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Valen
Quiet follows her statement. She wraps her arms around herself as I tuck her head under my chin.
“Can you walk us through it from the beginning of the vision to the end?” Garfield asks her gently, his eyes fixed on her.
I know he’s trying to seem more approachable, but I don’t like how he’s watching her. His interest is more than morbid curiosity.
Rue turns her head and tells them what she saw, her voice monotone as she tries to keep her emotions out of it. By the time she’s finished, Garfield’s eyes have grown wide. Hask has shifted his focus from me to Rue, who is consciously avoiding looking at him.
“That isn’t in the files,” Hask says after a moment.
“Huh?” Rue questions, unable to avoid eye contact any longer.
“After your last vision, I went through everything we have again, and there are no reported visions of Len Smith or Bobby Jones.”
“She doesn’t control who she’ll get visions of or when.” I point out.
“No, we know that, but it is odd that she’s getting new visions of old cases,” Hask comments as Rue looks up at me.
“What’s the point though? If I don’t get visions of the future, I can’t change the outcome, so then why do I get these visions at all? I can’t unsee the look in his eyes, Valen. He was so scared and I couldn’t do anything about it. Now you’re telling me this is a new vision and not the memory of one? Somehow that feels worse. He’s already been laid to rest so why am I being haunted by him and why now? What’s changed?”
She buries her face against my chest as I swallow. “I know it feels pointless right now, but you have to be kind to yourself; you’re only human, Rue. Your memories have been stolen, and when you add in the visions… I’m not sure how you’re not rocking in a corner somewhere.” I look at Garfield.
“Like we said before, the killer seems to have been quiet since you survived his attack. Maybe you’re not getting anything about new victims because there haven’t been any since you. For whatever reason, your attack seems to have triggered your ability in another way. Now, without sounding callous, my job isn’t to think of the victims right now. It’s to think of the killer. Seeing things that have already happened, no matter how long ago they might have occurred, might seem pointless, but there is every chance a vision will lead to a clue about who this person is, something we missed before because we didn’t know to look for it. At the moment, you are the only person giving us anything. And while the killer is fixated on you, I don’t see that changing until they make a move. I think you should consider going into witness protection,” Garfield says.
“No. I can’t. I’ve already lost too much to this guy. I can’t lose anything else.”
“You could lose your life if you stay,” Hask reminds her.
“And if I go, I might just forget why I need to keep fighting.”
Hask runs a hand through his hair and blows out a frustrated sigh. “Rue…”
“I get that you’re worried, Nathan. And I appreciate it more than you’ll ever know. But I might never get my memory back, and I have to find a way to live with that. If this is my new normal, then I can’t just hide for the rest of my life and hope for the best. I’ve come too close to dying to stop living. I won’t take any unnecessary risks, but I’m the best chance you’ve got at finding this guy.”
“That’s what I’m worried about,” Hask admits.
Garfield takes a card from his pocket and slides it over to Rue. “That’s my number. Call it anytime. If you remember anything, I don’t care how small or inconsequential you think it is, call me. Sometimes, the smallest details can break the biggest cases.”
She takes the card and slips it to me. I make a vow to toss it when we get home. Like fuck am I going to let her call this asshat. He might be here to catch a killer, but his roving eyes tell me he’d be more than happy to guard Rue up close and personally.
“Can we go?—”
“I still have a few questions for Ward,” Hask answers before Rue has even finished speaking.
“I’ve already told you everything. It doesn’t matter how many times you ask me. My answers will remain the same. I reported the theft as soon as I was notified of it. I’ve allowed you access to the facility and cameras. I’ve even given you access to the personnel files. What more do you want from me?”
“The truth.”
“No. You don’t want the truth. You want a scapegoat. I’m done here, Hask. I’m not answering any more questions without my lawyer present. And since she’s left for the night because you implied we were done, it will have to wait.”
“Ward—”
“Let them go home, Hask. You know where to find them if you have follow-up questions,” Garfield interrupts.
Hask shuts up, but his expression shows how pissed off he is.
Rue stands and waits for me to get up before taking my hand. I look down at our joined hands and squeeze. “Let’s get out of here.”
