Intentions (Carpenter/Harding Book 6)

by Barbara Winkes

  “Hey, Jordan. I’m at the hospital.” Derek Henderson, her partner, sounded stressed.

  “What? Why?”

  “An officer from our precinct. You know her. Harding. She was beaten badly.”

  “Oh my God. When?”

  Bethany was fully awake now, too, studying Jordan as she gathered her clothes, dressing quickly. There was no judgment in her gaze. The urgency of a call like that, she could understand. It was one of the few subjects between them that wouldn’t cause an argument, never had.

  “Not long ago,” Derek said. “A resident called 911, the perp got away. A few of us came here…We’re waiting for the doctor.”

  “I’ll be there in a few.”

  “One of our colleagues was assaulted,” she told Bethany. “I have to go to the hospital.”

  “Sure. How bad is it?”

  “We don’t know yet.”

  An icy chill ran down Jordan’s spine, a sliver of guilt mixed in with all the other emotions she’d have if it was any other colleague.

  Harding. Ellie. She’d seen her at roll call, and at the Code 7 a few times, a short blonde, pretty, usually hanging out with her friends…giving Jordan the eye from across the room.

  She’d have to lie if she said it wasn’t flattering…or tempting, which definitely made her the bad person once more. She couldn’t go down that road again. The last time, she had begged Bethany to take her back, overly dramatic, as if she’d be broke and homeless without her. The memory was still laden with shame.

  None of this mattered, because this wasn’t about Jordan.

  Someone had beaten the young officer badly enough to put her in the hospital.

  Someone familiar? Revenge? An angry ex? They were going to find out. Officially, or unofficially, every cop in the city was on the case now.

  That sounded much better in her head. She might have misinterpreted the signs after all, and either way, it didn’t matter. Jordan was trying to get her life together, to keep her relationship with Bethany intact and on track.

  Nevertheless, she acknowledged a moment of utter, unadulterated fear. She caught herself praying, something that didn’t happen very often. Jordan didn’t think anyone would blame her at this moment.

  * * * *

  Jordan didn’t know much about Ellie Harding, but she noticed that there was no family, blood relatives in any case, which wasn’t always the best definition of family anyway. She recognized Ellie’s peers from the bar, other officers, McCarthy, Baker, Marshall. McCarthy—Kate—looked like she’d been crying.

  “She’ll be okay,” Derek came up beside her, holding a steaming paper cup of coffee out to her. “She’s going to be in pain though, when she wakes up,” he explained to both Kate and Jordan.

  “We got a good description?”

  He shrugged. “It was dark. 911 caller said he wore dark clothes and a mask. Son of a bitch tried to take her.”

  “Okay, hang on.” Reality had taken a sharp turn to much worse—or was she overreacting? “You think it could be the same guy—”It couldn’t be. If he had tried to take another woman already, it meant he was escalating. Not having succeeded would make him angry, act sooner…

  “We’ll have to wait for her to wake up,” Derek reminded her. “Now’s not the time to make assumptions.”

  He didn’t mean to be patronizing, just stating the obvious. Jordan ascertained that he was probably right.

  “I want to see her.”

  “She’s asleep. There’s nothing we can get out of her now…” Derek let his sentence trail off, looking somewhere between concerned and alarmed as it dawned on him that Jordan wasn’t talking about Harding’s statement. She felt the same.

  She shook her head, and left in search of the doctor.

  To her relief, the woman didn’t even question her request.

  “Just for a moment, please, okay? She needs her rest now.”

  A few seconds later, Jordan stood next to the hospital bed, watching Ellie Harding, still, silent, her face bruised as the rest of her body surely was, a bandage on her temple.

  Ellie was hardly ever this silent, always quick with a smile, and from what little Jordan had heard about her, she had a great career ahead. Dedicated, smart.

  Someone had tried to put a stop to it—someone random or familiar?

  She reached out to take Ellie’s hand in hers, unsure why she was doing it—why she was the one to do it—but feeling strangely comforted by the contact.

  “Hang in there,” she whispered. “You’re going to be okay.” Despite the predictable period of pain medication, physical therapy and nightmares.

  Spooked by her own reaction, she left the room abruptly. They had a job to do. Maybe, Bethany would forgive her for the previous night and meet her for a quick breakfast somewhere. She could only hope.

  Her prayers had come true—she hadn’t lost Ellie, that time, and this time. Her attacker had been caught, and Jordan had been able to leave behind a relationship that made neither her nor Bethany happy any longer. It was time to look ahead—especially since she had to admit that in Ellie’s situation, she would have done the same. She couldn’t shake the sense of fear, and anger.

  Jordan scooted closer to her and finally managed to slip into sleep as well. Her conflicting emotions followed, creating dark and disturbing dreams.

  * * * *

  What happened the next morning wasn’t a usual occurrence for Ellie: Near the entrance of the station, a reporter was waiting for her.

  “Officer Harding, would you have a few minutes for me? You saved the woman from a burning car yesterday, going against your superior’s orders, risking your own life…”

  The expression on Jordan’s face told Ellie that they were still going to have that conversation. “I have to go,” Jordan said. “I’ll see you later.”

  Ellie turned to the reporter. “Look, there’s not much I can tell you. It’s my job. It was risky, but it turned out okay, and I’m glad we could save a life.”

  “Have you talked to Rita Williamson since the incident?”

  “No, there was no time. Actually, I don’t have a lot of time now, I’m sorry, Ms…”

  “Allen. That’s no problem. Thank you for your time.”

  “That was weird,” Ellie said to herself as she opened the door.

  “Get used to it,” Derek Henderson, who had come in behind her, said. “Rita Williamson, the name rings a bell, no? She owns five restaurants in the city. Besides, that was amazing. You deserve the credit.”

  “Come on,” Ellie said, uncomfortable with the praise, though she wished it could have come from Jordan instead.

  Jordan, however, was still working out things on her own. It was something Ellie was still getting used to.

  * * * *

  Casey had the same disapproving look on her face. “You’re not even taking a half day?”

  “Because I scraped my knees and hands? Come on. No one would.”

  Fortunately, Casey left the subject alone after that, and they went about their day, which was surprisingly quiet after the past ones. Truth be told, Ellie felt relieved. She hadn’t yet completely processed yesterday’s events.

  She got a distraction, if not a welcome one, when she ran into Derek later that day. Jordan was nowhere to be seen.

  “You look really happy,” she said, half-joking.

  “That’s because I am. We just picked up a human chess piece who has a crush on Darby, and he’s happy to talk about it. That means there is no reason we should go back and talk to that asshole, and he can die already.”

  Ellie nodded, wondering how she could get more information out of him without revealing that Jordan hadn’t spoken to her about this at all. When had they seen Darby? And why would Jordan keep it from her?

  “Yeah, I don’t think anyone will shed a tear. So you’re about to wrap things up? This serial killer fan, he killed Colin Buck?”

  “It looks that way.”

  “Darby was just bragging to get attention aga
in.”

  “Yeah. Excuse me now? I have to go back.”

  “Sure.”

  Ellie stood in front of the vending machine, sighing at her reflection in the glass. It would all be better sometime soon. She had never wished for anyone’s death before, but there was no denying the world would be a better place without Jonathan Darby in it.

  Chapter Nine

  The Knight, a man by the name of Marcus Holmes, admitted to meeting Colin Buck that night, claiming that a fight with Buck got out of control when he refused to pay for the drugs he’d bought. Holmes killed him in self-defense.

  “Really? You were the one with the gun, and you felt your life was threatened?” Esposito asked sarcastically.

  “You didn’t find his? You really think he’d come to this place unarmed?”

  Jordan suppressed a sigh knowing they’d have to get back to that.

  Holmes also confirmed hanging out at the All Colors from time to time. He denied that the group revered Darby online or in person.

  “Hey, we’re not sick. We weren’t planning to kill anyone, ever. This was about philosophy.”

  “It has become pretty real, don’t you think?”

  Secretly, Jordan found it a relief that even criminals drew the line somewhere.

  “Well, whatever you think, Detective, you’re wrong. This was a one-time thing I did for a friend, and I freaked. I’m sorry Colin is dead. I didn’t mean for that to happen. You have to believe me.”

  “A jury will decide on that,” she said. Jordan doubted that Buck had brought a gun to the meeting as well, and she didn’t believe Holmes’ remorse was more than an act, but he didn’t budge.

  The week was finally over. They had talked to Ariel on the phone, and to Ms. Sherman, and fortunately she confirmed that things were quiet at the home. Now, she and Ellie had a rather busy weekend ahead, with the house viewing in the morning, and a dinner at Jack and Pauline’s on Saturday night.

  With Holmes in custody, they could hopefully put the subject of Darby behind them once and for all, which, in Jordan’s terms, meant to never bring it up again.

  Andrea Cox had chosen a charming bungalow-style home to show them. It was within walking distance to many cafés and restaurants, only a fifteen-minute drive to work. So far, so good.

  “This one is under your budget,” Cox told them. “If you’re not afraid to do a little work, then this could be perfect for you.”

  Ellie looked hesitant. “What kind of work exactly, and what do you mean by ‘a little’?”

  “If you prefer an open concept, you might want to bring down a wall…I was able to take a look at the plans, and it would be entirely possible.”

  Ellie gave her a questioning look, and Jordan shrugged. That didn’t sound too dire. Her family might be carpenters in name only, but she knew Paul had done a number of projects in the home she’d grown up in, and he’d taught her some tricks. He’d certainly be willing to help, too.

  “I like it already,” Ellie said. “I hope we can manage the inside as well.”

  The living room, dining room and a half bath were in good shape. They both winced a bit at the state of the kitchen that seemed to stem from another area altogether.

  “The owners did some updates…obviously not everywhere,” Andrea explained.

  “Okay. So far the wall is coming down, and the kitchen is a gut job.” Jordan hadn’t meant for it to sound so sarcastic. Her tone hadn’t gone unnoticed with Ellie, who gave her a quick, surprised sideways look.

  “I don’t know, maybe we could live with it for a while?” she chimed in. “It’s not like we cook all the time.”

  “We can afford it. I’d like to see something from the present in here.”

  “You’re right. Let’s see the rest.”

  There were a couple of other bedrooms, plus a master suite that could use a little TLC as well, and a huge space underneath the roof. The house needed work, no doubt, but it was something they could grow into. A big difference from the place where Bethany had been happy to make most of the decisions, or the house she had bought just to get away from it all. The street was fairly quiet even though it wasn’t far from a more lively area, and from the attic, they had seen a good-sized backyard.

  “I don’t know,” Ellie said. “I love it, I really do, but…I think I’d like to see one more.”

  “Funny how it took you only seconds to make a decision when your life was at stake.”

  Ellie cast an uncertain look at where Andrea Cox was following a few feet behind.

  “I don’t really want to have that conversation right now.”

  “Fine, when are we going to have that conversation about how you nearly died?”

  It wasn’t until she saw Ellie and Andrea flinch that Jordan realized she’d raised her voice.

  “Come on. Stop it! I thought we were over this, you telling me how to do my job.”

  “I can wait outside if you want to—”

  “No.” Jordan didn’t wait for her to finish her sentence, and the agent caught the hint and quietly went back downstairs. “That’s not what it’s about. There’s taking risks, and then there’s getting yourself killed. Thank God, everything worked out for you and the woman this time. You were damn lucky. There’s no way you could have assessed the situation so quickly. What if her injuries had been more severe? The car would have blown up just the same.”

  Ellie shook her head in exasperation. “But her injuries weren’t more severe, and I could get her out. We’re both alive and okay, and so is her young daughter by the way. Please, stop for a minute, and don’t try to tell me you wouldn’t have done the same thing. You were evacuating the area around the Code 7 minutes before the blast. And if we really want to go there, why didn’t you call for backup when you found Darby’s hidden basement?”

  “Because Judy Lawrence didn’t have that much time!” Jordan realized a moment too late that the trap had snapped shut, or that’s how it felt to her.

  “Yes. Think about that for a moment. I think I’ll go home for a bit. It’s a nice house. I need to sleep on it first.”

  Ellie spun on her heels and hastened down the steps.

  “Wait! Are you coming to dinner at my parents’ later?”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  Andrea Cox was waiting for Jordan downstairs, giving her a sympathetic look at the sound of the car’s engine.

  “I can give you a ride,” she said.

  “Thank you. That would be great.”

  * * * *

  Andrea Cox drove away by herself when she and Jordan realized that Ellie hadn’t left, but was waiting in the car.

  “I’m sorry,” they both said at the same time when Jordan sat inside. “I mean it,” Ellie continued. “I didn’t plan to go off on you about all the times I was scared for you.”

  “Same here.”

  “Knowing that you went to see Darby didn’t help.”

  “I can imagine.” Jordan leaned back into her seat with a sigh. “I didn’t actually see him. That was apparently his plan, but there’s no need now. We have a confession.”

  “Yeah, Derek told me. Well, actually I kind of tricked him into telling me. It’s not his fault.”

  Jordan took her hand, squeezing it lightly. “I am freaked out, I’ll admit it. I’m going to need a moment.” She had read all the reports, including Ellie’s. She couldn’t spend any more time being angry at her, but the images those words evoked still disturbed her. Too many close calls, in a short period of time. She couldn’t help lingering on those events, and was once more grateful that Ellie was the complete opposite. Forward. With Ellie, it was always forward.

  “Yeah.” Ellie’s expression turned solemn. “For a reason. It freaked me out, too, but there was a chance, and I took it. Everyone came out of it okay.”

  “I came to see you in the hospital the other time.”

  The words were out of her mouth before she could contemplate whether or not it would be a good idea to say them. Jordan could
tell that Ellie wasn’t making the connection.

  “After I got kidnapped? I remember—”

  “No, the other time. When you were attacked. Derek called me, and I went in to see you.”

  “Oh. Okay.” Ellie didn’t seem to know what to say to that, or why Jordan was even bringing it up at this moment.

  After all, Jordan was with Bethany at the time, foolishly thinking they could fix their relationship. There had been something that was stronger—more meaningful, and she’d been scared of losing it, right from the start.

  “They let you into the room?”

  “It wasn’t that hard.”

  Ellie pondered this new information for a few seconds. “Why did you do it? I mean…You barely knew me.”

  “I didn’t really admit it until later. I had noticed you, and I…wanted you. Before that night, even. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I didn’t mean to go off on you like I did. I can’t lose you.”

  That was the heart of the matter, the whole truth. Ellie held on to her hand as her eyes welled up.

  “You apologized already. That’s good enough for me.”

  “Yeah, well, you should know the whole story.”

  “Thank you. I understand what you want to say.”

  That was the best part of their relationship—they might disagree on some subjects, favor a different approach, but they truly understood each other. It had helped them through the rockier times, and it would serve them in everything that lay ahead.

  “I love you.”

  “I love you too,” Ellie said firmly. “And I want you to relax, and enjoy tonight. We earned it.”

  She’d give it a try, even if Jordan was at times still struggling with the idea that she might deserve a person like Ellie in her life.

  “What are we going to do about the house?” Ellie asked after a few seconds of silence. “It’s going to need some work, but I like it. We could make it our own.”

  Jordan agreed. “It’s exactly where we want to be. It has everything we want.”

  “So let’s do it. I promise you I’ll be as careful as I can. I won’t leave you hanging with the mortgage—and I expect the same from you.”

  “Deal,” Jordan said and pulled her close for a kiss.