JUDGING ELLIE

by Catherine Snodgrass

  He leaned back, mirroring his cousin’s position. "I bet when we go back to Forton’s place, we’ll find hidden video equipment all over that bedroom."

  Tripp grinned. "If you’re right, it’s either motion or light activated. And I’ll bet there’s a lot more on those tapes than her and her partners. What a little gold mine for her if she managed to catch Forton’s drug buddies in the act of mixing drugs and sex."

  Kurt finished off his coffee then crumpled the styrofoam in one hand. "Could be Forton’s BEQ room was ransacked not for the ketamine, but the tapes."

  "Or both." Jess pushed himself to his feet. "I’m getting too old for these all-nighters. Let’s get back to Forton’s, seize any electronic equipment for evidence, then get back here. We’ve still got a couple thousand hours of video to watch."

  * * *

  Ellie surfaced from a hard sleep. Every muscle in her body protested. If she didn’t have to pee so badly, she’d tuck her head under the covers and stay there.

  She forced open one eyelid. Daylight greeted her. Then she glanced at the bedside clock and groaned.

  "Good God, four o’clock in the afternoon! Crummy valium."

  The house could have caught fire and she would never have known it. The likelihood of Hades being in the midst of a kitty fit over lack of food was one hundred percent.

  Her head throbbed and her mouth was as dry as the desert outside her window. Stupid pills. Ellie didn’t know how her mother could take the damn things and still walk around coherently. Maybe that was her problem.

  Ellie snatched the plastic bottle from her night stand, stumbled to the bathroom, and flushed the rest of the pills down the toilet. After taking care of her own needs, running a brush over her teeth, splashing cold water on her face, and putting in her new contacts, she made her way downstairs. Each step was pretty close to agony. Her feet were cut from her barefoot attempt at freedom and her thighs rubbed the abrasions where Parsons had bitten her.

  One thing was certain, she could never nip Kurt during sex again. No matter how sensuous it once may have been, not it would always be a reminder of what Parsons did.

  Daylight flooded her living room. Hades regarded her sleepily from his perch on the window seat. Obviously, he wasn’t too concerned about his stomach. Then she saw why.

  "Vera." Ellie tightened her robe around her. "What in the world are you still doing here?"

  Her friend peered over the tops of her glasses. Smiling, she set them down and lay her copy of The Phantom Tollbooth aside. "Standing by in case you needed something. I told Kurt I would."

  "But what about work? Who’s watching the book store?" Wincing, Ellie picked her way down the stairs, then over to the couch.

  "Emma came back from her vacation two days ago, remember?"

  Ellie sank into the cushions. It seemed a lifetime since Vera had told her that. Was it really less than a week ago? A week ago she’d longed to make a change in her life. Since that time she’d dealt with the death of one friend and the betrayal of another, faced danger head-on, and fallen hopelessly in love. It seemed impossible.

  "But it’s still money you aren’t earning. I don’t like—"

  "Pish posh." Vera dismissed her concerns with a flick of her long fingers and a laugh. "I’m happy to do it. Hades and I bonded, of course. I think he instinctively knows I’m a cat person. And I was able to catch your many phone calls before the infernal ringer woke you. I’m becoming quite the professional assistant, I think." Vera gave one of her cherubic grins, and tilted her chin toward the folded afghan on the end of the couch.

  Ringer? She hadn’t heard a sound. Ellie stretched her legs out and tossed the fluffy afghan over them. "Who called?"

  "Your father, wondering if you’ll be down on Saturday night or Sunday for Christmas. Your mother, wondering if you plan to visit her on Christmas."

  "You didn’t tell them what happened, did you?" She leaned forward tensely.

  Earrings tinkled as Vera shook her head. "Heavens no. I just told them you had a little touch of the flu."

  "Anyone else call?"

  "Kurt…three times." She held up an equal number of fingers. "To see how you were. His last call was minutes ago. He’s bringing dinner over. He seems very devoted to you. I’d say you’d caught yourself a good one there, Ellie."

  No arguing there. It was a shame she and Kurt didn’t notice each other sooner. When she thought of the wasted months… The doorbell’s peal burst through her thoughts.

  Vera jumped up. "I’ll get it. Probably that annoying landlady again. She’s been over here twice wanting to know why you hadn’t gone to work. I told her you had the flu, too. Then she came back to offer her help. Hmph…as if."

  She dashed for the door, hand-knit brown dress flowing about her, making her look like the earth goddess she was. Bernadette was lucky Vera hadn’t chewed her up into little pieces and spit her out as fertilizer.

  Ellie laughed to herself as she plumped up the pillows behind her back. They could use a fire tonight. Maybe when Kurt got here he could…

  Vera touched her shoulder. Ellie flinched. Fear raced her heart—a legacy from Parsons.

  "I’m sorry, dear. There’s a Mrs. Bolotnik here to see you. She says she’s Susan’s mother. Stay or go?"

  Ellie paused a moment and thought. "Stay." Although for the life of her Ellie didn’t know why the woman would seek her out.

  "I’ll show her in and make us all a pot of tea." Vera breezed out and was replaced moments later by Ellie’s visitor.

  In a flash, Ellie got a vision of what Susan might look like in twenty years. Mrs. Bolotnik’s blonde hair had long since faded to a silvery gray. Crow’s feet framed her eyes; laugh lines her mouth. It looked like she laughed a lot…until today. Now her eyes were puffy and blood-shot with dark circles under them. She clutched her black purse strap with shaking fingers. And there wasn’t a word in any of the hundreds of books lining Ellie’s shelves that could be used to ease her pain.

  "I know you must be surprised to see me," Mrs. Bolotnik said as she took the chair across from Ellie. "My husband and I arrived up here from Mission Valley two hours ago and have spent a good deal of that time listening to the charges against our daughter. I felt I owed you an apology. I’m so sorry she dragged you into all of this."

  Ellie’s heart went out to the woman. "I appreciate your consideration, Mrs. Bolotnik, but this isn’t your fault." They all knew who was to blame.

  The swollen face crumpled as the woman fumbled in her purse for a tissue. Ellie handed her a box from the end table.

  "Thank you," she muttered, and blotted away her tears. "In a way it is my fault. I think you need to know the whole story." She pulled in a deep breath. "Susan was fourteen when it happened. She wanted to stay out late for the high school football game. I should’ve said no." Her face twisted with regret. "She begged and pleaded. Her father and I agreed. What harm could it do? We’d drop her off, pick her up after the game. Only…"

  A new rash of tears appeared. Just as quickly, she wiped them away. "They found her in a ravine the next morning. Left like garbage by the side of the highway. She’d been gang raped by the very football players she so idolized."

  This time Ellie was truly at a loss for words. All she could do was stare and try to absorb this shocking news.

  Mrs. Bolotnik pulled in a deep breath and tore at the tissue in her hand. "She was in much the same state as she’s in now. Wouldn’t even let her daddy near her. It broke his heart. They were always so close. She never was able to go back to school. We hired tutors and psychiatrists. Took years for her to recover, but she did." Her head dropped and she tore another tissue from the box. "At least we thought she did."

  Ellie leaned forward and covered the shaking hand with her own. "You did all you could do. You did your best. What happened to Susan wasn’t your fault."

  She gave a sad little laugh. "Sometimes best isn’t good enough, is it?" She gave Ellie’s fingers a gentle squeeze and stood. "I just wanted to
apologize in person. Although I had to argue long and hard with that Agent Duncan to get him to agree. Agent Alderman finally convinced him it wouldn’t hurt."

  "I’m glad you did. I appreciate it."

  "I’ll see myself out. Again, I’m very sorry for everything Susan’s done."

  Mrs. Bolotnik passed Kurt in the doorway. The two exchanged a look, then a nod, before going their separate ways. Ellie expected him to make some comment about the woman’s presence. Instead, he shut the door and gave her the sweetest smile she’d ever seen. He held up a plastic bag filled with styrofoam containers.

  "Carne asada nachos. Hope you’re hungry."

  Ellie smiled. "Actually, I think I just might be."

  "Wine?" he asked as he placed the boxes on the coffee table in front of her.

  "No. That valium kicked my ass. Vera’s making tea."

  "Then she’s leaving the two of you alone." Vera breezed in with a tray filled with teapot, cups, sugar, and milk, then set it beside the food.

  "There’s no need to rush off," Kurt told her. "I have enough for all of us."

  She patted his cheek. "No thanks, cutie. I’m leaving the lovebirds alone."

  Ellie picked up one container and opened the lid. "Vera, I’m on convalescent leave, then regular leave for Christmas. I’ll stop in tomorrow afternoon at the bookstore and help you guys out."

  "If you’re up to it, then that’s fine. See you then, sweetie." Vera paused long enough to give Hades a quick scratch behind the ears, then was gone.

  Kurt sat at the opposite end of the couch and looked soberly at Ellie. "I don’t think I like the idea of you going out alone."

  "I can’t stay cooped up in here or I’ll go nuts. Besides, I won’t be alone. I’ll be at the bookstore. Probably safer there than here."

  He conceded the point with a nod.

  Ellie cocked her head to one side. "Thank you for not arguing with me over it."

  Kurt grabbed his container. "If there’s one thing I’ve learned about you, it’s that there’s no talking you out of something once you’ve got your mind set on it."

  That was probably an issue worth re-visiting. Her decision to go undercover wasn’t among her smartest.

  "How’s Vic?"

  He laughed lightly. "Awake. In pain. Groggy. And reeling over the fact he’s going to be a daddy."

  Good news at last. "That’s wonderful. And your day?"

  "Rough."

  End of story. Ellie didn’t badger him for details. There were aspects of his job that had to remain a secret. If there was something he wanted to share and could, he would, all in his own good time.

  Kurt built a fire and they ate the tender beef in comfortable silence, just like they were an old couple set and easy in their ways. Once finished, he refreshed her tea, poured himself a glass of wine, then pulled her feet onto his lap and gently massaged them. Exhaustion lined his face and weighed down his shoulders, yet she knew he was intent upon caring for her. She pulled her feet off his knees.

  "I’ve slept all day and I’m still worn out. You haven’t slept at all, so you’ve got to be exhausted."

  "Pretty close to it," he agreed.

  "Why don’t we fill the tub with a hot bubble bath and wash the day away?"

  "Now that sounds about as close to heaven as a man could get."

  Arm in arm they helped each other upstairs. Kurt stripped to his shorts and stretched out on her bed while Ellie filled the tub, and added her favorite jojoba scented bubble bath. When she returned, he was sound asleep.

  My hero.

  Smiling, she tossed a blanket over him, and dropped a kiss to his dark blond hair. He smelled of sandalwood and vanilla. A glimpse of the future flashed before her. Doing this for their children.

  The image of him jumping to her defense, pounding blow after blow into the maniacal Parsons was next. Ellie wrapped her arms around herself and thought about Kurt’s valor, his courage. He loved her. Loved her enough to risk his job trying to save her life. Loved her enough to kill an evil man for her. If their emotions were that intense after one week, what would they be like in years to come?

  Ellie shuffled painfully to her sea of bubbles. Slipping beneath the fragrant water did nothing to wash away the fear and uncertainty that suddenly clung to her. Something this intense, this hot couldn’t last, couldn’t be real. Could it?

  * * *

  Kurt rubbed at his tired eyes. He never thought he’d see the day when he’d say he’d had too much porn. This was it. If he had to watch Susan Bolotnik have sex with another person today, he’d scratch his eyes out. He was glad for the break the Christmas holiday would give him.

  Tripp tossed aside the tape they’d been watching. "I’m beginning to think we should start from the end and work our way back. Something clued her into the fact she was being watched. Why else would she set Ellie up?"

  Jess stretched to his feet. "You can look then. I’ve got to get away from this for awhile. Besides, my wife has her annual Christmas party at the bookstore tonight. I’m toast if I don’t show up. Tripp, you’re welcome to join us."

  "Nope. My family’s coming. My grandfather has a horse ranch east of here and we’re all gathering there for Christmas. If I know what’s good for me, I’d better be getting on the road." He cracked his knuckles then rolled his neck, looking toward Kurt. "Are you going to Long Beach to see your folks?"

  "Yeah, I’ll leave tonight after the party. Ellie’s going to be heading to San Diego to spend Christmas with her dad and his family."

  Frankly, the idea didn’t set well with Kurt. He wanted to show Ellie off to his own parents. Heck, he’d even be happy to meet hers. Well…maybe not her mother, but from what he knew of him, her dad seemed like a pretty easy-going guy.

  Unfortunately, Ellie was firm in her decision. Too firm. For some reason, it seemed she grew more distant with each day that passed. Kurt knew the incident with Parsons weighed her down, but she refused to talk about it, and he didn’t know how to draw her out.

  One thing he did know—he loved her more than life itself. A glance at the damage Parsons did to her, knowing what the creep had planned for her, was enough to drive him crazy. It didn’t help knowing McConnell and Clark waited in the wings to sneak back in. The two hadn’t been seen since the night Parsons took Ellie from the bar.

  That situation hadn’t changed the fact someone wanted that ketamine. Whoever it was wouldn’t give up, and would still see Ellie as the only apparent link. Ellie seemed oblivious to the danger.

  "Jess, I told Ellie I’d go with her to the party at the bookstore, so I’ll catch you later." He waved at his boss, then drove back to Ellie’s house to get changed for the big Book Nook Christmas fete.

  * * *

  Ellie was gone by the time Kurt got to the condo. She’d warned him as much. The party was a big event and required plenty of planning, lots of decorating, and a ton of food. Emma Alderman’s family, friends, customers, and business associates all showed up to the annual open house. Kurt knew that from past years. But he’d never given much thought to the work involved. He just ate the food, accepted the hospitality, and moved on.

  Seeing the joy on Ellie’s face when he arrived at the party made their separation all the sweeter. It was the first sign of happiness he’d seen since her abduction. She greeted him with a smile, a hug, and a kiss that let the world know they were a couple.

  Ellie looked smashing in a tuxedo-style suit with black satin cuffs. The charcoal gray color looked wonderful with her eyes, drawing attention to their luminous beauty. The plunging neckline showed tantalizing hints of her lovely breasts while still covering the fading marks of Parsons’ brutality. Her lovely hair was unbound, loose and curling down to the middle of her back.

  In that instant, he longed to bury his fingers deep inside the mass of dark waves, bring them to his face, and breathe in her sweet perfume. Instead, he just put all the love and admiration he felt for her in his eyes and let her see the intensity of his feelings.


  Kurt curled his arm around Ellie’s waist and pulled her into one of the many reading nooks scattered throughout the store.

  "Are you going to ravish me and ruin my makeup, Mr. Duncan?" she asked with a giggle.

  Kurt laughed. This was more like it. Maybe Parsons and his demons were finally behind them. "If you keep tempting me, Miss Severance, I just might." He drew her Christmas present out of his pocket. "We’re both leaving to be with our families tonight. Now I know we agreed we’d open these when we got back, but I’d really like to see this necklace around your neck tonight."

  "Oh, Kurt." She flashed him a smile, tore open the silver wrapping paper, then pulled her hair aside for him to drape the omega necklace around her neck and fasten the clasp. She touched the gold and platinum slide. "It’s beautiful. Thank you so very much."

  "You’re welcome." He dropped a kiss to her bare shoulder. "And after Christmas I’d like to go back and pick out an engagement ring to go with it."

  Ellie’s smile faded. Kurt prayed it was surprise. Clasping her shoulders in a gentle hold, he turned her around to face him.

  "I want to marry you, Ellie. I want us to spend the rest of our lives together. I love you."

  She cupped his cheeks between her hands. "And I love you. But how can we trust this? How can we know it’s real? It’s so hot. It’s so powerful. It’s so—"

  "Great. It’s love, sweetheart."

  "It could be an illusion, too, Kurt. Just like the one I hid behind. The ugly duckling. The woman who—"

  "Stop. Just stop."

  She dropped her head.

  He lifted her chin with the gentle tips of his fingers. "I love you. That’s no illusion. I know what my heart feels. And that’s my heart, not my—"

  "I need time, Kurt. Just give me some time."

  She slipped away through the store. Kurt followed in time to see her duck out the back door. It was all he could do to keep from going after her.