[Harbinger 01.0] Plain Jane

by Carolyn McCray

  Lips turned down at the chiding, Nicole continued. “I just hate eating alone.” Wow, that sounded lame, even to her ears. “It makes me feel like a loser or something—” Nicole realized how that statement might be taken. She rushed, feeling embarrassed, flustered. “Not to say that you are a—”

  “No. No. I get it. It’s nice to have company.”

  Nicole returned the grin Rebecca gave her.

  Harbinger’s sigh was as loud as if he sat next to her. “Okay, not bad, but next time try not to insult the mark right off the bat.” Only Kent could sound that irritated with someone who had just actually succeeded.

  Nicole took a bite of her nachos as Rebecca deftly cut a California roll in half with her chopsticks, then with a subtle flick of the wrist tossed it into her mouth. The brunette was dexterous, she had to give her that much. Nicole was having trouble managing guacamole on chips without spilling.

  “Hello?” Kent asked. “Is this thing working?”

  Ever so slightly, Nicole turned her chin to glare in Kent’s general direction. The phone was working fine. It was just her brain that was having technical difficulties.

  His tone softened. “Babe, we don’t have much time. You’ve got to build rapport and build it fast.”

  Nicole could tell that he was trying to be helpful. Except she knew what she needed to do, she just couldn’t think of a single thing to say. How could she when she sat across from a possible victim? Especially after seeing Joann cut and bleeding to death in that alley?

  “Common ground, Nic. Find similarities,” he prodded.

  Working from the profiler’s suggestion, Nicole looked up and noticed Rebecca’s uniform. Finally, she found something they had in common.

  “So, are you a policewoman?”

  “No, no. I’m a parking regulation—” Rebecca stopped herself and chuckled before she continued, “Sorry, I’m basically a meter maid. And you?”

  Kent’s patience sounded nearly up. “Not cop similar. Those breasts of yours are real, right? You’re not taking hormones to grow them? Chick similar, Nic. Chick similar.”

  Rebecca’s smile turned nervous, the longer that Nicole took to answer the simple question. But she couldn’t tell the truth. Holy hell, she was a crappy liar. But that’s exactly what she had to do. Still, nothing came to her. She squirmed. She felt her hands begin to sweat.

  What in the hell would Kent do?

  Unfortunately she couldn’t ask him. How did he do this? All she could think of was Plain Jane watching them. Of her worry for Rebecca’s safety.

  Then she noticed the book.

  “I’m a writer,” Nicole blurted.

  “Really?” The brunette leaned in, obviously intrigued. “I don’t think I’ve ever met anybody who has published before. Maybe I’ve read something of yours?”

  The meter maid was so sweet, Nicole almost felt bad about continuing the lie. “Oh, I did not say that I was a successful… I guess I should have said aspiring author.”

  “What’s your genre?”

  “Genre?” Nicole was back to floundering.

  Shit, on the trail of serial killer, one did not have the luxury of reading for pleasure. She knew that she had talked herself into a corner. If she picked mysteries, for example, Rebecca was sure to ask questions about other mystery authors. Names and details that Nicole just did not know.

  Nicole did not need Kent to prompt her, she knew she had to think of something, quick. “Um, yeah, right.” Then she had it. The perfect genre. Only Nicole announced it way too fast. “Nonfiction.”

  Despite her answer, the meter maid still looked worried as she asked, “Is something wrong?”

  CHAPTER 47

  Hell yeah, something was wrong.

  Nicole had completely lost her mind. Kent held his breath. The meter maid was on to Nicole, and if she did not do something fast, something really incredibly fast, the detective’s cover would be blown and so might the chance to catch Plain Jane before he killed again.

  “No. Yes…” Even over the brittle connection, the profiler could hear the stress in Nicole’s voice. “I’m sorry. I didn’t just stop by your table by chance, Rebecca.”

  The brunette’s faint retort had some sting. “How did you know my name?”

  “Ouch.” Kent could feel Nicole’s pain. “Beginner’s mistake, Nic. Too much, too soon. Walk it back.”

  He rose and made his way toward the table. Nicole might need a rescue if she continued down this road.

  “Well?” Rebecca demanded.

  “Actually, I was hoping to find you here today.”

  That’s it, Kent thought, as the brunette leaned back from the table, a sure sign she was disengaging from the conversation, putting up her social armor, cutting Nicole off at the proverbial emotional pass.

  “Okay, now you’re really are creeping me out,” Rebecca said to the detective.

  Between her body language and her tone, Kent knew that the meter maid felt vulnerable, exposed. Now a guy, a guy would think Nicole was a stripper sent by a couple of buddies for some afternoon fun.

  But a woman? A single woman like Rebecca? She would immediately assume Nicole was there to hurt her. Betray her. Chicks and their damn insecurities.

  Nicole was losing any foothold she had made, but he was still a good fifty feet away. Short of a sprint, Kent could not make it over there in time to stop the train wreck.

  “I’m sorry.” It sounded like the detective could barely squeak the words out. “It’s just…well this is really awkward for me as well.”

  “I’m lost,” Rebecca admitted.

  So was Kent. What angle was Nicole working?

  “I’m doing research for my new book.” She sounded stronger, more sure of herself. “And I thought you might be able to help me.”

  Kent slowed as the brunette’s shoulders relaxed. Could she really be buying into Nicole’s aspiring author act?

  “Okay, so this book is about the exciting and dangerous world of issuing parking citations?”

  “No.” Nicole sounded back on her game.

  “Regret after abortion.”

  “What?” Both Kent and Rebecca nearly shouted.

  No one seemed to notice the meter maid’s outburst, but a young mother near Kent grabbed her daughter’s hand and scurried out of the food court. Hopefully to go home and have a nice long discussion about how to avoid weird-acting strangers at the mall.

  “Darlin’, put it in reverse,” he growled into the phone, trying not to scare off any other patrons, or, worse, alert security to his presence. He was still on their blacklist over a little lingerie “misunderstanding” from a few months ago.

  But Nicole did not back down. “I’m writing a book about regret after abortion.”

  “Wow. That was bold, Nic.”

  “Abortion?” The brunette sounded horrified.

  “Maybe too bold,” he added.

  A painful silence hung in the air.

  “Pull back. Reconnect before you lose her completely.”

  “I’m sorry.” Nicole was back to stammering. “I was just under the impression…”

  “Why would you think I could… That I had…”

  “I know this information is of a private nature.”

  “Private? How about taboo?” Rebecca shot back.

  “Come on, Nic. Drop the damn intellect and show some compassion,” Kent begged.

  “Taboo because it is too painful to talk about. Go find someone else to help you.” Rebecca tried to rise, but Nicole laid a hand over the brunette’s wrist.

  The detective sounded so kind, so very persuasive. “Please, just talk to me.”

  “Look, I’ve never…” Rebecca was up and out of her seat. “I’ve never had one of those…”

  There was no way Kent was going to make it to the table in time. Nicole had to pull this one out of the fire on her own. “Deeper, Nic. Dive in.”

  Kent was close enough to see that the detective meant business. Her shoulders were down and back. Her
spine straight. Her voice full and uncompromising. “Nobody gets that angry unless they have, in fact, had one.”

  Oh, there goes the game, Kent thought as he watched Rebecca’s face change three shades of red. He was pretty damn sure his face was undergoing such a transformation as well. Nicole constantly bitched about his lack of social tact? She was stumbling head over heel down the manners ladder and had nothing to show for it.

  Rebecca was walking away.

  Desperate, he appealed to the detective. Challenged her. “You want inside my head, Nicole? You want to understand me? What I do? Why it makes me the way I am?” Kent saw her eyes flicker over to him as he continued. “You need to be raw. As raw as she. You need to become who she needs right now.”

  The meter maid was almost out of earshot when Nicole spoke up again. “I know, because I was that angry when my new GYN asked me.”

  Rebecca stopped, but didn’t turn around. Kent held his breath. Nicole’s ploy was dangerous. If you were going to lie that boldly, you had to sell it. “Feed her what she wants to hear, Nic. Keep it up.”

  Nicole’s voice sounded shaky. “It’s easy to pretend it never happened, but it still eats at you.”

  Rebecca turned toward the detective as Kent coached, “You’ve hooked her, now reel her back in, Nic.”

  “That’s why I’m writing this book. To help…” As the brunette took a step toward her, Nicole’s voice cracked. “To help myself.”

  To his amazement, Rebecca made her way back to the table. You could not accuse a guy of having something as minor as jock itch and expect to talk him back to the table. You were more than likely to get punched for the effort. But there was the meter maid making a beeline toward Nicole.

  Chicks.

  The detective continued, “I did what I did because I didn’t have any other choice.”

  Kent breathed a sigh of relief as Rebecca sat down.

  “There’s always got to be another choice.” The brunette didn’t sound so sure of herself, though.

  Now Rebecca was acting vulnerable, but felt safe. As others streamed out of the food court, Kent sat down again, confident Nicole had the meter maid back in the game.

  And she did not disappoint him. “I was losing my job. The father was gone and—”

  “Still. There was adoption.”

  Even from his limited vantage point, he could see Nicole look up and hold Rebecca’s gaze. “The father checked himself into a psych ward.”

  “Perfect! Cull enough from your personal history to make the story believable,” Kent encouraged.

  Rebecca sounded shocked. “Checked himself in?”

  “Yeah, right after he trashed my career, he decided he needed a ‘break’ from reality.”

  A frown covered Rebecca’s face. “I was a teenager. I didn’t even know you could get pregnant your first time.”

  Relishing yet another victory, Kent leaned back. “Damn, I’m good.”

  Rebecca continued, “My mom went ballistic when she found out. Almost like I had betrayed her.”

  “That’s usually a dad’s reaction.”

  “Guess Mom was pulling double-duty. I didn’t really know my dad.”

  Nicole patted the brunette’s hand. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Okay, time to wrap up touchy-feely hour,” Kent said.

  But the detective ignored his prompting and held Rebecca’s hand. “Was she equally upset when you decided to termin—”

  Kent didn’t even have to tell Nicole she should not use that term. The detective self-corrected. “When you decided to do it?”

  “Okay, sharing time is really over.”

  The brunette sounded ready to cry. “Actually she couldn’t wait for me to have one.” She wiped a stray tear from her cheek and tried to sound brave. “She said she wished she’d had that option when she was younger.”

  “Ouch. That’s something a mother should never say.”

  “Yeah.”

  Kent shifted uncomfortably in his seat. There was a reason beyond her ability to form a female connection that he sent Nicole in to get the info from Rebecca. He couldn’t handle this much emotional honesty. He’d be breaking out in hives if he were sitting across from the meter maid.

  “Okay, this is about all the soul-baring I can stomach. Let’s move on to chapter two of Stalking for Dummies.”

  Nicole again ignored his prompting. “So, did you tell the father before you had the procedure?”

  “He was already onto his next cheerleader. You?”

  Kent sighed. Chicks. They just did not understand the concept of hit-and-run conversations.

  Nicole shook her head as she answered, “With the meds he was on? I’m not sure if he would have even understood.”

  Kent chimed in, “Okay, now you’re just having fun at my expense.”

  Luckily Rebecca looked down at her watch. “Oh wow, I’ve got to get moving. Those meters on Third and Watt are about to roll over.”

  The two women rose to their feet. Nicole fished around in her pocket, what in the hell was she doing?

  CHAPTER 48

  Nicole found her business card holder and opened it without thinking. She just felt so sorry for Rebecca. To open such a large wound, just to send the poor woman back out to work? She wanted to let the brunette know she was not alone. But when Nicole looked down, she realized the card would blow her cover. With a click, she closed it.

  “Sorry. I’m out.” Nicole grabbed a napkin and jotted her number down, then handed it to Rebecca. “Call me anytime if you want to talk.”

  She gave a slight grin. “I will. Nice to meet you.”

  “It was my pleasure.”

  Nicole watched Rebecca walk off.

  “Finally,” Kent huffed in her ear.

  But as she watched the brunette retreat, Nicole was suddenly unsure of their plan. How could she let Rebecca go, not knowing that a psychopath was on her trail?

  It was one thing to keep the truth from Rebecca when it was just an intellectual exercise. But now that Nicole had spoken with her? Touched her hand and her heart?

  Now it was not so easy at all.

  She pulled her phone’s microphone close to her mouth so her words could only be heard by Kent. “We can’t just let her walk off ignorant of what may happen.”

  “Oh, yes we can.”

  Despite his words, Nicole found herself walking after Rebecca. “She needs to know the danger she’s in.”

  “If she does, she’ll act differently. Tip him off.”

  Nicole broke into a trot. “Rebecca!”

  Kent either didn’t realize or didn’t care that his anger came through loud and clear. “Damn it! For her and every other brunette in this city, she can’t know, Nic.”

  “Rebecca!”

  The brunette finally turned around. “Yes?”

  A little out of breath, Nicole caught up with her. “Rebecca…”

  “Don’t!” Kent yelled in her ear.

  Caught between betraying a new trust and protecting the city’s women, Nicole found herself speechless.

  “Um, some other slightly disturbing revelation you’d like to make about yourself?” Rebecca asked.

  “No. Just…”

  The profiler rumbled in her ear. “Don’t you dare.”

  As much as she hated to admit it, Kent was right. The only solution was to keep the secret, then watch Rebecca, protect her. Make sure she did not end up like Joann, Claudia, and Maria. Tonight they were going to catch a killer. And for that to occur, the brunette needed to remain naïve.

  She patted Rebecca’s shoulder. “Just be careful out there today, okay?”

  “This isn’t LA. Meter maid attacks are down one hundred percent from last year. Making the grand total zero.”

  “Still…”

  “I’ve taken self-defense classes, and the pepper spray is never far. I’ll be fine, promise.” Rebecca offered her hand.

  Nicole hesitated before taking it. She was gambling on this woman’s life. How could she sha
ke her hand? But if the ruse was going to work, she had to play along.

  With a forced smile, Nicole shook the woman’s hand. Then Rebecca disappeared amongst the sea of patrons returning to their day. Only the brunette had a dagger precariously dangling over her head.

  How in the hell did Kent do this every day?

  CHAPTER 49

  Kent stepped next to Nicole. “There’s hope for you yet.”

  “Why?”

  There was real pain in the detective’s eyes, but he couldn’t speak to that right now. All he could do was redirect her attention. “Using a fictional event like an abortion to leverage the real pain you felt over our breakup? It was postgraduate stalking behavior.”

  He headed to the parking lot, but realized that Nicole wasn’t following. Obviously she was experiencing post-lying depression. “You did the right thing.”

  “We are going to watch her like a—”

  “No we. I’ll be watching her around the clock.”

  “You really expect me to lie to Ruben and Glick about informing her of the danger, then let you go off on your own…again?”

  “Yeah, pretty much.” Kent knew Nicole was scared, livid, and worried, but he didn’t have time to babysit her mood. “Sorry, babe. Stalking is a solo sport.”

  “That sounds a lot like last night. Joann. The Joann now in the morgue.”

  Kent’s jaw tensed. His teeth ground against one another. Nicole shot below the belt. “I won’t lose her.”

  Angry, he strode off.

  “I’ve still got your comic book.”

  Nicole had grown balls in two years, but she didn’t have the testosterone to back them up. “It’ll be fine.”

  “I’m not afraid to spill coffee on it.”

  “But you won’t.”

  “Why not?”

  Kent turned to face her.

  How he hated emotional truths, but one, maybe just one would come in handy right now. “Because you haven’t changed in two years, either. You’re still the same old selfless Nicole you’ve always been.”

  CHAPTER 50

  Nicole watched Kent walk off. Just like he always did. And she without a decent retort. Just like always. How could the bastard know her so damn well in certain ways and so completely misread her in others?