The Right Woman

by Linda Warren

  “Are you refusing my resignation?”

  “You got it.”

  “Well, sir, that’s going to be difficult when Russ is…”

  Bill waved a hand. “I’m aware of what happened the other night and I’ve spoken with Lieutenant Bauer from homicide and we’re in agreement. It’s kind of hard not to step on Russ’s ego, so apologize, forget it and get on with this case. Understand?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Daniel moved toward the door.

  “Daniel?”

  He looked back.

  Bill had the resignation in his hand. “Take this and I don’t want to see it again. At least not until I retire.”

  Daniel took the letter.

  “You know, Daniel, it’s been my experience that when a man your age is experiencing discontentment, it has something to do with a woman. So get her out of your system before I really lose my temper.”

  Daniel saluted with the letter and Bill nodded.

  He sank down at his desk and took out the airline tickets that had been faxed to him. What am I thinking? Spend time with his parents? His mother would start her matchmaking schemes and his father would constantly bombard him with reasons he needed to be at Garrett Enterprises. That sounded like his own private hell. The thought of Yvette wasn’t even appealing anymore. That sexy voice had a whine to it—like a cat clawing at a screen door. Now he was glad he hadn’t mentioned anything to Drew. He didn’t want to disappoint him.

  Leaving in the middle of a case. What was he thinking? Once he’d gotten to France, he’d have been back here in a flash. No way was he going to leave a rapist on the street—not as long as he could help.

  Thanks, Bill. Thanks for the wake-up call.

  And he was right. Sarah Welch was in his system like a virus and he wasn’t sure how to alleviate the problem. A round of antibodies wouldn’t help. He had to do this cold-turkey.

  He’d told Sarah he’d stay away from her. Maybe that wasn’t going to be possible—yet. But he’d keep their contact to a minimum. He wouldn’t ask how she was. He wouldn’t care how she was. He would do his job and keep Sarah at a distance.

  That’s the way she wanted it. That’s the way he needed their relationship to be.

  He was lying to himself.

  TOM HUDSON, a narcotics cop on Daniel’s squad, walked in.

  “Anything?” Daniel asked.

  “Not a damn thing.” Tom removed his jacket. “Jack and I tried to locate Freddie Frye, but he’s hiding somewhere. He’s got to come out sometime and we’ll get him.”

  “Keep looking,” Daniel said. “He supplies a lot of college parties and we need to talk to him. Where’s Jack?”

  “Talking to his wife. Marital problems again.”

  Daniel sighed as Jack Meades walked in. Before Daniel could speak, he said, “I know, Daniel, keep my personal life at home.”

  Daniel raised an eyebrow. “That would be nice. Now get back out there and find Freddie.”

  Jack frowned. “We’ve been searching for four damn hours. I need a break.”

  Daniel nodded. “Take a break, but remember that Brooke Wallace would like a break, too.”

  Jack said a foul word and swung away.

  Tom grabbed his jacket. “I’ll talk to him. He’s just having a hard time at home. Some days this job stinks.”

  “Find Freddie,” Daniel shouted after him.

  Russ flopped into a chair across from Daniel’s desk. “Cracking the whip?”

  “Trying to keep everyone focused.”

  Russ clasped his hands behind his head. “Looks like you’re still on the case.”

  “Yes. I was told.”

  “Lieutenant Bauer informed me, too, so don’t give me orders and don’t interfere in my investigation.”

  Daniel bit back a retort. “That goes both ways.”

  Russ nodded.

  “I’m willing to work together to catch this bastard,” Daniel added.

  “Me, too,” Russ replied, and got down to business. “I went to see Miss Wallace yesterday and I believe you’re right. She doesn’t know the rapist. I gave her a list of the men who were at the party and I watched her face closely. There wasn’t a flicker of recognition or revulsion as she read the names.”

  Russ threw out the olive branch by admitting that Daniel was right and Daniel realized it took a lot for him to do that. Now they could focus on the case.

  Daniel pulled his chair forward. “There’s something I’m missing with this heroin needle left in the arm. It reeks of Rudy Boyd so I’m going back to do more checking on the pimps and dealers associated with him. And hopefully Jack and Tom can locate Freddie. If he didn’t supply that party, he knows who did.”

  Russ propped his feet on Daniel’s desk. “Speaking of Boyd, Sarah Welch was at the hospital while we spoke to Miss Wallace. It took a moment for me to recognize her.”

  “Why?”

  “Ever since I’ve known her she’s worn these business suits with blouses buttoned to the neck and her hair pulled back so tight it gave her a pained look. Yesterday her hair was hanging loose around her shoulders and she had on a sweater that was low-cut. Hell, she has breasts—nice breasts. She’s actually beautiful. Never thought that before. I’ve been divorced a year now and I just might ask her out.”

  Daniel’s pulse hummed louder and louder with each word out of Russ’s mouth. He’d been upset with Russ a lot of times over the years because of his attitude, and now was no exception. He wanted to reach across the desk and hit him hard for daring to talk about Sarah in that tone of voice. Realizing he’d reached the point where he was no longer objective about Sarah, he swallowed back emotions he wasn’t ready to acknowledge and tried to act as blasé as Russ.

  “You want to date Colder Than Ice?”

  “Yeah. I’d like to warm her up.”

  I’d like to drive my fist into your face.

  With that thought, blasé went right out the window.

  Daniel stood. “Sarah’s been through a great deal, so if you are even slightly familiar with the word tact, I’d suggest you use it when dealing with her.”

  “Hey.” Russ removed his feet from the desk. “Am I stepping on toes here? I notice you’re always talking to her.”

  “No. She’s hates my guts.” Daniel felt a stab in his stomach. It was the truth. “But I got to know her pretty well during Boyd’s trial and she’s very vulnerable. Now, I’ve got work to do and so do you. I’ll call you later.”

  Daniel walked away thinking Russ could date whomever he wanted—even Sarah.

  He was lying to himself—again.

  SARAH LEFT WORK a little after five and was ready for a relaxing hot bath. She wanted quiet, absolute quiet. She planned to soak for about an hour and to use the scented, soothing bath oil Serena had given her for Christmas. Gran was at one of her bridge games and wouldn’t be home until later, so she’d have the house to herself.

  She picked up her cell phone and called Celia. She hadn’t talked to her in a couple of days. Even though Sarah had a hard time understanding how Celia could have lied to her for so many years, she still cared about her. It had been the two of them for so long and Celia had taken care of her the best she could.

  Celia had truly loved John Welch. That’s the only explanation for her agreeing to raise his child from an affair with another woman, Jasmine, Sarah and Serena’s mother. Sarah didn’t remember Celia ever dating. Celia worked as a waitress and she flirted with the men, but none ever came to the house or stayed over. If she saw anyone, she did it discreetly. As an adult, Sarah realized how lucky she was to have had someone to raise her with those kinds of morals.

  “Hi, Celia, it’s me.” In the background Sarah could hear parakeets chirping. Growing up, that was the first sound she heard in the mornings and the last she heard at night. Celia loved parakeets and had raised and sold them for as long as Sarah could remember, spending many weekends traveling to shows or fairs selling the birds. She smiled as she thought of Aurora’s ob
session with bridge and Celia’s with parakeets.

  “Hey, honey, it’s good to hear from you. I just got back from a fair and I did really well.”

  “That’s great. You doing okay?”

  “You know me, honey. I just keep going. When are you coming over?”

  This was a big problem—dividing her off time between Aurora and Celia. “Tonight I’m exhausted, but Gran has another bridge game on Wednesday. I’ll come over then.”

  “Why does Aurora have to be out for you to come here?” Sarah could hear the resentment.

  Before Sarah could respond, Celia added, “That sounded bitchy. Aurora is your grandmother and I’m just someone who raised you. But I did what John and Jasmine wanted me to do—take care of their children. I wasn’t financially able to take both of you and I was glad when Henry offered to take Serena. At the time I did what I thought was best.”

  “I know, Celia.” Sarah would never fully understand what happened back then and she had a lot of feelings about her parents, grandparents and Celia to work through. “How about if I come over tomorrow after work and you can fix your spaghetti and meat-balls?”

  “Oh, honey, I would love that.”

  “Good. I’ll see you then.”

  Sometimes, Sarah felt like a wishbone, with Aurora pulling from one side and Celia from the other. She had to get her life in order before she completely snapped.

  Walking through the back door, she wondered what it was about this house that made her feel she needed to be here. She should have been raised here with Serena, she told herself so many times. But it was more than that—it had to do with her mother. Jasmine had grown up here and Sarah wanted to feel some connection to the woman who had given her life. So far she hadn’t found anything in common with the rebellious Jasmine who’d run away to live with a man old enough to be her father.

  In that instant she realized that her getting involved with a cop on an undercover mission was just as impetuous and dangerous. Though the thought was frightening, she was uplifted by it. A lot of things became clear in that moment. She was searching for her roots, roots that gave her security, an identity of who she really was.

  No. She knew who she was, but the day she found out she had a twin and a grandmother had changed all that. Now she was striving to be accepted. By whom? She didn’t honestly have an answer—it was just the way she felt.

  She groaned and went into her study, removing her jacket and kicking off her shoes. When she’d paid off the note on the house with Greg’s insurance money, she’d done it because she’d wanted Gran to be able to stay in her home. But was there more to it? Had she done it so Gran would love her, maybe as much as Serena? There it was, out in the open. Now she had to face it, deal with it and move on.

  She sat on the sofa. Was she struggling to make ends meet, to keep this house up so Gran would love her? Yes, that was it—she couldn’t lie. She desperately needed her grandmother’s love.

  Sarah was sure Serena loved her, knew what that kind of sisterly love was like. It reached empty, hollow places in her, but she was never sure about Gran. Sometimes she felt like a substitute Serena.

  Again, she thought, she might be like her mother. Jasmine never felt loved by Aurora. Why was she thinking these things? Why was she making herself miserable? Sarah and Gran had a good relationship.

  She got to her feet and picked up the mail from her desk, where Gran had left it. She wasn’t analyzing herself anymore tonight. Now she was going to look at the positive side, the good feeling of having a family.

  “Bills, bills, bills,” she mumbled, going through the mail. “What’s this?” She placed the bills on the desk and looked at the business-size envelope with her name scrawled across the front. She reached for the letter opener and sliced through the top and pulled out a letter. Her heart jackknifed into her throat as she stared at the frightening words.

  Counsel the little girl real good, Sarah baby. ’Cause you’re next.

  CHAPTER SIX

  SARAH COULDN’T BREATHE. She couldn’t move. All she could do was stare at the horrifying message, suspended somewhere between hell and the memory of Rudy Boyd. Her hand trembled and the letter fluttered to the floor.

  That’s what he’d called her—Sarah baby—and she knew the letter was tied to him in some way. From the deepest recesses of her mind, a place she kept locked, his voice surfaced. Sarah baby, take your clothes off. Sarah baby, show me all the moves you’ll make tonight. Sarah baby, I’ll never let you go. Sarah baby. Sarah baby.

  Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! All the terror, the revulsion of that time engulfed her and her body began to tremble violently. Then just as swiftly, her newfound strength kicked in and she methodically began to gain control. No. No. No. Rudy Boyd was not getting to her again.

  She grabbed the phone. She wasn’t even aware of what number she’d dialed until she heard a voice say, “Dallas police station—narcotics.”

  Narcotics. She’d called narcotics in Dallas and she knew why.

  “Dan—Daniel Garrett, please.”

  “I’m sorry. He’s out. Can I take a message?”

  “Yes. Yes. Tell him to come to Sarah Welch’s house immediately. It’s urgent.”

  “Can I help?”

  “No. Please send Daniel.” She hung up the phone and stared at the paper on the floor. Where did it come from? Who would do this to her? Rudy Boyd was in prison, but could he have mailed the letter? Daniel would find out. Daniel would take care of this.

  “Stay calm. Stay calm,” she kept repeating to herself.

  DANIEL’S CELL PHONE buzzed and he picked it up.

  “Sarah Welch is looking for you. She called the station a few minuets ago. Said to come to her house. It’s urgent.”

  “Did she say what it was about?”

  “No. I asked if I could help her, but she said no. She wanted you.”

  “Thanks, Kevin.”

  Daniel clicked off wondering what the hell that was about. They’d agreed to stay away from each other and now she was calling his work asking to see him—at her house. That didn’t make sense. Something had to be wrong. He roared onto the freeway and headed for Fort Worth.

  He’d been to her home many times before during the trial and the appeal, so he found it without a problem. He rang the doorbell and waited. When she opened the door, he noticed the transformation Russ had mentioned, but he zeroed in on the fear in her eyes. It was almost like the first time he’d seen her—the day he and Ethan had rescued her from Boyd.

  He stepped inside. “What’s wrong?”

  She turned and walked through the living room into a study. He followed. She pointed to a paper lying on the floor. He knelt to see what it was and he now understood her fear.

  “Where did this come from?”

  “It was in…in my mail. Here’s the…”

  “Don’t touch anything.” He stopped her, got to his feet and pulled out his cell phone.

  Sarah heard him talking to someone at the police station and knew officers would be all over the place in a matter of minutes. Her legs felt wobbly so she walked into the living room and sat on the sofa. She’d been feeling so good and now she could feel herself freezing up, the coldness returning.

  No. No. No. She wouldn’t allow herself to sink back into that deep freeze of emotion. She could handle this. Daniel was here. She could get through this.

  Daniel came in and sat beside her. “Are you okay?”

  No. I’m not. But she couldn’t get the words out.

  “Stupid question, huh?”

  She stared into the dark warmth of his eyes and saw the concern she used to loathe. But today she welcomed it, needed it. She’d been so unfair to him.

  “I’m sorry, Daniel. I said some hateful things to you and I—”

  “You don’t have to explain anything,” he interrupted her.

  She didn’t. That’s the type of man he was—forgiving, loyal and incredibly kind.

  “The letter was in with your other mail?” he
asked.

  “Yes. I guess Gran got it out of the box this morning.” She looked down at her hands. “That name is what he used to call me. I know he’s in prison, but I can’t shake the feeling that Rudy Boyd is behind this. Is he allowed to mail letters?” She tried to calm the nausea in her stomach.

  He took a deep breath. “It doesn’t have a postmark.”

  Her eyes flew to his. “What? You mean someone hand delivered it?”

  “Looks that way.”

  The nausea became a rolling tide and she jumped up and ran into the bathroom in her study.

  Daniel ran after her, but he stopped at the door feeling a little sick himself. He looked down at the letter on the floor and the sickness turned to anger. He’d get the bastard if it was the last thing he did on this earth.

  The doorbell rang and Daniel went to let the officers in. Russ burst through the door like a cannonball.

  “Where’s Ms. Welch?”

  “She’s in the bathroom and she’s not feeling well, so go slow and go easy.”

  “Okay, Daniel. You’re starting to get in my face again.”

  “I’m gonna do a lot more than get in your face if you do anything to upset her.”

  The two men measured each other then Russ said, “Okay. This is a big break and we have to make the most of it. Where’s the letter? The forensic team is here to dust for prints.”

  Daniel and Russ went into the study and Russ read the letter and glanced at the envelope. “Warning his next victim. The other rapes and murders were in Dallas. This is Fort Worth. This doesn’t add up.” He glanced at Daniel. “What do you think?”

  “I think something stinks and Rudy Boyd is connected to the smell. ‘Sarah baby’ is what Boyd used to call her.”

  The technicians entered the room and Russ gave them explicit orders on what he wanted done. Daniel motioned for Russ to come into the living room.

  “He knows where she lives,” Daniel said. “We have to put her in protective custody.”

  Russ scratched his head. “I’m not exactly sure who he is—the rapist or one of Boyd’s soldiers.”

  “That’s crossed my mind,” Daniel admitted. “Boyd had a group of young men who would do anything for him. Remember how many of them were in the courtroom when he was sentenced to die? I’ll get the name of every one of those hoods who were there that day. But if it’s the rapist, then that means he’s watching Miss Wallace’s room. Get a guard on her immediately. Maybe the rapist thinks she can identify him—who knows? Either way we have to guard both women until we find this bastard.”