Detective Partners (10 page)

"Walking the dog."
He scooped up a small ball of fur. "The wife wanted him, but look
who's
walking him."

Galen smirked.

"He's adorable," Nicole said.

"Sure he is," the man replied dryly. "So you're working. What are you doing exactly?"

"We're watching the Seaton residence," Nicole informed him. "You wouldn't happen to know an Andrew Carver, would you?"

"Sure do," he answered. "He's Mrs. Seaton's boyfriend. Why are you watching her house?"

"We're hoping she will lead us to her son," Galen explained. "He's wanted for the murder of his ex-girlfriend."

The man shook his head. "I always knew Jeremy was bad news. On the run, is he?"

"Yes," Nicole said.

"Mrs. Seaton has a second home," he told them. "I think she told me it was in Florida. Jacksonville, I think. You might want to look into it. He could be hiding out there."

"We'll check it out," Galen said. "Thank you for telling us."

"You're welcome," he said. "Well, I guess I had better head back before the wife sends out a search party looking for the dog. Good luck finding Jeremy."

"Thank you," Galen and Nicole said at the same time.

"No problem." He straightened up and walked away.

"I kind of feel sorry for him," Nicole remarked.

Galen grinned at her. "I do too."

"You might want to get back on your phone." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Make some calls and get an address to the house in Jacksonville."

"I'm on it." Galen pulled his phone out of his pocket and started dialing.

Chapter  9

With a frustrated sigh, Nicole dropped the receiver in its cradle and sat back in her chair. She had just spoken to an officer from the Jacksonville police department. He had informed her that he had just returned from the Seaton residence. The place was deserted. They were back at square one. Nicole looked over at Galen, who was sitting at his desk. He was rubbing his temples and grimacing. Sympathy pooled in her chest.

Nicole opened the top drawer of her desk and rummaged through the contents inside. Spotting the bottle of Tylenol toward the back, she grabbed it and shut the drawer. She pushed back her chair, got to her feet, and moved toward his desk. As she drew near, he looked her way. She held out the plastic bottle of pills. "Take a couple. You look as though you need them."

"Thanks." Galen took the bottle from her, removed the lid, and shook two tablets into the palm of his hand. He put the lid back on and gave her back the bottle. "Who were you talking to?" he asked, reaching for a cup of coffee.

"An officer from Jacksonville."
She leaned against the desk and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "He told me he checked out the Seaton residence. Jeremy wasn't there. The place was empty."

"Of course it was." He popped the tablets into his mouth and downed them with coffee. "We can't get that lucky. It's been thirty-eight hours since Seaton shot Marsha Proctor. Hard telling where he is."

"We'll find him." Nicole thought of Marsha. "We have to. His days of being a free man are numbered."

"Detective Goodwin."

Nicole turned around and found Officer Travers approaching. "Hello, Travers."

He nodded his head in greeting and then looked at Galen. "Maxwell."

"Travers," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to Goodwin." Officer Tracers looked her way once more. "May I speak with you privately?"

"Sure." Nicole led the way over to a quiet corner of the room and gave him her attention. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Your father," he answered.

Her stomach lurched. What did he do this time? "What happened?" She held her breath and waited for him to answer her.

"He became belligerent when a bartender refused to serve him another beer." He scratched his jaw. "When he wouldn't leave the bar the bartender called the police. We didn't book him. Instead, we just put him in a cell. I thought it would be best if he slept it off. He's demanding to see you."

Nicole knew what he wanted. He wanted her to let him out. "Thank you for letting me
know
."

"You're welcome." Officer Travers checked his watch. "I need to go. I'll catch you later."

"Catch you later." She made her way back to Galen's desk.

"What did he want?" he inquired, gazing up at her.

"He wanted to talk," Nicole told him.

"I know that." He leaned forward and placed his arms on the desktop. "What did he want to talk about?"

She arched an eyebrow. "Nosy, aren't we, Detective?"

"It's my job to be nosy," Galen pointed out.

"When it comes to a case, yes," she said. "I'm not a case. Besides, what he and I talked about is personal for me."

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "More secrets, I see."

Anxious to leave, Nicole tried hard not to fidget. "I'm going to step out for a little while. If you learn anything about the case you can reach me on my cell phone."

"I don't have your number," he replied.

She bent down, snatched up an ink pen, and wrote her number on a piece of paper. "Now you do," she muttered, tossing the pen on the desk. "I'll try not to be gone long."

.

Nicole came to a halt in front of the jail cell. She glanced between the metal bars at her father. He was lying on a cot, his hands resting on his belly. As she stood there and watched him, she tried to recall how many times she had seen him behind bars.
Too many times to count.
A small part of her was tempted to slip away quietly before he realized she was standing there.

"Are you going to say anything, girly?" Stuart snapped at his daughter.

She cleared her throat. "Hello, Dad."

He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the cot. "They won't let me have my cane. They're treating me like a criminal."

"If they were treating you like a criminal they would have booked you and put you in a jumpsuit," she stated. "You're just spending the night."

"Like hell I am," he snarled. "You're going to get me out of here."

Nicole gripped the cold metal bars. "I think you should stay the night, Dad."

"I don't give a damn what you think," Stuart retorted. He rose to his feet slowly and limped to the bars. "You're going to go tell whoever's in charge to let me out of here." His hands closed around her small wrists and he squeezed hard.

A whimper escaped her. "Please, stop," she whispered.

"Are you going to let me out of here?" he asked. "Your answer had better be yes.
If it's not you'll be in for a world of hurt when I do get out of here."

"Is that right?" Galen growled from the doorway.

Nicole's heart sank. How did he know where she was? It had to have been Officer Travers that told him. Praying that her voice sounded normal, she said, "This is none of your business, Detective Maxwell. Please, go away."

"I can't do that," he said coolly. "I won't do that."

She heard his footsteps approaching and stiffened up.
Please, go away,
she thought.
I don't want you to see this.
Her cheeks turning red from embarrassment, she kept her gaze trained on the wall behind her father.

"You should listen to her, boy," Stuart sneered at Galen. "This is a private conversation between me and my daughter. You have no right interfering."

"I have every right when you're hurting her." Galen came to a stop beside Nicole. "If you want to keep your hands I suggest you let her go.
Now!"

His eyes full of rage, Stuart glared at his daughter. "Who is he?" She remained quiet. "Answer me, girly!"

"He's my partner," she croaked.

"That's right," Galen uttered in a cool voice. "Now let her go."

Once Nicole was free, she rubbed her aching wrists. "I'm fine," she murmured to Galen. "Please go."

"Stay away from the bars." He pivoted on his heels and left the room.

"I'm sorry about that," she mumbled. "I didn't know he-"

"If he ever talks to me like that again you will be sorry, young lady." Stuart cocked his head to one side. "Get out of here. I don't know why I demanded to see you. You can't do anything for me. You're as worthless as your mother was."

His words pierced her heart like a dagger. Tears gathering in her eyes she left the room. In the corridor, leaning against the wall, was Galen. The sight of him had her quickly turning away. She didn't want him to see her pain. Closing her eyes, she took several deep breaths and willed herself to calm down. In a voice that wasn't as steady as she would like it to be, she said, "Y-you had n-no business coming h-here."