Half Empty (First Wives, #2)(68)

Trina’s eyes found the whites of Wade’s, her heart skipped a beat. Since Reed and Lori already knew the drill of surveillance, and Shannon didn’t have a man in the house that she knew enough to be touchy or feely over . . . and Ike and Jeb didn’t seem to be into each other, that left the warning squarely on Wade and her.

“I think I’m safe there,” Avery said from the sofa.

Oh, yeah . . . and Avery. Who probably wouldn’t mind someone watching if she were up to doing anything other than sleeping and popping a pill every four hours.

Rick continued, “We have a team overhauling the ranch as we speak to get it ready for your return. Wade?”

“Yeah?”

“I assume you have a security system at your place.”

“I do. Although not quite as extensive as what you seem to have here.”

“There are always people around, anyway,” Ike told him. “It’s a working ranch.”

“Which means you need more security, not less. Trina, do you plan on spending any time at Wade’s?”

She glanced at Wade, then back at Rick. “Well, yeah . . . eventually. I mean, I hope—”

“Then we’ll send in a team.”

Wade held up a hand. “Whoa, wait just a minute.”

Before Rick could continue, a call from the gate did a double ring on her phone.

Trina answered while Rick and Wade talked about cameras and alarms. “Hello?”

“Mrs. Petrov? This is Detectives Armstrong and Gray. We’d like to have a word with you.”

Trina’s heart started to pound in defining thumps. “Okay.”

She pressed the button for the gate to open. She looked up to find everyone staring.

“Detectives Armstrong and Gray are here.”

She noticed Lori’s back stiffen, her chin come up. Reed and Lori exchanged glances, and Wade moved to her side.

“I’ll let them in,” Jeb offered.

“I still don’t remember anything more from the last time I spoke with them,” Avery said from the couch.

“It’s okay, Avery.” Shannon sat by her side.

Armstrong and Gray stepped into the room and did a quick scan. While both detectives weren’t small men, they didn’t quite compare to Rick and Jeb, with Reed close at their heels. “Sorry to bother you, Mrs. Petrov, but we had a few questions and a new development to share.”

“Did you find the bastard who did this to me?” Avery asked from the couch.

Gray stepped around the kitchen island so he could look at Avery. The man seemed uncomfortable. “No, ma’am. But we do have a lead on a surveillance camera coming from the parking garage.”

“We’re following up on it,” Armstrong added.

“What kind of lead?” Reed asked.

“Sometime after the cameras spotted Ms. Grant entering the garage and before the police and medics showed up, a known felon was seen leaving from a back door. The cameras from a Chinese restaurant adjacent to the garage picked him up.”

“What kind of felon?” Rick asked.

Avery pushed herself up on the sofa as she listened.

“The kind that people hire to do the unthinkable. Which is why we are delivering this news, and not Officer Ferrero, who you spoke with the day of the assault. Our departments agreed to consolidate the cases, since we think they are connected.”

“Do you have a picture of him?”

Everyone turned to look at Avery. It wasn’t just the question she asked, but how she said it. Her voice was low and her words so slowly said, it didn’t sound like her.

“Do you remember a face?” Gray asked.

“I might. A picture might spark a memory.”

That was news to everyone in the room. So far Avery hadn’t said one word about remembering anything, let alone a face.

Gray stepped over to the couch and removed his phone from his back pocket. Reed and Rick crowded in close to get a look.

Trina watched Avery’s expressions while Shannon held her hand.

“This is the image from the back of the garage. It’s poor quality, but we can still ID his face, since he is in our database.”

Avery blinked a few times and lifted her good hand to the screen to zoom it in. “Is he wearing boots?”

“Yes, he is. Do you remember boots?”

She closed her eyes but didn’t say a thing. “Do you have another picture?”

Gray turned the phone around and scowled through a few things before showing it to her.

Trina peeked around Rick’s shoulder. With a haircut and a shave, the man in the picture would have been attractive outside of the acne scars on his face. But in this one, an obvious mug shot, as evidenced by the number he was holding and the plain background of the photograph, the man looked as if he’d been on the streets and either hadn’t slept or had been taking drugs.

“Is this him?”

Avery blinked several times. “I don’t know.”

“It’s okay.” Shannon patted Avery’s arm.

Gray didn’t seem surprised by Avery’s answer as he put his phone away. “We’re looking for him and will bring him in for questioning when we find him.”

Avery looked away. “Thank you.”

“Mrs. Petrov?”