More Than a Lawman

by Anna J. Stewart

  “Is it?” Eden looked between her friends. “Not exactly the word I would have used.”

  “Definitely interesting.” Allie put her pizza down, smiling. “About time, too. So?”

  “So what?” Eden focused on her slice.

  “She always did suck at the girl talk,” Simone said. “So how was it?”

  Words failed her. Just like they’d failed her the three times she’d attempted to update her blog today. For most of her life, words had been her salvation, her coping mechanism. Her livelihood. But now, just like earlier, her brain short-circuited and shut down, her entire body going cold as if she’d been thrown into the deep freeze again. “I don’t know,” she said finally.

  “How can you not know how a kiss was?” Allie looked flummoxed.

  “Because it was Cole,” Simone cut in. “And Cole has always confused her.”

  “Confused can be a good thing.” Allie shrugged. “It’s when you start thinking too much about things like kissing that gets you into trouble.”

  “Speak for yourself.” Simone winked. “There’s nothing better than turning your brain off and just having at each other.”

  “Obviously you two don’t need me for this conversation,” Eden joked. “Just keep going. I’ll let you know when you land on something that applies to me.”

  “Tell me something.” Simone shifted to the edge of the sofa and leaned forward. “Does Cole still do that thing with his mouth, that twitch in the corner of his lips—”

  “Simone!” Allie smacked her arm even as she laughed.

  Eden’s face flushed and thawed out the rest of her body. “How do you know about that?”

  “I guess that’s a yes.” Simone reached for her glass and drank. “Put those daggers back in your eyes, honey. We were fifteen and seventeen respectively and I was curious. Cole—”

  “Volunteered to satisfy your curiosity?” Allie asked. “Why didn’t I ever think of that?”

  “Because you were a late bloomer,” Eden answered. When had all these knots in her stomach shown up? “And because you never would have asked.”

  “There was never anything to it, Eden,” Simone told her. “No spark. I may as well have been kissing your brother.”

  Eden sputtered on her wine. “My brother? You kissed Logan, too?”

  Simone’s blue eyes brightened. “Hey, I had to have someone to compare Cole to, didn’t I? We weren’t exactly social butterflies, and the guys were, well, nice. Really, really nice.”

  “Cole never told me,” Eden muttered. Then again, why would he? It wasn’t as if they had been anything other than friends. Or had they?

  “I doubt he even remembers.” Simone settled back on the sofa and, for an instant, reminded Eden of when they were in high school, asking for Simone’s advice on...well, everything. “When it comes to our good buddy Cole, he’s only ever had eyes for you, Eden. Even back then.”

  “Okay, now I know you’re kidding.” A bit of pizza clogged her esophagus.

  “She’s not,” Allie said and sent Eden’s heart racing. “Please tell me you kept your hands off my foster brothers, Simone.”

  “A girl doesn’t always kiss and tell,” Simone teased. “Speaking of your sibling brood, I ran into your mom yesterday at the K-Street Market. How come you didn’t tell us Nicole and Patrick were moving back to town?”

  Allie shrugged. “Because you talk to my mom more than I do.”

  “So you haven’t seen them?” Eden asked.

  “My foster siblings? Not yet, no.” Allie’s strained smile was all too familiar. “According to Ma, they’ve bought a restaurant in midtown. She’s glad to have some of her kids back around her.”

  “She has you.” Simone blinked with the same shock Eden felt.

  “Yeah, well.” Allie gave herself a shake and shot them one of her trademark plucky smiles. “I’ll make it a point to see them. And Ma. Soon.”

  “Make reservations at their place and we’ll all go,” Simone said before shooting Eden a knowing look.

  Allie, her parents’ only natural child, often had a difficult time in a household overrun by her parents’ do-gooder desire to save the children of the world. If they weren’t traveling to third-world countries, they were bringing in troubled kids, often leaving Allie lost in the shuffle. Eden would never forget the look on Allie’s face when, on the first day of kindergarten, she, Simone and Chloe had asked Allie to play with them. It was as if Allie didn’t realize people could see her. From then on, Allie had spent most of her time in one of their homes, preferring to stay far away from her own as much as possible.

  Was it any wonder she’d become a shrink?

  “Let’s get back to this Cole situation.” Allie shifted topics with practiced ease. “What is it that’s bothering you?”

  Now it was Eden’s turn to shrug. “I just think whatever this is with Cole is more about the promise he made to Logan.”

  “What promise?” Simone asked. Allie set her pizza down again and pinned Eden with that look that normally had her patients spilling their deepest secrets.

  Why should she be any different? “He promised Logan to always look out for me. In case Logan wasn’t around.”

  “Ah.” Allie nodded. “Hence the confusion. You’re afraid this new kind of attention is merely him fulfilling an obligation.”

  “Thank you for spelling it out, Dr. Freud.” Simone rolled her eyes. “I seriously doubt Logan included kissing you as part of Cole’s duties. In fact, I’d bet heavily against it.”

  “Cole’s my friend. My best friend. Aside from you guys,” she added in case they took offense.

  “Please.” Simone sighed and nibbled the edges of her pizza, as if she could defer calories. “We’re beyond best friends. Always have been. But you’re right. Cole is your go-to guy. What’s wrong with it being more than that?”

  “Because if we try to be more, I’m going to mess it up and then where will I be?” She’d be minus one of the few people who made her life worth living.

  “Aside from potentially sexually satisfied, stuck with your two spinster best friends,” Allie said.

  “Again, speak for yourself.” Simone pointed a knowing finger at Eden. “Honey, for being as brave as you are with these maniacs you go after, you’ve always been a bit of a shy rabbit in the relationship department. Admit it—the idea of falling in love with anyone, especially Cole, scares you. It’s the only reason for all these walls you’ve built around yourself.”

  “I thought Allie was the therapist. And who said anything about falling in love?” Eden questioned. When had they taken that detour? “I said he kissed me, not that he declared his undying devotion for me.”

  “You’re right.” Allie waved a warning finger at Simone, discouraging her from speaking. “You didn’t say that. But it’s what you’re afraid you’re thinking, Eden. It’s why you brought it up in the first place. If Cole kissing you can confuse you this much—”

  “Imagine what tumbling in the sheets with him would do,” Simone interjected.

  “Yeah.” Eden gnawed on her bottom lip. “Imagine.”

  * * *

  “The great thing about pizza?” Allie crumpled the paper plates and smashed them into the garbage under the sink. “No dishes.”

  “All the more reason to continue to finish the wine,” Simone said and toasted them over the counter. “No bottles to save.”

  “Are you drunk?” Eden couldn’t remember the last time always-in-control Simone Armstrong was tipsy.

  “I’m happily sedated.” Simone hoisted herself onto a bar stool. “Speaking of sedated, Eden, you seem to be taking this whole abduction thing pretty well.”

  “I thought we weren’t talking about that.” Not that she minded a return to the topic. Personally, she’d much rather discuss the Iceman and her
bloodletting than delve any more deeply into the topic of Cole Delaney.

  “Anesthetics like Propofol can definitely affect some people’s memories,” Allie said in that no-nonsense medically trained way of hers. “Do you remember anything about when you were taken?”

  Eden sighed. “I’ve tried. I get flashes, like disjointed pictures, but nothing I can make sense of.”

  “So there is something in there.” Allie tapped a fingernail against her teeth, her short-cropped dark hair catching in the fluorescent light of the ceiling bulbs. “I’ve had success using a hypnotherapy technique with some of my patients who have suffered certain types of trauma. Mostly to help them when it comes to testifying in court, but I wonder—”

  “Heads up, Eden,” Simone announced. “You’re about to be her next guinea pig.”

  Eden chuckled as Simone leaned heavily on the counter. “What do you wonder?”

  “If we go back to the parking lot, re-create the same circumstances as the night you were kidnapped, you might remember something important.”

  “Nothing says an uneventful evening out with your friends than reliving your worst nightmare,” Simone said. “You think that’s safe?”

  “I think it might be worth a shot,” Allie replied. “I’ll walk you through it, Eden. I’ll be there every step of the way. You’ll never be fully under. It’s like a dream state.”

  “I’ll be backup,” Simone offered. “Whatever help I might be.”

  “I’d ask you to take notes but I’m not convinced you could operate a pen,” Eden said. She wanted to remember...didn’t she? If she could recall even one detail, an image, a smell, a feeling, something that could help them make a connection to the Iceman, what was there to lose? She glanced out the window. “So let’s go.”

  “Tonight?” Allie’s spine straightened and she frowned. “Eden, I meant we should plan for it, maybe tomorrow or the next night or even the weekend—”

  “No, now. I want to do this tonight.” Before she lost her nerve. Before Cole returned and talked her out of it. Before the Iceman caught someone else in his hooks. “Cole will probably be late tonight. We can be back before then. It’s...what? Six thirty? That’s about the same time I got there the other night.”

  “Okay,” Allie agreed. But Eden saw a flash of doubt on her friend’s face. “But only if you leave him a note. Just in case. I don’t want to get into trouble for this.”

  “Believe me, the only person who would catch trouble is me.” And that, Eden realized, would shift their relationship into an arena she could handle.

  “Let’s go!” Simone’s arm shot up in the air as she nearly toppled off her stool.

  Eden dived forward to catch her. “Allie, you’re driving.”

  “No kidding.”

  * * *

  “It doesn’t matter how many notifications you make.” McTavish strolled into the conference room as Cole hung up the phone. “This part of the job never gets any easier.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” Cole said.

  Mr. and Mrs. DeFornio had been both horrified and relieved to learn their twenty-seven-year-old son’s body had been found along with Eden. After sixteen months of wondering, they finally had their answers. But Cole had more questions. Eric DeFornio had had his share of troubles, from drug addiction to petty theft. As far as his parents knew, he was living in a run-down motel in downtown Sacramento, but he’d always call on Sunday afternoons, when he knew his parents were home from church. Until he hadn’t.

  “That was the last one.” Cole sagged in his chair and glanced at the clock. Almost seven thirty. His eyes ached, feeling gritty and heavy from the long, tiring day.

  “I’d offer to buy you a drink, but I’m not sure you could manage to stay awake.” Jack sat on the edge of the table and pushed the files aside. “Oh, hey. Bowie and I checked out 221BB like you wanted. Eden was right. There’s nothing there.”

  “You sure?”

  “221BB is actually Enid Snappman. Sixteen years old with serious acne and terabytes running through her blood. We might have to worry about her hacking into the Pentagon in another few years, but as far as the Iceman is concerned?” Jack shook his head. “It’s just her spouting off her thoughts and ideas, hoping for attention. Which we gave her. She seemed excited to talk to us. I’m betting we get star status on her next blog.”

  “Awesome.” Blog was fast becoming a four-letter word to Cole. “Do me a favor and don’t let on to Eden about this just yet. I’m not up to another round of ‘I was right’ with her.” Especially not after selling his soul—and a series of interviews about the Iceman case—to two TV stations and three papers. He kept telling himself it would be worth it if they’d leave Eden alone.

  Time would tell.

  Jack’s smile was one of understanding. “Speaking of Eden, we’re making copies of the latest victims’ details, so you can share them with her. Should be ready by tomorrow afternoon.”

  Cole sighed. Yeah, he couldn’t wait to add more victims’ pictures to her wall. He couldn’t remember wanting to close a case this badly. “Simone and Allie were planning to keep her occupied this evening. And honestly, I’m beat. Can you lock things down tonight? Make sure everyone’s back here at nine tomorrow morning. We need a plan of execution.” So to speak. “Rain check on the drink?”

  “You got it. See you tomorrow, partner.”

  It wasn’t until he was in his car driving to Eden’s that Cole realized that for the first time he was heading home to something, to someone other than an empty space. He loved the solitude his boat provided, and his social life had been active enough over the years. Half drought, half flood, sure, but no woman managed to spark his interest the way Eden did. Part of him had hoped that by kissing her he’d finally scratched that particular itch.

  Instead the need to be with her had only burrowed deeper.

  An odd apprehension built inside of him as he considered what would happen once the Iceman was caught. Was this thing with Eden merely adrenaline-induced attraction? Was he grabbing hold so hard because he’d come so close to losing her?

  He scrubbed a tired hand down the side of his face. He must be getting punch drunk to be thinking along these lines. What he needed was a hot shower and preferably eight hours of gnome-free sleep.

  He parked behind Simone’s perky little white sports car with top-down tendencies, noting briefly that Allie’s cute red mini SUV was gone. That didn’t surprise him. Knowing Allie’s practical leanings, she was probably already home and in bed, having left the babysitting duties to Simone.

  He got out his spare key, but found he didn’t need it. Shaking his head, he wondered, not for the first time, if Eden had left whatever common sense she possessed in that freezer. “Eden! You left the door unlocked!”

  Every lamp in the living room was on, as were the lights in the kitchen. He could smell the pizza they’d had for dinner—or maybe it was his overanxious stomach anticipating Allie’s promised provisions. Empty wine bottles and glasses were falling over themselves in the sink. The town house was oddly silent. He shrugged out of his jacket, heading for the fridge to retrieve one of the beers he’d been thinking about for the last hour.

  “Eden! Simone!” His voice echoed at him. The padlock to the basement sat unlatched on the counter, the door wide-open. He picked up the lock, hefted it in his hand for a moment as the barest prickle of unease worked its way up his spine. Setting his bottle on the counter, he did a quick check upstairs. Nobody here. “Probably dragged her into that dungeon of hers.”

  He could only imagine Simone’s and Allie’s reactions to Eden’s level of obsession when it came to her office. Then again, it could be the wake-up call she needed. She might not pay much attention to him, but she’d never be able to ignore her two best friends. “Hey, you guys, didn’t you hear me—” He stopped halfway down the stairs
and ducked down.

  The basement was empty.

  “What the...?” He scanned the room, noted the paperwork, boxes and the lit candle in front of Chloe’s memorial photo at the end of the sofa.

  Cole pulled out his phone as he returned to the kitchen, dialing Eden first, but it went straight to voice mail. Same with Allie’s phone. He unlocked the patio door and checked the parking space behind the town house.

  Eden’s car was gone.

  Familiar knots of frustration wound tightly with a new form of panic that had lodged itself in his gut. They were up to something.

  The yellow sticky note on the counter confirmed it.

  Testing a theory with Allie at Monroe’s. Hope to be back before you see this. —E

  All thoughts of sleep vanished as he grabbed his jacket and keys and stormed out the door.

  Chapter 10

  “I haven’t seen Simone this blotto since Vince served her with divorce papers,” Eden murmured to Allie as they stood beside Eden’s car in the half-filled parking lot of Monroe’s. Despite the late-spring air that carried the promise of summer warmth, Eden shivered. Regret—along with nerves—settled. No doubt this was the kind of thing she did that made Cole nuts. Suddenly, venturing back to the scene of the crime didn’t seem like such a smart idea. She glanced around the dimly lit lot. At least she hadn’t come alone. “Any idea what’s going on with her?”

  “Only what I’ve heard around the DA’s office.” Allie glanced over her shoulder to the open SUV. Simone, blond hair cascading, restless bare feet swinging, sagged sleepily against the passenger seat, humming in her usual tone-deaf key. “Her main witness in the Denton case is getting wiggy. You know Simone. She only lets loose like this when she’s second-guessing herself. Or when things aren’t going her way.”

  “At least she didn’t drag us off to Vegas to cope this time. So. Are we going to do this or what?” Eden pushed away from her car and took a deep breath, slapped restless hands on her jean-clad thighs and tugged her jacket closed. “What do I do?”