Nowhere to Run (Stephanie Carovella) (21 page)

“There was a photo?” Jesse echoed, his voice dropping to arctic temperatures.

“Look, Jess, it’s not a huge deal but when Carolyn died, a scrapbook was found with her body. In it was a photo of Angel and Lyn together. It was a shot of all of us taken on the night of our graduation.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “It didn’t take her long to put two and two together and figure out it was purposely put there. Their killer wanted her to connect the two murders together.”

Ben’s eyes darkened with fury. “Are you talking about the photo you all have? The one you keep on your bedside table? The one Angel kept by hers?” he demanded, his voice hardening in anger.

Stephanie put her hand on Ben’s arm in attempt to calm him. Gently, she said, “We believe the killer stole the photo from Angel’s house and put it inside the scrapbook. It was his way of getting Gena’s attention.”

She winced when Ben let out a string of his own curses, shaking her hand off his arm. Jesse snorted in disbelief.

“Damn it Stephanie, you don’t get it do you?” Jesse spat, his body tense, with a fury he could barely contain. “This guy had a photo of Gena, Lyn, Angel and you together. He knows you. If he’s the same guy who originally attacked Lyn, then he saw you. He knows that. Hell, Stephanie did you ever think for a second you could be god damn next?” He looked at her in disbelief. “You could be next on this asshole’s hit list.”

He stopped, seeing Stephanie’s calm look, and stared at her dumbfounded. “You’ve already guessed that, haven’t you?” It took him a few minutes before he could finish his train of thought, the words tumbling from his lips. “Sweet Jesus, you want him to come after you.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Gena stood outside Jesse’s house, staring at the hard red oak door. She raised her hand to knock, pausing midway. Dropping her hand to her side, she pressed her forehead against the front door.

“Gena, you know you have to do this,” Jase said softly. He stopped and corrected himself, slipping his hand into hers. “We need to do this.”

Jase sympathized with what Gena was going through. He knew from experience the battle of emotions that raged through her. He’d lost count of the many times he’d stood in front of someone’s door, psyching himself up to tell them their loved ones were dead. As a Police Officer it was never easy, but it was even harder as a Homicide Detective. There was never any easy way to tell someone their daughter, son, father or mother had been murdered. It was even harder when you knew the victim, when you knew their family and friends.

 He didn’t envy her position, although he knew he was just as close to the situation. He tried to imagine how hard it would have been to tell Angel, Ana was dead and knew the pain and heartache would have devastated her. It would have killed him to see her in that much pain.

He blinked back tears, the impact of his loss still fresh. He’d loved Angel in the short time they’d been together. He’d loved her as much as he was capable of loving someone. He still loved her and he would until the day he died.

“You’re right, Jase. This is just too God damn hard. They’ve been through so much already, losing Angel,” Gena said brokenly, interrupting his thoughts. Removing her hand from him, she said bitterly, “We’ve all been through so damn much.”

Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand again and knocked firmly on the front door. She was still shaken from the night’s events and they had spent endless hours at the Precinct.

Repeatedly they’d answered the same questions about Ana’s murder and how they had both known her. First, they’d been interviewed separately and then placed in the same room together. Detective Delucci had finally seemed satisfied with their answers and started asking questions about Carolyn Mathers’ murder.

Gena spent hours with Jase and Delucci, divulging every little detail she knew about Angel and Carolyn’s crime scenes. She’d repeatedly explained her thoughts on both cases and the connection between the two murders, omitting the fact she’d come to the conclusions with Stephanie. The questioning had turned to why Ana was killed and it had been one she still couldn’t answer. The only thought springing to mind was that Ana had been killed to send a message; to let her know that the killer had the upper hand.

Delucci had shot question after question at her, until her head was spinning and it felt like her eyeballs were on fire. When he’d started questioning her about the bloodied message, Jase intervened. He’d suggested calling it a night, and starting over tomorrow. Delucci had grudgingly agreed, seeing the hard glare Jase had given him when he’d opened his mouth to protest.

Gena was grateful to Jase for that. She wasn’t ready to discuss the blooded message, not until she could go over it herself in her mind or, she mentally added, until she could show the message and the crime scene photos that she’d taken on her cell to Stephanie. She knew it was breaking every protocol in the book, but she needed Stephanie’s eyes to see what she couldn’t.

She jerked her head up when Jesse opened the door.

“Gena, it’s late,” he began, stopping when he saw the unmasked pain on her face. “What’s happened?” he asked abruptly.

“I’m sorry Jess. I know it’s late, but this just couldn’t wait until the morning,” she said, stumbling over her words.

Jesse noticed Jase, instantly dismissing him. He took in Gena’s shaken appearance, frowning at the cracks in her composure. Usually she was so strong, so stoic. Something had hit her hard. He paled, a million possibilities running through his mind.

“Gena, you know you’re welcome here, anytime,” he said quietly, not letting her see how her crumpled appearance was affecting him. He opened the door wider, indicating with his hand for them to enter. “Besides, we were already awake. Stephanie had a nightmare.”

Looking at Gena again, he added curtly, “She just finished telling us about Carolyn Mathers.”

“You’re congregated together just because she had a nightmare?” Jase quizzed, arching an eyebrow in disbelief.

Gena cursed underneath her breath, suddenly feeling guilty for the grief she was about to cause them all. Comprehension hit her, when she realized what Jesse had just said, and she looked at him sharply. “She had a nightmare? I didn’t realize she still had them.”

Jesse scowled fiercely. “She hasn’t had them for a while, but they’re back in full force. Her screaming woke us all up.” Touching his bruised jaw, he growled. “She’s still got one hell of a right hook.”

Gena’s eyes went to the discolored bruising near Jesse’s mouth. She remembered the many sleepless nights spent consoling Stephanie after she’d woken her up screaming.

Lifting a shaking hand up to gently touch the bruise on his jaw, she was unable to keep the tremble out of her voice. “I’m glad you’re all awake. I need you all together for the news I have to share with you.”

Jesse opened his mouth to question her, but she moved her two fingers to his mouth, shaking her head emphatically. “Not here Jesse, please not here. This isn’t easy for me. I can’t do it now. Please, I want you all together.”

Jesse nodded, watching Gena give him a weak smile. His gut twisted. The sight of Gena struggling to hold back tears sent shivers of terror down his spine. He took her fingers away from his mouth, brushing his lips across her knuckles before he let her hand go. Opening the front door wider, he let them inside and, his heart pounding, he followed them down the hallway, struggling to remain calm. He had never seen Gena this distressed; even at Angel’s funeral she’d kept her head. Yet here she was, struggling to keep herself in one piece.

“Stephanie has nightmares?” Jase whispered to Gena, underneath his breath.

“For about as long as I’ve known her, she’s had them. She used to bring the house down with her screaming. It’s why she doesn’t sleep much,” she whispered back. Quickly rubbing her eyes with the back of one hand, she wiped away the tears suddenly filling her eyes. “And Jase, I’ve brought the nightmares back. You heard Jesse. She hadn’t had them for a while and now I’ve brought them back to her again.”

Jase placed his hand to the middle of her back and rubbed soothingly. He chided, “You can’t blame yourself. She obviously has had them for a long time. Anything could have triggered them.”

Gena laughed harshly, suddenly needing space from Jase and Jesse- some room so she could pull herself together before she faced them all. She moved away from Jase, quickly walking towards the living room. She stopped in the archway, drinking in the scene in front of her, her jaw clenched furiously.

Ben sat on the couch, Stephanie stretched out beside him, her head resting in his lap. She watched the way Ben’s fingers gently stroked Stephanie’s fiery red hair, in a lover’s caress. She heard Jase stop behind her, muttering, “Jesus fucking Christ.”

Ben lifted his head, seeing Gena and smiled a greeting. “Gena, we were just talking about you,” he teased, his eyes twinkling with mischief. His smile faded at her cold expression. Noticing Jase standing behind her, he scowled. His scowl deepened when Jase glared back at him, and he jerked his head towards him. “What the hell is he doing here?”

“He’s with me,” Gena said shortly, glaring at Ben.

Stephanie opened her eyes, feeling Ben tense. Lifting her head, she slowly sat up, uncurling herself from Ben.

“What’s happened?” she asked automatically, tensing in apprehension. She dug her fingers into the edge of the couch, curling her fingers tightly around it. She drew her eyes off Gena’s pale face to quickly look at Jase, giving him a shy smile. He returned it, grinning wider when Ben slung a possessive arm around Stephanie’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry. I wish I didn’t have to put you guys through this,” Gena began. She turned to face Jase and then twisted back to Stephanie and Ben.

“Gena, what is it? What’s happened?” Stephanie asked firmly, shaking Ben’s arm from her shoulders and standing. She tapped her fingers against her leg impatiently. She hated the unknown, and wished Gena would just tell them all why she was so upset.

Gena cast her eyes down to the cherry-oak polished floorboards, unsure of how to share the devastating news with them. Jase touched Gena’s shoulder in reassurance.

“Gena and I spent most of the afternoon and all of tonight at the Precinct,” he said quietly, pausing to nod supportively to Gena.

Gena nodded back, mouthing silently to him, “Thank you,” before she explained, “One of our M.E’s – no, sorry, my M.E, Cynthia, has gone missing. Jase had plans to have breakfast with her this morning and when she didn’t answer the door, he used the spare key.”

Ben interrupted her. “It certainly didn’t take you long to move on from Angel,” he jibed.

Jase raised an eyebrow sardonically at Ben, jerking his head towards Stephanie. “Oh, and you’re not doing the same with Ana?”

Stephanie rolled her eyes. “Is it possible for you two to stop from making this a pissing competition? Gena, I’m so sorry to hear about your medical examiner.”

“I’m sorry too Gena,” Jesse said, covering Gena’s shaking hands with his own. “But I fail to see how this has anything to do with us.”

Gena withdrew her hands from Jesse’s warm clasp, moving with shaking legs to the red velvet loveseat. Leaning forward, she placed her face in her hands. Taking deep gulps of air, she struggled to keep it together. Jesse sat down next to her, wrapping his arm around her waist and drawing her tightly to his body. She collapsed against him, resting her head against his chest, unable to continue.

“Cyn is an old friend of mine. I was the one who suggested she transfer to L.A from Alabama,” Jase said, picking up where Gena had left off. Refusing to speak of Cynthia Mallory in the past tense, he added with a rueful smile, “It’s something I may well regret for the rest of my life.”

“There’s more to this than what you’re telling us, isn’t there?” Stephanie said, slowly moving around the room. She stopped at a photo of Dominic, picking it up from the mantel piece and studying it. Putting it back, she said determinedly, “You wouldn’t be here if there wasn’t.”

Jase nodded, his face darkening. “Do you want me to tell them Gena, or can you talk?” He gently asked.

Gena lifted her face from Jesse’s chest, her eyes wet with tears. Quickly wiping them away with both hands, her smile watery, she shook her head. “No, it’s me who should tell them.”

Jesse’s grip around her waist tightened, and he growled impatiently, “Damn it Gena, don’t do this to us. Just tell us what’s happened.”

Gena unsteadily pushed herself up from Jesse’s chest, her heart pounding. “It’s Ana, she’s dead,” she burst out, the words spilling from her trembling lips. Seeing their stunned and shocked expressions, she burst into tears, unable to keep it together any longer.

Stephanie said nothing, her face ashen. Quickly she took Ben’s hand, holding it tightly. Ben sat as still as a statue, his face devoid of color.

“Are you sure?” Ben asked woodenly.

“Ben, I’m so god damn sorry,” Gena sobbed, unable to prevent tremors racking through her body.

Jesse move closer to her, his arms tightening around her. She fell into them, clinging tightly to his neck. His own composure broke, and he pressed his face to the top of her head, letting his grief cripple him.

“I’m so god damn sorry,” she whispered repeatedly.

Ben removed his hand from Stephanie’s, stood up and walked to the window. Staring out into the darkness, he squeezed his eyes shut. Memories of his last conversation with Ana sprang to mind. His last words had been in anger. Never again would he be able to tell her how sorry he was he hurt her. Never again would he see her smiling face, hear her laughter.

He felt an emptiness inside, and wasn’t sure whether it was because he had lost one of his best friends, or something more. Stephanie rose, moving to where he was stood motionless. She wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him close. He automatically wrapped his arms tightly around her, a lump developing within his throat.

Jase braced himself, knowing the worse was still to come. Gena needed to tell them Ana had been murdered, possibly by the same madman who killed both Carolyn and Angel. Feeling eyes on him, he was startled to find Stephanie assessing him. She was the only one who seemed completely calm. It unnerved him. It was almost as if she knew Ana had been murdered. Her next words confirmed his suspicions.