by S. J. Bishop
"Cool. I mean, it's not cool that he's robbing everyone. It's cool that you're, you know, figuring it out."
Raina shot me a smile that lit up her face.
"You don't have more than one safe in the house?" she asked.
"No."
She bit her bottom lip. I wanted to try biting it myself.
"Officer Parker," Detective Forster said, calling her over to him. He leaned in and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and came back to me.
"Can you show me the safe you mentioned?" she asked.
"Why? I told you, nothing's missing."
"I just want to dust around it for fingerprints. Could be he tried to get in but you interrupted him when you came home."
"You think? I don't normally get home so early after a win, but I was tired and—"
Detective Forster groaned from his spot by the entertainment center. "The Patriots won?" he asked.
"Hell yeah, we won. Buried those fuckers in the bottom of the fourth."
Raina grinned and held out her hand. Detective Forster slapped a five in it, and she stuffed it in her pocket.
"Now, the safe?"
Fuck, she didn't give up. I took her upstairs.
"Your safe is in your bedroom?" she asked, stepping into the master. Mellow was hanging out on my bed, watching us.
"Yeah. It's behind that painting." I pulled the sailboat off the wall so she could see.
"You're positive nothing's missing?" she asked, examining it.
"Yes."
"Can you open it for me?"
I hesitated. "No. I forgot the combination."
Her brow creased. "So, then there could be something missing from inside," she said, her eyes brightening.
"I don't keep anything in there."
"Nothing? Then why do you have a safe?"
"It came with the house."
She stood with her hands on her hips and her head cocked to one side, looking at me with an expression I found both adorable and irritating as fuck.
"Why don't you let me take you out for dinner tomorrow night?" I asked. "We need to catch up when you're partner's not around."
She looked flustered for a second, then smiled and headed out of my room.
"We'll have someone dust for prints, just to be sure. If you think of that combination, let me know."
"What about dinner?"
"I don't think my boyfriend would like it much if I went to dinner with you. He's a Jets fan."
5
Raina
"You look like hell," Mac said when I walked into the station.
"Gee, thanks."
His smile faded. "You know what I mean. You were up all night looking over that case, weren't you?"
"Cases," I corrected. "There are too many to single out anyone. And yes, I was."
"I thought maybe you were paying particular attention to the Scott case." Mac shot a look to me out of the corner of his eye. I knew he was still trying to gauge my interest in Caden.
"I pay particular attention to every case that comes my way," I told him.
"I didn't mean anything by it."
"Sure you did," I snapped. "I told you last night. Caden Scott was our neighbor growing up. We were friends, nothing more."
"That was then. Things change."
"You know what, Mac, sometimes they do. And it's none of your business either way. You're my partner, not my boyfriend." I slammed a file onto his desk and walked off in a huff.
There was a row of cabinets lining the back of the room. Most files had been transferred to computers long ago, but we still kept paper on serial investigations. Sometimes it was just easier to pull out a stack of papers with everything you needed in one place, rather than go searching for files on a hard drive.
Skeecher was standing by the water jug with Hernandez and Bell. I waited for one of them to give me the usual shit as I walked past, but they ignored me. Maybe this morning would go better than my usual ones.
I pulled open the drawer I needed, and the whole thing slid out and crashed to the floor. Papers scattered everywhere. Skeecher and the others keeled over laughing.
"I told you she'd open it," Skeecher shouted. "Parker's predictability gets her nailed again." His face was red as he tried to catch his breath.
"Maybe I'm predictable," I yelled, rounding on him. I could see Mac getting ready to step between us, "but at least I didn't need to retake my certification exam three times."
Hernandez let out a cackle. "Is that true?"
Skeecher's face darkened. He stopped laughing. "I did not retake my exam three times," he said through clenched teeth.
"Don't be ashamed. You passed the asshole exam on your first try. That's something to be proud of."
Skeecher took a step toward me. I stepped toward him. Mac stepped between us both. The Captain's door opened, and his voice bellowed across the room.
"Parker. In here. Now."
I inhaled deeply as I stepped into Captain Johnson's office.
"What do you mean by fighting with Skeecher like that?" Johnson demanded. "In front of everyone, too. Do you think that's appropriate behavior for an officer?"
"Sir, Officer Skeecher was taunting me. I was merely defending myself."
"I know all about Skeecher and his practical jokes. You think you're the only one that gets it from him around here? That's how the guys in this department blow off steam."
"Sir, the steam they blow off always seems to fall in my direction."
Captain Johnson slapped his hand on the desk.
"Dammit, Parker. Stop acting like they're all out to get you. Maybe Skeecher messes with you a little more than the others. Maybe it's because you're a woman, or maybe it's because you've got a stick up your ass."
My jaw dropped open. "Harassment in the workplace—"
"It's not harassment. It's how the guys here get through the day when they have to deal with scum like the guy you're after in this Scott case."
"I could get through my day a lot easier if they'd leave me alone."
He put his hand on his chin and scratched at the scruff growing there. "I understand that you're looking to make detective one day. Maybe even move into homicide. If you can't take a little razzing here, you'll never make it there. I'll tell you that right now."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying lighten up. Now go." He waved me out of his office. I shut the door behind me, seething. Mac was at my side almost instantly.
"Everything okay?"
"I'm fine," I said, clenching my jaw. "Back off." He looked hurt for a second, and I felt bad. He was the only friend I had in this department. "I'm sorry. I'm just pissed."
He nodded. "Sure. I get it. Wanna grab an early lunch?"
"No. I wanna get back to the case. There's something that I'm missing. I just know it. When I figure out what that is, we'll be able to get the guy. That's all I want right now. To get the asshole before he hurts anyone else."
6
Caden
"Hello, my name is Jax, and I'm an alcoholic."
"Hi, Jax," the crowd responded.
I listened as Jax talked about how he'd gotten into AA and how he'd turned his life around, the usual stuff. When he was through, a few more people spoke, and then there was the usual mingling.
Gavin Rhodes spotted me talking with Jax by the coffee pot. I smiled but wished he'd mingle with someone else tonight. No such luck. He made his way through the room, his hulking figure hard to miss.
"Jax, this is my sponsor, Gavin. Call him Grizzly. Everybody does."
"Hey, how you doin', Grizzly Bear?" Jax asked, shaking his hand picking up the nickname without any further prompting. The guy was big and hairy. It was easy to see how the name had gotten started.
"Good, thanks. I saw you play this jagoff here on TV the other day. You were whipping him pretty good ‘til the fourth quarter." Gavin and Jax laughed.
"I don't need to be reminded of every time I fuck up in a game," I snapped.
; Jax and Gavin exchanged a look.
"I was just kidding, man," Gavin said. "Sorry to offend."
I shook my head.
"No, I'm sorry. I'm just... tired."
"I heard about the break-in you had," Gavin said, clapping one big, hairy hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure I'd be a little touchy too if some stranger went through my things."
"I'm not touchy, goddammit. I said I was tired. What's the matter with everybody lately?"
Jax looked at his coffee while Gavin looked at me. "Everything alright?" he asked.
"Yes. Fine."
Jax cleared his throat. "I know you, don't I? Didn't you play for the Redskins a few years back?"
Gavin laughed. "A few years? I wish it was a few years. More like fifteen, but yeah, I called Washington my home for most of my career."
It was funny how things turned out. Eli and I had grown up idolizing Gavin Rhodes. I wondered what Eli would say if he was here now, then realized how stupid that was. If he was here now, that woulda meant his life had turned to shit, too. At least Raina seemed to have it all together. If only that boyfriend of hers would get lost for a few weeks, maybe I could change her mind on a couple of points about us.
I ripped open a sugar packet and added it to my coffee. It still didn't taste sweet enough to me, so I opened another one. And another. I didn't know what it was, but I just couldn't get it to taste right tonight.
Gavin and Jax were watching me.
"What now?" I asked.
"You sure you're okay?" Gavin said. "I noticed you didn't speak tonight."
"Unless there's a new rule I'm not aware of, I don't have to speak every time I come."
I picked up another sugar packet and started to rip it open when Jax put a hand on my shoulder. "You've got a real sweet tooth tonight, huh?"
I looked down at the table where I'd been tossing my scraps and realized I'd ripped through at least ten packets. Shit. No wonder they were looking at me funny. Alcoholics tended to crave sugar when they were between drinks. I quickly cleaned the mess up.
"I'm just tired," I repeated.
"Wanna grab some dinner?" Jax asked. "I'm only in town two more days, and you promised me the best Italian meal ever."
"Yeah, okay," I said. I just wanted to go.
"Wanna join us?" Jax asked Gavin.
"Sure, thanks."
Great. Now they could both interrogate me all night. I wasn't drinking anymore, but I sure could have used one right now.
"What's that restaurant you've been raving about?" Jax asked.
"Ricki's. It's not far from here."
"I know the place," Gavin said. "I'll meet you there."
Twenty minutes later, we were pulling into a parking space. Jax and I had driven in silence. There was an empty beer can sitting on the curb in front of my car. I picked it up and threw it in a trash bin.
"Assholes. Why are assholes always leaving things for others to clean up? They think they can just get away with shit like that?"
Gavin waved from the front doors where he'd been waiting. He'd beaten us here.
"I don't know," Jax said. "You sure you're okay?"
"Goddammit, why does everyone keep asking me that?" I stopped and spun around, kicking the trash can. I kicked it again. And again. And kept kicking it until it lay on its side, dented beyond recognition. Trash was rolling through the parking lot. My foot stung, but I felt better.
Jax stared at me with his mouth open.
"What?" I demanded. "Problem?"
"No man, not me," Jax said, backing up.
"Good. Then let's go eat. I'm starving."
7
Raina
Mac stopped at the red light and turned to me. "Marry you?" he asked. "Are you fucking kidding me?"
"No."
"What makes you think Jesse's gonna propose?"
"I don't know. He keeps trying to talk to me about our future. His parents have been married for thirty years. I think he thinks it's time to settle down or something."
"What do you think?"
I shrugged.
"It just seems awfully fast," Mac said, weighing his words carefully. "How long have you two been dating? Three months?"
"Six months," I corrected. "Since I got back to Boston."
"That's fast, Raina."
"I didn't say I was going to accept."
Mac brightened. "You're not?"
I studied him a moment as we started rolling again. "You don't like Jesse, do you?"
Mac's face froze. "I don't know him that well."
"Don't do that. I'm your partner. You can lie to everyone, else but not to me."
Mac sighed. "Fine. I don't like him."
"Since when?"
"Since always."
It had never occurred to me that Mac didn't like Jesse. I wondered if it was strictly because of the crush he had on me or if there was more to it.
"Why not?" I finally asked.
"He's a douche. Most musicians are, though, so maybe it's not his fault." He smiled, but I knew he was only half kidding.
We drove in silence for a bit. I tried to picture myself being married to Jesse but couldn't do it. I pictured my dress... his tux... only when he turned around to face me, it wasn't Jesse's face I saw. It was Caden’s. I shook the image clear.
"Look," Mac said, "I don't like him, but you shouldn't say no for the wrong reasons."
"What are you talking about?"
"The doubts you have. Are those to do with Jesse or with your mom?"
I sucked in my breath. Did he really just say that to me?
"What the fuck, Mac?"
"I'm not trying to start anything. I just... I know that when you've talked about your parents in the past, it's sort of a..."
"Sore subject?" I growled.
"Yeah, but I just mean you shouldn't let fear of loss or something stop you from doing what you really wanna do."
I couldn't keep from cracking a smile. "Fear of loss? Are you trying to analyze me?"
Mac smiled sheepishly. "I might've tuned into one of those daytime talk shows on my day off."
I laughed. I wished I felt the way about Mac that he felt about me. He was a great guy. I caught sight of two people in a doorway as we drove down Allen Street. I sat up straight and turned my head back toward them.
"Stop the car!" I yelled.
"What?"
"Stop the car. Now!"
Mac pulled over the curb, and I jumped out. I ran a block back to the doorway I'd seen. The guy and the girl were still there, locked in a heated battle with their tongues.
"You fucking asshole!" I yelled. The two broke apart and looked at me.
"Oh shit," Jesse said. "Raina, what the fuck are you doing here?"
Mac had caught up to me. I saw him trying to calculate the odds of me shooting Jesse in the balls. I thought they were pretty high.
"Who's this?" the slut he'd been kissing asked. She looked like a hooker.
"Shut up before I run you in," I told her.
"Look, Raina, it's not what you think. I barely know this chick."
The "chick" in question shot him a contemptuous look. "Barely know me, huh?" she barked. "Who is it that you've been screwing for the last three weeks then?"
My heart stopped. "Three weeks? Did she just say three goddamn weeks?!" I grabbed the handcuffs off my belt and locked them in place over Jesse's wrists.
"Raina," Mac said. "What are you doing?"
"You're under arrest," I told Jesse, dragging him back down the block.
"You can't do that," he yelled.
"Oh yes I can. You're under arrest for... for... public indecency. And making out with a slut in plain sight of children."
"What children?"
"There could be children driving by. You don't know."
I shoved him in the back of our car. He banged on the door with his foot. Mac came up behind me.
"You know you can't really arrest him, right?"
"The hell I can't. He smokes weed. At least,
I'm pretty sure he does. There's probably some in his pockets. Let's check. I bet she's got something on her, too."
"Raina, you need probable cause to search them."
"I've got probable cause."
Mac raised his eyebrows.
"They were fornicating in public. That's illegal."
"They were kissing."
I stared at Mac, breathing hard, while Jesse continued to pound on the door with his foot.
"I just don't want you to get in trouble," Mac said.
"Fine," I yelled, opening the door back up. I uncuffed Jesse. "Get your shit out of my place before I get home," I told him.
"Whatever, you psycho bitch."
"Watch it," I told him. "Or next time, I'll use the Taser."
8
Caden
"So..." Gavin said as I smushed my bread roll up and began sculpting it into the shape of a football with my knife. He watched me a minute before turning to Jax. "You enjoying Boston?" he asked.
"Yeah," Jax said. "I've been here before. I always enjoy it here."
"What are you doing playing for the Jets then? Why don't you come down here? Play for the Patriots?"
"The Patriots can't afford me, not after they re-upped Caden here," he laughed. I shot him a look. "Besides," he quickly added, "my wife, Treena, likes New York. Her family's there."
I stabbed the bread with my knife and left it there before pushing the plate away.
The waiter came by and brought our drinks. Cranberry and seltzer water. Great. I slurped it down as Gavin and Jax ordered their food.
"I'm not hungry," I told the waiter when my turn came.
"Aw, come on, man, "Jax moaned. "I promised Treena that I'd take a picture of everyone's meals for her food blog. Don't make me send her a pic of that." He pointed at my misshapen bread roll and made a face. I chuckled.
"Alright. I guess I could go for some lasagna."
"I'm sorry, sir, we're all out of lasagna at the moment," the waiter said.
I felt my face tighten and tried to smooth it back out. I'd never been good at hiding my feelings, but I really didn't need Jax and Gavin asking any more questions.