said.
“That’s not what I’m worried about, but I wouldn’t be too sure of that if I were you.”
“That’s not it, Wyatt,” she said.
“Then tell me what the hell it is!” he yelled.
Coco whined and stood up, and Maggie put a hand on her neck before she stood up, too. Sitting made her feel too small.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, you need to figure it out, because you just took a road trip with the guy that you told me chopped up Wilmette and dumped him in the ocean.”
“Look, I know you don’t get it, but I really don’t think he wants to hurt me,” she said.
“That’s not even the point.” Wyatt bent over a little so she could look him in the eye. “You’re a cop. You’re a mom. You coach girls’ softball, dammit! But you voluntarily got in a car with a guy that chops people up.”
Maggie shook her head. “I know. I know .”
“I want to go over there and shoot him because he’s messing with your head!” he yelled.
“Everything is messing with my head!” she yelled back. “Are you kidding me? In the space of a month, I work the suicide of the guy that raped me, find out the foot in my other case belonged to the guy that watched it happen, I get caught up in some kind of weirdness with Boudreaux, and I watch my ex-husband get blown up right in front of me! You’re damn right something’s messing with my head, but it’s not just Boudreaux!”
Coco whined and licked Maggie’s hand, then stretched her neck and nudged Wyatt’s. He reached down and put a hand on her head, then ran the hand through his hair.
“You put me in a position of having to choose between protecting your privacy and doing my job, Maggie, and you did it at least partly because of this thing with you and Boudreaux.”
“That’s not true! I told you as soon as I knew for sure that he killed Wilmette.”
“Now you’re not even being honest with yourself,” Wyatt said. “How long did you suspect he did it?”
Maggie paused, not because she didn’t want to answer, but because she wasn’t sure what the answer was. “I don’t know,” she finally said. “But I needed to be sure.”
“And now you are, and you’re riding around the countryside with him like he’s your real estate agent!”
“It was about the Guatemalans, Wyatt, the one case I can still touch with a ten foot pole!”
“But riding in his car was not about the Guatemalans, Maggie. It was about you and Boudreaux!”
“Look, I realize that doesn’t seem like the smart thing to do—”
“Smart thing? It doesn’t even seem like the normal thing to do,” he shot back.
Maggie felt a coldness pass through her chest, and she took a deep breath. “I’m as normal as I need to be,” she said. “And I’m sorry that I put you in a bad position, and I’m sorry that this is getting in the way of something that has barely even gotten started—”
“Don’t kid yourself, Maggie. This,” Wyatt said, and pointed at her and back at himself. “This has been going on a lot longer than a month and you know it.”
“I don’t want to fight with you,” Maggie said.
“Well, that’s too bad! I fight when I’m mad!” Wyatt said. “People fight.”
“David and I never fought,” she said, and instantly regretted it. She hadn’t meant it to be a dig, she just wasn’t used to arguing this way.
“Of course you didn’t, Maggie,” Wyatt said. “You guys were practically brother and sister.”
Maggie stared at him, and he huffed out a breath and started walking toward the stairs.
“Where are you going?” Maggie asked, following him, her vision blurred by sudden tears.
Wyatt turned around on the stairs, but he didn’t look at her. “That was a crappy thing to say, and if we’re going to start saying crappy things, it’s time for me to leave,” he said. He started back down the stairs. “I didn’t come here to hurt you.”
“What did you come here for?” she called after him.
He stopped and turned around. “I came
“That’s not what I’m worried about, but I wouldn’t be too sure of that if I were you.”
“That’s not it, Wyatt,” she said.
“Then tell me what the hell it is!” he yelled.
Coco whined and stood up, and Maggie put a hand on her neck before she stood up, too. Sitting made her feel too small.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, you need to figure it out, because you just took a road trip with the guy that you told me chopped up Wilmette and dumped him in the ocean.”
“Look, I know you don’t get it, but I really don’t think he wants to hurt me,” she said.
“That’s not even the point.” Wyatt bent over a little so she could look him in the eye. “You’re a cop. You’re a mom. You coach girls’ softball, dammit! But you voluntarily got in a car with a guy that chops people up.”
Maggie shook her head. “I know. I know .”
“I want to go over there and shoot him because he’s messing with your head!” he yelled.
“Everything is messing with my head!” she yelled back. “Are you kidding me? In the space of a month, I work the suicide of the guy that raped me, find out the foot in my other case belonged to the guy that watched it happen, I get caught up in some kind of weirdness with Boudreaux, and I watch my ex-husband get blown up right in front of me! You’re damn right something’s messing with my head, but it’s not just Boudreaux!”
Coco whined and licked Maggie’s hand, then stretched her neck and nudged Wyatt’s. He reached down and put a hand on her head, then ran the hand through his hair.
“You put me in a position of having to choose between protecting your privacy and doing my job, Maggie, and you did it at least partly because of this thing with you and Boudreaux.”
“That’s not true! I told you as soon as I knew for sure that he killed Wilmette.”
“Now you’re not even being honest with yourself,” Wyatt said. “How long did you suspect he did it?”
Maggie paused, not because she didn’t want to answer, but because she wasn’t sure what the answer was. “I don’t know,” she finally said. “But I needed to be sure.”
“And now you are, and you’re riding around the countryside with him like he’s your real estate agent!”
“It was about the Guatemalans, Wyatt, the one case I can still touch with a ten foot pole!”
“But riding in his car was not about the Guatemalans, Maggie. It was about you and Boudreaux!”
“Look, I realize that doesn’t seem like the smart thing to do—”
“Smart thing? It doesn’t even seem like the normal thing to do,” he shot back.
Maggie felt a coldness pass through her chest, and she took a deep breath. “I’m as normal as I need to be,” she said. “And I’m sorry that I put you in a bad position, and I’m sorry that this is getting in the way of something that has barely even gotten started—”
“Don’t kid yourself, Maggie. This,” Wyatt said, and pointed at her and back at himself. “This has been going on a lot longer than a month and you know it.”
“I don’t want to fight with you,” Maggie said.
“Well, that’s too bad! I fight when I’m mad!” Wyatt said. “People fight.”
“David and I never fought,” she said, and instantly regretted it. She hadn’t meant it to be a dig, she just wasn’t used to arguing this way.
“Of course you didn’t, Maggie,” Wyatt said. “You guys were practically brother and sister.”
Maggie stared at him, and he huffed out a breath and started walking toward the stairs.
“Where are you going?” Maggie asked, following him, her vision blurred by sudden tears.
Wyatt turned around on the stairs, but he didn’t look at her. “That was a crappy thing to say, and if we’re going to start saying crappy things, it’s time for me to leave,” he said. He started back down the stairs. “I didn’t come here to hurt you.”
“What did you come here for?” she called after him.
He stopped and turned around. “I came
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