by B. D. Gates
She nodded. "I love you, Bishop. Don't ever forget that."
"I love you. You know, that was Hatch's theory, too."
Tess just looked at me, her eyes narrowed. "I never told Hatch anything about my past. Did you?"
Oh.
Shit.
69
That following Monday, Hatch and Penny were standing at Penny's desk, their heads together as they looked at a tiny microphone from Kane's stash of gadgets, Penny wearing the accompanying earpiece, when Tess walked in. The sound of her keys hitting her desk made them both look up in surprise.
"We need to talk," Tess directed at Hatch.
"Okay," Hatch answered, drawing out the word, knowing that it sounded like trouble was brewing but not sure why. She joined Tess and they walked to the end of the row of desks, Tess turning so that her back was to Penny.
"How do you know about my father?" she whispered, her anger apparent. "I never told you anything."
Hatch was surprised by the question and the tone of it, and she swallowed hard. "I...uh...I...Tess, I'm sorry, I was just looking for your social media, nothing else, I wanted to get to know you better, but I got news footage from the trial instead. I had no idea..."
"So, you stalked me."
"Tess, no, not really. I mean--stalking is such an ugly word, don't you think?"
From down the row of desks came "Oh, no, dude, you were totally stalking her, pretty much. I would know."
Tess and Hatch looked over at Penny, who tapped the earpiece in her ear.
Hatch was still holding the microphone.
Hatch put the mic to her mouth and blew, forcing Penny to rip out the earpiece and drop it on the desk. "Damn, Hatch," she remarked as she sat down in her chair, rubbing her ear.
"Why? Why would you do that?" Tess whispered.
"Tess, like I said, I just wanted to learn more about you. You didn't want to talk about anything personal, not really, and I got that, but I didn't understand why until after I saw that video."
Tess closed her eyes and sighed, shaking her head. "Did you tell anyone?"
Oh, gawd, Hatch did not want to answer that question.
"Miranda."
"Hatch! How long has she known?"
Honestly, at this point, Hatch was wishing that Tess would yell at her, the angry whispering was so much scarier.
"Not long. Three, maybe four weeks before you left."
"Maybe?"
"I don't remember. Look, she was really pissed with me, though, ripped me a new one and put me in the corner for nearly a week."
Tess thought back, trying to recall if Miranda's behavior had changed towards her in any way. Could this affect everything she had done for the past year?
Hatch was watching Tess, wanting more than anything for this interrogation to be over. When Tess finally nodded her head and turned away, Hatch leaned back against the wall and exhaled loudly, not realizing she'd been holding her breath.
Miranda was right. It had all started innocently enough, but it had spiraled into a violation of Tess's personal space with the click of a mouse, became a whirlwind when she'd shared the information with Miranda.
And Hatch couldn't take it back.
She walked to Penny's desk and picked up the earpiece, turned to leave the bullpen.
"Are we still on for lunch?" Penny asked.
"Let's make it tomorrow, okay?" Hatch replied.
Penny nodded. "Sure."
Hatch walked away, passing Tess without a glance, quietly closing the door behind her as she left the bullpen.
Tess had taken her seat at her desk, was sorting through the interoffice envelopes on top of the case files.
"Wow. Right through the heart. Damn, you are so good at that," Penny remarked.
"What?"
"She didn't do anything to you on purpose, except to try to get to know you better. You act like she committed a crime."
"She crossed the line."
"She didn't mean to. Hell, she didn't even know there was a line."
"She told my partner. And she never said one word to me about knowing any of it."
"Well, gawd, give her some credit, would you? She figured out that your past was something you didn't want to talk about, she found out about it by accident, then decided that she wasn't going to let on that she knew because she was afraid you'd flip out, like yeah, hello, and that's just damned evil, isn't it. It was all innocent discovery, there was nothing malicious about any of it."
Tess closed her eyes, leaned her elbows on her desk, pinched the bridge of her nose. A little voice in her head kept repeating, "she's right, you know."
And Penny was right, about all of it.
After the trial, Tess had closed herself off from the world, and it had protected her from the prying eyes and relentless questions, but it had also severely limited her interaction with people in general. Now, she realized that normal interactions felt far more intrusive than they actually were.
She pulled out her phone and tapped out a text.
Hatch, Penny, and Bishop's phones all vibrated within seconds of each other, signalling the arrival of a text from her.
Would you all please join me at Lin's Buffet for dinner at six o'clock tonight? My treat?
Affirmative responses followed, Bishop telling her she'd meet her at the carriage house and they'd ride together. It was several minutes before Hatch responded, accepting the invitation and reminding her that she and Kane had surveillance tonight but that it wouldn't start until after eight.
Penny tapped out and sent a 'yes', then looked up from her phone and across the space dividing their desks, but Tess didn't meet her eye.
70
Tess and I were already seated at Lin's when Hatch and Penny arrived, joining us at the table and giving the waitress their drink orders before we served ourselves from the buffet. Tess broke the strange quiet between us.
"So," started Tess, clearing her throat. "I am very glad that you are all here tonight, thank you for joining me."
I was surprised by her tone, the formality of it, and I looked across the table at Hatch and Penny, wondering just what the hell was going on. Their faces were serious, devoid of expression, but Penny caught my questioning look, giving a small quick shake of her head in response. I kept my questions to myself and let Tess continue uninterrupted.
"I owe all of you an apology, each of you, and for different reasons. The actions I have taken in my life have affected yours, and it was never my intention to hurt any of you. But I've hurt all of you. If it wasn't something I did, it was something I said, and I have no excuse for any of it.
"Hatch, thank you for your patience and your attention and your advice, you are nothing but kind and thoughtful...and very sweet. You made me see that what I had left behind here in Tenley was worth more than anything I could ask for, and I thank you for that.
"Bishop, I love you. I'm so sorry that you had to go through the things you did to end up here, but you came into my life and woke me up, and gave me the strength to leave, but my love for you made me strong enough to come home. I'm sorry I hurt you when I left, I can never take that back, but I will never hurt you like that again.
"Penny...I've hurt you most of all. I am so sorry. You've pointed out my mistakes, and you've made me realize that the choices I've made have effects and repercussions and I hope that you can forgive me for the things I've done because they affected you in such profound ways.
"I just want you all to know that I'm sorry for hurting you and I'll do my best not to do it again."
No one moved. Then Hatch spoke first, telling Tess that she accepted her apology and that she was sorry, too. I just nodded and smiled at Tess, not quite sure what to make of this, Tess noting the puzzled look on my face and reassuringly patting my knee. The last acknowledgement, from Penny, did not come immediately, as Penny sat looking down at her lap.
When she did speak, it was low but clear. "Tess, I'll admit, I was angry with you, and for longer than you seem to realize
. The morning you left, you were only thinking about Baxter and yourself, you weren't thinking about me, how what you were doing affected me. I always knew, deep down, that you'd be back, that what Baxter and I had was temporary. You knew she would be here waiting for you. And Bax," she looked over at me, "I know you love me, in your way, but you positively ached for Tess, and I could feel it."
I don't think Hatch realized it, but she nodded at that statement.
"I could really hate you, Tess, for how you used me--that's what you did, you know. I could, but I won't. I can't, because our paths have crossed again and we all have to work together now. So, I accept your apology, but I reserve the right to call you out when necessary, just like we've talked about before."
Tess's posture relaxed and she nodded at Penny.
I have no idea what had transpired between these two women up to this point, I know that they'd been in close quarters for some time, but whatever had been brewing between them had just been released, like a valve letting off steam.
Sitting there with them, knowing each woman's history, their most intimate stories, I was overcome with a warmth that filled me up, and I would have confessed to anyone who asked at that moment that I loved them both.
I love them both.
How can I not?
71
Hatch sat down at the table after her second pass around the hot bars. Her plate was loaded with at least six different foods. She nodded at me as she caught me looking.
"This is good," she smiled, sitting down.
"Yeah it is. The first time I had Lin's food, Tess brought take-out. I was hooked."
Penny and Tess returned with full plates and, now that all was said and done, the mood at the table was considerably lighter. Conversation was easy and included movies to see, movies seen, ranking of movies by genre and in the order of worst-to-first. Penny brought up the casual softball games and Hatch was quick to ask if she could play on a team.
"Well, yeah, anyone's welcome, I suppose," Penny replied. "I don't think there's any reason why you couldn't. So, you play?"
"All-State Pitcher my senior year."
Penny looked like she was going to faint. "Omigod. You pitch!"
Hatch misunderstood. "What?"
"Pitch! With a 'p!' Sorry. You're a pitcher! That's perfect!"
"Oh!" Hatch was relieved. "I thought you said..."
Tess and I were laughing, both of us shaking our heads.
"I know what you thought I said--no, no! You pitch--that's great!"
"Penny is an excellent hitter," Tess offered. Penny looked over at her, surprise at Tess's statement evident on her face.
"She was Tri-County Player of the Year for the past two years, " I added.
Hatch looked appreciatively at Penny. "Nice. Bet you couldn't hit against me." Her smug look conveyed the challenge.
"Oh, you're on," Penny said, delighted. "I'll take that bet."
"Dude, you have no idea what you've just started," I chuckled.
"First chance we get, Hatch, it's you and me," Penny declared.
"I look forward to it," Hatch replied with a grin.
Penny was completely tickled and, looking across the table at her, I felt something loosen in my chest.
It was the unknotting of a pain that had been there since the day we broke up.
72
Hatch looked around the restaurant, taking in the number of people crowding around the hot bars, the full tables and booths. Her face fell and she ducked her head.
"Shit."
"What?"
"Dammit."
"What?"
"I've got to get out of here. I think I just got made. One of the guys we've been following. From Baltimore."
"Baltimore." I froze and kept my head down. "Where is he?"
"Back corner, on the left."
"This mess all started in Baltimore?"
"Yeah."
"Shit."
"What?"
"I'm from Baltimore."
"Well, this guy seems to be very interested in our table."
"Where's Tess? Where's Penny?"
"At the bars."
"What do you want to do?"
"I want to get the hell out of here without drawing any attention."
"Me, too."
Tess joined us, Penny right behind her.
"Tess, Penny, we've got to go," Hatch leaned in, whispering, "There's a dude in the booth in the back left corner that's watching us."
Tess stiffened. "What do you mean?"
"Just trust me. We've got to get out of here."
"Okay." She picked up the check that had been left by the waitress during her last pass to refill our drinks, pulled some bills from her wallet. "How do you want to do this?"
"I'll go first," Hatch said. "Watch and see if he follows me out. He's got a beard, wearing a dark red t-shirt. I'll meet you back at the house."
Tess nodded.
Hatch stood up and headed toward the dessert bar near the front of the restaurant, changing course as she got near and making her way out the front doors. We waited, watching the people going in and out. Seconds later, a stocky, bearded man in a red t-shirt made his way to the front of the restaurant, looking out the window in the direction Hatch had taken once she'd gotten outside.
"There. That guy." Tess said and we kept our eyes on him as he looked out into the parking lot, I could hear the deep rumble of the Harley as Hatch drove off. He turned and headed back to his table, pulling out his phone and looking towards ours as he passed us. We averted our eyes and focused on our plates. As soon as he went by, Tess and I stood up, Penny joining us, and we made our way to the exit, Tess smiling at our waitress and telling her to keep the change as we headed for the door.
We all walked quickly to our vehicles. I watched Penny drive out while Tess kept an eye on the restaurant store front for signs of the red-shirted man.
"Well, he wasn't paying attention to us, he must have been looking at Hatch."
I breathed a sigh of relief as I put the Jeep in gear and pulled out. Tess heard it.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. No. Tess, Hatch said this all started in Baltimore. What if it's all connected..."
"Connected?"
"To Krieger. To me. What if it's all connected?"
What could she say? She sat with her arms crossed tight around her while I made our way back to Tenley. The trip was quiet as we thought about the implications of that.
See, the problem with being on the run is that sometimes it means you may never really stop running.
73
Hatch and Kane were waiting for us on the back steps of the carriage house. We all gathered in the kitchen to discuss the situation, Kane setting up his laptop to bring up photos of the group they were investigating.
"I know I've seen him somewhere," Hatch remarked as she scanned the images.
"Well, he was interested in you, he watched you leave," Tess informed her. "He checked out our table on the way back to his."
"He was on his phone, too," I added.
"You need to call Henderson," Kane instructed Hatch. "You can't show your face around here any more. It's not safe."
"He doesn't know where I went when I left, that I'm in Tenley. I don't think that's necessary."
"He knows you're in the area. That's enough."
"Kane, I am not going to let the last eight months go to hell just because some guy that I can't even identify showed some interest in me."
"You said so yourself, that you'd been made. That's your gut talking, I think that's worth considering," I chimed in.
"He's not in here, he's not in these files. Dammit, who is he and what does he want?"
"Hatch, what if he's not from Baltimore?" Tess asked. "What if he's from Richmond, and you know him from when you were on the force there? After all, Richmond's only a couple of hours from here. It could just be a coincidence, when you think about it, he could be on his way to the beach and stopped for dinner, you know?"
That was a very real possibility. Lin's had been around a long time and had a great reputation.
"Hatch, let me see," I said, leaning over Kane's laptop. "I want to know who we're dealing with. If these guys are from Baltimore, I may know some of them. My partner was involved with a big drug operation when I blew the whistle on him. I want to know if any of these guys might recognize me."
"Alright," said a small voice. It was Penny. She'd been so quiet, none of us remembered she was in the room. "You think you know this guy, and he definitely knows you, Hatch. So that means you're out, leaving Kane to work alone, but it doesn't have to be that way. What if we can make this a 'joint task force' investigation between the DEA and the Tenley PD? Then I could help Kane with the surveillance. I mean, it's not like I haven't done this before--right? And after all, it's kinda what I was hired for. Tess, what do you think?"
Tess was leaning against the counter, brow furrowed as she considered Penny's words. "I don't see anything wrong with any of that, to be perfectly honest. Hatch will have to go to Cap and get him to sign off on it, but that could work."
Hatch nodded. "Okay, I'll talk to Cap in the morning." She looked over at Penny and smiled.
Kane shut down the laptop, then stood up and moved towards the door. "Well, I'm gonna head on out and do tonight's work solo, then. Hatch, keep your phone handy."
"I'm going with you," Penny suddenly announced, joining him at the door. The three officers looked at each other and wordlessly came to agreement.
"No," Hatch said. "Not until we get permission from your captain.
"Hatch," Penny began her objection.
"Penny." Hatch ended it with one word.
Penny scoffed at that. "Fine. I'm going home, then. G'night, y'all." She left us, calling from the mudroom as she went out the door, "Oh, and thank you, Tess, for dinner. I had a really good time."
74