Faceoff -- chapter 4 (JB)

by Jan on February 14, 19100 at 07:21:36:

Good morning, angels, and Happy Valentine’s Day! This continues my J&B adaptation of Mary McBride’s novel, “Just One Look.” Previously, Brenda couldn’t recall what the Slasher looked like. After Jax and Blue brought her home, Brenda was determined never to leave her brownstone again. When Jax tried to get Brenda to come to the PCPD to look at mug shots, she decided to tell him about her agoraphobia. ----------- Jan

Faceoff

Chapter 4

“What did you just say?” Jax sat up straighter in his chair and gripped the edge of the table with both hands.

“Do you have a hearing impediment, Lieutenant?” Brenda returned sassily. She rose from her chair and picked up her teacup and saucer. “I said I’m never leaving this house again.”

Jax put a hand on her arm. “Never is a pretty strong word, Miss Barrett.” He suddenly remembered her terror in the elevator and her mentioning something about having a “thing” about it. “But if you’re worried that we’ll have to take an elevator at the station, you can relax.” He chuckled a little. “Mac’s too cheap to get the wiring fixed so we use the stairs.”

“It’s not the possibility of riding in an elevator that worries me, Lieutenant,” Brenda said abruptly, pulling away from Jax to walk to the sink. She placed the delicate teacup in the dishpan and then turned back to him, gripping a dishcloth nervously. “It’s the entire outside *world* that terrifies me.”

Jax narrowed an eye. “The entire *world*? Isn’t that definition a little limiting?”

Brenda took a deep breath. “Lieutenant, are you familiar with the term “agoraphobia”?”

Jax folded his arms and sat back in his chair. “Does that have something to do with that one kind of goats?” He reached out a hand to her with a half-grin. “Because if you’re afraid of goats, I can *assure* you that we don’t have any of those down at the station…..”

It was Brenda’s turn to put her hands on her hips in disgust. “I fail to see the humor, Lieutenant.” Jax snorted and his cheeks flamed at the rebuke. “Agoraphobia comes from the Greek word “agora,” which means the marketplace. Literally, it’s a fear of open spaces or large spaces, but practically it boils down to fear of being out in public. Anywhere.”

“So…….you’re afraid to leave the house?”

Brenda took a shaky breath. “Basically……yes.”

“But that’s IMPOSSIBLE!!” Jax sat up straight and slapped both knees with his hands. “Everybody HAS to leave their house SOMETIME!”

Brenda leaned against her kitchen counter, a look of superiority touching her face. “Not me. Not ever.”

Jax rose and started pacing the floor near his chair. “What about groceries?” he asked, pleased with himself for thinking of an exception.

“I have them delivered.” Brenda was just as smug. “I’m quite proficient on the computer. I can place my order through the Internet and have my supplies delivered by the following morning.”

“For a price.”

“It’s worth it.”

Jax sighed and paced, stopping again to point an accusing finger at Brenda. “Then you have to have a job! You can’t expect to pay for expensive grocery delivery and maintaining an old rattletrap like this brownstone unless you’re independently wealthy! What do you do about going to work?”

“I told you before, Lieutenant. I’m an antique dealer. I do all of my business through the computer. I can scan pictures of the items I’m selling at auction, process the payments electronically, and then ship out the merchandise.” Jax inhaled to object but she held up a finger for him to wait. “UPS picks up as well as delivers, you know.”

Jax ran his fingers through his hair, obviously agitated and frustrated. “But …..but…..you have to interact with people! You know, the old thing about no man is an island and all that bull!! Don’t you ever get tired of just being by yourself and never talking to another living soul?”

“I never said I was afraid of using the telephone, you know,” she retorted. “And obviously you’ve never been to the World Wide Web, Lieutenant Jacks. There are millions of people for me to “talk” to in chat rooms or through instant messaging.” She gave him a feline smile. “The Internet is a wonderful place. You should try it sometime.” Jax looked as though he was about to explode. “And if I feel a desperate need to communicate with somebody face to face, there’s always my grocery delivery boy, Brian. I see him at least three times a week so I get my regular dose of human contact.”

“But that’s…….that’s……..” Jax sputtered and looked around him as though he was trying to find somebody to help back up his side of the argument. “You’re NUTS!!!” he finally blurted.

Brenda looked a little shaken but then stood up straight. “Agoraphobia is a proven psychological ailment that affects many millions of Americans, Lieutenant,” she retorted. “As with any other phobia, it is often misunderstood by those who do not suffer from its ravages.”

Jax’s mouth was a grim line. “Is that what your *shrink* tells you?”

“My THERAPIST, Lieutenant, tells me that I should ignore uninformed JERKS like you who make fun out of something they don’t understand.” She straightened her sweater and then stared him in the eye. “So, since you now understand my position on going down to the police station to look at any photos of criminals……”

“……mug shots…..” Jax muttered under his breath as he pulled his jacket together and started buttoning it furiously.

Brenda tipped her head to the side. “……and since I seem to hear a car horn – probably Blue in the squad car – I suggest that you LEAVE my house and never come back!!”

Jax stared at her with equal fire. “Gladly, lady!” He strode towards the front door and jerked it open as she followed behind him. “I would say it’s been a pleasure, Miss Barrett,” he said in an even tone, turning back to her one last time, “BUT IT HASN’T!!!”

He was out the door in a flash and practically flew down the steps to the black and white where Blue was waiting. Brenda watched him for a moment with just a hint of regret on her face, but then she frowned and slammed the door behind him.

Jax got into the squad car and sank down in the passenger seat with a not-so-muffled curse. “She’s nuttier than a fruitcake!!!!”

Blue stared into Jax’s face, then looked up at the closed door of the brownstone, and then stared at Jax again. “Uh, Jax…….are you talking about Brenda?”

“No, Blue, I’m talking about the PSYCHO who lives in this run-down pile of bricks!” he shouted, gesturing towards Brenda’s door. “Of COURSE I’m talking about Brenda!”

Blue narrowed one eye and then deliberately reached down to switch off the ignition key. “OK, I’m not quite clear on this, but when I left you two kids, I thought you were playing nicely – you know, sharing the Play-Doh, not spitting in each other’s Kool-aid……” She winked at him. “In fact, I thought *you* looked a little like you wanted to sleep next to her for naptime, Jax.”

Jax grimaced. “THAT was before she informed me that she doesn’t intend to come down to the station to take a look through the mug shots!”

“Well, Jax, people have commitments sometimes, you know,” Blue said gently. “Just because she can’t come today doesn’t mean…….”

“She says she can’t come EVER, Blue!” Jax growled through gritted teeth. He sank down into the seat and propped an elbow on the armrest of the car, covering his lips with his fist as he stared out the window towards the silent brownstone. “Miss Barrett says she’s got some kind of phobia about open spaces……she’s afraid of the world or some d*mn thing……some gory phobia…….”

Blue’s eyes widened and she sat back against the door on the driver’s side of the car. “Oh, geeeeezzzzz…….” Jax turned to her with a raised eyebrow. “You mean she said she’s got agoraphobia?”

“You’ve heard of it? It’s something……real?”

Blue nodded, her lips forming a thin line. “My Aunt Sadie had it.”

Jax’s face grew pale and his voice was soft. “You’re kiddin’ me…….”

Blue shook her head. “Nope. When my old maid cousin Mabel finally hooked a guy and was getting’ married, Sadie couldn’t even bring herself to go to her daughter’s wedding.” She leaned towards Jax. “And she had been praying a LONG time for those vows, let me tell you.”

Jax whistled softly. “So Brenda’s not just making this up?”

“I take it you were less than diplomatic when she told you about it.” Blue folded her arms in her best “mom-dishing-out-guilt” imitation.

Jax shrunk down in the seat a little farther. “I did everything but tell her I would call the men in the little white coats…….”

Blue grimaced and pounded her palm against the steering wheel of the car as Jax sank even lower in the passenger seat. “You know,” she spat, turning towards him, “I don’t think you quite completed that little sensitivity training session I put you through a couple of months ago. I think you may need to go back and read a couple hundred more Hallmark cards!”

“But how was I supposed to know she wasn’t just some crackpot, Blue?” Jax crossed his arms defensively and his lower lip came out in a distinct pout. “I mean, I never paid that much attention to all those psychology courses they made us take at the Academy.”

Blue snorted and undid her seatbelt. “Yeah, well if you don’t stay put in this car while I try to go do some damage control, I’m gonna send you back to the drugstore for me and THEN maybe you’ll pay attention……”

Jax’s eyes widened as he shot up in the seat. “You wouldn’t!! Not the feminine hygiene section again!!”

Blue got out of the car but then leaned back in, her voice a low growl. “Oh, wouldn’t I?” She speared him with her eyes. “If Miss Barrett doesn’t accept your apology and agree to cooperate with us, I’ll make you ask the pharmacist for the super absorbent ones this time!”

Blue slammed the door before Jax could cut loose with a stream of expletives as he sank back down in the seat again. She took a deep breath and then marched resolutely up the steps of the brownstone. It only took a few seconds after she rang the doorbell for Brenda to open the door a crack. “Did Lieutenant Jacks forget something?” she asked in a terse tone.

“Yes – his good manners and human compassion, Miss Barrett,” Blue replied. She nodded towards the sliver between the door and the jamb. “May I ….. come in? For a few minutes?”

Brenda hesitated, but then nodded quickly and swung the door open. Blue glared over her shoulder at Jax one more time before going inside to face Brenda in the foyer. “I take it Lieutenant Jacks told you about our confrontation,” Brenda said coldly.

“He did.” Blue grimaced towards the street again. “I just wanted to come inside and offer my apologies for my partner’s behavior.”

Brenda’s eyes widened. “You don’t think I’m crazy, too?”

“A dear relative of mine was also agoraphobic, Brenda. I know the pain she went through every time she had to set foot outside her door is no figment of the imagination.” Brenda chewed on her lower lip and Blue put her hand on Brenda’s arm gently. “But she also eventually found ways to help make it more tolerable…….” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “There were some medications she could take…….”

“I’ve tried those.” When Brenda cut her off, Blue could see the pain in her deep brown eyes. “They only make me sleepy or too spaced-out to function intelligently.”

Blue nodded. “Or counseling?”

Brenda took a shaky breath. “I’ve been in counseling for several months now, Blue.” She clenched and un-clenched her hands nervously. “I quit yesterday because it didn’t seem to be helping.” When Blue nodded in agreement and stared down at the floor, it was Brenda’s turn to put a hand on Blue’s arm. “It’s not that I don’t want to help you and the Lieutenant catch this horrible Slasher person, Blue.” Her face suddenly brightened. “I’d be happy to look at the mug shots if you could just bring them here……”

Blue shook her head emphatically before Brenda could finish. “It’s against department regulations, Brenda. Jax and I could be written up from here to doomsday if anyone found out…….”

“I understand.” Brenda crossed her arms and sighed. “I just wish there was some other way I could think of to help you and the Lieutenant.” She suddenly turned vindictive eyes towards the street where the black and white was parked. “Although Lord knows, he doesn’t deserve it…….”

A slow smile spread across Blue’s face. “No, he doesn’t, Brenda.” She leaned closer and winked at Brenda. “But although the good lieutenant isn’t very tactful, I think he’s got the special talent we need right now to get you and those mug shots together for an hour.”

Blue was on her way out the door and down the steps when Brenda called after her. “What special talent is that?”

She ran around to the driver’s side of the squad car and smiled naughtily at Brenda again. “Hostage negotiations skills.”

*****************

“Jax! Blue!” Mac Scorpio looked up from a desk as his two top detectives tried to slip into the squad room as quietly as possible.

“Afternoon, chief,” Blue nodded, pushing Jax towards his destination and out of Mac’s line of sight. She frowned at Mac. “That’s…….that’s Officer Ardinowski’s desk, isn’t it?”

Mac sighed and pushed in the center drawer. “That’s right.” He rose to his feet. “I’ve been tossing an idea around in my head and thought I might do a little investigating on my own while the place was quiet.” He peeked around Blue’s body in Jax’s direction. “I thought you were supposed to be out sick today, Jax.”

Jax looked up from his desk, quickly masking the guilt written on his face. “I….uh……I just came in for a few minutes, Mac.” He suddenly smiled and grabbed an envelope from a stack on his cluttered desk. “For this!”

Mac frowned and started to walk towards Jax’s desk. “What’s that?”

“It’s the invitation to the annual Christmas party for neglected children, chief,” Blue quickly supplied. She leaned toward Mac. “You know, Felicia’s favorite charity?”

Jax picked up on Blue’s tall tale. “That’s right!” He waved the envelope at Mac and put on his most serious face. “Just before I fell asleep last night, I remembered that I didn’t RSVP, and I told myself, “Jax, no matter how much pain you’re in, you go right down to the station tomorrow and get that invitation and reply card!””

Blue put her arm around Mac, effectively trapping him so he couldn’t get any closer to Jax’s desk. “Isn’t that dedication, chief? Don’t you think it would make Felicia happy to think that *you* inspired such lofty morals on the force?”

“I did?” Mac looked dumbstruck but then when he stared into Blue’s eyes for a few minutes, he suddenly got the picture. “Oh, I DID!! Of COURSE I did!” He laughed heartily while Jax covered his sigh of relief. As Blue and Mac were still chortling, Jax reached for his bottom drawer and withdrew a large stack of photocopies.

Suddenly, Mac stopped laughing and stared at Jax again. “How’s Miss Barrett? Did she remember anything?”

“I don’t think so, Mac,” Blue replied as she walked towards Jax’s desk. She gave Jax a pointed look that translated to “let-me-handle-this.” When he smiled his understanding, she turned back to Mac and then hiked herself up onto the edge of the desk, assuming a seat that would hide the movement of Jax’s hands from Mac’s sight. “She was conscious this morning but she wasn’t able to give us too many leads on the Slasher’s identity.”

Mac sighed loudly. “Well, we can’t this one fall through the cracks, folks. This is the first real lead we’ve ever had on this case, and the mayor mentioned it to me again this morning at the Prayer Breakfast.”

While Blue carefully steered the conversation towards the goings-on at the Breakfast, Jax moved ever so slowly. He slid the photocopied pictures into a large manila envelope and managed to close his desk drawer without the usual accompanying squeak. Just as he was wracking his brain for a way to get the envelope into his jacket, Officer Ardanowski entered the squad room.

Blue glanced once over her shoulder to get the furtive “thumb’s up” from Jax. Her eyes brightened at the sight of their ticket out of the station with the pictures. “Ardanowski!” Blue called. V turned at the sound of her name and bounded up to the group. “I was just telling Mac about your latest project.”

V’s eyes widened slightly. “My latest project?” Blue gave her a meaningful glare, and V caught onto the ruse. “Ohhhhhh, my latest project.” She nodded like the little plaster terriers that sat on the back decks of cars and drove Jax crazy.

“Riiiiiight,” Blue drawled, nodding similarly. “The one about how so many traffic cops get all sappy and sentimental when they give women tickets……”

V’s face brightened as she caught onto the scam. “Of course! THAT project!” She linked her arm through Mac’s and perched next to him on a vacant desk. “You see, sir, I’ve been doing a little investigating in my spare time, and I’ve found that our traffic cops have been wasting PCPD money, giving away pens when they write out traffic citations to women……”

Mac leapt to his feet. “I KNEW it!” He pounded his fist in his open palm gleefully. “Those bleeding hearts take one look at those hysterical females and go all soft inside and let the perp keep the pen she uses to sign the ticket!!” He smiled victoriously at Blue and V. “NOBODY realizes how much department money could be saved here and there with a few cutbacks in spending on supplies, you know,” he quipped sagely to Blue. Mac put his arm around V’s shoulders and turned her in the direction of his office. “Why don’t we go in my office and talk for a while?”

V smiled but as soon as Mac’s back was turned, she mouthed “YOU OWE ME!!!” to Blue and Jax. “That’s great chief,” she replied, putting on a smile for Mac. “I’ve got nothing else going on right now……”

As Mac led V towards his tiny office, Blue and Jax walked slowly towards the door of the squad room. “Did you get them?”

Jax patted his chest. “Right here.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Mac probably won’t stop talking for at least an hour, now that he’s got a semi-attentive audience.”

Blue took the car keys out of her side pocket and tossed them jauntily up in the air, catching them in the same hand. “I’ll drop you back at Brenda’s brownstone. If she recognizes anyone in the mug shots, give me a ca…….”

“HOLD on there, partner!” Jax grabbed Blue’s arm to halt her progress towards the black and white. “Why do *I* have to be the one to go through the mug shots with Miss Barrett?”

“Why not you?” Blue jerked her arm free of Jax’s grasp and headed towards the car again across the parking lot.

“Maybe because she’ll probably shoot me on sight for being such an insensitive pig!”

“And maybe you deserve that, DD,” Blue retorted, getting into the driver side of the car. Jax did the same on the passenger side, still fuming. “But I’ve got a hot date with Dr. Kovac from General Hospital tonight, and I’m not about to let your big mouth ruin this one for me.”

Jax didn’t argue with Blue’s infallible logic. He just assumed the same dejected position in the passenger seat and was silent for most of the return trip. When they pulled up in front of the brownstone, he finally spoke. “Brenda should really have 24-hour protection, you know. The Slasher may already know who she is, and he doesn’t know she’s got this amnesia thing going on……”

Blue slid the gear shift into “park” and turned to Jax. “Do you REALLY think Mac’s going to approve overtime at this point? With all the budget problems he’s got?”

Jax swore under his breath. “I was afraid you were going to say that.” He looked up at the dimly lit brownstone and then back at Blue. “All right – I’ll take tonight. But you have to take a few shifts, too.”

Blue patted Jax’s arm consolingly. “As long as the good doctor doesn’t sweep me off my feet and take me to Las Vegas tonight to elope, I’ll spell you tomorrow.” Jax nodded and grimaced as he opened the car door. “You wearing your bullet-proof boxers?”

Jax finally grinned at her and winked. “Wanna check?”

Blue slapped his arm. “Go get ‘em, DD. You can do this. Just remember the two most important words in the English language – I’m sorry.”

*****************

Brenda stood in her kitchen, watching as the edges of her grilled cheese sandwich started to bubble. After cautiously lifting a corner of the sandwich with the spatula, she took a sip of dark red wine from a crystal glass that sparkled with sharply cut prisms. She had been angry after Blue and Jax left but the thought that she would never have to see them again went a long way towards dissipating her foul mood. After checking her website for any new inquiries or sales, Brenda had gone back down to make the long-delayed lunch/supper.

She was so intent on making sure the sandwich didn’t burn that when her front doorbell rang, Brenda jumped and dropped the spatula. She glanced towards the griddle and hoped that it was just an annoying girl scout selling cookies, but when the bell rang again – several sharp rings this time – she sighed loudly and went towards the hall. Without bothering to turn off the stove.

Brenda almost fainted when she saw Jax’s face in the peephole. She cautiously unlocked the door but didn’t un-do the security chain. “What do you want, Lieutenant?” She looked up and down the street. “Did you want to watch them put the straight jacket on me in person?”

Jax held up his hand, trying to stop her flow of words, but it didn’t work. He stared down at his feet and then looked into her eyes, sincere and humble. “I…..uh……I’m sorry, Miss Barrett. I was really out of line before.”

Brenda eyed him warily. “And you came all the way back here just to apologize?”

A grin lit his face. “Actually……” He pulled the envelope from his jacket. “I brought you the mug shots……I thought if you wouldn’t mind taking a look……..”

Brenda’s mouth fell open. She pushed the door shut again to un-do the safety chain and then swung it wide. “But I thought…….Blue said that it was against the rules!”

Jax shrugged and a lock of hair fell across his forehead. “I never met a rule that couldn’t be bent a little.” He looked back up at her but then suddenly the smile faded from his face. He sniffed the air. “Do I smell…….” He looked past Brenda towards her hallway. “Is something burning?”

Brenda’s face was blank for a moment but then the realization dawned. “Oh, my God! My sandwich!” She spun around and took off running towards the kitchen. Jax only waited long enough to slam the door behind him and throw the envelope of mug shots on a foyer table before he ran after her.

He got to the kitchen only split seconds after Brenda. Black smoke was pouring from the griddle. When she reached for the handle to take the griddle off the stove, the heat caused her to shriek and immediately drop it again. Jax came up behind her with a towel wrapped around his hand and grabbed the offending pan, but his quick movements caused Brenda to shift to the side, knocking her wine glass off the counter. When it hit the floor, it shattered into a hundred pieces.

“Ohhhhhh…….” Tears ran down Brenda’s cheeks as she stooped towards the floor. “BAD WORD, BAD WORD, BAD WORD……. ……..……..OWWWWWW!”

Jax crouched at her side in another split second, holding her hand in his. “Don’t touch it!” He pulled her away from the broken goblet.

Brenda was sobbing in earnest. “But it was one of my favorites!” She turned soft, anguish-filled eyes to Jax and he felt like he was melting, too. “I don’t think this day can get much worse than it’s been……….”

Even surprising himself, Jax pulled her to stand and then hugged her tight against his chest. “I know. It’s been sh*tty, and I haven’t exactly helped things.”

He heard her soft chuckle and then she pulled away from him a little. “You *do* have a way with words, I’ll say that for you, Lieutenant.” Jax dropped his arms awkwardly and she looked down at the floor and sighed. “Well, I guess I’d better start getting this cleaned up.”

“Hold on a minute.” Before Brenda could move, Jax grabbed her wrist and held her injured finger up. “Aren’t you going to take care of this?”

“Oh, it’s just a little cut……” Brenda tried to pull her hand away but Jax held fast.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” Before Brenda could take a breath, Jax put the injured finger in his mouth. She managed to stifle a squeal when he sucked on it gently. She could feel the soft flick of his tongue as it wrapped around the pad of her finger. “It feels like there may still be some glass in there,” he murmured, taking the finger out of his mouth but not letting go of her wrist. He looked around the kitchen. “Where’s the first aid kit?”

She managed to find some oxygen in the room, which seemed to have shrunk. “In the bathroom – in the hallway.”

Jax nodded. “That’s good.” He squinted up at the kitchen lights. “Light’s probably better in there, anyway.” Still holding Brenda’s hand, he let her lead him out of the kitchen and into a bathroom that had updated plumbing fixtures but antique atmosphere. He lowered the lid on the toilet and nodded towards it. “You sit there and hold your hand over the sink.” By the time Brenda had followed his instructions, Jax had opened her medicine cabinet, retrieved the first-aid kit, and was grabbing for her injured finger again.

Brenda watched as he held the cut to the light and grimaced. “Am I going to die, doctor?”

Jax gave her a dirty look. “Very funny.” He opened the first-aid kit and took out some alcohol swabs and a tweezers. “I can’t tell if there’s a piece of glass in there, so I’m going to have to poke around a little.” He lifted tender eyes to hers. “I’ll try to be as gentle as I can.”

Brenda only winced once as Jax eventually extracted a minute piece of glass. She arched an eyebrow as he applied antibiotic ointment and a clean bandage. “You’re very good at this, Lieutenant. Are you sure you didn’t miss your calling?”

Jax shrugged self-consciously. “I pick stuff up pretty quick.” Then he looked down and refused to meet Brenda’s gaze. “Besides, I had a good teacher – my wife was pre-med.”

{Wife. He’s married.} Brenda cursed her own stupidity. {Why didn’t you even think of that before, Brenda? He never said anything about being single…….but he didn’t say anything about being married either……} She put on her best smile. “Pre-med. That’s wonderful. You must be very proud of her.”

Jax’s fingers froze. “She died.” He suddenly let go of Brenda’s finger and made a big deal of putting away the first-aid kit. “Almost four years ago.”

“I’m so sorry.” Somehow, the words didn’t seem adequate.

“Drunk driver.” Jax cleared his throat and wiped quickly at his eyes with the back of his hand. “She would have loved a house like this, you know.” He stared into the mirror over the sink after closing the medicine cabinet. “We used to have this big old frame monstrosity right outside the city limits.” He snorted ironically. “It needed a lot of work, but Miranda and I kept saying we had all the time in the world to fix it up…….”

Brenda could feel his pain. She wished she could do something to take it away, even though he had gone a long way to make her miserable just hours earlier. “Well……” She finally broke the awkward silence. “Why don’t I take a look at those mug shots, now?” She glanced back towards the kitchen. “Especially since I’m going to have to start over on my dinner.”

Jax became all business again. “Right. The mug shots.” He let Brenda precede him out of the bathroom and they went back to the living room where she settled on a chintz sofa. He remained standing next to the sofa and handed her the envelope. “You sure you want to do this now? You don’t want to get yourself a frozen burrito or some chips or something?”

“A frozen burrito? Chips?” Brenda shook her head, sat quietly for a minute, and then looked up at Jax with a smile. “I’ll make you a deal, Lieutenant. Just to show that there’s no hard feelings from earlier today, I’ll take a look through your mug shots and then fix us both some REAL food. How does that sound?” Her face suddenly fell a little. “If you can stick around that long, that is…..” A flush crept up her neck as she stared into her lap awkwardly. “I mean, I know you’re a busy policeman or detective or whatever it is and you don’t have all day to spend just sitting around with me…….”

{There you go. Perfect segue, Jax. Tell her now.} “Well, actually, Miss Barrett……”

The smile returned. “Brenda ….. please.”

Jax returned the smile and took a seat on the sofa next to her. “There was something else I needed to speak to you about…….whether or not you recognized any of the faces in the mug shots.” Brenda nodded and Jax took a deep breath as he prepared to drop the bomb. “Well, Blue and I were discussing the case earlier, and we both agree that although you can’t remember what the Slasher looks like, he probably doesn’t know that. We’ve been deliberately tight-lipped with the press about your injury and subsequent loss of memory.”

“Go on.”

Jax clasped his hands and sighed loudly. “The bottom line, Miss Bar……Brenda,” he said softly, “is that the Slasher doesn’t know that you can’t remember his face.” He looked out her front window. “For all he knows, you might be working with a sketch artist this very minute on putting together a composite drawing that will mean his arrest by this time tomorrow.”

It was Brenda’s turn to take a deep breath. “Are you saying that I’m in danger, Lieutenant?”

Jax gave her a weak smile. “I’m saying, Brenda, that unless I can get you to agree to go to a hotel with a plainclothes policewoman for a few nights……”

“Out of the question.” A firm shake of her head cut Jax off.

“That’s what I thought.” He sighed again and shook his head. “Then what I’m trying to say, Brenda,” Jax said with a congenial smile, “is that until further notice, you’ve got yourself a new roommate.”

To be continued…….