The Reckoning (10 page)

“I don’t know. Will you be able to refrain from hitting him?”

Mike shrugged. “Probably not.”

Mike pushed through the lab doors, expecting to find Abby’s version of the professor waiting behind the door. The man was the complete opposite of what Abby had described the other night at dinner. He wasn’t short and round. He was tall and built. He didn’t have a gray beard; he didn’t have any facial hair at all. His brown hair was styled like he’d spent hours in front of the mirror. Abby’s description had Mike picturing him as Santa Claus, but in reality. This guy could have been on the cover of any man’s magazine, and Mike would have bet the women would have been swooning.

Abby held out her hand. “Professor, I’m Abby Bennett, the lead forensic investigator on this case.” The professor nodded and took her hand. Abby closed her eyes briefly before opening them. Her lips tilted up in the corners. “And this is my brother, Mike Bennett, the lead investigator.”

The professor held out his hand, and Mike shook it. The only thing that came to his mind was the recent experiments the professor had just completed on the new drug. He hoped Abby’s gift had kicked in and she got a premonition.

Mike dropped his hand and glanced at Abby. She nodded. Mike started walking around the room. “So, Professor, Elizabeth tells me you’re the best at what you do.”

Professor Oliver raised his brow. “I’m sorry, who?”

Mike waved his hand though the air. “Doctor Elizabeth Lister, I’m sure you remember her. She was one of your students.”

The professor’s eyes widened for a split second before he regained his composure. It was a fast shifting of his features, but Mike caught it just the same and grinned.

Professor Oliver put his index finger to his chin. “Nope, I’m drawing a blank. So many students come through my classes. I just can’t picture her.” 

Mike felt his blood pressure rising. All he wanted to do was knock this arrogant asshole’s lights out. From the first touch, he’d known this asshole had put the knife in her door, and now, he referred to
Elizabeth
as just another student. Mike knew the score. It didn’t take a genius to know this guy was a lying slimeball. He might be able to fool some people, but not Mike. Even without his gift, his cop instinct told him this guy was shady. He had the same vibe as several he’d put behind bars.  

Mike felt Abby’s hand on his arm. The knowing look she gave him calmed him some, but not much. He was still ready to rip off the professor’s head with his bare hands.

“So, Professor, have you had any time to research the blue powder? Is there anything you can tell us that will help with our investigation?”

A grin spread across the professor’s lips. “I was just getting started and running some tests on the powder you found. I’ve seen it before but never got a chance to study it.”

Mike took a step in the professor’s direction. “Really? You’ve seen it before? Where? When?”

The professor picked up a microscope slide and slid it under the lens. “Right before I was summoned here. It seems you aren’t the only ones that want to know more about its origins.”

“Will you excuse me for a minute?” Abby said to the professor. “I need to talk to Mike before he leaves.”

The professor waved his hand, “Certainly.” He never lifted his head up from the slide. “I don’t have any plans on leaving until I find what I’m looking for.”

Mike crossed his arms over his chest. “Exactly what are you looking for?”

The professor glanced up. “Well answers, of course.” He gestured toward the slide. “To your problem.”

Abby pulled Mike by the arm out of the lab. It was probably one of the smarter things his sister had ever done. Another minute with the jerk and Mike would have knocked him on his ass.

Abby pulled the door closed behind them. “Just take a deep breath. We aren’t going to let anything happen to
Elizabeth
. We just need to find out everything he knows.”

Abby walked beside Mike toward his office. Mike asked, “Did you get a read on him when you shook his hand?”

She nodded. “Yep, he’s the asshole that put the knife in
Elizabeth
’s door.”

“We might need to bring Claire in to read his mind. Maybe if we knew what the professor was up to it might make things easier for us.”

Mike shook his head. “No, I don’t want to expose Claire or Emma to this asshole. He’s dangerous. Hell, I don’t even want you around him.”

Mike and Abby walked through the waiting area. Mike glanced around for his redheaded sister that had slipped through his fingers. He’d hoped that she would have came back, but she was nowhere to be seen. 

Abby stood in Mike’s doorway with her hands on her hips. A look of defiance was etched across her face. Her demeanor alone told him he wasn’t about to get Abby to quit looking into the drug. This was too important.

“Fine. At least tell me you’re packing.”

Abby nodded.

“Good, don’t let this asshole out of your sight.” Mike walked over to her and put his hands on her arms. “And for god’s sake, please be careful.”

Abby grinned. “I’ll try, but I can’t promise he won’t have a slip-and-fall or some type of horrific accident while in the lab. You know how clumsy I can be.” Abby winked and left his office.

CHAPTER 9

Mike picked up his stress ball and squeezed. He’d spent the next few minutes on the phone filling in the Captain with the situation between the professor and Elizabeth. The next few hours after that he’d had the same conversations over and over, until Sam, Jake, Butch, Briggs, and Thompson had been brought up to date on what he’d discovered. He was going to need all the help he could get in keeping his rage under control long enough to pick the professor’s mind on the blue substance. All bets were off, however, if he laid a finger on
Elizabeth
or even approached her again.

Mike felt cornered. He needed this asshole’s information as much as
Elizabeth
needed him to get rid of the asshole. Without the professor, he wasn’t sure if they stood a chance of finding out more information on the blue drug and getting one step closer to Winters, and the deaths had just started. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. Either way he moved, the outcome could jeopardize more than he was willing to lose.

****

Elizabeth
rubbed her feet as she sat in the doctors’ lounge. She’d had a long day, but thankfully, it was over. She wasn’t even sure how she’d managed to perform with her mind going in several different directions. Between Mike and the professor, her need to run had increased. She wasn’t ready to get closer to Mike, and that was where she was headed. A roll in the hay was one thing; meeting and knowing her father took their relationship to an entirely different level. One she wasn’t quite ready to deal with.

The squeaking of the door drew
Elizabeth
out of her thoughts, and she looked up. The one man she didn’t know what to do with smiled down at her. “I was told I could find you here.”

Mike pulled out a chair and took
Elizabeth
’s unclad foot into his lap. His fingers continued rubbing the soreness away.
Elizabeth
let her head fall back onto her chair. “God, that feels good.”

“These are magic hands, baby.”
Elizabeth
raised her head and found Mike cracking his knuckles before he returned to the foot massage. “How was your day, Doc?”

She let out a sigh. His fingers were working a miracle on her foot. She kicked off the other shoe and lifted her other foot to his lap.

Mike chuckled. “That bad?”

Elizabeth
shook her head. “No, not bad, just long.” She pulled her feet out of his lap and started to put back on her shoes. “What are you doing here, Mike?”

“I stopped by the administrator’s office and had a nice and productive chat. Did you know that he and Claire are good friends?” Mike grinned. “You’re officially on vacation.”

Elizabeth
jumped to her feet, her voice hoarse with frustration. “Tell me you didn’t.”

Mike stood and walked over to her, pulling
Elizabeth
into his arms. “No need to thank me, Doc. I just explained you have a family emergency that we need needs to be handled.” He leaned down and kissed her neck. “It works out perfect for us.” Mike placed kisses along her shoulder. “It’s the only way I know to keep you safe.”

The feel of Mike’s lips on her had her in a haze. If he continued his assault, she would probably agree to anything.
Elizabeth
shook her head and pushed on his chest, stepping out of his embrace. She needed to keep a clear head, and she couldn’t do that in his arms. “I can protect myself, Mike.”
Elizabeth
turned and picked up her bag. “Consider yourself off babysitting duty.”

Mike’s eyes twinkled as his grin grew. She’d seen that look on his face before he’d kissed her silly in her office. She could read the intent in his eyes. He had a plan. “What are you smiling about?”

Mike held out his hand. “If you don’t come willingly, I’ll just have to go back to the administrator’s office and tell him that you need the time off to plan our wedding.” Mike nodded. “I think Butch had the right idea when he did that to Claire.”

Elizabeth
planted her fist on her hips. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Mike leaned down and kissed her cheek before he gently took her arm and led her from the break room. “Don’t tempt me, Doc.”

Elizabeth
didn’t even say goodbye to the nurses as they passed. The urge to yank her arm from his grasp taunted her. Mike was a man of his word. Any sudden refusal in the hospital and he’d tell everyone they were engaged, and that was the last thing she needed. In this small town, the news would get back to the professor before nightfall. Mike would be the new target the asshole would try to take out, just like her dead kitty.

Elizabeth
played along. She pasted a smile on her face and didn’t make a spectacle of herself dealing with Mike and his attention. As far as the nurses knew, he was just a police escort, with what looked to be benefits. She’d let them continue to think that way until she could get Mike alone. Then there were really going to be some fireworks, just not the kind he’d hoped for.

Mike pushed open the emergency door to the parking garage and held it open for her to pass through. He put his arm around her shoulder, leading her toward her car. “Don’t be mad at me, Doc. We all just want what’s best for you, and we can’t protect you here. There are just too many variables we can’t control.”

They approached her car in the now lit parking garage and stopped suddenly. She saw a silver blade sticking out of her tire. “Damn it, not my car.”

She jerked out from under Mike’s arm and stormed over to her car, pulling out the knife and the note attached to one of her four flat tires. “Shit.”

Mike took the knife and the note, reading it out loud as
Elizabeth
walked around her car, inspecting the damage. “‘You’re mine, Elizabeth. Don’t ever forget that.’”

Mike pulled his phone from his clip and called Ted. “I need you to pull up the security footage for the third floor of the hospital parking garage for the last eight hours and tell me who slashed
Elizabeth
’s tires.

“Red Honda, row three, third space down. Call me on my cell when you have the information.”

Mike pulled
Elizabeth
by the arm and steered her toward his SUV. The anger boiling inside of
Elizabeth
threatened to choke her.

Mike had just clicked his seatbelt when his phone rang. He pulled it from his clip and hit the speaker as turned the ignition.

“Mike?” Emma said.

Mike stilled. “Hey, Emma, I’m just picking up
Elizabeth
from the hospital. Is everything okay?”

Emma paused. “Oh, okay, I was just calling to remind you about dinner. Have you seen Abby lately?”

“She’s at the lab. Why don’t you send Sam or Butch over to check on her? I have a situation that I’m dealing with, and I’d feel better if one of them were there when I get some answers.”

Elizabeth
raised her brow. “Okay, I’m not a rocket scientist or anything, but could you two be less cryptic and tell me what the hell is going on!”

Mike pulled out of the garage and glanced at her. “I promise I’ll explain everything tonight.”

Emma’s voice broke through the silence. “Everything?”

“Yes, Emma, everything. Call in the troops for dinner.” Mike hit the button ending the call.

Before
Elizabeth
could ask, Mike’s phone rang again; this time it was Thompson’s voice filling the car.

“Hey, Mike, I was at the office when you called Ted. It seems Professor Oliver has been busy in the last twenty-four hours.”