Race Against Time

by Christy Barritt

  She didn’t argue. She let the cool air chill her skin, relishing the current blowing from the vent. Brody handed her some water and she gulped it down, thirstier than she thought. Brody stayed outside the car, on his phone. She could only imagine the conversation he was having.

  Her lips still tingled from their kiss. What had that been about? It had been so surprising. Even more surprising was her reaction. What had she been thinking? The last thing she wanted in her life was romance. But based on the way she’d responded to Brody, no one would ever guess that to be true.

  Just then Brody opened the car door and slid inside. “Backup is coming, as is the forensic team.” His eyes softened as he looked across the seat at her. “Are you sure I can’t take you to the hospital?”

  She nodded. “I just want to go home. See Lincoln.”

  “I understand.”

  The madman’s words flooded back to her. “He mentioned you, Brody.”

  His eyebrows twitched. “Me?”

  “He told me to ask you about Lindsey.”

  Brody’s face drained of color. “Lindsey?”

  “Who’s Lindsey, Brody?”

  “She’s…she’s someone I dated a few times up in New York.”

  “What’s her connection to this case?” she prodded.

  “I’m not sure. Except that she committed suicide. I have no idea how this man knows about her death or why he’s connecting it with these murders.”

  “There’s obviously something about you and about her that ties all of these things together that have been happening lately. Did you make some enemies after her suicide?”

  He sighed deeply. “I was my biggest enemy after her suicide.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, I blamed myself. I still blame myself. Her suicide note made it clear that she took her life because she couldn’t deal with the pain from my rejection.”

  Madison placed her hand on his arm, but he pulled away. “You can’t blame yourself for someone else’s actions.”

  “I didn’t want to commit or be tied down. I think six months was my longest relationship. I didn’t consider people’s feelings the way I should have. I only thought about myself.”

  Another sheriff’s car pulled up, effectively cutting their conversation off. Maybe it was better that way. Madison had a lot to process. But before she could begin to process any of it, she had to recount what had happened to her.

  Brody squeezed her hand. “You ready for this?”

  She nodded. “We’ve got to catch this guy before he strikes again.”

  “I know.” He nodded toward Sheriff Carl outside. “Let’s go see what kind of evidence he left.”

  FOURTEEN

  After the entire boathouse had been canvassed for evidence, Brody climbed back into the car with Madison. She looked exhausted. She’d been through a lot, not only today but over the past several days. He needed to get her home to rest.

  “Anything?”

  Brody shrugged, not wanting to tell her the blunt truth that there appeared to be no evidence of who this man was—no fingerprints, no hairs, no fibers. “We collected a few things we’re sending to the lab.”

  “They won’t turn up anything.”

  “You never know,” he reminded her.

  “Well, I’m going with my gut. And it’s telling me not to get my hopes up.”

  With a terse nod, he started down the road. “Back to Kayla’s, right?”

  “I promised Lincoln we could go home tonight. I thought Alfred was the one…”

  “I don’t know if staying at your house is a good idea, Madison.”

  “I’m not safe anywhere, Brody. He got into Kayla’s house while everyone was there. He knows my email address, he knows my cell-phone number, he knows what my photography appointments are.” She released a frustrated breath. “Putting my life on hold has done no good. I’ve gotta do what’s best for my son now. He misses being home.”

  “I can’t let the two of you stay there alone. Especially since I know I’m the reason why this man is coming after you. I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to you or Lincoln.”

  Madison rested a hand on his arm. “We’re not responsible for other people’s actions, Brody. The only person guilty here is the one doing the crimes.”

  Brody’s lips pulled into a tight line. Madison knew he wasn’t buying it. She wouldn’t be able to convince him otherwise. That was something between himself and God.

  “Let me stay at your place tonight.”

  “I don’t know what kind of example that would be to Lincoln.”

  “I’ll stay on the couch. Kayla can stay over, too, if that would make you more comfortable,” he said. “I just know that I don’t want the two of you there alone. A deputy sitting in the driveway isn’t enough. I want someone nearby at all times.”

  Madison heard the genuine worry in his voice, and knew that if she tried to get him to stay away it would kill him. “Okay. I’d probably feel better if you were there, too.”

  They pulled up to a stoplight and Madison’s gaze traveled out the window. What a nightmare. She pushed aside the temptation to ask “Why me?” Instead, she blurted, “Poor Lincoln. He deserves so much more than this.”

  “Hey.” Brody gently lifted her chin. “Lincoln is one lucky boy to have you as a mom.”

  “That’s sweet of you to say.”

  “I’m not trying to be sweet. I’m being honest.”

  Madison’s cheeks flushed. “I just feel like everything is a mess. I feel like everything that’s happened is making him grow up too fast. I don’t want him to lose that innocence of youth. But I’m not sure how to stop that from happening. Everything feels like it’s out of my hands…”

  “The Madison I know would say that everything is out of her hands. But it’s in God’s hands.”

  She smiled, the truth of his words soaking in. “You’re right. That’s exactly what I need to keep believing. Thanks for the reminder.”

  He released his hand from her chin. Madison realized how quickly her heart was beating. Why did Brody have this effect on her? And what exactly was happening between them? Why did her heart want to flip with joy while her brain warned her to put on brakes? He was not the kind to commit or settle down. Getting too close to him would only be setting herself up for heartbreak.

  So why couldn’t she keep her distance?

  * * *

  Madison stared down the hallway at the door leading to her bedroom. She didn’t want to go in there. But she would have to eventually. There was no putting it off.

  While Brody checked the rest of the house, her hand went to the knob. She lifted up a prayer before twisting it. When she opened the door, she expected to see the ceiling fan still on the floor, surrounded by broken pieces of ceiling and a dusting of plaster everywhere.

  Instead she found clean carpet, a new fan, glossy surfaces. “What…?”

  “I hope you don’t mind. I probably should have asked first. I knew it would be hard for you to see the room, so I took it upon myself to clean it up and get you a new fan.”

  “Wow. When did you do all of this?”

  “Last night. I couldn’t sleep, anyway.” He raised an eyebrow. “Did I overstep my bounds?’

  “No. I mean, this was incredibly thoughtful. Thank you.”

  He pressed something into her hand. “Here’s the new key to the house. I had all of the locks changed. Someone’s coming later this week to install a security system.”

  “Brody, I can�
�t afford a security system. That’s kind of you, but—”

  “I’m paying for it.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t let you keep doing that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because this is my responsibility,” she said.

  “Why can’t I help you? I’m the link here. I’m part of the reason why you’re in this situation. You can at least let me help keep you safe.” He grasped the sides of her arms and lowered his voice. “Look, I don’t expect anything from you. I don’t expect you to pay me back. I don’t even expect you to be nice to me. I just want to be able to sleep at night. In order to do that, I need to know you’re safe. So really I’m doing this for myself.”

  “Well, when you put it that way…” She looked up into his smoldering eyes and finally cracked a smile. “Knock yourself out, then.”

  He smiled back. “I knew you’d see things my way.”

  She could see in his gaze that he wanted to lean down and kiss her again. She wanted him to do just that. But instead of letting anything happen, she stepped away. “I need to call Kayla and tell her to bring Lincoln over. It’s close to dinnertime.”

  “I can do that. Why don’t you get cleaned up before Lincoln gets here?”

  Madison nodded. A shower sounded perfect right now. She needed to get this grime off her. And she needed to get away from Brody who was sending her emotions into a tailspin.

  She closed the door to the bedroom and locked it, wishing it was that easy to separate herself from her feelings.

  * * *

  Brody saw Madison stirring a pot at the stove. He didn’t know what was going on with him, but he just couldn’t seem to get Madison out of his mind. He wanted to do more than protect her. He wanted to be a part of her life.

  But he didn’t deserve someone like Madison. He didn’t deserve anyone period. The draw he had toward her was stronger, at the moment, than his guilt, however.

  He approached her at the stove and let his hand rest at her waist as he leaned toward whatever she was cooking. He inhaled the scent of tomatoes, garlic and basil. Comfort food.

  “What are you making?”

  She glanced back at him and smiled. “Spaghetti with my mother’s special sauce.”

  “Smells wonderful.”

  She nodded. “Wait until you taste it.”

  Lincoln and Kayla worked on a craft project in the other room. Kayla had always been so good with kids, so it was a natural fit that she worked at the preschool. He wondered if maybe she’d finally found someone she was interested in with Daniel. The man seemed nice enough and his outgoing nature would balance her quiet, gentle spirit.

  The wind blew and sent a rush of leaves and rain onto the roof. Brody thought he’d heard on the news that they could have thunderstorms tonight. Apparently the bad weather had begun to sweep in. He was glad he’d be staying here tonight, safely tucked away on the couch. Not that he would get much sleep. He’d probably be too busy listening for any telltale signs of an intruder. No man was a ghost. Somewhere, somehow he would leave evidence. When he did, Brody would catch him.

  Looking back at Madison again, he suddenly had a vision of what it would be like to be married to her. To come home to warm meals, hugs and kisses. To have someone else whose burdens he could carry; to have someone to help carry his burdens, also. To have a reason to want to get out of bed each morning.

  He pushed the images away. He was getting ahead of himself. He was the one who couldn’t even handle a relationship that lasted more than six months. He would never want to put Madison in that position, especially not because of Lincoln. He couldn’t take chances with her emotions.

  Yet she seemed so different from the other women he’d dated in the past. Not only was she beautiful, but she was down-to-earth with a smile that lit up a room and with a heart that filled the whole county. There was nothing not to love about her.

  She stepped away from the stove for a moment and handed him some lettuce. “You don’t think you’re staying here for free, do you?” She grinned, a sparkle in her eyes. “I think that even a certified bachelor can handle making a salad.”

  Certified bachelor? He’d show her that he could be more than that. He began to chop the lettuce, slowly and carefully. Madison had wandered away from the stove and walked to the dining room where she stood at the window, watching the storm for a moment. The wind had picked up outside and a steady spray of rain hit the side of the house.

  “It’s really coming down out there, isn’t it?” he called from the kitchen.

  “We need the rain.”

  Lightning flashed and the lights at the house flickered. Madison gasped. Brody abandoned the salad and rushed to the dining room. “What is it?”

  She backed away from the window, pointing outside. “Out there. On the pier. There was a man.”

  “A man? Standing on the pier?”

  “I only saw him because of the lightning. He was staring right at the house.”

  He started toward the door. Adrenaline surged through him. He wasn’t going to let this guy get away. Not this time. “Lock up behind me and don’t let anyone in. Understand?”

  She nodded. “Be careful, Brody.”

  He didn’t care about being careful right now. All he cared about was catching this guy.

  He grabbed the gun from his holster and stepped into the rain. It was time to capture this creep once and for all.

  The rain, almost icy cold despite the heat, hit Brody in the face as soon as he opened the front door. He waited until he heard Madison lock the door behind him before sprinting toward the bay. The man had been standing on the pier across from Madison’s house. Was he the killer? Had he come back to taunt Madison some more, only to be discovered because of the lightning?

  The wind slapped him in the face, its force so strong that Brody had to fight against it. Water washed into his eyes as he lumbered forward.

  Thunder shook everything around him, echoing off of the bay and vibrating through the ground. Where had the man gone?

  Brody wiped his eyes, trying to gather his surroundings. As lightning flashed, he saw the outline of a man retreating from the pier and down the road. Brody took off in a sprint. He had to approach the man. He had to put an end to this horrific nightmare that Madison had been living over the past few days—a nightmare that somehow he was responsible for.

  Mud sloshed up his leg and suctioned his sneakers to the ground. Thunder pounded from the sky again, this time even louder than before. The storm was upon them and its fury lashed at everything around. It was as if the Creator himself was reaching down from heaven to send a message.

  Lightning crackled. It hit close and seemed to electrify the air.

  Where had the man gone? He’d been on the street, but Brody hadn’t seen him that time. Was he hiding? Had Brody passed him?

  Rain soaked through his clothes now, filled every pore and made his hair into whips that slapped his forehead with every step. He stopped a moment, rested with his hands atop his knees. He needed to take note of his surroundings.

  Thunder pounded the air again and raised the hair on his arms. The rain was so thick that its downpour seemed like curtains around him.

  He reached the paved portion of the road. Steam rose from the asphalt that had been scorched by the sun earlier in the day.

  Lightning zinged through the sky.

  There. He spotted the man fleeing, only feet away. Brody could catch him. Then maybe they’d finally have some answers.

  FIFTEEN

  Madison stood at the dining-room window watching for Brody. Her fingers gripped the curtain, balling the fabric with her fists.

  “What’s going on?” Kayla approached, still holding scissors and construction paper from her project. A knot twisted the
skin between her eyes.

  Lincoln thumped into the room also, looking up at Madison with big, round eyes. “Why did Mr. Brody go running out in the rain? I thought you said I couldn’t play outside during thunderstorms, that it was dangerous.”

  Madison knelt in front of her son. “You can’t play outside during thunderstorms. It is dangerous. But Mr. Brody had to go do something that was really important. Besides, he’s a grown-up. He can make different decisions than little kids can.”

  “I’m not little. I’m big.”

  Madison ruffled her son’s hair. “You are getting big, but you still can’t go outside when it’s thundering and lightning.” Madison stood and exchanged a worried glance with Kayla.

  Was Brody okay? What if the killer had gotten to him? She rubbed her arms, trying to control her racing thoughts. How had she come to care about Brody in such a short amount of time? It didn’t make sense.

  “Lincoln, do me a favor and pick up all of these coloring sheets. I need Ms. Kayla’s help in the kitchen for a moment.”

  “Okay.” Lincoln frowned, letting it be known that he didn’t want to help clean up.

  Madison and Kayla slipped into the kitchen. Madison lowered her voice. “There was someone outside the house. We wouldn’t have seen him except for the lightning.”

  “Do you think it’s your attacker?”

  Madison shrugged. “I have no idea. Who else would be staring at the house in the middle of a storm?”

  Thunder shook the house. Lightning flashed again. Madison’s gaze was drawn to the window. Would she be able to spot Brody?

  Lord, watch over him. Please.

  Why wasn’t he back yet? Was he hurt? Should Madison call the sheriff?

  “How about if I call Daniel? He could come out and help? He doesn’t live that far away.”

  “Maybe that’s a good idea.” Madison couldn’t risk going outside herself, not when she considered Lincoln. She couldn’t very well send Kayla out to check on him, either. Perhaps Daniel could help.

  Brody should be back by now. He’d had plenty of time to check out the man outside. If the man had been a harmless bystander who just happened to be outside her house, then the confusion would be cleared up by now and Brody would back. But if the man was the town’s serial killer…