Page 22 of Special Agent Storm

“No, Don. I shared a room with Carolyn. You know her. She’s the EMT for our unit.”

“Right. And you didn’t go to a bar or any place where you might have been with men. Look, I’m thinking someone might have drugged you and raped you while you were unconscious. It happens, trust me.”

“No, I mean, I know. But it didn’t happen to me. The most exciting scene of the whole weekend was my falling asleep on the massage table and my masseur was female.”

Deflated, Don wrote down the name of their retreat and folded his hands. “This is the nuttiest case I’ve ever heard of, I’ll admit it, Ruby. But I’ll check the records back at the office and see if there are any other women who’ve found themselves in a similar predicament. I’ll also get forensics to come and dust for fingerprints.”

“Don’t bother. They wore gloves. I felt them when I tried to pry his hands off my waist. That’s just before I kicked the son of a bitch.”

“You’re positive those were the same people who broke into your house.”

“What reason would anyone else have? I mean it would be too weird to be possible. They were looking for something. You should see the state of my bathroom.”

He stood and waved her first. “Show me.”

They went from room to room, and Ruby, looking at it through another’s eyes, saw that though they’d trashed her house, they hadn’t vandalized it. There was no graffiti or stupid destruction that might indicate kids at work. Neither had anything been stolen. Mainly because, other than her laptop, TV, and a few pieces of nice jewelry, there really wasn’t anything worth taking.

“I see what you mean. Your bathroom, a few of the kitchen cupboards, dressers in other rooms, and the wastebaskets seem to have gotten hit the worst.”

“I know. There were a few chairs upturned and drawers emptied out but thank goodness, nothing has been torn or destroyed. I’ll be able to put everything back in place quite easily.”

“Not yet. I still want pictures taken and a team to come and check things out. Look, can you stay with your mom tonight? I think it’s best if we leave everything the way it is until the officers are finished with the place.”

“I wouldn’t bother my mom, chief. I can go and sleep at the firehouse. I’m on shift tomorrow anyway so no one will question me getting there early.”

“Fine. Give me the key and I’ll make sure it’s returned. In the meantime, I’ll drop you off. And, Ruby, until we know what’s going on, I’d rather you not be alone.”

Ruby heard the warning in his voice and nodded. “Okay. Sounds like a good call. Thanks, Don.”

“Don’t thank me yet. I’ve never had a case like this one, my friend. And I’ve hit on some pretty strange high jinks in my day.”

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