by Linda Warren
He couldn’t call her. He couldn’t.
It would only encourage a relationship fueled by gratitude. Even he realized he needed to question his feelings for her. But tough, badass cops didn’t go that deep. At the moment, though, he wasn’t feeling tough or badass. He was feeling like a man.
He picked up his cell from the desk where his dad had it charging.
And quickly laid it down again.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHLOE CRIED AND CRIED, not wanting to go to bed. Gayle had let her stay up as long as she’d wanted or until she’d conked out. Abby lay with her until she fell asleep, which she’d never had to do before. When it was bedtime, Chloe went to bed. Abby would read to her for a few minutes before she drifted off. Now it was a battle to get her down.
She was clingy, too, and she hadn’t been before. If Abby was out of her sight, she’d start to cry. And she threw temper tantrums if she couldn’t get her way. Her daughter was becoming a spoiled brat. All of this gave Abby added motivation to leave the safe cocoon of her dad’s home. She had to take Chloe back to their apartment and their normal routine. She needed discipline and structure.
So did Abby.
Chloe asleep, she went into the den to speak to her dad and Gayle. They were having a glass of wine and watching a movie.
“Did you get her down?” her dad asked.
“Finally.” She sank onto the sofa. “She’s getting so spoiled.”
“I’m sorry, dear,” Gayle said. “I can’t say no to her.”
“It’s not just you, Gayle. The robbery and the fire have affected her, too. We need to get back to our lives and our routine so she’ll feel secure again. I need that, as well.”
“Oh, no, dear. You’re too weak. You need more rest.”
Abby let that pass. “Doug’s picking up Chloe in the morning so she can spend some time with his parents.”
“But it’s the middle of the week. He doesn’t get her until the weekend.”
“I’ve agreed to it, Gayle.” She refrained from gritting her teeth and screaming.
“This is Abby’s business, not ours,” her father put in.
Gayle took a gulp of wine.
“While Chloe is with her father, I’m going to my apartment to clean out the refrigerator and give the whole place a good cleaning.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Gayle said. “I’ll do it.”
“Gayle,” her dad snapped. “Let it go.”
Abby scooted closer to her stepmom. “I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me and Chloe. I couldn’t have gotten through this without your help. You’ve waited on me hand and foot, and taken care of Chloe. You must be exhausted.”
“I’ve enjoyed every minute.”
“And I’ve enjoyed getting to know you, but please understand that I have to go.”
“Fine.” Gayle placed her glass on a coaster and stood. “If that’s the way you feel.” She quickly disappeared into the kitchen.
“Dad?”
He got up and sat by her. “Don’t worry about your stepmom. She’s a little nutty at the moment. I’ll talk to her.”
She hugged him. “I’m sorry I’ve caused you so much stress. Gayle told me about your panic attacks.”
“I’m so grateful you’re alive.” He squeezed her. “Now go live your life.”
“Thanks.” Her dad always understood. He was that type of person. Hopefully, she’d inherited some of that.
She took a quick shower and slipped on a big T-shirt. She’d gotten into the habit of having frozen bottled water on her nightstand. Sometimes she woke up and her skin would feel on fire. The ice water melted during the night and she’d drink several sips to cool off. Then she could go back to sleep.
After a breathing treatment, she headed for the kitchen. As she neared the den, she heard her dad and Gayle arguing.
“You’re her father. You can make her stay.”
“Abby’s a grown, independent woman and makes her own decisions. That’s the way I raised her and even if I could I wouldn’t lay a guilt trip on her and beg her to stay.”
“Don’t you care about her and Chloe?”
“I’m not answering a stupid question like that. You’re losing your mind, Gayle. One minute you don’t want them around and the next you want them to live with us. That’s crazy.”
“I hate to see them go back to that tiny apartment.”
“It’s a nice apartment. What’s wrong with you?”
“I feel so guilty.”
“Why?”
“Um...you know...for the wasted years.”
“You and Abby are both to blame for that so there’s no reason to feel guilty. Abby’s going back to her life and we’re continuing with ours. We haven’t played bridge, tennis or golf lately. Tomorrow we’re going to the club for lunch and maybe get a bridge game going. And we have a cruise in September, so we’ll be busy.”
“I canceled it.”
“What?”
“We need to be here for Abby.”
“Gayle, you’ve tested my patience many times in our marriage, but this is the last straw...”
Abby crept back to her room. She’d get the water after the fireworks had died down. Her dad was right. Gayle was losing her mind.
* * *
ETHAN WAS UP early and took a breathing treatment, and then he had his coffee on the deck watching the sun peep over the distant treetops, heralding another day. It was relaxing, comforting. He needed to do this more often instead of rushing off to work. His dad joined him and they talked for a few minutes.
Kelsey wouldn’t be up for a couple of hours or so. The first thing he’d learned about her was that she was a late sleeper. She’d had a busy day yesterday so he’d just let her sleep.
It seemed strange not having a schedule. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to see what he had on his calendar.
“Damn.”
“What?” his dad asked, sipping coffee.
“Kelsey and I have to meet the principal and tonight there’s an open house. She’ll get to meet her teachers. Damn. School starts on Monday. I have to get her up. The appointment’s at nine.”
The rest of the morning was a rush as they scrambled around to make it on time. While he waited for her to get dressed, he called Dr. Morrow’s private line and left a message. In minutes she called him back and agreed to see Kelsey at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow morning before her other patients arrived. He was happy to get it done so quickly.
By ten o’clock Kelsey was enrolled at Willow Creek Junior High School. It was just a formality. He’d known Miles Chapman, the principal, for years, and Ethan had already talked to him and faxed Kelsey’s school records.
When they returned to the house, his cell buzzed. It was Ross. He went into his bedroom to talk.
“Devon Williams is back in jail,” Ross said.
“About time.”
“Can you come in about nine in the morning for a witness ID?”
“You bet. Oh, wait. Kelsey has a doctor’s appointment at 8:30, but I’ll be there after that.”
“That should work. Ms. Bauman is coming in, too. She said she didn’t actually see their faces so we’re doing a voice take to see if she can recognize their voices.”
Abby would be there. His heart rate increased just by hearing her name.
“Before you walk in here, I better warn you. The lieutenant’s on the warpath. He found out Levi’s been nosing around about the robbery and he knows Levi’s a friend of yours.”
“So? It’s a free country and Levi can investigate who he wants as long as he’s not breaking any laws.”
“I’ll stand right behind you when you say that to the lieutenant.”
“Chicken.”
“C
ome on back to work, partner, and we’ll take on the lieutenant like we always do, and the bureaucrats upstairs, too. They’re not taking me off this case.”
Ethan laughed. They were known for being the lieutenant’s number-one headache.
“Hell, I guess I should ask how you are first.”
“I’d rather you didn’t. I’m tired of answering that question. I’ll see you in the morning.”
The rest of the day passed quickly and soon they were back at the school for the open house. Kelsey was quiet and nervous and stuck to his side. He was overwhelmed by how many people wanted to shake his hand and tell him how glad they were he was alive. This time wasn’t about him. It was about Kelsey and her fitting in to a new school.
He was glad when Carson showed up with his kids, Trey and Claire. Carson suggested that Trey introduce Kelsey to the kids. Kelsey was hesitant at first, but went. Trey was a little younger, but it didn’t matter. Willow Creek was a small school and the kids all knew each other.
“How it’s going?” Carson asked.
“Unbelievably good.”
“Her hair looks better.”
“Yep. She did that all on her own. My kid is something.”
Claire tugged on Carson’s arm. “Daddy, can I go play?”
“Sure, baby, but don’t leave this room.”
Claire ran off to join some little girls who were drinking punch and eating cookies.
Ethan searched for Kelsey and saw her with a group of girls. She was talking and the girls were laughing, not at her but with her. If he had a guess, he’d say she was telling them about her grandpa. She was fitting in and he couldn’t be prouder.
Like his friend Carson, Ethan was a father. And it felt good.
* * *
THE NEXT MORNING was rush, rush, rush. He had a hard time getting Kelsey out of bed. She’d talked on the phone to her new friends until about eleven. He would have to set a time for her to go to bed or she’d never be able to get up for school and stay awake in class.
They arrived at the doctor’s office at eight and he filled out paperwork. Kelsey was a little nervous, but once she met Dr. Morrow she relaxed. Tina was in her fifties and had a soft voice that kids responded to.
When the exam was over, the nurse took him back to the doctor’s office. Kelsey was all smiles and had a handful of pamphlets.
“You have a healthy twelve-year-old daughter, detective.”
“So, everything’s okay?”
“Yes. The exam went well. Everything is normal. Kelsey’s a real trooper. We discussed everything from mood swings to boys to babies, and Kelsey has a better understanding of how her body is changing and how to take care of it.”
“Yeah, Dad. I know all kinds of stuff now.”
“I highly suggest you get her fitted for a bra.”
“A bra? She’s twelve.”
Dr. Morrow leaned back in her chair with a smile. “Oh, detective, your world is fixing to be turned upside down.”
He winked. “Too late. It already is.”
After that, he stopped and bought Kelsey a phone. He wanted her to be able to call him whenever she needed. She was so excited she jumped up and down with excitement. It took a while to calm her down so they could go into the police station.
“You can sit at my desk while I’m busy,” he told her.
“Okay. Cool.”
As soon as he entered the building, he was swamped with officers shaking his hand and offering words of support.
Finally, he was able to guide Kelsey to his desk. She was busy with her phone and didn’t notice much. Removing his wallet from his back pocket, he took out his desk key and opened the left drawer where he kept his badge and gun. Seemed like a long time since he’d put them there on that Saturday morning. A lot had happened since then. He’d met Abby.
Taking a long breath, he clipped the badge onto his shorts and then locked the drawer again. He headed down the hall to find Ross.
“Hey, Ethan.”
He turned to see Ross coming out of the lineup room.
“You’re just in time,” Ross said. “The guys are still in the lineup.”
“Has Ms. Bauman been in?” he asked out of curiosity.
“Yes. She just left. She did a great job identifying the voices.”
Damn. He was hoping to see her, but it was better if he didn’t. He walked in, looked through the glass at the six guys standing in jail-issued jumpsuits. “Two and four.”
“Could you take a little more time to be sure?”
“I don’t need time. I saw their faces in bright sunshine and it’s two and four. Rudy is number two and Devon is number four.”
Ross pushed a button on the wall. “Take ’em back.”
Hal Beecher from Robbery came in. “Hey, Ethan.” They shook hands. “Good to see you.”
“Thanks.”
Beecher glanced at Ross. “Ready?”
“Yeah. We’re interrogating Rudy and Devon again, hoping they’ll trip up or get tired of this bullshit and give us the third person,” he told Ethan.
“I’d like to listen.”
“Ethan.” Ross sighed. “Okay, the lieutenant is out. His daughter is having a baby and his wife insisted he be there. Just listen.”
Ethan walked into a room that had a view of the interrogation room. Rudy sat at a table, his hands and feet shackled. Ross and Beecher fired questions at him. Rudy shifted nervously, but he never wavered in his answers. There was no third person. He and Devon acted alone. It was their idea. They needed drug money. On and on it went until Ethan’s temper got the best of him.
He shoved past Ross and Beecher as they came out of the room.
“Ethan. Wait. No. Ethan!”
But he wasn’t listening to Ross. He went in and closed the door. Ross didn’t follow.
Ethan pulled out a chair and sat close to Rudy. A look of disbelief flashed across the man’s face. There was no doubt he recognized Ethan.
“What are you doing here?” Rudy asked.
“I’m here to talk to you.”
“I don’t have to say nothing. You’re not a cop.”
Ethan lifted his T-shirt and hooked it over the badge attached to his waistband. “Think again.”
Fear joined the disbelief on his face, and Ethan was going to work that in his favor. “You kidnapped a cop, Rudy.”
“You forced us to, man. You wouldn’t stay out of it.”
He leaned slightly back. “You must have missed Robbery 101.”
“What are talking about?”
“Every bank robber’s goal is to get in, get the money and get out as fast as possible. You took a civilian and a cop. That’s like holding a loaded gun to your head, Rudy.”
“I’m not talking to you anymore.”
“I’ll do the talking then.” He scooted the chair closer. “You said the boss was going to be pissed that you didn’t follow the plan. You told Devon it was your plan now. Does that ring a bell?”
“You’re making that up, man.”
“Stick to that story, Rudy, and you’ll be an old man before you walk out of Huntsville prison.”
“My lawyer says I’ll only have to do a few years.”
“Your lawyer’s an idiot. Armed robbery, Rudy. One man dies. You kidnap two people and leave them on an abandoned ranch in a hundred and two degrees with no water. You left us there to die.”
“No, man, I...”
“Shut up and stop lying. If you have two active brain cells, you better use them.”
“My lawyer...”
“Your court-appointed lawyer is fresh out of law school and knows squat. The D.A. will tear into him like a pit bull tears into a Chihuahua.”
“I got my own lawyer.”
That threw Ethan for a split second. “Where did you get money for an attorney?”
“My mom’s paying for it.”
“You lying piece of crap. The other person paid for a lawyer for you and whoever he or she is has you bamboozled. You’ll do the time while this person enjoys freedom.”
Rudy sat stone-faced.
“Keep your secret, Rudy. We don’t need a name anymore. Do you know why?”
No response.
“Your friend just made a big mistake. Lawyers don’t do anything without money on the table first, and money can be traced, especially big chunks, and I’m betting you got a large sum.”
No response again, but a nerve begin to jerk in his neck.
“I’m on paid medical leave.” He leaned into Rudy’s breathing space. “What do you think of my tan? I’m going to get you for that, too. I’m going to nail your hide to a wall for what you did to Ms. Bauman and me. And I got the time to do it. By Monday I’ll know everything about you. So send a message to your friend. I’m coming. And when I’m through you’re going to wish you never took a gun and walked into a bank.” He slapped his hand on the table. Rudy jumped. “You’re going to wish you’d never been born.”
Ross was waiting when he walked into the hall. “You just had to do that, didn’t you?”
He ignored the question. “What’s the deal with the lawyer?”
“We just heard about it this morning.”
“Who is it?”
“Bryce Grundy.”
“Grundy? The last I heard his retainer was about twenty-five grand.”
“Yeah.”
“Someone is shoveling out big bucks.”
“Yes, and I’m on it as soon as I get you out of the station before the lieutenant shows up.”
“I’m gone. I have to take my kid shopping for school clothes.” He stopped at his desk as something caught his eye. The reception desk was at the front and he glimpsed blond hair. Could it be?
“Come on, Kel.” He called his daughter, still occupied with her phone, and strolled to the front, his pulse racing. It was Abby. She stood looking out the window in a yellow-and-white sundress. She now had a gorgeous tan.