Her Best Friend's Keeper (Finley Creek Book 1)

by Calle J. Brookes

  Maybe his brother was lonely? Maybe Elliot was looking for something more than just a damned townhouse and his career?

  Elliot was the kind of man who’d be a good family man. His father certainly had been. His brother was good with kids, good with elderly ladies, a boy scout at times.

  Hell, the picket fence lifestyle might be just what his brother needed. He could almost see that.

  A girl like Gabby? She’d probably suit his brother just fine. Could Elliot be happy like that? Chance wasn’t stupid—he knew his brother wasn’t happy now. Not down deep. But then again, who was?

  Chance leaned forward. If someone was after the girl, and he strongly suspected there was, he’d find them.

  There wasn’t a damned thing he wouldn’t do to keep her safe.

  Not just because it was the right thing to do, or because she was his sister’s best friend, or because she was just too damned vulnerable to deal with this kind of thing—hell, he was going to do it for his brother.

  Elliot shouldn’t have to be alone just because they’d lost everyone else they’d loved. It wasn’t right at all.

  If Elliot wanted the girl permanently he deserved the chance. Both Elliot and Gabby deserved to be happy.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR.

  ***

  SHE kept herself from freaking out somehow. Barely. Maybe, for the most part. It wasn’t easy. Elliot stopped in to talk to Benny and check on her. Her supervisor looked at her with a worried expression and patted her on the shoulder.

  “Don’t worry, Chief Marshall, our Gabby will be taken care of. I can promise you that.”

  “Thanks, Benny. It’s probably nothing, a random break-in, but with the security at her building so tight, we’re not willing to take a chance on it being more than that.”

  “Of course,” Benny said.

  “Gabby, I’ll try to make it to lunch around two-thirty. We’ll eat together. If I can’t, I’ll message you. You do not leave this building. Understood?”

  She didn’t want him to go, but Gabby understood. There was no way she’d ever be able to have the Chief of Finley Creek TSP to herself completely. Elliot was as much his job as his father had been. It would consume his life almost completely for as long as he had the position. Sara had told her how it was with her own father. Elliot Sr. loved his family—but he’d loved his job, too. Every spare minute he had—which wasn’t much—had gone to his family. But Elliot had no family at home. The job was going to be his life, wasn’t it?

  The hours were longer than usual. Brynna had left for her trip. She’d had the meeting in St. Louis scheduled for three weeks in advance. They were talking about the software Brynna had developed. Lucas Industries wanted to back it for production, to be sold to law enforcement agencies around the world.

  Gabby was so proud of the work her best friend had done on the project.

  Plus, the trip got Brynna away from the commander of the Major Crimes Unit. The guy had given Brynna a very pricey flower arrangement and offered to take her to a very nice restaurant to thank her for her long hours on the Quincy case.

  Brynna had accepted the flowers, but declined the dinner invitation. Her friend was adamantly not looking for romance right now—even though she’d confessed to Gabby that she actually liked the MCU commander a great deal.

  Brynna got really jumpy when commitment with a man was even hinted at.

  Gabby half thought Brynna was afraid she couldn’t do a relationship well, especially with a man more than ten years her senior.

  She missed her friend. She and Brynna were on the schedule together ninety percent of the time and had been for at least the last eighteen months.

  She was such a big weenie, wasn’t she? Needing her bestie to hold her hand.

  Gabby rolled her eyes and got back to work. Benny wanted her to get started on a dozen ATM cameras, to search out a common face. Hopefully they’d be able to catch a push-and-grabber before lunch. The jerk had preyed on young mothers with babies in strollers. Grabbed their purses and bags and ran. He’d take the cards then dump the rest of the bags a block away.

  Gabby wanted him found as fast as possible. Why would someone target someone with a baby? That was just…wrong. She tried to talk to Benny, but he had one of his moods on.

  Sometimes he was approachable, other times he most definitely was not. It was best to just leave him alone when things got to him. She and Brynna had learned that lesson a while back.

  But it made for a very long day.

  ***

  ELLIOT’S day was busier than the previous few, for damned sure. Evers and Callum had a report on his desk fifteen minutes after they clocked in for the day.

  The only thing they’d found about the break-in was that security videos were missing and one of her neighbors had reported seeing an average height white man walking on the floor who she didn’t recognize.

  They had no more than that. Everyone did agree with one thing—whomever was responsible had probably targeted her deliberately.

  That had him distracted all day. Worried. Had him starting to head down to the Computer Forensics department and check on her himself over half a dozen times. He stopped himself every time. But it was hard.

  Chance’s taunting earlier had stuck in the back of his mind all day. Had him imagining things he probably shouldn’t be.

  Elliot pushed those thoughts aside and focused on budgetary meetings and promotion requests. Everything from Computer Forensics to Janitorial needed more bodies. Which meant more money. Which meant taking money from other departments… who also needed bodies. It was a vicious cycle, and one he hated to be in charge of. But it was a duty he’d signed up for when he took the job.

  His first love was the patrol officers. They were the backbone of the TSP, the face the public saw. If he had his way he’d give a ten percent raise across the board, make comp-time more available, and add thirty percent more officers to the streets.

  He definitely wasn’t going to be able to do any of what he wanted, but he was able to approve ten more patrol officers, and move three who were ready to be promoted to detectives up the ladder.

  It was a start. No doubt about it.

  Journey took the paperwork with his signature to handle the next steps, but it left Elliot feeling like he was finally getting the Finley Creek ball rolling. Blankenbaker had been a good chief—his father had worked with him back when Elliot was a teenager—but over the last few years as Blankenbaker’s wife started getting sick the chief’s attention had started to shift.

  Elliot couldn’t blame him. When Blankenbaker had realized what was happening, he’d stepped down. It had been a tight ship before it had happened.

  The mayor called for an update on the Tenth street crime reduction project Blankenbaker had started. Elliot thought it was a good start. He’d move bodies that way as soon as he could. Hopefully an increased presence would equal a decrease in petty crime.

  Officer Journey brought him the rest of his docket. “Here’s what we’ve got for this afternoon, sir. A busy day.”

  “Hopefully a productive one.” He took the top file from his assistant. “Call down to Computer Forensics. Tell Gabby it’ll probably be two-thirty or two-forty-five before I’m free for lunch.”

  “Of course, sir. I’ll let her know.”

  “And, get me Detective Evers, please. I need to speak with him about the break-in in Ms. Kendall’s building last night.”

  “Yes, sir. Was anything taken? Was Ms. Kendall hurt?”

  “No. But the vandalism was more than a simple burglary. It concerns me. I want to keep informed.”

  “Of course, sir.”

  He wanted to be out there searching for the assholes himself, and Elliot freely admitted that. But he couldn’t exactly get his ass out there with the entire damned TSP post demanding his attention, could he?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE.

  ***

  GABBY made a point of staying right in the lab. People were talking about her and Elliot—and wh
at had happened. Sometimes right in the room with her. It was almost like some of the women were coming to the Computer Forensics department just to see what she was doing with Elliot. A few men were curious, too. Benny finally stepped in and told the last bunch that if they didn’t need anything to head back to their own departments. Gabby was mortified. She hated being the center of gossip, even if Elliot was used to it.

  She didn’t venture out until Journey called and said Elliot would be free for lunch soon. Even if it was up in his office. Well, Gabby was ok with that part. Better to hide out than deal with people staring at them both. He couldn’t leave; he was waiting on an important phone call from the Superintendent of the entire TSP. She sat quietly while he finished the call, picking at the lunch she’d made for both of them that morning.

  Elliot seemed to really like her cooking, at least. She could pay him back for all the trouble she’d caused him by feeding him anyway. Besides, she liked doing it for him.

  Their lunch was inundated with call notifications and messages ringing his computer over and over again. He finally told Journey to hold his calls to give him a decent lunch. Gabby definitely couldn’t handle having that many people making demands on her like that.

  But he did just fine.

  When the calls were finally silenced for a few minutes he relaxed, right before her eyes. It was almost like there were two men inside of him—the Chief and Elliot. Was he happy that way? Gabby studied his eyes for a moment, trying to answers that question. Was he happy? She had no clue.

  “Is it always like this? So…hectic?”

  “Sometimes. A part of it is the newness of me being here. Different people are wanting to make the necessary connections to…get what they want from me. The mayor, for instance. Plus the governor’s office calls regularly. I think that’s just Marcus being a dick, but…it’s still a time suck.”

  “Did you just refer to the governor of Texas as a dick time suck?”

  “I sure did. He’s always been that way.” He smiled, flashing the dimples at her for just a moment. “He’s my first cousin, Gabby. I’m not sure why I’m in this position though. Unless it benefits our dear governor. I hate politics.”

  “I’m sure you’ve earned it. Garrity made lots of strides while you were there.” Gabby felt her cheeks heat. “I looked it up.”

  “Did you? I hope you didn’t see the worst of my reputation.”

  She strongly suspected he was a straight-arrow. Good, honorable. Always do the right thing. But how happy was he? “I don’t think there was anything bad, Elliot. Did you like Garrity?”

  He was quiet for a long while. She thought he wasn’t going to answer. “It was small. Less than five hundred people in the town. I knew most of them. Garrity is a rural post, and that meant no city police. We covered the entire area.”

  “Do you think you’ll miss it?”

  “Garrity was the forgotten post of the TSP, Gab. No politics. I stink at politics.” His smile was rueful as he held up a note with the governor’s name on it.

  “Yet you did just fine on the phone. I couldn’t do it. You were actually nice but firm with the mayor. You got what you wanted, didn’t you?”

  “Yes. An increased TSP and city police presence down on Tenth Street and Bothe. There’s been some gang activity down there that I don’t like.”

  “You’re responsible for everyone, aren’t you?” Those shoulders were certainly broad—but were they strong enough to support the entire city? Gabby mentally shook herself for being so fanciful. Elliot would not have gotten as far as he had if he wasn’t extremely good at what he did. He could do it.

  “The entire region covered by Finley Creek. Forty-two thousand people. We average fifty-eight staff of the TSP per ten thousand civilians. Garrity had nine people for approximately five hundred civilians. Superintendent thought that was excessive. He cut it in half the month before I left.”

  “Ouch. I’m sorry.”

  “I understand his reasoning. But…they were my people. Two took transfers to Wichita Falls, another to Houston. I was offered this after I told the superintendent what I thought.”

  “You get cited for that?”

  “He couldn’t suspend me without making a PR fuss. Apparently, I’m well-liked by the citizens of Texas. One of my staff made a fuss to the papers a while back after a particular case I worked involving the FBI. Which the FBI confirmed. They claim I saved an agent’s life—who is from Texas originally. Native daughter and all of that. Governor Deane and Superintendent Alvarez like publicity like that.”

  “And you don’t.”

  “Not at all. Unless it furthers the TSP cause. Then parade me around like a damned monkey in a purple flame bikini.”

  She laughed. “That would definitely get publicity, wouldn’t it?”

  “It sure would.” He grinned again, then sobered. “I’m going to be here until six, at least. I’ll come down for you, ok?”

  “Of course. It’s whatever works best for you. You’re the boss, after all.”

  “I may be the Division Chief, sweetheart. But I’m Elliot first. I have to be.”

  “I couldn’t do it. I’m happy being hidden in the annex. It works for me. There’s no serious pressure down there. I can’t deal with pressure, at all.”

  He stared at her for a moment as she chased a mushroom around her salad with her fork. She knew the questions were inevitable. “Why the anxiety, Gabby? Is it because of ten years ago?”

  “Hmmm. Part of it is genetics, but a lot of it is ten years ago, I think. And the emails that continued for years really did something up here.” She pointed to her forehead. “Not good things; that’s for sure. I’ve tried not to let it get to me. And I go stretches at a time without a problem. Then something will set it off. There was this one night in a movie theatre parking lot, right before Mel got shot. It was around ten, a summer night. Beautiful out, really. Mel, Brynna, and I were coming outside and got catcalls from a bunch of guys behind us. We were perfectly safe, Elliot. A well-lit parking lot, plenty of people around. The guys were just being stupid jerks trying to impress each other. Us. I don’t know. Mel even had her gun and badge on her, you know? And Jarrod was driving over from work to pick us up. We were safe. And I flipped out. Something about it set me off. It took twenty minutes—and Jarrod holding me—for me to calm down.”

  “I see. Medication doesn’t help?”

  “It can. When I’m on it. I’m not. I’ve always held the idea of a prescription in reserve; in case I get really uncontrollable. But it’s never came to that.”

  “Therapy?”

  “No, not recently, anyway. I function just fine on a day-to-day basis, Elliot. I just tend to worry about… I don’t know…everything.” She smiled at him, but she didn’t mean it. “I’m not even sure what the worries are, half the time. Just that they are there. Mel said PTSD, and she would know. But…I haven’t gone any further than that.” Not yet, she just wasn’t ready yet.

  “Maybe you should.” He finished his salad and wiped his mouth. “I did. After it happened. After seeing the video and the crime scene photos. I needed the extra help. I still see a counselor at times. Sometimes…sometimes there are decisions you have to make in this job that are just choosing the least damaging option. Lives are at stake. I’ve made calls that have cost men and women their lives. And I’ll do it again. I can’t handle that on my own, you understand? Not and be as effective as I want to be.”

  Gabby knew she stared. She’d never heard any man—especially one with as much power as a Division Chief—admit to needing mental health support. Even occasionally.

  So many guys in her acquaintance just shrugged counseling off.

  Not Elliot.

  “I don’t know. Maybe. When life around here gets back to normal.” If it went back to normal. She couldn’t escape the feeling that things would never be normal for her again.

  “The department counselor is supposedly a good one. Might consider it. We pay her to be here, after all.” />
  “I…I’ll do it. Maybe it’s time. And maybe we’ll catch the killers eventually, too.”

  “We will. Even if it takes a thousand more days to do it. Ten thousand. I’ll never stop. And neither will Chance.”

  She’d seen his brother wandering the TSP halls on her way up to Elliot’s office. Chance had stopped whatever conversation he was having with a tall blond guy and they’d both entered the elevator after her. Neither had said anything.

  They’d just rode the elevator with her to Elliot’s floor. Chance had touched her shoulder and gave her one of his super-intense-Chance looks and nodded. The blond guy had grinned at her but said nothing.

  Another of Elliot’s ever-loyal guard dogs, was her best guess. “I saw Chance in the elevator. I’m not sure what he was doing. Probably scary-Chance things.”

  “He’s looking into the apartment burglary for me. Special investigator. He’s on the FC TSP books, but I’m not advertising that fact.”

  “Thanks, Elliot. I mean that. You didn’t have to go to all this trouble for me, but I appreciate that you did.”

  “Gabby, I’m starting to think there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. All you have to do is ask.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX.

  ***

  ELLIOT looked at his brother like Chance had grown two heads. Chance had shown up in his office five minutes before he was set to go downstairs to get Gabby for the end of the day. The news Chance dropped didn’t exactly thrill him. “You sure you have to go now? Tonight?”

  “No choice. The grand jury wants my testimony on a kidnapping with special circumstances case. The bastard hurt the victim bad, El. I’ve talked with Erickson. He’s going to take over here for me on that little project of yours. Sit on you and Gabby until I get back. I’m going to head back to your place with you now, then take off. I’ll drive up, give my testimony, and then get my ass back here as soon as I possibly can.”