Intimate Danger (Empire Blue) (14 page)

She frowned. His hotel was in the opposite direction. He said he wanted a walk, needed some space, but the heart of Nyack was anywhere but secluded. She advanced around the shrub and followed on the sidewalk, staying back so it didn’t seem conspicuous.

He passed shops as they grew closer to the middle of town, restaurants and cafes, but still, his head stayed down, and he kept going. She all but stared through him, as if it would somehow reveal what he was up to. He stepped across Main Street. She tried to figure out where he was headed, but kept coming up blank. Trent paused on the sidewalk and rubbed the back of his neck. Charlie got only a second’s notice before he pivoted and she sidestepped into the overhang of a shop. Her heart was pounding against her chest, thick in her throat.

Peeking around the corner, she caught sight of him as he twisted around and headed past the outlining shops, working his way deeper into another residential community. Her unease grew as she tried to figure out where he could be going. There was not a whole lot back here, just houses, until it ended at the highway’s line. On the other side of the highway was the Hudson River. That’s it.

She picked up her pace when he turned a corner, her heart kicking into overdrive. He circled away from the river and deeper into an area holding a saturation of families with college-age students home for the summer.

Jogging, she rounded the corner and wanted to scream. Her gaze jumped around the community, like a rock skipping over a lake. The road was empty, not a soul in sight. No one was outside talking or gardening, no mailman delivering packages, and no dogs barking. Quiet, only the sound of rushing cars from the highway, which was blocks away, filled the dead air.

One thing in particular stood out to her though. Trent. He was nowhere to be seen.

Where did he go?

****

Down the street a shadow stood beneath the tree, out of sight and slightly out of breath. Watching, waiting, his eye on the prize of one very irresistible Detective Charlise Lopez.

****

“Pick up the phone, Rossi.”
Hours after her blowup with Trent, Charlie paced the hospital hallway, the click of her boots bouncing like a taunt in her head. The ring on the other end cut off, and his voicemail filled her ear.

“Damn it!” She snapped the phone shut and squeezed the plastic
in frustration. Her gaze whipped up and down the hall. Several nurses entered and exited Jessica Thompson’s room. Dear God, the scene she responded to tore at her soul. Jessica’s attacker had been there for four hours and spent every moment of it humiliating her, completing acts so heinous Charlie couldn’t imagine living through them.

Now, with the clock rounding on ten a.m., she was having a hell of a time getting hold of her agent. She froze. No, not her agent, but the FBI’s. He wasn’t
hers. She would do well to remember that.

Ever since yesterday, when she did her pseudo
-field interview on him, he’d acted aloof, remote, and maintained his distance. She didn’t know what came over her, only that she had more questions than answers, and frustration was building. Hell, she just wanted to be
sure
. The worry she had for her community dug its way like sharp claws into her skin.

She did the one thing she had always done.
The one thing that always got her into trouble. She acted before thinking.

He couldn’t be the one involved, right? He was a federal agent, one of the best profilers with the FBI. Surely they ran deeper checks on agents than they did on police
officers. They would have had to find something.

Right?

She stomped her foot in exasperation. Who the hell was she trying to convince? Why was it so hard to answer one small question?

Opening her phone again, she leaned against the wall and pulled Trent’s
number.

“He’s not available,
Detective.”

A deep, rumbling voice cut through the hall, and she glanced up
. Agent Echols walked toward her and grinned. Like a switch turned on, it transformed his face, changed the man from one who intimidated the hell out of her. Almost like a dark, menacing character. The smile lit his features as if he was the sun breaking over the horizon at dawn. She could not help but beam back. Really, it was irresistible.

“Who? Agent Rossi?”

He stopped beside her. He had a square jaw, deep brown eyes, and full, plump lips.
Good God, did every FBI agent have to be so damn sexy?
With a sharp breath, the scent of the woods and an underlying smell of cigarette smoke filled her lungs and she swayed. The firstwas a scent she remembered from childhood camping trips with her dad.
T
T
wenty miles away in Bear Mountain, yet the scent of the trees was there in the hospital, overriding the underlying tones of death and disinfectant. The aroma came from this man.

He nodded. “Trent, yeah. Something, ah, came up. He’ll have to catch up with you tomorrow.”

She arched a brow, not believing him for a moment. Her internal lie detector waved the bullshit flag. Nothing he did in particular, just a gut feeling. One that screamed.

“Oh? I hope it’s nothing too serious.”

He glanced at Jessica’s room as a doctor came out. Echols stepped toward the man and nodded at her, speaking over his shoulder. “I don’t have all the details, but I wouldn’t worry.” He refocused on the man. “Doc, how is she?”

Doctor Caulk glanced up from his board, then between Charlie and Echols before land
ing on her. “He assigned to the case, too?”

She opened her mouth, but Echols cut her off. “I’m assisting, yes. Her usual partner had something else he needed to take care of. I’ll be filling in for the time being.”

She frowned at his voice, a deep thundercloud touching her skin. A shiver went through her, and Charlie pushed it away, stepped up beside him, and pulled out a notebook. “He’s right. Please, proceed.”

Caulk took a deep breath, let it out
slowly and crossed arms across his chest, tucking Jessica’s chart inside the protective shelter. “She’s suffered an extreme violation. Signs of vaginal and anal trauma are present. We’ve completed the rape kit, took some samples and are sending them for testing. She’s going to need to come in a few weeks to be tested again. In the meantime, I’m sending her home with family and a prescription for Plan B.”

She frowned, trying to keep up with her notes and process his words at the same time. Giving the patient Plan B must be a preventative against pregnancy… “So he raped her unprotected?”

He shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. No sign of semen was present during the exam. This is just a precaution.”

She cursed beneath her breath and Echols shifted beside her. “What else did you discover?”

“She has a few bruises around her neck as if he tried asphyxiation, or got carried away in his excitement. Her face also took a few hits.”

Jesus, this poor woman.
“When can we see her?” she asked.

Caulk glanced at her, and his gray eyes reflected sadness evident after years of seeing the worst in people. She knew and understood.

“They’re finishing now and will give her some clothes. Once the nurse comes out, you can question her for a short period of time. I’ve given her a sedative though, so you may want to plan a follow-up later.”

“Thanks, Doc. Will do. If anything comes up, please let me know.” She passed him a business card
. He shook Echols’ hand and walked away. The menacing agent pivoted and pinned her to the spot with his dark gaze. Her unease grew.

“Thoughts?”

She blew hair away from her face. “I’m sick of this bastard preying on innocent women. I’ve had it up to here—” She lifted her hand. “—with how much our hands are tied. We need to get out there, get on the streets, and get the word out to the public.”

He lifted a perfectly arched brow. “You want to tell the town about what’s going on
in their community?”

Was it her or did his face just light up at the thought. She made a face of dist
aste. “I want to tell the town to be proactive in their security. To keep a watchful eye on what’s going on around them.”

Echols considered her for a moment, then asked,
“What would releasing this data to the media have done to prevent this attack tonight?”

She slapped her hands against her thighs. Really? “I don’t know, maybe had people looking out their windows more? Reporting suspicious behavior?”

He seemed to focus on a faraway spot over her shoulder. “We have to move cautiously, Detective. He’s escalating. His taste for more has landed on his tongue, and now it’s only a matter of time before he rises again.”

“So you don’t think we should tell the media? Get an alert out to the rest of the town?”

He rubbed his mouth, and the flash of gold drew her attention to his hand. Surprise hit as she studied the wedding band. What kind of woman caught Agent Echols? The unease didn’t go away, but at the sight of the ring, she pushed it back. He was a big man, tall and broody, dark and intense. When he stared at you, you could not help but feel a feminine thrill pass up your spine.

“I don’t think we want to move without thinking. Something
is lurking, and something tells me we are getting extremely close. Closer than we ever have before.”

The door to Jessica’s room opened, and a nurse poked her head out. “If you all would like to speak to her, I suggest you do it now. The sedative
is kicking in.”

Charlie cast one last glance at Echols before she stepped around him and into the room
. Her neck prickled as if someone watched her. The feeling didn’t dissipate, even long after she was safely inside the room.

****

Case NNY 6357

On July 24, 2011
, 0910 hours, Dispatch received a 911 call to 623 Broadway for report of a break in and rape. Due to the recent rash of assaults, Patrol notified the Detective Bureau and I, along with Detective Dwayne Gonzalez, responded to the call. (See cases 6331, 6346, 6350, and 6355) Dispatch notified that the assailant was no longer on the premises and medical and fire were en route.

Suspect was identified by victim to Dispatch as a large male, approximately 6’4” and 240 lbs., dressed in black pants, a black long sleeve t-shirt,
a ski mask, and black sneakers. We arrived ten minutes after the 911 call, at 0920. No one was reported or observed leaving the scene by responding patrols or detectives.

A young female, 28 years of age, blond
e hair, blue eyes, wearing a white bathrobe stepped from the house upon our arrival and was later identified as the owner, Jessica Thompson. The victim was unresponsive to questioning, in an obvious state of distress, and due to the nature of lacerations across her face, and the initial reported crime, she was taken to Nyack General Hospital for evaluation.

Upon entering the home,
Detective Gonzalez, Patrolman Guiterrez, and myself cleared the residence and found the house, with the exception of the main bedroom, to be clear of damage.

Entering the master bedroom,
indication of a struggle was evident by the position of chairs tossed in disarray around the room. Red stains, suspected to be blood, were evident on the white sheets covering the bed.

Charlie glanced up at the creak of a door to see Agent Rossi enter. To her dislike, an immediate wave of giddiness and relief
hit her, almost like being high from drinking too much caffeine.

She scowled and stood, hit save on her report
, and stepped around the desk.

“Where have you been?”

As if caught off guard, he whirled around and blinked. He looked like shit. There was no other way to explain it. Dark purple circles beneath his eyes and strain from lack of sleep clouded his features, setting deep lines in his expression. His brows drew together in what seemed like an immovable scowl. He looked like he’d been wearing a baseball cap for the day or he had been running his hands over his hair nonstop. The normally put-together Trent Rossi looked, well, untogether. It was not an easy sight to take in. From the look on his face and his clothing hanging from his frame, he appeared defeated.

“Not now.” He lifted a palm.

She stopped and stared twenty feet or so away. The bureau had been dismissed hours ago, night was settling in, and the normally bustling room was devoid of any activity. A door slammed outside the hall, a deep, booming voice laughed, and a radio crackled.

She took a step forward despite his request, and he clenched his jaw
and moved back.

“Knock it off, Charlie. I’m just here to pick up Echols’ report.”

“Oh, you mean the report I’m working on? The one where I’ve spent the entire day with the victim in the hospital? The one you…” She pointed, her finger in an unbendable line. “Seemed to fail in responding to again? Why are you even here, Rossi?” She dropped her hand and slapped her sides. “Why do you even want to work this case if you are constantly going to disappear? You’re not helping.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw, and his gaze hardened. He didn’t say anything.
Stood there staring and brooding, a coldness seeping out and surrounding them. She wrangled with the urge to fidget. No one intimidated her. She grew up under her father’s shadow, fought with men several sizes bigger. However, one look from this man, and her body itched in an unfamiliar way.