Sisters By Choice

by Lillian Duncan

  The tension between them was obvious.

  Carter looked at Patti. “I’ll explain later.” He turned back to the chief. “We were trying to locate an address. You can’t call that investig—”

  “I don’t care what you call it. I call it investigating, Caldwell.”

  Patti started to speak, but one look from Carter made her stop.

  “You’re not on the case, Caldwell because there is no case, as far as we are concerned. I thought I made that clear. Plain and simple. Don’t make me have to write you up or worse.” He gave Patti a look. “And I suggest you get yourself back to the safe house. I’ll have an officer take you.”

  “I’m not going back.”

  He slammed the door as he walked out.

  17

  Patti stared at the closed door for a moment, then back at Carter. “Why is there no case?”

  “The FBI took over and told us to butt out.”

  Carter was off the case, and he hadn’t bothered to tell her. “You said you could trust Marcus.”

  “The FBI are doing all they can to find Jamie. I believe that.” He paced around the room, knocking over files and books as he moved. He bent over, picked them up, and tossed them on his desk.

  Patti picked up the paper and the key and held them up. “This is where we could start. Jamie wanted me to have this. It must be important.”

  “It’s a big state. It could be anywhere. And we can’t find it.” Carter perched on the desk in front of Patti. “We’re going to have to trust the FBI on this.”

  “But I can help. Can’t you call Marc—”

  “How, Patti? What exactly can you do? Pretend to be Jamie, but who and where should you do it? We have no idea where this place is. Speaking of places, how exactly did you get out of the safe house, anyway? And why wasn’t I notified you left?”

  “I walked out the front door. Anna distracted the men.”

  Carter clutched his head with one hand. His disgust was evident.

  Patti didn’t care.

  Jamie was involved with people who might kill her. It was more than Patti could handle. She stood. “You win. I’m leaving.”

  “I’ll drive you back to the safe house.”

  “No need. I have a rental. Thanks for offering.”

  “I should take you back.”

  “Why? Everyone’s telling you it’s not your case any longer, so you should believe them.”

  “What are you planning to do?”

  “Nothing. Remember I’m not the detective.”

  “Take care of Sabrina and yourself.” Carter took her hand. “I’ll contact you if I learn anything. Once this is all over maybe we can spend some time getting to know each other.” He leaned over and brushed her cheek with his lips.

  His lips were soft and warm, but a chill went down her spine.

  “I’m sorry–that was unprofessional of me.” Carter moved away from Patti.

  There was no need to apologize. None at all.

  “Don’t be.”

  She walked out of the air-conditioned police station into the steaminess of a Florida afternoon. She turned back half-expecting to see Carter. Refusing to acknowledge her disappointment, she told herself it was for the best. She touched her cheek. It could hardly be called a kiss, but still…

  She got in the car and unfolded the paper. Frustrated, she spoke aloud. “Jamie, why didn’t you give me more information? What did you want me to know?” She stared at the address.

  2057 Southern-Abby Lane #411.

  Her sister wouldn’t make it difficult for Patti. It must be in the Palm Beach area, and yet Carter double-checked the address. The address didn’t exist in the state of Florida.

  She bumped her head on the steering wheel. Think. Think. Jamie had given her a clue.

  The cell phone rang, causing her to jerk with surprise. By the time she found it, the phone stopped ringing. She flipped it open and hit the send button.

  “Hey.” Carter seemed to be trying to whisper, yet speak loud enough for her to hear him. “Where are you? I’m not ready to give up on that address quite yet.”

  “Your boss told you not to investigate any further. I don’t want you—”

  “I made a promise to you and I always keep my promises to my…my friends.” He took a deep breath. “I let my job stop me from doing what was right once, and I’m not going to let it happen again.”

  Patti’s heart and head turned to mush. She looked towards the police station.

  The door opened and Carter walked out. He looked around and gave a small wave.

  She waved back. This guy will break my heart if I let him.

  Carter sauntered out to the car.

  “Carter, you can’t help me. Your boss said—” She said as she got out.

  “Don’t worry about him. I’m not.”

  “But…”

  “A promise is a promise. Maybe it’s time for me to find a different job.” He held out his hand. “Now, let me look at the address again.”

  She handed him the paper. “Jamie obviously thought I wouldn’t have any trouble figuring it out.”

  “Then what are we missing?”

  “She assumed I would know where, and that means Palm Beach, but…”

  “The address doesn’t exist.” Carter finished Patti’s sentence.

  “Exactly.”

  “Does Palm Beach have an Abby Lane? Maybe, Jamie was mistaken about the Southern part.”

  “No, I put Abby Lane in the computer. No Such Address.”

  “I wonder why she put a dash between Southern and Abby Lane. That’s not the usual way to write an address.”

  Carter looked down at the paper and frowned. “What an idiot I am! I can’t believe I didn’t see it.”

  “See what? I don’t get it.”

  “You don’t know the city. I do. It’s Southern Boulevard, and my guess is Abby Lane is a person who lives there.”

  “You think?” Patti asked, her voice tinged with doubt.

  “Only one way to find out. Let’s go take a look.”

  Southern Boulevard didn’t go south at all, but was an east-west road that ran from downtown Palm Beach to the airport and beyond.

  “There it is,” Patti pointed and yelled when she saw the number on the front of an office building.

  “I’ll pull into the bus station parking lot. That’s a lot easier than trying to find a spot right in front of the building.”

  Once they parked, Carter and Patti hurried across the street.

  An old man hobbled past them, using a cane.

  Patti locked gazes with him. Something in his eyes made her shiver, even in the heat.

  As they passed, she turned around to get a better look.

  He’d stopped walking and leaned on his cane. His gasping met her ears.

  Her paranoia was getting the best of her.

  “What’s wrong?”

  The old man moved down the street at a snail’s pace.

  “Nothing. Just my imagination going wild.”

  Patti shivered as they entered the air-conditioned building. It was a wonder the whole state didn’t have pneumonia walking in and out of sweltering heat into freezers.

  “Right there.” Carter pointed at the directory.

  It read, Abby Lane, Attorney at Law.

  “Makes sense. You know, this was all your fault.”

  “My fault? How can you say that?”

  “This is your city. You should have understood the address when you looked at it.” She gave him a playful tap.

  They walked towards the elevator.

  She glanced back through the glass to the street.

  The old man still stood in the street staring at the building. Or was he staring at her?

  The ding of the elevator drew her attention.

  Carter’s eyes narrowed. “Everything ok?”

  She nodded.

  After leaving the elevator, they walked past a door.

  Patti stopped.

  “What’s wr
ong?” Carter asked.

  She pointed at the sign on the door. “It says J.L. Jakowski. Jamie’s middle name is Lynn. This must be Jamie’s office.”

  “I wonder why she needs an office.” Carter pulled out the key. “No way this keys opens that door.”

  “If that’s her office, we need to get in there. Maybe I can ask Abby Lane to let us in.”

  Carter’s cell phone buzzed. He took it out and looked at it. “It’s Marcus. They’ve figured out you aren’t where you’re supposed to be. And this second call is from my boss. I’d say they definitely know we’re both gone.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to ignore them. Like you said, I’m off the case.”

  “I don’t want you getting in—”

  He took hold of her elbow. “Don’t worry about me. I’m a big boy, and I can take care of my own problems.”

  “But—”

  “No buts, let’s go.”

  They found a door marked Abby Lane.

  Patty turned to Carter. “Should I act like I’m Jamie or what?”

  “Let’s play it by ear. If it looks like it will be the easiest way to find out what the key goes to, then go for it.”

  They walked into an elegant office.

  Four formal Queen Anne chairs were lined against the wall and a matching settee sat on the opposite wall. The furniture was dark cherry wood with an old-fashioned, flower print fabric, making it cheerful.

  A receptionist sat at a desk talking on the phone. She held up a hand acknowledging Carter and Patti.

  They stood quietly waiting for her to finish the call.

  She smiled. Her gaze looked Carter up and down, but then turned back to Patti.

  “Hi, Jamie. I wasn’t expecting to see you today. What brings you here?”

  “Hi,” Patti said with a smile. She slid the key out of her pocket and held it up.

  “Oh, you need to get in your lockbox. No problem.” The woman stood and walked down the hall.

  Carter gave Patti a thumbs-up as they followed.

  The receptionist stopped at a door with a keypad on it, hit some numbers, and when a light flashed green, opened it.

  Unlike the elegant reception area, a simple round table and chairs sat in the room. Built into the walls were rows and rows of numbered lockboxes.

  She turned and called back over her shoulder. “Just hit the buzzer when you’re ready to leave, Jamie.”

  “Thanks.” Once the door was closed, Patti whispered to Carter. “A lot easier than I thought it would be.”

  “It’s about time something went our way, don’t you think?”He pointed at the lockboxes lighting the walls. “I guess we know what the number is for now.”

  “Let’s hope so.”

  She found number 411. Her hand shook as she slipped the key into the hole. It opened without a problem. There were several envelopes of various sizes.

  “This is what we were looking for, but a part of me doesn’t want to know.”

  “Leave them if you want. There’s no law saying you have to take them.”

  But she had to help Jamie.

  ****

  A blast of heat slammed into her as they walked out into the blinding sunshine. How did people get used to this? Patti clutched the envelopes from the lockbox and turned towards Carter. “I need to be by myself for awhile so I can look at these.”

  “That’s fine. I can find a hotel for you, or we can go to my house. Or you could go back to the safe house. Your choice.”

  “Your house is fine.”

  They stopped and waited for the light to turn red.

  As she stepped off the curb, Carter put a hand on her elbow and moved closer. His hip touched hers. He leaned down and nuzzled her hair. Stunned by his bold and unexpected action, she stopped moving, but he propelled her forward.

  “Don’t panic. Someone’s following us.”

  Can’t fall apart. Keep walking.

  He reached inside his shirt, and in the same moment, pushed her hard enough to make her fall to the ground.

  Staring up she saw a gun in his hand.

  Patti crawled towards the bushes.

  Shots rang out.

  18

  Patti scrambled and crawled to safety behind a car in the parking lot.

  More shots.

  She peered out, praying Carter wasn’t hurt.

  People screamed as they ran away from the gunman.

  Carter fell to the ground and rolled in the opposite direction of Patti. He returned fire, but the assailant crouched low, and then turned and ran.

  Her heart thudded to a stop as her gaze found the gunman.

  It was the old man from the street. The one who’d given her the creeps.

  This was her fault. She should have told Carter. When their gazes met, she’d known something was off about the man.

  Carter jumped up and chased after the gunman. “Police. Stop.”

  The gunman fired again.

  Carter continued to speed toward him.

  A woman walked towards the two, apparently oblivious to the unfolding drama.

  Patti watched in horror as the gunman grabbed the pregnant woman.

  He spun her, using her as a shield.

  Carter stopped running, but kept moving slowly towards the man.

  The woman screamed and struggled, but couldn’t free herself.

  “I’ll kill her,” the man yelled. He put the gun to the woman’s head.

  She sobbed.

  Carter stopped in his tracks. “Let her go.”

  “I’ll let her go when you back off.” The gunman moved backwards, eyeing Carter as he spoke. “If you take one more step I’ll shoot her.”

  Patti held her breath.

  The woman sobbed harder.

  Carter put his hands up in a surrendering motion.

  The assailant dragged her backwards until he was even with the back of the bus station. He shoved the woman forward, shot again, and then disappeared behind the building.

  The woman collapsed, sobbing hysterically as she held her stomach.

  Patti ran to them. “Go ahead. I’ll take care of her.”

  Carter ran off in the same direction as the gunman.

  Patti put her arms around the woman. She heard the wail of the police sirens as they approached.

  “It’s OK. He’s gone. You’re safe, now.” Patti stared at the spot where Carter disappeared.

  “Why did he do that to me?”

  “I don’t know, but God sure was watching over us.”

  The woman touched her swollen belly and nodded through her tears.

  The police converged on the area.

  Patti and the woman were helped to an ambulance.

  An EMT worker slapped a blood pressure cuff on Patti while an officer asked her questions.

  She answered the best she could, but her gaze stayed glued to the spot where Carter disappeared.

  After an eternity, Carter came around the corner—alone.

  Patti jumped up and rushed over to him.

  A sense of safety and sanity returned as his arms tightened around her. She snuggled in closer, savoring the feeling.

  Carter was alive.

  She breathed deeply, but it turned into a sob as she exhaled.

  Carter’s hand brushed over her head.

  Leaning against him, she allowed her head to fall against his chest.

  They stood that way for what seemed like hours.

  Finally, she took a small step backwards and looked up at him with a teary smile. “I was so scared. I thought he’d shot you.”

  “I couldn’t catch him,” Carter told her, failure in his voice.

  “It doesn’t matter as long as you didn’t get hurt. I was sure he was going…never mind. I’m glad you’re safe.” Patti was trying not to cry. “It was all my fault. I saw that old man on the street and something seemed off. I should have known.”

  With those words, he broke the bear hug he’d held Patti in. “Where ar
e the envelopes? Did you lose them in all that craziness?”

  She took a few more steps back, embarrassed by her display of emotion. She’d been so glad to see Carter she’d done what seemed natural. “I dropped them, but one of the cops gathered them up for me. They’re back at the ambulance.”

  “Good. Let me go talk with the officer in charge and then we need to get out of here.” He flashed a grin at her. “Before my boss gets here.”

  Patti stared at the pandemonium around her, but she only had one thing on her mind.

  What would those papers tell her about her sister?

  19

  They pulled into Carter’s drive.

  His house was a small blue bungalow in desperate need of paint. Flower beds adorned the front of the house but as they walked up, Patti could see as many weeds as flowers. The house was actually surrounded by a white picket fence.

  It made her smile.

  The moment Patti entered the house her gaze was drawn to the mantle above a fireplace where a huge portrait of Carter and his bride hung.

  Her heart sank.

  He was married.

  It hadn’t occurred to her he might have a wife. Her stomach clenched in a knot, remembering the closeness they’d shared only minutes before. And the thoughts and feelings she’d had when he nuzzled her neck. A wave of nausea took her breath away.

  “That’s Nancy.” Carter’s voice was soft. “She died a few years ago. In the line of duty. She was a police officer, too.”

  Waves of relief, immediately followed by guilt, flooded her. “Oh, Carter, I’m so sorry.” Patti walked closer to examine the picture.

  His bride’s long flowing black hair made a sharp contrast to the traditional white gown she wore. Her eyes sparkled with love and happiness.

  “She was beautiful.”

  “She never thought so.” His voice was tinged with sorrow. “Nancy always said she wasn’t a girly girl. That’s why I love this picture. She told me she felt like Cinderella on our wedding day.” His green eyes clouded for a moment, but he smiled as looked at Patti. “Of course, she was beautiful every day, but she wouldn’t believe me. Always said I was biased.”

  “It must have been horrible when she died.”

  “It was. I was so angry when it happened. Angry at everyone. Angry at the killer, angry at my boss, angry at God, but mostly angry at myself for not being able to keep her safe. I lost myself in my anger.”

  “I’m sure it t wasn’t your fault, Carter.”