Infatuations

by Barbara Winkes

  If anything, she was grateful to Kathryn for showing her everything she hoped she’d never be—as a wife, and maybe, sometime in the future, as a mother. The old Kathryn, anyway. Jordan was still reeling at the notion of her birthmother having a vegetable garden and helping underprivileged girls in desperate situations. Kathryn, caring about someone, something other than chasing the next high.

  “Anyway, that’s all I wanted to say. Thanks for hearing me out.”

  “Wait. I can drive you.”

  “I can still catch the bus—”

  “Just let me do it, okay?”

  * * * *

  Ellie came home to find Kate almost asleep on the couch, an empty glass of wine in front of her. A cup with a rest of coffee sat on the kitchen counter.

  “Hi. It’s good to see you, but it’s not quite what I expected. Jordan isn’t here?”

  “Her mother came to visit, and she drove her home,” Kate explained.

  “Pauline? Is something wrong?”

  “Oh no, it was Mrs. Larson.”

  “What did she want?” Ellie asked without thinking. Kate’s perplexed expression spoke volumes.

  “I’m not sure I know, but I think she came to apologize for something. You have to ask Jordan about the rest.”

  “I will. Sorry.” Ellie hoped that this was a good development. At this point, she found it hard to tell if it was better for Jordan to stay in touch with Kathryn—or not.

  “Speaking of mothers,” Kate continued, “I heard you found a friend of yours? How did that go?”

  “Pretty well. She and her family are really nice, considering that I’ve ignored them for the past few years.” Ellie sat next to her friend.

  “I’m sure they understood your reasons.”

  “I’m lucky they did. But there was something you wanted to talk about?”

  “Don’t worry, Jordan and I discussed this already. Just know that I’m really, truly excited to help you out any way I can, and I swear I’m not going to start sobbing anywhere in the process.”

  “Wow, I missed a lot.”

  Kate smiled gently. “Not so much, but I think I should go home now. I looked at some of those magazines. Do you know what you’ll be wearing? The date is getting closer, and there might be alterations necessary…”

  Truth be told, Ellie hadn’t been able to make a lot of time for those considerations. “We got the invitations out, and the venue booked. I thought that was some success.”

  Kate laughed. “You’ve got to wear something. What do you think, we get Pauline and Libby and go this weekend? I’d enlist Derek as well, but he’d just say to go with the first one we try, so that’s not an option.”

  “I’m so glad you’re here.” Ellie hugged her the moment the key turned in the front door’s lock, and Jordan walked in, looking tired.

  “Anyone else need a ride?”

  “It’s late,” Ellie said. “Kate, would you like to crash here? We could talk more over breakfast.”

  “If it’s not too much trouble?”

  “Not at all. I’ll make pancakes.”

  * * * *

  “How tired are you?” Ellie asked as she ran a fingertip down Jordan’s back, satisfied when her action caused a pleasant shiver.

  “Hm, I’m not sure if that’s the right question,” Jordan murmured. “We have a guest.”

  “Who’s two rooms away, which is farther than it was in the apartment. If I remember correctly, that didn’t stop us.”

  Jordan turned to her, smiling. “I’m good. You are the less…quiet one.”

  “Now you’re bragging,” Ellie challenged, knowing Jordan wouldn’t be able to resist. True to experience, she found herself pinned down a moment later, sighing happily.

  “God, I’ve been dreaming about this all day. Is it okay if we talk about work, Kathryn and everything else tomorrow?”

  “Fine with me,” Jordan whispered against her neck, her hand wandering underneath the hem of her nightgown, brushing the inside of her thigh. Ellie bit her lip and then thought twice about it. Two rooms were enough of a distance. She wasn’t that loud, regardless of Jordan’s teasing. The caresses continued, and Jordan gently removed the nightgown, tossing it aside as she brushed her lips against the uncovered skin.

  “Thank you.”

  For a moment, Ellie wasn’t sure what to make of the quiet words.

  “I needed this, too.”

  * * * *

  That night, Jordan dreamed about the Prophets of Better Days compound, and the day they’d found Ariel, one of the many girls under constant threat of getting “married” to one of the older men. Jordan’s dreamscape changed to a later moment, when Ariel had run away shortly after her rescue. She’d been overwhelmed by the outside world that was safer, but also came with many responsibilities and decisions she never had to make before. Ellie and Jordan had found her not far from her home.

  Jordan held dream-Ariel close, telling her that everything would be all right. She was both in awe and mildly disturbed when Ariel morphed into another, even younger girl. The image vanished into nothing, and she woke with a start.

  Over breakfast, she reflected on the dream listening to Kate and Ellie discuss colors for bridesmaid dresses. She didn’t need a shrink to interpret it though both Bethany and Dr. Burns, whom she’d seen for a while after her run-in with a serial killer, would likely have a field day with this. The bottom line—things were good. She didn’t have to take care of Kathryn—then, or now. As a child, she had done everything she could to keep herself safe.

  No more nightmares, and she had a beautiful and loving woman by her side who was about to become her wife…life couldn’t get much better, but it did.

  The pancakes Ellie had promised were amazing too.

  Chapter Twelve

  Finally, a break presented itself in the form of one of Ryan Lemonts’s dealers, a man called Ethan James. He had worked for Lemont on a number of occasions, and one of them, as it turned out, had been two weeks ago. When Casey and Potts picked him up, he was more than eager to flip on Lemont and provide the authorities with the address where his boss was hiding out.

  Within minutes, Ellie and Waters were on their way to the motel where he was hiding out. The place was nondescript, not one of the cheapest ones either.

  The receptionist’s eyes widened in shock when they presented their badges, but she gave them the key without protest. They didn’t have to warn her twice to stay inside.

  Ellie and Waters made their way up a flight of stairs. On the balcony that connected the upstairs rooms, they stayed close to the wall as they approached the door of Lemont’s room. Ellie’s heart was beating hard in her chest. The drug dealer was a violent man, and he was without a doubt armed. There was no saying what he would do if he felt cornered.

  Her worst fears weren’t confirmed though: The door opened, and a surly looking Ashley stepped outside.

  “What is it with you cops? I told you I don’t know where—”

  He pushed Ashley aside and ran across the balcony to the stairs on the other side, trying to make it to his car.

  Ellie immediately gave chase, hearing Waters notify Casey and Potts, and call for backup. Lemont managed to get into his car, but their backup arrived with blazing sirens, stopping their vehicles in a way he couldn’t get out.

  “Mr. Lemont? Get out of the car,” she shouted, advancing on his car. “Hands in the air!”

  He had nowhere to go. After a few tense moments, practically vibrating with anger, he stepped out of the car, and Ellie put the cuffs on him.

  “Thanks,” she said to her uniformed colleagues who had blocked the exit. “If you could give this gentleman a ride downtown?”

  Ashley came running down the stairs as well.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Hiding your ex-boyfriend who jumped bail gives us enough reason to invite you along,” Waters told her.

  “I didn’t do anything!”

  “Sure, we’ll talk about that in a mome
nt. Let’s see what we find in that motel room.”

  Another squad car arrived as Waters was speaking, Libby and Wes emerging.

  “You missed all the action,” Casey told them, “but you can take her.”

  “That’s Ryan Lemont in there?” Libby asked. “Damn, Ellie, you’re having the best month ever.”

  “You have to give Sam and Casey some credit.” Though she hadn’t seen her often lately, Ellie had at least found out that Potts’s name was Sam. “They found him.”

  “All right, if you’re done with your little tea party, can we get back to work?” Waters grumbled.

  Casey just shook her head, and turned around, Officer Potts joining her in the car, and they drove off.

  “He made me come here,” Ashley insisted. “He had a gun.”

  “My colleagues are going to clear up all of this with you. Please come with us now,” Libby told her.

  Ellie and Waters went back up the stairs and into the motel room. He looked irritated. Ellie couldn’t fathom why—they had arrested Lemont without either of them having to shoot their weapon. That was a success in her book.

  “Is everything all right?” she finally asked.

  “Yeah. Just pay attention.”

  That was what she did, every day, all day. Perhaps now was not the time to prod. They quickly searched the room, finding two bags filled with envelopes like the one Marco Raynor had carried with him.

  “There you go,” Waters muttered.

  “What do you mean? We don’t know that Marco Raynor bought from Lemont. He had no money to speak of, why would Lemont give him drugs for free?”

  “Maybe he was running drugs for him? Or girls?”

  Ellie shook her head even as she considered his theory. None of the homeless persons she talked to, including Marco himself, had given her that impression, but then again, there were still many pieces missing.

  “Let’s see what Lemont tells us.”

  Waters didn’t protest which she interpreted as approval.

  * * * *

  “Never saw him.”

  Lemont had barely looked at the picture Ellie showed him once they were settled in the interrogation room.

  “Try again,” she urged. “Perhaps he approached you for drugs or—” Stole from you? She suppressed a sigh. It didn’t make sense.

  “Bullshit,” Waters scoffed. “Cocaine isn’t easy to come by in this neighborhood, but if someone has it, chances are it was yours. You’re the go-to guy now, isn’t that true?”

  Lemont took another look and shrugged. “Whatever you say. If I was still in the business, which you have no proof of, I surely wouldn’t do business with a guy like him. You might remember that my clientele was a little more…high profile.”

  Ellie had read in the file that when he was first arrested, a politician and a TV personality had been questioned. He was clearly bragging, but he did have a point.

  “Until the neighborhood watch drove you out of town.”

  “What are you talking about? I was taking a break…”

  “Jumping bail…”

  He shook his head, amused. “You all misunderstood. I wasn’t that hard to find, was I? I wanted to talk to Ashley in private…no one drives me out of town.”

  Ellie hadn’t forgotten what Jayne had told her. Had Stanton and his gang made some deal with him?

  Could it be possible that she was wrong—if only because she wanted Stanton to be guilty of something? She had to do better than that. Especially since the initial warrant on Lemont had been out on something completely unrelated to the neighborhood watch.

  Perhaps she had to let this one go.

  “Okay,” she said.

  He shot her an incredulous look.

  “That’s what you brought me here for? Lady, any lawyer fresh out of law school would make a nice case against you.”

  “I don’t think so. There’s still the matter of you running away…and your DNA at the scene of a murder.”

  He shook his head with a grim smile. “Don’t think I haven’t heard that bluff before. Hey. Is she new or something?” he addressed Waters.

  “I think you haven’t heard the question she asked you, so let’s try this again. We can put you at the scene of a murder. Ashley might be a little more cooperative too, when she knows you’ll be going away for a long time. So what is it going to be?” In the resulting silence, Waters added, “I’ll give you some time to think about it. You still don’t want to talk, maybe your friend Bobby Stanton will. After all, he might get away with a slap on the wrist. You won’t. Come on, Harding.”

  He motioned for her to follow him, and Ellie did. Lemont’s grin didn’t go unnoticed with her.

  “Not my friend!” he called after them. “I still have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Do you believe Stanton could be involved?” she asked once they were outside of the room.

  “We know that he has some sway in the neighborhood. I’m pretty sure they have crossed paths.”

  Ellie was fairly surprised at the conciliatory tone, but she’d take it. This was a high profile case. Any time Waters didn’t tell her to shut up and follow his lead she imagined she was on a good path.

  Speaking of which…she was glad Jordan had figured out some things of a more private nature as well, as another important date would be coming up the next day. Ellie readily admitted that she was one of those women who’d been dreaming about it from the time she was a little girl.

  * * * *

  Jordan didn’t have much time to obsess about the dress shopping, her mind on many other things, first and foremost on how she’d handled the Kathryn situation. Saturday morning seemed to arrive all of a sudden, and Ellie was already off with Kate while Jordan had breakfast with Pauline. Libby would join them later to play her part in the elaborate plan.

  “What a beautiful day,” Pauline said as she hugged her at the door. “Come on in. I can tell you from experience that this will take a while, so we need some sustenance first.”

  Jordan had to chuckle at the sight of the breakfast table.

  “I’m scared. If I eat all of that, I don’t think I’ll fit into any of those dresses.”

  “You’ll be fine. Let’s sit. There’s plenty of time until your appointment.”

  That much was true—Ellie had been struck with a sudden bolt of superstition, and she didn’t want them to see them each other’s dresses before the wedding day. Jordan played along, even though she thought that as long as Ellie wasn’t going to run, they’d be fine.

  “So, tell me everything,” Pauline urged after she’d poured coffee for both of them. “What are we looking for? Long, short, sleeves, no sleeves—pantsuit? I have to warn you, I might cry. And again during the ceremony, and a few more times along the way.”

  “A dress is okay. I have to admit I haven’t given it much thought to it otherwise.”

  “Oh honey, this is really going to take all day.” Pauline laughed, her eyes already welling up. “I don’t mind. I am so happy for you.”

  “I am happy for me, too. I don’t think any of us saw that coming.”

  “To be honest, I wasn’t sure if that’s what you wanted. You were with Bethany a long time, and neither of you ever seemed to mention the subject. Then again, things are very different now.”

  “They are.”

  Pauline never pushed, but her observation skills had always allowed her to gauge Jordan’s state of mind. Even if there were many things Jordan had never told her. She knew she could have, but she had decided early that with her and Jack, the people who had first given her an idea of stability, she had to keep some space that was untainted. Spare them, spare herself. Pauline knew she’d had nightmares the first few years, which had as much to do with missing Jim and Kathryn as fearing someone could send her back. She never told her or Jack that often, she lay awake, bewildered by the quiet around her that was so different from everything she knew. In the early days, it was that quiet that had robbed her of sleep.


  As much as she struggled with Kathryn in her life, Jordan was also aware that she’d found some missing pieces in the relationship with her biological parents, however complicated. But Kathryn wasn’t here to help her pick a wedding dress. She would share that experience with the woman who had always been there for her, from the day they met.

  “I’m really happy we are doing this together,” she said, her throat going tight.

  Pauline smiled gently. “Me too.”

  They finished their breakfast together and left for the store after Jordan received a text message from Libby that said she was on her way, and then there was no more reprieve. She had to admit the many different shades of white, blush—she’d learned that from one of the bridal magazines—and a few other colors were intimidating. At least the employee that greeted them cheerily seemed to know what she was doing, making suggestions, and stepping into the dressing room with Jordan, because there was no way a person could get into any of those gowns by herself. It was okay, she reflected, going better than expected. So far, she hadn’t been overly impressed. Pauline wasn’t crying yet, and Libby looked as if she was facing a serious, complicated task.

  She wondered how Ellie’s appointment was going. Then again Ellie was extremely focused with matters like this, and picking a pretty dress and shoes was nothing out of the ordinary for her.

  The employee, Caitlyn, brought another dress and patiently helped Jordan get out of the one she was wearing, and into the new one. “You said no frills. This one just came in this morning. Hm. I think you could wear your hair down with it. Did you discuss hairstyles with your fiancée?”

  “Um…I can’t say we have.” Did that list never end? Obediently, she pulled the tie out of her hair, thinking that she was grateful for Pauline’s foresight. This was taking forever. Perhaps they could meet the other half of their party for a late lunch somewhere. Jordan caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, her jaw dropping. Caitlyn looked satisfied with herself. “Let’s go show your mom and friend, okay?”