***
Focused on rubbing her aching wrists, Lenina stumbled and almost fell when Ramona smothered her with a giant hug. Spitting out mouthfuls of curly red hair, she clutched her best friend and felt some of the tension ease from her limbs. Even Saar, though clearly baffled by her reaction, stepped back in her mind and watched with wary curiosity.
‘Nina, how awful! What happened? Why did you go to his house? What did he do? Did he touch you?’
Lenina jerked away, afraid the truth of her actions might somehow show on her face or in her words. ‘It’s my fault.’
‘What? No, it’s not.’ Ramona thumbed her nose. ‘You weren’t to know what he was like.’
‘What?’
‘You’ve not heard, have you?’ She lowered her voice and cut a significant glance at the front desk.
Ray stood beside it arguing with a frowning Chief Hobb, pointing at a community support officer.
Lenina tugged her friend to one side. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘Your dad ended up at my house looking for you. We came here to bust some heads – or so he put it – and found out they were questioning you.’
‘I know all that, but—’
‘Don’t interrupt, I’m setting the scene.’ Ramona flicked her hair and pressed on. ‘So he goes on this crazy rampage and marches down the hallway, saying he’ll knock on every door until he finds you. That guy,’ she hooked a thumb at the cringing CSO, ‘follows and leaves the desk completely empty. So I wait here, twiddling my thumbs like an idiot and hear these other guys talking about Blake.’
Lenina flinched. She couldn’t feel him or hear him, but the faint imprint of his presence lingered in her mind like a stain she couldn’t wipe away.
Saar growled.
Ignoring him, she waited for more of the story.
Ramona’s grin widened. ‘They said he was in big trouble for sneaking you away like that. That Chief Hobb suspended him and that’s why the other detective was going to get you. They already knew that he’d kidnapped you.’
‘Kidnapped?’
‘What else would you call it? That crazy guy attacks you in your house, kills poor Nick, and runs off. Then this detective comes along and takes you to his house instead of protective custody. I think he saw a chance to play with a new, fragile victim and whisked you away before anybody could help.’
Lenina shook her head.
‘And it turns out this isn’t the first time he’s been in trouble for fraternising with witnesses.’ She made quote marks with her fingers. ‘Before he transferred here, his last force disciplined him for indecent relations with a female officer linked to a murder case. Three weeks later she disappeared.’
Lenina opened her mouth but no sound came out. ‘When you say “disappeared”?’
‘Those guys said “disappeared” but I guess they meant “transferred”. Probably chased out, made to feel slutty for being targeted by a serial womaniser.’
She thought of Tristen’s warm fingers on her hips. His lips, his eyes. The cold, smug smile when he spoke of forging a link with her. How she wasn’t the first.
‘Hey, you’re shaking. Come here, hon, it’s okay.’ Ramona put an arm around her shoulders. Her voice levelled off, as though for the first time she remembered why else they were there. ‘Wherever he is, he can’t bother you again. And that ginger guy won’t find you either. You’re coming with me so Verni and I can look after you. You’re safe now.’
Safe.
Folding into her friend’s embrace, Lenina closed her eyes and wished she could believe that were true.
Epilogue