by CeeCee James
Half of a pack left. Too early for candy? She peeled back the wrapper. Green. Frowning, she chucked it into the trash. “Ain’t nobody got time for lime.” After another glance at her phone, she snatched up her hoodie and her hotel key, and jetted out the door.
* * *
The two of them sat on stools at the coffee bar. Luke took a sip from his cup and grimaced. He quickly snagged two packages of sugar. “Hey, I have a question. How have you been able to afford to stay so long at the hotel?”
Cassie grinned and bit into her doughnut. “I know people in high places.”
“Huh?”
“My brother-in-law and sister are loaded. They’d rather help me stay in a hotel, where they think there’s some security, than have me sleeping in my car.”
“You’d sleep in your car?”
Cassie shifted uncomfortably. “I had to play all my cards, Luke. My sister was pretty concerned about me coming to find you. The whole ‘we worry,’ and stuff.”
“So? You’re an adult.”
“My sister’s been more of a mom to me than anything else when I was growing up. She’s doing better, but those mom-feels run strong.” She tore her doughnut into three pieces. “Plus I have some life insurance from my dad. And my job can be done pretty much anywhere. Or I hope I still have a job.” She popped a piece into her mouth.
“Why wouldn’t you?”
“Mmm,” She quickly swallowed. “My line of work is about describing love, falling in love. Kind of hard to do when all you want to do is run away from life.”
He studied her. “Leif died over a year ago. How long since you’ve last seen him?”
“Almost three years.” she whispered. “And you?”
“Principessa, my situation is completely different.”
“Two years, right? Two years, and you seem….”
He winced.
“Like everything still hurts.” she finished.
“Yeah, I still hurt. But I’m learning that life is about not wasting any of the love we get.”
Grimacing, she held up the doughnut chunk. “Sorry for the depressing conversation. It’s what you get when you force me to wake up this early in the morning.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Luke smiled and reached out to cup her chin. “I’m glad you’re here.” He kissed her lightly.
Definitely better than a Life Saver.
“So, tell me why we had to wake up at this awful hour.”
“We’re meeting my old partner, Trevor, before his shift. I have an idea of who this necklace belongs to. I’ve been waiting to hear what he has to say.”
“You’ve been talking with your partner about other stuff besides supporting you?”
Luke licked his lips and spun his cup on the table. Raising his head, his eyes sought hers. “I have. My medical leave is nearly over. It’s been twelve months. Time for me to get back to work.”
“Are you serious? I mean, I’m happy for you, but… wow.”
“Yeah. I am. Tomorrow I’ll have a meeting with the Chief of Personnel. I have some hoops to jump through, and have to prove I’m of sound of mind and all of that. But I think it’s time for me to get my feet wet.” He grinned at her reaction. “Don’t look so shocked.”
Cassie felt her face heat. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be shocked. I just thought, with everything you’d been through, you’d never want to go back.”
“I had a job to do. I failed at it.”
“But now?”
He grabbed her hand, his thumb stroking the side of her palm. “Now I begin again.”
The bell over the coffee shop door rang as a police officer entered.
“Ah, there he is. Trevor! Over here!” Luke waved.
The police officer acknowledged them with a nod before heading for the cash register to order a coffee. Cassie took in his dark crew cut and clean-shaven face. Hard to guess how old he was, but he had the stocky dad-bod build of a man in his thirties. A few minutes later, he came over with a steaming cup.
“Luke.” Trevor smiled as he sat down. Looking at Cassie, he continued, “And?”
“This is Cassie, my girl.”
Cassie felt butterflies at the word. His girl? She shifted, mentally trying out the word. Weird? Nice? Yeah. Real nice.
“Pleased to meet you.” Trevor offered his hand, which Cassie shook. He pushed his chair to face Luke. “You’re looking good, buddy. You feeling okay?”
“I’ve never been better.”
Trevor nodded. “It’s been a long time coming. Now, let’s see this necklace.”
With a clatter, Luke dropped the rosary on the table. Trevor picked it up and held it close to examine it. “And what did Darrell say about this?”
“He knows the jeweler?” Cassie leaned to whisper to Luke.
“It’s a tight-knit community.” Luke winked at her before addressing Trevor. “He said it’s from the early 1800s. Very rare, and very valuable.”
“And very Catholic, I’m guessing?” Trevor added. “Only one person that I know of. The same mafia thug we tried to bust two years ago. Perfect.”
Luke looked at Trevor, his jaw tightening. “Nicholai.”
* * *
The car ride back to the hotel was quiet. Luke had flipped the radio off earlier, and was staring out the windshield with apparent intense concentration. Cassie watched Luke for a moment from under lowered eyelashes. Absentmindedly, she twirled her pendant on its chain. “So, who’s Nicholai?”
“Bloody hell! You scared the crap out of me.” Luke scowled, his grip tightening on the steering wheel.
“Sorry to shake you up there, Detective. I thought you were supposed to have nerves of steel and all that.”
“Yeah, well, I was lost in thought. And I’m not ready to talk about Nicholai. I was thinking about my interview tomorrow. Needing to prepare for the agility test. To pass, I have to perform the 1.5 miles in 14:30.”
“Yikes. Well, you gave me a lot to think about too.”
“Yeah?”
“Your girl?” Cassie raised an eyebrow as she looked at him.
He grinned. “Yeah. My girl. You got a problem with that?” His bravado faded slightly. “Tell me you don’t have a problem with that. Because you’re the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time. And I can’t let you go.”
“Aren’t you afraid? To have those feelings again?”
“Does hiding from how you feel bring back Leif?”
“We all hide from something.”
“Then, the question is, when are you going to be brave enough to look fear in the face and say, Non mi sconfiggerai mai.”
“What the heck does that mean?”
“It means ‘it’ll never defeat me.’ And I mean that. Never again.”
Chapter 16
Luke strode down Main Street, his long legs eating up the distance. The green and white awning of his favorite coffee shop snapped in the morning breeze. As he passed the shop the rich smell of coffee nearly dragged him inside. But a quick glance at his watch showed he was already five minutes late to the nine o’clock AA meeting. First time he’d been late in two weeks. With a heavy sigh, he started to jog.
He needed this meeting today.
Turning the corner, the first thing Luke saw was a police car pulled in sharply behind a beat-up blue Honda. Its light swung in loopy red and white strobe patterns, splashing the colors across the Honda’s back window.
Joe, an old friend from the police force, was the officer at the driver’s side window. Joe and Luke had joined the academy at the same time. Luke felt a flicker of surprise at how his friend changed. Joe had always been a big man, but now his belly hung over his leather belt, the belt already maxed to its farthest notch.
Luke slowed his pace as he approached, years of training making him wary. A frightened little girl’s face appeared at the rear windshield.
“Ma’am,” Joe began, his voice patiently trying to be heard over the toddler’s crying. “I need your insurance card, ma
’am.”
A woman who looked to be in her early twenties scrambled through the contents of her glove box. Luke could read her anxiety from where he stood, near the car’s bumper. She seemed familiar. Taking a step to the side, he studied her face. It was Peggy, one of his neighbors.
Luke watched as she hauled the contents onto her lap and started to rifle through them.
Joe sighed before reaching through the window and plucking out the correct document. He also grabbed the registration. “I’ll be right back,” Joe said, and turned to walk to his car.
“Oh, hey there, Luke,” Joe called, spotting him.
“Hi, Joe. What’s going on here?”
“Pulled her over when I noticed the kid popping up from the rear seat.”
Luke checked his watch again before glancing at the Honda.
“Funny running into you here. We were just talking about you this morning at the precinct.”
Chills climbed his neck as Luke followed Joe back to the police car. “What do you mean?”
Joe slumped down into his seat and typed on his computer, checking out the registration. “Rumor has it you’re getting off your leave of absence. You made plans with the administrator to get reinstated?”
“The rumor mill is alive and well. Hey, listen, about your stop.” Luke gestured toward the Honda with a slight movement of his head. “Anything come up? Priors?”
Joe flicked his gaze from the computer up to Luke. “What? Don’t tell me she’s a friend of yours?”
Eyeing the young mother, Luke shoved his hands into his pockets. “Yeah, something like that. She lives in my apartment building. Been trying real hard to get her life together. What’s the story? I’ve always seen her carrying a car seat out to that car before.”
“She doesn’t have a car seat now.”
Luke rocked back on his heels, chewing the inside of his lip. Peggy reached for her daughter and dragged her onto her lap. The little girl wiped at her mom’s face. He looked at his watch again. Fifteen minutes late now. With a sigh, Luke walked over to the Honda and tapped on the doorframe.
The blonde woman’s face was tight with anxiety as she looked up at him. Recognition flooded her eyes with relief. “Oh, Luke!”
“Peggy? What happened to the car seat?”
She kissed her daughter’s cheek, before settling her down in her lap. The little girl stared curiously at Luke, two blonde pigtails sticking like antennas from the top of her head. “It’s David, my ex. He wouldn’t give the carseat to me today when I picked up Hannah. He …he wasn’t going to let me take her.” Peggy’s voice hitched as she started to cry. She pressed her lips together to gain control before continuing. “He’s been threatening me.”
Luke felt her panic. “Threatening you how?”
“David has money, you know. A house. He wants full custody, but that’s not what our custody papers said. I’ve never tried to keep Hannah from him. But now he has a new girlfriend, and he wants Hannah. He wants my baby.” Her shoulders began heaving as her control slipped.
Luke nodded. “Listen, you need to contact your lawyer about that. But let’s see what we can do with what’s going on now. Hang tight.” He waved at the little girl and returned to the cop car.
Joe’s chubby face was indignant. “Hey. This is my stop. You mind?”
“Can you cut her a break? Her ex wouldn’t relinquish the car seat.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m not. It’s one of those custody battles about to turn ugly.”
Joe’s pen paused over the ticket pad. “Since when did you turn into such a softy?”
“I don’t know. Since whenever.”
“She still needs a car seat. That ain’t safe.”
“Yeah, I know. The station still carry them?”
Joe rolled his eyes. “Aw, man. You’re going to make me drive over there and pick one up, aren’t you?”
Luke lifted his eyebrow, staying silent.
The officer groaned. “You tell her it’s her lucky day. And I better never see that again.”
Luke nodded. “I owe ya one.”
Joe grumbled some more as he folded up the ticket book and jammed it between the seats. Wheezing, he heaved himself out of the car and slowly walked toward the Honda.
“Well, young lady,” Joe said outside her window. “You’re off the hook on this one. But we need to get you a car seat. You have a choice. Either wait here while I go pick you one up from the station, or pay the ticket.”
A smile flickered on her face, slow at first as though she were afraid to believe the good news. “I’ll stay right here,” she said. “Thank you!”
Joe pointed at her. “I have your address. You better be here when I get back.”
“Relax, Joe,” Luke said, clapping him on the shoulder.
“I’m not moving a muscle. Want my keys?” she scrambled to pull them from the ignition before passing them out the window toward him.
Joe scowled. “Nah, I’ll be right back.” Shooting a side-glance at Luke, he said, “You coming?”
Luke hesitated. The AA meeting was only fifty feet away. He glanced at Joe. Lord knew, if Luke didn’t babysit, Joe might get distracted, or even forget. Judging from the frown on Joe’s face, he wasn’t too happy about the errand.
“Yeah, I’ll come. Now be a peach, and go get one of those teddy bears I know you have in your trunk.”
“The smartass is back.” Joe grumbled as he headed back to his car. The trunk opened, shutting a moment later with a resounding slam. “Catch!” Joe yelled, chucking the toy at Luke.
Leaping, Luke caught it. A little bear with a blue bow. Luke grinned at it and passed it through the window to the toddler. “Here you go, munchkin.”
“Come on, Luke! I don’t have all day,” Joe called.
Luke waved at Peggy. “We’ll be right back. Lock your doors.”
She gave him a thumbs-up before rolling up her window.
“All right, champ.” Luke muttered, jogging back to the cop car. He slid into the passenger seat. “Ready? Let’s go.” Luke pulled out his phone to text his sponsor that he wasn’t going to make the meeting.
Joe looked at him for a moment before a sarcastic smile cracked his face. “Dude, I don’t know what’s gotten into you. Where’s the tough undercover officer I used to know?”
“He’s grown up and seen there’s more to life than just good guys and bad guys. Now let’s go.”
Joe shifted the car into drive. “So, I was glad to hear you’re doing well. And the latest scoop is that you’re already armpit deep in an investigation?”
Luke raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”
“I heard you’ve got your thumb on Nicholai’s pulse.”
“Who told you that?” Luke frowned.
“Word on the street is that you have something of Nicholai’s, and he wants it back.”
“Let him come and get it,” Luke growled. “I’ll be waiting.”
Joe’s worried eyes studied him. “You be careful. His operation has only gotten bigger since you’ve been out. We’re having a hard time stopping his shipments. Every time we crack down, we’re a day too late. Somehow, he’s managed to keep one step ahead of us.” He shook his head as lines by his mouth creased in anger. “You hear he took out two of our guys from the West Precinct, right? Cold blood, right in front of their homes. Of course, nobody saw nothing.”
“You know this? How come you guys aren’t stopping him?”
“We’re still on his trail. But he moves like a ghost. Hard to stop a ghost.”
“And somehow the ghost found out I have his necklace. Something stinks.”
“You think there’s a leak?” Joe asked.
“A ghost isn’t that powerful. There’s no way he could have known. Someone’s being his eyes and ears.”
Chapter 17
The day was as warm as the weatherman had predicted it would be. Cassie rolled down the window and breathed in appreciatively as the scent o
f spring air filled the car. She couldn’t believe three weeks had passed since she’d last left home.
Since Luke had plans all day with his administrator, so Cassie had made some plans herself.
“You have arrived,” the navigational system on her phone announced. With a deep breath, Cassie entered the Willamette National Cemetery. It was only an hour away from Freymere, and she’d been putting it off for far too long. She steered down a long circular drive lined with maple trees, which led to a large, nearly empty parking lot. After choosing a spot shaded by a large tree, she parked the car.
It was peaceful, dotted with flags and flowers, a light breeze carrying the scent of freshly-mowed grass. She climbed from the car, willing her shaking nerves to mellow out. With a scrap of paper in hand, she walked onto the grass and silently counted the rows.
Half an hour later, Cassie found the grave marker and slowly ran her fingers over the etched letters. Leif Hensley. She leaned forward to kiss it and rested her forehead against the cool stone. “I’m here, Leif. I’m sorry I haven’t come before this.” A few tears trickled down her face and gathered at the corner of her lip. “I miss you… How are you?” She squeezed her eyes tight to stave off the deep pull of grief. She wasn’t the grieving widow. There were real widows out there. She was just the girlfriend.
Reaching into her purse, she removed a small flag. “I brought you this,” she whispered, feeling silly as a flag the size of a minivan snapped in the wind overhead from the pole, as well as one placed in front of his stone. She tucked it into the stand with the other. “I wish there was email where you are. I’d like to hear what kind of trouble you’re getting into up there.” A little smile quirked her lip as her fingertips trailed over his name again, each letter causing the lump to pulse in her throat. Pushing away, she sat back on the grass.
Cassie glanced around. Old-growth trees had been left to grow along the fringes of the cemetery, and from their branches birds chirped madly. In the distance, Mt. Hood raised its majestic white-capped head.