Plain Retribution. Dana R. Lynn

introduced the two women. Rebecca stared at the brunette with the edgy haircut with something akin to suspicion.

      “Olsen!”

      Lieutenant Jace Tucker approached, his forehead heavily creased. Uh-oh. Whatever happened, Miles wasn’t sure he wanted to know about it. Jace Tucker was known for his no-nonsense attitude. He was also fair-minded. A man who commanded respect. Most of all, he was good at remaining calm and impartial, rarely letting his emotions show while he was working. That he looked visibly upset right now was a very bad sign.

      “Yes, sir?”

      “Is Miss Miller in there?”

      What was this about? “Yes. I just brought her in to meet with the visual artist. She hasn’t arrived yet.”

      Lieutenant Tucker craned his neck toward the room where he’d left the two women. Miles followed his gaze. The women were sitting quietly. Rebecca was staring straight at them. The lieutenant motioned for Miles to follow him. Instincts in high alert, Miles walked with him. They went into Lieutenant Tucker’s office and shut the door. It took some effort, but Miles stood at attention, waiting for the other man to begin.

      “We might have a witness to the attack on Holly,” Lieutenant Tucker began.

      Every muscle in Miles’s body tightened.

      “One of the tenants in the apartment across the street saw a man approach her as she was getting in her car. She couldn’t see his face. He was wearing a mask. But she was able to clearly see that he grabbed the young woman. She struggled, then sagged. He carried her to a van and drove off.”

      “Did she get a make? Model? Plate number?” The questions burst out of him. He couldn’t have stopped them if he tried. Granted, he didn’t try.

      Lieutenant Tucker shook his head, the regret stamped across his somber face. “Sorry, Olsen. I wish she had. She had just taken out her contacts, and everything was blurry. The only reason she recognized Holly was because she went into the restaurant often and was familiar with all the employees.”

      He kept a lid on his disappointment. It was more information than they’d had five minutes ago. “So, on the positive side, we know two things. She was abducted and didn’t leave under her own power. And, more importantly, we know she may be alive.”

      “Third,” Lieutenant Tucker added, “it solidifies our suspicion that Miss Miller was attacked by the same person, given that the two women were both attacked by a man wearing a dark ski mask. And there’s more.”

      How much more could Rebecca take? His gut tightened as Tucker gave him the rest of the news.

      “How much can I tell Rebecca?”

      The lieutenant hesitated. “I think we should go ahead and tell her everything. She needs to understand that this is a focused attack so she can stay vigilant.”

      Miles agreed, though he so didn’t want to be the one to tell her and see that lovely face fill with fear. But, the flip side of that was he didn’t want her to get the information through an interpreter, whose code of ethics stated she was there only to relay information. That would be such a cold way to learn such hard news.

      No, he’d better tell her himself. And he needed to do it now. Waiting wouldn’t make the news any easier.

      Nodding to the lieutenant, he left the office and made his way back to the conference room. To his surprise, the other officer followed him. Taking in a deep breath outside the door, he hardened his resolve and opened the door.

      And found himself looking straight into Rebecca’s face. He and Lieutenant Tucker moved into the room. The lieutenant sat at the table. Miles moved to stand next to Rebecca. He nodded briefly at Tara, the visual artist, who’d arrived while he was talking with the lieutenant. Then he moved his gaze back to Rebecca.

      Her gaze narrowed as she searched his face. He tried to school his features into a blank expression.

      “What happened?” she signed.

      He needed to work on his cop face.

      “I will sign for myself,” he informed the interpreter. “But I would appreciate it if you would voice what I sign for the benefit of the other people in the room.” That way he could turn off his voice and switch totally to ASL instead of the pidgin he was using before.

      Without displaying a flicker of surprise, she folded her hands into her lap.

      “I was just informed we might have a break in the case,” he signed, then went on to relate the first part of his conversation with Lieutenant Tucker—the information about the witness—to her. The only sound in the room was the low voice of the interpreter.

      “So, she might be alive.”

      “I’m not going to say yes. I am going to say that I’m almost convinced my original thought was correct. I think your attacker meant to abduct you, as well.”

      “I concur,” Lieutenant Tucker agreed after the interpreter finished voicing Miles’s words.

      Miles wasn’t done. There was no way to soften it. Better to just tell her outright. Sucking in a breath, he prepared to deliver the devastating blow. He then told her the rest of what he and the lieutenant had discussed. “You remember the pictures you sent me? Holly and Ashley? I told you that I recognized Ashley.”

      Dread shifted into her face. She squirmed slightly in her seat. He thought she looked like she was getting ready to run. Unfortunately, there was no escape from this nightmare.

      “We found a match for her in the database. Two weeks ago, a woman matching Ashley’s description was found unconscious in Cleveland. She’d been stabbed. The assumption is that either her attacker was interrupted, or he thought she was dead when he abandoned her.”

      Rebecca swallowed hard. Her lips trembled. She bit them. “Was her attacker the same person? The person who took Holly? And attacked me?”

      She looked so forlorn. Tears were tracking down Rebecca’s pale cheeks. Otherwise, her slim body was still. Shocked. He wanted to comfort her. But there was nothing he could do for her. Nothing except find whomever was responsible and put him away.

      “It’s possible, but there’s a lot we don’t know. We don’t even know where exactly she was attacked. The police believe she was moved from the original scene. Until now, they had nothing to go on. No one had reported her missing. I have ordered additional precautions at the hospital, just in case her attacker gets the dumb idea to go after her again. Hopefully, she’ll regain consciousness and be able to give us more to go on.”

      Suddenly, she gasped. “Brooke! Is she safe?”

      “I intend to find out. And I will let you know.”

      “Why? Why is this happening?”

      “I don’t know yet. But I promise you, I will not give up until you are safe and the man responsible for terrorizing you and your friends is in jail.”