Going on Red

by Lyn Gardner

  Not quite eight hours later, Kate leaned back in her chair and blew an errant strand of hair from her forehead. She had spent almost the entire day at her computer and had yet to make a sizeable dent in the piles stacked on her desk. With only a few more minutes left of her shift, Kate grabbed a stack of reports she’d completed and headed toward the filing cabinets lined up along the wall on the far side of the room.

  Kate had almost reached her destination when she heard a familiar voice, and looking over, her mouth dropped open when she saw Frank Daggett swing into the room on crutches. In an instant, three of Frank’s gray-haired cronies surrounded him, and amidst all the glad-handing and slaps on the back he received, their gravelly voices rose in celebration. They whooped and hollered like middle-aged cheerleaders whose team had just scored the winning goal, but then Kate tilted her head. She covertly looked around the room and saw two of the most seasoned detectives still at their desks seemingly intent on whatever was on their computers, and a Superintendent, who had gone through the ranks with Frank, was standing at the coffee pot chatting with some officers nearby. It was impossible not to hear the ruckus, the voices booming their optimistic wishes, yet as Kate made her way to the filing cabinets, she couldn’t help but wonder if some ears had suddenly turned deaf.

  Frank had seen Kate as soon as he’d come into the station, and he also had seen her slack-jawed expression. Once his mates returned to their desks, he swung his way across the office to where Kate was busy filing. “Well now, Monroe. You seemed a bit surprised to see me back at work.”

  Kate looked over her shoulder, glancing at the plaster encasing Frank’s legs. “Correct me if I’m wrong, Frank, but I doubt you’re here to work, unless, of course, you’re going to help with the filing.”

  “In your dreams, love,” Frank said, setting his crutches aside as he dropped into a chair. “But you’re right. I’m not working. I just stopped by to chat with the investigators about the accident and fill out some reports.”

  “Oh, I see,” Kate said, and turning back toward the cabinets, she happily returned to the filing. Standing close enough to the window to see the car park, when a shiny new sports car caught her eye, Kate’s face split into a grin.

  Frank had been staring daggers through Kate’s back for the last few minutes, and when he saw her face light up, he raised his chin. “You know, I can’t ever remember anyone being so happy doing filing. You sure you don’t want to change careers, Kate?”

  Kate slipped the last folder into place, and closing the drawer, she turned around. “If you must know, I’m smiling because I just saw my partner pull into the lot, which means it’s time for me to go.” Kate took a step and then realized her path was blocked by Frank’s crutches. “Could you please move those?”

  “I didn’t know you had a partner, Monroe,” Frank said, ignoring Kate’s request.

  “There’s quite a bit you don’t know about…” Kate suddenly remembered something she had wanted to do all day. “Shit,” she said, quickly pointing to the crutches. “Frank, for the last time. Move those bloody things so I can get by.”

  “What’s your rush?” Frank said, unblocking the aisle. “We still have things to talk about.”

  As far as Kate was concerned, there was nothing she needed or wanted to talk to Frank about, and scurrying past, when she reached her desk, she opened the bottom drawer and removed a small package. Tearing off the tissue paper, Kate used the sleeve of her blouse to remove a few specks of dust from the glass, and shoving aside some folders, she placed the framed photograph in the center of her desk. She gazed at it for a few seconds, her eyes brimming with love, and then giving the picture of Brodie a wink, Kate put on her suit jacket, grabbed her coat and handbag, and turned to leave.

  Frank had kept his eyes glued on Kate the entire time, so when he saw her preparing to go, he shouted from across the way, “Monroe!”

  Kate let out a huff as she glared at the man. “What?”

  “Bloody hell, woman,” Frank said, waving his arms over his plastered legs. “Can I please talk to you for a minute, or should I just scream across the bleedin’ room?”

  Kate could sense heads were beginning to turn, and with a sigh, she strode back to where Frank was sitting. Tossing her things on a nearby chair, she planted herself in front of the man. “All right. I’m here. What do you want?”

  “I just want to make sure we’re on the same page.”

  Kate jerked back her head. “Sorry?”

  “Look, when I’m finished with my report, they’ll probably want to hear your version of what happened, so I thought we should compare notes.”

  “You did, did you?” Kate said, folding her arms across her chest.

  “Come on, love. It won’t take long, and the sooner we start, the sooner you’ll be able to skip off to meet your partner. So what do you say? Take a load off, and let’s get this done.”

  “I’m afraid it’s too late for that, Frank.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “They already have my report.”

  Frank straightened in his chair. “That’s impossible. I was told your first day back to work wasn’t until today.”

  “You’re right. It wasn’t, but I guess the powers-that-be wanted to know what happened sooner, rather than later. I spoke to the investigators last week.”

  “Why in the hell wasn’t I told?”

  Kate’s eyes sparkled with amusement, and she shrugged. “Well, Frank, I can’t be sure, but my guess is they probably didn’t think they needed your permission.”

  “Fine,” Frank growled, rubbing his chin. “Then, just tell me what you put in your report.”

  “The truth,” Kate said, unfolding her arms. “So, as long as you do the same, your report and my report should be identical.”

  Frank clenched his jaw and leaning forward in his chair, he kept his voice low. “Monroe, this is my bloody job we’re talking about.”

  “Then you should have thought about that before you almost killed us, not to mention the nine other people who got hurt that day.”

  “It was an accident.”

  It had been a while since Kate’s temper had gone from zero to sixty in a nanosecond, and slamming her hands down on the arms of Frank’s chair, the man rocked back as she invaded his space. “You’re an accident, Frank,” Kate said, her voice low and dripping with disdain. “You are a mistake this department needs to correct, and whether they do it by reprimand or dismissal makes no difference to me. All I know is that if they believe what I put in my report, and I have no reason whatsoever to think otherwise, you’ll never sit behind the wheel of any car again.”

  Appearing to turn into a human pufferfish, Daggett’s face ballooned as rage reddened his cheeks and mottled his face. The thought that a woman, any woman, could have bested him caused bile to rise in his throat. He had spent over twenty years on the force, and even though his file contained a few reprimands, Frank had managed to talk himself out of over a dozen more. With a round of beer or a round of golf, or even a round of both, he would lament about losing his children in the divorce, grouse about the long hours he had to work in order to provide for them properly now they were under her roof, and pile on the flattery to whatever superior he was currently chatting up. Frank had always ended with that, ended on a high note, so they walked away feeling appreciated, and it had almost always worked. Formal reprimands became merely slaps on the wrist, and Frank merrily went on his way…except the last time was different.

  The last time he was given an ultimatum, to keep his nose clean and ride out the time to his retirement at another station or lose his job right then and there. Frank blustered and bewailed, especially once he found out he’d be saddled with a partner, but having a partner gave Frank the excuse he needed. To all his friends and cohorts, he made it crystal clear his assignment was to watch over some stupid twit in another borough until he and his superiors could put enough paper in her file to fire her. She was just another useless woman tryi
ng to do a man’s job, and he welcomed the task of doing his part to rid the force of yet one more waste of time wearing a skirt. But Kate Monroe wasn’t stupid, and while Frank had managed to push her around up until this point, after Kate’s little show of temper a moment earlier, Frank decided to take a different tack.

  Frank’s demeanor suddenly softened, and taking a slow breath, he replaced his anger with charm. “Look, Kate,” he said, resting his hands on top of hers. “You’re talking about my livelihood here. I’ve got two kids to feed and an ex-wife to support, and if our versions of what happened that day don’t match, it could really create some problems.”

  “Maybe for you, Frank,” Kate said, snatching her hands away as she stood straight. “But not for me and not for anyone here who actually wants to be a good cop.”

  Frank opened his mouth to speak just as Kate’s phone chimed, and pulling it from her pocket, she tapped on the screen as she strolled to the window. “Hiya.”

  “Hi yourself,” Brodie said, smiling through the phone. “So, am I early, or are you late?”

  “Both,” Kate said, looking down at the parking area. “I saw you pull in a couple of minutes ago, but Frank wanted to have a few words with me, so I’m running a bit late. Sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it, and Frank? As in your partner?”

  “Hopefully, not for long.”

  “Should I come up to protect you? Remember, I have two brothers, so I know how to wrestle.”

  “Oh, I do love you,” Kate said as she placed her hand on the glass, and two stories below, Brodie instinctively looked up.

  “Hey, there’s a gorgeous woman checking me out,” Brodie said, leaning against her car.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, two floors up on the end.”

  “And what are you going to do about it?”

  “Shag her silly when she gets home,” Brodie said, grinning.

  “I’m going to hold you to that, sweetheart,” Kate said, her cheeks turning rosy. “I’ll be down in a few minutes. Okay?”

  “I’m not going anywhere without you.”

  Kate closed her phone and turning around, she couldn’t help but notice the confused look on Frank’s face. “Problem, Frank?”

  “I’m assuming he’s a doctor,” Frank said, resting back in his chair.

  “Who?”

  “Your partner?”

  Kate scratched her cheek, debating on whether to take the bait. She told herself she should just walk away, but there was something about Frank’s supercilious expression that Kate couldn’t ignore. “Okay, I’ll give,” she said, looking Frank in the eye. “Why would you think that?”

  “Because I’m a bloody good detective, Monroe. That’s why,” Frank said, steepling his fingers as his smirk stretched across his stubbly face. “You’ve never talked about any partner in all the months we’ve been working together, and all of a sudden, you’re telling a bloke you love him? Plus, there’s that picture you just put on your desk. I can’t see it from here, but I’ll bet you anything, it’s a photo of some up-and-coming doctor, no doubt one you met in the hospital after the accident. That tells me it’s true what they say about patients falling in love with their doctors, and honestly, Kate, I’m a little surprised. I mean, you never struck me as a genius, but I did think you were a bit smarter than that.”

  “Oh, Frank, Frank, Frank,” Kate said, clicking her tongue. “I hate to disappoint you, but I am a lot smarter than you think I am.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yes,” Kate said, giving the man a slow once over. “Because I’m smart enough to know when it’s safe to go on red.”

  Kate snatched her things off the chair and tugging on her coat, she sashayed past Frank without giving him as much as a sideways glance. When she reached the door, Frank’s voice rang out again.

  “What in the hell is that supposed to mean?” he bellowed from across the room.

  Kate stopped, chuckling to herself before she turned around. “You’re the ‘bloody good detective,’ Frank. You figure it out.”

  ***

  Kate walked across the lot, chuckling under her breath as she neared Brodie. “You’re absolutely crazy.”

  Still leaning against the car with her ankles crossed, Brodie stood straight and grinned. “Why’s that?”

  “Because it’s too cold to have the top down,” Kate said, glancing at the cherry-red, convertible Jaguar now open to the elements.

  “Where’s your sense of adventure, DI Monroe?”

  “I’m thinking it’s standing right in front of me,” Kate said with a laugh.

  Only an arm’s length from Brodie, Kate moved in for a kiss only to have Brodie turn her face at the last second, so Kate’s lips landed on her cheek. “Hey, what’s that about?” Kate said, stepping back.

  Brodie's eyes darted from the building and back to Kate. “We’re being watched.”

  “Huh?”

  “A bloke is standing in the window where you just were, and he can’t seem to take his eyes off of us.”

  Kate turned around, and seeing Frank staring down at them, she waved to make sure she had his undivided attention before pivoting back to Brodie and kissing her full on the mouth. Their lips parted a few seconds later, yet when their eyes met, Kate couldn’t resist. She kissed Brodie again, and this time, Kate held nothing back. It was passionate, and it was wet, and almost a minute went by before they finally moved apart.

  Pleasantly surprised, albeit a bit confused at such a hearty PDA, Brodie’s smile was wide. “Kate, what are you doing?”

  “I call it going on red, sweetheart,” Kate purred, running her fingers through Brodie’s hair. “Now, what say you take me back to your flat? I don’t know about you, but I’m in the mood to shoot some pool.”

  Brodie’s eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. “Is that so?”

  “Yep.”

  “Well,” Brodie said, opening the passenger door so Kate could get in. “How about we make a quick stop at your place first? Grab you some clothes so we can sleep in a few minutes tomorrow before I bring you to work.”

  “So, the time we’ll be saving is so we can sleep in?” Kate said, watching as Brodie trotted around the car.

  “Of course,” Brodie said, and slipping into her seat, she started the car. “You don’t think I have any ulterior motives, do you?”

  “Absolutely none,” Kate said, leaning in for another quick kiss.

  “Good.”

  Brodie maneuvered the car through the lot, and as she neared the exit, she flipped on the turn signal.

  “Oh, wait,” Kate said, putting her hand on Brodie’s arm. “You need to go left.”

  “Why?” Brodie said, quickly looking at Kate. “A left takes us back to my place. I thought we just said we’d go to yours first so we can pick up some clothes.”

  “We are,” Kate said, her eyes twinkling as her lips parted into a smile as dazzling as it was playful. “But there’s this billboard I need you to see.”

  The End

  Thank you for reading Going on Red.

  As an Independent author, I have no publicity department or publishing company to depend on to spread the word about my books, so if you liked Going on Red, I hope you can find a few minutes to return to where you purchased it and leave a comment or a review.

  If you want to contact me personally, please drop me a line at Lyng227@gmail.com or catch me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lyn.gardner.587

  Lyn

  Acknowledgments

  As always, I want to thank those who spent their days, nights, and weekends reading my words, diligently looking for typos, continuity errors, and so much more. They are my editors. They are my proofreaders…and they are my friends.

  To Susan, Marion, Jan, Marian, and Bron, thank you for all your hard work. Words could never express my gratitude for the time spent and for all those marvelous “finds” that helped to make this story better. You speak your minds. You keep me in line…and you keep me sane. Y
ou are indeed the best!

  Love you all,

  Lyn

  Other Titles by Lyn Gardner

  Choices

  SILVER MEDAL – 2019 Global Ebook Awards – Gay/Lesbian/LGBT Fiction

  FINALIST – 2019 American Book Fest Awards – Fiction: LGBTQ

  Robin Novak has made many choices in her life. She chose her career. She chose her friends, and she also chose to come out in college. Since that time, many women have walked in and out of Robin’s life, but two had left indelible impressions. The first was a crush, and the second…almost destroyed her.

  Mentally bruised and battered from an abusive relationship, in one short year, Robin has gone from being a successful author to someone struggling to breathe almost as much as she’s struggling to write. With her confidence shattered, and her self-loathing at an all-time high, when an unexpected inheritance comes her way, Robin doesn’t think twice. At the age of forty-four, Robin Novak packs up her life and her cats and moves to a place where she hopes to start fresh. But a change of location isn’t the only thing Robin is looking for. After her last relationship, she knows this move will also drastically reduce the possibility of ever having another woman in her life.