Heart of Fire

by Carter, Dawn

  By the time dawn approached O’Sullivan was asleep on the sofa wearing only a pair of boxers and one of Frank’s dress shirts that was too big for her. Her arm, which had a deep gash, was stitched and bandaged. Danni watched her sleep from across the room, she still did not believe her entirely, but Frank believed her story had some validity. He told her to stay put and to protect her with her own life which she thought to be an awkward request since that was what she had done since the day she became an officer. When she chuckled he dismissed her and went on to say he believed O’Sullivan would now be a target since she knew the truth. When he left, he called in his official report that the suspect was in custody, and being held at the cabin. If there was a mole in the office, he knew it was only a matter of time before they would draw out the mole. She hated the baby sitting duties that came along with this case that were wasting her skills as a trained investigator.

  Danni snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of forced footsteps from behind, she quickly turned her head as O’Sullivan made her way to the window and stood next to her. She peered out the window but no words were spoken as she watched the trees whip from side to side. Only a sigh escaped her lips as she leaned against the window frame. Several times throughout the blissful moment of silence, Danni’s mind played tricks on her, she was ready to take her on if she attacked but she just stood there as if waiting on the pending disaster to come. She could see the worried look form around her swollen eyes as her brows came together and a single tear spilled over the brim of her left eye. Danni knew from past experience that the quiet ones were always the most dangerous. It never failed. She had witnessed the wild ones how they would scratch and thrash, but in the end they could only harm you physically. She was aware the quiet ones were tricky, and could get into your head. If you weren’t careful, the quiet ones could bruise your mind with words. Luckily Danni thought, this one was not quiet in fact once she started to talk she wouldn’t shut-up and never once did she ask for an attorney.

  “Are you hungry?” Danni offered directing her eyes towards the kitchen

  “A little,” she whispered and walked past her. “I’ll make coffee,” her voice echoed from the other room.

  The aroma of breakfast cooking filled the small three room cabin. Danni looked around for the first time, feeling comfortable enough to take in her surroundings. It was definitely male decorated in nature. There were no pictures only a few deer heads hung on the wall. Poor bastards she though looking into the eyes of the beautiful creature that only walked the woods and some asshole put a bullet in them. No regard for life she shuddered shaking her head. The curtains that hung on the windows were worn from the years of hanging, they were dusty and dirty. It was obvious to her that no one had cleaned the place in years, and the couch the one good seat in the house was worn and tattered.

  She eyed the wood framing; it reminded her of a home from the early nineteen hundreds, unfinished and rugged. She already noted when they first arrived there was no microwave, a stove top percolator for making coffee and the pans were caked with years of unwashed grease. She was surprised there was hot and cold running water, she half expected to have to use an outhouse. Frank told her it was not much to look at, but it was secluded and no one knew about it. She made a mental note to never go on fishing trips with Frank if he ever asked.

  “Foods ready and coffee is made,” O’Sullivan said from the distance.

  Danni smiled and seated herself at the table, the crispy bacon was just the way she liked it, and the coffee was very hot but amazingly good. She tried not to show any emotion and had to stop herself several times from complimenting her cooking skills. She took the moment to really look at her. She had a delicate frame, not the frame of someone who could overtake her.

  “I have a few holes I would like you to fill in for me?” she asked and took the last sip of her coffee. “The man we arrested for assisting in the murders showed your number and when we pulled your phone records, the call coincided with the conversation I heard.

  “I took that phone from my cousin,” O’Sullivan just looked at her as she sighed. She was tired of answering questions. She was emotionally exhausted by the whole situation and wished she never went to her supposed aunts’ house, and that is the way she would rather remember her. Her mother was a wonderful mother, who took care of her, wiped away her tears when she was scared, and kissed her goodnight each evening after tucking her in. She knew she could not escape the questions that she was not sure she even had answers too. How could she admit out loud that her aunt was really her mother and her cousin was really her sister? How would she admit that her whole life had been a lie and it was not until she went to her aunt and spoke with her that she was told the truth. Her aunt admitted to her that she was really her mother but gave her away to her only sister who could not have children. Her aunt explained the reason her sisters name was on the birth certificate was because she had no insurance and was using her sisters insurance. She admitted she was going to give her up for adoption but Marlene begged her to keep the baby and let her raise her. So not only was her entire life a lie, her biological mother and the only knew mother she knew committed insurance fraud.

  Danni sat back and watched her expression as she went back to earlier thought how she seemed smaller, thinner and frailer than the woman who attacked her. Maybe she was telling the truth, but she still had her doubts and was on guard.

  Patricia put her head down. She knew it was time to tell Danni the entire truth. She explained every her aunt told her that day, and then the outburst that followed when her cousin walked in the room screaming after she heard the conversation in its entirety. “My cousin is really my sister and my aunt was really mom. That was a lot to accept but it hit my cousin I mean my sister harder than it did me. She said I had a better life than she did growing up with a whore. She told me horrible things that happened to her and my aunt, I mean my mother never protected her,” she cried and put her head down. “She left my aunt’s house that and never went back.”

  “Are you telling me you never called this man?” Danni snapped the question out getting irritated that the answers she was getting were not what she needed to hear.

  “No, I never called him, I needed a phone and I borrowed hers.” With a deep outward breath she looked Danni in the eyes. “I’ll tell you what I know.” She half smiled.

  “Tell me about the night in the cemetery.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She shrugged not understanding what Danni was asking.

  “I’m asking about the night you and I had an altercation by your mothers’ tomb stone.”

  “I was never there, and no one ever told me where she was buried,” the confusion in her voice spoke louder than her objection. “I thought she was cremated.” The tears threatened to spill over her lids as she thought about it. She never went to her mothers’ graveside; she never knew there was one. The night her mom passed on social services took her to the boarding school and she never got to say her goodbyes. As she grew older she thought that was probably better and rationalized it would have torn her up seeing her only parent she ever knew lowered into the ground. Well at that time that is what she thought, how strange things turn out.

  Danni sat back and watched her expression as she went back to earlier thought how she seemed smaller, thinner and frailer than the woman who attacked her. Maybe she was telling the truth, but she still had her doubts and was on guard.

  “Tell me more about your cousin and her stature,” Danni asked as she filled her cup with the last of the coffee. “I want to know everything about her, even if it seems insignificant to you, I want to know anything from birthmarks to bad habits.” She picked up the pen to her left and opened the note pad beneath it.

  O’Sullivan described her mannerisms and went into great detail on her likes and dislikes. Danni held back to let her finish, she refrained several times from interrupting her. Finally she gave a description she was waiting for.

  “Sh
e’s about your height.” She closed her eyes to get a mental picture. “Her hair is my color but has blonde streaks going throughout her head. She works out all the time and she is built like a body builder. I think she was in last year’s woman’s body building contest at the civic center. I bet they have a picture of it in the newspaper.” She smiled knowing she gave the best possible information she had.

  The information was encouraging, she finally had something to go on, there were pictures floating around of her. Danni hesitated at first but knew this was information she needed to share with Frank right away. She would personally pull up the Globe News online but there was no internet access in the cabin. There was no answer so she left a brief voicemail giving the cousins full name and a timeline when the event occurred.

  She was sure Frank already tried to find her using the department of motor vehicles but after O’Sullivan said that her cousin did not have a driver’s license and she only knew that because she was teaching her how to drive.

  The day went by slowly and Danni was bored, she was tired of looking at the four walls. There were no comforts of home, not even a deck of cards to keep her entertained. So when O’Sullivan said she was tired Danni secured her to the bed with her handcuffs. She knew she could not leave since both doors were dead bolted and the few windows were nailed shut. If she tried to break out of one of them, Danni would hear her and stop her right away. She was also secure in the knowledge that if she did manage to get out, they were miles from civilization, but she still did not trust her. It was easier to shackle her and if she fell asleep there was no risk in her sneaking up and knocking her out or worse. The thoughts crossed her mind as it would any good cop.

  The wind picked up but the rain ceased, the cool breeze welcomed Danni as she sat on the foot of the porch. She giggled when she saw a few raccoons chase one another around the yard. They looked like children playing tag. She laughed as they chased one another up the surrounding trees then would jump down and start all over again. In the distance she could see a mother deer with her fawns, they grazed the land together never straying far. The spots on the babies were visible from the distance and she was in awe of their beauty. Then she cringed when she remembered the two deer heads displayed on the walls. She wanted to shield them from being hunted, but no matter what she said or did they would one day be hunted for their meat or hang like a trophy on someone’s wall.

  She was so caught up in the moment she did not realize how long she was seated out there. It only seemed like minutes but when she looked at her watch, several hours had passed. She could not stop the yawn that forced its way out. She needed to get some sleep but she did not want to go back into the depressing cabin. She stretched out on the swing and allowed the wind to rock her, but her sore tired muscles begged for comfort. She finally gave in and settled on the couch, she checked the phone one last time. NO missed calls from Frank, it worried her if he got the message and the unknown would keep her awake all night. She dialed his number, but this time he answered.

  “I was going to call you but I had to spend an evening with my wife,” he explained his voice urgent. I’ll check into that in the morning, I need to mend fences here before I end up in divorce court.”

  “Enjoy your evening Frank,” Danni replied and ended the call.

  One last call before bed she thought and started to dial Annabel’s cell but stopped when she assumed she was already asleep. She remembered their earlier conversation, she had told Danni she barely slept the night before and was going to make it an early night. She complained several times that the headaches were still not easing up and she hated taking the pain killers because she could not function. Danni begged her to take a half of one and maybe it would help. How she wished she could be there to take care of her, she missed the sparkling blue eyes and the tender touch as they fell asleep. She frowned when she realized it had been a few weeks since she fell asleep in her arms and woke feeling like she could take on the world when she woke. She missed her and cursed the day she agreed to take on the case.

  A sudden realization occurred, if she did not get assigned to the case Annabel would never have transferred and become not only her partner in the fight against crime, but also her partner in life. Strange how things happen for a reason, she smiled at the thought.

  CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

  Lieutenant Hagerty gravely aged tone, hoarse from decades of bellowing at subordinates and criminals alike, instructed her from the door. Taking Danni’s earlier advice, she strode to her seat, took it and shuffled through her notes. It is best to just swallow your pride do what he says, the words echoed in her head. She hated that Danni was right, but she was not the only one that warned her that he made good on his frequent threats and she would find herself a civilian and that was not the worst he could do, if the stories were true she would not even be able to find a job as a rent-a-cop.

  Annabel sat and watched a few suits walk past her desk and disappear into Hagerty’s office and shut the door behind them. She wished she was back at the safe house, but when I.A. contacted her and said she needed to come into headquarters to give her official statement the tone in the man’s voice warned her it was not a request. There were more footsteps coming up from behind and another man came in. He was older, gray peppering in his hair, but he had gentle look about him, he did not have the jaded look of an officer. She eyed him suspiciously and noticed he appeared smaller in stature than any officer she had seen, for a moment she thought he could be Internal Affairs until he searched his surroundings and it appeared he was lost.

  She turned her attention back to the paper in hand and started to write down the accounts leading up to her injuries copying it from the paper Frank had already typed out for her which would prevent her from being suspended. She recalled his statement as he handed it to her, as long as Internal Affairs believed you were assisting us at the time it could lessen the severity of punishment. What's the true story? How do we know what exactly happened? Only you were there and do you think they will believe the suspect once she is caught? She knew he was right and looking back on that events from that night everything that happened seemed too quick to be true. It was all too surreal. He was right, no one else knew the truth but she felt guilty for lying but she also wanted to keep her job, and most importantly she could not disappoint Danni.

  “Detective Flanery I have a package for you,” the same man she noticed a few moments ago handed her a vanilla envelope. She snapped her head up and looked at him. “I was told to deliver this to you personally,” he sounded annoyed. “I took it to the address listed but I was told I could find you here.”

  She looked down and her demeanor changed, it occurred to her this package was what Danni told her to wait for. “Thank you,” she said her heart pounding in her chest. Her first thought was to call Frank and Danni and tell them she had the test results, but she did not want to attract attention. When she looked back up to where the man was standing, he was already gone. She held it tight in her hands, her heart beating hard in her chest as she quickly scribbled the rest of her statement and abandoned it on the desk with a note explaining something urgent came up and she would be back

  She knew the moment she left the building she would also be abandoning her job and everything she worked so hard for.

  Once in the solitude of the car she opened the envelope. It was the DNA results Danni had sent off, she covered her mouth with her hand as she read on. From the time she woke up, she had the feeling like something was coming, something bad. It hovered over her like a dark cloud all day. She felt silly then her phone rang and she was called down to the station. One her way in, she could not shake of the smothering feeling but summed it up to Internal Affairs judging her future.

  Within twenty minutes she was parked across the street from the Federal Building. Inwardly, she sighed in relief. If anyone said anything to her, she would just casually tell them Frank was waiting for her. Before she could exit car her phone buzzed, she looked down but did n
ot recognize the number. She hesitated before answering, “Flanery here.”

  “Hey it’s me Danni, how’s it going?” she whispered trying to make sure her guest did not hear her conversation.

  Annabel filled her in; Danni hung her head worried about her leaving before the interview but listened as she explained the contents of the packet.

  “Damn it, I fucking knew it!” she yelled. “Look, don’t go into that building, stay right where you are, you will be safe there with the packet.” She paused long enough to get her thoughts together. “I’ll call Frank.” Then she disconnected the call leaving Annabel questioning if she was cut out to be an officer which was something she had done a lot lately.

  She sat looking around at the empty street for a long time and fixated on the one street light that flickered on and off. The other street light had already ceased to shine, as it stood there in the street dark and empty, bulb burned out. From the distance she could see the blue and red lights from the oncoming police cars. They stood out in the still of the dark silence and then the loud wails from the sirens were like striking roars into the silent night. The car flashing its lights came to a sudden halt in the middle of the road. The doors of the car slowly opened, and one of the cops stepped out. He mumbled a few words to his partner still in the car before he had closed the door. Then the door on the opposite side flew open, and out came Frank, he looked over in her direction and stepped forward, first with slow steps then with fast strides.

  He smoothed down his black slacks when he reached her car. When Danni called and told him she was outside his office, he flagged down a blue and white to get him to her faster. He was grateful he made it back in time to catch her. His once black hair showed grey specks and his ageless complexion showed traces of wear and worry. He had not slept since they took O’Sullivan into custody and until they caught the suspect or suspects, he would not know another day of rest.