I went to find who or what I’d heard. As soon as I saw her, I ran to help. She was shaking—a seizure, I think.” She remembered the struggle. “But she fought me…she was strong. And then…then she just quit. That’s when I called 9-1-1.”
“I’m glad you did.” The officer smiled. “Your name…?”
With a deep breath, Tess tried to regain her composure. “Tess Graver, Gordon’s niece, great-niece to be precise.”
“I’m Maggie Lowe.” She sat next to Tess on the scruffy grass at the edge of the road. “New in town?”
“No. I came to live with Uncle Gordon and Auntie Maude when my parents died—I was thirteen. After high school, I left for college, and then I worked in Charlotte for a few years after that. I’m back for good now, though. My uncle had an accident. He needs help, and he gave me a chance to leave a job that had become difficult.”
“Did you know her?” Maggie dipped her head toward the woods.
“Never saw her before today.”
The police officer put her hand on Tess’s arm. “I know this is hard, but we need to go back over everything you remember. Why don’t you start with your run. Any particular reason you came out this way?”
“It’s beautiful. I used to run this route when I was on the cross-country team in high school. It’s one of my favorite spots in town.”
“And you were pushed down by a man you didn’t see. Then you thought you heard a dog.”
“That’s right. I didn’t want an abandoned puppy to die out here.” Tears filled her eyes. “But instead of the pup—”
A sob caught in her throat, cutting off her words.
“It must have been hard.” Maggie Lowe gave her a gentle smile.
Tess squared her shoulders. “I’ve never seen anything like it. All I wanted was to save a dog. But I never got around to looking for it.”
“I would have done the same thing.” Then the officer’s gray eyes turned serious again. “I know it’s rotten to make you think about it over and over again, but I need you to describe exactly what you remember when you saw her in the woods.”
The officer knew her stuff. It was hard, but after a quick prayer, Tess did as she’d asked.
Speaking with the police officer made the slow-motion sensation go away. Tess had never seen anything so horrible before, and she didn’t know how to process her feelings, her response. She wished there was more she could say, some way she could help, but it was too late; there was nothing further to do. At least she could give as clear a recounting as possible.
After Tess had related everything she could remember, Maggie told her she’d have to sign a statement that summarized the answers she’d given, and to expect more questions even after that. At the moment, she was free to go home. The PD knew where to find her.
With the passing of time, Tess’s breath resumed its normal pace. It became even and regular again, as did her heartbeat. Her anguish, however, didn’t change.
Ethan parked behind one of the PD’s cruisers, careful not to block the road but also careful not to sink into the spring-damp earth on the shoulder. He didn’t want to disturb any potential prints.
He got out and looked for his cousin. At first he didn’t see her, but as he headed into the woods, he spotted her trademark black braid. She sat on a grassy patch next to a woman in running clothes.
“Hey, Mags,” he said when he reached them.
Maggie’s gray eyes lit when she saw him. “I’m so glad you’re here.” She stood, and the woman tried to do the same. She wobbled before Maggie wrapped an arm around her waist.
“Easy, there,” his cousin said. “You’ve had a shock, and your body’s not going to listen too well to what your head says.”
“No kidding.” The woman looked pale, and her voice shook.
Ethan watched, reining in his curiosity. He wanted nothing to do with another crime scene or another overdose, but the runner tugged at something deep inside him. She wasn’t small and delicate like Maggie, but she struck him as vulnerable. He hoped she hadn’t been on her way to meet the woman who’d died.
With shaky fingers she smoothed a chocolate-colored wisp of hair back toward the pink stretchy thing that held her ponytail in place. She clamped her lips shut, and her hazel eyes looked huge. She held her hands fisted at her sides.
She looked about to break.
“Ethan!” Maggie said. “Where’d you space out to?”
He blinked, embarrassed. “Sorry, just thinking…” He let his words die off, knowing Maggie wouldn’t prod. She knew him well. “It looks like you guys have everything under control. What did you need me for?”
“It’s drugs, and it’s…weird.” She met his gaze. “How many overdoses have you found in the woods? We need your help.”
“It’s probably where she met her dealer. Looks like she couldn’t wait until she got home for her fix.” He glanced at the runner. “And this is…?”
“Oh! Sorry. Tess Graver, my cousin Ethan Rogers, formerly of the DEA. In Chicago. I called him for help. Had to twist his arm, but he’s here now.”
Ethan held out his hand.
Tess clasped his fingers. Hers trembled, and he felt an unexpected urge to comfort her. He knew how tough it was to watch someone die. And from a probable overdose…The sight of that would hit a person deep inside.
“Glad to meet you,” he said. “In spite of the circumstances.”
She smiled, not much of a smile, but at least she tried.
The sound of thrashing vegetation came from the woods. Ethan glanced over his shoulder and saw the EMTs carrying the gurney, a zippered body bag strapped on tight. The undergrowth was too heavy to roll the gurney.
Tess moaned.
Ethan turned, saw her falter.
She shuddered, then started to fall.
He reached out and caught her in his arms.
“Oh!” She blinked then met his gaze.
Ethan felt a sudden awareness, a strange sense of pieces falling into place, a warmth that didn’t make any sense. His urge to comfort Tess took over, and he held her upright.
How could a stranger feel so right in his arms?
TWO
Tess stared up into intense blue eyes, only too aware of Ethan Rogers’s strength. She couldn’t help feeling comforted, protected, supported.
Very odd, since he was a stranger.
“Th-thanks,” she murmured. Calling on her last reserves of strength, she placed her hands on that broad chest and pushed away. “I’m okay. It’s just…” She waved toward the ambulance. “It hit me hard again to see that bag.”
Ethan nodded. “It doesn’t get any easier, either.”
Which, she assumed, was why he wasn’t an agent anymore. And he’d still come out when his cousin asked. Interesting man.
The ambulance pulled away silently, the unfortunate young woman past the need for a siren.
“Who is she?” Ethan asked.
Maggie gave a humorless chuckle. “We’d all like to know. I suppose we’ll find out when we check her belongings. A couple of guys are still in there, gathering evidence.”
He frowned. “You don’t know her? Isn’t she local?”
“Loganton might be small,”