The Priority Unit (Maine Justice Book 1)

by Davis, Susan Page

  “Yeah, he really told them off.” Harvey looked at verse 30. “Ye know not from where he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. Pretty obvious to him that Jesus was God, but they didn’t see it. And they didn’t like the kid trying to teach them theology.”

  “Tossed him out,” said Eddie. “They coulda put him in the lockup.” He was still watching the apartment building closely. Eddie had discipline when he needed it. “Do you think it’s true?”

  “I dunno,” said Harvey. “It says, If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. That at least is true, I guess. If Jesus wasn’t God, he couldn’t have healed him like that.”

  “But is the whole thing true?” Eddie frowned, still staring out the windshield.

  “The whole Bible?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I guess that’s the question. That’s where Jennifer and I are right now.”

  Harvey skimmed down through the chapter again and stopped at verse 31. “What about this? Now we know that God heareth not sinners; but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.”

  “God won’t listen to sinners?” Eddie shook his head. “That’s weird.”

  Harvey thought about that. He qualified as a sinner, he guessed. Or was sin just an idea somebody made up? He knew he’d done a lot of things that weren’t the best, but who hadn’t?

  “Do you think there’s such a thing as sin? Absolute right and wrong?”

  “If there’s not, then why are we cops?” Eddie asked.

  “Okay, but does it matter to God? If there is a God.”

  “I believe in God,” said Eddie.

  “You do?”

  “Well, sure. I was born a Catholic. You have to.”

  “So you believe the whole Bible is true, then.”

  “I dunno. I didn’t know all this stuff was in it.” Eddie glanced at Harvey, then back at the building. “Hey, we got action.”

  Their target was walking to a car near the apartment house, carrying a gym bag. Eddie started the engine and put the truck in gear.

  *****

  Things were a little better at work for Jennifer. The pressure was less intense, but she still didn’t get to work on her own projects. Instead, she was back on the foreign account. John Macomber told her confidentially that he thought the software was going to help an Asian industrialist pirate American designs. Jennifer wasn’t sure whether to take him seriously.

  She went out to lunch with Jane, at the deli across the street, and while they were eating, Jennifer’s phone rang.

  “Excuse me, Jane.” Jennifer took it out of her purse, feeling a twinge of guilt. There were rules of etiquette about phones in restaurants. “Hello?”

  “Hey, gorgeous.”

  “Hey yourself.” She couldn’t help grinning.

  “Eddie and I have been out all morning. I just got time to check the program, and it works like a charm.”

  “One of your flags came up?”

  “Yes, Paul Gordon’s got a new hearing scheduled.”

  “Good. Now you just have to add the names you want in there.”

  “How you doing?”

  “Great. Jane and I are eating lunch.” She smiled apologetically at Jane.

  “I won’t keep you. See you later, gorgeous.”

  When she put the phone away, Jane was watching her with interest. “So who’s the guy?”

  “Just somebody I met.”

  “Come on, he must be special. You’re blushing.”

  Jennifer hated that. “His name is Harvey.” She hoped Jane wouldn’t put it together with the detective handling the Dunham investigation.

  “Is this going to be serious?”

  “I think it is. He’s meeting my parents tonight.”

  *****

  After he called Jennifer, Harvey walked down the street to a men’s wear store. He really needed something to wear, and all of his suits needed cleaning. Mike had been after him for months to use more of his clothing allowance. Maybe it was time.

  He and Eddie had picked up Mike’s suspect that morning. Mike was very busy with the case, and the two detectives ran errands and pulled documents for him. It beat working for Trask, but they hadn’t had a break, so Harvey felt a long lunch was justified.

  He went back to the office carrying a new gray sport jacket, darker pants, and a tie with a subdued design in blue, navy and silver, wondering if it was too fashionable for him. He didn’t usually worry about his clothes.

  He just had time to grab a sandwich at the diner. Mike kept him and Eddie busy. On his afternoon break, Harvey checked his stocks. The restaurant shares, 1,000 since they split, were rising. He totaled his market accounts, and the idea came to him unexpectedly that he could buy a house if he wanted to.

  At quarter to five, he took his cell phone with him to the locker room and shaved and put on the new clothes. When he came out, the office had emptied, and Eddie was closing his computer.

  “Pretty snappy,” Eddie said, looking him up and down. “Conservative, but with panache.”

  “Think so?” Harvey still wasn’t sure. “Is it parent-proof?”

  “Take your badge off.”

  Harvey unclipped it and put it in his pocket.

  “Less intimidating.” Eddie grinned. “How could they not approve?”

  Harvey walked restlessly to the windows by his desk and looked down at the traffic. He had his holster on under the jacket, and his handcuffs in their case on his belt, where they wouldn’t show. He hoped he’d thought of everything that might offend her parents.

  His phone rang. As he answered it, Eddie waved and walked out the door.

  *****

  At ten minutes to five, the receptionist showed Jennifer’s parents into the main office at Coastal Technology. Jennifer jumped up and walked quickly to them.

  “Hello!” She kissed them both. “I’ll be done in just a minute.”

  “Want us to wait outside?” her father asked.

  “No, you can come over here if you want. I just need to close up my program. Come meet Jane.”

  She took them to her work station and introduced them to her friend.

  “So, you’re meeting Harvey,” Jane said knowingly.

  “Yes, that’s part of the plan,” Marilyn Wainthrop said. “Do you know him?”

  “Haven’t had the privilege,” Jane said, “but I get the feeling this guy is going to be around for a while.”

  Jennifer was annoyed to feel a flush spread over her face. She liked Jane, but discretion was not her friend’s strength.

  “Excuse me. I’ll just call him and tell him we’re coming.” She took out her cell phone. “Hi. It’s me. We’re on the way over,” she said self-consciously.

  “I’ll meet you out front, gorgeous.” Her blush deepened.

  As she tucked the phone into her pocket, her father said, “So, this is where the computer girl works. Not too shabby.” He looked around the large room and nodded with approval. Jennifer could tell he was proud of her.

  She led them to the parking lot and stopped beside her car, suddenly realizing she had to do the bomb check.

  “I’ll follow you,” her father was saying.

  “Okay.” She stood staring at her Escort, not sure how to tell them.

  “Shall I ride with you?” her mother asked.

  “Fine. Uh, Mom, don’t open the door just yet.”

  “Is it locked?” Marilyn asked.

  “Yes, but—I have to do something.” She looked at her mother, then at her father.

  “What is it, Jenn?” George Wainthrop asked. “Did you forget something?”

  “No, it’s just—I—I have to look under the car.”

  “What?” Her father asked incredulously.

  “There was a little incident Sunday. The police advised me to check my car every time I drive.”

  “What are you saying?” her mother gasped.

  Jennifer laid a hand on her sleeve. “It’s nothing, Mom. Really. It’s just that someone I k
now had a bomb put on his car, so I’ve been told to check mine just to make sure everything’s okay.”

  Without waiting for their reaction, she thrust her leather portfolio into her mother’s hands and knelt on the tarmac.

  “Jennifer, your stockings!” Marilyn cried.

  Other employees were coming out of the building, and John Macomber threw a curious glance at Jennifer as he passed them.

  “Nobody else is looking for bombs,” her father observed. “Do you want to tell us about this?”

  “It’s nothing, really, Dad. Just a fluke. Nobody got hurt.”

  “I suppose it was your friend Harvey who found the bomb under his car?”

  “Well, yes. And his boss thinks we should both be careful for a while. Not just us. Harvey’s partner, too.” She went to the other side and looked, then unlocked the door for her mother. At the driver’s door, she looked under the seat and the dashboard, then smiled at her father.

  “All set,” She hoped her tone was normal and confident. She got in and buckled and started the engine.

  “Jennifer,” her mother began, “how long has this been going on?”

  “Just since Sunday. It’s nothing to worry about, Mom. How did Daddy’s meeting go?”

  She kept the conversation on safe topics until they got to the police station. Harvey was waiting for them on the sidewalk.

  *****

  Harvey braced himself as Jennifer made the introductions. Her father shook his hand firmly and eyed him up and down. Mr. Wainthrop was Mike’s age, but looked older. He weighed a little more, and his salt-and-pepper hair was cut short. Behind his wire-rimmed glasses, his eyes were a rich brown. Her mother was small, a woman who had been stunning thirty years ago and was still attractive. Her hair was still blonde, but a little faded, wavy, falling nearly shoulder-length. Harvey thought he could see Jennifer in her. Marilyn’s eyes were the same serious gray. When Harvey smiled at her, she smiled back, and Harvey’s hopes rose. This would work. It had to.

  They exchanged pleasantries, and Mr. Wainthrop named the restaurant.

  “You drive my car,” Jennifer said to Harvey, and he took the wheel. Her parents got in their car, and Harvey waited for her father to pull into the street.

  “They like you,” Jennifer said.

  “How can you tell?”

  “Daddy does a quick appraisal, and it would be obvious if you didn’t pass. Mom was very taken, I thought. By the way, I like the tie and the jacket. New?”

  He touched his necktie. “Thanks. Yes. Eddie says I have panache.”

  She laughed, then sobered. “I had to tell them about the car bomb.”

  He glanced over, then signaled to follow her father on a turn. “How’s that?”

  “I had to do the car check when I left the office. Daddy had fits.”

  “Oh, boy. I didn’t think of that.”

  “It’s okay. I told them nobody got hurt and it was probably just a fluke. I didn’t tell them about the first one.”

  “You know it wasn’t random.”

  “Was that a lie? They were so worried.”

  He reached over and squeezed her hand.

  At the restaurant, Harvey sat next to Jennifer. He hadn’t been this nervous since he asked her for that first lunch date.

  “How’s business in Skowhegan, Mr. Wainthrop?” he asked.

  “Not bad.” Her father peered at the menu through the lower part of his glasses.

  “Jennifer, you look a little peaked,” said her mother. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine. I’m a little tired, is all. We’ve been really busy at work.”

  The waitress came, and they ordered seafood all around.

  There were updates on Jennifer’s siblings; Jeffrey, an EMT in Skowhegan, had applied for a job with the Portland Fire Department; Abby was putting in a lot of hours at the medical center in Waterville. Leeanne and the two younger boys had a couple of weeks of school left. Harvey let the talk flow around him until the food was served.

  “So, Mr. Larson,” said Jennifer’s father, and Harvey came to attention. “How long have you been a police officer?”

  “Eighteen years, sir.”

  “You’re a plainclothesman?”

  “Yes, sir. Detective in a special unit.”

  “What’s special about it?”

  Harvey checked for a moment on that one. “Well, sir, we handle cases that are urgent or have aberrations.”

  “You guys have some special capabilities, I assume?”

  “Yes, sir.” He didn’t elaborate.

  Mrs. Wainthrop smiled brightly. “Jennifer said you went to church Sunday.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  George became even sterner at the mention of Sunday. “Is Jennifer safe with you?”

  “Sir?”

  “This bomb situation. Is my daughter safe?”

  Harvey swallowed. “Oh. Well, yes, sir, I think so. My boss had me teach her to check her vehicle for demolition devices as a precaution. We don’t think there is any danger to her, but until the perpetrator is caught, we’re just playing it safe.” Under the table, Jennifer’s hand found his.

  Her father frowned.

  “Daddy, I’ve been working on a new computer program that Harvey thinks the police department can use.” Jennifer pulled out a sunny smile, but her voice rose in something like panic, and Harvey stroked her fingers in an effort to calm her.

  Mrs. Wainthrop picked up her salad fork. “Now, Mr. Larson, you’re not from Maine, are you?”

  “No, ma’am, I was born in New Hampshire, but I’ve lived here almost twenty years.”

  Jennifer stared at her mother. “How long does it take to be a Mainer, Mom?”

  “Now, dear, I wasn’t being critical.”

  There came the inevitable moment when mother and daughter exited for the ladies’ room. Harvey looked bleakly after Jennifer as she disappeared.

  Her father wiped his mouth with his napkin. “All right, Larson, time to talk turkey.”

  “Sir?”

  “Your intentions toward my daughter are…”

  “Honorable.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Totally honorable.”

  “You’re too old for her.”

  “Well sir, that’s debatable, and, with respect, I’d have to disagree.” Harvey wished he could take his jacket off, but then the holster would show, and that wasn’t good in a restaurant.

  “Make your case.” Wainthrop’s dark eyes were uncompromising.

  Harvey reminded himself that he wasn’t a kid and had no reason to be nervous.

  “Well, for starters, I believe I could make her happy.”

  “Hmm.”

  “And I’m established in my career. I could support her and take care of her.”

  “She didn’t encounter bombs before she met you.”

  Harvey shifted in his chair. “Well, sir, that was an unforeseen event that we handled as best we could.”

  “You see yourself as a family man?”

  “Sir?”

  “Are we talking marriage here?”

  Harvey took a deep breath. “Well, maybe. I have to admit it’s crossed my mind, but, well, sir, I mean, I haven’t known her very long, and I haven’t even kissed her yet. We haven’t discussed marriage.”

  “Hmm.”

  Harvey played with his glass and sneaked a glance at the older man. He was very glad he’d restrained himself last night.

  “Awfully late in life to start a family,” Mr. Wainthrop said.

  “Not too late, sir.”

  “You don’t have two or three other families, do you, Larson?”

  “Oh, no, sir.”

  “Never married?”

  “Well, I was married once, sir, for eight years.” Harvey hesitated. “My wife passed away.”

  “Widower,” Wainthrop said.

  Harvey let it pass. “No children.”

  Mr. Wainthrop nodded. “Sorry to be so direct, but Jennifer is our first daughter. I know she�
��s a big girl, but she doesn’t have her folks down here in the city to look after her. Now, I admit, I was quite concerned when she told me how old you were. Didn’t know what to expect, but, well …” He sat forward and held out his hand. “Larson, I could like you.”

  They shook hands. “Thank you, sir. My name is Harvey.”

  “My name’s George.” He sat sideways with one arm across the back of his wife’s empty chair and crossed his legs. “Ever go hunting, Harvey? You must be a pretty good shot.”

  *****

  “Mother,” Jennifer said the second the ladies’ room door closed, “You two have got to lighten up on him!”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You and Daddy are making him uncomfortable.”

  “I’m sorry. It wasn’t intentional. We’ve been concerned, and we’re just trying to get to know your young man.”

  “I told him that you’d love him. This is awful.”

  “Oh, Jennifer. What’s so awful? We haven’t insulted him or anything. He seems very nice. Nice smile, too. I can see why you’re attracted to him.”

  “Can you?”

  “Yes, honey. He’s a good dresser, too.”

  Jennifer smiled a little. “I wish I’d brought him to Skowhegan first.”

  Mrs. Wainthrop nodded. “We would probably all have been more at ease then.” She kissed her daughter on the cheek. “Jennifer, I know you’re a sensible girl. Just take your time, dear. And if you decide to bring him into our family, we’ll welcome him and love him like a son.”

  “Daddy, too? He’s being pretty rough on Harvey.”

  “Your father wants to be sure he’s responsible. You hear things. Police officers aren’t known to have a good track record on their personal lives. And you are very dear to us.”

  “Mom, I think I love him.”

  Her mother smiled tenderly. “Does he love you?”

  “I’m not sure. I know he cares. Sometimes, when he looks at me…” Jennifer didn’t know how to describe the look that made her melt.

  Her mother nodded. “Aren’t his eyes striking?”

  By the time they got back to the table, her father and Harvey appeared to have made peace somehow. George was telling a story about his moose hunt the year before, and Harvey was listening attentively. He looked up at Jennifer and smiled as she sat down.