Desperate Girls

by Laura Griffin

Lindsey grabbed an empty cubicle in the squad room and set her files down. This wasn’t her department, but she’d been at Dallas PD all morning, meeting with detectives and filling out paperwork related to the Corby case.

  “You mean the first arrest? Yeah, one of my contacts sent them over.”

  “I need you to check something for me.”

  Lindsey flipped open a file and found the papers. “This log’s pretty lengthy. What name are you looking for?”

  Silence.

  “Brynn? You there?”

  “Ross Foley.”

  She paused. “Ross?”

  “That’s right.”

  Lindsey frowned as she skimmed the list. “Yeah, he’s on here.”

  “What’s the date?”

  “June tenth. The day after Corby’s arrest. He was in the evidence room at ten fifteen a.m., signed out at ten twenty-five.” Lindsey paused. “What’s this about? Are you thinking Ross might have planted evidence?”

  More silence.

  “Brynn?”’

  “Ross had an interest in Corby being convicted.”

  “Okay,” Lindsey said. That wasn’t surprising—everyone at the DA’s office wanted a conviction. “But what you’re suggesting doesn’t make sense. How would Ross know that Corby collected souvenirs? And where would Ross get the necklace?”

  Brynn clutched her phone in her hand. Her heart was sprinting now, and she felt light-headed.

  “People from the prosecutor’s office weren’t at Lauren Tull’s crime scene,” Lindsey continued. “I checked into that already. Detectives were at the scene, several patrol cops, the ME’s people.”

  The killer. Brynn couldn’t bring herself to point out the obvious. “I need to talk to you,” she said instead. “It’s important.”

  “Where are you?” Lindsey asked. “I’m at DPD downtown.”

  “Can you come to my apartment? I don’t have a car. It’s not far from you.”

  “I know. I’ve been there, remember?”

  Of course, she had. Brynn’s brain was muddled.

  “It’s important,” she repeated.

  “I’m on my way.”

  Lindsey left the police station and spotted Erik pulling into the lot. She rushed to intercept him.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked. “I thought you were with Brynn.”

  “I’m meeting with the task force. Brynn’s in court all day.”

  “No, she’s not. I just talked to her. She asked me all sorts of questions about Ross.”

  Erik’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know. She wanted me to come by there and talk to her. She’s got some theory that Ross planted the Lauren Tull necklace. You know what that’s about?”

  Erik just stared at her.

  “I mean, it doesn’t even make sense,” Lindsey said. “How would Ross know about Corby taking souvenirs? Only the detectives knew that, and they kept that info under wraps for when they got a suspect.”

  Something flickered in Erik’s eyes. Fear? Lindsey had to be imagining it.

  He stepped closer. “Where is Brynn?”

  Brynn combed through the mess of papers, making stacks and piles, as if organizing everything would somehow fix what was wrong. Her phone chimed. She saw the name and realized she’d forgotten to call Reggie. Shit.

  “Congratulations!” Reggie boomed. “Why didn’t you call me?”

  “It’s been a crazy morning.” She sifted through the paperwork. She took everything related to Ross and her theory and shoved it into a file folder for Lindsey.

  “Where are you now?” Reggie asked.

  “At the apartment. Why?”

  “I’m coming over.”

  “You’re in Dallas?”

  “I just closed Sheffield. We have a new client! That’s two victories this morning, plus Ross getting discharged. Time to celebrate!”

  Brynn froze. “Wait, what?”

  “I’m bringing champagne. This day deserves a toast.”

  “Reggie, Ross is out?”

  “They sent him home this morning.”

  “Home, as in here?”

  “Yeah, his sister dropped him off. He’s packing up today and going back to Pine Rock.”

  A sharp knock sounded at the door, and Brynn whirled around. She hurried over to check the peephole. Ross stood there, leaning his hand on the doorframe. No doubt he’d heard her in here on the phone with someone.

  “Brynn?” Reggie said.

  “Talk to you later, okay, Reggie?” She hung up and glanced around. She stuffed the file in her hand under her arm before opening the door.

  Ross smiled. “Hey, tiger. Congrats.” He leaned in for a hug, and Brynn played along. “I heard your good news.”

  “Yeah, you, too.” She pulled away and looked him over. His complexion was sallow, and he seemed to be supporting his weight against the doorframe.

  She pictured him struggling with Lauren Tull on her living-room floor, smothering the life out of her.

  “So you’re up and around already?” Brynn tried to sound normal. “How do you feel?”

  “Pretty good, considering. They’ve got me on pain meds.” Ross eased closer. “Are you okay? You don’t look happy.”

  “I’m fine. Great. Reggie’s on his way over with champagne. I’ve got to run an errand first.” She slipped past him into the hallway.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  He reached for her arm, and she jerked back. The file slipped loose and cascaded to the floor.

  She crouched down to slap the papers back inside, and Ross bent over.

  “Holy shit!” He clutched his side, gasping.

  “Don’t move! I got it!” Brynn snatched up the affidavit, the search-warrant inventory. She jammed everything back into the folder and tucked it under her arm, hoping Ross hadn’t gotten a good look at the papers.

  He seemed to be preoccupied with his pain.

  “Don’t pull your stitches.” She stepped away from him, anxious to get out of there. She’d meet Lindsey in the lobby and talk to her at the police station. Anywhere but here.

  “Brynn, what the hell’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. Talk to you later.”

  She race-walked to the elevator without looking back and hit the button. She stared at the glowing numbers, holding her breath as she waited for the sound of Ross returning to his apartment. She jabbed the down button again, then the up button. She didn’t care, she just wanted off this floor. At last, she heard the sound of his apartment door opening and clicking shut again.

  Brynn blew out a breath. She glanced over her shoulder at the empty hallway. She took out her phone and debated calling Erik. She should.

  Ross had a gun. He’d borrowed it from a friend for self-protection. The realization turned Brynn’s blood cold. She’d never thought Ross capable of using a gun. She’d never thought him capable of a lot of things before this moment.

  A door opened behind her, and she spun around to see Ross in the hallway. He wore a gray hoodie now, and his hand was in one of the pockets. Brynn’s heart lurched.

  Dear God, where is the elevator?

  Ross stayed beside his door, though, not moving closer.

  “So, Brynn, what’s your plan?” he called.

  “Huh?”

  “Your plan? You don’t have a car here, do you?”

  “Oh. No, Erik’s picking me up.”

  The elevator dinged. The doors slid open, and Brynn jumped inside, bumping into a woman in workout gear.

  “Brynn, wait.” Ross started down the hallway. “Hold the elevator.”

  She stabbed at the close button, and the doors whisked shut. The woman beside her snickered. But then the car lifted, and she realized they were going up. She glanced around. There was also a man in business attire, who was probably headed to his apartment, while the woman in workout clothes was going to the fitness room. Next stop, Brynn would jump off and take the stairs down.

&n
bsp; She dialed Erik’s number, and he picked up on the first ring.

  “Erik, it’s me.”

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m at my place. I’ve got a problem. With Ross.”

  “He’s out, Brynn. He got discharged this morning. Are you alone at your apartment?”

  The door slid open, and Brynn stepped out. The businessman headed down the corridor, and the woman disappeared into the gym. Brynn moved for the stairwell nearby.

  The stairwell door opened, and Ross stepped through. Her stomach flip-flopped. He was sweating and breathing hard from the exertion of the stairs, but his eyes were alert. His hand was in his pocket, and she saw the outline of a gun pointed in her direction.

  “Hang up, Brynn,” Ross ordered.

  Her throat went dry.

  “Now.”

  “BRYNN? BRYNN?” Erik cursed and swiped at his phone. He swerved around a slow-moving car, prompting a blare of horns behind him.

  “Where is Ross?” he demanded the instant Skyler answered the phone.

  “Ross? He’s at home. Why?”

  “Home at his apartment? Or Pine Rock?”

  “They haven’t left yet,” she said. “Keith’s picking him up at three and driving him back.”

  “Shit!”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Get to the apartment now. Ross is there with Brynn, and I think he might hurt her.” Erik pulled an illegal left turn and stepped on the gas.

  “Ross might hurt her?”

  “Call Jeremy, too. I’ll call 911.”

  “What the hell’s going on, Erik?”

  “I’ll explain later. Just get there!”

  Ross stuffed her cell phone into his pocket. “How’s your boy, Brynn?”

  She glanced around, but it was just the two of them in the foyer. The woman from the elevator was alone in the fitness room now, jogging on a treadmill with a pair of earbuds stuffed in her ears.

  “I mean, come on, Brynn. Fucking your bodyguard? What a cliché.” He shook his head. “Some people might even say that’s unethical.”

  Brynn eyed the gun again and took a step back, but Ross reached over and plucked the file from under her arm. “Too smart for your own good.” He folded the file in half and tucked it in the back of his pants, tugging the sweatshirt over it. “You should have let it go.”

  “Let it go? An unsolved rape and murder, and I should have let it go so you could frame someone?”

  “It’s not like Corby’s innocent.” Ross gave her a sharp look. “He got what he deserved. Guy’s a sociopath.”

  “And you’re not?”

  “Actually, no. I didn’t plan any of this. It just happened. And then what was I supposed to do? I was three years out of law school. I can’t have rape allegations floating around me. I could get disbarred.”

  Fury welled inside her as she looked at the man she’d spent so many hours of her life with.

  “You’re a coward. You’re a piece of shit and a coward.”

  “Save the lecture. Let’s go.” He poked her ankle with his foot. “Come on. Out the door.”

  Brynn pushed through the door to the rooftop terrace and was hit by a hot gust of pollution-tinged air. She stepped into the blinding sunlight, and Ross followed her.

  “Where—”

  “Walk. And keep your mouth shut.”

  Brynn glanced at the sparkling blue pool. It was empty. There was nobody out here.

  “Go,” Ross ordered, corralling her behind the concrete structure that housed the building’s industrial-size air conditioner. No one in the fitness room could see her from here, and she felt a spurt of panic. She had to stall for time.

  She stopped and turned to look at him. The gun was out of his pocket now, a big black pistol pointed right at her chest.

  “Everything’s about you, isn’t it?”

  “Shut up, Brynn.”

  “You think you’re so clever, but you’re digging your own grave here. You know that, right?”

  “Keep walking.”

  She glanced at the wall ahead of her, and an icy wave of fear crashed over her.

  “Been a rough day, huh, Brynn? You’re probably thinking of hurting yourself.”

  She turned around, and the feral look in his eye made her throat close. He wanted her to step off this roof and disappear.

  The sun blazed down on them. Brynn’s back was sweating, and her mouth tasted like glue.

  She had to stall him.

  “Right. Sure.” She choked out a laugh. “I just got my client off. You think anyone’s going to believe I’m suicidal?”

  He stopped and stared at her. “I think you’re right. Better to make it look like an accident.”

  Her chest tightened as she thought of Erik. Where was he? And even if he got over here, how would he find her up here? The traffic sounds fifteen stories below seemed impossibly far away.

  Brynn swayed backward, suddenly dizzy. She felt the too-still stillness of the air. The pool beside her was as flat as a mirror.

  Ross stepped closer. “Sorry, Brynn.”

  “You’re crazy.”

  “Nope. Just smarter than you.”

  She glanced at the concrete wall, and her pulse started pounding so hard she could feel it in her ears.

  She turned to Ross. “I’m not going to jump off a building for you. You’re going to have to shoot me.”

  “Oh, I will.” He eased closer. “But just know that if you don’t cooperate, you’ll die anyway. And while the cops are figuring out what happened, I’ll be on my way to your sister’s house.”

  Her stomach plummeted, like she was sinking in an elevator, down, down, down.

  “You don’t want those pretty nieces of yours to grow up without a mommy, do you?”

  A flash of movement caught Brynn’s eye. She tried to keep her gaze on Ross.

  “You wouldn’t do that.”

  “You don’t know me as well as you think, Brynn.”

  She caught the sight of Skyler’s dark head ducking behind the building. How did she get here? She had to be with Erik. Maybe they’d found her by using the surveillance cameras.

  “Hop up there.” Ross jerked his pistol toward the wall. “Go on.”

  “Drop the weapon, Ross!”

  He turned toward the sound of Skyler’s voice, but she was hidden.

  “I’ve got a gun on you! Drop it now!”

  Ross darted an angry look at Brynn.

  Behind him, a shadow shifted. Brynn’s heart skittered as she saw Erik easing around the side of the maintenance building. He had his pistol raised and ready.

  Ross looked desperate. His gaze hopped between Brynn and the far side of the pool, where Skyler was hiding.

  “Three seconds, Ross,” she called. “Either drop it or you’re dead!”

  Ross turned to Brynn. The desperation was gone, replaced by a look of utter calm.

  “Three . . .”

  Ross didn’t move.

  “Two . . .”

  Erik leaped out from behind the wall, and Ross’s arm jerked up.

  Pop! Pop! Pop!

  The barrage of bullets came from all directions, and Ross fell to the ground.

  Brynn dropped to her knees. Erik sprinted toward her.

  “Are you hit?” He clutched her in his arms, searching her face. “Are you hit?”

  “I’m okay.” She threw her arms around him. “What happened?” Her words were muffled against his shoulder. “Is Skyler okay?” She pushed away from him to look.

  Skyler knelt beside Ross, checking his neck for a pulse, and Brynn had a flashback of her kneeling beside him on the sidewalk right after he’d been stabbed by Corby.

  Skyler looked at Erik.

  “Is he—”

  “He’s dead.”

  LINDSEY WADED through the sea of cops and CSIs and emergency workers. Even a few marshals were here, getting the latest news on what had to be one of the most bizarre cases they’d seen. She spied Erik over the crowd. He caught her eye
and motioned for her to follow him into a hallway off the Atrium’s lobby.

  “This place is insane,” she said over the noise.

  “You should see the rooftop.”

  “I’ll pass.”

  Even if she could get up there, she had no desire to see another bloody death scene right now. She’d already watched the body bag being rolled out on a gurney by the ME’s people.

  “How’s Brynn?” she asked.

  Erik frowned and rubbed his jaw. “I think she’s in shock.”

  “Is she at the police station or—”

  “Yeah, she’s being interviewed. I’m on my way over there to pick her up and take her home.”

  “Home? You mean here?”

  “Pine Rock. She needs to get out of here. I have to grab a few things from her apartment, and then we’re out.”

  “ ‘We,’ huh? I knew there was something up with you two.” Lindsey smiled at him, but he continued to look grim as he scanned the packed lobby, hypervigilant as always.

  “Listen, Erik, tell Brynn thanks for me, would you? If it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t have cracked this case. Ross Foley wasn’t even on anyone’s radar until she put it together.”

  Erik’s expression clouded. “I’ll tell her.” He glanced over Lindsey’s shoulder, clearly eager to finish his errand and get back to Brynn.

  “Anyway, thanks to both of you.” Lindsey patted his arm. “It was good working with you.”

  “You, too.” He started to walk away, then paused. “And if you’re ever thinking about a career change, give us a call.”

  Erik turned and walked off, cutting through the crowd of cops as Lindsey stared after him.

  A career change? Her?

  Something to think about.

  Erik took Brynn home to Pine Rock because he knew it was what she needed. But the instant he turned onto her street, he changed his mind. The reporters and news vans camped out in front of her house had him pulling a U-turn and hopping back onto the freeway. Thirty minutes later, they arrived at his apartment, where they spent the next twenty-four hours ignoring the outside world while they stocked up on food, sleep, and time together.

  It was a much-needed break, but Erik was worried about Brynn. She was too quiet. After a lazy afternoon in bed together, he went out to buy some steaks and a bottle of wine, hoping that cooking dinner with him might snap her out of her daze. When he got home from the store, he found her out on his balcony, wrapped in one of his flannel shirts.