Page 40 of One Night Years Ago

“I told you last time, sir, I’m not going to hurt you.”

Once again, Natalie stepped between them.

“I can’t go into it now, Dad, but he’s not guilty. Now tell me what you’re doing here at this hour. I’m going to be late to work.” At that exact moment, Natalie’s phone rang. “It’s the station. I have to take it.”

She moved a few feet away from them. “Susan? What’s going on?”

She listened for a moment, her expression going grim. “When was this? I’m on my way.” By the time she hung up the phone, less than a minute later, Natalie’s expression had paled enough that Hunter could see previously hidden freckles on the bridge of her nose.

“What’s going on, Natalie?” her father asked. Hunter saw in the old man’s expression that he still wasn’t used to not being the sheriff.

“They found another girl.”

“Oh God,” Hunter choked.

“This one’s alive,” Natalie added quickly. “I have to get to the hospital. Can I trust the two of you not to kill each other?”

“I’m going back to the farm. I’ll be there if you need to question me—”

Natalie looked at him for a long time, as if she understood the guilt he lived with on a day to day basis. “I know you didn’t do it, Hunter,” Natalie said, running out the door.

“If you did it, you’re going to pay with your life this time around,” the old man said before walking out as well.

Hunter was left in the odd position of having to close Natalie’s door on his way out.

#

Natalie

For the next few hours, Natalie didn’t think about Hunter. She parked her patrol car in the visitor parking lot and went straight to the ER.

Dr. Stephen Ford was the first person she bumped into. He was walking away from her, but she’d recognize his bulk anywhere. He was a big man who kept himself in extremely good shape, even now that he’d entered his forties.

“Dr. Ford,” she called. She’d known him forever but had never felt comfortable calling him by his first name.

“Sheriff, glad you’re here.”

“Is she—”

The doctor lowered his voice. “She’s alive but in bad shape. I had to give her something to calm her down. You’ll have to wait to speak with her.”

“Could I sit with her?” Natalie tried not to let her disappointment show. She wanted to be there when the victim woke up.

“You of all people should know what this girl needs at the moment, and it’s not to be questioned.”

Natalie worked to keep her expression impassive at the doctor’s crude words. She knew he’d been a resident at the time of her attack. He and the town’s doctor, who was now retired, had been the two people to take care of her at the time.

“I know exactly what she needs, Dr. Ford. She needs me to do my job and catch the animal responsible for doing this to her.”

Dr. Ford nodded. “I’m sorry, Sheriff. I was out of line.” He ran a hand nervously through his hair, which was no longer as thick as it once was. “There’s no question she’s been raped, so we ran the rape kit and called you immediately.”

“Was it the same attacker?”

Dr. Ford shook his head. His lips were pressed in a thin line. “That’s for you to say, Sheriff, but I’ll tell you the injuries are eerily similar. Down to the injury to the breast tissue.”

Natalie felt the hair on her arm stand on end.

“I’m due upstairs now. Nurse, could you please escort the sheriff to Ms. Doe’s room?”