Unexpected Partners Read online

  * * *

  Dana watched from behind the glass as Chloe pulled up a chair beside Sarah and sat in silence. Sarah began talking almost instantly. Little by little, the young woman unfolded her body on the chair like a flower, petal by petal, as she opened up to Chloe about what happened.

  Dana had tried everything she could think of to get Sarah to talk before she’d resorted to calling Chloe. Absolutely nothing had worked. She’d pulled every single tool from the toolbox she’d assembled over the years as both a cop and a detective. She liked to think she was good at building a rapport with people in general, but victims especially. She now found herself suddenly questioning her skill set.

  Regardless, she was glad Chloe was there. BPD had obviously made the right call with hiring her. She shook her head in amazement. Watching Chloe, she decided, was like watching a magician up close and still not gaining insight into how the slight of hand actually worked.

  The feeling of having seen Chloe somewhere before was even stronger now. Every time she tried to corner the memory of Chloe’s face, it just evaporated. Maybe she should simply ask her. On second thought…Gee, haven’t we seen each other somewhere before? sounded too much like a come-on line. Scratch that. She’d have to figure this one out on her own.

  Chapter Two

  Chloe watched the passing traffic from the passenger’s seat as Dana sped through the city. At 5:56 a.m., the sky was just beginning to lighten.

  She thought about poor Sarah and everything she’d gone through in the last twelve hours. Through intermittent sobs, Sarah had shared her story. She’d even consented to an exam, her only request that Chloe stay and hold her hand until it was over.

  Dana pulled in to the department’s lot, parked alongside another patrol car, and withdrew the keys from the ignition. She looked over at Chloe. “You okay?” Dana placed a hand on her arm and gave it a gentle squeeze.

  She stiffened under the touch. “Fine. Just tired.” They’d driven back from the hospital in silence, Sarah’s assault heavy in the air between them.

  “Why don’t you go on home and get some rest? You can tackle the paperwork later with fresh eyes.”

  Chloe knew herself well enough to realize an unfiled report would keep her from falling asleep. “No”—she shook her head—“I’ll come in and finish it now.”

  Dana sighed, studying her. “After a night like that, we need to decompress. It’s too early for alcohol.” She made a point of leaning over and looking down at Chloe’s shoes.

  Chloe followed her gaze to her black leather brogues. Fashionably conservative, she made a point of always wearing comfortable flats. She didn’t believe in heels, especially on the job. You just never knew when you might have to chase the bad guys or, alternatively, run from them.

  Dana grinned. “Race you to the fourth floor?”

  Never one to turn down a challenge, Chloe narrowed her eyes. “What are the stakes?”

  “Loser makes coffee.”

  “I take mine with cream and two sugars,” Chloe said without skipping a beat. She knew she was fast.

  “French vanilla creamer. No sugar.” Dana winked. “Ready?”

  She nodded.

  “On three. One…”

  They both opened their car doors and glanced back at each other.

  “Two…three!”

  Chloe leaped up, slammed her door shut, and took off with Dana close on her heels. They sprinted across the parking lot toward the brick building that housed the Boston PD. The door swung open when they were still about fifty yards away. A uniformed police officer stepped out, saving her the trouble of scanning her keycard to gain entry. Still sprinting, she held up her badge and identified herself to the officer to avoid startling him.

  “Hey, Fred!” Dana called out from behind.

  “Hiya, Dana,” he said, stepping aside to let them pass. “What’s the hurry?”

  “Coffee,” they both said in unison.

  “Must be damn good coffee. Hey, save me a cup!” he shouted after them.

  Chloe flew up the stairs two at a time. They were neck and neck now, but she had the advantage of the inside railing. She used it to pull herself up even faster. They reached the second floor landing at the same time, both breathing hard as they continued their ascent.

  “First one to touch the door,” Dana said beside her.

  Chloe was at least a good few feet ahead by the time they approached the third floor landing. She had saved just enough energy for a burst of speed up the final flight of stairs. She was halfway to the fourth floor when Dana caught up with her. Clambering up the stairs as fast as their legs would carry them, they both reached for the door. Chloe watched helplessly as Dana’s fingertips grazed the door’s metal surface microseconds before hers.

  Breathing hard, they stood there, hands on hips, sizing each other up. Clearly, Dana would make a great running partner. Chloe had a sudden and unexpected longing to take her walls down—just a little—to make a new friend. Having shut everyone out from her old life two years ago, she was admittedly out of practice in the fine art of interpersonal communication. She decided now was as good a time as any to make the leap. “Run after work?” she asked between breaths.

  Dana just stared at her but didn’t answer right away.

  Feeling awkward and uncomfortable, she looked from Dana to the floor.

  “Depends,” Dana finally said, still out of breath.

  Chloe looked up. “On what?”

  “We do five miles and then a sprint at the end. Loser buys pizza.”

  Chloe smiled. “You’re on.” She had no intention of losing to Dana twice in one day. Whatever happened, she decided it was still a win-win. Sharing pizza with a friend was something she suddenly found herself looking forward to.

  * * *

  Coffee in each hand, Chloe was carefully making her way across the room to Dana’s desk when she saw him. His Armani suit and tie were flawless, his black shoes shiny enough to reflect the overhead fluorescents and serve as beacons to incoming aircraft. Their eyes locked, and he smiled in recognition. He was being escorted upstairs by a uniformed officer, but there must have been some mistake. The interview rooms were upstairs. Those rooms were only used for victims or witnesses of a crime—never for suspects. Her eyes darted to his hands. No handcuffs.

  Which meant he was free to go after they interviewed him.

  Bile rose in her throat. Oh God, no. What was he doing here? She’d moved clear across the state to eliminate even the possibility of running into him. She felt the blood drain from her face as he rounded the corner and vanished from sight. When she finally managed to tear her eyes from the stairwell, she caught Dana studying her intently just a few feet away. Relief washed over her as her eyes met Dana’s. A safe, friendly face.

  Hot coffee sloshed from each mug as she set them down on Dana’s desk with shaky hands. Chloe struggled mightily to regain her composure. It took every ounce of willpower not to make a mad dash to her car and drive as far away as she could get. “Be right back.” She turned and headed to the locker room in an effort to avoid the probing eyes of the detective.

  The locker room was deserted. She made a beeline for one of the bathroom stalls and emptied the contents of her stomach in one violent heave.

  The door to the locker room swung open on squeaky hinges and banged against the wall. For several terrifying seconds, Chloe was convinced it was him. She held her breath and listened, wishing she had died that day to spare herself the terror of now. The terror of what she was about to face.

  “Chloe?” Dana’s voice sounded cautious and concerned on the other side of the stall door. “Everything okay?”

  Chloe let out her breath and fumbled with the lock. Sweating and shaking, she mumbled something about not feeling well. She stepped over to the sink to rinse her mouth and splash her face with cold water. Lifting her head, she caught her own reflection in the mirror as water ran off the tip of her nose. She barely recognized herself. Wisps of blond hair clung to
her forehead. Dark hazel eyes were now the color of smoke and ripe with panic.

  Dana said something behind her she couldn’t quite make out. The lub-dub of her own heart beating triple-time filled her ears and all but consumed her senses. She cast her eyes to the door, afraid that at any minute he would burst in and make her worst nightmare a reality. Again.

  She leaned over the sink because she thought she was going to be sick. Her knees suddenly buckled. Arms closed around her as she slid to the tile. Disgusted at the thought of him touching her, she tried desperately to push away and grab for her gun. There was a brief struggle as they fought to see who would gain control. But then she heard Dana’s voice, firm and soothing in her ear.

  Chloe looked up, confused. It was Dana there with her, not him. When she tried to stand, Dana’s face started to blacken around the edges. Her arms grew tingly, and she felt strangely disconnected from her body…lightheaded, fuzzy.

  She fought to hold on to consciousness for as long as she could before she realized she just didn’t care anymore. Didn’t have the strength to fight anymore. For the second time in her life, she embraced the idea of falling into a dark and bottomless slumber—a place where her pain, fears, and grief would finally be subdued.

  She felt her body sag against Dana’s, aware only of the freedom that came with not caring. She filled her lungs with air. This is going to be my last breath, she thought, relieved, and she let it out like a caged bird taking flight.

  * * *

  Sitting beside Chloe’s hospital bed, Dana’s mind raced. What the hell happened? After quizzing Dana with some questions, the doctor explained that Chloe had experienced a vasovagal response, also known as neurocardiogenic syncope, where the heart rate and blood pressure suddenly drop. He went on to say it was probably a reaction to extreme emotional distress. He’d administered a mild sedative. Chloe would sleep it off and most likely wake up in a few hours, fully recovered.

  Which meant Dana had a few hours to try to tease this out. It had all started with that man at the station. She’d watched from her desk as Chloe locked eyes with him across the room. Clearly recognizing her from somewhere, he’d smiled. It was the most chilling smile Dana had ever seen. There was no warmth in it whatsoever.

  Chloe had instantly frozen in place as she watched him being led upstairs. In that moment, she’d reminded Dana of an injured gazelle cornered by a ravenous lion. Briefly turning her attention to Dana as he vanished from sight, she looked like she’d just seen a ghost.

  When she hurried off to the locker room, Dana had decided to go after her. Something wasn’t right. Her instincts told her Chloe was in trouble.

  Chloe had exited from the bathroom stall, looking pale and shaky. It was clear she was terrified but trying hard to pretend everything was fine. Dana caught her in midair as she’d started to faint. She shuddered as she recalled Chloe drawing her weapon. Dana had wrestled it from her grasp quickly and quietly, aware of the trouble Chloe would be in if fellow officers were alerted to the scuffle. Then, without warning, she had stopped breathing. When Dana initiated CPR, she couldn’t help but notice the scars on her breasts.

  Bite marks.

  They were in the exact same location as the bite marks on Gabbi. She was sure of it. She’d seen them herself before the medical examiner took possession of Gabbi’s body. That had to be more than coincidence.

  She sighed. What the hell did it all mean? Was this connected in some way to Gabbi’s case? She watched the steady rise and fall of Chloe’s chest as she slept. Convinced something more was going on here, she withdrew her cell and dialed Maribel’s number.

  Maribel answered on the first ring. “Sorry I’m late. Got stuck in a meeting with a witness.”

  Dana looked at her watch and remembered they were supposed to meet for lunch. “Turns out, I can’t make it today.”

  “Something must be wrong for you to pass up a date with the burrito man.”

  “I’m at the hospital—”

  “Where? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I’m with a colleague.”

  “Who?”

  Dana stood and walked over to close the door for some privacy. “Chloe Maddox,” she whispered.

  “She okay?”

  Dana explained what the doctor had told her. She also took her through the events as they unfolded at the station. She knew Maribel would keep everything in confidence. “I need a favor.” She didn’t want to ask someone from the department to look into this in an official capacity. Her instincts were usually right on the mark, but she couldn’t risk bringing Chloe’s reputation into question or damaging her career in any way.

  “You want me to find out why she left Martha’s Vineyard,” Maribel guessed.

  Dana smiled, grateful to have a friend she knew she could trust with anything. “I might start with a call to her last commanding officer.”

  “I’m on it. I’ll get back to you as soon as I know something.”

  * * *

  The first thing Chloe became aware of was the smell of disinfectant. She opened her eyes to a dimly lit hospital room and found herself in bed with a blood pressure cuff, IV, oxygen, and electrodes on her chest. She followed the wires out from the sleeve of her hospital gown and up to the monitor beside the bed. She watched the jagged green lines on the screen in silence. Heart rate fifty. Blood pressure one ten over seventy—

  “You’re awake.” Dana rubbed her eyes and leaned forward from the chair on the other side of the bed.

  Chloe pulled the oxygen cannula away from her nose and set it aside. “How long have I been here?”

  Dana looked at her watch. “About six hours. We’re at Mass General. The doctor said you had a vasovagal response. It’s when the vagus nerve is—

  “I know what it is.” She was well aware the vagus nerve was the longest cranial nerve in the body, reaching from the brain through the neck and all the way down into the abdomen. With parasympathetic fibers, it could slow the heart rate dramatically when stimulated and cause a major system shutdown. Most law enforcement officers were trained to trigger the vagus nerve when dealing with a dangerous suspect by delivering a quick, hard jab to the side of the neck. It was used only as a last resort because such a blow could result in a sudden drop in blood pressure and be fatal. Times of severe stress had also been known to cause a similar reaction. And today probably fell into that severe stress category, Chloe thought angrily, remembering the Armani suit and shiny shoes worn to conceal the monster underneath.

  “Has anything like that ever happened to you before?” Dana asked.

  Chloe shook her head and sat up slowly.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Better now. Thanks.”

  “Want me to see if I can find the doctor?”

  “No.” As much as she appreciated that Dana had waited with her, she wanted her to go now. She offered a reassuring smile. “I’ll be fine. I’m sure you have more important things to do than sit around here babysitting me. Go on home.”

  But Dana didn’t budge. “You almost died, Chloe.”

  She felt Dana’s eyes searching her face for a hint of emotion. Strangely, she felt nothing. Only the vaguest regret that she was here having this conversation at all.

  “How much do you remember?”

  Chloe shrugged, feigning ignorance. “I remember feeling pretty sick.”

  “Okay. Here’s what I remember.” Dana sat on the edge of the bed. “There was a man brought in for questioning in connection with a case I’m working. I saw you watching him.” She paused. “You turned white as a ghost and ran to the bathroom.”

  She refused to give Dana the reaction she was obviously expecting and forced her face to remain expressionless.

  “I saw him look at you and smile,” Dana went on, “like he knew you.”

  Chloe swallowed. “I honestly have no idea who you’re talking about. When I started feeling sick, it came on pretty quick. I was probably looking in his direction when it hit me.”

&nb
sp; Dana studied her, freely roaming her face for a chink in the armor, her dark brown eyes full of skepticism and concern. “You stopped breathing in the bathroom, and your heart rate took a nosedive. I removed your shirt to do CPR. I saw the bite marks on your breasts…here and here.” She pointed to two places on the outside of Chloe’s hospital gown. “Did he do that to you?”

  She said nothing and hugged the blanket closer to her body, feeling more uncomfortable by the minute.

  Dana’s cell phone rang. She stood from the bed, reached down, and unclipped it from her belt.

  * * *

  “Are you still there with her?” Maribel asked.

  “Still here,” Dana said.

  “Is she awake? Can she hear you?”

  “Yep.”

  “Have you asked her about what happened yet?”

  “I have.” Dana was trying to be as vague as possible. She didn’t want Chloe to know this call was about her.

  “And?”

  “And then you called.”

  “Oh. Sorry about that.” Maribel paused on the other end. “Let me just start by saying you’re definitely in the right line of work. Your instincts are beyond extraordinary.”

  “Good to know. What did you find out?”

  “Her old captain gave me an earful. He said Chloe was one of the best cops he ever had. Works harder than everyone else, follows the rules, and she has great instincts. Reminds me of someone else I know.”

  “That all he gave you?”

  Maribel sighed. “Chloe was abducted two years ago. She was dumped in front of her old department twenty-five days later, beaten to a bloody pulp and barely alive. She was in a coma for a week. When she woke up, she couldn’t remember anything about the abduction. All of her other memories were intact, but she couldn’t remember a single detail about what happened. Her captain said they had a hunch about who did it but no evidence. So the case went cold pretty fast.”