Imperfect Truth

by C. A. Popovich

  “Me, too. You have to go back now, don’t you?” Debby pulled her against her and nuzzled her neck.

  “Yeah, pretty soon.” She rose to lean on one elbow and look down at Debby. “You know I didn’t plan this, don’t you? I would never want you to think I’m trying to convince you to leave with me by sleeping with you.”

  Debby grinned. “No, baby. I know you didn’t plan this, but I did. Whatever the future brings, I want you to know that I love you, and I needed to show you how much.” Debby pulled her on top of her and kissed her.

  They dressed in silence, each moment allowing trickles of foreboding to creep into Alex’s heart.

  “Before I leave I have to ask you for a favor.” Alex handed Jennifer’s envelope to Debby. “Please try to get this to Phillip. I guess he and Jen were planning to get married, and…well, you know.” If Phil was working for Martinez, he was still a cop, and hopefully not a killer. If Martinez already knew their names, Joe was going to relocate them again regardless of what was in the letter. If Phil was working undercover, maybe this would give him a chance to know Jennifer was safe. She sighed and slid her feet into her boots. Either way, she would probably be gone very soon.

  “I’ll do my best. I’ve left a message at the precinct for him to call me, but I’ll go over there and leave this with them.”

  “You called him?” Alex sat on the edge of the bed waiting for an answer.

  “I called the police looking for you and asked about him. They told me he was out on assignment, and he never called me back.”

  “I don’t suppose they gave you any more information?”

  “No. Sorry, love.”

  “Well, thanks. I’ll at least have that much to tell Jen.”

  “Are there any other options for this protection thing? What if you moved in with me? It would change your address and Jennifer and your dad could move, too. Would that be enough?” Debby’s hopeful look tugged at her heart.

  “God, I wish it were that simple, but it doesn’t work that way. We have a choice to stay, or to leave the program and lose their protection, and I might be willing to, but I couldn’t ask Jen and Dad to put their lives in danger. I hope to know more as soon as Joe gets back. I’ll make a decision then. Remember that I love you.” She rested her fingers lightly on Debby’s cheek as they locked gazes, and she prayed it wasn’t the last time she’d see her. “I’ve got to go.” She put on her coat, and Debby pulled her firmly against her body and kissed her.

  Alex knew it was a kiss of love, but she also knew that there could be no guarantees. She hoped it wasn’t a kiss good-bye.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  “Did you give her the note?” Jennifer was sitting at the kitchen table when Alex returned close to midnight.

  “Yes, Jen. She’ll get it to him if she can. She talked to the people at his station and they told her he was on assignment. She left a message for him to call her, but she hasn’t heard anything back so far.”

  “This is awful, Alex. Joe can’t keep us here like this, can he?” Jennifer stood to pace. “We’re not the bad guys. We shouldn’t be…imprisoned, for fuck’s sake.”

  “I know. Sit and I’ll make us a cup of tea.” Alex got cups and tea bags out of the cupboard and set them on the counter. “Joe said we might be in danger. We only need to stick it out until he gets back, then we’ll know more.”

  “What’s going on out here?” Their father came out of his room and sat at the table.

  “I’m making tea. Want a cup?” Alex swung a tea bag in the air.

  “Sure. Thanks, honey. So what’s all the commotion about?”

  “I need to get in touch with Phil. This is just stupid, that we have to sit here and wait for Joe to decide if we’re going to have a life. I’ve probably lost the best job I’ve ever had, and maybe the best guy I’ve ever dated. I want out of this whole thing. I’d rather take my chances with some drug lord than live like this.” Jennifer marched to her bedroom and slammed the door.

  Alex had to do something. Her heart ached for Jennifer, and she certainly could relate to her frustration. “I’ll be right back, Dad.” She went to her room and knocked softly. “Hey, Jen? I have something I want to tell you.”

  Jennifer opened her door her eyes puffy and bloodshot. “What?”

  Alex closed the door behind her. “I have something I need to tell you about Phil.” Alex sat next to Jennifer on her bed. “I think he might be a dirty cop.” She took Jennifer’s hands in hers. “I saw him with Martinez at the state fair this year, and then again at a party at the Martinez house.”

  “When were you at his house?”

  “He went to my boss and requested that I help with checking in his guests for a fundraiser, except it was more like a demand than a request. I went to see if I could find out more about Phil’s involvement with him. I was worried about you. I overheard him and Martinez talking about some kind of shipment that Phil was in charge of. I’m so sorry, Jen, but I think he’s on the take with Martinez.”

  Jennifer stared at Alex, pale and wide-eyed. “Now I’m scared.”

  “Joe will protect us, Jen, and I don’t think Phil would intentionally hurt you. Even if he’s a bad cop, he’s still a cop, not a killer.”

  “You don’t understand. I’m not scared for me. I’m scared for him. I think he might be the one who’s been undercover with Martinez.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “When we first met, he told me that he’d just made detective and was being assigned to an undercover operation. He wanted to prepare me for the possibility of having to break dates at the last minute. The last time I talked to him, he said something about a warehouse full of drugs. It was only in passing when we were talking about the increased crime in the area.” Jennifer sat on her bed gripping the edge.

  “Okay. Let’s wait to hear from Joe. You know he vets everyone we get involved with, so he probably already knows about Phil’s involvement.” Alex considered that Joe probably knew about Phil all along, but couldn’t say anything.

  Jennifer sighed and followed her out of the room. “I’ll have a cup of that tea, too.” They joined their father at the table.

  “Everything okay?” her father asked.

  “I hope so.” Alex drank her tea as if it were four in the afternoon instead of the middle of the night.

  “I’m sorry about all of this. If I could change it, I would.” He rubbed his day-old growth of beard.

  “I know you would. I’m hoping Joe is just being overly cautious.” She didn’t say anything else. She couldn’t tell him it was okay, that it wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t okay, and they all knew it.

  “We can hope. God grant me the serenity.” He took a drink of tea, looking sad and aged.

  “We don’t have a choice.” Jennifer dunked her tea bag several times before tasting it.

  “Here’s to caution.” Alex raised her teacup in a toast and they clinked cups. She hoped Phil was cautious if he was undercover with Martinez. Jennifer deserved happiness.

  *

  Debby sorted pills and reviewed her list of new prescriptions for possible drug interactions. She checked the daily resident list, hopeful it was the same as last week. She was told it was common for residents to pass away during the holidays. She supposed it was due to factors other than the cold weather. Many of their bed-ridden had no family and lived alone, with only memories of loved ones to sustain them. Depression was common among those folks, and she kept a close watch on their medication orders for serious interactions with any heart medications they might be taking. Alone. If I follow Alex and anything happens to her, that’s exactly where I’ll be. Alone. But then, what did that mean for Alex, who had to live this strange, volatile existence?

  She poked at her salad while she waited for Kelly to join her for lunch. She had stopped at the police station on her way in to work to drop off Jennifer’s note. The sergeant had assured her that Phil would get the note as soon as he was back from assignment, and she had
unsuccessfully pressed him for more information. She wished she had a way to let Alex know. Memories of Alex and their few hours together warmed her heart as well as other parts of her body. She knew she couldn’t let Alex go, but she wasn’t sure she could ask her to risk staying. She didn’t know what the threat was, but it was real to Alex. If she went with her, she knew Kristen would take good care of Shadow, but what about her family and her house? Could she just walk away? Her head spun with unanswerable questions.

  “Hi, Deb.” Kelly sat across from her at the cafeteria table. “Did you have a good Christmas?”

  “Yes. Matt came over for dinner and we had a nice visit. How ’bout you?”

  “It was great. My aunt and uncle invited me to their new place in Toledo. It’s a gorgeous Tudor, facing the Maumee River. They told me to come down anytime and bring a friend. I think you’d like it. We can sit on their deck, have a few beers, and relax.” Kelly took a drink of water. “Have you had any luck finding Alex?”

  Debby considered how much to disclose. “No. I suppose I’ll just have to wait to see if she contacts me.” She poked at her salad again and took a small bite. Alex trusted her with a secret she literally couldn’t tell anyone else in the world. She wouldn’t betray that, even if she really could use someone else to talk to.

  “I hope she does, Deb. Hey, let’s go to the club next Saturday. Celebrate the new year. I know it’ll do me good to get out, and it’ll take your mind off Alex.”

  “We’ll see how the week goes.” Debby was certain nothing would take her mind off Alex. What on God’s earth am I going to do?

  *

  Debby, Janis, and Kelly sat in Janis’s office, reviewing patients’ charts on her laptop.

  “It looks like Mr. Kline was the first patient to show signs of the infection and be diagnosed. He was seen by his doctor and prescribed antibiotics last Monday.” Janis typed and scrolled to review the next chart without looking up. She turned to Debby and continued. “I spoke to the doctor and confirmed that Mr. Kline has done well with this type in the past.” Janis continued through the logs checking notes on every resident diagnosed with the acute respiratory tract infection that started spreading through the nursing home a week ago.

  “I’ll work with the other pharmacists to keep an eye on drug interactions, but the doctors and nurses need to be vigilant in watching for adverse reactions. We don’t need C. diff circulating through here.” Debby made notes on a pad of paper.

  “I agree with that. We dealt with that a few years ago and lost two residents.” Kelly typed on a laptop as she spoke. “All our nurses know what to look out for, and I’ve scheduled them overtime. I plan to review our hygiene protocol this morning, and every resident will be evaluated by three different nurses daily.”

  “Good job, Kelly.” Janis input the information from their meeting into her computer and looked up. “I’m concerned about Mrs. Martinez. She came in without a doctor, so her grandson agreed to have us assign her our staff physician. We don’t have much of a medical history on her, but she’s on heart medication. Please make sure you monitor her meds, Debby.”

  “No problem. We’ll keep an eye on her.”

  Debby reviewed her notes from their meeting and updated her laptop with relevant information before making herself a cup of tea. Talking about Mrs. Martinez had reminded her of Alex, although she was never far from her thoughts. She knew Miguel’s grandmother, and Alex knew Miguel. It was a small world. She wondered what Alex was doing in the safe house. They must have television, but probably no Internet, and a phone only for emergencies. She smiled sadly at the thought of being an emergency. She missed her.

  She transferred all the nursing home’s information she had on her laptop to the secure work computer and saved it on the backup drive, just in case she decided to disappear.

  *

  Four days later, Debby was finishing her patient drug review when commotion in the hall caught her attention. She looked out the door and saw Kelly rush past with two other nurses, the staff doctor, and the code team close behind. She finished her review and went to investigate.

  “What’s up, Kelly?” As soon as she spoke she realized she already knew. Someone had called a code blue on Mrs. Martinez. She watched the team work on the elderly woman for a few minutes before returning to the pharmacy.

  She pulled up all the information she had on Fernanda Martinez, anticipating the inevitable inquiry. Whether she lived or not, there would be questions about her medications. She looked at all the data she had on her and closed her computer. The only issue she could find was the antibiotic prescribed for a respiratory tract infection. It looked like the correct broad-spectrum type, but there would have been no way to tell how it would interact with her heart medication. Nobody was at fault. She went back to work and awaited the outcome.

  The call came before the end of the day and Debby was ready. She gathered her notes and laptop and went to Jan’s office. Kelly looked drained, sitting at the table with a glass of water. She squeezed her shoulder as she slipped past her to take the seat next to her, among several of the other staff members.

  “Thank you for coming.” Janis stood at the head of the table, the sadness obvious on her face. “As you already know, we lost one of our residents today.” She dropped into a chair. “Our crash team did an excellent job with their efforts to save her, but it wasn’t to be. She died at 3:05 p.m. of sudden cardiac death. She’d been on a couple of different heart medications, as well as antibiotics lately.” She sighed and poured herself a glass of water. After taking a drink she continued. “I don’t believe there is any fault or blame to be assigned. Everyone did their best to try to save her. I’ll call her grandson immediately to inform him of his grandmother’s passing. Kelly will take care of contacting the funeral home. Thank you all again.”

  “Can I buy you dinner tonight?” Debby asked Kelly as she passed her.

  “Thanks, Deb, but I think I’ll just go home. See you tomorrow.”

  Debby went back to the pharmacy to close up and wondered if Alex was planning anything on New Year’s Eve, and if she was even still in the state. The thought occurred to her she might never know.

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  “Come on, Abby. I’m not standing here all night waiting for you to find the right spot. Joe is due here any minute.” Alex shivered as she followed Abby back and forth. It wouldn’t be so bad being relocated somewhere warm. Abby finished, and she dragged her inside. She hated being out in the cold and dark these days, just waiting for someone to jump out of the shadows.

  Alex, Jennifer, and their dad convened at the kitchen table with water and a pot of coffee to wait for Joe to arrive. Alex answered the door when he knocked.

  “Hey, Joe. Come on in.”

  “Hi, all. I have a little new information, but I’m not sure it will save you from having to relocate again. Here’s what I found out.” Joe began speaking after filling his cup and taking a sip of hot coffee. “Miguel Martinez is definitely our bad guy. As you know, his uncle was one of the La Familia leftovers who were convicted, thanks to your father’s testimony. He died in prison, and I’m not sure he wasn’t assassinated. Anyway, he’s dead, and apparently, they were very close. Miguel would love to avenge his death by finding the snitch that put him away. Your father. Because he probably knows your name, I want you to stay here for a while longer, before we actually relocate you. It could be we take him down and you don’t have to leave.”

  Jennifer groaned and her father looked spooked.

  “Only for a while?” Alex asked. She pushed aside the emerging hope.

  “We’ll see,” Joe continued. “The problem is that the undercover agent was identified as law enforcement, so Martinez is planning to move the drugs. The agent has been sneaking back, though, and found out when the drugs are to be moved. The FBI is planning the raid for tomorrow night.”

  Jennifer turned ghost white. “Martinez knows he’s a cop?”

  “Yes. I’m going to be at my
field office waiting for word starting tomorrow morning. I’ll let you know anything I find out as soon as I can.” Joe stood and pulled Jennifer into a hug. “I’m sorry, Jen. I know Phil is important to you.”

  “So, Phil is undercover in the Martinez gang.” Alex began pacing.

  “Yes. He’s been gathering information about this warehouse drug distribution for months.” Joe stepped away from Jennifer and sat at the table.

  “What about Willy?” her dad asked.

  “His name is Willard Simpson, and he’s only been with this group since they set up in Michigan. It looks like he’s small time and not part of the cartel. I’m sorry he got mixed up with this, because the FBI will shoot first and ask questions later after the raid.”

  “This is just great. Willy’s a bad guy, and Phil is in danger because of him. They must have recognized each other on Thanksgiving. Just great. Thanks, Dad.” Jennifer stomped to her room and closed the door.

  “So, what happens after the raid, Joe?” Alex asked. She moved to rest her hand on her father’s back.

  “Well, since he’s the last in the line of his family, if he’s killed or they catch him with enough evidence to lock him up, then you can go back to your life here. If he gets away…” He shrugged slightly and looked at them apologetically. “But we’ll deal with that if it happens.”

  He left, and the room was silent as she and her father considered his news.

  Alex picked up the empty cups and put them in the sink, then sat across from her father. She couldn’t imagine how devastated he was feeling.

  “I’m sorry, honey,” he said.

  “It’s okay, Dad. You couldn’t have known who Willy was.”

  Joe had answered many of their questions, but Alex wanted to know the answer to the most important one. Could they really go home?

  *