Page 4 of Coming Home to You
When I’m finally alone, I realize how much this evening has affected me.The stress weighing heavy on my shoulders and the fear that Jason will return suddenly consumes me.I move through the house checking the locks and the windows, setting the alarm and letting Bella, my German Shepherd outside.I do it all a second time before I finally break down.
Shaking with fear as heaving sobs rack my body, I climb into bed, pulling the covers up over my head as I try to block out all that has happened today.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way.Beck was supposed to be here.He was my protector, my safety and the love of my life, but all of that is gone now.
Chapter Two
Present Day – Boston
Beck
“So, what’ve we got?”I ask, flashing my badge as I walk towards the uniformed kid standing by the police barricade.
“It’s not good, Sir,” he says.“Homicide, suspected rape.”
“Fuck,” I murmur, just what I fucking need on Memorial Day weekend.“What’s the status on the investigation?”
The young kid looks at me and shrugs.“Don’t know, just got here, you’ll need to talk to that guy,” he says, pointing towards an older uniformed policeman standing with a blonde woman, who must be the M.E.
I nod and walk over, catching a glimpse of the bare feet of the body sticking out from behind the dumpster.Jesus christ, they look young, whoever it is.
“Detective O’Loughlin, homicide,” I say to the pair of them.“Can someone get me up to speed?”
The M.E.turns to me.I watch her brows lift, almost in surprise, before she smiles in a way that says she’d be willing to do more than just get me up to speed.I shoot her a quick smile in return before turning to the cop standing in front of the body.
“White female, possibly mid-twenties.Lacerations, defensive wounds, suspected strangulation and sexual assault.Found by this guy,” he says, gesturing to what looks like a homeless man.“When he waswalking his dog,” he adds in a way that suggests he doesn’t believe a word of it.
“Walking his dog, huh?”I ask.“That sure sounds like a pile of shit.”
The cop laughs.“Yeah, my thoughts exactly.”
“Got an ID on the vic?”I ask, as I step around him to take a look at the body.I don’t hear a word he says though, as all of the air suddenly rushes from my lungs.“Fucking hell,” I say, my stomach threatening to empty all over the dead woman the second I get a look at her face.God, fuck, please don’t let it be her.It can’t possibly be, not here in Boston.
“Detective, you okay?”the cop asks, taking a step towards me.
“Yeah, ah, yep,” I say, feeling anything but okay.These two sure as hell don’t need to know that the victim could be the love of my life.The one I let get away and the one woman I’ve still never managed to get over.“Have you, ahh… have you got an ID?”Fuck, fuck, fuck, it’s not her, surely.
“Yeah, we found a bag close by, wallet looks like it’s been emptied but there’s a BU staff ID.Photo matches, goes by the name of Jane Donovan.You know her or something, Detective?”
I exhale loudly as I run my hand through my hair.Thank fuck it’s not her.
“Sir?”
I turn to face the cop.“No, I don’t,” I say, crouching down by the body for a closer look now.“For a minute there, I thought I did.”
But as I look over the body up close, I can see now how wrong I was.The victim doesn’t look anything like Kelsey.Her hair is too light, nothing like the deep, rich brown hair that Kelsey has.She’s shorter too, and the body is a little heavier.It definitely isn’t the body I remember spending so much time getting to know when we were kids.Not that I’d really know what Kelsey looks like anymore.I haven’t seen her since I left Rockport, what, ten years ago?
Fuck, has it really been ten years since I last saw her?
She probably looks completely different to how I remember her now.But as my eyes involuntarily close, I immediately conjure up a picture of her.It’s one of my favorites; an image that I think about far too often.In it she’s naked and lying in my bed, laughing as I kiss my way up her body.Jesus christ, that girl, the things she did to me.The things I did to her.
I shake my head and force my eyes to open as I let the memory go.I can’t go back there.Kelsey and I are done.We wanted different things and despite being madly in love with her, I knew neither of us could compromise.She wouldn’t move to Boston and I couldn’t stay in Rockport.
I stand and turn to the M.E.who’s looking at me in a way that might involve concern.“You got everything you need?”I ask, ignoring her.The last thing I need is pity.
“Yeah, I’m good,” she says, relaxing a little when she sees me snap back into detective mode.
“Great,” I say, turning to the cop.“Let’s get this wrapped up then.Get your boys to canvas the area, look for any clues.In the meantime, I’ll take this clown,” I add, gesturing to the homeless guy, “into the station and see if he can’t come up with a different story.One that makes more sense.”
