“Naomi and Brian,” Vivienne gave a put-upon sigh. “Sorry about that. Like I said, felonious minds, good intentions. Don't be surprised if you end up with more stuff from them.”
Ian shrugged. “If you can remind them to keep it legal, I'd appreciate it. You convinced me not to involve them, but if I can't stop them from giving us information, it would be helpful to at least get information that will stand up in court.”
“Good luck stopping Naomi and Brian. And if you do find a way, please share,” Lucas said, offering his first smile since they'd arrived.
Ian had to laugh at that. He doubted there would be a way but hoped maybe Vivienne might have some ideas. After resealing all the boxes and getting them back in place, the three made their way upstairs to the lab. And after another forty-five minutes, they secured the promise of one intimidated tech to make the copies as soon as she could—the next day.
Ian didn't want to leave Vivienne alone, but he reluctantly agreed to let her stay the night and bring the videos back to Windsor as soon as they were done. He hated it, but it made the most sense. He couldn't afford the time away from the office. And she had her own apartment to stay in and could spend the evening assuaging her family. To make the situation even remotely acceptable, she agreed to stay in the lab and watch the videos until Lucas could bring her home. She protested, but both he and Lucas were adamant and, after realizing they wouldn't budge, she not so gracefully capitulated on the condition that Lucas would let her borrow his vintage Porsche to drive to Windsor the next day.
With no one entirely happy about the situation, they packed Ian's Jeep with the paper files, he planted a very possessive kiss on Vivienne, and they said their goodbyes. He watched Vivienne and Lucas in his rearview mirror as he drove away. Seeing them standing on the sidewalk, side by side, he couldn't ignore his gut feeling that whatever they'd discovered about their killer so far was only just the beginning.
CHAPTER 16
VIVI PUSHED BACK from the computer screen, and rubbed her neck. She'd spent eight hours the day before and four today poring over videos, hoping to see something someone might have missed—something to help them ID their killer. But she was pretty sure the only thing she was catching were kinks in her neck and crossed eyes.
She hit pause and allowed herself to think about where she was. She'd spent the night in her own apartment in the North End, and she and Lucas had shared dinner at what used to be one of her favorite family restaurants in that Italian part of town. But since the death of her parents, Vivi hadn't spent much time in Boston, and it didn't feel much like home anymore. She hadn't been lying when she told Ian that she'd jumped on every plane she could to stay as far away from her memories as possible.
The department had given Vivi a leave of absence and told her to come back whenever she felt up to it. And she hadn't felt up to it yet. Not even now, sitting in the building. Now, she wished the tech who had promised to copy the videos would hurry up and finish the last one so she could get back to Windsor.
Lost in thought, she jumped when the door banged open and Lucas came striding in. At the sight of his grim expression, Vivi's heart dropped. And when Nick came in behind him wearing a similar look, it leapt into her throat.
“Oh god,” she said, and as if from a distance, she saw her hands start to shake. “Ian?”
Nick stepped around Lucas and spoke. “He's okay.”
Vivi could hear the “but” in Nick's voice, and staring at him, she waited for the other shoe to drop.
“But there was an accident. A car accident.”
She started to slide from her seat, but Lucas was there to stop her fall. “He's okay, Viv. He's going to be okay.”
For a moment, Vivi felt nothing. Numb to what they were saying, numb to the memories that were assaulting her head. She couldn't feel anything so she let them batter her—images of her parents’ car, of the blood all over the seats, of the state trooper standing on her parents’ doorstep saying he was sorry for her loss.
Her head started to pound with the kind of headache that can only be brought on by soul-wrenching loss. She felt Lucas force her head between her knees and heard him telling her to breath. Somehow his voice penetrated the crushing numbness and slowly she began to breath, began to hear what they were saying.
“He's okay, Viv,” Nick was saying. “He was wearing his seatbelt, thank god. He's in the hospital in Riverside. I don't know everything, but I know he was conscious when I left to come here.”
He was conscious, that was a good thing, right? But she was a doctor, she knew how things could go from bad to worse in a heartbeat. She heard the sound of the door opening, the shuffling of feet across the floor and back again, and then the door closing. Lucas took one hand from her neck, but left the other rubbing her head. She managed to bring herself to look up. He was reading a piece of paper.
“I had someone look into it when Nick arrived,” Lucas told her. “Ian went into surgery for his wrist, but he's out now, awake, and doing fine.”
She stared at Lucas for what felt like forever before the words sunk in. “He's doing fine?” she repeated. Lucas nodded.
“I need to…” her voice trailed off.
“That's why I'm here, Luv. I'm here to bring you back to Windsor. My car is out front.”
“The videos?” she heard herself ask.
“Done, I'll have them packaged and ready for you by the time you get to Nick's car,” Lucas said.
The only thing she could do was nod. A few minutes later, she found herself in Nick's car heading west to Ian.
* * *
The car ride was silent. She felt Nick's worried looks every now and then, but she ignored him. Focusing on the fact that Ian was okay was the only thing that kept her together for the two and a half hours it took to get from Boston to Riverside. But of course, it wasn't just the thought of losing Ian that affected her; it was knowing, all too well, what that kind of loss felt like.
Nick parked in front of the hospital and followed her in. They stopped at the reception desk and were directed to the fourth floor. When they stepped off the elevator, a pretty blonde woman approached them.
“You must be Vivienne?” she asked with a soft smile. Vivi nodded. “I'm Jesse Baker, the Hospital Administrator, and more importantly, I'm a friend of Ian's. He asked me to go through his charts with you, so you'll know he's going to be okay. And while I'm doing that, I'll have a nurse shuffle his family out so that, when you see him, you'll know exactly what's going on and can have some privacy.”
Vivi figured she was still lingering in a state of shock, because before she knew it, she and Jesse were seated in a private room, and Vivi was reading Ian's charts and looking at his X-rays. She'd thought that the first thing she would want to do when she arrived was see Ian. But somehow he'd known she would need this. And it did, in fact, calm her nerves and stomach a bit to know precisely what his injuries were. And, more to the point, to know his injuries weren't life threatening. He'd had a pin put in his right wrist, but it would heal fine. He had a couple of cuts and scrapes and a minor concussion the doctors were monitoring, but all in all, he'd come out mostly unscathed.
“Thank you,” she said, looking up from the last of the papers and handing them back to Jesse. “Can I see him now?”
Vivi felt comforted by what she'd read, yet she couldn't stop the memories and images flying through her head. And the closer they came to Ian's room, the more she wanted to turn and run. She wanted to run and scream and fight and cry about nothing and about everything. But she forced herself to put one foot in front of the other and follow Ian's friend to his room.
“He's right in there. I'll leave you to your visit, but if you need anything, please let me know.” And she was gone, leaving Vivi staring at a closed door. Thinking of Ian and the efforts he'd made to make this easy for her, she braced herself and stepped in.
Vivi stood against the wall as the door clicked shut beside her and Ian's eyes sought hers. She took him in—his hospit
al gown, the temporary cast on his wrist, the cuts and scrapes on his face, and the stitched-up gash on his forehead.
“I'm okay, Vivienne.”
He might be okay, but she wasn't. She bolted into the bathroom, slammed the door, and vomited.
The stress, the anxiety, and the memories had tied her stomach into knots, until finally her body gave way and tried to purge it all physically. By the time she was done she was shaky and pale, but in an odd way, she felt stronger. Pulling herself up off her knees, Vivi searched in the bathroom cabinet and came up with a foam toothbrush. She brushed her teeth and rinsed her mouth the best she could, then braced herself, again, to see Ian.
She walked out of the bathroom and let the door close behind her. This time she looked at him, not his cuts or bruises or the cast, but him, his eyes, his face. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off.
“If you apologize for that, I might get mad.”
She pursed her lips and searched his eyes. Taking a step forward she spoke. “I am sorry,” she held up a hand to stop his protest. “Not for that,” she said with a wave toward the bathroom. “But I'm sorry it's hard for me to be a good friend right now.”
A look of sadness came over his expression, and he held out his left hand to her. She came forward, took it, and sat beside him.
“It brings up a lot of memories, Vivienne. Believe me, if anyone here knows what the power of memories can do to you, how it can bring you to your knees, it's me.”
“We're quite a pair, aren't we?” she asked.
“We do have our fair share of baggage.” Ian smiled at her as he raised his hand and traced her jaw.
“How are you? Really? I mean, I talked to your friend—”
“Jesse,” he supplied.
“Yes, Jesse, and she gave me the medical prognosis. And thank you for setting that up. But how are you feeling?”
Ian wagged his head an inch or two then winced. “A bit banged up. I'm on pain meds now, but I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow. Nothing too bad to keep me down for too long.”
Vivi let out a deep breath and touched his face. “What happened?”
A cloud passed over his expression. “I'm not sure. My tire blew, and the next thing I knew I was crossing lanes, and my Jeep was flipping down a ditch.”
Her stomach rebelled again at the description, but she willed it into submission as Ian continued.
“There was a car in the other lane. A couple of kids. Thank god they were paying attention and not texting or talking on the phone. They were able to avoid me, more or less, although, I hear they hit a tree in the skid.”
“Oh, Ian.” Vivi knew how much that would pain him, knowing the kids could have been seriously hurt.
“I'm told they are both okay. One has a single broken rib and the other a banged up head. But god, Vivienne, it could have been so much worse.”
She squeezed his hand. “I'm glad it wasn't. For any of you involved.”
“Yeah, me too. It could have been a lot worse for me, too. I'd gone to breakfast with my nephew, and he told me to buckle up, so I did. I was dropping him at my folks’ place when I got a call.”
For a lot of law enforcement officers—and, more to the point, Vivi thought, a lot of soldiers—buckling up wasn't a given. And, once out of the habit, like any habit, getting back into it was hit or miss.
“Was anyone with you?” she asked.
“In the car? Just me and Rooster—who is also fine. He's at the vet getting his foot stitched for a glass cut, but he's okay otherwise. Marcus and Carly were behind me and saw most of it. It was on a curve, so by the time they came into view, my Jeep was already rolling down the hill.
“And your family?”
“I think I might have scared a few years off my mom's life.”
“At least,” came a voice from the door. Vivi spun around to see Ann MacAllister entering the room, followed by two more adults, presumably Ian's father and sister, and a child.
“Mrs. MacAllister,” Vivi said, trying to pull her hand from Ian's. In response, he made a deliberate show of letting her go.
“Ann, please, remember?” The older woman said as she stepped further into the room to shake Vivi's hand again.
“This is my husband Richard, my daughter Brianna, and my grandson Chris,” she said, nodding to the others. “Kevin, my son-in-law, stayed in the city,” she added.
“Chris.” After greeting the others, Vivi knelt down to meet him at eye level. “I have something to say to you.” His eyes shot up to his mom, who was watching the exchange with maternal curiosity. When Chris's eyes fell back to Vivi, she continued. “I really hope that your mom and grandma and grandpa are spoiling you rotten today. You helped keep your uncle safe, and for being so smart and brave, I think you deserve a treat or two, and at the very least, I wanted to be sure to say thank you.”
His eyes widened. “What'd I do?”
Vivi smiled. “You reminded your uncle to wear his seat belt.”
“You should always wear your seat belt.” Chris sounded confused as to why this would be such a big deal.
“You're right, you should always wear your seat belt.” Vivi agreed. “Did your mom and dad teach you that?” He nodded. “You have smart parents, Chris. Be sure to listen to them.” She heard Brianna give a little snort, and Vivi looked up and grinned at Ian's older sister.
“But your uncle wasn't wearing one today, and you reminded him to put it on. If you hadn't been there or, more importantly, if you hadn't said anything, he might be more hurt than he is now. So, thank you for saying something, Chris. I'm sure glad you did, and I'm pretty sure everyone else here is too.”
His eyes followed her as she rose, then traveled to his mom's face. “Does this mean I can get some ice cream?”
Brianne laughed. “Yes, especially if Dr. DeMarco is treating. You can have as much as you want.”
“Of course, I'll treat,” Vivi said with a smile as she rose. “I'll leave you with your family, Ian,” Vivi said, turning back to him. “Nick is waiting for me. We'll head to the station, and I'll update everyone on where we are. I have the videos.” Then a thought occurred to her that made her stomach turn. “Are the files in your Jeep?” It would make sense, since he'd been out for an early breakfast and probably hadn't had time to drop them at the station. She could always ask Carly or Marcus to retrieve them.
But Ian shook his head. “I dropped everything off last night. It's upstairs with all the other things we've gathered—including more reports that came in from the folks Carly was reaching out to.”
Vivi nodded. “Good. I'll catch them up, they can catch me up, and by the time you're out of here we should all be on the same page.”
“Except me.” Ian looked so miserable about being left out, she couldn't stop herself from crossing back to him and laying a hand on his cheek. He took it in his free hand and pressed a kiss into the palm.
“I'll come back tonight and fill you in. How does that sound? When are they going to release you, anyway?” she asked.
“That sounds good, especially if you sneak in some real dinner. They want to hold me for one night,” he said, not at all happy.
“And I threatened to go public with some of his baby pictures if he didn't listen to the doctor,” Brianna interjected. Vivi turned and smiled.
“How about I take you and Chris to ice cream later this afternoon, and you can bring his high school pictures? Baby pictures are always cute, but I find the truly cringe-worthy ones are from about seventh grade to tenth grade,” Vivi laughed.
“I like how she thinks, Ian.” Brianna gave her brother a smile and turned to Vivi. “You have a deal. How does four work?”
Vivi glanced at the clock. It would give her a couple of hours at the station to touch base with everyone. She nodded. “Perfect, I'll meet you at What's The Scoop.”
Ian groaned behind her.
“I'll bring you a banana split when I come back,” Vivi added with another smile.
“Okay, deal,” h
e said, instantly halting any complaint he was about to lodge. Vivi wanted to bend down and kiss him goodbye, or at least show some sort of affection toward him. But modesty wouldn't let her take such a public action. So she said her goodbyes, and with one last look at the very much alive Ian, she breathed a sigh of relief and left him to his family.
* * *
Ian watched the door close behind Vivienne and knew he didn't have long to wait. Sisters were so predictable.
“Ian's got a girlfriend,” Brianna teased in a sisterly, singsong voice as she approached the bed and perched beside him. “I like her.”
“I like her, too,” Chris chimed in.
“She promised you ice cream, of course you like her,” Ian chided his nephew.
“No,” Chris said. “I like her ’cause she called me smart. And she's pretty.” Everyone laughed at that.
“Mom's not so sold, and Dad hasn't said a word,” Ian pointed out.
His sister waggled her eyebrows. “And is it to the point that you care what mom and dad think? Besides, mom likes to withhold her judgment on everyone.”
“I'm cautious, that's all,” his mother argued. “But I do like her, she seems like a lovely person. It just hasn't been long and it seems like you went from never dating anyone to living with someone. It's just a surprise.”
“Whoa there, baby brother. You're living with her?” Brianna's eyebrows would have disappeared into her hair if they'd gone any higher.
“You didn't tell me this, Ann.” Ian's dad finally joined the conversation. Just as it was about to spiral out of control.
Ian held up his hands the best he could, trying to fend off any more comments. When it was clear everyone was paying attention to him, he spoke.
“Look, Vivienne and I are involved,” he said, repeating what she'd said the day before. “We don't know where it's going, but neither of us are players. On the other hand, we both have a lot of things we're dealing with, and I don't just mean this case. The circumstances that we met under are unusual and this whole situation is bizarre, so we're not pledging our undying love to each other. We're letting it play out and seeing where it goes.”
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