Cold Truth

by Mary Stone

  “I appreciate it,” he said as he pulled the cab to a stop in front of her apartment. He actually looked like he was going to cry, and she was tempted to add another thousand to really make his day.

  “Not as much as I appreciate you. Thank you again.”

  She was out before he could utter another word, rushing up to the side entrance and jogging up the stairs to the third floor. Her socks squished around her toes with each step, but she kept her thoughts on the hot shower she was going to take the second she walked through the door.

  Using the keyless entry pad, she typed in the code and opened the door, stepping through and letting it close behind her. She stripped in the entryway, carrying her clothes under her arm, the hardwood floor cold under her bare feet. She tossed her uniform into a dry cleaning bag and hung her Kevlar vest in the laundry room. The dry cleaner could salvage the uniform, but she had a feeling the vest was ruined. “I’ll probably have to buy the department another one,” she mumbled, turning on the water and stepping under the spray.

  Yellow water swirled down the drain, and by the time it ran clear, she’d finally stopped shivering. Her muscles were already starting to ache, but she didn’t have time to rest just yet. The stylist expected her in the chair in an hour, and he didn’t tolerate lateness. She scrubbed herself clean three times before stepping out of the shower and drying off quickly.

  By the time she dragged herself into her bedroom, she was too tired to think. She swallowed four ibuprofen tablets and eyed her bed with longing.

  Just a short nap, she promised herself as she snuggled under the heavy duvet and pulled the sheet up around her ears. She would do her own hair and save some time.

  She texted the hairdresser and paid him for the appointment, then she rolled over and burrowed into the mattress. Two hours. She had two hours before she had to get up and get dressed. It was more than enough time to recharge and be ready to face her parents.

  The news coverage would have people talking, but they wouldn’t dare cause a scene at such an important event. Any exposure is good exposure, her father would say while ignoring her mother’s grumblings. Helen Kline preferred to maintain the family’s dignity in the public eye, but Ellie wasn’t about to start beating herself up for doing her job. She’d caught a dangerous suspect, and she had no doubt the footage would be just the leverage she needed to get one step closer to Homicide Division.

  Today had been an exciting day, and she wasn’t going to let anyone ruin it for her. Not Danver, not her own doubts, and especially not her mother.

  Ellie had big dreams.

  After today, they were closer to becoming a reality.

  4

  An attendant rushed forward when Ellie’s Uber driver pulled up to the curb in front of the massive four-story building on the waterfront of the French Quarter. Her youngest brother, Wesley, was standing outside and immediately waved.

  Wesley helped her out of the car, grinning from ear to ear. Bright green eyes the same shade as hers twinkled with mischief, not a single auburn-colored hair out of place. “Too bad Mom and Dad didn’t see you pull up in Bubba’s Mini Cooper.”

  “I think his name was Tom, but I’m not sure.” She sighed and smoothed the skirt of her deep blue slit dress. She arranged her curls around her shoulders, suddenly hot and regretting not putting her hair up. “All the car services were booked, and I didn’t feel like driving.”

  “Gee, I wonder why.”

  She laughed. “I know, I know. I’ve had a rough day.”

  “I saw.”

  Cringing, she was thankful she had put something in her stomach, or she might’ve dry heaved right there on the sidewalk. “Mom and Dad too?”

  “Are you kidding? Everyone has their cell phone out, ready to show them the video. Like the local stations didn’t cut to the live feed.” He snickered, reminding Ellie of the playful cohort he’d been when they were younger. For an instant, she could almost see him running around the house, chasing her with a frog, and the exhausted expression on their mother’s face as she pleaded with them to stop acting like heathens. Her mom had wanted another girl. Instead, she’d been gifted with Wesley.

  She groaned. “Was it live on every channel?”

  “Every last one. Just you with your name plastered all over the screen.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Mom is not amused.”

  Ellie took the elbow he offered, leaning on him for a moment. “Did you see the whole ordeal?” she asked as they made their way up the steps. Her heels pinched her feet, and she wished she’d worn flats, but she’d needed the extra boost to her already tall frame to give her the confidence to get through the night.

  “You jumping over the railing like a wild woman? Yeah, I did. Ellie, it was the best thing I’ve ever witnessed. What was it like? Were you scared? Cause it didn’t look like it.”

  She pursed her lips, trying not to grin. “You better rein that in before we get inside.”

  “I will, but come on. I’m proud of my little sister.”

  She tried to elbow him, but he was too close, and she only succeeded in nearly tripping in her gown. “I’m five years older than you.”

  He gave her a playful shove. “And five inches shorter.”

  She pushed out her bottom lip, pretending to be hurt. “Haven’t I been through enough today?”

  Wesley only rolled his eyes. “Please. You enjoyed it. The look on your face when you put your hands on the railing just before you jumped was pure joy. I’ve never seen you happier.”

  Ellie blew out a long breath when they reached the top step. Gilded double doors with artfully carved phoenixes on each swung open wide. The doormen were dressed in matching uniforms that made them look so similar, Ellie wondered aloud if they were twins.

  “How much of the Ashley River did you drink?”

  “Far too much. That fool almost drowned me.”

  “I wonder if his new nickname is Michaelangelo.” He raised his brows, waiting for her to laugh at his reference to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. “I bet that’s going over well in prison. You could hear him screaming on the video. At first, I thought it was you, but you’re not afraid of turtles.”

  She nudged him with her elbow. “Can we change the subject?”

  “Sure, but no one else will.”

  “What do you mean?”

  They stepped into the ballroom, and every head turned her way. The string quartet on the stage in front of the dance floor played on, but Ellie caught a few sour notes. Several dancing couples were frozen in place, their arms still in position, faces registering varying stages of disdain.

  “You should bow,” Wesley said close to her ear.

  “I’m not bowing,” she said through gritted teeth as silence settled over the room. She’d been through this song and dance enough times to know that everyone present was waiting for her mother to reel her in.

  Please let the floor open up and swallow me whole.

  But the marble beneath her feet remained firm. Her heart rate quickened, and the urge to run had built to a fever pitch when the first slow clap began. Ellie searched the crowd, but before her eyes settled on the familiar face and sea blue eyes, she knew who it was.

  “Leave it to Nick to save the day,” Wesley muttered as the attendees began to applaud.

  Bewildered expressions spread into welcoming smiles, and strangers called out their congratulations for a job well done as she and Wes strolled through the gathering.

  Ellie smiled, hoping she didn’t look like the gator of her suspect’s imagination. “Where are Mom and Dad? I don’t want to dread this encounter all night.”

  “Looks like they found us.”

  Ellie followed his gaze. Sure enough, their parents were making their way through the crowd toward them, which parted to let them pass. Daniel Kline’s full head of silver hair was perfectly styled, and he carried a hand-carved cane, which only added to the air of dignity that seemed to cling to the tall man.

  Helen Kline looked stunning
in a simple chocolate-brown sheath that matched the color of her eyes and accentuated the bright red hair Ellie had inherited from her. She was pale, and beneath a layer of professionally applied makeup, Ellie could see she was exhausted.

  “Oh boy,” Ellie groaned under her breath.

  “Eleanor, darling.” Her mother kissed Ellie on both cheeks, then guided her away from the dance floor to one of the tables set up near the wall. “We should sit,” Helen insisted. She gave Daniel a pointed look, and he sighed before lowering himself into a chair and settling in.

  “I’d rather stand.” Ellie tried not to feel like a teenager who had been caught doing something naughty, but her mother always made her feel that way, no matter what she had done.

  “Oh my. I suppose we’ll have to stand. I didn’t notice your dress was so daring. With the slits nearly reaching your hips, I guess there’s really no ladylike way to sit.” Helen’s sniff said more than a million words could.

  The jab was intentional. Ellie knew her mother wanted to have a sit-down, even in full view of the public she was so eager to impress. Helen Kline never caused a scene, and she rarely raised her voice. But Ellie already knew what was coming. People out of earshot would never guess when Helen tore down Ellie’s “hobby” in favor of something more fitting for a woman of Ellie’s “station in life.” The words were always spoken with kindness, but Ellie wasn’t in the mood for the underlying barbs.

  Standing, Ellie towered over her petite mother. It didn’t level the field, but it was enough for Ellie not to feel like she was a young girl again.

  Before Ellie could defend her choice of dress, her two oldest brothers showed up, taking their place behind Daniel Kline and making their position clear. Unlike Helen, they were scowling, perturbed that, once again, their little sister had run amok.

  Ellie gave each of them a megawatt smile that bared all her teeth, and Wesley did nothing to stifle his laughter.

  Daniel Jr. stiffened, and Blake shook his head in disapproval. The two weren’t twins, but they could pass for it, both dark-haired and dark-eyed.

  Their mother sighed, looking to her husband for help, then back at Ellie. “I’m sure you’re aware we saw the news.”

  “It seems like everyone did. I saved the video to my desktop.”

  Helen scowled delicately for an instant, then her face smoothed out again. Controlled, kind, and proper. “What happened is nothing to boast about. You could have been killed.”

  “Those Carolina turtles will get you,” Wesley interjected.

  Helen didn’t even glance his way. She’d had plenty of practice ignoring his antics over the past twenty-two years, but that never stopped Wesley from trying. “I talked to Violet about a position at the Kline House. The residents aren’t criminals, but perhaps you can throw your energy into helping young families recovering from a loss. It will give that civil servant’s heart of yours something to focus on, and you can make a difference in a safer manner.”

  A more dignified manner was what her mother didn’t say.

  “Kline House is your thing. I’m fine where I am.” Ellie bit on the inside of her lip. She’d help out at the house when she was a kid and insisted on working there in the summers as a teen. But it broke her heart to see the families come in, having lost their home to a fire or worse. Kline House helped them get on their feet and find a new home. She loved what it stood for, but working there was too constrictive for her. “I’m not working for Kline House. I want to make a real difference.”

  “We do make a difference. So many of our families have left Kline House in much better circumstances than when they moved in. You can make a difference in so many lives, and there are children. Darling, I know how you love children, and—”

  “Mother, please.”

  “I’m sorry, honey.” Her mother clutched her neck in the perfect Southern belle pose. “Seeing you fall off that bridge terrified me to no end.”

  “I jumped.”

  Her mother sucked in a sharp breath. “Fell or jumped, the outcome was the same.”

  “Not really,” Wesley said.

  “Quiet,” their father hissed, then coughed and wiped his face with a handkerchief, even as his green eyes shone with pride. “Wesley, your sister doesn’t need your help expressing herself. Your mother and I have raised her well. She can handle herself.”

  Ellie smiled warmly at her father, then turned her attention back to Helen. “Mom, I jumped, and I would do it again. I protect and serve, and it was the only way to bring in a dangerous suspect.”

  Helen’s eyes sparkled with outrage. “Eleanor, this is not who we are.”

  “It’s not who you are. This job is what I’ve dreamed of for as long as I can remember.” Not exactly, she amended silently, but it was close enough for now. “I’m not meant to sit on a phone all day, collecting donations from people who have more money than God. I need to be in the midst of it, and being a police officer is what makes me happy.” She reached out and touched Helen’s hand. Helen sighed and squeezed Ellie’s fingers in a gesture of affection. “Mom, I know you want what’s best for me. I just need you to understand that I’m doing it.”

  “I know, sweetheart. I just worry.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

  Nick stepped into her line of sight, a smile on his face and two glasses of champagne in one hand. Handsome in his tuxedo, his light brown hair perfectly groomed, his piercing blue eyes ran over her dress with a look of approval.

  Helen followed Ellie’s gaze and smiled. “Oh, there’s Nick. I was wondering when he’d find you.” She blew out a soft breath. “Eleanor, dear, please do consider what we’ve talked about. There’s no reason for you to work unless you want to, but at least think about something a bit less dangerous.”

  “Everything will be fine, Mom.”

  Helen nodded, but when Ellie eyed her father, he was still pale. “Is Dad all right?”

  Helen pressed her lips together, stepping closer. “His heart is weaker. He’ll need another surgery soon.” She hugged Ellie and held her tight, whispering so only she could hear. “Darling, please think about Kline House. Your father isn’t doing well, and you know how he worries about you.”

  Ellie knew her mother was using her father’s condition to guilt her, and for a moment, she was overwhelmed by the emotion. But she forced a smile. “Daddy will be all right. He always is.”

  “This time, I’m not so sure.” Helen released Ellie and motioned to Nick. “You two have a lot to chat about. Maybe Nick can talk some sense into you.”

  “It’s a party, Mom. Let’s have a little fun.”

  “Think about what I said.” She turned toward her eldest sons.

  “I will,” Ellie lied.

  Ellie took Nick’s arm and one of the glasses. She sipped as they strolled across the room, and when the crowd was between her and her parents, she tossed back the contents.

  “Need another?” He flashed perfect white teeth at her. “Sorry I took so long to rescue you. Tessa waylaid me.”

  Ellie wrinkled her nose and grabbed a glass of wine as a waiter passed with a tray. “I’m not sure who had it worse.”

  “Definitely you. Did your mother lay a guilt trip on you?”

  She sipped from the glass, the sour, thick wine not going down as easy as the sweet champagne. “The biggest.”

  “Sorry.”

  She shook her head, thankful the alcohol was already making her feel lighter. “I don’t get it. I thought they’d be relieved to see I was okay, but Mom seemed freaked out.”

  “Helen Kline freaked out?” Nick scoffed playfully.

  “You know what I mean.”

  “I’d ask if you would be in her place, but we both know the answer.” He set the empty glasses on a table and gathered her into his arms. “I know you’ve probably heard this all day, but I’m proud of you.” He kissed her lightly on the lips, then pressed his forehead against hers for a moment, sighing. “When you went over that railing, you were o
n fire. I knew that man wasn’t getting away. If he was smart, he would’ve seen it too.”

  “Thank you. I can’t tell you how much it means to hear you say those words.”

  He moved her toward the edge of the dance floor and swayed her back and forth to the soft music. “Wesley was obviously enjoying the talk.”

  “Wesley enjoys anything that gets our parents riled up. If Dan and Blake lose their cool, too, even better.”

  “Wesley was always your smartest brother.”

  Ellie giggled, thoroughly enjoying herself now that she had shed the nerves. “I’m glad you’re here. I’ve missed you.”

  He spun her gently and dipped her, careful not to make the movement too deep. “You want to get some air?”

  “Yeah, that sounds good.”

  He spun her one more time, and as the song ended, he took her hand and led her toward the balconies. Outside, she inhaled the fresh, humid air steeped in the fragrance of Confederate Roses that were planted in the expansive flowerbeds. She took in the sweeping view of the Cooper River and squinted into the distance to see if she could spot Fort Sumpter.

  Leaning against the stone railing, she closed her eyes and sighed when Nick’s arm came around her. His comfortable warmth drew her in, and she snuggled against him as he held her tight to his side. “I wish my parents could see things the way I do.”

  “Don’t we all.”

  “Yeah, but your parents don’t bat an eye when you spend all day out at a construction site. Even if you are on the developmental end of real estate and don’t actually build the houses yourself, if you pitched in, they wouldn’t balk.” She lifted a hand to fiddle with the curls she’d left cascading down her back. “If I picked up a hammer, even that would be too much for a ‘cultured lady’ in my mom’s eyes. She would swoon if she saw me with my gun. I don’t know how she can feel that way. I want to change lives and see that change in the community I serve. She acts like I’m on a garbage pick-up crew.”

  “Garbage men make decent money, and there’s the added bonus of finding treasures.” Nick smiled down at her, letting her know he didn’t mind listening to her vent.