by Gina LaManna
“Wow.” I raised my eyebrows. “I see how that spiraled.”
“Somewhere in there, cake tastings started appearing on my work calendar. Anytime I tried to push back, to suggest maybe things had gotten a little out of hand, she would get sad, and I’d back off.”
“Ah.”
“But lately, instead of getting sad, she’d get upset and frustrated as if I was the one with unreasonable expectations.” Gem ran a hand through his carefully fixed hair. It mussed some, and it looked more like him. “I hadn’t realized how much the tides had shifted until I saw the guest list for the engagement party. I thought adding a few of my own guests wouldn’t be a big deal.”
“But that didn’t go over well with her?”
“Not exactly.”
“I thought Mindy was okay with me,” I said. “I mean, she might not want to be my best friend, but I thought after we talked at the cabin she’d taken me off her blacklist.”
“I’m telling you, this version of Mindy isn’t the version of Mindy you know,” Gem said. “Take it from me. I’ve hardly spent time alone with her at all since we got engaged. She’s either at her mother’s or a girlfriend’s or at her own place doing some sort of online shopping with her wedding planner.”
“You have to talk to her,” I said. “Just sit her down and have an honest conversation. She’s a smart, capable woman. She should be able to understand what you’re saying if you lay it out in a logical way. Look at me. I’m a relationship failure, and even I understand what your complaints are, and I don’t think they’re unreasonable.”
“But you’re not emotionally involved,” Gem said. “Apparently Mindy’s emotions have taken over. I’m just hoping that it settles down after the wedding.”
“What if it doesn’t?”
Gem’s face looked pained. “It has to, right? I mean, this isn’t the Mindy I fell in love with.”
“How well do you know Mindy? That’s not me trying to be snarky. It’s me genuinely asking.”
“I love Mindy.”
“I’m not questioning that. I love Jack Russo, but we’ve been dating longer than you and Mindy, and I’m not ready for an engagement.”
“This has to just be a phase.”
“Okay, I’ll take your word for it,” I said. “If you’re sure. I’m not trying to put any doubts in your mind. I’m just a person trying to make sure my friend is happy. That’s all.”
Gem blew out a breath. “I appreciate that, Kate. I really do. Thank you.”
I nodded.
“It’s not what I want,” he blurted. “Not the wedding, I mean. I want the rest of it—Mindy, the relationship, the love that we have. I just can’t handle the pomp and circumstance around it.”
“Talk to her about it, then. If she’s the person you think she is, she’ll understand. If not, then you might have a different answer.”
“I don’t want it to be the latter.”
“No, but wouldn’t it be better to know before the wedding?” I asked. “I mean, this is your life, Gem. After the wedding, it’s kids. Family vacations. Buying property and whatever. All things you have to do as a couple. I just think it’s important to be able to work together. Marriage seems hard even for couples who seem to have everything going for them. I just want to see you start it out on the right foot.”
“You’re right,” Gem said. “I’ll talk to her. Thank you.”
“Gem,” I murmured softly, “I just want you to be happy. That’s all. I’m sorry to have brought this up to you tonight. It’s really none of my business. Everyone told me to stay out of it. I should’ve listened to them probably. But a part of me just felt...” I trailed off helplessly. I couldn’t quite vocalize exactly what I was trying to get across. I only hoped he could understand I was coming from a genuine place of friendship.
Gem glanced at me, his eyes calculating. Then, to my surprise, he reached to pull me into a hug. It wasn’t a romantic hug, not a lingering hug, not a suggestive hug of any sort. It was the sort of hug that simply told me Gem needed a friend in this world, and for now, I was it.
“Why do you think you’re here tonight?” Gem whispered in my ear. “Thank you.”
The moment was interrupted as the door to the patio opened and out walked Russo. He held two flutes of champagne in one hand and a small plate of food in the other hand. Gem immediately let me go, and I stepped back.
Russo cleared his throat. “Brought you something.”
I accepted the glass of champagne as Russo extended it. “Thank you.”
“I didn’t realize there was a patio out here,” Russo said. “I’ve been looking for you for a while.”
“Sorry,” I said. “Gem and I were just chatting.”
“I was thanking the detective for being a good friend,” Gem said with a nod in my direction. “Same goes for you, Agent Russo. I appreciate you both being here tonight. Now, I should go find my bride before she panics that I’ve run off before we’ve cut the cake.”
Gem disappeared inside. Before the door to the patio swung shut behind him, Russo turned to me.
“A good friend, huh?” he asked, a dash of sarcasm. “What was that all about?”
“I...” I hesitated and shifted my weight sheepishly from one foot to another. “Remember how Jane told me to stay out of things?”
“Jane and everyone else?”
“Yeah.” I took a sip of champagne. “Well, I sort of didn’t.”
“What’d you do, Kate?”
“I didn’t do anything,” I said, feeling a little defensive. “Gem’s my friend. He was seeming really upset and flustered, and I asked him a few questions.”
“Like what?”
“Like if this is what he really wants.”
“Kate.” Jack shook his head. “This is his engagement party. It’s neither the time nor the place to be questioning his decision. As his friend, your job is to be supportive.”
“Not necessarily. Not if I can tell he’s not happy.”
“Can you tell that? How? I thought you haven’t seen him much lately.”
“I-I haven’t. Just the time I told you about when he came to the café. And tonight, obviously.”
“That’s enough for you to get a good read on him?”
“I’m a detective. It’s what I do.”
“This isn’t about your job. You keep trying to make this about you being a detective, but that’s not it at all. Even as a detective, you keep your nose out of others’ love lives just fine. Why is it so hard to just let Alastair Gem be?”
“It’s not that it’s hard,” I said. “It’s that he practically came to me wanting to talk. It was obvious something was wrong. What was I supposed to do?”
“Reassure him that getting married is a big step,” Russo said, exasperated. “That’s what friends do. They pat their other friends on the back and tell them they’re doing the right thing. It’s probably just cold feet, Kate. A man like Alastair Gem is used to having women fall all over him. Committing to one woman for the rest of his life is probably going to give him heart palpitations. It’s just the way these things work.”
“I’m supposed to pat him on the back and pretend everything is okay, even when it’s obviously not?” I stared at Jack. “That’s the sort of friend you think I am?”
“I’m not saying you need to lie to him.”
“Pretty much.”
“I’m saying you can comfort him without giving him cause to second-guess his upcoming wedding.”
I glanced over my shoulder into the darkness behind me. “That’s not me, Jack. You know that as well as I do. If something doesn’t add up, if something’s not right, I’m not going to sit back and just ignore it.”
“Maybe that’s the problem. Sometimes you do have to ignore it,” Jack said. “Alastair Gem is not one of your cases. He’s not something you need to fix. He doesn’t need your permission or blessing to get married.”
“I know that.”
“Sometimes in life problems aren’t
as black or white as they might be at work. When you’ve got your badge on and you’re working, most of the time there’s a dead guy and a bad guy. Your job is to catch the bad guy, lock him up, end of story.”
“I’m aware.”
“Life isn’t like that,” Russo said. “Gem can have doubts and still be making the right choice in marrying Mindy.”
“How do you know?”
“I’ve been married. I’ve been there before.”
“But in your case, it wasn’t the right choice. It didn’t work out.”
As soon as I said the words, I knew they were the wrong ones. I felt a pit in my stomach.
“I’m so sorry, Jack. I didn’t mean it,” I said. “That just came out.”
“Right. Because you’re honest and don’t know when to let things be.” Jack took a deep breath and set the plate of food down on a nearby table. He downed his glass of champagne and then set the glass down next to it. “Are you wanting to stick around? I think it might be a good time for me to take off. I’m not feeling much like a party anymore.”
“Jack, please.”
Russo turned to me. To my surprise, it wasn’t anger on his face. There was maybe the slightest whiff of frustration, but I could tell it wasn’t necessarily at me. It was at something more.
“Kate, I know the type of friend you are. I know the type of detective you are. The type of person you are. I understand why you felt concerned enough to bring up the situation with Alastair.”
“Okay.”
“But I have to ask. Are you sure it’s not more than that?”
“What do you mean?” I asked, genuinely confused. “More than what?”
“Are you sure you’re not bothered by the fact that Gem’s getting married? I mean, on a personal level?”
“I’m just trying to—”
“Because of how it makes you feel,” Jack interrupted. “Not because of how Gem feels.”
“Are you implying I’m trying to somehow sabotage Gem’s wedding because I am somehow interested in him?” His insinuation finally clicked into place for me. “That’s ridiculous and completely untrue. I thought you weren’t worried, Jack.”
“I’m not. I wasn’t.” Jack glanced helplessly around. “But it’s clear Gem’s not over you. If you feel the same way, then maybe...”
I reached out, put my hands on Jack’s shoulders, pulled him closer to me. “I love you, Jack. I am in love with you. I don’t want to be with anyone else. Regardless of how anyone feels for me.”
Jack nodded.
“I disagree with you that Gem’s not over me,” I said. “I know you saw us hugging, but he just needed a friend for support. I only encouraged him to talk to Mindy about the size of the wedding. Not to call it off. I promise you. Gem wants to be married to her. He told me that much. He only wanted a simpler wedding.”
Jack relaxed against my arms. “I trust you. I know your intentions were good.”
“Thank you,” I murmured, resting my head against his chest. “I hope that—”
I was cut off by the ring of my phone. I jerked upward at the interruption, only because I’d set my phone on silent except for a few emergency lines that were allowed through. Asha, the chief, Jimmy Jones, and a few other work-related numbers.
I glanced at the name and recognized it. “Hey, what’s up?”
“We’ve got another body,” Jimmy said. “You still at that party?”
“We’ll be there,” I said. “Text me the address.”
“That didn’t sound very festive,” Jack said when I disconnected. “Was that about a development in the case?”
“There’s a new body,” I said. “I think it’s probably best if we just slip out unnoticed. You?”
Jack put his arm on my back in agreement. Then we left the sparkling event behind us to make our way to a dark, probably gruesome crime scene that was everything this party wasn’t.
Chapter 16
“MAYBE you should talk to him,” I said. “Gem, I mean.”
We were in the car headed to the crime scene. The air between Russo and I wasn’t quite tense, but it wasn’t quite cleared from our earlier conversation either. We were in an odd limbo of not quite being mad at each other, but not quite feeling especially romantic either. Maybe that wasn’t a surprise seeing as we were on our way to a murder scene, but still. Something wasn’t right between us, and I wasn’t sure exactly where to start to fix it.
“Me? I’m pretty sure Gem doesn’t want to talk to me. The only reason he tolerates me is because I’m a part of your life.”
“That’s not true.”
“You know it is.”
“You met because of me, sure, but I think he genuinely likes you,” I said. “All that stuff you were saying before about cold feet and emotions are things that might mean more coming from another guy, especially someone like you who has some marriage experience.”
“Like you said, my relationship didn’t work out. I’m not sure I should be the one giving the advice.”
“That wasn’t fair of me to say. I’m sorry. It’s hard to be married to someone when you work a job like we do.”
“Even so, Gem’s a billionaire. He’s got plenty of friends.”
“I don’t know if that’s true. He’s always surrounded by people, yes, but if you think about the party tonight, we were the only people there for him besides Wes and my sister. I have to wonder how difficult it is to find real friends when someone has that much money.”
“Well, I’m sorry too. For what it’s worth.” Russo glanced at me. “I feel like I blew things out of proportion back there. I do trust you, and I know the sort of person you are. I guess I’m just a little intimidated by Gem counting on you so much as a friend.”
“There’s nothing romantic at all between—”
“I know,” he interrupted. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just that I get why he likes you, Kate. I understand what Gem sees in you, and I get why he might be having a hard time getting over never having an opportunity with you.”
“You have no reason to feel jealous.”
“You bring it out in me.” He gave a wry smile. “I was never this jealous with my ex-wife. In a way, I guess that’s a good sign about how much I care for you.”
We pulled up to the crime scene, and I hesitated a moment.
“It’s fine, Kate,” Jack said. “We don’t have to talk about this anymore. Just forget about it. I overreacted; you were just being yourself, and we both apologized. We can move on.”
He was already getting out of the car by the time I began trying to think of an appropriate response. I couldn’t help but feel that the situation hadn’t totally resolved itself, even though there’d been apologies, and Russo had declared the conversation over. Something deeper niggled at me, and I couldn’t tell if it was something bothering me, or if something was bothering Russo and he was trying to hide it.
The second my feet were planted on the asphalt, however, I pushed it to the back of my mind. Compartmentalization was Cop 101. There was no time at a crime scene to linger on complicated weddings and boyfriend issues. The victim, whoever he or she was, deserved my full attention, and that was what I planned to give them.
I fell into step beside Russo. This was the part where it was nice to date someone who understood the job on a fundamental level. Anyone else might still be stewing over the conversation we’d just finished, but Jack had his FBI Agent face on, and I could tell Alastair Gem was the furthest thing from his mind.
“Hey,” I said, greeting my partner as we reached the crime scene. “What do we have here?”
“We’re some of the first on the scene,” Jimmy said. “I don’t know much more than you.”
Local officers were just getting tape set up around the perimeter. A cop with a clipboard was going around to check people in. Melinda strode across the pavement in high heels carrying her bag. Not for the first time, I wondered how she managed to appear perfectly gorgeous on a spur-of-the-moment, late-night
call. If it weren’t for Gem’s party, I’d have been in pajamas at best.
The crime scene was located along University Avenue in St. Paul. We stood in an abandoned parking lot behind some run-down old buildings and a new boba tea shop. It wasn’t a great part of town, which had me wondering why the TC Task Force had been called at all. We didn’t handle the sorts of one-off murders that usually happened in this area. Holdups, muggings, burglaries gone wrong—that sort of thing.
“You two look snazzy,” Jimmy remarked, glancing over at us. “How was the party?”
“Fine,” I said. “Who found the body?”
“Couple of kids. They were hanging out in the parking lot smoking. They were goofing off when a girl tripped over the body. Scared the pants off her.”
“Understandably,” Russo said. “Not exactly the rebellious Friday night these teens were hoping for.”
“Definitely not,” Jimmy said. “We’re not going to hold them on any charges. They’re scared enough as it is. The ones who found the body are over there, though. We called their parents to pick them up.”
“If their parents are anything like mine,” Russo muttered, “that’ll be enough punishment for a while.”
Jones snorted. “I hear that.”
I looked toward Jack, breaking my rules about letting personal thoughts interfere at a crime scene for just a moment. I knew Russo had a brother who he rarely talked about. He’d hardly ever mentioned his parents except to acknowledge they existed.
It felt odd. I routinely told this man I loved him. I let him share my home and my bed and my life. Yet here I was, still learning new things about him. Big things about family and friends. How well did I really know him? And if I felt that way, was Gem having the same feelings about Mindy? Was his hesitation really just the typical bout of cold feet, or was he thinking he’d made a big mistake and barely knew his wife-to-be at all?