Leave Me Love (Call Me Cat Trilogy #2)(17)

Detective Clark came over, Gray on his heels like a trained dog. Clark showed Ash the photos. "Do you know who took these?"

Ash looked at the pictures and then to me. "How long have you had these?"

I explained to him what happened and when.

He sighed. "This is absurd. Bridgette was worried about Catelyn after the hospital stay and came over to talk to me about what we could do to help her. Nothing untoward happened. I don't know who took these pictures, but it was clearly someone trying to hurt Catelyn."

"It was the Midnight Murderer." I pointed at the wall covered in red. "He's done this before. Wrote me a message in my dead cat's blood."

Gray sighed. "The words are written in lipstick."

I put a hand to my heart. "Thank goodness. I thought it was—"

"I understand. Shock blinds a person." He opened a nicotine packet. Popped the gum in his mouth. "You've been through a lot lately. You should really consider… oh, why do I even bother? Call me if you remember anything else." He walked away, shaking his head.

Ash held me by the waist. "He's right, you know. You have been through a lot."

"And?"

"I know someone who can help. An old friend of the family."

"A therapist?"

"A good one."

I pressed my head into his chest, tears welling in my eyes. "Maybe."

An officer walked up to Detective Clark, lowering his voice. "That ottoman is heavy, like real heavy. Who you figure flipped it over?"

Clark frowned. "Someone who worked hard to make this look real. Too hard." They both glanced at me.

Before I could say anything in my defense, someone hollered from the patio. "Detective, we found blood. A lot of blood."

And then I saw red behind my eyes, bright and viscous. It pounded through my head and body until I saw nothing at all.





Chapter Twelve


Private Investigator


THE BLACKOUT ONLY lasted a moment, and I think only Ash noticed. He steadied me against his body, worry lines creasing his eyes. They looked lighter today, more hazel against his green sweater.

"Catelyn, what happened?"

"Just a spinning head." I took a sip out of the water bottle he handed me. "I want to see the blood."

He shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea."

I ignored him, walking toward the back door. Then my phone rang and I snatched it up, worried it might be about Bridgette.

"Miss Travis? This is Doctor Elliot. We got the results back from your MRI."

"Oh." I'd forgotten about that.

"It's not as bad as we thought. You have some mild swelling, which is to be expected, and I'd like you to stay on the medication we prescribed. It's important you're not alone right now. Do you have someone to stay with?"

"Yes," I lied.

"Good. Please come in next week for a follow-up and, in the meantime, stay on your medication, stay with someone who can monitor you if your condition worsens and try to avoid unnecessary stress."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Who was that?"

I told him.

He stuck his hands in his jean pockets and stared out the back window. "You'll move in with me."

Detective Gray approached from behind. "I think that's a good idea."

"Do I get a say in this?" I put on a rebellious front, but the fight wasn't in me. Truth be told, I didn't want to go back to our dorms alone, wondering where Brig was and what was happening to her. I didn't want to be alone, and I couldn't stay with the Beaumonts, especially not with the angry looks they kept throwing at me from across the room as if they thought this was my fault. They had told the police we'd been fighting. Why would they say that unless they believed I was guilty of something?

Ash shook his head. "Nope. We'll get your stuff once we leave here, and you can move in tonight. I've already had a spare key made."

It was my turn to raise an eyebrow.

He smiled and pulled me to him. "Is it wrong that I loved having you in my bed so much I fantasized about having you every night?"

That he'd been thinking about me like that made me tingle. Even at a time like this.

Ash approached the detectives who were now conferring in hushed voices in the kitchen as Mrs. Beaumont served coffee to everyone. "Is it okay if I get Catelyn out of here? She needs to rest."

They nodded and Detective Clark approached me. "Miss Travis, please don't leave the area. We'll need you to stay in touch as the investigation progresses. Is there anything else you want to tell me about what happened between you and Miss Beaumont before you claim to have left?"

"Before I claim to have left? Can't you send someone to the impound lot to check my story out? Why do you think I would have something to do with this? She's my best friend." My voice grew louder, my control over my temper growing weaker.

Ash put a hand on my shoulder. "No one thinks you did anything wrong, sweetheart."

He handed a card to the detective. "If you need anything else from Miss Travis, please contact my attorney."

For the third time that day I watched the familiar streets flash past the window as we drove back to Boston. Ash and I were headed to my dorms to pack up the rest of my belongings. Once there, I couldn't help but stare at Bridgette's side of the room as Ash made trip after trip to his car with my stuff in tow. "You just sit here and let me handle this," he said. "Doctor's orders."