Expert Witness: A Romantic Suspense Novel (2 page)

Sticking her head in the doorway, she found him hunched over his desk. She could tell from the mug shot that he was reviewing a police report. A lock of his wavy blond hair was resting on his forehead, as if it was about to cross the bridge carved out by the deep furrows in his brow. He looked like he could use a distraction.

“Hey, Derek. Hard at work?” She released her briefcase on the floor beside her.

“Just a few things I need to finish up,” he replied. Then, with a smile, he added, “Being the new guy and all, I don’t want to get a reputation as a slacker.”

“Well, don’t work too hard. Don’t want to make the other partners look bad,” she said, trying to affect a serious manner.

“I’m not sure that’s possible when one of the partners never leaves during the daylight hours.” He waggled his eyebrows at her. “Forget setting the bar, she defines it.”

She cracked a smile while she rolled her eyes at him. He was definitely a charmer. When he’d first come on board, Mike and Karen had wondered if he and Jordan might even become romantic partners rather than solely practice partners, but it hadn’t happened. She’d never felt attracted to him in that way and could tell he didn’t feel it, either. She had no doubts now; they were better suited as friends.
 

He leaned back in his chair. “Then again, you are getting out before eight tonight. I should applaud you.”
 

The corners of her mouth turned downward. “And how sad is it that?” In the six months he’d been there, he had her routine down. She tried not to think about what that meant. “But hold the ovation. I’m out of here—” she eyed the darkness outside his window, “—and I don’t have a second to spare.”

“Ah, don’t want to be late to meet Karen, huh?”
 

She nodded. “You’d think it was her mission in life to get me out tonight. And I know her well enough to make sure I’m not late.” She sprang to retrieve the handle of her briefcase as she remembered Karen’s threat of a speed-dating event coming up if she couldn’t make it to dinner. “No telling what she’d do next, but I’m not taking a chance,” she said, throwing out a hurried wave as she left.
 

A rush of warm air hit her face as soon as she stepped outside. Despite the fact that it was early September and late, the temperatures in Orlando were still stifling throughout the day and offered little relief from the heat and humidity at night.
 

Humming the tune that had been playing through the surround sound system in her office, she made her way into the parking lot while reflecting on Derek’s comment. It was true that she put in long hours, but she loved her job, and in all fairness, she put in more time than was necessary—

The sound of footsteps echoing behind her interrupted her reasoning.
 

As she attempted to spin around, a strong, slick arm wrapped itself around her neck, and another one locked across her waist. Adrenaline spiked her blood. She twisted back and forth trying to break away. The arm clutching her torso remained solidly in place. Who was he?
 

A scream surging from her throat was cut short as the hand digging into her waist relocated to crush against her mouth. His rancid breath warmed her neck. She thrashed within the hold, but her efforts were fruitless against the iron grip that encased her. He began to drag her across the parking lot. Heels bouncing off the asphalt, she tried in vain to grind them into the ground. It didn’t work. She struggled to remain calm and remember the self-defense tactics she’d learned in a weekend college seminar. One thought kept popping back in her mind. If she let her captor take her to a second location, the odds would be stacked further against her.
 

In an act of desperation, rather than trying to anchor herself, she lifted her shoe and slammed it down on her assailant’s foot. The three-inch stiletto heel sank into the top of his laces. His hold didn’t loosen. Fighting panic that was creeping into her thoughts, she raised her foot again. This time, she’d go for his shin.
 

As she gathered strength to execute her counterattack, the man behind her groaned. Her lungs instinctively sucked in air as the grip around her neck loosened and then released her completely. Lightheaded and confused, she fell forward, scrambling to put distance between them. Her assailant hit the ground behind her with a loud thud. Chancing a look back, she saw Derek standing behind the crumpled figure with a baseball bat in his hands.
 

He moved in front of her, the bat now dangling in his right hand. “Are you okay?” He was shouting though he was right in front of her. “Did he cut you?” His eyes traveled down her body.

“What?” she asked. The word came out resembling a sea lion’s bark as a result of the damaging pressure on her throat. She had no idea what Derek was talking about.
 

His gaze had shifted behind her, so she turned around. Only then did she see the knife lying on the ground next to the figure. A feeling of dread washed over her and she fought the nausea turning her stomach. Her legs wobbled like Jell-O. She glanced around for somewhere to sit before it was too late and she joined the man on the ground.

“I’ve got you.” Derek placed her arm around his waist so he could support her weight. Then he guided her to his car.
 

After using his free hand to open the passenger’s side door, he eased her into one of the Corvette’s deep-gray bucket seats. She pulled her hands up in front of her chest and wrung them together in an effort to still her quivering limbs. The trembling didn’t stop. Her whole body vibrated now.
 

Grabbing his cell phone from his front pocket, Derek dropped down in the seat next to her and began dialing. Jordan could hear the voice on the other end.

“Nine-one-one operator. What is your emergency?”
 

“Yes, my friend has been attacked.” Derek rattled off the street address to their office. “We need an ambulance right away.”
 

She looked over at the crumpled figure who lay on the ground not twenty feet from them. He was unmoving, still in the same position. Tearing her eyes away from the limp body, she realized Derek had ended the call and was speaking to her again.
 

“Everything is going to be okay. An ambulance is on its way to take you to the hospital to get checked out.” He rested his hand on her shoulder.

Jordan closed her eyes. She’d mistakenly thought Derek had requested the ambulance for her motionless assailant. Forcing the thoughts to become words, she stated, “I don’t need to go to the hospital. I’m okay. He didn’t cut me, only tried to drag me away…” She trailed off. Nothing she said felt real. She’d worked with trauma clients enough to realize she was suffering from shock.

He gave a heavy nod. “I’m sure everything is fine, but it won’t hurt to check.”
 

She didn’t have the strength to argue. She’d used up every bit of energy she’d had to fight her attacker.

It seemed like an eternity had passed when they saw the blue lights cutting through the darkness though, according her watch, it’d been only a few minutes. Two squad cars and an ambulance simultaneously pulled into the parking lot.
 

The officers exited the vehicles. One started toward them, while the other headed toward the figure on the ground.
 

“Hey. Is everyone okay?” the closest officer called out as he surveyed the scene around them.
 

Both she and Derek nodded as he came closer.

“Who’s Derek—the guy who called this in?”
 

Derek lifted his hand up midway. “I am.”

“Tell me what happened. What’s going on here?” the officer questioned.
 

Derek provided a statement on what he’d witnessed, while the paramedics checked the vital signs of the unconscious man. Jordan turned the other way, as the sight of him made her stomach churn. On the other side of the parking lot, several more squad cars showed up, and officers began taping off the crime scene.
 

A new officer approached her and began to ask her questions. She was surprised at how calm she sounded as she answered him. It was as if her body were on automatic pilot and she were but a spectator. Watching from the safe place her mind had conceived, she saw her assailant being loaded onto a stretcher and into the ambulance.
 

 
“Do you need medical attention?” the officer asked. “I’ll be glad to call another ambulance.”
 

“I think that’s a good idea,” Derek said before she could reply, obviously done answering questions.

She shook her head. “I don’t think that’s necessary. I’m just a little shaken up.”
 

“All right. Will you at least let me take you, then?” Derek asked, his voice filled with concern.

Giving in, Jordan nodded.

“That’s about it for now, then,” the officer stated. He turned his head to run through a few ten codes on the mic affixed to his shoulder lapel. “I’ll be on my way to the hospital to interview the suspect. If he’s regained consciousness by then. You gave him one whack on the head he won’t soon forget.” He looked at Derek.
 

“Yeah, well, I never thought our sports equipment for play therapy would be put to such good use,” Derek replied grimly.

The officer gave a barely perceptible nod before turning his attention back to Jordan. “I’ll be getting in touch with you to let you know the outcome of all of this and possibly to get more information. In the meantime, if you remember anything else, here’s my card.”

Jordan was relieved to see that the emergency room was almost empty. They waited only for a few minutes before being called back to an examining room. After undergoing a routine examination by a physician’s assistant, she was pronounced clear for discharge. However, it was apparent she’d have some hefty bruises around her abdomen and neck.
 

All she could think of on the ride back was scrubbing herself clean in a long, hot bath. She wanted to wash the last six hours away. Wash away the feel of his sweat-soaked arms around her. The panic at being locked in his hold and struggling for every breath. The sour smell of his exhalations intruding into her precious air space. She knew it would never be possible. She hugged her arms tightly to her body.

“Are you cold?” Derek asked, reaching forward to turn down the air conditioner.

“No, not really. It’s just been a hell of a day. Would you mind taking me straight home? I’ll catch a ride with Mike and Karen in the morning. I don’t feel up to going back to the office tonight.”

“Sure. No problem,” he said with a pensive expression. “I hadn’t even thought of bringing you anywhere else. Your car will be fine. I’m more worried about you. Are you sure you’ll be all right tonight? You’re more than welcome to stay at my place.”
 

“Thanks for the offer. Actually, thanks for everything. I don’t want to think about what might’ve happened if you hadn’t come along when you did. But I just want to go home, take a long bath, and try to get some sleep.”
 

Derek looked over at her, sympathy marking his voice. “I get it. But promise me you’ll call if you need anything,” he said, easing the car into the circular driveway.

Jordan dipped her head in acquiescence then shifted to look at the familiar house in front of her. The pressure in her chest alleviated somewhat. She was home.
 

Waving goodbye to Derek, she made her way inside. The soft glow coming from her living room illuminated her path. Normally, she left the lamp on to help her see the obstacles around her, but tonight she was more thankful she wasn’t walking into the unknowns born out of pure darkness. No telling what her mind would conjure up with no visual confines in her current state.
 

Her movements felt mechanical. She headed into the kitchen. Retrieving a drinking glass from the cabinet, she discovered her hands were still shaking. She grasped the glass tightly as she filled it from the refrigerator’s dispenser. The cold water felt good on her parched throat.
 

Fighting the urge to submerge herself in a scalding-hot bath and then crawl under her comforter, she searched for something to eat first. She hadn’t eaten since the energy bar she’d grabbed for lunch, so she should be hungry. Opening the freezer, she took out a dinner portion she’d previously frozen for occasions when she didn’t have time to cook. It was usually one she liked, but tonight, her stomach rejected all thoughts of food.
 

The sound of her home phone ringing caught her by surprise. She automatically jerked back a step, hypervigilance from the night’s events bleeding into her reaction. Taking a long, deep breath, she tried to calm her nerves before answering. “Hello.”

“Jordan!” Karen’s voice was filled with anguish. “Derek called and told us what happened. I’ve been worried sick since you didn’t show for dinner. I kept calling but got no answer. My God, are you all right?”
 

“I’m fine. Just a little shook up. I must have accidentally left the ringer muted. I never even heard it ring.” She strained to inflect some feeling into her voice. Her effort fell flat. The words came out sounding wooden and hollow, a reflection, she assumed, of the numbness that coated her from inside. “Actually, I’m glad you called. I was wondering if you and Mike would swing by and pick me up in the morning. I left my car at the office.”