Duffy wasted no time calling out to the other deputies in the hospital, ordering everyone to meet him down in the laundry room. He ordered Christina and me to stay put, while he went off to meet his men.
After a few minutes Christina said, “That’s some gift you’ve got there, Abby.”
I smiled shyly at her. “Thanks. It comes in handy every now and again.”
“I’ll bet. So, why do you think it didn’t work during my reading the other night?”
I cocked my head, thinking about the answer to that. Truth was, I had no idea. “I’m not sure, Chris, but since it seems Ellie’s bridesmaids keep disappearing, it might be a good idea to try again before I go home.”
“Sounds good. Not tonight though—you look bushed.”
“You said it, girlfriend,” I said with a sigh as I laid my head back against the wall.
Christina and I stared at the television set up in the hospital lobby for what felt like an eternity. I checked my watch several times, and noticed that nearly an hour had already passed, with no sign of and no word from Duffy.
Tired as I was, I got up and paced the floor. What had happened? Had they found Eddie? Was I wrong? Maybe I’d led the police in the wrong direction? Maybe Eddie wasn’t here at all.
As these thoughts ricocheted around my head, I became increasingly agitated. I decided that I had been wrong. That in my effort to help, I’d really hurt the situation because I’d diverted two deputies and one sheriff from trying to find Kelly and her car. I could only imagine what must be happening to her right now. She was probably cold and frightened. Taking another glance at my watch, I decided I’d had enough of the wait. I had to go down and find Duffy and apologize for sending him on a wild-goose chase.
Just as I was about to tell Christina to stay put, he came down the long corridor followed by two other deputies, holding a plastic bag and leading a doctor in a white coat by the arm.
Duffy’s expression was grim, and my heart sank as I studied his face. Pausing at the desk he spoke to a clerk on duty, then nodded to the other two deputies as they escorted the doctor and the plastic bag out of the hospital. Finally he headed in our direction. “So far, Abby,” he said stopping before me, “you’re getting high marks on the bloodhound exam.”
“You found him?” I asked.
“No. Not exactly.”
“Then what did you find?” Christina asked.
“Well, for starters we found the orange jumpsuit Eddie was wearing, and we know it was his because one of the legs has a big burn hole in it. Then we found one of the doctors who helped bandage him up. Looks like he sustained mostly second-degree burns to his right leg—just like you said,” Duffy added, looking at me with a small grin.
“Was he alone?” I asked. I wondered if I’d been right and that Biggins wasn’t with him.
“As far as I can tell. The doc who helped him was Dr. Shevat, one of Eddie’s resident buddies. All he’ll tell us is that Eddie was here, and he was by himself. No sign of Biggins and no sign of Kelly. Shevat says Eddie called him from the laundry room and convinced him to help patch him up. The wound was pretty serious, and will need further attention if it’s going to heal right.
“Shevat says that he treated the wound; then Eddie asked for some food. Shevat went upstairs to the cafeteria to get him some, and when he came back down Eddie was gone.”
“So he’s left the premises,” I said, looking up the long corridor as if I would spot him hiding in a doorway somewhere.
“Looks like it. He took a set of scrubs from one of the bins and bolted. One of the laundry workers says his winter coat, hat and gloves are missing too. We’ve taken Shevat in for further questioning. Maybe he’s hiding Eddie’s whereabouts; maybe he’s telling us the truth. Hopefully Eddie told him something while he was being patched up that will help us find him.”
My left side felt thick and heavy. “Not likely,” I said.
“You think Shevat’s telling the truth?”
I nodded. “He’s not going to lead you to Eddie,” I said firmly. “And at this point, I don’t see how you’re going to track him if his wound is covered and he’s in warm clothing. He could be anywhere.”
“Can you get a hit on him again?”
My shoulders drooped a little. “Duffy, I’m exhausted,” I said. “Plus, anything that I get is bound to be pretty general. My feeling is that you’re not going to find him before he’s ready to be found, so we’ll just have to hope that he comes to his senses and turns himself in.”
“But what about Kelly?” Christina asked quietly.
I gave her a grave look, my intuition buzzing in the back of my mind. “I wish I could tell you that I wasn’t worried about her, that Eddie would never let anything happen to her. But the truth is that when I focus on her energy I can sense that she’s surrounded by danger. I think that Eddie left her with Biggins.”
“Man!” Duffy said as he balled his fists. “You think you know someone! How could he leave her with that maniac?”
“He may not have had a choice,” I said, and then I remembered the reading I’d given Ellie, and a few pieces of the puzzle started to click into place.
“So what now?” Christina asked.
“We get you two home, and I put out an Amber Alert on Kelly’s car. With any luck, we’ll find them in the next few hours.”
Wearily Christina and I allowed ourselves to be herded out of the hospital and back to Duffy’s patrol car. Before pulling out of the lot, Duffy authorized the Amber Alert and told his dispatcher to call him at home if there were any new developments. After that, we sat lost in our own thoughts as he drove to Christina’s apartment. We were almost there when my intuition buzzed in and I said, “She’s alone.”
“What?” Duffy and Christina asked me at the same time.
“Kelly. I think she got away. I feel like she’s out of danger,” I said.
“So where is she?” Duffy asked me.
“I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head. “I just feel this sense that she’s on foot and far from home but she knows where she is.”
Duffy sat back in his seat, his fingers drumming on the steering wheel for a moment before he called in to his deputies and told them to be on the lookout for a single white female fitting Kelly’s description on foot. “It’s cold out,” he said after he’d called it in. “I hope she gets to a phone soon.”
“If she calls anyone, she’ll call me or Ellie,” Christina said. “Oh! That’s my building, Duffy. I’ll run in and check my messages. If I hear anything I’ll get in touch you guys right away.”
“And vice versa,” Duffy said with a small wave as she got out of the car. We waited until Christina made it safely into her apartment, then pulled away and drove toward the other side of town. I stared out the window, thinking grave thoughts and looking blankly out at the dark. “Penny for your thoughts,” Duffy said.
I gave him a tiny grin and said, “Do I look that cheap?”
“Okay, how about ten million dollars for your thoughts?” Duffy asked, giving me a handsome smile.
I laughed in spite of myself. “Always there to boost my ego, aren’t you?”
“I try,” he said. “So, really. Where were you just now?”
“Honestly? I was back home. I miss my house, Duff. I miss my dog, my friends, my clients, and yes, I even miss the thought of returning to a town where I know I might run into my ex.”
Duffy nodded, taking in what I’d just said and allowing a moment of silence to grow between us before he said, “So, asking you to move here is out of the question, huh?”
I did a double take. “What?”
Duffy ran a hand through his hair and, staring straight ahead at the road, he said, “You were pretty amazing today, Abby. In fact, you’ve been pretty amazing throughout this whole investigation. The Denver sheriff’s department could absolutely use someone with your skills and abilities.”
I cocked my head at him and narrowed my eyes. “Ah. So you’d like me to m
ove out here for professional reasons, huh?”
Duffy took another moment before he answered. “Not entirely.”
“Not entirely what?”
“Not entirely in that I’d also like to have an opportunity to take you out to dinner,” he said.
“Uh-huh?” I said, smiling again.
“And give you a proper tour of the city,” he added.
“Uh-huh?”
“And maybe, down the road, when you’re ready…” he said, letting the thought trail off.
“Yes?”
“I’d like the chance to jump your bones again,” he finished, turning to give me the full grille.
“I see. My, how romantic. How could a girl resist an offer like that?” I deadpanned.
“Don’t fight it, sweetheart,” Duffy said, giving me a sideways glance. “I’m irresistible.”
I rolled my eyes but laughed all the same. “Or so you’ve been led to believe,” I said. “Uh, we’re at your house?” I asked as we pulled into his driveway.
“Yeah. I may need you to play bloodhound again if I get a call in the middle of the night. It’ll be more convenient if you’re here at my place. I called Viv from the hospital and told her you were staying with me.”
“How thoughtful of you,” I said woodenly while I got out of the car. “I’m sleeping in the spare bedroom,” I added, just in case he thought otherwise. He gave me a sad look over his shoulder but didn’t protest, then turned to unlock the door.
I stood behind him, watching his back and thinking about what he’d said in the car. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure how I felt about Duffy’s overtures. I liked him. I liked how he looked, I liked how he smelled and, God help me, I even liked how he tasted, but I was an emotional basket case right now. The breakup with Dutch was still a little too fresh for me. What I really needed was time and some distance to sort out my feelings. To mourn the death of the relationship I’d had with Dutch, then see how I felt about Duffy. Trouble was, while I was here in Denver, there was no way I’d have the opportunity to get the space I really needed.
As I followed Duffy into his house, I decided that I would change my itinerary and try to catch a flight out either tomorrow or the day after. I couldn’t stay here and think with a clear head, so going home early would be just the thing to do.
Chapter Fourteen
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to mourn the tragic loss of one of our own,” a deep male voice from behind me said.
I looked away from the spaghetti sauce I’d been stirring for Viv and, lured by the voice, went into her living room. There, dozens of people were squished into the space, which had been removed of all its furniture and replaced by church pews. A priest stood at the back of the room. A silver casket lay to his right. I looked toward the casket but couldn’t make out who was inside.
The crowd wore black. Many of the women had veils that obscured their faces. The men all had their heads bowed low as the priest continued. “She was a member of our community. A friend to many. A woman who provided comfort and counsel to many of you here.”
A sob interrupted the priest, and I turned toward the noise. Ellie was consumed with grief. Her shoulders were shaking, and great gasps came from her hunched form. I was drawn forward by her grief. I wanted to comfort my friend, but at that moment a great howl erupted from beside the casket. The sound was piercing, and I winced as I turned toward the noise. There sat Eggy, next to the casket, his nose in the air and the most pitiful sound coming from his mouth. It was as if he were in some kind of terrible agony, and I rushed to him as I called out, “Eggy! Baby, what’s the matter?”
His howling paused for the briefest moment, and he seemed to look about the room in earnest, but then he lifted his snout once again and howled even louder. I reached his side and began to stroke his fur, cooing to him and checking him over to see where he might be hurt. Eggy paid no heed to my touches and soothing words. He just continued to cry and whine.
I was really concerned now. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with my dog. I looked up to see if anyone else knew what to do and saw Dave in the pew right in front of me. He sat with the most forlorn look on his face I’d ever seen. A thin line of tears welled out of his eyes as they stared open but unseeing straight ahead. “Dave!” I called, and snapped my fingers in front of him. He didn’t even blink. “Dave!” I yelled at the top of my lungs. Again, no acknowledgment from him.
Eggy stopped howling at that moment and turned in a circle, where he lay down in a tight ball and whimpered in small bursts of pitiful noise. I was still trying to get Dave’s attention when I noticed Cat sitting just down from Dave. She was sobbing hysterically. Her face was red and puffy, her hair unkempt, and the clothes she wore looked rumpled. Tommy had his arm draped over her shoulders and was whispering gently to her. He too had a rather heartbroken look about him.
Something terrible had happened, and the realization was sinking in that whoever was in that casket had left by tragic means. I began to stand as a leaden feeling filled my chest. I was connected to this, but I was slow to make out how. I stood as the priest droned on and on. I surveyed the crowd, realizing that I knew every single face in it. My blood ran cold as I began to turn, and I gripped the side of the gurney the casket rested on as my eyes slid down the silver box to the body of the soul peacefully resting there.
My own face stared back.
“Oh, God…” I said, and I felt my knees grow weak. “No, no, no, no no!” I stammered. “How did this happen?” I screamed as I turned to the crowd. “How did this happen?!” I yelled again, and felt hands on my shoulders, shaking me gently.
“Abby,” someone said.
“What happened!” I wailed, shoving those hands away. “Who did this to me?!”
“Abby!” Duffy shouted, and my eyes snapped open. “You’re dreaming, honey. Come on, wake up, girl.”
“I’m awake,” I said as I stopped struggling.
“Jesus, what were you dreaming about?”
My eyes were trying to focus on Duffy’s face. I was shivering with fright, and wet tears were cold on my face. “I dreamed that something terrible happened to me,” I whispered, holding back the full details.
“Ah. Well, that’s understandable,” Duffy said as he sat down on my bed. “It’s been a pretty eventful week. But you’re okay; you’re here and you’re safe…well, as safe as any girl can be at two o’clock in the morning sleeping in the room next to mine,” he said, trying to make light.
I wasn’t in the mood to be kidded with. The dream had been too real, too vivid for me just to chalk it up to my subconscious. “Duffy?” I asked as I reached out to hold possessively on to his arms.
“Yeah?”
“If I asked you if I could sleep in your bed, but didn’t want any hanky-panky to go on, would you be offended?”
“Definitely,” he said, then pulled me into his embrace, snuggling his chin into my hair and kissing the top of my head gently. “But for you, I’ll try to overlook it this one time. Come on. Grab your pillow and follow me.”
We padded into his room, and I got under the covers quickly while he turned off the light. When he climbed into bed and lay on his back I curled myself around his arm and tried to stop shivering. “You okay?” he asked after a bit.
“Yeah. Just shaken. It was one of those dreams that sticks with you.”
“It was just a dream, Abs. I promise, you’re safe and sound.”
I lay awake the rest of the night, feeling the weight of my left side, as it had grown thick and heavy the moment Duffy spoke about being safe and sound. Sometimes being psychic simply sucks.
Light broke through the curtains around seven thirty. Duffy stirred next to me as a ray hit his face, and he let out a groan as his eyes drifted open. “Hey,” he said when he saw me.
“Hey, yourself,” I said back.
“You didn’t sleep a wink, did you?” he asked as he scanned my eyes.
“Maybe half a wink,” I said. “Your phone di
dn’t ring.”
“Nope,” he said on a yawn. “That means they haven’t found Kelly yet.”
“She’s alive, Duff,” I said, knowing somewhere down deep she was still with us.
“Good to know,” Duffy said as he smoothed a hair out of my eyes. “Come on. Let’s get you up and showered so I can drop you at Viv’s and head to the station.”
I got up and zoomed into the shower while Duffy rustled up some raisin toast for both of us, which I ate while he took his turn. While he was shaving his phone rang, and I rushed it into the bathroom for him. He answered it and looked at me the moment someone began speaking on the other end. “Where?” he asked the caller. “How long ago?” he said after a pause. I looked at him with my eyebrows raised. Maybe he’d mouth a clue for me. “Where is she now? Uh-huh. Okay, I’m on it. See you in fifteen.”
Duffy clicked off the phone and picked the razor back up, making three strokes in very quick succession, then wiped the rest of the cream off his face. “Hello?” I waved at him. “Waiting for details here. Who was that?”
“They found Kelly,” Duffy said.
“Ohmigod! Is she all right? Where was she? Did they find Eddie too? Are you going to go see her now?”
Duffy grinned at me as he threw on his shirt and started buttoning it. “If this psychic gig doesn’t work out for you, you could always be an auctioneer, you know,” he said. I rolled my eyes and began tapping my foot impatiently. “Okay, okay. They found her walking along Highway Eighty-seven. I have no details other than she was walking under her own power and was transported to the hospital, where I’m headed right now.”
“Great. I’ll get my coat and we’ll be on our way.”
“I’m dropping you at Viv’s,” Duffy called as I sprinted out the bathroom door.
That stopped me. “Why can’t I come along?” I demanded as I spun around and gave him a look.