about her…” She stiffened. “You don’t stop loving the one love of your life. Ever. No matter how it ended. At least, I don’t.”
“Is that what Treva is? Was? The love of your life?”
“Did I say that?” A dark laugh that held no mirth. “Let’s get real, Dan. I’m a cop. I bench-press two-fifty. I can take down an armed meth freak with one hand and make him cry for his momma. I mean, Christ, I’m Harry Polk with tits. Do hard-asses like me go around bawlin’ about the love of their life?”
“So what exactly are you doing right now?”
She smiled then. A real one, this time.
“Bawlin’ about the love of my life. What’s it look like, mister?”
I took a chance and leaned in toward her. Gently touched her shoulder.
“You know, you’ve never struck me as a hard-ass, Eleanor. Dedicated, yeah. A solid cop. But you’re no Harry Polk. I mean, hell, I like Harry. As much as he’ll let me, I guess. But you’re something very different. You know it. And so does he.”
She looked as though she were going to argue the point, but then paused. Squeezed the tears at the edge of her eyes with her thumbs.
“So what now, Doc?”
“Up to you. You want to mention your past relationship with Treva Williams to your superiors, go ahead. If not, that’s fine by me.”
She heard the hesitation in my voice.
“But…?” she prompted.
“Look, the last thing in the world I’d ever do is tell you how to do your job. But I do think you need to ask yourself if you can still be effective on this case. If your feelings for Treva will get in the way.”
“They won’t.”
“But soon we’ll be going back to the hospital to interview her.”
“So?”
“So you’ll be asking her to relive— again —the terrors she experienced during the robbery. Not to mention what she went through in the ambulance. Waking up to find some guy she didn’t know wearing Vickers’ security guard uniform. Getting assaulted. Surviving a deadly crash. Frankly, I’m pretty concerned about her state of mind right about now. Worried about whether I’ll know how best to deal with it. I can’t even imagine how you’ll feel.”
She nodded slowly, thoughtfully.
“I get what you’re saying. And maybe you’re right. But maybe my being at her side when we talk to her will calm her. Make her feel protected by someone who really knows her. Who once cared about her. And still does.”
She got wearily to her feet. “Look, I know I’m tryin’ to make the case for myself…but I really think she’ll be more helpful to us if I’m there. That we’ll get more out of her. Stuff we can use to get these pricks.”
I stood up, too. Rolled the stiffness out of my neck and shoulders. Felt the damp sweat on my shirt collar.
“Like I said, your call.”
As we turned and headed back along the river’s edge toward Noah’s Ark, she put her hands once more in her jeans pockets. Then, abruptly, she took her right hand out and touched my forearm. Let it linger there as we walked.
I didn’t say anything. Didn’t know what to say. What signal she was sending.
“Thanks,” she said at last.
“For what?”
“Being a pal. Listening. Keeping secrets.”
“Hell, you just laid out my job description. Comes with the license.”
“You know what I mean. Just promise me something, okay?”
“Sure.”
“If, in your opinion, my feelings about Treva are getting in the way of the investigation, you’ll give me a heads-up. Let me know.”
“You can count on it.”
She grinned. “I figured I could.”
Thirty seconds later, her grin had faded.
Because her cell had rung. She’d answered, listened intently and then clicked off. Stood frozen. Shut her eyes for a long moment, breathing slow and hard.
When she turned back to me, her look was a mix of incomprehension and anger.
“That was Robertson at the hospital. He said Treva’s doctor just informed him that she’s awake and alert. And that she’s able to answer
“Is that what Treva is? Was? The love of your life?”
“Did I say that?” A dark laugh that held no mirth. “Let’s get real, Dan. I’m a cop. I bench-press two-fifty. I can take down an armed meth freak with one hand and make him cry for his momma. I mean, Christ, I’m Harry Polk with tits. Do hard-asses like me go around bawlin’ about the love of their life?”
“So what exactly are you doing right now?”
She smiled then. A real one, this time.
“Bawlin’ about the love of my life. What’s it look like, mister?”
I took a chance and leaned in toward her. Gently touched her shoulder.
“You know, you’ve never struck me as a hard-ass, Eleanor. Dedicated, yeah. A solid cop. But you’re no Harry Polk. I mean, hell, I like Harry. As much as he’ll let me, I guess. But you’re something very different. You know it. And so does he.”
She looked as though she were going to argue the point, but then paused. Squeezed the tears at the edge of her eyes with her thumbs.
“So what now, Doc?”
“Up to you. You want to mention your past relationship with Treva Williams to your superiors, go ahead. If not, that’s fine by me.”
She heard the hesitation in my voice.
“But…?” she prompted.
“Look, the last thing in the world I’d ever do is tell you how to do your job. But I do think you need to ask yourself if you can still be effective on this case. If your feelings for Treva will get in the way.”
“They won’t.”
“But soon we’ll be going back to the hospital to interview her.”
“So?”
“So you’ll be asking her to relive— again —the terrors she experienced during the robbery. Not to mention what she went through in the ambulance. Waking up to find some guy she didn’t know wearing Vickers’ security guard uniform. Getting assaulted. Surviving a deadly crash. Frankly, I’m pretty concerned about her state of mind right about now. Worried about whether I’ll know how best to deal with it. I can’t even imagine how you’ll feel.”
She nodded slowly, thoughtfully.
“I get what you’re saying. And maybe you’re right. But maybe my being at her side when we talk to her will calm her. Make her feel protected by someone who really knows her. Who once cared about her. And still does.”
She got wearily to her feet. “Look, I know I’m tryin’ to make the case for myself…but I really think she’ll be more helpful to us if I’m there. That we’ll get more out of her. Stuff we can use to get these pricks.”
I stood up, too. Rolled the stiffness out of my neck and shoulders. Felt the damp sweat on my shirt collar.
“Like I said, your call.”
As we turned and headed back along the river’s edge toward Noah’s Ark, she put her hands once more in her jeans pockets. Then, abruptly, she took her right hand out and touched my forearm. Let it linger there as we walked.
I didn’t say anything. Didn’t know what to say. What signal she was sending.
“Thanks,” she said at last.
“For what?”
“Being a pal. Listening. Keeping secrets.”
“Hell, you just laid out my job description. Comes with the license.”
“You know what I mean. Just promise me something, okay?”
“Sure.”
“If, in your opinion, my feelings about Treva are getting in the way of the investigation, you’ll give me a heads-up. Let me know.”
“You can count on it.”
She grinned. “I figured I could.”
Thirty seconds later, her grin had faded.
Because her cell had rung. She’d answered, listened intently and then clicked off. Stood frozen. Shut her eyes for a long moment, breathing slow and hard.
When she turned back to me, her look was a mix of incomprehension and anger.
“That was Robertson at the hospital. He said Treva’s doctor just informed him that she’s awake and alert. And that she’s able to answer
Similar Books
