Cold Case Justice. Sharon Dunn

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СКАЧАТЬ she was going to be okay before he went home.

      Lindy narrowed her eyes at him. “Didn’t your supervisor suggest you take a few days off after that suicide tore you up so bad?”

      “Work is the best thing for me.” Honestly, sitting at home wondering what he could have done different to save Christina Johnson would only make things worse.

      “You can’t rescue everyone from everything. Sometimes you’ve just got to hang it up once your shift is over,” Lindy said.

      “That’s not what’s going on here.” He sounded like he was trying to convince himself. He wasn’t stepping out of bounds. He just didn’t want another Christina on his hands.

      Lindy shrugged. “It’s your call. I’m about to do my rounds. You’re welcome to pop your head in and say hello to her yourself.”

      He wouldn’t be at peace to leave work until he saw that Rochelle was okay and that whatever panic she had at the scene had been because of the accident and not something else.

      He followed Lindy down the hall. When they stepped into the room, the bed was unmade but empty. Lindy checked the bathroom and then shook her head. “Looks like our patient checked out on her own.” She bustled toward the door. “I’m not sure what recourse we have for getting her back here, but I’ll talk to the doctor. I hope we find her. That woman needs rest and medical supervision. She’s in no condition to be running around.”

      Feeling a rising sense of panic, Matthew darted toward the door. “I know the first place to look for her.”

       TWO

      Pain shot through Rochelle’s bruised rib cage as the taxi pulled up to her house. Cradling her fractured arm in a sling, she leaned to the side and studied the street. She recognized all the cars as belonging to people in the neighborhood. Hopefully, she’d been right about Corben only knowing where she worked. She’d been careful through the years not to list her address publicly, instead using a PO box. How Corben had found her was anyone’s guess. Something connected with her court-reporting work and a picture of her must have appeared somewhere online that a detective could track her down.

      The cabdriver turned his head. “This is the place, isn’t it, lady?”

      “Yes.” Her purse and her phone were still back at the courthouse. “Can you wait here? I’ll have to go inside to get the money to pay you and then I’m going to need a ride to the airport after we pick up my son.”

      The taxi driver shrugged his shoulders. “It’s your dime, lady.”

      Bracing herself against the pain, she pushed open the door and headed toward her house. She stepped with care on the icy sidewalk. At least Jamie was safe for now. The kind paramedic had kept his word and made sure she had access to a phone as soon as she was able to talk. She’d called her friend Louise to pick Jamie up from school and keep him at her house. If she had her cell phone she would have called just to make sure he was still okay.

      As she made her way up her sidewalk, she could still feel the aftereffects of the painkillers she’d been given. She was groggy and weak. With one more glance up and down her street, she entered her house. Even if it was a risk, she had no choice in coming back here. She and Jamie would not survive without that money, and she needed to grab another form of ID to get on the plane.

      There was no time to pack. She’d get clothes for her and Jamie later in whatever city they ended up in. After finding a ski jacket for herself, she grabbed Jamie’s favorite book and then went to her own closet to dig out a shoe box filled with the money she’d saved over the years. She’d stored the cash at the bottom of her closet, knowing that this day might come. Rochelle placed the money in a fanny pack and clicked it around her waist, hiding it under her shirt. Out of breath and in intense discomfort, she sat on the floor using her bed as a backrest. Though the medication took the edge off the pain, she still felt the effects of the accident. The effort it took to kneel and find the box had exhausted her. But she had to push through. She could sleep when she was on the plane.

      She hurried through the house, stopping only for a moment to grab a passport and to look at the pictures Jamie had drawn that were plastered all over the refrigerator. Deep sorrow washed over her. She’d made this place a home for her and her son. Now she’d have to say goodbye. She grabbed Jamie’s drawing of a rocket ship and put it in her fanny pack. The house seemed eerily quiet as she closed the door.

      Once outside, she headed down the sidewalk and toward the taxi that waited for her across the street. She’d taken only a few steps when a broad-shouldered man stepped out from behind the neighbor’s hedge. The look on his face was menacing. He had a two-inch scar underneath his eye that made him look even more threatening. He lunged toward her, grabbing her good arm. She screamed. The pain as she tried to wrench away nearly made her crumple to the ground. She looked toward the taxi, but seeing the trouble, the driver sped away.

      “Elwood wants to talk to you.” Her attacker’s gruff voice spiked the fear she felt.

      With her heart pounding, she struggled to break free. White-hot pain exploded from her rib cage. The man grabbed her injured arm as black dots filled her field of vision.

      As she fell to the ground, the last thing she heard was pounding footsteps.

      * * *

      “Get away from her.” Matthew ran up and knelt on the ground beside Rochelle.

      The man reeled backward, panic evident in his expression as he stared down at Rochelle. “I barely touched her.”

      “This woman is injured. She needs to be in a hospital.” Matthew pulled out his phone.

      “You calling the cops?”

      He glared at the man. “You assaulted her.”

      The thug shook his head, turned and ran down the street. Matthew returned his attention to Rochelle. He’d deal with getting the police onto that guy later. His primary concern was for Rochelle. As he gathered her into his arms, her eyes fluttered open.

      “I know that something terrible must be going on for you to leave the hospital when you did,” he said. “But you make your injuries worse by running around like this.”

      She nodded as though she understood and then closed her eyes. He laid her gently on the grass and ran to get his car. After pulling up to the curb, he gathered her into his arms and positioned her in the passenger seat. She stirred slightly when he reached over and belted her in.

      “You don’t understand.” Her voice was groggy. “I have to leave now.” Even in her weakened state, he heard the determination in her voice.

      “You’re too weak to go anywhere, Rochelle.” She still hadn’t let go of that idea. Judging from the behavior of the man who had come after her, she was in some danger. Still, the best place for her was the hospital. He’d call the police and see if he could get their help. As he drove, he phoned the hospital to let them know he’d found the missing patient and was coming in.

      Maybe if he knew what was going on, the police would be more likely to help. “Who was that guy anyway? An ex-husband or something?”

      She opened her eyes and stared straight ahead. “I wish it were that simple.” Anguish colored her words.

      Daniel СКАЧАТЬ