violent and ballsy, raping his last victim in broad daylight at a park.
“Hey, Treena,” I said to the timid woman in front of me.
Her hand had a fine tremble as she picked up her coffee cup and sipped, forcing a smile for my benefit. “Hi.”
“Look, I know the detectives asked you to come back, but if you’re not up for it, that’s perfectly okay.”
She swallowed and set her cup down. “No. It’s fine. If I can help catch him somehow, I’m all for it.”
“All right. But if you need to stop at any time, just let me know.”
She nodded and I started by pulling out the original sketch I’d made with her all those months ago.
After a deep breath, she plucked it up like it would burn her and studied it. Tears flooded her eyes, but she continued to stare as if to dare him to hurt her again.
“Is that still how you remember him?”
“Yes,” she whispered, setting it back down. “I guess.”
“Let’s just focus on one feature at a time,” I suggested, trying to be professional though my heart was suddenly fluttering in my chest. “His eyes?”
Squinting, she focused again. Somehow, I knew what she was going to say before she said it. “Deeper maybe? They’re the right color.”
I altered them a bit, including the thicker brows without saying anything. When I showed her, she nodded.
The more we tweaked him to resemble the last image I’d penciled, the more I had to hold the panic at bay. It was getting harder and harder to not see Nolan in these drawings and convince myself that I wasn’t absolutely insane. He would have no way to know where I was. If he did, he wouldn’t have stayed away from me all these months. Yet, with each blond victim and each horrifying detail, it was all beginning to feel very, very personal.
We finished up and I spent the rest of my day helping the detectives get the updated images to the proper files and fielding hotline calls, which I did when my artist skills weren’t needed.
“Hey, Jewel.”
I peered up as Officer Varga ambled my way, an open smile gracing his face. “Hi. How was your day?”
He shrugged and rested a hip on the desk next to me. “Nothing too exciting, which is pretty good in my book for a holiday weekend.”
I recalled Treena’s traumatized expression. “I’d guess so.”
“So, I was wondering—”
My phone rang and interrupted him. I held up a finger and answered. “Baybridge Police Department. How can I help you?”
I directed the call to the proper extension then focused on Officer Varga. “Sorry. What was that?”
He actually flushed. “I was wondering if you had plans tonight?”
I frowned. Surely he wasn’t . . . he could not be asking me out. “I . . .”
“Sorry, that wasn’t very eloquent,” he said with a shrug. “What I meant to say was I’ve really enjoyed working with you these past months and I would love to take you out on a date to get to know you more. If you’re interested, that is.”
I snapped my mouth shut. “Oh. Well. That’s very nice.”
“Is that a yes?”
“No, sorry. I have plans tonight.”
He frowned. “This weekend then?”
God, I hated to let him down. He’d been nothing but nice to me, but I just . . . well, I didn’t feel any sparks. Not like the kind Micah detonated in me. Still, I was about to say yes, just because I was a coward, when the door swung open and Delilah came bustling in with her kids in tow. I’d never been happier to see anyone in my life.
“Delilah,” I said a little too loudly.
She smiled when she spotted me and made her way over with a polite nod for Officer Varga. “Thank God I found you. Are you almost off?”
I checked the clock. “Five minutes.”
“Praise God.” She sighed and plopped down in the chair next to me, plunking the carrier car seat on the ground and hoisting Molly into her lap. “I need your help. This party is turning into a lot of work that is more than I can handle with these two today.”
Officer Varga tipped his head to
“Hey, Treena,” I said to the timid woman in front of me.
Her hand had a fine tremble as she picked up her coffee cup and sipped, forcing a smile for my benefit. “Hi.”
“Look, I know the detectives asked you to come back, but if you’re not up for it, that’s perfectly okay.”
She swallowed and set her cup down. “No. It’s fine. If I can help catch him somehow, I’m all for it.”
“All right. But if you need to stop at any time, just let me know.”
She nodded and I started by pulling out the original sketch I’d made with her all those months ago.
After a deep breath, she plucked it up like it would burn her and studied it. Tears flooded her eyes, but she continued to stare as if to dare him to hurt her again.
“Is that still how you remember him?”
“Yes,” she whispered, setting it back down. “I guess.”
“Let’s just focus on one feature at a time,” I suggested, trying to be professional though my heart was suddenly fluttering in my chest. “His eyes?”
Squinting, she focused again. Somehow, I knew what she was going to say before she said it. “Deeper maybe? They’re the right color.”
I altered them a bit, including the thicker brows without saying anything. When I showed her, she nodded.
The more we tweaked him to resemble the last image I’d penciled, the more I had to hold the panic at bay. It was getting harder and harder to not see Nolan in these drawings and convince myself that I wasn’t absolutely insane. He would have no way to know where I was. If he did, he wouldn’t have stayed away from me all these months. Yet, with each blond victim and each horrifying detail, it was all beginning to feel very, very personal.
We finished up and I spent the rest of my day helping the detectives get the updated images to the proper files and fielding hotline calls, which I did when my artist skills weren’t needed.
“Hey, Jewel.”
I peered up as Officer Varga ambled my way, an open smile gracing his face. “Hi. How was your day?”
He shrugged and rested a hip on the desk next to me. “Nothing too exciting, which is pretty good in my book for a holiday weekend.”
I recalled Treena’s traumatized expression. “I’d guess so.”
“So, I was wondering—”
My phone rang and interrupted him. I held up a finger and answered. “Baybridge Police Department. How can I help you?”
I directed the call to the proper extension then focused on Officer Varga. “Sorry. What was that?”
He actually flushed. “I was wondering if you had plans tonight?”
I frowned. Surely he wasn’t . . . he could not be asking me out. “I . . .”
“Sorry, that wasn’t very eloquent,” he said with a shrug. “What I meant to say was I’ve really enjoyed working with you these past months and I would love to take you out on a date to get to know you more. If you’re interested, that is.”
I snapped my mouth shut. “Oh. Well. That’s very nice.”
“Is that a yes?”
“No, sorry. I have plans tonight.”
He frowned. “This weekend then?”
God, I hated to let him down. He’d been nothing but nice to me, but I just . . . well, I didn’t feel any sparks. Not like the kind Micah detonated in me. Still, I was about to say yes, just because I was a coward, when the door swung open and Delilah came bustling in with her kids in tow. I’d never been happier to see anyone in my life.
“Delilah,” I said a little too loudly.
She smiled when she spotted me and made her way over with a polite nod for Officer Varga. “Thank God I found you. Are you almost off?”
I checked the clock. “Five minutes.”
“Praise God.” She sighed and plopped down in the chair next to me, plunking the carrier car seat on the ground and hoisting Molly into her lap. “I need your help. This party is turning into a lot of work that is more than I can handle with these two today.”
Officer Varga tipped his head to
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