2nd Cycle of the Harbinger Series: The continuation of the #1 Hard-boiled/Police Procedural smash Plain Jane

by Carolyn McCray

  “I would have put it all together if I wasn’t in the middle of giving birth. “She spun on her heel. “Kent get your ass out here right now.”

  Even though he knew it was futile, Joshua reached out. “Kent is dead.”

  “You’d better hope not, otherwise I am taking the loss of his body out of your hide.”

  Joshua shrunk back. This was not going at all like it was supposed to.

  “Oh, please, don’t blame the poor boy,” a voice sounded from the back of the room.

  * * *

  Nicole turned on her heel to find Kent walking out of the cold storage door. Mist surrounded him, swirling around his figure as if he had just performed a magic trick.

  But the magic trick wasn’t being performed now. It was when he faked his own death.

  “I saw you on the slab.”

  “A little DMT, potassium cyanide and neuromuscular blocker cocktail plus some truly amazing make-up work by Joshua and voila, I was dead.”

  Nicole stepped forward and slapped Kent across the face. His disregard for anyone else’s feelings, especially hers, had gone too far.

  “But I only did this to--” Kent tried to argue.

  “I know why you did it,” Nicole countered, slapping him again. “You faked your death so the killer would think you were out of her way and she would strike again.”

  Another slap. Kent’s cheek was getting red, but she didn’t care.

  “I saw the autopsy sutures…” Nicole said, her mind still trying to absorb what she had seen versus what was real.

  Kent threw a thumb at Joshua. “I have to admit that was Josh’s idea. He hand-made the fake skin and sutures then glued them on me.”

  Her husband opened his shirt to show where the hair had been ripped from his chest. “I now have a Y on my chest and it hurt like hell when he ripped it off, but a small price to pay.”

  Nicole slapped him again. “A small price to pay?” she hissed, hot, angry tears stung her eyes. She slapped him again, then again. He didn’t fight back. Finally her arm got too tired and it dangled by her side.

  “Hit me as many times as you need, babe,” Kent said. “I know it has been hell for you.”

  “Don’t,” Nicole argued, as she stumbled back, finding a stool to sit on. “You don’t get to be reasonable. Loving. Understanding.”

  “What do you want me to be then?” her suddenly alive husband asked.

  For the life of her, Nicole didn’t know. She almost blurted out “be dead.” Yes, a part of her was so angry at her husband that she almost wished he was still dead. Another part of her couldn’t believe he was alive and yet another part of her wanted to soar on the wind, she was so elated he was, after all, alive.

  “Nic,” Kent said in that compassionate voice of his.

  She stood up abruptly. “You don’t get to call me that. Not right now.”

  Then her anger fled. Like a balloon that had been untied. She crashed back down onto the stool, nearly flinging it out from under herself.

  Kent took no step forward to stabilize her. He wasn’t Ruben. For good or bad, he was nothing like her partner. Ruben would never fake his death. He would never have allowed Nicole to suffer the way she had.

  Tears streamed down her face. So many, in fact, that they distorted her vision, transforming her husband into a watercolor painting. He was all streaky and warped. Maybe she was seeing him truly for the first time.

  Ruben had warned her over and over again how much of her heart she risked with Kent, but she’d never really understood exactly the extent until this minute.

  “How could you?” Nicole asked, as she doubled over, trying to keep the sobs from overwhelming her.

  “I think…” Joshua said. “I think I’ll head --”

  “Oh no,” Nicole exclaimed. “You go nowhere. I’m not done with you.”

  Joshua gulped and nodded, rocking foot to foot.

  “Nicole, I know --” Kent started to say.

  Even though she couldn’t speak as another wave of sobs overtook her, she put her hand up. Kent had no right to seek salvation. Not now. Perhaps not ever.

  * * *

  Kent knew that Nicole was going to take this hard, but he never imagined it would be this badly.

  His wife was usually a pragmatic, tough woman. Tougher than he.

  But right now, Nicole’s face was blotchy with sobbing, and she couldn’t speak between her grief-fueled hiccups.

  He knew his actions would hurt her. He wasn’t that disconnected. But this? He had assumed once she knew his motivations, she would understand. He was trying to save lives.

  Usually Nicole was down with that.

  Apparently he’d pushed the envelope a little too far.

  His heart ached for her, but he had no idea how to make this right. That wasn’t usually in his wheelhouse.

  Kent looked over to Joshua, who looked like he was going to pee his pants, so the attendant wasn’t likely to be very much help.

  “Nicole, honey…” He said, taking a step toward her. His only compass now was unfortunately Ruben. This was the tall detective’s wheelhouse.

  Nicole looked up. Her eyes rimmed in red, her nose swollen as tears streamed past her nostrils. “You promised me. You swore you’d be there for our baby’s birth.”

  “I was,” Kent explained. “I was there.”

  “How?” Nicole asked. “Your ‘death’ induced my labor.”

  Kent took another tentative step forward. “Remember the anesthesiologist? The one that wasn’t doing much anesthetizing?”

  “The one that held my hand?” Nicole asked, the realization dawning in her blood-shot eyes. “That was you?”

  “I promised, remember?”

  Nicole nearly fell off her stool. Kent rushed forward, catching his wife in his arms.

  She cried against his shoulder, beating him with her fists. “How could you? How could you?” she murmured.

  He held her close, not flinching at the beating. Even he understood that he deserved it.

  Rocking, Kent kissed Nicole on the top of her head until her fists opened and she clutched him tight, sobbing into his shirt.

  “I never abandoned you,” Kent murmured. “I’ve spent most of my time under your bed as a matter of fact.”

  Apparently that was not what Nicole wanted to hear. The beating started again. He rode it out. Finally her rage imploded.

  Nicole clutched his shirt, keeping them pressed against one another.

  She tilted her chin up. “You’re alive. You are really alive.”

  Kent smiled. “Yes. I’m not going anywhere.” He hugged her tightly. “I was at the funeral even. That was a beautiful moment between you and Dalia.”

  Nicole pulled back and glared at him. “No…”

  “No, what?” Kent asked, trying to sound all innocent.

  “You told Dalia. You told her you weren’t dead.”

  Kent thought about lying, but figured this might not be the most opportune time. “Yes. I couldn’t put her through that.”

  “Put her through it?” Nicole demanded. “Put her?”

  “Nic,” Kent explained. “I knew she could sell it. I mean, come on, that girl is a drama queen. You aren’t.”

  Tears streamed down Nicole’s cheeks. “You couldn’t trust me?”

  “My darling, you wear your heart on your sleeve. If you’d known I was still alive, the killer would have as well.”

  Nicole frowned, then sniffled. “What about all those people at the funeral? How are they going to take this news?”

  Kent smiled. “I am sending each a hand written apology with my explanation. But half of them probably didn’t believe I was really dead. I’ve kind of been ‘killed’ in combat too many times for me to count.”

  “You really are a douche. You know that, right?”

  He leaned in and met her lips. They kissed. A very salty kiss, but a kiss nonetheless.

  “Yah,” Joshua said. “I think I’ll be --”

  Nicole’s head sna
pped around. “Oh no, mister. You still have some explaining to do.”

  * * *

  Dear God. He could not get out of the room. Next time, he was just bolting. No time for Nicole to fix him with that Sauron-like stare.

  If the detective had been a dinosaur, she would have been a raptor, for sure.

  “I’m really not sure how I can help,” Joshua squeaked. Maybe Kent would show him some mercy. Dismissing him.

  He knew helping Kent would bear a cost. A high cost. Maybe even his job. He’d forged McGregor’s signature after all.

  But why was he in Nicole’s crosshairs? He’d only done what Kent asked.

  Kent and Nicole remained huddled together. A lot of issues seemed to be getting resolved without a single word spoken. Joshua hoped somewhere in there that he was getting forgiven.

  Finally the two parted a few inches. Nicole wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve as Kent blotted her face with his shirt.

  “Feel better?” the profiler asked his wife.”

  “No,” Nicole snapped, then grinned, tilting her head for Kent to kiss her again.

  Okay, this was getting a little, no, a lot, uncomfortable.

  Come on, guys, get a room that isn’t mine.

  Joshua’s phone jangled the Dark Skies theme in his pocket. He pulled it out. “It’s Jimmi,” he announced.

  “Take it,” Kent said, holding Nicole close.

  Joshua didn’t hesitate to answer the call. Jimmi would think it weird if he didn’t answer on the first few rings. “Doctor 7,” he answered.

  “Weirdo,” Jimmi retorted, even as he chuckled.

  “Why you dig me,” Joshua answered. “What’s up, my companion?”

  “Just wondering where that cellphone from the Joe Doe is. I thought you were sending it over to decrypt.”

  Crap. Crap. Crap.

  He’d been so wrapped up with Kent and his family dramas, he’d completely forgotten to messenger it over.

  “Thought I’d give it a shot myself,” Joshua said, lying.

  “When will you learn, muggle?”

  “Apparently never,” Joshua answered. “I’ll send it right over.”

  He hung up, looking over to Nicole. “Can I go now?”

  Her eyes narrowed, as her lips pinched together. “Don’t think we’re done.”

  Of that, Joshua had no illusions.

  CHAPTER 8

  Kent held Nicole. Held her like he’d never held her before. It made him distinctly uncomfortable. He couldn’t bully his way out of his one. He couldn’t joke his way out. He couldn’t think his way out.

  Despite his guts crawling around his abdomen, Kent held Nicole.

  After reading a gazillion self-help books on relationships, he intellectually knew that women many times didn’t want the “problem” fixed. They just wanted to be heard. That they just wanted to be held.

  That had always seemed absolutely ridiculous to Kent.

  If only he could explain all of his rationale, he was certain that Nicole would understand why his actions had been necessary. Logic should rule the day, however that was not how their reunion was unfolding.

  Any time he tried to speak, Nicole would punch him. A rather effective means of communicating her feelings.

  So here they stood. Collapsed into each other.

  Raw. No words to defend himself with.

  Intimacy at its most basic level.

  His worst nightmare.

  If Nicole wanted to punish him for his actions, she had succeeded well.

  It wasn’t the fact he had to hold her. He’d hold Nicole until the end of days. It wasn’t the fact that they were communicating non-verbally. He was a master of the non-verbal expression.

  The problem was that Nicole wasn’t letting Kent get away with any of his usual tricks. She refused to allow their contact to go into any kind of sexual arena. She wouldn’t allow him to guide their interaction.

  His wife kept them here. Just two hurt people holding each other.

  If it hadn’t been Nicole, he would have pulled away, but it was the mother of his son. The woman that he had made believe he was dead.

  If being uncomfortable was the price he had to pay, then he would pay it willingly.

  Finally, his wife stirred in his arms and looked up at him. Her eyelashes were still heavy with tears. Her eyes searching his face.

  He thought she was about to express her undying love. Or forgiving him. Or something of that nature.

  Instead she said, “The next time I see you on a slab, I’m putting two in your chest and one in your head, just so you know.”

  Kent chuckled. Oh, his wife was back on her game. He kissed the top of her head. “Good to know.”

  * * *

  Nicole sniffled then said, “You are not off the hook, mister.”

  “I know,” Kent replied. “I know.”

  “I don’t think you do,” Nicole stated. “You are changing diapers until Logan is potty trained.”

  Kent’s eyes widened. “Logan? You named him Logan?”

  Nicole nodded.

  He kissed her on the forehead. “It’s perfect.”

  “It better be,” Nicole replied, still angry, but the rage didn’t reach her core anymore. She felt like she was floating in a hot air balloon. She felt detached from the world. As if she was cocooned in invisible silk.

  “You know that I am sorry, Nic. You know that, right?” Kent asked.

  Nicole stepped away from her husband. “No, no, you aren’t really.” Kent went to open his mouth, but she put a finger to his lips. “And you shouldn’t be. Damn it, but what you did was the only thing you could to save lives.”

  “I could have told you though,” he said in that baritone that got to her each and every time.

  “No, no, you couldn’t have,” Nicole replied. “You needed my visceral reaction to sell your death. I can see that. I’m not happy about it, but if it saves another woman from dying, then I can accept it.”

  Kent rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “You are the best wife anyone could ever have.”

  “Damn right,” Nicole stated, then chuckled.

  The two of them were truly a pair.

  “So how are we going to make all this angst pay off?” Nicole asked.

  Kent looked her up and down as if he couldn’t believe they were moving on to working on the case.

  “Look, I’m still pissed, thrilled and confused,” Nicole explained. “But what I want to feel is satisfied. Satisfied that all of this was worth it.”

  “Oh, it will be worth it,” Kent replied.

  “How so? We’ve drawn blanks all the way around. Ruben can’t zero in on the heroin angle and I struck out big time with Hannah.”

  * * *

  “Hannah?” Kent chuckled. “Hannah is a lesbian who has been living with her college roommate for ten years.”

  Nicole punched him in the arm.

  He rubbed his triceps. “What was that about? I thought you wanted to talk about the case?”

  “I do, but you don’t have to be such a douche about it.”

  True, true.

  “How did you find out she was a lesbian?” Nicole asked. “Hannah said you never spoke with her.”

  Kent shrugged. “I went to her biggest rival in the office. Another ADA gunning for Hannah’s office. She was more than happy to spill Hannah’s secrets.”

  Nicole frowned. “I’m never going to understand how your brain works, am I?”

  “Ah, what would the fun be in that?”

  That earned him another punch. Again, probably well deserved.

  His wife shook her hand. “So where are we then and don’t, for Christ’s sake, ask me to think it through.”

  Normally, that’s exactly what Kent would have done, but his arm was truly getting sore and his wife looked ready to mete out more punishment.

  “I’ve eliminated about 80% of the women that had access to the morgue’s database, but I am worried that those other 20% are not going to reveal anyon
e either.”

  “Why? I thought your theory was sound?”

  “Theories can be sound, but wrong. I think this killer is slightly more clever than I gave her credit for.”

  Nicole’s eyebrow went up.

  “I know, right?”

  “So you are human?” Nicole asked, a grin playing at the edge of her lips.

  “I know? What’s up with that?”

  Nicole threw a fake punch, barely grazing Kent’s arm. “Ruben is going to be glad to hear that.”

  Kent shook his head. “We can’t tell him. Not yet. And you’ve got to keep up with the inconsolable grief thing. At least for a few more days.”

  “Why?”

  “The killer hasn’t struck yet. Like I said, she is smart. She is waiting to see if this Kent is dead thing is sticking until she feels comfortable to strike again.”

  * * *

  Joshua hovered outside the door, trying to decide if it was safe to go in.

  On one hand, catching Kent and Nicole in a compromising position had its advantages. And if somehow he could have his phone out and “accidently” film it, well, Joshua wouldn’t turn that down. Add it to his video collection.

  But what if they were arguing again? What if Nicole turned her venom on him? She didn’t need snakes for hair to turn men to stone. Her gaze did it just fine.

  Unfortunately, he couldn’t stand out here forever. Someone might notice him, then he’d have to explain and then it would just get weird.

  Taking in a good deep breath, Joshua walked into the room to find it…empty.

  What the hell?

  There was only one entrance or exit.

  Kent had pulled another Houdini.

  Damn, the guy was good.

  Of course, the profiler and Nicole hadn’t just rabbited without leaving Joshua with a bunch of work.

  Taped to the top of his computer screen was a list of tasks that Kent wanted done.

  Then at the bottom was a hand written note.

  “We still need to talk.”

  Nicole.

  Joshua gulped. That woman was as stubborn as her husband.

  Tearing the note off, Joshua got to work. Maybe, just maybe, if he broke this case, he wouldn’t have to face Nicole’s wrath.

  That and he was going to make some fresh snickerdoodle cookies.

  The detective couldn’t exactly chew him out if she was chewing on some sweets, now could she?