The Priority Unit (Maine Justice Book 1)

by Davis, Susan Page

  She nodded soberly. “But it’s over. Completely.”

  “How long ago?”

  “Three years now. When I graduated. I’m past it. Really.”

  He smiled at her earnestness and reached for her hand. “I’m glad.”

  “Sometime maybe I’ll tell you the details, if you want me to, but … let’s just say it cured me of wanting to date for a while.”

  “I understand.” He decided that was enough for now.

  Jennifer’s smile was a bit regretful. “My friend Jane—you’ve met her—she was getting after me for being a social misfit. I’d only had one date in the two years she’s known me, and to her that was unthinkable. But I don’t think I was ready until …” She looked down at their clasped hands, and her voice dropped. “Until I met you.”

  He pulled in a deep breath. “Don’t sell yourself short, Jenny. It’s been nearly twenty years since my last date.”

  She looked up at him through her incredible lashes, and Harvey knew he was committed. It was too soon. It was senseless. His sisters would be horrified. He didn’t care.

  He stood up. “Time for me to head out.”

  She stood, too, a little flustered. “All right. Thanks for everything. It was a great evening, and I’m glad we could talk things out.”

  Still he lingered, not wanting to end his time with her, but knowing he should.

  “Jenny, I have tomorrow off. Can I see you again?”

  Her slow, melting smile was worth all the jitters and misgivings he’d felt since he’d met her.

  “What do you want to do?”

  “You choose. I’ll take you anywhere.” Maybe he should mention the bungee jumping caveat. No, she wouldn’t ask that of him.

  She stepped closer, and he could almost feel her intensity as she stared up at him. “There is something I’ve been wanting to do, but I haven’t dared to do it alone.”

  “Now I’m intrigued. Whatever it is, we’ll do it.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Yes.”

  Still she hesitated, and a tiny frown settled between her eyebrows. “I’d like to go to church.”

  He almost laughed, it was so unexpected. “Great. Where?”

  Jennifer blinked. “I don’t know. I never go to church.”

  “Me either,” he said. “So what are you, Catholic, Protestant …”

  “My mother used to go to a Methodist Church, I think.”

  “My folks were Congregational. There was Sunday School when I was really little. Bible stories and Kool-Aid. But we quit going. I don’t think I’ve been in a church in thirty years, except for weddings.”

  “But you’ll go?”

  “Sure.” A great tenderness filled him.

  Her smile was full of wonder. “So, where should we go?”

  “I dunno. Sounds like we’re both token Protestants. Why don’t we look in the Yellow Pages?”

  “Think so?” She disappeared into the kitchen for a moment and came back with a phone book. Harvey took it and sat down again, flipping to the back.

  Jennifer sat down beside him.

  “Hey, there’s a church just down on the corner of School Street.” He looked up from the phone book, and saw that she was running one hand over her hair. He wished she would pull out the hairpins and let it fall free around her shoulders.

  “I know where that is,” she said.

  “Me, too. I drive past it every time I come over here.” He looked at the ad again. “We’ll try it, then. It says, Sunday School for infants through adults, 9:45 a.m.; Morning Worship, 11 a.m.”

  “Do we do Sunday School?”

  “I don’t know. I thought that was for kids, but it says ‘through adults.’ ”

  “Well, I’m certainly ignorant enough about God that I could stand to hear some Bible stories.” She brushed a tendril of hair back behind her ear, and he itched to touch it.

  He closed the telephone book and sat watching her. “We’ll try it, then. I’ll pick you up at 9:30 in the morning. If we hate it, we can leave.”

  She smiled and whispered, “Thank you. I didn’t really think you’d want to go.”

  “Have you been thinking about God a lot lately?”

  “Quite a bit.”

  “Pascal?”

  “Maybe that started it. Some of the things I read about his commitment to God…”

  “I’ve been thinking about it, too,” Harvey said, and she looked up in surprise. “Grandma Lewis was talking to me about God. She’s … my wife’s grandmother. She and God are good friends.”

  Jennifer’s eyebrows went up. “How do you mean?”

  “She talks about him all the time. Talks to him, too, I guess. We were drinking tea after the funeral, and she showed me something in her Bible that I haven’t been able to forget. It said something like, ‘Whoever comes to God must believe that he exists.’ I can’t remember the exact words. But it won’t go out of my head.”

  Jennifer said slowly, “So you can look for God, but you can’t find him unless you believe he’s real?”

  “Something like that. I don’t know. I wish I’d written it down. Do you have a Bible?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “Me either.”

  They were both silent for a moment. Harvey thought of all the books in his apartment, and the thousands he had read.

  “So what do we do?” she asked.

  “Launch an investigation together.”

  She seemed to like the idea. “What are we looking for exactly?”

  “If God is real?” he asked tentatively.

  She nodded. “And if there is a God, can we be sure? It’s supposed to be unprovable, isn’t it?”

  “That’s what the agnostics say.”

  “So how does anyone ever really know? Or do they just believe it and hope for the best?”

  “Some people are like that, I guess, but not Grandma Lewis. She seems to know she’s going to heaven, and she’s sure she’ll be on good terms with God when she gets there.”

  “Did she say anything else?”

  He thought hard about that conversation. “Yes, she said that God draws people to himself, and that’s the only way to find him.”

  “You mean it won’t do us any good to investigate unless he wants us to find him?” Her eyes darkened with disappointment.

  “I don’t know. This is not my area of expertise.”

  “Well, I want to know if God is real, and I guess if he wants me to find him, I will.”

  Harvey nodded. “All right. We’ll go to this church tomorrow and see if they give us any clues. If there’s no evidence there, we can try a different church next week.”

  Jennifer looked up at him with a frank wistfulness. More than ever he wanted to take her in his arms. He moved toward her slightly, leaning toward her on the couch, and brought his hand very gently to rest on her hair. It was as soft as he’d imagined.

  “Jenny—”

  She jumped up. “I think—” She glanced at her watch. “It’s time for you to go, Harvey.”

  He stood up slowly. Her face was flushed, and her breathing shallow. He’d asked for it. Say the word, and I’m gone.

  “Okay, kiddo.”

  She grimaced slightly, and he nearly apologized, but thought better of it.

  “Nine-thirty,” she said.

  “I’ll be here.”

  She smiled, and her gray eyes were luminous. He decided she wasn’t mad at him. Far from it. The joy surged through him again. Couldn’t she see that he loved her? Apparently not. And if he blurted it out now, she’d retreat again. He walked slowly to the door and opened it, then turned back with his hand on the knob.

  “Don’t watch me out the window if you don’t want to see me get my suit dirty.” He winked at her.

  She laughed, and he was glad he’d been able to leave her in a cheerful frame of mind. He checked under the Explorer. Nothing. It seemed almost pointless. The whole bomb business seemed unreal, except for the memory of his burning car. That
was not an illusion. Eddie had the small scar on the back of his hand to prove it.

  He looked up at the sky. The stars were pale over the city. How long would it take him and Jennifer to decide whether or not God was really up there? As he buckled his seat belt he thought, If he’s real, I guess I should be thanking him that I’m still alive.

  Again he remembered Grandma Lewis, and wondered if God really did draw people to himself, like a relentless magnet.

  He thought he might be ready for that. He’d spent too many years trying to figure out his own life. Time to let someone else take over. But he didn’t really want to be pulled in unless Jennifer was pulled in, too.

  Chapter 12

  Jennifer watched him, in spite of his warning, but furtively, from behind the curtain. When his Explorer left the driveway and rolled down the street, she sighed. She wasn’t afraid in the empty house tonight, but she wanted to talk to someone. She realized she was ready to share her happiness, and she went to the kitchen and called the familiar number for home.

  “Mom? It’s me, Jennifer. I’m sorry to call so late. I just wanted to say hi.”

  “That’s okay, honey,” her mother said. “We weren’t asleep yet. Your father is trying to set the new alarm clock.” She laughed. “They haven’t made friends yet. How are you doing?”

  “Well, okay. Pretty good actually. Mom, I’ve met someone.” There. It was out.

  “Really? How exciting! What’s he like?”

  “Oh, Mom, he’s great! You’d really like him. He’s very considerate and polite.” She sat down on the kitchen floor with her back to the cabinets.

  “Sounds like a nice boy. What’s his name?”

  “Harvey.”

  “That’s an old-fashioned name. What does he look like?”

  “Nice looking. Blue eyes, brown hair, kind of wavy. Medium height, crinkly lines at the corners of his eyes.”

  “That’s quite a description,” her mother said. “I take it he’s special.”

  “Very.” Jennifer sank back against the cupboard door, wondering how special she was to Harvey. She had never felt so strong a pull toward a man. The nervous tension between them that evening had been so thick it nearly choked her. It was exciting, but at the same time terrifying.

  “Honey, that’s wonderful. When can we meet him?” Before Jennifer could answer, her mother said, “Just a minute. Your father wants to talk to you.”

  “Hi, Jenn.”

  “Hi, Daddy. Did you give up on the clock?”

  “No, I think I have it cowed. What’s this about a man in your life? Should I be jealous?”

  “Oh, no, Daddy. He’s the kind you’ve always wanted me to wait for.”

  “Well, it’s about time. What does he do?”

  “He’s a policeman.”

  “Really? Well, that’s not so bad. Probably doesn’t earn much. State trooper?”

  “Portland P.D.”

  “How old is he?”

  She hesitated. “He’s older than me.”

  “What kind of an answer is that?”

  “Well, he’s younger than you.”

  “Older than you and younger than me,” her father said. “Shall we just split the difference?”

  “Just about.”

  There was a pause. “Are you telling me he’s forty?”

  She sighed. “Actually, forty-one.”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “But, Daddy, you’d like him,” Jennifer cried. “It’s the man that matters, not some number.”

  “You’ve never won an argument with me yet, young lady.”

  “Come on, Daddy, he’s really nice. He takes care of me.”

  “Be more specific.”

  “Well, can I tell you something and you won’t get upset?”

  “That depends. What is it?”

  “My roommate Donna-jean is gone.”

  “Good. I never liked her.”

  “Well, it turns out you had good reason. She was keeping drugs here, or at least letting her boyfriend keep them here. I found it in the freezer.”

  “Good grief, Jennifer, you can’t have that!”

  “I know. And Harvey had her arrested.”

  “Who’s Harvey?”

  “This guy we’re talking about.”

  “Oh, the boyfriend.”

  “Don’t call him that.”

  “All right, the cop.”

  “Exactly. He’s a cop, and he knows how to handle crises like this. So Donna-jean is gone.”

  “She moved out?”

  “Well … yes. Tuesday night.”

  “Just don’t tell me Harvey’s moving in.”

  “Daddy!”

  “Well, what’s the part I won’t like?”

  “The part about the drugs.”

  “Oh. All right. When do we get to meet him?”

  “I don’t know. We haven’t talked about that yet.”

  “How long have you known him?”

  “I met him a couple of months ago. He came to the office on business.”

  “When that man disappeared?”

  “Yes.” The familiar unease returned, the way it did every time she thought about Nick.

  “Well, you be careful. I still don’t like that situation. I don’t think you’re safe down there.”

  Her mother came back on the line. “What’s your father so upset about, Jennifer? Is it something about Harvey?”

  “Oh, he’s just being Daddy. Make him tell you about Donna-jean.”

  “All right, honey. Are you healthy?”

  “Yes, I’m fine.”

  “You should have come home for the weekend.”

  “Well, I’m glad I was here, Mom.”

  “Oh, you and Harvey had a date. What did you do?”

  “We went to a Shakespeare play tonight, at the university. It was really good. And we went to Burger King after, and … and we talked.” She definitely couldn’t mention the part about Harvey coming in unchaperoned. Her parents were the most conservative people she knew.

  “That sounds like a very nice date. Does Harvey have any brothers for Abby and Leeanne?”

  “Oh, Mom.”

  “Bring the boy home to meet us, honey.”

  “He’s not a boy, Mom. He’s a man.”

  She heard her father in background saying, “That so-called boy is forty-one, Marilyn!”

  Her mother started protesting, and Jennifer said, “Look, Mom, I’ve got to go to bed now because Harvey and I are going to church in the morning. I’ll talk to you again soon.”

  *****

  The sky was overcast Sunday morning, and the temperature was cooler than it had been all week. Jennifer wore a long-sleeved navy dress and pinned her hair up. Harvey arrived a few minutes early, wearing his three-piece suit.

  He took her hand when she came out the door. “You look great. All set to begin the investigation?”

  “All set.”

  In the vehicle, he said, “Sometime soon, we ought to make a trip to Skowhegan.”

  Jennifer stared at him. “Did you have my phone tapped?”

  He laughed, then turned serious when she didn’t laugh back. “No, honest. I told you, no more spying.”

  “I guess that would be too bizarre. It’s just that I talked to my parents last night, after you left.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah, I told them about you, and they want to meet you.”

  “I’ve never been to Skowhegan. Should make an interesting outing.”

  Jennifer eyed him cautiously. “Dad nearly hit the ceiling when I told him how old you are.”

  “Maybe we’d better wait awhile on the trip.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. The sooner they get to know you, the sooner they’ll realize how good you are for me.” He smiled broadly at that, and she dared to say, “My mom says you sound like a nice boy.”

  “Oh, great! How am I supposed to deal with that?”

  “Just be you. They’ll love you.”

  His smile was a
bit smug, and Jennifer found herself blushing for no reason.

  He drove into the church parking lot. There were twenty or so cars already parked, and people were walking toward the front door of the church. Harvey shut off the engine, went around and opened her door. In the row across the driveway, a family got out of a mini-wagon. The husband took a baby out of its car seat while the wife smoothed a little girl’s pink dress. Jennifer looked at Harvey anxiously. He gazed up at the steeple, then at her. He winked and took her hand, and they started toward the building.

  “Good morning!” The father had the baby up on his left shoulder and stuck his right hand out to Harvey. They shook hands, and the man said, “I’m Rick Bradley.”

  “Harvey Larson.”

  “Glad to meet you. This is my wife, Ruthann.”

  Mrs. Bradley smiled. “Hi. Are you visiting today?”

  “Yes,” said Harvey. “This is Jennifer—”

  Rick’s hand went out to Jennifer, and he interrupted Harvey with, “Welcome, Mrs. Larson.”

  Jennifer shook Rick’s hand, looking helplessly at Harvey.

  “Uh, it’s Jennifer Wainthrop,” Harvey said. “We’re not married.”

  “Oh, sorry.” Rick didn’t seem too flustered. They all walked toward the church together.

  “How old are the children?” Jennifer asked Ruthann.

  “Clarissa is two, and Ethan is three weeks.”

  “Only three weeks? So tiny!” She tried to glimpse the baby’s face, but Rick had him covered with a receiving blanket.

  When they got inside the foyer, Rick said to Harvey, “There’s an adult class in the auditorium, and a singles class in the fellowship hall. Take your pick.”

  “Uh—” the ultra-blue eyes semaphored Jennifer for help.

  “Mrs.—Ruthann,” she stumbled, unable to remember the last name. The woman looked eagerly toward her. “Could you make a recommendation for us?”

  “Well, the adult class is for any adults. The singles class, I think, is mostly college students and career people in that age group.”

  Jennifer concluded that, while she might fit in there, Harvey would feel ancient. “I guess we’ll stick with the auditorium,” she said, and Harvey looked as if he’d had a reprieve.

  “We’ll be in there,” Ruthann said with a smile. “We just have to take the baby to the nursery and Clarissa to her class.” They moved off down a hallway, and Harvey and Jennifer faced the auditorium door. He looked like he was bracing himself.