Silent Scream by Maria Rachel Hooley, Stephen Moeller Page B

cars,” Sam said, peering at the two prisoners stowed in the squad cars.  “My brother and I can take her to the station to give her report if you want,” Sam offered, shoving his hands in his pocket.  “It’s no trouble.”
    One officer frowned.  “I don’t know.  This case is pretty complicated.”
    “Look,” Gabriel said, “she’s about two minutes away from either passing out or possibly getting hysterical.  I was the guy who found her three weeks ago.  I know a lot about what you know, including the ring I turned over yesterday.  No harm is going to come to her.  I just want to get her out of here, okay?”  Although Gabriel tried to maintain his composure, the cop had struck a nerve, and Gabriel’s speech ended in a low growl nowhere near composed of anything except anger.
    “All right,” the cop finally said, shaking his head.
    “I think I can handle it.  We’ll meet you at the station,” Sam replied, following Gabriel back to his car.  “You got a bee up your ass, or what?” he asked his brother as they approached the car.
    “That cop couldn’t care less if she’s coming apart at the seams.  I, however, do.”  He looked at Yolanda and said, “You might want to follow us to the station.  I don’t think you want to leave your car here.”
    Yolanda nodded.  She took one last look at Maddie and headed to her car.
    Gabriel slowly shut the door and walked around to the other side.  He opened the back door and sat on the worn fabric seat.  Although his long legs didn’t easily fit, he turned slightly to the side to accommodate them just a bit easier as Sam sat down in the driver’s seat and started the car.
    Despite the illusion of calm weather, the next winter storm front announced its intentions with a handful of flakes dotting the windows.  The wipers pushed them aside during the drive to the station. 
    “Quite a different perspective, all in all,” he said, staring at the Plexiglas wall that separated him from his brother.  “Can’t say it does much for my dislike of closed-in places.”  He gazed at Maddie’s profile as she looked out the window, watching the snowflakes fall more quickly.  The dying light burnished her hair with auburn and blond streaks, making her face seem even more pale, were that possible.
    “You all right over there?”  He curled his fingers inward to keep from touching her.
    “Just great,” she said, resting her head back against the seat.  “I have such a charmed life, complete with some psycho who has no plan of leaving me alone.”  She closed her eyes and folded her arms across her chest.  Long strands of dark hair slipped over her shoulders and touched her chest.  Only slight traces remained of where the bruises had marred her skin, but an angry scar tracked across the side of her face.
    “I guess we’ll just have to persuade him that you aren’t worth his time and that he has better things to do,” Gabriel said, clenching his teeth.
    Pulling her head up, Maddie opened her eyes and glared at him.  “Better things to do?  Like?”
    Anger flashed in his dark eyes “Like rotting in prison for the rest of his sorry life—not that he deserves even that much.” 
    “They have to catch him first.”  She looked down at her ankle and tried to swivel the joint, but only ended up wincing from the pain.
    “They will.  I have no doubt about that.”  He leaned over the seat and peered at her still bare foot.  “How’s that ankle?”
    “Sore.  I’ll probably be limping for a while.”
    Leaning back, Gabriel noted that the flakes were getting thicker; white specked the median grass as they drove down the highway.  “I guess I should have let you look at your own ankle.  You are a doctor after all.”
     Maddie brushed her hands up and down her arms as the air turned chilly.  Although she wore a brown leather bomber jacket, Gabriel knew it couldn’t be that thick.  And wearing only one shoe couldn’t be all that