by V. K. Powell
She tried once again to reconstruct the afternoon’s events. Perhaps she’d become too good at burying unpleasantness. No matter where she started in the scenario or how she tried to creep up on the memories, something stopped her when she rounded the corner of the Grantham community center. She felt the violence in her gut, not to mention the aches and pains that dotted her body like a well-placed beating. The nagging feeling that she was missing something obvious seemed like a premonition.
Audrey didn’t believe in omens or fortune-telling. That was another world, another lifetime ago, and she was determined not to go back. She couldn’t explain to Rae Butler—pragmatic, logical Detective Butler—that she had a feeling about the incident. If she ever shared those particular hunches with Rae, she would have proof, and she would find it on her own.
She shivered as a cold breeze swept through the almost-airless room. This day seemed to signal the beginning and the end of something that would change her life forever. She’d keep these thoughts to herself, along with the details of her past. Such information would only stymie her attempt at a new and different life.
*
On the short drive from Kramer Hospital back to the crime scene, Rae thought about the first time she’d met Audrey Everhart over a year ago in the police basic introductory course. She’d initially been concerned that the petite, five-foot-five woman wouldn’t make it in the intense, physically demanding classes. With her wispy blond hair and wide azure eyes, Audrey appeared like a fish in the desert—way out of her element.
In practical exercises, Audrey had shown tremendous insight, almost an uncanny ability to sense pending shifts in mood and potential danger. She wasn’t as cocky as the male recruits or as reticent as the female ones. Audrey possessed a quiet intelligence that she wore like an old soul, a worldliness born of years of experience though she was only twenty-three. Rae wished on more than one occasion that she would reconsider a career in the mayor’s office and join the police department.
However, Rae had also seen other traits that would not have served Audrey well on the job—fierce independence and emotional sensitivity. Audrey seemed determined to work through exercises on her own while simultaneously safeguarding the feelings of others by sharing her process. Her contradictory approach worked for her. She endeared herself to her classmates while keeping them at a distance.
Throughout the course, Audrey had been attentive, absorbing information like a gifted child. Sometimes she’d regarded Rae with the same admiring look rookies gave experienced officers, and maybe a little more. Audrey’s gaze often lingered on her longer than necessary and seemed to hold unspoken questions.
Rae sensed the chemistry between them immediately, but convinced herself the mayor’s publicist was only interested in learning as much as possible. Maybe Rae had just been particularly susceptible to the attentions of a young, attractive woman. She and Janet had started having problems, and her ego was more than a little bruised. Fortunately, she hadn’t seen Audrey Everhart since the classes ended and didn’t have to test her resolve.
When she’d found Audrey’s hospital room earlier, Rae tapped and entered quietly. The ghostly pale woman lying in bed only vaguely resembled the Audrey she remembered. Her spiked blond hair appeared almost white against her colorless flesh. Nobody had mentioned an injury resulting in blood loss, though Audrey looked as though she’d been drained. Dark splotches were already forming on her arms. The thin sheet draped over Audrey outlined her delicate curves. What other injuries had someone inflicted on her?
Audrey’s refusal of her assistance with her pillow could indicate deeper trauma, past or current, or simply a desire not to be touched. The sight of any victim altered by accident or intent always bothered Rae. The fact that it was Audrey gouged at a tender place inside her. She compartmentalized in order to do her job, but her compassion for the injured never waned.
As she parked in the Grantham Homes lot, Rae tried to recall any information about Everhart from the city’s fertile grapevine. She seemed to work hard and keep to herself. If those were character flaws, Rae would count herself in that category since Janet left. Except for seeing a few friends semi-regularly, Rae had a social life right up there with Our Ladies of Perpetual Boredom.
She walked to the front of the community facility to join Trevor Collins, who stood with his hands perched on his hips. It was his what-the-hell-am-I-doing-here gesture. Rae had requested Trevor to the scene on a hunch. Another CSI had already processed the area, but she needed Trevor’s years of experience. “I know they’ve worked it once. Try again. We missed something.”
Recently her hunches amounted to little more than SWAGs—stupid wild-ass guesses. She’d virtually lost her intuition and instincts when her five-year relationship failed. If she couldn’t spot a cheating spouse, how could she detect anything else? She trusted Trevor’s eye for detail to augment her deficit.
“You think she’s holding out, don’t you?”
“Too soon to tell.” Rae really didn’t want to believe Audrey was purposely withholding information.
“Well, I do. How can she not remember being assaulted?”
“That’s why you have all that white hair—too much deep thinking. Maybe you should wait until the evidence is in. Isn’t that what you forensics types do?” Their banter had become almost routine. It offset some of the cruelty they encountered on the job.
“What, and leave all the wild speculation to you cops? Boring.”
She followed Trevor patiently and waited for him to offer something significant.
He pointed toward the ground behind the community center as he talked. “Everhart walked from the front around this side. Her heels left very distinct impressions. She stopped here for some reason. The imprint is deeper in the soft ground. There’s also a depressed area in the grass behind the shoe prints. Maybe a scuffle. Then drag marks.”
“You’re saying someone knocked her out and dragged her toward the back of the building?”
“I’m only telling you what I see. It’s your job to draw conclusions. Look at these odd shoe prints.”
Rae squatted beside him. “What do you mean?”
“They’re consistent with a shoe size but not with any sole material I’ve encountered. It’s almost like they were covered with fabric. See the wrinkles in the print? That doesn’t happen with hard-soled shoes.”
Disguising shoe prints indicated planning and intent, not a spontaneous or last-minute act. Was Audrey the intended victim or simply a convenient target? Still, it was a neighborhood known for frequent drug crimes and assaults. The shoe prints could be totally unrelated. She would talk with Audrey again tomorrow and maybe she could shed some light on the details. Perhaps she didn’t remember everything yet, or was embarrassed.
Crime victims often used a variety of justifications to avoid facing the truth. Audrey Everhart didn’t seem like that type. With a wave of nostalgia Rae realized she’d been wrong about a woman she thought she knew a lot better than Audrey. She turned her attention from a puzzle she hadn’t deciphered in eight months and focused on a more solvable one—at least she hoped it would be.
“Thanks, Trev. Would you make a cast of the shoe print for me?”
While Trevor poured the casting agent into a bucket and mixed it to the ideal consistency, he kept glancing at her as if he had something to say.
She was too tired to play guessing games. “What? You’re dying to tell me.”
“Did you hear Ken Whitt is retiring?”
Rae wasn’t in the mood for small talk, but Trevor was making a point. He didn’t engage in idle gossip. “Yeah, he’s in my unit.”
“The captain of detectives is reassigning a serial of his—The Whisperer Case.” Trevor lowered his voice at the end for effect. “You got any interest in taking that on?”
“Like I’d have a chance.” She’d love the challenge of a serial case, and it would keep her mind off Janet. Even her worst days at work beat the hell out of pacing and dredging
up the corpse of bliss passed. The Whisperer had stumped Whitt for the past year, so what made her think she was up to the task?
“The captain asked me to recommend somebody I can work with. I’m reviewing the forensics side. We do all right.” He waggled his finger back and forth between them like they shared a special pact. “I could put in a word—if you’re interested.”
“Yeah, sure.” Rae had no illusions that she’d get the assignment. She was junior in the squad and the case was too high profile. Her publicity hound of a sergeant would want his best detective on it. As she walked toward her car, she called back, “Keep me posted. I’m going home to get some rest. I’ve been up since yesterday.”
Rae settled behind the steering wheel and rubbed her gritty eyes. She was too tired to think about victims or cases or even Audrey Everhart.
*
Rae slammed the door of her condo and winced at the empty echo that welcomed her. The old chocolate-brown recliner, side table, and lamp faced off with her forty-six-inch flat-screen in the otherwise bare living room. Janet had taken most of the furnishings and accessories as compensation for their failed relationship. Rae had done little since to make this place a home, citing work demands as the culprit. Using the job as an excuse covered a multitude of sins.
She threw her backpack onto the small dining table that served as a desk and tried to shake her annoyance at her ex. It had been eight months, and Janet had obviously moved on with an associate provost at the university—someone more desirable, more educated, and up to her intellectual standards. The triple whammy, the three areas in which Janet found her constantly lacking. Maybe Janet had nagged to distract Rae from noticing her infidelity.
Whatever Janet’s reasons, Rae hadn’t really trusted anyone since. Today she’d let her uncertainty creep into an investigation. She’d doubted a victim’s version of a crime, which was uncharacteristic. Irritable and jumpy, she needed to stay busy until she regained her self-confidence. She hoped it returned before the past destroyed her career and any hope of a satisfying future.
As if answering her thoughts, her personal cell vibrated against her hip. She wore it like an additional appendage, enjoying at least the perception that she was connected to others. Normally she became so engrossed in work she didn’t notice the phone’s silent demand for attention. She considered ignoring this summons, but curiosity prevailed and she plugged in her password. Three messages.
“Honey.” Her best friend Deb’s Southern voice strung the word out like it had a dozen syllables. “How are you?” She always paused as if she expected Rae to actually answer. “The other girls and I want to see you soon. We miss you. Call me.” Rae smiled, made a mental note to do just that, and deleted the message before flipping to the next.
“Rae, this is Mrs. Cowan, your advisor at the university. I wanted to remind you that finals begin shortly, and you’ve missed a few classes. If you’re interested in catching up, give me a call.” Rae regretted being the cause of the concern in the woman’s voice. “I’m not sure what’s going on with you. If you need to talk I hope you know I’m here.”
Should she pursue her college education now? She’d enrolled to prove something to her family, but they’d disowned her when she came out. Then Janet became her reason to continue. Janet said it embarrassed her for her partner not to be a college graduate. She harassed Rae about her shortcoming and the amount of time it was taking to complete a simple four-year degree. Rae had been determined to finish in spite of her workload. When Janet left, Rae lost interest in almost everything. Maybe she wasn’t worth the effort. Rae made a note to get in touch with Ms. Cowan, deleted the message, and skipped to the last one.
“Rae, stop avoiding me.” Janet paused, and the air rushed out of Rae’s lungs in a painful gush. “I know it’s late, but I need to talk to you.” Another pause during which Rae debated deleting the message. Some masochistic urge immobilized her. “You’re probably out on a date or something. Rae, I miss you. I miss us. Can we talk? Call me, please.”
The message ended and Rae steeled herself for the customary tears and pain. Looking around the nearly vacant condo, she waited for the outrage that accompanied betrayal. Feelings bottlenecked in her chest. Why couldn’t she grieve any more? Perhaps that was the blessing.
She’d been a less than attentive partner, working all hours and expecting Janet to wait patiently until she had time for their relationship. Drained of emotion and disillusioned with the world, she’d come home unable to talk about their issues with the energy and consideration they deserved. The inhumanity Rae encountered at work had tainted even their enthusiastic but infrequent sex. But she couldn’t just leave the job and pretend it all never happened.
In spite of the imperfections in their relationship, Rae missed the connection to another human being. It grounded her outside a profession full of harshness and brutality. Lately she felt terribly lonely and afraid that she deserved nothing more.
Chapter Two
“Ms. Everhart, wake up, honey. You’re dreaming.”
Audrey opened her eyes and sat up in bed. Her throat burned from yelling and her screams echoed in the unfamiliar room. The nurse rested her hands on Audrey’s shoulders and Audrey felt the woman’s emotions flood in.
“I’m fine. Please stop.” She flinched at the woman’s touch. “I’m sore.”
Shying away from the unwelcome feelings, Audrey clutched the sheet to her chest. She edged out of the nurse’s grasp, and the loose-fitting gown fell from Audrey’s back.
“Look at those bruises. What the—?”
“I’m sure it’s nothing. I’m fine.” But it wasn’t nothing, and she wasn’t fine. Audrey simply couldn’t bear to be touched. She didn’t want to explain what came next or how she knew what the nurse was feeling. “Please.”
“Honey, these look like stun-gun marks. I’ve seen them on folks the officers bring in. They’ll want to take pictures. Did you tell the detective?”
At that moment the door opened and Rae Butler entered, filling the room with her vibrant energy. She was more handsome than Audrey remembered, dressed in black jeans, a burnt-orange turtleneck, and a black leather jacket that covered the weapon at her side. As Rae approached, the initial wave of exuberance settled into a comforting calm and Audrey felt almost safe. Cops and safety hadn’t always gone together in her past. At this moment she was grateful to have Rae Butler beside her…as long as she didn’t ask too many questions.
“Did she tell the detective what?” Rae’s emerald eyes sparkled with anticipation and an I-thought-so glint. “Good afternoon, all.”
Audrey gave the attendant a cautionary stare. The woman couldn’t say anything about her medical condition without her permission. “That I’m going home. Right, Nurse?”
The unsuspecting woman nodded mutely and headed toward the door. “I’ll get your paperwork together, Ms. Everhart.”
“How are you feeling today?” Rae asked. Her gaze held Audrey’s, the unasked questions almost like conversation bubbles above her head.
“Fine, thanks, ready to get out of here. I can’t believe I’ve slept the day away.”
“You didn’t miss much. It was dreary. You’re in luck now, though. I’m your personal escort slash taxi service.”
Audrey couldn’t imagine being confined in a vehicle with Rae for ten seconds, much less the ten minutes it would take to reach her apartment. In some cases, proximity was as risky as touch. Rae Butler would be such a case. How could she refuse the offer of a ride without getting into the idiosyncrasies that made her life so difficult? “That’s not necessary. I can manage.”
“I’m sure you can, but I don’t have a choice. Mayor Downing’s orders.” Rae’s smile let her know that she didn’t consider the task unpleasant. Was Rae actually flirting with her?
“He shouldn’t be throwing his weight around.” Her boss’s overprotectiveness bordered on imposition, but she accepted it as concern for her welfare. He couldn’t possibly know what an inconvenience the
police would be right now. Any minute Rae would launch into more questions, and Audrey needed time to prepare her answers. She wasn’t ready to tell the truth until she understood what happened, but she didn’t want to lie. Evasion would work only so long with someone as astute as Rae Butler. “Would you mind waiting outside while I dress?” Audrey found the pink flush of Rae’s cheeks endearing. The stoic officer had a shy side.
An hour later Audrey stood in front of her apartment and waited for Rae to leave. She’d avoided probing questions by rattling nonstop about working in the mayor’s office. She’d kept calm by almost hanging her head out the window, grateful for the winter chill in the air. Her brief respite was about to end.
Rae collected Audrey’s mail from the box as casually as if she lived there. Pulling a note from the doorjamb, she added it to the collection, handed the stack over, and hesitated at the threshold. Audrey hadn’t invited anyone into her apartment since she moved in last year. For the first time she actually considered it. She imagined Rae Butler sprawled across her old sofa, relaxed and tempting.
“Mind if I come in for a minute?” Rae asked.
Audrey shook her head to clear the image and reposition her defenses. “I’m not up for an interrogation, Detective.”
“Rae. Would you please call me Rae? We have met before. I don’t know if you remember. I was an instructor in your recruit class.”
Could she ever forget the emotional pull she’d felt toward Rae Butler every day she entered the small classroom, stood beside her at a mock crime scene, or inhaled the light fragrance of her perfume? Those emotions had nipped at the edge of her consciousness for the past year, and each time they surfaced, she stuffed them back down. Now she distanced from Rae in order to focus on what she needed to do instead of what she felt. “I remember. You were very kind, not to mention knowledgeable and professional.”