Lane let a laugh escape his lips, snorting in contempt. “That makes two of us then.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Finally, he turned to look at her. His eyes were ice cold, barely able to contain their disdain. It took her back for a moment, she had never seen him like that before. Sure, he had been angry and disappointed, but he had never looked at her like he loathed her mere presence. For the first time, she feared maybe she had crossed an imaginary line that meant they couldn’t be fixed.
“Amelia, where were you all day?” He asked, trying to keep his voice level. She knew he was being restrained and it scared her, wondering how long it would take for him to escape his own leash.
“Staking out one of the suspects. I’ve literally been sitting in the car all day.”
“Did it ever cross your mind to give me a call? Maybe care about what I was doing? Or whether I was worried about you?”
If she was honest, she would say it didn’t occur to her. But she knew it should have. Normal people cared about what their partner was doing. She couldn’t let him know the truth. “Of course I did, but I didn’t think you’d want to hear from me. I thought you were still angry about last night and maybe needed some time to calm down.”
“Let me get this straight, you thought you could fix not calling me by not calling me? I don’t even understand you anymore.”
She couldn’t hold his stare any longer, she looked at her hands as they interlocked. She didn’t know what to say, he was right. Perhaps she did deserve whatever cold shoulder he was giving her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, feeling the tears welling in her eyes. The stress, the fatigue, the guilt was too much for her.
“That’s the thing, Amelia, you’re always sorry but you never change what you do. You keep doing it and expect me to be okay with it,” Lane continued, it took all his restrain not to back off. This time, he wanted to get through to her. It was his last ditch effort to prove to himself that he still wanted to be with her. That she was worth fighting for.
“And I really am sorry. I don’t think things through, I don’t consider you enough. I know that and I know you deserve better. I just don’t know how to be the girlfriend you want me to be.”
“The problem is you don’t act like you want to be my girlfriend. I’m with you every day, I’m trying to build a future with you. I think about us, what we’re going to do together, how we’re going to do it. And I wonder if you ever think about that.”
Amelia sniffled, trying to stop the tears so she could have a proper conversation. She needed to have the discussion, it was more important now than ever.
She thought about his question and could simply answer ‘no’, she didn’t think about a future with Lane because she didn’t expect to have one. She always assumed something would happen and they would break up. Just like in every single other relationship she had ever had. In her view of the world, misery was inevitable. Happiness was a waning concept. Much like a rainbow, it was somewhere in the distance, beautiful for the few that saw it, and only lasted briefly.
Perhaps the moment with Lane now was just the inevitable, finally coming around to prove her right once again. They’d had a good run, three years was definitely a record for her. But everything had to end eventually.
“You know what?” Lane stood. “Don’t even bother answering, you’ve just made it quite clear.”
He stormed out of the room, leaving her speechless. Amelia sat on the arm of the couch, unable to move until she heard the front door slam. It made her jump, bringing her back to reality.
Unable to stop the crying now, she had a shower and let her saltwater tears run down the drain. Just like her relationship.
CHAPTER 21
The corridors of the Scribe Police Department were once as comfortable to Detective Leo Michaels as a warm bed in the winter. Yet as he walked the well-worn hallway it was a bitter coldness. The eyes of his colleagues were now suspicious, his partner reassigned to another. He was a lone soldier, no-one willing to publicly risk their own necks for what seemed like a lunatic’s mission.
Leo reached the door to the bullpen, the open area designated to the detectives, crammed full of desks and files. He took a deep breath, prepared for the ribbing from his colleagues. They didn’t do emotions well. Whether it was love or hate, they always disguised it as teasing.
As he stepped inside, Leo almost collided with Commissioner Pace. He was rolling down the sleeve of his left arm as he walked, not paying much attention to anyone stepping in his way.
“Good morning, Commissioner,” Leo said respectfully, trying to do the right thing. “Busy morning?”
“Just doing my citizenly duty,” he replied, coming to a halt as he finished with his sleeve. “Everyone should donate to the blood bank, they are getting low on their reserves. I suggest you do so on your lunch break. We should lead by example.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Be in my office in five minutes, I want to formally welcome you back,” Pace barked as he left.
Leo hurried to his desk, already dreading the welcome that would be anything but. He had hoped to just sneak in unnoticed, do the minimal amount possible so he could still continue with the White case. That was the plan anyway.
He barely had time to turn on his computer before making the dreaded walk to the commissioner’s office.
“Come in and take a seat.” Pace indicated to the chair across from his desk. He was already reclined in his own – a much more expensive one. “What did you get up to in your week of suspension?”
“Spent time with the dog, the usual.”
“I decided to halve your suspension as a goodwill gesture. I want you to start back with a clean slate,” while his voice was genuine, Pace was known for his acting abilities. Leo wasn’t going to buy into the charade. The commissioner wanted to make an example out of him, bring him back to torture him. Goodwill had nothing to do with it.
“That’s very generous of you, sir, thank you,” he replied, doing his best to act too.
“I’m glad we’re on the same page. You have a lot of files to get through so I’m sure you’ll be kept busy. Crime doesn’t stop for suspension.”
Leo nodded, understanding his dismissal. “Yes, sir.”
He left the office, glad to be out of the oppressive air. His hopes of being able to juggle everything slowly fading.
The entire morning was spent on paperwork. It seemed his former partner had left it all for him to do, every single case they had closed over the last few months. It was supposed to be shared equally between them, yet somehow Leo’s suspension had somehow shifted the balance of power. They were no longer equals, Detective Michaels was in the doghouse.
By lunchtime, Leo’s hopes were completely dashed about fitting in the White case. He desperately wanted to work on it but the chain was holding firm at his desk. He made some coffee, wondering how much he could get done in his lunch break.
Returning to his desk, he was surprised to find Amelia standing beside it awkwardly.
“Amelia, what are you doing here?” He asked, a bit too eagerly. He had told her to go back to work and leave it all to him. Seeing her was unexpected.
“I thought you might need a break. You know, for lunch?” She said the last part loudly, making sure she could be overheard.
Leo grinned, grabbing his coat. “I’m feeling a bit hungry. Let’s go.”
They left the station, walking confidently to keep up their ruse. They crossed the road and found a quiet place in the park. Amelia pulled a lunchbox out of her handbag, passing a sandwich over.
“I thought you were joking about the lunch,” Leo commented, admiring the spread.
“I don’t like lying, so I figured I wouldn’t be if I actually brought you lunch. Have you got much done today?”
“Not much. Pace has me chained to a desk with paperwork. I don’t think I’ll get out into the field for weeks, if not months. How’s your first day back at work?”
“I’ve decided to take more time off. I lied to my boss.” Amelia grimaced. “I told her I was still helping you. If I continue to, then I’m technically not lying about that either.”
“Is everything alright?”
“Nothing I want to talk about.”
Leo nodded, letting it rest. “Oh, I spoke with Bree Rowland this morning about Master Lou.” He recalled their conversation, the reporter still hadn’t forgiven him for the listening device, even though he had nothing to do with it.
“What did she say?”
“She didn’t think Renee’s juicy story was about a stalker. She said Renee told her it would be big and she had all the evidence to back up her claims. Stalking didn’t fall into that category, and by the way she was talking, it was huge.”
“So it’s possible Renee didn’t know she was being stalked,” Amelia sighed. “I guess that’s a good thing. I’d rather not know and avoid being scared too.”
“If you knew, you could protect yourself.” Leo was abhorred with the thought. Knowledge was power, the more you had the better you could form decisions. “Perhaps if Renee knew, she might have sought out police protection and she would still be alive.”
Amelia had to concede the point. “Fine. I’d want to know.”
Satisfied, Leo moved on. “I asked around to see if anyone knew why Bree was being bugged. The weird thing is there are no open investigations on her. According to our records, she shouldn’t have had that listening device in her home.”
“Could someone have stolen the listening device from the station and used it to eavesdrop on her?”
“I checked the logs, they are all accounted for. Nothing has been stolen from inventory.”
“So how did it happen? How could she have had a police issued bug in her house?” Amelia asked, perplexed. She figured there had to be an explanation, listening devices didn’t just pop up out of nowhere. Someone had to know about it.
“I really don’t know.” Leo shrugged. “It shouldn’t have been there.”
“Could they just be keeping the information from you?”
“I checked the files after asking around in case that was the situation but they were telling the truth.”
They both took a few moments to mull over the information. Both pieces didn’t tell them anything but it did confirm a few more dead ends. Bree wasn’t the subject of any police investigation and Renee’s big crime she had to report wasn’t Lou’s stalking. Sometimes police work was just crossing out the maybes until the truth was the only thing left.
“So, what else can I do to help?” Amelia offered, keen to take her mind off Lane and the fact they hadn’t said a word to each other since the evening before. Distractions were going to work best in ensuring she didn’t start crying again.
“There isn’t much to do, I don’t have any new leads,” Leo said with regret. “And I don’t want you out investigating on your own, it’s too dangerous.”
“Plus I don’t have one of those magic police badges that give me a free pass into everywhere,” she joked, trying to keep the mood light for both of their sakes.
They finished their lunch and headed back to the station wearily. Leo entertained ideas of sneaking off, not returning and not caring about the consequences. Unfortunately, the time and dedication he had already put into his career wouldn’t allow him to have the idea for long.
“Michaels, you’ve got a call on line two,” the receptionist called out as they entered.
He hurried back to his desk, not letting Amelia go until he could say goodbye. He picked up the call. “Michaels.”
“Oh, Detective, I’m so glad I got the right number,” the woman’s voice belonged to Violet Stream, Leo recognized it easily. “I was worried I would be put on hold forever.”
“What can I do for you Mrs. Stream?” He raised his eyebrows at Amelia as she heard the name.
“I saw that woman again, the one who was fighting with Renee? She was on the television.”
“What program?”
“I don’t know, I was flicking between stations and I stopped when I saw her.”
“Did you get any more details? Something we can use to identify her?” Leo asked, hoping she wasn’t just wasting his time.
“I did better,” Violet said proudly. “I took a photograph of the screen.”
Leo’s face grew wide with his smile. Finally, some good news in an otherwise terrible day. “That’s excellent, Mrs. Stream. Can you email it to me?”
“Oh, I don’t do email. If you want this photograph, you’ll have to come here and get it.”
Leo glanced at Amelia, weighing his options. He wouldn’t be able to escape without notice. If Commissioner Pace didn’t see him directly, no doubt he would have spies around the place that would be keen to earn some brownie points by telling on him. As much as he didn’t want to put Amelia in danger, calling on an elderly lady couldn’t be harmful, right? He made up his mind.
“My associate, Amelia Landau, will be over shortly. She’ll get the photo from you.”
“Good. I’ll put the kettle on.”
Leo thanked her again before hanging up. He quietly filled Amelia in on the conversation, hoping she wouldn’t mind helping him out. “It’s up to you, I don’t want to ask you to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”
“I think I can handle Mrs. Stream,” Amelia replied, happy to have something to occupy her time.
“But can she handle you?” He teased.
* * *
“Do you take sugar in your tea?” Violet asked sweetly. Amelia had been in her house for ten minutes and done nothing but make small talk. She was starting to lose patience.
“Two please.” She plastered on a smile. Leo was counting on her, she couldn’t let her own grumpiness get the woman offside. She couldn’t let him down.
Violet poured two cups of tea and placed them on the kitchen table. She sat in one of the wooden chairs, waiting for Amelia to do the same. Any chance of a quick exit was squashed.
“I like that Detective Michaels,” Violet said, stirring her tea absentmindedly. “Are you together?”
At first, Amelia wasn’t sure what she meant. However, when it sunk in, she panicked. “Oh, no, we’re not a couple. We’re just working on this case together.”
“But you’re not a police officer? Or a detective?”
“No, I’m just helping out.”
She didn’t seem satisfied, tut-tutting. “Well, that seems strange but there you go. He’d be a good catch if he was single, is that the problem? He’s already got a girlfriend?”
“I have a boyfriend, actually,” Amelia said, wondering if she could just take the camera and walk out. “So, the photo?”
Violet completely ignored the question, pretending she didn’t hear. “My daughter has been married for four years. That’s a long time these days. I guess her father and I set a good example. We were married for thirty-nine years.”
Sighing, Amelia knew she was in for the count. “That’s a long time.”
“My husband was the principal of the local high school.” My husband was a teacher for the local high school.
At hearing the lie, Amelia perked up. At least she could satisfy herself the old woman wasn’t perfect after all. “He must have liked children then.”
“He loved them.” He barely tolerated them.
“So, the photo?”
“My daughter is following in her father’s footsteps, she’s a teacher. I’m sure she’ll be a principal one day.”
“She sounds very… accomplished.”
Violet smiled happily, with a hint of condescension. “She is. I’m very proud of her.”
“I’m sure you are.”
“She’s always coming to visit.” She rarely comes to visit.
“I’m sure she wishes she could come more often,” Amelia replied without thinking. She silently cursed herself for listening to the truth instead of the lie. She tried to focus more.
Violet didn’t s
eem to notice, instead nodding her head to reassure herself. “I’m sure too.”
They sat in an awkward silence for a few moments, neither willing to continue the conversation now the truth was out.
Finally, Amelia continued, trying to smooth it over. “So, the photograph you took of the rich woman?”
Grateful to have a change of subject, the old woman hurried to the living room, returning with a camera. “I don’t know how to get it out of the camera, my daughter usually helps me with the photos.”
Amelia accepted the small device and flicked through the pictures. The last one taken was of her cat, but the one before that was of the television screen. The photograph was blurry and had the lines from the screen that were invisible when actually watching it. But, sure enough, in the center was a woman that looked rich. Her blonde hair was perfectly coiffed, her neck dripped with gold necklaces, and her tailored blouse had to be designer. If she didn’t have money at her disposal, she was damn good at faking it.
“This is definitely the woman you saw talking to Renee White?” Amelia asked, making sure the woman was certain. She knew Leo would be asking her the same questions later on.
“It’s definitely her.”
“What kind of television program was she on?”
“I think it might have been the news,” Violet replied, cocking her head to one side to think it over. “But I can’t be sure. I was doing the ironing and not paying much attention. I happened to see her as I looked up and was busy grabbing the camera before she disappeared forever.”
“Do you mind if I take the memory card? I’ll copy the photo and bring it back?”
“As long as you bring it back, I don’t mind. Perhaps we could have another cuppa when you do.” Violet smiled hopefully. It made Amelia soften slightly. Sure, the woman had lied about how great her life was but she was obviously covering for what she deemed her inadequacies. She was probably desperately lonely. It was sad, if anything.
“Sure, I’d like that,” Amelia said before she could stop herself. That small moment of weakness was going to cost her another afternoon of tea.
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