Terraformed Skies

by Anna Lewis

  “You can’t be serious. We never release a scene this quickly.”

  “I understand your frustration, Detective Bruce, but he’s willing to go over my head if he doesn’t take possession of the building in the next twenty-four-hours.”

  “That’s bullshit and you know it,” Lilly said, looking to Adam for some backup.

  Adam was obviously angry, but true to form, he kept his opinion to himself and did his job.

  “You can call it what you want, but you have until this time tomorrow to release the building for cleaning.”

  He turned and walked away before Lilly could argue further.

  Lilly was shaking, she was so angry.

  “Try not to take it personally,” Adam said. “He has got to take care of the business side of policing. It’s just how it is.”

  Lilly motioned to Tom, still sitting at the table, trembling hands folded in front of him.

  “What are we going to do about him? He asked for protection detail.”

  “The only thing he needs protection from is himself.”

  Lilly smiled.

  “I think I see where you’re going with this.”

  “Want me to do the honors?”

  Lilly nodded. She didn’t know if she trusted herself to deal with Tom right now anyway.

  Adam walked into the interrogation room and Lilly made herself comfortable on the other side of the glass.

  “Where’s the lady detective?”

  “She had other things to do.”

  “I’m not talking to anyone but her.”

  “That’s good.”

  Tom looked up, clearly confused.

  “What?”

  “I don’t want to listen to you talk. It’s time for you to listen.”

  “Am I getting protection?”

  “What part of ‘I talk; you listen’ don’t you understand?”

  Tom held his mouth shut, lips pursed together in frustration. Lilly could see it in his face; he already knew what Adam was about to say.

  “That’s better, Tom. Now, here’s the thing. We need you to stay sober in order to testify.”

  “I can do that.”

  “Not on your own. Look at you; your hands are shaking, you’re sweating, and your mouth is dry. You need another drink.”

  “So?”

  “We can’t have you testifying like this. You have to be sober and stay sober.”

  “So you’re going to put me on lockdown? My girl won’t let me come home. I have nowhere to go.”

  Adam slid a yellow notepad across the table.

  “I need you to write down your entire statement.”

  “And then you’ll protect me?”

  Adam nodded.

  “We’ll take care of you, just as soon as you get this written down and signed.”

  Tom went to work, tapping the pen from time to time while he considered his next words. It took forever, but he finally slid the notepad back to Adam. Adam read it quickly, reminding Tom to sign it at the bottom.

  “So now you’ll take care of me? What are we, like, going to a hotel or something?”

  “Or something,” Adam replied.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You are checking yourself into rehab.”

  “What? No. That’s not what I was promised.”

  “We promise to take care of you. Trust me; rehab is exactly what you need right now.”

  “This is crap. I’m not going to rehab.”

  “If you refuse to go, there’s nothing we can do for you. You’re worthless to us as a witness if you can’t stay sober. And I can’t put you on the stand going through withdrawals.”

  “So you’re going to dump me into a rehab facility and leave me there until the trial?”

  “Probably not that long, but at least until we build our case so that the District Attorney can decide if we need you. Then you’ll be assigned a security detail.”

  “And if he decides not to?”

  “Then you’ll be free to go, with the added bonus of being clean and sober. What you do from there is up to you.”

  Tom opened his mouth and closed it again. He knew when he’d been had.

  “Fine,” he said, crossing his arms.

  “I’ll get someone to drive you there.”

  ***

  Adam stood in the parking garage, leaning on his car, arms crossed.

  “So, what are we going to do now?” he asked.

  “Right now? I’m going home and going to bed.”

  “You know what I mean, Lilly. What about Jason?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Do you think he did it?”

  “No,” she said, a little too quickly.

  “I don’t either, but that doesn’t mean anything. But, we can’t exactly tell him that he’s a suspect at this point.”

  “What are you getting at, Adam?”

  “Why don’t we go on like we would have before Tom gave us his statement? No one else is going to hear it while he’s in rehab, and it will give us a chance to observe Jason. If he’s innocent, there’s no harm. But, if he’s guilty and we’re both aware that he might be the perp, then we can keep an eye on him and see where he tries to lead us.”

  Lilly considered it for a moment, wondering where sleeping with him ranked on a scale from “pretending he’s not guilty” to “doing whatever it takes to get the bad guy”. Lilly was pretty certain that she was in the wrong no matter what. Which put a serious damper on life.

  It wasn’t just that he was a rock star in bed, but that she’d left him expecting a call back. No matter what, she couldn’t sleep with him again. Explaining that without putting him on the defensive was going to take some doing.

  Adam was snapping, inches from her face.

  “What?” she said, irritated.

  “Where did you go? I was talking to you.”

  “I’m exhausted, Adam. It’s been a hell of a day and I’m ready for bed.”

  “Aren’t we all? Do I need to repeat what I said, or did you hear me?”

  “You can repeat it.”

  “I said, now would be a good time to use your feminine wiles to try and get his guard down.”

  “Are you suggesting I sleep with him to get information?”

  “No. That would be unethical. I’m just talking about a little flirting. You know, loosen him up a bit, make him drop his guard.”

  “I have to go,” Lilly said, abruptly. “I’m too tired for this crap.”

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have suggested it.”

  “You’re right; you shouldn’t have. But it’s fine. I just have to go.”

  “Alright. See you in the morning?”

  “It’s already morning, Adam. I’ll be at the scene as soon as I can drag my ass out of bed. I want to go over everything one more time before we have to turn it over.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said again, his eyes sincere. “I didn’t mean to imply that using your looks was the only way—”

  “Forget it, Adam. I’m tired and I’m frustrated. It really has nothing to do with you.”

  “Good to know. See you later.”

  He got into his car, revved the engine and all but peeled out of the parking spot.

  “That is why I don’t let him drive,” Lilly grumbled to herself.

  She put the car into gear and drove out of the garage slowly. She was lost in thought, going over the afternoon in her head several times. How could she have been such a fool; letting herself get swept off her feet by a potential suspect?

  She shook her head, trying to push it out of her mind. It wouldn’t do to think about it now. She had let things go too far, too fast. She would break it off with Jason, claim a conflict of interest or maybe even tell him that the case was just taking up too much of her time.

  That was it, she thought. The case was too involved and she needed to devote all of her energy to it. That was the perfect explanation and would be the easiest on his ego. That way, he wouldn’t even imagine that h
e was a suspect.

  Pulling up in front of her home, she already felt better. She would let him know that she was too busy, and ask him if they could get together after the case was solved.

  “You’re such a coward,” she said as she locked her front door behind her.

  She dragged herself down the hall, too tired to care that she was being passive. He didn’t need to know why she didn’t have time for a relationship, and it would be easier to avoid a second date that way. If he was the killer, she wouldn’t have to make an excuse for why she wouldn’t date him again. And if he wasn’t the killer, well that would be even better.

  Either way, she had to break it off with Jason; at least for now.

  She crawled into bed, kicking off her shoes and leaving the rest of her clothes on. She could change in a few hours when she had to get up and get back to it. For now, she was just too tired.

  Eyes closed, she pushed away images of the two of them together. His strong arms holding her close as he rocked her to the best orgasm of her life and—

  “Stop it, Lilly. Just stop,” she said aloud. “You’re just making it harder on yourself.”

  She rolled over, laughing at herself. This man was causing her to talk to herself. Out loud. She punched her pillow, pushing it and molding it until it was exactly where she wanted it under her head. She might be a lot of things, but those things didn’t matter. Because the person she was had fallen hard for a football player.

  Forget the fact that he might be a murderer. She was too deep, already. Lilly Bruce didn’t fall head over heels for men, she admonished herself, being careful to keep her thoughts in her head where they belonged. Lilly Bruce was calm, and cool and in control.

  And she was in trouble.

  Rolling over in her queen-sized bed, she forced herself to let go of the past few days. She needed rest. Her mind wasn’t at peak performance if she was exhausted, and this case needed everything she had to offer. A husband and father had been brutally murdered, and she needed to know why; if for no other reason than to give his family closure. They deserved that, and Leroy deserved a closed case.

  A clicking noise came from the bed stand, and she fought the urge to answer the text, even as her hand reached out to snag the large smartphone.

  She groaned when she saw who the text was from. Why had she given him her card? That’s right, she was a Detective, and that was part of her job. Still, she didn’t have to give him the one with her personal number written on the back.

  Swiping the screen, she smiled in spite of herself. She wouldn’t be responding, but his words were sweet and, if he weren’t a potential murder suspect, gave her butterflies. She hadn’t felt that feeling since she was a tween.

  Lilly, I couldn’t wait until morning to talk to you. You’re the perfect mix of sexy and sweet, and I can’t wait to see you again. Have a beautiful day.

  Lilly took a screen shot of the text and then promptly deleted the text from her phone. She would eventually erase the picture. But not now. Not until she knew something more.

  But until then, she’d have to cut off all contact with Jason. It was for his protection as well as hers. As long as the case was still open and the murderer still free, she was going to have to adopt a hands-free policy with the handsome man, no matter how badly it sucked.

  She turned the ringer off and stuck the phone in the tiny drawer in her nightstand. There would be no more daydreaming about Jason and his magical touch. She’d worked much too hard to be taken seriously as a Detective to let a handsome face ruin it.

  Closing her eyes, she pulled the covers up to her chin and snuggled down into the pillow. Within moments, she was sound asleep, completely oblivious to the world around her.

  ***

  Lilly’s head was pounding when she woke up a few hours later, sun streaming in through her window. She sat up, stumbling to the coffee maker and pouring herself a cup.

  “Thank heavens this thing is on a timer,” she mumbled.

  She almost jumped out of her skin when someone pounded on the door. Slipping her hand under the counter, she unlocked the biometric gun safe with her finger and wrapped her hand around the cold metal. Holding the handgun by her side, she walked quietly to the door and looked out the peephole.

  Lilly breathed a sigh of relief as Adam knocked again.

  “Hold on,” she said through the door, unlocking the deadbolt and sliding the chain open. “What are you doing here?”

  “I come bearing donuts and coffee.”

  “What time is it?”

  “Eight. I’ve been pounding on the door forever. I was afraid someone would call the cops on me.”

  “You are the cops,” she said, sipping her coffee and taking a bite out of an apple cruller.

  He sat down on the sofa, stretching out and making himself at home. He sipped his coffee and went to work on the donuts sitting in a box on her end table. Lilly tried to ignore him, but was mentally counting every crumb she imagined him dropping on the couch and between the seats.

  “You’re twitching,” he said, a wry smile on his face and no sign of an apology in his voice.

  “Can’t you eat in the kitchen like a civilized man?”

  “I’m good,” he said, reaching into the box and grabbing another donut.

  “You’re going to make a mess.”

  “I’ll vacuum it up if you want.”

  “No. You won’t do it right.”

  “You should really talk to someone about that. I mean, look at you; you’re practically sweating from the stress of me sitting here.”

  “You never told me what you were doing here,” she said, trying to change the subject.

  “Well, I’ve been calling you since about six, trying to get you up so we can get this knocked out. When you didn’t answer, I got worried.”

  Lilly groaned. She’d turned off her ringer. Her work phone was in her purse by the door so she couldn’t hear it.

  “I’m sorry. I was so tired. I must’ve slept through it.”

  “It’s alright. You look like hell.”

  “Thanks,” she said wryly.

  “Is everything okay, Lilly?”

  “I’m fine, why do you ask?”

  “I don’t know. I guess you’re just not reacting to things the way I expect. You’re off somehow.”

  Lilly sipped her coffee, hoping he would change the subject, but he pressed on.

  “Like last night. When Tom accused Jason, you jumped on him. It was almost like you were defending Jason Hathaway, but I couldn’t figure out why and—”

  His voice trailed off and Lilly looked at him. Her face was already flushed, but when she caught him, staring open-mouthed at her, she turned red from embarrassment.

  “Oh shit, Lilly. You slept with him, didn’t you?”

  When Lilly didn’t answer, he narrowed his eyes at her.

  “You didn’t do this to get information, did you?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Then what the hell happened?”

  “He wasn’t a suspect when it happened, alright? You left him for me to take home and one thing led to another—”

  “So you slept with him? When did you even have time?”

  “Right before Sarge called us back in last night.”

  Adam put his hands on his hips, shaking his head in disbelief.

  “I can’t believe it. You of all people, Lilly.”

  “Please. Don’t give me a lecture. It’s not like you haven’t slept with your confidential informant. We all know about it, but since you’re a man and she’s hot, no one cares.”

  “You know about that?”

  “Everyone knows about that.” She rolled her eyes.

  “So what are we going to do?” he asked, his rant deflated somewhat.

  “What we’re not going to do is tell anyone. Do you really think that Tom saw Jason at the scene? He’s an alcoholic. For all we know, he could have killed Leroy himself.”

  “I’m with you there, but you can’t see Ja
son anymore.”

  “I know that,” she said emphatically, “but I don’t know how to get that through to him without telling him to get lost.”

  “I could tell him for you.”

  “No. I’ll do it.”

  “What are you going to tell him?”

  “I’m going to tell him the truth; until this case is over, I don’t have time for a relationship.”

  “He’s going to think you’re blowing him off.”

  “That’s his problem. Sometimes, a woman says they’re too busy because it’s true.”

  Adam shrugged.

  “Suit yourself,” he said, flexing his arms dramatically. “I was willing to use my muscles to intimidate him so he never bothered you again.”

  Lilly grabbed her keys and headed towards the door, looking despondently at the couch as she did.

  “Come on, Adam. Enough goofing around. We have a case to solve.”

  “There’s the Lilly I know and love.”

  “Give it a rest, Tremaine.”

  Adam laughed, a deep chuckle that filled the car as they got in. Lilly smiled in spite of herself. He might be a pain in the ass, but he was a good friend.

  “I screwed up,” she said.

  “We all do it from time to time.”

  “Not me. I can’t believe I was so stupid.”

  “Try to focus on the case and don’t worry about it.”

  Lilly was silent, but she couldn’t just quit worrying about it. One night could possibly have ruined their entire case and her job was on the line. Maybe Adam was right; maybe everything would work out and she could chalk it up to a lesson learned, but she couldn’t rely on that. She had to build a solid case.

  So solid that her impulsive indiscretion couldn’t bring it crashing down around her.

  Lilly pulled up to the crime scene, narrowing her eyes when she saw that the Crime Scene van was getting ready to pull away.

  Unrolling the window and pulling up beside the van, she looked at the tech loading up the last of their tools.

  “What’s going on?”

  “We’re done. The scene has been released.”

  “But we didn’t give the all clear.”

  “Sarge did it for you. We’ve gone over every inch of that room and the surrounding areas. There’s nothing more to see here.”