Chapter 27

Ashley sat up on the side of the bed. It had been a day exactly since she had found a little girl’s body. She knew because she had been watching the clock ever since. Watching the minutes tick by. She was now “stuck” at Nate’s house under constant surveillance. No going back to Michael’s. This was fine with Ashley. At Michael’s house she couldn’t get her head on straight or her feelings in order. At Nate’s her feelings weren’t any more under control but there were enough distractions to keep her from having to dwell on them.
Except for now.
Now the house was completely quiet. Nate was at church. The one day he took off was Sunday. He said the office could have him the rest of the week at any time but Sunday he needed. It was a day of worship, he said.
This Ashley couldn’t understand. To her Sunday was just another day. At one point she had gone to church. Back when she almost believed in God.
Donnie had believed in God. He had believed in a sovereign God who had a plan for his life. What kind of God planned to have a man gunned down in his driveway with his little boy?
Plodding across the bed room in her bare feet Ashley stopped at the mirror in the adjoining bathroom to look at herself. Her blondish, brownish hair was flat against her face. Her blue eyes looked dull and gray. If it was possible her face looked skinnier then it used to. While she hadn’t been on a scale in weeks Ashley guessed she had lost weight since arriving in Florida. Too bad it wasn’t bikini season.
Ashley looked down at her abdomen. She could see her ribs pressing against her shirt. When she was pregnant with Aidan she had been so sick the first trimester that she had actually lost weight. She had gained it all back plus twenty pounds in the second trimester. By the third she had felt like a whale even though Donnie would never admit to that. Fortunately, she had been young enough and fit enough that she had gotten her shape back quickly.
Ashley slipped out of her pajamas and stepped into the shower letting the water drip over her, washing away bed head hair. Unfortunately, it didn’t wash away her fear and pain. Yes, she was under deep guard and Nate had promised that no one would find her but still there was a nagging feeling. A feeling that Jimmy Livingston could still find her.
She could still remember the first time she had heard his voice. It had been just two months after the trial that the first call came.
“Ashley, do you know who this is?” The voice had been deep and unrecognizable.
“I’m sorry, who are you?” Ashley shoved the tears away. She was sick to death of the tears. Sick to death of crying over Donnie and Aidan. It had been just two months and she knew in her heart that she wouldn’t get over them any time soon. Maybe never but still the tears were getting old. Her face was hurting. Her eyes had been hurting for a month. And her face was getting a permanent red tint.
It took heavy breathing for Ashley to realize that there had been no answer, “Who is this?” Ashley asked again.
“This is Jimmy. Remember me?” A soft laugh followed his words.
“Jimmy?” Ashley’s heart began to race. This couldn’t be possible. “But you’re in…”
“Jail? Yes, I am. But the thing is Ashley people owe me. People owe me favors and I’m cashing in. I may be in jail now but you will never, ever be rid of me.”
“You took my family, you… you…” The words wouldn’t come out. Mostly because the words were bad ones. Ones she wasn’t supposed to say even her deepest, darkest moments.
“Ah ah now, don’t be nasty. I’m just letting you know it isn’t over.”
And it wasn’t over. Twelve years had passed but it felt like no more then just a day. Every month she received one rose on the ninth. Every year on June 9th she received a dozen. Jimmy Livingston had not left her alone for even a month in twelve years. Moves hadn’t mattered. Even when she moved to Maryland to go back to school Jimmy had found her without missing a beat.
For six years her numbers had been unlisted. She had told as few people as possible where she lived and what she did but it hadn’t mattered.
He still found her.
After seven years she considered changing her name but decided it didn’t matter. Jimmy had a way of finding her. Instead of trying to run she just stayed put and began to live her life. Or at least pretend to. After finishing her Masters with honors, she threw herself into work.
Seventy hour work weeks turned into ninety turned into never being home. Not that there really was a home. Her apartment had been barely furnished for five years. A square bed took up her bedroom with a memory foam mattress. It was comfortable but it was very plain. Not exactly inviting.
Kind of like her life.
Ashley rinsed the conditioner out of her hair, turned off the water and stepped out to find her towel. Wrapping it around her she made it back to the bedroom and found the change of clothes that Nate had picked up for her. Or sent an officer for. She had not been able to go back to Michael’s house for her things.
After dressing in jeans and a striped button-up top over a cami she stepped out of her room for some coffee. The scent of a fresh pot burned her nose as she made her way to the kitchen.
Nate had a nice home. It was certainly well maintained. Much more homey and comfortable then her own place. The kitchen was full of white cabinets. The floor was black and white tile but not in a checkerboard pattern. Instead the white tile was dotted with a few small black tiles turned to look like diamonds instead of squares. Black appliances and black granite countertops echoed the black tiles.
Ashley liked it. It suited Nate. His world, after all, had always been black and white.
Ashley poured herself a cup of coffee, added cream and sugar and took a sip. Stale but palatable. She added more flavored cream. It wasn’t until she took her second sip and leaned against the counter that she noticed a uniformed officer laying down on the couch in the living room. She stepped closer to him and cleared her throat to alert him of her presence.
The officer sat up and stared at her. “Are you okay?” He asked.
“Yea, I’m fine. Just wanted you to know I was up.”
“I’m Jack Williams. Nate’s at church. He said he’d be back soon.” Jack stood up and looked down at Ashley. His blond hair was cut short. So short that if it had been any shorter it wouldn’t have been there. His brown eyes were dark with concern and sadness. It had only been a day since they had found Cole’s body. Ashley had no idea how close the men were but judging by the deep set eyes, the circles underneath him and the redness of his face they had to have known each other.
“Have you heard anything?”
“Nothing yet.” Jack made his way into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. He took a sip of it without adding anything. “Not too bad. I made it a few hours ago.” He smiled at himself as he lifted his cup.
That would account for the stale taste.
“Any word about Cole?”
“The coroner took his body with Jessica’s. The ME will do the autopsy today to retrieve any bullets or bullet fragments left behind. Maybe we can match it to a gun. Possibly find a suspect.”
“Did Nate find anything out yesterday?”
“Not a lot. Jessica was the step daughter. Nate said her step father didn’t much care about her whereabouts.” Jack shook his head. “How can a girl wash up like that and no one care about her? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Unfortunately that’s life. Happens all the time.”
“This I know but I wish it wasn’t. We’re missing two girls still. We have five women dead. And we have no idea who is responsible. Now we can add a dead officer to that. If we don’t find answers soon, I’m afraid of what else could go wrong.” Jack downed the rest of his coffee and set the mug in the sink. “Now that you’re up I’m going to sit out front and wait for Nate to come home.” He glanced at the clock on the microwave. “Should be soon now.”
“Thanks.”
After Jack closed the door behind him Ashley sat on the couch and flipped on the TV. Despite the few hundred channels that Nate seemed to have there wasn’t much on. At least two channels were covering the missing girls both locally and nationally but they didn’t have any new information to offer. One station was covering Lea Rappaport’s funeral but so far news of Jessica’s death hadn’t hit the airways. Ashley wondered how Nate managed to keep that out of the news.
Two hours of nothing was making Ashley tired. Her eyelids were slipping closed when her cell phone rang. The faint sound beckoned her from the bedroom and she made her way to find it. Grabbing it out of her purse she recognized her parent’s number. She groaned and flipped her cell phone open.
“Hello.”
“Ashley, oh my goodness, we haven’t heard from you in over a week.” It was her mother. Ashley imagined her mother patting her mound of black curls as she talked. She had a habit of constantly making sure they were perfect. And they always were. Ashley couldn’t recall a time when there had been a curl out of place.
“Hi Mom. I’ve been busy.”
“Where are you dear? Are you working?”
“Yes, mom I am. But I’m in Florida right now. With Nate.”
“Nathaniel Zimmerman? You’re with Nathaniel?” Her mother always called him that. She hated nick names.
“Yes, I’m with Nate.”
“But why?”
“We’re working on a case together. Have you heard of the missing girls here in Florida? I’m helping Nate with that case. He called me in to talk to a witness.” It was enough of the truth that her mother would believe her and hopefully not press for more but not every detail. No need for her mother to worry. Betty Voigt loved to worry.
“What about your patients in Maryland?”
“Trish is taking care of everything. I’ve talked to her a few times. Dr. Borin is covering for me while I’m here. He’s pretty good.”
“Not as good as you. I’ve seen him on the stand.”
Ashley smiled. Her parents could sometimes be difficult but they never, ever failed to support her. She loved and missed them a great deal but it was hard for them to travel from Colorado and Ashley didn’t get out to visit them as much as she would like. “Thanks mom.”
The sound of the front door opening and closing interrupted Ashley’s conversation. She kept the phone to her ear and walked back out to the living room. It was Nate. “Hey mom, I’m going to have to call you back. Nate’s here and I think something's wrong."