CHAPTER THREE
1942 Words
CHAPTER THREE
Katie rushed through the hospital lobby, spotting Leblanc immediately at the entrance door. Tall, olive skinned, dark-haired, with his usually stern face lighting up as he saw her.
She rushed over to him.
They embraced. In his arms, Katie felt safe. She hugged him hard.
"Leblanc. It's - it's good to see you, but why are you here?"
She'd called him earlier, after she'd wrapped up at that b****y, remote crime scene. She'd told him everything while she had waited for the helicopter transfer to take her to the hospital. He had been the first to know about Josie.
"Why am I here?" He stared at her, and now she saw he looked angry as well as relieved. "Why would I not be! Why did you not ask me to come with you when you headed out into the wilderness, into danger, to find Josie?"
Katie stared at him wordlessly as he continued, and now she heard the anger in his voice, the concern that tightened his tone.
"You shouldn't have been alone, Katie. I knew you wouldn't be safe out there on your own, and never dreamed you would go on such a mission alone, and without telling anybody. You should never have been in that situation, without backup. You could have both died there."
Katie felt a clench of her stomach.
She was being told off, by her investigation partner and lover, while standing in the hospital lobby. And she had to admit, she deserved the reprimand, because what he said about the danger had been correct. For her own safety, she should have taken him with her, or at least told him where she was going.
She hadn't told him. And the reasons were deep seated.
After sixteen years of being rejected, sixteen years of tackling things alone, asking for help did not come easy to her. She didn't know if it ever would.
It felt scary, and almost wrong, to have to ask someone to come with her in such a personal circumstance. Why would Leblanc want to help her on this risky, time-consuming hunt into the middle of nowhere, when not even her own parents had been there for her?
Katie realized abruptly how scarred she was.
"I didn't ask you because - I didn't ask anyone to help. I just, I - " she stammered out. That was no explanation. It wasn't even coherent. She didn't have reasons. Not ones she could tell him anyway.
"You should have asked me. Of course. You should have." Leblanc's voice was hard. He was still angry.
Katie felt a bolt of shame lance through her. Never mind the risk to her own personal safety, her decision had also put their relationship on a bad footing. She’d hurt him. Badly. She hadn’t meant to, but that had been the outcome of her actions. For an uncomfortable moment, she wondered if she was ready for this closeness. If she would ever be.
"Yes, I should have asked you.” Forcing herself to stare into his dark eyes, she saw the frustration, but also the pain in his face. "I'm sorry," she said, feeling despair over how wrong she’d gotten it. "Old habits. I need to break them."
Grimacing, he acknowledged the little she was saying. She hoped he understood what she was not saying, too.
"How is Josie doing?" he asked. "And have you told your parents?"
"Yes, I have. My parents are here. We've made up some of the lost ground, I think. I hope." She was sure he'd seen her reddened eyes. "Josie is sedated, not in danger, but she was apparently being difficult to treat. Panicking."
"That is understandable, I’m sure."
"I guess it is. But it’s still disturbing. That’s not how she was."
Leblanc nodded, frowning. "I hope she recovers fast, Katie."
Katie waited. He hadn't come all the way here to tell her that. But now, he looked ready to say more.
"Now, why I am here? I have good news."
"Good news?"
"The task force. Today, Scott received official confirmation, in writing, that we will continue to operate as normal, and will have full autonomy as a unit."
Katie felt her face break into a massive, delighted grin.
This was amazing news. Politically, the unit had been under threat. But, having achieved the deliberately impossible condition that the state governor opposing it had set, he'd had no choice but to keep his word.
"Oh, Leblanc, that's so good to hear. Scott must be thrilled."
Katie could imagine how the task force leader had felt, knowing the team he valued so highly would continue to fight crime on both sides of the border.
"It is a huge relief," Leblanc agreed.
Katie felt as if she'd been given a stay of execution. Despite the anxiety that filled her every time she thought of Josie, this at least was one worry she could put aside.
"Are you here for long?" she said. “You mentioned a case?”
“I was planning to stay with you the whole day, but as the plane landed, I got a message from Scott."
Katie's hand dropped instinctively to her phone. She hadn't received anything from him, and that was because he knew she was here at the hospital.
"Is there a new case?" she asked.
"There is."
Katie couldn't help it. She felt the need to be out there, with him, embarking on the search for the perpetrator.
A new case? And Leblanc was heading out to it?
"Do you have any details on it? And who are you going to be partnered with?" she asked, frowning.
It was all well and good for Leblanc to warn her about not heading into danger. But fair was fair. How about him?
"I'm going out on my own. They were hoping Johnson could join me later - he's in Washington State right now - but it doesn’t look like he will. The case he’s busy with has become more complex, and they’ve identified a second suspect," he explained.
Katie felt a surge of protectiveness. Leblanc, heading out alone?
"What's the case?" she asked.
"It's up in Quebec. A strange one. Here, you can read the briefing if you like."
He handed her his phone, and she quickly scrolled through, reaching the message from Scott.
"Two female victims found in past 5 days, the second one late last night. They have been found dead, drained of blood, at the base of trees, out in the forests."
Katie's eyes widened.
"That's intriguing. And strange," she said.
"It’s not cross-border, as both the victims are in the province of Quebec, but the governor has asked for our help because they suspect it must be a serial, and are worried about the impact on tourism if further deaths occur. And yes, it's a weird one."
"What time is your flight?"
"It's in two hours. I'm flying from Rochester to Montreal, and will then take another fight further north, to a town called Saint Jules. That's closest to the two scenes."
Katie frowned. It sounded like a complicated journey from here, and she was sure it would take Johnson much longer to get there from Washington State.
She hoped Leblanc would be okay on his own until then. She felt worry grip her at the thought that something could go wrong. He would clearly be heading out to find a deeply disturbed killer. Already, from the murder scenes, she could see that.
But family came first. She had to wait for Josie to wake up. That was what was most important.
"Good luck, and please, be safe," she said, trying to curb her impatience, and her desire to be out there with him in the field. She couldn't do both.
"I'll stay in touch. I'd better get going now. I'm glad I could see you, Katie. I'm glad you're okay."
He kissed her, and then turned and walked out of the hospital.
Katie hurried back through the lobby and upstairs, walking into the waiting room, and feeling another flash of amazement that her parents were there. Actually there. Sitting there.
But as she walked in, her mother stood up.
"Katie, we're going to go and find a place to check in now. The doctor has just come by and said that she won't come out from under sedation until tomorrow morning, and then only briefly, for a test.”
"Tomorrow?" Katie asked. She frowned. The timeframe had just lengthened.
"Yes. He has decided to give her more rest, more fluids, more of a chance to recuperate, based on the clinical signs she presented. He seems like he has a clear plan for her recovery. I feel she’s in good hands, even though it’s disappointing to have to wait longer. He also mentioned that her visiting hours are going to be severely restricted. Short periods only. Her rest and care takes priority.”
"That’s important, I guess." Katie felt disappointed, but understood that the medical team needed to work uninterrupted. She guessed that meant she would also be finding lodgings to settle in for the interminable wait.
“You look anxious,” her mother observed. “Is it just Josie, or is something else wrong? Was it that phone call?”
Katie had all but forgotten how perceptive her mother could be.
“It was partly the phone call. My unit has been assigned a new case. My investigation partner will be heading out alone this time.”
Her mother was looking at her closely.
“Are you worried for him? You seem very worried.”
“I am,” Katie admitted, knowing that however she feared for Leblanc’s safety, her place had to be here.
Then, to her surprise, her mother said, “Why don’t you go with him then? At least for a day or two? There’s likely to be no progress on Josie tomorrow, either. From what I understand, the sedation is not going to be lifted for very long, if at all. They’re making sure she’s healed. We’ll likely see her only an hour or two, at most, in the next day. You’re going to be fretting and worrying about her and your partner if you stay. I think you should go. We’ll tell her where you are even though she won’t be able to hear.”
Katie raised her eyebrows.
“You think?” she asked doubtfully. But although it felt like she would be ripped away from Josie, her mother’s argument made sense.
“Go now, and put in the work when you can. Then, when she’s better and your time with her will be more productive, you could request some leave from your job.”
Katie thought that was a fair and sensible decision. Now she could spend the next day with Leblanc, and in action, which would help distract her from her worry about her twin, too. And then, her mother was right. When Josie was awake and stronger, she could take leave and help her recover in a more practical way. Katie was sure she’d need a lot of help in such a weakened state.
“That’s a great idea,” she said. “I’ll see you soon, then.”
She hugged her parents. It didn’t feel quite as strange as before. And then, quickly, she messaged Leblanc.
"Josie’s staying under the whole day. So I'm on my way to you. I'll meet you at the airport. Book me a seat on the plane. I'll partner with you for the next day, maybe longer."
With no time to spare to catch her airplane, Katie raced for the door.
- Writer
