“Baby,” he muttered.
“Why’d he cheat on me if he’d keep it?”
“I don’t know.” And Colt didn’t. The man in that photo was holding Feb like he’d fight to the death before he let her go. Some men were weak, like Cory, Colt knew it, he’d seen it time and again. They loved their wives, their partners, but they still played around. Maybe they wondered if the grass was greener. Maybe they preferred the thrill of the chase or liked the excitement when a f**k was fresh and new. Maybe they wanted something their partner refused to give. Maybe they were just ass**les. Though, the likes of Cory’s wife Bethany were no Feb, still, maybe Butch was one of those but Colt sure as f**k wasn’t going to point that out to Feb.
She closed her eyes and turned her face away.
“This needs to go to the Station, get processed,” he told her.
She didn’t open her eyes or turn to him when she said, “Okay.”
He gave her neck a squeeze but she still didn’t give him her attention.
“You want, baby, once it’s processed, I’ll get a copy made for you before it goes into evidence.”
Her eyes came to him, her lips were parted and she just stared.
“You loved him,” Colt said, it took a f**kuva lot out of him but he said it.
“Yes,” she whispered and he knew that word took a f**kuva lot out of her too.
“You have that photo?” he asked.
“No.”
“You want it?”
“Colt –”
He squeezed her neck again and repeated, “Do you want it?”
Those dents formed above her nose, by her brows, before she asked, “You don’t mind?”
“Baby, he’s a dead man.” Her eyes closed again but she opened them when he used his hand at her neck to pull her closer. “I’m sorry, honey, that was harsh. The point is, he was dead to you long before Denny killed him. He’s no threat to me but he meant somethin’ to you. You want the memory in that photo, you should have it.”
Feb stared at him for what seemed a long time before she whispered, “I want it.”
“Then you’ll have it.”
She nodded and swallowed, her eyes flicking down to the counter before coming back to his.
“Can you…” she started and stopped, sucked in breath and said, “will you go through the rest of my mail? Open anything you want. I need to get out of these clothes and my feet are killin’ me.”
“You got it.”
She pulled in another breath then fell forward, the top of her head hitting his chest and her hands coming to his waist. He felt her bunch his shirt there and listened to her take in more breaths, each one deeper than the last. He kept his hand at her neck while she fought for control. Then she pushed away and tipped her head back to look at him again.
“See, ‘Dreams’,” she whispered the name of the song playing. “Soothing,” she finished and then tilted her head back further, got close and kissed the underside of his jaw, like he saw her do to the man in the photo except without the smile.
She pushed away, walked away and Colt watched, doing a scan of his feelings after she kissed him like that, put her mouth on him the same way she’d done to another man.
He found he didn’t feel jealous, resentful or angry.
He felt lucky.
* * * * *
“The picture came up clean,” Sully said to Colt, sliding into his chair at his desk across from Colt’s.
“No prints?”
“Wiped clean, nothin’.”
Colt sat back in his chair and gave Sully his full attention.
“This shit gonna end soon, Sul?”
“It’s all wrappin’ up in neat package tied with a bow, all we gotta do his catch this f**ker,” Sully told Colt. “You were right. Got the bank records and Marie made some withdrawals from her trust fund in Chicago. Total, twenty Gs since last February when Denny took on Cheryl. Talked to Carly, the neighbor, she said Marie told her Denny was askin’ for money, Carly didn’t know why because Marie didn’t know why. Likely, this was part of Marie gettin’ fed up and psyching herself up for the confrontation.”
Colt nodded and Sully continued.
“Money adds up to what Ryan and Cheryl said he gave them, includin’ equipment, gifts, shit like that. Incidental withdrawals from their joint account increased along the way. Nothin’ big, a few hundred dollars here and there but he was yanking money more often, ‘specially the last six months.”
“He pay Ryan and Cheryl in cash?”
“Always.”
“The fifteen K?” Colt asked.
“Gave Cheryl five of it before he left to cover her Fed Ex deliveries and emergency expenses, Cheryl said.”
“Five large is a lot for Fed Ex deliveries,” Colt remarked.
“Big spender,” Sully replied. “Cheryl said he was always generous.”
Colt figured Cheryl wouldn’t miss Denny but, the life she led, she couldn’t help but miss his money.
“He couldn’t have been plannin’ a spree when he withdrew that money,” Colt noted.
“No tellin’ what he was plannin’.”
This made Colt’s blood run cold but he ignored it and carried on.
“He’s in New Mexico, got a package there. Anything?”
“Zip. Guy’s a ghost.”
“We got the car he’s drivin’, photos of him out on the wire, we know where he is and who he’s after. How the f**k can he be a ghost?”
“Colt –”
“Jesus, Sully, this shit’s relentless. We got a boatload of evidence to nail this guy and we f**kin’ know where he is and he’s in the wind?”
“We have more on him, if you’re interested.” Colt didn’t speak so Sully continued. “You asked me to activate the Lorraine gossip tree and we’ll have to make a note to do that in future. Her women were a font of information. One of ‘em, married to a bank officer, knew all about Amy, the baby, the adoption, everything, ‘cept the rape and who the daddy was. Another knows Emily Hope.”
“Emily Hope?”
“Yeah, she was Amy’s best friend back in the day. She lives in Carmel now. She heard about Amy’s death from the Lorraine gossip tree and she heard a helluva lot more from it too. She came in this mornin’ before she went to the funeral.”
Emily Hope. Hearing her name and associating it with Amy’s friend, Colt remembered the name and the girl. He scanned his recent memories of the funeral and he tried to place the girl Amy used to spend time with there. He didn’t know her back then but he had a thing for faces and he didn’t recognize hers at the funeral.
“Why’d he cheat on me if he’d keep it?”
“I don’t know.” And Colt didn’t. The man in that photo was holding Feb like he’d fight to the death before he let her go. Some men were weak, like Cory, Colt knew it, he’d seen it time and again. They loved their wives, their partners, but they still played around. Maybe they wondered if the grass was greener. Maybe they preferred the thrill of the chase or liked the excitement when a f**k was fresh and new. Maybe they wanted something their partner refused to give. Maybe they were just ass**les. Though, the likes of Cory’s wife Bethany were no Feb, still, maybe Butch was one of those but Colt sure as f**k wasn’t going to point that out to Feb.
She closed her eyes and turned her face away.
“This needs to go to the Station, get processed,” he told her.
She didn’t open her eyes or turn to him when she said, “Okay.”
He gave her neck a squeeze but she still didn’t give him her attention.
“You want, baby, once it’s processed, I’ll get a copy made for you before it goes into evidence.”
Her eyes came to him, her lips were parted and she just stared.
“You loved him,” Colt said, it took a f**kuva lot out of him but he said it.
“Yes,” she whispered and he knew that word took a f**kuva lot out of her too.
“You have that photo?” he asked.
“No.”
“You want it?”
“Colt –”
He squeezed her neck again and repeated, “Do you want it?”
Those dents formed above her nose, by her brows, before she asked, “You don’t mind?”
“Baby, he’s a dead man.” Her eyes closed again but she opened them when he used his hand at her neck to pull her closer. “I’m sorry, honey, that was harsh. The point is, he was dead to you long before Denny killed him. He’s no threat to me but he meant somethin’ to you. You want the memory in that photo, you should have it.”
Feb stared at him for what seemed a long time before she whispered, “I want it.”
“Then you’ll have it.”
She nodded and swallowed, her eyes flicking down to the counter before coming back to his.
“Can you…” she started and stopped, sucked in breath and said, “will you go through the rest of my mail? Open anything you want. I need to get out of these clothes and my feet are killin’ me.”
“You got it.”
She pulled in another breath then fell forward, the top of her head hitting his chest and her hands coming to his waist. He felt her bunch his shirt there and listened to her take in more breaths, each one deeper than the last. He kept his hand at her neck while she fought for control. Then she pushed away and tipped her head back to look at him again.
“See, ‘Dreams’,” she whispered the name of the song playing. “Soothing,” she finished and then tilted her head back further, got close and kissed the underside of his jaw, like he saw her do to the man in the photo except without the smile.
She pushed away, walked away and Colt watched, doing a scan of his feelings after she kissed him like that, put her mouth on him the same way she’d done to another man.
He found he didn’t feel jealous, resentful or angry.
He felt lucky.
* * * * *
“The picture came up clean,” Sully said to Colt, sliding into his chair at his desk across from Colt’s.
“No prints?”
“Wiped clean, nothin’.”
Colt sat back in his chair and gave Sully his full attention.
“This shit gonna end soon, Sul?”
“It’s all wrappin’ up in neat package tied with a bow, all we gotta do his catch this f**ker,” Sully told Colt. “You were right. Got the bank records and Marie made some withdrawals from her trust fund in Chicago. Total, twenty Gs since last February when Denny took on Cheryl. Talked to Carly, the neighbor, she said Marie told her Denny was askin’ for money, Carly didn’t know why because Marie didn’t know why. Likely, this was part of Marie gettin’ fed up and psyching herself up for the confrontation.”
Colt nodded and Sully continued.
“Money adds up to what Ryan and Cheryl said he gave them, includin’ equipment, gifts, shit like that. Incidental withdrawals from their joint account increased along the way. Nothin’ big, a few hundred dollars here and there but he was yanking money more often, ‘specially the last six months.”
“He pay Ryan and Cheryl in cash?”
“Always.”
“The fifteen K?” Colt asked.
“Gave Cheryl five of it before he left to cover her Fed Ex deliveries and emergency expenses, Cheryl said.”
“Five large is a lot for Fed Ex deliveries,” Colt remarked.
“Big spender,” Sully replied. “Cheryl said he was always generous.”
Colt figured Cheryl wouldn’t miss Denny but, the life she led, she couldn’t help but miss his money.
“He couldn’t have been plannin’ a spree when he withdrew that money,” Colt noted.
“No tellin’ what he was plannin’.”
This made Colt’s blood run cold but he ignored it and carried on.
“He’s in New Mexico, got a package there. Anything?”
“Zip. Guy’s a ghost.”
“We got the car he’s drivin’, photos of him out on the wire, we know where he is and who he’s after. How the f**k can he be a ghost?”
“Colt –”
“Jesus, Sully, this shit’s relentless. We got a boatload of evidence to nail this guy and we f**kin’ know where he is and he’s in the wind?”
“We have more on him, if you’re interested.” Colt didn’t speak so Sully continued. “You asked me to activate the Lorraine gossip tree and we’ll have to make a note to do that in future. Her women were a font of information. One of ‘em, married to a bank officer, knew all about Amy, the baby, the adoption, everything, ‘cept the rape and who the daddy was. Another knows Emily Hope.”
“Emily Hope?”
“Yeah, she was Amy’s best friend back in the day. She lives in Carmel now. She heard about Amy’s death from the Lorraine gossip tree and she heard a helluva lot more from it too. She came in this mornin’ before she went to the funeral.”
Emily Hope. Hearing her name and associating it with Amy’s friend, Colt remembered the name and the girl. He scanned his recent memories of the funeral and he tried to place the girl Amy used to spend time with there. He didn’t know her back then but he had a thing for faces and he didn’t recognize hers at the funeral.
