Page 10 of I'm Watching You

Lindsay leaned over the sink in the shelter’s kitchen, staring out the window toward the crime scene. Zack had expanded the crime scene to include the entire backyard. No doubt, he’d seal it for days, months. If anything, he was thorough.

Any hopes she’d had of preserving the shelter’s anonymity had vanished when she’d spoken to Zack. He wasn’t going to cut one corner on this investigation. She’d asked Ruby to call around to other shelters to find beds for her six residents.

Lindsay watched as the forensics technician brushed her bangs off her forehead as she stared up at Zack. The tech leaned toward him a fraction, her smile subtle but flirty. One hundred dollars said the chick was wearing perfume.

A familiar knot burned in the pit of her stomach. Was she the one Zack had slept with the night she’d thrown him out of their apartment? Painful memories compressed her heart. She turned from the window. It took a moment before she could breathe deeply.

Lindsay’s fingers tightened into fists. ‘I don’t care who he sleeps with now.’

Ringing phones startled her from her mood. All at once three lines lit up on the phone on the kitchen wall.

Lindsay slid open the pocket door that separated the kitchen from the conference room. Ruby sat at a small desk, the phone cradled under her ear. She mouthed ‘line two.’

‘Got it.’ Lindsay picked up the line in the kitchen. ‘Sanctuary Women’s Shelter.’

‘Lindsay?’

It was Dr Sam Begley, chief resident in emergency medicine at Mercy Hospital. Immediately, the pressure in her shoulders relaxed. Sam and Lindsay had met six months ago when she’d given a seminar on domestic violence to the hospital staff.

‘Sam, what can I do for you?’ She leaned against the sink, her back to the murder scene.

‘You might want to come down here,’ he said in a sober tone. ‘I’ve got a woman in cubicle six who’s been badly beaten. Her story has changed a couple of times. I think the abuse is domestic.’

A protective urge welled inside her. ‘How bad are her injuries?’

‘Cracked ribs. Bruised arms. Sprained wrist.’

She rubbed her temples with her fingertips. A headache was starting to pound behind her eyes. ‘Did she say who did it?’

‘No, but she exhibits all the signs you outlined. No bruises on her face. Whoever did this didn’t want anyone to know she’d been slapped around.’

‘Did she say anything about what happened?’

‘She said she fell down some stairs. I was hoping the shelter had a bed available.’

Lindsay turned toward the window facing the cops crowding her backyard. ‘I don’t think we’ll have a bed for a few days. But I could talk to her, try to get her in another place if she’ll take it.’

He sighed into the phone. ‘Good. She needs someone to talk sense into her.’

‘You sound tired. Did you pull another eighteen-hour shift?’

He chuckled. ‘No rest for the wicked.’

Lindsay admired Sam. He was one of the hardest-working people she knew. She checked her watch. Better to stay, deal with Zack, and be done with him. ‘I’m stuck here at the shelter for another hour or so. Can you hold on to her?’

‘She’s over eighteen and can walk out of here any time she wants.’ He dropped his voice a notch. ‘But you know how slow the paperwork moves around this place. It could easily take a couple of hours before she’s discharged.’

Lindsay couldn’t help but smile. Sam made life easy. ‘I’ll be by as soon as I can.’

‘Good.’

‘You’re one of the good guys, Dr Sam Begley.’ She imagined his face turning red.

‘You’re the one who does the real work.’ He hesitated. ‘I had fun at the movies last week. We should do it again sometime soon.’

‘Sounds good.’ She hadn’t really thought of their outing as anything more than a friendly trip to the moviesuntil Sam had kissed her. The awkward moment underscored the fact that she’d not been out with another man since she’d left Zack.

‘How about tonight?’ he said quickly. ‘I’ll buy you a slice of birthday cake.’

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