the Barneses home. I got enough out of him to know there’d been trouble, and where you were. Why isn’t your father with you?”
“He doesn’t know. I’ll tell him about it tomorrow.”
“What the hell’s wrong with you?”
She blinked, like a woman coming out of a dark room into the light. “What?”
He pulled her out of the elevator, across the hospital lobby. “Do you want him to hear about this from someone else? To not hear your voice, hear you tell him you’re not hurt? What are you thinking?”
“I … I wasn’t thinking. You’re right.” She fumbled in her purse for her phone as they crossed the lot. “I need a minute. I just need a minute.”
She got into the car, steadying herself, steadying her breathing. “Okay.” She whispered it to herself as Jonah started the car. She punched in the number, waited through the first ring, then heard her mother’s voice.
“Mom.” Her breath hitched. She bore down, holding a hand over the phone until she was sure her voice would be normal. “I’m fine. Everything okay there? Uh-huh. Listen, I’m on my way home, and I need to speak to Dad a minute. Yeah, that’s right. Cop talk. Thanks.”
Now she closed her eyes, listened to her mother call out, heard the warm mix of their laughter before her father’s voice sounded in her ear.
“Ally? What’s up?”
“Dad.” Her voice wanted to crack but she refused to let it. “Don’t say anything to upset Mom.”
There was a pause. “All right.”
“I’m okay. I’m not hurt, and I’m on my way home. It went down tonight, and things went wrong. Ah, one of the team was wounded, and he’s in the hospital. One of the suspects is in there, too. We’ll know more tomorrow on both.”
“You’re all right? Allison?”
“Yes, I wasn’t hurt. Dad. Dad, I had to fire my weapon. They were armed. Both suspects were armed and opened fire. She wouldn’t … I killed her.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“No, please. Stay with Mom. You’ll have to tell her and she’s going to be upset. I need to … I just need to go home and— Tomorrow, okay? Can we talk about it tomorrow? I’m so tired now.”
“If that’s what you want.”
“It is. I promise, I’m all right.”
“Ally, who went down?”
“Dietz. Len Dietz.” She lifted her free hand, pressed her fingers to her lips. They didn’t feel stiff now, but soft. Painfully soft. “He’s critical. The lieutenant’s still at the hospital.”
“I’ll contact him. Try to get some sleep. But you call, anytime, if you change your mind. I can be there. We both can.”
“I know. I’ll call you in the morning. I think it’ll be easier in the morning. I love you.”
She broke the connection, let the phone slide into her purse. She opened her eyes and saw they were already in front of her apartment. “Thanks for …”
Jonah said nothing, simply got out, came around to her door. Opening it, he held out a hand for hers. “I can’t seem to get my thoughts lined up. What time is it?”
“It doesn’t matter. Give me your key.”
“Oh, yeah, the traditionalist.” She dug it out, unaware her other hand was clutching his like a lifeline. “I’m going to start expecting flowers next.”
She walked through the lobby, to the elevator. “It seems like there’s something I have to do. I can’t get a rope around what it is, though. There should be something I have to do. We identified her. She had ID anyway. Madeline Fricks. Madeline Ellen Fricks,” she murmured, floating like a dream out of the elevator. “Age thirty-seven. She had an address in … Englewood. Somebody’s checking it out. I should be checking it out.”
He unlocked the door, drew her inside. “Sit down, Ally.”
“Yeah, I could sit down.” She looked blankly around the living room. It was just the way she’d left it that morning. Nothing had changed. Why did it seem as if everything had changed?
Jonah solved the matter by picking her up and carrying her
“He doesn’t know. I’ll tell him about it tomorrow.”
“What the hell’s wrong with you?”
She blinked, like a woman coming out of a dark room into the light. “What?”
He pulled her out of the elevator, across the hospital lobby. “Do you want him to hear about this from someone else? To not hear your voice, hear you tell him you’re not hurt? What are you thinking?”
“I … I wasn’t thinking. You’re right.” She fumbled in her purse for her phone as they crossed the lot. “I need a minute. I just need a minute.”
She got into the car, steadying herself, steadying her breathing. “Okay.” She whispered it to herself as Jonah started the car. She punched in the number, waited through the first ring, then heard her mother’s voice.
“Mom.” Her breath hitched. She bore down, holding a hand over the phone until she was sure her voice would be normal. “I’m fine. Everything okay there? Uh-huh. Listen, I’m on my way home, and I need to speak to Dad a minute. Yeah, that’s right. Cop talk. Thanks.”
Now she closed her eyes, listened to her mother call out, heard the warm mix of their laughter before her father’s voice sounded in her ear.
“Ally? What’s up?”
“Dad.” Her voice wanted to crack but she refused to let it. “Don’t say anything to upset Mom.”
There was a pause. “All right.”
“I’m okay. I’m not hurt, and I’m on my way home. It went down tonight, and things went wrong. Ah, one of the team was wounded, and he’s in the hospital. One of the suspects is in there, too. We’ll know more tomorrow on both.”
“You’re all right? Allison?”
“Yes, I wasn’t hurt. Dad. Dad, I had to fire my weapon. They were armed. Both suspects were armed and opened fire. She wouldn’t … I killed her.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“No, please. Stay with Mom. You’ll have to tell her and she’s going to be upset. I need to … I just need to go home and— Tomorrow, okay? Can we talk about it tomorrow? I’m so tired now.”
“If that’s what you want.”
“It is. I promise, I’m all right.”
“Ally, who went down?”
“Dietz. Len Dietz.” She lifted her free hand, pressed her fingers to her lips. They didn’t feel stiff now, but soft. Painfully soft. “He’s critical. The lieutenant’s still at the hospital.”
“I’ll contact him. Try to get some sleep. But you call, anytime, if you change your mind. I can be there. We both can.”
“I know. I’ll call you in the morning. I think it’ll be easier in the morning. I love you.”
She broke the connection, let the phone slide into her purse. She opened her eyes and saw they were already in front of her apartment. “Thanks for …”
Jonah said nothing, simply got out, came around to her door. Opening it, he held out a hand for hers. “I can’t seem to get my thoughts lined up. What time is it?”
“It doesn’t matter. Give me your key.”
“Oh, yeah, the traditionalist.” She dug it out, unaware her other hand was clutching his like a lifeline. “I’m going to start expecting flowers next.”
She walked through the lobby, to the elevator. “It seems like there’s something I have to do. I can’t get a rope around what it is, though. There should be something I have to do. We identified her. She had ID anyway. Madeline Fricks. Madeline Ellen Fricks,” she murmured, floating like a dream out of the elevator. “Age thirty-seven. She had an address in … Englewood. Somebody’s checking it out. I should be checking it out.”
He unlocked the door, drew her inside. “Sit down, Ally.”
“Yeah, I could sit down.” She looked blankly around the living room. It was just the way she’d left it that morning. Nothing had changed. Why did it seem as if everything had changed?
Jonah solved the matter by picking her up and carrying her
Similar Books
