Chapter 11

Surely, that couldn’t be what she thought it was. I must be losing my mind. But as Blake stood next to her car in the alley behind the café, she saw it again—the beam of a flashlight coming from inside her store. Oh, why the crap did I have to park behind the café? She’d told herself she wasn’t going to park back there anymore. But then she’d decided no one was going to keep her from her normal routine, and she had to go and get all brave. I am totally never doing that again. Even Batman doesn’t leave his car out in the open.

When she’d arrived for dinner with her brother, the café had been dark and still. But she could see into the small back window of the kitchen. And she swore she’d seen a light. Squinting, she tried to make out anything at all in the dark kitchen. Just when she thought she had imagined it, she saw it again. The unmistakable beam of a flashlight swept a corner of the room.

She backed up a step, and her foot crunched on the gravel. Immediately, she stilled, afraid to make a move, afraid to breathe. That nervous feeling skittered up her spine, and she tasted a metallic flavor in her mouth as anxiety shot through every nerve.

Only then did she notice the back door. The crime scene tape looked as though it had been sliced through, and the door stood ajar. She’d been so focused on the small window where she’d seen the beam of light that she hadn’t even noticed the door.

The sparse lighting on the backs of the buildings in the alley provided only a soft glow, but it was enough that she could make out the open freaking door, and she knew that meant only one thing. Someone was in her kitchen.

For a moment, Blake felt paralyzed by her surprise and the fear creeping up her spine. If she opened her car door, he would hear her. When her senses finally came back, she realized she needed to hide. As quietly as she could, she tiptoed back to the side of the building, tucking herself into the narrow pathway from where she’d come. She sucked in deep calming breaths, trying not to hyperventilate.

She had to be smart. The smart thing would be to go back to Sliced and call the cops. Maybe Kyle could get there before the intruder left, and the police could catch him. But what if she did that and the person was gone by the time Kyle got there? If Blake stayed put, she could get a good look at the guy if he tried to leave before the police arrived. The key was getting a good look at him without him seeing her. It had to be the same person, the killer. Who else would want to break into her café? Again. But why? What did he want in her kitchen? Maybe he’d left evidence behind when he’d killed Nikki, and he’d come back for it.

A loud crash of glass made her jump, and adrenaline-laced panic shot through every cell of her body. The thumping of Blake’s heart was a hard and fast rhythm against her ribcage, and everything inside her told her to embrace self-preservation and run.

But if she could just see this moment through, she could stop this whole thing right away. Catch the bad guy and keep anyone else from getting hurt. That was what Batman would do. So why was her whole body shaking with fear? Oh gee, I don’t know, maybe because there’s a killer on the other side of this wall! Her conscience obviously wasn’t on board with her brilliant idea. With trembling hands, she pulled her cell out of her purse and tried to dial Kyle’s number, but she shook so badly that she dropped the phone.

With a curse, she bent down to retrieve it and clutched it with both hands as she as she dialed. She pressed the phone to her ear and whispered to herself, “Please answer, please answer, please answer.” After a few rings, Kyle’s voice mail picked up.

“Dammit. Kyle, it’s me,” she said in as loud a whisper as she dared. “There’s someone in the café right now. Please, I need you to get here immediately. He’s in the kitchen, and I’m—” Her voice came to a grinding halt as she heard the gravel crunch underneath slow footsteps.

Oh God! Slowly, she lowered the phone, keeping the line open. Surely, he hadn’t heard her. She’d been quiet. The door would have creaked if someone opened it any wider, and she hadn’t heard that. How had she not heard anyone approaching?

But that didn’t matter. The footsteps grew closer, and she held her breath, praying he didn’t turn the corner, because if he did…

“Blake!”

She jumped, and her eyes grew wide as Sean’s intense gaze traveled over her. “Sean.” His name was a breath on her lips, and her eyes searched his face as conflicting emotions flooded her.

At first, she felt relief to the point where she was almost weak, wanting nothing more than to fall into his arms. But then reality and fear seized her. Had Sean been the person in her café? Was he the man who’d killed Nikki? What was he going to do to her? Her hands flattened against the wall behind her, and she was reminded that she was unable to back up. She began to side step, inching away from him in the direction of the street out front. He wore dark clothing, and in the blackness of the night, only his outline was visible as he moved toward her.

“Blake, what are you doing? I heard noises coming from—” A crash coming from the direction of the café stopped him. With narrowed eyes, Sean looked toward the back door of the café then back to Blake.

Her mind spun as she tried to put the pieces together in her head. Someone was in her kitchen, and it wasn’t Sean. It’s not Sean. When her conscious mind finally made the connection, part of her tension gave way to relief. Her knees wobbled underneath her as the events of the last few moments—the last few days—washed over her.

“Blake!” Sean reached out, gathering her into his strong arms. “Are you okay? God, you’re so pale.” His voice rumbled through his chest, making her feel safe.

She clutched at him as if he were a lifeline. “Sean, someone’s in there. I thought… I thought…”

His whole body stiffened. “You thought it was me.”

She looked up at him, and she could feel the pinpricks of tears. “I’m so sorry I thought it could be you.” She was talking about more than the current break-in, and from the conflicting emotions passing over Sean’s face, he knew it.

The sound of glass breaking jarred Blake out of her present state. What was she doing? She wasn’t a weak woman who fell into the arms of a man. She was strong. And that was her café! All of a sudden, her fear turned to anger. If that was the same person who killed Nikki, she couldn’t let him get away.

Her jaw tense, she pulled away from Sean and turned her eyes back toward the alley. “I need to find out who this is. I need to get this guy.” She squared her shoulders, readying herself for the confrontation, but she only managed to take two steps before Sean’s arm hooked around her waist.

“Oh no, you don’t, Coffee Goddess. You think you can just go in there and confront a killer?”

“Yes. I can. I’m Batman.”

Sean’s brows creased, and he looked at her as if she’d just completely lost her mind. “What?”

“Never mind.” He was going to think she was delusional.

He stepped in front of her. “Look, I will go in. You stay right here. I want you to be safe.”

“What? No! That’s not fa—”

“This is not a debate, Blake. Stay here!” Sean’s voice had deepened, and even in the darkness, she could see his eyes flash. Moonlight danced over his face, shadowing his strong cheekbones, showing the way his eyes narrowed in annoyance.

She started to argue, but the stern look on his face made her think better of it. “Fine.”

Sean stepped quietly into the alley. Her car was parked right by the back door, but Sean quickly and quietly moved between the car and the building. Blake inched around the side of the building, watching him as he reached the door. Before opening it, he gave her one last look and mouthed, “Stay there.”

After another crash from inside, Sean yanked open the door and went inside. She heard his voice yelling, followed by scuffling. Then there was a loud thump as if someone had fallen.

“Sean!” On instinct, Blake ran around her car to the door, which he had left partially open. “Sean!” As she reached for the door, it was yanked open hard from the other side, surprising her so much that she stumbled back into the alleyway. A masked figure appeared in front of her. She strained to see, but in the faint light, all she could make out was that the person was taller than she was. The figure wore all black, including a ski mask. As the person approached her, Blake staggered back.

Fear pumped through her veins. Everything was happening too fast, but as the attacker closed in, something caught her attention.

Blake tried to process the important specifics, but her scrambling brain couldn’t deal with the details as panic bubbled up.

Gloved hands reached for her. Blake tried to back away. She heard a scream, only vaguely realizing it had come from her.

The person shoved her, hard. She fell back in slow motion, and everything seemed to happen at once. Someone yelled her name, then the person in black turned and ran. At the same time, the back of her head smacked into the bumper of her car. Sean appeared in the doorway of the kitchen as she thudded to the ground. The last thing she remembered was him running to her, shouting her name. As her head cracked against the pavement, everything went dark.

“I saw her eyes flutter. Is she finally coming around?” Kyle’s voice sounded far away, almost as if Blake were underneath the water in a swimming pool while Kyle stood alongside the pool, yelling at her. But the smell was all wrong for a pool. She smelled antiseptic, the sterile smell of a hospital.

“Blake, can you hear me?” Someone was shaking her arm, and the jarring sensation caused her to let out a moan.

“Detective, I wouldn’t suggest shaking her like that.” That voice… she knew that velvet-chocolate voice.

Blake put a hand to her pounding head and opened her eyes. The brightness of the room made her blink rapidly, trying to adjust her focus. The faces in front of her spun around, and she felt her stomach pitch and roll.

“It’s okay, sugar.” That voice again. “I want you to take some deep breaths for me.” Her upper body was slightly elevated. It wasn’t her bed at home… a hospital bed. She was in a hospital bed.

“Where am I?” Her voice was scratchy, sounding as though she’d smoked a couple packs of cigarettes then gone on a bender.

“You’re in the hospital, sweetie.” Kyle’s face swam into focus, along with Adam Bryant’s.

When she focused on him, he smiled at her and lifted a penlight to shine into her eyes. “I want you to focus on the tip of my nose, okay?”

The spinning slowed down a bit, thank goodness, but the pounding had not. She blinked a few times and stared ahead as Adam shined the light into each of her eyes. When he pulled back, his mouth had tightened.

“What is it?” Her mouth was dry, as if she’d swallowed cotton.

Kyle must have read her mind because she shoved a cup of water under her chin and poked at her lips with the straw. Blake drank gratefully as Adam spoke.

“Can you tell me your name?”

She looked at Adam as though he had gone completely mental. “Why?”

A small smile cracked his perfect face. “I’m trying to evaluate you for a concussion, sugar. Your name?”

“Oh, uh, Blake. Blake Mildred Harper.”

She didn’t miss the fact that Adam’s eyebrows rose at her middle name or that Kyle chuckled. She couldn’t help herself from sticking her tongue out at her sister. “Shut it, Kyle Roberta.”

Kyle bit her lip. “Fine, fine, we’ve busted out the middle names. Continue your questions, Doc.”

After Blake had recited the date, what she’d eaten for breakfast, and answers to other fun questions, Adam straightened and crossed his arms. “You definitely have a concussion. It’s nothing to worry about, but with the length of time you were out, I want to keep you the rest of the night. If you do okay for the next twelve hours, then you can go home.”

Twelve hours? She hadn’t fed her cat dinner. She couldn’t stay there for twelve hours. “But Ninja. I—”

“It’s okay, Blake. I can go feed Ninja.” Rachel stepped forward, and that was when Blake really looked around and noticed how many people crowded the room. Adam, Kyle, Rachel, Ryan, and Jason Hart all stared down at her with worried scrutiny.

“Looks like I woke up just in time for the party,” she said with a gravelly voice.

Adam stepped back and adjusted her IV bag. When she looked at him questioningly, he grinned. “It’s just IV fluids. You were a little dehydrated. You know, too much caffeine will do that to you.” He gave her a little wink, and she felt her lips curl up in a little smile.

After he’d straightened the bag, Adam leaned over her. His back was to the room, blocking her view of the others so it seemed as if he and Blake were the only ones in the world. He trailed one long finger down her cheek, his smile faltering, and he spoke so softly that she doubted anyone else could hear him. “Blake, I’m so sorry,” he said in rough whisper.

“Sorry?” Her muddled brain didn’t understand what he had to apologize about.

“Yeah. If I’d walked you back to your car…” His eyes clouded, and he shook his head before straightening up. “I’m going to leave you with your family. I know Detective Harper and Detective Hart want to ask you some questions. We will have nurses checking on you periodically throughout the night to monitor the dilation of your pupils.” He shot Ryan a look. “Dr. Harper, I want you to make sure people don’t stay in here too long. She needs to get some rest.”

Ryan’s face was paler than his normal fair complexion, and his forehead was creased with worry. “I know the drill. Thanks, man.”

Adam nodded and left. When the door closed behind Adam, Ryan came over to recheck her IV bag as he nervously flitted around her, feeling her pulse and palpating her forehead with his fingertips.

“Are you okay?” She hadn’t seen her brother look so worried since their mother was ill.

He gave her a hollow laugh. “Me? You’re the one in the hospital bed. I should be asking you—” His voice broke, and he stood up, his Adam’s apple bobbing fiercely as he swallowed.

Blake reached out to take his hand. She hadn’t seen her brother cry since their mom’s funeral. “Ryan, it’s okay. I’m okay. Dr. Bryant said it was just a mild concussion.”

“But it’s my fault. I—”

“Honey, don’t.” Rachel caressed his arm reassuringly. She had curled her hair, and her dark curls bobbed around her shoulders as she looked up at her husband with gentle eyes. “Nothing is your fault.”

Blake racked her brain, trying to remember what had happened and why her brother would think her having a concussion was his fault.

“But it is.” His voice was uncharacteristically bitter. “If I hadn’t set up a date that she didn’t even want, if I hadn’t insisted she go out with Adam, she wouldn’t have been there.” He squeezed her hand, holding on to her so tightly that she had to stop herself from wincing. “When I find out who hurt my little sister, there will be hell to pay. And I swear, if it was Larson, I’ll—”

“Larson?” Her fuzzy brain was starting to grab on to bits and pieces. “Sean Larson?” He’d been with her. She remembered his face hovering above hers, his arms holding her… or had that been a dream? “Wait a second.” She put her hands to her head again, closing her eyes against the pounding, trying to form the bits and pieces of her thoughts into a memory.

Kyle sat on the edge of the bed and smiled reassuringly as Jason stood behind her with his pen poised over an open notebook. “Blake, let’s start at the beginning.” Kyle’s voice was gentle, and Blake would have bet it was the same tone her sister used when trying to calm a nervous witness. “Can you tell me what you remember?”

She thought back to her evening. “Wait, what time is it now?”

“It’s almost midnight.” Kyle patted her leg. “Just take it slow and tell me what you remember.”

“Midnight? Adam said I’d lost time, but that’s over two hours.” Taking a deep breath, she thought back. “I was having pie with Adam. After we were done, he got in his car, and I walked back to mine. I’d parked behind the café where I always do.” She furrowed her brow in thought, the fragmented events of the evening coming to her in bits and pieces. “There was a flashlight beam—in the window, in the kitchen. The crime scene tape on the back door had been sliced through.”

Jason scribbled away in his notebook, and Kyle just nodded for her to continue. “I hid in the walkway between the buildings, and I heard… Sean… I heard Sean.”

Kyle’s eyes narrowed. “Sean was the one in the café?”

“I’ll kill him,” Ryan interjected.

Without thinking, Blake shook her head then gasped when the room started to spin again. She paused for a moment until the carousel of her hospital room came to a slow stop. A sheen of sweat formed on her brow as nausea threatened to take hold. “No. When I saw Sean in the alley, I thought it was him who’d been in Mystery Cup, but…” But what? Something had happened that made her believe he wasn’t the intruder. What was it? She couldn’t decipher what had been real and what was just wishful thinking. “The person was still in there.”

Jason looked up from his notebook, an uncertain expression on his face. “So it wasn’t Larson?” The fact seemed to come as a surprise to him.

Blake started to shake her head but managed to stop herself in time. “No, Sean went to confront whoever was in there. He told me to wait in the walkway, but when I heard a thud, I went to the back door. That’s when someone came out and shoved me to the ground. I smacked my head, but I remember…” That was the point when everything got a little fuzzy. “Sean… he was there, holding me… I think. And then…” She tried to force the memory. There was something else about her attacker, but she couldn’t remember what it was. “That’s all I remember.”

Kyle and Jason exchanged looks. “It matches up,” Jason said as he folded the cover back over his notebook.

“What? What matches up? Where’s Sean?” Her head jerked as she looked around the room, almost hoping Sean would pop up from behind the chair in the corner.

“He’s at the station,” Jason said quietly.

“The station?” She could feel the little V forming in between her brows. “Why? What did he do?”

Kyle rubbed her hand up and down Blake’s leg. “Sweetie, Sean called 9-1-1 after you were attacked, but when we showed up, we weren’t sure what to believe. He said there was a person in black, but without talking to you, we didn’t know if he was telling the truth.”

“So you arrested him?” she asked, incredulous. “But he tried to help me.”

Kyle’s ponytail swung back and forth as she shook her head. “We didn’t arrest him. We just wanted to keep him for questioning until we had a chance to talk to you. We wanted to make sure you confirmed his story.” She looked down, immediately making Blake wonder what she was hiding. Kyle couldn’t meet Blake’s eyes when she wasn’t telling the truth.

Jason nudged Kyle from behind. “Tell her the rest, Kyle.”

Her sister’s jaw tensed. “I don’t think this—”

“Kyle, tell me. Whatever it is, please.”

Looking up at her, Kyle let out a long breath. “We talked to Sean this afternoon. We found out that he did know Nikki. Your theory on that was right. She was in his class, a law of communications class, at KU. That still doesn’t prove anything, but the fact that he lied about it definitely made me wonder. Then tonight, when he called in that you were hurt, and we found your kitchen a mess like last time—”

“What? Again?” It was going to take her forever to get everything cleaned up. “How much of a mess did they make this time?”

“Don’t worry about that, Blake.” Rachel moved in front of Ryan and plopped down on the side of the bed, an excited look on her face. “I’ve recruited myself. I’ll have that cleaned up before you even get out of here, and then… well, I’ve hired myself as your employee. I would have asked, but with you being unconscious and all—” Rachel spoke a mile a minute, pretty much all the time, as if her mouth couldn’t keep up with all the energy pumping through her brain.

“Wait. I don’t understand.”

Rachel shrugged. “You’re shorthanded. And with the twins in school, I have a lot of free time during the day. So I’m yours ’til three o’clock. If you want me, that is. It really will work out perfectly. Giselle can open up, no problem, because she doesn’t have classes until midday, and then I can come in after I get the kids to school.”

A sense of relief filled Blake. Even with the interviews she’d done, she still hadn’t found a new person to hire. If anyone else had taken it upon themselves to step in, she may have been offended, but she loved Rachel as if she were her sister by blood. “Oh, Rachel, thank you. You don’t know what a relief that is.”

“Oh, goodie.” Rachel clapped her hands together as she bounced, making Blake’s brain rattle.

“Rach!” Ryan snatched his wife off the bed. “Babe, no bouncing. Blake’s brain is scrambled enough as it is.”

Rachel’s eyes widened. “Oh, I didn’t even think! Sorry, sweetie. But don’t you worry about a thing. I’ll have everything at the café ready to go by tomorrow afternoon.”

Blake returned Rachel’s grin and reached out to squeeze her hand. Then she turned back to Kyle as she remembered the line of questioning before she’d gotten off track. “But wait, Kyle. Sean Larson didn’t hurt me. He’s innocent.”

Kyle’s face went into stern cop mode. “Are you sure, Blake? Did you actually see him after he went into the kitchen? Before the other man came out?”

She almost laughed. “What are you saying? That he and the man in black are the same guy?” When she saw the grim look on Kyle’s face, she stopped laughing. “Oh God, you do think that.”

“I’m just saying, you heard someone when you walked up, and then you hid. Sean could have come out of the kitchen and then gone back in under the preface of looking for the intruder. Then he could have come back out with his ski mask on and knocked you to the ground.”

“No.” She started to shake her head and gasped at the spinning that followed. “No way. I saw him. After the ski mask guy ran out, I saw Sean come out after.”

Jason looked up from the pad he was scribbling on. “Sean’s not our only suspect, Kyle.”

He was right. There were other people it could be besides Sean, like Sabrina… or Todd. Something niggled at the back of her head, something about her attacker. What was it?

Kyle mashed her lips together as she looked from Jason to Blake. “Okay, then let’s start with this. Was the figure male or female?”

“Male… I think.” Lord, she didn’t really know, did she?

Kyle and Jason exchanged a glance. “You’re not sure?” he asked.

She pulled in a slow breath. “I know the person was taller than me, but their clothes… the black clothes were baggy, so I couldn’t really see their shape.”

“Taller than you.” A muscle worked in Kyle’s jaw as she clenched and unclenched her fist. “Great, so we’ve narrowed it down to someone who’s over five-four. It could be Sabrina or Todd or anyone.”

Her deepening scowl made Blake scoot back on her bed. Tears filled her eyes, and she reached up to swipe at them with the back of her hand. “I’m sorry I’m not more help.”

Kyle’s face softened. “What? No, no, no, sweetie. I didn’t mean that.”

Rachel leaned forward and pulled Blake into her arms. “None of this is your fault, sweetie.” Her voice was soothing as she ran her hand up and down Blake’s arm.

“Of course it’s not your fault,” Kyle said gently. “I’m just angry at this guy. I’ve always been able to separate myself from my cases, but this time…” Her eyes flashed. “This guy hurt my sister. He… or she… has made your life hell. We’re going to get him, and we’re going to make him pay.”

Ryan stepped forward to rest his hand on his wife’s shoulder. “Just wait until I get my hands on this guy. No one hurts my baby sister.”

The affection and love of the people she cared about most in the world were what Blake needed at that moment. With them behind her, she could take on the world, or at least she was pretty sure she would feel that way once her brain was finished auditioning to be the newest drummer for Metallica.

After a few moments, Ryan cleared his throat. “Right now, you need to get some rest. You’ve been through a lot tonight. Besides, I don’t want your doctor kicking my butt if he comes back and finds us all in here.”

She smiled at the thought of Adam.

“Was that a smile?” Rachel pulled back to look at her. “Does this mean you’re not mad at Ryan’s ambush?” Her eyes lit up. “Does this mean you like him?” She started to bounce on the bed but immediately stopped herself. “Sorry! Habit! Okay, tell me about your date.”

“Not now, nosy.” Ryan closed a hand around his wife’s arm and pulled her up. “You can give her the third degree tomorrow.”

Kyle laced her fingers with Blake’s and held her gaze for a long time. “Get some rest, sister. Then you can think about last night and remember something else that might help us.”

The niggling at the back of her brain was back. But instead of saying anything, she just nodded. After her family left, she laid her head on the pillow. She did remember something. Something about her attacker had caught her attention. But what was it?

For the life of her, she couldn’t remember.