Heal Me

by Grady, D. R.

  “We’re having bagels, does that work?” she asked a bit breathlessly when their lips finally separated.

  “Bagels are great,” he said. “Where’d the doughnuts come from?”

  “Fred ran out and got them earlier. He’s been taunting her with them ever since,” Jenna said, shooting a glance at the sparring pair.

  “At least she’s awake enough to spar with him. Usually she’s a zombie in the morning.”

  “I believe she slept well,” Jenna said dryly.

  “He said he got the best sleep he’s had in a long time.”

  “Do you think they’ll get married before the year is out?” Jenna asked with a grin.

  “If they survive long enough to figure out they’re made for each other.”

  When they sat at the table, McCully had managed to swipe three more doughnuts, but only got two of them eaten. She currently attempted to keep the bounty out of Fred’s range. She had been succeeding nicely until she got distracted by them. Fred swooped in and seized the doughnut and it disappeared. McCully glared at him.

  “Hey! That was the last one!”

  Fred’s lips swept up in victory. “Yep, so it was.”

  Her eyes narrowed dangerously and Owen figured he’d better step in.

  “So, what are you planning to do today, Fred?”

  “I’ve got to finish some projects. I also need to run home, work out, and I’ll check on the moms and Smugly.”

  “The moms?” Jenna asked curiously.

  “Yeah, mine and his,” Fred said, indicating Owen.

  “Oh.”

  “If you’re going to Aunt Rachel’s bring home some chocolate cake,” McCully requested. She got up and returned with a bowl, spoon, box of cereal, and some milk. Owen noticed Fred watching with interest as she poured what looked like miniature chocolate chip cookies into her bowl and add milk.

  Fred leaned back on his chair and snagged a spoon. He dug into her bowl, coming out with some of the cookies and milk even though she tried to swat his spoon with her own.

  “Who’s Smugly?” she asked around a mouthful of cereal.

  “My cat,” he answered around his own mouthful.

  Owen slanted a glance at Jenna and saw her grin. He rolled his eyes, which upped her grin. “Can’t take these two out.”

  “I don’t know, they’re rather amusing,” she said and his eyes honed in on some creamcheese on her lip. Leaning forward he licked it off for her and enjoyed how her eyes turned hot. He licked her again, just because he could and something winged off him.

  Sitting up again, he commented to McCully, the perpetrator, “Go back to playing with Fred.” He had the satisfaction of hearing her choke before Jenna’s lips tore his attention away again.

  When they finally got to work that morning, late morning, it was to find their desks even more piled with files so both of them sat down and began reading. They had another meeting yesterday morning to continue brainstorming, but had come up fairly empty handed.

  “We need to discover all the places in the area who manufacture drugs of any kind,” McCully had stated.

  “Legitimate and non-legit, you mean?” one of the detectives had asked.

  “Yes. Any company or organization, anyone who manufactures drugs needs to be taken into consideration.”

  Now the fruits of that labor were stacked in precarious glory on their desks. Owen wasn’t certain he planned to thank her for the bright idea. She already sat making notes and he opened the nearest folder and did likewise. Looked like this would be another long day. At least with her brain already engaged, McCully proved able to work from the very beginning of their shift. He’d have lost that bet if he was a betting man.

  Chapter 15

  After another long day, Owen and TJ trailed in, both looking defeated. Fred was in the kitchen stirring something that smelled wonderful. Jenna smiled at them from her place at the table where she sliced bread. Owen found his way to her and she kissed him, hoping to ease some of his tension.

  TJ made her way to see what Fred stirred. She poked her head over the pot and he nudged her away. She nudged him back. “You were supposed to be here to help,” he told her with raised eyebrows.

  She swatted him with her file folders.

  “Not all of us have cushy jobs,” she commented tartly, her brow up. Jenna watched with interest as a smile played around his lips. This only made TJ look more disgruntled. Owen tugged Jenna from the kitchen and into his arms in the hall. She went willingly and enjoyed the kiss completely. She ran her hands through his hair and over his shoulders, then down his back. She kept up the movements, enjoying the feel of him. His scent. The way he held her. She couldn’t seem to get enough of this man.

  A loud bang from the kitchen shattered the moment and reluctantly, they retraced their footsteps into the kitchen. Mark and Colleen stood in the doorway – a huge box lay at their feet.

  “Guess what we get to do tonight?” Colleen asked brightly and only TJ groaned.

  “No,” she said emphatically, shaking her head. “I have to work out tonight and I’ve got file folders coming out the wahzoo. I’ve already got plans.”

  “Oh, come on McCully, you’re probably an expert at party favors. You’d make this job go so much faster,” Colleen wheedled.

  “No,” TJ said.

  “What are we disagreeing about now?” Fred asked. TJ looked him over assessingly and then turned back to Colleen. She hooked a thumb in his direction and said, “Look at that, a volunteer,” she said before swinging around to look her and Owen over.

  “And look at that, more volunteers.”

  “What are we volunteering for?” Owen asked. He didn’t sound interested, just tired.

  “These are party favors. We’re giving one to all our guests at the reception,” Mark explained.

  “Well, that sounds nice,” Jenna commented, but after having married off her brother, she knew very well how time-consuming they were. She looked at TJ. “How did you know what these were?”

  “I’ve married off three brothers and about fifty cousins. I know all about party favors. No way.”

  “Well, you’re in luck. We weren’t planning to do anything with them tonight anyway. These are the weekend project so I’m sure you’ll be able to help then,” Colleen said brightly.

  TJ groaned and left the room.

  “At least you’ll have experienced help,” Jenna said with a grin.

  “We’ve called on Damon and Emmy to help, too, so we should be fine.” Mark’s grin was knowing.

  “I remember TJ’s last experience, one of her brother’s, I think. She grumbled about the party favors more than anything else,” Colleen said dryly.

  “Yeah, well, we’ll figure that out this weekend, won’t we, love?” Mark asked her. She laughed and they took the box downstairs.

  Fred strolled to the doorway TJ had exited through and bellowed, “TJ, I need some veggies chopped here.”

  A loud raspberry greeted his suggestion. His grin widened. None of them doubted she’d show up to help him, but it was fun to watch their bizarre courtship. Jenna wished them well.

  Owen took her hand and drew her into the study. He closed the door behind them and locked it. His eyes gleamed and Jenna went hot. She met him halfway.

  “Hello, Derry Township Emergency Dispatch, this is number twenty-five,” the man said calmly at eight-thirty that evening.

  “Where’s number twenty? Who are you?” the caller shrieked.

  “Sir, this is number twenty-five. Number twenty isn’t available. How may I help you?” he said patiently.

  “I don’t want to talk to you, where’s number twenty?” the caller’s voice rose at least an octave and the dispatcher had difficulty with the volume. His ear ringing from the man’s bellows, he lowered the volume on his headset and repeated himself.

  “I’m number twenty-five. Number twenty is unavailable, how may I help you?” But the man went nuts, shouting and yelling almost incoherently.

  Dis
patch number twenty-five beckoned for his supervisor but by the time she got to his side the caller yelled, “I did it again, but I’m only telling number twenty where she is. You’ll never find her. I’m not talking to another man.” And he hung up with a clatter.

  “I think that was the Gentleman Caller, but he freaked out when I answered. Sounds like he got another one, but won’t tell us where she is,” the man informed his supervisor quietly, calmly, but he hated that a woman could be lying somewhere bruised, hurt, and alone just because this slimeball wouldn’t tell them where she was.

  Just as his supervisor opened her mouth, dispatch number eighteen hung up with her caller. “I’ve got another rape, looks like the Gentleman Caller. The victim’s sister just called it in. She went to her sister’s on a whim and found her. She’s unconscious and not responsive and the sister is frantic,” she said. Number eighteen’s voice wasn’t quite as calm as they’d heard in the past but they were all thankful to discover the newest victim’s whereabouts.

  His supervisor stopped by his station. “Odd that he freaked out when he got you, isn’t it?” she asked.

  “Yeah. The police might be very interested to hear that.”

  “Yes, I believe they will. I wonder why he freaked?”

  “No idea, but I hope they catch him,” number twenty-five answered. “Especially if this victim dies like the last one did.”

  “They’ll catch him,” their supervisor said. “Sooner or later these slimeballs make a mistake. And when they do, the police will have him.”

  TJ barreled through the basement door, wearing gray spandex shorts and a white sports bra paired with a tiny white halter top. Sweat poured off her body as she strode to the fridge for some water. She had used Jenna’s treadmill and exercise bike in the basement. Jenna knew she had never looked that good after using her equipment. Perhaps if she worked at her fitness as hard as TJ apparently did, she might look that good.

  Fred wandered through another door, a sheaf of papers in his hand, and he looked up just in time to see her bend down to swipe a bottle of water from a lower shelf. She straightened and turned, dumping some of the water on her heaving chest before she tipped her head back and gulped from the bottle. She raised an arm to brush sweat from her brow. Her pony tail swung as she strolled across the kitchen to add her now empty bottle to the recyclables can.

  “Hello?” she said bug eyed to Fred who currently blocked her way. He appeared to have swallowed his tongue. Mutely, he moved to the side to let her pass and turned to watch her make her way up the stairs. Jenna heard her take the stairs two or three at a time and pondered how someone who ate so poorly could be in such excellent shape.

  Fred turned and stared at her and Jenna couldn’t stop her lips from twitching. “Cat got your tongue. Or maybe, your hormones got your tongue?” she teased.

  He swallowed before setting his papers on the counter. He took a soda from the fridge and cracked it open. After taking a long pull, he turned back to her and opened his mouth. Nothing emerged. He shut his mouth, shook his head, gathered up his papers again and left the room.

  Owen, who stood in the doorway, watched Fred leave and turned to her. “What was that all about?”

  “TJ... uh, worked out downstairs,” she began.

  “Yeah, I heard the treadmill going.”

  “Right. Well, she, ummm, wears ummm, spandex shorts and a cute little halter top, in ummmm white, and she looked sweaty and her chest was heaving, and ummmm,” Jenna tried to finish but he shook his head.

  “And she has no idea she’s got a nice figure, and that Fred already has trouble around her, without the enticement of her physical attributes,” he finished rather succinctly for her.

  “Exactly.”

  He sat down at the table with her and his eyes gleamed. “So,” he asked.

  “Yes?”

  “You got any spandex and tiny tops you’d like to model?” he asked with boyish aplomb.

  “No,” she stated emphatically. He looked disappointed but before he could say anything his cell phone rang.

  “O’Maley,” he said. “What? Another one?” He looked up and met her eyes and she could tell by the way he said it, that something bad had happened. Her heart clenched. “Yeah, we’ll be right there,” he said and tossed the phone on the table.

  “What happened?”

  “Another rape,” he answered in a tightly controlled voice. “I’d better go get McCully.”

  “Why don’t I do that? I imagine I’ll need to go into the hospital. I’m on call for the rape advocates tonight.”

  “I’ll go get Fred then,” he said and squeezed her hand before they parted.

  She pounded up the stairs and knocked on TJ’s door, hoping the detective was out of the shower.

  “Yes?”

  Pushing open the door, Jenna poked her head around it. “Owen just got a phone call. There’s been another rape.”

  “Oh, no,” TJ said as she tugged jeans on.

  “Yes, I’m afraid so. He’s getting ready to leave.”

  “Where is he?” she asked, and ran a comb through her wet hair.

  “He went to get Fred, as I’ll probably have to go into the hospital tonight.”

  TJ grabbed a shirt and her purse and they battered down the stairs together. She tugged the top over her head enroute and just managed to yank the hem over her breasts as they entered the kitchen. She didn’t even notice how Fred’s eyes honed onto her stomach, the only exposed part of her. Instead she hurried toward Owen. TJ’s air was all business.

  “Let’s go,” he said.

  “Oh, wait,” she wailed. “I forgot my weapon.”

  “Hurry, McCully,” he ordered.

  “Yeah, yeah,” she said and took off up the stairs again.

  She was back in a few moments, and they heard her throw the safety before she slipped the weapon into a shoulder holster she must have added on her way down the stairs.

  They left after Owen dropped a quick kiss on Jenna’s lips.

  Fred tossed his keys, picked up a laptop case, and they followed the cops out the door. They watched as TJ and Owen crawled into his truck and left. They climbed into Fred’s car and set off for the hospital. Jenna chewed her lip as she glanced at him. “This could be a long night.”

  His lips quirked. “That’s okay, I slept well last night.”

  “Good. You certainly needed it. Did you see the moms?”

  “I did. They’re both fine. TJ’s parents have extended their visit and are staying with O’s mom. I think we have my mom convinced to take the dogs and move in with them for a little while. Mr. McCully seems to know what to do to protect the women and with my mom’s dogs, they’ll be plenty safe.”

  “I hope she’ll stay with them then,” Jenna said, not certain she could handle if this freak attacked one of their mothers.

  “I believe she will. I hope I scared her enough that she’s moving in right now. She’ll sleep better, and so will O’s family if she’s there,” Fred said as he turned a corner. The hospital loomed before them.

  “I hope Owen and TJ catch this freak.”

  “They will,” Fred said confidently.

  Jenna nodded, and tried to prepare herself for the task ahead.

  “O’Maley,” McCully called, and he strode to her side.

  “What?” he asked, wanting to swear as anger coursed through him. Nothing, again. The slimeball had left nothing of himself and the pressure to nail this creep escalated. The medics who transported the newest victim hadn’t been able to rouse her, and they all began to fear they’d lose this woman too.

  “I think we’ve got this sucker,” McCully said, and he did a double-take.

  “What?”

  She held up a plastic glove. In the dim light of the bedroom, her grin was very apparent.

  “You just found that?”

  “Yep, it was lodged between the mattress and wall. He must have forgotten it. We’re gonna nail him this time,” McCully crowed, triumph written clearl
y on her face.

  “What if it’s not his?” Owen hated to rain on her parade, but he wouldn’t allow himself to hope.

  “It is,” she said with confidence.

  “How do you know?”

  “Remember when we were at the hospital with Carrie Snyder?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “And the weird eye dude?”

  “William Brandan, yes,” Owen said patiently.

  “He had a pair of these gloves sticking out of his pocket that night. I asked Jerome, the nurse, you know, why they were this funny color. And he said probably William has an allergy to latex, so he has to use these blue gloves which are latex free.”

  “McCully, you’re amazing,” Owen breathed, wanting to pick her up and spin her.

  He yelled for a team member and they handed over the glove. Hoping this precious piece of evidence would provide them with the fingerprints they needed to connect William Brandan to the scene of the crime.

  “But Brandan’s gay,” Owen said.

  “So his roster says. But Fred hasn’t been able to determine who he’s dated. He did bring up some females in his past, but he hasn’t been able to find any males.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “He told me last night. I think he was trying to keep my mind off my cramps, so he told me all these odd facts he’s putting together for us.” She smiled like a Cheshire cat.

  “Brandan’s not really gay?”

  “Fred hasn’t been able to confirm it.”

  “Interesting.”

  “Let’s hope this is our creep. I’d be happy to file this case in the Solved cabinet.”

  “Yeah, me too,” he retorted and they watched as a technician dusted the glove. He held his breath and felt some of McCully’s triumph course through them when not one but several fingerprints showed on the glove.

  “Looks like we’ve got us a suspect,” the technician said happily.

  Owen wanted to laugh. A suspect would be nice. A suspect meant they had a hope of solving this case.

  They finished their search and headed to the hospital. When they entered the emergency room, Owen had to restrain himself from grabbing Jenna and swinging her around.