by Jane Blythe
“Can we have their names?” Rose asked. “We’ll check them out just to be sure.”
Laura frowned but nodded. “Arthur Wilcox and Ken Lincoln.”
“Okay, do you remember anyone hanging around you? Maybe followed you around, kept popping up places you frequented. Maybe someone who kept calling you or sending emails or texts or letters?” Jack persisted. The answer was there; she just had to figure it out.
“No, there was no one like that.”
“Anyone who asked you out but you turned down?”
“I got lots of offers.” Laura’s cheeks heated in embarrassment once again. “But like I said, I didn’t date much, I was too busy.”
“Anyone stand out amongst the guys you turned down?” He fought against a surge of jealousy at the idea of other men asking Laura out, which was ridiculous, given he was the reason they’d broken up; but nonetheless, he didn’t like it.
“No.” But she’d hesitated, her brow scrunching as something obviously occurred to her.
“What is it? Do you remember someone?”
“Maybe.” She looked up at him uncertainly.
“You need to tell us, Laura, it might be important.”
“It’s probably nothing,” she cautioned.
“I’m sure you’re right,” he agreed. “But it also could be something.”
“He was my psychology professor. He was married, he had a kid, but he asked me out several times. I kept telling him no, that I didn’t date married men, but he kept asking. In the end, I told him if he didn’t leave me alone, I’d go to his wife and tell her what he was doing, but I never got a chance.”
“What happened with him?” A glimmer of hope lighted in him with this potential direction.
“Nothing,” she shrugged. “I got kidnapped and dropped out of school and never heard from him again.”
“What was his name?”
“Axel Christenson.”
He exchanged glances with Rose. “Axel Christenson?” he repeated.
“Yes.”
“Laura,” he began gently, “did you know there’s an Axel Christenson living in your apartment building?”
Her eyes narrowed in confusion, then widened in fear. “All this time, he was living right in my building?”
“At least for a while,” he replied softly. They’d been so close. Spoken with the man. He had inserted himself into their investigation by pretending to find the letter he himself had left.
“No.” She shook her head desperately; she was breathing way too quickly, bordering on hyperventilating.
“Try to calm down,” he cautioned.
“Laura, what do you remember about Axel Christenson? Did he ever seem violent or unstable?” Rose asked.
“No. I don’t know. I never really paid attention. He was persistent in asking me out, but I didn’t know he was crazy. Is my interrogation over now?” Frustrated, Laura stood and stormed to the other side of the room.
Jack followed her. “It wasn’t an interrogation,” he assured her.
“It certainly felt like one.” She looked close to tears again.
“I’m sorry, Laura, I know you’re going through hell right now, and I don’t mean to make it harder for you.” Gently, he took her shoulders and turned her to face him. “I just want to find out who’s doing this to you.”
She sighed. “I’m sorry, I know you do. It just feels like it’s starting all over again, and I thought it was over. I want it to be over. I need it to be over.”
“And soon, it will be,” he assured her.
“And then you’ll be gone,” she whispered softly.
Before he had a chance to remind her he wasn’t going anywhere, Rose interrupted. “Jack, we should stop by the precinct on the way back to Laura’s apartment building, run the names she gave us and get contact details so we can arrange to meet with them.”
“Yeah, okay,” he reluctantly agreed. He wanted to stay here and convince Laura that even when this was over he wasn’t going anywhere, that he was going to earn her trust back so they could be a couple again. But realistically, he had a better chance of convincing her after he’d caught the man trying to kill her.
“You're leaving?” Panic was written all over Laura’s face.
“Just for a little while,” he told her.
“But … but … I …” she stammered. “I … need you here.”
“I’ll be back here with you soon,” he promised. “And while I’m gone, Ryan and Sofia and Xavier and Annabelle will be here with you. You’ll be safe.”
“I’m sorry,” she pulled away physically and emotionally. “You have work to do and I’m being silly. I’m more than used to being on my own, so go, I’ll be fine. Sofia, where’s the bathroom?” She was dismissing him.
“I’ll show you.” Sofia shot him an apologetic glance as she followed Laura from the room.
Staring after them, Jack knew that Laura was pushing him away because she was both scared and wary of being hurt again, but still, it stung, and he was starting to wonder if after everything he had done and everything she had been through, she was ever going to be able to open herself up to the possibility of the two of them getting back together.
* * * * *
2:26 P.M.
“Wow, this place is still crazy,” Rose said as she and Jack parked their car at the end of Laura’s block.
Crime scene techs were bustling about everywhere. Residents had been allowed back into the buildings, and in the full light of day, the carnage left behind by last night’s chaos could be fully seen.
One person had been killed, and six others, including a cop, had been injured by the killer’s bullets. Three of those hurt had received minor injuries; two received serious injuries, and one was in hospital in critical condition. They hadn’t told Laura this yet. She was struggling enough as it was and she didn’t need to know right now that this man had hurt more people in his mission to get her.
They had fared better on the bomb front. As Jack had predicted, the bomb was merely a distraction, meant to ensure that Laura was forced out of the building. He couldn’t risk killing her on the odd chance she wasn't forcibly removed in time, so the blast had been small. It had damaged only the two cars it had been set between and had been filled with confetti.
Forensics would probably take a couple of days to come in, but they didn’t really need them at this point. They already knew that it was the same man who had been terrorizing the apartment building to get to Laura.
They were mainly here to check out Axel Christenson's apartment.
So far, they had been able to count out both men Laura dated in college. Ken Lincoln had been diagnosed with a brain tumor a year after Laura’s kidnapping and had succumbed to the illness eighteen months after that. Arthur Wilcox had married an English woman and the two had moved to London four years ago; he hadn’t been back to the country since.
“We were lucky to get Laura out of here alive.” Jack glanced at his watch for about the millionth time since they’d left Ryan and Sofia’s house.
“But we did get her away alive, and she’s safe at your brother’s house,” Rose reminded him. “She’s in good hands, try to focus.”
“I am trying,” Jack grimaced. “It’s just hard when she panics because I'm leaving her.”
“I know, but right now we have a viable suspect—let’s confirm it’s him so we can arrest him,” she encouraged. If they didn’t end this soon, she wasn't sure either Laura or Jack were going to make it.
Rose was still feeling awful and embarrassed by upsetting Laura the other night with her badly worded, badly timed comment. When things calmed down, she intended to apologize and make it clear that she was here for Laura, whatever she needed.
Jack’s adoration for Laura, the way he looked at her, the way he couldn’t stand to be away from her, was getting Rose thinking. She’d always thought there was plenty of time later to find the right guy, get married and have a family. But Paige’s situation was getting to her. Pai
ge had thought there would be plenty of time later to have kids, and now she would never have children of her own—at least, not biological ones. Rose didn’t want to end up missing out on happiness just because she kept putting it off until later. With Jack all but back together with Laura, she was the only one of her group of friends still single. Perhaps it was time to do something about that; she didn’t want any regrets in her life.
“Detectives.” Connor Newman rushed over to them as soon as they entered the lobby. “How’s Laura?”
“She’s all right, Mr. Newman,” Rose assured him. The man seemed to be the only person who Laura had any contact with. “Are you and Laura friends?”
“I guess as much as she has friends,” the man agreed.
“But you know about her past?” Rose pressed.
“Only that something had happened to her to make her agoraphobic. I collect deliveries for her, groceries and things, so she doesn’t have to see anyone.”
“Why did you help her?” Rose didn’t think that Connor was involved, but she wondered why he had gone out of his way to help someone he didn’t even know.
The man shrugged. “Because she asked me to. Poor girl, I felt sorry for her, she was all alone.” Turning shrewd eyes on Jack, he continued, “Until you, anyway. She let you take her out of her apartment. You like her. She obviously likes you, too; she let you spend the night. You knew her before.”
“Yes, we grew up together,” Jack replied.
“You dated.” It wasn't a question. “You broke her heart.”
“She told you about that?”
He gave a wry smile. “Nope, got four daughters of my own and eight granddaughters, I can tell.” Connor grew serious. “Don’t hurt her again.”
“I won't,” Jack said just as seriously.
“Mr. Newman, what do you know about Axel Christenson?” If anyone in the building was going to know about the man they were after, it would be Connor Newman.
“Is he the one responsible for all of this?” Connor demanded.
“Perhaps,” Jack nodded. “How long has he lived here?”
“Almost a year,” Connor replied. “I remember vividly the day I first met him.”
Jack arched a brow. “Why was that, Mr. Newman?”
“He came in to see about an apartment, it was one next door to Laura’s, now that I think about it. When I told him someone had just signed a lease for it, he went berserk. I told him we had other apartments available, but he really wanted that one. I thought it was odd at the time, but I never guessed it was because he was obsessed with Laura.” Connor looked truly shocked and shaken.
“Did he say why he wanted that apartment?” Jack asked, looking horrified by the thought of Axel Christenson being so close to Laura for a whole year.
“He said he liked an apartment that was in the middle and not corner ones, he said he didn’t like to be too close to the ground or too high. Like I said, I thought it was odd, his reasons for wanting that apartment didn’t really make sense, but then again,” Connor shrugged, “some people are just odd.”
Lucky that apartment had already been taken. Who knew what Axel would have done if he’d been able to get that close to Laura. If Rose had to guess, she would have thought Axel would have looked for a way to break through an adjoining wall so he could get access to her. If he could have found a way to keep her quiet, he could have done whatever he wanted to Laura whenever he wanted and no one would have been any the wiser.
“But he took one of the other apartments?” Rose asked.
“Yeah, apartment 6D,” Connor confirmed.
“What do you know about Axel?” Jack all but barked.
Rose knew he was stressed, but he was going to have to calm down. Laura was safe for now and Jack needed to be focused and calm if they were going to find Axel Christenson and keep Laura safe.
“I don’t see a lot of him, and when I do, he’s always pretty rude. He never says hello, never really acknowledges me at all. But I wouldn’t have guessed he was capable of this …” He gestured at the building. “He just seemed snobby.”
“What about family?”
“I don’t know of any. He lives alone, no girlfriend that I've seen, no visiting kids either,” Connor replied.
“Friends? Visitors?” Jack continued.
Connor shook his head. “No visitors that I've seen. I mean, I'm not the only doorman, but when I'm here, I haven’t seen anyone come or go from Mr. Christenson’s apartment.”
“Do you know what his job is?”
“I believe he’s a college professor. Psychology, I think.” Connor looked disgusted at the fact that someone who lectured people in psychology could turn out to be a psychopath.
“Any problems between Mr. Christenson and the other residents?”
“Nope, not that I know of. Work and home seem to be all he does. He’s pretty structured—usually leaves in the mornings and arrives home in the evenings at the same time every day. I've seen him greet other residents in the lobby, exchange pleasantries, but that’s about it. No one’s complained about him.”
“Can we go and see his apartment now?” Rose asked.
“Warrant?” Connor asked.
“Got one.” Jack handed it over.
“Then go find something to nail that monster,” Connor declared as he handed over the keys.
* * * * *
10:31 P.M.
“Here you go.” Sofia stood in front of her, a steaming cup of tea in her hands. “Drink this, maybe it’ll warm you up a little, you haven’t stopped shaking since you got here.”
“Thank you,” Laura murmured, taking the cup, grateful for the gesture but knowing that nothing was going to warm her up. She wasn’t normal cold. She was cold with a numbing horror that filled up every inch of her being. Nothing could warm that kind of cold.
She hesitated, well maybe that wasn’t true, she thought to herself. Maybe something could warm that kind of cold, more like someone. She was pretty sure Jack could. But Jack wasn’t here right now. He and Rose had left hours ago to go back to her apartment building to see how things were progressing there after the explosion. And even if Jack had still been here, she wasn’t convinced it was a good idea to keep letting him comfort and calm her. She couldn’t allow herself to get used to that because soon he would be gone from her life once again.
“Don’t worry, Laura, he’ll be back soon,” Sofia seemingly read her mind.
She nodded distractedly. Unfortunately, soon wasn’t soon enough. Despite her uncertainty in all things Jack related, she still wanted him here by her side, keeping her overwhelming terror at bay.
At least he hadn't left her alone. He’d left her in the watchful care of Ryan, Xavier, Sofia, and Annabelle. Two police officers ought to make her feel safe, but still she yearned for Jack. It was odd, though. After ten years spent alone in her apartment, never seeing a living soul, she felt comfortable and at ease with Jack’s family and friends.
“Paige?”
At Sofia’s surprised exclamation, Laura lifted her head to see a pretty brunette entering the living room.
“What are you doing here?” Annabelle asked.
“Ryan called, explained the situation,” Paige replied.
“Are you sure you're okay to be here?” Sofia was looking at the woman with concern.
“Yes.” Paige nodded, a little defensively.
“You're not supposed to be back at work yet.” The worry in Sofia’s eyes was mirrored in the eyes of everyone else in the room.
“I'm back at work next month, which is really next week.” Paige sounded frustrated and shot the others an irritated frown. Then she turned her gaze in Laura’s direction. “You must be Laura. I’m Paige, Ryan’s partner.”
She grimaced slightly. “Another babysitter.” She wasn’t mad, she wasn’t a cop, and she couldn’t keep herself safe. If she was honest, she was touched that Ryan and Sofia, Xavier and Annabelle, and Paige had given up their time for her. She was, however, wondering what h
ad happened to Paige that had everyone in the room watching her with thinly veiled concern.
Paige grinned. “Can never have too many of those. Especially given the circumstances,” she sobered.
A shiver of fear rocketed through her, and Sofia’s arm quickly wrapped around her shoulders. Paige was right. This man had already killed, abducted, and assaulted in his quest to get to her. Then when that had failed, he had tried to break into her apartment, almost killed them in an explosion and shot at them. Plus, he may have been involved in her kidnapping. Laura was glad Paige had come.
“What about a game of charades?” Xavier proposed suddenly.
“I love that game.” Paige’s grin was back, and she came and plopped down on the sofa. “You like charades, Laura?”
Her family had played charades every Christmas when Laura was growing up; she wondered whether they still did. “I haven’t played in a long time,” she answered.
For the next thirty minutes, Laura let the others’ laughing and playful theatrics distract her. As she watched them, she drew strength from them and started to wonder whether she’d made a mistake locking herself away. If these people, most of whom she’d only just met, could offer so much comfort just by being there, then how much comfort could her family who loved her have given her?
Laura’s head snapped up as there was a knock at the door.
Ryan, Xavier, and Paige all rose, guns drawn.
“Stay here, Laura, don’t move from this room unless I tell you to,” Ryan instructed. “Paige …”
“Yeah, I got her, you two do the door.” Paige nodded, positioning herself between Laura and the living room door as Ryan and Xavier left the room.
Sofia once again wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. “Ryan won't let anyone hurt you, neither will Paige or Xavier.”
She nodded unsteadily. Laura believed that, but still, she wished that Jack was here. And that scared her. She knew it was a bad idea to let herself get too attached to him. Too used to relying on him. And yet, all she could think of was Jack. Maybe that meant … well, she wasn’t sure what that meant, but maybe … just maybe.