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“I’ll take her a bowl,” he offered, “if you’ll take one to Burke.”
Patty nodded. “Done.”
Val glanced over his shoulder when he approached, the corners of her mouth turning up when she saw his offering. “Thank you,” she said. “Don’t stand in front of the window, please. Hurricane glass will stop a hammer or a rock, but not a bullet.”
He moved to her side and leaned against the wall. “Will you stay here all night?”
“No. I’ll need some sleep. Burke and I will spell each other.” She ate a few bites, moaning quietly. Which should not have been as enticing as it was. “This is so good.”
“It is. Have you seen anything on the street?”
“No. Have you heard anything about Rick Gates?”
“Only that he’s been sedated.” Which he’d shared with her shortly before dinner when André had called him with the news. As they’d expected, Rick had OD’d on heroin, but the Narcan the EMTs had administered had counteracted the opioid. Rick had regained consciousness in the ambulance but had begun moaning in pain, so the ER doctors at the hospital had given him Valium, the only painkiller that was both safe and effective so soon after an overdose. “I hope he wakes up soon.”
“Will they let you observe when they interview him?”
“André said they would.” But Kaj was almost afraid to let himself be anywhere near Rick Gates. I believe in the law, dammit. In justice. He was not a vigilante. Still, he wanted to hurt Rick for touching his child. For making Elijah afraid. “I guess we’ll see.”
“It’s normal, you know,” she said softly. Her blue eyes were sympathetic, her lips curved in a sad smile.
“What’s normal?”
“Fantasizing about punishing Rick.”
He sucked in a breath. “How did you know?”
“Because I’ve been there. I fantasized and it scared me, to be honest. It scared me a lot.”
“You wanted to hurt your brother’s killer?”
One shoulder lifted in a half shrug. “Him too.”
Oh. “You wanted to hurt your stalker.” With whom she’d had an issue. Kaj wanted to ask for details, but of course he wouldn’t. Not my business. But he wanted it to be.
“Yes. I even started planning scenarios. Where I’d take him and who I’d recruit to help me. That’s when I moved to New Mexico. I thought if he kept ‘accidentally’ running into me at the market then one day I might snap and follow through on my fantasies. I ended up spilling everything to my brother and he helped me change my name. He even picked New Mexico as my new home. It was a relief, honestly. I moved away and got therapy.”
“Did it help? The therapy?”
“It did.” She returned her gaze to the street. “You know, Patty told me that you recommended a therapist for her after her uncle was murdered. She said it’s helping.”
“I’m glad.” He really was. Patty Hebert and her cousin Gabe had gone through a terrible ordeal last summer as they’d worked with Burke to solve Gabe’s father’s murder. They were nice people and he wanted them to be okay.
“Well.” She seemed to brace herself. “You might want to consider that for yourself.”
He blinked. “Therapy? For me? I was planning to get Elijah a therapist, but I don’t need...” He trailed off, because he could hear how utterly in denial he sounded.
She gave him a pointed stare, one blond brow lifting. “Really, Kaj?”
He sighed. “Even I couldn’t pull off that argument. I’ll do it. I’ll contact a therapist.”
Her smile brightened her face, momentarily stealing his breath. She was a beautiful woman, but when she smiled, she just lit up. “I’m glad.” She finished the étouffée, then set the bowl aside. “I wanted to talk with you about two more security features. I’d like to install cameras that face the street and the backyard.”
“Okay. Do it. What’s the second thing?”
She hesitated, peeking over her shoulder at the table where Elijah was laughing with MaryBeth. “Given the continued threat to Elijah, I think he should have a safe room.”
Kaj frowned. “You mean a panic room?”
