description of the suspect with that of Dorie’s and the other witnesses inside the store. We came up with this.” Steve held up a composite drawing.
Dan looked at it closely. “Yes, that’s him,” he said, even though he knew what was beneath the disguise and knew the composite meant nothing. “Or at least that was him. Hard telling what he looks like without the beard.”
“It’s going into the computer right now as we speak to find a match.”
He sounded more positive than Dan felt.
The darkness was coming alive with sounds of the cops searching the campground for clues and technicians working on the van, the sounds of insects, the sounds of cars passing by on the nearby highway. Dan concentrated on the sounds of normal reality and took a deep breath, never feeling so helpless before in his life. He couldn’t fight the shiver that moved through him. He hoped none of his actions appeared out of character or unnatural. Dan didn’t need a computer to find a match for the face that was drawn. Dan knew who he was. He knew how psychotic the bastard could be. He wished with all his being that Justine never had to be pulled into the nightmare of Dan’s past, but now she was, and he couldn’t change it. He could only hold on to the idea that hopefully he could make things right. He couldn’t wait much longer. Waiting meant leaving Jus in the hands of his old partner.
For the six years Dan had thought he kept Justine from reaching that part inside him that had been torn to shreds when Adam was killed. He’d also kept her safe from his dark past, that part of himself he refused to let anyone near ever again.
Now he knew he hadn’t succeeded. Not only was she caught in the dangerous grip of his haunted past, but his fear for her easily tore open those old wounds he thought were healed.
“Do you think she’s cold?” Dan quietly asked Steve.
“We’re going to find her,” Steve said.
Dan noticed Steve didn’t answer the question, but he let it go. “I know,” Dan replied softly. He said no more. He knew she’d be found. He thought he even knew where to find her, but he couldn’t share that with Steve. It was how she might be found that scared him. Hurt? Dead?
The thought made him shudder inside, and he hoped he managed to keep it well hidden. Behind him, he heard the muffled voices of other investigators. They were all guys he worked with on a daily basis. Now he felt like an outsider. He didn’t concentrate on the words. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t detach himself and feel like the cop he thought he was. Instead he looked out over the trees and remembered being at that same campground nearly six years before.
Chapter 11
Almost Five Years Ago
“How do you feel?” Dan asked.
He looked at Justine and took in the way she glowed. As if she’d somehow captured the rays of the sun. Her dark eyes sparkled with golden radiance. Her dark hair reflected rays of red, like shimmers of fire set by sunlight.
Beneath her tan, her shoulders were tinged with pink.
“Fine, why?” she asked.
“I think you got a bit of a burn. We shouldn’t have stayed so long on the lake.”
She smiled. How he loved her smile. “Oh, I’ll be fine. Besides, the lake was wonderful. It was so perfect. This little over-night vacation was just what we needed. It was just enough to forget about work for a while.”
He took her hand, and for the tenth time fought the urge to tell her the true reason for asking her on this little canoe trip. They had remained friends and had been taking it slow for a long time now—despite the fact he had time and again attempted to push his way closer. He was tired of taking it slow. He was tired of pretending to feel something that wasn’t quite right. He only hoped now he wasn’t making a mistake.
He wanted her. All the time. Out on the lake, watching the fluid movements of her shoulders as she paddled the canoe on the seat ahead of him had been enough to send him into the
Dan looked at it closely. “Yes, that’s him,” he said, even though he knew what was beneath the disguise and knew the composite meant nothing. “Or at least that was him. Hard telling what he looks like without the beard.”
“It’s going into the computer right now as we speak to find a match.”
He sounded more positive than Dan felt.
The darkness was coming alive with sounds of the cops searching the campground for clues and technicians working on the van, the sounds of insects, the sounds of cars passing by on the nearby highway. Dan concentrated on the sounds of normal reality and took a deep breath, never feeling so helpless before in his life. He couldn’t fight the shiver that moved through him. He hoped none of his actions appeared out of character or unnatural. Dan didn’t need a computer to find a match for the face that was drawn. Dan knew who he was. He knew how psychotic the bastard could be. He wished with all his being that Justine never had to be pulled into the nightmare of Dan’s past, but now she was, and he couldn’t change it. He could only hold on to the idea that hopefully he could make things right. He couldn’t wait much longer. Waiting meant leaving Jus in the hands of his old partner.
For the six years Dan had thought he kept Justine from reaching that part inside him that had been torn to shreds when Adam was killed. He’d also kept her safe from his dark past, that part of himself he refused to let anyone near ever again.
Now he knew he hadn’t succeeded. Not only was she caught in the dangerous grip of his haunted past, but his fear for her easily tore open those old wounds he thought were healed.
“Do you think she’s cold?” Dan quietly asked Steve.
“We’re going to find her,” Steve said.
Dan noticed Steve didn’t answer the question, but he let it go. “I know,” Dan replied softly. He said no more. He knew she’d be found. He thought he even knew where to find her, but he couldn’t share that with Steve. It was how she might be found that scared him. Hurt? Dead?
The thought made him shudder inside, and he hoped he managed to keep it well hidden. Behind him, he heard the muffled voices of other investigators. They were all guys he worked with on a daily basis. Now he felt like an outsider. He didn’t concentrate on the words. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t detach himself and feel like the cop he thought he was. Instead he looked out over the trees and remembered being at that same campground nearly six years before.
Chapter 11
Almost Five Years Ago
“How do you feel?” Dan asked.
He looked at Justine and took in the way she glowed. As if she’d somehow captured the rays of the sun. Her dark eyes sparkled with golden radiance. Her dark hair reflected rays of red, like shimmers of fire set by sunlight.
Beneath her tan, her shoulders were tinged with pink.
“Fine, why?” she asked.
“I think you got a bit of a burn. We shouldn’t have stayed so long on the lake.”
She smiled. How he loved her smile. “Oh, I’ll be fine. Besides, the lake was wonderful. It was so perfect. This little over-night vacation was just what we needed. It was just enough to forget about work for a while.”
He took her hand, and for the tenth time fought the urge to tell her the true reason for asking her on this little canoe trip. They had remained friends and had been taking it slow for a long time now—despite the fact he had time and again attempted to push his way closer. He was tired of taking it slow. He was tired of pretending to feel something that wasn’t quite right. He only hoped now he wasn’t making a mistake.
He wanted her. All the time. Out on the lake, watching the fluid movements of her shoulders as she paddled the canoe on the seat ahead of him had been enough to send him into the
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