by Jason Letts
“Then we’d have to bust ourselves!” he said, laughing, and the most uncomfortable forced laugh ever rattled out of her mouth. Tera could just imagine what other darker sides of his effervescent personality she’d see if he was the one to come down on her for trying to solo Kim’s murder investigation.
“But what about you?” she asked, desperately searching for a way to change the topic. “I would’ve thought you’d already had somebody lined up for yourself before coming here.”
Brady scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish.
“I was in a relationship back in New Haven, but she knew I always wanted to come home to Chi-town. When the time came to leave, she didn’t want to go, so that was that.”
“Her loss, and I’m sure you’re doing better for yourself with Olivia,” Tera said politely, carefully appraising his reaction. The reluctance on his face was unmistakable.
“She’s not a bad girl, but she certainly likes to role play like she is one.”
Laughter sputtered out of Tera’s mouth despite her best efforts to cover it. She could just imagine Olivia asking to be spanked and calling him Daddy.
“It makes sense, I suppose,” Tera said, her tone mocking him a little. “What else are you supposed to do with a big, strong detective?”
“Are you saying that’s your style as well?”
“Not at all. Maybe this is TMI, but if I’m having my preference I’m more of a water girl myself. Nothing feels better than skin on skin after being in the pool. In a hot tub, shower, on a beach, not that I’ve had many opportunities for that. Even a damp washcloth can go a long way,” she said.
“And what do you do with the washcloth?” he asked, casting her a furtive grin.
“Brush it along your face, anything.”
“Is that what Lawrence helps you out with?”
“My face or anything about the front of my body seems to be the last thing he’s interested in,” Tera said, immediately clamming up. There was something about Brady that made him too easy to talk to, and things she’d never tell anyone were spilling out. He seemed to gather that she’d said too much.
“I can think of a few different things she could do with me, though I’d never thought much about the water. Maybe I’m simplistic, but I’m just such a sucker for sexy lingerie. I like a woman who’s comfortable in her own skin and isn’t afraid to say what she wants and take charge now and then. That and it’s nice to be able to have a decent conversation over dinner,” he said, glancing at the ground.
Some noise at a podium near the doors got their attention, and Tera spent most of the time the mayor was speaking wondering how long Brady and Olivia could really last if he felt like that. Or maybe he felt like she did about Lawrence and thought they could get into a better groove. Either way, he didn’t move away as the speakers came up one after another, culminating in an emotional speech by Johnny’s father.
“I’d like to thank the mayor, the chief, and the commissioner for their kind words about my son. To hear them say that he was a credit to the force who represented the best of them warms my heart, and I want everyone gathered here to know that he cared deeply about all of you and believed in the mission of promoting safety and well-being all throughout the community. He gave his life for it, and I’m bursting with pride because of it,” the man said before concluding and being escorted away by his wife to some applause.
If Tera thought Kim’s praise had been exaggerated, some of the comments for Johnny made her think they were talking about a different person. But the speeches were largely over, and it looked like people were preparing to head over to the cemetery for the burial. She’d momentarily forgotten that Brady was still next to her when he spoke up.
“I wish my dad had said anything like that about me,” he said, clearly having a much different reaction to Johnny’s father’s speech than she did. The somber look on his face made it seem like a greater confession than anything either of them had yet revealed to each other that day.
“Oh, did he pass on? I’m so sorry,” she said, but he shook his head.
“He’s not dead as far as I know, but he was an extremely flighty guy. I don’t have many memories of him, but most of them involve him getting upset at nothing over dinner and then vanishing for months, only to come back and act like nothing had happened. As a kid, I never realized how terrible it was of him,” he said.
For Tera, it was too easy to relate.
“There were way too many bad dads like that, still are. Mine was pretty much the same way.”
“I guess I can’t put all the blame on him. He was younger than we are now and none of the guys he hung around with were fit to have a family. It was a bad group and they were brutal to each other. Some of it was horrific. One time they held my dad down by the train tracks and he had a thumb sliced clean off.
Tera turned to him and furrowed her brow in shock at the coincidence.
“Mine lost a thumb working at an auto plant. That was a while before he ended up getting shot and killed in a street fight.”
Brady gasped at the similarities.
“What was his name?”
“Nathan Hollister. Your dad’s?” she asked.
“Evan Iger. Look at us, both with our mother’s names and dads who couldn’t keep all of their appendages. Course it could’ve been worse. I had a friend growing up who lost both his parents in a murder/suicide. I bet just from the people here there are enough horror stories about bad parents to make all of us swear to never have kids.”
“You’re probably right,” Tera said, and they continued to look at each other. His eyes and cheekbones still made Brady seem like someone she could trust, and after what they’d said she began to wonder if all of the sympathy and sharing going on was actually forming a real friendship.
She’d had her share of relationships, but a real friendship with a man seemed even more novel. So far she’d yet to have a male friend who really wasn’t just trying to queue up in the hopes of being the next one to sleep with her. Considering how good he looked and how he seemed to be a genuinely kind and intelligent person, she wouldn’t put it past herself to try to convert a friendship into a relationship with him if they both found themselves single.
“There you are,” Olivia said, appearing beside them and taking Brady by the hand and pulling him away. He cast one last smile at Tera before he let Olivia lead him to the cemetery. She had on a gray dress that showed off her curves. She had a few more inches in height and a little more up top than Tera, which could well be enough to encourage Brady to live through no end of role playing. Altogether, it made speculating about a future relationship with Brady under any circumstances look like a useless endeavor.
Tera didn’t speak with them again for the rest of the services. Some people did offer her condolences as if she were part of Johnny’s family, but mostly she didn’t say anything to anyone and soon enough the entire event was over. A few short hours later she was back at work where she could continue to not talk to her current partner as they drove along the streets like they were on some endless night tour of Chicago’s worst neighborhoods.
Like Brady had said, they were creating a new pattern, and at Harold Dreck’s insistence the pattern was that they would basically never get out of their car, which she was sure did nothing to discourage any criminal behavior.
As much as she generally enjoyed quiet, a lack of communication began to become apparent with Lawrence as well, who could’ve been expected to have better things to do than text her while on his trip but still hadn’t sent anything all through Monday. She stared at her phone, wondering if she should try to reach out now that he was surely back, but eventually a grim sense that the wheels had come off hit her, and it looked like he’d left her far behind in this race.
Tuesday was her last day on before some more downtime, and she spent the first part of work down in the precinct’s basement where a shooting range had been set up. It was her favorite place to train by herself, just her, the co
mpact black 9mm Luger, and the target in the distance. The headphones blocked out any sound, leaving her with only her thoughts to keep her company, and every shot that hit the bullseye was a satisfying bit of catharsis.
Tera wasn’t the best shot in the world, and she’d only ever had to pull her gun and use it outside on two occasions, but she knew how important it was to keep sharp and work on her aim. Focusing and clearing her mind was vital, and that’s what made it all the more startling when someone tapped on her shoulder.
Nearly jumping out of her skin at the touch, which wasn’t at all gentle, Tera turned to find it was Lieutenant Sander’s hand that wouldn’t let go of her. The rest of him was little more than shadows in the dark, but she could tell he was full of intent, barely concealing his rage. Something was terribly wrong.
She pulled off her headphones, which fell to the floor as he grabbed her and pulled her, like she was one of the suspects who came streaming through every day. He took her gun and placed it on a counter before hastily turning in the direction of the stairs.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” she said. Tera missed the second stair and started to fall only for the lieutenant to drag her until she could get her feet back under her.
“We need to have a talk,” he said.
At least for propriety’s sake he was a little gentler when they reached the ground floor where other officers could see them, but there was no mistaking that something was going on. Sanders elbowed open a door to one of the interrogation rooms and pushed her in. She turned back to face him, resentful at the rough handling and gritting her teeth.
“That was uncalled for.”
“You’re in no position to make that judgment, just like you’re in no position to do what you did,” he said, the loud voice issuing from below his mustache echoing around the room. She began to gather that the jig was up, and all that was left for her to do was defend her position and hope she could avoid the worst penalties. The grisly face in front of her made that an unlikely prospect.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” she said, trying to say it with conviction, but that only made him angrier. The only thing he wasn’t likely to do was hit her, but he had so many other methods of attack at his disposal that were just as bad.
“I thought better of you,” he said, which was a withering thing to hear. “Neglecting your duties is wrong. Disobeying orders is wrong. Failing to file accurate reports of your activities is wrong. Meddling with an investigation is wrong. Hiding information from the department is wrong. Undertaking work in the name of the police department that you are not authorized to do is wrong.”
The words seemed to pound inside of her head, and she struggled to keep herself together or come up with an incoherent answer. The table was digging into the back of her thighs as she attempted to get more distance from him. The idea that she’d just tried to get things started for someone else to take over seemed to offer no real defense.
There was no telling what was to come. Getting fired seemed like a given, perhaps after some sort of unpaid leave. She couldn’t rule out charges. Everything would put her own mom at risk in much the same way Tera had worried about Kim’s parents being collateral damage.
In the back of her mind, it hit her that admitting anything would only be used against her. She knew the Miranda rights as well as anyone.
“I strongly disagree. That is not what happened at all!” she said, but her emotions were getting the better of her and she stopped even though she wanted to say more about trying to get support for the case. The lieutenant took another step forward, and she had nowhere to turn to. The index finger he pointed at her face had just about the same length and thickness as the barrels on some of the guns she’d been using. It was all crashing down on her.
“This is the last…”
The door swung open behind them, stopping him mid-sentence as he turned to look back in surprise. Brady cruised through the door with an affable look on his face as if he’d accidentally stumbled upon a pizza party. Now it was his hand on the shoulder of Lieutenant Sanders, giving Tera a chance to catch her breath.
“What is going on here? You’re making her late for our meeting about the Parkinson case,” he said. Tera blinked like she was on the verge of a seizure. What? What was happening?
“Detective, please,” Sanders said.
“I see what’s going on here,” Brady went on. “This is all my fault. I’ve been backed up with the paperwork and wasn’t able to get it all in yet. I asked Officer Caldera to look into some things for me while we get this rolling. My gut’s telling me we have a good chance of closing this one.”
Now it was Lieutenant Sanders with a look of shock. The anger was gone, and he stood there plainly, seeming off put and out of sorts. He took another look at Tera, scrutinizing her for any signs of a disconnect. Pursing his lips, he shifted back to Brady.
“Alright then. Let’s up the communication please so we don’t have these kinds of discrepancies. We’re not farming potatoes here, and being new is no excuse for slow paperwork, no matter your position.”
“Right, lieutenant. Of course,” Brady said with another bright smile.
Sanders took his hulking frame out of the room, barely managing to squeeze through the doorway. Tera was still in shock that she’d narrowly managed to avoid any kind of punishment, though she deserved none of the credit for it. She had a hard time remembering another situation where anyone had ever stepped in to help her with anything.
“I…thank you,” she stammered once the door closed behind Sanders. Brady had his head turned away to watch it shut, and when he turned back to her his smile was gone and his entire easy-going air had vanished.
“What were you thinking?” he asked, and somehow his harsh tone hit her with even more force than the lieutenant’s. It was like Sanders’s spirit had remained in the room and was inhabiting Brady, who was nothing but serious and direct. She was getting to see another side of him. It was less social gathering and more like he was at a crime scene.
There was no point to lying.
“She was my friend. I’ve seen the stack of open cases and knew no one was going to get to this. Either I did something about it or her killer would get away with it,” she said.
“I already get that I’d need ten of me to handle all of the cases piling up around here, but it doesn’t help her much if you get yourself thrown out of your job or locked up yourself,” he said, beginning to pace around as though he were looking for clues in the bare, windowless interrogation room.
Tera still felt agitated and defensive, holding on for dear life and fearful that her lifeline could still get ripped away, but there was something she needed to know.
“How did you know what was happening?”
Brady stopped and turned to her, taking a strong step forward as he glared at her. His ruggedly handsome eyes were sharp, and she felt like she could almost see the spectacular mind working behind them.
“I wasn’t in the room when the call got taken, but when Sanders got up in a huff I went in to see what he’d been looking at, and the transcript was right on his desk. A few days ago a log from Perry Hicks in the forensics lab crossed my eyes, and I thought it’d been strange that there wasn’t any incident report accompanying it. At the time I’d figured that they’d just gotten separated, but I put it together in time to intervene,” he said.
She didn’t need him bearing down for her to know how miraculous it was that he’d been able to figure out what she’d been up to in the nick of time. If he’d been any less competent, she’d probably be in cuffs. But so many questions were still swirling around her head. She blurted out the simplest of them.
“What call?”
“Someone called in with a pretty thorough report of what you’d been doing with particular emphasis on how it wasn’t within the frame of what your current position allowed. The intent was to damage you as much as possible.”
Tera looked at him, her focus bouncing around as if to try to find t
he things he wasn’t saying. Any report taken over the phone would have the caller’s identification information. Brady knew who it was, but he was allowing it to go unsaid to protect her dignity. She’d only ever told one person about her secret case. Hiding it didn’t matter when her dignity was in tatters. She may as well have been completely naked.
“I don’t know why he would do that,” she said.
Lawrence had ratted her out, and for what? Because she wasn’t able to take a weekend trip with him? She felt her heart clench, and alternating waves of anger and embarrassment washed over her. Hand over her face and head down in an attempt to hide, Tera felt the shame of it radiating out of every pore. What made it worse was that she’d been bragging about Lawrence to Brady only a couple of days before.
Brady reached out to grab hold of her wrist and wrenched it away from her face, forcing her to stand up straight and return her attention to him.
“Hey, forget about that. It doesn’t matter. Don’t give up and don’t cave in. I didn’t come in here and stick my neck out just so you can recede into your own head. You’ve got to help me now, because we’re not out of the woods.”
Tera’s eyes drifted to his hand around her wrist. Each heavy breath seemed to bring her closer to being overcome. He left no room for argument. She didn’t have a choice but to help him. But as for Lawrence, it certainly didn’t feel like what he did to her didn’t matter.
“Alright.”
“That means what we’re doing tonight is filling out this paperwork. I usually like it when women give me sleepless nights, but not like this. The only thing that’s going to prevent Sanders from having another fit and going after both of us is if the paper trail is in tact and we have absolutely everything you did documented. Now come on, let’s get started. From the beginning,” he said.
“Right now?” she said, trying to settle herself. They didn’t even have a piece of paper or a pencil for notes, much less any of the right forms.
“Right now. We’ll get to putting it down, but the first thing you need to do is give me the gut-check feeling you had about it when you first arrived. I need to feel like I was there at the very first moment,” he said.