In the dining area, Gavin sat in an upholstered side chair across a pedestal table from Nikki and decided it was time to address the elephant in the room. At least this was what he sensed during the mostly quiet and clearly strained eating of their take-out dinner consisting of country-fried steak, mashed potatoes and garden salad, along with coffee. Gazing at her, he said in an earnest tone, “Look, I think we need to clear the air...”
Nikki stopped eating, staring back at him. “The air in here is pretty clear, last time I checked,” she spoke wryly.
“I’m sure you know what I mean.” Or was this trip down memory lane only one-sided?
She dabbed a paper napkin to her mouth and said thoughtfully, “Well, go on, say what’s on your mind.”
Gavin took a breath and put down his fork, before responding apologetically, “I shouldn’t have taken my frustrations about what happened to Brigette out on you.”
“But you did,” Nikki said with an edge to her tone. “For the past ten years, you gave me a guilt complex—made me believe that I somehow should’ve stopped Brigette from wanting to go out. As if.” Nikki rolled her eyes at the absurdity of it, with them both knowing just how headstrong Brigette could be when she made up her mind to do something. “And that I was responsible for putting us in harm’s way—or the crosshairs of a serial killer—by not insisting that she stay put on a Saturday night after you bailed on her. So, why the change of heart now?” she challenged him.
His shoulders slumped as Gavin was forced to look squarely at his own culpability in not only Brigette’s death, but Nikki’s suffering at the hands of Perry Evigan. Not to mention being present when he killed her best friend. “You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?”
“Nope.” Nikki gave him a firm expression. “Did you want me to?”
“I guess not,” he answered, knowing full well that going light on him would only be a cop-out. Which he didn’t deserve. Gavin collected his thoughts and said, “The truth of the matter is, on some level—actually, more than that—I’ve always known that you weren’t to blame for what happened to you and Brigette. You were twenty-three-year-olds, just wanting to do what most young people liked to do on a Saturday night—go out and have fun. Neither of you could have anticipated that you would run into Evigan at a club. Or that he would spike your drinks and victimize you further.”
Gavin picked up his fork and moved the salad around, as his own guilt took center stage. “If anyone deserves blame for what you were put through—besides the creep who perpetrated the attack—it’s me. I’ve kicked myself more than once over the years, wishing I’d not canceled the date with Brigette. At the time, I was still getting my feet wet on the job and didn’t feel I could afford to slack off when duty called. Had I stuck with getting together with Brigette, it probably would’ve saved her life and spared you what Evigan put you through.”
“You can’t know that for sure,” Nikki countered and lifted her mug of coffee. “Even if Brigette and I hadn’t gone out that night, we could have still ended up being targeted by Perry Evigan another night. Maybe that’s how the universe works. Fate. Or whatever. Point is, there may have been nothing you or I could have done to prevent what happened—no matter how many times we replayed the what-ifs to try and rewrite history. Or at least reimagined it.”
“You’re right,” Gavin said, somewhat surprised that she had come to his defense, after he had wanted to assuage his own feelings of guilt by putting it on her, to one degree or another. He could only wonder how their friendship would have evolved had they been on the same page years ago in putting the tragedy behind them. “It does no good to rehash everything that went wrong that night. But I’m still sorry that it took me so long to come to this place.”
“Me too.” She favored him with a tender smile, sipping the coffee. “I know that Brigette—as the person who brought us together—would have wanted us to at least remain friends over the years. So, better late than never, I suppose.”
“Yeah, agreed.” He grinned at her, believing that having Nikki in his life, even from a distance, was something he needed. The fact that she seemed to feel the same was just as pleasing.
They resumed eating and Gavin considered that the one positive that came from the ordeal was that Evigan was stopped in his tracks—preventing him from victimizing others down the line. That was something to take solace in.
Except for the fact that the serial killer had escaped from prison. And was still on the loose. Meaning that Nikki was in danger for as long as Evigan remained free.
NIKKI COULD HARDLY believe that she and Gavin had just had a heart-to-heart discussion in confronting the albatross that seemed to hang around their necks for the better part of a decade. She could only imagine Brigette scolding them both for taking so long to bridge the gap as two people important in her life, to one degree or another.
In the process, Nikki realized she’d had to come to terms with the fact that, on some level, she had blamed Gavin for her own victimization. Had he chosen Brigette instead of his job that night, Nikki would have likely stayed home, even if bored out of her mind—thereby sparing her from being almost raped and strangled to death by Perry Evigan. She realized now how foolish that was to think. Gavin had a right to reschedule his date with Brigette to work, not knowing what would go down by virtue of this. He was no more guilty of being responsible for what happened than Nikki was in not trying to talk Brigette out of going out on the town for drinking and dancing.
Agreeing on this was definitely a good thing, Nikki told herself, as she cleared the table with Gavin’s help. She welcomed the opportunity to come away as friends, after the dust resettled with Perry Evigan once again behind bars. Or dead, if he resisted arrest.
They sat back at the table with a slice of apple pie for dessert and a glass of red wine. After a few minutes of keeping things light, Nikki decided to be brave and asked Gavin out of curiosity, “So, are you seeing anyone these days?” She hoped she wasn’t being too forward, prying into his personal life. But they were on friendly terms again, right?
“No,” he responded over his wineglass and without prelude. “I’ve dated off and on over the years, but nothing stuck.”
“I guess Brigette was a hard act to follow, huh?” Nikki said, a twinge of envy coursing through her, knowing that her late friend’s feelings weren’t entirely reciprocated toward him.
Gavin kept a straight face as he sipped wine and answered coolly, “I did care about Brigette a lot, but I moved on, having no choice but to do so. As for her being a hard act to follow, she was certainly a handful at times as a girlfriend. The truth is, I’m not sure where things were headed between us. Maybe nowhere over the course of time. Regarding being single right now, I guess I’m still waiting for the right person to come along and see what happens—”
“I see.” She tasted the wine, while wondering just how long it would take for that right person to come along. Or was he just as picky as she was?
“What about you?” Gavin caught her attention. “Anyone in your life these days?”
“Can’t say there is,” she told him honestly. “Like you, I’ve dated people from time to time since moving to Owl’s Bay—including, most recently, a guy named Kenan Fernández, a personal trainer—and struck out, unfortunately, insofar as finding my soul mate, if you believe in that type of thing.”
“Actually, I do believe it to be true,” Gavin surprised her by saying. “When it happens, you just know it.”
“Perhaps you’re right.” She wondered if he thought of Brigette as his soul mate when they were together. And, if so, would any other woman ever measure up?
He used his fork to cut into the slice of apple pie and said, “So, do you have family? I seem to recall from Brigette that you grew up in what, Clarksdale?”
“Yes, I did.” Nikki smiled. “My mother and stepdad still live there. I lost my dad when I was five. I’m an only child. How about you?” Didn’t Brigette once mention to her that he had a younger sister?
“I have a sister, Lauren, two years my junior,” Gavin confirmed. “She and her husband, Rory, live with their two cute little girls, Ellen and Miley, in Cape Cod. My parents passed away a few years ago, though separately,” he said sadly.
“Sorry to hear that.” Nikki considered Gavin’s pain with having to deal with their losses coming after Brigette’s death. Had that also destroyed any plans to have children of his own someday?
“Both had been dealing with some health issues off and on,” he noted, “and went pretty quickly at the end. Apart from Lauren and Rory, I had a lot of support in dealing with it from cousins that I’m close to. They all happen to also be gainfully employed in law enforcement careers.”
“I remember Brigette mentioning something about that.” Nikki tasted the pie thoughtfully. “I’m sure they probably have something to say about the brazen prison escape by Perry Evigan and the others.”
“Yeah, whether I want to hear it or not,” Gavin quipped. “Seriously, they’ve got my back and definitely want to see Evigan behind bars again where he belongs.”
She sipped her wine musingly. “Where do you think he is right now?”
Gavin put the wineglass to his mouth and then said bluntly, “Running scared and wondering just how much time he has left before his taste of freedom comes crashing down like a house of cards—one way or another...”
Nikki took solace in that assessment, while feeling even greater comfort in Gavin’s presence as the last line of defense should Perry Evigan someway, somehow, still show up at her door. Only to have a second crack at her.
BRUSHING SHOULDERS AS they removed the dessert dishes and wineglasses, Gavin once again felt a spark when touching Nikki. Surely, she felt it too? Was there something between them that he had missed a decade ago? Had he hedged his bet wrong when turning his attention to Brigette, when Nikki was just as attractive? And perhaps a better fit for him, character-wise?
“If it’s okay with you,” Gavin asked Nikki evenly, “I’d like to camp out on your living room sofa for the night—while Evigan is still at large. Or, if that’s cramping your style too much, I can sleep out in my car. Not a problem.”
“Don’t be silly.” She dismissed that last notion with a wave of her hand. “No need to spend the night in your vehicle, Special Agent Lynley, in keeping me safe from a dangerous man. Or, for that matter, sleeping on my sofa. It’s comfortable, but only to a point.” Nikki smiled at him. “As it is, I have a guest room upstairs that you’re welcome to stay in, as long as needed. It has an en suite as well, if you want to shower or anything.”
“Thanks. I’ll take you up on that.” Gavin grinned while also feeling an underpinning of desire as he imagined her in bed in another room not far from the spare bedroom—and him in it with her. “I’ll just step outside to get my bag.”
As he did just that, Gavin scanned the perimeter, looking for any sign of Evigan, while keeping a hand close to the 9mm semiautomatic pistol in his holster. He saw nothing out of the ordinary or otherwise suspicious and so Gavin continued on to his Chevrolet Tahoe. If Evigan dares to show up here, I’ll arrest him and he’ll be back in prison where he belongs in no time flat, Gavin told himself, while grabbing his tote bag and heading back inside the house.
“I set some fresh towels on the bed,” Nikki told him.
“Appreciate that.” He smiled and they both climbed the stairwell and Gavin was led to the guest room.
“Here you go,” she pointed out.
Gavin glanced inside the room and saw rustic furniture, including a log bed. He thanked her again for the hospitality. “This will do just fine,” he said nicely.
Nikki gave a nod. “If you need anything, let me know.”
“Will do.”
“Good night.”
“Good night,” he told her, watching briefly as she walked away, while wondering how he could have wasted a decade blaming her for something that was entirely on Perry Evigan. And no one else. At least Nikki didn’t seem to hold it against him after they had talked this through. Gavin saw that as a positive step forward for both of them.
After closing the door, he removed his firearm, setting it on the wicker nightstand, along with his holster. Then Gavin pulled out his cell phone and fell onto a rattan armchair, where he reached out to the Owl’s Bay Police Department to make sure they were on the same page in terms of the BOLO for Perry Evigan and the other escapees. That seemed to be the case, which gave Gavin comfort, wanting there to be as many sets of eyes keeping watch in town for the prisoners as possible. Even if it appeared to be a long shot at face value that the trio would show up in Owl’s Bay as a group. Gavin only wished he could feel as confident where it concerned Evigan operating alone, still envisioning the serial killer’s smug face after his arrest, during the trial and upon his conviction. It was obvious that Nikki remembered this too.
Gavin called his cousin, Scott Lynley, returning a voice mail he’d left earlier. An FBI special agent and cold case specialist, working at the field office in Louisville, Kentucky, he and Scott, who was a few years older, were always cool and supportive of each other’s careers and personal trials and tribulations.
Scott answered the video chat request, his oblong face appearing on the screen. “Hey.”
Gavin gazed at Scott, who had gray eyes and thick black hair in a comb-over pomp, low-fade style. “Hey.”
“I heard about Perry Evigan’s daring escape from prison.”
“Who hasn’t by now?” Gavin pursed his lips.
Scott furrowed his brow. “Are they any closer to catching him?”
“I’d sure as hell like to think so,” he told him. “But as of now, Evigan and his prison buddies, Aaron Machado and Craig Schneider, are still roaming free.”
“That’s too bad.”
“Tell me about it.” Gavin sighed, jutting his chin.
“No doubt your old girlfriend, Brigette, and the other women Evigan murdered are spinning in their graves, wondering how this could have happened.”
“They seized on the distraction from the uprising,” Gavin muttered. “Which shows there’s still a major flaw in the system that the three were able to pull it off.”
“They won’t get very far,” Scott said. “The FBI is doing its part to help track them down as soon as possible.”
Gavin nodded. “I know and am grateful for the support.”
Scott paused. “Have you contacted the surviving victim of Evigan? I know you had your differences...”
“Nikki’s been alerted about the escape and is safe,” Gavin reported. “I’ve been assigned to stick with her till Evigan is back in custody.”
“Really?” Scott cocked a brow. “How’s that working out?”
“Better than expected.” He sat back thoughtfully. “We’re good,” he told him. “Or at least have found a better way to deal with Brigette’s death without pointing fingers.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Yeah.” Gavin listened as Scott briefly talked about his own latest investigation and recent second marriage, before they disconnected.
After taking a shower, Gavin hit the sack, falling asleep, while thinking about Nikki.
An hour later, he awakened to the sound of a woman screaming.
Nikki. She was in danger.
Jumping out of bed, wearing only knit pajama shorts, Gavin sprang into action. He grabbed his pistol off the nightstand and ran out of the room and down the hall toward Nikki’s bedroom.
Stepping inside, Gavin expected to see Perry Evigan looming over Nikki, in the process of trying to strangle her. At which point, he would stop the serial killer escapee by any means necessary.
Instead, Gavin was quickly able to establish that Nikki was in the room by herself, restless on the platform bed from what appeared to be a bad dream. Evigan had not managed to disengage the security system and enter the house with murder on his mind.
Moving past traditional furnishings to the bed, where Nikki was squirming and moaning beneath a patchwork bedspread, Gavin sat on it and grabbed her gently by the shoulders and jostled her awake as he called out her name.
“Get off me!” Nikki shrieked, as she flailed at him as if he was attacking her. She half sat up and out of the bedding, wearing a red chemise lingerie nightgown.
“Nikki, it’s Gavin,” he said gently, blocking her attempts to strike him in the face.
“Gavin?” Nikki opened her eyes and settled down upon gazing at him. “What are you doing in my bedroom?”
“I heard you scream,” Gavin explained, releasing her. “I thought you were in serious trouble. But it looks like you were just having a bad dream.”
“Oh.” Her tone quieted.
“You’re safe.”
“I remember now,” she said, ill at ease. “I was dreaming that Perry Evigan was trying to...well, do everything he wanted to do before—” She drew a breath. “Thank goodness it was all in my head.”
“Do you often have nightmares about him?” Gavin wondered, feeling bad that she’d even had one.
“I used to. Especially in the years right after it happened. Not so much lately.” Nikki looked up at him. “Guess the fact that Evigan escaped triggered a return to the nightmares. Sorry if I woke you up.”
“No apologies necessary,” Gavin stressed. “I’m sorry that Evigan being on the loose triggered the bad dream. Hopefully, the dream and his freedom will be short-lived.”
“I hope so too.”
“Try to go back to sleep.” Gavin felt a strong need to protect her at all costs. “I’ll be just down the hall, if you need me.”
“All right.” Nikki touched his hand. “Thank you for coming to my rescue. Even if it turned out that I didn’t really need rescuing in this instance.”
“Actually, I think you did,” he begged to differ. “Nightmares can be just as frightening as real life. I wouldn’t have sat back and allowed you to be victimized again by Evigan, even within your subconscious mind.”
Against his desire of wanting to stay the night in her room to make Nikki feel more secure, Gavin left and went back to his own room, knowing that the longer Evigan remained out of prison, the more he would be able to wreak havoc on Nikki’s psyche, along with his own.