Mike Valenzuela was up and had his Jeep SUV packed long
before sunrise. He had a long drive to Los Angeles and
meant to get an early start. Depending on traffic around
the Bay Area, the drive would be eight to ten hours from
Virgin River. He locked up his RV, which was his home. It
sat on the property at Jack’s bar and grill; Jack and
Preacher would keep an eye on it for him, not that Mike
expected any kind of trouble. That was one of several
reasons he’d chosen to live here – it was quiet. Small,
peaceful, beautiful and nothing to disturb one’s peace of
mind. Mike had had enough of that in his former life.
Before coming to Virgin River permanently, Mike had made
many trips to this Humboldt County mountain town for
hunting and fishing, for gathering with an old Marine squad
that was still close. His full time job had been with LAPD,
a sergeant in the gangs division. Then he was shot on the
job; he took three bullets and had a lot of hard work
getting his body back. He’d needed Preacher’s robust food
while he worked on his rehabilitating his shoulder. After
six months, Mike was as close to completely recovered as
he’d get.
Since coming to Virgin River he’d been home only once to
visit his parents, siblings and their families. He planned
to take a week – one day driving each way and five days
with that crowd of laughing, dancing Mexicans. Knowing the
traditions of his family, it would be a nonstop
celebration. His mother and sisters would cook from morning
to night, his brothers would stock the refrigerator with
cerveza, family friends and cop buddies from the department
would drop by the house. It would be a good time – a great
homecoming after his long recovery.
He was three hours into his drive when his cell phone rang.
The noise startled him. There was no cell phone reception
in Virgin River so the last thing he expected was a phone
call.
“Hello?” he answered.
“I need a favor,” Jack said without preamble. His voice
sounded gravelly, as though barely awake. He must not have
remembered Mike was heading south.
Mike looked at the dash clock. It wasn’t yet seven a.m. He
laughed. “Well sure, but I’m nearly in Santa Rosa, so it
might be inconvenient to run over to Garberville and get
you ice for the bar, but –“
”Mike, it’s Brie,” Jack said. Brie was Jack’s youngest
sister, his pet, his favorite. And she was really special
to Mike. “She’s in the hospital.”
Mike actually swerved on the highway. “Hold on,” he
said. “Stay there.” He pulled off the road onto a safe-
looking shoulder. Then he took a deep breath. “Go ahead,”
he said.
“She was assaulted sometime last night,” Jack
said. “Beaten. Raped.”
“No!” Mike said. “What?”
Jack didn’t repeat himself. “My father just called a little
while ago. I’ll get on the road as soon as Ican. Listen, I
need someone who knows law enforcement, criminology, to
walk me through what’s happening with her. They don’t have
the guy who did this – there’s got to be an investigation.
Right?”
“How bad is she?” Mike asked.
“My dad didn’t have a lot of details, but she’s out of
emergency and in a room, sedated and semiconscious, no
surgery. Can you write down a couple of numbers? Can you
keep your cell phone turned on so I can call you? With
questions? That kind of thing?”
“Of course. Yes,” Mike said. “Gimme numbers.”
Jack recited phone numbers for the hospital and Jack’s
father Sam’s cell phone.
“Do they have a suspect? Did she know the guy?”
“I don’t know anything except her condition. After I get on
the road, get the phone charged and am out of the mountains
and through the redwoods, I’ll call my dad and see what he
can tell me. Right now I gotta go. I gotta get down there.”
“Right,” Mike said. “Okay. My phone will be in my pocket
twenty-four-seven. I’ll call the hospital, see what I can
find out.”
“Thanks. Appreciate it,” Jack said, hanging up.
Mike sat on the shoulder, staring at the phone for a long
minute, helpless. Not Brie, he thought. Oh God, not Brie!
His mind flashed on times they’d been together. A couple of
months ago she’d been in Virgin River to spend a little
time with her brother. Mike had taken her on a picnic at
the river, to a special place were the river was wide, but
too shallow for fishermen to bother. They’d had lunch
against a big boulder, close enough to hear the water
whisper by as it passed over the rocks. It was a place
frequented by young lovers and teenagers, and that big old
rock had seen some wonderful things on the river bank; it
protected many secrets. Some of his own, in fact. He’d held
Brie’s hand for a long time that day, and she hadn’t pulled
it away. It was the first time he realized he was taken
with her. A crush. At thirty-seven, he felt it was an old
man’s crush, but damned if it didn’t feel awfully like a
sixteen year old’s.
When Mike met Brie for the first time a few years back,
he’d gone to see her brother while Jack was on leave,
visiting his family in Sacramento right before his last
assignment in Iraq. Mike was oblivious to the fact that his
reserve unit would be activated and he’d end up meeting
Jack over there, serving under him a second time. Brie was
there, of course, recently married to a Sacramento cop.
Nice guy, so Mike had thought. She was a prosecutor for the
county in Sacramento, the state capitol. She was small,
about five-three, with long, soft brown hair that flowed
almost to her waist and made her look like a mere girl. But
she was no girl. She put away hardened criminals for a
living; she had a reputation as one of the toughest
prosecutors in the county. Mike had immediately admired her
brains, her grit, not to mention her beauty. In his past
life, before the shooting, he’d never been particularly
discouraged by the mere presence of a husband, but they
were newlyweds, and Brie was in love. No other man existed
for her.
When Mike saw her in Virgin River a couple of months ago,
she was trying to recover from a painful divorce – her
husband had left her for her best friend, and Brie was
shattered. Lonely. So hurt. Mike immediately wanted to take
her into his arms and console her, for he was hurting too.
But Brie, crushed by her husband’s infidelity, was
determined not to put her heart on the line again, and she
wanted nothing of a man, especially another player who’d
had more than his share of women. A further complication –
this was Jack’s baby sister, of whom he was so protective
it verged on ridiculous. And Mike was no longer a driven,
devil may care Latino lover. He was a cripple. The body
just didn’t work right anymore.
It had been only a couple of weeks since he’d last seen
her. She came back to Virgin River and there was a wedding
in town. For a man who could barely walk six months ago,
Mike had given Brie a fairly decent twirl around the dance
floor at the reception. It was a fantastic party – full of
that good old country food, barbeques flaming, the chairs
pushed back and the band set up. He grabbed her, laughing,
into his arms and whirled her around with abandon, and
whenever the tempo allowed, pressed his cheek close against
hers, whispering in conspiratorial amusement, “Your brother
is frowning at us.”
“I wonder why that is,” she laughed.
“I don’t think he wants you near a man so like himself,”
Mike speculated.
That seemed to amuse her a great deal. She tipped her head
back and laughed a little wildly. “Don’t flatter yourself,”
she said. “It has nothing to do with your great success
with women. You’re a man, near his baby sister. That’s
enough.”
“You’re no baby,” he said, pulling her closer. “And I think
you’re having too much fun with this, getting him riled up.
Don’t you realize he has a dangerous temper?”
Unmistakably, she held him tighter. “Not toward me,” she
whispered.
“There’s a devil in you,” he said, and looked death in the
face by kissing her neck.
“There’s a fool in you,” she said, tilting her head just
slightly to give him more of her neck.
In years gone by he would have found a way to get her
alone, seduced her, made love to her in ways she’d dream
about later. But three bullets had decided a few things.
Even if he could spirit her away from her brother’s
protective stare, he wouldn’t be able to perform. So he
said, “You’re trying to get me shot again.”
“Oh, I doubt he’d actually shoot you. But I haven’t been to
a good old fashioned wedding brawl in ages.”
When they said goodbye, he had hugged her briefly, her
sweet scent like a cinch around his mind, feeling her cheek
against his, his arms around her waist, pulling her close.
A bit more than just a friendly gesture – a suggestive one,
which she returned. He assumed she was having fun with the
flirtation, stirring things up a little bit, but it meant
far more than that to him. Brie held his thoughts in a
disturbing way that suggested if he were capable of giving
her love, she could capture his heart and mind in that
powerful way that wipes all other women out of the past. He
really didn’t have that to offer anymore. Although, that
didn’t keep him from thinking about her, wanting her.
He could not bear to think about all that mischief and sass
lying broken and violated in a hospital. His heart was in
pieces, aching for her. Dying to know that she was going to
be all right.
He put the SUV in drive, looked over his shoulder and got
back on the freeway. He gunned the engine and veered across
two lanes of fast-moving traffic to make the exit to
Sacramento.
~~~~~~
When Mike got to the county hospital a couple of hours
later, he called Sam’s cell phone number to say he’d
arrived and wanted to know where they were. A prosecutor,
the victim of a crime, was not going to be with the general
population – she would undoubtedly have security.
Sam came to the hospital entrance, extending his
hand. “Mike. Good of you to come. I know Jack will
appreciate it.”
“I was on my way south and was almost here anyway. Brie’s a
special friend. I’ll do anything I can...”
Sam turned and headed for the elevators. “Unfortunately,
I’m not sure what you can do. She’s going to be all right.
Physically. I have no idea what a woman goes through after
something like this...”
“Tell me what you know so far,” Mike said. “Did she know
her attacker?”
“Oh yes. Remember that terrible trial she had not long ago?
The serial rapist? The media circus? It was him. She
identified him for police.”
Mike stopped walking and frowned. “She’s sure?” he asked.
That was such a sick, bold move for someone who’d just
gotten a free pass. Brie had lost that trial and it was a
hard loss, especially coming on the heels of her divorce.
It was as if the sky was falling on her. Also, it wasn’t
something men like that did. Typically, they bolted. Got
away from anyone who had the balls to go after them, as
Brie had.
“She’s sure,” Sam said.
Mike couldn’t help but wonder – was she hit in the head?
Hallucinating? In and out of reality because of the
trauma? “Her injuries?” he asked.
“Her face is battered, there are two broken ribs, and the
usual...” He paused. “The usual injuries incurred during a
rape. You know.”
“I know,” he said. Tearing, bleeding, bruising. “Has she
been seen by a rape specialist and police?”
“Yes, that’s been done.”
“Good,” Mike said. “I heard from Jack at seven this
morning. He should be here in two or three hours, depending
on how fast he got out of town.” Mike noticed a uniformed
Sac PD officer standing at the entrance to a room;
undoubtedly that’s where Brie was. “Well, let me talk to
some people, see if I can find out anything at all. But
first, I’ll say hello to the family.” He moved to a large
clot of people in the waiting area just down the hall.
Jack’s three other sisters, their husbands, a few of his
nieces. Mike was embraced and thanked. Then he got about
the business of talking to nurses, got the number of the
detective on the case from the officer guarding the room.
All the detective could tell Mike at this time was that the
suspect was still at large. The doctor would discuss her
injuries, that was all. But it appeared that apart from
being horribly assaulted, she could recover physically.
It was almost three hours later that Jack arrived. He
embraced his father, then looked in surprise at
Mike. “You’re here?”
“I was already close,” he said. “I thought I’d come over.
If I can help, it’s convenient for me to be on site.”
“Oh man, I didn’t expect this,” Jack said.
“Hell, you’ve done more for me,” Mike said. “And you know I
love Brie. Go hug your sisters. Then you can see her.”
“Have you seen her yet?” Jack asked.
“No. It’s family only. But I’ve talked to some people,
trying to gather whatever facts they’ll share.”
“God,” Jack said, gripping Mike’s biceps hard. “Thanks.
Mike, I didn’t expect this.”
“You should have,” he laughed. “That’s how it is with us.
Right?”
~~~~~~~
Jack sat by his sister’s bedside at the county hospital for
almost twelve straight hours. He had arrived at eleven in
the morning and it was eleven p.m. Outside her door in the
hallway the family had gathered for most of the day, but as
evening had descended, they’d drifted home because she was
out of danger and sedated. Mike had gone back to Sam’s for
a while, but Jack hadn’t wanted to leave Brie. Brie was
close to her entire family, but it was Jack with whom she
had the deepest bond.
Jack was torn to pieces as he looked down on his little
sister. Her face was horrific; the bruising and swelling
was terrible. It looked much worse than it was, the doctor
promised. There was no permanent damage; she would regain
her former beauty. Every few minutes he would reach over,
gently smooth back her light brown hair, touch her hand.
She wrestled in her sleep now and then, despite the
sedatives. If not for the ribs, he might have taken her
into his strong arms during these struggles. Instead he
would lean over her bed, touch her face where there was no
swelling, drop a tender kiss on her forehead and
whisper, “I’m here, Brie. You’re safe now, baby.”
At almost midnight, he felt a hand on his shoulder and
turned to look up into Mike’s black eyes.
“Go on home, Jack,” he said. “Get a little rest. I’ll sit
with her.”
“I can’t leave her,” Jack said.
“I know you don’t want to. But I had a nap,” he lied. “Sam
gave me a room at the house. I’ll sit right here in case
she wakes up, which she probably won’t, and we’ve got the
cop in the hall there. Go. Get a little rest so you can be
here for her tomorrow.”
“If she wakes up and I’m not right here...”
“They’re putting heavy duty bug juice right in the IV to
get her through the night,” Mike said softly. “It’s okay.”
Jack laughed a little. “I sat by your bed through a week of
nights when you were shot.”
“Yeah,” Mike said. “Payback time. Go home. See you first
thing tomorrow.”
It surprised Mike that Jack actually left. He was the kind
of man who went days past exhaustion to be there for
someone he cared about. Mike took his place on a chair
beside Brie’s bed and sat vigil. Her battered face didn’t
shock him -- he’d seen worse. But it hurt him inside. He
couldn’t imagine the kind of monster who could do that.
The nurses came and went through the night, checking her
IV, taking her blood pressure, sometimes bringing Mike
coffee from their break room – and it tasted a whole lot
better than what the machines dispensed. If he asked, a
nurse would sit with Brie while he ran down the hall – a
result of the coffee. But, Brie didn’t move except for some
occasional disturbances that caused her to stir fitfully.
Mike had carried fallen soldiers out of harm’s way; he’d
sat by the side of dying men while sniper fire whizzed past
his head. But nothing compared to what he felt while
looking down Brie, beaten like this. To think of her
violation filled him with a kind of rage that had never
been visited on him before. Although she was a beautiful
woman and strong, his vision kept mixing her up with the
vulnerable woman he’d taken on a picnic a couple of months
ago. A pretty young woman who’d just been left by her
husband, and was crushed by the betrayal. And what fool
would give her up? he thought. It was beyond him.
The rape trial had been one of the toughest of her career.
It had taken her months to prepare a case against the
suspect for serial rape. The forensic evidence had been
strong, but in the end the only witness who hadn’t failed
her was a prostitute with a bad record, and the guy walked.
Brie identified him to the police as her rapist when she’d
regained consciousness.
In the early hours of the morning, she turned her swollen
face toward him and opened her eyes – or tried to. One was
partially shut because of the swelling. He scooted
closer. “Brie,” he whispered. “It’s me, Brie. I’m here.”
She put her hands over her face and cried out. “No! No!”
He took gentle hold of her wrists. “Brie! It’s me. It’s
Mike. It’s okay.”
But he couldn’t pull her hands away from her
face. “Please,” she whimpered pitifully. “I don’t want you
to see this...”
“Honey, I saw you already,” he said. “I’ve been sitting her
for hours. Let it go,” he said. “It’s okay.”
She let him slowly pull her hands away from her battered
face. “Why? Why are you here? You shouldn’t be here!”
“Jack wanted me to help him understand what was happening
with the investigation. But I wanted to be here. Brie, I
wanted to be here for you.” He brushed her brow
gently. “You’re going to be okay.”
“He... He got my gun...”
“The police know, honey. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“He so dangerous. I tried to get him, that’s why he did
this. I was going to put him away for life.”
Mike’s jaw pulsed, but he kept his voice soft. “It’s okay,
Brie. It’s over now.”
“Did they find him?” she asked. “Did they pick him up?”
Oh, how he wished she wouldn’t ask that. “Not yet.”
“Do you know why he didn’t kill me?” she asked, a tear
running out of her swollen eye and down over the bridge of
her purple nose. He tenderly wiped it away. “He said he
didn’t want me to die. He wanted me to try to get him
again, and watch him walk again. He wore a condom.”
“Aw, honey...”
“I’m going to get him, Mike.”
“Please... Don’t think about that now. I’ll get the nurse.
Get you another sedative.” He put the light on and the
nurse came immediately. “Brie needs something to help her
go back to sleep.”
“Sure,” the nurse said.
“I’m just going to wake up again,” she said. “And I’m just
going think the same things.”
“Try to rest,” he said, leaning over to kiss her
brow. “I’ll be right here. And there’s an officer outside
your door. You’re completely safe.”
“Mike,” she whispered. She held his hand for a long
moment. “Did Jack ask you to come?”
“No,” he said, gently touching her brow. “But when I found
out what happened, I had to come,” he whispered. “I had
to.”
After having a sedative administered into the IV, she
gently closed her eyes again. Her hand slipped out of his
and he sat back in his chair. Then, his elbows on his knees
and his face buried in his hands, he silently wept.
~~~~~~
Jack was back at the hospital before dawn, not looking
particularly rested although he had showered and shaved. He
had dark circles under eyes that were lit by a very scary
brightness. Mike had sisters he cherished; he could imagine
the rage that burned inside Jack.
Mike stepped into the hall outside Brie’s door to quietly
talk with Jack, explaining the night had been quiet and he
thought Brie had rested. While they stood there the doctor
making rounds went into the room, his nurse in tow. Mike
used that opportunity to visit the men’s room. He stared in
the mirror; he looked far worse than Jack. He needed a
shower and shave, but he didn’t want to leave her. Family
members would be returning soon, but Mike didn’t think
they’d be keeping Brie in the hospital long.
On his way back to Brie’s room, he saw Jack talking to a
man outside her door. In fact, Jack was right up in his
face. The officer providing security was stepping closer to
them, making a gesture with his hands that they should
separate. Then Mike realized it was Brie’s ex-husband,
Brad, and that probably within seconds Jack was going to
kill him just on principle.
Mike made fast tracks. “Whoa,” he said, separating them
first with an arm between them, then with his entire
body. “Whoa,” he said again. “None of this. Come on.”
From over Mike’s shoulder, Jack demanded of Brad, “What the
hell are you doing here?”
Brad glared meanly. “Nice to see you, too, Jack,” he said.
“You don’t belong here,” Jack said too loudly. “You left
her. You’re done with her.”
“Hey,” he said, bristling. “I never stopped caring about
Brie. Never will. I’m going to see her.”
“I don’t think so,” Jack said. “She’s in no shape to have
to deal with you right now.”
“You’re not in charge of the guest list, Jack. That’s up to
Brie.”
“Come on,” Mike said sternly. “Let’s not do this here.”
“Ask him if he wants to take it outside,” Jack snapped
back.
“Yeah, I’ll—“
“Whoa,” Mike said yet again, widening the space between the
two men. “This isn’t happening here!”
Brad moved closer, pushing up against Mike, but lowered his
voice cautiously. “I know you’re angry, Jack. In general
and at me. I don’t blame you. But if you get tough with me,
it’s going to be worse for Brie. And this officer is just
going to hook you up.”
Jack ground his teeth, pushing up against the other side of
Mike. Mike was having some trouble holding them apart. “I
really want to hit someone,” Jack said through clenched
teeth. “Right now, you’d do as well as anyone. You walked
out on your marriage. You left her while she was building a
case against that son of a bitch. Do you have any idea what
you did to her?”
Who boy, Mike thought. It was going to happen between these
two any second, right in the hospital hallway. Mike was a
good six feet and pretty strong, but Brad and Jack were
both taller, broader, angrier and not a shoulder injury
between them. Mike was going to get hammered when they lost
it and started pummeling each other.
“Yeah,” Brad said. “Yeah, I do! And I want her to know that
I still care about what happens to her. We’re divorced, but
we have history. A lot of it good history. If I can do
anything now...”
“Hey!” Mike said to the cop. “Hey! Come on!”
The police officer finally got in it, putting him himself
between Brad and Jack along with Mike. “All right,
gentlemen,” the cop said. “I have my orders. No scuffling
outside Ms. Sheridan’s door. If you want to talk this over,
calmly, I’d like you to move down the hall.”
Oh, that was not a good suggestion, Mike thought. If they
moved down the hall, they wouldn’t be talking. Mike
cautiously backed Jack up a few steps. “Take a breath,” he
said quietly. “You don’t want to do this.”
Jack glowered at Mike. “You sure about that?”
“Back off,” Mike said with as much authority as he could
muster.
Just then a nurse came out of Brie’s room and Brad snagged
her too fast for Jack to intervene. “Ma’am, I’m Ms.
Sheridan’s ex husband. Brad. I’m also a police detective,”
he said, badging her. “Off duty. Will you ask her if she’ll
see me? Please?”
The nurse made a U-turn and went back into the room.
“What’s he doing here?” Brad asked, indicating Mike with
his eyes and a jut of his chin.
Oh, mistake, Mike thought instantly, stiffening. Was Brad
crazy? Pissing off the guy who was keeping Jack from
killing him? He felt his own fists begin to open and close.
The ex wants to know why another man is here? He dumps his
wife for another woman, but no guy is supposed to pick up
where he left off? Mike actually smiled, though coldly.
Balls, he thought. I should just let Jack beat him up.
“He’s a cop,” Jack said, stretching the truth somewhat. “I
asked him to come. To help.”
“He can go,” Brad said. “We don’t need his help.”
That did it. Mike took one fast step in Brad’s direction,
but was stopped by a strong hand on the bad shoulder,
pulling him back. That was all it took to get his
attention; he wasn’t going to put Brie through this. But if
they all ran into each other somewhere else, like the
parking lot, he couldn’t make any promises. Right now he
wanted a piece of Brad as much as Jack did.
The nurse returned from the room and spoke to Brad. “When
the doctor is finished, you can go in.”
Brad had the good sense not to take on any superior airs.
He didn’t avoid eye contact with the other men, however.
“Let me ask you one question,” Jack said to Brad, trying to
keep his voice under control to avoid being ejected by the
uniform. “Were you at work the night it happened?”
“No.”
Jack ground his teeth. “Then if you hadn’t walked out on
her for another woman, you’d have been at the house that
night. Maybe waiting up for her to get home. Maybe right
inside where you could hear her scream. So much for your
good history.”
“Hey,” Brad began, clearly wishing to argue the point. But
Jack turned away from him and took several steps down the
hall. Right then the doctor came breezing out of the room,
looking down at the chart as he walked by all three men.
Brad lifted his chin, glared briefly and entered Brie’s
room.
Mike let out his breath. “That was gonna be so ugly,” he
said. He went to the chair outside Brie’s door and sat.
Jack paced, fidgeting. He took several steps down the hall,
away from the door.
Mike rested his elbows on his knees. He scratched his itchy
beard. He noticed the cop was standing beside him.
“This has got to be tough,” the cop said to Mike,
indicating Jack just a few feet away, his jaw pulsing and
twitching his hands in fists at his sides.
Mike turned his head, looked up at the young officer. He
glanced at his best friend; Jack was tortured,
helpless. “Nothing can prepare you for something like this
to happen to a woman you love,” he said softly. “Nothing.”
~~~~~~
Brie was released from the hospital that afternoon and she
went home to her father’s house. Sam and Jack drove her
while Mike followed in his own car, watching with concern.
He hadn’t been around very many sexual assault victims in
his police career, but certainly he’d come into contact
with some. He had never seen a woman so stoic, so removed.
Once they all arrived at Sam’s, she went directly to the
room that had been hers when she was younger. She called
Jack to come, to cover the mirror.
Brie took her dinner on a tray in her room that night. Her
sisters stopped by one at a time, visited with her in her
room, but didn’t stay long. There were five Sheridan
siblings in all. Two of the sisters were older than Jack,
one was a couple of years younger and then there was Brie,
the caboose, eleven years younger than Jack. Her three
older sisters had brought to the family eight daughters, so
when the family was all together, it was an almost
unmanageable crowd. A teeming throng filled with noise and
laughter – Mike had seen that for himself on earlier
visits. It was not unlike the Valenzuela household. Not so
now. The house was still, like a mausoleum.
Mike had a quiet dinner with Sam and Jack.
“You should probably head for LA,” Jack said to Mike when
the table was cleared.
“Whatever.” He shrugged. “I can stay a day or so, see if
anything develops.”
“I don’t want to hold you up,” Jack said. Then he walked
out onto the patio and Mike followed. “I can call you if
anything happens.”
Sam came outside holding a tray with three glasses. There
was a short shot of amber liquid in each and he put the
tray on the patio table. Without conversation, the men each
took one, sipping in silence. The June air was sultry in
the Sacramento valley; humid and almost oppressive. After a
few minutes, Sam got up and said good night. Then Jack
finished his drink and went into the house. One by one, the
lights inside began to go out, leaving only the kitchen
light for Mike. Exhausted as he was, he didn’t feel like
sleep. He helped himself to another short shot and went
back to the patio, lighting the candle on the table.
The whole family is in shock, he thought. They move around
silently; they grieve Brie’s lost innocence. Everyone under
this roof is in terrible pain; they feel each physical blow
for which she bears the marks.
“You should probably go now.”
He lifted his head and saw her standing in the open patio
doors, wearing the same clothes she had worn home from the
hospital. “Brie,” he said, rising.
“I’ve talked to the detectives several times. Jerome
Powell, the rapist, was tracked as far as New Mexico, then
the trail was lost,” she said, very businesslike. “I can
tell you from experience, the odds are at least ninety-five
percent he’s gone – pulled a territorial. I’m going to
start counseling and group therapy right away – and I’ve
decided not to go back to work for a while. Jack insists on
staying the rest of the week, but you should go. Visit your
family.”
“Would you like to come and sit with me?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I’ll talk to the DA every day, see if
he’s turns up anything new. Of course I’m staying here. If
I need any assistance in the police department, I have an
ex husband who’s feeling very guilty. And very helpful.”
She took a breath. “I wanted to say good bye. And thank you
for trying to help.”
“Brie,” he said, taking a step toward her, his arms open.
She held up a hand and the look that came into her eyes
stopped him where he was. She shook her head, kept her hand
raised against him. “You understand,” she said, warning him
not to get too close, not to touch her.
“Of course,” he said.
“Drive carefully,” she said, disappearing into the house.