Неизвестный - 4. Justice In The Shadows

“That’s kinda thin, don’t you think?”

“It’s what I’ve got.” Roberta looked at her watch. “Where’s Mitchell now?”

That twist of pain was unexpected and Sandy jerked involuntarily. To cover her surprise, she laughed harshly. “How should I know? You’re the one told me to stay away from her, remember?”

“Things have changed.” Rebecca leaned forward intently. “She’s good, but she’s a novice. I need you to watch her back.”

“So what do you want me to do? Move in with her?”

“If you have to.”

Sandy stood. “You know something, Frye? You use people.”

Rebecca made no reply and Sandy walked away.

You use people.

It wasn’t the first time she’d heard it, although not quite as honestly as Sandy put it. Jill had complained that Rebecca put the job first and gave her what was left. Which was never enough. Rebecca thought of Catherine, and how much she needed her. How she so often came to Catherine, weary and drained, and let Catherine comfort her with her body and her tender soul. I use her, too.

Catherine rarely slept deeply when Rebecca was working. She rolled over and opened her eyes, having been roused by a soft noise in the darkened room.

“Rebecca?”

“I’m sorry. I was trying to be quiet.” Rebecca padded across the floor, slipped naked into bed, and buried her face in the sweet softness of her hair.

“Everything all right?”

“Mmm. I love you so much.”

Catherine heard the faint catch in her lover’s voice. “Darling? Did something happen?”

“No, I’m just beat.” Rebecca took a long breath. She wasn’t going to burden Catherine with more of her guilt.

Catherine hesitated, knowing there was more. She always knew. She kissed Rebecca’s forehead, then her eyelids, then finally her mouth. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“Catherine,” Rebecca whispered. I need you so much. I don’t know if I could keep going…

“What, darling?”

“I…you’re the best thing in my life. The most important thing.” Rebecca smoothed her fingers over Catherine’s cheek, along her neck, and then lowered her head to kiss Catherine’s breast just above her heart. “I just want you to know that.”

“I love you.” Catherine held Rebecca tightly, letting that be enough.

Michael rose carefully. The clock read five-thirty. The side of the bed where Sloan had lain was cold.

She went into the bathroom, splashed cold water on her face, then looked into the mirror for the first time since the accident. She blinked, drew a shaky breath, blinked again.

Thank god Sarah washed my hair because the rest of me is a fright.

With horrific clarity, she abruptly recalled the conversation with Sarah.

Car accident…skull fracture…broken ribs…bruised kidney.

Someone had tried to kill Sloan, and she had been hurt instead.

“My God…”

Michael made her way carefully to the guest room at the opposite end of the loft and halted at the door. “Sarah?”

A light came on, and Sarah was instantly by her side.

“Michael? What is it? Are you sick?”

“Where’s Sloan?”

“I…what?” Sarah took Michael’s hand. “You should go back to bed. You’re white as a sheet.”

Michael looked beyond Sarah to Jason, who was just tying his sweat pants. “Where is she, Jason?”

He looked helplessly at Michael. “She said she was going to check on some data for Rebecca.”

“You left her alone?” Michael’s voice rose with anger and fear. “What were you thinking? Someone tried to kill her.” Michael’s vision dimmed and a wave of pain rolled through her head and flooded her consciousness. She swayed and Sarah grabbed her arm.

“Michael. Sit down.”

“I’m fine.” Nevertheless, Michael allowed Sarah to lead her to the bed. “I’m sorry.” She lifted anguished eyes to Sarah and Jason, who stood side by side a few feet away, both looking distraught.

“Ah, hell,” Jason muttered, looking to Sarah for guidance.

Michael’s voice cut through the air. “Tell me. What?”

“She was working on finding the leak in the department—maybe she found it.”

“Someone tried to kill her and almost killed me instead. Don’t you realize what she’ll do? God, she’ll be crazy.” Michael’s voice was cold and eerily flat. “Find her, Jason. You find her right now and bring her home.”

Six a.m. Quitting time.

Sandy trudged up the dark narrow stairwell to the third floor on autopilot. She unlocked her apartment door, stepped inside, and stared at the woman sitting on the side of her bed. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Sandy found her voice.

“What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to say I was sorry for being an asshole.”

“Okay. You said it.”

Mitchell curled her fingers over her knees to hide the shakes. She was so fucking tired. “I didn’t have any right to come down on you for leaving last night. I was…I was a little crazy.”

“You were a lot crazy if you think Frye and I have anything going on.”

“I know. I just…” Mitchell drew a long breath. “I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

When Mitchell started to rise, Sandy put a hand on her thigh, stopping her. “I’m sorry for leaving you in a state. I didn’t want to.”

Mitchell blushed. “Not your fault.”

“Oh, yeah?” Sandy bumped Mitchell’s shoulder with hers. “I thought it was.”

“I was so hot for you,” Mitchell whispered, glancing at Sandy with a half turn of her head. “I couldn’t think straight. I didn’t know what the fuck I was saying.”

“Was hot for me?”

“Am.” Mitchell took Sandy’s hand, caressed it gently. “Have been for quite a while.”

“Same here.” Sandy leaned her head on Mitchell’s shoulder. “You wanna stay?”

“Yeah. I’d like that.”

Silently, they both rose, undressing slowly, watching each other in the breaking dawn light. Sandy lifted the covers and slid under, then held them open for Mitchell. The bed was narrow, and they turned to face one another, their bodies lightly touching. Mitchell rested her hand softly on Sandy’s hip. Sandy nestled her face close to Mitchell’s on the pillow.

“Is it okay if we just…” Sandy shivered. She’d never been this way with anyone. “Is just sleeping okay for now?”

“It’s fine.” Mitchell’s body was doing the all-over tingle thing again, and she was wet. But that was okay. It was good, great. Perfect. “You’re really beautiful, you know.”

“Dell,” Sandy said gently. “You are such a blockhead.”

Carefully, Mitchell inched forward and kissed Sandy, a tender whisper of lips brushing lightly. “I know. But you’re still beautiful.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Catherine lifted the phone mid-way through the second ring. “Hello?…Yes, she’s right here.” She extended the receiver to Rebecca. “It’s Jason.”

“Sorry, Rebecca…we can’t seem to find Sloan.”

Rebecca sat up, instantly alert. “I’ll be right over.”

Jason, unshaven in wrinkled clothes, looked up hopefully as Rebecca walked into the central office area just after eight a.m. “Anything?”

“Nothing.” Rebecca had never seen him with a hair out of place, even when he’d been lying on the floor with his hands cuffed behind his back, Mitchell’s knee between his shoulder blades.

“I should have realized she’d go after whoever hurt Michael on her own. Michael is…everything to her.”

Rebecca understood that. That’s what she would do if anyone hurt Catherine. “It’s my fault. Not yours.”

“I know her bes—”

He cocked his head, listening to the sound of the elevator descending to the first floor, then the slow steady whir of the gears reversing. Together, he and Rebecca watched as the double-wide doors slid soundlessly open.