by V. K. Powell
“Oh, good, a secret operation. Let me know when. It’s all at the motel.”
“I better let you get some sleep.” Greer walked toward the door. “And, again, I’m sorry about earlier.”
Eva smiled and the tiny dimples formed on her cheeks. “No need to apologize. I’m glad you trusted me.”
“Good night, Eva. I’ll be downstairs until Bessie gets home if you need anything. And don’t worry about intruders. We have an excellent four-legged alarm system.” Eva’s olive-skinned body looked gorgeous against the pale bedding. Now seeing Eva in Clare’s bed didn’t make her so anxious. Surreal but not unpleasant.
*
Greer was sitting at the kitchen table staring into a cup of cold coffee when Bessie got home from work. “Where’s Eva?”
“Upstairs…in my room.” She didn’t need to look up to know Bessie was giving her an oh-really stare. “She needed to rest and I told her to go up. She chose that one.”
“Are you okay?” Bessie rubbed Greer’s shoulders with the loving strokes of a devoted parent. Her touch had always relaxed and calmed Greer even in the worst of times.
“It shocked me at first but I’m better.” She poured Bessie a cup of coffee and waited for her to sit. It had been a while since they had a late-night chat after work. Greer was usually out back in the apartment, having a swim, or working when Bessie came home. But something about this day and her conversations with Eva made Greer crave the connection she and Bessie used to share.
When Bessie settled in the chair across from her, Greer said, “I’ve missed you. It’s my fault we’ve grown apart.”
“Honey, we haven’t grown apart. You needed some space for a while.” Greer finally met Bessie’s gaze and tears burned her eyes. “Have you been crying?” The surprise in her voice mingled with concern.
“A little. Eva and I talked about what happened today…and about Clare. We were both emotionally exhausted.”
“Thank God. I’m so glad you finally shared some of that. You’ve bottled it up too long.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t talk to you, Bessie. You understood exactly what I was going through. I just couldn’t, especially after seeing how you suffered when you lost Ruth.”
“Don’t ever apologize for that, honey. You did the best you could. I have to confess, though. It seemed like I lost you and Clare at the same time. I’ve missed our talks, even our arguments.” Bessie’s eyes reflected the same pain and sadness that Greer had lived with the past two years.
“I’m sorry I put you through that. I know you loved her too.”
“Does this mean you’re letting go of the guilt?”
“I’m trying.” Greer smiled and playfully poked Bessie’s arm. “But I’ll remind you about that argument crack next time we have a knock-down-drag-out.”
They sat in companionable silence for several minutes, sipped coffee, and alternated scratching the dogs’ ears. “Sooo…”
“So what?”
Bessie feigned exasperation. “You’re making me act like a nosy aunt. So, how are things with you and Eva?” At that moment Nina, Bessie’s ball of black furry cat, pounced into her lap, as if she too wanted to hear the answer. Bessie stroked her and waited patiently.
“Nothing’s changed.”
“Doesn’t sound like that to me. You both cheated death today and it sounds like you shared something pretty intense tonight. I’d say that’s a change.”
“Except that she’s still leaving when this is over.”
“Ever think she might need a reason to stay?” Bessie waggled her eyebrows. “Every woman wants to believe she’s wanted, special. Haven’t I taught you anything, girl?”
“I can’t be that reason for her, Bessie. She has to want to stay for herself, not because of me. Besides, I’m not sure I have anything to offer her. It’s too soon. So, I guess this means life is pretty much back to normal, huh?” When Bessie didn’t have a snappy comeback, Greer looked up from her coffee. “What?”
“Normal might be relative for a while. I went up to check on Fred before I came home. I knew you’d want an update. JJ was skulking outside his room.”
“Did you talk to him? He’s been avoiding me lately.”
“He wanted to know if Fred would recover. But he’d been drinking, heavily. When I told him to leave, he argued with me. That’s not like Jake. He usually acts respectful to me and the staff.”
Greer recalled her encounters with JJ since Eva Saldana came to town, and none of them had been pleasant. When the sarge assigned her the case, everything seemed to change. But maybe he was hiding or afraid of something else, something personal he couldn’t tell anyone. That would account for his uncharacteristic drinking and aggressive behavior. Whatever was going on was affecting his work, his friendships, and probably his entire life. She made a mental note to track him down and get to the bottom of it sooner rather than later. She refused to let their precious personal and working relationships slip away without knowing the reason.
“So did you check on the sergeant?”
“He woke up before I left. He was still groggy, but he’s asking anybody who’ll listen why you shot him. That SBI agent was in with him when I clocked out. Honey, I don’t like the way this thing is shaking out. If they’re trying to pin this clusterfuck on you, I won’t stand for it.”
Having Sergeant Fluharty accuse her of shooting him once was one thing, but continuing the accusations was another. Maybe he hit his head in the fall and was suffering short-term memory loss. Maybe the events had become scrambled in his mind, and seeing her kneeling over him before he passed out made him think she was the shooter.
“Don’t worry about it. I didn’t do anything wrong. When the drugs are out of his system, the sergeant will set everybody straight. He may have even seen the gunman.” But the stormy blue of Bessie’s eyes said she was no more convinced than Greer that they would resolve the issue that easily.
Chapter Thirteen
The next morning Greer slipped a note under Eva’s bedroom door asking her to call when she was ready to go through Paul’s belongings. She sprinted to the garage and pushed Icarus to the end of the driveway so she wouldn’t wake Eva. As she sped toward the hospital to check on the sergeant, she reluctantly thought about the other reason for her early departure. Facing Eva after their evening of emotional intimacy scared her more than being charged in the shootings. A sleepless night hadn’t cleared her mind or erased her powerful connection to Eva. She needed more time.
When she parked her bike in the hospital parking lot, she saw the white SBI vehicle in one of the law-enforcement spaces. Her stomach tightened. What had Sergeant Fluharty already told the investigator about his shooting? As she turned down the hall to the sergeant’s room, Agent Long emerged from it.
“Good morning, Detective.” His smile was entirely too friendly for someone who suspected her of murder and assault.
“How’s he doing today?” Greer asked.
“Better, I think. He’s more lucid than yesterday. He recanted his statement that you shot him.” Long watched for her reaction but Greer gave him nothing. “But I’ll keep looking until I find out what really happened. Maybe we can talk later, after I’ve had a chance to interview your squad mates.”
She should probably feel relieved, but Rick Long hadn’t given up on her as a suspect yet. It would be unprofessional to do so. “Sure. I’ll be around the station. We have Internal Affairs statements today.”
Greer watched Long disappear at the end of the hall before she entered Sergeant Fluharty’s room. He appeared to be asleep, his breathing even, his face drawn and colorless.
“Have you come back to finish the job?” Fluharty opened his eyes and grinned, motioning for her to come closer. “Can you believe that pencil dick? He thinks you shot me and Tom Merritt.”
“Well, you did ask me last night why I shot you.”
“I was doped out of my gourd. I know it wasn’t you.”
“Did you see who it was?”
“That’s the big mystery. I seem to be the only one who was in a position to shoot you, at least that’s what Long believes.”
“I think I set him straight, but don’t let him bulldoze you.”
“Thanks, Sarge.” She looked at the single vase of flowers on his bedside table. “Did anyone call your wife?” She immediately regretted the question. Fluharty hadn’t mentioned his wife in a very long time, and it was apparently still a sore subject.
“You mean my ex. She wouldn’t come anyway. She only wants to see me if I have an alimony check in my hand or she thinks it’s time to collect on the life insurance.”
Greer shifted uncomfortably. When they first separated, he’d been devastated, but the acrimonious proceedings had made him bitter.
“Forget about her, tell me about your case.”
“They’ve relieved me for now. The chief turned it over to the SBI because it’s probably linked to yours and Tom’s shooting. I think the perp was after Eva.”
“Why? Have you uncovered something new on her brother’s case?”
“No, but apparently somebody thinks she’s found a lead. We’re going back through Paul’s belongings today to see if we come up with anything.” She stopped, realizing that she’d admitted her intent to violate the chief’s order to stay clear of the Saldana investigation. “Uh, I mean—”
“Don’t worry, kiddo. I’d much rather you solve this case than let the Staties get their jollies making us look stupid. Keep it quiet and keep me posted.”
“Will do, Sarge. Do you need anything before I go?”
“Nah, just be careful. It looks like your girl could be right about her brother’s death. Don’t take any chances.”
This was the first time somebody else had acknowledged that Paul Saldana’s case might be more than it seemed. Greer exited the hospital and walked toward her bike. She wanted to tell Eva, or maybe she was just missing her. Before she could crank the bike, JJ pulled his souped-up sixties pickup into the lot. She kicked the stand down and waited for him to park. She wasn’t about to let him get away one more time without talking to her.
JJ didn’t have a welcoming expression, but she didn’t care. “Good morning, JJ.”
“Whatever it is, I don’t have time.” He closed the truck door and started toward the hospital. “I want to check on the sergeant and, in case you forgot, we have IA interviews today.”
She blocked his path and forced him to look at her. His eyes were bloodshot and his breath reeked of stale booze. “I haven’t forgotten, but we need to talk. What’s happened to us?”
“Nothing, so leave it alone.” He sidestepped her and kept walking.
She caught up to him and grabbed his arm. “Come with me.” She steered him toward the diner across the street from the hospital. “You need coffee if you’re talking to IA today.”
“Let go of me, Greer. I’d hate to deck you out here in public.”
“Do it. Deck me if it’ll make you feel better. Maybe then we can have a real conversation. I’m tired of tiptoeing around you like I have something to hide. I need to talk to my friend. I miss you.”
Her last statement seemed to calm JJ’s blustery attitude. His shoulders sagged and he looked like he might cry. She’d never seen him so emotionally vulnerable. “Jesus, I can’t go in there.” He pointed toward the diner. “Janice is working now. She’s doing doubles since—”
“Since what?” Greer tried to remember the last time she’d seen Jake and Janice together. They’d been married for years, and when they moved to town from Boston, she’d gone to work in the diner and soon became the assistant manager. But JJ’s work behavior had distracted Greer so much she hadn’t looked beyond the job for the source of his problems. “What’s happened, JJ?”
“Get us some coffee.” He turned around and headed back to his vehicle.
Greer brought two large black coffees back to the truck and handed one to Jake as she settled into the passenger’s seat. The interior smelled like new leather and Armor All. He treated his antique ride with the care due a mistress. Greer admired some of his detailed handiwork and gave him time to decide how to approach this conversation. Any question from her might sound like an indictment, which would only shut him down more. Jake was worse than her at emotional discussions. He took a few sips of the steaming coffee and finally turned toward her.
“Janice caught me screwing around. She left me.”
It’s about time, Greer thought, but she said, “I’m sorry to hear that. When?”
“That first night I saw you at the motel over in Hurley. I told her I was working late but she followed me from the station. At first I thought you told her.”
“You could’ve asked. I didn’t like your fooling around, but I couldn’t tell your wife. It’s not my place.”
“I know that now.”
“Do you want her back?”
Jake rubbed his hands over his face as huge tears welled in his eyes. “Yeah, I do. I love her, but it’s too late. I admitted everything, every time I’d cheated on her—and it was a lot. I don’t think she’ll ever trust me again.”
Greer tried to imagine cheating on someone she loved but couldn’t conjure up an instance in which that might happen. When she was with Clare, no other woman even turned her head, much less her thoughts or desires. They trusted each other completely. “Trust has to work both ways, JJ. You’ve got to prove she can trust you again. That could take time. Are you willing to make the effort?”
“All I’ve been able to do so far is get drunk and beg her to take me back. It’s not doing much good.”
“Can you blame her? Who wants a cheating drunk? I don’t mean to be harsh, but put yourself in her place. What does she need and how can you give it to her?”
They were quiet for several minutes, as JJ seemed to consider her advice. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’ve been feeling sorry for myself.”
Greer waited, and when it appeared JJ didn’t intend to say anything more, she asked the question that had been bothering her. “What else, JJ? More’s going on between us than the breakup of your marriage.”
“Jesus, and I thought you women were supposed to be sensitive. Isn’t that enough?”
“Sure, it’s enough to send you over the deep end, but I didn’t have anything to do with that. So why are you treating me like I’m the enemy?”
JJ rolled his coffee cup between his hands and stared ahead at the hospital. “Did I ever tell you why I left the Boston PD?”
“When I brought up the subject, you said you got burned out and needed a break.”
“That was part of it.”
A warning tingle shot up the back of Greer’s neck. “And the other part?”
“I investigated the overdose death of the mayor’s son. It should have been an open-and-shut case, but the media tried to make it something else. They supported his opponent and would use anything for political leverage. The mayor asked for an outside review of my case, which I saw as a vote of no confidence.” JJ paused and met Greer’s gaze for the first time. “I may not be a loyal husband, Greer, but I’m an honest cop. I couldn’t let that happen. It would’ve tainted my career, so I left a week before I was scheduled to render the final disposition on the case.”
The cylinders clicked into place as the mystery surrounding JJ’s behavior unfolded. “So, the case was still open and they handed it over to someone else. They didn’t consider you the detective of record since you didn’t clear the case, and your reputation was intact.”
“Yeah.”
“And when the chief ordered us to review the Saldana investigation, also an overdose, you saw it happening again—questioning your
integrity and investigative abilities.”
“When you say it like that, it sounds pretty egotistical. But can you understand? As a cop, if you lose your integrity, you don’t have anything.”
It wasn’t easy, but Greer restrained from pouncing on JJ for his narcissistic pride and unwillingness to come clean with her. “You could’ve told me. It would’ve been easier for everybody. Not to mention I could’ve used your help. It’s not about proving you wrong.”
“You got the case right after Janice left, and I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“Doesn’t say much for your trust in me.” Greer tried to understand how it would feel to have someone question her loyalty and integrity. Along with love, they were the touchstones of her life and career. As much as she disapproved of his behavior, Greer sympathized with JJ. “I understand how that messes with your head. But we need to clear up a few other things.” How could she bring up his behavior in Eva’s motel room?
“I know what you’re about to say. I acted like a complete ass at the motel that night. I shouldn’t have said the things I did about you and Eva, and I definitely shouldn’t have brought up Clare. That was shitty even for me. I’m sorry, really.”
Greer studied JJ for any hint of deception. But his words seemed sincere, his tone even and apologetic, and his eyes filled with remorse. “Okay, I forgive you. But don’t ever talk about Eva like that again or bring Clare into a conversation that isn’t about love. I mean it, JJ.”
He nodded and hung his head. “It looks like I fucked up the case anyway. Somebody must have killed that guy. If not, why’s a shooter after his sister, unless he was targeting Tom?”
“Well, since you’re the liaison with the SBI, you’ll be able to keep tabs on that. But I don’t think they were after Tom. He wasn’t even supposed to be there. Somebody thinks Eva has stumbled onto evidence that her brother had and wants to get rid of her before it comes out. We have to figure out who and why. Are you finally with me on this, JJ?”