by B. L Wilson
“That sounds like good plan, Son.” Jake Sr. shifted around in the hot car. He tried to get comfortable and keep the front door in sight.
“Hey, Old Man, you keep shifting around in the seat. Is your back still bothering you?”
“Yeah, it is.”
“Why don’t you go on home? I’ll wait for Ingrams.”
“Are you sure, Son?”
“Yeah, I’ll stay with him if I think anything’s wrong, Dad.”
“Okay. Call me if you have problems.”
Jake nodded. “See ya.” He watched his father drive down the long driveway and then moved onto the road leading to his house.
Liz quietly pushed the IV stand over to the cot, pulled the blanket up, slung it over her shoulder, and walked back to cover Susan. Susan mumbled, “Thanks,” then snuggled down in the chair and went back to sleep again. Liz stood over Susan, watching her sleep. She was thinking what a different image she currently had of the sexy heiress compared with six weeks ago. After the drug search and the swimming lessons, Liz still considered Susan Drummond as a rich bitch in serious need of discipline, a real job, and a personality transplant. Maybe not in that order, but needed just the same. Susan’s actions confirmed all the rumors she’d heard at the stationhouse about the idle, spoiled, wealthy woman who fired cops with the snap of her fingers if they stopped her for speeding.
When the nurse told her about Susan’s nightly hospital visits after the explosion, she grew curious about her. Why did she do that? Would she tell her if she asked? Then, when Susan asked her to investigate the explosion and its aftermath, her image of the woman started to change. She still thought Susan had too much free time on her hands and that she’d taken on more than she could handle with this arson business, but she had to admire the woman’s gumption. If someone were trying to kill her old man, she’d do the same thing Susan did. The woman was full of surprises. She wasn’t the ball of fluff she appeared to be and she wasn’t a bimbo or babe either.
Liz grinned when she thought about Susan’s negative reaction to Baby, Babe, or Honey. She was still the best-looking woman Liz had seen since she’d moved down here. Hell, she’d put most of the women Liz knew in New York to shame as well, including Beth Gilmore.
Liz frowned as she listened to Susan snorting softly. Who was Johnny? If he was somebody she had deep feelings for, why did they share a kiss last night? If Susan were bisexual, would it put a damper on a relationship with her? She enjoyed the company of men, but she just didn’t want to sleep with them and avoided women who did. Any friendship she had with a man except her brother or her father boiled down to “When are you going to sleep with me?” Danny was the only the man besides her family who seemed to accept her sexual orientation and move to the next level in their friendship. That was why she missed him so much. They could talk about anything. It was like having another brother.
Liz quietly pushed the IV stand over to the window. “Here I go, thinking about you again. I gotta stop this. Danny, I’m so sorry I couldn’t help you,” she whispered as she stood watching the dawn come over distant trees and wept for her friend.
“Lizzie, Danny’s death wasn’t your fault,” Susan muttered gently.
Liz felt a warm hand rubbing her back through the thin hospital robe. “I shoulda called for backup. Hell, I’m a sergeant! I know better than to use a civilian to do a cop’s job. Damn it, he’d still be here watching his son grow up if I hadn’t... Shit!” She hit her thigh with a balled fist.
Susan turned the reluctant woman around, pushed the IV stand away, and held Liz until she felt her relax. “It’s all right, Lizzie. You go ahead and cry for your friend. I’m here as long as you need me.” She stroked Liz’s hair and then rubbed her back. She stood holding her a long time until her tears stopped.
Liz pushed partly out of her arms and then looked down at her. She exhaled raggedly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to … I … I got your … ah … er.” She pointed to the dampness on the front Susan’s nightshirt. “You’re wet.” She flushed. “Christ! I’ve made one mess after the other with you. If you don’t want me to go to the board meeting today, please take Jake, okay?”
“You’ll get no argument from me on that score.” Susan studied Liz’s face, noticing how she moved away from the intimate moment they just shared and quickly changed the subject.
Liz frowned. She expected a lengthy argument from her former nemesis. “What changed your mind?”
“Let’s just call it a good night’s sleep. Let it go at that.”
“But you didn’t have a night’s sleep.”
“Sergeant, some things are better left unsaid, okay?”
“Yes, Ma’am.” Liz saluted her and winked.
Susan narrowed her eyes, ready to say something flippant just as the door swung open.
“Good morning, Sergeant Gilmore.” The doctor grinned at Liz. “Ah ha, you’re up and around, I see. How do you feel this morning?”
“I’m tired of the hospital and this thing.” Liz pointed to the portable IV.
“You and it can officially part company in about five minutes. If you’ll just go sit on the bed while I take your vitals, we’ll detach you.”
Susan moved to sit in the chair.
The doctor noticed her for the first time. “I see the grapevine was correct. Someone said Ms. Drummond or a woman who strongly resembled her came to visit you last night and never left.” The young doctor eyed Susan as he spoke.
Susan shrugged.
The doctor straightened his tie and then smoothed his lab coat.
I’ll be damned, Liz thought as she watched him pat his closely cropped hair. The little man is preening for her. I wonder if she noticed. Curious, she glanced at Susan, noting that she’d picked up a magazine and was thumbing through it. She ignored both people in the room with her.
The doctor checked Liz’s heart and lungs, then looked into her eyes with a little handheld device that eye doctors used. “Are you still getting headaches, Sergeant?” he asked as he moved her neck back and forth. “Does this hurt when I move it?”
“No headaches. And no, that doesn’t hurt.”
“I’m closing the curtain to roll up your gown and check your belly and your chest bruises, okay?” the doctor remarked, pulling the curtain around Liz’s bed.
“Not a problem, Doc.” Liz settled against the pillows, then pulled up her gown and covered the lower half of her body. She watched him press into the mottled purple blue and black areas of her belly. She bit into her inner lip to keep from screaming.
“Does that hurt, Sergeant?”
Liz cleared her throat. “Nah, it’s a little stiff when I stretch, but it doesn’t hurt.”
The doctor moved over to the dark bruise on her right breast to press into the dark center of it. “How about here, Sergeant. Does it hurt when I press on it?”
Liz wanted to kill him. She could just take her gun out and cap the little man for causing her such pain. Instead, she pretended casual indifference and smiled. She had to if she wanted to go home today. “I feel a tiny tic of pain like a mosquito bite. Hey, Doc, how about removing this thing stuck in my arm?”
“Good, that’s good.” He removed the IV needle from her arm and placed a small gauze square on the puncture wound. “Keep your hand up and put your finger right there.”
Liz held her arm up with her finger on the small piece of gauze covering the injection site.
The doctor put a Band-Aid on the small incision. “How about dizziness? Are you experiencing any dizziness, Sergeant Gilmore?”
“Nope, I’m not feeling any dizziness, Doc. I’d like to go home today. Is that possible?”
“Under one condition, Sergeant. No police work for three weeks. I want you to take naps if you start to feel tired. Don’t do anything strenuous until your check-up next week. One more thing, if you’re not feeling stiff yet, you will. You have some good size bruises on your stomach, thighs, your right breast, and your shoulders. Try to soak in a warm tub fo
r at least thirty minutes twice a day, if you can. A whirlpool or hot tub would be even better if you have one.” The doctor pulled the curtain open.
“Oh sure, Doc, on my salary, like I could afford a whirlpool!” Liz laughed. “A tub of warm water is about all I can do.”
“Okay, well, a tub it is, then. Come by and see me at the end of next week, sooner if you have headaches. Here’s my card. Call my office to make an appointment. Sergeant, I heard the other person with you wasn’t so lucky. I understand he was a friend of yours.”
Liz nodded. “Yeah, he was, Doc.”
“I’m sorry about him. They tell me he was a good man.”
“He was. Thanks, Doc.” Liz shook his hand.
“Good luck to you, Sergeant Gilmore. Have a nice day, Ms. Drummond.” The doctor straightened his tie again. He cleared his throat, waiting for her to look up and smile.
Susan sighed, then sucked her teeth as she looked up from her magazine. “You too, Doctor.” You little annoying twerp! she thought as she watched him pat his balding little head, then winked at her as he pushed the door to exit.
“You were a bit rude to the man who saved my life, weren’t you, Drummond?”
“Was I?” Susan stared at Liz and rolled her eyes.
“Just when I was thinking what a mature woman you’d become seemingly overnight, and you revert to your old bratty ways,” Liz remarked as she smiled at Susan.
“Did you just call me a brat?” Susan rose from her chair and turned around to confront her accuser.
“Yes, I did. What you gonna do about it?” Liz asked as she advanced on Susan, drawing closer until she stood an arm’s length away from her chair.
“The doctor said nothing strenuous until next week, so I guess kicking your ass will have to wait until then. I can think of a few things I’d like to do to you, but they’re all vigorous activities.” Susan snapped her fingers as if she’d just remembered something. “Ah, I know. You could always finish teaching me how to swim.”
“Ha, ha, you’re funny, Drummond. I thought I would come home with you and speak with your father. Do you think he’d talk to me?”
Susan nodded. “Yes. He was hoping that you’d stop by. He has some stuff he’d like to talk over with you. He wouldn’t tell me what he wanted, but he said I should try to convince you to see him.”
“You’ve convinced me.” Liz frowned as she looked down at her hospital gown. “Only one problem. I don’t have anything to wear. They cut up my clothes in the ambulance. The department confiscated the remnants as part of the investigation.”
“You should check the locker. When I put some of my stuff in there last night, I saw some jeans and a T-shirt in there and a pair of sneakers too. I bet your dad brought them while you were sick. He probably figured you’d need them when you got better.”
“Thanks.” Liz pointed to the bathroom. “Do you wanna use it first?”
Susan nodded.
Forty minutes later, an orderly wheeled Liz to the hospital’s entrance to wait. In five minutes, Susan pulled up in the same sleek black sports car in which she liked to speed. She watched Liz frown as she stood up from the wheelchair. “Are you okay?” she asked, seeing the grimace on her face. “You’re not in pain, are you?”
Liz shook her head. “Are you driving me home in that thing?”
“What’s wrong with it?” Susan stepped out and opened the door. She noted Liz’s hesitation and hissed softly. “Get in, Sergeant Gilmore. Don’t make a scene or I’ll break a vow and kick your ass today instead of next week!” she muttered with conviction.
“All right, I’m going.” Liz shook the young orderly’s beefy hand. “Look me up in about a month, Fred. I’ll put in a word for you with the sheriff.” Liz slipped a card in the kid’s big palm.
He grinned. “Thanks, Sarge.”
“What? Another recruit for our illustrious police force?”
“If he checks out, he might be. Damn, you sure grow them big down here.” Liz imitated a southern drawl as she watched the big kid fold the wheelchair and carry it back inside the entrance.
“Not bigger than New York City does.” Susan stared hard at Liz.
“What did I do?” Liz asked, frowning.
Susan silently reached across Liz’s chest to pull the seat belt tight and fastened it. “I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you, Sarge.”
“It won’t if you stay within the speed limit.”
“Humph!” Susan rolled her eyes skyward, said a silent prayer, then crossed herself as she drove sedately off the hospital grounds.
They arrived at the Drummond home after eating lunch in a small, all-night café Liz discovered working patrol duty one night. Since then, she made it a point to stop and chat with the owners, two older women, who claimed to be sisters. Liz suspected they were life-partners rather than sisters, but she never tried to confirm her suspicions. The women looked like they came from a generation when being a lesbian could get you seriously hurt. Their situation didn’t sound much different from today except there were laws and ordinances to protect lesbians and she’d gladly enforce them if it came down to that.
Liz found it odd Susan lived here all her life but had never eaten at the café. It didn’t stop her from enjoying the food or the atmosphere. In fact, she got into an animated discussion with one of the owners about the food preparation and surprised Liz with her cooking knowledge. Susan knows how to cook, Liz mused after listening to her cooking tips. The woman she thought she knew continued to surprise her.
Liz’s phone chirped as they entered the Drummond driveway. “Pull over a minute, Drummond.” She glanced at her text message and sighed. “It’s Jake. Go ahead, Jake.”
Susan nodded.
“Everything’s the same as last night. I figured you’d call if it weren’t. Oh, yeah, Jake, I’m out of the hospital. No, I’m sitting in her driveway. I’m fine, Jake. Look, could you shut up and listen. The doc said I’d be fine. Okay, okay, so I’ll take a nap. Christ, Jake, I’m …okay, right now. I’ll soak tonight, I promise.” Liz sucked her teeth and sighed. “What did you do, Jake? Tell the doctor to call you when he released me?” She frowned when he answered. “Damn it, Jake! I’m not a kid. I’m a grown woman. I can take care of myself.” She held a hand up to stop her brother’s words. “Okay, okay. No, don’t put Daddy on the phone, Jake! I’ll do it. I’ll talk to you later.” She snapped the phone shut with a loud click and slapped it against her thigh.
Susan glanced at Liz and snickered as she drove slowly down the driveway.
“What the hell is so funny?” Liz asked, cutting her eyes at Susan.
Susan couldn’t resist a comment. “Oh, it’s nothing!” She snorted. “I can’t believe the big, bad-ass sergeant is scared of her daddy!”
“I swear, if you tell anyone about this, I’ll …I’ll do something!” Liz sputtered, then yawned.
“I think I’d better get you inside and put you to bed, Sergeant. You can talk to my father later. No sense in tiring out my bodyguard on her first day.”
Liz covered a yawn, then looked at Susan. “Jesus! I feel like I’m in the middle of a conspiracy to make me rest!” She clambered out of the car and slammed the door harder than she meant to. She marched ahead of Susan to the house. She nodded stiffly to Ingrams in passing, but he held out a hand to stop her.
Susan’s eyes widened when she saw Ingrams and then narrowed as she sucked in a breath.
“Sarge, could I talk to you a minute?” Ingrams asked, noting Susan Drummond’s look of disapproval. He felt embarrassed by it.
Liz sighed, then agreed. “Thanks for relieving Jake and my dad. Yeah, Ingrams, what’s up?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” He nervously eyed Susan and spoke in a low tone. “Sarge, Jake told me about the investigation. He explained what Miss Drummond had been doing. It takes real balls to push the sheriff like that. Maybe she ain’t so bad after all.”
Liz rubbed her eyes and stifled another yawn. “Why do
n’t you tell her that? I’m sure she’d appreciate hearing it.”
Ingrams frowned, then ruffled his hair. “I don’t know, Sarge. I said some pretty rough things to Miss Drummond at the hospital.”
“Yeah, you did, but you’re here, aren’t you? That says something.”
Susan paced back and forth in the foyer, waiting for the discussion to end. She finally stuck her head outside. “Are you coming inside or not, Sergeant?” she asked impatiently, eyeing the two cops.
Liz waved her off. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
Ingrams raised a questioning eyebrow and looked at Liz.
“All right, already. I’ll speak with her, Ingrams.”
“Thanks, Sarge.” Ingrams frowned and then snapped his fingers. “Oh yeah, Sarge, there’s one more thing.”
Liz groaned. “What’s that?”
Ingrams looked down at his big booted feet and then glanced up at Liz. “I got this friend works in the lab. She’s pissed. She said the sheriff took all the evidence back before she could finish running fiber tests and burn analysis. She said it was like he didn’t wanna know what caused the fire. She has friends at the morgue. They said he wouldn’t let the coroner’s office do any more than a preliminary on Danny. The sheriff claimed Jen wanted him cremated for religious reasons. I heard somebody convinced Jen to do the cremation a week ago. My friend says they can run tests on ashes sometimes.”
Liz looked annoyed, then angry. “Damn it!”
“Sarge, Jake told me about the notes to Miss Drummond. If you want, I could have my friend look at them for you. See if she can find anything on them.”
“Ingrams, this could get to be a real problem for her and you. Are you sure you want to do that?”
The young cop nodded. “I feel terrible about the stuff at the hospital, Sarge. Let me make it up to her.” He pointed a thumb in Susan’s direction.
“If you do it, it could mean your job.”
“That’s only if I’m caught. Gimme the notes, Sarge, and let me try, okay?”