Blood in the Water(15)

As she turned to escape, he called her name.

“Yes?” She twisted around slowly.

“Don’t even think about betraying me.”

Jane gulped. “I can’t.”

“I know.” His expression was sphinxlike. “Goodnight, my Jane.”





Chapter Five

I can’t handle this.

Jane couldn’t focus—everything seemed hazy and unreal. She didn’t remember walking up the stairs or starting her car, yet somehow, she’d driven away. Jane hadn’t become cognizant of her surroundings until she was back on the highway—about thirty minutes away from Valentine, according to the GPS.

Suddenly, it occurred to her–Valentine might’ve followed her vehicle. Jane glanced around wildly, but saw no one—hers was the only car on the lonely stretch of highway. Had his victims felt just like this—scared, alone?

Her vision tunneled. Jane hit the brake and screeched off the road. After stumbling out of the car, she grasped her knees and vomited.

She heaved until her sides were sore and nothing but bitter bile flooded her mouth. Shaking, Jane stood on quivering legs and tried to make sense of what just happened.

Valentine had laid a trap for her, and she’d tumbled right into it.

She was teetering on the verge of a breakdown. Sometimes people with Asperger’s fly into a rage when they feel threatened. Social interaction was grueling, even if it was normal, run-of-the-mill small talk.

Today had been a nuclear event.

As a child, Jane had thrown herself on the ground and had what her father called a “hissy fit.” The rage had been overpowering before she had any coping mechanisms like the necklace or thought-stopping. Whenever her ire crept up, Jane arranged her surroundings or stroked the necklace as she waited the meltdown out.

Now, she was an adult with one enormous, overwhelming problem. So she had to look at this situation with detachment, intellectual curiosity.

And then she cleared her mind, sought out the calm, rational being at her core, the woman who knew how to handle difficult situations.

Jane mentally ran through her options.

She could drive to the FBI field office in Dallas and tell them everything she knew. After all, they had a hand in this debacle.

More than anything, Jane wanted to call her father, confess every sordid detail, and then follow his sage advice. Jed had been practicing the law a very long time, and he’d know exactly what to do.

But she couldn’t do either of those things.

Valentine had backed her into a legal corner. She couldn’t go to the authorities and tell them what he’d confessed. If she breathed a word of this to anyone outside the case, she’d tank her own career. Even if she were willing to be disbarred, no court in the country would admit privileged information. She’d be throwing her law degree on the pyre for nothing.

Jane leaned against the car and grabbed a bottle of water from her bag, then swished out her mouth before popping a mint into it. Her stomach gurgled in response but eventually settled down.

What should I do? No, what can I do?

No solutions immediately came to mind.

Back to square one.

A storm was brewing. The wind kicked up, and she could smell the fresh scent of rain on the air. Thunder rolled overhead, and it sounded ominous, like a warning.

Jane’s phone rang, startling a scream out of her. She checked the caller ID—Georgia.

Biting the inside of her cheek, she hit the green button. “Hello?”

“Jane, are you okay? You didn’t call, and I was worried.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Jane hoped her tone was even. “The meeting went longer than expected and I still have to drive to out to Beauregard’s place, but everything’s fine.”

“You sound funny. Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yes, I’m a bit…tired. I’ll see you at work tomorrow, and we’ll talk about it, okay?”

As Jane’s paralegal, Georgia was privy to privileged information so she could confide in her best friend. But Jane saw no reason to dump this on Georgia before she’d made sense of it herself.

There was a long pause.

“Okay, but you’re gonna give me more details then, right? I got the feelin’ I’m missin’ somethin’ huge.”

You’ve no idea. “We’ll have a good long talk about it.”

“I’m glad you’re safe and sound.”

If there’s one thing Jane didn’t feel, it was safe.

“Me too. I’ve got to go. Talk to you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight.”

Jane stood there for a long time after she’d hung up with Georgia. For once in her life, she didn’t have a plan. This situation was beyond anything she’d ever dealt with.