The Truth Seeker (25 page)

“I watched Marcus pace with frustration over the situation. I know you got hurt. I’d like to know what happened.”

He waited.

The song on the radio changed, then played to completion. Quinn didn’t interrupt the silence between them; he knew Lisa was deciding “He wanted me to go back to practicing real medicine so he could if she was going to trust him.

introduce me to his family.”

Quinn intertwined his fingers with those of her good hand and stopped himself from giving his opinion of that.

“I did,” she finally agreed.

Relieved to be out of that quicksand, he rubbed his chin against the “Can I ask you something?”

“I don’t know if I like your questions.”

“Would you have married Kevin had he better understood you?”

He thought she wasn’t going to answer she thought about it so

She squeezed his hand. “He surprised me. I lost my ability to be eloquent. I don’t think he even understands what he did.”

“He may have been going out with you, but he hadn’t taken the time to know you.”

“And you think you do?” she asked with some skepticism and lingering hurt.

Yes, he understood her, better than she realized, but this was definitely not the time to tell her he knew about Andy. “You’re going to have to trust me enough to tell me about who you saw die. Then I’ll really understand. But I know you chose understanding death as one way you would cope with that memory.”

top of her head. “I also know you’ve treated with dignity those whose deaths you’ve investigated. I’m proud of you for being able to do that.

I see too many cops and other law enforcement personnel who don’t have that grace.”

“That isn’t hard to do, Quinn. They have relatives and spouses and children and friends. Everyone who dies still matters.”

long. “Yes.”

“Why?”

“Quinn, I was proud of him and glad to be with him. He’s a good man even if he has a bit of a big ego—ER docs have that failing. I admired the job he does, I liked the fact he was close to his family.” She hesitated. “And he liked me,” she added softly.

“I can understand why Jack broke his nose.”

She tried to turn as she protested.

He stilled her. “No, hear me out. I said I can understand it, not that

I would have necessarily done the same thing. When he took that slap at your profession, he not only took a slap at part of you, he offended the family. He should have been proud of you, instead he dismissed what you did. It was a classic case of poke one O’Malley, poke them all.”

“Jack shouldn’t have been that touchy.”

“He’s your brother, he’s allowed.”

She turned her head to look up at him. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Have you ever been close to tying the knot, so to speak?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Finding someone who loves Montana, likes art, adores me, shares my faith, and wants to settle down is not an easy proposition.”

“Why not Jennifer? or Kate?”

“Lisa, get that tone out of your voice. I did not offend your sisters.

And you think Jack gets defensive about family.”

“They weren’t good enough for you?”

“Sheath your claws,” he remarked mildly. “Jennifer didn’t want to think about leaving Houston and her patients, and I can totally understand that. They are her kids. And I already knew Tom was in the picture even if Jen hadn’t yet figured that fact out. Kate—she’s a good friend. Being more than that was never in the cards. So ease up a bit on me.”

“You shouldn’t have asked me out third.”

Ouch. That one hit his gut. “True.” He hugged her. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

“It looks bad.”

“You’ve got a right to be annoyed,” he agreed cautiously.

“If you ask out Rachel, I’ll murder you in your sleep.”

“Cross my heart, I will not ask out Rachel.” He hadn’t been able to entirely hide the laughter that shook him.

Her elbow hit his ribs. “What?”

“I already did.” She stiffened like a board. “I asked her first. Rach just laughed and said ask Jennifer.”

Lisa slumped as if her bones had turned to liquid. “You didn’t.”

“Rachel’s a bit of a matchmaker.”

“This is humiliating. Fourth.”

“I am sorry, Lizzy. I didn’t intend it to happen this way.”

“Let me up, I’m going inside now.”

He tightened his arms. “No.”

“I can make you regret that answer,” she warned.

“Not till you accept my apology.”

It became a silent battle of wills. “Okay, I accept your apology,” she said grudgingly.

“Thank you. And I will make it up to you.”

“I don’t see how,” she muttered, sliding back to her side of the car and searching for the shoes she had kicked off.

Quinn knew what it felt like to be in the doghouse; the worst part of it was he deserved it. He circled the car and held open the car door for her. “Lizzy?”

“What?”

“Don’t stay mad forever.”

It was after midnight in Houston. Quinn reluctantly set down the phone when he saw the time. A minute later he picked it up again and placed the call. It was answered on the third ring. “Yes?” Jennifer’s voice was alert, focused, very much a doctor responding to a call from her answering service.

“Jen, it’s Quinn. Sorry. It’s not a patient.”

“Quinn.” He heard her smile in the warmth that flooded her voice.

“I thought we still had a deal—you don’t apologize for the time you call, and I don’t get on your case about your lack of sleep.”

“I’m not going to get much sleep tonight, I’m afraid.”

“What happened?”

“I offended Lizzy.”

“Quinn?” Her voice had gone cautious. She wasn’t sure which side He rubbed the back of his neck. “I asked her out fourth. She about “Oh boy. You did make a mess of it with her, didn’t you?” She “You didn’t see her expression. She deserves to be ticked at me.

she should support.

handed my head to me on a platter.”

thought about it for a moment. “She’ll get over it.”

What do I do?”

“Apologize. And keep doing it until she tells you to stop, then apologize some more.”

“Grovel, you mean.”

“Good word.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt her.”

“Good words to start with.”

Quinn eased off his left boot. “I solved your maid of honor problem.”

“Did you?”

“You can have a rolling maid of honor. Rachel gets before the wedding, Lisa gets the wedding, and Kate is master of ceremonies afterward.”

She laughed. “And here I thought Marcus’s fiancée, Shari, was the politician in the family.”

“Deal?”

“Deal. And thank you.”

“My pleasure. Now that I woke you up, tell me how you’re doing.”

“Don’t you start. I just got off the phone with Marcus an hour ago.”

“We don’t want you to overdo it before the big day.”

“Tom is hovering too.”

“Good.”

“Thanks. And she will forgive you.”

“I hope so.”

“Good night, Quinn.”

“G’night, Jen.” Quinn depressed the button to hang up the phone They had intentionally not told Lisa about the second note he’d

“Quinn?”

“Hmm?”

“The wedding’s going to be hard on Lizzy.”

“I know. She’s happy for you but feels like the family is changing.”

“Yes. I don’t want her to be sad.”

“Don’t worry—I won’t give her a chance to be. We’ll see you Friday afternoon.”

and get back dial tone. There were reasons to appreciate the size of the O’Malley family. He called Marcus. He didn’t have to wonder if his partner was still up. Marcus answered and Quinn went straight to the point. “What did you find on the second note?”

discovered when he went to take care of her pets this morning. Marcus had been working on it all day while Quinn did his best to keep Lisa otherwise distracted.

Marla liked the salted pretzels best.

The paper had been soggy, the ink beginning to run. It had likely been left with the first one but not discovered because it was tucked in the seam of the garage door, which they hadn’t opened yesterday.

“No prints. Same handwriting. The reference does appear to be to the vendors inside the zoo.”

“It’s almost like he was toying with what to say. There was no evidence of another note?”

“Given where these two were found, I’d almost bet there was a third one that blew away.”

“Does this change the game plan?”

“I’m trying to get confirmation that Marla really did like to watch the hummingbirds over lunch, if anyone remembers her buying pret

zels, and prove these notes were more than just good guesses.”

“Lisa was asking about seeing her pets. Do we tell her about the second note?”

“Not unless we absolutely have to. How was dinner out?”

Quinn squirmed. “Fine.”

“Lizzy just gave me a call.”

“Did she?”

“Yes, she did. Anything you want to tell me?”

Quinn thought about that for a moment, trying to decide what Lisa would have told Marcus. “No.”

The silence stretched and Quinn refused to break it even though he understood his partner very, very well. It didn’t matter how deep their friendship was, Marcus was going to take Lisa’s side. “You’re lucky she said the same thing.”

Quinn felt a distinct sense of relief. “Why did she call?”

“No reason. Which tells me there was a reason and she chickened out. Is it something I need to know about?”

“She got annoyed that I asked her out fourth.”

There was an appreciable pause. “You asked out Rachel too?”

Quinn winced at the underlying tone. “There are a few things I didn’t tell you.”

“This situation is causing Lisa enough stress and the last thing I need is you complicating it further.”

“Marcus—”

“Fix it.”

“I’m trying to,” he retorted, frustrated because although his partner was right, there wasn’t much he could do about it at the moment.

Marcus relented a bit. “Basic lesson for dealing with Lisa? Time does not make it better.”

“I’ll remember that.”

“And tell her we know about Andy sooner versus later. If something gets said by accident and she finds out that way—”

“I dislike it more than you do.”

“Loving them is tough, isn’t it?”

He had been trying to avoid that word. “And here I thought I was “When did she get under your skin?”

“Besides when she smiled at me while she was bleeding to death?”

“Good point.”

“I think it was the purple socks. When she looks beautiful in He should have ended the evening out with her tonight long before

“I hear you.” Quinn picked up his belt buckle and fingered the letters marking the third place finish in a rodeo he could only vaguely remember.

“Kate and I have been talking. Next Sunday—start with Corinthians :.”

“I wish you’d have the conversation with Lisa.”

“Sorry, buddy; Kate and I have both been striking out. This attempt is all yours. Knock down Lisa’s doubts about the Resurrection, and then we can start dealing with Andy. And that had better happen soon. I do not like her hurting and hiding it.”

just trying to get Lizzy to accept dinner out.”

purple socks, there’s a problem.” He’d given up fighting the inevitable.

His emotions were involved. What could he do about it? He’d already apologized to God for letting the situation get so turned around.

He should have understood much earlier that getting to know Lisa was not going to be like getting to know Kate. With Kate it had been a good solid friendship and no draw toward something more. He’d set out to have that same friendship with Lisa and instead got caught by the undertow of emotions that came with being with her. He hadn’t been ready for it.

ten o’clock. He knew it. As enjoyable as tonight had been, it put them on rocky ground. Tangling up her emotions and his when they couldn’t be more than just friends was foolishness.

He was about to learn a large dose of patience.

Lisa had been resisting Kate and Marcus’s attempts to talk about faith because it had come with too much pressure. He was in danger of pressuring her because he needed her to believe. It wasn’t a good position to be in. Lisa would be making up her mind on her own schedule, not his.

It was probably just as well. He had to pull back because she didn’t believe. It was likely saving him from a more embarrassing reality. If she already believed and he asked her out on a real date, Lisa would likely turn him down flat. He gave a rueful smile. She’d probably say no with something even more creative than a petrified squid.

“Quinn, when you talk to her, don’t push her to believe because you need her to. She’ll spot that motivation a mile away. This isn’t about Lisa and you; it’s about Lisa and God.”

Quinn got the message. Hurt Lisa and a hammer was going to come down. “I won’t do that to her.” Those who said chivalry was dead in the modern age hadn’t met Marcus.

“Thank you. Get some sleep. You’re going to need it.”

“Very true. Page me if you get anything on those notes.”

“Deal.”

Quinn hung up the phone and ran his hand through his hair. He was too old for this kind of emotional mess. He didn’t mind a long wait if there was hope at the end of it. But life didn’t always give him what he hoped for; he knew that more than anyone. “It would help if Lisa believed. It would help if I didn’t,” he said quietly to his God. He was staring at an impasse.

The yard looked gorgeous. Lisa leaned against the back deck railing, feeling relieved to be back home, if only for a short time while she packed.

“Lisa, are these two suitcases it? You’ve got everything else you need?”

She turned as Quinn stepped out onto the deck. “Those two cases and the garment bag. Would you read my instructions on the animals’

care, see if they make sense?”

“Already scanned it. Other than warning Todd that Iris considers your finger something interesting to taste, I think you covered everything.”

“Iris and Todd get along just fine. I think the problem is you’re a guy who doesn’t have pets, and Iris was smart enough to know that.