“I can’t ever remember such a thing unless someone asked to be removed because of conflicts.” Still wary, Carly listened carefully.
“Exactly, and we’ve had worse captains than Garrison. He’s a jerk, but he’s not generally vindictive or unfair. Do you want to hear the official reason I was removed from the Burke case?”
Carly shrugged. “I know what I heard at the reception, something about court testimony.”
Drake cursed. “‘Clarity for court.’” He spit the words out in an imitation of the captain’s voice. “According to Garrison, it’s better to have only one officer needed for court testimony. Can you believe that garbage? We’re cops, investigators. Trained to testify in court. We were moving along well with the invest, building good physical evidence that we are more than able to testify to. Physical evidence will hold up in court much better than that self-serving confession Tucker got. And now the adult is dead.”
“You’re sure the gangster still alive is guilty?”
“Without a doubt,” Drake answered quickly.
Wrong answer, Carly thought. But what is he fishing for? “What is it I can do for you?”
“I want to know what the kid told you. Word is you went to see him yesterday.”
Carly shook her head in frustration. “Where did you get the word? How do people know my every move?”
“Tucker got a call last night—I don’t know from who—and he went ballistic about you disobeying orders, etc., etc. Who else has been asking?”
“Tucker, for one. And I’ll tell you the same thing I told him: it was a personal conversation.”
“Forget Tucker. I’m trying to help. And I’m not the enemy.” His platitudes rang on deaf ears.
“Help who?” Carly almost laughed.
“Look . . .” He stopped midsentence and stared over Carly’s shoulder.
She turned and followed his gaze to see Nick pulling into the driveway.
“Hey, guys.” Nick got out of the car and walked their way, nodding to Carly. His expression clearly asked, “What is going on?”
“Hi.” Carly moved toward Nick, glad he was there to break up the impromptu meeting. “Karl was just leaving.”
“Think about what I said,” Drake growled as he walked away. “You know where to find me.”
“What was that all about?” Nick asked as the plain car drove away.
“Are you following me?” she asked, a little sharper than she intended. But she still felt unsteady because of Drake.
Nick held his hands up. “No, I just figured you’d be here if you weren’t at your apartment. Why haven’t you called me back?”
“I . . .” She took a deep breath, wondering just what she should tell him about Jeff.
“What?”
“It’s a long story.” Carly was suddenly very tired. “I just don’t have the energy to go through it out here. Let’s go inside.”
“I have time for a long story. Where have you been, and why are you avoiding me?” Nick asked as they walked into the house.
Carly took a deep breath. “I saw Jeff again, and he told me not to trust you,” she said mildly, in stark contrast to the turmoil in her heart.
“You what!”
Carly flopped down on her mother’s couch and left Nick standing amazed in the entryway. “Yep. We had an interesting discussion.” She ran her hands through her hair, leaned back, and closed her eyes.
“So you run out on me without any explanation?”
His tone lit her short fuse. Eyes open, Carly lurched forward and pounded her fists on her thighs. “Nick, what do you want from me? I’m not exactly having a good month here. You cheated on me, remember? Is it supposed to be easy to trust you again?”
Nick recoiled as if he’d been slapped. After a few minutes, he sat down on the far end of the couch. “I’m sorry. I’ll be sorry for the rest of my life. But you have to believe me when I tell you I’m on the level. What can I do to help you trust me?”
Carly shook her head and rubbed her temples. “I’ve been suspended without pay. They took away my badge.”
At that moment the walls fell away, and tears that had been building since they told her that Derek Potter was dead spilled out. Pain, loss, and frustration crashed in, and Carly didn’t even protest when Nick took her in his arms and held her while she sobbed.
28
“They can’t make the suspension stick; you know that,” Nick said when Carly composed herself. He handed her a box of Kleenex. “They’re just trying to scare you.”
She blew her nose and regarded him, feeling calmer now but a bit embarrassed by her loss of control. Something her mother used to say ran through her mind—about a good cry cleaning out the pipes. Carly, though, hated feeling and appearing helpless. But as she took a deep breath, she admitted to herself that she did feel better. And she was able to focus clearly on Nick and the problem at hand.
“They, Nick? Listen to you. These are people we work for, people who are supposed to uphold the law. Why are they trying to scare me?”
“I wish I had a good answer.” His befuddled expression almost made her smile.
She stifled a chuckle and sniffled. “You know, Jeff showed up at your house the morning you left to go see the captain.”
“What?” Nick’s confusion turned to anger in an instant.
Carly told him about Jeff’s suspicions, why Nick couldn’t be trusted, and his request that she talk to Londy.
Nick chewed on a thumbnail, silent as he digested the information. “I don’t know what to make of that,” he said finally. Shaking his head, he shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away from Carly, out the living room window.
“I could use some coffee right now. How about you?” he asked.
Carly heard the pain in his voice and knew this situation with Jeff weighed heavy. Standing, she sighed. “Great idea. Make it strong. I’ll join you in a minute.”
Nick nodded and headed for the kitchen while Carly went to the bathroom to wash her face. After drying her hands, she still fought conflicting emotions about Nick. They were getting close again. Is that what I want? She had no clear answer. The only clarity that surfaced in her thoughts was that she wanted her job back and she wanted the killers in custody. Nick was the only one who could help her with that right now.
A few minutes later she joined him in the kitchen, feeling emotionally drained. Nick stood waiting for the coffee to finish, and in spite of the hurt and pain over the divorce, her conflicting emotions, and what Jeff said or insinuated, she knew Nick was trustworthy. She could and would be able to count on him. Acknowledging that fact made her feel as though a heavy weight slid off her shoulders.
“I feel better now, and that coffee smells great.” Carly kept her tone neutral and inhaled the aroma of brewing coffee. She reached out and touched Nick’s sleeve. “Thanks for listening.”
“No problem.” For a minute their eyes locked.
Carly saw the warmth in his, but the spell broke when the coffee machine beeped.
Nick looked away and grabbed a couple of mugs. “I’m glad you feel better. Now, grab that picture Londy drew for you and let’s check it out. Maybe we can figure out what Jeff was after when he asked you to find out where Darryl Jackson worked.” He poured two cups of coffee while Carly got Londy’s drawing of the harbor out and unfolded it on the table.
Nick studied the drawing and scratched his chin. “I’m not familiar with this section of the harbor. It’s not at all close to where Jeff made his big drug bust. But Londy sure did a good job on the drawing.”
“He concentrated hard when he drew it. By the way, Jeff thinks you got him into trouble because he confided to you how he got the intel to make the bust.”
Pain creased Nick’s furrowed brow. “I need to slap Jeff when I see him. I trust him, and he should return the favor.” He tapped the table with his index finger. “I’ll say this for Jeff: he sure learned how to ghost. No one has even a hint about where he might be. I heard Sergeant
Roberts talking today. They’re considering asking Elaine to go on TV and make a plea to Jeff to turn himself in. You seem to be the only person he appears to. Did he say when he’d be back?”
Carly shrugged. “No, I expect he’ll just pop up. I just wish he’d hurry. With Darryl dead, I’m worried about Londy. And after being ambushed in the captain’s office, I wouldn’t be surprised if they trump up a charge against me for Derek’s shooting.”
“Now look who’s seeing conspiracy everywhere.” Nick smiled. “I put a call in to a friend at the FBI, someone I know we can trust. Can you try to hang tight and not do anything until I hear from him?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m too tired to do anything else today. I feel like a zombie. My mom will be home soon. I think this is a Bible study night. I don’t want to be underfoot while she gets ready. I was going to leave and get something to eat.”
“Sounds like a plan. Can I buy you Sancho’s?”
Sounds great, Carly thought before she said anything. Though she knew he was an ally, physically getting back into step with him would be hard. I can’t believe you of all people are my lifeline right now. In the end, she decided it was just one meal. “Sure. Let’s go. I’ll leave a note for Mom.”
They walked to the restaurant in companionable silence. Carly didn’t miss the raised eyebrows of the people at Sancho’s who knew she and Nick were divorced. Let them guess.
Over fish tacos, she and Nick caught up on the last year. Carly fairly ached with the realization of how much she’d missed him and their married life together. The dog was great, but not really a comparable substitute. After the meal, they walked around Main Street with coffee before heading back to her mother’s. By then the Bible study people had begun to trickle in.
Nick said good-bye at the door, and as Carly watched him leave, she wondered, Will I ever truly be able to forgive him and, most of all, forget what he did?
Unable to answer the question right then, Carly tiptoed quickly to her room through the kitchen so as not to be in any way involved with the Jesus people in the house.
Though it was still early, Carly got ready for bed. She had a novel and planned to read in bed while the study was going on. When it started, bits and pieces came through loud and clear; she found it difficult to concentrate on the book and hoped the meeting would not go on long. After about an hour, she realized she was getting nowhere with the novel and set it down to cast an exasperated glance at the clock. Next to the clock was a framed saying Carly’d read a million times. “I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.”
“Whatever that means.” Closing her eyes, she tried not to listen, but the lecture was coming in loud and clear.
“Jesus told the people gathered, ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’”
Carly had heard that before. Her mom had it tacked up somewhere.
“We must give him our burdens and learn to trust God enough that, once everything is in his hands, his perfect plan will unfold,” the voice droned on.
Carly contemplated earplugs. Eventually, however, fatigue took over, and the last sentence she heard before falling asleep was “Ladies, God waits for all of us to ask. He won’t force himself on anyone. He is there for us, but we have to ask.”
Much later, after the house was silent and the Bible-thumpers were gone, Carly dreamed of being followed by a large man with a big bat. In her dream, the man wasn’t Derek Potter, but he was someone Carly knew. Only Carly couldn’t remember his name. She woke up in a cold sweat just as the bat was about to come down on her head.
The red numbers on the clock by her bed read 3:15. She had just decided to get up and turn on the television when she heard the sound of a motor running and a car door opening and closing. It wasn’t loud, but it was out of place. Her mother’s street was always quiet as death after midnight.
Carly shivered slightly as her bare feet hit the cold floor. Quietly she stepped into her slippers and stretched.
The first crash hit and she jumped. Glass broke and something thudded across the floor.
She lurched to her nightstand and grabbed Nick’s gun. She’d forgotten to give it back to him. There was a second crash, followed by the slamming of a car door and tires squealing. For a split second Carly wavered between checking on her mom first and trying to see what had happened in the living room.
Kay’s room was in the back of the house, and all the noise was from the front. Carly had started toward the living room when she inhaled a wave of acrid smoke that brought on a coughing fit. The sight took her breath away.
The curtains were ablaze. Fire leaped across the carpet and onto the couch. Someone firebombed my mother’s house!
29
Carly turned and ran toward her mother’s room. The two women almost collided.
“What happened?” Kay asked, her face crinkled in worry.
“Quick, Mom. We have to get out! The house is on fire!” Carly grabbed her mother’s hand and started to pull her toward the back door.
The fire spread rapidly across the carpet with a whoosh.
Another crash at the back door made Carly jump. She moved in front of her mother, bringing her gun up on target, prepared to fire.
A large, dark figure stepped through the splintered door. Carly couldn’t say for certain how close she came to firing. But in an infinitesimal part of a second, as she was squeezing the trigger, she recognized the big man as Jack Deaton.
Behind her, Kay shouted, “It’s Jack! He must have seen the fire.”
Carly lowered her gun as she realized that the deaf man was unable to yell a warning, so he’d just come crashing in.
Any relief she felt with Jack’s presence was tempered by the flames licking her heels and the smoke burning her lungs. She and Jack helped her mom as all three hurried out the back door, escaping to the safety of Jack’s house, where Carly called 911.
A fire truck, coming from only two blocks away, pulled up a short time later. The singed trio watched from Jack’s yard as the firefighters beat down the flames.
Amazingly, the house wasn’t a total loss. Aggressive work by the firefighters kept the damage contained in the front portion. The living room, Carly’s room, and part of the kitchen were destroyed, but the back half of the house survived with only smoke and water damage. Carly, with a sore throat and bloodshot eyes, watched as arson investigators trudged through the mess. The fire was out; the sun had risen—now was the time to search for clues to the origin of the blaze.
After sifting through some debris, the lead fire investigator stepped to where Carly stood on Jack’s porch. “Sure you haven’t made any enemies lately, received any threats?” He held up blackened pieces of glass. “These shards tell me that the firebombs were professionally made. They weren’t just thrown together by kids.”
Carly leaned against Jack’s porch railing. She shrugged and looked from the investigator to the smoldering mess of her mother’s living room. “No, I don’t even have any court cases going.” She bit her lip, not yet ready to verbalize her own suspicions. It wasn’t a crook who’d done this; it was more likely a cop.
“Well, be careful. Unless your mom upset someone at bingo, someone is trying to do you a lot of harm.” He shook his head and returned to his investigation.
* * *
“Somebody definitely wanted to make sure they sent a clear message,” Nick observed as he surveyed the scorched house after he, Dora, and Nathan arrived early in the afternoon.
Carly had just changed into the clothes Andrea brought by on her way to work. Dora gave Kay a jogging suit to wear. Though her clothes had survived the fire, they were dirty with soot and reeked of smoke.
“I think you and your mother need to get out of town for a while, disappear.” Nathan folded his arms across his chest and looked at Carly, his expression reminding her of the way her dad looked at her when she was eight and had fallen off a skateboard and broken her arm. She wasn’t sure h
ow to respond.
Nick saved her from having to answer. “Nathan, can I have a word with you?” He pulled Nathan aside. The two men talked quietly while Carly sat on the porch, contemplating her mother’s torched house. She felt as charred and burnt as the mess she saw. For ten years she’d lived with the fact that being in uniform made her a target. She never, ever wanted work to spill over and endanger her mother. Nathan was right; she and her mother should disappear.
She leaned against the stair railing and closed her eyes. Fatigue and frustration coursed through her veins. All I wanted to do in the beginning was be part of a murder investigation. And try to do a good job so I could go back to patrol. It seems like an eternity ago when I stepped out to find the truth. Now someone wants to kill me because of my search. And they came way too close to my mom.
I hate to quit, Carly thought as she gritted her teeth. But one look at her mother wearing Dora’s too-large jogging suit, and she knew there was no other alternative.
“Carly? We’re talking to you.” Nick broke into her thoughts.
“Sorry. I’m a little preoccupied.”
“Nathan just mentioned that he has a place for you and your mom to go. It’s up in the mountains. A few guys from church would be happy to go along as bodyguards.”
“It might be best for us to go away for a bit, Carly.” Kay stood on the porch across from her daughter.
Carly knew they were expecting her to argue, to fight the suggestion that she run away. But she didn’t have any fight left. “Okay, whatever you guys decide.”
Nick looked at her with surprise but said nothing. Nathan went into Jack’s house and began making phone calls. When Kay went inside to pray with Dora, Nick sat down next to Carly on the step.
“I won’t give up, Carly. You know how I feel about being a cop. The people who killed Teresa and framed Londy and Jeff are arrogant enough to think they’ll get away with it.” He smiled and added, in his best Dudley Do-Right voice, “Not while Sergeant Anderson is on the job!”
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