Deadly Reckoning. Elle James
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his fingers tightened on her neck, he leaned close until his mask-covered mouth was close to her ear. “You win for now, but it isn’t over.” He yanked the chain from around her neck, then he let go so suddenly, Kayla slid down the side of the car. Unable to slow her fall, her head hit the pavement with a dull thud.
Dense fog clouded her vision even as precious air filled her starving lungs. Muffled voices, like people shouting into pillows, faded into silence. She could see the silhouette of her attacker sliding away into the shadows of an alley. Then the flashing stopped and night turned to pitch, the fog all-consuming. She couldn’t let it claim her.
Kayla’s eyes opened and she stared at the light shining on her table beside the bed. As quickly as the dreams came to her, they receded. The only impression she retained was one of terror and golden-brown eyes.
She jerked up out of the bed, her breathing labored as if she’d been smothered. Air, she had to get air. Kayla rushed for the window, pushing aside the drapes. She unlatched the lever and shoved the window open, sucking in air as fast as her lungs could take it.
Finally, her heart rate started to slow, and reason took hold once more. She reminded herself that she was far away from Seattle, safely tucked away in her vacation rental in Cape Churn.
Getting away had been her therapist’s idea, but the small, seaside town she’d chosen as her destination had been a whim, the result of a real-estate brochure that had caught her eye. The images of untamed waves, peaceful beaches and quaint, quiet streets had called to her in a way she couldn’t explain. It just looked like such a wholesome place to be. A good place to rediscover her inspiration again—missing ever since the attack. “A good place to have a child,” she whispered.
She rubbed her hand in gentle circles over her belly. It was too soon to feel the baby yet, but she liked to imagine her kicking back in reply. Her baby—the only person she had left in the world. When she’d woken up in the hospital after the attack, the doctor had told her she was lucky she hadn’t miscarried. If she wanted to keep the baby, she’d have to take better care of herself, get more rest and not worry so much. And stay away from dark places where bad guys hang out.
The doctor had also asked some pointed questions about her support network—family, friends, the baby’s father—and hadn’t seemed too pleased with the answers. Kayla didn’t blame him. As much as she’d hated to admit, she didn’t have a support network. Kayla didn’t have siblings or parents to call and check up on her. Her best friend and the surrogate father of her baby had died three months ago in a car accident. The crash had occurred only two days following the artificial insemination of Tony’s sperm.
For all the years she’d been on her own since the deaths of her parents, she’d longed for a family. She and Tony hadn’t been in love, but they had cared for each other deeply, and they’d looked forward to making a family together, raising their child as partners in a home full of warmth and caring—a place where Kayla could finally feel as if she belonged.
“We’ll still have that, Baby. I’m sorry you won’t have a daddy, but you’ll always have me, and we’ll be okay.”
Thoughts of her baby had gotten her through the loss of her best friend and the end of their plans to build a happy, companionable little family together. Remembering her baby had given her the strength to fight off her attacker in the parking lot long enough to signal for help. And it was with the goal of protecting her baby that she’d grimly pulled herself together in the aftermath of the attack and found a place where they could be safe.
Kayla peered out the window. Fog had crept in to cloak the coastline. If not for the gentle splash of waves against the cliffs and the strong scent of salt in the air, she wouldn’t have known that she was at the coast. Her heartbeat settled into a smooth, steady rhythm, as the last vestiges of the nightmare slowly slipped away.
Sleep. That’s what she and the baby needed. On this quiet edge of coastline, she wanted the peace of the place to wrap around them.
The therapist had taught her this trick of imagining a happy place before she went to bed. It would help settle her mind and avoid the nightmares that had woken her night after night. Now that she was at Cape Churn, it should be even easier. After all, her happy place was here with the ocean, the wind and waves. The nightmares would fade in time—she had to believe that. She’d get better, stronger. She’d heal in this quiet, peaceful place.
Leaving the window open just a little, she climbed back in bed and laid her head on the pillow.
As she lay there, her eyelids drooped and closed to the darkness, her mind settling into the edge of oblivion. Just as she drifted into sleep, a sharp scream ripped through the night.
Chapter 2
“Found her right there.” Judd Strayhorn, one of the local retirees, pointed to where the medical examiner squatted beside the naked body of the dead woman. “I didn’t move her. She looked pretty dead already, what with her face buried in sand and her skin all white and waxy-like.”
Gabe’s gaze raked the beach hoping for clues, articles left behind, footprints, besides Judd’s and the medical examiner’s. He searched for anything that would tell him how this woman was murdered, who did it and how the body ended up where it did. “Thanks, Judd. If you don’t mind coming down to the station later, we can get your statement in writing.”
“Anything you want.” Judd shook his head, staring across the yellow crime scene tape at the girl’s lifeless form. “Hate to think of what the parents of this girl are going to go through. I have a daughter a little older than her.” He sighed. “Crying shame.” The older man’s shoulders sagged as he gathered his fishing pole and tackle box and trudged up the steep hillside to the road.
Gabe couldn’t help but empathize. He didn’t have a daughter himself but, as he’d only recently learned, he did have a son. Breaking this kind of bad news to parents had always been the hardest part of his job. Now, as a parent himself, Gabe was pretty sure it was about to get harder.
Chief Tom Taggert crossed his arms over his chest. “Think she’s the girl from the missing person report last night?”
“Dark red hair, about five foot fourish.” Gabe nodded. “Yeah. Got to be the one.”
“Her friends said she disappeared from the beach down below the lighthouse round midnight.” The chief snorted. “She’d told them she was going to get a blanket from the car.”
“Had a high tide last night. Think she waded out and got caught in the undercurrent?” Cape Churn was known for its wicked undercurrent. Not many parents let their small children play in the water near the lighthouse, preferring to take them down the coast to a less dangerous beach. But the teens and young people on vacation at Cape Churn didn’t always stop to check the conditions or adhere to the warnings.
“Have to wait for the M.E.’s determination. Can’t imagine she’d go in alone, though, and not with the water as cold as it’s been.”
“Yeah,” Gabe agreed. “And if it was an accident, that wouldn’t explain why she’s naked, when her friends described her as wearing jeans and a hoodie.”
The M.E. straightened and walked toward the chief, stepping over the yellow tape. “Tom.” He peeled the rubber gloves from his hands and turned to stare down at the victim.
“Gordon.” The chief nodded toward the woman’s body. “Murder?”
“That would be my bet. I can’t say for certain until the autopsy is complete, but there’s bruising around her throat. I’ll get the report to you ASAP. Until then, I’d be looking for a potential killer.”
The M.E. left the chief and Gabe and climbed the steep path behind them.
“I hope you didn’t think you’d left the big-city problems behind you in Seattle.” The chief stared out at the ocean.
“That’s what I was wishing for.” Gabe shook his head. “I