Part 23 (1/2)
She heard the quick intake of his breath and felt his sobs as they let loose.
”Jamie,” he croaked, and she held tighter as if she could squeeze the pain right out of him.
”I'm here, Tony.”
”You're it, Jamie. You're all I've got.”
”I'm not going anywhere, T. You've got me.”
He gasped and sobbed harder, and she closed her eyes, the tears flus.h.i.+ng down her cheeks. They stood there for a long time. She thought about their families and about Tim, about Emily Osbourne and Hailey and Mackenzie and even about Natasha Devlin. About all that life had handed her and all she knew was yet to come-the never-ending cycle of hards.h.i.+ps. And the moments of relief. The tiny grains of joy. They were there, too.
As she loosened her grip, swiped the tears from her face, she wondered what obstacle would come next-a new rape victim, another attack?
Surely, things never settled for long.
Then she considered that maybe she'd had enough. Maybe this time would be different.
Maybe.
Chapter 26.
Monday morning traffic was b.u.mper to b.u.mper on 101 heading south toward the bridge, which had seemed empty over the last few months. Everyone said that there were fewer people on the roads because of the high cost of tolls and gas. Well, if everyone was taking public transportation, there must have been some sort of ma.s.s shutdown that morning.
Jamie arrived at the station house late and already sweating underneath a navy wool blazer.
As she rushed through the department door, Dorothy, the s.e.x Crimes secretary, snarled, ”You're late.”
Jamie bit her tongue and pa.s.sed the woman without a comment. ”Hag,” she whispered loud enough for a few others to hear as she knocked on the conference room door.
”Come in.”
She recognized her captain's voice and opened the door. The small room was full, and it took a few seconds to absorb all the faces that surrounded the pitted old table. To her left, at the head of the table, was her own Captain, Ben Jules. Next to him, Linda James then Mackenzie.
Jamie stopped on her. ”You're out. You okay?”
She nodded without speaking. Her face looked worse today-the bruising deeper, the swelling worse. One eye was completely closed. At least she was there. She could think and walk. Speak. She would survive.
Chip Was.h.i.+ngton sat beside Mackenzie, and beyond him was a man she didn't recognize. She finally made it around the table and found Hailey Wyatt on her left.
”Sit down, Vail,” her captain said, pounding on the table in an unfamiliar gesture of impatience.
Jamie took the closest chair.
”You know everyone?”
She looked around and nodded. The man at the other head didn't stand and didn't offer a hand. ”Captain David Marshall, Homicide.” Hailey's boss.
Jamie nodded and looked over at Hailey, who raised an eyebrow just slightly. It was strange to be in a room with all their superiors. The rookie, Mackenzie Wallace, and her captain, Linda James. Jamie and Captain Jules. Hailey and Captain Marshall. They rarely met like this, and within seconds, Jamie wanted to leave.
As soon as she was seated, Captain Jules turned to Mackenzie. ”Officer Wallace, in your statement, you said you were certain that Officer Scanlan wasn't your attacker.”
Mackenzie nodded.
”You still sure?” he asked.
”Positive.”
Jamie sat forward. ”It's all related, somehow, Captain-Devlin, the rapes, Mackenzie's attack.”
Jules nodded. She'd already told him her theory when they'd spoken yesterday. He looked up at Hailey's boss, Captain Marshall. ”They want to work it as one case, share information. I don't have a problem with that. Do you?”
Marshall steepled his hands. ”Wyatt's got two high-profile homicide cases going. I can't have her pulled off of them on any tangents related to rape or any other crime. I need some arrests made on these murders.”
Jules frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but Linda James interjected. ”Officer Wallace would like to help. She's sharp and will be good for legwork and that sort of thing-phone calls, follow-ups. Plus, she won't be doing her beat for a while-not until we catch this guy.”
Marshall frowned and started to shake his head.
”Chief Jackson agrees they should work it together,” Jules added.
Jamie watched Jules, wondered if he was lying. It seemed odd that he would have talked to the chief of police on Devlin's murder, especially since it was Marshall's case, not his, that was so high profile. Maybe it had to do with Scanlan.
Marshall didn't test him. Instead, he looked at her with narrowed eyes. ”Fine. Get to it, ladies. But don't let this conspiracy theory trip you up. You've discovered some coincidences but nothing to prove it's anything more. Not yet anyway.”
Captain Jules began to address Marshall on a few logistics.
Mackenzie turned to Jamie and whispered, ”Where do we start?”
”I'm going to drag Marchek in, see if you can ID him in a lineup.”
Mackenzie nodded and Jamie could see her throat tighten with anxiety.
Jamie kept her voice low. ”If we trust the message we got, I guess the best place to start the murder investigation is with men Natasha was involved with inside the department.”
Linda nodded. ”If this guy's a cop and he killed Natasha, that seems like as good a place as any.”
”That's going to be a long list,” Jamie said. To Hailey, she whispered, ”Maybe there will be a stutterer on it.”
Hailey nodded, eyes narrowed.
Jamie watched her. ”You have an idea.”
”I think maybe I know who to ask first.”
From the corner of her eye, Jamie saw Linda and Mackenzie exchange a questioning glance.
But when Hailey's gaze met hers, Jamie knew exactly whom she meant. If Daniels was having an affair with Hailey, why not Devlin, too?