Becoming Forever (Waking Forever Series)

by McVea, Heather

  Alan leaned forward. “Tell me everything.”

  Shaking her head, Ash laughed. “What’s to tell? She’s beautiful, funny. She can hold her liquor and we -” Ash intentionally cut herself off.

  “What?! You what?” Alan nearly choked on his coffee.

  “Calm down. We didn’t do that. For god’s sake, it was our first date.” Ash took a drink of her latte.

  “Hey, I wouldn’t judge - out loud - at all.” Alan winked.

  Ash thought she had tortured her well intentioned friend enough. “We like each other and we’re having dinner next Thursday.”

  Alan pumped his fist in the air. “Yes!”

  Ash leaned back in the chair and crossed her legs. “Thank you, Alan, for forcing me to date.” Ash stuck her tongue out.

  Alan’s expression grew dramatically somber as he nodded. “You are welcome.” He stood, and put his cappuccino on the table. “Bio break. I’ll be right back.”

  Ash’s phone vibrated on the table next to her. Picking it up, she smiled.

  Is it too soon to text? It was Lara.

  Ash quickly shot a response back. Who is this? j/k

  Scary when all I can c is the question, not the j/k on my preview line. Lara responded.

  Sorry Not too soon. Had a good time last night. Ash grinned.

  Alan walked up and sat back down across from Ash. “Who’s that?”

  “No one.” Ash put the phone down.

  “It’s Lara, isn’t it?” Alan smiled.

  “Maybe.” Ash smirked. “Yes.”

  Alan leaned back and propped his legs up on the extra chair to his right. “I’m a match making god.”

  Ash shook her head as her phone vibrated again. See you Thursday, detective.

  A rush of heat shot through Ash. She wasn’t sure why Lara using her official title made her a little hot, but she wasn’t complaining.

  ***

  Ash had finished coffee with Alan, and was walking into the San Antonio Police Department building in downtown San Antonio. The building always smelled of industrial strength disinfectant and its décor was outdated with green-speckled linoleum floors, and off-white painted walls. Ash was looking forward to moving over to the new complex that was under construction three blocks away next fall.

  Ash rounded a corner and ran straight into Richard Dorsey. It was like walking into a brick wall, as he was a brute of a man at nearly 6’5” whose dim expression was not a ruse. Richard had been on the force for nearly twenty years, was in his mid-forties, and had never been promoted above Corporal. He had numerous write-ups for unnecessary force, and always smelled like wet cardboard with a terrible case of halitosis.

  “Hi Officer Dorsey.” Ash looked up at the man, trying to hold her breath.

  A broad smile appeared on the man’s face, revealing a row of misaligned teeth. “Detective Haines, in a hurry today?”

  Ash stepped around the man and managed a smile. “Always. Take care, Dorsey.”

  The man leered, and Ash could practically feel his eyes moving over her body. “You too detective.”

  Ash shrugged off the creepy feeling she always got around Dorsey, and continued along the hallway until she came to the small office Cris and she shared.

  “Yo, partner.” Cris looked up from a stack of files.

  Ash shut the door. “Just ran into Dorsey.”

  Cris continued looking at the files. “So you’ve lost your appetite?” He held out container of Pringle chips.

  Ash smirked. “It takes more than a smelly baboon to ruin my appetite.” She grabbed the chips from Cris and sat down behind her desk.

  Popping a crisp in her mouth, she thought about her and Emma’s conversation last night before drinks. She didn’t want to bring the doctor into this. A defense attorney putting a deputy medical examiner on the stand to ask if she and a homicide detective had discussed the possibility of a vampire bat committing the Garrett murder would get her tires slashed by the D.A.. “Partner, I was doing some research on Google.”

  Cris glanced up. “Christ.”

  Ash laughed. “Seriously, you have to get over this aversion to technology.”

  Cris leaned back in his chair. “It’s not that. It’s an aversion to trends.”

  Ash shook her head, and popped another chip in her mouth. “Is that why you refer to the Facebook, the Twitter and the Google?”

  Cris scoffed. “I’m on the Twitter.”

  Ash shook her head. “Yea, after Diane set your profile up for you. I think at last count you had eleven followers, and were following three news networks and the Dallas Cowboys.”

  Cris sighed. “Give me my chips back.” Ash clutched the cylinder under her arm. Cris tisked. “So what did the Google say?”

  Ash smiled. “It said that enzyme we don’t like to pronounce is very rare, and I bet if we trace distributors we may get a lead to our perp.”

  Cris nodded. “The Google is brilliant.” He grinned.

  “In spite of having an alibi, I still think Ela Jacobs, a.k.a. Michelle, knows something.” Ash closed the chip container.

  “She sounded inappropriate and a little rude, but a brutal killer?” Cris made a note in the margin of one of his files.

  Ash frowned. “She bothered me, and beyond that, didn’t seem too upset about Garrett’s death.”

  Cris shook his head. “They had only been dating for a few weeks, and by her own admission hadn’t slept together - so how serious was it?”

  Ash tied her dark hair back in a loose bun at the base of her neck. “Sleeping with someone isn’t necessarily an indication of how near-and-dear they are to you.” Ash had emoted more emotion than she had intended.

  Cris looked out of the top of his eyes. “Speaking from experience?”

  Ash shook her head. “Please, I sleep with all my dates.”

  Cris laughed. “You’re such a liar, Haines.”

  Ash turned her iPad on. “I get around, so don’t you worry about me.” She didn’t get around though, and she rarely slept around. She had a second date with Lara Ramirez in a few days, and she felt fairly confident she wouldn’t be getting around with her.

  When Ash was honest with herself, which wasn’t always easy for her on the topic of relationships, she knew deep down she was old fashioned. As cliché as it was, sleeping with someone should mean something. Just thinking it, though, caused Ash to roll her eyes.

  ***

  Ash sat in the dining room of Feast in historic Southtown. The restaurant was elegant and contemporary at the same time, with an open bar and kitchen area that afforded patrons a clear view of the inner workings of the New American, Mediterranean fusion eatery.

  Ash took her wardrobe cue from Lara’s attire on their last outing. The Mexico native clearly had a flair for fashion, and the last thing she needed was word of a wardrobe inadequacy getting back to Alan. Therefore, Ash wore a pair of slate gray boot cut Kenneth Cole slacks, with a short sleeve, cobalt blue fitted buttondown Banana Republic shirt. Her favorite part of the outfit were her Anne Klein Costaro riding boots.

  “You haven’t been waiting too long?” Lara’s voice broke through the background chatter of the restaurant as she stood next to the table.

  Ash looked up, and again her breath caught at how attractive the woman was. Her eyes seemed even clearer in the lights of the restaurant, and her hair, which she had pulled back in a loose knot, shimmered.

  Ash stood. “Not at all.” She leaned in, and quickly kissed Lara on the cheek.

  Lara sat across from Ash. She didn’t disappoint in her attire. Ash admired her dark, low rise Levi’s skinny jeans and white V-neck tee, which she had accented perfectly with a long braided silver necklace and hooped ear rings.

  “Are those Tory Burch?” Ash asked as she looked down at her date’s beige leather wedges.

  Lara smiled. “Good eye. Do you like them?”

  Ash nodded. “Like them? I covet them.”

  Lara glanced down at her shoes, and then back at Ash. “Just t
he shoes?”

  Ash blushed at Lara’s flirting. “A woman can’t live on shoes alone, even if they are Tory Burch.”

  Lara winked and leaned back in her chair with the menu. “How was your day?”

  “Oh, I have a case that’s making me crazy, but nothing that’s appropriate dinner talk.” Ash said as she looked over her menu. “What did your day look like?”

  Lara smiled. “Oh, fair to partly cloudy.”

  Ash chuckled. “So we’ve resorted to talking about the weather?”

  “And shoes, don’t forget the shoes.” Lara winked.

  The two women ordered several courses and Lara asked Ash about her childhood, and her family. Ash was always happy to talk about her brothers, niece and nephew. She had no interest in having children, but she knew she made a fantastic aunt.

  “You spoil them then?” Lara asked as she took a drink of her after dinner coffee.

  Ash scoffed. “Spoil has such a negative connotation.”

  Lara smiled as she patted at her mouth with the cloth napkin she had folded in her lap. “Indulge?”

  Ash nodded and took the last bite of her flourless chocolate cake. “Yes. I like indulge much better.”

  “How was the cake?” Lara nodded toward the confection.

  “I offered you a bite.” Ash teased.

  “I’m not partial to sweets.” Lara said casually.

  “Then you haven’t tried the right desserts, my friend.” Ash put her fork down. “My niece Chelsea is getting baptized this Sunday, and my brother Michael insists on Lucy’s cake.” Ash paused. “Do you know Lucy’s?”

  Lara grinned. “I know a Lucy, but what are the odds?”

  Ash smiled. “You would know if you had met the Lucy.” Ash leaned back in her chair. “Best cake ever. The icing is so thick you can just swim in it.” Ash held her thumb and forefinger nearly two inches apart.

  Lara laughed. “Your family is Catholic then?”

  Ash nodded. “Out of habit I think more than anything else.”

  Lara’s eyes narrowed. “I was raised Catholic. Brutal religion.”

  Ash’s brow furrowed. “Maybe it’s different in Mexico. We do a lot of potlucks at our church.”

  Lara looked at Ash for several seconds. The frown on her face made her look angry. Then as if a switch flipped, Lara sighed and managed a smile. “Real, real Catholics, not this Catholic lite you Americans play at.”

  Ash was glad the tension had passed. She didn’t want to get into a debate about religion even if she had very little skin in the game. “We prefer our Catholicism buffet style.” Ash winked.

  Lara waved the waiter over. “Please let me get this.”

  Ash shook her head. “Dutch - all the way.”

  Lara started to protest, and then shook her head. “Okay then.”

  The two women paid their bills and walked out of the restaurant. Feast sat in a hybrid residential and commercial neighborhood; so they had to walk several blocks to get to where they had parked.

  “I’m up another block.” Ash said, pointing down the tree lined street. She was immediately aware of Lara’s hand on her waist as she stepped toward Ash. Her heart racing, Ash leaned toward Lara and their lips met.

  The kiss was tentative at first, and then Lara stepped closer, bringing the full length of their bodies together. A soft moan escaped Lara’s mouth as her tongue made contact with Ash’s. Placing her hand lightly on the side of Lara’s neck, Ash marveled at how soft and warm her lips felt.

  Lara stepped back first, and smiled. Her skin was flush. “I enjoyed dinner.”

  Ash reached down and took Lara’s hand in hers. “Me too, even with the weather talk.”

  Lara grinned and released Ash’s hand as she stepped toward her black Mercedes. “Not that again.”

  “I’m running out of material.” Ash teased.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow, and we can plan another outing.” Lara slid into the driver’s seat.

  Ash backed away, knowing she looked like a fool with the cheesy grin across her face. “Absolutely.”

  Walking toward her Jeep, Ash still felt the tingle of Lara’s lips on hers. She was growing fonder of the beautiful woman, and hoped the feeling was mutual.

  ***

  “I don’t see what the harm is in discussing the case?” Ash persisted in spite of the pained look on Emma’s face. Her outing with the doctor was going significantly worse than her date with Lara two days ago. They had met at Grimaldi’s Pizza in the Quarry Market, and things had been tense since Ash started asking questions about the Garrett autopsy. Emma was being defensive and evasive.

  “I can’t – I don’t want to be responsible for inadvertently sending you down the wrong path with a misinformed assumption or speculation.” Emma countered as she clenched and unclenched her napkin.

  Ash let out an exasperated sigh. “Emma, this isn’t a court room. You’re not under oath.” Ash shook her head. “I’m responsible for the conclusions I draw. Not you.” She was torn between wanting to reassure her friend, and telling her how utterly ridiculous she was being.

  Emma looked at Ash for several seconds, her face expressionless. Finally, she swallowed, and looked down at her pizza. “Honestly, I spend ten to twelve hours a day with my work.”

  Without looking up at Ash, she continued. “I know you do too; so I trust you’ll understand when I say I want –” Emma finally looked up and met Ash’s gaze. “I want you and me to be separate from that. I want it to be about us, and not the work.”

  Ash’s breath caught at the simplicity of her friend’s candor, and she felt guilty having suspected Emma of hiding something from her. “I want that too.” Ash smiled. “That’s all you had to say, silly.” Ash nudged Emma’s arm.

  Emma hesitated and then smiled. “Thank you.”

  Ash nodded, and the two women resumed their dinner. Ash looked across the table at her friend, who had just taken a bite of vegetarian pizza. Ash’s esteem of Emma grew when she saw the doctor fold the thin crust pizza up before taking a bite.

  With a mouth full of pizza, Emma looked at Ash. “What?”

  Ash grinned. “I’m glad you’re enjoying the pizza.”

  Emma finished chewing and wiped her mouth. “I read an article when this place first opened, and found it fascinating that to ensure continuity of product between their satellite stores and the original Grimaldi’s in Brooklyn, they have a special water osmosis filtration system that renders the water in any city nearly identical to the Brooklyn water.” Emma took a drink of her water. “So the dough is practically the same.”

  Ash finished chewing a bite of her peperoni and sausage pizza before responding. “Starbucks does the same thing. Triple reverse osmosis system in every store. Costs them a hundred thousand dollars, but you get the same cup of coffee every time.”

  Ash suddenly wanted to punch herself. She was turning into her friend and spouting off trivial bits of information. If she hung out with Emma enough, her simple and compound sentences would start morphing into compound complex sentences.

  “I’m not a huge fan of their coffee.” Emma shrugged. “Coffee in general, actually. I prefer tea.”

  Ash’s eyebrow arched. “You know they just bought Teavana?”

  Emma winced. “I know. Hopefully they let it be business as usual.” She reached for another slice of pizza.

  Ash watched Emma as she folded her pizza slice and took a bite. She continued to be amazed at how comfortable she felt with the doctor. In spite of their differences, the friendship worked. Given Emma’s recent admission about their relationship being more than work, Ash felt confident she felt the same.

  Chapter 7

  Ash sat at her desk, staring at her notes from the Garrett case along with the M.E. report. Her frustrations were growing as she continued struggling to piece together what seemed like random facts and elusive details.

  “Detective Haines?” Samantha Reynolds was a twenty-three year old, dark haired, Hispanic intern who helped around the
station while she worked on her Bachelors of Science in Criminology. Ash had always had an affinity for the girl, given their shared field of study.

  “What’s up Sam?” Ash caught a flash of purple as the girl pushed the office door completely open. In her arms was a gorgeous arrangement of purple and lavender roses, stock and waxflower, accented with fresh greens.

  “These came for you.” The petite intern struggled to carry the enormous arrangement.

  Ash quickly got up out of her chair, and took the flowers from Sam. “Thanks. Sorry you had to lug them all the way down here. You could have buzzed me.”

  Sam smiled. “I don’t mind. Besides, they smell so good.”

  Ash had received flowers several times in her life from both family and people she was romantically involved with, but those paled in comparison to this colossal assortment. “They really do. Thanks Sam.” Ash began looking for a card when she noticed the young woman wasn’t going anywhere. “Was there something else?”

  Sam blushed, and looked down. “We were curious who they’re from.”

  Ash knew the we Samantha spoke of was the pool of assistants and receptionists that worked throughout the station. No doubt one of them had rung the delivery person in, and now the gaggle of them wanted details. Ash shook her head as she had no intention of becoming a topic of gossip in the office. She began walking around the arrangement, and seeing the small envelope discreetly tucked into the flowers, Ash reached out and quickly grabbed the paper while Sam stood on the other side. Tucking it into her pant pocket, she peered around the flowers. “Looks like there isn’t a card, or it fell off.”

  Sam frowned. “I thought for sure I saw a card.” She looked around the arrangement at where Ash had just taken the envelope from. Then looking up and seeing Ash’s intense stare, the young girl winced. “My mistake. I’ll tell the front desk - ah, no card.”

  Ash nodded. “Thanks, Sam.” The girl quickly left the office, shutting the door behind her. Ash pulled the small envelope from her pocket and opened it, wondering what Lara had written. Thank you for a lovely dinner and for understanding. Your Friend, E.