Chapter 13

A look at the bedside clock had her swearing. Mia jumped out of bed half an hour later than usual. Her luck continued to run downhill when traffic came to a standstill around Farmington, making her late for her first appointment. She needed to reevaluate her job. Work interfered with her writing. When she’d started, it had been a part-time job, three days a week as a way of giving back to society. Something her parents had stressed. Now she worked five days a week, with part-time benefits. Leave it to the state to get around giving benefits, though she didn’t need them. Mia wanted to earn her own way in life. All the benefits she could ever ask for, as well as a high-paying salary, she got as an officer of her father’s company. A writer-contributor slash vice president, she worked hard producing articles for each magazine every month. If seeing her name on a book was all that mattered to her, she could’ve easily published her mystery with their company ages ago. But she’d inherited her father’s stubborn streak. It was important to her to make it on her own. It’s why she used a pseudonym when she submitted. Logan Andrews didn’t understand, never did, never would—and it caused constant friction between her and her father.

It was also the main reason she’d moved out of New York City. After the last argument, the idea to move out of state popped into her head. It took two days for the realtor to rent out her penthouse to a nice couple for a year. After she had the moving truck loaded with what she’d need for the year, she stopped by her parents, dropped the bomb, and didn’t look back. The move to rural Connecticut was the best thing she’d done for herself in years. Like an omen, she had found the condo the first week at the right price. The owner had wanted a quick sale. She’d paid cash and moved right in. It gave her more time to write, plus it meant less bickering with her father. It wasn’t time for her to take her rightful position at the company. Her dreams were hers and no one else’s. She loved the seclusion and setting she had found in Connecticut. Now, three years later, she had a life here. One she wouldn’t give up without a fight.

And she didn’t need to work. The generous trust fund her grandmother had left her, and the income she drew from the various holdings and stocks the family owned, could support ten families. She wondered how Jake would handle it when he found out how rich she was. Would the depth of her portfolio bother him? Would he be man enough to handle it? She’d tell him in time. Where the relationship led would be anyone’s guess. Too many men wanted her for her money. Jake seemed different from the others she had dated. Yet, he had a dark side to him, one she needed to explore more thoroughly. Whose baggage was larger, his or hers? When he’d spoken of his sister’s death on Sunday, she realized he still carried a lot of survivor guilt around deep inside. Even with her degree in psychology she didn’t think she could help him, or if she even wanted to begin a relationship with someone as damaged as Jake.

While waiting for her second appointment of the day, Mia wondered how tonight would go. She didn’t need one of Jake’s ex-girlfriends following her around. Did Jake bring it on himself? Would it be fair to blame him for a crazy woman’s actions? It was rare she met a man she wanted to date. Would Jake Carrington be worth taking a chance on? Maybe she’d find out tonight.

Her cell phone rang. Looking at the readout, she almost moaned out loud when she saw Piper’s name. Of all days, she didn’t have the time or the patience to speak with her friend. Her husband, Darryl, had cheated on her and Piper wanted Mia to tell her what to do. Letting the call go to voicemail, Mia promised herself she’d call Piper back on her way to Jake’s house tonight.

Her next appointment walked in with a big attitude and a foul mouth—a mean-spirited, boisterous thirteen-year-old girl who caused fights with the other students. The school had asked her to dig out the answer. Mia could tell them why before she even counseled her. Tessa threw herself into one of the chairs in front of Mia’s desk and stared her down. Saying nothing, Mia waited her out.

Tessa said, “Hi, Doctor Andrews.”

“Hello, Tessa. How are you today?”

“Why do I have to come here? It’s a waste of my time.”

“Well, consider it as a vacation from class,” Mia said, with a smile.

“I don’t need no vacation. I don’t want to come, I don’t come. Nobody cares one way or the other if I do or don’t,” she answered, an edge creeping into her voice as she tried to incite an argument.

“Don’t need any vacation,” Mia corrected.

“Whatever.” Tessa waved her hand around.

Tessa picked up items from Mia’s desk. The girl did it to irritate her. “Tessa, we spoke about you touching my things before. Put them down.” Not giving an inch, Mia hardened her voice. She’d taken this job because she thought she could help kids. No matter how much she tried, she didn’t see much progress. The job had started to depress her.

“Boy, you’re grouchy today,” Tessa said, dropping the crystal statue back on Mia’s desk.

Mia cringed. “Would you like me to go through your handbag…touch your possessions?”

“You do, I’ll kill you.” Tessa jumped up.

Mia stared her down until she sat again.

“Are you ready for your session?”

“Why? It don’t help.”

“Tessa, in the last session you promised to explain why you’re angry.” Mia gave Tessa a gentle push.

“Fine. I ain’t no white bitch who has everything. Or it could be I live in a hole where no one cares about me or what I do. Is that what you want me to say?” Tessa asked.

“I want you to be honest with me. I can help if you let me.”

“Why should I?”

“To work toward your future to ensure you have a good life in front of you,” Mia said.

“I hate my parents.”

“You can’t change who your parents are. If they’re abusing you, we can address those issues.”

“I hate them. They don’t abuse me or anything.” It was rare, but Mia couldn’t read the kid.

“You need to tell more than that if we are going to root out and fix the cause of your feelings. Remember, you’re the one who needs to take charge, implement the changes we spoke about in the last session to see change in your life. You have to want to change before I can help you. Dig deep, find the reasons why you hate your parents. Once you find the answer, work to resolve the issues. I can’t help you until you tell me what they are.” Mia made a decision and went with the personal touch. “I have problems with my father. I wish things could be different. I understand I’m not going to change him. I’ve accepted it and moved on in my life. I live it my way.”

“What’s his problem?”

Mia almost answered. Smiled at how easily Tessa could draw her in. “It doesn’t matter. What matters most, Tessa, is you. You can work to be a better student, daughter or a successful businesswoman. Show the world you have what it takes to succeed, even against great odds.”

“You make it sound easy.” The girl slumped back in the chair.

“It’s not. It’s a lot of hard work. Anything worthwhile is.”

“Why do you care? What do you get out of doing this?” Tessa spread her arms wide. “Does it make feel better about yourself?” A good manipulator, Tessa tried again to turn the session back on her. Mia wasn’t allowing it.

“No, I like to help people. I see great potential in you. It would be a shame to waste it. Don’t let them beat you down. You want power, Tessa? Real power is knowledge. Street smarts are good, but you need book smarts to accompany it to succeed. You’re at a crossroads in your life—you need to make a choice. Are you going to be a troublemaker all your life and end up in jail? Or do you want to work hard to make something of yourself? It’s your decision. What do you want?”

She pushed hard today. For Tessa, they were running out of options. Mia liked the girl. Even with all her sessions, she had never discovered the reason for Tessa’s anger. A long time ago Mia accepted some kids couldn’t be helped, though it killed her with this one, because Tessa had potential. A brainy girl with guts, Tessa could go far in life if she let herself.

“I’ll have to get back to you with my answer.”

“I’ll see you next week at the same time. And dig deep to find your answer, Tessa.” Mia dismissed her. Staring out her window, she didn’t want to give up on Tessa but was she a lost cause? It annoyed her how much she wanted to sit there and cry. Cry for Tessa, cry for herself, and cry for the broken system that let these children fall through the cracks. Her work accomplished nothing. Mia understood that she was at the burnout point. It was a hazard of the profession.

Outside the window something odd registered in her brain—she recognized the red car parked next to hers as the Wagner woman’s Jake had spoken about. Or was she projecting? Since their talk she’d spotted a dozen red cars at the grocery store, the bank, and on her way to work. No, this time she was positive it was her. Pissed, she hit number one on her speed dial.

“You’re not canceling, are you?” Jake asked.

“No, the Wagner woman’s sitting in my parking lot here at school, in Hartford. What should I do?” She paced as she spoke.

“Notify the resource officer there, but I want you to also call the police and explain you’re dating a cop. Tell them about the other incident. No, never mind, I’ll call a friend of mine at the Hartford Police Department and get him out there right away. Stay in your office.”

She hung up, without a good-bye.

It took Sergeant Monahan and his partner Detective Perez five minutes to get there. Monahan knocked on Mia’s door.

“Mia Andrews?”

“Yes?”

“I’m Sergeant Monahan.” He walked over to Mia’s window and stared down at the lot. “Which car is it?”

Mia joined him, looking down into the parking lot—gone. “The blue car’s mine. The empty spot to the right is where she was parked.” She pushed a hand through her hair.

“A red Honda, driven by a brunette woman, pulled out of the lot just as we drove in. What color car does the Wagner woman drive?” Monahan asked.

“It’s a red Honda.” Mia sat down. Monahan came over to her desk, pulled a chair around, and sat beside her and took her right hand in his.

“Miss Andrews…”

“It’s Mia.”

“Okay, Mia, most stalkers don’t do anything. It’s a form of intimidation to scare someone. They’re cowards. I’m going to advise you to put in a complaint so it’s on the record. This way if she continues to escalate you’ll have enough for a restraining order. The next time take a picture of the car and driver with your cell phone.”

“I did.”

“Excellent, can you forward it to me. Maybe I’ll be able to pull up the license number.”

“This is ridiculous, Sergeant…”

“It’s Mike, Mia. I know it’s crazy, but let’s go with the old saying, it’s better to be safe than sorry. I’d bet Jake’s on his way to Hartford right this minute. Let’s give him a call and tell him everything’s okay.”

“All right, but what happens if I see her on the highway on my way home?”

“I’m sure she watched us pull in. Could she see you at the window?”

“I figure the answer is yes, if I could see her in her car.”

“You’re probably right. This is the second incident. Do you want to file a complaint? Next time, we’ll use the picture you took to file a restraining order. Make sure to keep documenting the car every time you see it and try to get the license plate in all the pictures. It will make your complaint stronger.” He let go of her hand.

Rubbing her temples to ease the throbbing in her head, Mia nodded at him.

“I can follow you home, if you like.” Mike’s partner had stayed silent throughout the exchange. He stood at the window as he scanned the parking lot. It unnerved Mia.

“No, thanks, I’m going to Jake’s house after work. I’m sure she won’t be stupid enough to follow me there.”

“I’ll write down my personal cell phone number on the back of my business card for when you’re in Hartford. Don’t hesitate to call me.”

“Thank you for your kindness, Mike, I appreciate it.”

“It’s nothing. Jake and I go way back. Nobody stalks a cop’s family.”

She didn’t correct him. She didn’t know what Jake had told him about them and didn’t care as long as it kept that nut away from her. She’d planned to change at work. After the cops left, she decided to change at Jake’s house.

The day couldn’t end soon enough for her.

* * * *

Jake got Mia’s phone call right after he and Louie left Pilarki’s house. He strung together a good array of curses.

“Hey, Jake, slow down, Mike will take care of her.”

“That crazy bitch decided to stalk Mia instead of me. And Mia’s coming over tonight to talk. I wonder what she’s decided now that she picked up a stalker,” he said, temper rising out of his frustration.

“I’m not going to guess what her verdict is and neither should you. You’ll have to wait until she gets there to find out. If you want, I’ll drive,” Louie slipped in.

“No, I’m fine.”

“Well, I’m not. Nor is that the old woman crossing the street over there. You took ten years off her life when she jumped out of your way. That’ll teach her to try to cross the street with a green light.”

“Funny, Louie.” Though he didn’t feel like laughing.

“What else is bothering you?”

“Everything. I feel we’re almost there on the Wagner case, on the brink of something, if only we could unearth one piece of evidence that would swing us toward a suspect. We have to be missing something big, something right in front of our faces. Then there’s Chloe and her antics. The Adams kids ripped my heart out yesterday, plus Spaulding’s possible release. Now the trouble with Mia… It’s piling up on me. How long am I going to have to pay for one indiscretion?”

It wasn’t normal for Jake to give up. Louie didn’t answer right away. He searched for the right words.

A block before they got to the station, Louie said, “Jake you can’t control the actions of others. If Mia doesn’t understand or won’t accept it, then she’s looking for an excuse not to be with you. No matter who you meet, she’ll always be concerned you’re a cop. Sophia still wonders if she made the right choice every time she hears a report of a cop being shot. The cases are the cases. Most times we solve them. You’re the one who told me patience is a virtue. It’s time to take your own advice. We’ll keep working methodically and in time we’ll get there.”

“Wow, your logic impresses me. No, seriously, thanks. Chloe got me so angry. If anything ever happened to Mia, because of someone I dated, I wouldn’t be able to handle it again.”

And there it is. Jake always blames himself for Eva, Louie thought. “Jake, nothing’s going to happen, chill out. And God forbid if something did, it wouldn’t be your fault.”

* * * *

Mia cancelled her other appointments and left before lunch. She also made an appointment with both her boss and personnel to discuss how her job and the hours had changed. After doing it for a couple of years, she realized it had led away from her life goals. She called Jake and told him she was leaving early. She liked how he rearranged his schedule to be there when she’d arrived. How he understood the seriousness of the threat. More than anything, even with the Wagner woman in the picture, she couldn’t wait to see him. Though nothing had been resolved, she still got excited at the thought of him.

* * * *

Jake’s cell phone started to ring as he packed up his briefcase. “Jake, the Wagner woman’s sitting outside the school. Did Mia leave?”

“Yeah, Mike, she left about forty minutes ago.” It was a good call on Mia’s part to leave early it seemed. He owed Mike a bottle of good scotch.

He knew Mike would take care of Chloe. Before he left the station, Jake apologized to Louie, asked him to find his own ride home. He wanted to be there when Mia arrived at his house. As soon as her car turned into his street he hit the remote in his hand to open the extra bay for her to pull right in. Was he destined to put every woman he loved in harm’s way? Deep down it was the reason he had avoided serious relationships in the past. He waited for her at the top of the short staircase leading into the house. As soon as she reached the top step, he took her into his arms and held her close. The afternoon’s incident had frightened them both. Jake lifted her chin and studied her pale face. “Are you okay?”

“I’m a little shaken. If you don’t mind, I’m going to lie down for a few minutes in the spare room. It’s been a tough day all around and I need to make some decisions.”

He’d seen that expression many times in his career. The dazed, confused blank-eye look of a victim peered out at him. And he’d put her in the situation that caused it.

Jake watched her walk down the hall to the spare bedroom. He checked on her a half hour later when she hadn’t come out of the room. She’d fallen asleep, curled up in the fetal position. Two hours later he heard the shower running. Reaching into the fridge, he pulled out the white wine, uncorked it and let it breathe while he waited for her to join him in the kitchen.

Training taught him how to handle a victim. Did he handle Mia as one? Should he coddle her or come at the problem head on? Did he allow his emotions to get in the way of Mia’s safety? He fought to appear casual as he leaned against the kitchen counter with his legs crossed at the ankles, sipping the cup of coffee he didn’t want, as he waited for Mia to come out. Jake loathed Chloe for her vindictiveness. Every time he thought about it, his anger pulsated through him. He couldn’t let Mia see the helplessness he felt. It wasn’t what she needed right now—she was the one who needed comfort, not him.

“Hi,” Mia said, standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

“Hey,” he said, letting the silence fill the air, waiting for her to speak first.

“It’s too early for dinner,” she said.

“I have coffee ready if you want some, or wine.” He fisted his hands at his side though he wanted to go to her and take her in his arms.

“No, the wine’s good.”

They were acting like strangers, each feeling the other out, the day’s stress getting to both of them. He walked across the kitchen and kissed her to break the ice. He pulled back, looked down into her eyes as he traced his fingers over her brow, her nose, and her lips. The terror in her eyes when she had first arrived ripped a huge hole in his heart. For that alone, he could kill Chloe.

“It’s nice out, why don’t you sit outside and I’ll bring out the wine. And, Mia, I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”

“We have a lot to talk about.”

* * * *

She hesitated by the door, not wanting to go out by herself. It pissed her off how this Chloe person could scare the wits out her. A woman she didn’t even know. Mia pushed her fear away and stepped outside, instead of waiting for Jake.

Handing her a glass of wine when he walked out, he placed some cheese and crackers on the table by her side. She gave him the once-over and liked what she saw. She felt warm and on edge every time she was around him.

“I don’t know where to start.” He stopped, searching for the right words before he continued.

She cut him off. “We need to talk about Monday night and Chloe. Is Chloe a side effect of your job? Or is it personal?”

“A combination, Mia, I’ll explain.”

* * * *

Jake thought that was a good starting place. After a lengthy time of back and forth conversation, he felt they had a better understanding of each other and their personalities, jobs, and what to expect from each other moving forward. The issue with Chloe was a wait and see. He couldn’t predict Chloe’s actions, even though Mia wanted some indication of what she’d do next. “Do you always analyze everything?”

“Guilty. It’s the reason I’m a psychologist. My inquisitive mind never stops questioning.”

“This is the only answer I have to everything that’s been going on with us. I do know if you don’t take chances in life and run with it, you lose all around. You’ll miss out on what could be the most gratifying experience of your life.”

She looked deep into his green eyes. “And if you lose?”

“You learn more when you lose. Life’s an adventure. You gain knowledge and experience emotions—what more can you ask for?” He smiled.

“You’re deep. What about the other factors, which will no doubt interfere with the experience?”

“It’s called life, Mia. You deal with it or you turn away. What’s your choice?”

“Let’s discuss that nut. The woman frightens me. You never know when she’ll lose it completely. And Monday night, I waited over an hour for you…then poof, you’re gone. I understand it’s your job but how often am I going to have to put up with your disappearing act?” While he contemplated his response, she let the silence fill the space between them.

“Mia, if I could control all the nuts in the world, I wouldn’t have a job. As for my responsibilities, when I’m on duty the job comes first. Dating a cop is tough with the weird hours. On-call duty assignments screw with your plans. I’m a cop. I’ll always be a cop. I don’t know anything else, nor do I want to.”

He stopped, giving her a chance to jump in, to voice her opinion, but the silence dragged on. Jake thought he’d lost her by the faraway look in her eyes, until she spoke.

“Jake, I’m spoiled, even self-centered. Growing up I always got whatever I wanted and never questioned my demands on other people. As I got older, I realized it’s not how the world works for everyone else. I started to look inside myself and make decisions that would help me survive. You don’t know anything about me, where I come from, who I am, or who my family is.”

“I don’t want to know everything about you today, or even tomorrow, Mia. I want to discover it all over time. Who your family is isn’t important to me unless they’re criminals.” He gave her the fisheye.

For the first time since she arrived, Jake watched the tension drain from her body.

“No, they’re not nor am I, though I do have a few outstanding parking tickets.” She tugged his hands to her and raised them to her lips.

His stomach unclenched. “Are you hungry? I didn’t realize how much time had passed.”

“Yeah, I could eat.”

Jake served burgers with a side salad. After dinner, Mia helped him clean up. He washed the dishes. She dried them. As she wiped the last the plate, she turned toward him.

“Do you have plans for Saturday night?”

“No.”

“Would you like to come to my house for dinner and dessert?” With a coy smile, she lowered her lashes.

“Boy would I, and…we don’t need food,” he answered, smiling.

“Yes, we do.”

Happy with the way the evening turned out, he couldn’t wait for dinner on Saturday.

Especially dessert.