that she’d never mentioned it. Not once. Not to anyone.
“Digging a little deeper, we discovered this isn’t the first murder Stephanie Carovella has been entangled in.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Gena said, her head snapping at Frank’s claim, disbelief on her face.
“Gena, Stephanie witnessed the double murder of her parents when she was eight years old. The L.A.P.D found her two days later, covered in their blood, wandering the streets. Her parents were found butchered in their bedroom. They’d been tortured to death,” Jase blurted out.
Gena’s shock turned to horror and then an overwhelming sense of betrayal. Stephanie had never told her. The fact she’d kept something so dark and twisted as her parents murder from her, from anyone, stunned her.
“You didn’t know?” Delucci asked sympathetically, watching her emotions flash across her face.
Gena shook her head, closing her eyes. “My God no, she never told us. I’ve got to admit a sealed file is so very Stephanie. She’s never been afraid to stand up and kick the world in the ass. But this…” Her voice trailed off, as her sense of betrayal evaporated and quickly turned to sorrow for the anguish Stephanie must have gone through.
“Damn, she never told any of us,” she whispered.
“You don’t think Dominic knew?” Jase asked, arching an eyebrow in surprise.
“Stephanie’s a hard one to read. She never truly let’s anyone get close enough to know what she’s thinking or feeling. Just when you think you know her as well as you possibly can, she surprises you,” she said quietly, contemplating Jase’s question. “It’s possible he knew. He seemed to be the only one who was able to soothe her each time she had a nightmare,” she conceded.
Patting her pockets for her cigarettes, she scowled when she realized she’d left them inside. After everything she’d been told, she needed a cigarette more than ever. The way her life was going right now, quitting wasn’t going to be an option.
Taking a ragged breath, she still couldn’t believe Stephanie had kept her parents murder a secret. It was so monumental. It was so Stephanie. “Jesus Christ Jase, it explains so much about her. Ever since I’ve met her, I’ve wondered what made her tick. This explains why she chose to become a criminal reporter. It explains why she’s so driven. Sweet Jesus, no wonder she has nightmares.”
She eyed Delucci with suspicion. “You said her parents were tortured and murdered? Surely you don’t think her parents’ murder has anything to do with these murders?”
Delucci shook his head, his steely blue gaze meeting Gena’s worried one. “No Gena, I don’t. The murders happened 20 years ago. I’m more interested in what lies within the sealed file. We could try asking the Feds about it, but I get the feeling they won’t tell us much. I’d much prefer to ask Ms Carovella. The sealed file may not have anything to do with these murders, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
***
“Damn you, you had no right. You had no right to get Jake involved in all of this,” Stephanie spat at the man standing calmly in front of her.
“Someone needs to protect you,” he spat back in disgust. “God knows you seem determined to put yourself in the path of this crazed serial killer. You may be hell bent on getting yourself killed, but I love you too damn much, Stephanie, to sit around and just watch you self-destruct!”
She blinked at his words, softening her tone. “Damn you Jesse, you had no right to tell Jake to follow me.”
“Babe, we’re only trying to protect you,” Ben said quietly. He sat on the kitchen bar stool, watching Jesse and Stephanie’s stand-off.
Jesse leaned against the kitchen bench, watching with lazy amusement as she roughly pulled sterling silver roses out of a vase. “You’re going to ruin your flowers,” he drawled.
“No. I’m ruining your damn flowers,” she spat, tossing the dead roses into the bin and placing the remaining living flowers back into the vase.
“Sweetheart, do I really look like the type of guy who’s into flowers?” he teased.
Stephanie rolled her eyes, tossing a dead rose at him. “You know what I mean, Jess. Stop trying to change the subject. I’m not going to have Jake traipsing around, following me everywhere. Apart from the fact that his friend Rafe gives me a serious case of the heebie jeebies, it’s also an invasion of my privacy.”
Lifting up the vase, she strode into the dining room, leaning over and placing the vase back onto the centre of the kitchen table. Jesse followed her, watching her sleek movements, a puzzled expression on his face.
“Actually, sweetheart, I don’t know what you mean.”
“I’m not your sweetheart,” she growled, glaring at him in annoyance. She hated playing mind games.
“Seriously, Stephanie, how am I supposed to know what you mean?” Jesse asked perplexed.
Stephanie put her hands on her hips defiantly. “Jesse, I know the flowers aren’t yours. They’re mine. You bought them for me. Stop mind-fucking me and answer my question. What the hell did you think you were doing bringing Jake into this? You’ve endangered him.”
“Stephanie, I didn’t buy you any flowers,” he said slowly, his body tensing with apprehension.
“Of course you did. The Sterling Silver roses are my favorite. You know that,” Stephanie said, annoyance sliding across her face.
“No Steph, I didn’t,” Jesse said grimly.
They both fell silent, looking at each before their eyes involuntarily turned towards the vase of the table.
“Ben?” Stephanie began.
Ben shook his head. “Babe, I wish I had, but it wasn’t me. There was no card?”
She shook her head. “No. I just woke up one morning and they were sitting on the kitchen table. I just thought…”
“You thought they were from me?” Jesse asked gently, moving to wrap his arms around her. He scowled when she took a step back, her gaze never wavering from the flowers.
Stephanie glanced from Ben to Jesse with a calmness she didn’t feel. “Jesse, if neither Ben nor yourself gave me the roses, then who left them on the kitchen table?”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jase lifted his hand to knock on Jesse’s front door, surprised when it was jerked open and Ben stood gaping at them. Ignoring Jase and Delucci, Ben turned to Gena. “Thank God you’re here, Gena,” he said abruptly.
“Ben, we have a problem,” Gena interrupted.
Anger burned in his icy blue eyes as Ben nodded in agreement. His voice gritty with emotion, he shot back, “You’re not kidding me. Gena, he was here. That god damn psycho was in our house.” He grunted in satisfaction when Gena involuntarily gasped.
“W
hat? Ben, are you sure? How do you know?” Gena asked, panic gripping her insides like a vice, and squeezing tightly.
Ben nodded his head jerkily. His face carved in stone, he turned to Jase. “The bastard left roses for Stephanie. He walked into this house and left her god damn roses just like she was his lover. Stephanie thought they were from Jesse,” he growled.
Gena arched an eyebrow at his last words. “Why am I not surprised? She certainly didn’t waste any time did she?” she muttered underneath her breath, not seeing the speculative look Delucci gave her.
White with growing worry, Jase ran a hand over his unshaven jaw. “Jesus, that’s exactly what happened with Angel,” he said hoarsely. One of his hands curled into a fist and he clenched it tightly before flexing his fingers. Pain washed over him, remembering the flowers Angel received.
“He sent Angel Monroe flowers?” Delucci asked quietly, watching Jase nod his head in affirmation.
“He sent her Gardenias. The bastard even knew her favorite flower.”
“He thinks he’s courting Stephanie,” Ben muttered, tearing his eyes from Gena to stare at the blonde-haired stranger standing beside her. “Who the hell are you?” He asked bluntly.
“Ben, this is Detective Franklin Delucci. He’s heading up Ana’s murder,” Gena said, touching Ben’s arm tenderly. Turning to Delucci, she nodded her head towards Ben. “Frank, I’d like you to meet Ben Reynolds. He is...,” She took a deep breath and started again. “He was Ana’s boyfriend.”
Wearily, she said to Ben, “Can we please come inside?”
He nodded, stepping aside. Walking down the hallway without another word, he didn’t look back to see if they were following him.
“Quite the charmer, isn’t he?” Jase murmured to Frank Delucci, who chuckled in agreement.
“Damn it Jase, what do you expect? He just lost the woman he loved,” Gena snapped, shooting them an angry look, before stalking after Ben.
Nowhere to Run (Stephanie Carovella) Page 20