How to Land Her Lawman

by Teresa Southwick

  Tears gathered in her eyes again, but this time she smiled. “I’m so lucky to have you.”

  “I’m the lucky one.”

  “It’s possible you’ll get even luckier tonight,” she teased. “Say hi to Josie for me.”

  “Will do.”

  April left and walked across the dark alley, letting the tears roll down her cheeks unchecked. There was no one to see now. No one to put on a front for. The good news was that she hadn’t lost the family who’d taken her under its wing so many years ago.

  The bad news was that she was finding out that losing Will for the second time was twice as painful.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Will looked around the Chicago squad room of the Twelfth Precinct. There were rows of desks with phones, files and computers. The walls had multiple bulletin boards with wanted posters and notices. Activity and excitement hummed in the air. He waited to feel excited about being back, but there was nothing. Since he’d returned a couple weeks ago, he figured the feeling probably wasn’t going to happen. There were no windows and even if he could look out one, he would see brick buildings and dingy storefronts in this area of the city. No mountains and clear, blue sky.

  Everyone had greeted him with assurances that he’d been missed and there were case files stacked up on his desk to prove it. If all went well, one of them would be closing in a little while.

  He’d received an anonymous tip about a drug deal going down and it had turned out to be reliable. He and Pete had made three arrests and the perps were cooling their heels in holding. That would soften them up for interrogation.

  During the takedown a crowd had gathered. That always happened, but this time there was something different. As he was cuffing a kid only a little older than his nephew, there’d been a woman in his peripheral vision. His heart had jolted as if he’d been smacked in the chest. For a split second he’d thought she was April. And in that second his emotions ran the gamut from pure exhilaration that she’d changed her mind and followed him to fear for her safety in a fluid and dangerous situation.

  His concentration slipped and the kid obviously felt it because he’d twisted away and run. Will chased him and easily brought the kid down. In a slimy puddle. His jeans and T-shirt were never going to be the same. Even worse, the woman wasn’t April.

  “Welcome back to the Twelfth,” he muttered to himself.

  Pete Karlik walked over and sat at his desk that faced Will’s. “They just brought the drug seller up from holding. He’s in interrogation room one.”

  “Okay.”

  Pete’s sharp blue eyes narrowed. “Something bugging you?”

  “Nope.”

  His partner was thirty-five years old, smart and built like a bull. He’d been married to his high school sweetheart for fourteen years and they had two kids—a boy who was thirteen and a ten-year-old girl. As far as anyone here at the precinct knew the guy had never cheated on his wife. Chicago born and bred, Pete was a good cop who loved his city and would do anything to keep it safe. Dedication like that was something special, something reserved for a hometown boy.

  After studying Will for several moments, he nodded. “So, how do you want to handle this? We both know this kid is a low-level flunky. He’s expendable to them but could give us information, names, to bring down the organization. Or at least put cracks in it. If we can get him to crack.”

  “Good cop, bad cop?” Will suggested. He’d played both roles and so had Pete.

  The other man looked doubtful. “He’s young, but I’d bet the farm he doesn’t scare easy. He’s hanging out with some really bad guys.”

  “Okay. You don’t think we can rattle him.” Will thought for a moment. “We can lay out his options. Reality check.”

  “Maybe.” His partner mulled that over. “If we can imply that the other two scumbags are rolling on him, it could give us leverage to make him see the light.”

  Will nodded. “Only one of them gets a deal and that would be the first one who talks.”

  “Okay. Let’s work it that way.” Pete pushed his desk chair back to stand up when his phone rang. “Karlik.” He listened and the frown on his face said there wasn’t going to be meaningful information forthcoming from the perp. “Okay, Sarge. Thanks. You just saved us a trip up there.”

  After his friend disconnected from the call Will said, “He lawyered up.”

  “Yeah.” Pete’s expression grew darker. “You’re good, Fletcher. Keep it up and you might just make detective someday.”

  “You’re a funny guy.” But this situation wasn’t the least bit funny. “So much for taking down the big boys.”

  “Sometimes I wonder why we bother.” Pete pounded a fist on his desk. “Do you ever feel like you’re one step behind the bad guys?”

  Will folded his arms over his chest. “Try five steps.”

  “And we’ll never catch up.”

  He’d never heard his friend so pessimistic. “Since when did you turn into a glass-half-empty kind of guy?”

  “Mine’s not half-empty,” Pete said. “I don’t even have a glass.”

  This wasn’t like the “Crash” Karlik Will knew. He suspected whatever was causing it was bigger than the job. “What’s bugging you, pard?”

  “It’s Ryan.” The man rubbed a hand over his face. “He was at a party that was raided by the cops. They found drugs. A lot. Regular pharmacies should be so well stocked. Street stuff there, too. The guys who answered the call knew me and gave me a heads-up. Abbie and I decided to let them bring him into the precinct and scare the crap out of him.”

  “Geez, man.” Will’s closest experience to having kids was his nephew. They’d had a very short discussion about girls and birth control. He felt guilty for not being more a part of the boy’s life. But if Tim had been arrested at a party where illegal substances were found, he’d probably freak. And there was one question he’d ask. “Did Ryan use?”

  Pete met his gaze, worry stark in his own. “He swears he didn’t. His mother and I tend to believe him. Yeah, I know all parents say this, but he’s a good kid.”

  “Of course he is. You and Abbie raised him.”

  “I don’t want to stick my head in the sand either. If he’s got a problem we need to know so we can help him.”

  “Yeah.”

  Will thought about the teens he’d busted in Blackwater Lake for spray painting structures and egging cars. Neither of them had asked for a lawyer and didn’t know to do it because they’d never been in serious trouble. Things didn’t get complicated with arrests and paperwork. He’d been in front of the situation and made a real, positive difference. It felt good.

  “He’s grounded now and we have to go to court. If the judge wants to throw the book at him we’re okay with that. Scare the hell out of him. It’s a juvenile record and can be erased. He can learn from this and with luck it will be a cheap lesson.”

  “Sounds like a good plan,” Will agreed.

  Pete sighed. “But what if he doesn’t learn? What if he goes to another party when he’s not grounded and there are drugs? He was at a friend’s house this time. Someone we know and thought was okay. These are the kids he’s hanging out with. What if—”

  “Those two words will make you crazy, man.” Will held up a hand. “Don’t go there.”

  “I wish it was that easy.”

  “Look, you shouldn’t listen to me.” Will blew out a long breath. “I don’t have kids.”

  “Why is that?”

  “What?”r />
  “Why don’t you have kids?” Pete asked.

  “Because I married the wrong woman.”

  “Yeah, you did, buddy. I never liked her. No offense.”

  “None taken. My dad and sister said the same thing.” Will laughed. “It seems to be the prevailing sentiment.”

  “How’s your dad doing?”

  “Great.” Will missed him. He’d enjoyed having coffee in the morning, discussing things that happened on the job with the man who knew the challenges better than anyone. The man who’d offered the job to him.

  “Must have been nice to spend some time with the family,” Pete said.

  “It was.” And April.

  Just thinking about her made him smile. Then the emptiness inside him opened wider because he couldn’t walk across the alley and knock on her sliding glass door. He couldn’t watch her beautiful face light up with pleasure at the exact moment she recognized him. There wasn’t going to be an “accidental” meeting outside their back doors that would result in a run together.

  He missed her so damn much.

  “What’s her name?” Pete asked.

  “Who?”

  “The one you left behind. The one who should have been your baby mama?”

  Will knew better than to blow off the question. This man had taught him a lot about interviewing people and could see right through him. “Her name is April. What gave me away?”

  “Besides the fact that you say her name as if you’re in church?” Pete shrugged, the gesture saying it was easy to figure out. “And you’ve been different since you got back. It’s not job burnout. I know that when I see it. But your heart’s not in it anymore. You had the fire in the belly when you first got here, but it went out a long time ago.” Pete thought about what he’d just said. “It’s like your heart is somewhere else entirely.”

  “Someday you’re going to have to tell me how you get into my head like that.”

  “No big secret, man. You let that kid slip away today. That’s not like you. I just knew you were thinking about her.” He grinned. “April. Like spring.”

  “Yeah.”

  “And I’ll tell you something else, Will. Remember it’s worth what you paid for it.” Pete leaned forward and rested his forearms on the desk. “I vent about stuff, but I wouldn’t change it. Chicago is in my blood. Abbie’s, too. We’ll raise our family here and the kids will be fine. But your heart isn’t here anymore. You need to be where you left it.”

  “But—”

  “No buts.” Pete pointed a finger at him, all Chicago attitude. “That’s not a career failure. It’s a choice. There’s a difference.”

  Will’s life flashed before his eyes, but it had nothing to do with near-death experience. This city was big and there were parts that were like nowhere else. Beautiful parts. But it was also crowded, noisy, dirty. And most of all April wasn’t here. Pete was right. He had a choice.

  “You know,” his partner said, “while you were gone the captain had me partnered with Jimmy Gutierrez. He’s a good cop and has a lot to learn. Reminds me of you.”

  Will nodded. He got what his friend was saying and pulled out his cell phone, then speed-dialed his sister. The call went straight to voice mail, but he left a message.

  “Kim, I need you to do something for me.”

  * * *

  April let Kim drag her from the parking lot just inside Blackwater Lake town limits to the sidewalk on Main Street. Come hell or high water they were going to the farmer’s market and her friend wouldn’t take no for an answer. April wasn’t very happy about it, but she wasn’t happy about much these days.

  “I could have slept in today,” she complained as her friend tugged her along.

  “Not if you want to get the freshest fruits and vegetables.”

  “I don’t. Old and stale is fine with me.” When Will left, he had taken with him all the color in her life. These days her world was black-and-white.

  “Old and stale isn’t healthy.” Kim pointed to the crowd assembled a distance away at the end of the street where it was blocked off. “Look at all those people. They’re taking the fresh food right out of your mouth.”

  “I’m okay with that. Hey, slow down,” she protested when her friend linked arms and increased the pace.

  “The good stuff is going fast.”

  “You should have come by yourself. I’m just slowing you down.”

  “I didn’t want to come by myself. I wanted you here.” There was an edge of aggravation to Kim’s voice, but she seemed determined to project cheerful, friendly enthusiasm.

  “What’s wrong with you?”

  “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

  April looked sideways, wondering who this woman was and what she’d done with Kim. “When did you start talking like Scarlett O’Hara?”

  “Well, fiddledeedee.” She grinned then drew in a deep breath. “Isn’t it a beautiful day for a—” She stopped and for just a moment there was a horrified expression on her face.

  “For what? Kim, what the heck is going on with you today? Seriously, you’re acting a little weird.”

  “Nothing. It’s just a beautiful day to go to the farmer’s market with my best friend. I’ve been busy with back-to-school stuff, and settling Tim and me into family life. You and I haven’t had a chance to really talk since before I got married. Sensational pictures, by the way. Luke and I are still trying to make up our minds which ones to order for the album.”

  “Take your time.” April felt a little guilty about being such a grump.

  Black-and-white was a very narrow palette. She sighed and tamped down the tiny bit of envy that wouldn’t go away. Just because Kim had gotten everything she’d ever wanted and April had lost the love of her life for the second time, that was no reason to compromise a beautiful friendship. She chalked it up to a very human flaw and resolved to work on it.

  “How is married life?” she asked.

  “Pretty great.” Kim positively glowed. “I like being a Mrs. It’s nice to have someone to count on. Oh, I know my family is there, but this is different.”

  “I’m really happy for you.” April filled the words with a lot of phony eagerness and topped it off with a big, fake smile.

  “No, you’re not.” Kim scoffed. “And I don’t blame you. It’s hard being this happy when my best friend in the whole world is miserable. I can’t believe my brother is so stupid.”

  “Yeah. About that... Your dad told me your plan,” she put air quotes around the word, “was nothing more than an attempt at matchmaking.”

  “Nobody’s perfect.” Kim shrugged. “I was so sure it would work. I’m so very sorry he hurt you, sweetie.”

  “You meant well.” As they continued walking, April leaned her head on her friend’s shoulder for just a moment. “Not your fault Will didn’t cooperate.”

  “He’ll come around. You watch. And I’ll bet you twenty bucks that he’ll be back.” There was such confidence in her voice.

  “I’ll take that bet.” April wanted to be a believer, but it was too hard to be wrong. “Because I’m not going to live in False Hope–ville anymore. That painful episode is behind me.”

  They were passing the Harvest Café where Lucy Bishop had just walked out the door. She smiled. “Hey, you two. How’s it going?”

  “Good,” Kim said. “We’re on our way to the farmer’s market.”

  “Me, too. Mind if I join you?”

  “That wo
uld be great.” Kim sounded too eager, almost relieved to have company.

  “I go every week, but I’m running late today,” Lucy shared. “I like to beat the crowd and pick out the best fruits and veggies for the café.” She glanced up the street. “This is the most crowded time to go.”

  “True,” Kim agreed. “Most of the town will be there now.”

  “How are you holding up?” Lucy said to April. “I mean with Will gone?”

  She heard the pity in her friend’s voice. So much for the brilliant plan to change that. It had been too much to expect that if she broke up with him she’d no longer be the girl he left behind. Because he went to Chicago and she was still here, that made her—wait for it—the girl he left behind again.

  “I’m great,” April said. “Just peachy. At least, I will be.”

  “Good for you,” Lucy said.

  They were now a block away from their target destination. In the cordoned-off street there were several big blue tarps set up. Beneath them were tables holding crates filled with seasonal fresh produce. Lettuce, zucchini, squash, mushrooms and carrots. Beside them apples, pears and yams were displayed. The crowd was so thick you had to wait your turn to even get close to the bins.

  The three of them stopped just outside the first tarp and listened to the hum of voices. The closest people to her waved, said hello and gave her pitying looks. She was just about to turn around and go back the way she’d come when Hank Fletcher walked over with Josie Swanson.

  The trim older woman had big blue eyes and a warm smile. Her silver hair was cut in a flattering pixie style. “Hi, April. Haven’t seen you for a while.”

  “How are you, Josie?”

  “Great. If you don’t factor in that I’ll be homeless soon.”

  “Is Maggie Potter kicking you out?” April asked. The older woman was a widow and rented a room from the recently engaged single mom who’d fallen in love with Sloan Holden.

  “Maggie would never do that,” Josie said. “It’s my decision. Young couples need their privacy.”