Page 14 of One Night Years Ago

Natalie

The clock on her dashboard changed to nine thirty p.m. Natalie sighed. So much had happened in the last hour, she felt like it should be the middle of the night. Lanie’s body was on her way to the hospital morgue. Natalie had stopped by Lanie’s parents’ home to break the news. She tried not to think of how Jill’s eyes had slowly lost their brightness as Natalie spoke.

And they didn’t even know the worst of it yet. Dr. Stephen Ford was their senior physician. It’d be up to him to say after he examined the body, but there was no doubt in Natalie’s mind that Lanie had been sexually assaulted before her death.

It was late, but time was of the essence now. Dr. Ford and Rob were on their way to the hospital. As soon as Lanie’s parents had identified the body, they’d get to work. They were a small team, but they would work as hard as they needed to. They wouldn’t let Lanie and her family down.

In the meantime, Natalie was going to do her own bit of investigating. Rob had tried to fight her on it, knowing exactly where she was heading, even going so far as to suggest his boss might need backup. But she didn’t need backup. She wasn’t a scared eighteen-year-old anymore. If Hunter Fowler was involved in Lanie’s death, she was going to make him pay.

She thought of the Hunter Fowler she’d seen in the last month. She’d kept an eye on him and hadn’t seen him speak more than ten words to anyone. He’d been keeping to himself, which was what she’d hoped he’d continue doing.

She hated the way her mind seemed to be playing tricks on her. She could see Hunter walking down the street and think he was just a handsome man. But when she closed her eyes, she saw him above her, trapping her with those powerful thighs of his, his gray eyes staring at her as if they could see into her soul.

She turned off the lights in her car before she got to their driveway and walked the rest of the way to the house. The moon was high in the sky and close to full, so she had no trouble seeing where she was going. She shifted her hand gun to her right hand, its weight solid and reassuring. She could shoot with both hands, but her right hand was strongest. This time, if there was any killing to be done, it’d be her doing the killing.

The lights went on in the house. She’d just stepped onto the porch when she heard noises from inside. The front door opened and Barbara walked out, smiling, followed by Hunter Fowler, still wearing the same black T-shirt and jeans she’d seen him wearing at the hospital early that evening.

Barbara stared in surprise. Her heart went up to her breast. “Natalie? What are you doing here?”

“Get away from him, Barbara.” Natalie waved with her gun. “You. Hands where I can see them. Get off the porch, into the yard.”

He raised his hands over his head with a practiced movement. His arm muscles flexed. She wondered how much the bastard had worked out in prison to get that big. She imagined those huge hands choking the life out of Lanie and wanted to shoot him straight where he stood.

“I’m fine, Natalie, Hunter was just going to drive me—"

“Shut up, Barbara. I said get away from him. Even better, get in the patrol car and wait for me.”

The doctor’s mouth hung open in a look that might have been comical if the situation hadn’t been so sad. She clearly wasn’t used to anybody talking to her like that.

“I’m … I’ll go do that.”

“What’s this about, Sheriff?” Hunter drawled. “Does Dr. Leroy have a curfew?” His voice was low and calm, but his expression was taunting.

You fucker.

“Hands behind your back. You’re coming with me,” she said, standing behind him.

She clicked out her handcuffs and for a moment she thought he might fight her. His eyes got dark, and she realized he was afraid of being cuffed. The rage grew within her as she tightened the handcuffs, first against one wrist then against the other one. She made them tight, tighter than she should have. She’d have to get them off him soon or she’d be cutting off his circulation. But beyond that initial panicked gasp when the first cuff clicked shut, he didn’t make a further noise, even when she pushed him into the seat in the back.

Barbara was sitting in the front, looking scared now.

She’s scared of me.

“Is your car at the hospital, Barbara? I’ll drop you off there.”

The doctor nodded.

“What’s this about, Natalie? What’s—”

“Can’t talk about it now, but you really know how to pick them, Barbara.”

Neither of them said anything else until the car rolled into the hospital parking lot.

“You’d better keep quiet about this, Barbara. You’ll know soon enough what it’s about.”

Barbara got out. “You don’t need to tell me that, Sheriff,” she said. She looked at Natalie with something like pity then addressed Hunter in the back. “I’ll call tomorrow, Hunter, and check on your mother.”

“Thank you,” Hunter said. His first words since she’d cuffed him.