Eddie nodded. “Jordan still should’ve told Mike.”
“Yeah.”
Eddie and Harvey walked to the coffeemaker while they talked. Nate was fixing himself a mugful.
“Eddie, welcome back. Sorry about your dad.”
“Thanks. Hey, they’re keeping Rooster Bentley, aren’t they?”
“Oh, yeah,” Nate said. “He’s staying put for a long time.”
“Melanie Tucker, too,” Harvey said. “Turns out she was one of Hawkins’s main distributers. We squeezed the others from the crack house, and they started talking.”
“Good. How’s the chief?”
“He’s okay. Sharon asked if they could see Dr. Slidell together.”
“She volunteered to see the shrink?” Eddie frowned at him. “Who wants to do that?”
“She thought it would help them both,” Harvey said. “Of course, Mike didn’t want to, but she told him she needs it, so they’re going to have a few sessions.”
“Wow. Next time I want to do the impossible, I’m calling Sharon.”
Harvey laughed. “Bring your coffee. I’ve got a computer case you can work on.”
*****
Leeanne was a little nervous when she walked into the funeral home with Harvey and Jennifer that evening. At least fifty people milled around in the large outer room. A line had formed for those wanting to sign the guest book and go in to view the body and greet the family.
Jennifer signed for herself and Harvey and handed Leeanne the pen.
“Do you want us to go in and tell Eddie you’re here?”
“Would you?”
“Of course.” Jennifer hugged her. While Leeanne bent over the guest book, her sister and Harvey moved on with the line. After she signed, Leeanne squeezed between people and found a spot where she could stand out of the way.
Eddie surprised her by coming from a different direction.
“Hey.”
She turned toward him and took in his careworn features, still handsome enough to turn heads, his impeccable charcoal suit, and his gleaming brown eyes. She held out both hands, and he took them and pulled her toward him. He stood there in front of all those people, many of whom had known him since he was in diapers, clinging to her. She desperately hoped she wouldn’t embarrass him in any way.
“Yo, Eddie!”
“Dave.” Eddie let go of Leeanne and shook a man’s hand. He looked sort of familiar, and a lot like Eddie.
“My cousin,” Eddie said in an aside.
“Oh, right.”
Eddie greeted Dave’s wife and a couple more people then whispered in her ear, “There’s another room. Let’s go in there.”
He pulled her by the hand down a hallway and into a large room full of chairs that were empty at the moment. At the other end, a casket was set up.
“Who’s that?” Leeanne asked, her breath a little labored. “That’s not—”
“No, that’s some other guy whose service is later. I figured nobody would bother us in here right now.”
He bent to kiss her, and Leeanne felt a bit odd, knowing there was a corpse in the room. She shivered.
Eddie pulled away and looked at her. “Okay, this is creepy, I guess.”
“A little.”
“Come on, we can go in the back way to where Maman and my sisters are. But I’ll warn you, they’re sitting up close to my pop.”
“I think I can handle it,” Leeanne said.
“Good, because every time I look at him, I get kinda wobbly.”
“Oh, cheri.” She hugged him close.
“It’s stupid,” he said. “I’ve seen all kinds of mangled bodies. Last week we had a really bad one at Mike’s, and it didn’t bother me as much as this. I mean, Pop hasn’t got a mark on him.”
“But he’s your pop.”
“Yeah.” He held her a while longer and then took a deep breath. “Okay, you ready?”
“Yes. Are you?”
“Yeah, let’s do it.” He led her around to the lesser-used door to the viewing room, and they came in between the first row of chairs and the casket. Leeanne concentrated on his mother, who sat in the chair nearest the center aisle with Eddie’s grandmother beside her.
“Leeanne, dear,” said his mother, rising to embrace her.
“I’m so sorry, Marie.” Leeanne looked into her haggard face. No makeup could hide the ravages of grief.
“I’m so glad you could come down. Such a comfort to Eddie, I’m sure.”
“Thank you,” Leeanne choked out.
His Mémé held out her wrinkled hand. “Thank you for coming.”
Leeanne nodded. “Ce n’est rien. I’m so sorry about Paul.”
“Have you looked at him?”
“Not really,” Leeanne confessed.
“Go and look,” Mémé said. “They did a nice job.”
Leeanne looked up at Eddie.
He took her hand. “It’s okay.”
He led her over to the casket. Harvey and Jennifer were standing nearby, talking quietly with Eddie’s cousin Rene and his wife and one of the police sergeants. Leeanne swallowed hard and looked down at Mr. Thibodeau’s face. Eddie was right. It didn’t look like his father. Not really. All the cantankerous life was drained out of his features.
Eddie squeezed her hand and whispered, “Tell her he looks good, if you can.”
She nodded.
They went back to Mémé’s chair.
“He looks very handsome,” Leeanne said.
“Eh, not bad. But Eddie got his looks from his mother.”
Leeanne smiled. “Or maybe from you?”
Mémé waved a hand, but she smiled. “You like his tie?”
“Oh, yes,” Leeanne glanced back at the body to see what color it was.
“Marie picked it out.”
Next to her, Monique stood and reached toward Leeanne.
“Thanks for coming, Leeanne. I know it means a lot to Eddie to have you here.”
“Thank you.” She shook hands with Monique’s husband, Wyatt Fortier. Lisa pulled her in for a kiss on each cheek, the French way. Leeanne quickly overcame her surprise and gave Lisa a little squeeze. Eddie had told her on the phone that he and Lisa had fought rather bitterly the day their father died, but had made up later on.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Lisa said. “You make my brother happy. Anyone can see that.”
“Thank you.” Leeanne decided to take a chance. “He told me about the trashcan.”
“Oh.” Lisa’s eyes widened.
“And that you made a really good cake that day.”
“He said that?”
Leeanne nodded.
Lisa gave a little laugh and then darted a self-conscious glance around her. Her eyes brimmed with tears. “I made Pop’s favorite.”
Leeanne hugged her again. “It’s going to get better.”
“Yeah. Nowhere to go but up from where I’m sitting.”
Eddie’s arm slid around Leeanne’s waist. He winked at Lisa and led Leeanne over to where Jennifer and Harvey stood.
“Hey,” Jennifer said softly, giving her a quick appraisal. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Then get ready to meet about a hundred cousins.” Jennifer smiled up at Eddie. “I know you’re dying to show off Leeanne.”
“A party would have been better, but this will do,” Eddie said.
Leeanne took a deep breath. He was going to be all right. “Which is the one who crashed Jennifer’s wedding?” she asked.
*****
Eddie and his mother got to the church early on Friday. Maman had insisted on having the funeral at the church, even though Pop had attended only when he couldn’t get away with skipping. Eddie wished he could have gone to fetch Leeanne, but some things had to be done a certain way today to please Maman. His job was to drive her and Mémé, and Leeanne would come with her own family.
The funeral director and the priest talked to his mother about details. Leeanne was one of the first to arriv
e, and Eddie walked down the aisle to meet her and her sisters.
“Come see Maman?”
“Sure.” She walked with him toward his mother.
“Leeanne, you sit with us,” Marie said firmly.
Leeanne looked back at Abby and Jennifer, and they nodded and found seats several rows back.
“Thank you.” She took Marie’s hand. Eddie breathed, realizing he’d feared she would refuse.
His mother smiled wearily. “I think you’ll be around for a long time. Someday I’ll tell you how much we all appreciate that.”
“Not today,” Leeanne said. “Just think about Paul today.”
Marie squeezed her hand. “You’re a good girl.”
Eddie led her to the front row. His mother had fully accepted Leeanne. He couldn’t think about that now, but his pain was lighter.
Monique and Lisa and their husbands came in, with all the children scrubbed clean and dressed up special. They filled the second row. Leeanne stood up with Eddie and turned around to talk to them. She hugged his sisters over the back of her chair. Although Leeanne appeared to be poised, Eddie knew she was nervous. She greeted Lisa in flawless French and Monique in sincere English.
Harvey came in a few minutes later with Tony, Nate, and Jimmy. To Eddie’s surprise, Mike and Sharon followed and sat halfway back, with the detectives.
As the church filled, he swiveled once to look at all the people who had come to honor his father. Seeing Pastor Rowland seated near Harvey and Jennifer shocked Eddie.
“The pastor came,” he whispered to Leeanne.
“That’s nice of him,” she said.
Eddie nodded, the weight lifting even more.
“You’re surprised?” Leeanne whispered.
“Yeah. I didn’t think he would come here.”
“He’s here for you, Eddie.”
He felt tears starting again and fumbled for his handkerchief.
They sat through the service, and it was short and sad. When Father Claude got up, Eddie kept thinking about the man with leprosy whose heart God knew. Go in peace.
He hardly heard the priest’s words, but when people got up and told stories about his pop, he listened and held Leeanne’s hand tight. Monique read a poem, and Lisa got up and choked out a story about when Pop had worked overtime to buy her a bike. There was no way Eddie could get up and say anything.
Then the people came forward from the back, row by row, to take a last look at the body and say how sorry they were. Eddie was surprised at how many cops turned out. All of the construction crew was there, and a contingent of Pop’s drinking buddies. A scattered few people came from the Baptist church.
Afterward, Eddie had to go to his mother’s house. There was no getting around it. All of the cousins and their wives, the aunts, and the neighbors, had brought food. The cops and the Baptists stayed away from that gathering, but Harvey, Jennifer, and Abby came.
People talked and caught up on old times. Once in a while, laughter would break out, then be quickly stifled as the laugher remembered it was a sad occasion.
Leeanne stayed at his side, and everyone came to meet her. Eddie’s large extended family filled the kitchen, the dining room, the living room, and even the little entry hallway. Leeanne was kissed dozens of times and asked the same questions over and over. Where did she live, how long had she known Eddie, what was she studying, and were they getting married? Amazing how brazen his cousins could be.
She blushed scarlet the first time anyone asked her if they were engaged, and Eddie told Cousin Michel’s wife, “Not yet.” That seemed to satisfy her.
Leeanne gave him a sideways look, but after that, when people asked, she would just say no.
Harvey and Jennifer stayed an hour or so, and Eddie saw Harvey talking earnestly to his mother and his Mémé. Jennifer and Abby helped serve food with Eddie’s sisters, until his mother made Jennifer and Lisa sit down.
“Expectant mothers should not be on their feet so much.” Maman drafted two of the girl cousins to take over.
Abby came by with a tray of wine glasses and soft drinks. Eddie grabbed a bottle of Pepsi, and Leeanne took one of water.
“Thanks, Gabby Sis,” Eddie said.
Abby scrunched her eyes at him. “BFF, Eddie. You need anything, we gotcha covered.”
He looked at Leeanne and smiled. “I’m good.”
*****
That night, Eddie took Leeanne back to Harvey’s and enjoyed the peace in their home. There were still people at his mother’s. He’d made Wyatt promise to take Mémé home.
Harvey and Jennifer sat with them a while, then left them in the living room alone when Harvey’s sister Rita called. Rita’s family was planning to come up from New Hampshire to visit them soon for a weekend. Harvey went to the bedroom, and Jennifer got on the phone in the kitchen so they could both talk to her.
Eddie put his arms around Leeanne and pulled her against his shoulder. They had already settled that Eddie would go to Skowhegan the next weekend if his mother didn’t need him.
“Je t’aime,” he said.
“Je t’aime aussi.”
“Leeanne, I can hardly wait until you’re down here all the time.”
“Soon.”
“Yeah. I wish we had some kind of—well, do we have an understanding, as they used to say?”
“Oh, Eddie, I don’t know as we’re ready for that.”
“When will you know?”
“Well, I think, maybe—”
He leaned over and kissed her softly. “Your birthday’s in March, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll be twenty-one.”
“Yes.”
“Will you be ready then?”
“Maybe.”
“Well, be prepared,” he said. “I want to put a sign on you that says, ‘Eddie’s girl,’ or ‘future Mrs. Thibodeau,’ or something.”
“Eddie—is this a proposal?” Leeanne pushed away, and her eyes flickered.
“No,” he said, kicking himself mentally. “You’ll know when it is.”
He only intended to do it once in his life, and he wanted to do it right. Maybe Harvey would give him some pointers for that.
“Should I … have a talk with your father before your birthday? Or is Harvey the accepted watchdog? Because I’ve already—”
She looked expectantly at him. “Already what?”
“Oh, you know, told him a few of my thoughts.”
Her gaze turned solemn. “I guess Dad deserves a show of respect.”
“No big deal.”
“Really?”
“Well, not too big,” Eddie said. “I might sweat a little, but we’re doing things the old-fashioned way.”
“And I appreciate that.” She smiled, the kind of smile that made him feel the drawbridge was down and they’d soon be over the moat.
Harvey walked into the room with his cell phone in his hand.
“I’m going out. Just got a call, but you stay here, Eddie.”
Eddie pulled away from Leeanne and sat up straighter. “What, a new case? I’ll go with you.”
“No, you’re still on leave. Stay put, or you’ll get us both in trouble.”
“Okay. Is it bad?”
“Bad enough. Nate and Tony are meeting me there.”
They heard Jennifer go with him to the door, and then it closed.
“Wow,” Leeanne said. “So, that’s what it’s like.”
“Yeah. It’s exactly like that.” Eddie watched her face.
Jennifer came in and gave them a bleak smile.
“So, you had to cut short the conversation with Rita,” Eddie said.
“Yes, but we’d settled the details of the trip.”
Leeanne looked to her sister. “Is there anything we can do? I feel kind of—well, useless. Do you feel that way when Harvey gets called in at night?”
Jennifer sat down in the rocking chair. “Sometimes, but you’re not useless.”
“What can I do?”
&
nbsp; “Pray for the guys on the scene, and for the victims and their families.”
Leeanne nodded. “That’s a good thought.”
“It helps me not to focus on me,” Jennifer said. “It’s a lot easier to keep from being afraid if you think about other people’s needs.”
“Can we pray right now?” Eddie said.
Jennifer smiled at him. “Sure.”
When they finished a few minutes later, Eddie rose.
“It’s getting late. I guess I’d better head out.”
“Come back tomorrow,” Jennifer said.
“Thanks, I will.” As if he would stay away when Leeanne was here. But he would check in on his mother and Mémé first.
Leeanne walked with him to the entry, and Eddie put on his coat.
“Call me in the night if you can’t sleep,” he said.
Leeanne nodded gravely. “Thanks. I’m going to keep in mind what Jennifer said. Still, I feel a little guilty knowing Harvey’s out there dealing with bad stuff, and we’re comfortably at home.”
“It’s where God wants him tonight.”
She nodded, thinking about that for a moment. “You’re a smart guy, you know it?”
Eddie stooped to kiss her. “Je te verrai demain.” I’ll see you tomorrow.
“Nous serons ensemble,” she replied. We’ll be together.
He smiled. “Just keep talking about the two of us in the future tense.” That earned him another kiss.
The end
The Maine Justice Series Continues. . .
This book, Heartbreak Hero: Eddie’s Story, is Book 4 in the series.
In Book 1, The Priority Unit: On the worst night of Harvey Larson’s life, his partner is killed and his wife, Carrie, walks out on him. Ten years later, the Portland, Maine police detective has learned to cope with his grief and depression. When he and the Priority Unit investigate the disappearance of software designer Nick Dunham, he meets a young woman who will change his life. Jennifer Wainthrop was the last person to admit seeing Nick alive. Harvey’s partner, Eddie Thibodeau, narrowly escapes death. Harvey must stay a step ahead of a bomber and put together the clues that tell the truth: Dunham’s kidnapping and the bombings are one case, and Jennifer is caught in the middle. News that his ex-wife, Carrie, has committed suicide may plunge Harvey into despair. Will his new faith give him strength to save Jennifer from the same grim fate that claimed Nick?
Heartbreaker Hero: Eddie's Story (Maine Justice Book 4) Page 34
