Crossing Lines (Cops and Docs #2) (15 page)

“Nora, listen to me. There’s no guarantee that she’s gone. She could be there watching you right now. Stay with your friends. I’m gonna call this in. Where are you? I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Kingston Hotel. There’s a restaurant in the lobby. Kelli, she seemed unstable, but said she wasn’t going to hurt me—”

“I don’t care what she said. You saw the pictures. Trust those, not the word of someone who’s gone off the deep end.”

Kelli’s words terrified her all over again. Perhaps she was a little naïve to think this was done.

* * *

By the time Kelli got to the Kingston Hotel, the area was swarmed by police. It was a beautiful fucking sight to see. She got out of her car and scanned the area. A lot of people looked disgruntled, which meant her fellow cops were well on their way to locking things down, at least on this end. More than likely they had someone covering the airport, plus the bus and train stations.

Kelli found the restaurant easily enough, but when she spotted Nora, both Johns and Williams were there as well. Nora looked agitated, uncomfortable. Her eyes were wide; a dark flush covered her face, and her arms were crossed over her chest. As if she knew Kelli was in the vicinity, Nora looked up. The relief in her gaze warmed Kelli all the way to her toes. She moved quickly. She couldn’t tear her eyes away. Kelli had to get to her, and see that Nora was in one piece with her own eyes. Nothing else would do.

Williams was talking when she closed in on them. Kelli didn’t really care. She was sure they’d gotten everything they needed from her by now. “You ready to go?” Kelli asked, interrupting the conversation. Kelli started with the top of Nora’s head and worked her way down. Everything was in its place. Fucking better be.

Nora nodded.

“We’ve got everything we need, for now.” Williams glanced at Kelli.

“Good, now how about that detail?”

“It’ll be in place by the morning,” Williams said.

“Even better.” Kelli felt a little weight come off her shoulders.

“Detail? And what about my car?” Nora asked. Her tone was strained.

“Where is it?”

“The valet parked it.”

Kelli looked around. There were still a shitload of cops and disgruntled hotel guests all around them. “It’ll take forever to get out with all the crap going on. We’ll take mine. I’ll run the siren, if I have to, in order to get us outta here. Williams can get one of the unis to bring your car home.”

Nora opened her mouth to say more.

“I’ll text him and tell him to make sure the officer is careful. There won’t be a scratch on it. Promise. Now, c’mon, we’ll talk more in my car.” Kelli placed a hand at the small of Nora’s back. She wasn’t sure if Nora wanted to be touched, but Kelli had to for her own peace of mind. Nora was tense. Who wouldn’t be?

“No, I need to say good night to Susan first.” Nora stiffened even more.

“You can text her.”

“I’ll be right back.” Nora veered off toward the table.

Damn. It wasn’t like she was asking for permission. Who was Kelli to give it anyway? She took a breath to calm down. Nora’s okay. There was no reason to go all Cro-Magnon. Kelli left the restaurant. Nora would come find her when she was ready.

A few minutes later, Nora walked out of the hotel. Kelli waved, and the look of relief returned to Nora’s eyes.

“I thought you left,” Nora said.

“I didn’t.” Kelli paused. “Your friends okay?”

“Yes, I think so. They’re more worried about me.”

She wanted to tell her that she’d been frantic and scared shitless. She wanted to tell her that she was serious that, if Taylor had hurt her, all bets were off. She wanted to tell her that she couldn’t stop these feelings, and she’d be there for her always. Instead, Kelli said, “I am too.”

“I think I’m o—”

“Don’t. I can see right through you, remember?” Kelli reminded her.

“I…I don’t think I can put any of this into words. None that would make sense anyway.”

Kelli started toward her car. Nora fell in step beside her. “I’m here to listen if you wanna try.”

“Maybe…some other time? I don’t think I’ve ever felt so overwhelmed. I have to get it all straightened out in my head first.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Kelli stepped forward and opened the passenger side door. Nora brushed past her. She savored those three seconds. With everything that was happening, it was good to feel something positive, like the energy between them. They were being cordial due to shitty circumstances. Kelli wasn’t stupid enough to think it was going anywhere, but that wasn’t the point.

Kelli flashed her police lights and weaved through traffic, and when she felt Nora watching her, she glanced in her direction. “What?”

“Elaborate please? On your conversation with Mr. Williams.”

“It’s only two men and before you say anything, just think about what I said. Murdering and lying go hand in hand. Don’t take any chances. You could be right about her, but I thought I was right too. Look where we are now.”

“This sounds so invasive. How would it work at the hospital?”

“They confer with security and make things as discreet as possible.”

Nora was quiet for a long time.

When she stopped at a red light, Kelli turned to look at her. “Please, Nora. I can’t be everywhere 24/7. I mean, I can fucking try, but having a two-man team in the mix will make sure you’re covered,” she pleaded.

“I guess, I should have figured out that you’d been watching me. How long?”

“What do you mean?”

“Taylor saw you. She told me.”

“What? I guess it’s a good thing I hung around then.”

“How long?” Nora asked again.

Kelli sighed. “Since it happened.”

Nora looked completely surprised. “You’ve just been parked outside my house? Sitting in your car all night?”

“That would be the definition of a stakeout, yes.”

“When do you sleep?” Nora sounded concerned.

“When I can,” Kelli answered.

“Why didn’t you just come in?”

“I tried to once, remember? I didn’t want to keep…pushing. I’ve done that enough. Don’t you think?”

Nora didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to. Kelli already knew the answer.

* * *

Kelli pulled in front of Nora’s house. She kept the car idling and watched Nora while she slept. She’d fallen asleep on the ride over, and her head was pillowed against the passenger side window. She looked almost relaxed, except for the crinkle in her forehead. Hadn’t Kelli read somewhere that a person had to trust you to fall asleep while you were driving? If only it were that easy. Kelli wanted to curl up next to her. Instead, she patted Nora’s knee to wake her.

Nora’s eyes opened. She stretched and Kelli tried hard not to look. “I’m sorry. I think I had too much wine.”

“It’s okay. You’re home.” Kelli got out of the car. The little jaunt to the passenger side gave her just enough time to get herself together. She reached out her hand for Nora to take, but she didn’t. It just hung there.

The jolt of pain was almost instantaneous, and Kelli swallowed down the bile that accompanied it.

Nora looked up at her. She blinked and her eyes cleared. Maybe Kelli was reading too much into this. Nora held Kelli’s gaze for several seconds before looking at Kelli’s hand still suspended in the air. Her expression was thoughtful, and Kelli could see the indecision in her eyes.

Kelli hadn’t moved, and she wasn’t sure why. Please. Nora had to give her something, even if she blamed it on the wine later. Nora slid her hand into Kelli’s.

Time hung there for a second before righting itself.

When she got out of the car, Nora didn’t let go. “The detail…yes. I should expect them in the morning?”

Kelli nodded. That was better than trying to speak.

“Kelli, I…” She squeezed Kelli’s hand, hard. “Thank you…you don’t know…” She paused, and it looked as if she was going to say more. But, she didn’t. Nora pulled her hand away, slowly. Then, she turned and walked toward her home.

Kelli watched her go. She looked down at her hand. She could still feel the heat, the softness. It wasn’t much, but she stored it away nonetheless. Kelli got back into the car and drove around the block. She stopped at her usual parking space. She hadn’t been invited in, but right now, she was okay with that.

CHAPTER 10

For the second night, Nora couldn’t sleep. She’d tried pushing the covers away. She tried moving to the foot of the bed, and even lying crossways. Nothing worked. She glanced at the clock. It was 1:37 a.m. and she hadn’t even dozed. She turned toward the bedroom windows. Moonlight filtered in, giving her room an eerie glow. Any other time, she would have moved the curtains back completely to let more natural light in, but with Taylor on the prowl, Nora didn’t want to offer easy access or even a peek. Phineas’s entrance had even been locked for the night.

She thought she heard a creaking of some kind, and Nora shot out of bed. Her heart thundered in her chest and, in an attempt decipher the sound, Nora even stopped breathing for a few seconds. Moving slowly, she sat down on the edge of the bed and just listened. Then it happened again, but this time the sound was followed by a snort. Phineas. It was just Phineas. Her jumpiness just further illuminated the fact that she didn’t feel safe in her own home anymore. She had a security system and there were policemen sitting in her driveway. Neither did anything to soothe her. It had been two days since Taylor disappeared. The police had promising leads, but so far they hadn’t panned out.

Nora wanted to believe that Taylor had been truthful no matter how unbalanced she seemed, but Kelli’s words haunted her. This whole situation came down to what ifs.
Kelli
. Nora sighed. She kicked the blankets away again and smoothed a hand over the T-shirt that she was wearing—Metallica,
Master of Puppets
. She didn’t care for the band, but it was one of Kelli’s favorite shirts. It was also part of the clothing ensemble she’d taken from Kelli’s apartment that night a few weeks ago. Nora had kept it in a box in her closet all this time. The T-shirt was far from her usual nightwear, and she had no idea what made her put it on. Perhaps she just wanted to revel in happier times? Or maybe she just wanted to feel closer to its owner. If she was completely honest with herself, something she was avoiding at the moment, she would admit that it was a combination of both.

With everything that had happened, they had somehow reached an understanding. No rules were made. No conditions were discussed. It just happened. Part of Nora was glad to have it. They had barely spoken over the past two days and, when they did, they were at the hospital while Kelli was visiting Mr. Travis. It was strange. Kelli’s routine had changed. The past two days, she’d visited during the day. There was no more avoidance. Regardless, they were speaking. That was the point. Nora wasn’t sure what the next step was or if she even wanted to find out. Through all the chaos, once again, Kelli was there front and center. How could Nora not be touched by that? She was. Deeply. Nora embraced those feelings instead of running from them.

If she continued thinking along these lines, she would never get to sleep. Nora stood and looked for her robe. Maybe if she saw the car out front with her own eyes, she’d find some solace, which would hopefully lead to slumber. A few minutes later, she peeked from one of the windows in the living area. The security lights made it easy to see her driveway. Nora gasped and stepped back. It had to be a trick of the light. She looked again. Kelli was still there, hunched over and talking to the policeman on the driver’s side. Nora’s stomach twisted, and she was sure that her heart stopped beating for a few seconds. The blast of warmth that infused her was welcomed. It blotted out the fear and uncertainty.

As if on autopilot, she backed away from the window and returned to her bedroom. Nora sat near the head of the bed and removed her phone from the docking station.

Kelli answered almost immediately, “You okay?”

Nora didn’t quite know what to say. “I… You’re not sleeping.”

“No, and neither are you.”

“You’re outside.” Nora didn’t see the need for subterfuge.

“I…” Kelli hesitated. “Yeah, I am.”

“How long?”

“I never stopped. I never said I was going to.”

Nora tried to take a breath, but it was difficult. Emotion choked her airway. Kelli was an incredible human being, and she was still willing to share that with her. For a few seconds, this left her speechless. “Thank you,” she said finally. “You must be tired of me saying that.”

Kelli chuckled, but she didn’t answer.

Kelli’s lack of response and the obvious awkwardness between them made her cautious. “You don’t trust the others to do their job?”

“No…I mean, yeah. I guess I don’t trust anybody to do it because it’s you.”

Caution went with the wind. Nora released a shaky breath. “You mean that, don’t you?”

Kelli didn’t reply. The silence was thick, charged, but it wasn’t unpleasant.

“Why can’t you sleep?” Kelli asked.

Nora received the hint to move on, loud and clear. “There’s the possibility that an unstable woman is after me.”

Kelli laughed. “That was a joke, right? Sarcasm?”

“Yes and no.” Nora smiled.

“Well, sometimes you’re like the Sahara. I had to ask to be sure. Why don’t you just take something? You’d be too knocked out to think about anything.”

“It’s too late for that, especially since I have to get up at…what do you call it? The a—”

“Ass crack of the morning,” Kelli said. “I had to save you. Didn’t want to blemish your record. No foul fucking language for you.”

Nora chuckled and yawned. This talk…was getting more stimulating by the second. She decided to lie down. As she did, Nora slid her hand over the T-shirt once more. “I have
Master of Puppets
.”

Kelli exhaled noisily and whispered, “You’re wearing it?”

“Yes,” Nora said just as softly. Her stomach knotted pleasantly. She missed that feeling.

“Why are you telling me this?”

Why indeed? The information certainly changed the tone of the conversation. “Because I wanted to.”

Kelli asked, “What are we doing?”