Chapter Five

Detective Sutton stared down at the lifeless body in front of him and grimaced. She was the fifth victim of the killer the media had dubbed ‘Jack the Slasher’. Somehow someone in the media had gotten hold of a police report on the runes that were carved into the bodies. The runes that spelt out the name Jack.

He nodded to the guy from the ME’s office, telling him it was okay to take the body.

He lit a cigarette and left the area, leaving the CSI crew to their forensic searches. He knew better than to argue with a member of the CSI team, and knew well enough to get out of their way, especially when they were setting up a grid search pattern of the area where the body had been found.

He was in an area of Manhattan that locals called DUMBO, meaning ‘Down under Manhattan Bridge Overpass’. This latest victim had been called in at around 1am. An anonymous 911 call, traced to a phone box around the corner from where he was standing. As far as he knew it had already been dusted for prints. He was on his own as his partner was nowhere to be found. Detective Graves’ phone was switched off. He’d managed to cover for him so far with their Captain but if he didn’t turn up soon there was nothing Luke could do for him.

As he stared at his mobile, a car pulled up behind him.
“Luke, I’m so sorry man, I was with a girl, ya know, and my phone switched itself off.” Graves looked at him, so contrite that Luke let it go.

“I covered for you man, if the Captain asks…”

“If the Captain asks what?” a deep gravely voice behind the two men rang out.

Luke’s stomach clenched. Shit.

Luke turned round to see Captain Phillips standing behind him.

“Sir? What are you doing out here? “ he smiled, trying to lead the man away from his question.

“What the fuck do you think I’m doing out here, apart from freezing my goddamn ass off? This is the fifth victim Sutton! You really think I’m gonna sit back and let this go to shit, with the media breathing down my neck?,” he turned to Graves,” and you, where the hell were you?”

“Sorry sir, I was ‘indisposed’ and my phone switched itself off.” Graves smiled deprecatingly.

“Fucking idiot.” Captain Phillips growled, as he made his way back to his car.

He turned and looked back at Luke.

“Anything he does I’m holding you responsible. If I catch you covering for him again I‘ll have your badge as well as his, you got me?”

“Captain! What the..” Luke threw his hands up, angrily.

He watched the man walked away and turned to his partner.

“You fucking do anything like that shit again man and… you don’t wanna know. Now get the fuck away from me.” he yelled, anger spilling out from his frustration, as he got into his car and drove back to the precinct.

As he drove he went through every thing they had in relation to the case.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~oo~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jon eased himself into his big king size bed and lay down with a tired sigh. It had been a very long day. His conscience had been surprisingly quiet and he wondered if he’d overloaded it so much that it had given up.

Abby had been overwhelmed by the sheer size and magnificence of his home. He smiled in the dark as he recalled the look on her face when they’d driven up to the gates of his property.


“Why have we stopped? Are we there?” Abby asked, wearily from the back seat. The painkilling injection she’d been given at the hospital was starting to wear off and she felt tired and drained. Her lower leg hurt and her ribs ached.

Jon looked over at her. She looked drained and in a bit of pain.

“We’re here baby, just gotta wait for the gates to open, then we’re home.”

“Gates? Just how big is your house?” she asked, her eyes widening at the thought of having gates to a property. The only house she could recall was the house she’d grown up in as a kid, and that had been a typical three up, two down council end of terrace. The only gate that had been on that property was a small dark brown wooden gate on the side of the house that led to the back garden.

As the gates opened the car moved forward slowly. Jon pressed a button opening the darkened window, allowing Abby to see the house in all its glory as they drove slowly along the gravel drive. Dark green coniferous trees lined the route as they drove along the winding road. She could smell the pine fragrance from the trees, brought in on a puff of cold air. Abby let out a shriek as they coasted the crest of the drive and Jon’s house was revealed to her. They were driving parallel to the house up to a small roundabout that also led off to the stables and to the small music studio he’d had built on the property.

The house was magnificent. It was an impressive two storey brick and wood edifice with a one storey wing on either end. Perfectly trimmed shrubs and hedges lay in ranks outside the front, alongside perfectly manicured lawns, that ran either side of each wing. It was, she thought, entirely too big a house for just one person.


Abby was rendered speechless. The house was huge, bigger than she could ever have imagined. The car stopped outside the huge, glass lined, wooden framed double doors. The door opened and Jon got out first, careful not to bang into her. He reached in and with a bit of trial and error he managed to help Abby get into a sitting position from where she could edge to the door in order for him to help her out of the car.

As it was her lower left leg than had been fractured she was, with the aid of crutches, able to walk. Jon went on ahead and opened the doors wide enough so that she could get through them comfortably.

“Welcome to my house.” he dead panned as she crossed the threshold and then stopped dead, gaping at the scene in front of her.

The entire central lower area, except for a room off the right of her at the front of the house, was open plan. Just off to the left of her an ornate wooden staircase swept up to a mezzanine level wood and glass platform that lead out of her sight.

Abby was so engrossed at looking up at the glass and wood bridge as she passed underneath it she bumped into Jon. He put his hands out to steady her and accidentally brushed the side of her breast. His posture stiffened slightly as he did so hoping that she hadn’t noticed.

Abby smiled up at Jon as he helped to steady her. She turned to look at the room they were standing in and gaped. It was stunning. A large bank of windows ran along three sides of the room giving her an uninterrupted 180 degree view of the ocean beyond. A vast dark brown suede sofa dominated the room. She was so tired so just wanted to sink into it and sleep for a week. She smiled as she thought she’d been doing just that at the hospital and now she was out she wanted to do it again.

“What’re you smiling at?” Jon asked as he watched her reaction to his house.

“Oh nothing, just thinking I want to snuggle down on that sofa of yours and sleep for a week. It made me smile as that’s all I’ve been doing lately, sleeping.”

“Well let’s get you onto the sofa and then, what do you say to something to eat?” he grinned as he helped her out of the jacket he’d leant her back at the hospital.

Abby’s stomach grumbled in response and she giggled as he helped her get comfortable on the large plush sofa. He plumped up a cushion and put it behind her for her to be able to lean back in comfort. He eyes the clothes she was wearing. One of his old jerseys and a pair of his old combat trousers with the drawstring pulled in tight.

“Tomorrow, I’m getting you some new clothes.” he said, softly as she lay back on the sofa and sighed happily.

“Why can’t we just go and pick things up from my place?” she asked, puzzled as to why he would want to buy her new clothes when she obviously had a wardrobe of items somewhere.

“Cause, I’m ashamed to say, I don’t know where you live. You never told me.” Jon was finding it easier to tell the truth when he could rather than lie all the time. His conscience was trying to battle its way back through but was failing dismally.

“Oh.” Abby replied, quietly, “ So we weren’t very close then?” she asked, feeling extremely puzzled as to why she had never told him her address.

She looked up at him, her mouth open in surprise as a thought struck her.

“Maybe I’m married! Maybe we were having an affair!” she said suddenly, causing Jon to pause on his way to the open plan kitchen/diner that was set into a corner of the living area.

“Nah, think I’d remember if you had a husband.” he smiled, turning back to the kitchen area.

Shit. Maybe she is married. You never thought of that did you Jonny? No, just had to jump in with both feet. What a schmuck. What if she’s got a family and they’re out there missing her? You have got to call a halt to this now.

Jon shook his conscience away and opened a cupboard in search of some dried pasta. He was going to make Spaghetti Bolognese, Jon Bon Jovi style, which meant lots of tomatoes, onions, herbs and a big mess in the kitchen afterwards. He started to hum a song to himself as he got the pans ready. As it was his day job, he had never been one for singing around the house, unless he’d had a few to drink, or the guys were over, but as he firstly hummed then broke in song, he was feeling something he hadn’t felt in a long time. Happiness.

Plus, he reasoned, if she wasn’t here with me then she’d be in some crummy psych ward somewhere with the freaks and weirdo’s.

And what’s more freaky and weird than bringing home a total stranger with amnesia and allowing her to think you‘re dating?.

Finally the meal was ready and Jon brought two bowls of his famous pasta dish over to the sofa.

“Mmm, that smells lovely.” Abby gushed as he handed her a bowl. She was snuggled up on the sofa, under a soft, warm blanket and was feeling cosy and safe.

Although she knew she didn’t know anything about this man, she knew she would be safe with him; that he wouldn’t do anything to her that she didn’t want him to do. She watched him sitting on the floor eating, taking in the pure masculinity of him; the animalistic rawness that he exuded, and shivered slightly. One thing had been on her mind since she’d awoken from the coma and had first seen him and that was sex. It wasn’t that she was afraid of the idea of sex, it was just that she felt slightly apprehensive about being with someone she ought to know very well but didn’t.

She ate half the bowl and had to put the rest down.

“What, is my pasta not good enough for you?” Jon smiled, to show he was teasing.

“Oh no, your pasta is plenty good enough, there’s just too much of it.” she replied, smiling happily at him. She pushed her hair off her face and grimaced.

“What’s up? You in pain?” he asked, seeing the grimace.

“Not really,” she replied, “ it’s just I’m going to need a shower and a hair wash only…” she trailed off.

Jon’s eyes widened as she blushed, and he realised the implications of what she’d left unsaid.

“You’re going to need some help getting in and out of the tub…”

Abby nodded, her earlier apprehension causing butterflies in her belly.

Shit. You didn’t think of that either did ya?

“I can’t have wash my hair myself yet cause of my ribs, I can’t lift my arms above my head yet, not until they’ve healed. And while I can wrap my plaster cast in plastic to keep in dry while I shower ... I didn’t think of this earlier, that you‘re still a stranger to me and I‘m dependent on you for help.” Abby stopped, felling suddenly out of her depth.

Jon sat back on his heels and looked her straight in the eyes.

Ok, we’ll wrap your plaster cast up in plastic so you can shower then I’ll wash your hair for you over the tub. Does that work?” he smiled, his eyes crinkling slightly at the sides, as he raised an eyebrow.

“You’ve got really blonde eyebrows and eyelashes, haven’t you?” she said, suddenly, completely changing the subject.

“Er, yeah I guess. Why?” he asked, thrown by her non-sequiter.

“Oh nothing, it’s just your real hair is so dark and yet your facial hair isn’t. I’s almost like they’re not there. Anyway that sounds like a working plan.” she said, “It must be difficult for you as I’m sure you’ve seen my naked body before, many times, as I can’t imagine a man like you waiting around for a long time, but for me, right now, it just feels weird. Can you understand that?”

Jon nodded, not trusting himself to say anything to her loaded question.

“Listen Abby,” he began, getting up from the carpet and perching on the sofa next to her, “Let’s take this slowly, and get to know each other all over again, as you were right, we didn’t know a lot about each other before and we weren’t that close, but I have a feeling we could be in the future.” Jon reached out and took her hands in his, marvelling at the smallness of her hands.

“I have a feeling we could be perfect for each other.” he smiled.

Abby stood under the hot, steamy water and groaned her appreciation. She’d been able to have a bed wash every few days at the hospital but to be able to stand under a stream of hot water was just heaven. She washed as much of herself as she could. Her ribs just ached and she knew she wasn’t going to be able to reach the top of her back. Fleetingly she thought of asking Jon to do it for her but she wasn’t ready for where that might lead. The shower itself was fantastic. It consisted of a series of buttons for On, Off, Hot and Cold which made it so much easier for her to turn it on and off. Feeling her skin start to prune up she reluctantly pressed the off button and opened the door, stepping out into a steamed up bathroom. She wrapped herself in the luxury bath towel that Jon had left for her and crossed over the expanse of marble floor tile and opened the door.

Jon was leant up against the wall outside arms folded and legs crossed at the ankle. He was waiting for Abby to finish her shower. He ruminated on the past few weeks and realised that the more he was getting to know her the more he liked her. She was funny, naïve, and said whatever seemed to be on her mind without filtering it first. He’d met so many women throughout his life that seemed to tell him what they thought he wanted to hear and it was refreshing to meet someone who just said the first thing she thought of, even if it was left of centre sometimes. He remembered her comment about his eyebrows and wondered whether he should dye them a little bit darker. He was pondering this when the bathroom door opened and Abby’s face appeared in the midst of steam.

“Hi. I’ve showered, “ she said indicating the towel, “well, obviously, otherwise why would I be wearing a towel and have wet skin.” she blushed as his eyes automatically raked over said wet skin.

“Anyway I’m ready if you are,” she thought about what she’d said,” I mean to wash my hair. Ok, babbling now…” she trailed off blushing the colour of an Egyptian sunset.

Jon just smiled tightly and brushed past her. He crossed over to the bathtub and turned on the taps flipping them onto the shower head. He motioned for Abby to come over and sit on the floor, facing him, so that her head leant back against the tub. He leant over her to test the water and she caught a glimpse of his stomach. Her eyes widened as she looked at the firm, taut muscles covered in soft, downy hair. His best buckle was inches away from her face and she gulped, unable to stop staring at the zip of his jeans.

Jon stepped back to afford him the best angle to start washing her hair and looked down at her. He smiled, wryly, as he realised which part of his anatomy had been in her eye line. Deciding to put on a show he dropped the shower head and make a slow move of taking his jersey off.

“Don’t wanna get it wet.” he murmured as he threw it across the floor, where it landed on wet tiles.

Abby felt her mouth suddenly go dry as she took in the toned physique of the man in front of her. As he bent closer to her to pick up the shower head she had no idea what to look at. His torso brushed her face as he picked up the shower head and she held her breath as she felt the warmth of his skin brush across her cheek. Ok maybe sex with this man wasn’t going to be as embarrassing or as troubling as she’d thought.

Jon ran the warm water through her long hair until it was sopping wet then picking up a shampoo bottle, allowed a large dollop to fall into his hands before transferring the sudsy liquid to her long tresses. Abby heard a moan as he worked the shampoo through her hair and scalp and realised, belatedly, that it was her. Her eyes opened sharply in shock and then closed quickly as he ran began to rinse the shampoo out. He ran a sweet smelling lemony conditioner through her hair, right to the ends, tugging on the curls softly yet sensually. Abby had gone into sensory overload and was just sitting as still as she could. She was well aware that she was sat, wrapped in only a towel whilst a feral, handsome half naked man was administering to her hair. Although neither where aware of it, Jon had just fulfilled one of Abby’s fantasies.

With her hair freshly washed and curling around her face, Abby scrambled to her feet as fast as she could with a plaster cast on and was slightly mortified when her towel slipped, slightly, as Jon helped her up. She could only stand in front of him, knowing she was blushing all over, as he tucked the towel back around her, his warm fingers lingering on her rapidly cooling body.

She mumbled her thanks and bidding him good night, made her way back to her room.

Abby sat on the large double bed and groaned out loud. She looked down at the pillow to find a button up tee shirt and shorts combo with a note attached.

“For you to sleep in until we get you something a bit more feminine. Hopefully you can get your arms into a button up rather than an ordinary one. xxx Jon.”

“What a sweet man you are Jon.” she muttered to herself as she began the arduous task of getting herself into the button up tee shirt without causing her ribs to ache.

Jon looked at the clock and groaned. It was way past three in the morning and he was feeling the effects of the past month catching up with him. He knew he was going to get caught out at some point but all the time he was spending with ‘Abby’ was making him want to spend more and more time with her. To teach her new things and see the joy in her face and she experienced it for the first time. He knew, deep down, that it wouldn’t last forever and that she would probably hate him for what he’d done, but he couldn’t help wishing it could stay like this. With these troubling thoughts slipping through his mind, he fell asleep.