The Darkest Hour

by Anina Collins

  I gently squeezed his hand. “You don’t have to talk about this tonight, Alex. You’ve been through hell today. Let it wait for when things aren’t so bad.”

  He shook his head, determined to say what was on his mind. “No, I want to. I haven’t told a soul this, and it’s time.”

  Bracing myself for what he was about to say, I prayed for the strength to be supportive and not petty as I had been when he was with Bethany. I didn’t want to be jealous of a ghost.

  Alex took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he slowly released the air from his lungs. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but all I knew was whatever he said, I was the one person fortunate enough to hear those words he hadn’t uttered to another human.

  “I adored her. She was everything to me.”

  In those eight words, I heard how painful her loss still was to him all this time later. I remained silent and waited to hear more from him about the couple Ken Bryer described earlier that day. His view of them had been from the outside. Now I’d hear from the only person left who could tell me who Alex and Helena really were.

  “We were happy. I never thought I’d be happy as a husband because I’d always tended to be a loner. The man you know is who I’ve been most of my adult life. I was perfectly content to be single for the rest of my life, and then one day I answered a 911 call to a restaurant and all that changed. I met Helena and suddenly I didn’t want to be alone anymore.”

  He stopped for a moment and he squinted his eyes as he looked past me. “If I’d only known that we’d have so little time together maybe I would have done things differently. I don’t know.”

  I didn’t ask, but I wondered if he was referring to what Ken had told me about Alex not wanting children. After a few seconds, he turned back to face me, the memory of whatever had bothered him passed.

  “Life was good. I got promoted to detective after a few years, and she had her success at the restaurant. I couldn’t imagine us being happier. I mean, we were both working long hours, but at the end of the day, we were both happy. I keep saying that word, but it’s true. We were.”

  Unsure if Ken had misunderstood the relationship or if Alex’s memories were clouded by the wish of what could have been, I decided to gently probe him about children to find out.

  “Did you and Helena ever plan to have any kids?”

  He nodded while the frown he’d worn for nearly all our time together that night deepened. “We tried for months, and then finally when she did get pregnant, she miscarried before she even made it through the first trimester. We didn’t have a chance to celebrate and tell our friends before it was all over and we were back at square one again.”

  I hated seeing him relive that terrible sadness after enduring the shock of Bethany’s murder and then the realization that yet another person he’d cared about had been taken in such a similar way. I would have stopped him from continuing, but he seemed to want to tell me, so I listened even as my heart broke for him.

  “We had a fight right after the miscarriage. Our emotions were so raw after trying for so long, and I told her I wasn’t sure we should try again yet. I just didn’t want to see her heartbroken again, but she thought that meant I didn’t love her or want to have kids.”

  He covered his face with his hands and I heard him say in a tortured voice that was just a week before she died. “I stormed out that day to go to work, and we never talked about the fight again. And then I didn’t have the chance to.”

  His shoulders sagged from the weight of his sadness. I took him into my arms and held him as he quietly swore he wasn’t the man people thought he was. He didn’t have to tell me. I knew who Alex Montero was, and he was no killer.

  “I didn’t do this to Bethany. I know it’s similar to the way Helena died, but I didn’t do this. I can’t believe it’s a coincidence either, though. I can’t imagine how this happened.”

  As I softly stroked his back, I broached the idea that had crossed my mind more than once that day. “Do you think it’s possible you’re being targeted? You were a cop for years, Alex. There has to be any number of people who bear a grudge against you.”

  He slowly leaned back away from me and thought about what I’d said. “You mean the same person who murdered Helena has now murdered Bethany five years later? I’ll tell you what I’d say as a cop. It’s highly unlikely. In fact, I know what I’d say about this case if I were investigating it. I’d be looking at me.”

  “Then it’s good that you have me around to throw some other ideas into the mix. So far I have Bethany’s sister Mariah having something to do with it and someone killing both women.”

  He didn’t look hopeful as I explained my theories, and I didn’t blame him. He’d entrusted his freedom to me and believed I’d show he was innocent, and so far I’d only come up with the obvious and the unlikely.

  Leaning back against the couch, he looked over at me and asked, “Have you told Derek about either of these theories of yours?”

  “No way. He thinks it’s you, so I’ve been pretending to just try to prove you had nothing to do with the murder, not coming up with my own ideas. He underestimates me all the time anyway, so it’s pretty much how this works with us.”

  Alex smiled, closing his eyes as he said, “Like your new partner more than your old one?”

  “You’re my only partner. Derek is just someone I want to convince of your innocence,” I said as I ran my hand through his dark hair. “I’m hoping to make some headway on that tomorrow.”

  He didn’t respond, and after a minute or so, I realized he’d fallen asleep. After the day he’d spent and the amount he’d drank, everything had finally caught up with him. I watched as the frown he’d worn faded away to reveal his usual stoic expression he wore awake or asleep, and I couldn’t help but smile.

  I covered him with my chenille throw to keep him warm and curled up next to his side to put my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around me, instantly making me feel protected, and murmured something I didn’t understand, but it didn’t matter. Whatever he had to say could wait until tomorrow like everything else that had turned our lives upside down in the last twenty-four hours.

  Until then, it was just him and me there on the couch where we’d first told one another how much more we meant to each other than just work partners.

  Chapter Eleven

  The next morning, I sat at my kitchen table holding the note Alex left me and wishing he was still there. He’d slipped away during the night, careful not to wake me up as he left my side, and walked home or wherever he felt he had to go to. I ran my fingertip over his signature as I read over the words he’d written.

  Thank you for taking care of me tonight. You’re the only person I trust now, Poppy.

  Love,

  Alex

  As always, he was a man of few words, but what he said in those words meant the world to me. I needed to attack this case like I knew he would if he could and figure out who the killer was and why this case felt more and more like an attempt to railroad Alex.

  First, though, I needed to know he’d gotten home safely, so I called him. His phone rang for the usual four rings and then sent me to voicemail. I ended the call and quickly texted him, my concern growing after not being able to speak to him.

  Are you ok? I need to know you got home safe.

  I sent it off and waited for his answer. If he didn’t text back to me before I finished my morning coffee, I’d drive out to his house and find out if he was all right for myself before heading to Derek’s office to see what progress he’d made, not that I thought he’d have much to tell me at nine in the morning.

  But Alex did text back just as I reached the bottom of my cup. Anxious to know how he was doing, I grabbed my phone as soon as it began to vibrate and read his text.

  I’m okay. I didn’t want to leave last night, but I didn’t want things to go further with me like I was. Forgive me.

  That he wanted me to forgive him for some slight he thought he’d shown
me was so typical Alex. A gentleman through and through, even when he was looking at the real possibility that Derek would arrest him at any moment, he still worried about me. It was no wonder I loved him.

  No forgiveness needed. I was disappointed not to see you when I woke up, but I’ll get over that. My only concern is how to prove to Derek that you’re innocent. I’ll make sure to let you know what I find out. Will I see you later?

  Barely half a minute passed before his answer came back to me.

  I trust you, Poppy. You’ll find a way to show him the truth. Talk to you later.

  I couldn’t help but notice he didn’t answer my question about if I’d see him later that day, but I didn’t repeat it in another text. I knew as well as he did that it was very possible he may not be able to see me by day’s end if the coroner’s preliminary report came back showing there could even be a tangential connection between Alex and Bethany’s death.

  And knowing the pressure our chief of police was liking receiving from the town council about the possibility that one of his officers was involved in a murder, Derek would likely be dragging Alex in for questioning so anyone in town wondering would see how serious he was taking this case.

  Finishing the last of my coffee, I washed my cup and slipped my coat on to make the walk to the police station. The winds from last night had died down and the sun even seemed to want to poke its head out from behind the grey clouds that filled the sky. I hoped this was a sign that today would be a better day than yesterday.

  I didn’t make it a block away from my house before my cell phone rang in my purse. Digging it out just as it hit the third ring, I saw it was my father and remembered I hadn’t spoken to him since my call yesterday. Swiping a gloved finger across the screen, I answered it with an apology for being so forgetful.

  “I’m so sorry, Dad. I meant to call, but everything got so crazy that I didn’t get to.”

  He worried about me, especially when it came to solving crimes with Alex, so I wasn’t surprised when he expressed how concerned he’d been waiting all day to hear some news about what had happened.

  “Have you found out anything? You know I don’t like you working without Alex. And don’t start with that independence business you always throw in my face when I tell you I worry about you, Poppy.”

  At least he hadn’t called me by my given name. Then I’d know he was truly worried or angry since those were the only two occasions which called for the use of my birth name, as far as I could tell.

  I inhaled a deep breath of cold air and felt the inside of my nose freeze. “It’s okay, Dad. I like that you worry about me. I haven’t found out anything yet, but I’m not working alone. Derek and I are checking into things with Bethany’s case.”

  My father paused for a long moment before he said, “That’s what I was calling you about, honey. He was at the bar last night, and I overheard him talking to the mayor. He all but promised him he’d be bringing in a suspect today. I had a feeling it was Alex he was talking about.”

  “How? Did you hear how he was going to find enough evidence against him to bring him in?” I asked as I hurried across Main Street toward the police station.

  “No, I’m sorry I didn’t. We had a good crowd in last night and I didn’t get a chance to pay any attention to him at all until the end of the night. It was after he’d had a few beers and the mayor had joined him at the table near the dartboard. I got the sense that he thought he had his suspect and now he just had to tie up some loose ends before moving on him.”

  Panic raced through me as I broke into a run to get to Derek before he did something stupid. “I have to go, Dad, but thanks for the head’s up. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

  “Okay. Be careful and don’t let our chief run roughshod over this case. You show him you’re as good a detective as he is.”

  “Thanks, Dad!”

  I pressed END and nearly tripped over a raised concrete slab in the sidewalk in front of the station as I tossed my phone into my bag. My father’s news had me frazzled, and I hadn’t even spoken to Derek yet that morning.

  Not a good sign.

  The chief of police sat behind his desk drinking a coffee from The Grounds and dressed in his officer’s uniform, something odd since he hadn’t been seen in it much since getting his promotion nearly a year ago. Something about it made him look smarter, like the clothes sharpened his detecting abilities. I knew that was merely appearances, but it made me think that I should approach him differently today.

  Perhaps the buddy thing wasn’t my best plan. I didn’t want to trade on what I was sure were his feelings for me, so that left me with being a professional, something Derek had never responded to from me.

  There had to be a first for everything, though. With that thought in mind, I unbuttoned my black wool coat and knocked on the door to his office.

  “Excuse me, Derek. I didn’t mean to interrupt. Can I come in?”

  He looked up and smiled at me, but I saw his confusion over my change in tactics settle into his face. “When did you start knocking before you come into my office?”

  I stepped in and took my usual seat in front of his desk as I slipped my coat off. “It isn’t a big deal. You are the chief of police, so I just figured you deserve the respect accorded to someone who has achieved that position.”

  Derek leveled his gaze on me across the desk. “The respect accorded to someone who has achieved that position? What the hell is going on with you, Poppy? Did you get hit in the head after I dropped you off last night?”

  So far, treating him with that respect I’d mentioned wasn’t getting me very far, but I wasn’t ready to give up just yet. Flashing my best and confident smile, I folded my hands in my lap and asked, “How are things going today, Derek?”

  Still suspicious about the change in me, he leaned back in his chair and took a sip of coffee. “You mean how are things going with the murder case, I assume.”

  “Not necessarily. I mean, yes, I am here to discuss that with you, but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about other things first. I have to say you look very striking in your uniform, for example. Are you having your picture taken today?”

  That didn’t sound as professional as I’d hoped it would. The problem was I’d known the man since we were both children, so whatever I said to him always seemed to have a ring of familiarity that superseded whatever else I intended. Acting like he wasn’t practically the brother I’d never had wasn’t easy for me, and I suspected whatever he felt for me made seeing me as a fellow professional next to impossible for him.

  “Poppy, what do you say we forget this dance we’re doing and you ask me what you want to know? That’s the kind of respect this person in this position would like most.”

  The jig was up. Out the window went professionalism to be replaced with our usual friendly familiarity. I just hoped it didn’t hurt what I was trying to do for Alex.

  I let out a sigh and nodded my agreement. “Fine. I just wanted to try to approach this as two professionals, but you’re probably right. Being straightforward like two people who’ve known each other forever is really the only way we can play this. I hear you are planning to bring in a suspect today. Is it Alex?”

  Derek gave me one of his funny grins and shook his head. “You’ve been talking to your father, I guess. That’s what I get for having one too many last night. I really should find somewhere else to drink.”

  “That doesn’t answer my question. Is it him?”

  “See, there’s the bulldog of a woman I know and love. The answer to your question is a truthful I don’t know yet. I’m hoping to hear from the coroner with his preliminary report any time now. If there’s anything in it that makes it wise to speak to Alex more in depth than last time, I will.”

  His calling me a bulldog of a woman didn’t make my self-confidence in my looks soar, but it did make me feel like he knew he wasn’t going to shake me off this case. At least there was that.

  “I would have preferred a mo
re appealing breed of dog, Derek. Maybe one with long flowing hair,” I joked. Maybe if I succeeded in lightening the mood I might have a chance at changing his mind about Alex.

  “You’re like a dog with a bone is all I was trying to say, Poppy. I will tell you this. As I was downing too many drinks last night trying to put yesterday out of my mind, I had to admit I don’t want it to be him who did this. I really don’t. In the end, he’s one of my officers, and I don’t want that to change, but if the evidence points to him, I don’t have a choice. I hope you know that.”

  I slumped in my seat as my worry returned in full force with every word he spoke. Maybe he was telling the truth about not wanting to think Alex was the murderer, but he wouldn’t be able to shirk his responsibilities if even the tiniest piece of evidence pointed to him, especially if the mayor was already pestering him for an arrest.

  “Okay, Derek. I know you’re a decent guy who has to answer to people I don’t have to. I get that. I only wish something would come to light that would show there was no way Alex could have done this.”

  “I do too. Believe me. I do.”

  His office phone rang, interrupting what had begun to feel like a wake for the man we both knew, and I suspected things were about to get a lot worse.

  Derek’s face twisted into a grimace as he listened to the person on the phone. “Okay, tell him I’ll be waiting in my office.”

  He said nothing, which told me whatever he heard wasn’t good, so I asked, “Was that the coroner’s office? Is Donny coming?”

  “That was his assistant. He said he got called out early this morning for an accident in Frederick but he’d be here soon. He said he’s got cause of death and DNA.”

  “Her head was nearly cut off, Derek. I don’t think we need Donny for cause of death.”

  My gallows’ humor fell flat, so I quickly changed the subject to Mariah and if they’d heard anything about her yet. “What about Bethany’s sister? Do we know where she is or has that line of inquiry disappeared from the Sunset Ridge police department radar?”