12
Emily sat on the grass outside the office building with her mother and sister close by. Once the paramedics had checked them out and deemed no hospital visit necessary, they’d left and the medical examiner had arrived shortly thereafter.
Half an hour ago, Sophia had stretched out, laid a head on her mother’s thigh, and promptly dropped off to sleep. Emily envied her. Neither she nor her mother had spoken in the last twenty minutes and the silence was straining Emily’s nerves to the breaking point. She sighed and rubbed her eyes. “I’m sorry about all this,” she said softly, not wanting to disturb the child.
“I see trouble is still showing up wherever you land. At least this time no one died except the people who deserved it.”
The jab nearly decimated the fragile hold she had on her emotions, but what could she say? “Yeah,” she whispered. “At least there’s that.” She fell silent again since that seemed to be the least painful option. She refused to revert to her childhood ways of snapping off whatever she thought, regardless of the consequences. It almost surprised her that she had no more desire to cause as much hurt as possible to the woman who’d given birth to her.
“What happens now?” her mother asked, keeping her voice low while she stroked Sophia’s dark hair.
Emily’s heart stumbled at the sight. Her mother had never touched her like that. Ever. She cleared her throat and looked away. “They catch the people who did this.” She paused, then nodded to Sophia. “She’s beautiful.”
“Yes.”
“She’s happy?”
“Unlike you as a child, you mean?”
Why was she even trying? But . . . “Yes.”
“I think she is. After all, it’s just the two of us.”
“I know.” Emily swiped a hand across her eyes and refused to let the tears come. It was just the two of them and that was Emily’s fault too. At least in her mother’s eyes.
“Why did you come?” her mom asked. “Risk your life for us? I never would have—”
“What?” Emily asked. “Thought I’d do it?”
“Yes. I even told them you wouldn’t.”
“Wow.” Of course she’d had no reason to think otherwise. Old pain became new. “It’s been a long time. Things have changed. I’ve changed. You don’t know who I am now.”
“I never knew who you were.”
“Unfortunately, that is very true.” But she wasn’t sure who got the blame for that one. Probably her father. Emily drew in a deep breath and stood. “I’m going to find Brady and ask him what we’re supposed to do now.”
“I’m sorry, Emily. For a lot of things.”
She wasn’t going there. Not right now. “I know, Mom. I am too.”
“Who is Brady to you?” her mother asked.
What a loaded question. Emily gave a small shrug and shook her head. “I don’t know. A friend.” And that made her sad because while she wanted more, there was no way that was going to happen. The fact that she was sad about that made her mad.
“He’s a cop.”
“I’m aware.” She wasn’t getting into this now. “I’ll be back.” As she walked, she took inventory. Her foot throbbed, along with her arm. She had the beginnings of what was shaping up to be a pounding headache, and she was hungry.
She found Brady near the entrance to the warehouse talking to Linc.
“. . . secret door that led to an underground tunnel.”
“What underground tunnel?” Emily asked.
“It’s how one of them was able to escape. It leads to a basement next door. He simply climbed down and walked away.”
“So, he let his guys fight it out while he ran?” Emily shook her head. “Nice.”
“Yeah.”
“He was the one who broke into Heather’s and my apartment and trashed them.”
“Did he say what he was looking for?”
“Just information. Something about a boat that sank. He wasn’t exactly clear, but I’ll fill you in later. When can we go?” she asked. “My mom needs to get Sophia home and get her something to eat.”
“Soon. We’re going to have to transport them to the station to get their statements. We’ll have someone trained in interviewing children question Sophia to make sure she’s not traumatized further. We’ll also feed them and do our best to make sure they’re as comfortable as possible.”
“Okay. Who’s we?”
“Well, law enforcement. I also think we need to put them in a safe house,” Brady said.
“Because they can identify the guy who escaped?”
“That, and because these guys didn’t get what they wanted from you. They got you here using your mom and sister once. They know your weakness. There’s nothing to stop them from trying again.”
Her stomach twisted at the thought. “All right. That makes sense.” Because he was right. She’d do it all over again if they were snatched a second time.
A harsh laugh escaped before she could stop it. “Um, no. That’s not going to happen.”
“Em—”
“Not going to happen and nothing you can say will change my mind.”
He studied her a second longer before he frowned and nodded. “All right. You said she hates cops. Why?”
“Because a cop shot and killed my dad.”
He stilled, his eyes soft, yet wary. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. He deserved it.”
She could tell she’d rendered him speechless. He cleared his throat. “Okay, I see we have some more topics to talk about later, but for now”—he nodded toward her mother and Sophia—“do you want to tell them or do you want me to?”
Which would be better? She glanced over her shoulder at the pair. Her mother’s eyes were closed and Sophia had rolled to her left side. “Actually, I think at this point she probably hates me more than she hates cops.” Emily looked away from the instant concern in his blue eyes. “Which vehicle should I wait in while you tell her?”
“I have my truck across the street, but don’t leave yet. I don’t want you to be anywhere alone.”
Emily waited while Brady walked over to her mother and broke the news. The woman’s shoulders slumped, then straightened. Emily heard her say something but couldn’t make out the words. Brady responded and her mother’s mouth shut. With snapping eyes and a hard jaw, she nevertheless was gentle when she woke Sophia.
Unable to figure out the emotions rolling through her, Emily pressed chilled fingers to her burning eyes and did her best to keep the memories at bay.
“Emily?” Brady placed a hand on her shoulder and she opened her eyes. “You okay?”
“Not really, but that’s not important. Did she agree?”
“Wow. What did you say to make that happen?”
“That if Sophia died because she refused police protection, then that was on her.”
Emily’s jaw dropped and she quickly snapped it shut. “Impressive.”
He shrugged. “Whatever works. You want to say goodbye for now?”
Emily spotted her mother and a now-awake Sophia talking to another officer. “No.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
He waved to someone behind her, then took her hand. “All right then, let’s get out of here.”
“Where are we going?”
“You might not want to go with your mom and sister to their safe place, but we’re going to find you one you can live with.”
Brady stood at the island in the middle of the kitchen he shared with his sister and brother while Emily sat on the couch and let Ruthie change the bandage on her arm. She’d borrowed a long-sleeved T-shirt from Ruthie, tossing her torn, bloodied one in the trash. “Check her foot again while you’re at it,” he said. “Please.”
Ruthie raised a brow, then nodded.
“Come on, Brady,” Emily said, sounding half amused, half irritated. “The paramedics at the warehouse said I was fine.”
“Yeah, well, I’d rather have Ruthie’s word for it.”
The kitchen bar faced the den, the open concept allowing him to raid the refrigerator and participate in the conversation taking place on the couch. He set a couple sodas on the counter.
“Are you sure Mom and Sophia will be all right?” Emily asked Linc, who stood near the mantel. She took a sip of her water. “I could tell Mom wasn’t real happy about being sent to a safe house. And when Mom’s not happy, heads can roll.”
“They’ll be fine. Better to be unhappy than dead.”
Emily flinched and Brady rolled his eyes. “Smooth, Linc.”
“Sorry. I’m afraid Derek is influencing me, as I seem to be having trouble with tact these days.” He sighed. “But really, Emily, I promise, they’re better off there for a bit while we track down who snatched them—and you.”
“I know. I understand—and they do too, I hope.”
Ruthie pressed the last strip of adhesive to the bandage. “Do you need anything stronger than what I prescribed at the hospital to help you sleep tonight?”
Emily recoiled. “No.”
Ruthie frowned. “Just asking.”
“I know.” Emily cleared her throat. “Sorry. I . . . used to have an addiction to painkillers, and I prefer to just suffer rather than risk getting addicted again.”
Ruthie’s features softened. “I understand. I wasn’t really talking about painkillers per se. You can go a natural route with some melatonin or something.”
“I’m okay right now.”
If the tight set of her jaw and pale cheeks were any indication, she was lying through her teeth.
Linc paced in front of the brick fireplace, phone pressed to his ear. “Can you threaten him with something to get him to talk? Uh-huh. Right. Yeah. Got it.” He hung up and rubbed his eyes. “That was Derek. He said Parker isn’t speaking other than to request a burger and to leave him alone so he could think. So, Derek said they’ve given him an hour to think. Said normally he’d push, but there was something about Parker that made him think backing off would be the better move.”
“For all his lack of tact, Derek’s good at reading people,” Brady said. “If he thinks that’s best, then it probably is. Did Parker make any phone calls?”
“Not yet. His request for a lawyer still stands, so we’re waiting to hear that we can go question him.”
“Good.” Brady slid a glance to Emily. Gas logs gave off a warm glow, and all he could think about was that he wanted to send his siblings away so he could sit on the couch with Emily and ask her how and why she’d become addicted to painkillers. But now wasn’t the time for that. Priorities.
He stepped into the den and sat on the love seat across from her. “I know you told the lead investigator everything, but could you go through it again? I didn’t get to listen like I wanted to and Linc didn’t hear any of it.”
“Neither did I,” Ruthie said.
Emily raked a hand through her dark hair and the T-shirt sleeve slid up—revealing the rope burns she’d acquired yesterday. As well as the older white crisscrossing scars. She lowered her arm and pulled the sleeve down. “The first text I got in the hospital was to throw you off,” she said to Brady. “Once you were gone, they knew it.”
Brady looked at Linc. “Any word on the faces on her hall at the hospital?”
“Not yet.”
Back to Emily. “Go on.”
“Anyway, after you were gone, I got the next text telling me they were watching and that I was to leave or else. I wrote the note, made sure I stayed in view of the hospital cameras, and grabbed a cab.”
“Are you a cop?” Ruthie asked.
Emily raised a brow. “No. But I lived on the streets long enough to figure out how to think like one—and how to make sure someone can follow me. Or not.” She scowled. “At least when I know someone plans to do so. I had no idea someone planned to grab me as I walked out of my office building and throw me into the trunk of a car.”
“Of course not,” Brady said. “Just to satisfy my own curiosity—why were you living on the streets?”
She looked away from him. “It was after my dad was killed. My mom told me to get out, so I did. It’s a long story. I . . . can tell you about that another time. As for today, from what I could tell, the cab driver was innocent in all of this, but I knew someone was watching at the hospital and I was afraid they could still see me somehow. That’s why I didn’t try to call or text once I got in the car.” She rubbed her arms and shivered.
“We’ve already tracked the driver down,” Linc said. “He’s being questioned as we speak. As are the other two who were rounded up at the warehouse. The Uber driver’s in the wind, but we subpoenaed the Uber records. There’s a BOLO out on him right now.”
Brady’s phone buzzed and he glanced at the screen. “Well, looks like it’s time for a chitchat.”
“Who’s that?”
“The lawyer has arrived, so I’m going to head over to question Parker about the break-ins and the pictures,” Brady said. “Since we connected on such a personal level, maybe he’ll open up to me.”
“Sarcasm?” Linc asked.
Brady rubbed a hand over his bruised jaw. “I owe the guy a punch in the face.”
“I want to see him,” Emily said.
“No, you need to stay here and rest,” Brady said. “Linc and I can take care of this. But I promise we’ll let you know what we find out as soon as possible.”
“But—”
“They’re right,” Ruthie said. “Let them do their job.”
Emily’s shoulders wilted, and Brady was surprised she didn’t argue further. Probably a good indication of her fatigue. And pain.
“Is there anything else you can tell us?” Linc asked.
She rubbed her forehead and nodded. “They wanted me to find the Lady Marie.”
“The what?” Brady crossed his arms and frowned.
“It’s a houseboat that sank. They wanted me to tell them which lake it sank in and the location on the lake.”
“Did you tell them?” Brady asked.
“No, because I didn’t know what they were talking about.”
Frowning, Linc tapped his pen on the notebook. “And yet, they think you do.”
“Apparently.” She sighed. “He said he wanted the information I received Wednesday night. The only thing I can think of is that Heather may have had some information that she hadn’t passed on to me yet. I don’t know how they would know what she was working on or that she was going to send it to me, but it’s obvious they did. So maybe they think she emailed me and that information was in there. Only she never emailed, which means I don’t have a clue.”
“Makes sense,” Brady said.
“Have you been able to find anything at all that might tell us what happened to her?” Emily asked.
Linc shook his head. “We haven’t been able to locate her car even with the BOLO on it. No credit card usage or ATM withdrawals. Nothing. And the security camera in the parking garage where she made the 911 call was disabled, so there’s no way we can see what happened.” His eyes met hers.
Emily winced and stood. Paced to the entrance to the sunroom, then to the fireplace, where she stood in front of the flames. “I don’t understand. Where could she be?”
“Emily . . . ,” Brady said.
Her gaze met his and he wanted to reassure her that her friend was probably fine and just hiding out. But . . .
He didn’t think so.
The 911 call, the lack of activity on her accounts, the missing car . . . all added up to the fact that it was probable they just hadn’t found her body yet. Or she was being held somewhere.
She looked away.
“They’ve already pulled her records and pinged her phone, but there’s nothing to indicate her location now.” Linc glanced at Brady. “If you ask me, our best lead is sitting in the interrogation room. You ready?”
“I am.”
Linc headed for the door and Ruthie gestured to her medical supplies. “I’ll just put these away.”
“I’ll be there in a minute,” Brady said to Linc.
Linc turned. “I’ll be in the car.”
Once they were alone, Brady placed his hands on Emily’s shoulders. “Are you going to be all right?”
“I don’t really have a choice, do I?” She sighed. “As long as my mother and sister are okay, then yes, I’ll be able to function. I just need to know about Heather.” She bit her lip. “One way or another. I’m going to try to reach her parents again. I just don’t understand why they haven’t called me back.”
He pulled her into a hug even as part of him asked himself what he thought he was doing—and why he was doing it. He kept telling himself she was a victim, that she was emotionally fragile, and that he needed to tread carefully. Then again, her emotional state really shouldn’t matter to him.
Because he wasn’t interested. At least not any more than he would be interested in—that is, concerned about—someone who was having as much trouble as she.
Which is why you’re standing there with her in your arms, right?
He let her go and she stepped back, the confusion in her gaze zinging his heart. “Uh. Okay then,” he said. “I’m going to leave you here with Ruthie. Derek plans to come over as well to keep an eye on the place. Izzy and/or Chloe, my sisters, may join him.”
“Your sisters. Who are also police officers?”
“Izzy made detective last year and Chloe is in the K-9 unit.”
“Got it. You have an amazing family, don’t you?”
He smiled. “Yeah. I really do.” And then he slipped out the door to join Linc in the vehicle.