Brave Love

by Allyson Simonian

  The receptionist looked up and gave him a smile. With her kindly, lined face and choker pearls, she was the picture of a grandmother. Her white hair was pulled back into a neat bun.

  “How can I help you, handsome?”

  Ethan opened his badge and explained who he was.

  “I’ll let the dean know you’re here. Please have a seat.”

  A few minutes later, he was ushered into a spacious office. The dean, a well-dressed man in his mid-forties, shook his hand and gestured toward an armchair. “Please have a seat.”

  Ethan opened his credentials, once again explaining everything, including the fact that Paige was his girlfriend. The dean sat listening while Ethan described the postcard she’d received.

  “I want to look into anything the students may have had in common. Would it be possible to get copies of their transcripts?”

  The dean’s gaze shot to Ethan’s badge, which was still sitting on the desk. A moment later, he buzzed his administrative assistant and made the request. “They’ll be ready on your way out,” he said after he’d taken his finger off the intercom.

  Ethan thanked him. “I’m also interested in who might have left the university since the murders.”

  “Left the university?”

  “Staff members who have left.”

  Leaning back in his leather chair, the man stroked his chin. “I can think of only a couple. Professors McGovern and Schull.”

  Ethan took out his notepad and scribbled down the names. “Do you know where they went?”

  “Both went to other universities. McGovern to South Florida and Schull to the University of Iowa.”

  Ethan thanked the dean again. He left his office and collected the transcripts. Once he reached the lobby, he took a seat on a bench and began to study the pages. A gust of wind blew in several minutes later when a man entered the lobby.

  From his short-cropped hair and his Wayfarers down to his nondescript dark suit, the guy screamed federal agent. He breezed by Ethan, and Ethan went back to reviewing the transcripts.

  While rifling through the third transcript, he noticed something—a notation similar to one he’d seen on the first student’s. He rose and walked back into the office.

  “Excuse me?”

  The elderly receptionist raised a brow.

  “Can you tell me what this means?”

  She looked down at the paper he held. “It means the student is on scholarship,” she said, then amended in a quiet tone, “Was on.”

  “Can you tell if the scholarships were for a sport?”

  Taking the transcript from him, she punched some keys into her keyboard. “Her scholarship was based on grades.”

  “And this student’s?”

  They traded transcripts.

  Once again, the woman turned to her keyboard. After a moment’s search, she looked up at him and said, “She had a track scholarship.”

  Track. There wasn’t a common link other than that they’d both had scholarships. He thanked the woman again and left.

  Minutes later, he’d just stepped outside for some fresh air when the Fed exited the building. He stopped short when he saw Ethan.

  Ethan closed the distance between them, hoping things wouldn’t turn ugly. Federal agents were known for being territorial about their cases, and Ethan had obviously been on his turf. Already the guy looked annoyed.

  When Ethan was a few feet away, the Fed narrowed his eyes and said tersely, “You’re the boyfriend, aren’t you?”

  “Ethan Cole.” Hoping to defuse the situation, he stuck out his hand as he added, “I’m a police officer in Bennington, Oregon.”

  “Special Agent Eric Perez,” the man said, narrowing his eyes before shaking Ethan’s hand. “When did you get in?”

  “Last night,” Ethan said.

  “And you decided to just start conducting interviews?”

  “I’m trying to see what I can uncover before our meeting tomorrow.”

  “Well, it’s our investigation, so if you don’t mind—”

  “I’m sure you can appreciate what my girlfriend’s going through,” Ethan interrupted. He pressed on, describing Paige’s terror and the helplessness they both felt.

  When the other man’s expression softened slightly, Ethan took the advantage. He asked if he would be allowed to review the case files the next day.

  The agent studied Ethan for a long moment before finally grumbling something about seeing what he could do. Ethan thanked him and promised to have Paige at the FBI’s office by nine the next morning.

  Chapter 51

  Ethan and Paige were seated in a conference room at the FBI office the next morning. The agents had Paige recount her kidnapping much the same way Ethan had the night she’d received the postcard.

  Eric Perez, the agent Ethan had met the day before, was being surprisingly accommodating. Whether it was empathy or something else that had changed overnight, the agent had agreed to show Ethan the case files later in the day.

  Now, another agent asked Paige if anything stood out the night she’d been abducted.

  Paige cleared her throat. “They said there were no signs of forced entry into our apartment.”

  “And this surprised you?”

  She nodded.

  “Why?”

  “It’s just . . . Jane never used to open the door for anyone. She’d speak through the door if someone rang the bell, rather than open it.”

  Yet she’d let the killer in.

  The agent voiced the thought in everyone’s head. “Maybe she knew him.”

  The interview continued, and a list was made of the people Paige and her roommate had in common.

  At one p.m., Ethan drove Paige back to her parents’ house. She looked beyond drained by then. But as much as Ethan wanted to stay with her, he needed to head back to the bureau office.

  • • •

  The next day, Ethan returned to the FBI alone, and by the end of the morning had spent ten hours examining the killer’s case files. Paige had described the bunker in detail, but seeing a police sketch brought on a fresh rage.

  In Bennington there were very few murders to contend with. He’d never been involved in a case so grisly, and he had no idea how these agents dealt with cases like this on a daily basis.

  With a sigh, he closed the file in front of him. He, Perez, and the other agents were due to share thoughts in a few minutes. But first, he wanted to check something.

  Taking his notepad from his jacket, he found the names he’d written the day before. A Google search of the first professor who’d left Falls College revealed the professor was still affiliated with the liberal arts college he’d moved to. It was the second professor’s current location that set Ethan’s pulse racing.

  Professor Schull had moved from Pennsylvania to Iowa as the dean had stated. Last year, though, he’d made another move—to Redwood College in Oregon—a college only thirty minutes from Bennington.

  Quickly, Ethan made his way to the conference room. Agents were just beginning to file in. Several minutes later, he’d shared what he’d just learned. Eric had an incredulous look across his face when Ethan finished speaking.

  “When are you going back?” Eric asked.

  “Tomorrow night.”

  “I’ll make arrangements to fly out there too. I’ll be there by Monday.”

  Ethan nodded. The sooner they interviewed this guy, the better.

  After that, a profiler took over. He spent twenty minutes asking questions and gathering background information. Afterward, the profiler had a thoughtful expression on his face. “Assuming the killer’s alive, I’m having trouble believing he’s just been lying low.”

  Yet, a search had been run. No murders with a similar MO had turned up. Nor had the missing person lists from Pennsylvania and Oregon raised any red flags.

  As the profiler continued speaking, Ethan shifted in his seat. He was grateful Paige wasn’t with him.

  Chapter 52

  Across town, Paig
e’s meetings at Cox Wellness were going well. Karen was as nice in person as she was over the phone, and Paige enjoyed getting to know her better.

  That week there was a training class at headquarters—one of the first groups using the new videos. For an hour that morning, Paige had been able to collect feedback from the class. Now she and Karen were seated in the company’s cafeteria, having lunch.

  “Tell me how David is,” Karen said as she speared a bit of her salad. “I haven’t seen him since before his move.”

  Paige’s hand stilled on her cup as an image of travel records flashed through her mind. “He wasn’t out here a couple of years ago?”

  Karen shook her head. “He hasn’t been here since he relocated his business.”

  Unwilling to go there right now, Paige dismissed the questions in her head. She and Karen discussed the latest video that was still in production.

  After lunch, Paige spent more time with the company’s trainees. Their comments about the videos were mainly favorable; the only negatives revolved around the students’ need for more information on the drugs’ side effects. Paige took detailed notes.

  At the end of the day, Karen brought up David again.

  After she finished speaking, Paige asked, “Could it have been another person from our company out here two years ago?”

  Karen shook her head. “No. What is this, Paige? What’s going on?”

  She looked worried now, and Paige was instantly sorry. “I just misunderstood something, that’s all.” She said good-bye to Karen soon after and went to wait for Ethan in the lobby.

  When Ethan picked her up, Paige noted he seemed distracted. Watching as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, she asked, “Did something happen today?”

  He told her about Professor Schull, a chemistry professor he and Agent Perez would be interviewing once they got back to Oregon.

  Ethan glanced at her after he made a lane change. “Do you know him?”

  “No.” The name didn’t sound familiar. Nor did she recognize a picture Ethan pulled out after he stopped at a red light.

  When they arrived back at her parents’ house, Ethan excused himself to call into work. Paige sat down with her mother and father and brought up David.

  “Did he visit here two years ago?”

  Her mother shook her head, and her father met her gaze with a frown. “Why are you asking?”

  Paige took in a breath. “It’s nothing.” There had to be a simple explanation. Maybe David had been out to Pennsylvania to visit another friend. For whatever reason, he hadn’t had time to see them. But as she tried to dismiss the thoughts, an uneasy feeling stayed with her.

  Chapter 53

  While Paige hadn’t had a panic attack since she’d received the postcard, Ethan could feel the tension in her body every time he held her. Then again, tension lay coiled inside his own flesh. The postal cancellation on the postcard had been smeared, so there was no way to know if it had been mailed from Pennsylvania or Oregon. With the exception of their flight here, his gun and holster had been strapped to his side every waking moment.

  That night, Paige’s parents had an event to attend at the hospital. Figuring it would do Paige good to relax, he suggested they also go out.

  They settled on a Japanese restaurant downtown and were seated in a cozy booth after they arrived. But instead of relaxing, Paige still seemed stressed, even after their food was served.

  Ethan reached across the table and grabbed her hand. “What are you thinking about?”

  When it looked as if she wasn’t going to share, he prodded. “Paige?”

  She set down her fork and sighed before meeting his eyes. “When I was making our flight arrangements, a travel record showed up for David. According to the software, he took a flight here a couple of years ago. I asked my parents, but they didn’t see him then. And when I asked our client about it, she said he didn’t visit the office either.”

  She wet her lips as she continued. “Maybe he canceled the flight at the last minute. It’s just strange, though. The software’s pretty reliable. The record wouldn’t have shown up unless he took the flight. And if he was out here, it doesn’t make sense that he didn’t visit.”

  Ethan studied her. If this was something that was upsetting her, then it was something he’d need to look into. Paige had mentioned the timing of the flight was near her abduction. While it was probably nothing, that fact alone wasn’t sitting well.

  Determined to distract her, he suggested they take a walk after they left the restaurant. South Falls’s downtown catered not only to college students, but to tourists of the nearby falls. It was hip and trendy.

  As they walked down the main street, he let go of Paige’s hand to cup his own together and blow on them. Even wearing a down vest, he was freezing. The wind chill made everything seem twenty degrees colder.

  “How did you grow up in this?” he asked.

  Paige laughed, her first laugh in days. Despite the chill, Ethan’s insides warmed. He took hold of her hand again.

  “You don’t think about it too much when it’s a way of life,” she said.

  Gift shops were dotted along the street. They walked into one that still had its lights on.

  They’d been there for several minutes before a salesperson walked over. “I can unlock that if you’d like to try anything on.” She gestured toward the jewelry case Paige was standing in front of.

  Ethan pointed out a bracelet Paige had been eyeing, a complicated silver chain with polished stone bangles. “We’d like to see that one.”

  The saleswoman opened the case, took the bracelet out, and draped it over Paige’s wrist. “It fits you nicely,” she said after she’d fastened it.

  Ethan gave Paige’s shoulder a squeeze. “We’ll take it,” he said, and the saleswoman took it back to wrap up their purchase.

  The delighted look on Paige’s face when the saleswoman handed her the little shopping bag lightened his mood. He’d never bought a woman jewelry before, but made a mental note to do it again. It was definitely worth it.

  • • •

  Paige’s mother had a large breakfast ready on the last day Paige and Ethan were in South Falls.

  As Paige was lifting a piece of toast to her mouth, Stephanie’s focus narrowed on the silver bracelet dangling from Paige’s wrist. “Ooh,” she said, “that’s pretty. Is that new, Paige?”

  Paige cast an adoring glance Ethan’s way, causing his heart to beat a little faster. “Yes, Mom, isn’t it gorgeous? Ethan bought it for me while we were shopping in town. It goes with everything, so I may never take it off.”

  Peter cleared his throat, catching Ethan’s eye, and gave him an atta-boy look.

  Lifting his cup of coffee to his mouth, Ethan stifled a grin. Yes, definitely worth it.

  After breakfast, Peter helped Ethan carry the luggage out to the Suburban. Paige and Stephanie joined them on the sidewalk. Much like Paige, Stephanie wore a mask of bravery, but Ethan watched it slip as she hugged her daughter.

  “Be careful, sweetheart.”

  “I will, Mom.”

  Stephanie gave Ethan a hug next, whispering, “I’m so glad Paige has found you.”

  Christ, that sentiment said it all. He felt exactly the same. He thanked her and then shook hands with Peter.

  Their flight back to Oregon connected through Chicago, and they had a three-hour delay there. By the time they arrived back at Ethan’s house, it was nearly ten p.m. On the flight, they’d gone over their work schedules. They’d agreed that Ethan would drop Paige off each morning before he went into the station. For her own safety, she would remain in the office until he picked her up at night.

  • • •

  The next morning, Max clapped a hand on Ethan’s shoulder as he walked inside the police station. “Welcome back, man.” There were similar greetings from the other officers.

  Ethan went into the captain’s office and brought him up-to-date on what had happened in Pennsylvania. Liu drummed his
fingers on the table as he sat listening. When Ethan finished, the captain said, “I’ll officially put you on this full time. Mark can keep riding with Taylor.”

  Exhaling a breath, Ethan thanked him. As usual, his captain had gone above and beyond. Ethan attended the morning’s briefing and once it was over, sat down at a vacant desk.

  If he used the bureau’s contacts to research David’s flight records, then he wouldn’t need to obtain a warrant. He debated for another moment before picking up the phone. When Agent Perez answered and agreed to make the request, Ethan leaned back in his chair and rolled his shoulders, relieved that the Fed was still being so cooperative.

  With Schull the most promising lead, it was difficult to sit tight until Perez arrived. Ethan spent the rest of the morning making a detailed timeline of the events surrounding Paige’s abduction. Simultaneously, he made a list of questions.

  Late in the morning, he and Paige exchanged a text. She said her day had been uneventful and reassured him she was staying put inside the office.

  Ethan had just sat down at his desk with a sandwich when an e-mail from the FBI came in. Opening the attachment, he stared at the listing of flight records. His gaze pinged between the timeline he’d written and the computer screen.

  Unable to believe what he was seeing, he swore softly. But there it was, in black and white. David had been to Pennsylvania not once but twice during the period in question. The second trip was shortly before Paige’s kidnapping. And he’d taken another trip a month earlier—shortly before the kidnapping of the second victim.

  He dialed Eric and quickly left a message, asking that they meet at Paige’s office on Monday morning instead of at the station. The sooner they confronted David, the better. Uncomfortable at the thought, Ethan rolled his shoulders, wincing a little as he did. He liked the man; David was dating his mother, for Christ’s sake.

  There had to be a logical explanation. For everyone’s sake, he desperately hoped that was the case.

  Chapter 54