The Only Solution (Crowley County Series Book 3)

by T. E. Killian

  “Excuse me?”

  He chuckled a little then. “Do you want to get to know me?”

  She didn't have to think about that one but tried not to sound too eager. “Yes, Mike, I think I do.”

  “How should we go about it then?”

  She giggled and said, “Does that mean that you want to get to know me too?”

  When he only nodded, she said, “I think that’s exactly what we’re doing right now don’t you?”

  He laughed and said, “I guess you’re right.”

  She clasped her hands on the table in front of her and said, “I guess the best way to start is for us to tell each other about our lives up to now.”

  When he nodded, she said, “I can go first if you want me to.”

  He nodded again and she thought to herself that she was going to have to break him of nodding so much instead of answering her. But later.

  Taking a deep breath, she began. “Well, I told you about my husband and son. Why don’t I go back and fill you in on the rest?”

  “I was born in the St. Louis area and lived there all my life until I came here three years ago. You’ve met my dad and know that he’s a retired cop. You haven’t met my mom, Connie though. She wasn’t a cop but pretty close. When she retired, she was a dispatch supervisor with St. Louis P.D.”

  He shook his head. “Wow! You really do come from a police family don’t you?”

  She laughed and said, “Yes, but my older brother, Chet, and I neither one followed in their footsteps. As you know I’m a nurse and Chet is a CPA.”

  He laughed and she continued. “When I finished college, I was working in the ER of a big hospital there and that’s where I met my husband, Richard. He was one of the ER doctors. We had a good life and had Richie then Lucy two years later.”

  She didn't realize she was crying until Mike reached out a hand and wiped the tears off each of her cheeks.

  “Well, the rest you pretty much know. After they died in that accident, I’d see their faces on every accident victim we had come in. And you can imagine the number of accident victims we treated almost daily.”

  She held her hands up between them. “So I just had to get away and out of nursing for a while. And that’s how Lucy and I wound up here.”

  He just kept staring at her quietly when she finished. Finally, he said, “You’re one strong lady, Daisy. If all that would have happened to me, it would have killed me.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. You’ve gone through an awful lot to get where you are right now.”

  He snorted. “You don’t know how many times I almost gave up.”

  She raised her right hand up like a stop sign and said, “Yes, but you didn’t. Ultimately, that’s what counts.”

  * * *

  Mike had known a lot of women over the years but he had never met a woman as straightforward and honest as Daisy was. It had taken him a long time to believe that what she was showing him was truly what she was really like. But now he was pretty sure that with Daisy what you see and hear is more or less the real Daisy. And something else he liked was that she always seemed to say what she meant too. She never beat around the bush with anything.

  And what was more amazing was that she seemed to have faith in him . . . probably more than he did in himself even. What had he done to deserve that? She was talking again and he’d missed what she’d just said.

  “I’m sorry, Daisy, I didn’t catch that.”

  She smiled. He could get used to that smile especially when it was directed at him like it was now.

  “I said that it’s your turn now.”

  Mike really didn’t like talking about himself. He never had. But one look into those big brown, almost green eyes and he did.

  “Well, you know that I grew up in Tulsa and that both of my parents were teachers and that was always what I wanted to do too.”

  He snorted. “At least, that was the case until a DEA recruiter came on campus toward the end of my senior year.” He paused to frown. “And I guess you could say the rest is history.”

  She smiled and shook her head. “Oh no you don’t. You’re not getting off that easy. What was it like being a DEA agent?”

  He thought about how much he could tell her but even more all the things he could not tell her. He decided to keep it simple.

  “Well, the first few years were pretty boring. I was moved around the country several times to finish different phases of my training. Of course, to do much in drug intervention, you have to be fluent in Spanish. So I spent most of that time learning and practicing speaking Spanish.”

  He hoped that would satisfy her but somehow knew it wouldn’t. She just shook her head and said, “Go on.”

  Jo stopped by then to fill their coffee cups. She looked at each of their faces and must have realized what was going on so she didn’t say anything before taking their dirty dishes and leaving them alone.

  He knew he had to say something more but what?

  “Well, the fun really began when I started doing undercover work.” At the look of concern on her face he said, “Sure, it was sometimes dangerous, but most of the time I had the cover of teaching in a high school and it wasn’t very dangerous. In fact, when I stop to think about it, I really enjoyed teaching.”

  She touched his arm. “Then why aren’t you teaching now? I heard that the principal still wants you to teach there.”

  He shook his head. “Who told you that? My mom?”

  She grinned and pointed at Jo who was working at one of the coffee machines at the counter.

  He smirked. “Of course. But did she also tell you that she and her younger sister came over to my house Wednesday night?”

  She shook her head. “No, I haven't talked to her since Sunday at church.”

  “Well, her sister, Carla, who was in one of my classes last year, talked me into going back.”

  “Oh Mike, that’s wonderful.”

  “Yeah, she said all the kids wanted me back and I don’t think I ever caught her even exaggerating anything last year. So I told her to tell Ron, the principal, that I’d come back as soon as I got the feeling back in my legs.”

  “So are you?”

  He shook his head and almost laughed when her face fell. “I don't think that the phantom pains as Karen called them qualify just yet. If she’s right though, it will be soon.”

  He held up a hand when she started to interrupt. “And I will go back as soon as I do have feeling. I promise. Okay?”

  She grinned and said, “Sure. I just know it’ll be any day now.”

  When he didn’t respond to that, she looked into his eyes and said, “I’m so glad you won’t be doing dangerous work anymore. It wouldn’t have taken much for that bullet to go a little higher and you would have died.”

  He paused to think about it. “But if you stop and look at it realistically, I didn’t actually get shot as a part of my undercover investigation. I was just there that night to help Floyd get his daughter back.”

  She smiled that smile again and said, “Yes, and I know Floyd will be forever grateful that you were there that night.”

  He snorted. “Yeah, you don’t know the half of it. The guy’s over at my house three or four times a week always wanting to know if I need anything.”

  She smiled again. “And that’s bad?”

  “I don’t need him or anyone else looking after me all the time.”

  She looked out the window at the few cars passing by out front. When she looked back at him, her eyes were moist.

  “You know that’s exactly what I used to think, after the accident I mean. And I still did all the way up until recently. I thought I didn’t need anyone for anything. I just wanted everyone to leave me and my little girl alone so we could manage all by ourselves.”

  She looked down at her clasped hands. “Things have happened lately that are beginning to change my mind. I’ve realized that I wasn’t really managing all by myself. And more than that, my daughter needs more than just me in her l
ife.”

  She continued even though he sat there not knowing what to say and thus not saying anything.

  “Yesterday, when my parents just showed up out of the blue, I was terribly upset with them for interfering in my life again. After all, I am thirty-three years old and should be able to have a life of my own without parental interference. Shouldn’t I?”

  He held up both hands. “Hey. You won’t see me arguing that point. I’ve got enough troubles with my mom here. And she’s not just here for a visit. She moved in indefinitely, remember?”

  They both laughed at the absurdity of their similar situations.

  Daisy stopped smiling and looked pensive again. “Well, I want to get back to the line of thought I was on before I interrupted myself.”

  He nodded encouragement.

  “As I said, I’m beginning to think differently. I love my parents dearly and I know they’re both here right now only because they feel that I need them.”

  She looked away again toward the street. “And I do.”

  He frowned. “Yeah, I think I know what you mean. When my mom first showed up at my house, I was shocked and rather ticked off.”

  She giggled. “Yes, I know. Remember, I was there when she came.”

  “Yeah, right. Anyway, I have to admit that I’ve kind of enjoyed having her there. Even though I have so much more freedom of movement with that bullet out, I still can’t do everything for myself. And it’s funny but I don’t resent her for doing them for me like I did those caregivers who used to come.”

  She nodded. “Yes. I can see the difference. They did it because they were paid to do it but your mom does it because she loves you.”

  “I guess you’re right. I never would have thought of it that way. But Daisy, you have a way of putting into words the things that I want to say but can’t seem to be able to.”

  * * *

  Mike had a difficult time going to sleep that night. When he closed his eyes, all he could see was Daisy’s smile and those beautiful eyes.

  It must have been close to one o’clock before he finally fell into a fitful sleep with one dream after another, alternating between feeling pain in his legs and the old standard nightmare of the night he was shot.

  The nightmare seemed so real tonight. He felt like he actually heard the shots this time. Then the sound of his mother shouting his name woke him up.

  “What is it?”

  She was standing over his bed shaking him now.

  “Didn’t you hear the shots?”

  “They were real?”

  “Yes, and I heard glass breaking that sounded like it was in the living room.”

  Mike quickly pulled himself into his wheelchair and followed her out of his bedroom. In the hallway, he said, “No, Mom, stay behind me.”

  He looked up to see her holding her gun at her side. She looked down at the gun in his hand and stepped aside to let him go first.

  Then he wondered where Jason was?

  She answered him without his having to ask.

  “I think Jason’s out there now so don’t shoot him.”

  When he wheeled himself into the living room, the drapes had been pulled and the streetlight out front was shining on the big window. He could see three holes with spider web-like cracks around them, which were spaced about a foot apart from one side of the large window to the other.

  Jason was standing to the side of the window with his gun in his hand trying to look out into the night.

  “You see anything?”

  Jason shook his head. “No. I’m sure they were long gone before I even got out of bed.”

  Two deputies Mike didn’t know arrived just then. Jason told them to search the grounds while he got dressed to help them. While they were still searching around the outside of the house, Floyd came through the door wearing jeans and a black t-shirt.

  “You both okay?” was the first thing he said as he looked at Mike and his mom.

  Mike frowned and said, “Yeah. I don’t think he was trying to hit either of us this time. He had to know we were in bed at three o’clock in the morning.”

  “Yeah, I figure you’re right. But still . . .”

  Jason came through the front door holding up a small plastic bag with three brass cartridges in it.

  Floyd took it and said, “Where were they?”

  Jason pointed at the window. “In the open about five feet out from the window.”

  Floyd held the bag up to the light and turned it around a couple of times.

  “Well, they’re 9mm but I doubt if these will be any use to us. He meant for us to find them so you know there won’t be any prints on them.”

  Mike knew what Floyd wasn’t saying in front of Sarah. Whoever did this wanted Mike to know just how close they could get.

  Mike didn’t go back to bed after Floyd and the others left. After all, it was almost six by then. An hour later, he was sitting in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee when Jason walked in fully dressed, poured himself a cup, and sat down across from Mike.

  Neither one said anything for a long time but when Jason did speak, Mike almost laughed. But he knew Jason would get mad if he did.

  Jason gave Mike a serious look and said, “I haven’t had a chance to talk to you about your PT session yesterday.”

  Mike knew that Jason had been sitting in the living room the afternoon before when he’d told his mom about the session and what Karen called his phantom pains.

  He also knew that Jason was talking about what Mike hadn’t said in front of Sarah.

  Mike snorted. “I don’t really know what, if anything is going on between those two women but when we were leaving, I was all the way to the swinging door when I realized that Daisy wasn’t with me.”

  “When I looked back, I saw her and Karen having what appeared to be a serious conversation. And I have a feeling that one or both of us was the topic of that little discussion.”

  Jason brightened up at that comment. Then his face fell again. “Yeah, Karen was probably telling Daisy what a fool I was for asking her out.”

  “Why would you think that?”

  Before Jason could answer, the phone rang and when Mike answered it, he was surprised that it was Daisy.

  “Good morning Mike. Is Jason still there?”

  “Yes but I think he’s getting ready to leave.”

  “Oh. Could you ask him to wait just a few minutes so I can come over there? I need to tell him something that I was supposed to tell him yesterday and I totally forgot. And I just feel so bad about it too.”

  He laughed at her seriousness. “Okay. I’ll keep him here until you get here.”

  True to her word, Daisy drove into his driveway no more than ten minutes later. He opened the door for her and she rushed in. Seeing Jason sitting on the sofa, she sat next to him then turned to face him.

  Before she started, she looked at Jason and said, “Do you want Mike to hear what Karen asked me to tell you?”

  Mike almost laughed, as Jason seemed to think about it for a moment, shrugged his shoulders then said, “Sure. He can listen in.”

  He turned to Mike though and said, “But absolutely no comments, understand?”

  Mike held out his hands palms toward Jason and said, “I’m good with that man.”

  Daisy then turned back to Jason and said, “Karen wanted me to tell you that she’s sorry for the way she turned you down on Wednesday. She wants you to understand why she said that she isn't dating anyone right now and doesn’t want to start for a while.”

  She paused but when he remained silent and waiting, she continued. “Well, three years ago, she was getting married. She was at the church along with all her family and friends. But her fiancé never showed up.”

  Jason hit his fist into the cushion of the sofa. “Man, what a jerk.”

  She smiled and said, “That’s why she ultimately came here. She was tired of being felt sorry for.”

  She held up her hands. “But that’s not all Jason.” She looked
into his eyes. “Are you ready for the part that affects you?”

  When he swallowed then nodded, she said, “He was a policeman.”

  Mike really felt sorry for Jason then. His face fell and he grew rather pale. Then he jumped to his feet and began pacing around the room.

  When he finally came back to the sofa and sat down facing Daisy again, he said, “I guess there’s no hope for me with here then is there?”

  She nodded her head emphatically. “But Jason. That’s exactly the point of all this. She does like you but you’ve got to give her time to get used to the idea that you are a cop too.”

  His face brightened up then fell a little. “Do you think that will ever happen?”

  “Oh Jason. Of course I do. Otherwise, she never would have asked me to tell you all of this. Yes, you do have a chance. But you will just need to be patient and wait on her. Okay?”

  He grinned and said, “Sure. I think she’s worth waiting for. Don’t you?”

  Daisy giggled then. “Yes Jason, I do too, especially now.”

  Chapter Eight

  When Mike woke up on Sunday morning, he was surprised to realize that he felt well rested for the first time in days. Sure, it helped that he’d been able to get over most of his soreness from Friday’s PT session yesterday. He hadn’t thought Karen would make him use muscles that he could feel. Still, he didn’t think that was the only reason.

  He’d talked to Daisy on the phone last night and he felt good about their conversation. They’d talked a little more about their backgrounds and he’d begun to realize that she’d had a very closely supervised childhood, especially during her high school years. And she had laughingly said that it was still true, even now.

  No wonder she was so quiet and shy. At least she hadn’t been like a lot of kids brought up that way who rebelled in every way possible as soon as they could get out on their own and often got into trouble.

  He suddenly realized that he’d been just lying there in bed for more than ten minutes doing nothing but thinking about Daisy. That was a first for him. For all the years he’d been with the DEA he’d never really taken the time to get to know any of the women who had passed through his life. Now, he found himself wanting to know everything there was to know about Daisy.