The Right Woman. Linda Warren

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СКАЧАТЬ and her voice is hoarse from the injury.” He took a breath. “Her name is Brooke Wallace and she’s eighteen.”

      “Oh, no.” There it was. That familiar chill running up her spine.

      “The rape kit has been done and the police are waiting,” Dr. Daley added, glancing toward the policemen. “This is the third rape in two months in the same area. Brooke is the first victim to survive. The other two girls died at the scene so the police are eager to talk to this one.”

      “I see,” Sarah murmured, trying to control an attack of nerves.

      That still didn’t explain what Daniel was doing here. He worked narcotics. What did he have to do with this case?

      Opening the chart, she began to read. Now she understood why Daniel had been called in. The rapist had given the girl an injection of heroin, a fact not mentioned in news coverage of the other rapes, and Daniel was an expert on drugs and drug dealers in Dallas. He knew every small-time pusher and the big drug lords like…

      “We have her in one of the rooms.” Jim’s voice penetrated her thoughts. “Earlier she was thrashing around, almost violent. We’re not sure how much heroin he gave her—waiting on the toxicology report—so I was hesitant about giving her anything. We’re flushing out her system and she’s calmer now, lying in a fetal position, unresponsive. Just see if you can get her to talk to you.”

      “I’ll try.”

      “Her parents are in the waiting room, frantic, but when I mentioned they were here, she became even more hysterical. Try to get her to see them.”

      Sarah nodded and walked into the small room. The girl was just as Jim had said, curled into herself and staring off into space. An IV was in her arm. Memories dark and deep stirred, a reminder of a time when she, too, needed to shut out the world and everyone in it. Still, there were sleepless nights and days that tortured her…

      She pushed away those debilitating emotions and moved to the side of the bed.

      DANIEL WATCHED SARAH until she disappeared into the room. She wore a dark business suit with a blouse buttoned to the top, her red hair coiled neatly at her nape. Every time he’d seen her in the past five years, she’d looked the same—nunlike. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t disguise her beauty; copper-red hair, porcelain skin, gorgeous blue eyes and a body that women envied and men fantasized about.

      He shifted uncomfortably. Thoughts of Sarah Welch filled a lot of his sleepless nights. He never quite understood why—but then again, he did. It was good old-fashioned guilt and it gnawed away at him, especially when she ignored him as she had a few minutes ago.

      She disliked him intensely, that was all too obvious. She held him responsible for her fiancé’s death. Greg Larson, a member of his narcotics squad, had been killed while doing undercover work. Sarah had witnessed the murder and been kidnapped by the drug lord, Rudy Boyd, and forced to strip in one of his clubs. After being rescued, it had taken her a while to recover from the traumatic events.

      The sad part was that Sarah should never have been put in that situation. Greg had broken the rules by exposing Sarah to danger, and that’s what bothered Daniel. He had failed in his role as leader. He had failed Greg and Sarah by not making Greg understand how dangerous the mission was and how breaking the rules, no matter how tempting, was out of the question. That was a burden he was never going to lose. The guilt of losing one of his own because he hadn’t known Greg’s secret activities—that he was in love and foolish enough to involve his girlfriend in his job.

      “Goddammit, can you believe this?” Homicide Detective Russ Devers interrupted his reverie.

      Daniel straightened from leaning against the wall. “What are you talking about?”

      “Sarah Welch went into the girl’s room.”

      “I know. I saw her.”

      “Any chance of us getting to question the girl tonight just got blown to hell.”

      “Don’t be so damn eager, Russ,” Daniel said. “The girl’s been through a horrendous ordeal and she needs some private time with someone that understands.”

      Russ’s eyes darkened. “Whose side are you on?”

      “Justice,” Daniel told him. “I’m always on the side of justice.”

      “Yeah, fat chance of that happening with the victim’s number one advocate on the case.”

      “Sarah’s been there, Russ. She’s knows what it’s like to be a victim, to be abused, so cut her some slack.”

      Russ started to pace. “Why the hell can’t Ms. Welch understand that the faster we catch this creep, the less victims there’ll be? The first few hours after the attack are crucial. The memory is still fresh in her mind and she could give us important information. We have two girls dead and not one damn clue as to who’s doing this. We need something, Daniel, and we need it fast.”

      “I’m aware of that. That’s why I’m here in the middle of the night.”

      Russ stopped pacing to stare at Daniel. “The needle in the girl’s arm throws me. You can’t think of any MO that matches?”

      Daniel shook his head. “The rapist gives the girl a dose of heroin and leaves the needle in her arm. We’ve never had anything like that before. Rudy Boyd was the big heroin dealer in Dallas and now he’s on death row. My team is investigating the other known heroin dealers and I’ve checked out the small-time hoods that followed Boyd, but they’re all clean.” Daniel shoved his hands into his jeans’ pockets. “We just have to wait. We’ll get to talk to the girl.”

      “Yeah, even Ms. Colder Than Ice can’t stall us forever.”

      Daniel grimaced at the nickname the cops had given Sarah. It was well known that Sarah Welch fought fiercely for a victim’s protection from further trauma. This kept the police from getting vital information when they needed it, but somehow Daniel couldn’t fault her motives. He understood her reasons and he understood her. Oh, God, he had to stop thinking about Sarah Welch.

      SARAH PULLED A CHAIR UP to the bed and sat facing Brooke. She was blond, blue-eyed and pretty. And so very young.

      Go by the book. Go by all the techniques you’ve learned on how to handle victims like this. Sarah kept repeating the words, but she recognized this was not a textbook case. This girl needed someone who could empathize. Sarah had been there and now she’d have to share a part of herself that she hadn’t shared with anyone except her twin sister, Serena. That was the only way to help Brooke Wallace.

      “Hi, Brooke,” she said. “I’m Sarah Welch, a counselor.”

      No response. Not even a blink.

      “I know you don’t want to talk, but I’m here if you want to.”

      Nothing.

      Suddenly, Brooke’s bottom lip trembled and tears rolled from her eyes. Sarah waited, trying not to stare at the bruises on Brooke’s body. Her neck was purple and blue and the skin had been broken in several places from blunt pressure. There were dark spots on her face and arms, too. Sarah realized how lucky Brooke was to be alive, but she was very aware the girl wasn’t ready to hear that.

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