FORTY SEVEN
Ellie relaxed when Quinn’s TrailBlazer and a Louisville Police car pulled up in front of the house at the same time.
She stepped onto the porch as the officer and Quinn rushed up the walk. Quinn hugged her and she felt her tension begin to melt.
“You okay?”
She nodded.
“What happened here, ma’am?” asked the tall, heavyset officer.
“I was awakened by a scraping sound outside that window. I looked out and saw what looked like a man’s fresh footprints on the ground.”
The officer walked over to the window, bent down and examined the area, then looked up at her.
“You did see a man’s footprints. And they’re fresh. Like these fresh scratches on this windowsill. Did you see the guy?”
“No.”
The officer looked around. “We have a peeper in this area.”
“There’s more than peeping going on, officer,” Quinn said. He quickly explained about the other attacks. When he finished, the officer stared at Ellie for several moments.
“Ma’am, I’d suggest you stay somewhere else tonight. You gotta place?”
“Yes, she does,” Quinn said, looking at Ellie.
She nodded.
“Good.” The officer photographed the footprint and windowsill, then called in for a CSI team.
As the policeman circled the house, Quinn turned to Ellie.
“They obviously know about your secret DNA test at Jessica’s lab.”
“But how? We told no one!”
“They probably followed us to her lab. And they think Jessica’s test will prove you’re Radford’s daughter.”
“Or they don’t want to risk the chance I am.”
He nodded.
“Either way,” she said, “only one thing will stop them.”
“What?”
“My funeral!”
“Not going to happen, Ellie!”
She prayed he was right.
“From now on I’m your shadow.”
She liked the sound of that.
She said goodbye to Lisa, then got in Quinn’s car. After making sure no one followed them, they parked a block from The Brandeis House and entered its rear entrance. They went up to his apartment, locked the door and left the lights off.
“Red wine?” he said.
She nodded.
He poured two large Merlots and handed her one.
“I cook with Merlot,” he said. “Sometimes I even add it to the food.”
She laughed, and it helped, but she noticed her fingers trembling. Using both hands, she took a long serious sip. Then she took another long serious sip, and seconds later the wine began to relax her.
Quinn then led her over to a two-seat sofa facing a large window. They plopped down beside each other and sat in silence for a while. She stared across the street into a large Victorian home where students hunched over textbooks, studying, something she should be doing since exams started in a few days.
“Ellie?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m worried they’ll try to sabotage your test at Jessica’s lab.”
“I’ll warn her.” She dialed Jessica’s phone and hit the speaker button. Jessica answered on the third ring.
“Hey, Ellie, I was just going to call you.”
“Why?”
“Your new DNA test results will be ready early. Tomorrow afternoon.”
“That’s great.”
“Yeah, but why’d you call?”
“To tell you to, ah … be very careful.”
“Of what?”
“Of what just happened here.”
When Ellie told her, Jessica was silent for a few moments.
“Don’t worry, Ellie. Gen-Ident has a very sophisticated alarm system and our computer systems are guarded like Fort Knox. And our night guard is a big, tough ex-Navy SEAL.”
“Good. But just to be extra safe, see if you can stay over at your boyfriend’s tonight.”
“Lemme roll over and ask him.”
Ellie laughed.
“He said yes.”
“Guy’s a keeper.”
“Oh yeah.”
“Promise me you won’t go to the lab until regular hours tomorrow.”
“Gee mom, you’re so strict!”
“Promise me!”
“All right already!”
They hung up.
Ellie sipped more wine and stared out the window. Suddenly, exhaustion hit her like she’d sprinted a mile. She yawned twice and fought off another.
“I’m fading fast,” she said, resting her head on Quinn’s shoulder. “Can you leave your shoulder here for a few minutes?”
“Only if I can leave the rest of me.”
Quinn listened to her breathing deepen and slow. She was clearly exhausted by the emotional rollercoaster of the last three days. He was amazed how well she handled so many life changing – and life threatening – situations, sidestepping more hard jabs than an Ali-Foreman fight. Yet, she kept her cool. She was a tough, smart, funny, decent person. A rare combination in his experience. And frankly, a combination that had drawn him to her more each day. He kept looking for her flaw … but so far he’d only found one. Her sense of inferiority about being, as she called it, “a hick chick from Harlan.” As far as he was concerned, the hick chick Ellie was a far better person than most city chicks he knew.
After a couple minutes he turned toward her and whispered, “You feeling safer now?”
No answer.
He saw she was asleep.
He waited a few minutes, eased his shoulder away and lowered her gently on the sofa. From the closet, he took a blanket and covered her.
Then he bent down and kissed her forehead.
He liked kissing her forehead.
He looked forward to kissing it again …