Don't Tell (31 page)

Lambert stiffened. „About?“ he asked, as if he really didn’t want to know the answer.

Toni blew out a sigh. „About the boots we found on his back porch. Sue Ann Broughton said Winters had brought the boots home Monday morning when he came home. I talked to him late Sunday night after I’d paged him…“ She shrugged. „Half a dozen times or so. He said he’d been occupied questioning a witness in the gang stabbing of that convenience store owner over on Fifth Street. We were looking for Alonzo Jones, the gang leader, and Winters said he knew where he was hiding. The next day, one of the boys caught on the store video with Jones was found beaten to death in an alley. Nobody thought anything about it – kids in gangs get beaten. It happens.“

„Until you saw the boots,“ Steven commented.

Toni nodded. „I sent them to the lab and they found hairs on the boots that came from a black person.“ Her shoulders sagged. „The boy was buried yesterday.“

Lambert paled. „He kicked a boy to death to get information?“ He shook his head. „I don’t know why I continue to be amazed, but I am.“

Toni’s eyes closed, her mouth tightened. Her fists clenched atop a pile of paperwork. „And now I have to tell the boy’s mother her son may have been murdered by one of my men,“ she finished in a ragged whisper.

„This is not your fault, Toni.“ Lambert’s tone was low and urgent. „You didn’t know.“

Toni shook her head. „I always knew something wasn’t right.“ Her shoulder lifted in a muted shrug. „I just thought he was a prejudiced good ol’ boy.“ She pressed her fingers to her lips. „How could I have missed this?“

Lambert shot a helpless look at Steven, shaking his head.

Steven took Toni’s hand from her mouth and clasped it tightly. „Because you’re not God. Neither am I. Neither is Lambert, even though he could pass for Archangel Gabriel in a pinch.“

„Hey,“ Lambert protested, smiling weakly.

Steven smiled back, then sobered and squeezed Toni’s hand. „We do the best that we can every day, Toni. You know that.“ He released her hand and straightened to his full height, feeling his fatigue melt away, resolve taking its place. „We’ll get him,“ he vowed. „He’ll make a mistake. And we’ll take him down.“

Chicago

Friday, March 16

12 noon

Dana folded her arms over her chest. „You have to tell him the truth, Caroline, before this whole thing with Max goes any further.“

Caroline kicked at a clump of soggy grass at the edge of the duck pond. The bliss she’d felt in his arms the night before had waned sometime between his good night kiss at her front door and the sleepless night she’d spent alone, imagining the worst. Tossing and turning, she rehearsed the speech she’d recite when she told him the truth, and each time she could see his face tighten in anger, pale in revulsion. Fatigue and worry made her voice harsh.

„So tell me something I don’t already know.“

„I’m sorry.“ Dana squeezed Caroline’s arm through her coat. „How can I help you?“

„Play Cyrano?“

„Caroline.“ Dana shook her head. „If he loves you and you love him, telling him the truth won’t change a thing. Well, it won’t,“ she added when Caroline flipped her a sarcastic glance.

„I know.“ Caroline leaned over to stroke the petals of a brave daffodil, wishing she herself were. „I just don’t have the words. I have no idea where to begin.“

„Caroline, stop feeling sorry for yourself, schedule yourself on his calendar and tell him.“

The irony in Dana’s voice sunk in and Caroline straightened her spine. „Okay. I will.“

„When?“

„Tomorrow.“

„Caro.“ It was the „don’t-give-me-no-shit“ tone Dana did so well.

„Okay, okay. I’ll at least schedule the time today.“

„Good girl. Now that that’s settled, run the part about his dream of your hair on his pillow by me again. I missed the salient parts the first time.“

Caroline threw a mock punch to Dana’s shoulder. „Watch it, Dupinsky.“

Dana pulled on her sunglasses. „I fulfill my role as Mother Confessor and Dear Abby and yet you deny me fulfillment of my prurient curiosity. That’s gratitude for you.“

She sighed, her voice suddenly weary. „I have to be getting back to the House. Do it today, Caro.“

„As soon as I walk back into the office. Hey, Dana?“

„What is it now?“

„Are you okay? I didn’t like the sound of that sigh.“

Dana shrugged. „I’ll be fine. I just had another woman run away yesterday. She just arrived at the House on Wednesday and she’s already gone.“

Caroline shook her head. „I hate it when they run back to their husbands.“ She abandoned her usual diatribe at the sag of Dana’s shoulders. „What’s her name, honey?“

Dana rubbed the back of her neck, as if she could rub the weariness away. „Angie.“

„I’ll remember her in my prayers.“

Dana’s mouth smiled, but the smile never reached her eyes. „Thanks, hunny. And Caroline, about Max? Do it to-day.“

Caroline rolled her eyes. „I said I would.“

„Yeah, yeah, yeah. That and sixty cents gets me a Hershey bar from the candy machine. Later, Caroline. Call me when you’ve done it.“

Caroline found Max at his desk, on the phone. He saw her and smiled. „I have to go, Frank.“ He listened and grinned. „Yes, I promise I’ll be there tomorrow, ten sharp. I won’t forget. I have to go now.“ He hung up the phone and waved her closer.

„So what was that all about?“

He reached for her hand and pulled her onto his knee.

„Max!“

He put on an innocent look. „What?“

She struggled, but he held her firmly on his lap. „Somebody, anybody, could come by.“

„So?“

„S-so I s-still work for you,“ Caroline spluttered, fighting the panic that started to rise in her throat at being so restrained. He opened his arms, releasing her.

„Then go and close the door.“

Caroline’s heart calmed. He’d let her go. This is Max, Caroline reminded herself. He’s a good man. Your good man. The thought sent shivers down her back. Instead of getting up, she snuggled closer. „In a minute.“

Max’s arms closed around her again. „I’ve been wondering where you were.“

She rubbed her cheek on his shoulder, enjoying the simple feel of him. „Talking to Dana out by the duck pond. Mmm,“ she sighed. „You smell so good.“

„That’s supposed to be my line.“

She smiled and burrowed a little closer, catching her breath when one of his hands slid under her butt to lift her closer. His other hand settled comfortably on her hip, caging her to him. But it didn’t feel like a cage at all. Oh, no, not at all. „So what was Frank after?“

Something was different, Max thought. Good different. This was the first time she’d cuddled with him of her own volition. Whatever barriers she’d built seemed to be coming down. „He asked me to do a skills workshop in a lower-income neighborhood. Tomorrow morning.“

„That’s good… mmm.“ She ended her sentence on a purr as he lifted her chin and took her lips in the kiss he’d been dreaming about since he’d finished their good-night kiss the night before. He’d lain awake a good part of the night, wanting her. Wanting her in his bed, her body tangling with his. Of course, he’d wanted her in his bed from the first moment he’d laid eyes on her. But now there was so much more. He wanted her in his house with him. Wanted her smile to be the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes every morning. Wanted her strength and her tenderness. Forever. He lifted his head and looked down at her beautiful face and his heart swelled.

He wanted Caroline to be his wife.

Now that was spontaneous. Or maybe it was just that he’d finally gotten it right.

„Caroline,“ he whispered and she opened her eyes. She loved him. She’d said it last night and now he saw it in her eyes. „I – “

He never finished the sentence, cut off by a shrill cry.

„Caroline!“

Caroline jumped, twisting off his lap and around to see the door.

Evie stood there, white-faced and trembling. „You – “

Caroline took three steps toward the girl before Evie raised a shaking hand. „You knew,“ she whispered fiercely. „You knew how I felt and you moved right in anyway. I hate you.“

„Evie, please.“ Caroline took another step forward and Evie stepped back.

„I trusted you. I believed you were different.“ She shook her head, her pretty mouth twisted in a hateful sneer. „Did you think it was funny, Caroline? Cute? Did you think I had a little crush on my schoolteacher? You’re no better than any of the others. A cheap slut who’ll sell her soul to the first man who comes along.“

Caroline only looked at her, shaking her head, saying nothing in her own defense.

Max stood and Evie turned her furious glare his direction. „You. You were interested in me. You looked at me like you wanted me!“

„No, Evie.“

„Don’t tell me ‘no, Evie.’ Because it’s true.“ Evie spun around to Caroline and slapped her face so hard that Caroline stumbled and fell to the floor.

Max was at Caroline’s side in two strides that left him wincing. He went down on one knee and pulled Caroline from the floor to a kneeling position. He lifted his eyes to see Evie staring at Caroline in horror, her hand still raised as if she were frozen in that position.

„That will be quite enough, Evie,“ Max said quietly. „On Monday, I’ll bring you before the Dean. Use of violence on this campus is not allowed, in any capacity. For any reason.“ Her hand slowly lowered and Evie turned from the room without another word.

Max lifted Caroline’s chin, unsurprised to see her eyes heavy with unshed tears. „I’m sorry,“ he murmured.

„You didn’t do anything.“

„I’m sorry she hurt you. Where will she go?“

Caroline looked up and the tears spilled down her cheeks. „I don’t know. She doesn’t have anywhere to go except to Dana’s apartment. That’s the only home she’s really ever had.“

„Do you want to go after her?“ he asked, wiping her face with his thumbs. The imprint from Evie’s hand had left a red mark on Caroline’s cheek. He tamped down the anger he felt at the sight. Evie meant a great deal to Caroline, so he’d try to understand the girl’s reaction for Caroline’s sake, but he couldn’t allow her to strike Caroline or any other staff member and go unpunished.

„No, she won’t want to talk to me now. She’ll go to Dana. I need to call Dana and warn her.“

„Then go. In a minute. First…“ He caught her and pulled her into his arms. She came willingly, he thought with relief. He’d been afraid she’d feel some kind of guilt at Evie’s angry recriminations. He held her, gently rubbing her back until she shuddered out a sigh.

„I’ve got to go now.“ She lifted her face and caught Max around the neck in the same movement. She tugged his head down and touched her lips to his. It was the first kiss she’d initiated. He was acutely aware of it, even if Caroline was not. „What are you doing tonight?“

He rubbed his lips across hers, loving the way it felt. So perfect. „I was hoping you’d have dinner with me. We could leave right after my last class.“

She shook her head, not breaking the contact. „Sorry, I have to go home and make sure Tom’s ready for his camping trip. Come to my apartment and I’ll make you dinner,“ she whispered against his lips.

„Come to my house. My kitchen is bigger.“ My bed is bigger, he thought, all the while knowing intimacy wasn’t in the cards for tonight. Not with her bodyguard hovering. Tom still didn’t trust him, but they’d get there. Tom would have to, Max thought. Otherwise the next fifty years of their lives would be unbearable, because Max fully planned to marry the boy’s mother, whatever it took.

„Okay. I’ll be there by eight.“

He kissed the corner of her mouth. „I’ll come and get you at six-thirty.“

She drew back and gave him an uncertain smile. „Okay. Be hungry.“

„I will.“ He waited until he heard the outer office door close. „I am.“

Asheville

Friday, March 16

2:30 p.m.

Steven trapped the phone between his ear and shoulder to type a final line on his daily summary E-mail to Lennie Farrell as he listened to his youngest son relate a story of first-grade angst. He hit send, then leaned back in the folding chair in his little sauna to more fully savor the tale.

„So then what happened?“ Steven asked. He’d missed his boys, he thought, glad to be leaving for home for the weekend in just a few hours. His middle son, Matt, had a piano recital the next day Steven had promised not to miss.

„Then Jimmy Heacon puked all over Ashley Beardsley.“

Steven had to smile at the obvious glee in his baby’s voice. „Well, it’s not that often something that exciting happens on the playground. I guess Jimmy Heacon won’t be taking dares to eat live worms again anytime soon.“

Nicky chuckled. „I guess not.“ A pause, then more soberly, „Daddy, how much longer does Officer Jacobs have to take me to school?“

Fear stabbed his heart again, the same as every time Steven thought of Winters putting his hands on his baby. Which was about ten times an hour. But Gary Jacobs was a good man, an officer he’d trust with his own life. And more importantly, with his child’s. It was the one thing that kept him from fleeing back to Raleigh to hide with his sons in a makeshift bunker. „Until we catch the man that you talked to that day, darlin’. Why, don’t you like Officer Jacobs?“

„Yeah, I guess so.“ Nicky’s voice held a wistful note. „I just wish you were home, Daddy.“

Steven kneaded his temples, feeling his omnipresent headache notch in a little deeper. His hand flattened to cover his eyes from the bright light in the conference room. „I wish I were home, too, baby. I’ll see you later tonight.“ He glanced up through his fingers to find Toni standing at the door gesturing for him to hang up. „Hey, Nicky, I’ll call you later, okay?“

„Okay, Daddy. Love you.“

„I love you, too, Nicky.“ He hung up and Toni entered, a single piece of paper in her hand.

„My baby,“ Steven explained, pointing at the phone. „What’s up?“

She approached, a fresh light in her eyes, and laid a sheet of paper on the table before him. „New LUDS just came in on the fax for you. Winters called a Charlotte number, right after he hung up with Jolley yesterday.“