Matt had to admit, it was a good move as far as escaping was concerned. Especially considering the woman he had at gunpoint was pregnant. Young, too. Her eyes were saucers as she looked at Matt.
“Whoa, whoa,” he said. “Easy there.”
The man’s calm was gone. He didn’t seem shaken, but angry was definitely on the table.
“We’re not doing this again,” he growled. “You drop your gun and let me leave or I’ll show you what I’m capable of.”
“Let her go so we can talk,” Matt tried.
The man moved the gun from the expectant mother’s side to her protruding belly. She had to be at least eight months.
Matt needed to tread carefully.
“You don’t know this about me so I’ll go ahead and tell you,” the man started. “But I don’t kill women. However, I’m not above hurting them.” He pushed the gun into the woman’s belly. She whimpered. “Now, I won’t say it again. Drop the gun. Or I’ll give you something to regret for the rest of your life.”
Matt didn’t try to get any more information. He wouldn’t take the chance. Slowly, he dropped the gun on the ground and then nudged it away with his foot. He placed his hands in the air.
The man also didn’t waste time. He pushed the woman away from him. She turned tail and ran toward the intersection in the distance. Then the gun was pointed squarely at Matt. He was at the mercy of the stranger.
“Were you responsible for the death of my wife?”
Matt hadn’t realized how much he believed Maggie’s theory until the moment he asked the question. He’d tried to stay objective, following potential leads that connected Maggie to what had happened to Dwayne. But somewhere in the past few hours, he’d gotten in line with her idea that Erin’s death was no accident. That it had been a part of a larger picture. That Ken Morrison hadn’t just popped that curb because of some ill-fated destiny.
The man kept his gun steady. His words matched.
“If I were you, Detective, I’d find another case.” He lowered himself into the car but kept the door open to give Matt one last message. “I don’t kill women. Don’t make me start.”
Chapter Twelve
The pain in Maggie’s leg was nauseating. Not to mention there was a growing list of other aches radiating throughout her body. Her hand was already covered in blood after swiping at the stream coming down into her eye from the cut across her forehead. It stung something awful, but that didn’t stop her from running toward Matt as he jogged into the intersection.
“Are you okay?” she asked. Her run was more of a gaited hobble. It took everything in her not to cry out. “Are you hurt?” She didn’t wait for an answer, giving him a once-over until her eyes caught on his leg. Blood stained his pants at the side of his thigh. “Matt!”
The detective reached out, wrapping his hands around her upper arms. He was steadying her, something she realized she needed.
“It’s a graze,” he answered, making sure to bring her eyes back up to his. “I’m fine. I promise. Has anyone called the police?”
Maggie nodded. It hurt.
“Jerry did when he drove up.” She pointed back to the older man whom Maggie had yelled at to get into his car. He was now out of said car, trying to console a pregnant woman who had run to them. Maggie had already confirmed the expectant mother, Lea, was physically fine but understandably terrified. “What happened to the man?”
Anger squeezed his face. Maggie had to shut her eye as blood stung it again. Matt didn’t miss it. He released her arms and grabbed the bottom of his shirt. With one quick movement he ripped off a strip.
“Here, use this,” he offered. “It’s still wet from the pool.”
Maggie took the strip and ran it over her eye while Matt surprised her again by running his thumb across the skin between the cut and her eyebrow. When he pulled his finger away it was covered in blood.
“We need to get you out of here,” he said, concern clear in his voice. It resonated within Maggie more than it should have. “Let’s see if Jerry doesn’t mind you using his car to rest until first responders get here.”
Maggie didn’t want to but she had to agree.
“Can I stay right here instead?” She looked down at her leg. Now that the adrenaline was starting to wear off, it was really starting to throb. “I—well, I just hurt.”
“We need to get out of the open, just in case he comes back.” Without saying anything more he put one arm behind her and then bent to put the other under her legs. One moment she was standing and the next she was in the detective’s arms.
“Never thought Matt Walker would sweep me off my feet,” she joked, trying to ignore how her eyes watered as the ache in her leg lessened but the one that reminded her she’d been in a car accident came to the forefront.
“It’s been one heck of a day,” Matt agreed. He walked them over to where Jerry and the woman were standing. “Jerry, is it? Why don’t we let the ladies take a seat in your car while we wait?”
Jerry zipped to attention like Matt was a drill sergeant. Maggie half expected him to salute before he went about helping Lea into the back of the car. Matt stopped next to the other side and let her down gently.
Maggie kept her arm around his neck longer than was necessary, she was sure, but being so close to him—both wet and bleeding—something in her shifted.
“Thank you.”
His eyebrow quirked up.
“For what?” he returned, voice low and filling with anger. “I let him get away. Again.”
Maggie didn’t have to force her sarcasm to stay away. She meant every word before she said it.
“For trying to save me at the hotel.” Maggie was whispering now. “And for waking up when I called for you.” She pulled her arm from around him but stayed close. “After the crash, when everything stopped moving—” Maggie paused as she felt the same panic again. Tears pricked the insides of her eyes. She didn’t know where the emotion was coming from but she didn’t try to fight it. “You stopped moving, too. He pulled me out before I could check to make sure you were—” Maggie cut her words off. She gave him a small, grateful smile. “Thank you for waking up.”
Matt didn’t return the smile but he answered her in a matching whisper. Like they were sharing secrets in their own little bubble.
“All thanks go to you,” he said. “You’re what woke me up.”
Just like that Maggie’s attention changed directions. From trying to cobble together a thank-you to her savior to glancing at his lips so close to hers, her aching body betrayed her mind. In that moment Maggie knew exactly what the new feeling was that swept through her.
She wanted to kiss Detective Matt Walker.
Because he’d tried to and actually had saved her. Because her breath had caught when he’d run into danger and her body had sagged in relief when he’d come back alive. Because he was the most handsome man she’d ever met. Because Maggie just wanted to feel his lips against hers.
Period.
But what did Matt want? Her? Or had she truly burned that bridge years ago?
Sirens sounded in the distance.
It burst their private bubble.
Matt reached around her and opened the car door. He remained gentle as he helped her into the seat. Then he rejoined Jerry outside at the front of the car.
He never met her eyes.
* * *
“KNOCK, KNOCK.”
Maggie looked up from the magazine she’d been pretending to read and was surprised to see a familiar face.
“Nurse Bean,” she started, then corrected herself. “Kortnie, I mean.”
The ER nurse nodded with a smile. She was wearing her scrubs but her name tag was off. She thumbed at the spot it had been clipped to the night before.
“I just finished a double,” she explained. “Was on my way out the door when I h
eard another fuss being kicked up with your name in the center. I have to admit I was hoping I wouldn’t see you again. At least, not this quickly.”
Maggie raised her hands in defense.
“I swear I’m not doing this on purpose. Trouble seems to be my middle name as of late is all.”
Maggie had been ordered to go to the hospital as soon as the first local police officer had shown up on the scene. Once she’d finally been able to see herself in a mirror, she’d realized why. She looked like she’d been dropped into a blender with some rocks thrown in for good measure. Blood and cuts and the weight of pain had created a startling image. Matt wasn’t much better. She had a sneaking suspicion that he would have refused the ambulance had she not been around, staying at the crime scene until the sheriff arrived. Instead, he’d sat in the back of the ambulance with Maggie as the EMT rattled off a series of questions.
Now, two hours later, and Maggie had been left in a room to wait for Matt’s meeting with the sheriff to come to an end. They were down the hall. Both refused to go any farther than that, considering their mystery man had shown up twice in one day.
Kortnie walked in with a chart, head bent and ready to read it but Maggie beat her to it. She pointed to the cut above her eyebrow.
“It bled a lot but was superficial. No stitches, thank goodness, because I already look like a disaster. I might have a small scar, though.” She pointed down to her leg raised up on the bed. “Pulled a muscle. I’m supposed to take it easy for a few days. Or a week. But who has time for that?” Maggie motioned to her body as a whole. “And last but not least, bruising plus the occasional laceration.”
Kortnie smirked and crossed her arms over her chest.
“And the old noggin?”
Maggie sighed. It still hurt.
“I’m not missing any more memories,” she said. “But I didn’t remember anything from yesterday, either.”
“Even still, let’s hope you can avoid any more traumatic events, okay?”
Maggie shrugged.
“I’ll really try. I promise. Maybe.”
Kortnie laughed and the two dived into small talk that surprisingly wasn’t forced. Maggie didn’t have the best track record with female friends so the company was unexpected but pleasant. Maggie brought up Cody and how she missed him despite seeing him that morning which turned into Kortnie bringing up her own son. From there they talked about their respective jobs and were about to get into the politics behind PTA when Maggie was reminded that her life had become more complicated than normal. Matt walked in looking more world-weary than he had that morning.
“And that’s my cue to go home and sleep,” Kortnie said before the detective could ask for some privacy. She rummaged through her purse and pulled out a card. “On the off chance trouble finds you for a third time today,” she said, handing the card over, “I was a hospital administrator before I switched back to my nursing roots and the ER but my number is still the same.”
Maggie smiled at the thought.
“Thanks. I’d give you one in return but, to be honest, I have no idea where my purse is right now.” Her tone let Kortnie know it was okay to laugh and soon the nurse was saying goodbye. Matt didn’t talk until the door shut behind her.
“I chased down your doctor,” he started, sinking into the chair next to the bed. “We can leave when you’re ready.” His eyes went to her leg but he kept quiet about it. He hadn’t left her side until she’d been checked out when they had first come in. Which meant he knew she’d been asked to keep off it. There was no point lying.
“It hurts but not as bad as it did. The medicine for inflammation helped.”
He nodded. He looked lost. Tired.
“Matt, what did the sheriff say?”
The detective ran his hand down his face.
“The APB is still out for our perp and this time we know what he looks like and the exact make and model of the car he took so that should help. Local PD are coordinating with the sheriff’s department to work every angle available to try to get this guy. They’re retracing our steps to see if anyone saw anything helpful, and Detective Ansler is probably dissecting the truck as we speak.” He opened his mouth and then closed it.
“What?” she prodded.
“Something our mystery man said is bothering me. He said he didn’t kill women.”
Maggie felt her eyebrow rise.
“Last time I checked that was a good thing.”
Matt gave her a dry look.
“It is. But it was the way he said it that was off.” He sat up straighter. “Like he was saying he didn’t kill women but—”
“But someone else did,” she interrupted.
He nodded.
“There’s already so much about this man we don’t know. Can you imagine if we were really dealing with two people?”
A shiver ran up Maggie’s spine at even the hint of more than one bad guy who wanted to keep whatever secret she’d uncovered a secret. Especially when the maybe accomplice wasn’t above killing women.
“Hey, either way,” Matt said, scooting to the edge of his chair, “you solved this thing once already. There’s no reason we can’t do it again.”
Maggie couldn’t help but smirk at that.
“Every time we team up, a man in a van or truck appears,” she pointed out. “Maybe we should table our investigation until we at least get some better pain meds.”
The detective snorted and, once again, ran his hand down his face. It worried her.
“Billy is going to take us to the hotel where we’re going to lie low for a while. I’ve been officially benched and I’m officially benching you. I should remind you the doctor will back me up on this.”
Maggie rewound and settled on the first part.
“We? I thought Deputy Foster was being assigned to watch Cody and me?”
“He is but, while I trust him, I don’t think he can handle you on his own.” A small smirk crossed his lips but a smirk nonetheless. It made their darkening conversation brighten a moment.
“You act like I’m some wild creature. The past few days are not an entirely accurate representation of my life.”
He snorted.
“The past few days might not be your normal speed but in just one morning I’ve been witness to you wanting to chase a man who threw bricks into your home, strip in public to retrieve a clue you hid at the bottom of a hotel pool and break out of a gunman’s grip with ease after riding out a crash that was like being tossed in the spin cycle. Yeah, I don’t think I can accurately warn Caleb what you’re capable of.” He got to his feet. It was a labored move. She’d overheard the nurse chastise him about moving around so much. His ribs weren’t broken but they were bruised. And had been already when he’d carried Maggie across the intersection, worsening his pain to help alleviate hers. In the same gentlemanly fashion, he held his hand out to her now.
“But I thought you were benched,” she added, hesitating from taking it. “You know, since you’re hurt and haven’t slept in a few days and people tend to need rest.”
“Billy can bench me all day long but what I do in my spare time is my business. Now, you want to get out of here or what?”
Chapter Thirteen
The hotel was definitely a step up from the one Luca was running. That was for sure. Maggie followed Matt and Sheriff Reed up to the third floor where they’d already booked a room for her and Cody. It was nice and not too small. There were two double beds, a love seat and a TV. The view from the window showed the top of an office complex next door and, if you knew just where to look and squinted, you could just make out the corner of the Riker County Sheriff’s Department.
The building’s proximity did little in the way of easing any part of Matt’s or the sheriff’s minds. They spoke to one another, quickly and quietly, heads bent together, while Maggie unpacked the bag she�
��d made for her and Cody. A little less chaos was what she needed right now. She even took out his favorite books and toys and positioned them on one of the beds, hoping that their presence would make the fact they were in a hotel room and not home a little less jarring.
“I’m going to go to the school now, Ms. Carson,” the sheriff said just as Maggie was putting her clothes in the dresser. “After everything that’s happened I want to provide extra backup for Cody, just in case.”
Maggie nodded.
“I won’t argue with that.”
“Good. I’ll give you a call once I get to the school to let you know we’re on the way back.” The sheriff turned to Matt. “Deputy Foster should be here in a few minutes with a bag from your place.”
Matt’s eyebrow rose. Sheriff Reed held up his hand to stop him.
“I don’t have to be a detective to know you’ve already made up your mind about sticking around,” he said. “Which is why I also booked the adjoining room for you.”
They turned to the door next to the dresser.
“Deputies Mills and Grayson came out here earlier to check everything out,” he continued. He pulled a key out of his pocket and handed it over. “It’s technically two doors so if you want to open it, you each have to use your own key to do so.”
Maggie watched as the detective’s expression turned to one of appreciation. She couldn’t help but mimic the feeling. Having Matt close by was one of the few thoughts that made her feel more secure.
“Let me know if you need anything,” the sheriff said, already walking to the door. “Try to rest while you can. Both of you. I’ll call you as soon as I get to the school.”
Maggie thanked the man and shut the door behind him.
Leaving her alone with Matt.
In a hotel room.
Oh, how strange this day was.
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I think I need to get a quick shower so I don’t have to explain to my son why I look like a zombie and smell like a pool.”
Matt beat her to the bathroom, turned on the light and did a quick search. It was unnecessary, she believed, but touching.
Forgotten Pieces Page 10
