by Clare Revell
He hung up and hurried around the car. He climbed in and started the engine. “Let’s take you over to play with Lara for a bit. I have to work for an hour. Then we can cook dinner.”
****
Adeline faced Nate and Dane across her desk. Funny, now she had to repeat her story officially, it sounded even more ridiculous than the first time, and she doubted herself.
Nate pulled out his notebook as Dane laid the paperwork on her desk, to take the statement.
“Just take your time,” Nate said. “Tell us everything you remember.”
“It’s not much,” she said. “And it does sound rather farfetched.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Dane told her. “If what Nate said is accurate, you know things that we never released to the press. Any little detail you can give us could be important.”
“Don’t you guys need physical evidence?”
“Yes, we do. But you volunteered this information, you came to us. Now, however silly your story sounds and however much the Guv laughs at us for taking your statement, that’s what we’re going to do. Because right now, we need all the help we can get.”
“And if it’s nothing?”
Nate winked at her. “We arrest you for wasting police time.”
Adeline hesitated.
“He’s kidding,” Dane said quickly. “He’s got an appalling sense of humor. Please, tell us what you know.”
“All right.” As she spoke, she watched the men’s hands fly over the paper. Dane’s handwriting was large and flowing, whereas Nate’s was neat and precise. Both seemed to fit their personalities.
Dane removed his glasses and chewed the arm thoughtfully, before waving them at her. “Did you ever see him?”
“Him? Oh you mean the attacker? It’s more of a presence than anything else. Like a shadow. He’s there, watching them. It’s hard to put into—” Adeline broke off.
She shivered as a sudden chill permeated her whole being from her soul outwards. She closed her eyes, fighting the urge to throw up, as the hauntingly familiar red sheen enveloped her.
“No…” she managed, pushing to her feet. Maybe if she moved, she could outrun the vision this time. Everything faded around her until she was no longer aware of the desk beneath her fingertips.
Long black hair swung in front of her face as she ran, her breath coming in gasps. She tripped and fell. Landing on her hands and knees by the river, blood oozing from the grazes, strong hands turned her over before grasping her neck, squeezing the life from her, his face hidden, as a long, greasy ponytail brushed against her face…
Adeline’s hands rose to her throat, trying to pull him away from her. She struggled to breathe, to cry out, to do something, anything. A hand touched her face and her eyelids sprang open. She was lying face up on the floor, her hands outstretched in front of her.
Nate knelt beside her, concern written over his face, his lips moving.
She strained to focus on him, still feeling too choked to speak.
“You’re all right. Adeline…”
Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Please, God, help her. Don’t let her suffer. She signed frantically telling them to go and help the girl before she died, too.
She watched the two men exchange a few words she couldn’t catch before Dane left the room rapidly. Too late she remembered neither of them spoke sign language and speech was still beyond her. Perhaps Dane had gone for Jasmine.
Nate’s gentle hand turned her face back. “Calm down. It’s all right. You’re safe.”
She tried to focus on him, but all she could see was the figure on the ground and dark eyes. Black, hollow eyes filled with evil boring into her.
Nate’s lips moved, but she couldn’t understand what he said. She pulled away from him, signing rapidly. “I don’t understand. You have to go and help her, please. He’s hurting her.”
Dane ran back in with Jasmine, who pulled Adeline into a hug.
Adeline clung to her, huge sobs welling up.
Jasmine’s hands moved over her back for a moment, then she pulled away so she could see Adeline’s face. “What happened?”
“I don’t know.” Adeline signed rapidly. The words tumbled from her hands, tears burning her eyes as she relived it. “I saw a girl and a man and he was hurting her. Tell them to stop him before he kills her. Don’t let another woman die.”
Jasmine’s hand covered her mouth and she must have said something because shock and grief covered the two men’s faces.
Nate touched her arm and Adeline twisted towards him. He sat on the corner of her desk. He spoke slowly and for once clearly. “I don’t understand your signs, Adeline. I need you to speak as well. Did you see something? Another murder? Where?”
“Yes,” she signed, letting Jasmine translate for her. “She was by the river. There were swans on the water. She’s got long dark hair, is wearing jeans, and an orange strappy top. He chased her, and she fell. There was blood on her knees and hands. He looked as if he was helping her up, but he turned her onto her back, pushing her down. Then he put his hands around her throat…”
Nate and Dane exchanged looks. “Did you see him? A park bench, anything? Something to narrow down the area for us to search.”
She shook her head, still only able to sign. “Weeping willow trees, lots of them. Oh, there was a phone tower or pylon or something behind him. He wore a mask, but his eyes...”
“If the time scales the same, we don’t have much time. I’ll get an all-points bulletin put out along that section of the river. Maybe they’ll see someone matching her description.” Dane pulled out his phone and turned away to make the call.
Jasmine kept her face towards Adeline as she spoke. “Is she seeing the Herbalist murders, Nate?”
“I wondered that, but the river’s nowhere near the—”
Adeline cut him off now calm enough to form words. “He moves the bodies of the girls afterwards. It’s not random, where he’s leaving them.” She reached down and picked Ben up, cuddling him. “I’m all right,” she reassured him as he nudged her. She stroked his head and ears, the simple actions calming her.
Jasmine touched her arm. “I want you to go home,” she signed as she spoke obviously making it clear there’d be no misunderstanding.
“I’m fine.”
Jasmine rolled her eyes and signed rapidly. “Don’t make me get Nate and Dane on to you. You’re no good to me like this. Go home. Have a bath. Watch some TV. Eat chocolate.”
Part of her wanted to argue, to prove she was able to cope, but if she were honest, Adeline knew she couldn’t. These visions or whatever drained her. All she wanted to do was go home and pray.
She wouldn’t wish this sense of helplessness on anyone. Knowing someone was being hurt and being unable to do anything about it ripped her heart in two. She had no idea why God had given her this ‘gift.’ Not if it didn’t save lives.
Dane came back in. “Nate, we need to roll. Guv wants us to check this out.”
Nate nodded. He looked at Adeline and held her gaze. “I’ll come pick you up at six.”
Confusion filled her for a moment. Why was he picking her up at six? Then she remembered. He was cooking dinner for her. “Won’t you be busy now?”
“Vianne is expecting you. I won’t let her down. I’ll pick you up at six.”
“No, it’s fine. We’ll walk.” She held his gaze. “We’ll walk,” she repeated, signing it as well.
Nate held his hands up in a show of defeat. “All right. You can walk. I’ll see you at six. Are you always this stubborn?”
She shrugged slightly. “Mum would say you ain’t seen nothing yet. See you at six.”
Nate rose and headed to the door.
Dane kissed Jasmine and ran after him.
“Come on Ben. Let’s go home.” She glanced at Jasmine, knowing she’d never manage the walk home no matter what she’d told Nate. “Can you take me, please? I didn’t want to appear weak in front of the men, but these things alw
ays take it out of me.”
“Sure. Let me lock up and we’ll go. And you can fill me in on the way. I want to know how many of ‘these things’ as you put it you’ve had and what they mean.”
****
Nate got back in the car, slamming the door harder than he needed. He let out a heavy sigh and shoved his hands viciously through his hair. They were too late, again. No sooner had they gotten to the river, than the call came through to go to Clover Drive.
Dane got in and started the car. “Leave the door on the hinges, mate.”
“Sorry.” Nate took a deep, supposedly calming breath, which did absolutely nothing for his stress levels. “That’s six women, Dane. And we still know nothing about him. How many more women are going to die while we faff about doing absolutely nothing?”
Dane twisted in his seat. “All right, first off. We are not messing about. Nor are we doing nothing. We are chasing down every lead we get. Fine, we might not have much to go on, but at least this time there is a witness to talk to, right?”
“Adeline.”
“Yes, Adeline. She said there was a connection. That he’s moving the girls after he kills them. There must be a reason for that. Perhaps if we talk to her again, we’ll be able to work it out.”
Nate nodded. “And secondly?” He caught Dane’s questioning look. “You said first off. That implies there must be at least a second and possibly a third.”
“Secondly, getting mad isn’t going to help. What was that verse you quoted at me last week?”
“Philippians chapter four, verses five through seven. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
“Right.” Dane started the car. “Now you, being a church elder, know better than any one that no matter what happens, God is in overall control. He’s not sleeping or taking His eyes off the game or dropping the ball.”
“Women are dying and there is nothing I can do to prevent it. Except, pray that this time we’ll have enough of a lead to catch the creep.”
His phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket. “Holmes. Seriously? Praise God. That’s brilliant, we’ll go straight there.” He looked at Dane. “She’s alive. They’re taking her to the hospital now.”
Dane checked the mirror and did a U-turn. “Good. Maybe we just got another break.”
****
Nate leaned against the reception desk in the Emergency Department and shook his head. Frustration filled him to boiling point. I thought we were getting a break here, Lord. It’s not what I see it as. Yes, she’s alive, and I thank You for that, but we can’t communicate with her. She’s deaf. Do I bring Adeline in to talk to her? The Guv won’t like it, but it’s the best use of resources.
Dane came back. “The doc says she can talk to us in a bit. But only five minutes. However, unless we get an interpreter in here, five hours won’t be enough. She can’t speak because of the damage to her throat and vocal chords, and we can’t sign.”
“Then we use Adeline. Rather than waiting for the hospital or the department to provide an interpreter, we use the assets we have.”
“Or we can use Jas. She’s well versed in sign, as you saw earlier.” Dane’s voice conveyed the same level of urgency that filled Nate. “Besides, Adeline is a witness. How do we know she’ll give us the victim’s version and not the one she saw in her head?”
“This girl is completely deaf. She might find it easier to talk to someone who’s also deaf. And yes, I know Adeline saw the attack. It might make her remember something, some little detail that’s important.”
Nate paused. Why were his feelings here so confused? He didn’t have a problem with Adeline being deaf, even when they interviewed her earlier. Was it because she could speak? Or was it something else? A small burgeoning feeling that he had for her? The way his heart leapt when he saw her and defied his every inclination to remain just friends? Or to remain professional. She was a witness in his case. The only witness to a serial murderer. Albeit an unconventional witness.
Shaking his head, he looked at Dane. “Did you check the victim’s pockets?”
Dane nodded, holding out the plastic bag. “Clover. Is he trying to tell us something with all these herbs? Maybe it’s a recipe for something or other?”
Nate scoffed. “Then he needs to leave instructions with them. Did they find the victim’s bag yet?”
“Yeah, down by the river. A uniformed officer is bringing it in. We could get them to pick Adeline up at the same time.”
“I’ll go,” Nate said. Part of him couldn’t wait to see her again, while the other doubted his sanity in doing this. “Wait until I get back before you go in.”
“Sure.”
The nurse came out of the cubicle, and Nate gasped as he saw the figure lying on the bed. Her face badly swollen, and her left hand cut to shreds, she lay looking up at the ceiling.
Dane looked at her. “You know her?”
Nate nodded. “Yeah, I do. She’s a friend of Adeline’s, and she comes to the self-defense class. Her name’s Rachel Stevens.” He shook his head and touched his nose ruefully. “Guess I really am a lousy self-defense teacher.”
“Why do you say that?”
“One of my pupils breaks my nose and blacks my eye and another ends up half dead.”
Dane put a hand on Nate’s arm. “You and I both know self-defense only goes so far. She survived. That’s what matters. Had it not been for what you taught her, she might not have survived at all. Now go and get Adeline so we can talk to Rachel before they throw us out.”
****
Adeline walked close to Nate into the ED, Ben on the leash beside her. Ever since Nate had picked her up, she’d felt sick. Why hadn’t she known it was Rachel? Then she realized she hadn’t seen the girl’s face this time. She’d been her, somehow. Seen and experienced the attack from another view point.
Nate held himself stiffly. He was taking this personally.
“It’s not your fault, Nate.”
“Then whose fault is it?”
Adeline grasped Nate’s arm and stood in front of him. The darkness in his eyes, and the whole aura that surrounded him showed a depth of emotion she’d never seen in a man before. She was filled with an insane urge to hug him. He cared about these women and wanted to put things right before anyone else got hurt. “Nate, you didn’t hurt her. The man with the ponytail did.”
“Ponytail?” Something flickered in his eyes. “What ponytail? You never mentioned it before.”
“I, I’m sorry. I thought I had. I hadn’t seen anything of him until this time. His eyes and his hair brushing my, no her face. It was long, dark and greasy and tied back in a ponytail.”
“No, you didn’t mention it.” He turned away for a moment, his posture stiffening yet further until he was as tight as a drum. Was he angry with her for not saying anything? Or was it frustration because he hadn’t caught the killer? Then he looked back at her, regaining his composure. “Is there anything else you remember?”
“No.”
He jerked his head in response. “I need to interview her, and I need you to translate what she says. We don’t have long before the nurse will kick us out to let her rest.”
“Sure.” Guilt for not telling him immediately about the attacker’s ponytail churned her stomach as Adeline plodded after Nate to the cubicle where Rachel lay. He seemed to believe in her visions more than she did. What if this detail wasn’t correct, just an image she’d created from some TV drama or an overactive imagination? Despite him calling her a witness, she really hadn’t seen anything. At least nothing that would stand up in court.
A uniformed officer stood outside the curtain with Dane.
Dane came over to meet them. “For now she’ll have a guard, just in case he decides to try again.” He smiled
at Adeline. “Thanks for coming.”
“Welcome.” She followed them into the cubicle and looked at Rachel. She stifled a gasp and moved over to the bed. Why her? She’s so badly hurt.
Ben sat by her feet as Adeline gently touched Rachel’s arm, managing a smile as her friend’s eyes jerked open. “Hey,” she signed. “How are you?”
Rachel’s swollen eyes filled with tears. “You shouldn’t be here,” she signed. “I’m ashamed.”
“Don’t be. None of this is your fault. You didn’t ask him to hurt you.”
“I should have fought him off.” Rachel’s hands moved rapidly. “I should have remembered what Nate showed me. I froze.”
Nate tapped Adeline on her arm. “What’s she saying?”
Adeline signed as she spoke, so Rachel could follow the conversation. “She feels ashamed. She couldn’t do what you taught her and fight him off.”
“Tell her she didn’t do too badly. She survived.”
Adeline signed his words to Rachel and verbalized her response. “I shouldn’t have. He didn’t want me to survive.”
“Can she describe him for us?”
Rachel looked away as Adeline signed. Adeline tapped her arm. “I know it’s hard, but you are the only one who’s seen him up close, Rachel. They can catch him now; punish him for what he did to you and the others.”
Rachel took a deep breath. “Tall,” she signed. “About six foot. Dark eyes. Strong, very strong. His hair was black and tied back—it brushed my face. There was this smell…” She paused, rubbing her throat. “I couldn’t breathe.”
“What smell?” Adeline asked.
“Garlic. Not just his breath—all of him.”
Nate touched Adeline’s arm “Ask her if he said anything.”
She nodded and turned to Rachel, signing Nate’s question.
“I wasn’t really paying attention!” Rachel’s hands moved irately, her face contorting. “I was too busy dying.”
“It’s important,” Dane said. “Tell her the more we know, the better chance we have of catching him before he does this to someone else.”
