Had a Great Fall (An Olivia Thompson Mystery) (9 page)

Even though Nate knew there was no threat, he found his protective instincts taking over. His hand wrapped over her arm as he said, “Olivia is here with me, actually.”

“Right.” The officer understood Nate’s implication that Olivia wasn’t available. “Well, you can go on in. The nurse says she is awake now, but I’m not sure she’s doing much talking yet.”

Olivia pulled her arm free and entered the hospital room a few feet ahead of Nate. He made sure the door was closed behind them and turned around to find Olivia waiting for him, an annoyed look on her face.

“You have to stop, Nate.” Her arms were crossed over her chest, a sure sign that she was ready for a fight. “I’m not your property, or some prize to be won.”

“I’m sorry if you don’t like me being protective of you, but I’m not going to stop.” Nate kept his voice low in case Jenna was able to hear them from across the room. “I love you, Olivia. When I see someone eyeing you like an object, my instincts take over. Not to mention, I’m pretty proud of the fact that you’re my girl and I want everyone to know it.”

He edged around her before she could protest. The fact that she didn’t kick his shin on the way past was a good sign.

Jenna looked more or less exactly the same as she had the first time Nate had seen her. Her small, fragile form was swallowed by the white sheet covering her body. A number of monitors beeped behind the bed, but this time she didn’t have a giant tube down her throat. Hopefully that meant she would be able to talk to them.

Nate remembered what Olivia had said about a female presence being more effective and he let her step into the small space between him and the bed. She touched Jenna’s arm with a sure hand and said her name softly. The girl’s eyes fluttered open.

“Are you done fighting?” she asked before either of them could speak.

Olivia glanced at Nate and he shrugged. “Jenna, I’m Olivia Thompson and this is Detective Tucker. How are you feeling?”

“Like a psychopath kidnapped me and then I was hit by a car.” Jenna coughed dryly. “Could you two stop ogling each other and get me some water?”

Nate touched a hand lightly to Olivia’s back. “I’ll get it.”

“Is this your idea of a romantic date?” Jenna asked her while Nate poured water from a pitcher into a plastic cup.

“Actually, I was hoping I could speak with you about what happened.” Olivia’s voice was even and emotionless. “I’m a doctor of psychology, specializing in criminal behavior. I’m helping Detective Tucker investigate your case.”

“And screwing him?” Jenna added.

“Yes,” Olivia said without betraying any surprise. Nate was glad that his back was still turned because he hadn’t been able to hide his shock over her blunt question. “Do you remember what happened to you?”

Nate handed Jenna the cup of water and she took a long sip. The darkness that had settled over her face wasn’t just from the bruising under her eyes.

“I was walking home from work. It was late, but not so late that I felt unsafe. I’ve walked that same route a hundred times and nothing bad has ever happened.” Jenna closed her eyes, either because she was growing tired or because she was trying to remember more clearly. “There’s this one spot at the corner with a dark alley. Every time I walk past it, I think about how easy it would be for someone to hide there. I never really thought that would happen though.”

Nate didn’t tell her that no victim ever thought they would become a victim.

“He came up behind me and knocked me out before I even knew what was happening. I tried to fight back, but he slapped something over my face that was soaked in chemicals. It knocked me out cold.” Jenna shuddered, lost in the memory. “He must not have used enough because when I woke up, he was surprised.”

“What makes you think that?” Olivia asked softly. “Did he say something?”

Jenna’s eyes opened slowly and she focused only on Olivia as she said, “Because he wasn’t done yet. I woke up and he was still… on top of me.”

“You saw his face?” If Olivia was at all bothered by the conversation, she wasn’t letting it show. In fact, she was handling the whole thing like a professional.

“I saw a lot of him,” Jenna said bluntly. “But if you’re asking for a description, he was just a regular guy. Average height, average build, brown hair and eyes. He didn’t look like a rapist and murderer. But then again, I guess they never do. That’s how they get away with it.”

“You don’t remember anything else about his appearance? Nothing distinguishing?” Nate had stayed a few feet behind Olivia, reluctantly giving her the control of the conversation. But that didn’t mean he was going to remain silent.

Jenna glared at him, a hatred in her eyes that he was certain he didn’t deserve. If taking her anger out on him helped her recovery, he was happy to be the scapegoat.

“He liked it rough,” she said through a clenched jaw. “When he was finishing, he bit me. Said that he wanted to taste me.”

Nate understood instantly why the murder victims had been so badly mutilated. Not only had the murderer removed their teeth and prints to disguise their identities, he’d also been trying to erase any evidence of his identity. But he hadn’t counted on them finding a live victim.

“Where did he bite you?” he asked, trying not to sound too urgent.

She looked hard at him with eyes that had already seen too many terrible things. Her hand shook as she raised it the neck of her hospital gown, which she pulled aside to reveal a bandage covering her left shoulder. She said, “He broke the skin.”

Nate pushed away a smile that threatened to reveal itself. Jenna didn’t know it, but that bite mark might be the key to solving the whole case.

“We’re going to need to see that wound.” His hand was already on the button to call the nurse. “We’ll also need you to tell us every detail about where you were held. What do you remember?”

“It was dark. I was in a basement. Cement walls, metal bars, musty air.” Jenna took another sip of water and Nate noticed that her hand was shaking. “I wasn’t alone down there either. There were at least two other girls.”

“How did you escape?” Olivia asked.

Jenna’s eyes fluttered as she fought sleep. “He wasn’t expecting me to wake up so he hadn’t bothered to tie me up yet. When he climbed off me and started buttoning his pants, I made my move. There was a pile of metal chains on the bed next to me. He hadn’t gotten around to tying me up yet so I grabbed them and swung them at his head. I kicked him hard in the junk and then ran for it. That’s when I saw the other girls in their cells.” She paused as her eyes filled with water. “I wanted to help them, but I couldn’t stop. He was right behind me.”

“Of course. You did the right thing.” Olivia patted her hand. “What happened next?”

“I ran upstairs and there was a door right there. It took me outside. I didn’t even have on any shoes, but I kept running. I never looked to see if he was following me until I had been running for at least ten minutes. When I finally glanced over my shoulder, I stumbled into the road and that’s when I got hit.” She handed Olivia the cup of water. “I’m really tired.”

“We’re almost done,” Nate promised. “Do you remember the building? You were found on Clark Street. Was the building on that street?”

“I don’t think so.” Her eyes drooped again. “I ran in a zigzag pattern in case he was following me. I think it was about a mile, but I can’t really remember.”

Olivia smiled encouragingly. “You did really well, Jenna.”

The nurse arrived and Nate had her remove the gauze covering the bite mark. It turned out to be only a partial imprint, but it should be enough to help verify the attacker if they rounded up a suspect. He took several pictures of the wound while Jenna drifted back into unconsciousness. He knew that he should have called Vince the minute he found out she was awake, but doing that would have also alerted Barnes. Nate couldn’t deal with him yet.

“I need to call the station and get officers searching that area. In her condition, she couldn’t have run more than a mile before she was hit. In fact, I’d bet it was closer to just a few blocks.” Nate was already ringing Vince to update him.

“This is good, right? You can focus the investigation now.” Olivia finally let go of Jenna’s hand.

The phone began to ring and Nate was already thinking five steps ahead. “More than good. Jenna’s details are going to help me solve the case.”

Despite still technically being on suspension, Nate left the hospital to meet up with his partner. Olivia stayed behind to be with Jenna in case she woke up again. She just couldn’t bear to leave the poor girl alone.

About an hour after Nate left, Jenna opened her eyes again. This time, they were wide and fearful. Her breathing was accelerated as she gasped, “I remember.”

“What do you remember?” Olivia leaned forward in her chair.

“Him.” The heart rate on the monitor behind her bed began to increase. “That night wasn’t the first time I saw my attacker. He came into the bar two nights earlier. I served him a Manhattan with a lime.”

“How do you remember that?” It was hard to believe that Jenna could remember the exact drink order taken over a week ago. Olivia couldn’t even remember what she had eaten for lunch yesterday.

Jenna winced. “I remember it because of him. He was really good looking. I flirted with him. How could I have been so stupid?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Olivia said quickly. She knew that every detail from Jenna’s memory was important and she wished that Nate was still there to ask the right questions. Olivia felt a bit like she was swimming in the deep end and the water was over her head. “Do you remember anything else about him? Did he pay with a credit card?”

“He paid in cash. I remember because he left me a twenty dollar tip for one drink.” Jenna’s face had gone ever paler. “He asked me for my name and I told him, but he never told me his name. I remember that he was dressed too nice for the bar. He was wearing a suit. I thought maybe he was a lawyer or something.”

Olivia’s instincts had kicked in and she knew exactly what she needed to ask next. “Does the bar have any security cameras?”

Olivia waited until Jenna slipped into unconsciousness before leaving the hospital. Even then, she made sure the officer was stationed right outside. Jenna hadn’t been able to confirm whether the bar had cameras and Olivia knew she wouldn’t be able to stop wondering about the possibility until she had a definite answer. The only way to do that was to check out the bar in person.

It was a short cab ride to the bar in Lincoln Park. Olivia paid the driver and stepped onto a crowded sidewalk. It was Saturday night and the neighborhood was alive with drunken college students. It took some concentration to navigate toward the door of Cruizens. The interior wasn’t what Olivia had expected. Lots of wood paneling and dim lighting.

“What can I get you?” the young bartender asked. The smile he gave Olivia was more of a habit rather than actual pleasure.

“Security video,” Olivia replied. She had spotted the camera in the corner almost the second she walked through the door. “From last weekend.”

“You’re pretty, but I’m not easily impressed. I’m not going to give you our security video.” His smile wavered. “Is this a sorority hazing thing or something?”

Olivia hadn’t really expected it to be that easy. “I’m here on behalf of Jenna Kramer. Did you know her?”

“Jenna?” The smile vanished. “Is she okay? We all heard what happened to her.”

“She’s okay…”

“Chris.”

“Jenna is doing alright, Chris. But the man that took her has taken other girls, and some of them are dead. The ones that are still alive won’t stay that way for long. It’s imperative that we find him.” Olivia pointed to the camera. “He was in this bar a couple of nights before Jenna was taken. That camera may be the only way we will be able to identify the killer.”

Chris glanced around the bar. It was fairly quiet considering the chaos outside. He threw down the towel he had been twisting in his hands. “Come with me.” To the other bartender, he said, “Carl, I’m taking a break.”

Olivia let herself around the bar and followed Chris into the backroom. It was stocked with crates of liquor and smelled like stale beer. In the far corner, an old monitor sat on an ancient-looking desk.

“The recordings are downloaded onto this computer. Our owner had the camera installed because of the random fights that happen. He’s worried about potential lawsuits.” Chris set two folding chairs in front of the desk and switched on the monitor. He clicked into a few folders before finding the footage.

“Jenna said she saw the guy two days before she was taken. She also said she worked that night, so we can probably focus on that time frame.” Olivia literally sat on the edge of her seat as she waited for Chris to start the recording.

“We can watch it at double speed,” he said, clicking again until the video sped up. People entered the bar and drank their beers at an impressive speed. It would have been a comical scene if they weren’t searching for a killer amongst the patrons.

“There’s Jenna,” Chris said, tapping the screen with a long finger. “She’s just starting her shift.”

Olivia quickly scanned the entire screen, taking stock of who was present. She didn’t see any male wearing a suit. That meant the killer hadn’t been there prior to her arrival. Maybe he had followed her to the bar.

Ten minutes after Jenna appeared, a man entered the bar wearing a dark suit. It had to be him. “There,” Olivia breathed. “Son of a bitch.”

“That’s him?” Chris squinted hard at the screen. “That’s the guy that hurt Jenna?”

“I think so.” She leaned even closer to the monitor, nearly falling off her chair. “Jenna said she spoke with him, so we just need to see if they interact. Can you set it back to regular speed?”

Time seemed to stand still as they watched Jenna’s every move. She glided effortlessly around the bar, taking orders and serving drinks. It took her several trips before she noticed the man seated in the dark corner. The camera caught his silhouette, but it was impossible to make out any distinguishing traits.

Jenna was facing the camera as she approached him. A faint smile played at her lips. She tossed her hair and laughed as they chatted, oblivious to the fact that she was talking to a killer. Olivia still hadn’t managed a glimpse of his face.

One drink later, the man stood and tossed money onto his table. Olivia began to the think that she wasn’t going to find any way to identify him when he turned. The camera was perfectly aimed to capture his face.

“No way,” Olivia said in disbelief.

“Do you know him?” Chris asked, glancing between her and the monitor.

She was already reaching for her phone to dial Nate’s number. “I don’t think anyone really knows him,” she muttered.

Nate’s phone rang twelve times before she hung up. He was probably busy working on the case, but that didn’t prevent Olivia’s stomach from twisting into a giant knot. She needed to get to the station so she could see for herself that he was alright.

Olivia reached for a pad of paper and pen and scribbled down her email address. “Send me a copy of the video and a screenshot of his face. I need to get it to the police.”

“Yeah, alright.” He stared blankly at her, expecting more of an explanation than she was willing to give.

“Thanks for your help,” she said as she jumped to her feet. “You just helped crack this case wide open.”