“Rave? You okay?”
Raven opened her eyes to see silver haired Constable Gayle Trewellyn staring at her. “Yeah.” Her voice came out gravelly so she cleared her throat. “Yeah, just thinking through a case.”
Gayle had been her training officer when she was a rookie. They rode together quite a bit on patrol, too. She’d put on a few pounds over the past few years after sustaining a back injury in a vehicular accident. She walked with a limp and Raven was always able to identify her by her gait whenever she was near, but she hadn’t even heard her approach.
Gayle pulled two mugs down from the cupboard and filled them from the full pot of coffee. “Would that be the one involving your mom?”
“That would be one of them.” Raven accepted the mug Gayle handed her and blew on it before taking a sip.
“Do you think that’s wise? Investigating your own mother’s death?”
“You know we weren’t close.”
“Doesn’t matter. She was still your mom, Rave.”
Raven took another cautious sip from her mug. She’d made a promise to Ena and she intended to see it through. She thought she might run into some interference from rank, but she hadn’t expected to get it from Gayle.
“Remember the first lesson I taught you?”
It wasn’t one she’d ever forget. Gayle hammered it into her frequently. “Never get emotionally involved in a case. I know.” She still wasn’t going to pass the case on to someone else.
Gayle blew out an exasperated breath. “You’re not going to take my advice, are you?”
“If your advice is for me to walk away from this one, no, I’m not.”
“You always were a stubborn little shit.” Gayle pursed her lips then the edges of her mouth rose ever so slightly. “Well, I suppose you better give us a shout if you need backup.”
Raven nodded and started to walk away. At the door, Gayle called after her and she turned to look over her shoulder.
“Put some ice on that face, would ya? It hurts to look at you.”
Raven laughed. “Yeah, I’ll get right on that.”
Back at her desk, she opened her email and scanned through the inbox until she found the email from Dr. Maxwell. She read through Ena’s autopsy report again and then Googled arsenic poisoning. Ena’s hands and feet had the same weird rash listed as a side effect of arsenic poisoning. Why hadn’t the ER doctor noticed the rash? She pulled a notepad out of her drawer and wrote down the questions she had. Was it possible to lace the chalice with arsenic so that Ena was ingesting a bit every day or did someone add the arsenic to whatever Ena drank out of it? What did she drink out of a chalice anyway? Eye of newt? Okay, eww. It was probably wine instead of some weird potion and it was more likely that someone put arsenic in the wine, not on the chalice.
Then why would the chalice and the card go missing?
Why was Ena so calm after what she’d let her see? The other day she’d sobbed like a child. Raven expected her to royally freak out.
I didn’t cry the other day, Rave. And I never sob like a child.
“Uh, yes, you did. That’s why I got hit by a damn truck. All I could hear was your wailing. I couldn’t think and I charged out into the intersection without looking.” Raven waited for a response, but was met by silence. Frowning, she went back to her email. There was nothing from the lab on Gregor’s DNA and nothing from the forensics team on the search of Ena’s house. She should have had them by now. She picked up the phone and put in a call to the forensics lab in Orillia.
The reports were sent to Constable McHaela Warren. Raven’s face burned when she got off the phone. She massaged her throbbing temples then opened her desk drawer for her bottle of Advil. The contents of the drawer were meticulously organized – pens lined up ruler straight with the caps all facing the same direction, notepads stacked neatly, paperclips in a small dispenser, stapler on the right side next to the staple remover. The bottle of Advil should have been sitting next to the paperclip dispenser. There was a small, one inch by one inch empty space instead. She slammed the drawer closed then had to open it again to put everything she just scattered back in its rightful place.
She forgot about the Advil when her computer pinged the arrival of a new email and she read over the reports she’d requested. The first report explained there was no trace of arsenic found in Ena’s house save for the hair collected from her hairbrush. “Did you have a bottle of wine around that you drank from the chalice?”
Silence.
“A jar of eye of newt?”
Crickets chirped.
Great. When I actually need you, you’re unavailable. Where did she go when she wasn’t in Raven’s head annoying her? “Hmmph.” Raven looked around the bullpen, as if she might find her mother hanging around there. “Did a bottle of wine come with the flowers and chalice? Did someone take that, too?”
Raven turned back around at the sound of boots making their way down the hall and Mick popped her head around the corner.
“Oh, hey Raven. You’re in early.”
An ice blue glare froze Mick. “Care to explain to me why my reports were sent to you?”
“Oh … um.” Mick’s eyes travelled around the room and then came back to settle on Raven’s. “DS LaCroix thought you should take it easy for a few days. So, you know … I, um, told him I could handle the cases.”
“And why, exactly, did DS LaCroix think I needed a few days off?” Heat spread over Raven’s cheeks again. She could almost feel the steam shooting out of her ears.
Mick took a step into the room with her shoulders slumped. “I, um, might have told him you weren’t quite yourself.”
“Oh, you’re a doctor now? You’ve diagnosed me as unfit for duty?” Where the hell did Mick get off thinking she had the right to tell anyone she wasn’t herself? Mick didn’t even know her enough to know who she was.
Mick bravely walked the rest of the distance to Raven’s desk and plopped herself down in the chair next to it.
“I’m sorry, Raven. You can’t blame me after yesterday. I can’t imagine the amount of stress you’re under, not to mention your past being stirred up and brought to the surface.”
Raven shot to her feet and lasered Mick with a death stare. “You have no right to get involved in my business. Do you understand, Constable?”
Mick flinched and shrunk into the chair. “Yes, Detective Constable. I understand.” She pushed herself out of the chair and sulked out of the room.
Raven sank back into her chair and dropped her head into her hands. “Damn it.” She couldn’t deny she was holding onto her composure by a thin wire, ready to snap. And it wasn’t Mick’s fault. The kid was worried about her.
While she tried to decide if she should go after Mick or not, she opened the email with the results on Gregor’s DNA from the beer mug Mick had procured. Raven read through the report twice because she couldn’t believe it. There was no DNA found on the mug and the only fingerprints belonged to the bartender. It didn’t make sense. She printed off a copy of the report and went in search of Mick.
She found her sitting in the squad room sipping a cup of coffee and looking like a kicked puppy. Raven took the seat across from her. “I suppose I owe you an apology.”
Mick looked up at her and shook her head. “No, you’re right. I stuck my nose in your business and I shouldn’t have said anything to LaCroix. It wasn’t my place.”
“You shouldn’t have called Riley last night either. She’s not my girlfriend anymore.”
Mick’s eyebrows drew together and she narrowed her eyes. “I couldn’t just leave you alone, Raven. Who else could I have called? Jaxon? Adara?”
Raven’s hand dragged through her hair, leaving it sticking up. “No, you shouldn’t have called anyone. I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”
“Okay, next time I’ll leave you to it.” Frowning, Mick stared down at her coffee.
“I suppose you got a copy of the results from the DNA test on the beer mug?” Raven plac
ed the printed report on the table and spun it around with the tips of her fingers so that it was right side up for Mick.
Mick’s face reddened. “Yeah.”
“Any idea why there was no DNA on the mug?”
Mick shifted in her seat, glanced up at Raven then dropped her head again. “The bartender had just poured him a new pitcher. She must have replaced his mug, too.” She glanced up at Raven again. “I was watching Gregor. I didn’t notice her switch the mugs out.”
Shit. Now she’d have to figure out another way to get his DNA. She pushed to her feet as her cell phone began ringing and fished it out of her pocket.
“Bowen.”
“Hey, Detective. This is Eric Theissen, the eTech at HQ. I’ve been fishing in the Dating Pool.”
“Haha.”
“Sorry. Couldn’t help it. Anyway, I found three other red heads that Paigo has been monitoring. One in Penatang, another one in Orillia, and one in Solstice.”
Shit. “Give me the name of the one in Solstice.”
“I’ve just got a screen name. Care4U. I can get a full name, but it will take me a little longer.”
“Get me the names on the other two and send them to my email. I’ve got a name for Care4U.” She ended the call and dropped back into the chair. “He’s monitoring Riley’s Dating Pool profile.”
“Oh, no.” The blush drained out of Mick’s face and her eyes widened. “What do we do now?”
“Saddle up. She’s not going to want to hear this from me.” Riley would think Raven wanted her to take her profile down from the dating website out of jealousy. She went back to her desk, shut down her computer, and grabbed her coat. Mick paced back and forth beside the car as Raven approached.
“I’m really sorry. I should have kept my eyes on the mug. I didn’t even think. I just assumed it was the mug he’d been drinking out of. God, I’m such an idiot. I just got so excited that I got his DNA and got out of there.”
“Mick? Shut up.”
Mick came to a stop and looked up at Raven, her eyes drawn together.
Raven rested her forearms on the roof of the car. “It’s done. Get over it. We’ll figure out another way to get his DNA.”
“If he hurts Riley, it’s all my fault.”
Oh, Jesus. If she could have reached over the car, she’d slap Mick up the side of her head to knock the stupid out of her. “Do you really think I’d let him get to Riley?”
“N-no, but…”
“No, stop that. Give your head a shake and snap out of your ‘it’s all my fault’ pity party. We had an opportunity and it didn’t pan out, so we move on. We’re not going to stand here for half an hour and beat ourselves up over it. Got it?”
Mick nodded her head and slipped into the passenger seat. She kept her head down the entire drive to Riley’s apartment building. Was she still kicking herself for not getting Gregor’s DNA or was something else bothering her? Raven stared at her, trying to get a read, but she just wasn’t sure what was up with her. “Are you going to sulk all day?”
“No.” Mick popped her head up and frowned. “We’re here. Sorry, I was … never mind.” She clicked out of her seat belt and exited the car.
Raven scanned the parking lot and spotted Riley’s car sitting in its usual spot. So, she’d wakened up and headed home. She used her key to let them in instead of buzzing up.
“Should you still have that?”
From sulking to interfering again. Great. This was going to be a long friggin’ day.
“Have you ever heard of something called boundaries?” Raven asked.
Mick scowled, but it shut her up. Raven took the stairs two at a time despite the pain shooting down her right leg. She knew it was petty, but she smiled a bit as she listened to Mick’s boots slapping on every step and her huffing and puffing as she tried to keep up. She waited for her at the top, raising her eyebrows. “A little out of shape, Mick?”
“Shut up,” she panted. She bent at the waist, braced her hands on her knees and slowed her breathing. “You did that on purpose.”
“What?” Raven raised her eyebrows again. “Did I force you to try to keep up?” She pulled the door open and breezed through it, letting it start to close behind her.
Mick’s mild expletive sang out as she grabbed for the door.
Raven gave Riley’s door a few good wraps with her knuckles and waited while Mick propped herself against the wall, still wheezing a bit, her cheeks flushed. Raven knocked again, a little harder and longer.
“Riley? Open up.”
“Maybe she’s not home yet.”
“Her car’s in the lot.”
“Oh.” Mick pushed off the wall, pulled her flashlight from her belt and banged on the door with it. They were met with silence.
Raven and Mick’s eyes met, silently conveying they were both thinking the same thing. Raven took a step back, let her adrenalin power her kick which landed just north of the door knob. It splintered and she gave it another good kick to blow it wide open. As if Raven and Mick had practiced the routine for years, Mick went in low and to the left, Raven high and to the right, weapons drawn. They cleared the kitchen and living room and made their way to the hallway. As they rounded the corner, the gushing sound of the shower met their ears.
Raven pushed the bathroom door open, tip-toed in, and drew the shower curtain open a few inches. Riley let out a scream worthy of a Hitchcock film and clutched her hands over her heart. “Jesus, Rave. What the hell? You scared the shit out of me.”
Raven pulled the curtain closed and leaned back against the wall, her heart pounding like a tribal drum. “You scared the holy bejeezus out of me, too.”
CHAPTER 8
RAVEN STOOD AT Riley’s living room window, looking out over their little town. She could see Ena’s house from here, standing proud on its hill above Fairy Lake. It made her think of Kiran Hayes wandering its rooms, stepping out into the huge yard to stand like a sentry looking out over the town or down on the lake. It suited him, that place of power. It would be his now, she supposed.
I told you the house is yours now, Rave. It’s your place now.
Great. She’s back. Raven turned to see Mick sunk in Riley’s comfy leather couch. The creamy colour stood out against the dark rusts and browns of the area rug. She looked uncomfortable, sitting at attention as the couch tried to swallow her in its depths. Raven turned back to look out the window, gazing up at Ena’s house. Why? Why give the house to her when it was Kiran’s home?
It has been passed down through generations of Bowen women. It was passed to me by my mother with a promise it would be passed to my daughter. As you will pass it to your daughter.
Assuming I have one, Raven thought.
Oh, you will, my darling angel. You will have one, indeed. Just as you came to me as an unexpected gift, so too will yours.
Riley chose that moment to make her entrance. Her flaming red hair hung down her back in wild curls, still damp. Her pale green eyes hurled daggers at Raven, such a contrast to those cute little freckles speckling her nose. She wore a hunter green sweater, jeans, and bare feet that Raven found irresistibly sexy.
Riley cocked a hip, arms akimbo. “So, what’s so damn urgent that you two found it necessary to break down my door?”
“You,” Raven answered. “You’re what’s urgent and important.” She nodded to the couch. “Have a seat and we’ll tell you all about it.” She waited until Riley perched herself on the edge of the couch and folded her arms across her chest.
“You’ve heard about the body of a young girl who was found outside of town a few days ago?”
“Yes.” Riley’s arms unfolded and she began to wring her hands in her lap. “What’s that got to do with me?”
“She had red hair, green eyes.”
“Do you know how many people have red hair and green eyes?” Riley asked.
Raven took a seat on the coffee table, facing Riley. “All of the victims who we believe are tied to the same offender have profiles on th
e Dating Pool.”
Riley’s eyes widened as the colour drained from her face. “You think that’s where he’s finding his victims?”
“Yeah.” Raven nodded. Riley was getting it now.
“And you broke down my door when I didn’t answer, thinking he had me in here?”
Mick tried to push herself up from the grips of the couch. Her feet went up in the air then came back down in a flash as her hips shot up and she hurled her body forward. It was like watching someone do that worm dance move on the floor. Both Riley and Raven broke out laughing.
“You could have just asked for a hand,” Raven said.
With her face flushed bright red, Mick glared at Raven then turned to Riley. “Before Raven asks you to take your profile down, would you consider being bait?”
“Mick? She’s not going to be bait.” Raven bent her head and took a deep breath. “We’re not going to put her at risk.”
“That would be my decision to make, wouldn’t it? How many women has this guy hurt?”
Raven threw her head up and glared at Riley. “No, it’s not your decision to make. I’m not letting this bastard get anywhere near you. Do you understand?”
Riley pursed her lips, narrowed her eyes. “No, I don’t. If standing as bait helps to get this guy off the streets, to stop him from hurting anyone else, I’m all in. Do you understand, Detective?”
Raven shot to her feet and went back to the window, her fists clenched tightly. She stared out over her town, unseeing, images of Gregor doing to Riley what he’d done to her flashing through her brain.
“Just stop that. Stop that, right now.” Mick charged to Raven and grabbed her upper arms. “That’s not going to happen to Riley. We won’t let that happen to her.”
“Let what happen to me?” Riley asked as she joined them at the window. “What did you see, Mick? What was Raven thinking?”
Raven pulled her arms from Mick’s grasp, her eyes moving back and forth between the two women. “Just how well do you two know each other?” She watched as if in slow motion Mick and Riley shared a quick glance then averted their eyes. “You’re seeing each other?”
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