“It’ll get done,” Sarge said.
Lily leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. “Any news about Morgan?”
Sarge picked up the file in front of him and flipped through it. “Nothing on her condition. But we did get a hold of her folks in Pennsylvania. They’re on their way here.”
Lily said, “I need to go see her.”
“We’ll join you later,” Evan said.
“Evan can handle Knickerpass Road for a bit,” Sarge said.
Lily wanted to shake someone. I warned Sarge about Martinez. Stiffness settled in her neck. “I’ll be back in later,” she said, rising.
“Keep your 7:00 p.m. with Montejack.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m here if you need anything,” Evan whispered.
Afraid that if she stayed she would show signs of weakness, Lily scooped up the box holding her dad’s personal effects and left the room.
Chapter 21
November 18, 5:23 a.m.
When Lily arrived at Fort Atkinson Memorial Hospital, she was directed by a female volunteer to Morgan’s room in the intensive care unit.
“You can wait for her if you’d like,” the volunteer said, entering through the sliding glass door.
“Thanks,” Lily said, gazing around the sterile, empty room from the doorway.
Lily didn’t recognize the guard posted outside the door. She tried to pin him as an obvious connection with the department, but was unable to think of one.
The officer straightened his posture as Lily entered his peripheral vision.
She extended her hand. “Are you new?”
No ma’am,” he answered, looking her directly in the eye. “I’m going on my second year.”
Lily read the officer’s name tag. “Officer Johnson, has Detective Danvers had any visitors?”
“No ma’am. You’re the first.”
“All right.”
About fifteen minutes later, the x-ray technician wheeled Morgan back into the ICU. When the tech parked Morgan’s bed next to the window, Lily felt her stomach roll into a knot as he began connecting cords to machines and turning on monitors.
Lily didn’t know what mechanism did what, but to see her partner surrounded by the sounds of blips and beeps tugged at the hope of seeing Morgan bounce back to being her jovial self, flashing her latest outfit or adding her sassy comments whether one wanted to hear them or not.
The smells of the hygienic corridors and remnants of institutional meals began to chip away at Lily’s will to stay strong.
Please don’t die.
The technician finished his duties, gave a curt smile and exited the room.
Lily reached for Morgan’s hand through the opening of the bedrail, praying to be greeted by a firm squeeze of assurance, but Morgan remained still. “There is nothing wrong with having a little faith.”
No response.
Then Lily remembered the unfinished discussion after the card game. The day had come to tell her friend where she’d learned to play poker. “Grandmother Blanchette. She was the gambler in the family. When I was younger, she used to watch my sister and I on the weekends while my parents worked. However, it was me she used to take to the dog track every Saturday morning.
“Then on Sunday afternoons, she’d have her dinner ready by three so she could set up for the poker game by six. Back then it was known as a game for the men, but she didn’t care. She’d join her husband and his friends, feed them and take their money.
“A con woman in her own right. It was her who taught me to play. Drove Mother nuts when she found out I was being taught to play poker instead of given sweets.”
The machines continued to beep as disappointment sagged through Lily. The lively look on Morgan’s face had been replaced with one that she didn’t care to see. A peaceful one.
Lily wanted to be able to fuss at Morgan about her latest wardrobe; the stupid heels that she insisted on wearing while canvassing a neighborhood or walking a crime scene. It was odd but it was Morgan.
Suddenly, Morgan grasped Lily’s hand. “I don’t believe in faith. I’m a Darwin-based…” Her voice trailed off.
“Evolutionist,” Lily said, fidgeting with the sheet covering Morgan. “I’m sorry I let this happen to you.”
Lily slouched down in her seat, cupping her hand over her mouth to stifle her sobs.
Her silent cries continued until she heard voices outside the doorway. Lily sat forward to see if she could identify who it was. She picked up on two. A man and a woman.
Morgan whispered, “Our talk... your dad was investigating Celine’s murder.”
“Are you sure?” Lily asked.
“I want to see my daughter,” the woman said.
Lily gently withdrew her hand from Morgan’s and quickly swiped away any signs of her tears. “I’ll be back. I’m going to go talk to your mom. She wants to see you. When I get back, I want to know the rest about Celine and Dad.”
Lily got up and went into the hallway. “Mr. and Mrs. Danvers.”
Mrs. Danvers reached for Lily’s hand. “Oh, Lily, what happened to my Morgan?”
“Did you talk with Sergeant Owen?”
“I want you to tell me.”
“We don’t know all the details yet, just that she was shot while we were serving a warrant. The person responsible continued to be a threat and was killed.”
“Is she going to be okay?” Mr. Danvers asked.
“I just got here, but I’ll go find the attending physician and—”
Suddenly, an alarm from one of the monitors inside Morgan’s room screeched.
Lily’s heart wrenched as two nurses charged towards her and ran to her friend’s aid, with a male doctor at their heels.
She tried to look through the glass, but they pulled the curtain around the circular rod, blocking their view from the outside.
“Oh, my God,” Mrs. Danvers cried.
Mr. Danvers took his wife in his arms and hugged her tightly.
Even with the door closed, Lily could hear the muffled shouts of one nurse, “One, two, three.”
Lily and the Danvers bunched together near the corner and waited.
Some more time passed before the man Lily had seen sprinting behind the nurses emerged through the sliding glass door.
A solemn look masked the doctor’s face. “Are you the family of Ms. Danvers?”
“Yes,” Mr. Danvers said.
No. No. Lily felt as if she couldn’t breathe.
“We were able to bring her back, but I’m worried that she won’t pull through,” the doctor said.
Mrs. Danvers’s chin trembled. “Can I see my baby?”
The doctor replied. “Yes.”
Mr. and Mrs. Danvers went inside.
The doctor looked at Lily. “Are you with the police department?”
“Yes. I’m her...partner. What are her injuries?”
“The bullet entered through her back, injuring her spine. There’s some internal bleeding but we’re working to try and minimize it.”
“Right. Thank you.”
The doctor nodded and went back inside.
Stunned, Lily slumped against the wall, fell to her knees, and whimpered.
Just like that, at any moment, Morgan could lose her life. Lily wondered if the words and affections that she had saved for later would ever have a chance to be shared.
After several minutes passed, Lily got herself together and exited through the revolving doors.
Once outside, Lily’s cellphone rang. She took it out of her pocket. “Detective Blanchette.”
“It’s Hauser. I’m calling to confirm that our latest victim was Penny Wenword. She suffered a blow to the scalp. There was hemorrhaging in her ear.”
“Was she sexually assaulted?”
“Yes.”
“Thanks.” Lily shut off her phone.
A male voice shouted, “Lily!”
Lily halted and looked straight ahead. To her surprise, there was Julius, getting
out of his Ranger. Relief swept over her as she ran into his open arms.
“Babe, I heard what happened.”
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she said, holding on to him with every ounce of strength she could manage.
*
11:22 a.m.
Kevin Owen gritted his teeth as he stepped through the doors of the empty Whitewater Mental Health complex and saw Deena and Landon locked in an embrace walking down the hall towards the offices. What did Collin do to deserve the dishonor of his memory by his wife so soon after his death? It wasn’t right.
The receptionist moved about, cleaning up the reception area.
Kevin slowly started down the narrow hallway, debating about whether to turn around and leave. After a few more steps, he found himself standing in the doorway of Landon’s office. Deena and Landon were standing almost shoulder to shoulder with their back to him.
He cleared his throat.
They separated and looked at him. Deena’s thin eyebrow arched as she clasped her hands loosely behind her back. “This is comp—”
“I didn’t want an explanation before Collin was killed and I definitely don’t want one now.”
“You have your reasons for disliking me but this isn’t about me. I’m worried about Lily’s safety, especially after what just happened to Morgan. First my daughter was murdered and now my husband. Something’s wrong here and I’d like you to consider taking Lily off the case.”
“I can’t do that. She’s fit emotionally and physically to be in the field. And Collin was killed by a mugger.” Even though Kevin knew different he wasn’t going to say anything to correct Deena. “It seems the cases aren’t related, but you already know that.”
“Lily’s husband claims that she’s been depressed. I don’t believe him, but since you won’t consider removing her from this for me, do it for Collin,” Deena begged.
Kevin realized that if something did happen to Lily after such a warning it would hurt him just as much as it did losing his buddy. “Okay, I’ll see what I can do.”
*
7:00 p.m.
Lily knew her session with Dr. Landon Montejack was going to be a difficult one from the moment she entered his posh office, nestled in the comfort of his contemporary home. She knew she wasn’t the only cop who, under orders to undergo an evaluation, preferred coming here rather than Montejack’s official office in Whitewater.
She didn’t know which was worse. Sitting and talking to the man who’d been seen multiple times with her mother or trying to play nice to a man who was responsible for giving the okay for her to be on duty.
For the first ten minutes, silence was pierced by the ticking of the weather station clock hung up on wall.
She stroked the shrouded badge on her lapel, which she and other law enforcement officers wore as they mourned the loss of Collin. A whirlwind of fears swirled around in her head about her abilities as lead investigator. Although the correct procedures had been taken, she couldn’t help but feel responsible for Morgan being in the hospital.
In a way it was hard to accept that she probably should have listened to Sarge and let the others handle serving the warrant. What would Dad have done? If he’d been alive, there’s no way he’d let me hang around and do nothing. I hope. No matter how hard she tried to push them out of her mind, doubts of uncertainty pecked at her thoughts like the chickens on Grandmother Blanchette’s farm during a feeding. Did she let what happened to her dad muddle the decision-making needed to apprehend Sanchez?
I have so many questions. Can I trust the department’s shrink with my innermost concerns? Can I look the same man in the face who didn’t have the decency to stay away from my mother until after my dad’s buried? Of course I can’t trust him.
But what could she do? She was required to talk with the shrink.
She studied him. With the exception of putting on a little weight in the waist, nothing about Landon had changed. He still insisted on using tanning beds during the winter, though his fair skin turned red more easily than it tanned, and he refused to switch to cellular as a means of instant contact. Instead, Landon insisted on keeping his archaic pager and using a land line to communicate. “Will you keep what I tell you private?”
Montejack looked up from his notes. “You know my obligations. If there’s concern, I have to report—”
“I’m not talking about the department. I’m talking about my mother.”
“Yes.”
Lily leaned back on the leather chaise lounge chair, looked out the four-paned window and exhaled. “I feel responsible for the death of my sister and for Morgan getting shot. And I miss my dad.”
“How about we start with Morgan? Why do you feel responsible?”
Lily took a moment to replay everything that happened from the moment she left Morgan alone with Sanchez. “I didn’t follow my gut instinct before I left her alone with Sanchez.”
“You did everything right. You made sure she had backup.”
“I should’ve waited until Alec got there. This entire episode could’ve been prevented.”
Montejack scribbled something and asked, “Do you really believe that?”
“I’m not sure what I believe anymore.”
“Were you thinking about your dad at the time you went to serve the warrant on Sanchez?”
“I did what my dad taught me to do. Put my job first.”
“Have you started the process of accepting Collin’s death?”
“Not so much. My schedule hasn’t allowed me time to figure that one out.”
He closed his notebook and placed it on his desk. “Okay. What can we do to remove the guilt you’re carrying?”
Lily’s mind hurtled to the party: the last time she saw her sister. Celine’s face had been weighted with worry while she pecked furiously at her phone.
The wind chimes clattered in the breeze, bringing Lily out of her thoughts. “My mother...she blames me for what happened to Celine and it’s starting to seep into my conscience.”
“Maybe she feels some guilt?”
“Maybe.” You should ask her.
“Are you angry?”
“My schedule hasn’t allowed me time to figure that one out, either.”
“I can’t help if you don’t tell me what hurts. Open up about one thing that you’re struggling with, concerning the night Celine was killed.”
Lily propped herself up on her elbows. “Mother hasn’t been any help. I’m thinking about reading Dad’s journal to see if he wrote anything about that night.”
“And,” he asked, tapping his chin with his index finger.
“Let’s just say things were difficult before my sister died. But that’s not a surprise to you.”
“Can’t say it was a surprise. But it’d help to know the whole story between your mother and I.”
Lily shook her head. “I really don’t care anymore.” She swung her legs over to the side and sat up. “Back to the reason why I’m here. I do remember on the day of Celine’s funeral, Mother gave me a stiff embrace and lectured me about how I had failed my sister.”
“Have you considered talking to your mother about any of this?”
“No,” Lily answered, bolting out of the chair. “I just want to move forward. Are we through?”
“Your evaluation determines whether or not you’re fit to be active.”
“I’m not a danger to anyone.”
“There are a lot of mixed emotions right now. You’ve lost two people who were important to you and your best friend is laying in a hospital. You need a break, to de-stress so it doesn’t spill over to your job.” Landon reached for his appointment book. “What do you do to relieve your frustrations?”
“Workout. Go for a jog. Have a glass of wine.”
“Do you drink in excess?”
“No.”
“What about drugs?”
“No.”
“I have an evening slot open for next week,” he said, clicking his pen and opening up the book.
“Pick a day.”
“Are you serious? I’ve been coming here every other week since Celine died. On my own.”
“This visit was different. It’s required. Work with me and I’ll work with you. It’ll look good in your report and I’ll keep it listed as voluntary sessions.”
Lily knew Landon was pushing back. If she didn’t agree, he had the ability to have her badge pulled. She didn’t care about the obvious conflict of interest that the department hadn’t touched on, which would add flames to the stories circling about Mother and Landon. And for now, that was okay. Being assigned a new counselor during an eval would be like taking a direct facial dive off a cliff. She might end up with someone who actually cared, coercing her to have an active session unlike any of the ones she’d had with “Doc.” All she needed to do was pace herself through the next four weeks of counseling sessions and it’d be over. “Does a week from now work for you?”
“It does.”
“So I’m free to go?"
“Stubborn, just like your mother.” Montejack’s face turned serious. “But you have your father’s heart. You’ll make it through this.”
Lily lunged for the door and left the office. As much as she hated to think about it, it was time to talk to her mother. But not until after the funeral.
*
10:22 p.m.
Vicenzo opened the door to Pop Surace’s sunroom and closed it softly behind him. The room was lighted by a floor lamp that arched toward the table and sliced out shadows around the edges of the room. Those same shadows had looked like monsters to him when he was a kid, until he was old enough to realize the discussions that were being held here were scarier than some stupid childhood fear.
He walked over to the baseboard heater in a vain attempt to warm up.
After he got the urgent call from Pop Surace to meet him at the house, he’d left his coat back at the club. “You wanted to see me?”
His uncle walked away from the chess board sitting in the corner. He eased himself into a recliner facing a picture window that in the daylight would look out into the gardens and country scenery covering fifteen acres. “I want you to set up protection for Collin’s daughter.”
Promised Lies (A Detective Blanchette Mystery) Page 14