by David Archer
"No," Jake intervened, placing a hand on Jason's arm and holding him back. "The shape you’re in, you'd do more harm than good trying to drive right now. The ambulance will be here soon, and they’ll know what to do for her." He held Jason’s eyes a moment longer, then turned back to Angela.
He reached a hand down to Angela's face, slapping lightly, trying to get a response. If it was opioids that she was injected with, which Jake was sure it must be, it would have very similar effects to alcohol. Slurred words, sleepiness and being unresponsive were a never good signs. If he could get even the tiniest response from the light slapping, the worst would already be over. Even if it was just a groan or a twitch, any response would do.
"Angela, come one, give me something to work with here," Jake muttered, more to himself than to anyone in particular. It took another moment or two, but to everyone's amazement and extreme relief, Angela's eyes started to flutter open. "That's it," Jake encouraged. "Angela, open your eyes if you can." It took a moment longer, but her eyes finally opened. It took an enormous amount of energy and will power, and she could only keep them open for a second or two at a time, but at least she was responding.
"Paramedics are on their way," Tina said, stepping back into the room.
Jake looked up, nodded and thanked her. As he looked back down to Angela, he noticed her lips were moving. "Don't speak," Jake told her. "Save your energy, just keep your eyes open." But Angela didn't listen to him. Her lips kept moving, desperate to get some sort of message across. Jake leaned close to her, knowing she wouldn't be able to get her voice louder than a whisper. It took a lot of concentration, but Jake was finally able to make it out.
"Window," she whispered. "The window."
"The window?" Jake muttered in response. He noticed her eyes flicker weakly toward the window to her left. He raised his head and used his peripheral vision to look at the window, and almost jumped when he noticed a figure looking into the house. He didn't seem to notice Jake's gaze, however; the man standing there, partially hidden by a bush, was staring directly at Angela.
"Pete," Jake said softly, not wanting to alert the spying intruder. Pete looked at him and Jake whispered, "The window." His eyes flickered to the window and Pete arched an eyebrow, glancing sideways just as Jake had. He immediately noticed the figure staring in as well.
"Chance, Tina," Pete said softly, and then he used his eyes to draw attention to the window. All three looked cautiously, then they and Pete all moved toward the front door, making their way to form a perimeter around the house and corner the guy.
Jake watched from inside. He saw the four of them split up and make their way around the house. He wasn't sure what had tipped the figure at the window off, but suddenly, his head jerked up and his eyes met Jake’s. A second later, he turned and ran, the four agents quickly following him.
It was then that the ambulance came. The paramedics came in and took over from Jake, taking care of Angela as she lay motionless on the floor again. Her eyes would still occasionally open, but she was quickly losing her battle to stay awake. Lewis rode in the ambulance with Angela while Jason drove their car, trailing right behind the ambulance. Station Commander Motley took his own car, while Tina and Jake took Tina’s car and followed.
Tina was silent for most of the way there, her mind clearly preoccupied.
"You want to tell me what's up?" Jake asked.
"What?" she said, quickly snapping out of her daze.
"You haven't said a word. What's going on?"
"Oh, just something the woman on the phone said," Tina responded. "When I called 911 for an ambulance, she told me one was already on the way. Someone had called for an ambulance before we got there."
"A neighbor, maybe?" Jake suggested.
"No. She said the call came from the same number, the house phone."
"Our suspect."
"Yeah. I just can’t figure out why the suspect would call an ambulance for his victim."
"I'm not sure, but I have an idea," Jake said. "Lewis and Jason were right. Angela's his original target. She's the one all those other women are surrogates for."
"Exactly."
* * *
A half hour later, they were all gathered in the waiting room of the hospital. Lewis, Jason, and Station Commander Motley were impatiently awaiting news about Angela, some reassurance that she was okay.
Ironically, Doctor Peterson had been on duty when Angela was brought in. She was surprised to see Tina and Jake, but quickly got busy taking care of her patient, promising to let them know something as soon as she could.
Pete, Chance, and Roberts had finally come in, each looking extremely frustrated. The person standing outside the window had proven to be quite fast, and had gotten away.
"He had to have known the area well," Chance commented. “It was almost like he vanished, so he had to have been familiar with the available hiding places.”
"Which is weird, considering that desert road doesn't lie in his usual comfort zone," Jake said.
"There's quite a few weird things we noticed about this crime scene, actually," Tina commented. "And Jake and I think we know why."
"What do you mean?" Pete asked.
"Well, I mean, for starter, there's the location," Jake attempted again, earning another round of glares. "From everything we’ve learned about this guy, he normally wouldn't go after someone outside his comfort zone. It’s completely out of character for him."
"And he’s never actually attacked anyone before," Tina added. "There were no marks on the other victims when they were found. He was never violent with them, even when kidnapping them."
"And then there's the drugs," Jake continued. "He never drugged any of his victims until it was time to kill them. With Angela, he started right from the beginning. There's only one reason why he'd change his MO so quickly and all at once."
“But, wait a minute,” Chance said. “You’re forgetting about Gabriella. She was beaten, drugged, all of it.”
“Yes,” Jake said, “but Gabriella was abducted by a woman. The figure we saw outside the window was a man, or at least I think it was. It’s possible the two of them might be working together, but Gabriella didn’t really fit the profile of the other victims.”
Chance looked at him. “Are you saying Gabriella’s abduction is an unrelated case? That it’s somebody else altogether?”
“I'm saying we need to consider that possibility,” Jake said. “None of the other victims suffered the kind of beatings that Gabriella did, and none of them were dropped alive at the hospital. It’s an entirely different MO, Chance.”
“Then why is this guy suddenly changing things?” Tina asked. “If it’s not the same person who grabbed Gabriella.”
"He's feeling rushed," Jake said. "Between the police investigation and whatever else is going on in his life, he’s beginning to think he has to step up his game. That would lead him to go after the one he really wants, instead of his substitutes."
Chance looked at him. "And that’s why you think it’s Angela."
Jake and Carol nodded their heads, agreeing that they had both come to the same conclusion.
"Wait, hold on," Lewis cut in, having listened to the whole conversation. "Are you saying we were right? That Angela really is the one he’s been after all along?"
"It looks that way, yes," Pete answered. He then watched as Lewis started pacing the room even more anxiously, his anger clearly starting to boil over and get out of control. "Commander Motley, a word, please."
Commander Motley nodded and followed Pete out of the room.
"What can I do for you, Pete?" he asked.
"As much as I hate to say it, I think you should take Lewis and Jason off this case," Pete said as professionally as he could. "It's getting far too personal for them, and I think they'll end up causing problems. I'm sure both of them are excellent detectives, but even the best of us run into problems when a case becomes personal, and I know that from experience."
"Look, Pete,
" Commander Motley said, "I understand exactly what you're saying, and if it was any other detectives, I would agree with you. But when it comes to Lewis and Jason, I'm afraid there's not much I can do. Even if I do take them off the case, they're not going to stop going after this son of a bitch, and I know that from experience. They're not gonna stop just because they've been taken off a case, and believe me, that will cause more problems than it will fix."
"So you're going to keep them on."
"Yes, I am."
"I'm actually afraid that may end up causing some serious problems."
"Believe me, it will be far worse if I take them off."
Pete hesitated for a moment before finally sighing and nodding his head. He understood how both detectives felt, but he also knew firsthand what it could do to you when the case became personal. "I’ll let it go, then, but if they mess up, I'm afraid it’s going to be your problem to handle."
"Agreed."
They returned into the waiting area just in time to see Doctor Peterson come in.
“Well, she’s going to be all right,” the doctor said. “She was actually dosed with morphine, but not nearly enough to be dangerous. Whoever did it just wanted her unconscious and quiet for a while. We stitched up the gash in her head and there doesn’t seem to be any serious problem there, but I still want to keep her overnight for observation. If there are no problems through the night, she could go home tomorrow morning, bright and early.”
They all thanked the doctor for her report, and the sense of relief that went through the room was almost visible. Pete shrugged, still looking at Station Commander Motley. "When Angela is released tomorrow, take her to your office. We need to get a statement and you want to set up a protection detail for her."
"Will do."
They both nodded and said goodbye. Station Commander Motley joined Lewis and Jason and had a private word with them, which had them both glaring at Pete. Pete gathered up his team, and they all stood up and made their way to the exit. Once they got outside, Pete suggested they all call it a day and start fresh the following morning at the substation. There wasn't much they could do right then, anyway.
Chapter 16
When the Reddicks and Enrico arrived back to the house, they had scarcely put their things away before they were beset upon by Tommy and Andy and Grandma, who was carrying baby Robin.
Gabriella took the kids to the kitchen, where she was pleased to see that a meal of some kind of was underway on the stove—she was quite in the mood for a home-cooked meal. The moment she got comfortable in her chair, Robin snuggled up against her, pleased to hear her heartbeat. Andy pulled a chair up beside her and leaned his head on her shoulder.
Enrico scored points with Grandma by offering to help with dinner, while Tommy found a stool for Gabriella to prop her feet up on before he pulled up a chair for himself and sat, looking at her with a grin on his face.
Gabriella smiled at him. "Okay, you’ve got a look on your face like you’re up to something. What’s going on?"
Tommy giggled and tugged at the collar of the shirt he was wearing. "I finished my homework already!"
Gabriella raised an eyebrow. "All of it? Really?"
"Yeah, and it took forever, especially with handwriting!"
“That’s great,” she said. “I'm proud of you.”
"Yeah, well, Chance says that when you and him are both home on Fridays, it's movie night!"
"I see." Gabriella winked. “That sounds like fun. Why don’t you get all your things put away before dinner?”
Tommy gathered up his backpack, binders, pencils, and books to take up to his room, and even put his chair back. On his way out of the room, he almost bumped into Chance, who was just coming in from a quick trip to the bathroom.
Chance sat down at the table with his wife. "You and Tommy have a chat?" he asked.
"Uh-huh. He told me about movie night."
"You okay with that, maybe? After dinner?"
"I sure am. It sounds like fun, and maybe relaxing with all of you will feel familiar. I'm sure this will be the first time we had movie night, right?”
She glanced at Andy and Robin, and then felt her heart melt. Both were still snuggled up to her, but Andy had captured the baby’s attention and was playing peek-a-boo with her. Robin was even beginning to giggle.
Gabriella looked up at Chance. "Have they always loved each other like this?"
"Oh, yes. Tommy and Andy were excited about having a little sister, they’ve been giving her hugs and kisses ever since the day she was born." Chance smiled. "Tommy treats Andy the same way."
"Wow."
Chance stroked her hair gently. "Do you want to keep holding them while I check on dinner?"
Gabriella nodded and settled in to spend time with her children. She felt that she must have missed a lot, or at least forgotten it, and wanted to make up for the time she had lost in whatever fashion.
When dinner was over, they all moved into the living room. Gabriella took a seat on the sofa and patted the seat beside her, nodding for Chance to sit there. He smiled as he sat down beside his wife, and stressed an arm out across the back of the couch behind her. Enrico sat down in the armchair that was close to the couch, while Grandma took her favorite recliner.
“I'm pretty sure it’s your turn to pick the movie,” Chance said, handing her the remote. She looked at it as if she had never seen such a thing before, then handed it back.
“I'm going to need help,” she said. “I don’t know how to use that thing.”
Chance grinned, then used the remote to call up Netflix. “Sing out when you see something you like,” he said, and then started scrolling through the newest releases. After a couple of minutes, Gabriella spotted a Christmas movie that sounded good, and Chance hit the play button.
As the movie started, Tommy sat down on the floor and wrapped himself in a blanket, while Andy sat on the other side of his mother, on the couch. Robin was curled up on Gabriella's chest, sleeping happily in her mother’s arms.
When the movie was over, Gabriella and Chance sent Tommy and Andy off to bed, and then Chance was surprised and delighted when Gabriella followed him up the stairs. She put Robin into her crib in the nursery, and then walked into the bedroom that she didn’t remember sharing with her husband and looked around.
Chance sat down on the bed and just watched her. She looked at the bed for a brief moment, then walked over to the dresser that was obviously her own. It had photos and personal items on top of it, and she ran her hand over a few of them. She looked at his chest of drawers, then peeked into the closet at the many dresses hanging there.
“We have a beautiful home, and many nice things. Some of those dresses look awfully expensive.” She turned to face him. “You must be a very good provider.”
Chance gave her a sheepish grin. “I make some money,” he said, “but you and I were given a large sum of it when we got married. Long story, there, and I’d like to save that for another time. Let’s just say that we are not likely to go without anything we really want or need.”
She bit her bottom lip as she looked at him for a moment, then walked over and sat down beside him on the bed. She reached out and took one of his hands in both of hers and held it.
“The doctor says my memory should come back eventually,” she said slowly. “But what if it doesn’t? What do we do then, Chance?”
“Pete told me to just keep being myself,” Chance said. “He said if I do that, we’re bound to fall in love with each other again.”
“But you already love me,” she said. “It just doesn’t seem fair that I can’t feel anything.”
“Hey,” Chance replied. “You just went through a pretty traumatic experience. Give it time, babe, don’t get down because it isn’t happening all at once.”
Gabriella smiled at him, still holding her husband's hand. Very gently, almost seductively, she lifted it and kissed his fingers.
“You know, on the inside, I still feel a lot like—like a
little girl. At the same time, I'm feeling a lot of things that are definitely not little girlish feelings. If—if we’re actually married, is there any reason we can’t…”
She stopped talking suddenly, then turned quickly and put her arms around him. Before he knew what was happening, she kissed Chance on the lips, and the passion began to rise in both of them. He instinctively put his arms around her and pulled her close, and she didn’t resist.
A moment later, Chance pushed her gently back. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“I don’t have any idea at all what I’m doing,” Gabriella said. “All I’m doing is following what I feel, and I feel like I want to kiss you, be close to you.”
Suddenly, before he even realized she was moving, she jumped to her feet and pushed him back on the bed, then climbed up and straddled him. She leaned down and kissed him again, and then sat up and began unbuttoning her shirt.
Chance caught her hands. “Gabriella,” he said, “I don’t think this is a good idea right now.”
She stared at him, her eyes registering surprise. “But—I thought this was something you would want.”
“I most certainly do,” he said quickly. “The thing is, I want you to know that I don’t expect you to do anything you don’t want to do. I know you don’t remember us making love, or sharing this bed, and I don’t want you to feel like it’s something you have to do.”
“But I don’t,” she said. “Maybe it’s just some subconscious memory, but I know that I want to—you know, do that.”
Chance grinned. While he knew his wife as a grown woman, she was definitely acting in some ways like the ten-year-old girl she thought she had been just a day or two earlier. He wondered if she even had any idea what it was she was offering him.
“That’s fine, but…” Chance said, and then he kissed her again. “Gabriella, I love making love to you, but I really want you to know what’s going on before we take that step. As you pointed out, you’re a lot like a little girl on the inside. I don’t ever want you to think I took advantage of you.”
Gabriella lifted her left hand and looked at it. Her wedding rings were still there, and she stared at them for just a moment.