couldn’t even begin to understand, Charlotte. You’re not involved in law enforcement.” She managed a weak smile. “Except on the other side.”
I knew this meant something big. Pepper is the third generation of her family of police officers. And Nick’s father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had all been cops in Woodbridge. That’s not even mentioning the uncles.
“Why did you come to see me then?”
She turned away, stared out the window. “Exactly because you’re not a cop. I thought it was a good idea, but now I realize how stupid it was.”
“Yeah well, that’s misfits for you. Dumb as a bag of hammers.”
She gave a weak smile, leaned back against the headrest, and closed her eyes. “I’m so desperate, Charlotte. I think Nick is involved in something seriously bad.”
“We’ve ruled out women, so what does that leave?”
“Think about it.”
“Oh! A crime?”
“It must be.”
“What kind?”
“I have no clue, but he’s put his foot in something, and I’m so afraid he’s going to get himself hurt or even killed.”
8
Make space. Move out-of-season clothing to another location. Don’t overlook the space under your bed to store items in shallow containers.
“For the last time, I don’t want you to do anything. I needed to say it out loud.” Pepper followed this by blowing her nose emphatically.
All right, I may have overreacted to her comment about Nick getting himself killed.
For the fifth time, I said, “But—”
“But nothing. Your job is to listen. That’s what friends do.”
“We can’t let Nick get killed. I have to do something about that.”
“That’s right. When our lives are in danger, we call our closet organizer to fix it all up.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time the closet organizer solved the crime.” Maybe I snapped that.
“He’s not your husband.”
“True, but he’s . . .”
“I feel that he’s involved in something. And don’t ask me for details again, because I don’t have any. It’s intuition. And yes, cops use that.”
“So you think criminal?”
“I don’t know .” She blew her nose again to make the point.
She meant yes. I decided the best thing might be to sit there and quietly listen, just as she’d suggested. Perhaps that would bring out a bit more information.
After a minute, Pepper glared at me. “If you’re trying to wait me out, I know all about that. I’ve interrogated enough people. It won’t work.”
“I’m trying to listen. What do you want me to do?”
“I don’t know that, either.” She managed a weak grin. “Let me rage and carry on in a paranoid manner, I guess.”
“Okay. Rage away.”
She leaned back on the headrest of the driver’s seat and closed her eyes. “I can’t. I’m too tired. I haven’t been sleeping, and that may be all there is behind this. Nick is not the easiest person . . .”
I bit my tongue to keep myself from finishing her sentence with “at the best of times.”
“He’s not good at communicating. And he doesn’t have a knack with looking after Little Nick. He’s not natural daddy material like Jack.”
I turned to look at the lights in my apartment where apparently he was being natural and entertaining Little Nick. It kept me from saying, Damn straight Nick’s not good at communicating . Still, I had to contribute something. “So what made you think that something’s wrong with Nick?”
“He jumps at his own shadow.”
I raised an eyebrow. Whatever you could say about Nick, he’d never been a coward.
“Sometimes I’ll tiptoe into the room trying not to wake the baby and he’ll freak.”
“Whoa.”
She nodded. “Yeah. Not like him.”
“Well, after I was attacked last year, I screamed at every loud noise. And some not so loud ones. I had flashbacks, too. And nightmares.”
“I thought of that. But except for those two incidents that involved you, he hasn’t had any bad encounters. He hasn’t been shot at or shot at anyone else. He
I knew this meant something big. Pepper is the third generation of her family of police officers. And Nick’s father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had all been cops in Woodbridge. That’s not even mentioning the uncles.
“Why did you come to see me then?”
She turned away, stared out the window. “Exactly because you’re not a cop. I thought it was a good idea, but now I realize how stupid it was.”
“Yeah well, that’s misfits for you. Dumb as a bag of hammers.”
She gave a weak smile, leaned back against the headrest, and closed her eyes. “I’m so desperate, Charlotte. I think Nick is involved in something seriously bad.”
“We’ve ruled out women, so what does that leave?”
“Think about it.”
“Oh! A crime?”
“It must be.”
“What kind?”
“I have no clue, but he’s put his foot in something, and I’m so afraid he’s going to get himself hurt or even killed.”
8
Make space. Move out-of-season clothing to another location. Don’t overlook the space under your bed to store items in shallow containers.
“For the last time, I don’t want you to do anything. I needed to say it out loud.” Pepper followed this by blowing her nose emphatically.
All right, I may have overreacted to her comment about Nick getting himself killed.
For the fifth time, I said, “But—”
“But nothing. Your job is to listen. That’s what friends do.”
“We can’t let Nick get killed. I have to do something about that.”
“That’s right. When our lives are in danger, we call our closet organizer to fix it all up.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time the closet organizer solved the crime.” Maybe I snapped that.
“He’s not your husband.”
“True, but he’s . . .”
“I feel that he’s involved in something. And don’t ask me for details again, because I don’t have any. It’s intuition. And yes, cops use that.”
“So you think criminal?”
“I don’t know .” She blew her nose again to make the point.
She meant yes. I decided the best thing might be to sit there and quietly listen, just as she’d suggested. Perhaps that would bring out a bit more information.
After a minute, Pepper glared at me. “If you’re trying to wait me out, I know all about that. I’ve interrogated enough people. It won’t work.”
“I’m trying to listen. What do you want me to do?”
“I don’t know that, either.” She managed a weak grin. “Let me rage and carry on in a paranoid manner, I guess.”
“Okay. Rage away.”
She leaned back on the headrest of the driver’s seat and closed her eyes. “I can’t. I’m too tired. I haven’t been sleeping, and that may be all there is behind this. Nick is not the easiest person . . .”
I bit my tongue to keep myself from finishing her sentence with “at the best of times.”
“He’s not good at communicating. And he doesn’t have a knack with looking after Little Nick. He’s not natural daddy material like Jack.”
I turned to look at the lights in my apartment where apparently he was being natural and entertaining Little Nick. It kept me from saying, Damn straight Nick’s not good at communicating . Still, I had to contribute something. “So what made you think that something’s wrong with Nick?”
“He jumps at his own shadow.”
I raised an eyebrow. Whatever you could say about Nick, he’d never been a coward.
“Sometimes I’ll tiptoe into the room trying not to wake the baby and he’ll freak.”
“Whoa.”
She nodded. “Yeah. Not like him.”
“Well, after I was attacked last year, I screamed at every loud noise. And some not so loud ones. I had flashbacks, too. And nightmares.”
“I thought of that. But except for those two incidents that involved you, he hasn’t had any bad encounters. He hasn’t been shot at or shot at anyone else. He
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