Plain Retribution

by Dana R. Lynn

  She wasn’t happy to be leaving the hospital this time, though. In fact, she was terrified.

  She had expected Miles to be here when she was released. But he wasn’t. She had no idea where he was. And that made her feel distinctly uneasy. In her mind, she replayed the conversation they had had the night before. He hadn’t mentioned being here when she was released. She’d just assumed. Although, they didn’t know she would be sprung so quickly.

  The nurse entered the room pushing a VRI, a video remote interpreting system. It was a portable device used by hospitals and legal offices to connect with certified interpreters. Personally, Rebecca preferred to have an interpreter physically in the same room. If she needed to go to the doctor or the audiologist, she always made the appointment and scheduled an interpreter well in advance. Clearly, an interpreter wasn’t available currently. She sighed, but didn’t complain.

  The nurse began to explain the release procedures while the interpreter relayed the information to Rebecca.

  It was amazing. Brilliant. Incredibly helpful. And yet she felt so alone.

  No one was here that she knew. How would she get home? Text Miles? But he was either working, or home enjoying his time off shift, and either way she felt hesitant to disturb whatever it was that he was up to. Because she hated the idea of relying too much on him.

  Finally, the efficient nurse shoved some papers under her nose. She was to sign to show she understood. And then she could go.

  Great.

  As she was finishing up her signature, the door opened. A familiar head popped in, shaggy blond hair flopping to the side due to the angle he was holding his head. Her mood lightened instantly. Caution stirred inside, as well. The nurse smiled at Miles as she left the room.

  “Hey.” Miles grinned and pulled the rest of himself inside the room. “Your guard outside let me know that you were being released. I was taking a trip today. Thought you might want to come along.”

  Interest stirred.

  “Where?” she signed.

  He sauntered closer to her. “The visitor log from the prison arrived this morning. It seems Terry Gleason had only three visitors the entire time he was in prison. His parents and a man by the name of Declan Winters.”

  “Winters? The same last name as Jasmine?”

  He bobbed his head up and down in a slow, exaggerated motion. Even his signs were exaggerated, emphasizing that this was very unusual. “Exactly like Jasmine’s. In fact, Declan is her older brother. I want to know why this man was visiting the man who killed his sister on a weekly basis.”

  Wow. She didn’t even know what to say to that.

  “So, you want to go? Or should I drop you off at Jess’s house? There’s someone on guard there at all times now.”

  “Are you kidding me? Obviously, I’m going with you.”

  The smirk that graced his face told her he expected her to say that. She didn’t care. The idea of going back to the house was unappealing. And going with him would be interesting. Plus, she’d hopefully find out more about what was going on.

  But, wasn’t there some kind of rule against taking her along on police business? She asked him.

  “The chief gave his approval. We’re short-staffed at the moment with Parker out of commission. Plus, he thinks that as I am the only one who can sign, it might be beneficial for you to stay with me.”

  Sounded like a good idea to her.

  * * *

  This was probably the dumbest idea he’d ever had. Taking Rebecca on a police visit? It had made so much sense when he had broached the subject with the chief that morning. But now? Not so much. Not when she was so charming and funny. And her blunt honesty really struck a chord with him.

  Seeking something else to focus on, his eyes flicked to the rearview mirror and he noticed that the car behind them had gotten a little too close.

  Not again. He tapped on the brakes, and the car fell back. It took a lot of guts or arrogance to tailgate a police car. Was it deliberate? He sped up to see if the car would follow them.

  It stayed back, and soon two other cars were between them. Maybe he should consider going on vacation when this case was over. He smirked to himself. He was getting paranoid. But better paranoid than careless. He stopped at a stop sign.

  A hand tapped on his arm. He glanced over briefly.

  Rebecca signed the word funny, scrunching her eyebrows down in a motion that signaled a “wh” question, meaning “What’s so funny?”

  He slid his eyes back to the road and answered one-handed as he continued through the intersection. “I’m starting to see things. I thought we were being followed, but it was only my imagination.”

  He hoped.

  Once more he flicked his gaze to the mirror. The car was out of sight. Yep. He needed a vacation.

  Between the attraction that simmered between them and the always present concern of being followed, the car ride to Warren, where Declan Winters resided, was rife with enough tension that he half expected the air to start crackling with it. He rather suspected that was why their arrival at Winters’s house seemed so anticlimactic.

  No need to wonder if Winters was home. The man himself stood outside in his driveway, his expression intent as he used a circular saw on a two-by-four laid across two sawhorses. He stopped sawing as they pulled in. When he bent down and unplugged the tool before removing his safety glasses, Miles silently approved. You never left equipment plugged in when it wasn’t in use.

  “Declan Winters?” Miles asked as he left his vehicle. Rebecca remained in the car, as he’d instructed. He didn’t want her out in the open until he knew it was safe. She was better off where he could keep an eye on her and keep her out of harm’s way at the same time.

  “Yeah? That’s me.” The tall man standing behind his makeshift workplace narrowed his gaze, letting it drift to the badge and the name. “What can I do for you, Officer Olsen? Do you have more information about my sister?”

  Miles quirked an eyebrow. “Your sister?”

  The man waved, like he was swatting a fly. “Yeah. I assumed this was about Jazzy again.”

  “Because?”

  “Some reporter left a message on my machine, wanting to discuss her kidnapping and murder. I never responded.” Now the man grew cautious. “If you’re not here about my sister, what’s this about?”

  Give a little. Maybe he’ll open up more about his sister.

  “Mr. Winters, are you aware that the women who were abducted with your sister ten years ago have recently been targeted?”

  “Targeted?” Declan paled. He shook his head. “Targeted how?”

  “Targeted as in abducted and beaten. One of them is in a coma in the hospital. Another is dead. A third has been attacked, but escaped.”

  “It’s not Terry Gleason. He’s dead. I know because I visited him every week for years.”

  Miles smiled. His instinct told him the man was on the level. “I know. Why? He killed your sister.”

  Declan straightened, hands behind his back, a fierce scowl appearing. Not at Miles. He appeared to be struggling with himself. Miles had a sudden picture in his mind of Dan Willis, standing in a similar posture. Dan was ex-military. The file had mentioned that Declan had been in the navy.

  Following his instincts, Miles suggested they move to a more secure location, less in the open. Like the garage. When Declan agreed, he moved to the cruiser to get Rebecca. She exited the vehicle, her posture tight. She seemed ready to bolt, and he waved her ahead of himself, using his body as a buffer for whatever dangers might be out there.

  His shoulder blades twitched. He ignored it, just motioned her to move faster. She didn’t ask questions, just quickened her gentle gait until she was inside the relative safety of the garage walls. He pushed past her to grab the large door and pull it closed. Well, that wasn’t
helpful. The door was cut into three sections, and almost the entire top section consisted of three rectangular windows. He found himself as close to growling as he had ever come. How was he supposed to keep Rebecca safe in these conditions?

  No one knew she was here, he reasoned. Still, caution was the word of the day. He signed to her to move to the side of the garage for safety, voicing it aloud for Declan’s benefit.

  Declan shrugged, and got his first clear look at Rebecca. His jaw dropped.

  “Hey! I remember you! You were at the trial!”

  Funny how some things stayed in your mind.

  Miles quickly signed introductions. He made sure to sign everything in pidgin. “We were discussing why you went to visit your sister’s murderer in prison. I would have expected you to be angry at him.”

  Declan rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, the other hand set loosely on his hip. “It’s odd, I know. After the trial, I was bitter. Yeah, Gleason went to jail, but my baby sister was still dead. My parents couldn’t handle the stress. They split. Both of them have remarried. My mom still can’t celebrate Mother’s Day. It practically destroyed my family. So yeah, I was angry. Beyond angry. I was at rock bottom. And then I met someone who taught me to see it all through faith. It didn’t happen overnight. It took a good year for me to get to a place of forgiveness.”

  “Forgiveness?” Miles jerked a little at that. He was a Christian, and he still felt hostility rearing in his soul whenever his stepsister’s murderer was mentioned. Yet this guy was talking about forgiveness.

  “Yeah, forgiveness. It’s not easy. But it was necessary. You gotta understand—bitterness was eating me alive. I could feel it destroying me from the inside out.”

  Miles nodded. He had experienced the same feeling.

  “I forgave Gleason, not because he needed it, but because I did. And then I became an outreach minister at my church. When the program moved into the prison system, I knew I was being called to go there.”

  A gentle nudge pushed at his conscience. He knew he was supposed to forgive those who wronged him, but did that really extend to murderers?

  Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. How many times had he heard that Scripture? It had always made him faintly uncomfortable. Yes, he knew he needed to forgive. Allowing the bitterness inside him to fester had almost cost him his job once. By letting it remain, he was risking letting it cost him even more.

  A warm hand crept into his, squeezing gently. Rebecca. “Are you okay?” she signed one-handed. No. But I’m gonna be. Father, help me to forgive and move on.

  “I’m fine. Thanks,” he signed back. And returned his attention to Declan.

  “Was Gleason receptive?”

  Declan shook his head. “Not really. He was very angry. Apparently, he knew a few of the girls from school. He was a year behind, so he graduated when he was almost nineteen. From what he said, they were pretty and popular and took delight in tormenting him. At least, that’s his side of the story. I think he tolerated my visits because they gave him an outlet to vent his anger. That, and no one else came to visit him.”

  “I know he had no family aside from his parents,” Miles began, but stopped short when Declan shook his head.

  “He had an older brother.”

  What? He quickly signed the statement to Rebecca.

  “A brother!” Rebecca signed, jumping into the conversation for the first time, eyes opened wide.

  Miles knew just how she felt. “His file lists him as an only child.”

  “An adopted only child,” Declan amended. “He had a biological half brother somewhere that he lived with until he was three. The brother was five. When his birth mother was killed, the brother was sent to live with his birth father, who refused to take Terry because Terry was no relation to him. Terry was adopted by a well-meaning couple who thought it was cruel that the brothers were separated. So they made sure Terry knew about him. I know Terry always intended on finding his brother someday. But he died before he could.”

  “He never met him after they were separated as kids?” Miles tapped all the information into his notes app. Later, he’d email it to himself so he could make out a report and a list of details he needed to check. Just to give himself a clear picture of all the connections in the case.

  “Not that I’m aware of.”

  It was enough to make a man crazy.

  “Do you have a name for this brother? A physical description? Anything?”

  Declan shook his head. “Sorry. All I know is that he was two years older.”

  Just when he’d thought they were getting somewhere. Was it possible that his brother had come looking for Terry—or for revenge on the people who had put Terry away? Miles’s mind whirled at the implications. He needed to start looking for this brother. Because he had the feeling the brother had already found them.

  Miles opened his mouth to thank Declan for his time. But never got the chance. The window next to him blew apart, showering all three of them with glass. Almost immediately, the sound of more glass breaking echoed from outside. A car window. Miles dove for Rebecca. So did Declan. Between the two men, she was hidden from view of whoever was shooting.

  Miles wasn’t. He was well aware that he had just made himself a breathing target.

  ELEVEN

  Hunched between two muscular men, Rebecca couldn’t even get enough air to scream. The middle window blew apart. She flinched. Miles pulled her in closer to him. Her forehead was pressed up against his neck. She could feel his pulse racing.

  She drew in a deep breath—his clean scent came with it, bringing comfort. And security.

  And fear.

  What was he doing? If she raised her head to look over his shoulder, she knew she’d have a clear view of the windows. Which meant someone looking in could see her. And would literally have to go through Miles to get her. And maybe Declan, too, she realized. Whoever was after her was relentless, and seemed to be growing braver by the hour, so she had little doubt that he would shoot other people to get to her.

  She did her best to pull back from Miles, so he could find shelter, too. But he wouldn’t let her. Instead, those strong arms tightened, drawing her closer. There was nothing to do but wait it out.

  And pray.

  Rebecca lifted her mind to God, and in her mind, she signed to Him, asking for safety, for all three of them, and for Brooke and Ashley. She prayed that the killer would be found. And then, she paused. Slowly, she sent another prayer, asking for her attacker’s redemption. It felt strange, but she knew, after learning Declan’s story, that it was the right thing to do. The memory of Miles’s shattered expression as he’d listened to Declan burst into her mind.

  There was a story there. An anguish that he kept hidden. If they got out of this alive... No. When they escaped this situation, she’d ask him. He knew her history. She wanted to know what haunted him.

  Her right leg was starting to go numb from being crouched in an awkward position for so long. Abruptly, Miles released her, catching her again as she started to stumble back.

  “Sorry,” he signed. “I can hear sirens outside. One of the neighbors must have called the police.”

  She nodded and straightened painfully. Standing was difficult, as pins and needles attacked her right leg. “My leg went to sleep,” she signed in apology, clutching at Miles’s arm for balance.

  He grinned, the unexpected expression sending her heartbeat skittering, but the look was gone in a flash, replaced by his cop face. Which was probably why she nearly fell over as he leaned in quickly and kissed her forehead. “You’re okay, right? Anything hurt?”

  “Fine,” she signed, wishing she could stem the tide of warmth spreading through her face. The man was making her melt like a gooey marshmallow. Not good.

  “You okay?” He addressed Decl
an.

  She melted some more. Except for police business, even when he wasn’t talking to her, he remembered to sign, to include her in the conversation. Her own family didn’t do that. Couldn’t, she reminded herself.

  She broke out of her thoughts when Miles jerked back. “Police are at the door.” He strode to the main door and looked through the broken windows, then yelled out, continuing to sign for her benefit, “Hold up your badge, please.” She could see his body relax slightly before he opened the door.

  “Could you two remain here, please?” he asked Declan and Rebecca. They both nodded.

  She understood. He wanted to make sure everything was safe. As much as she hated not being able to see him, she knew he had a job to do. And she couldn’t keep him from it.

  It struck her just how dangerous his job was. Her heart was becoming attached to him, but she didn’t know if she was happy with that. After the abduction ten years ago, she’d wanted safety. She had lived through enough fear. She didn’t know if she was strong enough to go through more. Giving her heart to a policeman meant watching that heart walk into danger every day. Could she live with that?

  But then, wasn’t she living through it now? She’d been surrounded by danger ever since the attacks had begun. And she wasn’t falling apart. God would help her through whatever situation she was in.

  He’d done it before.

  It felt like forever until Miles returned. The tension inside her escalated. What if it was a trick? What if he was out there in danger? The thought that she would be next also popped up, but she shoved that aside. Because right at the moment, Miles was what mattered. The one thing that helped was that Declan was so calm, knowing that he could hear some of what was happening outside. She could see him cock his head several times, listening. He sent her a small smile. It didn’t send her heart racing like Miles’s did, but it comforted her. Surely, the man wouldn’t be smiling if he thought a murderer was about to charge through the door and finish them off. Right?