Connection, page 27
“Come on. Help me find something to wear on my first day. Okay?” Julie gave Remmy a winning smile. “Whatever you pick, I’ll wear.” She immediately wanted to take back that rash promise, but knew she couldn’t. She could only pray that Remmy had good taste.
A little while later, Julie’s trunk was filled with bags and packages, and they were driving through Woodland, a comfortable silence filling the car. Remmy was amused to be sitting in the passenger seat, thinking back to the last time: just entering Woodland, unsure what the future held for her, unsure whether she would even stay in the town. Not half an hour after getting out of the Miata, she’d had a job and a place to live at the Maple Tree.
“So, are you excited to be starting classes in August?” she asked, focusing on the present. Julie was quiet so long Remmy wondered whether she had heard the question. Finally Julie blew out a breath but didn’t look at her.
“Yes and no.”
“Why ‘no’?”
Julie looked over at Remmy sheepishly. “I still haven’t been to the school. I can’t—”
“Can’t what?”
“I can’t even pull into the parking lot. I haven’t been able to go into the school.”
Remmy was aware that was where Julie had been abducted. “Have you tried?”
Julie nodded. “A couple of times. Shit, I park across the street and can’t even turn into the lot.” She sighed, disappointed in herself. She felt a warm hand on her leg. She looked down at it then followed the arm until she was looking at Remmy’s eyes, hidden behind her sunglasses. The hand squeezed lightly.
“Let’s go,” Remmy said.
“Oh no, Remmy. No, I can’t.” Julie felt panic fluttering in her stomach, sweat beading between her breasts, and her palms were sticky on the steering wheel. The hand squeezed again.
“Let’s go.”
****
Julie felt sick to her stomach as the car idled across the street from the school—her usual parking spot when she tried to convince herself she could do this. Remmy’s presence next to her almost gave her the courage. Almost.
Studying Julie’s profile, Remmy said nothing. She sensed how scared Julie was. She wanted to be able to take that away, but knew she couldn’t. This was a demon Julie had to face, but she would be with her every step of the way. “Are you ready?” she said quietly, resting her hand on the back of Julie’s seat.
Julie blew out a loud breath, nodding. “I can do this.” She turned and looked at Remmy with pleading eyes. “Can’t I?”
Remmy smiled, shoving her sunglasses to the top of her head. She knew Julie needed to see her eyes, needed to be able to read the confidence there. “Yes. You can.”
“Okay.” Julie pulled away from the curb, looking in each direction about five times.
“There’s no one coming, Julie,” Remmy said, amused at the stall tactic.
Julie grinned. She knew she couldn’t put one over on Remmy. She pulled the small car onto the street, the entrance to the empty parking lot not twenty yards away. Her heart was racing as her lunch threatened to make an encore appearance. She calmed at the feel of Remmy’s hand on her leg, rubbing up and down as though calming a skittish colt.
“You can do this,” Remmy said, her eyes never leaving Julie’s face.
As the sports car reached the driveway, Julie’s foot slammed down on the brake, almost throwing Remmy into the windshield. “Sorry,” she whispered through the sting of fear.
“Don’t sweat it,” Remmy said, getting readjusted in her seat. “You can do this, Julie. You can.”
Julie released the pressure on the brake and the car lurched forward. To a passerby, it might have looked as if Julie was getting a driving lesson as the car hiccupped its way through the final ten yards. Julie signaled her turn into the lot.
Remmy felt the heat rolling off of Julie in waves, her fear obviously nearly all-consuming. She wondered for a moment if maybe they should abort. But, to her surprise, Julie pulled the car into the parking lot and eased the car to a stop diagonally across two spots. Glancing at her, Remmy realized it was because Julie had her eyes closed.
“Julie?” she said. No response. “Julie, honey?” Green eyes opened, focusing solely on her. Remmy smiled. “You did it.”
Julie looked around her, noting they were just three spaces away from where she’d parked that day. She let out a long, slow breath, her heart still pounding but calming ever so slightly as she felt Remmy’s hand still resting on her leg. She reached down and covered it with her own. “I did it,” she whispered, eyes returning to Remmy’s.
Remmy pulled her hand out from under Julie’s and pulled Julie into her arms. It wasn’t long before the tears came with the embrace. “I’ve got you,” she whispered. “I’ll never let anything bad happen to you again. I swear.”
Chapter Forty-two
Grace sipped her coffee. Remmy was late, but that was okay—Remmy had said she might be. Grace had considered having their meeting at the police station, but decided it was best to be in an environment that was more comfortable and quiet, rather than one that was so chaotic. The coffeehouse seemed a good place to meet. It was purely a bonus that they had the best muffins in town.
Having skipped lunch, she was on her second by the time Remmy walked through the door, some of the scattered patrons bidding her hello. “Do you know them?” Grace asked, amused, nodding toward the older couple with a smattering of birdwatching magazines spread out over their table.
Remmy shook her head as she pulled out a chair. “Not a clue.”
“I think you’ve become a legend, my friend.”
Remmy glared up at her then both cracked a smile. “Somehow I don’t think so. I imagine they’ve seen me at the store.”
Grace shook her head, waving the young waitress over. “That’s a negative, captain. They don’t embrace new folk here just ’cause you happen to sell them gas and lottery tickets.”
Embarrassed, Remmy looked away. “Stop,” she said with a dramatic wave of her hand, making her friend laugh. The young waitress who came to the table was accompanied by an older man who Remmy recognized as the owner.
“Remmy, you tell Michelle what you want and it’s on the house,” he said.
“Oh, uh, that’s not necessary—”
“Sure it is. Our very own hometown hero!”
“What about me, Ron?” Grace asked, affecting a wounded look.
“You want a refill, Grace?” he asked, completely missing the intent of the question.
Grace glanced at Remmy—so not fair—then handed her cup over. Remmy gave her order to Michelle, and the girl came back with a mocha breve and half of an apple pie. Remmy’s eyes lit up, and she grinned at Grace’s glare.
“Alright, I’m assuming you’ve had time to look at the pictures?” Grace said, getting right to the point of their meeting.
Remmy didn’t say anything for a moment then glanced up at Grace. “The baby’s still alive, Grace,” she said softly. “Though I really don’t have any sense of how much longer.”
Grace sighed, running a hand over the tension knot at the back of her neck. In most cases, children were dead within hours of being taken. She had figured the baby was long dead, just like his mother. “The killer did a good job of covering his tracks. I think he used gloves. Not a fingerprint anywhere.”
Remmy’s brows furrowed. Again she could see the bloody hands. Shaking her head, she sipped from her drink. “I don’t think so, Grace. Or at least he messed up somewhere. There is a fingerprint in that house, I know it—”
The ring glinted in the light, blood splattered on it. Large ring. Hefty ring. Look at the stone, look at the stone...
Remmy shook herself from the vision. “He wears a ring. I’ve seen it twice now. A big ring...” Remmy looked around at the other patrons. She was trying to find something—anything—that reminded her of what she saw, the fingers of her right hand wiggling of their own accord as she felt the weight of the ring on her finger. Finally she spotted a young man sitting at a table by himself, working on homework. “Like that!” She rose from her seat and headed over to him, Grace following.
“Jerry,” Grace said as the teen looked up at them with questioning eyes. “Can I see your ring for a sec?”
“Uh, sure, Detective Cowan.” He grunted as he tugged at his high school ring, the silver finally sliding from his finger. He handed it to Grace and she handed it to Remmy, who studied it intently.
“A class ring, yeah,” she said, no longer seeing the details of Jerry’s ring, but those of the vision in her mind.
“What’s going on?” Jerry asked, watching Remmy.
“Working on a case,” Grace murmured, not wanting to break Remmy’s concentration.
“It’s gold.” Remmy turned the ring around and around in her fingers, but every time she tried to turn the face of the ring to her mind’s eye, it blurred. She shook her head, mildly frustrated, handing the ring back to Jerry. “I don’t know. But it’s like that, except it’s gold.”
“You feel this ring is important, don’t you?” Grace said, as they returned to their table.
Remmy nodded. “It keeps coming back to me.” She grabbed the fork Michelle had dropped off with the pie and dug in, moaning at the exquisite explosion of tastes. “Have you found the murder weapon yet?”
Grace shook her head. “Nope. Our victim, Linda Hartman, died of blunt force trauma, but we’re not sure what was used to beat her. Nothing was missing. There was a perfectly clean hammer in the garage. No pieces of wood were lying around. Very neat, tidy residence, actually.” Grace watched Remmy. “How do you know the baby’s still alive?”
Remmy met her dark gaze. “’Cause he’s crying in my head.”
****
Julie chuckled as Bonnie nearly ran into the wall as she shook herself completely dry after the bath and toweling she’d received. Her brother followed, sniffing some water droplets that had splattered the wall in the hallway.
“You guys are nuts,” she said lovingly, heading past them and down the stairs to get all three of them some dinner.
It was a beautiful night in April; most of her windows were standing wide open, as they had been for a good part of the day. She would probably be closing them soon, however, as the night was starting to cool down. Once in a while she caught the scent of rain on the incoming breeze. That put a smile on her face. She loved rain, always had. Once upon a time, rain had eased her body into a wonderful state, making her skin tingle as she craved to be touched. In short, rain made her horny as hell.
Somehow she doubted that would be the case anymore. She had no desire to ever be touched like that again. Other than friendly shows of affection, her body had become something that she held sacred, and she couldn’t imagine allowing anyone to touch her intimately again. The temple her mother used to talk about, that was what Julie’s body had become to her. She had not even allowed her own fingers to wander. Never again.
In all honesty, she wondered whether denying herself sexual touch was actually the loss someone else might perceive it to be. She’d had sexual partners over the years, and she definitely felt desire and need, but more often than not, she was left wanting and unsatisfied. She could count on one hand the times her boyfriends had brought her to climax. Typically she just took care of it herself after they left.
Julie pushed the thoughts from her mind. It was a subject that no longer mattered in her world. She filled the dogs’ bowl then set about looking in cabinets and the fridge to see what she had to make for herself.
****
“Seems like you and Julie have begun a true friendship,” Grace said, sipping her bottle of water, coffeed out.
Remmy nodded, shoving the nearly empty pan of pie away. She hadn’t eaten all day and the dessert really hit the spot. “She’s wonderful. I don’t think I’ve ever made such a close friend in such a short time.” She shrugged. “I really enjoy the time I spend with her, even if it is usually helping her out with something.”
Grace grinned. “You’ve become her handyman.”
“Something like that. I love it, though.”
Grace had watched them together, and it always brought a smile to her face, not just because of the happy ending of Julie’s ordeal, but because it was more than obvious the two had a real connection, a bond like she rarely observed between two people. “Do you still sense her like you did before?”
Remmy nodded, sipping from her third breve. She knew she would be up all night, probably with a stomachache from the strong brew. “I won’t allow myself visions, though. It’s not right. It would be like invading her personal space, you know?”
Grace nodded.
****
With the pasta already beginning to boil, Julie vacillated between the jars of marinara and Alfredo sauces. She chewed her lip in indecision, finally reaching for the marinara. Alfredo was rich, and she wasn’t sure her stomach could handle it.
She set the jar of Prego down and was reaching for a rubber spatula from the holder on the counter when she heard a knock at the door. Dark blonde eyebrows drawing, she turned the burner heat down and went to the front door. Bonnie and Clyde beat her there, their tails wagging in anticipation.
Julie looked through the window and saw a dark car parked in her driveway. She groaned when she saw Ray Lambert standing on her front porch, blinking rapidly at the sudden illumination of the porch light. After undoing the locks, Julie pulled the door open, leaving the glass screen door closed between them.
“Hey.” He held up a hand in greeting.
“What are you doing here, Ray?”
“I came to see you, see how you’re doing. My daughter told me about everything that happened.”
“That was months ago. Why are you here now?”
“Julie, can I come in, please? It’s starting to rain, and I’m not too keen about having a discussion with you through a glass door.”
Against her better judgment, Julie flipped the lock and turned away from the door. Ray pulled the screen door open and followed her inside. “I think it’s going to be a pretty bad storm tonight,” he said, glancing outside over his shoulder. The night sky was starting to light up as lightning raced across the sky.
Julie stopped in the middle of the living room and turned to face him, wrapping her arms around herself.
Ray stepped to within a few feet of her. “So, how are you?” he asked, apparently genuine concern in his voice.
“I’m fine. Doing well, actually.” Her heart was pounding and she wasn’t sure why. She felt sweat beginning to gather under her arms and between her breasts.
“Good. That’s really great to hear. I’m sorry I didn’t come by before but I’ve been working on a new plant in Florida for the past six months so—”
“That’s good. Sounds exciting.” Julie tried to sound interested, but she could think of nothing beyond wanting him to leave. She hadn’t forgotten about the problems she’d been having with Ray just before she was abducted. Nor had she forgotten that their relationship was very much over. She had no desire to see him in any capacity, not even on a friendly basis.
“So, what happened to you? Some guy snatched you or what?” Ray asked, walking over to the couch and sitting down.
Julie swallowed her anger. “I don’t want to talk about it, Ray. You can read about it in back issues of the newspaper, I’m sure.”
“Why? Why can’t you just tell me? I’m really curious.”
“And I’m really talked out. Please leave.”
****
Remmy wanted to get home before the storm started, but she and Grace had stayed talking too long. “Crap,” she muttered, as she stood at the door to the coffeehouse watching the heavens open up.
“I’ll give you a lift home, Remmy.” Grace tugged her jacket into place as they stepped out onto the sidewalk.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.” They were walking toward the green Ford Explorer when suddenly she slowed, fear creeping up her spine and lodging itself in her throat. She could barely swallow over the lump.
Grace noticed the look on her face, the pale skin and wide eyes. “Remmy, you okay? A vision?”
Remmy shook her head. “No. Julie.”
****
“Ray, I really want you to go. I’m not comfortable with you being here.”
“Why not?” Ray got to his feet and moved around the room in agitation. “Why didn’t you ever return any of my phone calls? Why the hell did you end our relationship without even so much as a ‘fuck you, Ray’?”
This was the Ray she was afraid of, the Ray he had turned into at some point in their relationship. Her heart pounding, Julie tried to keep her breathing even. “I can’t take this. Please just go.”
****
Ray followed her as she backed away from him. “See? You need me, Julie. You’re afraid of your own shadow without me here.” His gaze traveled over the sleek torso, taking in Julie’s heaving breasts and sliding down to her legs. The last time he had seen her, she hadn’t looked this good. He grasped her arms, rubbing the soft skin. Looking into her face, he was shocked to see terrified green eyes staring back at him. “Why are you afraid of me? Baby, I love you, remember?”
Julie wanted to scream, she was screaming in her head, but no sound would escape her clenched throat. Almost faint from the lack of breath, all she could do was shake her head, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Ray stepped closer, to wrap his arms around her. Suddenly he was grabbed by the shoulder and spun around. A fist made solid contact with his cheek and he went down, the carpet burning his palms as he reached out to break his fall. Stunned, he looked up to see a tall woman glaring down at him with blue eyes filled with fire, her hands still balled up in fists.
