Sandra Robbins - Dangerous Waters

A sick feeling started in the pit of his stomach, and he swallowed back the bitter taste flooding his mouth. “That’s an understatement. What happened?”

He listened as she related the events of the night before. With each word his heart sank, and he balled his hands into fists at the look of fear in her eyes. She wiped at a tear as she told him how she’d stood in the river with the water nearly to her knees as she’d waited to die, and he clasped his hands together to stop the shaking. He could visualize how she must have looked as she waded from the river and fell on the bank.

“I started walking. I thought I might be able to make it back to the hospital where my car was parked, but the two police officers happened to drive by. They picked me up and brought me downtown.”

When she finished, Brad sat silently as he tried to relax and get his heartbeat back to normal. Finally he spoke. “So you never saw the face of your abductors?”

“No.”

“When the man spoke to you, was there anything familiar about his voice?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“And he told you there would be something on the news about history repeating itself?”

“Yes. It was like a threat that the same thing could happen to me. But I haven’t heard the news today. Do you know what it might be?”

He waved his hand in dismissal. “It doesn’t matter right now.” He let his gaze drift over her again. “Why didn’t you tell the officers who picked you up what had happened?”

Her face flushed. “Because I was afraid. I don’t want word to get back to these people that I talked with the police. I knew I could trust you to tell me what I should do.”

He scowled at her. “I wish you had asked before you did that interview. I would have told you not to do it.”

She sighed. “I figured that out for myself when I woke up and found myself tied up and blindfolded. What do you think I should do now?”

He studied her for a moment. “When was the last time you ate?”

She thought for a moment. “Yesterday at lunch. I didn’t have time for dinner last night.”

He pushed to his feet. “Then the first thing we need to do is get you fed. I know a place that serves a great breakfast.”

She stood up. “But I don’t have time for that. I have to go home and get ready for work.”

“You’re not going to work today. Call in and tell them while I check with my partners about covering a case for me.”

She shook her head. “Brad, really I don’t have time, and I don’t want to take you away from your other cases.”

“Laura,” he snarled, “don’t argue with me. You have just come on the radar of some very dangerous people, and we need to talk about this some more. So whether you like it or not, for the time being we’re stuck like glue. Later we’ll figure out what we need to do to keep you safe.” He pointed a finger at her. “Now call your boss while I get in touch with my partners, then we’ll go to breakfast.”

He strode from the office and closed the door behind him. He walked a few steps down the hall before he stopped, leaned against the wall and punched in the number of Alex Crowne, his partner.

“Hello.”

“Alex, Brad here. I’ve got a problem at the station, and I need you and Seth to cover for me with the Nathan Carson case at the hospital. Can you do that?”

“Sure. Anything we can help you with at the station?”

He started to tell him about Laura, but Alex still held some resentment toward her. “No, I can handle this. I just think someone needs to be there if Carson regains consciousness. He claimed on the phone to have information about the undercover policeman’s death five years ago. If he can talk, see if you can find out what it is. And see if you can get him to tell you who is running Tony Lynch’s organization now.”

“Will do. I’ll check in with you later.”

“Yeah, later.”

Brad ended the call and turned to go back to his office. He hesitated with his hand on the knob and took a deep breath. Spending the day with Laura wasn’t at the top of his list of things he wanted to do, but there wasn’t much he could do about it right now.

The murders of her parents might be a cold case, but it was an open secret within law enforcement that Tony Lynch’s organization, the same group suspected in Nathan Carson’s attempted murder, had been responsible.

The only problem was that there was no evidence to prove it since Tony’s henchmen made it a rule to never leave any evidence behind. Which left the question—why did they try to kill Carson and only threaten Laura?

The only way he might figure it out was to stay close to Laura and try to protect her when Tony’s men came to finish the job they started last night.

TWO

Fifteen minutes later Laura stared at Brad over the top of her coffee cup and searched his features for any changes since she’d last seen him. She had to admit he was still the most handsome man she’d ever known. His dark unruly hair still tumbled across his forehead, and he pushed it back with his hand every so often, just as he’d always done. His brown eyes didn’t sparkle as much as she remembered, but she supposed the things he saw on a daily basis in his job could darken any man’s soul.

He stared at her from across the table. “So, you’ve been back for over a year, and you share a house with Grace Kincaid.”

“Yes, Grace has always been my best friend, and we kept in touch after I moved to North Carolina.”

Brad nodded. “I know. She used to tell me how you were doing when I would see her. I guess that’s why it surprised me that she kept your return to Memphis a secret.”

“I explained that.”

He exhaled and picked up his cup. “Yeah, you did. Anyway, it’s good to see you. I’m sorry it was under these circumstances, though.”

“It’s good to see you, too. I read in the paper that you and Alex and another detective had been appointed to head up the new Cold Case unit for the police department. I’m glad to see you and Alex doing so well. Of course, I knew from the time I met you during our freshman year in high school you would be successful. The director must have a lot of confidence in you to give you such a promotion.”

Brad shrugged. “Maybe, but I really like this new work. It’s giving me a chance to bring closure to a lot of families who didn’t get answers.” He stared at her for a moment. “Grace told me about a year ago that she thought you’d finally made peace with the past and could accept your parents’ deaths. What made you do that interview with her and open up all these old wounds?”

Laura wrapped her fingers around her coffee mug and stared at the dark Colombian blend. “I thought I’d moved on, but I guess I haven’t. I don’t suppose I ever will until the killers are brought to justice. Can you understand that?”

“I can. I hear it every day from other families, but they’re not being threatened by people who want to kill them. You made yourself a target when you did that interview.”

She nodded. “I didn’t think about it at the time, but I did when I was standing in the river.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Grace’s station had been reporting about your new unit, and she thought it might give the story a personal twist if viewers could hear from a family member wanting a case solved.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Well, I can’t say I like the twist your story took afterward.”

The waitress approached with their breakfast, and they fell silent as she set their plates in front of them. Laura clasped her hands in front of her on the table, bowed her head and closed her eyes. When she opened them, Brad stared at her as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just seen.