AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I quickly dial her phone number and wait for her to answer. I’ve missed her terribly today. Especially knowing she’s been at my house hanging with Piper.
Her voice carries through the phone after a couple of rings, and instantly I feel the tension in my shoulders lessen.
“Hi, handsome. How are you?”
“I’m doing okay. Thank you for the picture. It made me smile. How are things there?”
“I’m glad you got it. Things are great here. I’m making some lasagna for dinner if you’re home on time. If not, it’ll keep, and I can reheat it for you when you get home.”
“That sounds so good. I’m hoping we can wrap things up here in a bit.”
“Okay, no worries, just stay safe, please,” Quinn says.
“I will. I’ve got to go, but I’ll text you when I’m on my way home.” I hang up the phone after Quinn says goodbye. The thought of going home to Quinn fills me with a happiness I’ve never felt before. How is it that I’ve only known this girl for a couple of weeks and she’s already one of the most important people in my life? I guess after all I’ve been through, it’s easy to know when you’ve found the real thing.
I make it through most of the paperwork on my desk before Todd lets me know all the guys are back.
The noise walking back into the bullpen is loud with all of the deputies working through the sandwiches Rachel brought in. Seeing the camaraderie between my guys makes me feel like, despite the gruesome scene this morning, we’ll all be able to move on and get our Jane Doe justice.
“Okay, guys, I’ve heard from most of you but let’s go over everything again so we’re all on the same page,” I say, walking over to the whiteboard to make notes. I nod at Todd for him to start.
“Our Jane Doe is a twenty-five-year-old female. So far, we’ve got no identification, and she doesn’t match any of the missing person reports. The ME’s initial observations indicate she was killed sometime between midnight and four AM. Cause of death was blood loss due to the lacerations across her body.
“From what we can tell, she was taken into the woods alive and killed there. We should have complete lab results in the next few days.” As Todd continues his update, I start putting up the photos we got from the scene and making notes.
Each group of canvassers gave an update on who they talked to and what was said. They all report the same thing. No one knows who she is nor had they seen her before.
“Thanks, everyone,” I say once all of the updates are done. “Until we have the ME’s report, I know we don’t have much to go on right now, but someone knows this girl, and we need to find out who. I want our next shift canvassing any gas stations or diners along the highway. If no one around Sonoma knows her, she may not be from here. I’m going to send out her info to Westlake and Denton as well as others around the area. Hopefully, we’ll get a hit from something soon.”
I look around at the grim faces of all of my deputies. Having never had to deal with something like this, it’s going to affect them all profoundly. “Before we let the evening shift have their bullpen back, I want you guys to know that it’s okay to struggle with what we saw today. It was brutal and not something you could ever prepare yourself for.
“If it becomes something you can no longer deal with on your own, please come and talk to me. I’m not going to judge you or think any less of you for needing to talk it out. Honestly, I’ll see you as less of a man if you don’t come and talk to me, so just remember my door is always open and my cell is always on.” All of my guys nod their heads, and I know my message got through. I got lucky with a great group of officers, which makes my job a lot easier.
“Keep on this, guys, this is our number one priority right now, so let’s continue our search, turn over every stone until we find him.” Everyone nods their head in understanding and disperses. The guys who aren’t on evening shift head home while those who are either head out on patrols or sit down at desks to work.
I hate that everything else is going to go on the back burner, but I know we won’t have the resources to solve this murder and help with the B and Es.
By the time I’m out of the station and headed home, it’s past seven, and I’m exhausted from both the physical and emotional toll of today. Pulling into my driveway and seeing Quinn’s car there helps to release some of the stress.
I walk inside to the smell of pasta sauce and garlic. It’s quiet, so I know Piper and Quinn aren’t downstairs. I take off my boots and quickly put everything away so I can go find my girls. That thought makes me smile and has me walking quickly up to my room.
The bedside lamp is the only light on, and Piper is laying in her bed. Her head pops up when I walk in, and she quickly jumps up and comes to give me some love. Quinn isn’t in the room, so I’m guessing she’s in the bathroom, although I don’t hear any sounds of movement in there. I look around the corner and what I see stops me dead in my tracks.
There are candles around the bathtub, and the room smells like vanilla. Quinn is lying back in the tub with headphones in her ears and her eyes closed. Her hair is piled on top of her head, the long line of her neck is exposed and tempting, and the tops of her breasts peek out above the bubbles in the water.
Fuck me, this is it. She’s it. What I’ve been searching for my whole life and could never find. I feel my heart lurch in my chest as the realization pulses through me. I always hoped, one day, I’d find the right girl to settle down with and maybe have a family but as time went on, I started to give up on the idea.
I thought I might’ve been close with Rissa but after she died I just stopped hoping for the right one to come along. None of the women in town wanted me for me. They liked the title I hold or the face I carry, but none of them came around because they liked who I am as a person.
The moment I met Quinn, I knew she was different. She had something inside of her that I longed for and knew I needed in my life. Now she’s here, in my house, in my bathtub, looking like a goddess who deserves to be worshipped. As I walk towards her, I vow to be that guy. The one who shows her every day how much she’s worth and how special she really is.
26
QUINN
Waking up with Cooper for the second morning in a row seems absolutely decadent and something I could seriously get used to. After he came home last night, I could see in his eyes that something terrible happened and knew it wouldn’t help him to talk about it right then. I talked him into getting in the tub with me where we promptly flooded the bathroom floor and had to use all of his spare towels to clean up.
The mess was worth it to see some of the lightness come back into his eyes as we laughed and teased each other. We spent the rest of the evening talking and getting to know each other better both mentally and physically.
