“ No, I wouldnt. Reese regarded her dinner absently. Something was off, and the fact that it involved something as dangerous as the possibility of arson bothered her a good deal. “It looks like we need to pay a visit to Ms. Walker.
“ Fortunately, Bri said, patting her chest pocket, “I have all her numbers.
“ When you give report to the night shift, make sure you give them the addresses of these places and remind them to do a pass-by several times during the shift.
“ Got it. Bri felt a sudden let-down as she realized that her time with Reese was coming to an end. It was five minutes to midnight, and they were on their way back to the Sheriffs department to sign out. In another few minutes, Reese would go home and she would be alone. It was Saturday night, she had just finished an exciting shift at work, and she had no one to share it with.
She could go home with Reese, but the small spare bedroom with its single bed seemed too lonely to contemplate. Carre would be out somewhere with friends, probably having a glass of wine and talking about school, or a film she had just seen, or some project she was involved in. Bris heart ached as she wondered if Carre would be thinking about her. I should call her. But she said not tothat she would call me when she was ready. She said she wanted a little time to think. Think about what? Think about whether she still loves me? Think about whether she still wants to be with me? Think
“ Bri?
Bri jumped. They were sitting in front of the Sheriffs department. The engine was off and the night was very quiet. She had no idea how long she had been staring unseeing through the windshield.
“ Yeah? she said hoarsely.
“ You okay?
Bri nodded and swallowed hard. “Yeah. Fine.
“ I saw Caroline this morning.
Bri closed her eyes.
“ Have you straightened things out with her? Reese asked gently.
“ Not yet. Bri didnt want to talk about it. Just thinking about it made her hurt so much inside she was afraid she would cry. She especially didnt want to discuss what had happened with Reese. She had a sudden sick feeling in her stomach. Christ, does she know about Allie?
Thankfully it was too dark in the car for Reese to see her shamed blush. The thought of Reese knowing about the way she had fucked up was almost as bad as Carres tears. She felt like dying.
“ You need to do that, Bri, Reese said evenly as she opened the door of the cruiser.
“ Yeah, I know, Bri replied softly, all the while wondering how to even begin.
Chapter Twenty-nine
When Reese and Bri walked into the office, Lewis, one of the summer recruits who had been hired to work the swing shift, looked up from the dispatch counter and nodded perfunctorily. "There are messages for both of you on the spindle."
Bri looked surprised, and Reese frowned as she asked, "From whom?"
The ruddy-complected, sandy-haired officer shrugged his heavyset shoulders. "The names are on the slips there. Yours just says call home."
"God damn it," Reese swore swiftly in a tone that made both Bri and Lewis jump. "If you ever get a call from my partner or anything remotely connected to her again, you call me ASAP."
He stared at her open-mouthed as she grabbed the nearest phone and punched in her home number. Her body vibrated with tension.
"Tor?" She worked to sound calm. "Are you all right?"
As she listened, her body relaxed, and she settled her hip onto the corner of the nearest desk. A smile slowly eclipsed the worry that had suffused her face. "Youre kidding, right?...I thought that was an old wives talewell, I dont know that manyno! Ill do itIll be home soon."
Still grinning, she hung up the receiver. When she glanced up, Bri was watching her intently. "Shes fine."
Bri relaxed her tight stance too. "Good."
"I dont suppose you know Spiritus number off hand, do you?" Reese asked.
"Youre kidding, right? Pizza?"
"Thats what I said, too." Reese shook her head. "Shes hungry, and pretty cranky about it, too."
While Reese got the number and called in the pizza order, Bri pulled the pink message slips from the spindle on the counter. There were two for her. Both messages were exactly the same, with one minor difference. Each said call me followed by a phone number. They were signed Ashley and Allie, respectively.
"Everything okay, Bri?" Reese asked as she noted the confused expression on Bris face.
Blushing, Bri rapidly stuffed the notes into her pants pocket. "Sure. Perfect."
*****
"Oh, thank God," Tory said vehemently as Reese walked in the house. "Hurry."
Reese grinned at her lover, who was curled up on the sofa in a shapeless, button-up pajama top and what appeared to be striped boxers. "You know, I can remember a time when you only said that in bed."
"Shut up, Conlon, and give me my pizza."
Laughing outright, Reese put the box down on the coffee table in front of Tory and walked through to the kitchen for plates and napkins. As she worked, she called, "Is Bri here?"
"No," Tory said around a mouthful of pizza. After a second, she added, "She came in, changed her clothes, and went right back out again."
"At this hour?" Reese frowned as she carried a bottle of beer for herself tucked against her side, a glass of seltzer for Tory in one hand, and plates, silverware, and napkins in the other. She carefully set them all down, settled on the sofa, and slid a slice of pizza onto a plate. "What is she doing out?"
"Its Saturday night, Reese."
"So?" Reese regarded her with a raised eyebrow.
"Try to remember Saturday night when you were twenty."
"I remember perfectly well, and I was either studying, or more likely asleep."
"I forgot." Tory ran her hand affectionately up the inside of Reeses thigh. "You were a most unusual twenty-year-old, sweetheart."
Reese slipped her arm around her lovers shoulder. "You think Bri and Caroline are going to be okay?"
"I think they can be," Tory said quietly, "if they come back together soon, and dont do anything more to add to the pain."
"Do you think I should go look for Bri before she gets herself into more trouble?"
"Lets give her a chance to find her own way." Tory felt Reese stiffen. "She needs to come to her own realization of what she wants and needs."
"I just dont want either of them to suffer any more," Reese said with a sigh. "You didnt see Bri today. Sheslost."
Tory tilted her chin and pressed her lips to Reeses neck, then reached a hand back to curl her fingers into the thick, black hair. Tugging gently, she pulled Reese down for a proper kiss. When she lifted her mouth away, Tory whispered huskily, "Youre going to make the most wonderful parent."
*****
By the time Bri rode back to the center of town and parked her bike, most of the stores were closed and the bars were beginning to empty. As was often the case, Commercial Street between the Pied, one of the popular lesbian bars, and Spiritus pizza was crowded with men and women who were not yet ready to end their Saturday night revelry.
As she approached the gathering throng, she remembered Reese coming upon her and Carre in the narrow alley between the ramshackle restaurant and the adjoining storefront one night when theyd been seventeen. They'd been making out in the shadows when Reese had walked up on them, her flashlight beam illuminating them in the midst of passion. Bri's chest ached just remembering how sweet those first few months had been, and how desperate the last. I miss you so much, babe.
"Unless Im wrong," a deep melodious voice announced very close to Bri's ear, "I believe you're looking for me."
Jesus Christ. I'm walking around not paying attention to a damn thing I'm doing. Some cop.
Hoping that her involuntary flinch hadn't been noticeable, Bri turned to the woman by her side as they continued navigating slowly through the wall-to-wall people. "You did say to meet you here."
Ashley Walker was wearing a sleeveless black T-shirt tucked into figure-hugging black leather pan
ts and black ankle-high riding boots. Her crimson hair was down and glinted like fire as she casually brushed it back with one hand. "I didn't think you'd call me."
"I'm working the same case you are," Bri reminded her. "You said you might have some information for me."
Ashley slowed and nodded toward the Pied. "We can probably still make last call."
"No thanks," Bri replied.
"All right, then." Ashley sighed and pretended to look disappointed, but her slightly lopsided grin gave her away. "So I'm guilty of mixing business with pleasure. We can do both."
Bri blushed. Work. Keep the conversation on business. "Have you been conducting interviews with the neighbors around the Moorings?"
"Yes, I've been asking around a bit." Ashley acknowledged what Bri already knew. "I thought maybe we could pool our resources."
"Share information, you mean?" Bri followed as Ashley turned down one of the sandy access paths to the beach, and, once there, the two of them settled onto a pile of sun-bleached, wind-weathered pilings that had once been part of a fishing pier. Ashley drew one knee up, wrapped both arms around it, and leaned a bare shoulder lightly against the outside of Bri's arm. Bri moved an inch away. The touch of skin on her own was unexpectedly warm. "Did you find out anything?"
"Not so fast, hotshot," Ashley advised, laughing softly. The young officer looked even better out of uniform than she did in one, and that was pretty damn good. The white T-shirt hugged her torso, doing little to hide the swell of her breasts and hint of hard nipples, and the low-riding jeans seemed designed to invite a hand inside. "I'll show you mine if you agree to show me yours."
Bri turned until she could search Ashley's face. Up close, moonlight danced in her eyes. "I don't think it works that way. See, I'm the law and youre private. So I don't have to share what I know with you. But you're not supposed to keep secrets."
"Pretty sure of yourself, aren't you, Officer?" Ashley stood and dusted off the rear of her leather pants, then slid both hands into her back pockets and looked down at Bri. She tilted one hip and stretched, the thin shirt outlining her high breasts and taut nipples. "Want to take a walk on the beach?"
Bri regarded her steadily, then stood. "Sure."
*****
Reese turned over in bed, awakened by the low rumble of the motorcycle in the driveway. The bedside clock read 3:45 a.m. For a moment, she contemplated getting up.
"Go back to sleep, sweetheart," Tory whispered as she rolled toward Reese and slipped an arm around her waist. Curling against her lovers back, she nuzzled into the soft warmth of Reese's neck and kissed her softly. "She's okay."
Reese sighed and laced her fingers through Tory's, where they lay against her breast. "I hope so."
Chapter Thirty
At five minutes to seven, Reese knelt to one side of the forty by fifty-foot room with her eyes closed, her hands resting palm up on her thighs. Tory and four students ranging in age from fourteen to twenty-five lined up on the tatami mats in a single line, barely an inch separating them.
After their last visit with Wendy, Reese had gently tried suggesting that Tory suspend her workouts until after the baby was born, but Tory had merely smiled and said that the physical exercise was good for her. Reese was always careful not to choose techniques that involved shoulder lifts or throws, but still, every defense in ju jitsu finished with a take down to the floor. And every time a student took her lover to the mat, no matter how carefully, Reese's heart lurched. The first time Tory bowed to Bri in invitation to practice, Reese quickly crossed the mat to intercept them.
Reese bowed, dismissing Bri, and indicated to Tory to perform the technique with her instead. When Tory threw a punch, Reese blocked, pivoted, and smoothly guided her lover to the floor. As Reese cradled Tory's elbow between her knees and applied force on her wrist, effectively pinning her, she leaned forward slightly over Torys supine form and murmured, "Everything okay?"
"Yes, sensei ."
"Be careful with Bri. Shes very strong."
"I will be." For the briefest instant, Tory smiled directly into Reese's eyes and murmured faintly, "I'm fine, sweetheart."
Reese nodded briefly, her gaze a caress, and moved away.
At the end of class, Reese approached Bri, who was carefully folding her gi jacket and brown obi. "It's good to have you back."
"It's great to be here." Bri glanced almost shyly at Reese and said, "Can I talk to you later?"
"Sure." Reese glanced at the clock. "It's about breakfast time. I was going to take Tory to Cafe Heaven. Want to come along?"
"That's okay. I don't want to...get in the way."
Reese laughed. "It's just breakfast, Bri."
"Well..."
"Come on, Bri," Tory said as she joined them. "I heard that. You're coming, and that's all there is to it. You can leave your motorcycle here, and we'll bring you back after breakfast to pick it up."
*****
The tiny restaurant was situated just up the street from where Bri had met Ashley the night before. It had only a dozen or so tables and was always crowded, but luckily it took only a few moments for them to be seated. Even more fortunately, the waitress recognized them as regulars, so it took only another minute to place their orders.
"So how is the new guy working out?" Bri asked Tory as she finished a large glass of orange juice in three big gulps. "Whats his name?"
"Dan Riley," Tory said neutrally. "He's only been here one day."
"Is he just here for the summer?" Bri inquired innocently as she reached for the basket of bread. She didnt notice that both Reese and Tory looked uncomfortable.
"That was the plan," Tory replied.
"So," Reese interjected casually as she peppered her omelet, "how was your night?"
"Uh...it was...fine."
"Much activity in town?"
"It was crowded right around closing time, but after that it emptied out pretty quickly."
"Uh-huh. Not much going on after 1:30 or so." Reese raised an eyebrow and regarded Bri steadily.
"Well," Bri said after a second. Shed been wanting to discuss the encounter with Reese, because it still bothered her, and she couldnt quite work out why. Well, she wanted to tell Reese about most of it, anyhow. "I met Ashley Walker, and we talked about the case for a while."
Reese stiffened almost imperceptibly. "You talked about the case?"
"Not about the case, exactly. Well, I mean, she wanted to talk about the case. "
"I'll bet she did," Reese muttered.
"Who, by the way, is Ashley Walker?" Tory looked from one to the other and tried to figure out what, precisely, was going on.
Aware that they were in a public place, Bri lowered her voice and leaned across the small table close to Tory. "She's a private detective whos working for an insurance company."
"I see. This is about the fire, I take it?"
"Yeah."
"What did the two of you discuss?" Reese's eyes were steady on Bris face, her voice flat.
"We didn't discuss anything," Bri said with a faint hint of disgust. "She was fishing for information about our investigation. I was hoping she'd tell me something. So we both came away with no satisfaction."
"Does that tell you anything?" Reese speared a strawberry with her fork and waited. Youre good at this, kiddo. Lets see what your instincts are like.
"I've been thinking about that," Bri replied pensively, her eggs and linguica forgotten. "If she was trying to find out what we knew, then there must be something to know. More than just a fire. It's only been a couple of days, and no one would expect us to have much on it yet. She was trying to see if we had information on something else."
"Uh-huh." Reese moved on to the bananas. "Like what?"
"Like" Bri hitched her shoulders, worried about looking dumb. "Like another fire?"
"Mmm. Could be."
Tory leaned back in her chair, enjoying the Socratic exchange. She'd seen Reese work dozens of time. But she'd never seen her quite like this. Usually, when
Reese was in the field, she was in command mode. She issued orders, then expected them to be followed without question. She rarely explained, because she saw no need to do so. She had been bred and raised in a military family, where the power was clearly delineated and the authority unquestioningly accepted. Watching her lead Bri through this algorithm of deductive reasoning showed her a fascinating side of her partner that she had never before observed. Suddenly, she had an image of Reese with their child, patiently teaching him or her how to think about the world. To her absolute chagrin, she felt her eyes fill with tears. Oh my God, this pregnancy is doing the strangest things to me.
Reese glanced sharply at Tory, feeling her lover grow tight against her side. "Tor?" she murmured. "Whats wrong?"
Tory shook her head and smiled wanly. "Nothing, sweetheart."
By the time Tory composed herself, she caught only the tail end of the conversation. "It's a holiday weekend," Tory pointed out, suddenly feeling much more herself. "I imagine youll have a hard time tracking people down, if it's anything like it is around here. You hardly have anyone in the office, and the ones who are there don't seem to know a lot about what's going on."
Grinning, Reese ran her fingers lightly down Tory's forearm and squeezed her hand. "Well, our guy Lewis knows a lot more about it now than he did last night. The next time you call, I've got a feeling you'll be getting priority treatment."
"Good." Tory bumped her shoulder softly into Reese's. "And rightly so, too."
The three of them laughed and finished breakfast, speaking no more of medicine or law enforcement.
*****
On Wednesday morning as Reese and Tory were both preparing for work, Tory asked casually, "So, did Bri find anything out from her computer searches about the fire in town?"
Reese was halfway through tying a precision knot in her tie and waited to finish before answering. "Not yet. I think today will probably be more productive. You're right. We had a hard time connecting with anyone the last couple of days, especially with all the traffic leaving the Cape after the holiday. Everyone was in the field."
Radclyffe - Safe Harbor 02 - Beyond The Breakwater Page 14