by Jamie Hill
“Stay close,” Crystal told them.
“They’ll be fine.” Marshall smiled at her. He never acknowledged the boys directly, Crystal noticed. She disliked him already.
Detective Curtis led the boys out and shut the door behind her. Marshall pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered one to Crystal.
“No thanks.” She stared at him. Something was bothering her, but she couldn’t put her finger on exactly what it was.
He lit up and blew the smoke in the air. “So, I’m trying to get this straight in my head. The vic, David Erickson, lived next door to you. He your ex?”
“Depends what you mean by ex,” Crystal replied. “Ex-sperm donor? Yeah, we can call him that. We were never married.”
“You lived next door to him and shared custody of the children?”
“Pretty much.”
“And yet you didn’t know that he had a quarter of a million dollars tucked away in his apartment?”
She chuckled and lit up her own cigarette. “If I would have known about it, none of us would be here today. The kids and I would be someplace a hell of a lot warmer, I can promise you that.”
He chuckled with her, and inquired, “So your relationship with Erickson recently was, what?”
Crystal looked at him. “What are you asking, detective? Were we fuck-buddies? I’m not sure that’s relevant, and I really don’t like the way you’re questioning me, like I have anything to do with this.”
He smiled and shrugged. “I’m new to the investigation. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Dunlevy yet. I don’t know how much you may or may not have to do with anything. I do know I like the idea of fuck-buddies, so maybe we can talk some more about that.”
She glared at him and blew smoke in his face. “Screw you, you arrogant bastard!”
He grinned and moved closer to her. “You offering?”
Crystal nearly exploded, but before she could respond Jack returned with his lieutenant in tow. Jack looked around and asked quickly, “Where are the boys?”
Crystal shoved her chair back from Marshall and stood up beside Jack. “Detective Curtis took them out so this…” She searched for the best word. “Jerk could question me. And I’ve had about all I’m going to take from him.”
Jack raised a hand to quiet her and looked the other man. “Marshall,” he acknowledged.
“Dunlevy,” Marshall replied and nodded. “Lieutenant Reeder.”
“Marshall,” Reeder said. “We have a problem here?”
Marshall smiled and shrugged. “Just questioning the witness, sir.”
Crystal spoke up “He’s treating me like a damned suspect and I don’t appreciate it.”
Jack glanced at Marshall. “She doesn’t know anything about the money or the drugs. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time, is all.”
Marshall smiled again. “She might want to be a little more careful in future about her choice of fuck-buddies, then.”
“Excuse me?” Jack’s eyes flashed.
Marshall shrugged. “Her words, not mine, when I asked about her relationship with Erickson.”
Crystal exploded. “He’s turning everything around.” She shot Marshall a glare and added, “He’s a total and complete jerk.”
“Now, Miz Erickson,” the lieutenant began.
“My name is Cartwright,” Crystal interrupted him. She reached over to put out her cigarette and looked at Jack. “I’m getting out of here.”
“Hang on a minute,” Jack told her. Just then Curtis brought the boys back in.
“Devon needs to use the bathroom, but he wouldn’t let me take him,” she said to Crystal.
Jack took a step toward Crystal and whispered, “Please try to calm down. This is important.” He said louder, “I’ll take him.” He took the little boy’s hand. “Come on. You too, Mark.” He looked back at Crystal. “Wait here. We’ll be right back.”
She nodded. “Thanks.”
Jack and the boys departed, and the lieutenant said, “Miz Cartwright, I’m afraid we’ve gotten off to a bad start here. Detective Marshall is one of Special Investigations’ finest, and he’s going to figure out the connection between Mr. Erickson and the money you found. I would offer you this. If you’d like, I could remove Detective Dunlevy from the case and put Detective Curtis on instead. Perhaps you’d be more comfortable with a wo—”
Crystal shook her head, trying not to object too forcefully. “No, I don’t think that’s necessary. We’re comfortable with Detective Dunlevy. You can see my boys get along well with him, which I'm grateful for, seeing as how they just lost their daddy.” She looked at Marshall. “Perhaps Detective Marshall and I got off on the wrong foot. If he can help Dunlevy solve the case, I’d appreciate it.”
Marshall ground out his cigarette in the ashtray and looked over at her. “I apologize if my words were misconstrued. I’m sure we can work together to figure this thing out.” He smiled, but Crystal didn’t think it was a friendly gesture.
She looked away and the lieutenant said, “Well, there we go. Marshall, get the case file from Dunlevy and look it over. We’ll put a couple men at the apartment building and see if we can track who goes in and out.” He looked at Crystal. “How many apartments are there total?”
“Twenty-one. Seven apartments on each floor. If you want someone who knows the building and the residents, see Mrs. Gianelli in 1A. She’s like ninety, but she knows everybody.”
He nodded. Then Jack returned with the boys. “Thanks,” Crystal told him, and pulled the kids close to her.
“Yep,” he nodded, and looked at the lieutenant. “I’m going to get these people out of here. Marshall, I’ll get you the file. It’s on my desk.”
Reeder asked, “You got them staying someplace safe? You need a black-and-white to watch out for them?”
“Not at this time,” Jack told him. “They’re safe. Marshall, I’ll talk to you Monday, unless something else comes up.”
“Right,” he followed them and glanced once more at Crystal. “I apologize again for our rocky start.” She knew the words were for Jack’s benefit.
“Yeah, you bet.” She looked at Jack. “Can we go?”
“Call my cell if you have questions or need anything,” he told Marshall as he handed over the case file. Then he led her and the boys back outside.
“He’s an asshole,” Crystal muttered, and Jack chuckled. He opened the doors of the Explorer for her and the kids.
He got in his side and said, “He’s pretty good at what he does. Hopefully he can figure out who we’re dealing with here, and we can get this mess wrapped up.”
She lit up a cigarette and replied, “I hope so. I want this to be over with.” She looked at Jack and he gazed back at her. “I mean, I want the scary part to be over with.”
He chuckled again and squeezed her hand. “I know what you mean. This hasn’t exactly been the day out I promised you. The least I can do is take you guys out to eat.”
She shrugged. “I don’t really care. We can just go home.”
“We want pizza!” Mark piped up from the back seat.
Jack smiled back at him. “You want video games and the ball pit, you mean.”
“Yeah!” Mark and Devon both shouted.
Jack looked at Crystal, then back at the two boys. “I’m not in the mood for video games, but you could play in the play area and we could eat a pizza, I guess.”
“Okay!” Both boys agreed.
Jack raised an eyebrow at Crystal. “Okay with you?”
“Sure.” He was being so nice to the boys. How can I not be attracted to a man like this?
“Pizza it is.” He drove toward the restaurant.
“And beer,” Crystal mumbled as she sank down into her seat.
“Lots of beer,” Jack agreed.
At the restaurant he ordered a pizza, two beers and two cokes. They went to a booth by the ball pit, and the boys took off to play immediately. Crystal slid into the booth. Jack put their jackets opposite them and slid
in beside her. She smiled at him and he shrugged. “I can see the boys better from this side.” He reached under the table and took her hand. “Oh, and then there’s this.”
She moved her knee over next to his and wiggled it. “This is nice.”
“So tell me what Marshall said to piss you off. I’m trying to decide how polite I should be to him.”
She relayed their conversation and Jack set his jaw. Their beers arrived and he sipped his before he answered. “He does sound like an asshole. Hopefully you won’t have to be around him much. I have to admit I’m glad they brought him on board, though. Once we found that money, they started taking us seriously. They’re going to watch the building. If we can identify somebody Special Investigations is familiar with, maybe we can figure out exactly who is looking for the money.”
“I hope so.” She took a drink. “Of course, then I’ll be forced to make some decisions.”
“I was thinking about that. You could become a foster parent. The state would pay you to take care of the boys.”
“If I had a place to live and a job, maybe. Right now I have neither. And I’m terrified that if I report the boys to the authorities, they’ll yank them away and I won’t be able to get them back. I know there’ll be massive amounts of red tape.”
He nodded. “I’m sure there will be. But as things stand now, you’ll never be able to sign anything as their legal guardian. It would really be best to get it all ironed out legally.”
“Or we just disappear. Who would notice, or care, for that matter?”
Jack studied her face. “You’re not going to disappear. I would notice, and I'd definitely care. I’d like to help you find a job and a nice place to live in a good neighborhood. The thing about foster care, as I mentioned, is that the state would pay you to take care of the boys. That extra income would help, so you could make it with one job.”
She tossed her hands in the air and sighed. “I can’t think about this right now. It’s scary and confusing. Can we put it on the back burner again for awhile, please?”
“Of course.” He slipped an arm around her shoulder and kissed the side of her head. “We’ve got time. Why don’t I give you something different to think about? I was thinking when we get home…” He whispered in her ear and finished the thought.
Crystal’s eyes widened and she looked at him. “Is that physically possible?”
He grinned. “Oh, yeah.”
She took a big gulp of her beer. “Where's that damn pizza? We need to get home!”
* * * *
It was after midnight. Crystal slept with Jack wrapped around her. The house alarm went off and Zeus started to bark. Jack jumped up and slid into his jeans. He swore and reached up high on his armoire for his gun. Tossing Crystal his robe, he told her, “Go to the boys. Stay in there!” He stepped into the hallway and was gone.
She slipped into the robe and her glasses. She glanced down the hallway but didn’t see anything, so she went to the boys' room and shut the door behind her.
“What’s happening?” Devon asked.
“I don’t know, sugar.” She climbed in bed between the boys and drew them both to her. “Probably nothing. Jack will take care of it.”
“Jack’s brave,” Mark said.
“Yes, he is.” Crystal kissed his head, then his brother’s.
The alarm silenced. A minute later so did the dog. Crystal held tightly to the boys, her nerves on edge, until Jack and Zeus reappeared.
“Everything’s fine,” Jack told them. “I called it in, and there’s a police car on the street that’s going to stick around for a while. Why don’t you three go on back to sleep in here? Zeus and I are going to sit up for a little bit.” He returned to the hallway.
Crystal comforted the boys. “See, I told you Jack would take care of everything. Now lie down and see if you can get back to sleep.”
“Jack is the bravest,” Mark said as he settled in.
“Zeus is brave, too,” Devon added.
Crystal glanced up and saw Jack in the doorway. He gave her a small smile and stepped back into the room. He planted kisses on all three of their foreheads. “Forgot that,” he said softly.
Crystal smiled up at him. “Never, ever forget that again, okay?”
“Yes ma’am,” he murmured. He winked at her before he left again.
Crystal must have dozed off. She glanced at the clock and noticed it was an hour later. The boys were sound asleep, so she slipped out of bed quietly and wandered into the living room. Jack sat in his chair, wide awake. His gun rested in his lap as he sat rubbing Zeus’s back. The dog sprawled on the floor next to Jack's chair.
“Hey,” she said softly. “Don’t shoot, it’s just me.”
“Of all the things I’ve envisioned doing to you, shooting you was never one of them.”
She leaned over and kissed the top of his head. “How about I make some coffee? Since it appears you’re not coming back to bed.”
“Coffee would be nice. I’d rather have a drink, but coffee would be nice.”
She ruffled his hair and went into the kitchen. She brewed a pot of coffee, and when his cup was poured she added a shot of whisky to it. She carried two cups to the living room and handed his over.
“Thanks.” He sipped and tossed a grateful look at her. “Now I really mean it. Thanks.”
She smiled and sat at his feet. Zeus put his head on her leg and she started rubbing behind his ears. “Was it really nothing, or was somebody out there?”
“Somebody was out there. There were jimmy marks in the frame of the front door, but nothing else I could spot in the dark.”
“So they’ve traced us here.”
“I haven’t been that careful about being followed. I didn’t realize, before today, exactly how high the stakes were.”
“We’re not safe here anymore.”
“Without actually putting you into hiding, you’re as safe here as anywhere. I have selfish reasons for not wanting to do that, because I wouldn’t be able to go with you. I’d like to think you’re safer when I keep you close to me.”
She put her head on his knee. “I definitely feel safer being close to you. I’d hate it if we had to go hide somewhere. I’d be a nervous wreck.”
“So would I,” he admitted. “And as long as nothing else happens, we’ll stay here.”
“I hope we can,” she said softly, rubbing her cheek against his knee. “I’m getting used to spending time with you, detective.”
“The feeling is mutual.” He ran a hand through her hair. “But I won’t sacrifice your safety, or the boys’. If I decide you need to go, you’ll go.”
“We’ll do whatever you say, Jack,” Crystal conceded. “I trust you completely.”
He smiled at her. “That’s nice to hear. I’m not getting a lot of that at the office these days.”
“I noticed.” She leaned against his knee and looked up at him. “Maybe it’s time to move on to the next phase of your life. Unless being a cop means that much to you. If it does, you’ll just have to tough it out, I guess.”
He shrugged. “Being a cop is all I’ve ever known, all I wanted for as long as I can remember. My old man was a cop, and his old man, too.”
She smiled. “Ah, the Dunlevy family tradition. Let me guess…Irish Catholic, with a relative who owns a pub in there somewhere.”
“My Uncle Finn,” he confirmed, nodding. “Now he was a force to be reckoned with.”
Crystal laughed. “Are your parents still alive?”
“Hell, yeah. Retired, traveling up a storm, and loving it. They have a house on the other side of town, near my sister and her husband.”
She squinted. “So you do have a sister.”
“Yes, but her kids are grown and gone by now.”
Crystal pondered that statement. She suspected Jack had purchased the coats and clothing for the boys. Finding out the truth merely confirmed that he had a good heart. She'd suspected that, as well. “So, are you close to your family?”
He shrugged. “Pretty much. We do the holiday thing and all that. I’m busy, they travel a lot, so we don’t see each other all the time.”
She put her chin on his knee. “It would be nice to have family like that.”
He rubbed a hand over her cheek. “What about you? Do you have family nearby?”
She leaned back and shook her head. “Nobody that I’m close to.” Hearing about his family had unnerved her. She could envision him growing up in a traditional middle-class neighborhood, riding bikes and playing football. They probably had a turkey for Thanksgiving and a Christmas tree with lights and presents.
She'd had none of those things as a child. Her childhood had been anything but traditional, with a drunken mother and a parade of step-fathers, each with a different bad habit. There was an occasional holiday celebration, but never anything Crystal could rely on, and usually not two years in a row. She was thankful that she was an only child, so no one else had to suffer through the pain that she did growing up.
She studied Jack again. He was handsome, hard-working, financially stable, and way out of her league. She had no chance with a man like him. She didn’t deserve to even consider it.
He touched her shoulder. “Are you okay? You’re awfully quiet.”
She forced a bright smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired. I’m going back to bed.” She stood and put a small kiss on his forehead. “Good night, Jack.”
She saw the confused expression on his face, but ignored it and went to bed anyway. She couldn’t stand the thoughts that were rolling around in her head. She wanted to sleep and try to forget about them. But sleep wouldn’t come. She lay there, tormented by thoughts of Jack...
And thoughts of being in love with Jack.
He was the first man to ever make her feel this way. There had been a few others—flings, nothing serious. No one had ever evoked much passion from her. She felt a passion with Jack that she'd never experienced before. He aroused unfamiliar emotions. Not just in bed, although the way he made love to her was more beautiful and thrilling than anything she could have imagined. She was affected by the way he looked at her and spoke to her, as though she was special and smart. Someone worth looking at and talking to. Few people had ever treated her that way.