by Mayer, Dale
Alexis crashed on the couch after the second pot of tea.
She woke several times in the night to check on Stefan. But there was only minimal change. When Alexis woke early in the morning, cold had seeped into her bones. She opened her gritty eyes slowly, trying to place her surroundings. As memories flooded back, she leapt up to check on Stefan.
He seemed the same, only he wasn't. What was the difference? Alexis walked around his body that still lay in the same position. Not even a hair was different. But something had definitely changed.
"What's the matter?" A tired Kevin joined her, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He stopped suddenly and narrowed them in concentration. "He's back."
"What?" Stunned, Alexis looked from one to the other. "How can you tell?"
"Can you see his cord?" For the first time, Kevin reached out and touched Stefan. There was no reaction. He checked Stefan's pulse. "He's barely alive."
Kevin reached for his cell phone, starting a process that left Alexis stunned by its speed. Less than an hour later, she sat waiting, once again, in the place she hated most. The hospital.
The waiting room was full. Feeling wrinkled and badly in need of a shower, Alexis sat squished between a screaming child and a family that looked like their world had just collapsed. Alexis could sympathize. She'd spent many long hours in this place trying to hold it together, hoping against hope for a miracle that never came.
It had only been on Lissa's last day that Alexis had finally accepted the reality of what was happening. Finally acknowledging that there was nothing she could do to stop disaster from destroying her world once again. Four hours later, Lissa was gone.
"Alex!"
Caught up in her memories, Alexis jumped up and raced toward Kevin. "How's Stefan?"
Kevin stilled her hands, making her aware for the first time that she'd latched onto his shirt with a death grip, almost shaking him. She took a deep breath and prayed for the return of some of her famous detached control.
"He's in a coma." At her horrified gasp, he quickly added. "The doctors say he's going to be fine. Stefan's specialist is on his way. When he's assessed him, we'll know more."
"Specialist?" Alexis's breath caught in her throat. "What specialist?"
Kevin shrugged noncommittally, but didn't explain. She sighed. It didn't really matter…except she hated waiting for answers.
"Come on. Let's get something to eat."
Minutes later, Alexis stood outside the hospital, staring up at the early morning sky. It seemed a long time since she'd had a normal peaceful day to enjoy the sun and blue sky. She wanted this horror to end.
***
The next day was crap. By the end of it, Alexis was ready to kill her wonderful bodyguard, Scott.
Kevin shook his head as he unlocked her car door. "What is your problem?"
"Today, everything," she snapped. How to explain the torture of having Scott hanging at her elbow for the entire day, too concerned to let her out of his sight. She loved the man dearly, but his constant presence had become downright irritating.
"Let's go see Stefan." Kevin smiled at her. "Maybe that will help switch your mood."
After being shadowed all day, she'd love to have some time alone. But Stefan came first.
"Come on." Kevin herded her through the front door of the hospital. Alexis walked past the reception area and headed straight down the left hallway.
"Uh, Alexis. Where are you going?"
Alexis turned around to find him stopped at the reception area. She stood, confused. "I thought we were going to see Stefan. What's the matter?"
"Alexis?" He pointed to the opposite hallway. "Stefan is down here."
Alexis flushed, unwelcome heat warming her cheeks, as she realized that from habit, she'd headed toward Lissa's old room…even after a whole year. "Damn it," she muttered as she approached him. "Sorry."
"Don't be. Habits die hard. You spent a lot of time at Lissa's bedside, didn't you?"
She smiled sadly at him. "That seems a long time ago."
The two approached Stefan's private room. As she did she realized Stefan had become a close friend, though when she thought about it, she realized she really hadn't seen much of Stefan's world outside of his kitchen, living room and solarium. She'd never been invited to view his studio or his finished work other than the one piece. Some day, she hoped to be welcomed into his inner world.
"When he's ready, he'll show you."
She shot Kevin a dirty look. "Quit reading my mind."
"I didn't have to," he replied smugly. "Lately, your face is an open book."
"Then quit reading my face."
The two approached Stefan's bedside cautiously. He looked the same, except for the various machines surrounding him and the IV in his arm.
Her heart sank. Her hand automatically moved to her throat.
"Look beneath the surface."
With a startled glance at Kevin, Alexis complied. A blue haze surrounded Stefan's prone body. A shifting, almost shimmering energy that moved around him, over him… Her gaze widened. And through him.
"How is that possible?" she whispered.
"A very powerful healer is working on him. Her name is Maddy. She runs a special program, not all that far from here." He smiled. "I'm going to assume, that now that he's in her hands, Stefan is going to be just fine."
Alexis reached out, hesitated for a moment, and then covered Stefan's hand. "He's cold," she said quietly.
"He's fine." The voice from the door surprised them both. A doctor walked in, holding out his hand to Kevin. "Detective Sutherland, nice to see you again."
"Hello, Dr. Radnor. What can you tell us about Stefan?"
"I'm happy to say his condition is essentially a deep exhaustion. Whatever he was doing wore down his life force completely."
"He's going to be okay, though, isn't he?" Alexis hadn't realized anyone could get as ill as Stefan from simple exhaustion.
"Oh, he's in a coma," Dr. Radnor said. "It's his body's defense mechanism, which allows him to recover and heal."
The doctor walked closer. "He's just taking a very long and very deep nap. I suspect he'll stay like this for another day or two, and then slowly come out of it."
The doctor took a closer look at the two of them. "You two look almost as bad. Go home and take care of yourselves. I don't want you to end up in here with him."
Kevin smiled his thanks and after confirming they'd head to Alexis's place to pick up a few things, he ushered her out ahead of him.
The old building was not welcoming, or warm. She unlocked the door and entered with Kevin. As she walked into her living room, Alexis became aware of her exhaustion and wished she could go straight to bed. She was relieved Stefan was going to be fine, but at the same time, her emotions were all over the place.
A few steps inside her apartment she froze.
The energy was all wrong.
Or maybe it was her whacked out emotions? Right now she didn't think so.
Someone or something had intruded into her space.
Police or the asshole? Not that it mattered. She felt violated. All she wanted was to get out.
She grabbed up a few clothes and walked out.
CHAPTER 20
After stowing her clothes in Kevin's spare room, Alexis returned to the living room, feeling a little lost.
"I'm going to sit on the porch and have a beer. Do you want one or would you prefer something stronger?" Kevin offered as he walked over to a cupboard. "There's scotch, rum and even a little bit of brandy left."
"Brandy would be nice, thank you." She didn't like the uncomfortable tension she'd felt since they'd returned to his house. They were involved in a relationship of some kind. She just didn't know what she had to give, nor did she know what she wanted from it.
He handed her a large balloon glass with the amber liquid. "Do you want to join me outside or take it up to your room?"
Alexis hesitated. The beautiful evening would soothe her soul be
tter than hiding away in her room. "Sure, I'll come out for a few minutes."
The stars were bright on a deep velvet sky. They more than sparkled. They put on a beautiful jeweled display.
The longer she sat and watched and sipped, the more Alexis could feel the tension drain away, leaving her mellow and relaxed. A heavy sigh escaped.
"That came from way down deep."
"It did." Calm seeped into her body. "Why haven't you married?" She hadn't meant to ask that, but once the question was out, she was glad she did. Had he never wanted to? Had his job been a mitigating factor? How did women do it? Watch their man leave for work each day, never knowing if they'd see him again.
Despair welled up at that thought… No, being involved with a police detective…that wasn't a life Alexis wanted.
"I don't know. I guess so far, it just never worked out. I've gotten close a couple of times, but not quite that far." He spoke easily.
She smiled in relief. His lighthearted tone convinced her that his heart had yet to be touched.
"What about you?"
Alexis shrugged dismissively. "Like you, I never reached that point."
The evening silence lengthened and deepened comfortably around them. After the highly charged sexual encounters between them, and the panic and horror of recent experiences – both psychic and grounded in the real world – she felt this time of peace was a joy. It made her realize how abnormal their relationship had been to date.
"Are you ready for bed?" Kevin asked gently.
"Uhmm."
Another few minutes of comfortable relaxing silence passed then Kevin's voice broke the silence.
"Can you make it back up to your room?" Kevin's voice teased.
Only this time she didn't respond. Alexis, too relaxed to speak, fell asleep under the stars.
***
The next day, Kevin stood in the doorway to Stefan's hospital room. His friend's waxy looks weren't encouraging. Instinct had brought him here. He'd called earlier, only to be told that there'd been no change. Kevin couldn't ignore his inner direction and had come to see for himself.
Come in. Don't just stand there.
Kevin smiled, relief and pleasure lighting his face. Damn, it was good to hear his friend's voice, even if only in his head. "How are you doing? Can't say you look too good from where I'm standing."
Then you'd better sit. I'm fine, or I will be when I get some energy back. That's the closest I ever want to come to total burnout.
Kevin grabbed the visitor's chair and sat down close to the bed. "That's because the next step is death. As you, better than anyone else, know."
True. Stefan's voice was faint, making it hard to understand. Even so, the determination came through clearly.
"What the hell happened to you?" The words burst with such force, they even surprised Kevin. "Did you go hunting him? Did you see him?"
No, but I saw some of the things as he saw them. When he let me.
"When he let you? Are you saying he knew you were there? I don't like the sound of that." Kevin leaned closer, checking out his friend's color.
Once in a while, he'd pick up on me. His energy is erratic. There's a lot of old energy around him. He's been doing this for a long time, but he's still learning. Or learning new tricks. Stefan's internal voice stuttered to a stop. The communication obviously required tremendous energy.
"Do you know who he is?" Kevin's voice was sharper than he intended. He looked around to see if anyone might have come in. He'd sound like a nutcase talking to himself.
They were still alone.
No, but a cop is helping him.
"What? Who?" It couldn't be. He didn't know all the men at the station as well as he'd like, but it curdled his stomach to think of a deception like this.
A young one. Check it out. Stefan's voice was getting fainter and fainter. Today.
"I will." Kevin hesitated, hating to ask more of his friend. But they were out of time. "Did you learn anything else?"
His pattern is old, decades old. But there's a long period of inactivity for some reason. His victims were always children…until Mandy. Something odd about that energy, something new. A renewed excitement, like he's coming back to a favorite sport. Find him. Stefan paused painfully, gathering the needed strength. Before he finds someone else.
With those last words, the telecommunication trailed off into a faint echo of Stefan's former energy.
Kevin walked back to the door, with one last look at the still form lying on the bed. "I'll come back tonight."
Bring her. Faint but decisive, Stefan's voice brooked no argument. Neither did Stefan need to clarify who he was talking about. Kevin already knew.
"I will." With that, he walked out and headed back to the office. At the office, the captain waited for him. "My office. Now."
Kevin frowned. He waited until the captain shut his door and took his seat at the desk.
"What the hell is going on?"
Captain Gosling glared at him. "I received an anonymous phone tip today about someone in the office leaking information about a recent homicide."
Kevin whistled softly. A homicide could only mean Mandy. Speaking slowly, he said, "It's hard to believe anyone here would do that."
"I know," came the somber answer. "If one of our men had anything to do with this leak, I want him caught."
So did Kevin.
The captain watched for Kevin's reaction, then nodded. "Precisely, and that leads to the next problem. I don't know why the tip, how accurate, or whether it's just an attempt to discredit the office, but we need this checked out and fast, before Internal Affairs hears about it."
No argument there.
In the privacy of his office, and armed with Stefan's tip, Kevin made a list of all the rookie officers on staff, including the two who were no longer attached to their division. The experienced officers didn't come under the heading of young – as far as he was concerned – so he bypassed those.
That left eight names in all. The two that no longer worked in his office, he tentatively crossed out. One worked out of New York now, and the other had transferred home to Alaska. He'd focus on the other six. He'd known two of them for years. Both young men had grown up here. They both came from working families. Neither had excelled at school, but both had done a reasonable job. One was particularly athletic, and the other enjoyed sports at the community level. Overall, nothing about them raised warning flags.
There were four more. The first was a particularly enterprising young man who could go far with the right connections. Another, with a so-so average personality, could go either way. The other two he didn't feel he knew at all. One of them spent most of his free time working with Kevin's former partner. The fourth he knew only by sight.
Which one of these betrayed the force, and why? What would cause a young man starting out in his career to risk it all, and quite likely end up in jail? Had this person done this willingly? Kevin hated to think so. But otherwise, what pressure could be applied to make someone do something like this? Blackmail? Extortion of a police officer was not a new thing. But what could the leverage be?
Kevin pondered the scenarios before picking up the phone and calling the captain. Quickly he explained about Stefan's news, rapidly running through his points and the research to date.
"Any suggestions, Captain? Do you know anything about these guys that would suggest where to look?"
"Not really." The older man pondered the news thoughtfully. "But I hope you're right about leverage being used. It would be easier to accept. He could even be protecting a family member."
Kevin stared off toward the far wall, then said, "I think I'll bring them in and see what shows up."
"Do it fast. We're running out of time."
Only two of the young rookies were at the office. Kevin called them in, one at a time. With each, he asked for a rundown of the cases they were currently working on. As it was no secret that Kevin had a hand in suggesting promotions and shifting personnel within
departments, both men quickly complied.
Kevin listened attentively while he probed their energy fields, looking for anything that made them appear culpable. They both were innocents as far as he could tell. Their minds and energy were wide open. He didn't think they were capable of deceit at this level – but he'd been wrong before.
He thanked them both, and let them go with words of appreciation for the jobs they were doing.
His notebook was rapidly filling with rough information on the possible suspects, when a package arrived on his desk. Nancy, the long-time clerk from the front office, smiled down at him. "Directly to you. No stops and no other eyes. Those were your instructions, weren't they?" She grinned at him, watching as he ripped open the heavy padded envelope.
Finally.
"Thanks, Nancy." In mid-rip, he stopped and looked at her pointedly. She raised her eyebrows but obediently left the room, shutting the door with an exaggerated movement.
This was the information he'd requested on John's family. He couldn't believe the difficulty he'd had to get this material.
He opened it, pulled out the copied material he'd requested and started reading.
"What the hell?" he whispered.
Moments later, he put down the sheet of paper in shock.
Heaviness settled in his stomach as he tried to digest the details. There had been many different accusations of child abuse concerning their daughter and neighbors complained of screaming and fighting – all over the last four years they'd lived in Redding, California. There was even a statement from the little girl's physician.
Intuitively, Kevin knew John had paid to hush up any suspicions of foul play. Money might have saved John decades ago, but today, he held a position in public office. If this leaked out they'd crucify him. It wouldn't matter if John hadn't been the bastard who'd dished out the child beatings, the suspicions alone would finish him. No wonder he'd left town.
Was this what the blackmailer wanted John to confess? Or was it for something worse?
A paragraph caught his eye. According to the case file, the child had fallen from a tree in the front yard, suffered a broken neck and died several days later. Everyone in the family had been questioned, but the death had been declared accidental and the case closed. The little girl had been eight years old.