Alone in the Dark (89 page)

Jill threw her arms around Scarlett’s neck, thanking her over and over for Gayle’s safe return.

Scarlett grasped the girl’s shoulders and looked her in the eye. ‘You made a difference, telling me about that letter. It’s unlikely that any of us would have made it back if Marcus had met Sweeney at the park. It would have been an ambush. So thank you.’

The young woman walked on air for a long time after that.

Marcus and Scarlett gradually made their way back to Stone, who put a finger to his lips when they came in. Delores was curled up in the chair next to him, her hand holding his through the bed rails.

‘What is this?’ Marcus asked fondly.

‘She takes in strays,’ Stone said with a shrug.

Marcus’s eyes narrowed. ‘Never, Stone. I never want to hear you put yourself down like that again. Please.’

Stone shrugged again, his eyes closing, but not before they saw the pain there. ‘Cal . . . Bridget. Jerry and those guards. I tried, Marcus.’

‘I know. I also know you saved Jill and the other three that you shoved down to the archive room. You’re a hero, Stone.’

‘Finally,’ he murmured. ‘Maybe.’ He gestured for Scarlett to come close. ‘He’s in Miami.’

Scarlett frowned in confusion. ‘Who?’

‘Phineas Bishop, Corporal. Your brother, right?’

Scarlett’s throat closed up, her hand flying to cover her mouth as a sob tried to get free. ‘You found Phin? How? I’ve tried for so long.’

‘If he doesn’t want to be found – or thinks he doesn’t – you’d never find him. I spent some time last night sending emails to old Army pals. I know some people who work with vets. On the ground, not in hospitals. Somebody knew somebody who knew Phin. His address is on my computer. I’ll send it to you as soon as I can.’

She was having trouble breathing, new tears starting to fall when Marcus slid his arm around her waist, holding her up. ‘You . . . Oh my God, Stone,’ she whispered. ‘Do you know what you’ve done?’

‘Yeah, I do exactly. I gave you your brother back. You gave me mine back too. We’re even now.’ He looked up, met Marcus’s eyes. ‘No more death wishes, right?’

Marcus choked out a laugh. ‘No, I’m good.’

Stone closed his eyes wearily. ‘Really sleepy. Gayle’s safe? All the bad guys dead?’

‘Yes and yes,’ Marcus said. ‘We killed the last one ourselves. It was a tie. Me and Scar and Deacon and Kate. And Davenport.’

Stone struggled to open his eyes. ‘Who’s Davenport?’

Scarlett was still sniffling. ‘We’ll tell you later. Sleep now. We’ll be back.’ She kissed his forehead gently. ‘Thank you.’

Stone’s lips curved. ‘You’re welcome. Hey, do something for me?’

‘Name it,’ she whispered.

‘Wow. This is power,’ he murmured. ‘Can you get me all the gear I need to take care of a dog? I think Delores has talked me into adopting one.’

She brushed the hair from his forehead. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow and you can tell me exactly what you want.’

Marcus led her into the hall. ‘Are you going to tell your folks about Phin?’

‘I think I’ll wait until I get the address. Maybe at dinner tomorrow.’

Marcus let out a long breath. ‘Today, you mean. All I want is to go home and fall asleep in your purple room with your dog hiding under the bed. I might never leave.’

They’d made it to the elevator when they heard Kate Coppola calling their names. ‘Scarlett, Marcus, wait up.’

They stepped back from the elevator doors. ‘What’s the news on Davenport?’ Scarlett asked.

‘Not as bad as we thought. The bullet was a through and through, here.’ Kate tapped the left side of her chest. ‘He has a cracked rib, pulmonary contusions, and a hemopneumothorax.’ She said the words carefully. ‘In English, that means he’s got a bruised lung and blood in his chest cavity. They gave him a blood transfusion and put in a chest tube.’

Beside her, Marcus grimaced. ‘That sounds pretty bad, Kate.’

‘Could have been worse. They’ve got him on a ventilator and put him in a medically induced coma so that he can heal. Apparently the healing part hurts like hell.’

‘My injury was a bit different,’ Marcus said, ‘but the hurting like hell part is the same.’

‘What about the three guys in the car? Sweeney’s guys?’

‘The driver is Danny Trevino and the guy in the front passenger seat was Dave Burton. Both former cops, so their prints were on file. Trevino served time too, so his popped out of AFIS. Trevino ID’d the guy in the backseat as Sean Cantrell, Sweeney’s son. Burton died on the way to the ER. My bullet,’ she added grimly.

‘You kept him from continuing to shoot at us,’ Scarlett said levelly. ‘Your bullet may have saved our lives.’

‘I know. But I wanted him alive to talk. Trevino claims he got a call from Burton – his boss – who needed a pickup. He met them at the main road, presumably while we were confronting Sweeney in the driveway. Burton told Trevino that Sean was bleeding badly but was able to tell Burton about the jackknife stashed in his shoe. Burton flung himself to the ground, chair and all, and managed to get to the knife. He sawed the ropes off Sean, then Sean got him loose. Burton used the knife to slit Stephanie Anders’s throat.’

Scarlett grimaced. ‘Even with a sharpened jackknife that wasn’t a quick death. She probably suffered. Not that I’m complaining, mind you.’

‘I’m not sorry she’s dead,’ Marcus said tightly. ‘But I would have liked Tala’s family to have their day in court with her.’

‘I know,’ Kate said kindly.

‘Don’t keep me in suspense,’ Scarlett said impatiently. ‘What about Sean?’

‘He’s in surgery. The crash hurt him worse than Sweeney did, ironically. Hopefully he’ll survive, because he’s apparently the one with all the information.’ Kate sighed. ‘Davenport’s handler and the two guys that Davenport stashed are all dead. Looks like a case of a hidden knife again. The crime-scene guys found a ripped hem in Reuben Blackwell’s pants. Reuben and Jackson had nearly freed themselves when Agent Symmes came into the apartment. There was a struggle. One of Sweeney’s guys stabbed Symmes, but he shot them before they could get away. All three of them died.’

Scarlett sighed. ‘Did Agent Symmes have a family?’

‘Yeah. Parents only. No wife or kids. Zimmerman and Troy went to do the notification.’

‘At least Deacon didn’t have to do it,’ Scarlett murmured. ‘What about Davenport being in a coma? How long does the thorax thing take to heal?’

‘Once they bring him out of his coma, a few days to a week. He recorded all the bugged conversations in Sweeney’s house, so I have tapes to listen to in the meanwhile.’ Kate smiled, and it wasn’t pleasant. ‘And there’s always Alice. I’m going to enjoy that interrogation.’

‘She won’t tell you anything,’ Marcus said wearily.

‘Don’t be so sure,’ Kate said. ‘How’s Gayle Ennis?’

‘Resting comfortably,’ Marcus said, his lips curving with a genuine smile that took Scarlett’s breath away once again. ‘They’ll keep her tonight for observation, then let her go home tomorrow. My stepfather, my sister and I will help Gayle’s niece take care of her.’

He hadn’t included his mother in that caretaker list, Scarlett thought, and now that she’d met Della Yarborough, she understood why. There was a frailty, almost a transparency about the woman, as if one more blow would break her. She thought about how her own mother had sat next to the woman who’d been a stranger to her before tonight. Jackie Bishop had lent Della her strength, and Scarlett felt a surge of pride and love for her mom. And a wave of pity for Marcus for having to be the strong one all the time.

Not anymore
. Scarlett would make sure that the man beside her understood that he didn’t have to carry all the weight ever again.

‘I’m glad Gayle is safe,’ Kate said, then hesitated. ‘I’m sorry about your friends at the
Ledger
. Please let me know if there’s anything you need.’

Scarlett slid her arm around Marcus’s waist, gave him a brief but hard hug. ‘We will,’ she said. ‘Now if there’s nothing else, we need to get some rest. We have a lot to do tomorrow.’

‘Goodnight then,’ Kate said. ‘And thank you both.’

Scarlett steered Marcus into the nearest elevator, then hit the button for the lobby. ‘Together,’ she said softly. ‘Do you understand, Marcus? You don’t have to do any of this alone. You have your family and friends. And you have
my
family and friends.’

His throat worked as he swallowed hard. ‘And you?’

‘Yes,’ she said simply. ‘Let’s go home.’

Epilogue

Cincinnati, Ohio
Wednesday 12 August, 8.30
P.M.

Scarlett put the last of the dishes in the dishwasher, then wiped down the new stove that had magically appeared in her kitchen two days after they’d killed Sweeney and rescued Gayle. It was the Viking six-burner, two-oven model she’d shown Marcus the first time she’d brought him home. The first time they’d made love.

They’d made a lot of love in the week since, sometimes fast and sometimes slow. Sometimes simply because Marcus had ghosts in his eyes. Scarlett thought that tonight would be one of those times.

‘I think that was everything,’ her mother said after doing one last check of Scarlett’s house for any plates or silverware their open-house guests might have set aside and forgotten. ‘I even had your brother check under the beds in case your dogs dragged any bones up there.’

Scarlett smiled at her. ‘Thank you, but Zat and BB have been outside all afternoon. If they got a bone, they buried it out back.’ Both dogs had been Marcus’s shadow today, rarely straying more than a few feet away. Scarlett kissed her mother’s cheek. ‘Thanks for everything. I’ve never done an open house after a funeral before. You made this one they’ll all remember.’

They’d laid Cal to rest that afternoon and the mood had been somber. Until her mother started to mingle, asking everyone for their favorite memory of Cal. Soon enough, all of Cal’s friends were laughing. Some tears, too, but a lot of laughter.

‘It’s a skill I’ve picked up over the years,’ her mother said, then sighed. ‘Unfortunately.’

Because her father and brothers had been to more than their share of funerals too. It was part of being a cop. Or a cop’s wife.

‘I’m going home now, Scarlett,’ she said, patting her daughter’s cheek, then looked over her shoulder to where Marcus sat on the back deck, all alone now. ‘Take care of him.’

Like she’d seen her mother care for her father all her life. ‘I will.’

Locking the front door behind her mom, Scarlett went abruptly still. Music was coming from the deck. Marcus was playing his guitar. She hadn’t heard him play in person – only on the tapes he’d made in the park.

He’d sung the Vince Gill ballad for Cal this afternoon as everyone had gathered at the man’s graveside. Scarlett had been expecting Marcus to sing, so she was prepared emotionally. What she hadn’t expected was the sweetness of Audrey’s voice as she’d sung backup in perfect harmony, holding on tight to Marcus’s hand. Brother and sister had sung a cappella and not an eye was left dry – except Marcus’s own.

Quietly Scarlett joined him on the deck, sitting next to him on the porch swing she’d rescued from a yard sale. From here they had an amazing view of the river. He gave her a quick glance from the corner of his eye and started to put the guitar away, but she stopped him.

‘No, I want to hear it. What were you playing?’

He rested his arm atop the guitar’s curved side, then propped his chin on his arm. ‘That was nice. What your mother did today. Reminding us of why we loved Cal so much.’

He hadn’t answered her question, but she let it go. ‘I know. Mom’s good at that.’

He bent his mouth into a half-frown. ‘Cal hated “Go Rest High”. Always made him cry.’

Scarlett had been sitting between Marcus and Diesel on the front row of folding chairs at the graveside, and when Marcus had begun to sing, Diesel had lost it. The big man’s shoulders had shaken as he’d sobbed his heart out. Scarlett had ended up patting his back through the song and letting him cry on her shoulder.

Marcus hadn’t shed a tear until he’d returned to sit next to her, and even then he hadn’t made a sound. He’d bowed his head, his shoulders heaving as he’d silently grieved. Scarlett had rubbed his back too, through the dark suit he’d worn.

That he still wore. He hadn’t changed after coming back to her house after the graveside service. He still wore the tie, too, although he’d tugged it away from his collar.

Abruptly he thumped his thumb against the guitar’s glossy face, his expression annoyed. ‘I shouldn’t have sung it. I should have sung what Cal liked.’

Scarlett rubbed his back in slow, large circles, just as she’d done at the service. ‘I think it helped the attendees,’ she murmured. ‘It’s one of those expected things. Helps people have closure. Funerals are for those we leave behind anyway.’ He shrugged, saying nothing. Feeling like she’d answered the test question incorrectly, she scooted closer to him on the swing, sending them rocking. ‘What was Cal’s favorite song?’

His lips didn’t smile. ‘“What a Wonderful World”,’ he murmured, and then she recognized the song he’d been strumming. ‘I thought of singing it, but it’s not a wonderful world. I didn’t want to be disrespectful to the families of those we lost in the shooting. For them it won’t be a wonderful world for a long, long time. But did I disrespect Cal?’

‘I think Cal loved you, Marcus, so much that a little thing like that wouldn’t have bothered him at all. You might be right, though, that the other families would have been hurt. My grandpa used to say that if you were in doubt on something like that, don’t do it. It’s not worth the cost. But you could sing it right now. For him. And for me.’

‘All right.’ He began to pick the tune, and she realized that she was holding her breath, waiting for him to sing. His voice was the opposite of Louis Armstrong’s – smooth where Louis had been growly and gruff – but he made the song just as beautiful.

When he’d finished singing and his guitar had grown quiet, she cradled his face in her hands and kissed him with all the sweetness she could muster. Quickly he took over the kiss, blindly setting the instrument in its stand so that he could pull her onto his lap. When he finally lifted his head, they were both breathing hard.

‘I needed that,’ he whispered.

‘So did I.’

A slow grin spread over his face when he lifted his eyes to the yard next door. ‘We have company.’

Mrs Pepper stood on her side of the fence, a look of rapture on her face. She recovered when she saw them looking at her, giving them a little wave. ‘I baked you cookies, Marcus,’ she called. ‘I’ll leave them on my front porch. You come get them whenever you like.’

‘Thank you, Mrs Pepper,’ he called back, smiling when she scurried back into her house. ‘She’s going to make me fat with those cookies.’

‘Nah. I plan to work you hard, painting and fixing stuff. Then I plan to play hard.’ She tapped his lips with her finger. ‘And no middle school “hard” jokes. You’re worse than Stone and Diesel.’

‘Who do you think taught Stone everything he knows? Diesel, he came warped.’

She chuckled, content to sit on his lap while he lazily rocked the swing with one foot. ‘I always thought it was “dogs say goodnight”. The song, I mean. I thought old Louis was singing “bright blessed day, the dogs say goodnight”,’ not “dark sacred night”.’

He laughed out loud for the first time that day, and her heart smiled. ‘I kind of like dogs saying goodnight better,’ he said, then rocked her for a little while as they watched the sky turn rosy.

‘It was nice to see Tabby Anders this afternoon,’ Scarlett said. ‘She came with Annabelle Church. Tabby’s gone to live with her. So have the Bautistas, at least until they get on their feet. Their application for the visa to stay here in the country is going well at this point.’

‘I know. They talked to me too today. I know Phillip wished he could be there. Edgar, too.’

‘I’m just glad they’re both going to be all right,’ she said fervently. ‘Oh, and I saw Kate.’

‘I saw her, but I didn’t get a chance to talk to her. Did you?’

‘I did. Agent Davenport woke up this morning. Hopefully they’ll take him off the ventilator so that he can talk to her. The doctors are saying he’ll make a full recovery.’

‘That’s very good news,’ Marcus said, relieved.

Yes, it was, because Sweeney’s son Sean hadn’t made it. He’d died of his injuries two days after trying to take over his father’s business. Scarlett only hoped his pain had been unbearable. But speaking his name aloud seemed wrong at the moment, when they were trying to think of all the lovely things that made the world wonderful.

‘Did you see that couple that came up to me after the graveside service?’ Marcus asked after another few minutes of silence.

‘Which one? The cemetery was super-crowded.’

‘The woman who looked like she was twelve months’ pregnant.’

‘Oh, right. I did see her. Why? Who were they?’

‘She was one of the women we helped escape her abusive husband four years ago. She’s made a life for herself and her kids. Finished her degree. The man she was with is her new husband of about a year. The baby is due in a few weeks. She said she was having a boy and asked if it would be okay if they named him after Cal.’

‘Oh wow.’ Scarlett pulled back far enough to see his face. ‘That’s beautiful.’

‘That’s what I said. Then I asked the new husband if he was okay with that and didn’t he want to name the baby after himself. He said naming it after one of us had been his idea. That if we hadn’t gotten her free, he wouldn’t have a family today.’

Scarlett’s eyes stung. ‘That’s lovely,’ she whispered, not trusting her voice.

Marcus smiled the smile she loved the best, the one that filled his eyes. ‘Then the husband said he was grateful we’d said it was okay to choose Cal, because he didn’t want a kid named Diesel. He was even more relieved when I told him that Diesel’s real name is Elvis.’

Scarlett laughed. ‘I guess he would be relieved about that.’

‘So it is a wonderful world,’ he said quietly. ‘For them.’

Scarlett sighed. ‘You can’t fix everything for everyone, Marcus. You can only do your best, one day at a time. Sometimes bad things happen and we can’t change them. Some people are going to get away with murder and some families will be broken. I can’t put every killer behind bars and you can’t save every abused mother and child.’

‘We do what we can,’ he murmured. ‘But if I’m not doing what I was doing before, what will I do?’

‘You mean how can you continue helping people but do it legally so that your girlfriend doesn’t have to throw your ass in jail?’ she asked dryly.

He kissed the tip of her nose. ‘Yes. That.’

She rested her head on his chest. ‘I don’t know what you should do, but I know you’ll figure it out. Whatever you decide to do, you need to remember that you’re not alone. Not ever again. Got that, Mr O’Bannion?’

‘I think I got it, Detective. I think I should start building a gazebo tomorrow. With screens to keep out the bugs that are eating me alive. And maybe a shade or two for privacy.’

‘Mrs Pepper’s watching us again?’

He smiled. ‘From her upstairs window.’

Scarlett smiled back. ‘Then I say we give her a show.’

He kissed her hard. ‘I don’t think her heart can take what I have in mind.’

She laughed when he stood, carrying her in his arms as if she weighed nothing. ‘I bet she’s swooning right now,’ she said.

‘Good for her. Are you swooning?’

‘I have been since the moment I first heard your voice. Sing for me and I’m putty in your hands. Play for me and . . . well, hopefully
your
heart can take what happens next.’

He dipped her so that she could grab his guitar. ‘I think I’m willing to risk it.’