A Case of the Heart

by Beth Shriver

  Brenda hopped up on the counter, swinging her legs. “No. We watched TCM for six hours straight.”

  “Chick flicks?” he asked with a sarcastic tone.

  “Humphrey, Hudson and Poitier,” Liz answered.

  He glanced up in astonishment. “You didn’t see In the Heat of the Night did you?”

  “As a matter of fact we did,” Brenda confirmed, giving Liz a direct stare.

  “That’s a great movie.” Alex sat down, put his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair.

  Brenda walked over to Liz and whispered smugly, “Nothing in common, huh?”

  Liz sighed, and then poured a smidge of cream and one teaspoon of sugar into his coffee.

  Brenda laughed. “Just how he likes it, huh?”

  Alex grinned. He was enjoying Brenda’s observations. “Do you think I can’t hear you?”

  Brenda and Liz sat down at the table with him, ignoring his comment.

  “You know what we need?” Brenda asked. “Donuts.” She turned to him. “You’re a cop, you like donuts, right?”

  Alex shook his head in disgust.

  “Jelly-filled. That’s his favorite,” Liz stated, not taking her eyes off his.

  Brenda smiled calculatingly. “I’m on my way. What kind do you want, Liz? Oh, that’s right, you like jelly-filled too.” Brenda beamed and walked out of the room.

  Alex gave Liz a serious stare then leaned forward. “So, what was that all about last night in the coffee shop?”

  She sighed and put her face in her hands. “I don’t really know.”

  He knew she did it out of impulse, but the kiss was nice. Even if it was only for a split second, which technically could mean that it was a thank-you kiss among friends, but he hoped not. Alex made a point not to move a facial muscle, to appear as though his features were etched in stone, and waited.

  She glimpsed at him and continued. “Michael was trying to tell me something.”

  He remained still, no movement, not even a blink. Only his lips moved when he asked. “Can you expand on that?”

  Liz sighed again and pulled her head up. “Didn’t you two talk after I left?”

  He and Michael were so shocked they hadn’t, but maybe they should have had a heart to heart, or a Liz bashing, one of the two. “No, we didn’t quite know what to say to one another.”

  She grimaced and continued. “Oh. Well, I was consoling him after a break-up with his girlfriend.”

  Alex stared at her, not knowing what to do with these growing feelings he had. “How nice of you. So why the kiss?”

  She sighed a third time. He could tell she was getting frustrated.

  “I had the feeling I was going to get some unwanted advice.”

  “And you made sure it didn’t happen by kissing me and leaving?”

  “Yes.”

  “What if I hadn’t shown up when I did?”

  Liz shrugged. “I would have thought of something else, improvised.”

  He shook his head, looking down at the table. “You’re so good with your client relationships, but not so good with guy relationships.” That was harsh but needed to be said. One minute he thought she felt something for him and the next he wasn’t so sure.

  “Maybe that’s because clients are easier to deal with,” she said a bit sarcastically.

  “Well, I guess I won’t pour out my heart then,” he retorted.

  She gave him a blank stare.

  “What?” Why did he bother putting his heart out there to a woman who couldn’t, or wouldn’t receive it?

  “At Bible study, the speaker talked about what you just said, so did Brenda. Hearing it three times in one week must mean something.”

  He sat up in his seat. “That’s a coincidence.” Maybe you’ll listen after the fourth time.

  Liz rolled the coffee cup between her hands. “Or a God sequence.”

  ****

  After the game was over Brenda left and Alex helped Liz clean the kitchen and the aftermath of munchies they’d eaten during the game.

  Alex was increasingly curious about Liz’s plans for the night. “So, Margie’s tonight?” he asked as he put a plate in the dishwasher.

  She stiffened and looked away. “Yeah, I guess so. What are you doing tonight?”

  “Got a date.” He kept his eyes on the plate he was rinsing off, although he really wanted to see her reaction.

  “Oh,” she said flatly.

  Silence filled the room. He could tell she really wanted to know more, but he let her stew for a few minutes. They finished in silence then walked to the door.

  “Who are you going out with? Do I know her?”

  He had to string it out a little longer, just for effect. “No, but hopefully you will soon.”

  She gave him a puzzled look.

  He chuckled, knowing he’d stumped her. “My mother.”

  ****

  Liz looked at the clock. She had three hours before she had to be at Margie’s, plenty of time to run some errands and get back to get ready. She finished in the kitchen and put on her long wool coat. It was a dreary day. The clouds were dark and ominous overhead. The sky looked as if it would burst with snow any second.

  She stopped at the strip mall to make a one-stop shopping trip. As she walked up to the store she saw someone duck around the corner of the building. Liz kept looking out of the corner of her eye and could have sworn she saw someone standing right next to the building without moving. But the skies were gloomy, and the figure was dressed in dark clothing, making it hard to tell.

  She quickened her step and made it to the door. Liz swiftly stepped inside, appreciating the bright lights and people roaming about. She took a deep breath and took out her list. After she found the essentials, she rewarded herself by taking a walk down the Christmas aisle.

  Liz ended up spending more time than expected looking at all the beautiful decorations, and rationalizing as to what new figures she needed for her Christmas village.

  After all that time, she ended up putting only two boxes in her cart, then looked at her watch and hurried to check out.

  Stepping out of the store, Liz glanced over to where the figure had been. No sign of anyone. She sighed and walked quickly through the parking lot. She felt sure her imagination was just running away with her and settled into her car.

  Just as she started the engine, the figure flashed before her. He ran in front of her car to the driver’s side. The dark clothing and hood covered him completely. She had no way of knowing who it might be.

  Her heart pounded double time in her chest. She was on full alert now as she steadied both hands on the wheel. Liz wasted no time backing up, without looking behind her. She heard the slightest nick of metal to metal and slammed on her brakes, the seatbelt tightening across her chest.

  The smell of rubber permeated the air as she grasped what had happened. She turned around and saw a silver sedan sitting behind her. An older man got out and walked to the side of his car to inspect the damage.

  Liz made a full scope around her to see if the dark figure was in view. There was no sight of him, but she still hesitated and decided to call Alex, and then Margie. She had a good reason to cancel that date.

  Chapter Sixteen

  As soon as Alex got to the door, it opened, and his father grabbed his son and gave him a hug. “We just sat down to eat.”

  They walked down the short hallway to the kitchen discussing the weather. Mouth-watering smells of roasted lamb drifted through the air as they entered. His mother held out her arms to embrace her youngest son and held on tight.

  “Ma, you gotta let me breathe.” Alex chuckled as he gave her one last squeeze, and they all sat down together.

  “It’s so good to see you. Now eat.” She piled on huge slices of lamb onto his pita and added lettuce, tomato and feta cheese.

  He was glad none of his other siblings were there, which was a rarity in his family. Alex had so much on his mind. He just wanted to be home for an evening. He always
had a good time meeting the guys to catch a game after a shift, but tonight he felt the need to be home.

  They ate and caught up on family events and happenings. His mother finished eating and pushed her plate forward on the table. She sat with her hands in her lap and stared at Alex.

  His father looked from Alex to her and got the nod from his wife to say something. “What’s on your mind, son?”

  Alex was just putting the last bite of food in his mouth and stopped short. He looked at his dad and then his mom. They were on to him.

  “Nothing, just felt like Ma’s gyros.” He smiled and pushed his chair back from the table, crossed his leg over his knee and tried to look nonchalant.

  “No.” She scowled at her husband and then looked at Alex. “Who’s on your mind?”

  Both men looked at her in surprise.

  “Are you seeing someone?” His father leaned an elbow on the table and stuck a toothpick in his mouth.

  How his mother knew these things always dumbfounded him. He smiled at her with sharp eyes, not knowing if he liked it or not. “It’s nothing serious.”

  “Serious enough that you’re here,” his father stated.

  His mother smiled and nodded.

  Alex let out a breath. It wasn’t like he never came over unexpected. “I thought you’d want to know I won’t be here for Christmas dinner.”

  His mother raised her eyebrows and looked at her husband. “Where will you be?”

  Alex hesitated. He didn’t want to make this a bigger deal than it really was. As much as he knew where he wanted the relationship with Liz to go, he didn’t know if she would ever be as sure. “Do you remember me talking about a social worker named Liz?”

  She nodded and he answered. “Why, yes, a number of times.”

  Alex’s brows shot up. “Really? I didn’t know if I had mentioned her.” He paused and looked at his dad. “A number of times?”

  His dad grinned as he nodded. “So, you’ll be spending Christmas with Liz?”

  Alex was still stunned by the realization he had talked about her so much. “As long as the weather holds out. Her parents live a few hours north.”

  He didn’t want to get into too much detail. And if the weather didn’t cooperate, he hoped they would come over to his parents. That might stress Liz out a little, but considering he had agreed, maybe she would too.

  “So you like this girl?” His mother patted his knee and smiled warmly.

  “Of course he likes her.” His dad laughed. “See the lovesick look he’s got on his face.”

  His mother brought her hands to her cheeks and made an O with her mouth. “She must be a special girl. When can we meet her?”

  Alex shook his head and snorted. “I don’t know, Ma. Maybe Sunday night dinner, but no promises.”

  His parents seemed satisfied with that and asked only a few more questions about her before his cell phone rang. He jumped up at the sound of Liz’s shaken voice and walked into the family room.

  “I’m okay, just a little fender bender.”

  His mind flashed from one scenario to another with what could have happened. “Where are you?”

  “I’m in my car in the parking lot of the strip mall by my house.”

  “I’ll be there as quickly as I can. I’m not close so it’ll take me awhile to get there.”

  “Oh, that’s right. You’re at your parent’s house. I’m sorry, Alex. I’m fine. The man in the other car didn’t even want my insurance information, so there must not be any significant damage.”

  “Damage? No, don’t tell me, I’ll call you when I get on the road.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  The next morning, Liz opened the blinds of her bedroom window to see to a blanket of snow covering the ground. Everything was pure white. Crystals hung from the trees, and everything was still. It had snowed all night, leaving two feet of snow.

  She was late for the first church service so had to hurry and get ready. She grabbed her Bible and purse then headed out to the garage. As Liz drove down the snow-covered streets, she thought back to her conversation with Alex. By the time he drove into town, she had driven home and was ready for bed. She only told him about the accident, but he seemed to know there was more in the way he continued to question her. She hoped to deter him by waiting until the next day to talk about it any further. They were both tired, so she’d promised him they would get together again to finish their conversation.

  Pulling into the church parking lot, she spotted Brenda’s car and parked close by, then started up the walk. She admired the crystal white snow heaped on the rooftop surrounding the white steeple.

  Brenda was in the foyer waiting. They walked in just as the music started and looked around for a few empty seats, then quickly sat down.

  The music had just ended when Liz felt someone sit down next to her. There was not much space so she had to scoot a little to make room. When she looked up to greet them she inhaled sharply, and couldn’t contain her surprise.

  “Hey.” Alex leaned forward staring at her with those eyes, deep blue like the ocean on a dark day.

  She held his stare for a moment. His eyes twinkled, and his dimple was big and beautiful.

  It felt right sitting next to him, listening to the sermon. Pastor Tim talked about becoming what you already are in Christ. Alex gave his full attention to Tim’s words and glanced over at Liz’s Bible when he made reference to Scripture.

  After church, Brenda chatted with them for a while then left them to be alone. Alex walked Liz to her car. “Do you want to get some coffee?”

  “You read my mind.”

  Liz put her car on auto pilot and ended up at the Java Hut. They stood in a grueling line of patrons with exceptionally complicated combinations of coffee orders. Finally, with their precious cups of coffee, they scanned the place for a seat. Liz spotted one and quickly walked to a recently vacated table. Mellow jazz music played as they sipped on their coffee. They chatted a few minutes then longer as nearly everyone left. They moved to a couch in the corner and made themselves comfortable.

  “I’m so glad you came. How did you find me?”

  He chuckled. “You must not realize how much you talk about the sermons. And I am a cop, you know.”

  “Sorry, I guess that didn’t come out right. I meant that I’m glad you’re here.” Liz couldn’t help beaming as she said it.

  She moved forward and studied him for a moment, then asked. “What did you think of the sermon?”

  He looked up in thought. “What I got out of it was true Christian living begins with a changed mind.”

  She followed his lead, and blurted out with excitement. “That reminds me of that Bible verse, something like, don’t conform to the pattern of the world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

  “Exactly, I remember that one. I hadn’t put it together with this, but it fits. He’s a good speaker. Maybe I’ll come again some time.”

  Liz smiled her hope that he would return and that this might be a new beginning for him with his faith. “I applied the sermon to my need to let God be in control and rest in that.”

  He nodded, relating to her words.

  She sat back, watching her hand slip away from his, amazed after all this time that she was finally having this conversation with him. “I’m glad you liked my little church and the long sermon. It was a lot to live up to with all my talk.”

  “This is something I’ve needed to do for a long time now. I’m glad you were with me.”

  Their eyes met, and she found herself speechless. His eyes held softness in them she hadn’t noticed before, something vulnerable. Her feelings for him were becoming harder to hold back.

  He leaned close enough to take her hand in his. He was searching for God just like she was. It humbled her to see his desire to learn more.

  He sat back and crossed a leg over his knee. “So tell me what really happened last night.”

  Many answers rattled around in her brain, but the deeper
he looked into her eyes the fewer options became feasible. She looked down at her hands, deciding it was time to tell him. There would be no proof or reason, as far as she could figure, as to what was going on, but he wanted to hear it, so she told him everything—the call, the note and the stranger at the store.

  After she finished, he looked away in thought.

  “Liz, I could ask you all sorts of questions. Like why didn’t you tell me sooner, for one. But the reality is what’s going on right now, so that’s what we’re going to focus on.”

  “Okay,” she said with a sheepish nod. “I’m sorry, Alex. You’ve gone out of your way so much already. I just couldn’t bring myself to worry you with things that I figured were harmless.” She sighed. “Besides, none of it makes any sense. The phone call could have very easily been a prank, and the guy at the mall could have been some teenager causing trouble.”

  Alex leaned forward now, his eyes intense. “Right, but let’s say it’s not just a prank. Do you honestly think either of these people meant to cause you any harm?”

  “No.” She shook her head to emphasize.

  “Okay, then why would these two instances have happened within days of each other?”

  She shrugged. “Just a fluke?”

  He smiled wryly but kept his interrogation face intact by remaining expressionless. “Let’s not use that word anymore, okay?” He put his fist to his mouth. “Can you think of anyone who might hold a grudge against you, even for an irrational reason?”

  “That could be any number of parents whose child I had to remove from them.”

  “Let’s think more recently. Can you give me a description of him?”

  “Tall and skinny but the hood concealed his face. I know you’re trying to get me to say Pirelli.”

  Alex shrugged. “He would be the most recent. Harris threatened you with assault. And Pirelli because we’ve exposed him, and he’s missing his cash.”

  Liz lifted her head. “Something I’m hiding that he’s seeking?”

  Alex shrugged. “Could be, but he doesn’t know that we’ve found it. He might be talking about Scotty.”

  A chill ran down her spine, and her body felt numb. The mention of Scotty made her suddenly feel helpless.