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Penny shrugged and smiled. “Just personal errands. I’ll tell you later, Mr. Nosypants.”
“Right. I’ll text you,” Holt said. “Love you.”
“Love you.”
The easy affection between the two grabbed at Raina’s heart. What would it be like to have that kind of love? To marry your best friend?
She tossed the thoughts from her mind. Allowing herself to yearn for something like that was dangerous. Not just for her heart, but for the person she let get close.
After Penny gave Raina a quick squeeze, she left, and Holt looked at her. “You know what errands she’s running?”
She frowned. “No. Why?”
Holt just shook his head and Vince reached into a briefcase at his side to pull out four folders. “Holt got these and the permission to show them to you. And me. Because it looks like the guy who attacked you fourteen years ago is the one who may be coming after you now—via hired help. But just because we got him doesn’t mean the one behind it will be stopped. He can always hire someone else. But if we find a connection between the victims, then we might be able to figure out who he is.”
Raina nodded, insides clenching. “Okay.”
“You sure you’re up to this?” Vince asked.
“Absolutely. Let me see.”
He passed her the first folder. She flipped it open and her eyes landed on a woman who’d been severely beaten. Raina caught her breath and slapped the folder closed.
“Raina?” Vince gripped her right hand while Holt covered her left.
“I’m okay,” she said. “I ... it was ... it was just a shock.”
“I know. It’s brutal.”
“No.” She shook her head. “I mean, yes, it is, but it’s not the shock of the beating, it’s the shock of seeing myself in that picture. It’s like looking in a mirror.”
“Take a deep breath,” Holt said, “skip the photos, and just look at the reports and notes from the detectives.”
Raina nodded, took the deep breath he recommended, then reopened the folder. She flipped the photos upside down andfocused on the written words. “‘Family reports that the victim had been distant lately,’” she said. “‘They hadn’t seen or talked to her in over two months.’” She looked up. “Well, that’s familiar. It was about four months for me.”
Vince frowned. “At the time, you were close to your family, right?”
“Yes. Mostly by then. I was a terror when my mom first married my stepfather, which resulted in my juvie stint.” She grimaced. “I was caught in a stolen car. The judge knew who my stepfather was and assumed I needed some tough love. My lawyer overheard him saying that it was time to teach the prima donnas that they couldn’t behave like that and expect not to have consequences.”
“Ouch,” Holt said.
“I’m surprised that your stalker would choose someone who had a support base,” Vince said, “a strong family connection. Usually, these guys go for women who don’t have that, who are a lot more emotionally vulnerable.”
“I probably fit in that ‘emotionally vulnerable’ slot at the time. When I met Kevin, I had just reconciled with my parents—and yes, I call my stepfather my father—or Dad.” She sighed. “I had a good birth dad. A wonderful dad. But one moment he was there, the next, he was gone. Killed in a car accident by a drunk driver. Mom and I reeled. Her parents were dead and my father’s family lived in England. Still do. They came for the funeral, of course, then returned home and I haven’t seen them since. So Mom and I were pretty much on our own. The more she had to work, the angrier I got. Angry at God, at life, at the drunk driver who chose his path that night that led him to run the red light. Just angry. And scared. So very scared. Without my dad, we were lost.” She looked down at her hands, the memories sweeping over her. She cleared her throat and looked up. “Sorry. You’re not here to relive my past.”
When Vince’s hand covered hers, Raina’s heart picked upspeed. What would he think about her revelations? And Holt? She eyed the man who’d befriended her from the moment they’d met. He’d been clinging to life after being stabbed by a serial killer, and she’d been one of the medical personnel who’d helped save him. “I guess you think I’m awful for not telling Penny and the others about everything before now.”
He frowned. “Aw, Raina, of course I don’t think you’re awful. I think you have your reasons and I’m not one to judge.”
Something flickered in his eyes and she wondered if he was reliving his own silence when it came to parts of his past he’d kept from Penny. Parts that she’d only learned about a few months ago. No, he wouldn’t judge her. She relaxed a fraction. “So, back to the files.” She skipped the pictures again and went back to the written report. The men fell silent while she read.
The more she absorbed of the details, the more her stomach twisted into a tight knot. She finally closed the file and went to the next one, and then the next, and finally the last. Then she rested her clenched fists on top of the short stack. Short, but still four too many.
“Raina?”
She went back to the first file. “This one mentions a ring.”
“Yeah, a little silver ring with an infinity sign.”
