“Somehow, I don’t think this is what was meant by ‘organic farming’,” Dubs remarked lightly as they climbed out of the Dodge.
One look around showed fields of grass, tended to by the herd of bleating goats currently being fenced in by some uniformed rookies. It was a working farm that banked on its Americana look and feel. In addition to the goats, they had cows for the dairy products, and chickens for eggs. All their products went into running the little restaurant at the front edge of the property by the gate.
Officers had been summoned to the scene by a botanist who’d been taking one of the farm’s daily tours and found some interesting and familiar plant species growing at the edge of the barn. Closer inspection yielded a root cellar that was growing much more than root vegetables.
Sean looked around the scene and sighed, watching all his hopes for an early night vanish with the setting sun. “You deal with the botanist, I’ll go talk to the first car on the scene.”
Dubs nodded and they split up, each heading for their respective source.
The officer he needed was turned away from him on the phone, but it was a voice with which he was becoming very familiar. “Yeah, babe. I’m sorry… I know you spent all afternoon cooking... Dane, I will make it up to you, I promise.”
Though he hadn’t seen him since their encounter in the dining room of Dunaway’s, Sean’s beef with Ellie’s best friend hadn’t abated in the slightest. “I’m wondering if maybe this is a private conversation I shouldn’t be listening to, though apparently that doesn’t stop you.” Normally Sean would have stepped away for a moment and let the officer continue his conversation, but nothing about the last couple days had been normal for him, and this particular officer shouldered a fair amount of blame.
Josh threw him a dirty look over his shoulder. “I gotta call you back.” Casually sliding the phone into his breast pocket behind his badge, he looked Sean over. “O’Leary, always a pleasure.”
Feeling he should check to make sure his clothes weren’t smoking under the other man’s angry glare that belied his words, Sean feigned a nonchalant shrug. “Wish I could say likewise, Graham.” Before he could receive an equally snarky rejoinder, he asked in a bored voice, “You wanna tell me why I’m here?”
Josh’s blue eyes narrowed for a moment like he wanted to balk but, like a true professional, he took Sean through the scene, pointing out the first discovery of the botanist and tracing all the things discovered after that. It was a kind of uneasy ceasefire. For Sean, it was a substantial haul, close to a hundred plants, not to mention the lights, irrigation systems, and of course, the harvests.
“Looks like you’re gonna be here a while.”
Sean hummed in agreement as Josh turned to leave him to his work. He figured it wouldn’t take too long once the rest of the crew got there, but up to that point, it was going to be awhile. And while part of him wanted to just let go of the earlier snarling and snapping, he couldn’t resist sniping one last time. “You mind calling El and telling her for me? I mean, just so she doesn’t worry that I’m out with Pia again. I know how much that concerns you.”
Over his shoulder, he saw Josh stiffen and straighten, before stalking back over to him. He was in a prickly mood, and the younger man looked like he wanted to be his target. “Something on your mind, O’Leary?”
Sean looked him over, his open stance, one hand in the pocket of his pants. There was nothing overtly aggressive about him except for the way he looked at him. “Not really, it’s just…listening devices? Really?”
The uniformed cop’s thin smile showed a hint of teeth. “She needed something in place of your good sense.”
The casual, condescending tone rubbed Sean in exactly the wrong way. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Josh scoffed and tunneled his fingers through his hair, staring at him for a long time. Finally he laughed a little and said, “If you don’t know, then I’m not the one to explain it.” Turning on his heel, he took a step, only to have Sean’s hand seize his wrist.
It was just a reaction, and one that Sean hadn’t thought all the way through. Josh stopped and he saw the dare, the vicious anticipation in the younger cop’s arctic blue gaze over his shoulder. Reluctantly he turned his hand loose. “Sorry.”
Josh turned back to face him and nodded slightly. “Ask yourself,” he whispered as he absently rubbed his recently imprisoned wrist, “why would she just corner and attack Ellie out of the blue? What sort of unhinged thought process would make that okay?” When Sean couldn’t come up with a response, Josh continued, “What would Pia do to get you back? What would she do to keep you? And what do you think that would do to Ellie? She’s dangerous, maybe not to you,” he conceded with a shrug, “but definitely to El.”
The questions were out of nowhere and made no sense to Sean. “What? Ellie doesn’t have to worry about that, about her. I told Pia we were done, she said she understood. Wished me well, even.”
Josh looked him over, blowing out a breath like a deflated balloon. Patting him on the arm with unadulterated pity in his eyes, he turned to go back to his car just outside the crime scene tape. “You keep thinking that, boss. Keep thinking that.”
* * *
Ellie’s day didn’t improve, since the fax machine bled out all over the floor, and no matter how much she’d washed her hands and face, she still ended up with a smudged cheek and tinted fingertips. Then the storm front the news had been calling for rolled through, dropping quarter-sized hail on everything, so she was awash in calls and reports of high water, standing water, and mentally deficient motorists stuck therein. Fortunately it was done by the end of her shift, and she could leave with a clear mind and untroubled skies.
The night air was cooler than it had been midday, and the air was washed clean and everything glistened and sparkled in the streetlights. She made her way to her car, stopping several spots away when she saw someone leaning against the hood. Instinctively, she reached into her purse for her pepper spray, though she could have just as easily walked back inside and retrieved an escort. Something about the person waiting on her seemed familiar. Maybe it was the $1500 shoes she was wearing to stand in a puddle just beside her driver’s door. As she approached from the side, she heard a voice that seemed to chill the air around her.
“If you walked any slower, you’d be going backward.” The contempt in the words was open, like the fight on Thursday had stripped Pia of all pretense where Ellie was concerned.
“What do you want?” Ellie was annoyed at the exhaustion in her voice, because she was wary of appearing less than fully on her game around the other woman. And the viperous woman in question was in full player mode, elegant black silk suit, cream moiré blouse and pearl jewelry. All business, right down to the chignon knot in her red hair.
“You, of course.” Pia’s smile provoked an answering grimace from Ellie, but she kept silent. The night shadows hid her bruises well. Well, that and the pound of expensive foundation she appeared to be wearing. Her eyes followed Pia’s well-manicured hand to the manila envelope sitting on the hood next to her.
“I’d have thought you’d had enough of me on Thursday.” Ellie kept her tone light, dismissive, because she knew that the angrier she made Pia, the more control she had over her. She knew all about emotional leashes. Hitting her key fob, she unlocked her car and tossed her purse inside.
“I’m glad you got your little tantrum out of your system the other night.” She kept her back to Ellie, like she didn’t even want to look at her. The only thing that gave away her tension was the stiff set of her shoulders and ruler straight posture.
“As I recall,” Ellie slammed the door and took perverse pleasure in watching the other woman flinch, despite her smug voice. “I wasn’t the one who swung first.” She came around to stand in front of her, and still Pia chose to look away, her eyes falling to the manila envelope beneath her drumming fingernails.
“Enjoy it while you can,” Pia singsonged with her lips curling
into an evil smirk.
Ellie refused to give in to the sinking feeling that Pia’s snarl engendered in her. “Meaning?” she demanded. She made sure to sound as disinterested as possible, because whatever Pia had, she was dying to spring it, and she couldn’t act too hastily until she knew what kind of mayhem she was facing.
The smirk blossomed into a smile that that could blight crops. “You’re going to stay away from Sean.”
“Or?”
Pia picked up the envelope and took her time opening it. “Or I’m going to take this lovely collection of pictures to your supervisor and file an assault report.” She handed Ellie one picture after another. Close ups of her bruised face that showed off the croc pattern of her purse from that night. Ellie didn’t even realize she’d hit her that hard. Deep purple finger marks on her corpse-thin arm, it was a wonder Ellie hadn’t broken it when she’d grabbed her. Josh’s fucking plan, like an STD, the give that kept on giving. Dammit! Why couldn’t she have just walked away? Why did she have to choose right then to fight? Fuck! Pia’s gloating cut into her thoughts, “What happens to a police department employee, a civilian employee, when they’re arrested for assault? Oh that’s right, they’re fired.”
Ellie fought off the nauseating tide of panic and desperation as she schooled her features into a mask of disinterest as she handed the pictures back. “Only if they’re charged.”
“Oh…” she trailed off laughing like she planned to kill puppies and children later. “Oh, you will be charged. The pictures are quite damning, don’t you think? Not to mention the staff of the restaurant who had to help me after you brutally accosted me.”
“I accosted you.” The unmitigated gall of this woman was inconceivable.
Her eyes rounded in feigned shock that she would be contradicted, and she pressed a hand to her throat. “Of course. They know me there, and they would never, ever believe I did something so crass as to lay my hands on someone I barely know.”
Ellie snorted. It was all she could do to keep from laughing in Pia’s face at the absurdity. “You know me well enough to extort me.”
Pia sighed. “Extortion is such a filthy word. I prefer encourage.”
Hearing Josh’s words paraphrased sent a chill down Ellie’s spine. “So I leave Sean alone, and what…you swoop in and help him lick his wounds?”
Pia’s smile softened at the mention of her and Sean together again. “Something like that. Not too soon, of course, because that would be unseemly.”
“Oh, of course,” Ellie groused under her breath.
“But yes, I’ll help him get over the fact that you left again. It’s a thing we have, the three of us. You’re good at leaving, and I’m good at helping him pick up the pieces.”
Ellie had never considered balling up her fist in anger at anyone. That impulse had been beaten out of her early and often in childhood, but at the moment, she was distinctly reconsidering it. Regardless, she couldn’t give in to the rage; she needed to end this now, so she could have a minute to think and regroup. Problem was, she couldn’t capitulate too easily, or Pia’d think she was up to something. Like a plan, which she was sorely in need of and sadly bereft. “So is there some kind of timeframe to all this?”
Pia rose from the hood of the car and looked back to make sure she hadn’t sullied her fine silk pants. “Now works for me.”
“I see.” Ellie turned her back on Pia to hide her growing upset. There was no way out of this that she could see, and it was killing her that she was going to have to comply. After taking a moment to collect herself, she turned back while standing at her car door, one hand on the handle. “And what assurance do I have that you won’t burn me down anyway out of spite?”
“You think I would do that?” The look of shock on her face was as genuine as her boobs.
“Every day and twice on Sunday.” Ellie hadn’t meant for the thought to form on her lips, but since it had, she wasn’t going to take it back. It wasn’t like she could refuse the shrew. What was she supposed to do, tell Sean that Pia was threatening to end her job if she didn’t leave him? Who the hell would believe that?
Pia gave her an elegantly magnanimous shrug. “Fair enough. Provided you do what I say, tonight, two weeks from now the pictures will appear on your doorstep. Sound good?”
Ellie crossed her arms as she leaned against her car. “Who’s to say you don’t have copies?”
“You’re just going to have to trust me.” Pia stared her down, her eyes fathomless black pits in a Romantic painter’s dream of a face. It was obvious she was done negotiating. “I just want you to go away. I’m offering you this, as opposed to jail time. I’d think you’d be grateful.”
“I think you want Sean, and tormenting me is just an added bonus,” since they were being so honest with each other and all. Before Pia had a chance to retort or rescind her offer, Ellie held up a placating hand. “I’ll take your offer. I want the pictures. I’ll do what you want.”
Pia’s smile was so bright she was practically glowing from it. “I knew you’d be reasonable. Guess I won’t be seeing you around.” She gave a little finger wave as she and her hateful envelope turned to leave. Her walk even had a little extra bounce as she made her way over to the shiny silver convertible.
“I couldn’t possibly get that lucky,” Ellie muttered as she sank into the driver’s seat of her car. She was so screwed, and as comforting as it was, drumming her skull on the steering wheel was not going to fix that. Fuck. Her phone ringing in her purse startled her badly enough to make her jump. It took a minute to paw through her bag to find it, and answered right before it went to voicemail. “Sean! Hi!”
“Hey, are you okay?” The concern in his voice was just another knife to add to the collection in her chest already on heavy rotation.
In dealing with Pia, she’d forgotten to call him like she normally did when she got off work. Dammit. “Yeah, I’m fine, sweetie. Sorry, got hung up after work.”
“Okay…” He didn’t sound convinced at all. “The pizza just got here and I have the movie you wanted to watch on Netflix ready to go. You still coming by?”
She dropped her head to her chest and closed her eyes, holding the phone away from her face as she sighed deeply. All she could think about was Pia’s ultimatum. “Not tonight, hon. I’m so sorry. I think I ate something scary for lunch and it’s mounting an ugly rebellion as we speak.” She started the car and left the parking lot, intent on heading home where there was ice cream and liquor. In that order.
“Oh, that’s no good at all. Do you want me to come and nurse you back to health?” he asked playfully. Concern returned to replace his suspicion, and surprisingly that actually hurt her more. She hated lying to him, but she couldn’t have him there while she figured out a plan to deal with this latest salvo from Pia.
“I’m good, babe, but thanks. I don’t want to chance giving this to you in case it’s contagious.” If she was going to lie, she might as well make it good, she figured. God, she hated this! “I’m gonna let you go so I can go inside and deal with this, okay?” She pulled into her spot in front of her house and killed the engine.
“Alright, El, but if you need me…”
“I will call you immediately, I swear.”
They said their goodbyes and she gathered her stuff to head inside. As soon as his call disconnected, she dialed Josh.
Thankfully, he picked up on the first ring. “Joe’s Mortuary, you flay ‘em, we lay ‘em.”
She didn’t even bother with a greeting. “You have no idea how apt that is. We got a problem.” Not even bothering to put her stuff down, Ellie locked the door behind her and made a beeline for the couch.
“What kind of problem?” Josh asked sharply.
She could hear voices in the background as she flounced onto the cushions, and hoped she wasn’t interrupting, but at the same time, she needed to talk. “The Pia kind.”
Ellie was relieved when she heard him mute the TV. She could almost see him sitting up on his cou
ch and gripping the phone more tightly. So what if he had no shirt on? It was her fantasy, right?
“What happened?”
It took a few minutes to regale him with the story, stopping now and then to answer his questions about this detail or that. By the time she was done, she felt completely wrung out. “And why aren’t you a detective?”
“Because I was number three on the list and they only took the first two,” he answered promptly. The silences he lapsed into between sentences were almost electrically charged, like she could feel him thinking, as strange as that sounded. And every time he spoke, she hoped he would voice a solution.
Finally, the curiosity became too much. “Tell me you got an idea. What the hell am I gonna do?” She was this close to wailing and lamenting, but she wanted to save that until she’d exhausted all other options.
“Nothing.” She could hear him breathing, calm, controlled, like he was deciding on a wine at dinner. “I got this.”
Whoa. Wait! What? “Whaddaya mean ‘you got this’? What are you gonna do?”
His speech went from relaxed to clipped, and she could hear rummaging in his background. “Don’t worry about it. Consider this handled.”
“No! Absolutely not! Your plan is what got me into this mess! Tell me what you’re gonna do!” The desperation she’d felt while facing Pia was absolutely nothing compared to dealing with an irate Josh. His words were all sharp edges and menace, and in her mind she saw black wings sprouting out of his shirtless, muscular back. There was no reasoning with him in Avenging Angel mode.
“The less you know the better. My last plan got you here, you’re right, and I’m going to get you out.” He sounded so sure that she wanted to believe him. Of course, that could have just been the part of her that had gone into mourning over the thought of walking away from Sean again.
That part had locked itself in its room with a bottle of bourbon a while ago, but now…dammit, he made her hope. “No bloodshed,” she intoned as she heard his car door ding and then slam, followed by the angry growl of his engine.
The Ex File (Behind the Blue Line Series Book 1) Page 12