Had a Great Fall (An Olivia Thompson Mystery) (4 page)

“You should listen to your partner.” She winked at him over her beer.

“It’s a good thing you’re pretty,” Nate said with a reluctant smile.

Despite his best efforts to alter the conversation, Vince and Olivia were clearly running the show. In fact, Nate couldn’t remember the last time he had seen Olivia laugh so much. He was surprised when she was the one to bring the evening to a close.

“I have to grade midterms still,” she explained as she finished her beer.

Vince drove the three of them back to the station so that Nate could get his car. It was a quiet night on the roads and they were back at Olivia’s place in less than fifteen minutes.

“You’re not coming in?” she asked, surprised when Nate didn’t follow her inside her building.

“You said you needed to grade exams,” he reminded her.

She laughed. “I just said that so we had an excuse to leave. Get in here.”

Looking at him with a sparkle in her eyes, Olivia took his hand and pulled him through the door. He didn’t put up a fight.

Olivia woke in the middle of the night with her heart racing. The nightmare was the same as always- tied to a bed with her attacker looming over her. Every time it was the same. He got closer and closer until she could feel his breath on her face, and that’s when her eyes would fly open.

Nate was a deep sleeper. He never seemed to notice these sudden panic attacks. But tonight was different. When Olivia rolled her head in his direction, she found him sitting straight up, watching her.

“How long have you been having them?” he asked.

“Since that night.” She knew that she was caught. No sense in lying.

“You should have told me.” He sounded hurt.

She sighed deeply. “There’s nothing you could’ve done about it, Nate. One of us might as well get some sleep.”

“You still should’ve told me,” he said stubbornly.

Olivia slowly pushed herself into a seated position. Her head was still foggy from the dream. “Did I wake you this time?”

“No.” Nate leaned his head against the headboard. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“It’s the case, isn’t it?” Olivia knew that this case had gotten under his skin.

“One of the missing girls, Dani, she reminds me of you.” Nate glanced at her. “Smart girl, mature, pretty. She reminds me of you at that age.”

Suddenly it all made sense. That was why Nate hadn’t wanted to talk to her about it. “You’re a good man, Nathaniel Tucker. And you’re a good detective. You’ll find the bastard that’s doing this. I know it.”

“Maybe. But probably not before he abducts or kills another girl.” Nate stared blankly ahead.

Olivia hated seeing him so distressed. She wished there was something she could do to take away the look of pain on his face. When she scooted closer to him, he held out his arms. She snuggled into his warm embrace, her head on his firm chest.  He sighed deeply and tightened his arms around her.

“You should try to get some sleep,” she said.

“This right here is better than sleep.” His hand softly caressed her back.

Olivia agreed. She could spend the rest of her life in his arms. In fact, she was so content that it didn’t take long for her to drift back to sleep. This time, there was no nightmare.

Nate was gone when she woke up for the second time. He woke up early almost every morning to take a long run. The sun had yet to appear and it was still dark in her apartment. She got a pot of coffee brewing and turned on the morning news. Just as she was filling her coffee mug, Nate returned.

“A storm is headed this way,” he said, running a hand through his hair. His shirt was damp with sweat.

“Coffee?” she asked, already reaching for a second mug.

“Thanks.” He reached for her, kissing her sweetly on the lips.

She was overcome by a rush of love for him. “Did you have a good run?”

“Six miles. I turned back when I saw the dark clouds rolling in.” He took a seat at the island. “You should stay home today.”

“Nate.” She gave him a stern look. “We’ve talked about this. I have to live my life.”

He grinned sheepishly. “You can’t blame me for trying. I worry about you.”

“I know. And I appreciate it.” She opened the fridge and reached for the carton of eggs. “Go take your shower while I whip up some breakfast.”

“I have a better idea.” He took the eggs and placed them on the counter. “You should come help me take my shower.”

She started to protest on principle, but then decided that his was definitely a much better idea. “Okay, fine,” she said, faking reluctance. “But you better make this worth my while.”

“Are you questioning my shower skills?” He moved quickly, throwing her over his shoulder. Olivia yelped and laughed.

After a long shower, and a nearly disastrous slipping incident, they ate a quiet breakfast at the kitchen table. Olivia found herself watching Nate as he sipped his coffee, his blue eyes catching the morning sunlight.

“What?” he asked nervously when he caught her staring at him.

“Nothing.” She blushed and looked away. “I was just lost in thought.”

“You were thinking about that move I did in the shower, weren’t you?” he teased.

She almost agreed just so they could move on. “I was thinking about how stupid we were to wait so long for this.”

“We were pretty stupid,” he agreed with a crooked smile. “Better late than never, right?”

“As long as you come home to me every night, I’ll be a happy woman for the rest of my days.” She quickly looked away. “I need more coffee. You?”

“Sure,” he said quietly.

When she smiled and placed the full mugs on the table, Nate hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her into his lap.

“All you have to do is smile at me and I’m the happiest man alive.” He gave her a long kiss, one that she hoped would never end.

It ended when Nate’s phone rang, terminating their quiet morning.

“Tucker,” he said into the phone, his arms still around Olivia.

She saw a familiar cloud darken his face and slipped away. Boyfriend Nate had instantly been replaced by Detective Tucker.

Olivia took her coffee to the living room and turned on the news. She caught the tail end of the traffic report and was just in time for the breaking news.

“If you are just tuning in, we are going back to a story that has been developing over the last hour. A body has been found in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, about two miles from where a previous body was found yesterday.” The broadcaster made a big effort to look extra intense. “Sources are telling us that the two incidents are clearly related.”

“Nate!” Olivia knew this wasn’t going to be good. A second story had been leaked from the police department.

Nate appeared, still on the phone. His eyes immediately went to the television screen. “Damnit,” he said, seeing the live footage of the scene. “I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

He hung up and turned to Olivia.

“Go,” she said, before he could apologize.

“Thanks for breakfast.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll see you after your night class?”

“Of course.” She forced a smile. “Go easy on Vince today. He looks up to you.”

Nate laughed. “Vince appreciates my tough love. You be careful today and call me if you need anything.”

“Yes, dear.” She turned her head so he wouldn’t see her roll her eyes. “Come home safe.”

Almost the second he was gone, Olivia felt the need to get away. She wasn’t in the mood to have a conversation with her dead sister. After throwing a few things in her bag, she grabbed her keys and slipped out the door.

Whatever faint sunlight had been peeking through the clouds was long gone. It was dark as nighttime outside. Olivia hurried down the street toward her favorite coffee shop. She was lucky that it was just a block away because as soon as she stepped inside, the rain came rushing down.

She ordered her usual, non-fat cappuccino, and found a seat by the window. Her laptop fit neatly on the table and after taking a few deep breaths, she began to type.

The idea had come to her a few days earlier. If she was ever going to find closure, she needed to tell someone her story. But she couldn’t tell Nate. He was already having a hard enough time with what had happened to her. She also had no desire to talk to a professional. Her last option was to write it all down. Maybe someday she would look to get the story published. But for now, she was telling the story only for herself.

Once the words started filling the page, she couldn’t stop them. They came like waves along a rocky shore, crashing onto the page. Lightning crackled outside, and thunder rumbled so hard that it shook the window pane. Olivia glanced up in surprise. Over an hour had passed without her noticing.

Her eyes flitted to the window as a movement caught the corner of her eye. Across the street, nearly hidden behind a large van, a man stood motionless in the rain. He was staring straight at Olivia.

She moved closer to the glass, straining to see his face. He was wearing a black raincoat with the hood pulled up, making it impossible for her to see anything. Even though she couldn’t see his eyes, she was certain that they were locked onto hers.

Olivia probably should’ve been afraid, but she wasn’t. She was angry. She was tired of other people controlling her life by attempting to dominate her. Olivia was ready to take back her life. She slammed her laptop shut and shoved it into her bag. Less than a minute after seeing the figure, she was running through the rain in that direction. Her feet kicked up more water and she was drenched by the time she got to the spot.

Whomever she had seen from the window was long gone. Olivia was so mad that she wanted to punch something. That was when she noticed the sign. It was destiny. She hurried through the frosted glass door.

“Hi,” she said to a large man standing behind a counter. “I would really like to hit something.”

“You’ve come to the right place,” he said with a laugh. “I just need you to sign some paperwork, and then I’ll set you up with some gloves.”

Ten minutes later, Olivia was taking her first ever boxing lesson. Each punch that she landed on the bag was a step toward the closure that she so desperately needed. She had to take it easy because her side was still sore, but by the time she left the boxing gym, she felt strong again.

This crime scene was nothing like the previous one. Madison Lee was fully clothed, her body relatively injury free. Instead of strangulation, Madison had died presumably from a severe head injury.

“This is a completely different type of kill,” Vince said, circling the body.

Nate had knelt close, trying to see if this body had any of the same characteristics as the first victim. Her face was unharmed, her teeth intact. Her fingers hadn’t been burned. He couldn’t be sure about the sexual assault until a full exam was done, but Nate was fairly sure that this death hadn’t been sexually motivated.

“It almost looks like a second killer is responsible,” he said out loud, thinking about Olivia’s suggestion that the killer may not be acting alone. “Or it’s possible she made him angry and he snapped, killing her before he could enact his usual torture.”

Vince looked around. “This is a much different dumping ground.”

The body had been found in a condo building that was under construction, not outside like the last one.

“We got lucky. With the storm today, any possible evidence would’ve been washed away if he left this one outside.” Nate knew that it was cold to talk about them as bodies rather than as people, but it was easier for him to do his job if he didn’t personalize them.

“Leo’s team is here to collect the body,” Vince said, noticing them through the hole in the wall that would eventually become a window.

“At least we don’t need him to ID this one for us.” Nate paused and looked at the body one last time. “We found Madison Lee.”

“We didn’t find her,” Vince corrected him. “She found us.”

Nate nodded. “Since you’ve got such a good handle on this, I’m going to let you be the one to tell Barnes.”

“I thought you two were besties.” Vince teased. He enjoyed being the more enigmatic of the two partners. Where Nate had a lot of respect at the station, Vince had a lot of friends.

“Shut up.” Nate walked away, pausing just a second before stepping into the pouring rain. He instantly became drenched.

His clothes were still damp hours later as he and Vince hunkered at their desks, desperately searching for something that connected the victims to each other or the killer. Nate read and reread his notes until his vision started to blur.

“Hey, man.” Vince threw a pen at him that landed in his lap. “Your phone is ringing.”

Nate looked up, startled. Sure enough, Olivia was calling.

“Hey, Liv.” He was still partially distracted as he answered.

“Nate.” Her voice sounded airy and breathless.

“What’s wrong?” He sat up straight, fully alert now.

She hurried to calm him. “I’m okay. Don’t freak out.”

“What’s wrong?” He repeated, not feeling any less panicked.

“My brother just called and Dad is in the hospital. He collapsed today. Brian said they think it was a heart attack.” Olivia swore as she dropped something.

“Shit, Liv. Give me a few minutes and I’ll be right there.” Nate turned his back on Vince who was gawking openly.

Olivia exhaled. “No. That’s not necessary. I’m just throwing some things together and then I’m heading to Mercy.”

“I’ll go with you,” Nate said instantly. “Just give me a few minutes to wrap up some things here.”

“Really, Nate. You don’t need to do that. I’m sure everything is going to be fine and it would just be a wasted trip. You should stay here and work on the case.” Olivia added, “I appreciate the offer though.”

Nate felt stuck. He really wanted to be there for Olivia, despite her insistence that she would be okay on her own. But he also really needed to stick around and work on the case. “Liv, I don’t like the idea of you dealing with this on your own.”

“Too bad,” she said quickly. “I’ll call you when I get there.”

“You’ll call me if you change your mind?” He knew that when Olivia had made up her mind about something, nothing he said would change it.

“Get back to work. I’m fine,” she insisted.

Nate lowered his voice as much as possible. “I love you.”

“I know. Love you too, Nater.” Olivia hung up quickly.

“Is Liv alright?” Vince asked, not at all embarrassed to have been eavesdropping during their entire conversation.

“I don’t know.” Nate set his phone on his desk, looking at it for a few more seconds even though Olivia was long gone. “Her father had a heart attack.”

“Damn.” Vince turned serious for maybe the first time ever. “Do you need to take off?”

“No.” Nate turned back to his computer. “Did you finish cross referencing the lists of university staff?”

Vince opened his mouth to say something and then thought better of it. “Almost.”

Nate was still thinking about Olivia an hour later when the call came into the station. Another girl had been taken, but this one had managed to escape. She had just arrived at the hospital.

“She was hit by a car?” Vince said.

They were standing in their sergeant’s office, being relayed the information that had come in. So far, none of it made any kind of sense.

“The vic’s name is Jenna Kramer. She was taken from the Randolph campus late last night. Her roommate reported her missing this morning. An hour later, Miss Kramer ran in front of a car on Clark Street.” Sergeant Russo folded his hands on top of his large, mahogany desk. “She was taken to Northwestern. You two need to get over there right away.”

“Sure thing, Sarge.” Nate was anxious to leave. This might be the big break they needed to solve the case.

“I sent Barnes to the scene. Be sure to work with him on this.” The sergeant fixed Nate with a level stare as he started to object. “No arguing over dick size, Tucker. This departments needs to solve this case as soon as possible. It’s become a national obsession. I’m not going to let your ego end my career.”

Nate scoffed. “It’s not my ego you have to worry about, Sir.”

“Damn it, Tucker. Put your petty bullshit aside and solve this case.” He flicked a hand in Nate’s direction. “Now get the hell out of here.”

It was a typical encounter with Sergeant Russo. He wanted cases solved, and he didn’t care about bruising egos along the way. He also had no tolerance for squabbles within the department.

“Barnes is going to be pissed that he has to work with us,” Vince said as they left the station. “He hates you more than you hate him.”

“He’s insignificant,” Nate said dismissively. “Hurry up, Monroe. I’m driving.”

No matter how many times Nate walked the halls of a hospital, he never got used to the sterile smell invading his nose and making it hard to breathe. After Olivia was shot, he had practically moved into her hospital room. While it wasn’t his favorite accommodation, he had become friendly with several of the nurses. He was hoping that would come in handy.

“Loni.” He approached the tough-looking nurse with a big smile.

She looked at him expectantly, probably assuming he was another family member of a patient planning to yell at her for not bringing the Jell-O fast enough. After a second, she recognized him. “Nate? What are you doing here?”

“Working a case,” he said, nodding toward Vince. “This is my partner, Detective Monroe.”

“Good to meet you.” Vince stayed back a step, letting Nate work his charm.

“We’re here about the girl that was brought in,” Nate said.

“I figured as much. That poor girl…” Loni shook her head sadly. “To think that she escaped that crazy man only to be hit by a car. It’s just terrible.”

“We need to speak with her. Jenna might be able to help us find the man responsible.” Nate caught her eyes.

She frowned. “I’m afraid that’s not possible. Jenna has suffered severe bleeding in her brain and she is in a coma.”

“Any idea when she might wake up?” Vince asked with his usual optimism.

“The swelling in her brain won’t go down for days, and even then there is no guarantee. Not to mention that even if she wakes up, we have no way of knowing if she will be able to speak, or if she will even remember anything.” Loni spoke like a woman who had seen her fair share of head injuries.

“Can you take us to her?” Nate asked. “If we can see her injuries, it may help us.”

Loni nodded. “Sure thing, darling. Come with me.”

When she turned her back on them, Vince mouthed the word “darling” at Nate and grinned.

“How’s that pretty girlfriend of yours doing?” Loni asked, oblivious to the exchange happening behind her back.

“Olivia is doing well,” Nate said, glaring at Vince. “You all took good care of her.”

“She’s a sweet girl.” Loni turned to smile at him. “She’s clearly smitten with you.”

Nate felt his face begin to flush. “The feeling is mutual.”

“Good.” Loni nodded in satisfaction. “After what she went through, she needs someone to treat her right.”

Her words made Nate feel guilty for not being with Olivia right then.

“We won’t take long,” he promised Loni outside the door to Jenna’s room.

“Good luck.” She smiled grimly and walked away.

Jenna’s body looked small in the stark white hospital bed. Her red hair looked almost comical in the midst of the breathing tubes and monitors. It peaked out on one side of her head beneath the white bandage.

“She’s relatively unharmed,” Vince said, surprised.

Nate had grabbed her chart and started scanning the notes. “Signs of sexual assault, evidence that she fought back. They did a full rape kit so we might get some DNA.”

“No ligature marks around her neck. Her left wrist is bruised. Maybe he tied her to something?’ Vince guessed.

“We need her to wake up,” Nate said, staring at her motionless form. His stomach twisted into a knot. “Go make sure the rape kit was sent in. I need to check on something.”

Before Vince could ask any questions, Nate hurried out of the room. At the end of the hall, he stopped a nurse.

“Can you tell me which room is Mark Gilliad’s room?” Nate could barely get the words out through his clenched jaw.

“Last door on the right.”

Nate took several deep breaths as he approached the door. He was extra conscious of the weight of his gun at his hip. He stepped through the open door and approached the bed. His heart was pounding in his chest.

Mark looked much the same as Jenna, a breathing tube down his throat and wires connecting his body to several machines. After getting shot, Mark had lost a significant amount of blood and his organs had begun to fail. He also suffered severe oxygen deprivation to his brain. The doctors said there was almost no chance he would ever wake up again.

For Nate, that was still too much risk.

He eyed an extra pillow sitting on a chair and thought about how easy it would be to press it over Mark’s face after pulling out the tube. Nate’s fingers started twitching. He grit his teeth hard and slowly backed out of the room.

There was no real evidence tying Jenna to the other missing and murdered girls, but Nate wasn’t going to take any chances. He put in a request to have permanent detail placed outside Jenna’s hospital room and waited for them to show. While he waited, he called Olivia.

“Yeah.” Her voice sounded strained and tense.

“Liv, you never called me. Did you make it to Mercy?” Nate tried not to sound accusatory, but he had been more than a little worried.

“I’m at the hospital,” she said. “Dad just went in for surgery.”

Nate could tell that she was trying to sound calm. “What do the doctors say?”

“He needs a bypass, maybe two. I guess it’s pretty bad.” Her voice grew faint as she spoke to someone. “Brian is here with me.”

“That’s good.” Nate was glad that she wasn’t alone. “Do you want me to come?”

She hesitated. “No. I’ll be fine.”

“You’re sure?” He noticed that she didn’t sound as confident as she had earlier. “I can be there in a few hours.”

“You’re needed there, Nate. There’s nothing you can do here anyway.” She sighed.

“I could hold you,” he said softly.

Olivia sighed again. “That would be nice. But I’m really okay. You have important work to do.”

“Nothing is as important as you,” he protested.

“Are you okay?” she asked suddenly. “Did something happen with the case?”

Nate hadn’t realized he was being so transparent. Then again, Olivia knew him better than he even knew himself. “There’s another girl, but she escaped. She’s in a coma now.”

“That’s good, right? Not the coma, but that you’ve got a live victim? Maybe when she wakes up she can tell you how to find the bastard.” Olivia was starting to sound more like herself.

“
If
she wakes up,” Nate clarified. He could hear Olivia talking to her brother again. “Liv, I should let you go. You have other things to worry about.”

“It’s okay,” she said. “It’s just good to hear your voice.”

He closed his eyes and smiled. “I miss you.”

“Get back to work, Tucker.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Love you.”