Men Out of Uniform

  But would Rick and Truitt believe her? Would they take her word against one of their own?

  Truitt added his own soft plea as if he thought she’d gone completely over the edge and needed to be calmed before she jumped.

  “Jessie, we’re here now. Let us help you. You survived that bastard. We’ll get him. I swear to you we’ll nail his ass to the wall. We need to get you medical attention. You’ve got blood all over you and you’re scaring me to death, baby. Put down the gun and let us help you.”

  “She’s the one,” Jessie said in as calm a voice as she could when she was so dangerously close to having a complete break from reality. Truitt wasn’t far off if he imagined she was so very close to the edge. “She came to my apartment. She Tased me and then knocked me out. When I woke up, I was tied to a table in a hunting cabin. She smashed my knee. She cut me. So I’d bleed, so she could track the blood trail. She was going to hunt me down and kill me just like she did all the others, but I was too smart for her. Yeah, that’s right, you stupid bitch. I outsmarted you. I won. And I swear to God I’m going to kick your teeth in when Rick and Truitt take you down.”

  It was only then that she chanced a glance at Rick and Truitt, because if they didn’t believe her, if they left her alone with this woman for even a minute, she would kill Jessie or Jessie would have to kill her. Either way, someone was going to die.

  Truitt and Rick looked horrified, appalled, worried, and confused. But then she saw something else. Realization. And close behind it, rage.

  Truitt drew his gun and pointed it at Kim just as Rick slid his arm around Jessie and gently pried the pistol from her grip.

  The very last of her strength gone, her knees buckled and she went down before Rick could catch her. Truitt’s attention was diverted for the briefest of moments, and Kim reached for the pistol attached to her ankle.

  She aimed for Jessie. Rick roared his denial and Jessie screamed as he covered her body with his own. A shot rang out, the sound echoing over and over in her ears.

  Chapter 16

  Jessie’s screams of anguish split the air. Rick tensed, unsure of who had done the shooting, Kim or Truitt. All he cared about was protecting Jessie from further harm.

  “Rick, is Jessie all right?” Truitt demanded.

  Rick raised his head and turned to see Kim lying on the ground a few feet away, the gun she’d aimed at Jessie a few inches from her hand.

  “Call it in, Truitt. We need help. Is she alive?”

  Truitt took his time walking over to where Kim lay. Still holding his gun on her, he knelt and put a finger to her neck. Then he shook his head.

  Then Jessie moved in Rick ’s arms, her hands frantically spreading over his chest and around to his back.

  “Are you all right?” she demanded weakly. “Did that crazy bitch shoot you?”

  “God, yes, I’m all right,” Rick choked out.

  Jessie was a mess. There was blood, mud, and dirt caked with leaves covering her entire body. Her eyes were glassy with shock and with the announcement that he was okay, she seemed to completely melt down and crumble.

  She began to shake violently and low moans ripped out of her throat as she clutched desperately at him. Rick eased her down long enough to tear off his jacket and wrap it around her naked body.

  Truitt dropped down beside them, his hands shaking as he tried to touch Jessie. But he couldn’t seem to figure out where he could without hurting her so he let them drop.

  “I’ve called it in but we need to get her out of here. It’ll be quicker if we carry her out than if we have them come in for her. A helicopter is coming to take Jessie to the hospital.”

  “Kick her for me,” Jessie whispered.

  Rick’s brow wrinkled in confusion. He was sure he heard wrong.

  “What was that, Jessie?”

  She glanced up at Truitt and tried to lift her hand to touch him. Truitt caught her fingers and lowered his head to press her palm to his lips. There was raw grief and emotion and stark fear in Truitt’s eyes.

  “Kick her. I told her that I’d survive so that I could kick her teeth in while you two took her down. So kick her for me, please.”

  Rick started to laugh. By the end he honestly didn’t know if he was laughing or crying. He stood shakily to his feet and then swore at how weak he felt. Was this what love did to you?

  Truitt reached gently for Jessie, sliding his arms underneath her. “This is going to hurt, baby. I’m sorry but I have to get you out of here.”

  “S’okay,” she slurred out. “I’m just so damn happy to be alive. I can take anything.”

  Truitt lifted and Rick held his breath at the cry of agony that engulfed Jessie.

  Tears glistened in Truitt’s eyes as he held her against his chest.

  “God, I’m sorry, Jessie. I’m so goddamn sorry I had to hurt you.”

  Jessie laid her cheek against Truitt’s chest and closed her eyes. For a moment Rick panicked and he clumsily put his fingers to her neck, relieved when he felt a faint pulse. Then he carefully pulled the jacket around her to shield as much of her body as he could.

  “She’s done, man,” Truitt said quietly. “She hung on for as long as she could, until we could get here.”

  “The hell of it is, she didn’t need us,” Rick said as they walked past Kim’s body. He stopped only long enough to send up a flare to signal their location and the location of Kim’s body, and then he caught up to Truitt once more.

  “No, she didn’t need us,” Truitt said, awe in his voice. “Not only did she survive with horrific wounds and an injured knee, but she beat the crap out of Kim and would have killed her if we hadn’t shown up.”

  “I’m glad she didn’t have to,” Rick said softly. “She’s been through enough without having to pull the trigger.”

  “Jesus Christ, Rick. Kim was the serial killer? All this time?”

  Rick couldn’t even wrap his brain around it. Female serial killers were rare. What motive could Kim possibly have had? It was obvious she was out of her goddamn mind, which made him even more glad that Truitt had taken her out. If she’d lived, she probably would have pled insanity, gotten a few years in a mental institution, and then been on her merry way again.

  Sometimes the system sucked.

  Rick stared at the woman in Truitt’s arms and swallowed the knot in his throat. She was amazing. A survivor. And he loved her so damn much he felt like he was spazzing in about twelve different directions.

  Love wasn’t supposed to happen. Was it? Love was something you worked at. Worked hard at. He’d seen his parents work every day to stay together and make each other happy. But maybe love happened, and commitment was about making a relationship work after you fell in love.

  Several police officers and a host of volunteers swarmed through the woods, led by the flare Rick had sent up. When they came upon Truitt carrying Jessie, cheers went up and echoed through the woods.

  Jessie stirred and tried to lift her head. The celebration seemed to confuse and frighten her. She withdrew, burying her face in Truitt’s neck and Rick quickly stepped in front of Truitt to shield her from most of it.

  “Let’s go,” he said to Truitt. “The helicopter should be landing soon and we have to get her to the hospital.”

  Leaving the others to secure the crime scene, Truitt and Rick barreled through the trees and traveled the remaining distance to where the staging area for the search was formed.

  As they broke through into the clearing, another round of cheers rose into the air. Two paramedics ran to take Jessie from Truitt and he reluctantly allowed them to take her and lay her on a waiting stretcher.

  “ETA on the chopper is two minutes,” one of the paramedics called out.

  Rick and Truitt hovered over Jessie as the two medics cleaned some of the blood and mud off her arm so they could start an IV.

  The chief came up behind them and pulled them both away. “What the hell went on out there? Are you really trying to tell me that Kim was some fucking
serial killer? She’s a good cop. She couldn’t be responsible for these killings. Surely we would have known.”

  Truitt’s face darkened. “She tried to shoot Jessie. After Rick had already disarmed her. There was no threat. But she went for her backup piece and she would have killed Jessie and Rick both if I hadn’t taken the shot.”

  “Son of a bitch,” the chief swore. “This doesn’t make any goddamn sense.”

  “Kim was the one who pointed us to the area where Jessie was hiding,” Rick said tightly. “Jessie was able to evade her last night when Kim went hunting for her. My guess is that Kim came back to look for her, hoping she’d find her before we did so she could finish the job.”

  The chief wiped a hand over his face and then shoved it over his hair. “It just doesn’t make any goddamn sense,” he repeated again.

  Anger and bewilderment was etched on the chief ’s face and every wrinkle and line was even more predominant. They’d all gone without sleep and no one was happy that the person they’d been after for months, a maniac responsible for the gruesome murders of so many women, was one of their own.

  The sound of the helicopter approaching made the men turn. The paramedics on the ground were already lifting the backboard from the stretcher and hurrying toward the landing area. Jessie was secured with two IV bags lying on her body as they transported her.

  “Go,” the chief said. “We’ll sort this out later. I know you two will want to be with her.”

  The two men took off at a run, but when they got to the helicopter where Jessie was being loaded, they were told there wasn’t room for even one of them.

  Frustrated but not wanting to delay Jessie’s departure to the hospital even for a second, they backed away.

  “Come on, I’ll drive,” Rick said as he grabbed Truitt’s arm.

  Chapter 17

  Truitt paced the floor in the emergency room waiting area and checked his watch for the umpteenth time. It had been several hours and no one had been out to give them an update on Jessie.

  Kirsten was at the desk demanding news right now and one of the receptionists was attempting to calm her down. Not that Kirsten seemed to care. She was ferocious. Truitt had to admire her loyalty and devotion to Jessie.

  Rick was slouched in a chair by the window, his face locked in stone.

  Finally one of the nurses came out and called for family of Jessie Callahan.

  Rick surged from his seat and Kirsten ran from the reception desk.

  They followed the nurse back and she halted outside one of the rooms that had an actual door rather than the portioned off cubicles that only had a curtain separating them from others.

  “Wait here for the doctor,” the nurse said. “He’ll be out to speak to you in just a moment.”

  The nurse let herself in and Truitt rose up on tiptoe to see inside. He only got a brief glimpse of Jessie lying on a stretcher. She was surrounded by medical personnel so he couldn’t even see if she was conscious or not.

  Kirsten blew out her breath and leaned against the wall.

  “You okay, doll?” Rick asked.

  Kirsten nodded and then hastily wiped at a tear that rolled down her cheek. “She’s already been through so much. The car accident was devastating. They weren’t even sure she’d ever be able to walk without a cane. And now this. First she’s accused of murder. Then she’s kidnapped by a murderer. When does it stop? She’s never done anything to anyone. She works hard. She’s the best person in the world. She’s just ... good. And it’s like fate is determined to shit on her.”

  Truitt squeezed her shoulder. “She’s awfully lucky to have a friend like you. I don’t want you to worry. She has us now. Rick and I are going to take good care of her. We’ll see her through this. We aren’t going anywhere.”

  Kirsten turned her tear-ravaged face up to Truitt. “You promise? I just want her to be happy.”

  Rick put his hand on her other shoulder. “We promise.”

  The door opened and a doctor, who looked to be in his forties, looked between Rick, Truitt, and Kirsten. Then he stuck his hand out to Truitt.

  “I’m Dr. Anderson, the on-call orthopedic surgeon.”

  “Truitt Cavanaugh,” Truitt said. “This is my partner Rick Broughman and Jessie’s friend Kirsten. How is Jessie?”

  He couldn’t keep the anxiety or the impatience from his voice.

  After the doctor shook Rick ’s and Kirsten’s hands, he folded his arms over his clipboard and leaned against the wall next to the door.

  “The ER physician is finishing stitching her wounds now. She lost a lot of blood but the cuts weren’t deep enough to cause internal damage. What is of concern is her knee, which was already damaged by an earlier accident. To be honest with you I don’t know how she managed to evade a killer. She shouldn’t have been able to walk, much less run. Her kneecap is shattered. She’ll be going up to surgery in a moment and we’re going to try to reconstruct the bone. If that’s not possible we’ll have to do a full replacement.”

  “Will she be able to walk?” Kirsten cut in.

  “Usually I’d say that depends on the patient, how successful the surgery is and how motivated the patient is to recover. But in Miss Callahan’s case, I’d say without a doubt she’ll likely walk, and not only walk but soon. She’ll need rehabilitation and she’ll use a wheelchair or crutches at first and graduate to a cane. But given just how determined this young lady seems, I fully believe she’ll make a complete recovery. Will the knee ever be as good as new? No. But then she’d already sustained injury to it. But neither will it be a catastrophic injury.”

  “Can we see her?” Truitt interrupted.

  “I don’t see why not. She’s been given pain medication. She’s slipping in and out of consciousness. We want her to be as still as possible so she doesn’t further injure her knee. It’s currently immobilized until we can take her to surgery. But as soon as they’re through stitching her up you can go in to see her for a few minutes before we take her up.”

  “Thank you,” Rick said.

  The doctor walked away and the three stood waiting, impatient. Truitt, unable to remain still, paced a tight perimeter, from one wall to the other, his gaze never leaving the door.

  Fifteen minutes later, it opened and a nurse motioned them in. Truitt pushed off the wall and entered on the nurse’s heels, Rick and Kirsten right behind him.

  Truitt went to her bedside, Kirsten at his elbow, while Rick went around to the other side and carefully navigated the array of equipment.

  Jessie looked completely fragile. One leg was bandaged from knee to hip and the other was immobilized and secured in a large plastic splint. The hospital gown didn’t cover much of her. Just her breasts and part of her left side. Down her right was thick bandaging where the long cut had been stitched.

  She lay completely still, eyelashes resting on her cheeks. Her respirations were so light that Truitt had to lean down to reassure himself that she was breathing.

  There was so much stuff everywhere, an IV in each hand, that he honest to God didn’t know where he could touch her. He finally opted for cupping his hand over her head and then he leaned down to kiss her forehead.

  “Jessie,” he whispered achingly. “We’re here, baby. You’re okay now. They’re going to take good care of you and then Rick and I are going to take you home.”

  She didn’t stir.

  He stroked her forehead, smoothing the hair from her eyes. For a long moment he simply stared down at her, his chest tight and his eyes burning.

  Then he leaned closer so only she would hear.

  “I want you to know I love you, Jessie. I’ve loved you since I first saw you but the idea of saying it always scared the shit out of me. I’m not afraid now. All I’m afraid of is you not being with me.”

  He kissed her temple and she stirred ever so lightly.

  “You aren’t alone anymore, Jessie. Rick and I will be here. We won’t leave. We’ll be waiting when you come out of surgery. We’re going to be t
here for you during your recovery.”

  Her eyes opened slowly and she stared at him with sleepy, drugged eyes. But then she smiled. It was such a bone-achingly sweet smile that his heart did flip-flops in his throat.

  “You’re here,” she whispered.

  “Where else would I be?” he whispered back.

  “Where’s Rick?”

  Rick touched her cheek, causing her to turn slowly in his direction.

  “I’m here, Jessie. We both are. And Kirsten too.”

  Jessie glanced down the bed and smiled. “Hey, you.”

  The words came out quiet and pained.

  “How are you feeling?” Truitt asked gently.

  “Happy.” It came out more as a sigh than an actual word.

  It wasn’t the word any of them were expecting. Truitt frowned, wondering if the drugs had turned her brain to mush.

  “I’m alive,” she said in a whisper. “I survived. I swore I would. Nothing else seems important right now.”

  “You’re right about that,” Rick said gruffly.

  Jessie turned her gaze up to Truitt, her eyes soft and a little dull. “Did you say you loved me?”

  He kissed her forehead, breathing in her scent. She smelled of old blood, dirt, and the sterile aroma of the hospital, but he savored it because it smelled of something else. Courage and life.

  “I did,” he softly returned. “But we’ll talk more about that later when you aren’t hurting so much and when you’re not so drugged up.”

  The door opened and a nurse returned.

  “Sorry folks, but we’re going to take her up to surgery now. You can wait in the surgery waiting room and the doctor will come out to talk to you when the operation is over.”

  Kirsten pushed by Truitt and bent to kiss Jessie’s cheek. “Hang in there, girlfriend. This will be over soon.”

  As Kirsten stepped back both Truitt and Rick leaned down at the same time and kissed her.

  “Go kick some ass,” Rick choked out. “Just like you did today. We’ll be waiting for you when you’re out.”