Page 20 of Deadly Attraction
The girl slowly swung her gaze around, her dark eyes meeting Emma’s. “You in trouble, Dr. Collins?”
Big trouble if I’m sniffing pillows and feeling jealous of Carla Moses.
The worry in Danika’s eyes sobered her. Nonattachment was challenging with her patients; the kids often found it challenging as well. Without a mother figure in her life, Danika looked at Emma sometimes as if she cared for her. Maybe she did, but it was most likely transference. Danika didn’t have a single role model or person in her life to support her. She looked to Emma for that sense of self.
“Agent Holden is here to help me with work, that’s all.”
Danika’s expression barely changed, but it was enough to tell Emma she saw through the lie before the girl once more turned her focus to the view outside. “I seen the news.”
Emma fiddled with the recorder, didn’t turn it on. “About what?”
Danika’s nonresponse was telling. She’d been watching the wildfire coverage.
Which was ill-advised. The child was under enormous emotional stress, something that could trigger her desire to set something on fire.
Emma could hardly recommend putting the girl in lockdown, but she would have to say something to Danika’s social worker about limiting the girl’s exposure to the wildfire news. “It would be best if you didn’t watch the news right now.”
Danika stared out the window. “I seen them talking about that actor dude that escaped. He doesn’t like you.”
That’s an understatement. The phone blared and Emma hastily turned off the ringer. Damned reporters. “I’m sure the police will catch him soon. Let’s talk about you.”
For the next hour, Emma drew Danika out of her shell and touched on emotions triggered by the holidays. No surprise the girl was depressed. At one point, she point blank stated she had nothing to live for except seeing Twinkie.
“Will and I are having a cleanup day here at the ranch on Wednesday.” Emma said on a whim.” Would you like to come and spend the afternoon helping us?”
The girl’s eyes brightened, but she hesitated. “That’s Christmas. Why you working on Christmas?”
Why, indeed. “The horses don’t care what day it is and the barn needs an in-depth cleaning.”
“Are you going to have ham and potatoes for dinner? My momma always made ham and potatoes at Christmas.”
Hmm. Should she humor Danika or break that trigger to the past and help her move on? Create a new tradition? “I’ll see what’s in the deep freeze and we’ll go from there. You might end up with eggs and biscuits if I don’t have anything else.”
The girl shrugged. “I s’pose.”
Emma took it as a good sign when Danika’s steps seemed lighter as she bounced out of the office and down the stairs. She had something to look forward to now, but Emma wasn’t taking a chance. She would alert Carla and Danika’s case worker that the girl was borderline suicidal. That type of emotional overload was sure to trigger her desire to set a fire.
Downstairs, they found Carla alone in the kitchen. “Where’s Mitch?” Emma said, then corrected herself. “Agent Holden?”
Carla cocked a thumb at the front of the house. “Had to take a call and said the reception in here was bad.”
Emma followed Carla and Danika out the side kitchen door to the transport van in the driveway, keeping an eye out for her bodyguard. Unfortunately, she couldn’t see him if he was out front. Once Carla had the girl secured inside the van, Emma recommended increased surveillance through the holidays. “I’ll send an official recommendation to your supervisor and Danika’s case worker with today’s eval. Her current mindset is unstable because of the holidays and the wildfire news coverage she’s been allowed to watch. I suggest she return Wednesday to help with cleaning up the stables to keep her occupied.”
“Working on Christmas?” Carla shook her head. “You need a life, Dr. Collins. So do I, though. I’ll be the one to bring her, since I caught holiday duty again this year.”
Emma waved them off and turned around to find Mitch watching her from a few yards away. Salt was on her back, trying to get him to cop a belly rub.
His face was grim as she approached. He held up his phone and showed her a picture. “Recognize this gal?”
Straight brown hair, pale skin, plain dark brown eyes. Behind those eyes, though… “That’s Linda Brown.”
“Linda Brown, a.k.a. Mary Monahan, correct? At least she believes she’s Mary Monahan.”
A slither of worry traced down Emma’s spine. “What about her?”
“Dupé confirmed she was in the truck that ran Goodsman’s transport van off the road yesterday. The van had a video camera on it and caught Brown on film. There was a man with her, but he wore a stocking cap and has yet to be identified. Goodsman escaped with them.”
“Linda is Chris’s number one fan. Or, I should say, she’s his characterTom’snumber one fan.”
