Impressions

by Barbara Winkes

  He looked weary, as if he knew that his high profile boss wasn’t likely to send a lawyer for him. In fact, he probably figured that his life was in danger either way. However, he was silent, morosely staring at the investigators.

  “You have nothing to say? That’s surprising,” Derek commented. “It’s not like there’s an easy way out of this for you. We’ll soon arrest more people in your business. I’m sure some of them will be interested in talking to us if they can save their own hide. What’s more, a couple of your buddies have already been killed. Someone is not happy with the way your boss does business. None of that worries you?”

  “Doesn’t look that way,” Jordan said. She tossed a couple of pictures on the table, and Ellie noticed the man flinch. “You’re going to prison for what you did to that woman in the hotel room either way. The question is what happens afterwards. Or even while you’re there, don’t you think the boss has some people to watch out for liabilities?”

  “I don’t know them,” he spat, but avoided the photographs.

  “So they weren’t working for Hank? You can say that for sure?”

  “I didn’t say anything. I don’t know who did that.”

  Ellie was startled out of her observations when Nina Torres went to knock on the door and walked inside the room.

  “The detective here already explained things to you, and you’d be smart to listen. We want the guy at the top. Honestly? No one cares who shot this lowlife. Maybe Hank’s people, maybe someone else. But we both know folks like him take care of lose ends, so if you don’t want to become one of those, you better start talking.”

  Jordan looked pensive, but she didn’t comment on the interruption.

  “Let’s talk about those after game parties you’ve been organizing with Owens. Names. Did Isabel Combs ever come up?”

  This time, he studied the photograph a bit longer. “Nope, don’t know her.”

  Nina shook her head. “You don’t get the gravity of your situation yet.” She turned to Jordan. “Come on, let him think about it for a while.”

  * * * *

  When Ellie drove home, it occurred to her that there was an irony in planning a cheerful party, while at the same time, they were confronted daily with the worst, violence against women, men who treated them like ware, not even human. Men who abused their position of power relative to a female colleague. It made her feel tired and dispirited that they seemed to be working against a tide, and sometimes it was hard to tell if it was finally retreating, or still rising. In any case, it brought up many uncomfortable memories.

  She hoped Jordan would make it home soon, too, so they could have a quiet rest of the evening.

  Ellie couldn’t believe her eyes when she walked into the house to find what looked like an elaborate dinner cooking in the kitchen, Natalie greeting her with a smile, a spatula in one hand, a glass of wine in the other.

  “Hey, you’re home. I hope you don’t mind I opened the bottle,” she said. “I bought another one. It’s almost ready. Is Jordan here, too?”

  “No, she had to work longer.”

  “With the FBI agent?” Natalie asked. Before Ellie could answer, she added quickly, “Forget about it. None of my business. In fact, this is my apology and a thank you for harboring me.”

  “That’s very nice...You didn’t have to do that.”

  “And you didn’t have to throw me a party which I admit I’m a bit nervous about, but also thrilled…I can’t wait to meet your friends. Come, sit down, have a glass.” She poured one, and handed it to Ellie who was still trying to make sense of the scene.

  “This must have taken a while to make.”

  “I took the afternoon off,” Natalie explained. “I had to check on my apartment. I also wanted to make time in case there’s anything I can help with for the party. I could take another day.”

  Frankly, Ellie wished they’d delayed the date for a bit, but everyone was invited now, and she figured it would be helpful to be among people she knew to be good.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “No problem. It’s what family does, right?” With an affectionate smile, Natalie refilled her glass.

  Ellie knew she was beyond fortunate, given her family by choice, and this lucky chance. “I want to ask you so many more questions,” she mused. “I guess that’s not happening today. I’m really tired.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything,” Natalie promised.

  * * * *

  Jordan had listened with mixed emotions when she unlocked the door and heard the laughter from the kitchen. She had to get over herself—after all, Natalie would be back in her own apartment in a matter of days, and they’d go back to their own normal. After a day like this, she selfishly wished she could be alone with Ellie, even knowing how much this new-found relationship with a sister she never knew, meant to her.

  Her mind was on too many things at once, this situation at home, which was while in no way threatening, still somewhat odd. Nina Torres. She had done nothing that exceeded her competence or jurisdiction. It made sense that her focus might be slightly different, and still…There was something about her that gave Jordan pause. She couldn’t put her finger on it.

  She finally walked into the kitchen where Ellie and Natalie were sharing a bottle of wine. There wasn’t much left in it either.

  Ellie got up to embrace her. “You’re home!” Jordan couldn’t blame her for wanting a little escape. Even though she hadn’t been in that hotel room earlier, she surely got the picture.

  “Just in time,” Natalie added. “I was afraid I’d have to microwave yours, but now we can eat together.”

  “You didn’t have to wait for me, but thanks. It looks great.” Her hopes for a quiet evening would not be fulfilled, so she could just as well go with the flow. At least, Natalie produced another bottle of wine.

  Jordan had a moment of harrowing guilt thinking of the women they’d found, Gina, locked in a tiny room in a cellar, and Jane Doe, chained to a bed in a hotel room. Isabel Combs was still out there. But they were getting closer, and once they got to the man at the top, they’d be able to topple many others.

  She had paid her dues. So had Ellie. Perhaps they deserved to take a moment.

  Chapter Twelve

  They’d never really had a housewarming party, and not every guest at the wedding had come to their home—so the introduction of Natalie turned out to be the biggest party they’d ever had at their home.

  Ellie felt deeply melancholic remembering the dinner parties her parents had loved to host, with friends, family, children…It wasn’t quite the same, but close enough to have a pang of grief mixed in with the gratitude that all of these people had accepted their invitation. Derek and Kate had picked up Libby and Sam. Ariel’s family hadn’t been able to be here, but they had brought her and would come to get her later. She sat with Jack and Pauline. Madeline and her husband had been the closest friends to Ellie’s parents. Casey Lyons had come as well, and Darla had brought her toddler.

  Family. It could take on so many different meanings. For a brief moment, she wondered if they should have invited Kathryn as well. Jordan had given no indication that she was even thinking about it, so Ellie hadn’t pushed the issue.

  “I know you’re happy everyone’s here,” she whispered to Ellie. “Now that everyone has their cocktail, perhaps it’s time for a few words?”

  “Oh my God. I didn’t think I’d have to do that.”

  Natalie had overheard her words. She chuckled. “I’m sorry to say that, but better you than me, sis. You’ll do great.”

  “All right. Let’s do this,” Ellie mumbled. She found a spoon to clink against her glass.

  “Okay…if I could have your attention for a moment. I swear, this won’t be long. First of all, thank you all for coming. I’m sure you were wondering what we have to celebrate in the middle of the month, with no holiday near…” Jordan gave her a gentle nudge.

  “I have something to celebrate, and I wante
d to tell all of you at once. For the longest time, I thought I had no living relative anywhere near. Turns out that’s not true, so…I’d like you to meet my sister Natalie,” Ellie said, turning to the guest of honor. “Thank you for finding me. Natalie. And thank you all for sharing this moment.”

  Kate was quickest to make it to her side and hug her. “Ellie, this is amazing!”

  “Yeah. I know.”

  Her friend turned around to shake Natalie’s hand. “When did this happen? I can’t believe you were able to keep it a secret. Damn. Even Derek kept it a secret from me.”

  It wasn’t a surprise to Ellie that the subject had come up in one of Jordan and Derek’s conversations. She didn’t mind.

  “Natalie came to see me at work.” Ellie was aware that Madeline was listening as well, looking pensive.

  “My mother told me about my father before she passed away,” Natalie said. “I am so grateful she did. I lost her, and I found this wonderful person that is my sister. I’m sorry about the secrecy, but I think we’re both still coming to terms with everything.”

  “I imagine there’s a lot to figure out,” Madeline said. “When did you say your mother met Patrick?”

  “She didn’t give me too many details, but it was before Meredith. My mom would have never broken up a family.”

  Ellie didn’t like the challenging tone between the two women, but she trusted both of them to draw the line and not get into a full blown argument.

  “Ellie, can I talk to you for a moment?”

  She turned around to face Samantha Potts. “Of course.” She went into a somewhat quieter corner with the young officer.

  “I wanted to thank you,” Sam said. “For everything.”

  “It’s no big deal. You’re always welcome. The other day…really, all I did was tell the truth.”

  “I dreaded coming back to work, but actually, most people were supportive.”

  “As we should be. You should be able to focus on the job in the first place.”

  “I try.” Sam smiled wistfully. “And congratulations. You must be so happy.”

  “I am, thank you. I mean it, if there’s ever anything to talk about, you know where to find me.”

  “I’ll remember that,” Sam said, then hugged her tightly.

  Over her shoulder, Ellie could see that Madeline and her husband were talking to Jack and Pauline now. Natalie stood with Kate and Darla, while Ariel was laughing at something Libby said.

  Everything was going according to plan.

  Across the room, she caught Jordan’s gaze on her, smiling. To be able to share this with her was the best of all.

  Family.

  * * * *

  By Monday morning, Natalie had given no indication as to when the pipes in her apartment would be fixed. She was quietly inserting herself into their routines, fixing breakfast and often, dinner during the week. Jordan couldn’t bring herself to be critical of the situation, as the game was getting closer, and the men they had arrested during Derek’s undercover assignment had enough for them to go up the ladder, and meet Hank.

  If they were lucky, word wasn’t out on their arrest, and they could go directly to him. Many more arrests would follow. There was no room for error or any surprises, so Jordan did something she had put off until now.

  Perhaps it was overkill, but she figured it would be better to be safe than sorry. She retreated to the break room and made the call.

  “Jordan, what a surprise. I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon,” the cheerful voice came from the other end of the line.”

  “A good day to you too.”

  “Come on, I’m kidding! How are you? Still enjoying married bliss, I hope?”

  “It’s pretty amazing, but that’s not why I’m calling.”

  “I imagine,” Bethany said dryly. “So what can I do for you?”

  “Agent Torres. What’s your impression?”

  “Smart. Hard-working. Has a great future ahead of her, why do you ask? Are there any problems?”

  “No, not really. Just a hunch.”

  “You have to be a bit more specific.” Jordan suppressed a sigh at the chiding tone. Even though she hadn’t talked to her ex in months, some things apparently never changed.

  “Okay, here it is. I’m sure you know about the context. We’re dealing with some pretty disgusting individuals here, and frankly, it’s not hard to wish we could spare the taxpayers some expenses. Of course, none of us would ever go that far.”

  “What are you saying, that she’s on some avenging spree? Come on. Jordan.”

  “I’m not saying anything, but I have a couple of dead criminals and a case I can’t seem to solve. None of the usual suspects apply. Torres told me herself that she’s been working on this for a long time. It’s some of the worst I’ve ever seen. I’m not talking about a spree…”

  “But a momentary lapse of judgment? I don’t see it.”

  “We’re close to taking down some of the big players, and we still don’t know who killed these men. I don’t like it.”

  “I understand, but Torres is clean. You can take my word for it.”

  “All right then. Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. You’re sure you haven’t missed me? No, don’t answer that. Say hello to everyone, and good luck.”

  “Thank you. Bye.”

  Jordan ended the call, unsure whether she should be relieved, as Maria Doss walked inside after knocking on the door.

  “There’s someone here for you.”

  She went back to her desk to find Kathryn sitting in the other chair. Derek and Nina were studying something on his computer screen. If she was lucky, she could do this quick.

  “Kathryn. What’s up? I’m sorry, I don’t have much time.”

  “You never do. I just wanted to see how you’re doing.”

  “I’m good. You?”

  She saw that Nina had gotten up and was waiting at a respectful distance.

  “I’m doing okay…and I wanted to know if we could meet again. The way it was before.”

  “Can we talk about this another time? This is really not the moment…”

  “Will you pick up the phone?”

  “Yes. Give it a few days, please.”

  “I hope you had a nice party this weekend,” Kathryn said, then she turned to walk away. Jordan resisted the urge to follow her. There was no reason. She’d talk to her when she had the time…and find out how she could know about the party in the first place. She must have driven by the house—the fact that she hadn’t come in struck Jordan as unusual. Perhaps she was finally demonstrating respect for boundaries, though her disappointed tone said otherwise.

  * * * *

  The next few days were spent with tense preparations at work. Natalie had several conversations with her landlord, discovering that there was more need for renovations than she had imagined. She was still cooking the occasional meal.

  “I am so sorry. I didn’t think it would take that long. If I could stay until the weekend? If it’s not fixed after that, I’ll go to a hotel, I promise. Would that be okay?”

  “Of course,” Jordan said at the same time as Ellie offered, “Stay as long as you need.”

  Jordan didn’t mention it on the way to work, so Ellie assumed either solution would be fine. She, too, had at first wondered why Natalie had chosen to stay with them, but she had to admit it was fairly comfortable.

  As it was, they had many other things to consider at the moment: They had intercepted a conversation between an associate of the men Derek had met with, and someone they believed to be Hank.

  Nina had called in reinforcements. Hank was going to see a couple of “business” partners, and make sure everything was going to happen to his customers’ satisfaction. In the conversation, the names of a judge and a politician were mentioned. Both had rented spaces for private parties afterwards, but if all went well, they’d get to them—and Hank—before.

  There would be uniformed officers at the game as usual, but
this time, there was a lot more to look out for. Nina had mentioned that Isabel Combs might not even be in the state, or the country, any longer, but Ellie didn’t want to give up hope just yet. She was beyond thrilled to have her own part in the briefing during roll call, remembering when she’d been on the other side, casting longing glances whenever it was Jordan joining Sergeant Bristol in the room. She had everything she wanted, and so much more.

  Hopefully, they could help many who weren’t so lucky in one fell swoop with this operation.

  “Remember, those clients are important to him. He will likely check in with both of them, and when he does, we need to act right away. Thank you.”

  Casey came by, patting her shoulder. “You don’t miss being on the other side?”

  “I am grateful for every minute of it,” Ellie said. “But no, I love being where I am. Let’s get this guy.”

  “Absolutely. And Ellie…I wanted to tell you thanks. You did a great job with Potts.”

  Ellie shrugged. “It’s the normal thing to do, right? You guys came through for me when I needed people I could trust. I hope she’ll find the same thing here.”

  “Me too,” Casey agreed. “I’ll see you later. Good luck.”

  “Good luck to us.”

  * * * *

  They had a bit of time before they had to leave for the stadium, so Jordan offered to do a quick coffee run. It was sheer coincidence that she stopped behind a familiar car at a red light: Natalie’s. The party had been a success, and frankly, that had been a relief for Jordan. The people that had accepted their invitation were neither paranoid nor naïve, and all of them had welcomed Natalie. As much as Jordan valued her space, she couldn’t argue much with all those recent home-cooked meals either. Madeline was the only one who remained cautious, but she’d been a close friend of Ellie’s mother, so that was only natural, right?

  Jordan drove past the coffee shop and stayed behind Natalie, keeping enough of distance so the latter wouldn’t know she was being followed. She wasn’t sure what she hoped to learn from this, but instinct told her this might be the best opportunity she’d get. Fortunately, Natalie stopped a few blocks later and parked on the curb in front of an apartment building. Jordan slowed down the car and found herself a spot three cars behind her. She was lucky: A woman came out with a couple of bags. Jordan held the front door open for her and slipped inside. She could still hear footsteps on the stairs, so she followed silently. Natalie stopped on the second floor, where she went to an apartment near the staircase, and opened the door with a key. The name on the sign said “Douglas.” Who was that person?