There was nothing that I could do if I was pregnant but carry the baby to term and give it up. I would not risk resenting the child and ruining its life as its father had ruined mine. Looking at the box, trying to decide if I should take the test or wait for Eula, I found myself wishing that Mom were here to comfort me. How could I go nine months with a baby inside of me without my mother here to comfort and support me? Would Trina support me? Did I even have the right to ask her to?
There was a tap on the door. “It’s open,” I said.
“Are you all right?” she asked as she walked in. “You’ve been in here for a while, and I got worried.”
“Yes, I’m fine. Just thinking some things through.”
She looked at the box in my hands. “And what have you decided?”
I stood up and put the pregnancy kit back on the shelf. “I’ve decided to wait for Eula to call. I don’t want to chance the kit getting it wrong. You see, I never liked roller coaster rides.”
“You’re not alone in this,” she said, holding her hand out. “I’ll help you, however you need, no strings attached.”
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I blinked back the tears, but they cascaded down my cheeks anyway. My hands trembled as I took her hands in mine and kissed her palm. Thank you, God, for sending her to me.
Paul’s in a Foul Mood – Trina Wiles
I kissed Ruby on the forehead and drew her into my arms. I wasn’t sure where this road was leading me, but I was sure that I wanted to go down it with her. She excited me like no other and touched the deep dark places in my heart. I wanted more, no matter whether it was good or bad. I knew that the good would far outweigh the bad.
“Ruby… I, uh—” My phone rang, and I stepped back.
“Damn that phone of yours,” she said, grabbing a tissue and wiping her eyes.
I pulled the phone from my pocket and accepted the call. “Hello?”
“Trina, is that you?”
“Paul, is that you?” I countered.
“Yes. Listen, I’ve got the church list you asked for, and I ran the names through the database. Nothing popped.”
“I’d like a copy of the list. Can we meet for lunch somewhere?”
“Yeah, I guess. Where?” he asked.
I hit the mute button and looked at Ruby. “Where do you feel like going for lunch?”
“How about the coffee shop on Sixth Street?”
“Perfect. We can sit in the back and see people coming and going,” I said. I tapped on the mute again and asked Paul to meet us at eleven, an hour before rush hour. I ended the call and called my brother next.
“Hey, Corey. Can you meet me at Lori’s condo this afternoon, say around two? I need your help with something.”
“Sorry, I can’t today. I’ve got church stuff this afternoon and tonight. How about tomorrow, around noon? That is, if I can get away from Father Matthew,” he said jokingly.
“You used to sneak out the second-floor window when you were grounded. You can sneak out of a church. And remember what I taught you about being followed. Make sure that you’re not. I don’t want anyone knowing where we’re staying.”
“I understand. I’ll be careful,” Corey agreed.
Ruby had a curious look on her face as I ended the call and put the phone back in my pocket.
“You taught him how to avoid being followed?” she asked.
I led her out of the bathroom as I answered. “Yeah. I always knew that I wanted to be a detective, so I would watch the cop shows on TV and then go out and try to emulate them. Corey helped me with a lot of it, like making sure I wasn’t being followed. He got very good at losing me when I was tailing him.”
“Oh, my God. I tried to do something similar with Emily, only she wasn’t as accommodating. How funny is it that we have that in common?” Ruby said with a laugh.
“Oh, I’ve got a feeling that we probably have quite a bit in common,” I said, hoping that when the case was over, I could discover even more commonalities we shared.
“Like what?” she asked
“Putting me to the test, are you?” I teased. “Okay, we both have a sibling in a religious order.”
“That’s true. And we’re both detectives,” she added.
“Right. And we both carry guns.”
“That’s a given, don’t you think?” she chided playfully.
“Okay, how about we both like musicals?”
“Well, I liked The Greatest Showman, but I wouldn’t say that I like all musicals.” She brought her finger to her lips, tapping them.
“Quit stalling.”
“I’m not stalling… I’ve got one right on the tip of… I know! We both love your omelets,” she declared with a self-satisfied look on her face.
At Least the Food was Good – Trina Wiles
It didn’t take us long to drive across town to the coffee shop on Sixth Street, but I wanted to make sure we arrived before Paul. Ruby seemed quiet, and I was curious what she was thinking about.
“Penny for your thoughts.”
“Just thinking about Greg,” she replied.
I could tell she was still a bit sore about her ex-partner being a suspect. I hadn’t the heart to remind her that she didn’t like him when he came to the precinct before she got her memories back. Something told her not to trust him then.
At Ruby’s suggestion, we parked across from the diner and waited. I recognized Paul’s car as it slowly passed us and disappeared. Then he doubled back and parked in a pay for parking lot behind the building. Ruby and I waited a minute to see if he was followed, then we got out and, after putting coins in the meter, walked across the street. Paul met us at the door and held it open for us.
“Always the gentleman,” I taunted.
“Well, I’m glad that chivalry isn’t dead,” Ruby countered.
“If I had gotten here first, I would have gladly opened the door for you, my lady,” I teased. “Shall I throw my jacket over the entryway, so you can clean your feet before entering?”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake. Knock it off,” Paul demanded and walked in first, leaving us to catch the door.
We selected a round table, taking note of the exits and the people inside. I didn’t see anyone who looked suspicious, but I wanted to hurry this meeting up and get out of here as fast as possible. Unfortunately, Paul wanted something to eat so we all ordered sandwiches and some chips.
While we waited on our food, I got right to the reason for the meetup. “Did you bring the list?”
“Yeah, like I said, nothing stood out when I ran it,” Paul replied, pulling the report from inside his jacket. He unfolded it and handed it to me.
Ruby leaned over and together we scanned the list. As Paul said, nothing stood out to me, but I noticed Ruby flinch.
“Did you see something?” I asked.
She looked at me for a moment, then said, “No, nothing rings a bell.”
“Number sixty-seven,” the cook called from across the room.
Paul looked at our ticket and got up. He walked over to the counter to pick up our sandwiches.
“You recognized one of the names, didn’t you?” I asked.
“Yes. I’ll tell you about it later when we’re alone.”
“Just tell me, is it good or bad?”
“Bad, very bad.”
I probably shouldn’t have asked that question because now my mind was running wild with scenarios. Luckily, Paul returned with our food, stopping my crazy thoughts.
“All right. Here we go,” he said, placing the tray with the baskets on the table. We grabbed our sandwiches and unwrapped the foil. I grabbed the mustard packets and began dressing up my sandwich.
“By the way, Trina,” Paul said, holding his sandwich with both hands. “Forensics didn’t find any prints at your apartment other than you and Ruby.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think they would.”
“But the spray paint used to write the word snitch on your wall was a specialty paint used for p
lastics.”
“Interesting. Why would they take the time to buy paint like that?” I asked, my mind racing again, looking for the connection.
“Maybe it was what they had handy,” Ruby suggested.
“Or maybe it was intentional,” Paul theorized.
“Right. They used Grady Underwood to leave the first message with his semen. Maybe they hired someone else to leave the second message, and—”
“And gave them a specific spray paint to use as a way for us to track them down.”
“And I’m betting when we track him down, we’ll find him dead,” Paul surmised.
“Probably a safe bet,” I said, picking up my sandwich. “You’ll let me know when you find him.”
He pointed his sandwich at me. “I don’t know, Trina. Are we still partners or what?”
I put my sandwich back in the basket and rested my elbows on the table, interlacing my fingers. “What the hell’s gotten into you, Paul? Why wouldn’t we still be partners?”
“Well, I’m the one doing all the work on this case while you’re babysitting—”
“Hey!” Ruby bellowed.
“Sorry. I meant while she’s protecting you, Special Agent Sutherland.”
His sarcasm was pissing me off, but Ruby spoke before I could.
“You’re right, Paul, you have been doing all the work on my rapist and his murderer. But our directors have put us on another project in conjunction with your case. I’m surprised that they didn’t tell you about it.”
“No, she didn’t say anything. And neither did you, Trina,” he said with rancor.
Following Ruby’s lead, I shrugged and said, “It was need to know only.”
“Yeah, well then, maybe my intel will be on a need to know basis, too,” Paul sniped. “And you don’t need to know.”
This was so not like Paul. Something was going on with him. Oh, no. I’d been so busy with Ruby that I’d forgotten he’d taken his wife to see an oncologist yesterday. She’d been sick before and Paul had joked about getting a second job to keep up with the bills. “Paul, what did the oncologist say?”
He blinked a couple of times and stared at the entrance door as if he wanted to leave. Then he looked down at his plate, pushing it to the side. “He said she has cancer.”
“Oh, no. Oh, I’m so sorry,” Ruby said.
“I’m sorry, too. Paul. I can’t imagine what she’s feeling right now. But she’s young and fit, She’ll beat this thing, I’m sure of it.”
“I’ve got to get back to work,” he said, scooting his chair back and standing up. He pulled out his wallet and dug a ten-dollar bill out.
“Paul,” I said, standing up also. “I’ve still got your back. Always.”
He started to say something but relented and nodded instead. He tossed the bill on the table and said over his shoulder as he walked out, “I’ll be in touch.”
As soon as we got in the car, I grilled Ruby. “Okay, whose name did you see on the church list?”
“Alan Rogers, Jack’s significant other. I guess he is a member of that church.”
“Are you shitting me?” I asked.
“Why would I shit you about something like that?” she asked testily.
“Admittedly, that was a dumb question on my part, but what are the chances that your boss’s lover was a member of the same church where you were raped?”
“I don’t want to go there, Trina. Drop it.”
“You can’t mean that,” I shot back. “At the very least, this guy is a suspect.”
She shot her head toward me. “And what does that make Jack?”
She was right; it would make Jack a suspect also. A very powerful suspect with connections Joey would love to exploit… if he hadn’t already. I don’t think Jack would have allowed the rape if he had known about it, but everything else he could have been the mastermind on.
“No, wait,” I said aloud without thinking.
“What?”
“Jack would never have sent you in undercover if he were in any way involved in this.”
Her eyes lit up, and the tension melted away. “You’re right. He could have said no and that would have been that.”
Unless he didn’t expect you to infiltrate the ring. I still had my doubts about Jack. If he knew about Ruby’s rape and where it had happened, why didn’t he mention that his lover went to that church? He was hiding something or someone.
She grew quiet again, staring out the passenger side window. We turned into the parking lot of the condo and parked. I turned off the engine and pulled the keys out of the ignition, but Ruby made no move to get out.
“He knew about my rape. He had to have known where…”
“Like you said, don’t go there yet. I was wondering the same thing. But let’s talk with Corey first and see if he remembers Jack and Alan attending church.”
“I want to Google him and see if there’s a profile with his religion on it.”
“Good idea,” I said, putting the keys back in the ignition. I drove us to a different library across town, and we spent another couple of hours doing research. We left dispirited and spent the evening watching old movies that neither of us were paying attention to. We slept apart at my suggestion. Ruby was confused and unsure. She didn’t need me confusing the issues.
Baby Brother Wins the Day – Trina Wiles
Saturday couldn’t come fast enough for Ruby. She woke me up at the crack of dawn with a kiss to my lips. I looked up into her beautiful blue eyes and wished that we could escape all of this and run away somewhere. Some place far away. Just the two of us.
“Well, you’re an eager-beaver this morning,” I kidded. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you.”
“I missed you. I mean, I get why you insisted that I sleep in the bedroom last night. I was kind of distracted and frankly, too tired to argue with you. But the bed was cold without you.”
“Yeah, the couch was really uncomfortable without you,” I said, pulling her down on top of me. “Want to rectify that this morning?”
“We do have a few hours to kill,” she replied, pulling my tank top up and kissing between my breasts.
“I don’t think I’ll need that long,” I croaked.
*
“Corey, do you know the name, Alan Rogers?” I asked as I set a soda down in front of him.
I sat down beside Ruby at the dining room table, handing a soda to her.
“Sure, he’s a very nice man. He comes to church every Sunday with his partner, and they are always very generous with their tithes. I think he’s a doctor or something.”
“What about Jack Gray?”
“No, I don’t remember a Jack Gray at church,” Corey replied.
“What about Alan’s partner? What’s his name?” Ruby asked.
“Jack Rogers. He comes to church with Alan almost every Sunday.” Corey scanned the names and pointed at one. “That’s him beside Alan’s signature,” he said, showing us a name.
“Jack Rogers. So, he’s married then,” I said, looking at Ruby.
“He doesn’t wear a wedding ring, but that doesn’t mean anything. He’s probably just protecting himself from inquisitive employees,” Ruby suggested.
“Sounds plausible,” I agreed. “Men of his age and position tend to be more cautious about their personal lives.”
“Does this have something to do with the dead body I found?” Corey asked, looking from Ruby to me.
Ruby shook her head, unwilling or unable to answer his question.
“It’s a possibility,” I admitted. “And I have an idea how to find out what’s going on.”
“How?” Ruby asked.
“We catch Jack off guard and ask him,” I said.
“Jack is never off guard,” Ruby said. “He’s like my mother was, eyes in the back of his head.”
“Maybe, but I doubt his partner is.”
“Oh, I like where you’re going with that,” Ruby said, gazing at me.
“What are you two talking about?
” Corey asked.
“Getting to the church on time,” I joked.
Corey shook his hands. “Trina, don’t use my church for your funny business.”
“Your church has already been used… for murder. I’m trying to stop another one.”
He stared at me for a moment, making up his mind. “All right, but don’t do anything during my sermon.” He looked at Ruby. “I didn’t get to give it last Sunday.”
Nodding, I agreed, “Deal.”
“I need to get back,” Corey said as he stood up. “We’re having a bake sale this afternoon to raise funds for a new church organ. Sis, walk me to my car, okay?”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll be back in a minute, Ruby. Lock the door behind me.”
“Yes, Mommy,” she joked.
I wanted to kiss her cute face, but I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to be intimate in front of anyone, even my brother. I needed to check with Ruby first, to be sure she was okay with it. I followed Corey out the door and listened for the deadbolt to latch. Smiling, I followed Corey to the elevator.
“Can I take the collar off for a minute and talk to you about something?” Corey asked.
The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. “You’re my brother, not my priest,” I said. “Remember, I’ve seen you naked when you were ten. It wasn’t pretty.”
Corey laughed and shoved me to the side as I tried to enter the lift.
“What did you want to talk about?” I asked, jumping on the elevator before the doors closed.
“You and Ruby,” he replied, stuffing his hands in his jeans pocket, his forehead creased with worry.
“Uh, yeah. What about us?” I asked, punching the first-floor button.
“I see the way you look at her. It’s the same way you looked at Lori, only more intense.”
“And your point is?”
“My point is,” he began as we stepped out of the elevator. He turned and put his hand on my arm. “Don’t screw it up this time.”
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