I’m Watching You

Chapter Twenty-Two

Saturday, February 28,

3:00 P.M.

„Are you okay now?“

Timothy nodded, but Abe was unconvinced. All he’d been able to learn was that Timothy had seen something that had terrified him. Every time they got close to the truth, Timothy would begin trembling so violently he couldn’t speak. Abe was getting ready to call Miles. But of two things he was certain. This man had a strong affection for Kristen and Vincent, and he was not capable of being their vigilante killer. The nurse’s assessment had been completely accurate. Timothy was a high-functioning man with Down’s.

High-functioning. That was the same phrase Kristen had used to describe Leah Broderick. There were no coincidences.

„Let’s try this again. You used to work at the diner where Kristen eats?“

In agony the young man closed his eyes. „Yes,“ he whispered.

„Timothy, did you know a woman named Leah Broderick?“

Timothy nodded. „Yes. We went to church together. Sometimes we’d go to socials at the community center together.“

„Was she your girlfriend?“

He frowned. „No. Just my friend.“

„Okay. So when did you last see Leah?“

He looked down at his knees. „A long time ago. She’s dead now.“

„Can you tell me how she died?“

Timothy picked at a stray thread on his slacks. „She killed herself.“

They’d been looking for trauma. The suicide of a loved-one was an event traumatic enough to trigger intense emotion. „I’m sorry.“ Timothy said nothing so Abe pressed on. „Did she have family?“

Timothy paled. „Yes.“

„Timothy, look, I know you’re scared, but this is important. It could keep Kristen safe. Did Leah have anyone in her family named Robert Barnett?“

„I don’t know. Her mom died of cancer. It was just her dad, but that’s not his name.“

„Did you know her dad?“

Again Timothy began to tremble. „He was my boss.“

Abe’s heart stopped. „Your boss? At the diner? Owen is Leah’s father?“

Miserably Timothy nodded.

„Timothy, what did you see? Please tell me.“

„The freezer. I’d go to his house and he had ice cream in the freezer, so I went in the freezer.“ He began to rock himself. „Two men. They were dead in the freezer.“

Oh, God. Timothy had seen the two Blade members dead in Owen’s freezer. „Did Owen know you saw the dead people in the freezer?“

„No. I ran, so fast. Ran to the bus.“

„It’s okay, Timothy. It’s okay. He won’t hurt you. Can you tell me where he lives?“

Abe dialed Mia as soon as he hit the hospital lobby.

„Where have you been?“ Mia demanded.

„Talking to Timothy.“ Abe took off at a run for the parking lot. „Mia, Kristen’s friend Owen is Leah Broderick’s father.“

There was a beat of silence. „I know, Abe. Owen is Robert Barnett.“

The connection, finally. But Mia was too quiet, too contained. His heart began to race even faster and it had nothing to do with his sprint. „Mia, what’s happened?“

„Abe, Kristen’s gone. Someone took her from her house.“

He’d reached his SUV and stood frozen, his hand clutching air. „Oh, God.“ Conti.

„She knew it was Owen, Abe. Whoever took her knew it, too, along with Owen’s address. Marc and I are on our way to Owen’s house now.“

Abe made himself take a breath, then another. Made his hands open the SUV door. Conti could have her anywhere, but it would be poetic justice to take her to the place his son had died for his revenge. „I’m closer. I’ll meet you there.“

Saturday, February 28,

3:30 p.m.

Kristen looked around. The warehouse was filled with huge stacks of crates, forty, fifty feet high. Some of the boxes were stacked on themselves, others on silver racks that stretched to the ceiling. The brand names on the boxes were familiar due to the hours of investigating Conti’s business when she was prosecuting Angelo for the murder of Paula Garcia. This was Jacob Conti’s turf. And she was a sitting duck.

They’d driven the cruiser only a few miles before pulling out of sight where Conti’s limo waited. Edwards had left her with the mocking stranger, getting into the limo. A few minutes later, a young woman got out, wearing a satisfied expression. A minute after that Kristen was forced into the limo where Jacob Conti regarded her with a reptilian stare. She hadn’t looked away, which seemed to amuse him.

But now she was here, amid the boxes. It was no use pulling at the ties that bound her wrists and ankles. Drake Edwards had done a thorough job. It was no use trying to scream. The gag kept her silent. Something was going to happen soon. It was clear from the way Edwards chuckled as he left her here.

„Richardson!“ The shout came from a familiar voice.

Owen. I was bait, she thought. They’ve lured him here.

„Richardson, I’m tired of your games. Come out and let’s get this over with.“

She was torn. Owen Madden was a killer.

He was my friend. But he’s killed thirteen people. Assuming the final three were dead – Hillman, Simpson, and Terrill. There was no reason to believe otherwise.

Still, she didn’t want him to fall into Conti’s hands.

He appeared between the stacks, a dark figure half a warehouse away. It was clear when he saw her. His gasp echoed in the cavernous quiet, the pounding of his boots like booming cannon fire as he ran to her. He ripped the gag from her mouth.

„Owen, it’s a trap. Run.“

Saturday, February 28,

3:30 p.m.

Abe shot the lock off Owen Madden’s front door. The house was quiet, not a sound. Still, he moved cautiously, his weapon drawn.

He cleared each deserted room, then walked past the kitchen table and stopped. A fishbowl sat in the middle of the table, filled with folded pieces of paper. Thirteen one-by-four-inch strips were lined up next to the fishbowl, each with a typed name, one for every body in the morgue, plus strips for Hillman, Simpson, and Terrill. There was a stack of bullets and a picture of Leah Broderick. Abe recognized her from the pictures Jack and Kristen and Julia had circulated yesterday. A cup of coffee sat next to the pile of bullets. It wasn’t yet cold.

A notepad sat in front of the fishbowl, the page facing him empty. Abe flipped back a few pages and recognized the flowing handwriting from the Kaplan note. The first page in the notebook started out, My dearest Kristen. He felt the rage bubble and shoved it back down. Madden had put Kristen in danger and still had the nerve to use endearments.

He kept moving, finding the door to the basement. He took each step one at a time, his finger alongside his trigger. If Conti was waiting below, he’d be a prime target coming down the stairs like this. But there were no shots, no sounds of any kind as he reached the basement floor. Three male bodies lay lifeless, bound to tables. Each had a bullet hole in the forehead. His eyes took a quick trip around the room, noting the Craftsman vise, the bullet molds, the neatly stacked slabs of marble, the rolls of rubber standing like rolled-up carpets. There was a device of some kind in the corner and he approached, still careful. There was a fine layer of dust around the six-foot-tall box with a Plexiglas front and a pair of built-in gloves so that the user could work behind the Plexiglas. He peered in and saw a finished grave marker that read simply leah broderick.

There was a freezer in one corner, a big chest model. He lifted the lid. It was empty. There was no one here.

Conti had taken Kristen elsewhere. Viciously Abe put aside the rising panic that threatened to choke off his very breath and made his way back up to the first floor. He walked around again, stopping to stare at the photo on top of the television. Genny O’Reilly Barnett, older, more mature. She was Owen’s mother. Then back to the table where he again flipped the pages of the notepad. Three pages were filled, but the fourth stopped midway, midsentence, as if Owen had been interrupted. Frowning, Abe turned the fourth page, noting fringed remnants of a fifth page torn out. He ran his finger over the empty page, his pulse quickening. It was one of the oldest tricks in the book. Please, God, let it work.

Lightly, he fanned a pencil over the empty page and watched another handwritten note appear. He recognized the address. It was on the lake, at the port.

It was a warehouse. Conti’s. His old boss in Narcotics was certain that Conti used the merchandise in the warehouse as a cover, to hide shipments of drags. But not one police search had turned up a single gram of illicit substances and Conti continued to walk around, a free man, cloaked in respectability and wealth. Until now.

„Thank you,“ he murmured and pulled out his phone. „Mia, meet me at Conti’s warehouse at the port.“ He rattled off the address and ran for the door. „Send for backup.“

„Abe, wait for me. Don’t go in alone.“ Her voice was urgent and Abe heard male mumbling in the background and Spinnelli took the phone.

„Abe, don’t you go in that warehouse until backup arrives. That is an order.“

Abe said nothing. Kristen was in there, he was certain of it. He’d do anything he had to do bring her out alive. And untouched. His hands trembled as he jumped behind the wheel of the SUV. God, please let her be untouched.

„Abe,“ Spinnelli spat. „Did you hear me?“

Tires squealed as he raced away from Madden’s house like a bat out of hell. „Yeah. I heard you.“

Saturday, February 28,

3:45 p.m.

Owen looked up from slicing the bonds at her feet. „You knew?“

„Since about an hour ago.“

He straightened. „Who did this?“

„Jacob Conti.“ Kristen stood, rubbing her wrists. „He objected to the murder of his son.“

Owen looked down at her and she wondered if she’d ever seen that cold, determined look in his eyes before. No, but she’d honestly never looked. He was Owen, her friend. He owned a diner. He made fried chicken and cherry pie.

He’d ruthlessly killed thirteen people.

„If it wouldn’t have put you in danger, I’d do it again.“

„And for that you’ll pay.“

Unsurprised, she and Owen turned to find both Jacob Conti and Drake Edwards standing at the end of the row of boxes. Edwards had spoken and now came closer, a semiautomatic in his hand and a predatory leer in his eye.

Kristen’s blood ran cold. Abe, please know I’m gone. Please come find me. Please.

„Drake, search him for weapons. Then let’s go somewhere where we’ll all be more comfortable, shall we?“ Conti said smoothly.

Edwards patted Owen down, retrieving two large semi-automatics, one from his shoulder holster, the other from his back waistband. He then forced them to walk until they reached the wide corridor where forklift trucks normally went about creating the huge stacks of boxes. At the end of the corridor were large loading bays, deserted. All was quiet now.

Owen stopped. „Kill me here,“ he announced. „I’m not going any farther.“

„You’ll do what we say,“ Edwards snapped.

„You’ve got me now,“ Owen said as if Edwards hadn’t spoken. „Let her go.“

Conti’s lips curved. „And lose the best part of my revenge? I don’t think so.“

Again Kristen saw Edwards’s predatory leer. And understood. Owen had killed for her. Now she’d be used to make him suffer.

Edwards chuckled. „You gotta love smart women, Jacob. She’s figured it all out.“

Owen paled, but said nothing and Conti laughed. „You see, just killing you wouldn’t be enough. You’re going to suffer as you made my son suffer. Drake will have her and you will watch. Then Drake will kill her and you will watch. Then… you’ll wish you were dead.“

„Come, Miss Mayhew.“ Edwards took her arm and horrified, Kristen yanked away. Edwards’s expression grew dark and he grabbed her arm hard, his fingers digging into her flesh. „I said come.“ He pulled her to him and she struggled, pushing at his chest, twisting her head when he would have kissed her.

Conti laughed again. „So, Drake, will she be as entertaining as Richardson?“

Edwards grabbed her shoulders and shook her until she saw little white lights in front of her eyes. „I think so, Jacob. I like them with a little piss and vinegar.“

Kristen blinked hard, trying to still her swaying senses, thinking it was a trick of her imagination when Owen went down on one knee and Edwards jerked. He hung there for a split second, a neat little hole in his forehead, then crashed to the floor. Before she could draw her next breath Conti’s arm was locked around her neck, his gun at her temple.

Owen was still on one knee, a small gun in his hand. He must have hidden it in his boot. He was breathing hard, his eyes narrowed and deadly and Kristen realized she was indeed looking at the man who’d ruthlessly murdered thirteen people. She looked at Edwards’s body from the corner of her eye and her stomach heaved.

Fourteen people.

„You sonofabitch,“ Conti snarled. „Throw down the gun or she dies.“

„He’s going to kill me anyway,“ Kristen said. „Get help. Please.“

Conti shoved the gun harder into her temple. „Shut up. The gun, Madden. Now.“

Owen dropped the gun on the floor.

„Now stand up and kick it this way.“

Owen obeyed. Then there was another shot and Owen fell to the floor, writhing in pain, his knee bleeding. But he uttered not one cry. She remembered the words of the Lake County coroner. He was indeed as stoic as a Marine. A sharpshooting Marine.

„Now watch her die, Madden.“

Kristen closed her eyes, preparing herself, wishing she had just one more day with Abe. He’ll find me here, she thought. Shot just like Debra. Oh, Abe, I’m so sorry.

And then, Abe’s voice boomed. „Let her go, Conti.“

Kristen sagged. Abe. Conti jerked her so she stood on her own two feet, his gun still at her temple. Abe stepped out from behind a stack of boxes near the loading bay, his own gun drawn.

„Why would I do that?“ Conti called back.

„Because I’ll kill you where you stand if you harm one hair on her head.“ He approached slowly. „Let her go.“

Conti retreated a step, dragging her with him, calling the names of several men in an authoritative voice.

Abe walked steadily closer. „If you’re calling the men who were standing guard outside, you’ll have to yell a hell of a lot louder. Let’s just say they’re out of the range of your voice.“

Kristen felt the change in Conti, his body stiffening in rage. „I’ll kill her. I swear I will.“ Fighting panic, Kristen looked at Owen lying on the floor, clutching at his knee, then saw him pointedly look to his right. She followed his line of sight and nearly fainted in relief.

Barely visible through the boxes was Spinnelli, his gun steadily trained on Conti.

And me, she thought. Frantically she tried to think of a way to get away from Conti so that Abe and Spinnelli would have a clear shot.

Then Owen looked up and again Kristen followed his line of sight. To where Mia knelt on one of the metal racks, her hands poised on a box. Mia held up three fingers, then two. Her breath trapped in her chest, Kristen waited… waited… until one of the boxes thudded to the floor behind them with a crash. Startled, Conti faltered and

Kristen lunged, kicking, squirming, scratching, biting, dropping, and rolling when he lost his grip. Three shots rang out in quick succession and Conti fell.

He wouldn’t be getting up again.

Then she was in Abe’s arms and he was rocking her. „Oh, God, oh, God,“ he kept saying, his face buried in her hair. „I thought I’d lost you.“

He thought he’d have to watch another woman he loved killed before his eyes. A shudder ran through his body and he tightened his arms around her. Kristen ran her hands up and down his back. „I’m fine. I’m fine. Abe, I’m really fine.“

Her words gradually sank through his fear and Abe loosened his grip. He held her at arm’s length, his eyes narrowed, searching for any sign of abuse, closing his eyes in relief when there appeared to be none. „I wanted to kill Edwards for touching you.“

„It’s okay. He’s dead. Owen killed him.“

„I know. I was standing behind those boxes from the time you all came out of the stacks, watching the whole thing.“ Abe shuddered again, knowing he’d never forget the sight of those bastards’ hands on her. „If you hadn’t stopped where you did, we couldn’t have gotten to you in time.“

Kristen twisted around to look at Owen, who lay silently observing, his face contorted in pain. „You stopped us here. You said you wouldn’t go any farther.“

Mia swung down from the metal rack. „He saw us at the loading bay door.“ She looked at Owen, her expression unreadable. „You must have one hell of an eye.“

Kristen let out a breath. „You saved me. Owen…“ Her face twisted pathetically. Her eyes filled with tears. „How could you do it? How could you kill all those people?“

He said nothing, just lay looking at her. „I can’t let you go,“ she said brokenly, as if there weren’t three armed cops surrounding her who would allow her to do so if she wanted to.

„I know.“ It was gritted from behind clenched teeth. „I couldn’t respect you if you did.“ He struggled to sit up, then like lightning pulled a second Beretta from his other boot. „I also won’t go to prison. Good-bye, Kristen.“

„Owen, no.“ In horror Kristen watched as he put the small gun under his chin. Abe pulled her around, crushing her face against his shoulder as a final shot rang out.

„Don’t look, honey,“ Abe murmured against her hair. „Just don’t look.“

She wouldn’t. She’d seen more than enough.

Saturday, February 28,

6:15 p.m.

She shouldn’t be here. The thought echoed in Abe’s mind as he watched Kristen reading the note Owen had been writing just before being called to Conti’s warehouse. She should be at the hospital with Aidan and Mclntyre, who were conscious but under observation. Kristen should be there, too, being treated for shock. But she’d refused to remain at the hospital, even with every Reagan begging or demanding she stay. Instead she’d insisted on accompanying him and Mia back here, to Owen’s house. Where this whole nightmare began.

Now she sat at Owen’s kitchen table, her face pale, her gloved hands trembling even though they were flattened against the tabletop. He trembled himself and felt no shame in doing so. He’d nearly lost her today. He didn’t think he’d ever get over the sight of Conti’s hands on her, his gun to her head. But she was alive. Unhurt. Physically, anyway. Who knew how long it would take for the emotional scars to heal? Almost being killed by Conti. Finding out a man she’d trusted was a cold-blooded murderer. Seeing him put a.38 under his chin and hearing him take his own life.

He felt Mia’s hand on his back. „She’s all right,“ she murmured from his side.

„I know. It’s just…“ Helplessly he let the thought trail away and Mia patted his back.

„I know. Come and see what Jack’s found. She’ll be fine by herself for a few minutes.“

Reluctantly he let Mia guide him into a back bedroom where Jack sat at a computer.

„What did you find?“ Abe asked and Jack looked over his shoulder, his expression grim.

„Kristen’s database,“ Jack said. „How the hell did Madden get this on his computer?“

„He stole it,“ Kristen said from behind them, her voice flat. She gently pushed past Abe, Owen’s notebook in her hand. „He put something in my tea one evening when I was there for dinner, made me fall asleep.“ Her lips twisted. „I remember waking up, thinking I must have been more tired than I thought. I hadn’t slept well for a few nights. I remember my first thought when I woke up was my laptop, where was my laptop? Then I realized it was in the bag at my feet, right where I’d put it, that Owen was watching over me and wouldn’t let anyone steal my computer while I was asleep.“ She handed Abe the notebook. „It’s all in here. He copied my database while I was asleep. It would have been right after New Year’s.“

Yet another betrayal. „I’m sorry, Kristen,“ he said softly and she swallowed hard.

„He used me to murder all those people,“ she whispered harshly.

„You were as much a victim as anyone else in this whole nightmare,“ Mia insisted.

Kristen’s chuckle was mirthless. „Tell that to the families of all the people Owen murdered. I think they’d see it differently.“ She lifted her eyes to the wall behind the computer where several framed certificates hung. His Chicago certificates were all for volunteer work with the develop-mentally disabled. He’d taught woodworking and stone carving and metal shop at the local community center where Leah had socialized. His Pittsburgh certificates were for outstanding service during his thirty-year career as a police officer. A single medal hung in the middle of all the certificates. Owen’s Purple Heart. He’d been wounded serving as a Marine in Vietnam in 1965.

„I still can’t believe it,“ Kristen said, her voice nearly toneless. „I can’t believe he was a cop. I still can’t believe he killed all those people. But he did. And he said he’d do it again.“

Mia took the notebook from Abe’s hands, scanned the final letter. „Well, at least he told us almost everything before he was interrupted. All the pieces are starting to fit.“

„What pieces?“ Spinnelli asked from the doorway. He, too, looked grim. „What’s in the notebook?“

„A letter to Kristen,“ Abe answered. Kristen was still numbly staring at the certificates on the wall. „He explained a number of things, like the fact he was born Robert Henry Barnett but he changed his name in the early sixties due to some ‘unpleasantness’ in his family.“

„That was right about the time of the murder of the boy who stabbed Colin Barnett to death,“ Mia said. „The hat-maker, Miss Keene, said she’d always wondered if Robert came back to avenge his brother’s death. It makes sense that he did.“

„He was a Marine in ‘Nam,“ Spinnelli said, then his eyes settled on the Purple Heart on the wall. „But I guess you figured that out already.“

„How did you know?“ Abe asked, still watching Kristen who still stared at the wall.

„We got a match on the prints from Kaplan’s garage.“ Spinnelli stepped up to the wall to examine the certificates. „Owen Madden got an honorable discharge from the Marines after one tour in ‘Nam, came back to the States where he got a job as a cop. Commendations out the ying-yang. He retired five years ago and bought a cop bar in downtown Pittsburgh. I called his old CO, who said about three years ago he up and left with no explanation. One day the bar was open, the next there was a for sale sign in the window.“

„He’d found out about Leah,“ Kristen said quietly. She turned away from the wall, her expression carefully reserved. It was her way of holding on to the last thread of her control, and Abe couldn’t fault her for it. „Leah’s mother was dying of cancer and was afraid of who would care for Leah when she was gone. She hired a private investigator to track Owen down. Apparently he’d come to Chicago twenty-three years before and met Leah’s mother. He was only here for a week or so, but in that time he met Leah’s mother. They had a short affair, but when the week was over, he had to go back to Pittsburgh.“

„Twenty-three years ago,“ Mia mused. „He was back in Chicago for the funeral of his parents and sister, Iris Anne. Remember, Miss Keene thought she saw him, but he never acknowledged her when she called his name.“

„That makes sense,“ Kristen agreed dully. „Apparently Leah’s mother got pregnant, but she didn’t know where to find Owen. He never planned to come back to Chicago. She finally found him right before she died. Leah had already been through the trial and was starting to sink into depression. Her mother was afraid of what would happen when she was gone.“

„Well, he got involved in his daughter’s life way too late,“ Spinnelli said tightly, looking at the certificates recognizing Owen’s volunteer activities. „How did you meet him, Kristen?“

Kristen shrugged. „Pure chance. I was upset over a case I’d just had to plead down and I’d gone for a walk to clear my head. I walked into Owen’s diner and we started to talk. I never had any clue he was Leah’s father. I never had any clue he’d been a cop.“

She said it like she thought she should have. „Why would you?“ Abe asked reasonably. „He ran a diner, served food. Why would you think he was a retired cop?“

Kristen shook her head. „I know up here that I couldn’t have known.“ She tapped her head. „But knowing it down deep is something entirely different. Anyway, apparently Leah got more and more depressed until Owen moved her to an apartment away from the city to give her a change of scenery. To keep her from having to walk the same streets that she’d been walking the day she was raped. He got her a place up in Lake County, not too far from the Worth property you found.“

„But it was too late,“ Mia added. „Leah ended up committing suicide.“

„The trauma we were looking for,“ Spinnelli said.

„How is the little girl?“ Kristen asked. „Kaplan’s daughter? She’s been weighing on my mind all day.“

Spinnelli clenched his jaw. „From what they can get out of her, she didn’t see her father killed. They don’t think she saw his body, just Madden. He was bloody and crazy. That’s what she keeps saying. Bloody and crazy.“

„She’s traumatized for life,“ Kristen murmured, guilt blatantly obvious on her face.

„It is not your fault,“ Abe said firmly.

„How did he know about his uncle, Paul Worth?“ Spinnelli asked.

Kristen shrugged. „He didn’t get that far. He stopped while he was writing about how he drugged me and copied my database from my hard drive. He must have gotten a call from Zoe Richardson, because that’s who he was looking for when he came into the warehouse.“

Spinnelli’s expression became even grimmer, his bushy mustache bunching as he frowned. „He may have gotten a call from someone saying she was Richardson, but it wasn’t Richardson.“

Kristen closed her eyes. „She’s dead.“

Spinnelli hesitated. „Yes.“

„How?“ Kristen asked.

Spinnelli exchanged a glance with Abe that spoke volumes. This was not something Kristen needed to know. At the prolonged silence Kristen opened her eyes. „Tell me.“

„Conti killed her, Kristen. That’s all you need to know.“

Kristen’s eyes flashed. „How did she die? Dammit, Marc, I have a right to know.“

Spinnelli sighed. „She suffocated.“

Mia frowned. „Suffocated? But – “

„Jack, are you done here?“ Spinnelli interrupted. „Because I need to schedule a press conference and I’ll need a summary of everything you’ve found. Kristen, there was a stack of books on Madden’s nightstand. He stuck a sticky note with your name on the top of the stack. Poetry, I think. Keats and Browning. Mia, will you take Kristen to look through them?“

Kristen regarded him steadily. „It doesn’t matter if you tell me or not, Marc. Sooner or later one of the reporters will find out and all I’ll have to do is watch the ten o’clock news.“ She left the room, Mia at her heels. When they were gone, Spinnelli sighed again.

„When news broke that both Edwards and Conti were dead, we got an anonymous tip that if we stopped them from burying Angelo Conti, we’d find a missing person. Luckily the ground is so soggy from the thaw that they couldn’t get the diggers out to the burial plot.“

Abe grimaced as Spinnelli’s meaning hit home. „No.“

Spinnelli nodded. „Yes. Kristen’s right. This will be all over the news sooner or later. I’ll leave it up to you how you tell her. Now, get her out of here and get back to your family. How is your brother?“

Abe checked his watch. „They should be letting him go home any minute. I’m taking Kristen home.“

„Not to her house,“ Spinnelli cautioned. „We’ll need to get someone to clean up her living room. There’s blood all over the wallpaper.“

Blue stripes. Fighting a shudder Abe visualized the scene Mia and Spinnelli had found, the dead body in her living room, the blood streaking the blue-striped wallpaper. Visualized Kristen shooting the man who’d intruded into her home. Who’d put his hands on her. And even through the horror, was fiercely proud that she’d acted with such precise calm. She hadn’t been able to fight her attacker ten years ago. Today, she’d more than made up for it.

„No,“ Abe said, his voice unsteady. „I won’t take her to her house. I’ll take her to my parents’. Everyone will be there.“ He turned to go when Spinnelli’s hand closed over his shoulder.

„I was proud of you today, Abe. You waited for us at the warehouse instead of charging in to save the day yourself. You did the right thing.“

And how hard it had been to sit there, hearing the seconds tick away in his mind, knowing Conti had Kristen, that he might be killing her at that very moment. But it had been the right thing to do. He never could have saved her alone. „Thank you,“ he whispered.

Spinnelli gave him one of those long hard looks that once again made Abe feel as if the man was looking straight into his soul. „You’re welcome.“

Saturday, February 28,

7:30 p.m.

The noise was such a welcome relief that Kristen felt tears sting her eyes. By unspoken mutual consent, she and Abe had not returned to her house, instead coming to the only place it made sense to come. Abe opened the door to Becca’s kitchen from the laundry room and it was like she’d come home. Sean and Ruth’s kids chased each other across the kitchen, Becca was watching QVC and Annie was peeling potatoes. Rachel sat at the kitchen table, working on what appeared to be algebra. The television in the living room was blaring some sports event, accompanied by the outraged shouts of Reagan men.

With a tearful cry, Rachel leaped from the table and rushed Kristen, nearly knocking her down with the ferocity of her embrace. Kristen hugged her close, rocking her gently. Rachel hadn’t been at the hospital when she and Abe had gone to see Aidan. Kristen understood the girl needed the reassurance that she was indeed unharmed. Perhaps Kristen needed the reassurance as well. She swallowed hard and drew Rachel’s head against her shoulder.

„It’s all right now, honey. I promise. It’s all over.“

„I was so scared,“ Rachel whispered, trembling. „When they said you were missing, I…“

„I was scared, too.“ She could admit that now, now that everything was over. She’d seen four men die this afternoon, one at her own hand. Somehow the reality that she’d killed a man in her own living room hadn’t yet sunk in. She supposed it would in time. For now, she held on tight to Rachel. „But you, honey, you helped save my life. Detective Mitchell told me how you recognized Owen from my office. Without you, they wouldn’t have known who he was. You helped them find Aidan, so they could get him to the hospital.“

Rachel pulled back, her lips curving in a faltering smile even as tears streaked her cheeks. „I did, didn’t I? He owes me big time.“

Kristen cupped Rachel’s cheek, wiping the girl’s tears away with her thumb. „Yes, he does. And so do I. Thank you, Rachel.“

„You’re all right?“ she asked anxiously. „Really all right? You’re not lying or anything?“

Kristen’s lips twitched. „I’m not lying. I’m really okay. Better now that I’m here with you.“

Rachel tilted her head to one side, studying her. „Aidan said you shot some guy and killed him.“

Kristen drew a breath. „Yes, I did.“

Rachel’s eyes narrowed. „Good. He deserved it.“

„Rachel, I don’t think Kristen really wants to talk about that right now,“ Becca said. She put her own arms around Kristen and brought her close. „We were so worried,“ she whispered. „I’m so glad you’re back here where you belong.“ She pressed a kiss to the top of Kristen’s head, men pulled away, briskly moving about her kitchen. „Abe, make yourself useful. Take that pie into your brother. He’s resting on the sofa in the living room.“

Abe frowned. „Aidan gets pie? That’s not fair.“

„He has a concussion. Of course it’s fair.“ She put the plate of pie in Abe’s hands. „And don’t be sneaking any on the way. Go on, now. Those boys,“ she clucked after him. „Kristen, we have a house full of people tonight. If you feel up to it, there’s lettuce and salad makings in the fridge. I could use your help, too.“

„Mother,“ Annie whispered and Becca shot her a frown. And Kristen knew Becca didn’t need any help at all. It was just Becca’s way of making her feel like family.

She was digging cucumbers out of the vegetable drawer in the refrigerator when Ruth appeared in the doorway, the baby on her shoulder. Her eyes assessed Kristen carefully, then she smiled. „I hear you had a bit of excitement today.“

Kristen heard the words, but had eyes only for the infant in Ruth’s arms. Not for one moment had she forgotten that she and Abe still had issues to discuss. She’d anticipated having a reaction to the sight of Ruth’s baby, but she was unprepared for the wave of emotion that nearly cut her at the knees, a rushing combination of yearning and fear. Yearning that she, too, could hold a child in her arms, Abe’s child. And fear that her inability to do so would come between them and she’d lose her place in this incredible family.

„Kristen?“ Ruth approached, tilting Kristen’s chin up with her free hand. „Say something.“

Kristen made her eyes blink, her lungs breathe and her mouth move. „I’m fine. It’s just the day catching up to me.“ She dropped the vegetables on the table. „But I think staying busy is the best thing. The christening was lovely, Ruth. I’m just sorry the party was ruined.“

Ruth looked unconvinced. „If you need anything, you will let me know.“

„I will. I promise.“ Kristen settled at the kitchen table and started ripping lettuce, a remarkably cathartic activity all in all. „So, Rachel, more algebra?“

Rachel grimaced. „Makeup work from all the days I missed. You’d think they’d cut me some slack, under the circumstances. But nooo. It’s all due on Monday.“

Kristen concentrated on the lettuce. „Welcome to the real world, honey.“ Where life rarely cuts you any slack. But couldn’t it, please? Just this once?

Saturday, February 28,

10:45 p.m.

The house was quiet, relatively speaking. Sean and Ruth had gone home, taking all five children which eliminated 80 percent of the noise right there. Aidan had gone off to his old bedroom where Becca insisted he sleep for the night. Annie had also gone home, but not before quietly telling Kristen not to worry about her living room. She had some wallpaper that would be just perfect, and she’d fix it all up, better than new.

Now she and Abe sat with Becca and Kyle, the television showing pets doing amazing tricks. Abe’s arm was around her, holding her tight when she remembered. Pets. Damn. „I need to go to my house,“ she said, dreading the thought. „I have to feed the cats.“

Abe just tightened his hold. „Mia fed them. They’re fine.“

So Kristen indulged herself, putting off the nagging knowledge that there was still one major unresolved issue for just a little while longer. Then the program ended and Kyle stood with a groan.

„I’m sorry, but I have to go to bed. I’m getting too old for all this excitement. Becca?“

Becca rose, bent to kiss Abe’s cheek, then Kristen’s. „Where will you go tonight?“

„My apartment,“ Abe said firmly. Kristen was in no mood to disagree and a few minutes later they were sitting in the cab of his SUV, staring at his parents’ house. Abe hadn’t started the engine and the quiet was almost deafening. Kristen knew he’d been wrestling with the unresolved issues as well. It would appear the time of reckoning had arrived.

„We need to talk, Kristen,“ he said quietly, „but not here.“ In silence he drove to the apartment she’d seen only once, the morning after she’d been attacked in her room. Abe’s place was empty and sterile and Kristen found she dreaded it almost as much as returning to her own house. But perhaps it was the conversation she dreaded more than the location.

He took her coat and turned on some lights. Flipped a switch and the gas fireplace ignited with a whoosh. He stood with his back to her for a long moment while she waited.

„Last night I told you I loved you,“ he said abruptly and she was acutely conscious that he hadn’t said so since. „You said you loved me.“ He turned and focused those piercing blue eyes on her face. „Did you mean it?“

Kristen swallowed. „Yes.“

His eyes flashed. „What did you think I would say, Kristen? That my love was conditional? I love you, but only if you bear my children? That if you can’t, the deal is off?“

Kristen’s eyes stung at his brusque tone. „I told you I’d disappoint you.“

He looked up at the ceiling, blew out a sigh. „I’m disappointed,“ he admitted, then brought his gaze back down to hers. „But not with you.“ He crossed the distance between them and put his arms around her. „Never with you. How can I make you believe that?“

His arms were around her again and suddenly it was all too much. The dam broke and the tears rushed and she grabbed handfuls of his shirt and held on. And cried and cried. He scooped her up and settled her on his lap on the sofa and held her until the wave passed and the tears dwindled to a trickle. He lifted her chin and kissed her then, long and deep and… permanent. That’s what it was. Permanence. Possession. His stake.

Her breath shuddered out in relief. „I’m sorry, Abe. I wish I could change it, but I can’t.“

He delved into her eyes, his gaze intense. „We are who we are because of what we’ve been through, Kristen, and we can’t go back and change things, no matter how hard we wish. We are where we are because of what we’ve been through. Somehow, our lives came together. We’re together. And right here, right now, I wouldn’t change a thing.“

His face became blurry and she blinked, sending tears down her cheeks. „And later? When you want a child of your own?“

„Any child we have will be a child of our own. We can adopt. I wanted to say that this morning, but I didn’t think you wanted to hear it then.“

„There are long waiting periods,“ she murmured, still unwilling to let herself entirely believe what seemed too perfect to be true. „It’s not easy to adopt a baby.“

„Who said anything about a baby?“ he responded gently. „There are children everywhere that need homes, families to love them. We can be a family, Kristen. You and me. Even if we never biologically reproduce, I love you. Even if we never have any children, I love you.“ He kissed her mouth so tenderly she thought her heart would break. „Marry me.“

Marriage. To a man with a heart like Abe’s. It was more than she’d ever dared to hope for. „Are you sure, Abe?“ Please be sure. Please.

„I’m very sure.“ He said it quietly, so that it rumbled from deep within his chest.

„I love you,“ she whispered, tracing his lips with her finger, watching his eyes heat. „I never believed I’d ever find anyone like you. I just want you to be happy.“

His eyes burned, blue as flames, and she wondered how she ever could have thought them cold. „Answer the question, Counselor.“

She smiled up into his face. „Yes.“

His shoulders sagged and she realized he hadn’t been entirely sure she’d say yes. Abruptly he rose, swinging her to her feet. Without saying a word he switched on the big-screen TV, changing stations while she watched, bewildered. Finally he came to the end of the stations, to the ones that only played music to solid background screens. He stopped changing channels and a smooth voice filled the room. Oldies. Turning, he held out his hand. „Dance with me.“

She walked into his arms and they held one another, swaying to the music. She let herself drift in the sheer nearness of him until her back hit the wall. Abe’s body pressed against her, hot and hard and very ready.

„Are you hungry?“ he asked and she looked up and drew a quick breath. He was, but not for food. It was evident. In so many ways.

Her lips curved as she remembered the first time they’d made love and he’d told her how it would be. First dinner, then a dance, then… Even if she were hungry, she’d lie. „No.“

„Good.“ He kissed her until the room spun. „I didn’t want to have to cook for you first.“

Her eyes danced up at him as he lifted his head. „But I do have a taste for dessert.“

His smile sent her pulse skyrocketing. „So do I, Counselor. So do I.“