Blood Loss

7

Ren Bryce woke up with Ben Rader behind her, his thick arm wrapped around her waist. He pulled her closer to him, and kissed her shoulder, then her neck. He leaned into her ear, and spoke very quietly, telling her what he was guessing she wanted. As she backed up against him, his hand moved up her body, stayed longer than she could handle, then slid all the way down. She was barely awake as she moved on top of him. He sat up to meet her. He slid them both to the edge of the bed. Every movement he made was rock solid. Ren was looking into the mirrored wardrobe door, where she could watch him, and his bare muscular torso, and his white-knuckle grip on her hips.

And the award for outstanding performance by a male in a leading role goes to …

Her cell phone rang. No. No.

‘No,’ said Ben.

‘No,’ said Ren.

Ren glanced down at the screen. Shit.

‘I have to,’ she said. ‘Don’t move.’ She grabbed the phone. Remove the sex from your voice. ‘Well, hi, High Sheriff.’

‘Special greetings, Special Agent.’ Sheriff Bob Gage was the Summit County Sheriff, two counties west of Denver.

‘It’s late, it’s early,’ said Ren, ‘and there is a grim tone to your voice.’

‘There are grim happenings in Breckenridge,’ said Bob. ‘I’m just about to call your boss to get your Safe Street asses over here.’

‘What’s going down?’ said Ren.

‘Missing child, missing sitter,’ said Bob.

‘Missing from where?’ said Ren.

Ben lifted Ren onto the bed beside him. She wrapped a sheet around herself.

‘They disappeared from their room in a brand-spanking new hotel,’ said Bob. ‘The Merlin Lodge amp; Spa. Or maybe the sitter took the little girl. Or maybe they were both abducted. The sitter is sixteen years old, and the girl is eleven. The parents were down in the restaurant, the stepmother was drunk, got through a couple bottles of champagne on her own. They were seen arguing at the table.’

‘And the father?’ said Ren.

‘He’s a mess. This was the first time he was allowed overnight parenting time. I can’t get a handle on him, though.’

‘Allowed by whom?’ said Ren.

‘A judge,’ said Bob. ‘Don’t you hate that legal bullshit “parenting time”? Isn’t the whole time “parenting time”? It bugs me. Anyway, he’s got two kids. The girl, from his first marriage, and a three-year-old boy with his current wife — the drunk one. The ex-wife is the primary care parent, she wanted him nowhere near his daughter, but eventually a judge over-rode her wishes, had sympathy for the guy — he had turned his life around. His “parenting time” increased. And the latest development was that he could take her overnight.’

Ren sucked in a breath. ‘What do you mean “turned his life around”? What kind of guy are we talking about here?’

‘He’s a recovering alcoholic,’ said Bob. ‘He’s no low-life. He’s a big shot in a pharmaceuticals company in Denver. The CFO. What’s that — Chief Financial Officer?’

‘Yup,’ said Ren. ‘What about the ex-wife? Have you spoken with her? Could she have taken her daughter to get back at him, to prove a point?’ She paused. ‘But, then, where did the sitter come into it?’

‘I don’t know,’ said Bob. ‘We haven’t spoken to the ex-wife yet. The sitter’s a local kid, pretty blonde, good-girl type. She’s with an agency that’s on call at the hotel. The hotel’s only open a couple weeks. Just get your ass here, we’ll talk more.’

‘I’m on my way.’ Ren hung up.

Ben Rader was in the bathroom.

‘Do not reveal yourself until I’m gone,’ Ren shouted. She started to gather up her clothes. ‘I won’t be responsible … or professional … or …’

The door opened and Ben Rader walked in, naked and smiling, toward her. ‘Seriously …’ he said.

You wonderful man.

I-70 was eerily quiet, stretching out in front of Ren like a road to nowhere. She turned on the radio, turned it off, picked up her iPod, threw it down, looked at herself in the mirror, thought of Ben Rader, smiled, then reached for her cell phone. Her hand hovered over speed dial number three — Janine Hooks, her friend of four months, and the entire workforce of the Jefferson County Cold Case Unit, based in Golden, fifteen miles outside Denver. Janine had short brown hair, a wide mouth with full lips, and prominent, pretty teeth. She was small and boyish, and weighed no more than one hundred pounds. Ren worried that she was anorexic.

Ren and Janine had met over a cold case linked to Helen Wheeler’s murder, and came to blows over it when Billy Waites, Ren’s confidential-informant ex, broke into Janine’s office to steal a file. Yet, from this betrayal came a close, fast friendship, and the understanding that it had all been for the greater good. Ren’s only regret was that she hadn’t met Janine Hooks years ago.

Ren hit three on speed dial.

‘Wow,’ said Janine, ‘three thirty a.m. is always such a good time for me.’

‘I’m driving by yo’ house,’ said Ren. ‘And test-driving my new hands-free. You can still like a guy who makes a Bon Jovi reference … right?’

‘You can like him even more,’ said Janine. ‘What was the reference?’ Ren knew the facial expression Janine would now have — frowny, chin out, head a little tilted. When Janine Hooks listened, she listened.

‘Slippery When Wet,’ said Ren.

‘Album number three, 1986,’ said Janine.

‘I love Bon Jovi fans!’ said Ren.

‘Who is this man?’ said Janine. ‘I was wondering where you had disappeared to.’

‘Special — very special — Agent Ben Rader. Michael J. Fox gene, goes undercover with the underage. A man with a Major in minors …’

‘And …’ said Janine.

‘Well … he is … amazing,’ said Ren.

‘Oh, God,’ said Janine. ‘I just got the Slippery When Wet. No more details. Please.’

‘Oh my God, I didn’t mean it like that,’ said Ren. ‘It was soap.’

‘Aren’t you guys not meant to date other agents?’ said Janine.

They both laughed.

‘Gary would go apeshit, though,’ said Ren.

‘He sure would,’ said Janine.

‘In defense of myself and hot agent, neither of us knew we were FBI Agents at the time of meeting,’ said Ren.

‘What?’ said Janine.

‘That’s the funny thing,’ said Ren. ‘We met in Gaffney’s because Gary had recommended it to him. I was there because that’s where Safe Streets goes. I don’t like men liking me for my job, Ben doesn’t like women liking him for his job. So a lot of agents lie when they go out. And, he does not look like an agent, and he didn’t think I did. And, part of undercover training is literally to go into a bar, and get as much information as you can out of someone-’

‘Therefore, would you not be immune to someone doing it to you?’ said Janine.

‘That was the other funny thing,’ said Ren. ‘We are. So neither of us really got anywhere. We kind of bonded over the fact that we were both being shady. I mean, I made up a pretty decent background, and so did he, but our hearts weren’t really in it.’

‘So, the foundation for this amazing new relationship is your shared gift for lying?’ said Janine.

Pause. ‘You don’t have to put it like that.’

‘Even if that’s the way it is,’ said Janine.

‘He’s got other gifts …’ said Ren.

‘So I gathered,’ said Janine. ‘Let’s take that as a given from now on.’

‘I’m just excited,’ said Ren.

‘Maybe it’s just me, but how could you trust a man like that?’ said Janine.

‘I don’t need to trust him,’ said Ren. ‘I just need to trust that he’ll show up for … dates. Which he has. And hey, I’m trustworthy. Just because I lie for work sometimes … ’

‘True. I didn’t mean it like that,’ said Janine. ‘So where are you going at this hour of the night? Or where are you coming from?’

‘Two girls have gone missing from a resort in Breck. Sixteen and eleven. The sitter and the girl she was looking after.’

‘That’s terrible,’ said Janine.

‘And there’s been another rape in Denver — a fourteen-year-old girl. Did you hear about the rape at Kennington?’

‘Yes,’ said Janine. ‘Is it the same guy?’

‘Possibly,’ said Ren.

‘I have a case from 1978,’ said Janine. ‘A children’s choir from a Catholic school was brought in to perform for the patients at Kennington. Including — wait for it — the male dangerous sex offender posse.’

‘What the-?’

‘Yes,’ said Janine. ‘Several male patients had to be removed from the audience for … well, you can guess.’

‘That is vile.’

‘So, anyway, the kids leave after the performance, they get back on the school bus and when they arrive back at the school, one little girl is missing. Nine years old. Gina Orsak. Her body was never found.’

‘That is heartbreaking,’ said Ren. ‘Any leads?’

‘No, nothing,’ said Janine. She paused. ‘So, is Misty with you?’ Misty was Ren’s black and white border collie cadaver dog.

‘Aw, you always look out for my girl,’ said Ren. ‘And no, she is not with me — I had to run straight from hot agent’s place. But could you go to my house in the morning and pick her up for me? Hot agent is on his way there now, bless his heart, but can you relieve him — please? It’s just … you know Misty so well. He could be clueless.’

‘Well, he can’t be amazing at everything,’ said Janine.

Ren laughed, but as soon as the call was over, the laughter died, and the Jeep was quiet. Golden was behind her and she was heading for Breckenridge, a route she knew so well — every beautiful straight and turn. Ren knew that it would lead her to a place she loved, but one that trailed poignant memories like smoke. The previous year, she had investigated the murder of a fellow FBI Agent. Jean Transom’s body had been found not far from Breckenridge. The case had brought Ren together with terrible scenes, with death and secrets and unprofessional risks. But it had also brought her together with Janine Hooks and with Bob Gage, and with Salem Swade, a wonderful, damaged Vietnam Vet — Misty’s first owner. It had also brought her together with Billy Waites. And it had brought her closer to being fired than she had ever been before.