Crossing Lines

by KD Williamson

  Susan shrugged. “You know them. They’re part of your regular surgery team. They’re looking forward to it, actually.”

  Those words seemed foreign when said in regards to her, as if they were two pieces from completely different puzzles that were being forced together. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I wouldn’t know—”

  “Well, how are you going to figure it out if you don’t do it?”

  Susan certainly was brash. It reminded her of Kelli, and at the moment, that was enough. Look where that had gotten her. “No…maybe some other time.”

  “Well, okay, but don’t expect me to stop asking.” Susan reached into her pocket and took out a pen. She moved forward and pulled a Kleenex from the box on Nora’s desk. “Just in case you change your mind. You looked a little indecisive. The place is nice and quiet, by the way.” Susan wrote quickly and smiled at Nora as she backed away. “So, either way. I’ll see you.”

  “Okay. Have a good night.”

  “You too.”

  *

  Nora circled the block three times before getting in line for the valet at the Kingston Hotel. It was an odd choice of venue for drinks with friends, but she didn’t have much to compare it to except for her night out at Beck’s Bar and Grill with Kelli and her entourage.

  She slammed the door on her thoughts. She was experiencing enough anxiety and trepidation as it was. There was no need to add to it. Still, Nora was somewhat proud of herself for making the decision to attend this little get-together. She could have gone home to an empty house to try to suture her wounds in private, as was her custom, or she could take the chance to reach out and find solace in the most common way possible. It was a huge chance she was taking, but the fact remained that Nora had changed. There was no undoing it.

  The knock on her window startled her. She stared at the valet who smiled at her and waited. Nora opened the driver’s side door, but she remained seated.

  “Uh, ma’am? Are you okay?”

  Nora swallowed the lump forming in her throat and turned toward the young man. “Yes, I’m sorry.” Gracefully, she put one foot in front of the other, exiting the car and gathering courage. She glanced up at the building and realized she didn’t know where to go.

  Before she could ask, the doorman stepped forward. “Can I help you with something, ma’am?”

  Nora smiled slightly and wondered if, despite her bravado, her fear was showing on her face. “Yes. I think I need directions to the bar.”

  He smiled and nodded. “In the lobby to your right. You can’t miss it.”

  Nora thanked him and entered. She stopped at the entrance to the hotel restaurant. She took a deep breath and moved forward. The area was dimly lit. There was a murmur of voices, but it wasn’t loud or disarming. Nora scanned the sea of tables, looking for a familiar face. When she found one, Nora didn’t wait to be acknowledged. She walked quickly toward the booth.

  Susan spotted her soon enough. She stood. Her eyes were wide and so was her smile. “Hey! I’m glad you changed your mind.”

  Nora swallowed and nodded. She glanced at the two women still seated.

  “You know Patricia and Mary.”

  Patricia grinned and waved. Mary dipped her head in greeting.

  Nora did the same.

  “Here. You can sit by me.” Patricia scooted over.

  Nora’s nerves came back in full force. She fought against them and slid into the booth.

  “This is going to be great! Now, what are you drinking?” Susan asked.

  A few minutes later, Nora brought a glass of Chardonnay to her lips. Her gaze was downcast, and the quiet wrapped around them, making the situation uncomfortable. So much for being great. Glancing upward, Nora realized they were all watching her.

  Nora met Susan’s gaze. The nurse merely raised her glass, draining the last bit of whiskey she’d ordered. That’s when it became clear. It was up to Nora to break the ice or let it cover them completely. Nora searched for the right words to say. “Is this something…that you all do often?”

  For a few seconds, there was nothing.

  “You mean, do you drive us to drink on a weekly basis?” Patricia asked.

  Nora went completely rigid as her gaze swung in the other woman’s direction. Her walls shot up. This was a mistake. It was just a way for disgruntled co-workers to get back at her. It stung. She was starting to like Susan. “I didn’t—” That was when Nora saw it, the twinkle of mirth in Patricia’s eyes and the little grin lifting the corners of her mouth. Nora set her glass of wine on the table between them and gathered her wits. “Yes, that’s exactly what I meant.” Nora replied sarcastically and hoped that her own sudden use of humor shined through.

  Patricia laughed, and the others joined in.

  A strange feeling engulfed Nora. For a moment, the heaviness on her shoulders abated.

  Nora listened avidly to the conversation flowing around her. It varied from husbands and boyfriends to children. When appropriate, she smiled and nodded, but the subject matter was somewhat unfamiliar territory.

  “What about you, Nora? You seeing anyone?” Susan asked.

  Startled by the question, Nora met Susan’s gaze. She looked sincere in her attempt to include Nora in the conversation. It was a simple question with a rather complex answer. Nora immediately thought of Kelli, and that was enough to open the floodgates. She was suddenly overwhelmed. “It’s…complicated.”

  “Isn’t it always?” Susan raised her empty glass in salute.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Nora saw people taking over the table next to them. Momentarily distracted, she glanced in that direction. Once seated, the two women moved closer to each other until there was barely any distance between them. Nora was riveted. The taller of the two whispered something in her companion’s ear. The woman smiled and leaned in for a kiss.

  Her breath stilted in her throat, and something spasmed in her chest. The emptiness came back full force. She knew what it was like to be wanted. She knew what it was like to be cared for. More than likely, that was all gone now. Guilt filled her, but this time, there was anger as well. These feelings were the consequences of her choices. The anger, Nora realized was not only internal. It encompassed Kelli too.

  The couple kissed again. The longing that inundated Nora went down to the bone. There was no escaping it. She had a taste of what life had to offer. Instead of holding onto it with both hands, Nora pushed it away, and Kelli let her.

  “Nora?”

  She heard Susan call her name, but when a hand covered her own, it still startled her. Nora jerked away.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you okay? You zoned out,” Susan asked.

  Heat rushed to her face. She shook her head and stood. “I—thank you for this, but I have to go.”

  Susan and the others told her good-bye. Nora barely heard them. Those open wounds that she had been nursing since that night with Kelli festered, and Nora finally realized that they weren’t going to heal anytime soon.

  CHAPTER 7

  James Rader set the paper bag on the sidewalk in front of the liquor store and doubled over.

  “Hey fella. You don’t look so good. Should I take you to the hospital?” The taxi driver yelled out the car window.

  “No!” He rasped loudly. “Just back home.”

  “You sure you should be drinking?”

  “I’ll give you an extra twenty to shut the hell up.”

  The driver nodded, and James stood and made his way to the back seat.

  Fifteen minutes later, the cab pulled up in front of his place. It was well past dark, and the front entrance was dimly illuminated by sparse street lights.

  He stumbled out of the taxi.

  “Hard to see. For another twenty, I’ll help you to the door.”

  James didn’t bother to look back.

  The taxi driver didn’t linger.

  Halfway to his door, James stopped in the middle of the walkway to rest. He held the paper bag close to his chest, cra
dling it as he would a baby. When he shuffled forward again, he moved slowly. His breathing was ragged, and he was so focused on putting one foot in front of another, he wasn’t paying attention to anything happening around him.

  He fumbled with his keys, trying to find the right one by feel alone. James shoved one in and got lucky on the first try. The moment he opened the door, he was pushed hard from behind. He stumbled into the living room as the bag and its contents went flying.

  “What—?” James started to turn around.

  He didn’t get to finish. He was shoved once more. This time, he fell face first onto his floor. The only thing that kept him from shouting out in agony was the landing. It knocked the wind out of him. When he was able to, he said, “Please just…take whatever you want. I won’t fight you. I just got out of the hospital a few days ago.”

  There was no reply. There was no movement.

  James waited a little longer. Slowly, he turned around and pushed himself up to a sitting position. He glanced up. His eyes widened.

  “No.” James shook his head “We’re done. You said—”

  The intruder didn’t let him say any more, silencing him with a hard swing of a bat. James Rader didn’t even have time to scream.

  The intruder paused and stared down at the unconscious body. Then, raising the bat high, swung again and again, connecting with a series of loud, bone-crushing noises. Eventually, the sound morphed into a wet splatter.

  *

  The drive to the crime scene was silent. Kelli was reluctant to take the case at first. She was tempted to pass it off on Johns or one of the other detectives. She hated murder in the morning. The fact that Williams was with her and they were still barely talking made things even worse. It took so much energy to mend bridges, and Kelli wasn’t sure she had the reserves to deal with all the shit she’d stirred up. Not yet. She had plans to start wading through it…soon. Hell, maybe tomorrow.

  Kelli reached out and turned the volume on the radio higher. “Enter Sandman” was on. The violence of the guitars and drums was just what she needed. It made her feel like her heart was going to pump out of her chest. Shit was epic. Always had been and always would be.

  A few seconds later, Williams lowered the volume. “Give me a goddamn break will you? I can’t hear myself think.”

  Kelli’s response was a simple nod. Old fucker.

  The quiet was damn near painful, but Kelli powered through it.

  She parked her car next to the Crime Scene Unit’s van. A crowd was starting to form. Several uniformed officers kept them in check. Kelli scanned the sea of faces, getting a feel for the bystanders. Sometimes the killer was a sick enough—and a stupid enough—fuck to hang around. But most of them looked shocked, and there were a few who looked pukey.

  Kelli and Williams entered the home. It was more like an apartment with its own entrance. Kelli was almost shocked by the amount of blood and splatter that painted the walls and even the ceiling.

  Then, there was the body. Poor man barely had any head left.

  Williams whistled.

  A uniformed officer walked toward them.

  “You’re homicide?”

  “Yeah,” Kelli answered. “You called this mess in?”

  “I did. I’m Officer Barton.” He held out his hand.

  Kelli didn’t offer to shake it. “So what’s the story?”

  Barton cleared his throat. “Uh, a jogger, Ms. Foreman—she’s waiting outside—was running past and noticed the door open. She thought somebody needed help, but when she got closer, she saw all the blood. She claims she didn’t touch anything.”

  “That’s all we can ask for.” Williams smiled at the officer. Fine, let him make nice. Kelli didn’t much care.

  “Have you identified the vic?” Kelli asked.

  Barton nodded. “Yeah, James Rader.”

  That got Kelli’s attention. All the blood drained from her face and pooled in her stomach, making her nauseated. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, the landlord lives a few houses down. He gave me the name and preliminary ID.”

  Kelli felt Williams staring at her. She ignored his gaze for the moment, because she knew what he was going to say. Damn, Rader was a slimy bag of dicks, but what a way to go.

  Williams smiled at Barton again. “Thanks for covering this.”

  Kelli nearly jumped out of her skin when Williams grabbed her elbow and pulled her toward the other side of the room. She wrenched her arm away.

  He threw up his hands. “All right, sorry, but what the hell is going on Kel? That name sounded familiar.”

  Kelli sighed loudly. “Because…he was my doctor, and the one who tried to milk Nora for money and fuck up her career.”

  “Holy shit.” Williams rubbed a hand over his bald head and stared at her. “You need to leave…right now. I’ll catch a ride back with one of the unis.”

  She rolled her eyes and snorted. “I know how to be impartial. I can—”

  “No! You don’t think all that shit makes you a person of interest?”

  “Oh, come on!” Kelli said.

  “Nora too. I know things have been fucked up for you lately, but look at the bigger picture here. You’re good at that.”

  “I know all this, all right? You know I didn’t do it, and Nora sure as hell didn’t. She’d be much more methodical,” Kelli said. “There’s too much mess.”

  “Yeah, but we have to do this by the book, especially with you being involved. You need to sit this one out. Let me handle it. I’ll get it done.”

  Kelli glared. It wasn’t like she didn’t trust him. This was just too close to home.

  Williams glared right back, but he leaned forward and put a hand on her shoulder. “Officially.”

  Kelli let his hand stay, but didn’t respond to the comment. Oh, she was going to poke her nose in this. She had to have some hand in it, even if it was just to keep track of things. “Taylor Fuller.”

  “Who?”

  “His girlfriend. You need to take a good hard look at her. I’d bet my right tit she did this. Look at the scene. This shit was personal.”

  “Yeah, that just puts Nora at the top of the list too,” Williams said.

  Kelli knew he was going to say that. Dammit all to hell. Kelli turned, weaved her way around the crime scene, and out the door.

  Kelli sat in her car for a few minutes and beat the shit out of the steering wheel. If this was Fuller, was Nora next? Kelli’s gut tied itself in all kinds of knots. Taylor had the balls to show up at Nora’s door, and if she did this to Rader, why wouldn’t Nora be second in line?

  “Fuck.” Kelli looked at the clock on the dash. It was well past ten, and Nora was probably elbow deep in somebody’s chest right now. Still, Kelli knew what she had to do. She was nowhere near as detached from this as she needed to be, but that was nothing new. She’d let her emotions run roughshod for some time now. Throwing Nora deeper in the mix shouldn’t make that much difference.

  *

  On the way to the hospital, Kelli decided that Nora’s place of employment wasn’t the best venue to lay a bomb like murder at Nora’s feet. However, Kelli wasn’t going to let that keep her from checking up on her. She took a deep breath and pasted on her best smile. The nurse behind the desk peered back at her warily. She looked very familiar.

  The woman pursed her lips. “May I help you?” The question dripped with attitude.

  Well shit. What did Kelli expect? Especially after the way she’d treated some of the nurses when she was a patient here. “Yeah…I’m trying to find Dr. Whitmore. Do you know if she’s free?”

  The nurse blinked, but she didn’t bother to look up again.

  “She’s not.”

  “When—”

  “No, she’s not.”

  “I didn’t even—”

  “No,” she said again. Bitch was emphatic.

  Kelli glanced at the other two nurses who were pretending that she was invisible. They wouldn’t look at her, but Kelli could see the
ir smiles. Her patience was about to snap like a rubber band. Nora was obviously okay if she was in surgery. Kelli could just go double check with Travis. He saw Nora during her early morning rounds.

  The nurse glared.

  There was no point in being fake. Kelli glared right back. She turned to go.

  “You’re welcome,” someone said.

  Kelli didn’t bother to respond.

  When she got on the elevator, Kelli realized that she had a choice to make. She could try to put on another horrible act or just tell Travis everything. So…there was only one choice really. He may not be able to get around like he wanted, but he had good instincts.

  Kelli walked into his room. Travis’s eyes widened in surprise. “What the hell are you…oh shit what’s wrong?”

  Kelli told him about her morning.

  Long minutes later. “Goddamn that’s some heavy shit. So, when it comes down to it, both of you are potential suspects and targets.”

  “Pretty much. I can take care of myself. No way that little bitch will get the jump on me. It’s Nora I’m worried about.”

  Travis stared.

  Kelli was getting uncomfortable. She had to look away. “What?”

  “That’s the first time I’ve heard you say her name in a while.”

  Kelli ignored the ache growing in her chest. “Desperate times and all that shit.”

  “Yeah, for real,” Travis said. “She was here around eight o’clock.”

  Kelli silently waited for more.

  Travis gave nothing away. He smirked. “Ask her yourself.”

  “Whatever. Don’t make light of this. It’s serious shit.” There went Kelli’s patience again.

  “And I don’t know that?”

  “Then stop with the fucking jokes.”

  Travis leaned forward. “I wasn’t fucking joking! Jesus. Look, I know you’re in asshole mode, but you need to find some middle ground. Because if you go in like Captain Save-A-Ho, you’re not going to get far with her.”

  Kelli sighed. “I know that.”

  “Good. It’s too early in the case to even think she’s going to get a protective detail. What are you going to do?”