A Shot at Redemption

by Liz Bradford

  “It was like the ‘other’ Patrick showed up,” Jocelyn said. “And he started yelling, calling me all kinds of nasty names. Then he backhanded me. I stumbled against the counter, but my hand slipped, and I fell to the floor. He proceeded to kick me multiple times before he left.” She grimaced as she shifted in her seat and examined her bandaged hand. “I fell on some glass.”

  Adam took her unwounded hand and squeezed it. “Why was there glass on the floor?”

  “I dropped a pitcher and a couple of glasses.”

  The furrow in Adam’s brow deepened. “But you aren’t klutzy. What happened?”

  She looked back down at her hands. “He pushed me, and I lost my balance.” She finally met Gavin’s eyes. His face was flush, and his blue eyes fierce. It was a good thing Patrick wasn’t in the room, otherwise Gavin would be at risk for a night in lockup. Jocelyn felt her chair shift. Adam turned her to face him. He looked even madder than Gavin. Apparently, Adam would join Gavin in lockup.

  Adam’s nostrils flared. “Man, Jocelyn, he’s lucky he’s not here. But are you okay? Is everything else okay?” His eyes looked down at her midsection.

  She nodded. “Yes, everything is good. I’m a little banged up, but I’ll be fine.”

  “Okay, good. Now, you do remember what you promised me if this ever happened, right?”

  She sighed. “Yes, I do.”

  “Can I make the phone call for you?”

  Again, she nodded. Her stomach churned. She knew the promise she’d made to her cousin, but she hated the idea. Still, it was probably for the best. Adam glanced at Gavin and then back at her. What did he know? Adam had always been topnotch at catching onto things, even things he wasn’t supposed to know anything about. If he figured out her and Gavin’s secret, he didn’t say it. “Maybe Amelia and I should take this one. It’s an SVU case, not homicide.”

  Becca shook her head. “No, Gavin and I got this. You two have a case, and ours is going the way of a popsicle. Plus, I think the captain would assign it to a non-family member. You’re too close. Especially with your history with Patrick.”

  “If you insist.” Adam squeezed Jocelyn’s shoulder. He stood and leaned close to her ear. “If you need anything, let me know.”

  She patted Adam’s hand. He and Amelia walked toward their desks.

  Jocelyn turned to Becca. Maybe Gavin shouldn’t work on this case though… If Adam was too close, how much closer was Gavin? Oh, Becca, if only you knew. Maybe she should tell Becca? No, she needed to tell Gavin first, and she wasn’t sure when she would be up for that. But if they talked to Patrick it would come out. Patrick would kill Gavin if he knew he was the guy…

  Gavin’s voice broke into her thoughts, “Jocelyn, we should take pictures of your injuries, especially if you don’t want to push it forward now, but if, God forbid, he does it again…”

  Becca asked, “But who’s going to take them? Jocelyn is our photographer, and she can’t very well take pictures of herself.”

  “Doesn’t Mike fill in for you, Jocelyn? Could he do it?”

  Jocelyn shook her head. “He’s out of town for the next week. Becca, could you take them?”

  “Oh, I don’t dare touch expensive equipment like your cameras. Ever since I was pregnant with Dani, I drop everything.”

  Gavin snorted. “But you still carry a gun?”

  The teasing glint in his eye made Jocelyn suppress a laugh.

  Becca glared at him. “Anyway, Gavin here is pretty handy with a camera.”

  Jocelyn peered over at him, one eyebrow raised. “Oh, really?” That’s not what he’d said last October when he asked her to help him take pictures of some things he wanted to sell on eBay. That evening had been the first time she and Gavin had let things go further than friendship. A lot further.

  They’d been working closely to set up shot after shot of the random items he was trying to sell. His arm would stretch around her, she’d reach in front of him until finally their faces were too close.

  She couldn’t recall who leaned forward first. She remembered it like a bad sitcom kiss where all of a sudden their lips were locked. The next thing she knew, not two weeks later, their bodies were tangled among the sheets of his bed. How had she let that happen? And why had they kept doing it? For months. Fresh shame washed over her as her eyes locked with Gavin’s.

  He tried to mask the sorrow in his eyes by answering her question with levity, “Eh, I guess.”

  “Okay, then. Let’s go.” Becca still didn’t have a clue to the awkwardness about to ensue. There was no way Jocelyn was going to be able to hide her belly while she moved around in her lab and set up her equipment.

  Becca and Gavin both stood, and Jocelyn followed suit with a bit more effort. The baby was really growing, and she could feel it in her hips. That, along with the bruises, made getting in and out of chairs more challenging than it should be. She instinctively held her bag in front of her belly and stepped forward. Gavin motioned for her to walk ahead of him through the squad room toward the door.

  Gavin moved closer to Jocelyn as they neared the exit of the squad room. He reached ahead of her to grab the door from Becca. His pulse quickened at her closeness. A waft of jasmine hit his nose and sent his head in a sensory tailspin. Father God, help me. I just want to pull her into my arms, but that would be out of line.

  In silence, the three walked through the lobby. Gavin hated the awkwardness. But what was he going to say? “Hey, Joc, I’ve missed you. Not sure why you stopped calling, but I’m sure you had your reasons.” He shook his head. It was better to keep his mouth shut.

  As far as he knew, Becca was clueless of their affair. If she had any idea, she’d never have insisted they work the case.

  He needed to focus, but on what? On prosecuting his friend, the one he’d like to strangle for hurting Jocelyn? This wasn’t working. Maybe he should recuse himself. Probably. But he didn’t want to. And that kind of thinking, or lack thereof, was what had gotten them into trouble in the first place. Oh, God, I seriously need Your help on this one. He threw up the quick prayer, and they started down the stairs.

  Jocelyn struggled. Patrick really did a number on her. Gavin’s entire body tensed. If he could get his hands on him… okay not the appropriate cop or Christian response.

  “Jocelyn, can I carry your bag for you?” he asked.

  Rather than hand it to him as she’d always done in the past, she paused. Did she not trust him at all anymore?

  She sighed and handed him the tote, then pulled her long, loose cardigan around herself and muttered a thanks.

  He was missing something. His instincts told him that much. If only they’d tell him what it was. He followed Becca and Jocelyn through the secure door and down the hallway and into Jocelyn’s lab. He went directly to her desk and put her bag in its usual place. He stayed out of the way while Jocelyn set up her lights and camera and talked to Becca.

  He rubbed the back of his neck. Jocelyn’s cardigan hung loose over her body as she leaned over to adjust a light. His heart ached. He longed for her, but the wounds in his heart were freshly bleeding. He didn’t want to feel that way. The relationship they’d had was wrong. Didn’t that make her claim on his heart invalid?

  But his feelings were real even if they were unjustified. He had always loved her, even before Nikki had stolen his heart. If Nikki was still around, it would kill her to know how he felt about her best friend. But Nikki’s grief had taken her from him.

  “Gavin.” Becca’s voice jolted him.

  “Yep, sorry. What’s up?”

  Jocelyn handed her camera to him. “Let’s take the photos of my face first and then my hand.”

  He took the camera from her. Their hands brushed and shot electricity through his arm. “Okeydokey.” Did he really just say that?

  Once the camera was out of her hands, she pulled her hair back into a ponytail and then used a wet wipe to remove her make up. Her injuries were worse than he had realized. Each of Patrick’s knuckles
had found her face—one slightly above her eyebrow, another right in the corner of her eye. His ring finger had landed right below, and the class ring he always wore had scraped along her high cheekbone.

  Jocelyn stepped into the light, and Becca held up the ruler to as a scale for the injuries. Jocelyn gave them clear instructions as to how to take all the photos necessary for evidence, first of her face and then of her hand. It was as if she was outside of herself, as if she was giving instructions for another victim. He wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her she deserved better than that good-for-nothing…

  Becca’s voice again cut into his thoughts. “What other bruises do you have? You said he kicked you?”

  “Yeah, he did. I really have no idea if I have any visible bruises on my back and leg. I avoided looking this morning.”

  “Only one way to know.” Becca spun her finger.

  Jocelyn sighed with a nod. She took off her cardigan and tossed it on a chair. At Jocelyn’s swollen midsection, Gavin’s breath caught. How had she gained weight? She was so regimented in her dancing workouts. It wasn’t like her to stop that. But then what did he know? He didn’t have a clue how she was coping with the fallout of their affair.

  Becca put her hand on Jocelyn’s abdomen. “How’s baby doing? A trip to the doctor to check in on the little one might be a good idea.”

  His lungs seized shut. Baby!? Patrick had hit his pregnant wife? The heat rose in Gavin’s face. He would give anything for the opportunity to be a dad. How could his friend be such an idiot? How could he risk hurting his own child?

  “Baby seems to be fine.” Jocelyn looked down at her belly and rubbed it. “He or she’s been moving around. I’m glad I know what that feels like now. But apparently this little one seems to think I need to be kicked on the inside as well.” Jocelyn’s dry laugh made his heart ache more.

  Gavin finally found his breath. “You’re pregnant?”

  A shadow fell over her eyes. “I am.”

  “Congrats. It’s a miracle.” His voice sounded flatter than he had meant, but the jealousy weighed heavier than he could ever have anticipated. He should be happier for his friends who had thought they were unable to have kids, but Patrick didn’t deserve a baby if this was how he was going to treat his wife and child.

  “Thanks.” Jocelyn turned her back toward Becca and lifted her shirt. “Is there anything to take a photo of?”

  Becca’s eyes widened, and her lips parted. The expression on her face was enough for Gavin to know the answer was yes. He stepped to the side to look. The blue-and-purple bruise radiated out from her hip and stretched for a good eight inches. Patrick must have kicked her a half dozen times in that area alone. And based on the way she was walking, her leg probably was just as discolored below her skirt.

  They proceeded to take inventory of the rest of her wounds, careful to keep some modesty for Jocelyn when possible. As much as he desired her, those carnal cravings stayed at bay. He wanted her to be safe and protected. But what could he do?

  Jocelyn laughed nervously as she adjusted her skirt back into place. “Guess it worked out that I wore a skirt today.”

  “I was wondering about that,” Becca said. “Doesn’t seem like the most practical outfit for a photographer.”

  “It’s not at all, but I don’t have much else that fits.”

  Becca smiled. “Guess we need to go shopping for maternity clothes.”

  “Ugh. I guess.” She fake-gagged.

  “They aren’t horrible. Most comfortable pants you’ll ever wear.”

  “Amelia’s weren’t so bad-looking.”

  “I bet she’d loan you hers. She was rejoicing the other day that her pre-preggo pants were fitting again.”

  “As long as they aren’t too short.”

  “There’s that. But she had a fair number of capris she wore last summer and fall. I would think they’d work for you.”

  “I’ll ask her, thanks. And thanks, Gavin, for taking the photos.” She looked him in the eyes. It was a touch awkward to have Gavin taking pictures of her leg and backside, but she was more comfortable with him doing it than anyone else. The compassion in his eyes was enough to undo her. He still cared about her even after she had treated him like garbage.

  Gavin handed her camera back. She smiled at him, then took the camera to her desk to upload the pictures to her computer. She slipped the memory card into her computer before turning to Gavin.

  “I’ll send the RAW unprocessed photos to Mike so he has them as soon as he gets back. I’ll process them as well, but if it needs to go to court for any reason, it would be better if I wasn’t the one handling them.”

  Gavin nodded. “Good thinking.”

  A knock on the lab door pulled her eyes away from Gavin. Becca answered it.

  Adam walked in. “Hey, I found this guy wandering around upstairs and thought maybe he could have a look at you, Jocelyn.” Caleb came in behind Adam. “Figured it would be a good thing to be sure you don’t need to go to the hospital.”

  Caleb came across the room and squeezed her shoulder. “They wouldn’t tell me anything other than you were hurt. How are you feeling? Can you tell me what happened?”

  “I’m feeling okay. Sore mostly. I had a run in with the back of Patrick’s hand and his boot.”

  Caleb’s eyes widened briefly before his brow furrowed. He had heard it all as an EMT, but it was probably different hearing it about someone you know. “Do you mind if I look you over and make sure a trip to the ER isn’t in order?”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  He gently touched her cheek near the wound. “Have you had any issues with your vision?”

  “No. It’s fine.”

  “That’s good. This cut doesn’t look too bad, but you’ll want to keep it clean and bandaged so it will heal nicely. Is it all right if I clean it up a little more for you?”

  She nodded.

  “Hey, Adam, can you grab a first aid kit?”

  “Yep.” Adam disappeared.

  Jocelyn sighed. “My face isn’t that bad compared to my back and leg.” She turned and lifted her shirt.

  “Oh, Jocelyn. I’ll be gentle, but I want to feel the area to be sure there isn’t something more serious going on.”

  “Okay.”

  Caleb barely touched the bruises on her lower back, but she winced.

  Adam came back in the room. “Holy crap! I swear if I get my hands on that son of a—”

  Becca cut him off. “And that’s why you aren’t working this case.”

  Caleb’s hands stopped. “How’s the pain?”

  “Moderate. It definitely hurts when you push on it, but, then again, what would you expect?”

  Caleb ignored her snide remark. “Doesn’t look like anything is wrong other than the external bruising. Your muscles and bones did their job. And you did a good job turning your body to protect the baby.”

  She smiled at him. “Thanks.”

  In a barely audible voice, Gavin asked, “Am I the only one that didn’t know you were pregnant?” The hurt the hurt that underlined his words was like a bear digging its claws into her heart. He had always been her friend, and she had betrayed him all over again.

  Jocelyn bit her lip, wobbling her head side to side before finally admitting, “But they only found out on Wednesday, and Becca has only known since Tuesday.” She wanted to add “look what good telling Patrick did,” but then that would lead to Gavin realizing the baby was his. She was not about to have that conversation in front of the other three people in the room.

  Caleb pulled her shirt back down. “I think you’ll be all right. But if the pain doesn’t let up or gets worse, go to the ER. You can take some acetaminophen for the pain, but no ibuprofen because of the baby.”

  She nodded.

  “Now let’s clean up that scratch. And what’s with your hand?”

  “Oh, I forgot about that. I fell on a piece of glass. It’s not too bad and didn’t bleed for very long. But you can look at it.”
>
  In no time, Caleb had patched up her wounds. “Hang in there. We’re praying for you.” He stood. “I’m going to find Amelia. She’s probably done feeding Jonathan by now. Take care, Jocelyn.”

  “Thanks.”

  Caleb left her office, and Jocelyn’s eyes locked with her cousin’s. His sad smile and wrinkled brow drew her in. She stood, and he took the few steps to meet her. Adam pulled her into a hug, and she choked back tears and leaned her head on his chest.

  But as devastated as she was at what Patrick had done, the tears were also because it wasn’t Gavin she was hugging. She longed to lean against his chest and have him stroke her hair and promise to protect her. But instead she was in Adam’s arms. He had always been a bit like a big brother to her, and she wouldn’t trade his support, but she wanted Gavin. Even though she knew she couldn’t have him.

  Saturday morning came too soon for Gavin. He had been in the middle of a fitful dream about Jocelyn and Patrick when dispatch called him to a crime scene. And now in the dark of the early morning, Gavin stood over the body of a man in his mid-forties. Shot pointblank in the head, execution style, just like Tom Davis.

  Captain Baker rose from where he had been kneeling next to the body. “I can’t believe it. This is the same isn’t it?”

  “That’s why I called you in,” Gavin said. It wasn’t the same location as Tom, but it was the same part of town—the industrial district.

  “Do you have an ID?”

  “I’m waiting for CSU to get here before I check his back pocket for a wallet.” A van pulled up next to Gavin’s truck. “They’re here.”

  Captain Baker rubbed his jaw. “Where’d Becca go?”

  Gavin pointed past the corner of the building. “She went that way. She’s having a tough time. I think she relived seeing Tom’s body. But then, I think we all did.”

  Baker walked in the direction Becca had gone. That may not be a friend lying there this time, but it felt like Tom all over again. It had only been two and a half months and no matter how stale the case had become, the grief was still fresh.

  Gavin stepped away to give CSU plenty of room to process the case. He tried to smile at Jocelyn before he walked away, but it was weak at best. She bit her lip and looked at her camera, and then she got to work. He turned to search the area for clues.