The Body Finder

Violet’s house. And Violet could feel the walls closing in on her. Between her current inability to walk on her own, and the suffocating notion of being watched 24-7…and not just by the cops, she thought, as she glanced at the worried faces of her already overprotective parents, she could sense her world shrinking. She had just barely escaped being on lockdown, and now she was going to be in maximum-security solitary confinement.

Jay smiled at her encouragingly, taking in the ashen look of horror on her face, and she could practically read his mind as he imagined the two of them locked up together until this maniac who had hunted her in the woods was finally caught.

She supposed that, if she had to be in isolation, isolation with Jay might not be so bad after all.

CHAPTER 23

DESPITE LISTENING TO THE REASSURING WORDS repeated by her parents, and by her uncle and even Jay, Violet was having a hard time trusting that she was safe. They tried to assure her that there was no way the man in the woods could have known that she’d had any part in locating his victims-or in the capture of his partner. That he’d come across her the same way he had all of those other girls, by simple, random chance. And that she’d just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The extra safety measures were simply to prevent him from coming back for her.

So she convinced herself that they were right, mostly because it made it easier for her to get through each day. Having Jay around helped too.

The weekend passed peacefully, and after everything that had happened, Violet welcomed the reprieve.

The day after the incident in the woods was a Friday, and Violet stayed home, keeping her ankle elevated and iced. Jay reluctantly went to school, but only because his mother made him, so Violet was left on her own. Well, alone with her mom, and an armed police officer who was stationed out in front of her house.

She had meant to use the time to catch up on some reading. She had several books she’d been wanting to read, but instead she sprawled out on the couch surrounded by pillows and blankets, and spent the hours flipping channels between Judge Judy, The People’s Court, Maury, and Jerry Springer, and rounded out her afternoon with Dr. Phil and Oprah. All in all, it was a complete waste of a day. At least until school got out.

Jay showed up after school with a bouquet of flowers and an armful of DVDs, although Violet couldn’t have cared less about either…he was all she wanted. She couldn’t help the electric thrill of excitement she felt when he came strolling in, grinning at her foolishly as if he hadn’t seen her in weeks rather than hours. He scooped her up from the couch and dropped her onto his lap as he sat down where she had been just a moment before. He was careful to arrange her ankle on a neatly stacked pile of pillows beside him.

He stubbornly refused to hide his affection for her, and if Violet hadn’t known better she would have sworn that he was going out of his way to make her self-conscious in her own home. Fortunately her parents were giving them some space for the time being, and they were left by themselves most of the time.

“Did you miss me?” he asked arrogantly as he gently brushed his lips over hers, not bothering to wait for an answer.

She smiled while she kissed him back, loving the topsy-turvy feeling that her stomach always got when he was so close to her. She wound her arms around his neck, forgetting that she was in the middle of the family room and not hidden away in the privacy of her bedroom.

He pulled away from her, suddenly serious. “You know, we didn’t get much time alone yesterday. And I didn’t get a chance to tell you…”

Violet was mesmerized by the thick timbre of his deep voice. She barely heard his words but rather concentrated on the fluid masculinity of his tone.

“I feel like I’ve waited too long to finally have you, and then yesterday…when…” He stopped, seemingly at a loss, and then he tried another approach. His hand stroked her cheek, igniting a response from deep within her. “I can’t imagine living without you,” he said, tenderly kissing her forehead, his warm breath fanning her brow. He paused thoughtfully for a moment before speaking again. “I love you, Violet. More than I ever could have imagined. And I don’t want to lose you… I can’t lose you.”

It was her turn to look arrogant as she glanced up at him. “I know,” she stated smugly, shrugging her shoulder.

He shoved her playfully but held on to her tightly so that she never really went anywhere. “What do you mean, ‘I know’? What kind of response is that?” His righteous indignation bordered on comical. He pulled her down into his arms so that his face was directly above hers. “Say it!” he commanded.

She shook her head, pretending not to understand him. “What? What do you want me to say?” But then she giggled and ruined her baffled facade.

He teased her with his mouth, leaning down to kiss her and then pulling away before his lips ever reached hers. He nuzzled her neck tantalizingly, only to stop once she responded. She wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to pull him closer, frustrated by his mocking ambush of her senses.

“Say it,” he whispered, his breath warm against her neck.

She groaned, wanting him to put her out of her misery. “I love you too,” she rasped as she clung to him. “I love you so much…”

His mouth moved to cover hers in an exhausting kiss that left them both breathless and craving more than they could have. Violet collapsed into his arms, gathering her wits and hoping that no one walked in on them anytime soon.

The weekend progressed in pretty much the same fashion. Chelsea stopped by once, to check on Violet, which was actually kind of sweet. Sometimes it was easier to be around Chelsea outside of school, when she didn’t have an audience. She brought Violet a couple of magazines, some beef jerky, and two packs of gum, all wrapped in a brown paper bag…stuff she’d gotten from a convenience store on the way. It was her version of a bouquet of flowers.

The rest of the time, Violet’s parents were around, but they were never really around, leaving Violet and Jay on their own for the most part. When it got late, Jay would help Violet up to her room so she could go to bed; then he would head home, only to be back first thing in the morning. Her parents had agreed to let him take Violet’s car back and forth, so he could come and go easily without having to tie up his mom’s car all day.

The only news from Uncle Stephen was that there was no news. They’d gotten no further in determining who the mystery man following Violet in the woods had been. Violet felt bad that she couldn’t help the police in identifying him, since he’d been wearing camouflage makeup when he’d chased her, and all she could really tell them was that he was tall.

By Monday, Violet couldn’t avoid the real world any longer, and it was time to face school again. Pretty much everyone in school had heard about what had happened to her, although none of the details were exactly right, and Violet didn’t bother correcting them.

It was Homecoming Week, which also meant it was Spirit Week, the most important week of the fall quarter. And Violet’s perilous escape from an unknown assailant got lost in the shuffle of Homecoming rallies and pep assemblies, along with the impending announcement of the Homecoming Court and anticipation over the game and dance the coming weekend.

Violet had a hard time being overly excited, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to