The Reclusive Widow (The Widow Taker Book 3)

by Kennedy Layne

  “Yes, her name was Rhonda Benson.” Dean motioned toward Lily’s hospital room, not bothering to add any more details. “I’ll leave you and Ms. Hudson to sort out the details of the coming days but know that a deputy sheriff will be posted on her door until she is discharged. State Police Protective Services and the sheriff’s office will work jointly together from that point on.”

  “Understood.”

  Ridge shook Dean’s hand before the agent went to deal with his missing person of interest. Had the bartender and her colleague figured out the identity of the serial killer? Had he killed the co-worker and disposed of the body in the alleyway before he’d set out to take Lily’s life?

  These types of targets weren’t who Ridge was used to eliminating, but he would quickly adapt to his surroundings and circumstances. He wouldn’t view this situation any differently than any other tactical exercise. Personal sentiments only clouded the issue. He couldn’t afford to become personally invested, especially if he was going to ensure Lily’s safety. He had to maintain a professional distance to remain detached. Pulling a trigger wasn’t personal to hm, and it would be business as usual.

  Ridge would never interfere with a federal investigation, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t pull a few strings to see what the lay of the land was…just in case he needed to go do the hunting himself.

  Chapter Eight

  “…can’t believe that they would bring her here. She’s just as responsible for that patient dying on the table as her husband.”

  Lily paused in her task of getting ready to leave the hospital upon hearing and recognizing one of the two voices right outside her hospital room. Three days had passed since she’d been attacked and stabbed in her own home. She’d been foolish not to leave the hospital the morning after, but she chalked up her imprudent decision to what she equated as a pathetic pain threshold.

  So much for her pledge to never show weakness again.

  “Can I help the two of you?”

  Lily couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief after the deputy posted outside of her door made quick work of the two unprofessional nurses. His name was Deputy Jonah Chen, and she’d take him for her primary security any day over a state police protective detail. He was down to earth, had a sense of humor, and had even snuck her in a bear claw from the local bakery.

  There were two other deputies and a state policeman who had been switching shifts these past few days, but Deputy Chen was by far her favorite. She vaguely recalled him in school when she was younger, but she’d been quite a few grades ahead of him.

  “…let us know when he’s awake.”

  Lily was grateful that Ridge had picked up some clothes for her to change into this morning, including a pair of Ugg boots that she had sitting in her front closet. They were easy to slip on and off without her having to bend over at the waist. She did so now while straining to hear bits and pieces of a conversation that was coming closer to her room.

  Agent Malone and Agent Roche were in deep discussion regarding the man who’d been missing since the night of her attack and the murder of a woman named Rhonda Benson. Apparently, he’d stumbled into the emergency room last night with for multiple stab wounds. The last that she’d heard from Ridge was that the surgical team wasn’t sure the man was going to make it.

  “Paul Harrison and Rhonda Benson were close, so it stands to reason the two of them figured out the identity of the unsub and talked about it with each other. We need him alive to make a positive identification and tell us what he knows.”

  Lily prayed that the man survived, and she understood the exact pain that he would suffer once he regained consciousness. Granted, his injuries had sounded a lot worse than hers. Unfortunately, she had some idea of what he was going through. No one should be attacked in such a horrific manner and left to die. It wasn’t just the physical aspect of such an assault that was left behind to wreak havoc with one’s nightmares.

  Psychological damage persisted much longer than the pain.

  “I’ll see to it that Ms. Hudson is settled in at Ridge’s place,” Agent Malone said, having come to a stop right outside of her room. “I’d rather one of us remain here and be on hand if Harrison regains consciousness.”

  “I heard that Townes Calvert has shown up. Is he going to be a problem for us?”

  “When isn’t Calvert a problem when he decides to get involved in one of our investigations? The man has the ear of the current administration and the higher echelons of the Bureau. I’m just grateful that those occasions are few and far between.”

  Lily finished putting on her boots while listening in on their conversation. She hadn’t learned anything new, and now she was out of breath from all of her exertion.

  She’d yet to meet Townes Calvert, but Ridge had mentioned that he was the best of the best when it came to security issues. Not that Ridge spoke all that much. He really only conversed when she would ask him direct questions regarding the case. He wasn’t officially part of the investigation, so his input had been limited.

  Lily had taken advantage of his presence, though. She’d slept most of the two days and allowed her body to heal as much as possible, though it would be weeks or months before she fully recovered from her injuries.

  Lily needed to be ready for anything, especially considering that Agent Malone and Agent Roche both believed that she was still a target. This exhaustion that overwhelmed her after the simplest of tasks just wasn’t acceptable. She’d have to push herself.

  “…have the car pulled around to the side entrance,” Ridge said, having joined the conversation. He’d been nothing but kind to her, but she still wasn’t sure why he would help her after hearing the facts of her past ordeal. Granted, he hadn’t asked her a single question about her dead husband, but he had to be curious. “The nurse is securing a wheelchair, so we’ll be ready to go shortly. Is there any update on Paul Harrison?”

  Lily continued to listen in on the discussion, not learning anything that she hadn’t already known from the previous conversation. She considered briefly taking a seat in the padded chair that Ridge had lived in for the past few days, but she was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to get up when her so-called chariot arrived.

  Everything inside of her was screaming that she should return home, pack a bag, and leave town. Her name was once again in the limelight, and past history was about to be washed up on shore like the shells at the bottom of the ocean during high tide. The only salvation in this situation was that she’d basically be under lock and key away from prying eyes.

  Lily had already decided that she was finally leaving Winter Heights behind the second The Widow Taker was apprehended. She’d tried her best to salvage what little she could from her life before, but it was clear that she’d made the wrong choice to stay.

  “Do you like lasagna?”

  The question came out of thin air, though Lily had known the moment that her door had been pushed open. It hadn’t been fully closed after Ridge had gone to pull his vehicle around. She wasn’t sure what the root cause of it was, but the sound of his voice always made her feel as if he could keep the world at bay. It most likely had to do with the fact that he’d been the one to save her life, but it was still disconcerting to say the least.

  “Lasagna?” Lily’s stomach heaved a bit at the thought of food, but she still managed to give a small smile of appreciation. “Anything you have to offer is better than the bland hospital food this place serves up.”

  Lily quietly zipped up the small duffel bag that Ridge had used to bring her clothes. It wasn’t hers, so she would make sure to give it back to him when they reached his house. She’d give it another day or two before walking over to her place. With the amount of security on his property and the personal detail that Agent Malone would have in place, she wasn’t concerned for her physical safety right now. It was definitely a relief, and one she truly appreciated until she was well enough to move wherever it was that she decided to rebuild.

  “You w
eren’t responsible for your husband’s actions. Only an idiot would be callous enough to imply otherwise.”

  Lily found herself staring at the duffel bag, wishing she could crawl inside of it and hide away from this conversation. It had been bound to happen. She would have been a fool to think otherwise, but she truly thought he would have waited until they were away from the very place that her husband had taken the life of a young woman. Ridge hadn’t mentioned a word of it the entire time that he’d sat at her bedside.

  Why now?

  “The majority of the staff in this hospital disagree.” Lily figured she might as well get her side of the story out of the way, so she straightened as much as she could without her stitches pulling. “Parker was a cardiovascular surgeon, an alcoholic, a gambler, and a bad choice for a husband…not necessarily in that order. The gambling came a far second to his talent as a surgeon, but the addiction was to forget that he’d basically lost our life’s savings.”

  Lily didn’t want to sit down for fear it would take her too long to change seats after Meghan came in with the wheelchair. Truthfully, she’d rather walk to the car, but it was hospital policy. She didn’t want to make more of spectacle than her presence had already created.

  “I was well aware that Parker had a drinking problem, although I’d never seen him drink on the days that he was on call.” Lily shrugged, knowing that belief of such a thing didn’t absolve her of guilt. She felt she was partly responsible for that young woman’s death. “I should have come forward long before that day. I guess you could say my current situation is bad karma catching up with me.”

  Lily had taken it upon herself to push the rolling table back into place to give herself something to do in order not to have to look at Ridge. He was the only one who could walk silently on the tiled floor without squeaking, and he’d done so once again. She came up short when she turned around, her hand automatically covering the stitches in her right side.

  “Did you know that your husband was drinking that day?” Ridge asked directly, standing close enough that she had to tilt her head back to meet his intense gaze.

  “No.”

  “Then you did nothing wrong. He made his own choices.”

  “It’s not that—”

  “It is that simple,” Ridge countered, resting his hand on the duffel bag that only held a couple of the toiletries that he’d brought her. She could have easily carried it and set the bag in her lap while being wheeled to the exit. “Everyone has problems in their personal lives. To assume anyone is without sin is folly. There are no exceptions. No one knows what is behind the façade that people put up in public. People hide their addictions for many reasons. Had you known that your husband was drinking the day that he went into surgery, I have no doubt that you would have done something to stop him. Besides, there were others around him that day—hospital staff who stood next to him who should have easily been able to smell the alcohol reeking off the man’s body. I didn’t hear about them coming forward to claim their share of the blame, either. Culpability gets rather tricky when it comes to making the rounds.”

  Lily didn’t get a chance to respond to his observation. The door opened, revealing Meghan and the wheelchair that would inevitably take her out of this place. Lily had no intention of returning, either. Ridge had spoken more in the past minute than he had all morning. When he did decide to engage, he certainly didn’t do it half-assed. The man was decisive when it counted.

  She settled into the wheelchair, grabbing the winter jacket that Ridge had also snagged from her house. She rested it across her lap as she was pushed forward to a deputy who was waiting to escort them downstairs to the lobby. Deputy Chen gave her a wink that had her somewhat relaxing as they all began to head toward the elevator banks. He wouldn’t be in such a good mood if her transportation to Ridge’s home wasn’t going as they’d planned.

  “Good afternoon, Ms. Hudson.” Agent Malone was waiting for them with the elevator door already open. “A state police protective detail is waiting for you downstairs, where they’ll follow closely behind until you reach your destination. Detective Murphy will give you his cell phone number, although he’ll be parked in the driveway should there be an emergency need to contact him. The detail has a small trailer parked in Killian’s driveway which will serve as their command post. You’ll be alerted every time there is a shift change. Should you need anything, all you have to do is request it from the watch officer in charge of your protective detail. We’ll do our best to accommodate you. You shouldn’t have to provide anything to them other than your cooperation.”

  “Isn’t it too cold for someone to remain outside twenty-four-seven?” Lily asked, unable to get behind putting someone in that position. There had to be a compromise. “I’m sure that we can—”

  “Ms. Hudson, this isn’t up for debate. I assure you that they have everything they need.” Agent Malone was the last one to step inside the elevator, allowing the doors to silently close them all inside the small area. Deputy Chen was on one side while Agent Malone was on the other, leaving Meghan and Ridge to stand behind them. “I’m also asking that you make no pitstops en route. Ridge has a full tank of gas, so there is no reason not to drive directly to his residence. Is there anything you’d like to ask me or need before you leave the hospital?”

  Lily bit her lip to keep herself from sarcastically asking for her life back, but she refrained. Agent Malone wasn’t responsible for her current predicament, but he was the one who could put an end to the terror that had maintained its grasp on her life for the last several days.

  “No, thank you,” Lily replied quietly, wishing the ride down in the elevator would go a bit faster.

  “We’ve made sure to provide a decoy transportation convoy out front so that the media believes that is how you are leaving the hospital,” Deputy Chen said, most likely to fill up the uncomfortable silence. Meghan hadn’t said a word, and Ridge had fallen into his normal routine of listening rather than joining in on the conversation. “We’ll do our best to get you outside and into the vehicle as quickly as possible and without any fanfare.”

  Thankfully, the elevator doors finally opened to reveal a somewhat empty lobby. Agent Malone stepped out first, followed by Deputy Chen. They then nodded toward Meghan, who began to push the wheelchair out of the elevator. Within minutes, they were at the glass doors.

  Ridge had come around quietly and taken her jacket from her hands, holding it up so that all she had to do was slip her arms inside the warm material. Everyone seemed on edge as she fastened the buttons and pulled the hood up. The hairs on the back of her neck stood as they all seemed to have their head on a swivel. Meghan was the only one who appeared to breathe a sigh of relief as she finished her part. She simply guided the wheelchair back to the elevator and departed the area.

  Lily wasn’t sure what had prompted a memory to return from the night that she was attacked, but the image of her attacker appeared in front of her out of the blue. The light glistened off the blade of the knife that he held in his right hand.

  “What is it?” Ridge asked, surprising her when he stepped in front of her vision. She trained her eyes on his, realizing that he’d been monitoring her this entire time. “What’s wrong?”

  “The knife that my attacker held in his right hand wasn’t from a regular kitchen set,” Lily replied softly, suddenly feeling an urgency that was overwhelming. “Ridge, I’ve seen one like it before. The knife was some part of a professional cutlery set, like those used in restaurants or…the local pub.”

  Chapter Nine

  Ridge slowly steeped his tea as he walked back into the living room. The warmth of the fire radiating outward from the hearth was a welcome respite from the coolness of the kitchen. Lily occupied the second recliner that Ridge had purchased with his living room set, and her hand rested gently over the bandaged stitches as she focused on the flickering flames in front of her.

  She’d propped up her feet some with the attached ottoman of the recliner. Th
e furniture had actually been a treat to himself for Christmas. He’d specifically chosen the selection that had built-in USB charging connections for each chair.

  He had first been attracted to the furniture for its wide seats, which accommodated his large frame much more comfortably than the regular-sized selections the store had offered. At the time, he’d thought that maybe it had been overkill. Seeing that his new houseguest was unable to use her abdominal muscles to operate a manual recliner without experiencing a great deal of pain, he was happy with his purchase.

  Lily had stiffened her upper body stance in a manner that to some might seem uncomfortable, but he had no doubt that it kept pressure off the wound and eased her discomfort.

  He’d already made her a cup of Black Rifle coffee, his favorite brand of java when he did take time to enjoy some. She’d placed her cup on the small table that he’d set up in between the two recliners. It was almost as if she was anticipating a knock on the door from someone who was arriving to deliver some horrifying news. This entire wait and see scenario couldn’t be easy on her, but he had an idea that might distract her for an hour or two.

  “Is there a way for your friend to get ahold of the case file?”

  Lily’s question came out of left field, and his idea of cards or a board game seemed quite dull in comparison to her desire to dive into something much more complicated yet intriguing. He had considered requesting any files that Calvert could get his hands on, but Ridge had decided against it. Calvert’s security team was already involved to the hilt in a number of high-profile cases, and them digging into a serial killer’s past was like taking a stroll through a minefield.

  It was best they stay on the sidelines.