The Undercover Affair

by Cathryn Parry

  In other words, she might be spending the night in the local police station.

  Detective Donovan stepped in. “I’ll give you a ride to the station,” he offered. Wesley had already arrived, Lyndsay noted, with a team of evidence processors. The gears of police activity moved quickly.

  “Thank you,” she told Detective Donovan.

  “Don’t know how much we can hide you, though, Officer Fairfax. The locals are pretty curious.”

  She saw what he meant. Outside on the street a crowd was gathering, even at this late hour. People just couldn’t stay away from police lights and activity. Two emergency medical attendants were loading the slightly built burglar, now acting groggy as he held his head and moaned, into one ambulance, and the beefy assailant—also alert, sullen and angry—into the other.

  “Okay, I’m ready,” she said to Detective Donovan as she unclipped the badge at her waist and tucked it into a pocket. “We’ll do the best we can to get out of here unmolested.”

  His squad car was across the grass and parked on the street. The MacLaines’ beautiful landscaping had been marred by all the vehicles squeezed in to the small area, some of them parked not on the driveway, but on the lawn. Lyndsay would be glad not to be present to see Kitty’s reaction to that. They walked by Officer Phil Pierce, standing beside John and a medical attendant who carried a clipboard. John didn’t even look at her as she passed.

  Andy lifted the police tape as if he belonged there and strode right over. “Lyn! What’s going on?”

  “Step back behind the barrier, Andy,” Detective Donovan reprimanded him.

  “Yeah, sorry, Michael.” Andy made a limp movement toward the tape. But he kept his eyes pinned to her.

  She needed to take care of the rumors as quickly and quietly as possible. “Excuse me,” she said to Detective Donovan, and stepped over to Andy, putting her arm around him and speaking close to his ear. “We interrupted a burglary,” she said calmly. “But everyone is okay. Where’s Moon?”

  “He ran down the street and called me after he saw the burglars and accidentally tripped the alarm. He’s over there.” Andy pointed. Indeed, Moon was gesturing wildly, dictating his story to a female, uniformed police officer.

  “So he wasn’t hurt?” Lyndsay qualified.

  “No. Just freaked out.” Andy shifted. “I can’t believe our cul-de-sac got hit by burglars.”

  “It’s over now.”

  “Officer Fairfax, could I speak to you a moment?” Officer Pierce stood by her elbow. She shook her head at him. He blanched, realizing his mistake. “Sorry. I’ll see you at the station,” he said, stepping away from them and heading back to John.

  “Officer Fairfax?” Andy repeated.

  Just a moment, she signaled to Detective Donovan, patiently waiting by his squad car for her. Taking a breath, she turned to Andy. She was aware that she had eyes on her. From the corner of her vision she noticed John was signing the EMT disclaimer, refusing transport to the hospital. Stubborn man.

  “I’m an undercover state police officer,” she said in a low tone to Andy, and looked him straight in the eyes. “That is on a need-to-know basis only. The case may be damaged if that news gets spread.”

  He looked hurt, and she was well aware of the betrayal he must feel. Andy had trusted her, introduced her, let her into their community. She briefly considered leaving it at that—the less said, the better to protect the upcoming prosecutions—but she also weighed that he deserved to hear her story from her own lips, or as much as she could divulge, anyway.

  “You know I won’t say anything, Lyn,” Andy said. She perceived then that he was hurt not that she was undercover, but that she’d implied he had a big mouth.

  John stared over at her. Wordlessly, he moved on with Officer Pierce toward his squad car.

  She felt her heart sink. The adrenaline of the bust was wearing off; the reality of what had just happened with John was sinking in.

  “Andy,” Lyndsay said, turning to her contractor friend. “I was investigating a series of burglaries, and those burglaries are still under investigation. I’m sorry I had to deceive people to do so, but it was for a good purpose, the best outcome for the community and for all of us, and that’s why I did it.”

  Andy softly whistled. “You could knock me over with a feather,” he said in his gruff, teddy-bear voice. “You know, I had no freaking idea.”

  “Nobody did,” she said softly, thinking of John.

  Andy patted her on the arm. But for once, he couldn’t seem to find another word to say.

  “You helped me,” she said. “I’ll never forget that.”

  “So...you’re not an interior decorator?” he asked, scratching his head.

  “I went to design school, and I’m a police officer,” she clarified. “How’s that?”

  “Well, if you ever need a job, come see me. You’re good.”

  She made a small laugh. “Honestly, even though I would love to work with you again, we’re best off where I am.” But she needed to wrap this up and get back to her job, so she gave Andy a quick hug. “Goodbye,” she whispered. “Take care of John, please.”

  Then she climbed into the police cruiser with Detective Donovan, headed to the station to face Commander Harris and whatever he had to say.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  JOHN SAT IN the back of Phil Pierce’s cruiser nursing his wounds. Physically, he would live. Emotionally, he felt worse than he’d ever felt, even after a firefight from his Marine days.

  His vision swam before him. Honestly, he wasn’t sure if he was in a dream or if he understood reality correctly.

  Lyndsay had been playing him for a dupe, lying to him all along.

  How the hell was he supposed to deal with that fact?

  He remembered the first time he’d talked with her in the Seaside parking lot, back when he’d been wary of her lurking around the place. She’d talked him out of his doubts with such charm and sweetness, and he’d been fooled. She’d countered every argument he had, grinding his defenses to dust.

  He gritted his teeth. Come to find out, his suspicions had been correct. She’d manipulated him from the beginning.

  As the cruiser pulled into the back lot of the Wallis Point Police Department, a slow boil built in his blood, especially when Phil opened the door for him and led him inside the station as if John was one step from being a common criminal.

  “John?” Phil said. “We’re going to need you to step inside an interview room.”

  “What for?” he snapped at Phil, even though Phil was just following orders and had nothing to do with Lyndsay’s perfidy. What did she say her real name was? Fairfax. She’d even lied to Phil Pierce about that just this past Sunday afternoon.

  Phil closed the door behind them. “Why don’t you write down what happened tonight. You’re going to want to fill this out.” He plunked down a clipboard with a form on it and a pen. “I’ll need you to explain what you were doing at the MacLaine place to begin with.”

  John just stared at the paper. Why had he been there? For Lyndsay. Because he’d cared about her and loved her and he’d been worried for her safety, even as she’d lied to him, even as he’d poured out his guts to her.

  He stared at the pen, no idea what to write. He should have known she was too good to be true.

  * * *

  THREE HOURS. THAT was how long Lyndsay waited for Commander Harris at the Wallis Point police station. Detective Donovan found her a comfortable interview room and kept her supplied with stale, police-house coffee, but no one from the task force called, or even stopped by to keep her informed.

  She was missing out on all the action.

  Despite the fact that it was past two o’clock in the morning, she kept her posture straight and tried not to let herself despair, as Pete had suggested.
She reminded herself that her actions had helped break the case. At some point, Commander Harris would recognize that. Professionally, she had nothing to worry about.

  She closed her eyes. Where was John? How was he doing?

  Thoughts of him kept creeping in, no matter how she tried not to think about him. She worried about him. He’d looked horrible, and she wished he had gone to the hospital to be examined. If she could have ordered him to do so, she would have.

  Once again, she debated whether to disobey orders, get up and track him down. He probably sat in another interview room somewhere in the station. So close to her, and yet so far removed.

  The door opened, and Detective Donovan poked his head in. “Sorry, Officer Fairfax. I still haven’t heard word from your task force commander.”

  “All right. Thanks for letting me know.” It was apparent that Commander Harris was taking his sweet time. The drive from Concord to Wallis Point took one hour, not three. “Is John Reilly being questioned?” she asked the detective.

  “Phil just finished taking his statement.”

  “Is he still here?”

  “No. Andy Hannaman gave him a ride home.”

  She could only hope that Andy would take care of John, and that John would be okay. “So...did someone from the task force also interview him?”

  “Not yet,” Detective Donovan replied. “They’re tied up at the hospital. Your partner asked us to get John’s statement about what happened tonight. He said they’ll send someone out to interview him later.”

  She nodded. Hopefully it would be Pete and not Simon who did the interviewing. Pete would be the better person to feel empathy for his situation, given what he’d shared with her this afternoon.

  What a long day. She couldn’t help stifling a yawn. The adrenaline had worn off, and she could barely keep her eyes open. At this point, she was simply exhausted.

  “We have a room in the back with a cot,” Detective Donovan offered. “If you’d like, rest up until your commander shows.”

  “Thank you, I appreciate the offer.” Lyndsay smiled at him. She would accept the hospitality and figure out what she was going to do about John later.

  * * *

  THE NEXT THING Lyndsay knew, she was being shaken awake by a female uniformed officer. “A detective is here to see you, Officer Fairfax.”

  Groggy, Lyndsay took a few minutes to use the facilities and splash cold water on her face, then followed the officer down a corridor. Faint light glowed from a skylight window—Lyndsay guessed that it was nearly sunrise. She’d managed to catch a few hours of sleep, at least, but she was still worried about John. Hopefully, Andy had talked him into going to the hospital.

  She remained silent as the officer led her to the interview room where she had waited for a good part of the night. Inside, she was relieved to see Pete, pacing and glancing at his watch.

  “Finally,” she replied, seating herself in the uncomfortable bucket chair. The officer discreetly left her and Pete alone.

  “Sorry.” Pete grimaced after the door shut. “I honestly didn’t think that Commander Harris would leave you here all night, Lyn.”

  “I’m not surprised. We both know that he’s not happy with me for having a civilian present at the stakeout.”

  He sighed. “Yes.” His suit was rumpled, and his eyes had a red glaze to them.

  “Have you been up all night, too?” she asked.

  “Yeah, mostly. There’s a lot going on. I couldn’t sleep if I wanted to.”

  She knew that feeling. Envious that he’d been dealing with the questioning she’d hoped to have a part in, she asked, “What’s happened with the two perps at the hospital? Tell me everything.”

  Pete laughed dryly, shaking his head. “The big guy with the bald head? We’d had him in custody before. Remember the maid up in Maine? He was the cousin they interrogated.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means he’s still not talking to us. Not then, and not now. We had to let him go the first time we suspected him because we didn’t have evidence to keep him in custody. Now we have evidence, but not enough to break open the rest of the burglary ring.” Pete lifted his arms and stretched. “Sorry. I’m exhausted. We’ve been questioning him, but he’s shut up tight as a drum. If there is a conspiracy, he won’t say.”

  “What’s the other perp saying?”

  “Nothing yet. The doctors haven’t cleared him to talk to us. I’m on standby, waiting. One of the nurses assured me that she didn’t think it would be long.”

  “Well...at least we’ve got enough to take him and his cohort off the street. They were caught in the act.”

  “Yes, they were.” He grinned at her. “You’ve made a good undercover cop, Lyndsay.”

  She wished she could say she’d enjoyed it more, but lately it felt like she’d paid too high a personal price. “I don’t like that I had to deceive someone I cared about,” she said softly.

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “Though if I didn’t understand where you’re coming from, I would throttle you. Why did you involve a civilian in the arrest?”

  “Because I had to—he simply showed up at a bad time because he was worried about me. And it’s worse than that, Pete.” She took a deep breath. “I’m so worried about him. Could you please see that he’s physically okay? Please? I keep seeing him rolling around with that big perp, all the hard punches thrown, and I feel sick with worry that he’s lying at home maybe passed out with a concussion, or something worse...”

  “Lyn,” he said softly, “you’ve got it bad.”

  Yes, she did.

  His phone chimed. He glanced at the text message. “It’s Commander Harris. We have clearance to interrogate the second perp. Hang tight, Lyndsay. I’ll be back.”

  Hang tight? It felt impossible to just sit still and wait, twiddling her thumbs.

  She ached to call John. And yet, it wasn’t appropriate for her to seek him out. She simply had to wait until Commander Harris arrived and the investigation was wrapped up. Somewhere, in an evidence bag, would be her personal phone with John’s number in it. No matter what, there would be an eventual time and place when she could call him. She desperately wanted to apologize to him and to explain why she’d done it. She needed him to know that with him, in the most important ways, she’d never lied. She did love him. She did respect him. She did want a longer-term relationship with him, if he could find it in his heart to forgive her deception.

  All she could do now was to keep her faith and remember patience. Wait. At some point, the time would be right for them. The best thing she could do was to keep her mind clear and alert because sooner or later there would be an opening, and when that happened, she would need all her wits and energy to convince him.

  In need of breakfast, she headed down a corridor, looking for a break room. The officers on duty knew who she was and while they showed a mild curiosity about her, they were busy, too. No one paid much attention while she headed past the security barrier and walked the section of the police station that was open to the public.

  It was bustling with activity. For all these weeks, she’d been tied down to the small beach neighborhood where the congressman lived. But Wallis Point was a much larger town than the small lake village she’d grown up in.

  A stream of families—small children and adults—headed into a room at the end of a corridor. Food, there must be food there. Lyndsay fell into line beside a woman who appeared to be in a rush, pushing a baby carriage with one hand, clutching a young girl in the other, and balancing a leather briefcase strapped around her shoulder.

  “Oh!” The woman bumped into Lyndsay with the soft edge of the carriage. “I’m so sorry! Are you all right?”

  “It’s no problem,” Lyndsay assured her. “I’m fine.”

  The infant in the carriage smiled
a cute, gummy smile at her, and Lyndsay felt her heart melting. “Your baby is adorable.” The baby was dressed in a blue onesie, so she guessed he was a boy.

  “This is Jamie.” The woman gave her an apologetic look. “I need to get Hannah seated with her class inside the conference room. The patrolmen are giving a tour to the first graders today. She’s so excited.”

  The little girl, who was presumably Hannah, smiled at Lyndsay. “I want to see the jails where the bad guys go.”

  Lyndsay chuckled. Some departments hosted community programs like this so that kids wouldn’t be frightened of police officers. She was pretty sure little Hannah wouldn’t be seeing a jail cell, but Lyndsay wasn’t about to burst her bubble. “It sounds like fun,” she said to Hannah. “I’m a police officer, too, in another agency, but I’m not in my uniform right now.”

  Hannah looked at her with awe.

  She swallowed, a lump in her throat. She had to admit, she needed this validation today. It was good to feel that she was doing something positive for the community and that not everybody was angry with her. She did place bad guys in jail.

  “We need to get going,” the woman remarked. She looked curiously at Lyndsay. “Can I help you find something? I’m familiar with the station.”

  “I’m just looking for a break room,” Lyndsay said. “Or someplace with a juice or water machine. The coffee here isn’t my favorite.”

  The woman laughed. “I know how you feel.” She pointed down the corridor. “Second door on the left. Though if you’re looking for a real breakfast place, let me know. I’ll join you in a minute or two, after I get Hannah settled.”

  “Thanks,” Lyndsay said. “I appreciate it.”

  She followed the directions and found a large room with rows of vending machines, a microwave oven, a coffee station and two large round tables.

  Another woman who looked like she worked there was busy pouring coffee from a pot into a large plastic mug. She glanced up when Lyndsay came in. “Can I help you with something?”

  “I’m Officer Fairfax. I’m waiting for my team members to rejoin me. In the meantime, I heard a rumor that there’s a juice machine available?”