"Surely youve had the psychiatrist on call see her?"

Rebecca nodded and consulted her notes. "A Dr. Raymond Bauer."

"I know Ray," Catherine remarked. "What did he say?"

"That it could be traumatic amnesia--shock induced by whatever she may have seen."

Catherine nodded in agreement. "Very possibly."

"Is Janet Ryan a stable person?"

"What do you mean?"

Rebecca was too tired to hide her annoyance. Why did these people insist on answering one question with another one? "Imean, Doctor, is Janet Ryan likely to fake this amnesia thing-- for attention, or a thrill, or to fuck with the police?"

Catherine regarded Rebecca silently for a moment. She would have been irritated if she hadnt recognized the frustration and fatigue in the womans face. This case obviously affected her strongly.

"Janet Ryan is a very reliable young woman, and I would be very surprised if she didnt do everything in her power to assist you."

Rebecca started to point out that people were capable of all types of subterfuge, given the right motivation, but she was interrupted by the sound of her pager. Grimacing at the intrusion, she flicked it off with her thumb and pointed to the phone.

"May I?"

"Of course," Catherine replied. She watched Rebecca as she dialed, appreciating again the tension that radiated from her body. She had leaned one hip against the edge of the desk and was facing toward the windows, her profile to Catherine. If she was aware of Catherines scrutiny, she didnt show it. Her eyes were fixed on the streets below, but Catherine doubted that she actually saw the life passing outside. She seemed impervious to distractions. Catherine wondered what price that kind of focus and control exacted from the self-contained woman before her.

"Frye here," Rebecca said as the dispatcher picked up. She raised an eyebrow as she listened, "When?--Yes, Im there now--All right, fifteen minutes." She replaced the receiver and turned to Catherine. "Janet Ryan is asking for you."

Catherine rose quickly. "Ill go now."

Rebecca reached the door first, pulling it open. "Ill drive you."

Catherine understood that this was not a request, and lengthened her stride to match that of the taller womans beside her. It was clear that Rebecca Frye was not used to giving up until she got what she wanted.

Chapter Three

Jeffrey Cruz found Rebecca in the patient waiting area on the fifth floor of University Central, feeding nickels into the coffee machine. He banged her lightly on the shoulder as he stepped up beside her.

"Hey, Reb--hows it hanging?"

She looked at her partner, noting the sallow color of his normally tanned skin, and shrugged tiredly. "Better than yours. You get anything?"

"Not much--same perp--blood type O, semen matches, and he did her up the as--uh, sodomy, just like the first two."

Rebecca took a deep swallow of her coffee, wincing at the cardboard aftertaste. "Yeah, well, the rest of it fits, too. A jogger again, same time of day--early evening, not yet dark. No pattern to the location though--nothing suspicious in the area either. Theres miles of park along the river; we cant possibly cover it all."

Jeff slumped into the plastic seat beside her, shaking his head. "Somethings funny, Reb. The park isalwayscrowded--kids on bikes, runners, not to mention cops--and nobody sees nothing. Nobody notices anyone just hanging around, or in a hurry to get somewhere--he just comes and goes without a trace." He laughed sourly at his own joke.

Rebecca shook her head, as frustrated as her partner. "Theres a lot of brush along those trails, Jeff. Once he grabs someone, he can just pull them off into the scrub. Then theyre invisible." She had been to her Captain twice since the first assault, pleading for extra patrols to stake out the River Drives. His answer had been the same each time--yes, this was a nasty crime; yes, he cared about catching the son of a bitch; and, no, he couldnt spare the people to beef up surveillance. They had to do the best they could with what they had, and Rebecca was haunted by the knowledge that it wasnt enough.

"Well,hesstill got to get out," Jeff observed. "He has to leave on foot, or maybe on a bicycle.

"Maybe somebodydidsee something--maybe Janet Ryan did."

He sighed deeply and closed his eyes. "Maybe."

"Theres something were missing, Jeff, I agree with you," Rebecca mused aloud, not even sure if Jeff was awake. "Serial criminals--rapists, murderers--they follow some pattern. At least a pattern that makes sense to them. We just have to find it."

"Youre probably right," Jeff answered, his eyes still closed. "But whatever it is, it isnt simple. Different days of the week, no set time interval, no physical resemblance between the victims, and nothing symbolic left behind. Did you get anything out of the shrink?"

"Still waiting. Shes in there with the witness now."

"Whos the other one?" Jeff asked, craning his neck to see through the small windows in the double doors marked "Hospital Personnel Only". "Blond, early twenties, nice body?"

"The roommate, I think. I havent had a chance to talk with her yet." Rebecca didnt add that she hadnt had the heart to question the girl earlier. The young woman with Janet Ryan was clearly distraught and probably didnt know anything anyway. Thered be time enough to talk to her once shed had a chance to see her girlfriend.

Jeff looked at his watch and groaned. "Shit, its almost eleven. Shelleys gonna have my balls if I dont get home before midnight again tonight."

Rebecca stood and stretched. "Why dont you go ahead. I want to see what the shrink gets anyhow. You can write up what weve got so far in the morning--deal?"

Jeff grinned happily, all vestiges of fatigue gone. He rose beside her, wishing for the thousandth time that he was as tall as his good looking partner. He didnt let on that it bothered him that she was half a head taller, but he couldnt help noticing the admiring glances she got, from menandwomen. She never seemed to notice, though. Oh, well, his wife thought his body was spectacular, so what the hell. He thumped her affectionately on the arm and sprinted for the elevator.

"I got the best part of this deal!" he called over his shoulder.

Rebecca didnt doubt it. There was no one waiting for her at home, and there hadnt been for a long time. She had forgotten what it felt like to open her door on anything other than the cold emptiness of her apartment, and she didnt want to remember now. She closed her eyes on the thought, adjusting her long frame into a more comfortable position for the wait ahead of her.

Chapter Four

Catherine wearily pushed the doors of the intensive care unit open and stepped out into the quiet corridor. It took her a moment to adjust to the dimness after the bright lights inside, and when she could see again, she noted Rebecca asleep down the hall. Even in repose, she didnt appear relaxed. Her right hand twitched slightly as it rested against her thigh. Her jacket lay abandoned on the chair beside her, and the silk shirt she wore stretched over the tight muscles of her arms and outlined her firm breasts. Catherines pulse quickened as her eyes wandered from Rebeccas face down the sensuous planes of her body. She smiled slightly at the unbidden response and reminded herself why they were both there.

"Detective," she called gently as she approached.

Rebecca sat up immediately, rubbing her face briskly with both hands. She looked up at the psychiatrist who somehow managed to look fresh despite the hour. Rebecca grinned a little sheepishly, taken off guard by the welcoming softness in Catherines eyes.

"Sorry," Rebecca said, "I tend to fall asleep wherever I can."

Catherine laughed. "I know what you mean. When I was a resident, we had a saying`See a chair, sit in it; see a bed, lie in it; see food, eat it!"

Rebecca stood, stretching to her full six feet. "Im sorry," she said, "I have to talk with you. I know its late. If theres someone you need to call"

"No, there isnt," Catherine replied. "But I have no intention of saying one more word to you unless Im fed first. Can you wait that long?"

Rebecca regarded the elegant, composed woman before her, sensing the smile in her voice, and felt suddenly energized.

"Im on my own time now, anyhow," Rebecca offered. "Theres a diner up the street"

"Arnies? Not at this hour! My digestive system would never survive," Catherine exclaimed in mock horror. "My apartment isnt far. Could we finish up there? It will just take me a minute to fix something."

Rebecca was momentarily surprised, and then realized she would like nothing better than to have a late dinner with Catherine Rawlings.

"Sounds fine. I cant take one more burger anyhow."

**********

The address Catherine directed her to was in an old brownstone, recently renovated, in a gentrified part of the city that bordered the sprawling university area. Catherines was a large ground floor apartment that opened onto a private rear garden. Rebecca couldnt see much of the patio through the sliding glass kitchen doors, but the rest of the apartment was decorated in warm earth tones that Rebecca found soothing. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, and Rebecca finally began to unwind. She decided she liked the doctors style. She wandered into the large living room and perused the titles on the floor-to-ceiling bookcases that lined one wall. Many of the titles were recent novels and biographies. Rebecca noted several she had been meaning to read but kept putting off. Something usually came up at the station that devoured what little spare time she had. She reminded herself she still had work to do as Catherine came through the archway from the kitchen with a bottle in one hand.