Karen Rose - Have You Seen Her?

"Why have scandal then? Melissa was dead and his wife, who was vacationing at Hilton Head, need never know. God knew I didn't want my kids to know."

Jenna's eyes widened. "So you told them she just died."

"On her way home from the mall," he said bitterly.

"Oh, Steven," she whispered. "All this time you've worried every woman would be like her."

"When I met you, I knew you weren't, but I was… afraid."

"But when you saw me with Neil last night, you believed the worst."

He leaned his head back against the sofa and studied the ceiling. "I did. And I'm sorry."

"So am I."

He looked at her then, truly looked at her. "None of this makes any difference, does it?"

"It makes every bit of difference." She looked away. "And none."

"Will you come home with me?" he asked.

She swallowed. "No."

"Why?"

"Because I know better than to love a man who can't trust me. You'll never trust me. You say you will, then the next time I'm friends with a man you'll do it all again and we'll be in the same place we are now." She felt tears on her own cheeks. "I'll resent you and then where will we be?"'

He stood up and looked out the window. "You've got it all figured out, haven't you?"

"Just like you did," she returned, feeling angry and hurt.

"Then tell me you're ready to say good-bye." And be grabbed her and kissed her until the room spun and she clung to him. Lifting his head, he whispered harshly, "Tell me you don't want me."

She shook her head and pushed him away. "I won't lie to you. I want you. But I'm smart enough to know I can't have everything I want. What I want is a man who trusts me and who I can depend on. I had that once. I'll hold out for it again."

He held her shoulders tight. "What about Nicky, Jenna?" he demanded, facing her, anger visibly vibrating through him. "Can you walk away from him?"

Jenna flinched as if he'd struck her. "That's not fair."

His face spasmed in pain. "I don't give a damn about fair.

I don't give a damn about me, but you're hurting my son all over again."

She drew a breath and tried to be the logical one. "I'm sorry, Steven. I should have listened to you and not allowed Nicky to become so attached. But it still can't change anything. Continuing a relationship with Nicky knowing we're finished would be even more cruel long-term."

He looked at her for a long minute, his eyes so miserable and sad that she almost changed her mind. Almost. "I wanted to marry you," he said, so quietly she had to strain to hear him. "I was going to ask you in bed yesterday morning, but I wanted to have this case settled, so I waited. I guess my timing on a marriage proposal was the only thing I did right. I had a selfish wife once who didn't care about my children. I sure as hell don't need to go through it again."

Slamming the front door behind him, he was gone.

Allison put a box of tissues in her hand and Jenna snatched up a handful, mopped her face, then gave up and buried her face on Allison's shoulder. And cried her fool heart out.

"Thatcher, wait."

Steven stopped at the base of the Llewellyns' driveway thinking he was so close to the edge that just one of Davies's smug I-told-you-sos would push him over. "If you say I-told-you-so I swear…" He let the threat trail off, knowing he didn't have the emotional energy to follow through.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry for my part in this," Davies said quietly. "I honestly didn't go to the school to see her, but when I did, I didn't want to walk away."

Despair and rage battled, but in the end-Steven was just too tired to give way to either. "This is supposed to make me feel better how, Davies?"

"It's not supposed to make you feel better," Davies snapped. "Any desire I had to make you feel better disap-peared when I saw the bruises on her face this morning." He drew a deep breath. "But you mean something to her so I also didn't want to make it any worse," he said, his voice calm again. "I wanted you to know what happened. She said that she loved you," he finished quietly.

The quiet words cut deeper than any I-told-you-so ever could. She now wore bruises inside and out as testament to his lack of trust. He cleared his throat. "Thanks for doing what I should have done. For making sure those bastards didn't hurt her worse than they did."

"I went to the school to see if I could get a glimpse of your Rudy Lutz with his friends," Davies said. "I know the roster says he was in class, but my gut tells me something's wrong."

Steven sighed, so damn weary. "What do you want, Neil?"

"I want to take one more look around the Templeton place."

"I can't let you have Kent or anyone else from Forensics," Steven said, just wishing the man would go away so he could let go of the awful weight pressing against his chest.

"I understand. I'll call you if I find anything."

Then finally he was gone and Steven climbed in his car. Shut the door. And drove to work.

Friday, October 14, 11:30 A.M.

"You've got company," Allison said and with a groan Jenna pulled herself out of bed and down to the living room where Casey sat on Allison's sofa with her right arm and left leg in plaster casts. Ned stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders.

"Casey." Jenna hugged her lightly, for both their sakes. "When did you get out?"

"This morning." She frowned. "What happened to your face?"

"Long story. So how did you get up the driveway in that cast?"

Casey glowed. "Ned carried me. I wanted you to be the first to know." She held out her left hand and Jenna swallowed hard at the sight of the diamond on Casey's ring finger. She'd be darnned if she let her own petty problems spoil Casey's moment

So she smiled up at Ned. then at Casey. "I'm so happy for you both."

Then burst into noisy tears.

Casey didn't say anything for a moment, just reached over and patted her hand. Then said to Ned, "See if Allison has anything stronger than iced tea. And if she says no, ask Seth where he hides his stash."

Jenna sniffled. "I can't have alcohol. I'm taking pain medication."

"It's not for you," Casey said. "It's to calm me down so 1 don't go murder Steven Thatcher."

Friday, October, 11, 3:30 P.M.

Neil stood in the middle of Kelly's bedroom, frustrated as hell. He'd spent houis covenng tvery inch and found nothing new. There had to be something , he thought, walking to the window, looking at the neat circle of cut glass, visualizing how the killer would have come in. From the state of her blankets, Kelly would have struggled hard, but her attacker was much bigger and stronger. He would have put a mask over her face, made her breathe the ketamine powder that would have knocked her out in five to ten seconds. But in those seconds, she would have fought for her life.

She was young and had been a gymnast prior to her cheer-leading. Her ribbons and trophies were on the wall in the Templetons' living room. She'd been very good and to be that good, she had to have a great deal of physical strength and agility. But she was small, like her mother.

"Mrs. Templeton," he called and the worry-worn mother hurried in. "I need your help."

Warily, Mrs. Templeton regarded him. "What?"

"I want to reevaluate how your daughter would have struggled against her attacker. You're her same size. Would you reenact this with me?"

Mrs. Templeton's jaw squared. "Where should I stand?"

Neil smiled at her. "Right here, next to me." Gently he turned her around so her back was to him and put his hand over her mouth. "Now fight me. Fight hard." He winced when her elbow caught him unprepared and she abruptly stilled. "No, ma'am, fight harder." So she twisted in his arms, clawing at the front of his jacket until one of his buttons came off and flew across the room. He let her go and she turned around, her cheeks red and her breath coming in hard pants.