Sienna hadn’t had a dream like that in years. She sat up, breathing in deeply. Her satin pillowcase was mildly damp with sweat. She ran her fingers across her clammy forehead and smiled in spite of herself.
It was mostly a foggy memory now, but she could still remember the basics. She’d been in her bedroom playing guitar, (she didn’t even own a guitar, but hey, it was a dream) when someone had walked into her room by mistake. It was Juliet, looking for Declan. Sienna had told her Declan was out, but Juliet didn’t leave. She came closer and closer until they were face-to-face. Before she knew what was happening, they were kissing and clawing and ending up in a messy pile of sheets on her bed.
Her stupid alarm clock blaring in her ear had prevented them from going any further. She got out of bed and walked into the bathroom attached to her bedroom. It was big and spacious and everything in it was bright white. What had once seemed so modern and stylish now seemed sterile. Sienna turned the shower on and leaned against the sink while it heated up.
Did she really think of Juliet in that way? She was beautiful, made even more so by the casual way she carried herself. She left her light blond hair down most of the time, only fixing it into a low bun when she was on duty. She was muscular and confident, and her smile was contagious. Fuck. Thinking of Juliet as anything more than a friend, or Declan’s mother, or Will’s past, was an invitation to chaos. But it wasn’t like there was any point in putting too much thought into it. People had silly crushes all the time, they didn’t mean anything. Juliet was a friend who understood what she was going through, and it was logical that she’d be the one Sienna’s mind turned to for comfort. She shook her head, trying to clear out the impure thoughts before she got into the shower. It didn’t work.
* * *
By the time she’d arrived at the hospital, Sienna had focused herself on Gretchen Kowalski and the tough road ahead of her. Not only would she have to recover from her accident, but she would have to do it without her husband of forty years. Endless physical therapy and emotional setbacks would make healing that much harder, especially under a cloud of grief.
“Hey,” Sienna said softly. Gretchen’s head was turned toward the window, where she seemed to be staring intently at her view of a brick wall, with a sliver of sky above it. Sienna gently touched her foot.
“Oh, hi. Did the police catch him yet?” Gretchen looked at her hopefully, which caused Sienna’s heart to fracture.
“I don’t think so. But I know they’re working on it. Lieutenant Mitchell has been working round the clock to figure out what happened.”
“I can tell you what happened. Someone tried to kill me and then killed Richard. Maybe it was a gang initiation. I saw it on Crime Files once.” Gretchen sounded monotone and resigned.
Indulging her wasn’t a good idea, but neither was shooting her down. Sienna decided sticking to the script was the best way to go. “They’ll investigate all angles, I’m sure of it. Right now, we need to focus on you. How are you feeling?”
“Like shit.”
Fair enough. She’d still been in shock on their previous visit, so it only made sense that she was feeling a little belligerent once the truth had set in.
“I don’t doubt that. Your body has been through a good deal of trauma on top of your tremendous loss.”
“The truck was red.”
Sienna perked up. “What truck was red?”
“The truck that ran me off the road. I just got a flash of it when it pulled up alongside my car. I didn’t remember it until just now.”
“That’s great, Gretchen. Really helpful information. And you’re sure about the color? And that it was a truck?” Sienna asked, writing furiously in her notebook. These were obviously questions for the police, but she wanted to get as much as she could while it was clear in Gretchen’s mind.
“Yes, I’m sure, I wouldn’t have said it if I wasn’t sure. It was a red pickup truck.” Gretchen reached for the cup of water on her tray but gasped in pain before she could reach it. Sienna picked it up and placed it gently in her hand.
“Has your daughter been able to make it in to see you?” Sienna asked.
Gretchen looked at her distrustfully. “What exactly is it that you do? When I was first brought here, the policewoman asked if I wanted someone to talk to, to support me through all this. Apparently, I said yes. Are you a cop?”
“No, not a cop. I’m a victim advocate, which is someone who works with victims of crime. It could be any kind of crime, from domestic abuse to sexual abuse to a victim of an attempted homicide. Basically, anyone who has been a victim has a right to an advocate. We make sure that you’re not alone in making decisions or confronting your perpetrator.” Sienna edged her chair closer to Gretchen’s bed. “If you need to go to court for any reason, or meet with a judge, I’d accompany you on those trips as well.”
“You sound like a cop. If you are a cop, shouldn’t you be finding out who tried to kill me? Why my husband is dead?”
“I’m not part of the police force, but I do work inside a police station. We work closely with law enforcement, so our clients have every opportunity to pursue the justice they deserve.”
Gretchen nodded. “What about Rich? What kind of justice does he deserve?”
Sienna said nothing, since it was clearly a rhetorical question. Gretchen wiped at her eyes and pressed the call button for her nurse.
“Are you okay?” Sienna asked.
“I’m feeling things again. It’s better when I feel nothing.” Gretchen sniffed. “And yes, my daughter came by yesterday for a little bit. So did what’s-her-name, that secretary who worked with Rich at the library. I pretended to be asleep when she came in though. Don’t like her much.”
“How come?”
Gretchen shrugged. “She’s sweet. Sickly sweet. I’ve always felt like she’s putting on a show. But anyway, I don’t feel like talking right now. We can play This is Your Life next time you come by.”
A nurse dressed in light green scrubs with a stethoscope around her neck came in to check on Gretchen. Sienna stood and walked to the other side of the curtain while they spoke.
A light knock sounded on the door before it opened slightly. Juliet walked into the room with her hat in her hands.
“Hey.” Juliet smiled when she saw Sienna. “You’re here. How is she?”
Sienna couldn’t help but return her smile, even though her meeting with Gretchen had been less than stellar. “I’m glad you’re here. She told me a few things you’ll find useful, I think. Otherwise, she’s disheartened, as is expected. Angry.”
“Is she taking it out on you?” Juliet asked.
“Not really. She doesn’t see me as being very helpful at the moment, which I can understand. She wants you to catch who did this to them, but she’s not sure who to trust right now. She seems to be in some form of denial, and she’s being abrupt and angry because of it. I’ve dealt with much worse, believe me. I think the nurse is upping her morphine a little to dull the pain. And to let her sleep, which is probably the best thing right now.” Sienna sighed as she heard the nurse pressing buttons on one of the many machines Gretchen was hooked up to.
“What did she tell you?” Juliet asked.
“That it was a red pickup truck that pushed her off the road. I asked her if she was sure about both it being a truck and the color of it, and she assured me that she was. Maybe that will give you a place to start, if you haven’t found one yet.” Sienna internally chastised herself for noticing how shiny Juliet’s lips were. She must have applied some type of lip gloss before entering the room. Not the time or the place. Damn dream.
“That’s huge, actually. We don’t have much right now, to be honest. I’m going back over to the library later today to see what else I can dig up. Quinlan talked to Gretchen about their ‘enemies,’ and not surprisingly, she couldn’t come up with any. There were some disruptive kids Rich had thrown out of the library a time or two, but that hardly seems like a motive for murder.” Juliet shrugged, seemingly frustrated.
“No, not particularly. Maybe she’ll remember more or think of something significant as time goes on. Her life has been turned completely upside down.”
“Very true. If she’s going to sleep for a while, I’ll head back to the station and ask one of the guys there if they can get a list of registered red pickup trucks in the area. How many can there possibly be?” Juliet rolled her eyes.
“Okay, sounds good. I’m going to head back to the house and work out of my home office for a couple of hours. I have a few court cases coming up that I really need to prep for.” Sienna wanted to suggest meeting up again in the near future. Not the time or the place, she told herself once again. She gathered her things and gave Juliet a slight wave, and they both mumbled some obligatory parting comments. Juliet seemed to hesitate before walking away, but Sienna didn’t want to assume. Damn dream.