“We’re okay, Mom,” I assured her, hugging her back. “We’re okay.”
“Shelley is a real hero,” Silke said. “And Jake.”
“We might not have made it out if not for Jake,” I stated, hoping Mom would factor that against the issue that Jake DeAtley didn’t really exist.
I didn’t care what his name was; I was simply happy that he was alive. I was equally happy that he’d heeded my call to watch my back, and I wouldn’t mind his sticking around to continue to do so.
As a medical tech cleaned up my arm and bandaged the cut, I quickly told Mom and Norelli and Walker the edited version of what had gone down. No mention of vampires or of stabbing one with a crucifix or of decapitating the master. I figured by the time they dug out the remains, the M.E. wouldn’t be able to tell what was what. And the chain saw would be in a million pieces. If forensics could put it together and should ask me why it was there, I would shrug my shoulders and say that Blaise Allcock was a whack job and could have been planning on hacking apart the girls he’d murdered.
Under the circumstances, I might have to tell any number of lies and I would do so in good conscience.
But what about Jake?
“What am I going to do about you?” I asked him quietly when we had a moment alone. “If you disappear now, that would raise suspicions, and an overly zealous Norelli might make it official to bring you in for questioning. But if you stay…we know Jake DeAtley isn’t your real name. What are you going to tell them?”
“The truth. It’s Jake Kinsella, and I didn’t want the man responsible for my mother’s death figuring out who I was before I figured out who he was. Don’t worry, I’m going to stick as close to the truth as I can.”
“What if Norelli asks you details about how your mother died?”
“She burned to death. It was labeled suicide but I knew better. Don’t worry, my story will check out.”
No sooner had he said it than Norelli appeared. “Time to play Question and Answer.”
I took a deep breath and nodded.
We left the scene to the firemen and headed for the Area 4 office where Jake and Silke and I would all be interviewed separately. I knew Silke could psychically eavesdrop and Jake…well, with his vamp-type hearing, he could probably hear me a block away. I was certain they would take their cues to verify my story.
I rode to the area office in Mom’s official vehicle. “So what are we going to find when we get down there?” she asked.
“A lot of debris, I suppose.”
“Bodies?”
“What’s left of them. Allcock, LaTonya, Thora.”
“I hope there’s something to recover for Mrs. Sanford’s sake.”
I didn’t, but I didn’t say so. “I think it’ll be enough that I can tell her LaTonya can rest in peace at last.”
That was my story and I was sticking to it.
Anytime an officer is involved in a homicide, a review board decides whether or not the officer’s actions were justifiable. I went into the meeting fighting trepidation. I hadn’t done anything wrong. I hadn’t killed anyone. Blaise Allcock had murdered those girls. And Blaise Allcock had been undead himself.
Who in their right mind would buy into a tale of a vampire running amok?
Until tonight, I hadn’t. And even now, I wanted to deny it, to find another explanation, one that appealed to reason.
I must have told a convincing tale to the board, which included an Assistant Deputy Superintendent, an Assistant State’s Attorney, and someone from the Office of Professional Standards, because they believed me. Even so, it was a long process that lasted until dawn.
As per department policy, I would get three days administrative duty and another visit with a department-approved shrink.
I was confident that I could handle it this time.
Mom and Silke were waiting for me when I came out into the hall, exhausted but feeling better about myself than I had in a long time. I knew who I was now. A good detective who didn’t belong at the academy teaching a gym class. A sister who was starting to appreciate her special connection with her twin. A daughter who was no longer going to be hostile to the mother who, when all was said and done, loved both of her daughters and stood by them.
I was going to stop being angry.
I was going to learn how to accept being wrong. Well, occasionally.
I said, “You didn’t have to wait for me.”
“We wanted to,” Silke said. “Everything okay?”
“It seems so.”
“I’m proud of you, Shelley.” Mom looked at me and made like she wanted to smooth down my hair or something. “You did everything right.”
I wasn’t so sure about that, but I accepted Mom’s compliment graciously and gave her a hug that she returned.
Silke said, “We thought we could all go out to breakfast.”
“Sorry, I can’t. I still have a report to write up.”
“I understand, Detective,” Mom, the commander, said. “Another time, then.”
“It’s a date.”
“I need to speak to Silke for a minute. Alone.”
Mom nodded and told my twin, “I’ll wait for you outside.”
Once Mom was out of earshot, I asked, “The fire…how did you do that?”
“Do what?” Silke asked innocently.
So that’s how we were going to play it for now. Okay. I could wait.
Writing up the report was my pleasure, even though my accounting of what had happened was riddled with half truths. In the end, I got LaTonya Sanford’s murder book and closed her case with a veil of sadness cloaking me.
At least she had her justice, and that gave me a huge amount of satisfaction. And I was confident I wouldn’t have those nightly talks with her anymore.
By the time I was ready to leave, Norelli was back at his desk. “Is this the way you dress for work now, Caldwell?”
I looked down at my clothes, filthy and ripped, and figured the rest of me looked worse. “I’m working undercover, pretending to be a down-and-out-CPD-detective.”
Norelli barked a laugh as I walked out of the office, exhausted. I could think of nothing more appealing than showering and sleeping.
Until I heard a deep voice say, “Need a ride home?”
Turning, I smiled. “Jake.” He was still here. “Whose home?”
“You name it.”
“I guess it had better be my place. If I miss giving the cats breakfast, they won’t speak to me all day.”
“Cats speak to you?” he asked, sounding disbelieving. As we headed for the doors, Jake looked around as if what we were saying was highly confidential. “Careful, someone might think you’re…you know…strange.”
Laughing, I realized we were about to leave the building and it was broad daylight. I stopped short. “Um, can you…?”
Jake put on a pair of sunglasses. “I can do anything you can do.” He opened the door for me. “I told you, I’m not a vampire. Does it really matter to you that I’m…well, different?”
Different could be good, I decided. If I hadn’t been, I never would have found Silke in time.
I shrugged. “You know, I’m a little odd, too. I’d say we make quite a pair.”
Jake grinned at me and together we walked into the sun.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-1457-0
HOT CASE
Copyright © 2004 by Patricia Rosemoor
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