“Shit, I don’t know, but I’m sure she’s not gonna like it,” Kelli said.
“What can I do to help?” Travis asked.
“Bug the shit out of her today. I don’t care…as long as you have eyes on her. Then, I guess, I’ll blindside the fuck out of her when she gets home.”
Travis nodded. “No problem. I’ll call you with reports.”
“Thanks. I can’t stay. I may be officially off the case, but I’m going to poke around. See what I can find out.”
*
As Nora walked toward Gerald Travis Jr.’s room for the third time in the past four hours, she was beginning to think something was amiss. She liked Mr. Travis. He had a unique sense of humor that she actually understood on occasion, but they had nothing in common, except Kelli. Correction, they used to have Kelli in common. It was difficult to revert back to a textbook doctor/patient relationship after everything that had happened. While he was never witness to any of their intimate moments, Nora was sure he felt the heat between them whenever she and Kelli were in the same room. She still wasn’t sure how to handle the logistics. Regardless, Mr. Travis’s sudden neediness had to be addressed.
Nora entered Mr. Travis’s room. His smile was boyish and huge. The expression made his brown eyes seem even bigger and more endearing. Other women probably had a difficult time telling him no.
“Yes, Mr. Travis?” She stood near the head of his bed and gathered as much patience as she could muster. Nora had things to do, including charts and preparing for tomorrow’s surgeries. She ignored the voice that reminded her that she had everything planned down to the second.
“I meant to ask you earlier.”
“During my previous two visits?” Nora hoped she kept the dryness out of her voice.
“Yeah, sorry about that.”
He definitely didn’t look like he was. Mr. Travis continued to smile.
“What was your question?”
He chuckled. “It seems kind of silly now. I guess I could have asked one of the nurses.”
“Since I’m here…” Nora let her words trail off.
Mr. Travis cleared his throat. “Is athlete’s foot normal? I mean, I can’t walk or take a shower…well, without help. It’s not like my feet really touch the ground. I thought I saw something green between my toes, and they itch like crazy.”
He had to be joking. Nora waited for some strange punchline. After a few seconds, she realized that none was forthcoming. “Within seven hours, Mr. Travis? They looked fine at eight o’clock this morning.”
He blinked and looked completely innocent. “It could happen? Right?”
“No.” Nora deadpanned. “Are you in need of a psychiatric consult, Mr. Travis?”
“What? No, of course not. I guess I was just a little lonely. I probably won’t get a visitor for another hour or so.”
Nora couldn’t ignore the twang of guilt. “I apologize if I seemed agitated with the situation, but I don’t think it would be prudent for me to be in the vicinity if and when—”
“Kelli or someone from her family comes to see me?” He asked.
“Yes.” Sometimes just hearing Kelli’s name did things to Nora, like making her breath catch in her throat. She looked away.
“I know I shouldn’t say this, but maybe it will help a little. She’s been tearing into everybody, even me, and I got the lighter side of it. So, she’s not okay. Not by a longshot.”
This was highly inappropriate, but Nora was only human. She wanted to know more. “I’m sure the issue with her brother—”
“It’s not just Tony, although he’s enough. I saw the way she looked at you. You were…are something to her, and it’s got her by the throat.” Mr. Travis was frightfully sincere. There was no smile and no sparkle in his eyes.
If he felt it, did everyone else around them? That made her and Kelli real. That made them special. What kind of person walked away from that? She already knew the answer, and it, along with Mr. Travis’s words and scrutiny, made her horribly uneasy.
“I can tell by the look on your face that I’ve really overstepped my bounds. So, goodnight and I’ll see you in the morning?”
Nora nodded. “Yes, I suppose.”
“Eight o’clock? Don’t make me come find you.”
What an odd thing to say. There it was, a tingle. He had an ulterior motive. She just didn’t know what it was. “Mr. Travis…” Nora started to ask. Then, she thought better of it. Maybe it was best that she didn’t know. “Good night.”
“Same to you, doc.”
Less than a half hour later, Nora walked to her car. She shivered, but she wasn’t cold. The feeling was unnerving. Nora stopped and scanned the area around her. She didn’t see anything, but that didn’t mean nothing was there. She started moving again, quicker than before. There were cameras and security. Surely, no one would contemplate something unseemly? Regardless, as soon as the Mercedes came into view, Nora pressed the key fob to start it. When she was a few inches away, she unlocked it and slid into the driver’s seat. Nora sat there for a moment. Her heart was racing, and it was a little difficult to breathe. She gave herself a moment to collect herself, then backed out of her space. She couldn’t get away from the parking lot, and the persistent feeling that she was in danger, fast enough.
*
After finding Fuller’s address in the database earlier, Kelli snooped around her place, but made it look as legit as possible in case someone was watching. She pretended to ring the doorbell and talk on the phone, laughing and saying Taylor’s name once she figured out no one was home. What she was about to do wasn’t procedure at all, but this might affect Nora. Kelli had to know for sure. She would deal with the fallout if it came. She slid on a pair of gloves and got the key from underneath the obviously fake rock to let herself in the back door. Kelli couldn’t believe that people still did that. The strong smell of bleach hit Kelli when she entered the kitchen. Surely, Taylor wasn’t that stupid. She opened the door to be the laundry room. Kelli lifted the lid to the washer and found a few pieces of white clothing still present. It wasn’t a smoking gun by any means, so Kelli pressed on.
She poked around the living room and sifted through the mail. Taylor obviously had a roommate. There was nothing out of the ordinary in the living room until she looked in the fire place. It wasn’t cold, but sure as shit, there was a big hunk of charred something in the grate. Kelli took out a pen to prod at it only to see that all of material didn’t burn, especially in the middle. She smirked. “Gotcha.” The remains looked to be clothing of some type…enough for CSU to work their magic.
Eventually, Kelli made her way to the bedrooms. There were two. Taylor’s room was dotted with pictures of herself and what Kelli assumed to be family. She didn’t want the search to be obvious, so Kelli pulled a few drawers open on the dresser, looked under the bed, inspected the trashcan, and checked out the bathroom and the closet. Nothing. When she walked into Shelly’s room, Kelli stopped at the entrance. Somebody liked their sports. There was a set of golf clubs leaning against the far wall, and right next to them was a wooden bat. On the dresser, Kelli spotted a well-worn softball glove.
Kelli stepped back out of the room, refusing to touch a thing. In Kelli’s mind, Fuller just became a suspect in a big-ass way.
Taylor might have been smart enough to get into medical school, but that didn’t make her a seasoned criminal. She wasn’t the right kind of smart to know how to cover her tracks after killing someone. So, if she did this, it made sense that Nora was her next target. No fucking way Kelli was going to let that happen.
Kelli left quickly and headed to the hospital. The designated doctors’ parking garage was bigger than Kelli expected, but she was able to identify Nora’s car by sight and license plate. Kelli stayed a respectable distance away and kept her eyes open for Taylor as well as Nora. Finally, Nora made her way from the building and got into her car. The interesting thing? Nora looked around as if she could tell someone was there, watching her. Good
girl. That meant she was somewhat aware of her surroundings. Maybe she needed to get Nora signed up for a self-defense course. They actually hosted a few at the station. It wouldn’t turn her into an MMA diva, but it covered the basics of SING—solar plexus, instep, nose, and groin. It might not be as sexy as the Pilates that kept Nora all kinds of bendy, but it could save her life if Taylor actually made an appearance.
Kelli waited a few minutes, then made her way to Nora’s house. As she pulled into the driveway, she swallowed down her anxiety. She wasn’t sure she was ready to talk to Nora at all, let alone about Rader. Shit. What was she going to say? One of your residents is a murderer and now she could be after you. Kelli snorted, but there wasn’t a damn thing funny. Kelli rang the doorbell and waited.
Nora was probably staring at the camera feed right now with those amazing eyes of hers. Stop. The seconds turned into minutes.
Well, hell. Kelli never considered the possibility of her not opening the door at all. But, Kelli deserved it…so, yeah. If Nora let her in, maybe they could really talk through all this now that some time had passed. They seemed to be better together in a crisis, anyway. Maybe? Stop.
Kelli rang the doorbell again. She didn’t bother to remove her finger. Yes, it was a dick move, but in for a penny and all that bullshit. A few seconds later, Nora pulled the door open with just the right amount of violence. She glared at Kelli.
It took every ounce of Kelli’s being not to smirk like old times. “Hey.”
Nora didn’t say a word, but her face told all kinds of stories. Her eyes were dark, and she was red all the way down to her neck. Nora was pissed. She was flustered too. Kelli clamped down on the stirring in her belly. “We need to talk.” Kelli put a hand on her holster and waited.
“Not if it’s anything like—”
“No, not like last time.” The heat of embarrassment flooded Kelli’s face. “It has nothing to do with us…if that helps.”
“It does not.”
Kelli laughed. She hoped this wasn’t going to turn into some kind of contest. Who could be the bigger bitch or something. “Don’t make this harder than it already is.”
“You’re the one at my doorstep, Detective.” Nora paused and her body seemed to sag. Was she already done? They hadn’t even started. “Just say what you came to say.”
“You’re not gonna want to do this out here.”
“I think I do. That would be the best course of action for both of us.”
“Trust me.” Kelli was sure it was those last two words that made Nora look away again. “You know what I mean.”
“This couldn’t be done over the phone?” Nora asked.
“Would you have answered?” Kelli asked right back.
Nora pursed her lips, and Kelli wanted to kiss them so bad that it was almost painful. Stop. What was wrong with her? Yeah, she missed Nora, but this wasn’t the time to get lost in that.
“That’s what I thought.”
Nora stared.
Goddammit. She’d had enough. “Rader was murdered last night.”
Nora continued to stare, but she paled considerably. Her mouth fell open slightly, and Kelli wanted to kiss her even more. Nora stepped out of the way to let Kelli inside. Kelli waited as she locked the door. It was taking way too long to do such a simple thing. “Nora?”
Slowly, Nora turned around. Her gaze was unreadable, but Kelli knew she was shaken. “Coffee?”
It was way too late to follow the rules of etiquette and decorum. “Hell no. I’d say we both need something a shit ton stronger.”
Nora nodded jerkily.
“Sit. I’ll get it.” Kelli took that time to breathe. Nora’s anxiety radiated clear across the room. All Kelli wanted to do was soothe it.
She handed Nora one of the heavy tumblers that probably cost more than Kelli’s entire set of dinnerware. “I’m not a scotch drinker, but I’m sure this stuff goes down smooth as hell, so I’ll make an exception.” Kelli sat down a mile away from Nora at the other end of the couch.
“Am I a suspect?” Nora asked. Her voice was hesitant and low. She placed her glass on the table and turned to look a Kelli.
Kelli sipped at the scotch. It was just plain nasty no matter how warm it was going down. “Yeah. So you want to tell me where you were between ten o’clock last night and two this morning?” It was a stupid question to ask, considering Kelli knew who the guilty party was.
Nora picked up the tumbler. Her hand was shaking. “Home.”
“Alone?” She had to ask. She had to know if she’d been forgotten and replaced. Kelli held her breath and waited.
“Yes. My surveillance system should confirm it. You don’t really think—”
“No, I know you didn’t do this. I’m a possible suspect too, and I’m officially off the case.”
“But you’re not really.”
“Fuck no. I’m not. I can’t just sit around. My nose is definitely all up in this.”
“No, I know you can’t.” Nora lifted the glass to her lips, but she peered at Kelli over the rim.
Kelli reached for her drink and gulped at it. Shit burned like fire, but that flame helped to distract her from the other one. To top it off, she was getting whiplash. How the hell did they go from practically screaming at each other to this?
“Taylor Fuller?”
“Yeah, that’s what my gut tells me.” And Kelli was sure the evidence would speak for itself.
“And you think she might come after me next?”
Kelli nodded. “It crossed my mind.”
A look passed over Nora’s face. It was a combination of fear and anger.
“What?” Kelli asked.
“It could be nothing, but when I was leaving the hospital—”
“That was me. I went by Fuller’s place earlier. She wasn’t home, and I didn’t want to take the chance.”
Nora’s previous expression melted away, making way for vulnerability. “Why? I don’t understand.”
Did she really just ask that? “Because even if we’re not…together or whatever, I’m gonna look out for you.”
“Should I assume that you’re responsible for Mr. Travis’s antics today?”
“Yeah, I am.”
Nora looked so confused. “I’m not sure what to say.”
Perfect segue. Kelli would be stupid not to take it. “Fuller has to pretty much make a move on you before a protective detail will even be considered. You could learn how to defend yourself, or I could take the couch or one of the guest rooms. I’m sure you’d be more comfortable in your own space.”
The look on her face was priceless. Her expression screamed “What the fuck?”
“Pardon me?” Nora asked instead.
“You heard me, Nora.”
“No… I don’t think…no. I’m not ready for that. After everything that happened, no. It would be too much.”
Kelli sighed and rolled her eyes. She couldn’t help herself. “Look, let’s just clear the air. Would that make it easier? I’m sorry for what happened.”
Nora stood. “That didn’t seem sincere at all, and I’m not ready to discuss it.”
Kelli got up too. “So, let me get this straight. You’re putting yourself at risk just because I offended your sensibilities?” It was the wrong thing to say. Kelli knew it, but that didn’t stop her. She was, after all, still in asshole mode. Kelli closed the distance between them. “Let’s compare pain then. You left when I needed you the most. Nothing I did could have hurt you that bad.”
“Yes it did!” Nora backed away. “I’m sorry about your brother, but you wanted too much from me. There has to be a me left!”
Kelli was wrong before. This was the part with the yelling. She moved forward. “I gave you everything in me. Nothing felt right unless you were there. Don’t you think I deserve the same? Whatever lines that were still between us, I thought we stepped over them a while ago. You said you were with me in this. I know it’s scary.” Shut up. She needed to shut up. Her heart was already ripp
ed open, putting what was left of it out there could vaporize it completely.
“That’s not me. I’m not that person.”
“Bullshit.” Despite what her head screamed, the rest of Kelli refused to listen. “You just haven’t figured it out yet.” With that one sentence, Kelli left herself flailing in the wind with absolutely nothing to catch her. The tough guy shit she’d been projecting was just that—shit. Seeing and talking with Nora was all it took to tear those phony-ass walls down. Kelli only had a tiny bit of self-preservation left, and she used it. She walked around Nora and out the door.
At least they’d talked. Sort of.
Regardless of what happened in there, Kelli wasn’t going to leave Nora unprotected. When she got in the car, her cell rang. It was Williams.
“Yeah?”
“Knowing you, you’ve been by Fuller’s house. She’s been here the past few hours being questioned. Just let her go. Hotheaded little thing. Rader was a big guy, but his blood alcohol level was way past the legal limit. She’s definitely a possibility. I’m waiting to get a full report from CSU about the crime scene. I thought you’d want to know.”
Kelli knew some of that already. “Yeah.”
“You talk to Nora?”
“Yeah.” What else could she say? It was hard as hell to think.
Williams paused. “See you tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” Kelli hung up and started the car. She backed out of the driveway and circled the block before parking a couple houses down from Nora’s. As she sat there, gravity decided to fuck with her too. Everything crashed onto her shoulders. Tony. Nora. Now this. Anger, sadness, and helplessness were a messed up combination. Kelli started punching the steering wheel again. It was either that or crying, and afterwards, she could shove all this shit back down and make it manageable again.
CHAPTER 8
Nora stood at the ICU nurses’ station, leafing through a chart. As she took out her pen to make a few notations, someone walked up beside her. Nora turned and glanced up briefly to see Susan.
“Hey. So, I’ve been trying to give you space, which is a very hard thing for me to do. I’m usually a I-want-it-now type of person, even with my grandchild. And that goes over so well, let me tell you.”
Crossing Lines Page 9