“Well, Eddie, good to see you.”
Eddie shook hands with him. “Thank you, sir. Sorry I missed you this morning. The boys said you had a good day on the lake.”
“Not bad.” He picked up the newspaper off the coffee table. “It was cold.”
Leeanne went to help her mother, and Eddie wondered if he should try to make conversation, but George seemed engrossed in his paper. “Construction accident in Newport,” he said, shaking his head. “They shouldn’t try to build things in January in this part of the country.”
They had a huge supper for the starved fishermen, and as always in the Wainthrop house, the food was excellent. Eddie offered to help with the dishes after, but Marilyn shooed him and the boys out of the kitchen.
George turned on the news, and Eddie didn’t see any footage from Portland. When Leeanne had finished doing dishes, she sat with him for a while, talking quietly.
Randy and Travis came in and organized a game of Risk that lasted about two hours. When Randy finally won, Eddie said, “Guess I’d better hit the road soon.” He went up and packed his things and brought his bag downstairs.
“I’m late feeding the goats,” Leeanne said. “You can help me, can’t you?”
Eddie was happy to go with her, out through the woodshed and a long hallway to the main part of the barn, where there were stalls and pens and a haymow. The barn wasn’t exactly warm, but it was less frigid than outside. The goats bleated for their supper. Leeanne shook out flakes of hay into the pens. The barn had a faucet, and she drew bucket after bucket of water. Eddie carried them for her, wherever she directed him.
“If it gets below zero again tonight, the pipe will probably freeze again,” she said. “Then I have to carry it from the house.”
The goats must have been extra thirsty. Eddie counted eleven buckets. Geneva bleated proudly over her twin kids, and they were pretty cute.
Leeanne leaned over the low wall surrounding Geneva’s stall, looking at the babies. “I’m thinking of selling them.”
“The two kids?”
“No, all of the goats.”
Eddie hadn’t expected that. “You’ve had them a long time.”
“I know, but they’re a lot of work. I think maybe it’s time. There’s a boy in Canaan who’s interested in buying the herd for a 4-H project. I’d give him a good deal, and all my records.”
“Do you really want to do that?”
She shrugged, watching the kids suckle. “I don’t know yet. Maybe I’d keep one or two for pets.”
Eddie put his arms around her, and it felt strange with all the layers of coats between them. She suddenly burrowed her head into his shoulder. “You’re leaving when we go in, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” He thought maybe she would tell him to stay the night and go home the next day, but she didn’t. He held her against him, rubbing her back and looking at the goats. It was harder to leave her this time. “Seems like we haven’t had time to get reacquainted today.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” She choked a little on it, then was quiet.
“I like talking to you and learning how you think about things,” he said.
“Yeah.”
Eddie just held her. After half a minute, she straightened up and took her gloves off, stuffing them into her pockets. Her eyes very large, she reached out and unzipped his parka. Slowly, she put her hands in underneath his jacket, on his flannel shirt, and around him. He pulled her in, close and warm.
“I love you,” he whispered. “I’ll always love you.”
He felt the enormity of his words, but he didn’t regret them. The smell of her hair overcame the hay and goat smells, and he soaked it up to remember. “Everything I learned about you today made me more certain.”
She didn’t move, but kept her cheek against the front of his shirt. Her hands were warm on his back, through the flannel and the cotton T-shirt. Her wool coat was thick and was definitely a barrier, but he decided she wanted it that way. He would hold her as long as she would let him.
After about a minute, she stepped away. “I’ll be down on Friday.”
“Great. Should I go to Harvey’s after work?”
“Yes.”
“Could I kiss you now?”
She brought one hand out from under his coat and up around his neck. Her fingers went into his hair, and he bent down to kiss her. Her lips were warm. He stood holding her after, with her cheek against his, prolonging the moment, but knowing he needed to hit the road.
“Eddie.” It was the barest whisper.
“What?” He tried to match her tone.
“I’ve been reading all week in the Bible, trying to find out what love really means. Not the way people talk about it, but real, lasting, honorable love.”
“What did you find out?”
“It’s wanting God’s best for the other person, not being selfish, putting them first all the time. Doing whatever you need to do to make them happy and keep your relationship true and holy.”
He thought about that. “I think I have that for you,” he said at last. “It’s a lot, but ... I do feel that way. If God is telling you somehow to wait, it’s okay.”
“Thank you.”
“And I wouldn’t want to think about anyone else.”
“Not even the rich woman with the condo and the fancy car?”
He laughed.
She pulled his head down and put her lips close to his ear, as if she didn’t want the goats to hear what she would tell him. “I do love you, Eddie. I know that now.”
He held her close against his pounding heart as he savored the gift she’d given him. When his breathing was steady again, he tipped her face up and kissed her once again, a kiss full of desire, yet at the same time restrained.
They went into the house together, leaving the goats in companionable darkness. Eddie thanked Mr. and Mrs. Wainthrop, said good-bye to the boys, and picked up his duffel bag. Leeanne stepped onto the porch with him, and her eyes looked almost luminous in the starlight.
Eddie touched her cheek. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Chapter 24
On Sunday morning, Eddie tried to readjust to his weekly routine. Laundry was becoming critical, so he took a load to the basement to wash while he ate breakfast. He called Harvey at eight for an update, so he wouldn’t have to monopolize him at church. Things were status quo with the case—Rooster still in jail, Cynthia still loose, and Hawkins nowhere to be found.
“Maybe Cynthia already bought Hawkins a car or a plane ticket, and he skipped town,” Eddie said.
“Nah, I think he wants to finish the job.”
Eddie didn’t like that, but Harvey was probably right. Hawkins wouldn’t give up until Mike was dead, or at least hurting badly.
“Our unit volunteered to take some of the security shifts for Mike and Sharon without pay,” Harvey said. “It’s strictly voluntary, but we figured it would keep the city council off Mike’s back.”
“Count me in,” Eddie said. “What shifts are open?”
“You want to do a four a.m. Tuesday, until he goes to the station? You can follow him in.”
“Sure, why not?”
“I’ll put you down.”
“Okay. I’ve got to go switch my wet laundry to the dryer, but I’ll see you at church.”
Greg, the airline navigator, was with Abby at Sunday school, but he left before church to catch his flight out. Eddie did like Greg, but Peter Hobart’s droopy eyes were starting to earn his sympathy. Eddie felt like shaking Abby.
Harvey lined up their lunch guests: Mike and Sharon Browning, Jack and Rachel Stewart, Beth and Jeff, and Eddie. Once they all arrived at the Larsons’ house, Harvey gave the two officers guarding Mike some money and told them to go get some lunch and come back in an hour or two.
Eddie was glad to sit in on the session after lunch, when Harvey went over Friday’s events with Mike and Jack.
“I really want to see some action,” Mike said. “How about you, Jack?”
>
“Sure,” Stewart said. “I’ve been itching for some field work ever since I came on board. But I think you should keep your head down until this case is closed.”
“That’s right,” Harvey told Mike. “We’ll get you in on a case as soon as it’s safe. You too, Jack.”
Eddie said, “Do you think you should go into action together? Isn’t that a little like flying the President and the V.P. on the same plane?”
“I agree,” Harvey said. “Separate situations, definitely.”
Mike frowned at him. “You worry too much, Harv.”
Harvey shrugged. “Right now, part of my job is to make sure you stay alive.”
Sharon, Jennifer, and Mrs. Stewart came into the living room. That left Abby somewhere. Eddie wandered out to the sunroom and found her sitting on the wicker settee, perusing a thick book.
“Heavy reading?”
She looked up. “Yeah. I’ve got a maternity patient with borderline toxemia, and I’m refreshing my memory on that before I go in.”
He sat down in a chair opposite her. “When do you go?”
“I have to be there at three.” She put a bookmark in her place and shut the tome. “So, you survived the fifteen minutes of fame.”
“Fifteen and a half.” He told her about Cynthia.
Abby laughed. “People will forget eventually.”
“Yeah, as soon as somebody does something more newsworthy, which you’d think would be every day.”
“I heard what Chief Browning said about field work.” She glanced toward the doorway and frowned. “Wouldn’t that be weird, working with your boss and his boss and his boss?”
“Jack’s not Harvey’s boss,” Eddie said.
Abby made a face. “Oh, get technical.”
“Yeah, well I can’t believe you’re parading Greg like a trophy in front of Peter. Peter is a good guy. You’re causing him a lot of hurt.”
“Peter understands.”
“Understands what?”
“I haven’t made up my mind yet.”
“Well, he’s a fool if he keeps hanging around you,” Eddie said.
She looked pained. “Eddie, I thought we were friends.”
“We were.”
“Does that mean we aren’t anymore?”
“No,” he said slowly. “It means I’m disappointed in you. I understand if you’re not ready to settle down. I’ve been there. But when I was dating around, all the girls knew I wasn’t getting serious. You don’t keep stressing people over it. Tell Peter you won’t see him anymore. Even if you’re not sure about Greg, it’s the only decent thing to do if you’re going to keep seeing Greg.”
“Really?” She eyed him soberly.
“Yes, really. Or if by some chance I’m wrong, and you want to continue your relationship with Peter, tell Greg to buzz off. Consider them one at a time. You’re driving us all insane. I can’t imagine how those guys feel.”
“I thought you were the expert at juggling multiple girls at the same time.”
“It’s not as fun as it’s cracked up to be, trust me.”
Harvey came to the doorway. “Eddie, Mike and Sharon and the Stewarts are all planning to attend a city council meeting Wednesday night. They’ll need extra security. I wondered—”
“I’ll do it.”
“Great. We’ve got two uniforms scheduled, but I’ll put you and Miller on it.”
After the brass left a half hour later, with Mike’s watchdogs in tow, Harvey went into his room to change and came out wearing jeans, sneakers, and a sweatshirt.
“Eddie, ride with me,” he said.
“Sure.” Eddie never questioned Harvey. “Have a good evening at work,” he told Abby.
In his Explorer, Harvey said, “I didn’t get a chance to ask you how things went in Skowhegan.”
“Good.”
Harvey threw a glance sideways at him and pulled out onto the street. “Leeanne is coming down Friday night?”
“Yes.”
“Anything new on the college front?”
“She’s planning to finish her degree at Farmington, so she won’t lose any credit.”
“I can’t say as I blame her.”
“We talked about love,” Eddie said tentatively.
“In general, or specifics?”
“Both. What it means, the real, biblical kind, and … you know, I had told her before, when she was down here. Well, she says she loves me, Harv.”
Harvey pulled into the parking garage at the station. He killed the engine and looked at Eddie, long and deep. Then he stuck out his hand and they shook.
Harvey smiled. “Just don’t rush things.”
“Yeah. You know, whenever I spend time with Leeanne, I learn new things about her. She’s a really deep thinker.”
“Is she?” He was still smiling.
“Yeah. She’s smart. She showed me some of the papers she wrote for class last semester. Really good stuff. And she wants to do things God’s way.”
“I’m glad. Do your part.”
They checked in with the com center and went up to the office.
“I want to check my flag program and see if anything’s come up, and make sure we’ve got Mike covered for the next few days,” Harvey said.
“Are you losing sleep over this?”
“Maybe a little. Mike Junior called me last night to ask if I really thought his parents were safe. He said they should leave Portland for a few days. I told him he could suggest it, but I doubt Mike would go for it.”
“Besides,” Eddie said, “we couldn’t let them leave town without security.”
“I agree, but I didn’t say that. I knew Mike would nix the idea if his kids brought it up.”
They spent a half hour at the office. Eddie went over the updates for the weekend while Harvey fine-tuned the schedule for Mike’s protective detail. When they got back to the house, Eddie said, “Guess I’ll head home for a little while.”
Jennifer put a zipper bag of cookies in his hand. “Take these. Oh, and Abby had to go to work, but she asked me to give you a message. She says she’s been thinking about what you said to her before you left.”
“Oh, about Greg and Peter.”
“What did you tell her?” asked Harvey.
“That she’d better put them out of their misery. Peter looks awful.”
“We’ve been praying about that situation,” said Jennifer. “I don’t think she realizes how badly one of them is going to be hurt.”
Eddie drove to his apartment and called Leeanne.
“Comment ça va, ma belle?” he asked.
“Bien. I’m packing my clothes for school, but I don’t know how to say it in French.”
Whenever he heard that lilt in her voice, Eddie felt like little fireworks were going off inside him.
He got the impression there were other people in the room with her, so he didn’t press her on sensitive topics. He gave her a quick rundown on church, lunch at Jennifer’s, and Harvey’s, and his run to the office.
“Is Harvey working seven days a week now?” she asked.
“Just about. When a case is breaking, some things just won’t wait. We need to find this Hawkins guy.”
“Be safe,” she said a little plaintively.
“I will. Keep praying for us.”
When they’d signed off, it struck him how many names he’d swiped through to get to Leeanne’s number. He sat down and put hers on speed dial. Then he started culling his list of contacts. He didn’t count, but he thought he’d removed at least twenty women’s phone numbers. For some of the names, he couldn’t remember the face. Maybe Abby was right, and he was a heel. He didn’t really have the right to get after her.
He sent her a text: SORRY ABS, U R RIGHT DON’T LISTEN 2 ME.
He stuck the phone in his pocket and headed for the basement laundry. As he was pulling his clothes from the dryer, it pinged with an incoming text. He looked at it. NO, F.B., U R RIGHT, 2 IS 2 MANY.
He smiled, even though
she was still digging at him with an abbreviated “French Boy”—or so he thought. Seconds later it pinged again: PS THAT STANDS FOR FRENCH BROTHER.
He grinned and texted her back, “KK, GABBY SIS.” He picked up his laundry basket and headed upstairs.
*****
Harvey went to Eddie’s place for breakfast after their run Monday morning, and Eddie fixed instant oatmeal and coffee.
“This is kind of shabby next to a Wainthrop breakfast,” Eddie admitted. He told Harvey what Leeanne had fixed at her house.
“I don’t let Jennifer feed me like that,” Harvey said. “I’d be fat as a hog if I ate that way all the time.”
“I’m planning on marrying Leeanne, Harv.”
“I figured. Does she know it yet?”
“I haven’t said it in so many words.”
“Don’t rush things.”
Eddie nodded. “She gets a little nervous if I move too quickly.”
“So don’t. There’s time.”
“I’m trying.”
Harvey eyed him seriously. “Don’t try to take it at Leeanne’s pace, Eddie. Take it at God’s pace.”
Eddie sipped his coffee and thought about that. “Right. She worries about our field work, too. Afraid I’ll get hurt.”
“Well, it could happen. I’ll ask Jennifer to talk to her sometime. A woman just has to come to terms with that if she’s going to marry a cop.” He smiled. “I’m happy for you, Ed. We’ve come through a lot, haven’t we?”
“Yup. I think God is in this.”
Their workday was so normal Eddie was bored silly. They kept plugging at what leads they had left, but nothing was coming together. Harvey went to attend Tony’s hearing on the shooting after lunch.
Nate, Jimmy, and Eddie gave it all they had, but none of their informants would hazard a guess as to who Al Hawkins would turn to for a new shooter, now that Rooster was out of circulation. Eddie went across town alone to touch base with Silver.
“Eddie, you’re making things hot for me. Leave me alone for a while,” Silver said.
“Come on, all I need is one good break.”
“I told you about that Cynthia woman.” Silver didn’t actually say woman, but it was what Tony would call a synonym.
Heartbreaker Hero: Eddie's Story (Maine Justice Book 4) Page 25
