by Diane Burke
Erin tilted her head and studied his face. “I’m going to be mad, huh? How mad? Don’t-talk-to-you-for-an-hour mad or full-blown I’m-going-to-kill-you mad?”
“I’ve had a private detective watching you.” The words burst from his lips, no-nonsense, direct and his body tensed, waiting for her reaction.
The color drained out of her face and her mouth fell open. “You’ve had someone spying on me?”
“No,” Tony said. “I’ve had someone protecting you when I couldn’t.”
He stood there quietly and waited for her to process what he had just told her.
Erin could have sworn she heard Carol’s voice whispering in her mind’s ear. Did you hear him, Erin? Protecting you. Because that’s the kind of guy Tony is. The only kind of guy worth having…a guy who makes it his business to protect his own.
Erin looked up the street. “Where is this private detective of yours?”
“Black car. End of the block on the right.”
Erin squinted and stared into the distance. She saw the shadow of a man sitting in the driver’s seat. She looked back at Tony. “He better not have binoculars in that car. The thought of a stranger staring into my house gives me the creeps.”
“So you’re not mad?”
She smiled. “No, I’m not mad. Actually, I think it was sweet of you. But if you don’t get going, you won’t have to worry about leaving me alone because the two policemen will be here already and you’ll be late for your meeting.”
He chuckled and pulled her close. “You’re killing me here. Just when I’m sure I know what you’ll do, you do something else. I can’t ever figure you out.” He pressed a hurried kiss against her lips, turned to go and turned back again. “Um. Tastes like eggs and bacon. I need just one more kiss to be sure.”
Tony’s lips banged hard against her mouth and his body jerked violently.
It took a moment for her mind to register what she heard. A firecracker? A car backfiring?
Tony spun around. He slammed his head against the porch railing, collapsing onto the floor.
“Tony?”
Precious seconds passed as she stared in shock at his unmoving body. Tony? She fell to her knees beside him. She touched the quickly spreading liquid that seeped from beneath his jacket in disbelief. Blood? This can’t be happening. Please, Lord, please, not Tony. A second pool of blood began to puddle on the floor beneath the left side of his head.
“Stay with me,” she screamed. “Do you hear me? Don’t you dare die on me.”
Her emergency room training kicked in. She pushed her emotions beneath the surface and assessed the situation, prioritizing her responses. She pushed his jacket open, pulled the walkie-talkie off his belt and pressed the transmit button. “Officer needs assistance. Officer down.” She hurriedly relayed her address into the device and repeated it once more for clarity. She opened his jacket and quickly examined his chest. No exit wound. The bullet was still inside him.
She probed the back of his head. Her left hand came away soaked in blood and she realized his nasty head wound was the result of the porch railing and not a second bullet. The paleness of his skin and the fact that he hadn’t made a sound nor moved a muscle since the incident made her stomach churn. She placed her trembling fingers against his carotid artery and felt for a pulse. Nothing. C’mon, Tony. C’mon. She pressed harder. There it was. Thready and weak but there. He needed help. Fast.
She grabbed the walkie-talkie, pressed transmit and screamed, “Officer down. Please respond. Officer down.”
“Ms. O’Malley, come with me, please.” Erin followed the detective down the hospital corridor to an unoccupied private room. He held open the door and motioned for her to precede him inside. “I’d prefer we wait in here if you don’t mind. I’ve left word at the nurse’s station where they can find us.”
Erin took a seat in the recliner beside an empty bed.
Detective Winters extracted a pen and pad from his jacket pocket and leaned against the edge of the bed. “I know this is a difficult time. But if you could answer just a few more questions.”
“My children?” Her voice sounded weary even to her own ears. The effort it took to raise her head and look at the man exhausted her. Bone tired. Now she understood what the term really meant. “Are you absolutely certain the children are okay?”
“Yes, ma’am. They’re safe. Your aunt and your neighbor are caring for them in another part of the hospital. And, of course, my partner is with them until relief officers arrive.”
Erin glanced at the wall clock. 11:00 a.m. Take a deep breath. Relax. You know the drill. They’ll come and tell you as soon as Tony is out of surgery. He’s going to be all right. He has to be all right.
The detective cleared his throat and poised his pen over his pad. “Ma’am?”
“Erin. Call me Erin.” She shifted in her seat to face him. “Detective Winters, isn’t it?”
“Yes, ma’am. We met briefly last night.”
Erin nodded. “I remember.” She pulled a thread on her jeans just to keep her hands from shaking. “I’ve told you and your partner everything I know. I wish I could be of more help but…” She shrugged. “It all happened so fast. I honestly didn’t see a thing.”
Winters ruffled through the pages of his small notepad. He cleared his throat again.
Erin’s eyes narrowed. “What?”
“Ma’am, I’m trying to get an accurate picture of today’s events.”
Puzzled by the hostile tone of his voice, Erin nodded and waited.
“My understanding is that you’ve been receiving threats similar to the ones Carol Henderson got before she was killed.”
Erin’s stomach tightened at the mention of her best friend. She nodded again.
“Our unit arranged for police protection for you and your family to start at seven this morning.”
“That’s right.”
“Exactly what is your relationship with Detective Marino?”
My relationship with Tony? After everything that has happened, I can’t even answer that question for myself.
“Excuse me?” Erin squirmed beneath the man’s penetrating scrutiny and stalled for time. She was a cop’s kid. She knew the drill. Tony’s not supposed to be personally involved with the people in a case he’s investigating. This guy’s wondering if Tony got too involved and that’s the reason he was shot. Erin met the detective’s eyes. “I met Detective Marino a little over a month ago. He’s done a couple of favors for my family. Any other questions you have along these lines, you should ask Detective Marino.”
Winters’ eyes flashed. “Tony is a friend of mine, Ms. O’Malley.”
Erin studied the man, his arms folded, his eyes smoldering with emotion. Anger? At her?
“I’ve known him for years,” he continued. “If he believed a serial killer was a threat to you and your family, he wouldn’t have left before the officers arrived.”
Did he think she had something to do with Tony getting shot? Great. Like she didn’t have enough on her plate without being a suspect in a cop shooting. Erin would have laughed at the absurdity of it all if she wasn’t so angry. She bristled, wanting to verbally lash out at his censuring tone, but realized she’d probably react the same way if she were in his shoes.
“He didn’t want to leave. But I assured him I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself for thirty minutes. I have dead bolt locks. Pepper spray. A telephone with 9–1-1 on speed dial.” She hesitated before giving him information that might color Tony’s professionalism but thought he could use it. “Besides, there was a private detective watching the house.”
Winters impaled her with his eyes. “The same private detective we found dead on the floor of his car?”
His words hit her with the same force as if he had physically slapped her. “He’s dead?” She squeezed her hands together to still their shaking. “But we both saw someone sitting in the driver’s seat.” The killer had been in the car watching them. The killer shot Tony.
“Detective Marino would not have put himself in a position to be ambushed,” Winters said. “He would have done a visual surveillance of the area before ever stepping outside. He would have been alert, his gun hand free for action if needed.”
Erin returned his gaze unflinchingly. “I told you what happened, Detective.”
“If he was leaving like you said, ma’am, he would have been shot in the chest. So I have to ask myself, why was he caught off guard? Why did he turn around? Tell me, Ms. O’Malley, what exactly was Tony doing when he was shot in the back?”
SIXTEEN
The door banged open against the wall. Detective Spence entered the room. “Winters. C’mon. We’ve got to go.” He stepped aside allowing Tess into the room. “She asked to come and stay with her niece. I didn’t see any harm in it.”
Tess rushed forward and threw her arms around Erin. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
“We’ve got a police officer outside this door and another officer with Mr. Fitzpatrick and your children, Ms. O’Malley,” Spence said. “You’ll be safe here.”
Winters rose from the bed. “I think Ms. O’Malley wanted to tell me something. Didn’t you, ma’am?” Winters straightened to his full height and Erin understood how some suspects might feel intimidated during this detective’s interrogations.
“No. I’m sorry, Detective. I have nothing to add to what I’ve already told you.”
They stared at each other in silence.
“Winters, we’ve got to go.” Spence’s nervous energy filled the room. He fidgeted in the doorway, glanced down the hall, then back again. “Now, man.”
Winters turned to leave.
“Detective Winters.”
The man paused in the doorway.
“I’m glad Tony has such a good friend,” Erin said.
Winters stared at her long and hard before replying. “Tony is a good cop and a decent man. It’s easy to care about him. But something tells me you already know that, ma’am.” With a brisk nod, the detective left the room.
“What was that about?” Tess asked.
“Oh, Tess…” Erin hugged her aunt.
The older woman hugged her back. “It’s going to be all right. You know what they say about it always being darkest before the storm.”
Tess and her sayings. Erin choked on a laugh. She needed this moment of normalcy. She needed to relinquish her feeble attempts to control a spiraling-out-of-control world and collapse in her aunt’s arms where she could feel comfort and love. No matter what happens to a person, life just keeps on going, doesn’t it?
“Are you sure you’re all right, lass? I saw an ambulance pull up in front of our home. They wouldn’t let me come anywhere near the place. For the longest time they wouldn’t even tell me what had happened.”
Erin looked into the worried woman’s eyes. “That must have been very hard on you.”
“Hard? I found myself standing right outside the pearly gates having a conversation with the Lord, Himself, I did. The way my heart was pumping I was sure he was calling me home.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Nonsense, child. I thank God you’re not hurt.” She sat on the edge of the bed. “How’s Tony? Have you heard anything yet?”
“No, not yet.” Erin paced. “It’s been hours. But I can’t wait here any longer. I have to get to the children.”
“I’m sure the children aren’t missin’ us.”
Erin’s pacing slowed. “Tess, I don’t know how much more of this I can handle. I’m scared.”
“I am, too. We wouldn’t be normal if we weren’t. There’s a crazy person out there.”
Erin nodded. “That monster walked up on our porch, steps away from our family.” She heard the panic in her own voice but couldn’t help herself. “He killed Carol.” Tears burned hot in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. “He sat outside our house…watching us…waiting…and he shot….” Erin choked on a sob. Stress cramped her stomach. She wrapped her arms around her waist to try and ease the pain. “I couldn’t save him. I had my arms wrapped around him and I couldn’t keep Tony safe.”
“Stop it.” Tess gently shook Erin’s arms. “Right now. I know you’re scared. You have reason to be. But don’t fall apart on me now.” She forced Erin to look at her. “There’s no way you could have stopped what happened.”
“Tess…you don’t understand.”
“I don’t? I know you. You’re thinking Tony was shot and you weren’t. You’re wondering why he didn’t shoot you and you’re feeling guilty about it all.”
Erin’s head pounded. She rubbed the skin beside her eyes to try to relieve some of the strain. “When did you get to be so smart?”
“At sixty-five I should know a thing or two by now.” Tess took Erin’s hand. “You think you’re so different than everybody else? We all go about our daily lives like nothing bad is ever going to happen to us. But bad things happen to everybody. We all experience our fair share of troubles in this life.” Tess chuckled without mirth. “Sometimes some of us even feel we get more than our share of those troubles…but evil…” Tess shook her head side to side. “Evil is supposed to happen to somebody else.”
Tess pinned Erin with her eyes. “An evil man killed Carol and shot Tony. You didn’t cause it and you couldn’t stop it. What you can do is not let it get the best of you.”
“Just get on with life like nothing ever happened?” Erin couldn’t mask the irritation in her voice.
“Of course not. How could we even try when terrible, horrible things are happenin’ all around us? But are you going to lie down without a fight? Are you going to let that man scare you so bad you may as well have been shot, too?”
“No,” Erin said with more determination than she felt.
“That’s what I want to hear,” Tess said. “You’re a strong, capable woman. Face this head-on like you’ve always faced every setback in your life with courage and dignity. A little Irish spunk wouldn’t hurt just about now either.” Tess brushed the hair off Erin’s forehead. “You want to feel sorry for yourself? Go ahead. Rant and rave for the next five minutes. You’ve earned it. But then you’re going to pull yourself up and find that inner strength I’ve always admired. You’re going to do whatever it takes to keep your family safe. And I’m going to be right here beside you helping every way I can.”
Erin wrapped her arms around her aunt. “I love you, Tess.”
“I love you, too, lass.” Tess fished a tissue out of her pocket and wiped her own tears. “Look at the two of us. Blubbering our fool heads off.”
The door opened and both women turned. A police officer poked his head inside, nodded to the two women, then opened the door wider and allowed a physician to enter the room.
“Dr. Patel,” Erin said. “How’s Tony?”
“The surgery went well. No complications. He’s a lucky man. It could have been much worse. The bullet lodged in muscle tissue and didn’t hit any vital organs. It was the knock on his head that concerned me. He was unconscious for a considerable time and it took more than thirty stitches to close the gash. Between the gunshot wound and his head wound, he lost a considerable amount of blood before he got to the hospital. But overall, he’s doing well.”
Tess threw her eyes heavenward. “Thank You, Lord.”
“What about his arm, doctor?” Erin asked. “He’s a right-handed cop. Will he be able…I mean, can he…”
“He’s going to be sore for a few weeks. He’ll probably need some physical therapy before he can fully return to work. But I see no reason he can’t resume his normal duties with time.”
“Can I see him?” Erin asked.
Dr. Patel nodded. “For a few minutes. He needs his rest. Because of the head injury, I’ve placed him in ICU overnight. He’ll be sent to a regular room in the morning.”
Tess patted Erin’s hand. “You go. I’ll tell Patrick the good news and tend to the children.”
Erin followed the doctor to ICU. She nodded to
the nurse sitting at the small desk outside the room and stepped inside. Her breath caught in her throat. She was a nurse. The sight of the heart monitor, IV bags and bandages shouldn’t have fazed her, but they did. This wasn’t one of her patients and nothing about this was routine. This was Tony. Her legs wobbled beneath her and threatened not to hold her up. She moved closer to the bed.
“Tony?” She leaned down and called his name again. No response. He was still under the effects of anesthesia. Erin checked the monitor. Blood pressure and EKG readings normal. A thick swath of bandages covered his forehead and wrapped around the back of his head. His skin was pale. She placed her hand gently on his chest. “Tony?” A solitary tear flowed down her cheek. “They say unconscious patients can still hear people when they talk to them.”
She bent closer and whispered in his ear. “You can hear me, Tony, can’t you?” She brushed her lips against his cheek. “You had me so scared. When I saw you lying on the porch in a pool of blood, I thought you were dead.” She straightened and busied her fingers adjusting his sheet, moving his IV tubing. “And that’s when I knew.”
Several more tears joined her solitary one. She kissed his bandaged forehead. “I knew I couldn’t take it if you died.” She twisted wisps of hair on the top of his head with her fingers. “You see, Tony, I’m not as strong as everybody thinks I am. I don’t take loss well. I know I would never be able to bear the loss of you. Because I love you, you crazy, wonderful Italian hunk. Isn’t that a surprise?” Her chuckle ended on a sob. “The woman who swore she would never date a cop has fallen hopelessly in love with one.”
Erin picked up his hand, pressed her lips against his skin. “But I can’t do this.” The sound of her voice was little more than a hoarse whisper to her ears. She cradled his hand. “I can’t watch you walk out the door every day and wonder if you’ll come home to me at night. I can’t pretend not to listen for the phone when you’re late. Or that I wouldn’t be looking out the window every ten minutes for the police car that would bring me news of your death. Just like they did when my father died.”