Mandy bit her lip to suppress another giggle. "Sometimes I'd love to ditch this place and inhale a hamburger," she said honestly.
"Maybe we can do that soon," he answered, his smile fading as his gaze sought hers. “I think the department can afford to front you a hamburger.”
Mandy's phone buzzed and she realized Tom was calling her from the parking lot.
He didn't like to be kept waiting.
"You have to go?" Kelly said.
She nodded.
They looked at one another, lingering, while the crowd at the bar swirled around them.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he said.
"Yes."
He saluted her with two fingers before moving off and blending into the crowd.
* * * * *
Kelly and Amanda spent a couple of days each week for the next three weeks reviewing Mandy’s old cases. One day almost a month after Mandy met Kelly, when everyone else was leaving in late afternoon, Kelly glanced up from the last file and said, “Can I give you a lift home, Amanda?”
“ I have my car in the lot across the street, but thanks.” She hesitated. “May I ask you a question?”
He regarded her impassively. “Sure.”
“I’m feeling a little silly about all of this right about now,” she said. “I’m putting you, and the whole department, through all of this work tracking down whoever it is and in fact the notes have stopped.” She shrugged. “I got three of them in rapid succession and then, for the last several weeks, nothing.”
“I know you’re not telling me that you’re disappointed,” he said, with a slight smile.
“I’m embarrassed. I made such a big deal out of it and set this police response in motion and maybe it was just some delusional loser venting his spleen. Scary, but harmless. I feel like an idiot.”
“Don’t feel that way. The people who do these things are crazy and they behave crazily. They’re erratic, they don’t necessarily follow a pattern. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. They’re unpredictable. Maybe he senses that we’re tracking him and is laying low temporarily. Maybe you didn’t react the way he wanted and he’s going to try something else. Who knows? But you did the right thing in contacting us. It’s never a mistake to be careful.”
Mandy nodded. “Well, thanks for what you’ve done so far. I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome,” he said. “Should I walk you out?”
Mandy shook her head.
They looked at one another for a long moment and then Mandy said, “So I guess we go through the last batch on Monday and that’s it?”
He nodded. “We’ll regroup then. Just because we haven’t come up with something so far doesn’t mean there’s nothing to be found.”
“I’ll see you on Monday. Have a nice weekend.”
Kelly watched her go, his gaze lingering on her lovely legs as she went through the door of his office.
Then he sighed, dug in his pocket and removed a cigarette pack. He lit up in violation of every safety and environmental regulation in the building and inhaled deeply, wondering how he was going to feel when this assignment was done.
He would never see her again. Oh, maybe he would see her in passing at some function she attended with her Congressman, but the intimacy he had shared with her while working on her case was going to end soon. He wanted to catch the goon who was tormenting her, but he didn’t want to admit, even to himself, how much he looked forward to seeing her each time she came to his office.
The situation couldn’t be worse. She moved in the circle her parents inhabited, which disdained cops until they were needed in an emergency. But even if they had been socially compatible she was already engaged to that politico Henderson, who was in bed with her father on the marina project, a very big deal costing millions which was supposed to transform the waterfront. There was no reason in the world for her to pay attention to Kelly beyond what was necessary for her case.
Yet he sensed strongly that she liked him.
And on that score his instincts were always accurate.
Kelly was no novice with women, he had always been successful with them, his looks and athletic prowess had assured him of that. But this girl was different. Despite her beauty and intelligence, not to mention her job, she was almost naïve; there was an air of innocence about her which drew him like a siren song. She was his physical type, petite and slim, delicately fragile, and that combination of auburn hair with the pale, lightly freckled skin appealed to him more each time he saw it, the way a favorite tune grew more pleasing with repetition. She was funny, too, with a dry wit that challenged and entranced him. He was attracted to her more and more with each passing day, every time he saw her. It would actually be a good thing if he could wrap up the case in short order so he wouldn’t have to spend time with her any more. She would go on to marry her Congressman and he could go…to hell, he supposed.
Or back to sleeping with secretaries.
* * * * *
Amanda left police headquarters and went outside to walk to her car in the afternoon sunshine. The summer was waning but it was still warm. She didn’t relish the prospect of climbing into her convertible and battling the air conditioning for fifteen minutes until it finally cooled the car. She sighed as she pushed the button on her key fob to unlock the door, then grasped the baking door handle gingerly as she got in and debated whether she should stop at her office on the way home. She decided against it. She was handling everything online and by telephone so far and it hadn’t caused any problems. Research didn’t have to be done in person and her colleagues should be used to her absence by now.
She was not alone as she got in line to exit the lot. Several cars fell in behind her to pass through the gate. She saw her squad car escort pull up across the street; Kelly would have alerted them that she was leaving. She was barely paying attention as she glided through the turnstile and into the side street which housed the parking lot. She put on her turn signal and looked away to check the traffic; in the next second she heard a blaring horn and the screech of tires and a sound like an explosion. She was thrown sideways by a violent impact to her passenger side door and her air bag deployed in her face, crushing her back into her seat. She shoved it away, gasping, looking around wildly to see what had happened to her.
It took her a minute to realize that she’d had an accident. Someone had hit the side of her car and everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. She heard the continuous horn of the car which had hit her and saw people running toward her from several different directions. Since she was across the street from police headquarters several of them were cops. It wasn’t long before her car was surrounded by uniforms and passersby and rubberneckers. The woman who had hit her appeared, apologizing and crying at the same time. Confusion reigned until Mandy recognized one of her escort patrolmen, a cop named Dorsey. He climbed into the back seat of her car and took her statement. Dorsey asked if she was okay, informed her that her car had been disabled by a broken axle and two flat tires, and told her to stay where she was while he talked to the other driver.
Mandy knew she wasn’t going anywhere. The sound of the impact played over and over in her head and she felt frozen in place, trapped in her seat as if she were in a space capsule. She was dimly aware of people moving around her to remove the air bag and obediently answered their questions, but she felt disembodied, unable to take action.
She saw that the air bag had bruised her arm but she felt nothing except a creeping cold that overtook her until she began to shake despite the heat. She had just turned to release her seat belt when she saw a cruiser glide to the curb in front of her. Kelly jumped from the back seat while the car was still slowing to a stop. He ran to her open door.
Amanda was so happy to see him that she wanted to shout, but somehow no sound emerged as he bent to look at her.
“Amanda, are you all right?” he demanded. “I saw the incident report come over the monitor after you left and then Dorsey called me.”
“I’m okay,” she said, nodding. “It was just a fender bender.”
He didn’t look convinced. He backed up against the door, watching her. “Why are you still sitting in the car?”
“Dorsey told me to stay here.”
Kelly looked at her oddly and said, “How do you feel?”
She shrugged. “All right.”
He reached inside the car and took hold of her chin, turning her face toward him. “You don’t look all right,” he said bluntly. “You’re as white as rice and your pupils are constricted. Do you hurt anywhere?”
“No.”
“I’m taking you to the hospital.”
“You are not. Nothing happened to me.”
“Something did. I’ve seen a lot of people in shock. That’s how you look right now, shocky. You’re so pale that those little freckles on your nose and cheeks are standing out like ants in a bowl of sugar. Your skin is tacky, cool and clammy,” he said, touching her cheek with the back of his hand. She started at the contact. “And you’re vibrating like a tuning fork in this heat,” he added, reaching past her to shut off the air conditioning in the car. He took off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders. She had to resist the impulse to snuggle into it.
“Come on,” he said. “You need to get checked out right away.”
“Leave me alone.”
Kelly sighed. “You’re obviously not thinking clearly, Amanda. I know the accident seemed minor but you could be bleeding from an internal injury I can’t see and you don’t even feel until it’s too late. Now come with me. It will just take a few minutes at the urgent care place down the street to make sure there’s nothing wrong with you. If I bring you in they’ll take you right away.”
“Why is my head throbbing?” she whispered, putting her fingers to her aching temples.
“That’s what we’re going to find out. Let’s go,” Kelly said, trying to take her hand. She snatched it back.
“Go away,” she whispered.
“Fine. I’ll put you under arrest and take you into protective custody. You’ll have no choice but to go with me.”
“You don’t have probable cause to arrest me.”
“I beg your pardon, counselor, but I certainly do. I’m not a lawyer but if there’s one thing I know it’s what constitutes a justifiable arrest. If I get it wrong I lose my job. You’ve just had a shakeup and you’re confused and possibly in jeopardy.”
“I’m not confused, and you’re a…pest.”
“If you are injured time is of the essence and I can impound you in order to save your life,” Kelly went on, as if she hadn’t spoken. “There’s not a court in this state which would disagree with me. I have the experience and the judgment to make this call. So stop acting like a spoiled brat, get out of that car and come with me.”
“You’re really bossy, do you know that?”
“That’s what I hear. Are you planning to spend the rest of your life in this car, because the tow truck will be here momentarily.”
Amanda sighed heavily and put her head back against the rest, closing her eyes. “Please don’t badger me any more, Kelly. I’m not injured.”
“Really? Are you a doctor now too? Did I miss something on your resume?”
“I’m having a …reaction.”
“You certainly are.” Kelly looked around to see that an audience had gathered to witness his contentious conversation with Amanda, and the onlookers were all riveted. Everyone glanced up as the tow truck pulled into the parking lot.
“I was in a bad accident when I was in law school,” Amanda said to Kelly suddenly. “I was driving my car with three of my friends on board. We were hit by a drunk driver and all three of my passengers were killed. I walked away without a scratch. Physically I was fine. But I didn’t drive for two years after that and I had to undergo some pretty intensive therapy to get behind the wheel again.” She dropped her forehead to the steering wheel and closed her eyes.
Kelly had been listening intently. He thought that over and finally nodded. “Okay. I knew the explanation had to be either that you were hurt in the crash or really freakin’ upset, and I guess you’re just really freakin’ upset. I still need to get you out of here. I’m going to get the information from the tow truck driver and I want to talk to Dorsey. Just sit tight. I’ll be right back.”
Amanda counted the minutes until Kelly reappeared with the towing information and said, “Leave your car here and talk to the repair shop when you feel better. I told them to hold the car until you contact them. The lady who hit you is not going to be any trouble. She knows she’s at fault and is more concerned about her insurance rates going up than anything else.”
“Thank you,” Mandy mumbled. “And I’m really sorry. You’re only trying to help me and I know I’ve been behaving miserably.”
“You couldn’t do that if you tried, Red,” he said gently. “Don’t worry about it.” He grinned. “I kind of like that feisty side of you, I knew it had to be in there if you made it through law school. So I finally got to see it.”
Amanda looked back at him wearily. “You were asking so many questions and I didn’t want to talk.”
“I hear you,” he said quietly, with such intensity that she looked up at him. His heavy lashes lifted and he met her gaze directly. He smiled at her again and she realized that she wanted to throw her arms around his neck.
Maybe she was more confused than she knew. He was only doing what he would do for anyone involved in an accident. She was personalizing his intervention because she wanted to think she was important to him. And that was certainly foolish.
“I’m taking the cruiser to bring you home,” Kelly added.
“Am I getting special treatment again?” Amanda asked.
“No. You’re an accident victim and your car has been disabled. It’s standard procedure to make sure you get to your intended destination.”
“Okay.” She took Kelly’s extended hand and allowed him to lead her to the police car waiting at the curb. Kelly helped her into the back seat and said as he took the wheel and started the motor, “Can I bring you to your parents’ house? I don’t think you should be alone.”
Amanda moaned so pitifully that Kelly glanced into the rear view mirror, startled.
“Oh, please, not my mother,” Mandy said. “She means well but she will just make everything worse.”
“Scrap that idea.” There was a pause. “Should I call your fiancé?” Kelly then asked in a neutral tone.
“He’s in Harrisburg. Don’t call anybody. I just need a little time to calm down.” Please stay with me, she wanted to add. She didn’t understand it herself but his very presence made her feel better. She had started to recover from the crash the instant she saw him.
He sat behind the wheel, thinking. “I don’t want to just dump you off someplace,” he said. “It’s probably true that the reaction you had to the accident was emotional but I’d still like to watch you for a while.”
“I think I’m okay, Kelly,” she said quietly. “It’s kind of you to be concerned, though, especially after the shabby reception I gave you.”
“Oh, that’s nothing. People about to be arrested aren’t too cooperative. One guy hit me over the head with a beer bottle.” He shoved his hair back from his forehead to display the scar at his hairline to her in the rear view mirror.
“Lovely.”
“And some old dame with fingernails like a Chinese empress went after me with her talons, I thought I was going to lose an eye. She took a chunk of skin out of my jaw. By comparison with them your little snippy fit was chump change.”
He turned to grin at her and she smiled, relaxing.
“You look better,” he said. “Your cheeks are getting color again. What do you say we get you something to eat in the cafe across the street and then I’ll drive you home.”
Mandy nodded.
He drove the car the short distance to the coffee shop he’d indicated and then parked behind the building. They ent
ered through the back door and the clerk at the cash register waved at him as they passed.
He seemed to know everyone.
They took a booth in the rear and Mandy went into the ladies’ room to comb her hair. She stalled for time before she had to face Kelly across the small table. As she had learned, he was very observant and would notice any chinks in her armor. She wanted him to get off her case and stop looking for her to break down or throw a fit or otherwise disgrace herself. She was going to show him that she had rebounded from her initial reaction to the accident and was now fine.
When she got back to the table a pot of tea with a little mug of milk was sitting at her place across from Kelly. A grilled cheese sandwich sat on a plate next to the mug.
“You ordered this for me?” she asked Kelly.
He nodded. “Isn’t that what you usually get for lunch?”
The thoughtfulness of the gesture almost undid her again. She nodded mutely, tried to take a bite of the sandwich and then put it down again.
“What is it, Amanda?” he asked her quietly.
“I was so mean to you when you showed up at the accident. You’d think that I would be able to handle a little crunched metal five years after the fact. And taking it out on you was unforgivable.”
“I forgive you,” he said, smiling slightly.
“I thought I was over it.”
“You’ll never be over it. You just learn to live with it.”
Mandy sighed. “So I’ve been told. I went through a lot of therapy just to drive again. Eventually I was able to do it in an emergency when my father was hurt and we couldn’t wait for an ambulance. I was the only one there to drive him to the hospital. After that I was all right. But of course I didn’t have another accident until today.”
Amanda's Blue Marine Page 4