Mariah Stewart - Cold Truth

To Rick, he said, “Can you keep an eye on her? She’s not going to want to stay put, and we can’t afford to lose her.”

Rick nodded, and with Regan and Mitch left the conference room. Denver went to the window, which opened onto the back of the building and the parking lot. Cass shot through the back door and stalked down the sidewalk to her car. Denver could almost see her fingers trembling with rage.

“Sorry, Cassie,” he said aloud.

He thought back to the attack she’d survived as a child, recalled the efforts he himself had made to breathe life into her small body.

He sighed, knowing that at that moment she hated him. Well, he could take that if it meant keeping her out of harm’s way. And he wasn’t even sure that it would.

All he knew at the moment was that evil was afoot in the bay towns, and the probability was that the face it hid behind was a face he’d looked on at some point over the years, possibly a face he knew well.

It could be someone he’d met at the Dockside Bar last night, where so many of the old gang had gathered. Or one of the guys who over the course of the evening had stood next to him at the bar and asked about his older brother, Dan, or his younger sister, Karen.

Dear God, it could be anyone.

Maybe one of his own classmates. Even one of his friends. Or one of Dan’s.

He thought back to Dan’s group of friends, the kids who used to hang on the Denvers’ front porch every night of every summer. Of the guys who used to call the house, hoping to get a date with Karen.

Pretty Karen, who back in the day wore her long black hair parted in the middle.

A chill crawled up his spine.

He buzzed Phyl.

“Phyl, how are we doing with those yearbooks?”

“Cass!” Regan hurried across the parking lot to catch up with the angry detective before she could hop into a car and speed off.

“You don’t have to run, Regan,” Cass told her flatly when the two women were within twenty feet of each other. “I don’t have a car here. I came right from the hospital this morning with Rick.”

“Look, I know you’re upset…”

“Oh, please,” Cass muttered under her breath.

“This is a bad time for you, I understand that. With all that’s going on here in Bowers Inlet, your cousin being attacked, then you getting taken off your case-”

“I need to get to the hospital,” Cass cut her off. “Will you drive me?”

“Where is it you want to go?” Rick asked as he approached her.

“I need to check on Lucy.” Cass leaned against Rick’s car.

“You have a phone on you,” he pointed out. “Use it.”

“I want to see her.”

“If her condition hasn’t changed since this morning, there’s no point in spending another few hours sitting in that hospital room, glaring at Lucy’s husband, and having him glare back at you.” His tone softened. “You haven’t eaten since… when? When was your last meal?”

“Sunday sometime. Lunch, maybe. I don’t know.”

“And you last slept when?”

“Saturday night.”

“Look, you put a call in to the hospital. If Lucy is awake, I’ll drive you over. If not, you’ll come with us and get some lunch, and we’ll figure out where you’re going to stay.”

They stared at each other for a long moment before Cass took her phone from her bag and dialed the number for the hospital. She meandered around the car, speaking softly. When she completed the call, she dropped the phone back into her bag.

“She’s still not awake,” she told the three who waited by Rick’s car.

“We can grab some lunch… you have a favorite place?” Rick opened the passenger door for her.

She shook her head.

“Then let’s go back to the inn where I’m staying. The restaurant there is pretty good. I imagine Regan is ready for lunch, and I’ve yet to see Peyton here turn down good seafood. Or any food, now that I think about it.”

Mitch nodded as he unlocked his car. “Lead on. We’ll follow you.”

“Any chance I can go home and get a change of clothes and some things I’ll need?” Cass asked Rick as she got into the passenger seat.

“How about we stop after lunch and see what’s going on over there? I’m sure they have someone from the department at your house until the scene has been processed. Maybe by then they’ll be finished and you’ll be able to slip in and grab a few things.”

“All right.” She leaned back against the headrest and closed her eyes.

“You okay?”

“Yes. Just…” She sought the word.

“Tired? Overwhelmed? Pissed off?”

“All of the above.”

Rick eased onto the street and into the line of traffic.

“I know this has been hard on you. The attack on Lucy, in particular. And I know you have to be beyond pissed at your chief.” He checked the rearview mirror to ensure that Mitch was following. He was.

“You have no idea.”

“Of course I do. Don’t think you’re the only person who’s ever been plucked from a plum case in the middle of it.”

“This is my case.” Her jaw tightened. “I don’t appreciate being tossed off it. What am I supposed to do while you and everyone else is working on it?”

“ Denver told you to take a few days off.”

“And do what?” She was beginning to steam again.

“He asked me to keep an eye on you.”

“What? That is the last straw,” she growled. “I can’t believe he did that. I do not need a baby-sitter. No offense, but I don’t need to be-”

“Of course you don’t. But if you’ll calm down for a second, I think you’ll see that this can work to your advantage.” He put on his right turn signal to alert Mitch to the upcoming turn into the parking lot.

“How do you figure?”

“I’m supposed to stick with you, but I’m also supposed to be working the case. Well, hell, I can’t be in two places at once. Our profiler will be here. She’ll want all the information on all of the victims. Who better to tell her about Lucy? And who better to tell her about the other crime scenes? You were there. You’ll have insights into this that no one else could have.”

“I don’t want to be off the case. I want to work.”

“I can appreciate that. But right now, this is what we have to work with. You can play a big part in this still. Just not on the clock.” He pulled into the lot and parked.

“He shouldn’t have taken me off the case.”

“Well, I have to disagree with you there.” Rick got out of the car and waved Mitch toward an empty parking space.

“You what?” Cass swung open her door, hopped out, then slammed the door for emphasis and glared at him over the roof.

“I think Denver has a point,” Rick said calmly. “I think the killer is highly pissed off right now, and the person who pissed him off is the person most likely to incur his most immediate wrath. And since that person is you, I think Denver was right to put you in the background for a while.”

“I thought you just said you knew what it was like to be yanked off a good case.”

“I did say that. And I do know what it feels like. It sucks. But in this case, it’s not unreasonable.” He rounded the car to her side. “This is one mean son of a bitch we’re after here, Cass. Now, I have no doubt that you can handle yourself damn well. You did an admirable job scaring him off last night. You saved Lucy’s life. And I’d be willing to bet real Yankee dollars that you gave him a damned good scare. But all of that does not change the fact that he’s mightily pissed at you. I think your department needs you. I think Lucy needs you. We cannot afford to let him get to you. And he will try, the first chance he gets. If I have to wear you in my back pocket until we get our hands on him, that’s where you’ll stay until this is over. I’d rather have you actively involved in the investigation, and I’ve already told you how you can do that. The choice is yours. You can work with me behind the scenes, or you can pout and go sit in a room someplace until this is over. Your choice.”