our car.”
Luke glanced at me, then at Chuck. “All right.” He stood from the table. “Don’t be long.” Luke left the room, and all the tension went with him. Chuck’s shoulders relaxed when the door finally shut.
“Okay, you want to tell me what that was all about?” I asked.
“Nothing. I just don’t like that guy. Never have. I couldn’t believe it when I saw him the day she disappeared. He brought me in for questioning and treated me like a criminal.”
“That’s his job,” I said, “and he’s very good at it. If anyone can find the man who killed Justine, it’s him. I never knew a better agent.”
“I’ll just have to trust you on that one.” He sighed. “The stuff’s actually in my locker. I just wanted him gone.” He stood up and unlocked the locker, pulling out a small box. “It’s just some clothes, some books she was reading, and some of Gabe’s toys. Nothing that interesting.”
“You never know. Thank you,” I said, taking the box.
He frowned as I took it. “I was going to ask her to marry me, you know. Bought the ring and everything.” He was quiet for a moment, his normally joyful face contorted with sadness. “I wish it was me, you know? I’d give my life to have her standing here. Just the thought of not having her laugh at one of my stupid jokes is too much. I feel like I’m in hell.” He paused. “Does it ever go away? The pain?”
“No. It just…becomes more bearable. Or maybe you just get used to it; I don’t know. But it never leaves you. Not even for a day.”
He nodded slowly. “He loved you, you know? From the moment he saw you. He came to me the next day and said, ‘Chuck, I met the woman I’m gonna spend the rest of my life with last night. And she is…brilliant.’ You made him so proud. So happy. He never stopped loving you. Not for a
second.
Even though…” He couldn’t say it. He couldn’t even look at me. “I thought something was going on between you and Luke,” Chuck confessed. “I saw how comfortable you were together. How he looked at you. Hayden just wouldn’t believe it.”
“It only happened once,” I said, “and I regretted it the
second
it did.”
“I know; I heard everything. I was surprised it was only the once. From the way he looked at you all those years, I thought for sure it had been going on longer. I just thank God Hayden never found out.” He sighed. “It took me a while to forgive you, but he would have wanted me to.”
“You have no idea what that means to me.”
He just nodded. “I miss him. He was my best friend for twelve years. First him, and now…” He wiped the tears away again. “When you catch this prick I want you to give him a message from me.”
“What?”
“Tell him he’d better pray he never gets out. Because if he does, I’ll be there. Waiting.”
A nurse walked in, breaking the tense mood. “Dr. Winkler, you’re needed in Trauma Two.”
“I’ll be there in a second.”
The nurse closed the door, leaving us alone again. “I have to go,” I said. I stood from the table and took the box. “Thank you. I promise I’ll keep you posted on our progress.”
“Thank you.” He paused to give me a sad smile. “You have a good life, Iris.” Then he walked out of the room.
I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before leaving myself. That went better than I ever could have hoped for.
Luke was already in the car when I got in. His usually unreadable face was scrunched up with impatience. I shut the door and just sat there, waiting for him to say something. He didn’t. Guess it was up to me. “Care to tell me—”
“It’s nothing,” he said. “He’s still upset about the fact that I had to question him. Two of my men had to subdue him when he tried to attack me in the interrogation room. It was…I was surprised when he called me this morning.”
“Yeah, well, it was a tough situation. For all of us.”
“Are you okay? I mean, he didn’t…He
Luke glanced at me, then at Chuck. “All right.” He stood from the table. “Don’t be long.” Luke left the room, and all the tension went with him. Chuck’s shoulders relaxed when the door finally shut.
“Okay, you want to tell me what that was all about?” I asked.
“Nothing. I just don’t like that guy. Never have. I couldn’t believe it when I saw him the day she disappeared. He brought me in for questioning and treated me like a criminal.”
“That’s his job,” I said, “and he’s very good at it. If anyone can find the man who killed Justine, it’s him. I never knew a better agent.”
“I’ll just have to trust you on that one.” He sighed. “The stuff’s actually in my locker. I just wanted him gone.” He stood up and unlocked the locker, pulling out a small box. “It’s just some clothes, some books she was reading, and some of Gabe’s toys. Nothing that interesting.”
“You never know. Thank you,” I said, taking the box.
He frowned as I took it. “I was going to ask her to marry me, you know. Bought the ring and everything.” He was quiet for a moment, his normally joyful face contorted with sadness. “I wish it was me, you know? I’d give my life to have her standing here. Just the thought of not having her laugh at one of my stupid jokes is too much. I feel like I’m in hell.” He paused. “Does it ever go away? The pain?”
“No. It just…becomes more bearable. Or maybe you just get used to it; I don’t know. But it never leaves you. Not even for a day.”
He nodded slowly. “He loved you, you know? From the moment he saw you. He came to me the next day and said, ‘Chuck, I met the woman I’m gonna spend the rest of my life with last night. And she is…brilliant.’ You made him so proud. So happy. He never stopped loving you. Not for a
second.
Even though…” He couldn’t say it. He couldn’t even look at me. “I thought something was going on between you and Luke,” Chuck confessed. “I saw how comfortable you were together. How he looked at you. Hayden just wouldn’t believe it.”
“It only happened once,” I said, “and I regretted it the
second
it did.”
“I know; I heard everything. I was surprised it was only the once. From the way he looked at you all those years, I thought for sure it had been going on longer. I just thank God Hayden never found out.” He sighed. “It took me a while to forgive you, but he would have wanted me to.”
“You have no idea what that means to me.”
He just nodded. “I miss him. He was my best friend for twelve years. First him, and now…” He wiped the tears away again. “When you catch this prick I want you to give him a message from me.”
“What?”
“Tell him he’d better pray he never gets out. Because if he does, I’ll be there. Waiting.”
A nurse walked in, breaking the tense mood. “Dr. Winkler, you’re needed in Trauma Two.”
“I’ll be there in a second.”
The nurse closed the door, leaving us alone again. “I have to go,” I said. I stood from the table and took the box. “Thank you. I promise I’ll keep you posted on our progress.”
“Thank you.” He paused to give me a sad smile. “You have a good life, Iris.” Then he walked out of the room.
I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before leaving myself. That went better than I ever could have hoped for.
Luke was already in the car when I got in. His usually unreadable face was scrunched up with impatience. I shut the door and just sat there, waiting for him to say something. He didn’t. Guess it was up to me. “Care to tell me—”
“It’s nothing,” he said. “He’s still upset about the fact that I had to question him. Two of my men had to subdue him when he tried to attack me in the interrogation room. It was…I was surprised when he called me this morning.”
“Yeah, well, it was a tough situation. For all of us.”
“Are you okay? I mean, he didn’t…He
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