Accused (17 page)

“And if the minor is innocent? Are you interested in evidence that would prove innocence?”

“Edwards, you’ve been a cop for a third of the time I have.” Tucker had regained some control of himself but was obviously still simmering. “Let experience rule here. Akins is guilty as sin. And he’s a very accomplished liar. Now what did he tell you?”

“It was a private conversation.”

An ominous silence drenched the room for a few seconds.

“I’m sorry, Carly, truly sorry you decided to go this route.” Captain Garrison stood. “Consider yourself, as of this moment, on emergency suspension, without pay. I need you to surrender your badge and gun.”

27

Emergency suspension.

The only other officers she’d known who were placed on emergency suspension were eventually fired.

A sergeant from internal affairs escorted her first to retrieve her duty weapon from her locker and then out of the building. He’d be in touch about the required hearing. Any permanent discipline called for a civil service hearing, but the emergency suspension had already done the damage. Her badge and gun were gone, and who knew what would happen between now and the hearing. Carly drove to her mother’s house dazed, the fog in her mind thicker than the fog during her morning swim.

She felt as though everything were spiraling downward; someone had flushed the toilet of her life. People she’d believed in for ten years were pressing hard for something she knew was wrong. Tension built from her hands and spread up her arms and shoulders to the base of her neck, where a knot formed.

All I’ve ever wanted to be is a police officer. For ten years I’ve worked hard to uphold and enforce laws and do my best as a cop. Can the job really be gone because I’m fighting to unearth the truth?

“God, why am I being punished? If you are the God Nick says, what have I done wrong? Is this how you reveal yourself?” Carly whispered without expecting an answer.

She stopped before she reached her mother’s house, in the middle of the street. The unmarked police car parked in front of the small house stuck out like a sore thumb, and seeing Karl Drake on the porch was like a punch in the stomach.

What now?
She hesitated in the street, contemplating turning around and going somewhere else. Trouble was, she had no place else to go but forward to find out what the homicide detective wanted.

“What brings you to my mother’s doorstep?” Carly asked as she got out of the car and strolled, struggling to relax, to where Karl stood.

“Oh, a social call.” Drake smiled. “Actually, I hoped you might be able to help me.”

“Help you how?”
I’m off the team big-time now.

“The Teresa Burke murder. I want to know what you know.”

“What I know?”
Is he joking?
Carly crossed her arms and sighed, struggling for some balance.
After what I’ve just been through, I don’t need Drake leaning on me like everyone else.
With Drake waiting for her to respond, Carly tried to imagine every angle. Most importantly, whose side was the detective on?

“I was the one kicked off the invest at the beginning, remember?”

“But you didn’t stay out of it. I know that from listening to Tucker rant and rave.”

“The last I heard, you were off the case also.”

“At least I had a case! Tucker has nothing!” Drake spit tobacco juice into the yard.

“I’ll agree with you there, but why you came to me is a mystery.”

“Come on, Carly. The mayor deserves competent investigators. Both of us were taken off the investigation for the wrong reasons. We’re in the same boat; we should work together.”

“I didn’t think a detective could overrule a sergeant, a captain, and a chief.”

“Forget the letter of the law here! Open your eyes. Something isn’t right about this investigation.” Drake began to fidget.

“That may be, but—”

“No buts! Look, I think something’s going on here. Someone with more clout than the chief took us off the case, and it wasn’t because of any confession.” Drake pounded a fist into his palm. “We might have uncovered something else.”

Carly bit her tongue to keep from responding and studied the detective. He wanted to suck her into this. Something nagged the edge of her consciousness. Why didn’t she believe him?

She’d barely had a chance to process her thoughts before Drake continued, still fired up and tense. “Let me ask you this—when was the last time you heard of seasoned investigators being taken off a case, a high-profile case, because someone was worried about
security
?”

“I can’t ever remember such a thing unless someone asked to be removed because of conflicts.” Still wary, Carly listened carefully.

“Exactly, and we’ve had worse captains than Garrison. He’s a jerk, but he’s not generally vindictive or unfair. Do you want to hear the official reason I was removed from the Burke case?”

Carly shrugged. “I know what I heard at the reception, something about court testimony.”

Drake cursed. “‘Clarity for court.’” He spit the words out in an imitation of the captain’s voice. “According to Garrison, it’s better to have only one officer needed for court testimony. Can you believe that garbage? We’re cops,
investigators
. Trained to testify in court. We were moving along well with the invest, building good physical evidence that we are more than able to testify to. Physical evidence will hold up in court much better than that self-serving confession Tucker got. And now the adult is dead.”

“You’re sure the gangster still alive is guilty?”

“Without a doubt,” Drake answered quickly.

Wrong answer,
Carly thought.
But what is he fishing for?
“What is it I can do for you?”

“I want to know what the kid told you. Word is you went to see him yesterday.”

Carly shook her head in frustration. “Where did you get the word? How do people know my every move?”

“Tucker got a call last night—I don’t know from who—and he went ballistic about you disobeying orders, etc., etc. Who else has been asking?”

“Tucker, for one. And I’ll tell you the same thing I told him: it was a personal conversation.”

“Forget Tucker. I’m trying to help. And I’m not the enemy.” His platitudes rang on deaf ears.

“Help who?” Carly almost laughed.

“Look . . .” He stopped midsentence and stared over Carly’s shoulder.

She turned and followed his gaze to see Nick pulling into the driveway.

“Hey, guys.” Nick got out of the car and walked their way, nodding to Carly. His expression clearly asked,
“What is going on?”

“Hi.” Carly moved toward Nick, glad he was there to break up the impromptu meeting. “Karl was just leaving.”

“Think about what I said,” Drake growled as he walked away. “You know where to find me.”

“What was that all about?” Nick asked as the plain car drove away.

“Are you following me?” she asked, a little sharper than she intended. But she still felt unsteady because of Drake.

Nick held his hands up. “No, I just figured you’d be here if you weren’t at your apartment. Why haven’t you called me back?”

“I . . .” She took a deep breath, wondering just what she should tell him about Jeff.

“What?”

“It’s a long story.” Carly was suddenly very tired. “I just don’t have the energy to go through it out here. Let’s go inside.”

“I have time for a long story. Where have you been, and why are you avoiding me?” Nick asked as they walked into the house.

Carly took a deep breath. “I saw Jeff again, and he told me not to trust you,” she said mildly, in stark contrast to the turmoil in her heart.

“You what!”

Carly flopped down on her mother’s couch and left Nick standing amazed in the entryway. “Yep. We had an interesting discussion.” She ran her hands through her hair, leaned back, and closed her eyes.

“So you run out on me without any explanation?”

His tone lit her short fuse. Eyes open, Carly lurched forward and pounded her fists on her thighs. “Nick, what do you want from me? I’m not exactly having a good month here. You cheated on me, remember? Is it supposed to be
easy
to trust you again?”

Nick recoiled as if he’d been slapped. After a few minutes, he sat down on the far end of the couch. “I’m sorry. I’ll be sorry for the rest of my life. But you have to believe me when I tell you I’m on the level. What can I do to help you trust me?”

Carly shook her head and rubbed her temples. “I’ve been suspended without pay. They took away my badge.”

At that moment the walls fell away, and tears that had been building since they told her that Derek Potter was dead spilled out. Pain, loss, and frustration crashed in, and Carly didn’t even protest when Nick took her in his arms and held her while she sobbed.

28

“They can’t make the suspension stick; you know that,” Nick said when Carly composed herself. He handed her a box of Kleenex. “They’re just trying to scare you.”

She blew her nose and regarded him, feeling calmer now but a bit embarrassed by her loss of control. Something her mother used to say ran through her mind—about a good cry cleaning out the pipes. Carly, though, hated feeling and appearing helpless. But as she took a deep breath, she admitted to herself that she did feel better. And she was able to focus clearly on Nick and the problem at hand.

“
They
, Nick? Listen to you. These are people we work for, people who are supposed to uphold the law. Why are
they
trying to scare me?”

“I wish I had a good answer.” His befuddled expression almost made her smile.

She stifled a chuckle and sniffled. “You know, Jeff showed up at your house the morning you left to go see the captain.”

“What?” Nick’s confusion turned to anger in an instant.

Carly told him about Jeff’s suspicions, why Nick couldn’t be trusted, and his request that she talk to Londy.

Nick chewed on a thumbnail, silent as he digested the information. “I don’t know what to make of that,” he said finally. Shaking his head, he shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away from Carly, out the living room window.

“I could use some coffee right now. How about you?” he asked.

Carly heard the pain in his voice and knew this situation with Jeff weighed heavy. Standing, she sighed. “Great idea. Make it strong. I’ll join you in a minute.”

Nick nodded and headed for the kitchen while Carly went to the bathroom to wash her face. After drying her hands, she still fought conflicting emotions about Nick. They were getting close again.
Is that what I want?
She had no clear answer. The only clarity that surfaced in her thoughts was that she wanted her job back and she wanted the killers in custody. Nick was the only one who could help her with that right now.

A few minutes later she joined him in the kitchen, feeling emotionally drained. Nick stood waiting for the coffee to finish, and in spite of the hurt and pain over the divorce, her conflicting emotions, and what Jeff said or insinuated, she knew Nick was trustworthy. She could and would be able to count on him. Acknowledging that fact made her feel as though a heavy weight slid off her shoulders.

“I feel better now, and that coffee smells great.” Carly kept her tone neutral and inhaled the aroma of brewing coffee. She reached out and touched Nick’s sleeve. “Thanks for listening.”

“No problem.” For a minute their eyes locked.

Carly saw the warmth in his, but the spell broke when the coffee machine beeped.

Nick looked away and grabbed a couple of mugs. “I’m glad you feel better. Now, grab that picture Londy drew for you and let’s check it out. Maybe we can figure out what Jeff was after when he asked you to find out where Darryl Jackson worked.” He poured two cups of coffee while Carly got Londy’s drawing of the harbor out and unfolded it on the table.

Nick studied the drawing and scratched his chin. “I’m not familiar with this section of the harbor. It’s not at all close to where Jeff made his big drug bust. But Londy sure did a good job on the drawing.”

“He concentrated hard when he drew it. By the way, Jeff thinks you got him into trouble because he confided to you how he got the intel to make the bust.”

Pain creased Nick’s furrowed brow. “I need to slap Jeff when I see him. I trust him, and he should return the favor.” He tapped the table with his index finger. “I’ll say this for Jeff: he sure learned how to ghost. No one has even a hint about where he might be. I heard Sergeant Roberts talking today. They’re considering asking Elaine to go on TV and make a plea to Jeff to turn himself in. You seem to be the only person he appears to. Did he say when he’d be back?”

Carly shrugged. “No, I expect he’ll just pop up. I just wish he’d hurry. With Darryl dead, I’m worried about Londy. And after being ambushed in the captain’s office, I wouldn’t be surprised if they trump up a charge against me for Derek’s shooting.”

“Now look who’s seeing conspiracy everywhere.” Nick smiled. “I put a call in to a friend at the FBI, someone I know we can trust. Can you try to hang tight and not do anything until I hear from him?”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m too tired to do anything else today. I feel like a zombie. My mom will be home soon. I think this is a Bible study night. I don’t want to be underfoot while she gets ready. I was going to leave and get something to eat.”

“Sounds like a plan. Can I buy you Sancho’s?”

Sounds great,
Carly thought before she said anything. Though she knew he was an ally, physically getting back into step with him would be hard.
I can’t believe you of all people are my lifeline right now.
In the end, she decided it was just one meal. “Sure. Let’s go. I’ll leave a note for Mom.”

They walked to the restaurant in companionable silence. Carly didn’t miss the raised eyebrows of the people at Sancho’s who knew she and Nick were divorced.
Let them guess.

Over fish tacos, she and Nick caught up on the last year. Carly fairly ached with the realization of how much she’d missed him and their married life together. The dog was great, but not really a comparable substitute. After the meal, they walked around Main Street with coffee before heading back to her mother’s. By then the Bible study people had begun to trickle in.

Nick said good-bye at the door, and as Carly watched him leave, she wondered,
Will I ever truly be able to forgive him and, most of all, forget what he did?

Unable to answer the question right then, Carly tiptoed quickly to her room through the kitchen so as not to be in any way involved with the Jesus people in the house.

Though it was still early, Carly got ready for bed. She had a novel and planned to read in bed while the study was going on. When it started, bits and pieces came through loud and clear; she found it difficult to concentrate on the book and hoped the meeting would not go on long. After about an hour, she realized she was getting nowhere with the novel and set it down to cast an exasperated glance at the clock. Next to the clock was a framed saying Carly’d read a million times.
“I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.”

“Whatever that means.” Closing her eyes, she tried not to listen, but the lecture was coming in loud and clear.

“Jesus told the people gathered, ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’”

Carly had heard that before. Her mom had it tacked up somewhere.

“We must give him our burdens and learn to trust God enough that, once everything is in his hands, his perfect plan will unfold,” the voice droned on.

Carly contemplated earplugs. Eventually, however, fatigue took over, and the last sentence she heard before falling asleep was “Ladies, God waits for all of us to ask. He won’t force himself on anyone. He is there for us, but we have to ask.”

Much later, after the house was silent and the Bible-thumpers were gone, Carly dreamed of being followed by a large man with a big bat. In her dream, the man wasn’t Derek Potter, but he was someone Carly knew. Only Carly couldn’t remember his name. She woke up in a cold sweat just as the bat was about to come down on her head.

The red numbers on the clock by her bed read 3:15. She had just decided to get up and turn on the television when she heard the sound of a motor running and a car door opening and closing. It wasn’t loud, but it was out of place. Her mother’s street was always quiet as death after midnight.

Carly shivered slightly as her bare feet hit the cold floor. Quietly she stepped into her slippers and stretched.

The first crash hit and she jumped. Glass broke and something thudded across the floor.

She lurched to her nightstand and grabbed Nick’s gun. She’d forgotten to give it back to him. There was a second crash, followed by the slamming of a car door and tires squealing. For a split second Carly wavered between checking on her mom first and trying to see what had happened in the living room.

Kay’s room was in the back of the house, and all the noise was from the front. Carly had started toward the living room when she inhaled a wave of acrid smoke that brought on a coughing fit. The sight took her breath away.

The curtains were ablaze. Fire leaped across the carpet and onto the couch.
Someone firebombed my mother’s house!