A flutter of courage welled up inside her. She held out the can, ready to mace him. “That’s far enough,” she demanded. “Who are you?”
“I just wanted to see if I could offer assistance.”
She strained to hear his voice. She didn’t recognize it.
“I won’t hurt you. My name is Dr. Anthony Upton. I honestly just want to help.”
“Take off your hat,” Jessica demanded.
He removed his hat and she was able to get a good look. She didn’t recognize this man. Was it possible he truly was there to help?
She glanced past him to get a better look at his vehicle. He was driving an SUV, not a sedan.
He must have noticed her relief because he relaxed as well and moved closer. “What happened?”
“Someone was following me. He tried to run me off the road.”
The sound of sirens grew louder and a patrol car stopped at the road. Andrew’s car screeched to a halt too, and he jumped out and ran down the embankment.
“Jessica!” He rushed to her and pulled her into his embrace. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine. I’m not hurt.” But she clung to him, thankful for his presence and his strong embrace as the reality of what she’d been through set in.
As the police arrived, she looked at her car and noticed the dents and torn metal from the multiple hits.
Someone had tried to kill her and, this time, they’d nearly succeeded.
* * *
Andrew put his arm around her and led her back toward the road. He wanted to speak with the police, but he wanted to make certain she was safe first.
“I’m sorry, Andrew,” she said. “I should have listened to you. I shouldn’t have gone out by myself.”
He hugged her to him. All he cared about was that she was safe. Hearing her scream, being unable to be there, he’d felt helpless. He didn’t want to go through that again.
“I’ll be right back.” He jogged back down to where the police officers were speaking with the man who’d been standing by the car when Andrew had arrived. The police let him go and Andrew approached them.
“Who was he?”
“Dr. Anthony Bennett. He said he saw your girl run off the road and a maroon sedan speed away. He stopped to help.”
“You believe him?”
“He seemed sincere. He also gave us a good description of the car that ran Ms. Taylor off the road. We had several 911 calls describing the same vehicle on the interstate. We’re currently conducting a search for that car.”
Andrew stared at the mangled mess of Jessica’s car. It was amazing that she’d walked away from it without being seriously injured.
Had God protected her?
He handed over his business card and asked the officer to let him know about any new developments.
He walked back to Jessica and knelt beside her. Her hands shook and she choked back tears.
“You need to go to the hospital.”
“I’m fine...physically.”
He started to offer to drive her back to the shelter but couldn’t bring himself to let her out of his sight. Not just yet. “How about we stop for coffee?”
She nodded her agreement and Andrew got in and drove them to his apartment.
“Where are we?”
“My place. I thought you could use some time to compose yourself before you return to the shelter.”
“Thank you. I think that’s a good idea.”
He walked around and opened her door, then led her up the stairs to his apartment.
She was shivering, but he knew it wasn’t from the dropping temperatures. She was frightened. His anger burned at seeing her this way. Robert’s tactics would take their toll on even someone as strong as Jessica, whether she wanted to admit it or not.
He kicked up the thermostat a notch just to be sure then went to the kitchen and started the coffee brewing as Jessica moved around his living room. He realized this was the first time she’d ever seen his place.
She glanced at the family photos on his wall then spotted the engagement photo on his desk. She picked it up and studied it. “She’s very pretty. Who is she?”
A sudden uncomfortable sensation hit him. It felt odd to talk about Tory to Jessica, yet he realized he wanted to tell her. He wanted her to know all about him. “Her name was Tory. She died two years ago.”
“I’m sorry. I know what it’s like to lose someone you love.”
“Have you lost someone close to you?”
“My brother, Dean. He was killed.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Were you and Tory close?”
“Yes. We were engaged actually.”
“Andrew, I didn’t know you were engaged.” She glanced at the photo again. “You looked happy.”
“We were.”
“How did she die?”
“She was in a boating accident. We’d just had a lot of rain and the Pearl River was high. Tory went out alone. She was always doing that. Running off alone without thinking about her safety. The boat capsized and she drowned.”
He grimaced at the memory. He hadn’t meant the twinge of bitterness that crept into his voice, but repeating that story reminded him of how reckless Tory had been with her life...and spotlighted how reckless Jessica could be with hers.
He leaned against the counter, recalling the panic that had invaded him earlier knowing Jessica was in danger and there was nothing he could do to help her. She’d found a way to sneak into his life and grant him hope again for a future, but with the life she lived would it be another repeat of his and Tory’s relationship? Would he spend his time always wondering and worrying about her?
He wasn’t sure he could handle another relationship like that.
Jessica placed the photograph back onto the desk. “I can see I’ve upset you. I’m sorry, Andrew. That wasn’t my intention.”
He turned to look at her. She was so beautiful and he couldn’t deny he was captivated by her. But he wanted to know what motivated her to place her life in danger day after day. “I thought we agreed you weren’t going to leave the shelter alone. I don’t understand, Jessica. What were you thinking?”
She bristled and her defenses went up. “I received a call about a woman in trouble. I had no choice but to go.”
“You should have called me.”
“I couldn’t wait. The sooner I make it to the scene, the better likelihood I can make a difference.”
“But you didn’t make it to the scene, did you? You walked right into the path of danger and nearly got yourself killed.”
“I know you’re angry—”
“Angry? No, Jessica, I was petrified.” He moved toward her. “I was so afraid I would get there and you would be dead, and I knew there was nothing I could do to stop it.” He touched her face, caressing her cheek. “You’ve become very important to me, and I don’t think I could stand to see something happen to you.”
His finger stroked her lips and she shivered beneath his touch. All he could think was how much he wanted to kiss her, how much he wanted to feel her lips against his.
Yet uncertainty clouded her eyes and he sensed she wasn’t ready for that. Instead, he wrapped her in his embrace and she melted into him, her head fitting perfectly against his shoulder.
He could wait for her to be ready.
* * *
Since his plans with Jessica had changed after last night’s events, Andrew decided to go into the office. The Michael Shroud case landed on his desk during the morning meeting. He glanced through the police report. The thirty-six-year-old college professor was accused of domestic assault in the beating of his girlfriend. Neighbors had phoned police when they heard screams from Shroud’s apartment. Police arrived to find twenty-two-year-old Amy V
ance beaten and bruised. A baseball bat was removed from the household and Shroud arrested. However, Miss Vance refused to acknowledge that Shroud had beaten her.
Andrew closed the file. With no witnesses to the beating and Amy refusing to press charges, it was likely Shroud would not be charged. His prosecutor instincts told him this was a no-brainer. He couldn’t win it. But a different instinct told him it wasn’t right. There was no doubt what had transpired in that apartment. He looked up Shroud’s history and found three more reports of incidents against young female students. No charges were ever filed.
Probably because Shroud terrorized these girls into silence.
His jaw clenched. Six months ago, this case wouldn’t even have registered with him, but now...now he saw Sarah in every victim of violence. He wrote down phone numbers of the previous victims. If he could convince them to tell their stories, perhaps he could get a pattern of violent behavior admitted as evidence. It was a long shot. Past behaviors weren’t usually admissible, but if he could prove a pattern he might be able to use it against Shroud. That was of course assuming he could convince Amy Vance to press charges. Bill would never let him continue without it.
He smiled thinking about Jessica. He might have a reason to call her in professionally on this matter. He liked the idea of working together with her on this case to get a psycho off the streets.
And maybe he could redeem himself a little in her eyes too.
* * *
Jessica reached for a bottle of pain relievers as she readied herself for the day. The chase and subsequent crash last night had left her body sore and her head aching, but that didn’t mean she got a day off. She swallowed two pills then picked up the phone and called Margo. Her friend had phoned earlier while Jessica was still asleep and left a voice mail for Jessica to return the call.
But the noise from the bullpen when Margo answered was deafening.
“I can hardly hear you,” Jessica told her. “What’s going on over there?”
“We’re on full alert. An escaped convict was sighted in the area.”
“He must be dangerous.”
“Very dangerous, according to reports. He was in for murder. I’m trying to track down information about why he would come here, look for family or old girlfriends, that sort of thing. I just got the fingerprint results from the note that was left on your car. There were no fingerprints so whoever left it knew what he was doing. He was obviously wearing gloves.”
Jessica sighed. “Which wouldn’t have looked suspicious in October to anyone who had seen him.” Jessica’s mind was whirling. Was Robert really controlled enough to think about such things as wearing gloves? He’d struck her more as the get-in-your-face type of crazy.
“I’m still waiting on the report from the break-in at your house. But I looked into your good Samaritan from last night.” Jessica had finally reached Margo last night and filled her in on what had happened and why she’d never made it to the hospital. “He checks out. No record. Pays his bills. Deacon in the church. There’s no reason to think he’s our guy.”
“What about the text pictures?”
“I did a trace on the number. It’s one of those pre-paid phones. It’ll be difficult to track.” Margo’s desk phone rang. “I’m sorry, Jess. I wish I had better news to give you. I really have to go.”
Jessica hung up, leaving her friend to her work. She had work of her own. She wanted to go by the hospital and try to see Amy Vance since she hadn’t made it the night before. The young woman had already had over fourteen hours to rationalize her boyfriend’s behavior and convince herself it had somehow been her fault.
Jessica also had another reason to go to the hospital. She wanted to drop in to see how her neighbor was doing and look for any indication that Mrs. Brady’s fall hadn’t been accidental. She parked in the hospital lot then stopped by the information desk and asked for the room number for Mrs. Brady.
The information clerk typed the name into the computer. “I don’t find a record of anyone with that name staying here.”
Jessica frowned. Had she misunderstood? Now that she thought about it, Mr. Percy hadn’t mentioned which hospital, but Jessica was certain this was the hospital Mrs. Brady regularly used. She supposed her nephew could have taken her to another, a specialty hospital perhaps. She would ask Mr. Percy when she saw him again.
Jessica walked to the elevator. When she rounded the corner, she spotted a familiar face. Andrew was waiting at the elevators. He was in full suit mode and held his briefcase in his hand. But his manner was easygoing as he chatted with a woman in scrubs who was smiling up at him, laughing and flirting.
Jessica felt heat rise in her face. She’d forgotten his charm wasn’t especially meant for her. But he had wanted to kiss her last night. She was certain he had. Didn’t that mean anything today?
He smiled when he spotted her and left scrubs girl standing there gawking after him. “Hi. What are you doing here?”
She felt a tinge of annoyance at being checked up on, but she pushed that thought away. He wasn’t trying to control her. His questions were asked out of concern for her safety. “I borrowed Mia’s car and, I know you’re worried, but I still need to visit the girl I was going to see last night. She was beaten up by her boyfriend. I was hoping to speak with her, offer her some counseling.”
“Amy Vance?”
“How did you know?”
“I’m prosecuting the case. I need to get a statement from her, but the report says she’s refusing to press charges or even to acknowledge Shroud hit her.”
She couldn’t help the disappointment that flowed through her at learning that Andrew had been assigned the case. She knew his history. With no complaining witness, he wouldn’t give this case a second look. Amy Vance was just another young girl who would fall through the system because her case wasn’t sexy enough to make the local news.
But if that were true then why was he here?
“I want to get this guy, Jessica. Did you know he’s attacked three other students in the past two years?” He pulled out his notes and showed her the grim photographs. “I spoke with two of the girls earlier trying to convince them to press charges, but they didn’t want to relive it.”
Her heart lurched at his words, at the determination and fire she saw in his eyes. She didn’t know if it would stick, but she was pleased to see his efforts. Maybe this ordeal with Sarah had reached him.
“Maybe I could talk to them and perhaps convince them to change their minds.”
A grin stretched across his face, but it was more than just the smile he flashed to the cameras. This smile was targeted just for her. “I was hoping you would say that. Why don’t we go up and see her together?”
* * *
Amy Vance was a wisp of a thing, slim and tall with long blond hair that hung around her face. Andrew could tell she was pretty despite the bruises on her face. She wore her arm in a sling with a brace on her left wrist. He knew from the reports that the bones had been shattered. Amy may never have proper use of her hand again.
But she stood firm on her insistence that her boyfriend did not touch her.
“He would never hurt me,” she told them both. “He loves me.”
Andrew lost patience with her. He pulled out the photos he’d gathered of the other girls her boyfriend had “loved.” “Did he love these girls, too?” He tossed one photo after another to her. “He did this to them.”
She pushed the photos away. “No, he wouldn’t do that.”
Jessica sat on the bed and took Amy’s good hand. “You don’t have to live with this, Amy. We can help you, both of us. I can offer you shelter, a safe place to stay where he can’t hurt you. And Andrew—” She turned to look at him. Was that admiration he saw in her face? “Andrew will fight to make sure he pays for what he did to you.”
In the end, A
my refused to concede. Her naivety bothered him. Why would she choose to stay with him? That still plagued him. Why would she put up with such abuse?
They left defeated.
Jessica sat on a bench. “She’s just not ready.”
He couldn’t be so nonchalant. “When will she be ready? When he kills her?”
“Amy has classic behaviors of a newly battered woman. She’s taking all the blame. You can’t force someone to make the choice to leave. They have to come to it on their own. Unfortunately, it will have to get a lot worse before Amy will accept help.” She gave a long, weary sigh. “If only I’d made it to the scene things might have been different.” She glanced up at him. “Can you make a case without her testimony?”
He sat down beside her. “Doubtful.”
“Are you going to try?”
He heard the challenge in her tone and even though it stung he accepted her right to ask it. “I want to get this guy, Jessica.”
Her smile lit up her face. Who knew something as simple as a declaration to try could make a person so happy?
“It would really help me if I could get other victims to come forward and state what he did to them.”
“I’ll contact the college. All of these girls have been students and he’s a professor. Surely they have a policy against student/teacher relationships.”
He watched the fire igniting in her and smiled. Her passion was amazing. She never gave up, even when her own life was in danger. She saw men like Robert and Michael Shroud and didn’t flinch at their threats and violence.
He’d never met anyone like her before.
She caught him staring. “What are you looking at?”
“It’s not just a job to you.”
“No, it’s not. If I can help, if I can offer assistance...” She sighed. “But the truth is most of the time there’s not much I can do to help.”
“Well, you helped us. Me and Sarah. If it wasn’t for you my sister might be dead now. I thank God every day for bringing you into our lives.” He stroked her hand, enjoying the way she shivered under his touch.
His phone buzzed at his side, interrupting their private moment. He glanced at the screen and saw a message from his office. “I have to go interview the boyfriend before he’s released.” He stood to leave then turned back to her, feeling something unfinished and unspoken between them. “I promised Sarah I would come by the shelter tonight. Can I see you, too?” He held his breath, waiting and watching for her response.
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