Still (2 page)

“What can I do
to help?”

“Your
expertise, you’re the computer genius. Help me track this hidden IP
address, because I know for sure he won’t answer on the chat group
again.” Brianna pleaded for his help. There was only one thing on
her mind and that was to find her sister’s killer.

“Thanks for the
coffee, Mom. And the listening ear. Don’t worry. I’m armed.”

Brianna’s tone
was nonchalant. She kissed her mom’s cheek and grabbed her
backpack.

“Why don’t you
stay here tonight? I’d feel better knowing you were safe under my
roof.” Audrey reached for her daughter’s arm. Brianna paused for a
moment.

“Sorry, Mom,
I’m meeting Pete in ten minutes.” She kissed her mom’s cheek once
more. Before Audrey could say another word, she left.

Brianna walked
with confidence down the dim lit sidewalk, toward the Tim Hortons
she’d met Pete at that fateful night, determined to find her
sister’s killer again. Her thoughts wandered as she walked.
Who
the hell was the man in the park? He seemed too cocky to be an
amateur. He must have killed before.
She unlocked the passenger
side and reached for the tablet before going in. Brianna left her
car parked at Tim Hortons before she entered the park across the
street earlier. Inside, she grabbed a table in the back corner and
waited for Pete.

“Brianna”

She looked up
into hazel eyes. The same eyes that had pleased her attention back
in college. His blond curls had darkened a bit over five years and
were now trimmed. In college they were longer and messed up in a
sexy way. He still had that look to make any woman look twice. She
smiled, “Pete.” The way he looked at her made her think of her
earlier thoughts of him.

“Are you sure
you’re okay? Sounds like you had a dangerous night. Maybe you see a
doctor.”

The concern in
his voice touched her heart. Still sweet, she remembered. He’d been
her best friend in college. Not like the idiot she thought she was
in love with.

“I’m fine, just
a few scratches. Thanks for meeting me so late, Pete. I need your
help.” She stood up and hugged him. It felt the same. His arms
embraced her and gave her that same feeling of comfort she felt
after her boyfriend dumped her. She’d forgotten how great he
smelled. A mixture of his cologne and manly scent played with her
senses. She released from the hug and wiped those thoughts from her
mind. She had a killer to find. “Can I buy you a coffee?”

He smiled.
“Allow me. French Vanilla, still?” Brianna nodded. She bit her lip
as she watched him walk to the counter.
Stay focused,
Brianna.

Pete returned
with coffees in hand and joined her at the table. He opened his
laptop.

“I found the
man in a chat group on Lisa’s tablet that she last spoke with. It
appears he’s used a hidden IP,” Brianna informed him and took a sip
of her coffee.

Pete worked for
IBM as a technical analyst. A genius when it came to computers, he
accepted his first job on the West Coast after graduation. Brianna
had been accepted into the police academy at the same time. Their
one steamy night together had been the night before he left. They
kept in touch, for a little while, but both were enthralled in
their careers. The miles in between hadn’t helped. His recent
transfer brought him back home and into her heart.

Pete copied the
IP into his program and began to work his magic. If there was one
person who could track this IP, Brianna believed it was Pete. She
watched him work. His fingers flew across the keyboard. His eyes
swayed back and forth. They were dreamy eyes. He was amazingly
sexy.
Quit it, Brianna. Not now. Stay focused.
She let him
work and took another sip.

“Got it!” His
sudden words made her jump. It had been quiet for the past fifteen
minutes. There wasn’t another soul in the shop besides them and the
staff. He looked up and smiled. He moved his laptop around for her
to see his results. Brianna grabbed her phone and typed in the
address.

“I don’t know
if you’ll find him there, but this is the address where that last
conversation took place,” Pete confidently assured her.

“It’s only a
couple of blocks from here.” Brianna put her phone in her pocket
and reached out to touch his hand. “Thanks, Pete. I knew you could
find it.”

“You’re not
going alone?”

“I’m on
suspension or leave for grief—however you want to look at it.”

“Then I’m going
with you.”

“You’re not a
cop. I can’t let you.”

“I’m not losing
you again, Bri.”

Chapter Four

“Inspector”

Audrey hated to
call at this hour, but she was worried about her daughter’s safety.
She couldn’t get those words out of her mind.

“Yes, who is
this?” A sleepy voice confirmed she woke him.

“It’s Judge
Wilson. Audrey. I believe Brianna is in danger. Can you come
over?”

Audrey got
right to the point, as always. She was a driven powerful woman, who
usually got what she wanted but she was well respected.

Audrey paced
the hallway between the kitchen and the front door. She chewed on
her nails, an old habit she had in college. The doorbell startled
her. She was a bundle of nerves ever since her daughter repeated
the words, ‘it’s your turn.’ Audrey opened the door to Inspector
Paul Matthews, Brianna’s boss and a dear friend and colleague of
Audrey’s for many years now. They had worked on many cases over the
years, but there was only one that the two of them never discussed,
not for twenty-eight years now. Audrey knew Paul since her days in
the Crown’s office.

“What is it
Audrey? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Paul hugged his dear
friend.

“Derek
MacLean.” Audrey only needed to say his name to grab Paul’s
attention.

“What about
him? He’s in prison. I thought you said this was about Brianna.”
Paul threw her a completely confused look.

“Are you
certain? I think he’s the man responsible for Lisa’s death. And I
think Brianna is in danger.”

Audrey handed
him a coffee. “What?” Paul shook his head.

“Brianna lured
Lisa’s killer from that chat group. She met him at the park
tonight. He came up behind her, and she felt a sharp point in her
back. Then he whispered in her ear, ‘it’s your turn’.”

Paul paused
from the sip of coffee he’d been about to take. His jaw dropped.
Audrey knew he remembered the MO of Derek MacLean. MacLean
whispered those same words in Audrey’s ear: right before he raped
her.

“I need to make
a call.” Paul set his cup down on the counter and reached for his
phone. Audrey waited patiently while he made that call. She had to
know if MacLean was still in prison. She listened to Paul’s side of
the conversation in horror.

“What do you
mean paroled after twenty-eight years? He was sentenced to two life
terms consecutively not one.” Paul brushed his hand across the
stubble on his face.

“I knew it.
He’s out.” Audrey reached into her pocket and pulled out an
envelope. She handed it to Paul, “You need to read this. This will
confirm he suspects who Brianna is.”

Paul opened the
envelope and began to read the hand-written scribble.

“Does Brianna
know?”

“No. I’ve kept
it secret her whole life. I almost told her after she told me what
the man in the park said to her, but I couldn’t.” Tears formed in
Audrey’s eyes.

She began to
shake. Paul took her in his arms and promised, “I’ll find the
bastard.” He released from their hug. “Where’s Brianna?”

“She left over
a half-hour ago. She went to meet her friend, Pete, who’s a
computer whiz. She figures he’ll track that hidden IP address and
locate Lisa’s killer.” Paul dialed Brianna’s cell number.

“Inspector—everything okay?” Brianna answered after the first
ring.

“Where are
you?”

“Out with a
friend, why?”

“I know what
you’re doing. Where exactly are you? I know who the killer is.
You’re in danger.” Paul was not only her boss but a close friend of
the family. He and his wife were Brianna’s godparents.

“Who is
it?”

“I’ll tell you
in person, once I get your location.” Paul wasn’t the man to argue
with and Brianna never tried him. She gave him the address.

“Your mother
and I will be there in ten minutes.” Paul disconnected the call and
turned to Audrey, “Are you strong enough for this?” She nodded. She
would do anything for her daughter, even if it meant she put her
own life in danger.

Chapter Five

“My mother”
Brianna disconnected her call and then turned to Pete. “Why the
hell is he bringing my mother?”

Brianna pulled
her Smith & Wesson from its holster. Pete looked horrified.
“Thought you were supposed to wait for your inspector?”

Brianna kept
her eyes focused across the street, on the man she noticed.

“Can’t, there
he is.”

She opened the
car door and turned to Pete, “Stay here.”

“You’re crazy,
Bri. It’s not safe to go in by yourself. Don’t be so damn
stubborn.”

Pete pleaded
with her. He was unsuccessful. She closed the door and walked
across the street to an older home. She figured he was middle
class, even to afford to rent the place in this neighborhood. She
crept up the walkway and kept against the bushes as she scouted her
surroundings. She took notice to dim lighting. He wasn’t in the
front room. She looked up and noticed a light turned on upstairs.
She made her way to the front door. She turned the knob slowly and
discovered it unlocked. She opened it and entered with her gun
drawn.

She felt a
presence behind her and turned quickly. Her gun pointed directly at
Pete. He put his hands up and whispered, “You’re not doing this
alone.” She motioned for him to leave and he shook his head. She
wasn’t about to argue with him and make her presence known to the
man upstairs. With one hand on her gun she stretched her other arm
back to keep Pete safely behind her and moved to the bottom of the
staircase.

“Put your hands
where I can see them,” Brianna ordered when the man appeared at the
top of the stairs.

“Come on,
Brianna. You can’t shoot your old man now.” He began to walk down
the stairs. He appeared confident again, in a creepy way.

“Stop where you
are and put your hands where I can see them,” she demanded.

“Listen,
sweetie, I’m sorry about tonight. I didn’t expect to find you in
the park. I was just looking for a little fun. I’d never hurt you,
only your sister and your mother. You’re my flesh and blood.” He
continued down, one step at a time, slowly, like he was taunting
her. Startled by his words she wondered what the hell he meant.
Then she heard her mother’s voice.

“Come any
closer to her, Derek and I’ll shoot you myself.” Audrey Wilson’s
words shocked Brianna. She heard Paul’s voice tell Audrey to stay
behind him.

“Well, if it
isn’t Officer Matthews. What a reunion we have here.” Brianna heard
the man’s sarcasm in his laughter that filled the room.

“Back-off,
MacLean, I have no trouble pulling the trigger on a bastard like
you.”

Paul’s disgust
for the man was easily read.

“What the hell
is going on here Mom?” Brianna yelled out to her mother, without
taking her eye off the man on the staircase, her gun still pointed
at him. Before Audrey could speak, Derek MacLean took the
spotlight.

“Guess your
mother hasn’t told you. I knew your mother twenty-nine years ago.
She kept us apart all these years. I’m your father.” Brianna wasn’t
sure if she was more horrified with his words or the cold-blooded
tone of his voice when he spoke.

“You raped me
twenty-nine years ago. You don’t deserve to be a part of her life.
You deserve to be behind bars,” Audrey’s voice echoed in the dark.
Her tone scared Brianna. She tried to piece all of this
together.

“That’s not
what you wanted back then. Our night was special. It was the night
we conceived our daughter. I was never arrested or convicted for
what you accuse me of.”

Derek made it
sound as though Brianna was made out of love not crime. She trusted
her mother. She knew she couldn’t be lying. She didn’t know this
man to trust him.

Paul spoke up
before Derek MacLean could continue, “It sickens me to listen to
this. We made the best choice. The charges against the young girl
you killed were dropped only to a mistrial of missing evidence. We
could have charged you with rape and sent you to a Canadian jail
for a few years, tops. The FBI wanted you for two murders in the
States. They said they’d put you away for two consecutive life
sentences. That was the best choice. Get you out of the country and
behind bars for the rest of your life.”

“Don’t listen
to them, Brianna. They’re only trying to keep us apart. I’m your
dad. Trust me.” Derek’s evil tone ripped through Brianna, not in
fear but in disgust. She trusted her mother, not a stranger.

“Any man can be
a father. It takes a special man to be a dad. You definitely don’t
fit that category,” Brianna quickly answered him. He took a step.
He was midway down the staircase. It was still too dark to see his
hands.

“I said stop
where you are and put your hands where I can see them,” Brianna
commanded. He took another step. The partial light from upstairs
only lit half of the staircase. Brianna could now see his hand
slowly rise. He was armed.

“Stop or I’ll
shoot,” she yelled.

“You won’t
shoot me. I’m still your father.” He took another step with his gun
pointed at the front door. Brianna knew her mother was behind her.
Her gut told her he was going to shoot her mother.