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“She’s pissed off because some boy at school was being an ass.”

  “Tyler Nathanial Thomas, watch your mouth,” Frankie admonished while trying to hide her amusement.

  “I’m just saying what she told Brittany.”

  Ruffling the hair on his head Frankie said, “I’ll speak to her. You don’t use words like pissed and ass. Okay?”

  Tyler mumbled as he read his book and munched on the apple slices he had taken from the refrigerator.

  “Tyler.”

  Swallowing his bite, he responded, “Yes ma’am.”

  The afternoon passed quickly with Dani holed up in her room and Tyler doing his homework at the table. Frankie picked up the clutter in the kitchen and wiped down the counters while answering Ty’s math questions.

  Frankie picked up the phone to order pizza and jumped at the back door opening. “Shit dude, I’m sorry. I forgot to text you! Want to stay for dinner? I was just about to order pizza.”

  “Yeah, and mom’s friend is going to join us,” Tyler said.

  Keith raised his eyebrow at Frankie, “Friend?”

  “Craven and I went for a run today and I invited him to join us for pizza. I was thinking about calling Sophie to see if she wanted to join us too.”

  “Hmm, maybe I will stay for dinner.”

  Chapter 73

  “My mom is a crazy driver,” Tyler said.

  “Ty…”

  “Really. Why is she a crazy driver?” Craven asked.

  “She yells at people when they don’t get out of her way. She always says move over you freakin’ jack...”

  “Tyler Nathaniel.”

  “Well, you do. Do your mom and dad live on the ocean?”

  “No, but they do live on the river.”

  “Ty, do you remember where we sometimes go to get shrimp?” Frankie asked.

  “Where all the boats are?”

  Craven nodded, “That’s the place. That’s where I grew up.”

  Danielle had been quiet throughout most of the evening, but that got her attention. “Really?”

  “Yeah, I was working on a shrimp boat before I even went to school.”

  “Your mom and dad made you work when you were a little kid?” Tyler asked.

  “Yes sir. I plucked shrimp heads, scrubbed the deck of the boats, and worked in my momma’s store too.”

  Frankie looked at Danielle, “You remember Miss Lolly’s bookstore?”

  Both kids nodded.

  “Miss Lolly is Jim’s mother.”

  Jim’s phone rang before he could add to what Frankie’s said.

  “Excuse me.” Stepping away from the table he said, “Craven.”

  Frankie cleared the table and Sophie loaded the dishwasher while Keith took the empty pizza boxes outside. They were just finishing up when Craven returned to the kitchen.

  “I’m sorry guys, but I have to go. Something came up on one of my cases. Frankie, you got a minute?”

  Frankie nodded, “Dani would you please finish wiping the table off. Ty go jump in the shower.” Following Jim into the living room she asked, “What’s up?”

  “You remember that homicide down in the bottoms? Katarina Schlovik? She was found in the trunk with two of Finnegan’s soldiers?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I just got a call from Fitz. They got the lab results back on Katarina’s forensic kit. The report said there were signs of trauma consistent with rape. Two male DNA profiles were identified from vaginal and anal swabs collected. They uploaded them into CODIS and we think we have at least one match.”

  “Are you going to help Fitz work on this one?”

  “Looks that way.”

  “Mom! Will you get me a towel?” yelled Tyler.

  “That’s my cue to go. Nice to meet you Keith. See you later Sophie!”

  Keith and Sophie both yelled their good-byes.

  “Thank you for dinner Frankie. I really enjoyed spending time with you all.” Craven gave Frankie a clumsy hug.

  “Anytime.”

  While they finished cleaning up Keith asked, “What’s going on with you two?”

  “Yeah sis, what’s going on?”

  “What do you mean? We’re friends. That’s all.”

  “If that’s what you want to believe.” Keith said.

  “It’s not about what I want to believe. It’s what is.” Frankie’s phone began to buzz. She looked at the caller-id and laid it back on the table.

  “Do you need to get that?”

  “Nope.” Frankie pursed her lips, twisting them slightly with irritation. “Definitely not.”

  “Derek?”

  “Yep.”

  “Talk to me Frankie.”

  Frankie sat down at the kitchen table and told Keith and Sophie everything. How Mac found Derek and Jessica when they were shot. Seeing the two of them leaving the courthouse together the day before. The way Jessica had been refusing to charge her cases.

  “I mean it could be nothing. They may just be friends like Jim and I are….”

  Keith interjected, “Jim definitely doesn’t want to just be friends with you. Have you talked to Derek?”

  “No. I’m not even sure what I’m supposed to say. ‘Hey Derek, I know we never said we were exclusive but why were you leaving with Jessica the other night?’ Is it even fair for me to say anything?” Frankie wiped the tears from her eyes.

  “If you’re sleeping with him, then yes. Do you want to be exclusive? Has that ever even come up?” Sophie prodded.

  Frankie’s phone started buzzing again. After checking the caller-id she laid it back on the table.

  “Looks like he really wants to talk to you.”

  “I’ll call him later.”

  “You didn’t answer my questions,” Sophie said.

  “Yes. No. I don’t know. It was so much easier before…”

  “Before you and Jim became friends,” Keith finished.

  “Yeah.”

  Chapter 74

  Derek lay in his bed watching the blur of the ceiling fan rotating. A glance at the clock by his bed told him it was after midnight. He’d called Frankie twice but she didn’t answer. She always answered or called back. Tonight, she did neither.

  He closed his eyes but found sleep elusive. Again. He thought having dinner with Jessica would help but the allure of her was quickly fading. She didn’t want to talk about anything but work. And she kept complaining. She complained about defense attorneys. Paralegals. Judges. Detectives. She spent thirty minutes complaining about a series of prostitute cases and the stupid detective that wouldn’t let it go. The case facts sounded familiar to Derek, but he wasn’t sure why. He planned to ask Frankie about it. If she ever called him back.

  To make matters worse, Jessica had it in her head they were dating. Sure, he’d flirted with her. He’d even slept with her a few times but he wasn’t thinking about dating her. Tonight, she started asking him about spending the weekend together. Having dinner with her parents. Going out with some friends from college. Derek had no interest in any of that. No interest at all.

  He glanced at the clock again. 2 AM. Too late to call Frankie. Derek got out of bed and walked to the kitchen. He pulled a glass down from the cabinet and poured stiff drink. He stood at the kitchen sink and looked out the window at the moonlight reflecting on the pond. He finished the first glass and poured another. As the scotch warmed his body he felt the tension leave his shoulders. By the third glass he felt like he could sleep, and if he was lucky, not dream.

  Chapter 75

  Frankie returned to work to find Sawyer was still in the hospital, but had not been charged with the rapes.

  “What the fuck do you mean she didn’t charge him with the rapes?”

  “Don’t shoot the messenger, Frankie.” Richard Coleman, a detective in her squad, relayed the message from the prosecutor’s office.

  “Did she at least give a good reason?”

  “She wants to wait on DNA.”

  “Great. Let’s see how many other women
he rapes. Or better yet, let’s see if he escalates to murder. Did you see what he did to Gina Bradshaw?”

  “I did. Do you want the good news?”

  “There’s good news?”

  “He is being charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer for shooting at you and Mia. His bail is set at $75,000.”

  “Well, that’s something. Hopefully he won’t be able to bond out.” Frankie was slightly mollified. “What about Trayvon Stockton?”

  “He’s still in the hospital. He’s being charged with kidnapping that girl from the Fast Stop…”

  “Cheyenne Connor.”

  “Yeah. But the prosecutor said she wants the DNA results before she charges him in the other cases.”

  “Let me guess. The prosecutor on both cases is Jessica Moon.”

  “Yeah. Was she the one you were talking too?”

  Frankie was seeing red. She grabbed her case files, marched into Sergeant Baker’s office, and slammed the door. She laid out the facts on both cases, using very colorful language, as though Baker hadn’t been working with her on them the entire time.

  After Frankie’s twenty-minute rant, Baker calmly said, “Both men are in the hospital. Both are being charged with felonies and will have to bond out. Is there any reason to believe either will be able to make bond?”

  Frankie shook her head, then said, “Actually Sawyer might be able to. His wife is considerably older. When I ran financials on them it looked like she might own her house outright. If she’s willing to use it as collateral she might be able to get him out.”

  “Did Fitz put the tracker on his car?”

  Frankie nodded.

  “Then we’ll just have to make sure it’s released to her before he gets out. That way if he starts up again we can catch him in the act.”

  “Mia is working with PIC to see if there are any old reports on him. He said he was in the Army. I’ll check with the Veteran’s Administration and see if they will send me his records. We’ve subpoenaed his cell phone records too. I’ll write up a search warrant and see if we can get cell tower information on his phone. Maybe we can put him in the locations on the dates and times of the abductions.” Frankie took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Standing to leave she turned and said, “Thanks, Sarge.”

  Baker nodded. “You’ll get him.”

  When Frankie returned to her desk she noticed a missed call from Dr. Wilhelm. The day before he told her Cheyenne was still on the vent, but stable. Her hands trembled as she dialed the number, afraid the news was not going to be good.

  “Dr. Wilhelm.”

  “Hey Michael. It’s Frankie. I saw you called?”

  “Yep. I wanted to let you know Cheyenne has been taken off the vent. She’s still pretty groggy but I think she’s going to make it.”

  “Thank you Mike. I’ll stop in and see her tonight.” Frankie let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. When she hung up the phone she uttered, “Thank God.”

  Mia looked up from the report she was working on, “Cheyenne?”

  “She’s going to make it.”

  Chapter 76

  Frankie busied herself with drafting search warrants and subpoenas. She had talked to the Veteran’s Administration who told her she would have to put her request in writing. If the records didn’t burn up in the fire of ’73 she would receive them within thirty days. In the meantime, Frankie set out to dig up everything she could find on Sawyer. She did every type of computer check she could think of, looking for reports filed, registered vehicles, and every address he was ever associated with.

  “We’re going to Chipotle, want to go?” Coleman asked.

  Frankie looked up from the computer screen just in time to see the rest of her squad grabbing their coats. Rubbing her eyes, she said, “Yeah. I could use a break from the computer.”

  An hour later they were back in front of the headquarters building. Frankie’s phone began to buzz as she was getting out of the car. “Hey Sarge, I’m going to run to County to see Cheyenne. Call me if you need anything.”

  “I’m going to tag along,” added Mia.

  Baker nodded and said, “Don’t stir up anything ladies. I want to go home on time tonight.”

  Laughing Mia said, “No promises.”

  When it was just the two of them Frankie said, “I need to call Derek back. You mind?”

  “No. I’ll drive so you can chat on the way.”

  “Thanks.”

  Derek answered on the first ring, “Hey stranger. You working tonight?”

  “Yeah. Mia and I are on the way to County now.”

  “Another case?”

  “No. What’s up?” Frankie realized she hadn’t talked to Derek since they got into the shoot-out with Sawyer. Had they really grown that far apart? There was a time he would have been her first call.

  “Nothing’s up. I just miss you. Can we spend some time together this weekend?”

  Frankie didn’t immediately answer. She wanted to say yes. And she wanted to say no.

  “Frankie?”

  “Yeah. I mean, maybe. I’m working Friday and Saturday.”

  “Are the kids staying home?” Derek asked.

  Softening, Frankie said, “No. Keith and James are both working so Dani’s going to her dad’s and Ty is going to mom’s. She’s actually picking them up after school for me Friday.”

  “Why don’t you spend the weekend at my house?”

  Frankie considered Derek’s offer. It was not lost on her that a month prior she wouldn’t have hesitated at saying yes. Yet tonight she did.

  “Fr…”

  “I’ll call you when I get off on Friday.”

  “Okay. I’m looking forward to it.”

  Softly Frankie said, “Me too.”

  When she hung up Mia said, “You hesitated.”

  “Only for a second.”

  Chapter 77

  Frankie and Mia found Cheyenne’s room in the Intensive Care Unit quickly. They stood looking through the gap the curtains made on the glass wall. Tubes and wires led from Cheyenne’s body to monitors next to the bed and oxygen cannulas breathed air into her body. The once purple bruises on her face had changed to shades of yellow, green, and brown. A man not much older than Frankie sat next to the bed. His face was worn and haggard, but his clothes were neatly pressed. He was holding a worn book in his rough hands that he appeared to be reading aloud to her sleeping body.

  Frankie tapped on the doorframe, apologizing when the man started. She and Mia introduced themselves then immediately asked how Cheyenne was doing.

  “She could be better. Could be worse. She’s opened her eyes some but has been real groggy. I’m her daddy, by the way.” Extending his hand, he said, “Jerome Connor.”

  Frankie offered her hand in return, “It’s nice to meet you Mr. Connor. May I ask what you are reading to her?”

  Sheepishly Jerome said, “A Secret Garden. It was one of her favorite books growing up. She used to beg for one more chapter every night. I thought she might like it if I read it to her now.”

  “I’m sure she does sir.” Frankie smiled at Jerome. “They issued a warrant for Trayvon for kidnapping Cheyenne. His bond is pretty high, so I don’t think he’s going to get out anytime soon. And I have another case I’m going to get a warrant for too. I think Cheyenne’s safe from him now.”

  “Thank you, Detective. I’ll let her know when she wakes up.”

  “Okay. We’re going to head back to our office. I’ll come back by and see her again this weekend if that’s okay.”

  Jerome nodded and sat back down and wrapped Cheyenne’s hand in his.

  Standing near the elevator Frankie asked, “Want to see how Stockton and Sawyer are holding up?”

  “Might as well make the rounds,” replied Mia.

  The charge nurse provided Frankie the room numbers for Stockton and Sawyer. Frankie glanced into Stockton’s room while Mia made small talk with the officer sitting guard outside. The man o
n the bed looked less hardened and more like the boy in the pictures they had seen at his mother’s house. A cast adorned his left arm, handcuffs his right, and a bandage covered his right eye. His left eye was closed so he didn’t see Frankie staring from the doorway. When he started to stir, she quickly exited.

  Sawyer was down the hall from Stockton with a different officer sitting guard outside his room. He could be heard before he could be seen.

  “Get these damn things off me. Why can’t I see my wife?” The rant continued. The door to the room was slightly ajar allowing Frankie to glance into the room unseen.

  Sawyer was hooked up to an IV and one arm was handcuffed to the bed. Other than a bandage on his shoulder, he looked no worse for the wear. A blanket covered his bandaged abdomen and a pillow lay on his lap, but he was sitting up, spewing profanities and complaints at the officer sitting outside.

  “He’s been like this all night,” said the officer. “He goes off about the handcuffs and not being able to see his wife for a while then changes it up and starts complaining about the police department and how we are all out to get him.”

  “Oh geesh. That will make for a long night,” said Frankie.

  “It’s all good,” said the officer. With a smile he added, “It’s my Friday. Sitting here, I’m guaranteed to go home on time.”

  Smiling Frankie said, “That’s true.”

  Chapter 78

  “Hey Frankie, come take a look at this.”

  “Whatcha got Mia?”

  “PIC sent me the list of reports from the last four years with unknown suspects matching Sawyer’s description. There are at least thirty.”

  “Is anyone working down there tonight?” Frankie asked.

  “Tony is working. He just sent me this about five minutes ago. Why?”

  “Let’s go see if he can plot this list on a map. Give us a visual.” Grabbing her notepad Frankie said, “Sarge we’ll be downstairs.”

  The Perpetrator Information Center was located on the first floor of Police Headquarters. They were able to search databases detectives didn’t have access to as well as run queries to detect patterns. Frankie opened the door to a room full of empty desks.