As a member of the metro police department, Sam worked in Vice Control under the Detective Division of the Bureau of Investigative Services. She’d been working her way toward Homicide for the past two years, hoping to catch a break into the more prestigious unit. She didn’t need this. Butting heads with the chief, her boss’s boss several times removed, was not her idea of a smart career move.
Within BIS, the chief headed up her entire division and had five deputy chiefs reporting to him. Plus, the man had shot up through the ranks like a regular golden boy, garnering the favor of the superintendent and many others during his meteoric rise.
How far would she go to get Jess off the hook this time?
Her personal connection to Jess was already known within the CPD, but no one knew the reasons behind her loyalty. Her pact with Jess had gone unspoken, a commitment born as much from her own burden of guilt as the love she felt for her headstrong friend.
But Sam’s career in law enforcement meant everything to her. It had become the focal point to her life, giving her a sense of worth. Would she be forced to choose between her life’s blood and the friend she loved like a sister?
Sam prayed it wouldn’t go that far.
“I’m coming in, Sarge.” She tossed back the covers and sat on the edge of her bed. “Be there in thirty.”
Talkeetna Alaska
River Park Campground
1:00
A.M.
AKDT
On the northwest side of town, Nikki hid in the scarce shadows by the public restrooms of the campground, waiting for her ride. This time of year, the sun merely dipped below the horizon, leaving behind a wedge of time where the night sky was as dark as it ever got—a deep dusk that would eventually turn to morning.
The best time to make her escape.
Her duffel bag lay near her feet as she paced with hands in her jacket pockets. In the distance she smelled a campfire, and saw its glow through the trees. Soft voices and the lingering aroma of a late night dinner drifted toward her, making her stomach growl. She hadn’t counted on this. Who would be up and cooking this time of night? She rolled her eyes at the ridiculous question. Why should she care?
In no time she’d be gone. All she had to do was keep a low profile until then.
In the background the confluence of the Talkeetna and Susitna rivers surged against a steel gray sky. Normally, the white noise of the water would be soothing, but not tonight. The unsettling rush made her more anxious. Dressed in a royal blue windbreaker and jeans, she wished she wore another layer. It felt chillier by the river, and a brisk evening breeze had kicked up. Maybe nerves had more to do with her shivers. A silver Subaru Outback would pick her up, and the signal of flashing headlights had been prearranged.
She knew after tonight her life would change forever.
“Come on,” she whispered under her breath.
She’d done all her thinking. No regrets. She didn’t see the point in having second thoughts. Drained, she finally slouched onto the canvas bag, straddling it. She kept her
eyes on the drive into the park. And to ward off the cold, she rubbed her thighs with her hands.
Nikki hated making her ride drive through town to pick her up, but the campground wouldn’t draw many locals this time of night. And since it was close to her home, she wouldn’t have to lug her duffel far. It made sense at the time she arranged it through her friend Ivana, but now she felt out of place…and alone.
In the fanny pack around her waist she carried the essentials she’d need for the trip. She’d been told to leave any credit cards and her cell phone behind, making it impossible for her mother or the law to trace her once she got where she was going.
She had followed her instructions to the letter, severing all links to the life she’d left behind.
This should have felt liberating, but it only reminded her of the deceitful way she skulked out of the house in the middle of the night. She left her mom a cryptic note, saying only that she had gone and would contact her when she could. Anything more would have been trouble.
But a strange mix of dread and relief came when headlights pierced the gray murkiness, flickering between the tall stand of evergreens. A car eased toward the park. At that distance and angle, Nikki couldn’t make out the color or make. She stood and craned her neck for a better look. About the time she poked her head up, a young man emerged from the trees to her right. He barged down the trail without a care in the world.
“Oh shit,” she gasped, nearly leaping out of her skin. “You scared me.”
“Sorry. Didn’t know you had this section of the park staked as private property.” He grinned. “Just here to drain the lizard. You okay?”
Between the river noise and the distraction of the car, she hadn’t heard him coming down the path. The guy was tall
and lean, with dark hair. He had a nice smile and kind, soulful eyes. She gauged him for late teens or early twenties. With her heart still racing, her judgment meter was way out of whack. Normally, he would have been her type, but she had more on her mind.
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” Nikki sneaked a peek past him toward the headlights. She had to ditch him fast or all bets were off. “I had to use the restroom, that’s all.”
The kid chuckled. “Yeah, right. So why’d you lug the duffel with you? Planning on staying awhile?”
Nikki swallowed and blinked—caught in her lie. After a quick second, she collected her thoughts enough to glare at him with hands on hips, going on the offensive.
“Why don’t you go and take care of your…lizard.” She raised her chin in defiance. “I got better things to do than talk to you.”
Pretty lame, but it was all that sprang into her head. The guy smirked and walked by her with a shrug, more amused than pissed. But before he got near the men’s room entrance, he glanced over his shoulder and checked out the car driving up. Maybe in the shadows and the glare of the headlights, he wouldn’t see much. Or God willing, the whole incident wouldn’t register with him. He vanished into the darkness of the men’s room, but not before the damage had been done.
She had overreacted. Chalk it up to a bad case of nerves, but now someone had seen her and the car. Her only prayer was that the kid would be gone in the morning, before the search for her had begun.
As planned, the vehicle parked and flashed its lights twice. From this range and through the headlights, Nikki couldn’t see inside. Almost sick to her stomach, she reached down to pick up her duffel bag and hoisted the strap over a shoulder. She looked up the footpath and down, to make sure no one else saw, then ventured from the trees. She walked toward the car, gravel crunching underfoot. Even up close she still was unable to see the driver’s face. And no
one got out. When she reached for the door, doubt kicked her heart into high gear and throbbed in her ears.
She knew once she got inside there’d be no turning back. After taking one last breath of the crisp night air, she opened the rear door and tossed in her bag, then slipped into the front passenger seat and shut the door behind her.
She didn’t want to believe in regrets.
Harrison Police Station
3:25
A.M.
CST
After Sam got to Harrison Station, Sergeant Miller filled her in on what had happened and directed her to the holding room where they’d detained Jess for questioning. Detective Ray Garza was interrogating her now. Baker had been taken into custody but was kicked loose. No arrest.
So why were they still questioning Jess?
Sam was digesting all the details of her friend’s encounter with Baker and the aftermath when she opened the door to the adjoining observation room. She found Chief Nathan Keller dressed in a pricy suit and standing in the darkened room with only the light from the adjacent interrogation room shining through the two-way mirror. He glanced at her with little acknowledgment and turned his attention back to the interrogation without saying a word.
Sam contemplated the possibility of slinking from the room, but for the sake of her friend she took a deep breath and joined the chief, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the dimly lit room.
When she caught her first look at Jess, her eyes widened with shock. She fought to stifle her reaction.
Jessie was battered and bruised. Cuts and scrapes on her face were stark under the fluorescent lights, making her skin appear ghostly pale. Jess stared at Detective Garza, sitting across from her, her face unreadable, her eyes blank. Sam knew that look. Jess had survived worse than Garza
could dish out in his wildest imaginings. No way the detective would break her.
A voice came over the speaker overhead, sounds of the interrogation.
“Tell me one more time, what were you doing at the hotel?”
“I already told you.”
Jess sounded tired, but there was an underlying intensity to her demeanor, a shrewd feline ready to pounce on its prey. At times Sam could read her friend, but only if Jess let her.
“I came to talk to Baker. I got a tip he’d be there.”
“Talk? About what?”
“A private matter, between me and him.”
“Since when do you talk with a Colt Python in your hand? The hotel clerk said you chased after Baker, carrying a weapon.”
“In that neighborhood, I’d be foolish not to protect myself. And you gotta admit, a Colt Python is a pretty nifty ice breaker.” Jess shifted in her seat. “Are you gonna arrest me? If not, I think I’ve had enough fun for one evening. I need my beauty sleep.”
Sam understood her friend’s sarcasm about her looks. When Jess looked in the mirror, she only saw the scars. And any man interested in her only wanted one thing, according to Jessie. She gave it when she had the same urges, but the room had to be completely dark and on her terms. No romance. No talking. No future. Jessie had no time for complications.
“She’s a cagey one.” The chief finally said. “Your friend should consider exercising her right to remain silent.”
“She may have the right, sir, but she sure doesn’t have the ability.”
She caught Chief Keller glancing down at her with a faint look of amusement.
“What’s your interest in this, Detective?”
The man turned his attention to Jess in the next room. Sam did the same.
“Personal, sir.”
Jess wasn’t the only one who knew about cagey. Sam’s answer was the equivalent of saying, “With all due respect, none of your business, sir.” She tightened her jaw, waiting for his response.
Silence filled the tight quarters. Sam felt the tension as Chief Keller stiffened beside her. The occasional voices carried over the speaker above, but the noise was muffled in her head. She was too distracted to register what was said.
After a long moment the chief spoke.
“Understand this, Detective Cooper. If you expect to advance your career, you must avoid the negative perceptions of others by steering clear of controversy. Your personal friend in there is mired in it. Par for the course, from what I can see.”
The man knew more about her relationship with Jess than she had given him credit for. She shut her eyes tight. None of this bode well for her career. The chief continued, dropping another bombshell.
“You may have to make a choice, Detective. That is, if you truly want to make the leap into the homicide division.”
He knew about her political maneuverings inside the department, lobbying for Homicide. She swallowed, hard. This was either a very good thing or she had completely blown it.
As if reading her mind, he added, “I’ve got my eye on you, Samantha. I expect your help in persuading your stubborn friend to let things cool between her and Baker. For both your sakes, I hope she listens to you.”
He turned to go, but Sam couldn’t resist another question.
“What happened with Baker, sir?”
She already knew the answer to her question. Sergeant Miller had briefed her, but she wanted to see if the chief would lie. Unfortunately, the man had a third option in mind. He completely ignored her insubordination.
“Process her out and get her home, Detective Cooper. Mr. Baker is none of your concern.”
Chief Keller left the room. And Sam never turned around.
Next door, Garza had given up and left Jess alone. Her friend sat rigid in the chair, not giving an inch. Eventually, she shifted her gaze to the mirror, knowing someone stood behind it. With stubborn defiance, Jess glared at the glass. Sam wanted to smile but knew the pain behind those eyes. The defense mechanism it took to hide her true emotions had been borne from years of abuse and the unflinching will of a survivor.
Sam debated how much to tell Jess about what she’d learned about Baker. In the end she decided she could never talk Jess out of her personal vendetta, nor did she want to.
Anchorage International Airport
3:20
A.M.
AKDT
Claire Hanson had already been on edge, but when the young girl didn’t say much during the drive from Talkeetna to Anchorage, it made the trip seem like an eternity. Her attempt at conversation died on the Parks Highway when the girl avoided eye contact and kept to simple answers, if she replied at all. Her young passenger merely stared out the side window onto a murky blur of scenery.
And the chill in the morning air closed in on them both.
Claire didn’t know what to expect, given the girl’s special situation. But the poor kid needed help, leaving her little choice but to do what she could. Besides, the resemblance was uncanny. Even if she’d wanted to call the whole thing off, she couldn’t—not after seeing the girl’s face.
The airport terminal was busier than she expected, with the first bank of red-eye flights departing Anchorage. After pulling to the curb marked for departures, Claire parked the Subaru and turned off the engine. She leaned toward the girl and forced her to make eye contact this time.
“Everything’s going to be okay now. You’ll see.”
She reached out and stroked a loose strand of hair off the kid’s face, a familiar gesture that clouded Claire’s eyes with painful memories. The girl nodded, her eyes brimming with the start of tears, but she said nothing.
“Here’s your ticket and ID. You know what to do, right?” Handing over an envelope, Claire tried to keep the tension from her voice. “I mean, he told you what to do, didn’t he?”