Judging by the contents of the black bag her intruder had left on the rug in her bedroom, her evening would have ended most unpleasantly if the police hadn't been called. She shuddered to think what that bastard had been planning.
Delgado's partner, Constable Gill, had just left to do yet another sweep of the neighborhood. She didn't know what the older officer was looking for exactly. The intruder must be long gone by now. He was probably out looking for another vi ctim to torture, or perhaps he'd gone back to his creepy lair. She sincerely hoped so anyway.
Delgado had found the large square of glass leaning against her small outdoor barbecue. Apparently, the man who'd breached her fortress of solitude had used glass cutters to silently create a hole in her patio door big enough for a man to crawl through.
After the two officers had searched every corner of her apartment, including her messy closet, they'd been kind enough to find some boards and nail them up over the door. The pounding of the hammer at 3:15 in the morning must have made her neighbors wonder what was going on, but she was grateful for the officer's attempt to make her feel secure in her own home. Though, seriously, she doubted she would ever feel safe again.
'Are you sure you're okay?' Constable Delgado asked for the third time.
She rolled her eyes at him.
His firm lips turned up in a lopsided grin. 'Sorry, I keep asking that. But you seem to be taking this all pretty well.'
'Just putting up a brave front. After you leave, I plan to go on a major crying jag. It won't be pretty.'
'Any idea how long it will take for your mom to get here? Are you sure we can't take you anywhere?'
She looked at the clock on the microwave. 'Probably another half hour. She has to drive in from The Valley.' Reluctant to let him go, but knowing it was the right thing to do, she contemplated releasing him from any obligation towards her. He had a job to do, and baby-sitting her wasn't part of it. 'You can go if you want. I don't want to keep you here. I'm sure you have bad guys to catch.' She tried to say this casually, but inside her stomach clenched at the thought of him leaving.
'No, I'll stay until she gets here. The bad guys can wait.'
'Thanks. You're very kind. I'd really appreciate it if you stayed, just a few more minutes.'
'You know, I have a buddy who installs security systems. Do you want his card? You really shouldn't be staying in a ground floor apartment by yourself at night without one.'
Oh, Good Lord. Was he actually going to lecture her now? She hung her head and smoothed her hands over her unruly hair. 'I know, I know. You're absolutely right. In hindsight, it seems ridiculous not to have a security system. You can leave your friend's card, but I don't think I'll be staying here anymore.'
He raised his eyebrows in surprise. 'That bad?'
She rubbed her forehead and then waved her hand in the direction of her bedroom. 'Yeah. I really can't imagine getting back in that bed and turning out the lights. Ever. I know nothing really happened, but I'm still scared to death.' She shrugged her shoulders and looked up at him, expecting to see him looking uncomfortable at her confession, but instead all she saw was compassion.
He tapped the glass table in front of her to emphasize his words. 'Listen, that's normal. Your home was invaded and that guy was bad news. Re ally bad news. Just because you weren't physically harmed doesn't mean you aren't entitled to feel vulnerable. Even traumatized. Give yourself some time. You'll be surprised what you can get over.'
He was being so sweet. Were cops always like this? She didn't think so. Constable Delgado looked like your typical testosterone infused tough guy, but he was surprisingly sensitive. Holly eyed him for a moment and took note of his empty ring finger. But she was being stupid. He was just doing his job. Serve and Protect included comforting hysterical females. Not dating them. Especially girls like her who really weren't into sex. Constable Delgado didn't look like the type who would be satisfied with an unresponsive bed partner. In fact, he probably wouldn't tolerate a woman who was anything less than completely enthused about the whole messy, embarrassing business. In other words, he wasn't for her.
'I'm sure you're right, but I still don't think I can go back in there.' Tears stung Holly's eyes, but she was determined not to cry in front of him. She didn't know why, but she wanted to seem brave and strong to him. Not the quivering mass of panic she felt like under the surface.
'Hey, no rush. Go stay with your mom if it makes you feel better, but don't let this twisted little bastard chase you out of your home. Just get a security system and maybe have your boyfriend stay over for a few nights until you get comfortable again.' He smiled encouragingly at her.
Was he fishing? No. This handsome cop couldn't be trying to determine if she was single or not, could he? The thought was a welcome distraction from her growing dread at being alone again, but in reality, it was highly unlikely that a police officer would be trying to flirt with an almost rape victim. She was just focusing on him to avoid thinking about the contents of the black bag Officer Gill had removed from the premises as evidence.
Besides, what woman wouldn't want a guy with such impeccable timing? He'd swooped in just in time to save her, like some kind of fairy tale white knight. Alright, so maybe he hadn't battled a fire-breathing dragon, but she was pretty sure this particular cop could do some serious damage to a perverted psycho if given the opportunity. And he would look incredibly hot doing so.
'No boyfriend,' she said quietly, watching Delgado for a reaction. She didn't get one. His expression remained impassive. She couldn't read him at all.
'Then get someone, a friend or relative, to come stay with you for a while.'
'Maybe,' she said, noncommittally. The last thing she wanted was to bring a friend or relative into this situation. What if that pervert came back and went after her mom? She couldn't stand it if anything happened to the people she cared about just because she was too freaked out to stay alone.
'Miss Chambers?' He asked, suddenly looking very serious. 'I know I've asked this already, but you've had some time to calm down, so I'm hoping maybe you're thinking more clearly now. What I need to know is, do you remember anything about him? Did he say anything? Did you get a sense of his height or weight? Skin color? Anything?'
Holly thought back. She honestly couldn't recall a single detail about the intruder. She had actually shared a bed with this person, and yet she wouldn't know him if he was sitting next to her on The Skytrain or standing in line behind her at the grocery store. That was the unnerving part. He could be anyone. Everywhere she went from this point on; she'd be wondering if he was there. Watching and waiting. Unless he was caught and put away. And how would that happen if she couldn't remember a damn thing about him?
Holly bit her lip and hesitated. 'I don't know if this is helpful or not, but I did notice something odd about him.'
Delgado leaned forward eagerly and pulled a pen and a small pad of paper from his uniform pocket. 'Anything you can come up with would be useful. Right now we've got nothing. Not even a fingerprint. And the forensics team isn't usually called in for home invasions, so we don't have any fibres, or DNA either. So all we have to go on is what you can tell us. So, please, whatever it is, tell me and I'll promise to follow up on it.'
She fiddled with the small diamond pendant around her neck. 'Well, I know this is going to sound strange, but I'm a bit hypersensitive to smells.'
'And you recognized his cologne?' Constable Delgado didn't hide his disappointment very well. He put the pen and paper back in his pocket and folded his muscular arms over his wide chest.
'Well, that's just it. He wasn't wearing any cologne. In fact, he was completely odorless.'
Delgado raised an eyebrow. 'I don't think I can put out an APB on an unscented perpetrator. Anything else you can remember?'
'You're not getting me. He had no smell. At all. Do you know how unusual that is?'
He looked at her blankly.
Kayla leaned forward over the table and angled her head towards him. 'Here. Tell me this. What do you smell?'
Delgado leaned forward over the table and took a tentative sniff. 'Strawberries?'
Holly felt his warm, minty breath brush her forehead and closed her eyes in reaction as an unexpected shiver travelled down her spine. 'Exactly. My shampoo smells like strawberries. And you use Irish Spring soap and Tide detergent. Plus, you're wearing some kind of spicy deodorant. And don't mention this to your partner, but he needs to lay off the garlic a bit.'
He chuckled. 'Wow. Good trick. You're like a bloodhound.'
