Detective Partners (12 page)

Chapter 
1
1

Several hours later, Nicole pulled back the curtain and stepped out of the shower. Grabbing a towel from the rack, she dried herself off and then wrapped the towel around her. She moved to stand in front of the large mirror above the vanity. Her comb was lying next to her makeup bag. She picked it up and ran it through her damp hair. In the mirror, she caught a glimpse of something black on the inside of her left wrist. Lowering her hand, she stared at it and saw it was a bruise. Slowly, she raised her right hand and examined the wrist. A bruise was there as well. She thought of her father and what happened at the jail earlier today.

Nicole was brought out of her thoughts by someone knocking on the bedroom door. She put the comb down and left the bathroom. Making her way to the bed, she removed the towel and snatched up a white silky robe from her open suitcase. She slipped on the robe, belted it tightly, and walked across the room. At the door, she paused and said loudly, "Who is it?"

"It's Galen."

Nicole unlocked the door and opened it. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. He too had recently showered, his hair looked damp. He was wearing a pair of black slacks, a gray dress shirt and a black jacket. She watched as his eyes traveled over her body. Did he know that she was naked beneath the robe? She hoped not. Feeling vulnerable, she hugged herself.

Galen cleared his throat. "I thought I would get a cup of coffee. I was wondering if you wanted to join me."

"I'd like that," she said. "Just give me a few minutes."

"Take your time."

Nicole retraced her steps to the bed and rifled through her suitcase. She took out a pair of navy slacks, a white blouse, stockings, bra and panties. Her undergarments she was careful to keep hidden from Galen. "Have a seat," she told him. "I won't be long." She disappeared into the bathroom, where she quickly got dressed. Once she had finished she sprayed on a little perfume, applied a touch of makeup, and then sat down on the toilet to put her shoes on.

"That was fast," Galen commented when Nicole emerged from the bathroom. "You weren't lying when you said you wouldn't be long."

"I've had a lot of practice getting dressed quickly," she muttered, bending down to retrieve her watch from the nightstand. "Besides, I think it's rude to keep a person waiting for too long."

"I wish more women felt the way you do," he said, rising from the bed.

"I'll let you in on a little secret, Detective." Nicole looked at him. "Women take a long time getting ready because they want to look beautiful for their man. They don't go to all the trouble just for the fun of it."

"Women can get ready quicker than they do and still look beautiful," Galen stated. "It didn't take you long and you look beautiful."

She blushed. "I'm not beautiful, but thank you anyway."

He moved toward her. Stopping in front of her, he placed his hands on her shoulders. "You are beautiful, Nicole."

"No, I'm not," she whispered.

Galen gazed down at her. "Your father has done a real number on you. How many times has he put you down? How many times has he made you feel worthless and-"

"Stop it!" Nicole hissed. "What do you want, Galen? Do you want me to admit that my father abuses me? If I admitted it would you feel better? Tell me what you want?"

"I want you to open up and talk to me," he growled, his eyes flashing. "I'm tired of sharing with you and not getting anything in return. I'm tired of you shutting down when I get too close to something that's painful for you. I want you to confide in me, damn it. Whether you like it or not we're partners. We have to learn to trust each other. How can we do that if you won't let me in?" He sighed heavily as he ran a hand through his hair. "I just want to know you."

His words brought a lump to her throat. Swallowing hard, she lowered her head and closed her eyes. He was right. Everything he said was the truth.
Lord, help me,
she prayed.
Help me open up to him. Help me let go of my fears and let him in. Help me to be the partner he needs and deserves.
"I'm sorry, Galen," she spoke softly. "Can we start over
agai
start fresh?"

"I'm willing to try."

Nicole raised her head and glanced at him. "Buy me a cup of tea and I'll tell you about myself."

"All right."

In a corner booth, at a local coffee shop, Galen watched Nicole stir honey into her tea. Questions raced through his mind and yet he held his tongue. When she was ready to talk she would. He picked up his cup of coffee and took a drink. It was horrible. Grimacing, he set the cup down and reached for a packet of sugar. "I'm seriously thinking about switching to tea."

"Coffee that bad, is it?"

"Yes."

Nicole placed the spoon on the saucer and picked up her cup. She cautiously took a sip of the hot honeyed liquid and returned the cup to the saucer. "I'm not sure where to start."

"Start with something simple," Galen suggested. "Like, have you ever been married? Do you want children?"

"I've never been married," she told him. "Marriage involves opening up and sharing yourself with someone." She smiled weakly. "You know I'm not good at doing that can't have children. Please, don't ask me why I can't. I'm not ready to share that with you yet."

She had a haunted look in her eyes that made Galen want to hold her. "That's all right," he assured her. "You don't ever have to tell me. I'm not asking you to share your life story with me."

"Good." Nicole wrapped her hands around her teacup. The heat radiating from the cup warmed her cold hand, "because it doesn't make for a great story." She took another sip of tea. "My sister was m-murdered. She was shot in the chest at point blank range." She stared down into her cup. "I saw it happen."

Galen's breath lodged in his throat. The need to comfort her tore through him and he reached across the table for her hand. "I'm so sorry you had to witness something like that." She raised her gaze to his face and he saw her eyes were glistening with tears. "I'm sorry, Nicole."

She took a shuddery breath. "My father blames me for her death. He said I should have tried to stop the killer from shooting her. It happened so fast, Galen. I didn't have time to act."

"I believe you
. "
Anger roared to life inside of him. "Your father is a cold hearted son of a bitch," he growled.

"That he is," Nicole agreed.

Galen squeezed her hand gently. "How long has he been abusing you?"

She turned her head and studied the painting hanging on the wall next to their table.
"Ever since I was a child.
It started when I was eleven. Dad worked construction back then. One day he lost his balance and fell off a scaffold." She glanced his way once more. "He was in a body cast for a long time. When the cast came off he found he couldn't work anymore. He was in constant pain and couldn't walk right. So he stayed home and went on disability while my mom worked. With each day that passed he grew angrier and bitterer. It wasn't long before he turned to alcohol, which only fueled his anger."

"He took his anger out on you," Galen said. "Did he hurt your sister and your mom too?"

"Yes." Nicole pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Mom got the worst of it. I tried to protect Joanna. Whenever dad would go to hit her I would step in front of her and take the blow. His favorite weapon was that damn cane of his. When he wasn't hurting us physically it was verbally. We tried to leave once. He beat my mom so severely that she could barely walk. He told her if she ever tried to leave again he would make sure she never walked again. We were trapped with him."

Her words painted a picture that made him feel sick to his stomach. He wanted to pay Stuart Goodwin a visit. It would only take a few minutes to make the old man wish he hadn't laid a hand on his children and wife. "Surely someone saw something," he said. "Surely your teachers or friends saw your bruises."

"If they saw anything they chose to ignore it," She arched an eyebrow. "You can't tell me you're surprised. Back then people didn't interfere in other
peoples
business. Its different now than it was back when we were kids. Now day's people will do something when they see bruises on a child." She cocked her head slightly to the left. "Are you satisfied now that you know?"

"I'm anything but satisfied." Galen took a deep breath and tried to relax his clenched jaw. "I have an urge to take your fathers cane and beat him with it."

"I don't want you going anywhere near him," Nicole uttered in a cool voice. "This is my problem, not yours."

He stared at her for several seconds before he said, "I'll make you a deal, Goodwin. I'll stay away from him if you stay away from him."

"He's my father. I-"

"He's a monster," Galen snarled. "I'm not like the people from your childhood, Nicole. I will not turn a blind eye and pretend everything is sunshine and roses. My conscience would eat me alive if I stood by quietly and let him hurt you."

"He's my father, Galen," she stated. "I know he's an evil person, but I can't turn my back on him. As twisted and as sick as it sounds, he's all I have."

"That's not true." He grasped her hand firmly and looked deep into her eyes. "You have the team, you have Strauss, and you have me. You're not alone anymore, Nicole. You're not alone. Now promise me that you will stay away from him. If you don't and I see one bruise on you, I will do something about it. I will not attend your funeral. I lost Kyle. I won't lose you too. Promise me that you will stay away from him."

"I-" Nicole hesitated for a moment. "I promise."

"You promise what?"

"I promise to stay away from him."

Galen could only hope that she kept that promise.

Chapter  12

After breakfast, the following day, Nicole met up with Galen in the hotel lobby and together they headed to the police station. When they arrived at the station, they were shown to an interrogation room, where Jeremy was all ready waiting for them. He was wearing the standard issued orange jumpsuit and white canvas shoes. Shackles encircled his wrists and ankles. The sight of him sitting there calmly as though he hadn't done anything wrong sent a shaft of anger through Nicole. She took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and moved toward the table.

"Mr. Seaton," Galen said, pulling out a chair and sitting down. "I'm Detective Galen Maxwell and this is my partner-"

"Nicole." Jeremy's brown eyes roamed over her body. "I remember you. The day Marsha introduced us you were wearing a blue shirt and a black skirt. I remember thinking you had nice legs. It's a shame you're wearing pants. I wouldn't mind looking at them a-"

"Watch it, Mr. Seaton," Galen said coolly. "You are talking to an officer."