Gideon (The Casella Cousins Book 5)

by Kathryn Shay

  “I’m in.” He leaned over and kissed her on her mouth. “This is a new Carina. I like her.”

  If he only knew.

  “What brought this on?”

  A few days ago, she’d heard her parents arguing. Her mother threatened her father. She hadn’t played fair with him, throwing his job in his face. “My mother’s back. She and Dad had a bad fight. I can’t handle it.”

  But she didn’t tell him that the last straw had been when she’d heard her mother on the phone this morning before she went to Grandma’s…

  Of course, I came home, Pierre. You’re fucking married.

  A pause. She could hear a man on the other end.

  It matters to me, you piece of shit.

  Finding out her mother didn’t come home for her kids had been a blow. But she couldn’t talk about that little tidbit.

  “Bummer.”

  They drove to school. Parked as close as they could and not be spotted when they snuck out. She endured the first class. Then, second period, when everybody was headed to the gym, each of them slipped out.

  “Where to?” she asked Brandon as she slid into the front seat.

  “Hmm. It’s a surprise.”

  They drove to the outskirts of Hidden Cove. A campground spread across a few acres. “What are we doing here?”

  “My cousin’s family has a cabin.” Reaching over, he got a key from his pocket and wiggled his eyebrows.

  They got out and circled to the trunk. Popped it open. Inside Carina saw two sleeping bags, a gas heater, and two bottles of liquor. He patted his pocket. “I got a couple of joints, too.”

  This wasn’t exactly what she’d had in mind. She got sick when she drank alcohol. But she didn’t know what to say because playing hooky was her idea.

  “Let’s go, Carrie.”

  They went inside. The cabin had a small window, a battered couch and chair, and a bit of other furniture around the place. He found a couple of lanterns and lit them. Then they set up the heater. She spread out the sleeping bags on the couch because the fabric was scuzzy and then dropped down onto it.

  Brandon had set the liquor in front of them. “Whatcha want first babe, drugs, alcohol or sex?”

  Uh-oh. What should she do?

  * * *

  After three days of agonizing over what to do with his life, Gideon was at work, on the computer, setting up some of their files in a training book, when his phone rang. “Detective Casella.”

  “Gideon, it’s Luke Lessing.” A rookie officer. “I’m afraid I’ve had to bring in your daughter.”

  His heart started galloping in his chest. He scraped his chair back so loudly everybody looked at him but in seconds, he was out the door and headed to the elevator. “Is she hurt?”

  “Depends. Right now, she’s puking her guts out.”

  “I’m minutes away.” Brutally pushing down his fear, he reached booking on the first floor. Lessing met him at the entrance. “She’s in the bathroom.”

  He noticed Brandon on the bench.

  “What happened, Luke?”

  “We found Carina and this one,” he angled his head to the boy, “in a cabin at Lakewood Camp Ground. We patrol there and saw lights on inside a closed up one. The place belongs to this kid’s cousin. They were cozying up inside, an empty bottle of booze next to them. And they smelled like pot.”

  He whirled on Brandon. “Did you do this?” he asked with a quiet voice.

  His bleak expression was all the answer Gideon needed.

  “Don’t take it out on him. It was my idea.”

  He circled again. Carina stood in the doorway, her face gray and her shoulders shaking. But she was all right. Safe. For now. His anger dissipated his fear.

  “Why?”

  She shrugged.

  “Did the school alert you, Gid?” Lessing asked.

  “No.”

  “It was-”

  “Never mind. What do I need to do now, Luke?”

  “I’m releasing them into their parents’ custody. Both of them, so this has nothing to do with your job. But we’re keeping a record in a juvenile folder on each of them. Mostly so they don’t do it again.”

  “Where do I sign for her?”

  “On this.” He handed Gideon a clipboard.

  Brandon stood. “I’ll call you, Carrie.”

  “Like hell.” Now his voice rose. “Carina’s grounded and won’t be taking any calls or going out. Whether she’s ever allowed to see you again is yet to be determined.”

  Telling himself to be calm, because his daughter was weak and afraid, he put his arm around her all the way to his car. Helped her inside. Had to buckle her seatbelt. When he slid behind the wheel, he said, “No talking until you feel better. You’ll take a shower and sleep off what booze you didn’t puke up.”

  “’kay, Daddy.”

  His heart clenched in his chest at her childlike reply. Reaching over, he clasped her hand. “We’ll get through this, honey. You and me.”

  She started to cry. “I-I don’t want to live with her, Daddy. I want to be with you.”

  “I want that too. I’ll try real hard to make it happen.”

  When they got home, he managed to get Carina to the bathroom, waited by the door until she showered and dressed in pjs, and got her into bed. She fell asleep immediately.

  He called Anabelle and told her what happened and he needed a day off. Then he sat in the kitchen for a couple of hours, trying to decide what to do about his daughter. His job. His whole life, he guessed, if he didn’t have Anabelle in it.

  About two, Lisa came through the door. He scowled. “You’re supposed to use the private entrance to downstairs.”

  “Hello, to you, too.”

  “You’re a piece of work.”

  She poured coffee and sat at the table. “I met with my lawyer. He said we’re going to court. He thinks he’ll break the two-year thing and get me at least dual custody.”

  “I had an appointment with my lawyers today. As I said before, you’re not taking back the kids.”

  “We’ll see. Poor me, I found out my kids were more important than my new job and came home.”

  From the doorway, they heard, “That’s not why you came home.”

  Lisa stilled with the coffee cup halfway to her mouth. “What are you doing home from school?”

  “I heard you on the phone with Pierre before I left this morning. You were crying.”

  “Who’s Pierre?” Gideon asked.

  Carina faced her father, looking a lot stronger now. “Mom’s boyfriend in France. She took the job to be near him, then found out he was married. So, she came home. Not for me and Cassie and Cory. Not for you, Daddy.”

  As mad as Gideon was, one thought emerged. His ex-wife was never going to be able to take his kids or house away.

  Chapter 9

  * * *

  When Gideon drove into the parking lot of his precinct, he was surprised to see his mother, Seth, Ali and Rafe standing by the sidewalk leading inside.

  Getting out of his SUV, slamming the door, he frowned at them. “What are you doing here?”

  “We came for support, little brother.” Rafe stepped forward and held out his hand. “You’re making a life-changing choice.”

  Ali gave him a hug. “And we’re proud of you.”

  “Whatever we can do to make this easier, let us know.” Seth got a bit choked up, which was usual these days.

  His mom embraced him and said only, “We love you, son.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Now go on inside. Do your thing,” Rafe told him.

  “Don’t wait out here.”

  “We won’t.” Ali gave him an odd smile.

  Buoyed by his family’s presence, there was a spring in his step as he took the walk up and inside, then rode the elevator to the fifth floor. He entered the Task Force area and found no one around. He heard voices and crossed to the conference room. Opened the door, and there they were, along with Chief Jaspers. They were eating donut
s and sipping coffee and chatting up a storm.

  “Did I miss the memo?” he asked.

  “Nope,” Anabelle told him, smiling. Had the chief already informed them? He said he wouldn’t.

  A knock on the door. His family paraded inside. “What…you said you were going home.”

  “No,” Ali quipped. “We said we wouldn’t wait out front for you.”

  “Why are you here?”

  Jaspers stood. “I can answer that. Come sit everyone.”

  His family and the group moved to a row of chairs off to the side and sat. Jaspers stood before them. “Come up here, Gideon.”

  Gideon crossed to the chief.

  “I asked everyone to come today to witness a momentous occasion in your life.”

  He stilled.

  “I’m awarding you the rank of Sergeant.” He went on to describe Gideon’s career for his family, and gave him the stripes for his uniform. “Congratulations.”

  Emotions roiled inside of him. He’d wanted this for so long. “Um, thanks.”

  His family hugged him again, then a young cop escorted them out. Chief said, “Let’s sit at the table, again” to the team.

  When they were seated, Jaspers turned to him. “The floor’s yours, Gideon.”

  “I didn’t expect the promotion to happen. I have something else to tell you all. I’ve made a hard decision about my career. I’ve thought about it and for personal reasons—my kids, mostly, and especially Carina, who you all know is in trouble—I’m resigning from the task force.”

  Anabelle’s jaw dropped.

  Radford gasped.

  Brolin’s expression turned dark.

  “I know this isn’t the best time to quit, but my daughter’s life is falling apart. Besides, you’re not completely getting rid of me. I’ll be setting up the training program for the task force at the Police Academy, so I’ll be working closely with you guys. You won’t be responsible for that anymore, although I hope you’ll come in as guest presenters.”

  They were all staring at him.

  “After that’s done, I’m going to teach young cops who need to know what we’ve learned about the areas the task force covers. I might even do something with recruits at the academy. I’m signed up for workshops in the state to learn more about what we need, and have been researching good training practices for gangs, domestic violence and white-collar crime.”

  “One more thing, Gideon.” This from the chief.

  “Oh, yeah, I’m planning to institute support groups for kids and spouses of cops at the academy. This is an unaddressed fear we all know our loved ones face and it needs to be handled professionally. Jack Harrison is totally on board. The HCFD already has them, so I’ll pattern ours after theirs.”

  No one spoke.

  “And in case it helps, my immediate replacement is Jonas Anthony, a retired gang cop from New York City. He’ll stay on until we hire someone permanently.”

  They all stared at him.

  “Guys, say something.”

  Anabelle leaned forward. “Congratulations on your new job. I’ll be happy to work with you, Sergeant.”

  “Me, too. I’m glad for you. And for my own family.” Radford had kids of his own.

  Brolin snorted. “At least I won’t have to see your ugly mug every day.”

  “Thanks for the support, Brolin.”

  “You have it, buddy.”

  “We can start right away,” Gideon continued. “This morning. I’d like to brainstorm ideas for the training.”

  “Bossing us around already?” Radford teased.

  “Nah, it’s a request.”

  Anabelle stayed back after the two-hour brainstorming session broke up. She sat in the chair and lazed back. “How come you didn’t tell me about this before?”

  “For one thing, you said no more confidences. But I had to get my head on straight without you being in the picture. I had to make this decision on my own.”

  “Carina must be happy.”

  “She couldn’t believe I was doing this. She promised never to get in trouble again. She’ll do typical teenage rebellion stuff, of course, but I trust her. The counselor. Everybody involved.” He gave her a half-smile. “Lisa moved out. She’s got a place in town. My guess is she’ll go gallivanting soon.”

  “No protests from her?”

  “Not after Hayley and Paul got done with her.” He told Anabelle about the affair.

  “I’m sorry, Gid.”

  “I’m not if it got me my kids.”

  She stood. “I guess I’d better get back to work.”

  Their gazes locked.

  Nothing more was said.

  * * *

  Anabelle was still reeling from Gideon’s decision when she got a call from Derek. “Hey, hi.”

  “Hi. I’m downstairs and I need to talk to you.”

  “I’ll tell them to let you up.”

  When Derek came into her office, he wasn’t alone. An attractive man with gray hair and blue eyes, in a suit and tie, accompanied him. Anabelle stood.

  “This is Grant Wilson,” Derek told her. “He operates out of our office in New York.”

  “Hello, Grant.”

  “Good to meet you.” But he shifted on his feet as if he was uncomfortable.

  “Sit down.” She folded her hands in front of her on the desk. “What can I do for you?”

  “I have bad news for you.”

  She swallowed hard. She wasn’t sure she could handle more today. “Tell me.”

  “I was just told that Phillip Grayson has been under surveillance by the FBI for six months. The people at headquarters in D.C. suspected him of being on the take.”

  “Then why was he assigned to Computek?”

  “New York didn’t know he was dirty when he took on the Hidden Cove job. But it became clear that something wasn’t right.”

  “So why was he sent here?”

  Grant blew out a heavy breath. “Because D.C. wanted one more instance of his collusion with Computek. And your task force had to treat him normally.”

  She cocked her head. “I don’t know whether to be angry at the FBI for doing this to my team, or relieved to know my instincts were right.”

  “You suspected him?” Derek asked.

  “We knew when he came to tell us he found no foul play at Computek that something was off. Maybe even before.” She remembered meeting at the pub. “His whole manner was condescending and dismissive.”

  “Yeah, that’s Grayson.” Derek scowled. “Besides being a traitorous bastard.”

  “Grant, why did you come with Derek and not Phillip’s boss?”

  “Because they arrested him and are embroiled in that in D.C. They asked me to make the notification, so I called Derek.”

  “I understand.”

  “We’re sorry my department tricked you, Sergeant Sanders. On behalf of the FBI, we apologize.”

  “I accept on behalf of the team.”

  Hell, Anabelle thought as the men left. Another blow for the task force. That they’d been duped, and used, by both a criminal and the FBI.

  * * *

  “Daddy, can we go to Uncle Rafe’s for dinner? He said you can come, too.” Carina was smiling a lot these days, but it still tugged at his heartstrings.

  “Did Uncle Rafe call you or did you call him?”

  She gave him a sham guilty look. “Cassie called Tomaso, and I called Aunt Kate. She, um, invited all of us.”

  “I thought as much.”

  “I really wanna see the baby again.”

  “I know you do, sweetheart. Let me call my brother.”

  On the phone, Rafe said, “Yeah, sure. It’ll be fun. We’ll make pizza with the kids.”

  “Will it be too much for Kate?”

  “Actually, Carina usually takes Mellie from her as soon as she walks in the door. It’ll free Kate up. Come on, bro, enjoy the fruits of your big life change.”

  “Getting done at five is something else. Yeah, sure, we’ll come. Can we brin
g dessert?”

  “Stop and get some, if you want.”

  They headed over at 5:30, without Cory who had already made plans to go to his friend’s house

  They walked down a few houses, which was a brisk journey in this weather, and went in through the open garage. Tomaso bolted into the kitchen. “Cassie, come on. Let’s go.” At six, he treated her like a little sister. It was cute.

  “Let her get her coat and boots off, champ.”

  Carina kicked hers off, hung up her coat, and rushed into the living room with vigor. Gideon followed. They found Kate nursing Mellie, Rafe reading, most likely a fire journal, both in front of a blazing fire. “Hey, everyone.”

  Kate looked up. “Whew! You’re here just in time. Mellie’s finished eating.”

  He noticed Carina wasn’t shy about going to Kate when she had her boob hanging out. “Can I take her?”

  “She’s gonna poop any minute now, sweetie.”

  “I want to learn how to change a messy diaper. I’ve never done it with a newborn. Will you show me how?”

  When the girls went to the changing table in the laundry room, Rafe said to Gideon, “You can get us a beer.”

  He raided the fridge and walked back in with two bottles of Molson’s. “Is Kate drinking yet?”

  “Yeah, a bit. We’ll wait to see if she wants something. Sit.”

  “Bossy aren’t you?”

  “That’s good to hear. You’ve been serious so much of the time lately.”

  “Yeah, I know.” He let the warmth of the blaze relax him. “Things are looking up, though.”

  They all knew about Carina’s issues, about Lisa showing up and her rather classless exit.

  “Feeling okay about stuff?”

  “Relieved mostly. Better work hours, time to do things like this, being there for the kids.”

  “What about you personally?”

  “It’ll come. When I get used to everything.”

  “How’s Anabelle?”