It Should Be a Crime (15 page)

“Are you telling me you don’t know where she is or do you know and you’re not going to tell me? Which is it?” Her tone left no doubt she would not relent until she got a satisfactory answer.

“Stand down, Counselor. I don’t know where she is.”

Morgan read the pause and posed her next question. “But you might have an idea.”

“An idea about what?”

They both turned toward the new voice in the conversation. Parker stood in the doorway of the kitchen, dripping wet. Water ran down the lines of her rumpled suit and puddled at her feet. Despite her soggy appearance, her jaw was set and her eyes were crisp with anger. She glanced from Morgan to Kelsey and back again. Though she was staring hard into Morgan’s eyes, her question was clearly directed to them both.

“What the hell is going on here?”

Morgan stood, her confidence always stronger when she was on her feet. She faced Parker and was suddenly overcome. She wanted to wipe away the trails of wet the rain had left and wrap Parker in her arms, kissing away her anger.

But Morgan knew how to read people, better than most, and she read Parker’s bold anger and crushing hurt. Though she didn’t fully understand the source, she wanted to, and the revelation shook her to the core. Her desire for Parker wasn’t limited to craving her caresses. She wanted to know everything about Parker, past, present, and future. Relying on her instincts, she knew now was not the time. Glancing at Kelsey, she said, “Parker, I was worried when you left the courthouse so suddenly. I came by to check on you.”

Parker made a show of looking Morgan up and down. She reached for Morgan’s sleeve and rubbed the soft cloth between her fingers. Her eyes met Morgan’s and held them with fierce emotion.

“Decide to get comfortable while you waited for me, did you?”

Caught off guard, Morgan blushed, only then remembering she was dressed in Kelsey’s scrubs. She barely heard Kelsey’s outraged cry of protest as she delivered her own response.

“Parker, you are way out of line.”

“I’m out of line? I’m out of line?” Her voice increased in volume. “Don’t you think it’s a little out of line for a professor to make house calls on her students?” Parker pointed to the door, her intention clear as she spat her words. “I want you to leave,
Professor.
Now.”

Morgan stood her ground. Though moments ago she had entered this house with only a vague idea of what drove her, now that she was here, she desperately wanted to stay. But as unsure as she was about her motivation for being here, she was equally sure Parker did not want her to stay. Not now, not like this. She reluctantly resolved to give Parker what she professed to want in this moment. Painfully conscious of her inability to make a dignified exit, she strode through the kitchen, grabbing her shoes and purse as she passed her drying clothes. Ignoring Kelsey’s call to stay and talk, she found her way to the porch and paused just long enough to slip into her heels and ponder whether or not the Palomar had a back entrance.

*

“What in the world was that about?”

Parker sank into the closest chair and cradled her head in her hands. “Honestly, James, I don’t know.”

“Well, you can’t sit there and drip-dry. Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”

Moments later Kelsey reappeared with another set of scrubs and she ordered Parker to change. In a daze, Parker stripped naked in the middle of kitchen, toweled off, and pulled on the soft, worn fabric. She knew Kelsey was waiting for her to talk about what was bothering her, but she couldn’t seem to find the words. The pain of betrayal stung and she felt paralyzed.

“Casey, look at me.”

Parker gazed, unseeing, at her.

“I know you saw Skye today.”

Parker could only shake her head, willing away the memories spilling in. How much pain could Skye Keaton possibly inflict in this lifetime? She had buried her head in the sand. She had been foolish to think she could work in the Dallas legal community and not run into her former lover.

Kelsey gathered her close and whispered, “It’s okay, sweetie. Everything will be okay.”

Parker heard the soothing murmur of her voice, but couldn’t agree less with Kelsey’s conclusion. Everything would not be okay, and as long as she was haunted by the pain of her past, it never would be. She lashed out.

“No, it won’t! You have no idea!”

The look on Kelsey’s face was a combination of surprise and worry. “You’re right. I don’t. I don’t know why you’ve chosen to keep what happened bottled up inside. I can only tell you whatever secret you’re hiding will grind away at you until you bring it out into the light.”

Parker faced her and, perhaps for the first time, realized she had never shared the whole story with anyone, though many close to her knew bits and pieces of what had happened. Even now, as she was consumed with the implications of the past roaring back into her present, she still wasn’t ready to share it all.

“I had no idea Parker Casey was going to be part of the team. Wow! What a coup!”

Ford had a busy day in court ahead, so Morgan had agreed to meet him for an early breakfast at his favorite hole in the wall. In his usual exuberant way, Ford waved his food, this time a piece of bacon, in the air. Morgan’s thoughts were momentarily distracted from the painful memory of the tortured expression on Parker’s face the day before, and she swore she would never work as a public defender since they seemed to eat only in greasy diners. She willed her mind away from the distractions it sought and focused on the issue at hand.

“Ford, I had no idea Parker used to be a cop. If I had, I’m not sure I would have allowed her to work on this case.”

“What the hell?” Ford returned his bacon to his plate and stared her down. “Morgan, this case is a homicide. What better choice for the team than a lawyer who used to work homicide? Didn’t you know what you were doing when you picked her?”

“First off, Parker’s not a lawyer. Second, I didn’t select the team members. Yolanda and Jim Spencer conducted the tryouts. Third, the fact she worked on the force makes me question her motivation in wanting to work on this case, on this side of the issue.” Even as she spoke this last, Morgan knew it wasn’t true. During the past few weeks of class, she had observed Parker’s passion for defense and a thinly veiled hostility for the prosecution. True, these exercises were far from real-life courtroom experiences, but if Parker was merely acting, she was damn good.

“No need to worry about her motivation. Parker Casey has plenty of reasons to champion justice for the little guy. Her law-and-order experience certainly left a bad taste in her mouth.”

Morgan’s nod told him to continue even as she mentally willed him to stop. She couldn’t help feeling torn between wanting to know everything there was to know about Parker, this multilayered woman, but at the same time she wanted distance: distance to do her job, distance to keep her own potentially volatile feelings in check, distance from the pain she witnessed on Parker’s face and her own surging desire to soothe it away.

“Parker was a rising star. She made detective in record time and was hand-picked for homicide. She received tons of commendations and was on the fast track to become lieutenant, though I suspect she had no desire to be part of administration. She was great on the stand—a perfect prosecution witness—unflappable. Cross-examine her and you got objective facts, delivered with an engaging personality. Juries loved her, her higher-ups loved her. Detective Casey had it made.” He stopped his story and waited. Morgan knew Ford well enough to know his pause was designed to make sure he had her full attention before he relayed the “and then” portion of his story.

She decided to play along. “And then?”

“And then she got set up. Skye—you remember Skye, right?” At Morgan’s puzzled look, Ford urged, “Skye Keaton? Lead detective on this case?”

Morgan nodded slowly, wary of the new direction to this tale.

“She and Parker were at a suspect’s house waiting around to question him. You’ve probably read about the case. The guy was suspected of being the Trinity River Killer. Two other detectives joined them because the guy was expected to arrive shortly and he was believed to not only be armed and dangerous, but a total whack job.

“No one knows what really happened, but apparently the guy came home and died of a gunshot wound shortly thereafter. Turns out the guy wasn’t the Trinity River Killer after all.”

“Why do I feel like there’s more?” Morgan hesitated to ask more for fear of what might follow.

“The guy was shot in the back and even though the police administration did their best to keep that little fact out of the news, the guy’s family sued the city for a host of infractions. As a result, the autopsy results became public record. The DA’s office opened a public integrity investigation and the four officers involved in the case were all suspended pending investigation.”

Nausea gripped Morgan and held her in its sour grasp. Every word Ford spoke seemed to lead her closer to what she professed she wanted: more information about the woman who occupied her thoughts, night and day. Yet as his story spun closer to unpleasant truths, she shied away, afraid of the effect. Ford must have sensed something was wrong because he stopped his tale to ask, “Morgan, are you okay? You look pale.”

“I’m fine,” she managed. “Please, finish.”

“I don’t know the whole story. I expect few do. Parker and the detective who fired the shot were both terminated. Keaton and the other detective were given formal reprimands, but were both reinstated. The family of the dead guy settled their lawsuit for an undisclosed amount in exchange for the city admitting no liability. Rumor is Parker sued the city herself for wrongful termination and a host of other things and won a tidy settlement, but no one’s talking about the specifics.”

“Why was Parker fired? What did she do wrong?” Morgan tried to hide the desperation in her voice.

Ford shrugged. “Who knows? A friend of mine in Public Integrity told me at the time in a case with this much publicity, someone had to take a fall, but I expected it would be the guy who pulled the trigger. I suppose only Parker knows for sure what happened.”

Probably true, Morgan thought, wondering if she would be so bold as to ask and then wondering how in the world the topic would or could ever come up between them. After today, meaningful conversation was no longer a possibility between them. Too many unspoken thoughts and unrequited feelings filled the space between them, making the intimacy it would take to have such a dialogue unlikely.

*

“Can I talk to you?”

Parker wasn’t sure if Morgan recognized her voice. She didn’t look up from her desk, but merely said, “Sure. Come on in.”

Parker waited until she had her full attention before she fully entered the room, shutting the door behind her. Morgan was stunning. Last night, when Parker spent hours lying awake thinking of a graceful way to deliver her news, she had not been hampered by the distraction of her beauty. Now, with Morgan sitting in front of her, dressed in a close-cut cream silk suit, she couldn’t help but falter for her opening words.

“I think it would be best if I withdrew from the team.” Parker lowered her head and sighed, relieved to have the words out. She waited for the anticipated agreement from Morgan. Long, silent seconds passed. Parker raised her head and met Morgan’s impenetrable gaze.

“You do?” Morgan picked up a pen and began to write in a notebook on her desk. “I would like you to tell me why.”

What about what I would like,
Parker asked silently.
I would like to escape this situation with as much dignity as I can. Telling you every sordid detail of my past isn’t likely to leave me with much. Let it go, Morgan. Let it go.

A long look at Morgan’s face told Parker she wasn’t going to get off so easy. Walls shot up and she invoked customary defenses. “I’d rather not say. It’s personal. I can only say I’m sorry about the way I behaved yesterday. Kelsey’s my best friend and I’m ashamed of the way I acted when I saw you two together. My reaction had nothing to do with either of you. I have other things going on and those things prevent me from being able to give my best to the team. It would be best if I withdrew.”

Morgan contemplated Parker’s stoic speech. The script she had delivered had probably been practiced in front of a mirror, but it was still canned and incomplete. Morgan knew there was more behind Parker’s angst than a simple “I have other things going on,” and she was determined to find out what those things were because she was sure these “things” held the key to figuring Parker out. Figuring out Parker vaulted to the top of her list of things to do, and she wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of accomplishing her objective.

“I respectfully disagree. Parker, you’re a fantastic addition to the team. I know you used to be a cop and I know something happened to take your chosen career away from you. I don’t know what it was and I don’t care to pry into your private life.” Morgan winced inwardly at the lie. “Let’s put yesterday behind us and move on. We have a lot of work to do.”

Parker wasn’t sure how to react. She was partly relieved to have her offer rejected, but a part of her was pissed at the way Morgan dismissed what had happened as if it was nothing. Did this woman have to take everything in stride? No wonder she could do what she did so well. She didn’t let herself feel. She probably didn’t care about either Luis Chavez or Camille Burke. They were nothing more than pieces in a complicated puzzle she was hell-bent on solving.