Jayce & Emma

by Barbara Winkes

  * * * *

  She spent Sunday morning sleeping in, then, not much motivated to make breakfast, Emma went to a café within walking distance from the apartment. She might have overreacted. Or she’d been on a good path, and the man holding hostages in Kitty’s store had set her back more than she’d been willing to admit. Emma had done better when she’d been able to create her own undercover assignment, leaving her busy and feeling in control. Caren hadn’t forced her to do anything. She brought unwelcome memories with her all the same. But she was doing all right, too, and Emma didn’t owe her anything. That was something she had to remember. After a second coffee, and a third, she left the café. Emma walked past a store for evening and bridal gowns, standing in front of the window for a long time. She was free. Nothing bad would happen.

  From here, it wasn’t far to the greeting card store, so she dropped by to say hi to Keisha who was working today.

  “Oh, hi, Emma. You want a coffee, and a cookie maybe?”

  “No, thanks, I just had breakfast.”

  Keisha had shared those fearful hours during the hostage situation with her, and Emma was glad she had chosen to come back to work in the store nonetheless. Sometimes it helped knowing a person had gone through the same thing…sometimes it didn’t.

  The door opened, and Caren walked in, smiling.

  “I thought I would find you here. I hoped we could talk and—”

  “What the hell do you want from me?” Emma snapped, only becoming aware that she’d raised her voice when a couple of customers sent her curious glances. Keisha looked alarmed, and so did Caren.

  “I’m sorry. I meant to apologize. I was wrong to assume…”

  “Emma, is everything okay?” Keisha asked.

  “Yes. I’m sorry. I haven’t slept well in a while. Let’s take a walk?” she suggested to Caren.

  “Sure.”

  Once they were outside the door, Caren spoke.

  “I know I went at this all wrong. It’s not often that I get to see someone who was on the inside with me. My stupid attempt at coming on to you aside, I didn’t realize you weren’t as happy to see me. I can’t blame you.”

  Emma was silent for a long time as they walked. The conclusions she was drawing from her own behavior, and Caren’s, weren’t all that comfortable. She was grateful for Keisha’s presence in the store—yet, she had trouble dealing with Caren. Granted, their relationship had been a tad more complicated—or maybe not. Maybe the complications were all on Emma’s part, because she didn’t want anything or anyone to intrude on her new, perfect life.

  “I’m sorry, too,” she said.

  “I said some pretty mean things.”

  “It hasn’t been that much time. I still understand where you’re coming from. I’m happy that things are starting to work out for you, I swear.”

  “I shouldn’t have pretended that our situation is the same,” Caren said ruefully. “It isn’t. You never did what they accused you of, and you did clear your name.”

  “I knew it, and Maxine knew it, but nothing would have happened if I hadn’t met people who believed in me. I’m sorry I overreacted. It’s just that sometimes I’m still afraid it could all be taken away.”

  “Tell me about it. I prefer the uniform that says Coffee Paradise,” Caren deadpanned, and they both laughed.

  “I imagine. The truth is, for a long time I wasn’t free even though I was. I went back there in my mind, every day. And lately, I’ve been trying to ignore it even happened, which, of course, doesn’t work either.”

  “That middle ground is hard to find.”

  “It sure is.”

  “I hope you’ll come by the coffee shop sometime anyway. For a coffee on the house, and no strings attached, I swear. Bring your fiancée next time.”

  “I might even do that.”

  They parted ways, and Emma felt a bit more optimistic, regarding her future plans, regarding her past. It had been good to clear the air.

  Just a few more days to wait until life could continue as planned.

  * * * *

  “Change of plans,” Roger Winston told them curtly after he’d called Jayce and Connor into the makeshift office behind the warehouse. “The shipment will arrive tomorrow night. T is going to bring in another couple of clients soon, so it will be all hands on deck. No more probation,” he said with a quick glance to Jayce. “Finley, you can handle that?”

  “Sure.”

  Jayce was excited that her assignment would potentially end sooner than expected, even though this news could bear complications, given the information she’d received.

  She made a couple of solo trips that day, but later joined Connor for a coffee. Even though he had warmed up to her considerably since the first meeting, he didn’t seem to care much for company today.

  “It’s a good sign, right?” she wondered out loud. “If the shipment is early, there’s a chance the competition hasn’t gotten wind of it, and everything goes down smoothly.”

  “I don’t know about that,” he grumbled. “Something about that doesn’t sit right with me.”

  “Why are you saying that? It’s in Winston’s best interest that we get this done, isn’t it?”

  “It would make sense. I’m not sure I trust him.”

  Jayce barely suppressed a smile. When Lieutenant Chomsky and Tanya had briefed her on the situation, they had assured her that she didn’t need to play a major role. The backup driver, that was all. It looked like this organization was already so fragmented it wasn’t too hard to poke holes in it. Once they’d made arrests, individuals would stumble over their feet to be the first to turn on the others.

  “Have you talked to Wayne?” she asked.

  “He’s not answering his phone. As for now, we go with the orders. I don’t like it,” he repeated.

  “What’s the worst that could happen?”

  “I’d like some peace and quiet now, okay?”

  “Hey, no problem. I’m going home. Big day tomorrow.”

  Connor didn’t answer, and she left, heading for her apartment from where she called Tanya who, miraculously, had a few minutes to talk.

  “Talk about cutthroat,” Tanya said after hearing Jayce’s summary. “Everyone wants to please the boss, and mess with the boss. Connor isn’t so wrong. Winston has had a lot of talks with a guy named Shaw. His people have supposedly stolen goods worth hundreds of thousands.”

  “Wow. So it could get ugly tomorrow.”

  “If Winston told his buddies about the shipment, yes, but backup will be in place. From the looks of it, this could be the big takedown.”

  “God, I wish.”

  Tanya laughed. “Yeah, I know. You can’t wait to get back to the wedding plans.”

  “I won’t deny that. Also, I miss my apartment.”

  “I can imagine. Good job on making Connor trust you. Usually, it’s hard to get more than three words out of him.”

  “Well, he didn’t want to talk much today.”

  “He has a bit of a crush on you. From what I hear, he hardly ever hangs out with the others.”

  “Well, yeah. I’ll be driving by myself tomorrow.”

  “Good. As soon as Wayne arrives, we’ll get started.”

  They talked for a few minutes longer before Tanya said, “This is not a good time, Mom. I’ll call you back,” and ended the call.

  Tomorrow night couldn’t come soon enough. In the past, developments like this would have been thrilling to her, the opportunity to take down the bad guys…

  Even though it was early in the evening, Jayce felt tired. She had known for a while that it was time for a change, and she would have to make that even clearer to the lieutenant. Most of her colleagues loathed having to do a desk job on any occasion. Jayce thought she could do with a bit more safety, and less excitement, and she wasn’t ashamed to admit it.

  After she’d finished this job.

  * * * *

  Around noon, she got a somewhat frantic call from Connor. There was a
nother change of schedule, and now, the deal was going to take place in the late afternoon—with Wayne present. Connor hadn’t been able to reach Winston yet, and they had to move fast.

  “Slow down, it’s okay. We can handle it.”

  “I’m glad you’re this confident,” he scoffed. “I tried calling him three times. It’s all pretty fucked up.”

  “I won’t argue with you. I’ll see you in fifteen minutes.”

  Jayce thought that Connor was overestimating himself greatly if he expected Winston to be at his beck and call. On the way, she tried to call Tanya but only reached her voicemail. Eventually, she left a message she hoped was cryptic enough to alert her, but no one else. As the major buyer, no one should doubt “T” wanting to be present.

  Now, she had to focus on her own task.

  * * * *

  It might be a good idea. It might be a terrible one. Emma wasn’t yet sure when she stood in front of the house that had been her home for a critical period of her life, where past and present merged. She had called the other employee who was in the store today, and told her she’d be in a bit later. Emma was curious and a bit terrified when she walked through that door once more. It was all part of closure, of finding that elusive middle ground.

  The door to the office was open, as usual. When she knocked on the door frame, Marley looked up, and, recognizing her, she jumped to her feet.

  “Emma! You look fantastic. What brings you here?”

  “Something I should have probably done a few months ago. I wanted to say hello.”

  “Better late than never.” Marley walked around her desk to shake her hand, and she closed the door. “This is a really nice surprise. You were gone so abruptly.”

  “Yes. That was a crazy day.”

  “They made me leave and put a cop in my office for that day, to be on the safe side. It took some time, but we bounced back from it. It’s a safe space again. But tell me about you.”

  Emma could feel the smile light up her face. Not such a bad idea to come here after all.

  “I’m good. I have a job I enjoy—and I’m going to get married.” Those were the major, relevant parts of the story.

  “That’s so great. Who is the lucky guy?”

  “Lucky woman. I hope. You probably remember her, Jayce.”

  “Yes, of course. I’m really happy for you. You worked hard for everything you’ve achieved.”

  “Well, I was very lucky. Many people helped me.”

  “Believe me,” Marley said, “there’s a lot more to it than luck. I see that every day. I was about to take a break. Would you like to stay for a coffee?”

  Emma checked her watch and decided she did. A bit of flattery didn’t hurt.

  * * * *

  Jayce, Connor, and another couple of drivers had been working non-stop until the last container was unloaded, and they went to the warehouse for their final pay. So far, everything had gone according to plan—for the counterfeiters, anyway. There had been no interference by any of Shaw’s people.

  Winston was there, Tanya as well, and they were waiting for Wayne who was running late.

  “Get him here,” Tanya snapped at Winston. “I’m not going through with a deal this big with middlemen.”

  He bristled at the thinly veiled insult, but tried Wayne’s number one more time.

  At this point, Jayce was worried. Sure, they’d have Winston, Connor, and a few others, but Wayne, possibly Shaw, were the ones that counted. If they could arrest Wayne, he would likely be happy to give them everything he had on Shaw. They needed him to be there.

  “I can’t reach him,” Winston said. He was sweating. “You don’t want to be here all night, do you? Let’s get started.”

  “Without me? I’m offended.” Thomas Wayne, in the company of his bodyguards and a younger woman, joined them. “I believe we had some scheduling issues, but we’re not in that much of a hurry, are we?”

  He winked at Jayce, the woman with him giving him an angry look in return.

  Then her eyes met Jayce’s, and both of them flinched.

  “Tom,” Terri said, “We should leave. Something’s wrong.”

  “Why are you saying that?”

  Jayce saw Tanya’s hand go to her gun. She did the same. After the first day, no one had frisked her.

  “I want to see the merchandise right now,” Tanya said coolly.

  “I’m sure we have a few minutes. What are you talking about, honey?”

  “That woman? I know her. She’s a cop.”

  All eyes were on Jayce now.

  “That’s nonsense. She went to prison. I saw her release papers.”

  “Well, she didn’t tell you the whole story. When I met her, she was an undercover cop in a halfway house,” Terri insisted.

  A shot rang out, and everyone dove for cover—but it hadn’t come from anyone who’d come for the deal. Shaw’s people had gotten wind of what was about to go down anyway. They were moving in.

  Jayce only hoped that the same way true for their backup. She dove behind a crate only to come face to face with Thomas Wayne, who had his gun trained on her.

  “The place is surrounded. The best you can do is to turn yourself in,” she yelled over the gunfire.

  “You’re a traitor. You know how we deal with them?” His eyes widened when the stray bullet hit him. He stumbled and fell. More shots. Jayce moved forward to check for a pulse, picking up the gun from the unconscious man. Then her world exploded in pain, and for a moment, she thought it was the car that had crashed into hers…but that was before.

  She came to in the ambulance for brief, painful and confusing moments, paramedics talking to her. Emma…Emma was safe, Jayce remembered. I was shot. She was tired.

  “Stay with us,” the paramedic told her, but awareness was slipping away.

  * * * *

  The car crash came back to her every once in a while in dreams, the impact, shattering glass and screeching steel. Darkness…

  Jayce had seen her share of dangerous situations. It was part of the job, choices that she’d made. The pursuit was a part of it. None of it could have prepared her for the moment she realized the car barreling down the street wasn’t going to stop in time, that its driver was in fact intending a crash.

  Gentle hands eased her back to reality every time, but the reprieve was only temporary, until the next dream...

  The drug dealer she’d arrested the week before the incident had made bail but violated his conditions. He was so furious when he realized they were after him that he was willing to risk money and life in order to get back at her. He was more severely injured than Jayce.

  In the aftermath, progress turned out to be slow. Her partner Daniel, and Kitty, his wife, came to visit her regularly. So did many friends and colleagues.

  While Jayce appreciated their support, it only served as a reminder that life went on for everyone while she was trapped in a drastically altered day-to-day reality. Getting back on her feet proved to be harder than she’d imagined. Physical therapy came with lots of pain and frustration, and even a desk job seemed out of reach—until it wasn’t.

  At that time, Jayce had had no idea about how long the road ahead would be. Going back to work came with mixed emotions. It got her out of the house, which was the good part. She didn’t appreciate being stuck behind her desk, unable to join her colleagues out in the field, and it was only part time. Jayce knew she should be grateful for the department and her supervisor assisting her reintegration, but her patience was tested every day.

  Daniel, Tanya and Ray were in with the lieutenant, discussing strategy on a case Jayce only knew on paper. Everything had to be by the book. Lieutenant Chomsky wouldn’t even let her on a stakeout—not that Jayce was sure she’d be able to handle an all-nighter yet after falling asleep on her couch early most evenings. Even though the work wasn’t physical, she came home with pain on most days.

  The crash had left the perpetrator in a coma from which he was unlikely to wake up. Jayce couldn’t
bring herself to feel one way or another about that fact, but she resented him for his senseless actions. He could have been out of jail in a few years, have a do over, and she could have…anything but this.

  “Hey. Are you ready to go? I was hoping you might keep me company tonight.”

  Kitty’s cheerful voice jolted her out of her somber musings.

  “Tonight?” Jayce was pretty sure she hadn’t missed any messages or otherwise planning. She had an idea, though, where this was coming from.

  “Yes, if you don’t have any other plans. Daniel is going to be here for I don’t know how long, and we haven’t spent time together in forever. What do you say?”

  “I don’t know. Frankly, I was planning on a quiet evening at home. I have an early morning tomorrow.”

  “Well, with the way things are going, I wouldn’t mind if you came in later tomorrow,” Chomsky, who had come out of her office, remarked. “Take a little time, Detective. That report isn’t going anywhere.”

  “It’s not like I’d know how things are going, as I wasn’t invited to the meeting.”

  Chomsky shrugged, ignoring Jayce’s harsh tone.

  “We aren’t keeping any secrets from you, don’t worry. Now go.”

  “I guess if my boss wants me out of here, I should go.” She was aware that Kitty had followed the exchange with interest. She waited until Jayce picked up her coat and keys, and they left the station together.

  “Everything okay?” Kitty asked when they sat in her car.

  “Yeah.” Jayce sighed. “I’m sorry about the drama. I’m not used to being on the sidelines.”

  “It’s only temporary, right? I know it’s tough for you, but maybe you should try to relax for a bit. You’ll be in the thick of it soon enough.”

  “I guess you’re right.”

  “I always am, remember?” her friend teased. She got serious a moment later. “I know you’re not in the condition or the mood to go party all night. I was thinking dinner, and I’ll drive you home after.”

  Jayce gave her a quizzical look. “I can’t remember us partying all night, ever.”