Open Wounds (18 page)

Detective Graham moved closer and looked down at her in compassion, like a man who was thinking of his own daughter and imagining her in the same position.

“It wasn’t your fault, and while you may not see that now, one day you will. Instead of sitting there wallowing in self-pity
—
”

“Hey,” Amelia said, interrupting him. “You’re out of line.”

“You should help me catch the son-of-a-bitch so that we can hang him up by his balls,” Ed continued, as if Amelia hadn’t spoken.

Kellie cracked a wry smile. “What is it you want to know, Detective?”

He nodded and Amelia could see the glint of admiration in his eyes as he took in Kellie’s small form and fierce personality. “What can you remember about the man? What did he look like? Feel like? Anything you can tell me will help me. There are no wrong answers or stupid insights. Just tell me everything.”

Kellie nodded and Amelia could feel the effort she used to stay calm and in control. She bit down on her lip, hard enough to draw blood. After what seemed like an eternity, she spoke with a quaking voice.

“He smelled like smoke and bad B.O. His eyes were dark and his hair was either brown or black. I can’t tell much more because we were in the dark but sometimes when he moved a strand of moonlight would hit his head and I could see the grease in his hair.”

Amelia rested her hand on Kellie’s shoulder. There was no sign that she even realised it was there. She was clearly locked inside her mind full of nightmares. “He was rough and I don’t just mean the sex. It was his hands. He was strong. He had me pinned in a matter of seconds and there was no way to break his hold. No matter how much I wanted to.”

She dropped her chin, a blush rising from her neck.

“Did he wear a condom?”

Kellie’s head jerked up in surprise. “I’m, um…I’m not experienced enough to know the difference,” she struggled to say. “I didn’t see one but then I wasn’t paying attention for that sort of thing, you know.”

“That’s fine. You did good. I’ll check the rape kit for semen. I assume the nurses treated you with the normal after rape cocktail
—
anti-pregnancy pill and such?”

This time, both girls blushed. They weren’t women of the world and didn’t try to be. They were both innocents, or at least until last night they had been. More than Kellie’s virginity had been taken. Her carefree and trusting nature also went, along with her mental health.

Detective Graham returned his notepad and pen to his pocket before offering Kellie a smile. “You’re a very smart and strong girl.” He handed her his card. “Any questions,
anything at all, give me a call. Days, nights, weekends, public holidays, I’m always available.”

“Not much of a life, Detective,” Amelia said.

“Nope. Long hours, bad pay, and mean people.”

“Then why do you do it?”

“To clean up the streets. It’s a big job but someone has to do it. If only to make the world safe. It’s not one hundred percent fool proof, but I’m trying. Rest up, Miss Munroe, and heal. I’ll be back later with an update, I promise.”

He paused long enough to pat Kellie’s shoulder before walking out the door. It was a brief, barely there touch, the detective knowing that any longer would most likely send her into hysterics.

“He seemed nice,” Amelia said into the silence that followed his departure.

Kellie nodded but didn’t say anything. She leaned back heavily against the pillow, exhausted. She closed her eyes. Believing her to have fallen asleep, Amelia pulled the visitor’s chair closer to the bed before she sat down.

“They said I’m lucky to be alive.” The sound of Kellie’s tired voice startled her. She half laughed, half sobbed. “I wanted to die. I begged and pleaded for the end. I just gave up.”

***

Amelia jerked as her desk phone rang, pulling her from the horrible memory. She had never heard such desolation in a voice before and the words had rung inside her head for years after. She’d never been so helpless in her entire life then that day. The day her best friend had told her that she had wished to die.

It wasn’t long after that day that she and Kellie had begun to drift apart. She admitted now she'd overcompensated, hovering over her friend who hadn't appreciated her protectiveness at the time. It hadn’t stopped Amelia from checking on the case. She’d hounded Ed Graham ruthlessly for answers. He’d done his best to bring Kellie justice, but the leads had gone cold and there wasn’t anything more he could do. Amelia understood that now but it didn’t stop her from raging at the world.

Years later, when she’d joined the LAC, she’d met up with Ed for coffee often. He’d mentored her for years and had helped her cope through the injustices of the world, the crooked legalities that had more than one criminal walk away scot free. He’d been her sounding board, her voice of reason when she’d had none and if it hadn’t been for him, Amelia knew she wouldn’t have made it this far.

Amelia pushed away the past and answered the phone. Dean Matthews’s voice came through. “Donovan, you won’t believe what I’m looking at.”

“I assume you’re not going to make me guess?”

Dean chuckled. “Nope. I’m looking right at the black Honda CRV Prescott said he saw at the LAC when it was shot up.”

“How do you know it’s the right one?” Amelia sat up straighter, her blood sizzling with anticipation. Dean had her full attention.

“Well, for one, it’s here at Coleani’s little ghetto. Two, there’s a bullet mark on the back. And three, it looks like it’s about to be burnt to a crisp. So if you want to catch the S-O-Bs who thought they could attack the LAC and get away with it, you better get down here quickly.”

“We’re on the way,” she said, and hung up. She immediately retrieved her weapon, then grabbed her mobile and called Darryl.

Chapter 28

The Houston building, a decaying dump, caught Kellie’s attention as the Commodore pulled up beside Detective Matthews’s unmarked vehicle. The man himself was leaning against the chassis waiting, his chest already covered with a bulletproof vest, his gaze never leaving the building even as they approached.

“They’re still in there. I only saw three of them exit the CRV but they were real nervous. Then they starting stripping the vehicle until they were interrupted by another man. Older. Authoritative. I didn’t recognise him but they all followed him inside.”

“Probably one of the lieutenants,” Amelia said.

“More than likely,” Dean replied.

“How many do you suppose are in there?” Kellie asked as she stared at the building. She had lived in one just like it for years with her mother. Her building had been torn down five years ago, and a new service station stood on the land.

Dean shrugged, merely lifting one shoulder. “Who knows? I’ve seen kids coming and going all day. You’d think they were giving out free Xbox games in there, considering the foot traffic.”

“How do you want to handle this?” Darryl asked Amelia.

“We take them hard, detain anyone who resists, and find those shooters. I’m sure there will be plenty of evidence lying inside to make charges stick.”

Darryl nodded and moved to open the boot of his vehicle. He handed Amelia a vest similar to Dean’s then lifted another larger one and slipped it over his chest, securing it. He swung around to face her as Amelia and Dean jogged on ahead. “Stay here. You don’t have a gun or tactical experience and no reason to be in there when the shit goes down.”

She put up a hand. “Understood.”

Darryl nodded as if accepting that she wasn’t a complete idiot, and joined the others. Kellie opened the car door and slipped on to the passenger seat. She gripped the radio in her hand as she surveyed her surroundings. If anyone came near the crumbling building, she would let the team inside know.

***

With their weapons drawn, Darryl, Donovan, and Matthews quickly climbed the steps, easily manoeuvring around the broken ones. So far they had found the tenement empty, much to his relief.

The more parties involved, the harder it would be to contain them, and something could go seriously wrong. Together, they cleared each room before moving on to the next one, making sure to keep an eye on each direction so no one could sneak up behind them and blow their brains out.

Darryl couldn’t believe anyone actually lived in these rooms. Each resembled more of a squatter’s paradise than appropriate accommodations, but then again, these kids probably thought this was the Hilton compared to what they were used to. He could smell the mould and wondered at the damage it did to the kids’ lungs on a permanent basis. They would need to do something about this building. He made a mental note to bring it up with Harris.

He tried to imagine Kellie living in a place like this. From what she’d told him, this was as close to her home as he would ever see, and he shuddered to think at how vulnerable she had been. Looking at her now, he never would have guessed at her past. She had overcome so much and he was proud of her for that. She was an incredibly strong woman even if she didn’t believe it, but he did, and that was all that mattered.

He reached the end of the hall. It curved around to reveal another set of doorways and Darryl knew they would spend the rest of the day clearing the place. Oddly enough, the only sounds they heard so far were the rodents nesting in the walls, and the creak of the weakened floorboards beneath their feet. His gut warned him to be careful.

A moment later, a loud pop echoed through the apartment complex and shook the thin walls like an earthquake. Darryl glanced at Amelia and nodded. She responded in kind and he took off up the next level of stairs as she continued searching the current floor.

He took the stairs two at a time, wary and cautious, ever mindful of the danger. He moved silently down the hallway, taking a quick inventory of the rooms as he passed. Some doors were conveniently left open for his perusal, others he had to open.

He was halfway down the second corridor when he heard another shot. He quickly and diligently scanned the area as his ears registered the fact that the shot had come from a room not too far down the hall. He could see the open door and the shadows against the wall from a figure moving about the room.

He reached into his pocket and dialled Donovan’s number, allowing it to ring once. He knew she had it on vibrate, just like he did, and hung up. She would know he’d found something, and when it was safe to do so, she would join him upstairs.

Darryl approached the room and peered inside. Another
pop
blasted inside the room, piercing his eardrum. A body fell, joking two more on the floor. He had gotten there just in time to see the last body fall.

“Don’t move, you son-of-a-bitch,” Darryl spat at the tall man holding the gun in a coolly efficient manner. His gaze drifted over to the three dead teenagers.

The man’s wild eyes shot daggers at him even as he assessed just how serious Darryl was about squeezing the trigger. He must’ve seen the anticipated gleam in his gaze since he immediately dropped his weapon, the gun bouncing loudly on the floorboards.

“Kick it away,” Darryl ordered, and watched as the man, clearly pissed, kicked his gun away. “Get down on your knees.”

The man snarled, and Darryl studied the three bodies. It was clear from the angle that they’d been on their knees before they died, probably begging for their lives. None of them appeared older than eighteen. Darryl turned his dark gaze back at his captive, approaching warily, knowing it was unwise to assume he had the upper hand.

It was always a lesson learnt the hard way.

Darryl made it only a foot away when suddenly the man rose to his feet in one lithe movement, his head bowing slightly as the man rammed into his stomach like a bull. Caught off guard by the attack, he grunted as he took the hit, his feet lifting off the ground at the momentum. Darryl gripped the handle of his Glock tighter it.

Rule number one:
Never drop your weapon
.

His lungs were robbed of breath, the force of the blow sending him backwards onto a broken mirror before his back slammed against the rotting timber floor. He heard it creak under his weight as a white-hot pain shot through his palm.

Glancing down, he cursed as he saw the long jagged line on the palm of his hand and the blood dripping from the wound. He fired his weapon at the retreating man, who upon disabling him, hadn’t waited around and took off through the decomposing door that dangled precariously on its hinges.

He cursed loudly. Amelia appeared in the doorway, her weapon at the ready. The three victims drew her gaze first, her expression darkening before turning to his hand.

“I’m fine,” he told her. “He went that way.” He pointed in the general direction.

“Go get yourself checked, Darryl, you’re bleeding all over the place.” And with that, she was gone, through the door their assailant had used. He cursed himself again for being taken off guard.

He stood, feeling a few other, smaller cuts on his body and the start of some fresh bruises. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could get Kellie to tend to him.

Unlikely. He had no idea where they currently stood.

He exited the apartment building slowly and made his way toward the Commodore. Kellie was beside him suddenly, surprising him. She must’ve sensed something was wrong the moment he emerged into the harsh light of day. He blinked as he took in the commotion. The LAC’s forensic team were busily combing over the CRV and he nodded at them.

“You’re hurt,” Kellie said.

“Want to kiss it better?”

Had he seriously just said that?

He must be in worse shape than he’d thought.

Instead of kissing him, she punched him on his shoulder, hard, and his arm went dead. “
Ow
.”

He leaned into her as she took his hand and felt a little lightheaded as she examined his palm. She stared at him with serious blue eyes brimming with worry. Her concern warmed him. Maybe there was hope for them, after all.

“It’s deep. I need to get you to the ER,” Kellie said, immediately patting him down for his keys.

“Jesus, Kellie,” he groaned as she incited him into a much more painful state.

“You’re such a guy, Darryl. All you can think of is sex,” she admonished as she retrieved the keys from his front pocket. He squeezed his eyes shut as her hand moved against him.

Just great. He was about to be taken to the hospital with a raging hard-on. Talk about uncomfortable.

She led him toward the passenger seat and helped him in as if he were a child. He liked this nurturing side of her.

Then she climbed in next to him and started the car. He ran his uninjured hand up and down her arm. He felt her shiver, then gave him a hard, quelling look.

“I heard some shots. No one else was hurt, were they?”

He shook his head as he awkwardly clipped the seatbelt around him. “Only the kids who shot up the LAC. It appears Coleani sent in a cleaner.”

Kellie cursed bluntly, shocking Darryl with vocabulary a sailor could be proud of. The woman had quite the mouth. She peeled out of the parking spot before he could comment and into main traffic. Five minutes later they arrived at the hospital.