Her Last Day (Jessie Cole #1)(56)

The howling wolf man began shrieking and beating his fists against the wall closest to her. She wondered if he was laughing at her, too, or if he just wanted out.

Before today Zee had thought she knew crazy better than most. But this guy, Forrest Bloom, or whoever he was, gave crazy a whole new meaning.





THIRTY-ONE

Jessie had returned from the hospital fifteen minutes ago. After being interrogated by Olivia about what had happened during the attack, Jessie had escaped to the bathroom.

As she washed her hands, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her right eye was puffy and shaded with a half-moon of grayish black. She’d needed nine stitches under the left side of her chin. Gauze and tape covered her wound. The doctor had told her she’d been lucky. If the cut had been any deeper, she could have suffered nerve damage, or worse.

Before she’d run into Colin, she’d been in shock. Seeing all that blood had made her dizzy, barely able to walk. If she closed her eyes, she could see her attacker. Average height and build. No identifying tattoos or marks. He had expressive eyes. Angry eyes.

When she walked out of the bathroom, Colin was exiting the kitchen carrying a bowl of soup that he’d warmed up in the microwave. He set it next to the hot tea waiting for her on the table in front of the couch.

Olivia stood off to the side, a worried look on her face. Colin was watching her, too, but neither of them said a word.

“I’m okay,” Jessie said. “You both know how I get when I see blood. That’s the only reason I passed out. It got to me, but I’m fine now. You can both relax.”

“I’m not worried about you passing out,” Olivia said. “You were attacked a few blocks from here!”

Jessie’s gaze fell on Higgins. He was lying beneath the window and hadn’t stirred. “You can thank Higgins for saving my life,” she said. “Higgins went right for the man’s arm, the one holding the knife, and he wouldn’t let go.”

“He’s a good dog,” Olivia agreed. “I gave him extra treats. He’s worn-out, but I think he’s okay.” Olivia crossed her arms. “Now stop trying to change the subject.”

“Eat something,” Colin cut in, nudging Jessie along until she took a seat and ate a spoonful of chicken soup.

Olivia couldn’t let it go. She came around the other side of the couch, took a seat next to her, and read from her notebook. “You said your attacker was Caucasian, midthirties, intense blue eyes, and he had a bite out of his right ear.”

Jessie swallowed another spoonful of soup. She was hungrier than she’d thought.

“Do you think the attack has anything to do with your missing person investigation?” Olivia asked next.

“I doubt it. Arlo and Zee live in Woodland, twenty minutes away,” Jessie reminded her. She’d filled Colin in on the way home, told him all about the report Olivia was doing on Sherlock Holmes and how she suddenly had a newfound passion for investigative work. “Besides,” Jessie went on, “Zee’s case isn’t high profile, and she’s run away before.”

“So?”

“So, it’s highly unlikely anyone would know or care if I was helping Arlo Gatley search for his daughter. I think there’s a good chance that without her medication, Zee got confused and is now lost or staying with a friend.”

Olivia frowned. “If you really believe that, then why did we blow up that picture and take it door-to-door?”

“Because I was hoping someone would recognize the man in the picture. Maybe Zee is staying with him but doesn’t want her father to know, for whatever reason.”

“You two should talk about this later, after Jessie has eaten and gotten some rest,” Colin said.

“You don’t need to mother me,” Jessie told him.

“Agree to disagree,” he said.

When Jessie saw the scowl on Olivia’s face, she set her spoon down and said, “Listen, you’re right. It’s perfectly reasonable for you to deduce that I was being followed by someone connected to a case I’m working on.”

“Thank you,” Olivia said, looking smug.

“But,” Jessie continued, “if the attack was not connected to Zee, then maybe it had something to do with Parker Koontz.” Jessie thought about what Adelind Rain had told her about the call she’d received in the middle of the night. The nurse at the hospital had assured Jessie that Koontz was in a coma. Following that path, if it was true that the attack was connected to Koontz, then that would mean someone else was making phone calls and possibly wanted her out of the picture completely.

But who?

David Roche’s name popped into her head, but she knew that wasn’t fair. She had no evidence whatsoever that he would want to do her physical harm. She didn’t like him, but that didn’t make him evil.

The ring of Colin’s phone brought all thoughts and conversation to a halt. When Colin disconnected the call, Jessie could tell by the concerned expression that something was going on. “What happened?”

“Andriana,” he said. “An armed man broke into her house, tied her up, and then ransacked her home.”

“Is she okay?” Jessie asked, her mind swirling with speculation.

“She’s shook up. She’ll be fine. I’m going to head over there now.”