by Mary Stone
She heard the car’s engine, but by the time she did, it was too late to hide as the car pulled up beside her.
“Need a ride?” The man’s tone was much too friendly.
Her stomach twisted. “I’m fine.”
“You seem a little young to be out this late. Are you sure you’re all right?”
Ellie walked faster, fighting the urge to run. If he knew she was scared, he would be more likely to attack. Wasn’t that what her parents always told her? “I’m fine,” she repeated.
“You can use my phone to call your parents if you need to.”
“I don’t need to.” Should she have said someone was expecting her?
“I can give you a ride.”
“Leave me alone,” she said, her tone more firm than before. She kept her head facing forward, her loose curls hiding her face as her eyes darted around, searching for a place she could get away.
The car stayed beside her, and there was nowhere for her to go, except an alley wide enough to let the car follow. Washed clean by the violent storm that had just blown through, the streets were completely empty. She was alone, and every fiber of her being screamed that she was in trouble.
“It’s cold. Why don’t you get in the car?”
“No, thank you.” She quickened her steps.
“I can take you right here.” His voice was suddenly low and menacing, the friendliness gone. Replaced with something so dark it stole the breath from her chest.
She stiffened, gasping as the promise in his tone sent terror streaking through her. In the next breath, she took off at a run.
The engine revved behind her, and she pitched forward before she realized that the car had struck her. The force was enough to knock her to the ground, and even as the pavement bit at her hands, she knew intuitively that he’d been careful not to cause any lasting harm.
He was out of the car and by her side before she could get up on her hands and knees, his hand gripping her shoulder.
She screamed, but her cry for help echoed into the night and faded much too quickly.
She flipped onto her back with her legs pulled up, ready to kick him.
When her eyes met his, she sucked in a panicked breath. “You,” was the only word she could get out before she was struggling to breathe, and the world went dark.
“Ellie, it’s all right, you’re safe.” Powell’s calm voice broke through the darkness.
Her eyes flew open. “You.” Her hand shook violently as she pointed at Dr. Powell. “I saw you.”
“Take deep breaths.” Powell appeared unconcerned by her accusation. Calm. Steady. “Breathe with me now, in and out. In and out.”
She did as he said, the memory playing over and over in her mind as she tried to make sense of it. “You were in the car that kept following me.”
“In.” He breathed in through his nose. “And out.” His breath sounded like the wind that had swirled around her on that stormy night. “In and out. Now, tell me what you saw.”
“I saw you.”
“I understand that. How did I look?”
Why was he so calm?
Ellie stared at him. “Like you. Glasses, slightly receding hairline. And you were wearing that sweater—” She stopped abruptly, shaking her head. “You looked exactly the same as you do right now.”
His expression remained neutral. “Take your time.”
“It couldn’t have been you. You were exactly the same.”
What the hell?
“Remember how I told you that your mind will fill in the blanks until you recover the complete memory?”
She nodded, working her tongue to wet the inside of her dry mouth.
“That is what’s happening here. You can’t recall the face, so your brain used mine instead. It won’t always happen like that. I caution you to listen to yourself, and if something doesn’t feel right, give yourself some time.”
She shook her head, heart still racing, but her breathing finally started to come under control. “What’s the point of this if I’m not going to remember what really happened?”
“You will remember.”
“When?” She gripped the armrest, wanting to shake loose the memories that were hiding somewhere deep in the recesses of her brain.
“I can’t answer that.”
She scowled, getting to her feet. “I knew this wouldn’t work.”
He paused mid-sentence, pen pressed to paper. She couldn’t read what he’d written, but she could see that the entire page was full. At her raised eyebrow, he said, “You were talking the entire time.”
Her brow wrinkled. “I was?”
He nodded, looking pleased with himself. “It was a good first session. You did a wonderful job.”
She knew her internal doubt was written on her face and didn’t try to hide it. “If you say so. How often do I need to do this?”
“As often as you like. I would suggest giving your brain some time to work through what you remember. Don’t force it, but if you start to remember more, don’t fight it, either.”
“Okay.” She gave a quick nod, not sure if she wanted more of the memory or not. “Anything else I should know?”
“Just that when you’re ready to try again, I’ll be here.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” She walked across the room and stopped at the door, the manners that had been hammered into her from birth taking over. “Thanks.”
“Any time.”
As much as she’d wanted to bring back her memory, now all she wanted to do was shed any remembrance of that night.
She was almost to the end of the hallway and home free when she heard footsteps behind her, and someone cleared their throat. She braced herself for the inevitable ribbing she was about to receive. There was only one reason for a detective to be in the psychiatrist’s hallway, and she’d already been subjected to a few potshots over her time with the department shrink.
“Kline, wait up.”
Ellie’s shoulders sagged with relief as she turned and flashed Jacob Garcia a smile. “I thought I got rid of you when you got a new partner,” she teased, waiting for him to release Duke.
When Jacob released Duke from duty with a command, the serious, almost scary looking brown and black Dutch Shephard immediately turned into a gleeful puppy. Ellie had gotten to know the dog over the few months since she’d become a detective, and Jacob had received a K-9 unit as his new partner. Duke’s bark wasn’t worse than his bite, but the large, lanky dog was a sucker for an ear rub when he wasn’t working.
Ellie patted the dog’s head affectionately as he woofed and turned her attention back to Jacob. “What’s up? Why are you down this way?”
“I would ask you the same question, but you know that I know.”
She rolled her eyes. “So, you’re going to the shrink too?”
“I was taking Duke to the little boys’ room.” He gestured to a door at the end of the hall. “I can’t potty him on the front lawn, so the little patch of grass near the back is the only option.”
“I guess I didn’t think about the front lawn being off-limits.” She allowed enough glee to fill her voice that Jacob gave her a warning look. “Indecent exposure and public indecency charges can be a bitch.” She scratched the dog harder. “Isn’t that right, boy?”
As Duke tapped his leg on the floor, Jacob smiled. “How was your session?”
She shrugged. “Same. I got a few things off my chest.”
They walked down the hall side by side, with Duke out in front a few steps. He turned back every few feet to make sure they were still keeping up with him, which Ellie couldn’t help but comment on. “Looks like your new partner is just like me.”
Jacob groaned. “Here it comes.”
“What? I can relate to him, you know, always waiting on you to catch up.” She tried not to laugh out loud when Duke glanced back at her with an I so know what you mean look.
“Funny.”
She hiccupped back a laugh. “I thought it was.”<
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“Whatever you say, but I know you’re just trying to change the subject.”
Sighing, Ellie gave in. “You can’t blame me for trying. It’s not like I want to talk about things with Powell. A discussion with the department shrink is right up there with a root canal.”
“Why does Fortis still have you going to him, anyway?”
“He doesn’t.”
Jacob came to an abrupt halt, and an instant later, Duke sat down, patiently waiting for his next command. But Jacob was focused on Ellie, and she wished she had said anything else, even the truth. “You hate going, but you’re going on your own? Is there something you’re not telling me? Is everything okay?”
“I’m fine. I don’t expect you to understand. It just feels good to have someone listen to my problems without judgment. I’m sure you’re tired of hearing about my dad’s surgery or my mother’s sneaky attempts to marry me off to Nick. Then there’s the memories of the kidnapping I just can’t seem to get back.” Duke leaned on her leg, and she reached down to scratch his head. He oddly seemed to know each time she was overwhelmed.
Jacob’s warm brown eyes searched her own. “You can talk to me any time, Ellie, you know that, right?”
“I do, but the truth is, I need to talk to someone who knows what they’re doing.” He frowned, and she hurried to add, “Not that you’re not a great listener, but my kidnapping and all the guilt I have about my father’s stroke and heart problems needs a professional touch. And it’s not like you can hypnotize me.”
“Baby…” he wiggled his eyebrows at her, “I’ve been trying to hypnotize you for months. You’re the only woman my charms don’t work on.”
She chuckled, walking the last few steps to the elevator and hitting the call button. “You know what I mean.”
“I do.” He ran his fingers through his dark hair and met her gaze, a serious look in his deep brown eyes. “If you need to talk, you know how to find me.”
Affection for her former partner softened her expression. “I know.”
“And you don’t have to have a reason to call me, okay? If you want to chat or if you just want to get lunch sometime, I’m around.” He gestured to Duke with his chin. “It’s not like Duke cares where we have lunch, and since he’s technically a police officer, he goes where I go.”
“I appreciate the offer.”
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then opened them again. “I guess I have to admit it.”
“Admit what?” Her stomach dropped. What was he holding back?
“I miss you.” He blurted the words out without warning and ducked his head as if he’d surprised himself too. “I know I always teased you, saying I couldn’t wait to have a partner who was less impulsive and didn’t drag us into the sergeant’s office for a disciplinary meeting once a week, but things aren’t the same without you.”
Ellie’s throat burned with an unexpected rush of emotion. She swallowed it down and gave him a saucy wink. “I’m sure you’ll survive.”
He laughed. “Statistically, I’ve been told surviving to retirement age is far more likely now that I’m not trying to stop you from jumping off bridges into gator-infested waters, but that doesn’t mean I don’t remember that time fondly.”
“What are you saying?”
He shrugged. “Just that things aren’t the same without you, and after so many days with you by my side, I’m starting to miss it. That’s all.”
But his tone said otherwise. Worried that he was going to start dogging her every move—he was the one who had saved her life when she’d been shot, after all—she bit the inside of her lip and hoped he couldn’t tell how much his words had caught her off guard. Having him as a partner had made her time on the force better than her previous three years, but now their careers had taken completely different paths. Jacob was a by-the-book guy, and she knew they’d developed a friendship that wouldn’t exist without having worked together for so long.
“I miss working with you too.” She relaxed a little, and her words rang true. “I’m just so busy, and my workload is intense.”
“I’m not surprised. The Violent Crime Unit is known to overload its people. Burnout is a real problem, so try not to let it get to you.” He glanced back at the shrink’s office door. “Maybe Powell can help you set healthy boundaries or whatever they call saying ‘no’ now.”
Her heart tugged at the loneliness she heard in his soft laugh. “Jacob, is there something going on? You’re not the only one who can listen, you know?”
“I know, but everything’s great.”
She wasn’t sure she believed him, but she decided to let him off the hook. “Okay, I just wanted to make sure.”
He cast his eyes up toward the ceiling and let out an exaggerated sigh. “You try to invite your old partner out to lunch, and she acts like your life is empty without her.” He was teasing her now. “Get a grip, Kline. I just like eating lunch for free, with a human sometimes.”
She laughed, relieved that she’d misunderstood him, even if she knew the free lunch comment was an outright lie. He’d never let her pay for his lunch, even though she’d tried before. Not once in their partnership had he taken advantage of her wealth or her family connections, and that was one of the many things she loved about him.
“Listen, I have to get back to work, but when things calm down, I’ll let you know.”
Jacob looked down at his furry partner. “That sounds like a brush off, Duke.”
“It’s not supposed to be, but I have to be honest. If I don’t go out to dinner with my boyfriend soon and he catches me making time for you for lunch when I keep begging off, he’s going to be irritated.”
The elevator door opened just as Jacob scoffed. “What’s that, like a normal person’s infuriation?”
“Basically.” Her lips spread into a sheepish grin. “Men as patient as Nick don’t come along often, so I’m not going to mess that up.”
“I get you.” He put his hand out to hold the doors open as she stepped onto the elevator. “Thanks.”
“For what?” She hit the button that would take her back to the partial basement and evidence room she’d called her office since she’d made detective and was moved to Cold Cases.
“For being gentle with my ego.” He held up one hand in a wave, flashing her the stunning Jacob Garcia smile.
She was sure he’d only been talking about her hesitation to spend what little free time she had with her ex-partner, but in the back of her mind, she hoped it wasn’t something more. She adored Jacob, but her heart belonged to Nick.
Riding the elevator down to the lowest floor, as she stepped off, she realized just how draining the talk with Dr. Powell had been, without following it with an awkward encounter with Jacob. Ellie was ready to get back to her cave, where it was just her and Jillian unless someone came to the evidence room to check out information. Working with Jillian, who she’d become fast friends with, made the days go faster, even though she was worlds away from the daily adrenaline rush that was life on the beat.
I should tell her how much I enjoy working with her, Ellie thought as she typed her password into the keypad and pushed the door to the evidence room office open. People like Jillian were one in a million, and Ellie wanted to make sure the woman knew how valued she was. Because if Ellie didn’t tell Jillian how amazing she was, she knew no one in the department would.
Ellie couldn’t change how unwelcome some of Jillian’s male counterparts had made her feel, but she could make sure Jillian never doubted Ellie’s admiration. In a workplace that was almost exclusively male, they only had each other, and that was more than enough.
Besides, she needed something to take her mind off the grip of the man’s hand on her shoulder—her kidnapper’s hand—the night she was kidnapped.
And the John Doe case was the perfect thing.
4
“Hey, don’t.” Jillian pushed Sam’s nose away from her leg and shushed the large black dog with a wag of her finger. �
��If someone sees you here again, I’ll be in trouble.”
“If someone sees who?”
Jillian jumped, startled to see Ellie coming through the door. “I thought you were going to see Powell.”
“I was and I did.” There was a smile on her lips as she leaned forward to peek beneath the desk. “Hi, Sam.”
Sam shot out from under the desk and barreled across the short space, slamming into Ellie’s outstretched arms. The pair tumbled backward in a heap of flailing limbs and one wildly wagging tail.
“Sam!” Jillian whisper-yelled, but the dog was too busy bathing Ellie in exuberant love.
“I think she likes me,” Ellie said wryly, shoving the heavy dog off her so she could stand up. “So, why is she here? I thought you only brought her to work when she goes to the vet.” Ellie glanced worriedly at Sam. “She isn’t sick, is she?”
“No.” Jillian gave a shake of her head. “Nothing like that. I just needed her here with me, that’s all.”
“Oh.” Ellie shrugged. “She’s not hurting anything, so I guess it doesn’t matter. If you don’t want to tell me what’s up, that’s fine.”
Jillian’s stomach lurched, and she cast a furtive glance at the screen for the camera that monitored the hallway, to make sure no one else would be surprising her. “I went on my lunch break to get her. My landlord doesn’t like Sam, and—”
“Doesn’t like Sam?” Ellie recoiled. “What kind of monster doesn’t like this furry beauty?”
Sam let out a quiet woof of agreement, her tongue flopping to the side as her tail slapped the desk leg so hard several pens fell to the floor and bounced off the worn tiles. They rolled every which way, sending Sam sprawling to catch them all. She bumped into a wooden chair and knocked it over, which caught her off guard and sent her swinging around so fast her legs went four different directions. The pens rolled out of her reach as she slid to the floor in slow motion. With a loud chuff of disapproval, Sam rolled onto her side as if she’d meant to lay down right there.
Ellie chuckled, shaking her head, her hands on her hips. “Honestly, how can you not love that face and her goofy disposition? Sam is too pure for this world, and your landlord is a monster.”