Returning Tides

by Radclyffe

  “Feels like August again,” Reese agreed. “Mrs. Everly, this is Officer Wayne. May we come in and talk to you for a few minutes?”

  “I don’t see why not.” Her tone was mild but her expression said she wasn’t happy about it. She pushed the door open another inch, and when Reese caught the edge, she turned and walked away, leaving them to follow her through the small living room into an eat-in kitchen. “Get you two something to drink?”

  “Thank you, but there’s no need for you to bother,” Reese replied. She’d seen no sign of William Everly on her quick walk through the house. No beer cans, no men’s magazines, no sign of any men’s clothing lying around. One plate and one glass in the dish drainer next to the sink. Two doors leading off the living room were closed. Those were presumably the bedrooms. She doubted Everly could be staying in the small house without leaving some sign of himself in plain sight. But she didn’t rule it out. Assumptions got you killed.

  “What can I do for you, Sheriff?” Mrs. Everly said, folding her arms under her ample breasts.

  “We’re looking for William, Mrs. Everly.”

  “Billy?” Her face and voice registered surprise. “Why, you know where he is, Sheriff Conlon. You’re the one who put him there.”

  “You didn’t know he was out on parole?” Carter asked, her voice low and tight. Not exactly intimidating, but she was a stranger to Mrs. Everly, whereas Reese was not. Being questioned by someone she didn’t know might shake the woman up just enough to make her slip up, if she were hiding something.

  “Parole! You mean he’s out?” Everly’s mother shook her head. “He didn’t tell me. Are you sure? We talk on the phone every month, and I try to get down there to see him as often as I can.”

  “When did you last speak to him?” Carter asked.

  “Let me see…about the first of August, I’d say.”

  “And he didn’t mention he was no longer in prison?” Carter let her incredulity show.

  “No,” Mrs. Everly said, smiling politely. “I’m sure I would have remembered that.”

  Reese changed tack. “Do you know where he might go if he didn’t come home? Friends or a girlfriend, maybe?”

  Mrs. Everly narrowed her eyes. “You don’t know where he is?”

  “He hasn’t checked in with his parole officer in several weeks.”

  “I only knew his friends in high school and that was some time ago, as you know. He had a girlfriend, more than a few,” she said with a faint trace of disapproval. “But I don’t think any of them have been waiting around for him.”

  “Would you remember any of their names?”

  “The girls? Oh my, no. As to the fellas, Billy was popular. On the football team and all that. He had a lot of friends.”

  “If you talk to him, it’s very important that he contact his parole officer immediately,” Reese said. “The longer he goes without checking in, the more problems he’s making for himself.”

  “I’ll do that, Sheriff. I’m sure he doesn’t mean to be causing any trouble.”

  “No,” Reese said. “Of course not.”

  Carter wanted to push her more, but when Reese turned and signaled they were leaving, she followed. If she let her temper get the best of her, Reese was going to shut her out of the investigation. She couldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t sit back and leave it to someone else to figure out what was going on, not when Rica was involved. Not even Reese, whom she respected more than anyone she’d ever worked with.

  “I’ll never stop being amazed at the powers of denial,” Carter said when she slid into the front seat of the cruiser and slammed the door. “Of course he doesn’t mean to cause any trouble. At least she didn’t start in on what a good boy he’s always been.” She thumped the dashboard with her fist. “God damn it.”

  “We don’t know Everly has anything to do with what’s happening here in town.”

  Carter tilted her head back and closed her eyes. She’d just promised herself she wouldn’t lose her temper, and she already was. “I know. Sorry. I’m just strung a little tight about this. Rica…” She shook her head. “Thanks for letting me ride along.”

  “We’ll have a patrol car swing by here, couple of times a shift. His mother may not be expecting him, but odds are, he’ll turn up here.” Reese started the engine and backed out of the driveway. “I want to take a walk around your house.”

  “Sure. Now?”

  “Is Rica home?”

  “No, she went to the gallery.”

  “Then this ought to be a good time.”

  Reese’s radio crackled to life and the dispatcher said, “All available units. Code eight—officer needs assistance. Fifty-six Commercial.”

  “This is Conlon,” Reese said as she hit the sirens and made a tight, fast U-turn in the middle of the street. “What do we have?”

  “It’s Tremont. Building collapse. Paramedics are on the way.”

  *

  “Ash!” Allie had been knocked to her knees when half the floor collapsed. Now she edged toward the gaping pit where Ash had just been standing. The bitter taste of bile flooded her mouth and she swallowed around her terror. “Ash?”

  She heard a muffled groan and her heart soared with relief and gratitude. “It’s all right. Help is on the way. It’s all right, Ash.”

  “Allie, get out of here.”

  Ash sounded strained, as if each word was a struggle.

  “Are you hurt?” Allie eased her weight forward onto what looked like an intact section of plywood subflooring. The floor tiles had all cracked into fragments from the heat or been burned away. As she put her hand down, she felt the floor shift beneath her with an ominous grating sound. “Oh shit.”

  Ash’s voice was stronger now. “Get the fuck out!”

  “Just shut up, will you,” Allie barked back. “I’m not leaving you down there. Are you hurt?”

  “I don’t think so. But I can’t move without risking more collapse. You’re not safe up there.”

  “I’m coming to get you.”

  Allie heard sirens approaching from all directions. It was totally dark inside now and everything looked different as she shone her Maglite in front of her. Nothing was where it had been five minutes ago. Sweat trickled into her eyes and her lungs screamed with every breath. Her hands were bleeding, but they didn’t hurt.

  “Allie. Please. Listen to me, baby, I—”

  “What did I tell you about calling me that?” Allie couldn’t ever remember Ash being scared, but she sounded scared now, and that scared Allie more than the thought of falling into the blackness. She moved another few inches. Something sharp tore through her pants and she muffled a cry at the sudden pain.

  “Allie? You okay?”

  “Yes.” Allie heard the thunk of timber falling and her stomach turned over. “What just happened? Ash?”

  “Nothing. Go outside, Allie. Just back up slowly the way we came in.”

  “I’m not leaving you there. Can’t you ever just trust me?”

  “I—”

  “Tremont?” Reese called loudly. “Tremont, what’s your twenty?”

  “Here.” Allie raised her Mag and looked over her shoulder, blinking as a half dozen lights focused on her. “Part of the floor collapsed. Ash Walker is down there.”

  “This is the fire marshal.” A big dark shadow appeared beside Reese. “Stay right where you are, Officer. We’re coming to get you out.”

  “No, not until—”

  “You’ll evacuate as ordered, Officer,” Reese said. “We don’t need another casualty. You can’t help Ash if you’re under a pile of rubble yourself.”

  As firefighters in turnout gear and halogen headlamps slowly drew near, Allie turned back to the black hole that had swallowed Ash. She couldn’t leave her there. She couldn’t. She focused her light in front of her again and started to crawl forward when a firm hand grasped her shoulder.

  “You’ll just endanger her, Allie,” the fire marshal said. “We’ll get her out.”
/>   Another firefighter appeared next to her and Allie had no choice. She let herself be guided out into the crisp, clean night air.

  “It’s my fault,” Allie said, her voice breaking.

  “What happened?” Reese asked.

  “We were almost finished and then I misstepped and everything just collapsed.”

  “What’s her status?”

  “She’s conscious. She says she’s all right, but—” Allie heard her voice shaking and consciously steadied it. She didn’t want Reese to think she couldn’t handle an emergency. “I haven’t had any visual contact since the collapse.”

  Flynn appeared by Allie’s side out of the throng of officers, volunteer firefighters, and EMTs. “Allie,” she said urgently, “are you hurt?”

  “No, I’m okay.”

  “You don’t look it.” Flynn’s expression was tight and tense, but her voice was calm and professional. “Your hands are bleeding, your pants are ripped, and there’s blood running down your leg. Let me get you back to the rig and check you out.”

  “No,” Allie said, although she felt shaky all of a sudden. “I need to—”

  “Go with her,” Reese said. “You’re all in, Tremont. You’ll be shocky in another few minutes.”

  Allie stiffened her shoulders. “Sheriff, I—”

  “I’ll update you as soon as they get her out. But I don’t want to see your face back here until you’ve been cleared by medical.”

  “Yes ma’am.” Allie was cold and dizzy, and when Flynn put her arm around her waist to guide her through the crowd, she leaned into her, grateful for her strength and her warmth.

  *

  Tory rapped on the examining room door and stuck her head in. “Dr. Burgoyne? Got a minute?”

  Nita patted the knee of the elderly woman she’d been examining. “I’ll be right back, June.” Outside in the hall, she asked, “Problem?”

  “Reese just called. The EMTs are bringing Allie Tremont over. She and Ashley Walker, an insurance investigator, were caught in a building collapse. Allie is going to need some stitches. I don’t know Ash’s status. If she’s seriously injured, we’ll have the EMTs transport her to the airport and medevac her out of here.”

  “Do you want me to take care of Allie or pick up your patients?”

  “If you don’t mind, I’d like to see to Allie myself. She’s one of Reese’s people, and Reese always takes it hard when she has an officer injured. I’m just going to be hovering otherwise.”

  Nita laughed softly. “I understand. If one of Deo’s crew were injured, I’d feel the same way.”

  “Thanks. If they end up bringing Ash here, I may need you to evaluate her if I’m tied up.”

  “No problem. Just have Randy call me.” Nita sighed. “I hate to hear about this kind of thing. Deo and her crew are in and out of those unstable buildings all day long. I know they’re all professionals, but the chance of an accident is so much higher than on a regular job.”

  “I know.” Tory squeezed Nita’s hand, oddly comforted that she wasn’t the only one worrying in silence about her partner. “Trust her. Deo’s good at what she does.”

  Nina cocked her head and smiled. “Is that what you tell yourself about Reese?”

  “Every day,” Tory said. “Every single day.”

  *

  “Hey, Allie,” Tory said as two EMTs wheeled Allie on a gurney into the treatment room. Allie had an IV running in her left hand and a blood pressure cuff around her right biceps. She was pale but alert. “How are you doing?”

  “Her BP dropped to sixty palp so we started an IV,” the good-looking blond EMT Tory had seen the night before reported, efficiently releasing the buckles on the straps that secured Allie to the gurney.

  “I know we met last night,” Tory said. “I’m sorry. Flynn, is it?”

  “That’s right. No reason you should remember, Dr. King.”

  “Quite the contrary. Thank you for all your help.” Tory turned her attention back to Allie. “Let’s get her over here so I can have a look.”

  Flynn slid her hands under Allie’s shoulders and said to her partner, “Chuck, get her hips.”

  “I can move,” Allie said irritably. “I’m fine. I wasn’t the one that had a building fall on me.”

  “Let them do their jobs, Allie,” Tory said calmly, leaning across the treatment table to help in the transfer. “So tell me what happened.”

  “Nothing happened to me. Part of the floor collapsed and Ash…Ash went down. They didn’t have her out yet when we left.” Allie glared at the EMTs. “I didn’t need to be brought in right away.”

  “Uh-huh.” Tory ignored the all-too-familiar complaints and quickly scanned the EMT records. Allie’s pulse was rapid, her blood pressure erratic. “Nothing fell on you? Hit you?”

  “No. I fell when the floor buckled, but it was nothing.”

  Flynn rested her hand on Allie’s shoulder. “Stop fussing and let Dr. King check you out.”

  Tory peeled back the leg of Allie’s uniform pants where someone had applied a field dressing to her left thigh. After donning gloves, Tory removed the bandage. “You’ve got a fifteen-centimeter laceration here. It’s fairly deep. I’ll need to irrigate it out and suture it. Are you allergic to any drugs?”

  “No.”

  “Do you remember when your last tetanus shot was?”

  “No,” Allie said distractedly, looking up at Flynn. “Do you think you can radio someone in the field and find out what’s happening with Ash?”

  “Sure.” Flynn stroked Allie’s hair for a second and then stepped away to the far corner of the room.

  “Reese will make sure she’s taken care of,” Tory murmured. “How about letting me get you taken care of?”

  “Fine. Whatever. Do anything you want.” Exhausted, guilty, and just plain scared, Allie closed her eyes. “I can’t freaking believe this. The sheriff puts me in charge and I totally fuck it up.”

  “Somehow, I find that hard to believe.”

  Allie didn’t think she would ever forget the sight of Ash falling, just disappearing. Even though she’d lost Ash long ago, the thought of truly losing her forever was the most terrifying feeling she’d ever experienced.

  “It’s going to hurt a little bit,” Tory murmured as she began injecting the wound edges with lidocaine. “Okay?”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Allie whispered. The pain in her leg was nothing compared to the pain in her heart.

  *

  “Stand by on the line,” the firefighter shouted up to the team on the surface, who waited to winch up the rescue sked, a molded plastic litter that could be used to immobilize and drag a victim out of the tightest of confined spaces.

  “Have them drop a rope ladder,” Ash repeated for the tenth time. “I can climb out now that you’ve got the sides braced.”

  The young dark-haired man in a bright yellow turnout coat ignored her and tightened the safety straps around her waist and thighs that secured her in the narrow stretcher. After an hour of carefully removing loose debris and shoring up the remaining support structures, he’d slowly worked his way down into the V-shaped depression where she’d been lodged when a portion of the floor had fallen into the basement. Fortunately, she’d tobogganed down on top of the debris and none of it had fallen on her. The steep angles of the cavity and the instability of the structure had made it impossible for her to climb out before. She was still worried that the vibration set up by her ascent might trigger further collapse, and the young firefighter would be beneath her handling the guide ropes. She didn’t want him at risk. “I’m not injured. I can climb.”

  “This is safer until we can get a medic to look you over.”

  Ash grimaced. “I’m banged up a little, but nothing serious. We’ll stand less chance of destabilizing this area if we don’t use the winch.”

  “Can’t do it, ma’am. Protocol.”

  “Listen, hotshot, imagine how you’d feel if you dropped through a floor and your buddies had to bring you
out in a basket.”

  He grinned, his grime-streaked face devilishly handsome in the bright light of the halogen lamps shining down on them. “Definitely a dick-shrinking thought.”

  “Damn right. So have a little pity. It’s your call to make, so unstrap me and tell them we’re climbing.”

  He tugged on the guideline attached to the bright orange sked. “On the line,” he called up. Then he gave her a charming boyish smile. “Don’t worry, ma’am. The shrinkage is only temporary.”

  She gripped his hand. “What’s your name?”

  “Mike Torres.”

  “Thanks, Mike. And be careful down here.”

  “I’ll be right behind you.”

  After five painstaking minutes, she was at the surface and being rapidly transferred into the back of the waiting fire rescue van. She peered up at the small African American woman guiding the front of the stretcher into the brightly lit rear compartment. “What happened to Allie Tremont? The officer who was with me? Is she all right?”

  “I think she went to the clinic in the first truck,” the woman said as she efficiently slapped on EKG leads and ripped open the plastic sheath around a bag of IV solution.

  “What do you mean, she went to the clinic?” Ash grabbed the woman’s arm and tried to sit up, fumbling frantically to release the safety strap. “She’s hurt? Where did they take her? How badly is she hurt?”

  “Hey! Whoa. Take it easy,” the tech said. “Let’s worry about you first.”

  “I’ve been telling everybody for the last hour, I’m okay.” She’d landed on her left side, and her hip and shoulder pounded unmercifully. Still, she could move everything. She’d been hurt on the job before, and she’d be in for a couple of weeks of discomfort, but this was nothing major. “I want to talk to someone in charge. I want to know what happened to her.”

  “Look. We’re on our way to the clinic right now. As soon as I get you lined up, I’ll see if I can get some information. But you have to cooperate.”

  Ash slumped down, suddenly exhausted. “Okay. Okay, fine. But call someone, please.” The jostling of the vehicle set her back and hips on fire, and she closed her eyes to fight down the pain. Time became fluid, and the voice of the technician reporting her vital signs drifted into an incoherent rumble in the recesses of her mind.