by Brenda Novak
“There was a problem.”
“What sort of problem?”
“This Jason guy is clever. He attacked my man, took him out with a rock to the head, but not before Jason was stabbed.”
“How bad?”
“No way of knowing.”
“Damn it. I told you I didn’t want him to suffer.”
“Don’t worry. It’ll slow him down and make it easier for us to get him the second time around.”
This was not how things were supposed to go down. Clearly, she had not hired professionals. She should have trusted her instincts and found someone else to handle the problem. “Any witnesses?”
“Just the female he’s traveling with.”
“A woman?”
“That’s what I said.”
It had to be the woman she’d seen on the news—the one from the morgue.
“Everyone was gone before the police arrived,” the caller went on. “We’re not happy about this either.”
The hand at her side curled into a fist. She should have left well enough alone, let law enforcement do their job and bring Jason in. But the fact that Jason had been in Vermont, free to run, and instead had chosen to return to California didn’t sit well with her. It made no sense…not unless he knew something or had some kind of proof that might set him free. Why else would he risk coming all this way? “Bottom line,” she said into the microphone, “you screwed up. Now Jason knows that the Feds aren’t the only ones looking for him.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“If you don’t, I’ve got others waiting in line who will be more than happy to clean up your mess. You’ve got twenty-four hours.”
***
The house looked the same as Jason remembered, a one-story ranch painted blue and surrounded by trees. The front lawn was overgrown, and the landscaping neglected since he’d been here last. He, his partners, and Sophie, had shared quite a few beers in the backyard. The good ol’ days.
“I’ll go look for the key,” Angela told him. “Stay low until I check out the garage. If it’s empty, I’ll pull the car inside. We don’t want the neighbors to see you.”
After Angela left, he shut his eyes. The pain in his side was excruciating, but he didn’t want Angela to panic. With two years of medical school under her belt, he was hoping she would know what to do.
The fact that she insisted on putting herself in danger continued to bother him. It was different now. There were agents everywhere. First chance he got, he planned to convince her to walk away before she got hurt or in trouble with the law for aiding and abetting.
The attack today baffled him. Whoever was responsible must have been keeping a close eye on his mom’s house, then followed his sister to the deli. It was the only explanation he could come up with.
The garage door opened. There was plenty of room for the Volvo. Angela climbed in behind the wheel, drove the car inside, then waited for the door to clang shut before she came around to the other side to help him into the house.
She moved fast, worry lining her face as she pulled a spindled chair out from the kitchen table and ordered him to take a seat. “I’ll be right back.”
When she returned, her arms were loaded with rubbing alcohol, clean towels, tape and bandages she’d somehow managed to find. She spread the items out on the counter and then removed the centerpiece from the table. Next, she put a clean sheet over the top and patted it with her hand. “Take off your shirt and lie down here.”
When he didn’t move right away, she said, “You don’t want to make a bloody mess in one of the bedrooms, do you?”
He supposed not. With her help, he removed his shirt and climbed up onto the hardwood table. “I feel like I’m back at the morgue,” he muttered after lying down flat on his back, his calves dangling over the edge.
She ignored him. Working slowly, methodically, she examined the wound.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For everything.”
“You’re welcome. Now let me get you cleaned up so I can see what we’re dealing with here.”
He clamped his teeth together as she used hydrogen peroxide to clean around the wound, careful not to remove any clotting.
“How bad is it?”
“The gash is a few inches long. It looks to me as if you pulled back just as he attacked because the blade appears to have only affected the subcutaneous tissues.”
He winced when she applied some pressure. “I’ll take that as a good thing.”
“It’s a very good thing. The bad news is, I’m going to have to stitch you up.”
“With what?”
“Needle and thread, of course.”
***
With a cup of hot mint tea in hand, Angela opened the sliding doors leading to the back deck and stepped out into the dark. Slivers of moonlight lit up the deck and stars sparkled in the distance.
After cleaning Jason’s wound, she had used super glue to hold the flesh together and make it easier to sew him up. A sponge bath came next, and then she’d helped him into the bed in the master bedroom. He’d been restless at first, but finally settled into a deep sleep. For the past three hours she’d stayed by his side, making sure he didn’t develop a fever or show any symptoms of shock.
He was going to be fine.
The past few days had been a whirlwind of craziness. Her life had changed overnight. By now her sister must have seen the news and reported it all to her mother, and though Angela didn’t like the idea of causing them worry, calling either one of them at this point would only serve to put Jason in further jeopardy. They had come too far for her to see him carted back to prison before he had all the information he needed.
“Hello!”
Angela made her way back inside the house.
There was only one word for the woman standing in the entryway—beautiful. Tall and slender, her thick blonde hair pulled back from her face. Perfectly sculpted brows and high cheekbones framed a pair of amazingly blue eyes.
“I’m Sophie.”
Angela offered her hand. “Angela.”
“Where’s Jason?”
She pointed down the hall. “He’s asleep in the bedroom at the end of the hallway.”
“Colin told me he was hurt. Is he going to be okay?”
“After a few days of rest, he should be fine.”
The woman was at the top of Angela’s list of suspects. But Sophie was either a pretty good actress or she really was deeply concerned about Jason.
Sophie set her purse and a bag of clothes on the floor near the couch, then gestured toward the bedroom. “Is it okay if I peek in on him?”
“Sure. He’s been asleep for a while. I was just about to make him some soup.” Angela lifted her cup of tea. “I hope you don’t mind that I’ve helped myself to some tea.”
Sophie waved a hand through the air. “Use whatever you need.” She hesitated, and then, before heading down the hall, said, “Your face has been all over the news. There’s been a lot of speculation about the two of you. Jason didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“Of course not.”
The woman looked relieved. “I’m glad you’re both okay.”
An awkward moment hovered between them.
“Is it true what they’re saying?” Sophie asked. “That he forced you to go with him?”
“He didn’t have a choice. He needed a car.”
“But you didn’t know him, did you? You must have been scared to death.”
“It was fairly obvious from the start that Jason wasn’t a dangerous man.”
“They said they found evidence in your apartment that he had tied you to the bed.”
“He never hurt me.”
Sophie rested a hand on her chest. “I would have been scared to death. A strange man demanding I give up my car, then tying me to the bed.”
Angela had nothing to say to that.
Sophie lifted a brow. “Have you two formed a relationship?”
A
ngela’s eye widened. “Why do I get the feeling I’m being interrogated?”
“I’m sorry. You’re right. It’s none of my business.”
“What are you two discussing?”
They both looked in the direction of the bedroom. Jason, wearing boxers and nothing else, made his way toward them, his gait slow and steady. His side was covered in bandages.
Angela helped him to the living room. “You shouldn’t be out of bed. You need to rest.”
“I heard voices.” Once he was settled on the couch, he took a good long look at Sophie. “It’s been a long time.”
“It’s good to see you, Jason.”
“Is Colin coming?”
“He couldn’t get away. They’re still watching the house.”
“I see.”
“Colin said you needed clothes, so I stopped at the store and bought you some pants and a couple of shirts. I hope it all fits.” She gestured toward the bag on the floor.
“Sorry about your mom.” Jason tried to get comfortable but wasn’t doing a very good job of it. Not until Angela disappeared and then returned with an armful of pillows and a blanket. “As you can see,” Jason said, “I’m being well taken care of.”
Angela blushed as she worked the pillows around him just so. Once she was finished, she straightened and then plunked her hands on her hips. “How’s that?”
“Perfect. Thank you.”
“I’m going to give you two some time to catch up,” Angela said. “I’ll be in the kitchen heating up some soup. You’re probably hungry.”
“Starved.”
***
As soon as Angela disappeared, Sophie took a seat on the edge of the couch.
“You shaved your head.”
He rubbed the palm of his hand over it. “Still not used to it.”
She smiled. “Even without hair, you look handsome.”
Before he could respond, she added, “I’m sorry I haven’t been to prison to see you in a while. Life tends to get in the way. Before you know it, days become months, and months become years.”
He gritted his teeth.
“You’re angry, aren’t you?”
He met her gaze. “You could say that. I’m rotting in prison and suddenly you drop off the face of the earth without a word, without a goodbye, and you think ‘you’re sorry’ covers it?”
Her spine stiffened.
“How long have you and Colin been seeing one another?”
Surprise lit up her face. “What?”
“When I was talking to Colin on the phone, I heard your voice in the background.”
Both of her hands were in her lap now. She looked suddenly anxious, making him wonder if she could be the one who’d murdered Colin and framed him. She had a key to his house, easy access to his kitchen knives. She’d been frustrated with Dirk back then, seemed reluctant to leave him. But kill him?
A tear slid down the side of her face. “After you were convicted, I was alone. My boyfriend had killed a man and yet I had nobody to confide in or to talk to.” Her hand shot up to her mouth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
“You believe I killed Dirk?”
“No, of course not.”
“Oh, come on, Sophie. You just said as much. Quit lying to me. You can’t even look me in the eye.”
“I don’t know what to think,” she said. “After you were locked up, there were so many stories being told about you that painted a different picture of the man I knew. It got to the point that I didn’t know what to believe any longer.”
A ripple of fresh pain swept through him. It was one thing to think she might not believe in him, but something else altogether to hear her say the words. “You didn’t answer my question. How long have you been seeing Colin?”
“Does it really matter?”
“It does to me.”
She remained silent.
“The two of you have been together since the moment they took me away,” he stated aloud, as if he could see things clearly for the first time.
She didn’t have the courage to look him in the eye, but she nodded.
“In those first few years, you and Colin came to see me fairly often, and yet neither of you had the decency to tell me the truth. Why did you do it, Sophie?”
“Because I’m weak. I couldn’t stand to be alone. I needed him.”
“No,” Jason said. “That’s not what I’m talking about.”
She looked at him, confusion lining her face.
“Why did you kill Dirk?” he prodded.
Her eyes brightened with indignation. “I did no such thing. What’s wrong with you?”
He wagged a finger at her. “Ah, why didn’t I see it all before?” He struggled to sit up taller. “For years you had your little finger wrapped around all three of us, didn’t you?”
She continued to stare at him as if he were the crazy one.
“It was Colin,” he said. “You had Colin do the dirty work and then the two of you set me up. The two of you must have gotten in a few good laughs at my expense.”
She jumped to her feet, every muscle tense as she shuffled through her purse and pulled out a wad of cash. “I’m not going to listen to any more of your crazy talk. I came here because I wanted to help. Colin said you needed a change of clothes and I thought you might need some cash.” She tossed the bills on the coffee table. “Three hundred dollars. Any more than that would have raised a red flag.”
“I don’t need or want your money.”
She ignored him and headed for the entryway. “Use the house as long as you need it.”
“Yeah, sure. The police should be here any minute, isn’t that right?”
She turned about, her face lined with anger. “I told the neighbors that my cousin was using the house for a while.” She lifted her chin. “Colin adores you. He thinks of you as a brother. He wanted to tell you the truth right from the beginning, hated the lies, but—”
“You can both go to hell.”
A few seconds after the door slammed shut, he heard it open again. Angela had stepped outside to talk to Sophie. He could hear voices, but he couldn’t hear what they were saying. A moment later, Angela was by his side, asking him what had happened to make Sophie rush off like that.
He did his best to rein in his bitterness. “Turns out that the moment I was thrown into prison, she moved in with Colin. Although she hasn’t been to visit me in a long while, I can’t say the same for Colin. And yet he never thought to mention they were living together.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I don’t appreciate being lied to.”
“I understand.”
And he knew she did.
After a quick trip to the kitchen, Angela returned with a cloth napkin, a spoon, and a bowl of tomato soup. While he ate, she sat on the chair across from him, the computer in her lap.
“What were you talking to Sophie about?” he asked.
“I wanted to know if she remembered the names of any of the women Dirk was seeing when she was with him.”
“And?”
“She gave me two names, along with the cities where they used to live.”
“Eight years later and she still remembers their names and the city where they lived?”
Angela met his gaze. “You don’t know women at all, do you?”
Silence.
“You’re still in love with her, aren’t you?”
He thought about it for a moment before he said, “No. I’m not in love Sophie. I’m in love with a distant memory, a past life I no longer have.”
“So, now that you’ve seen her and talked to her, what do you think? Is she a suspect?”
“The cops haven’t knocked on the door yet. It would have been real easy for her to give them a call and let them know where I was.”
“Unless she didn’t want Colin to know what she was up to.”
He set the bowl on a side table. “True. The people closest to me will all have to remain suspects until I’
m one hundred percent sure they’re not.”
She nodded. “What about the guy who attacked you? There were two men. I did manage to jot down a license plate number, but it doesn’t do us much good unless you have a friend in the police force.”
“Hang on to it, will you?”
She nodded again. “Why would someone be trying to kill you? Do you think that lawyer of yours could have had something to do with the attack?”
“No. Mike and Stephanie both seemed genuinely scared. I’ve definitely worried someone, though. It’s no longer good enough that I’m thrown back in prison. This time, they want me dead.”
“But why?”
“That’s the million dollar question.”
“I think it’s time to concentrate on the women who probably knew Dirk best.” She went back to working on her computer, clicking away at the keyboard.
“What are their names?”
“Pam Cooper and Karen Hickman.”
He watched her as she concentrated on the task at hand. Angela Chack was beautiful, inside and out, he thought.
She looked up and caught him staring. “What?”
“I was just thinking about how special you are...and beautiful.”
“Stop,” she said with a smile.
“Everyday that goes by, my opinion of Rob gets lower and lower. He had no idea what he had, and now he’s going to spend the rest of his life regretting letting you go.”
“That’s sweet of you to say.”
“It’s the truth. After what I put you through, here you are doing everything you can to help me. If none of this had ever happened to me, I think someway, somehow, we would have bumped into one another. We have a connection.” He let out a breath. “You do something to me, Angela. You make me feel things I’ve never felt before. I’m falling for you.”
She scrunched her nose. “That’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve said since we met.”
“It’s the truth. I realize our time together has been beyond unconventional—”
“You think?”
He shrugged.
She pointed a finger at him. “You, Jason Caldwell, have been locked up for too many years. I think you’ve tasted freedom and you like it…so much so that everything around you, including me, seems refreshing and attractive.” She sighed and went back to her research.