by Anne Patrick
"I'm almost finished." He grabbed her arm, shielding himself with the curtain, and kissed her gently. "You take down criminals for a living. You can handle my daughter and her boyfriend."
She smiled at the boost of confidence, exhaled a deep breath and left the bathroom. I got this!
Gwen went into the living room and found JoAnn and Chad seated on the sofa.
"We should've called first. I just thought it'd be a nice surprise."
Gwen realized what it must look like. "I just dropped by a little while ago myself. Caught him doing yard work. Can I get you guys something to drink?"
JoAnn looked at Chad.
"Some iced tea would be great," he answered.
Gwen went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Luckily, Ian had a nearly full pitcher.
"Can I give you a hand?" JoAnn stepped in behind her.
Gwen nearly dropped the iced tea.
JoAnn giggled. "I'm glad to see I'm not the only nervous one." She started opening cabinets and Gwen pointed to the one next to the sink. "Thanks. So Dad said you were recently shot. How're you doing?"
"I'm fine. I was only grazed." Gwen set the pitcher on the counter and removed the bucket of ice from the freezer. To learn Ian had been talking to his daughter about her prompted a smile.
"He also told me about the U2 tickets you sacrificed for him and Isaac."
Gwen added cubes to three of the glasses. "It wasn't really that big a deal."
"How long have you been a detective?"
"Five years." Gwen turned just as Ian slipped in behind his daughter.
JoAnn squealed as Ian spun her around and lifted her in a bear hug. The sight tugged at Gwen's heartstrings. She had sensed Ian was a devoted father and seeing the close bond he shared with his daughter confirmed it.
"You just couldn’t wait, could you?" Ian asked softly.
JoAnn peered around him at Gwen. "He was worried Isaac and I would chase you off."
"I never said that." Ian turned, draping his arm over JoAnn's shoulder.
Gwen laughed. "I don't run off easily." She handed them both a glass and delivered the other to Chad, who was now standing at the patio doors.
He followed Gwen back into the kitchen. "That's a nice looking grill out back. You think we can fire that baby up and have some burgers?"
"Chad, we just had breakfast two hours ago." JoAnn shook her head. "I swear, all he thinks about is food."
"We can fire it up this evening." Ian looked at Gwen. "Rain check on the movie?"
"If you guys had plans, you go right ahead," JoAnn insisted. "Chad and I can find something to do, or we can hang out here. It is okay if we spend the night, right?"
"Of course you can. Chad's sleeping on the sofa, though."
JoAnn's face turned beet red. She elbowed Ian. "I can't believe you just said that."
Gwen smothered a grin. "Why don't we all just go to Rafferty's for lunch and then later your dad can grill us some steaks."
"What's Rafferty's?" Chad asked.
"They've got great burgers and pizza." Ian stepped over and slid his arm around Gwen. "After lunch, Gwen and I will challenge you to a game of pool."
*****
Ian's heart swelled at the sight of Gwen and JoAnn laughing together. JoAnn was probably sharing an embarrassing story from his past but he didn't care. His two favorite women in the world seemed to be hitting it off and that's all that mattered to him.
They had spent the afternoon playing pool and then Gwen suggested they visit some of the shops downtown. Not especially fond of shopping, Ian was surprised to find himself enjoying it.
"Dad, this would look great in your living room." JoAnn held up an antique table lamp that looked Victorian.
Ian lifted the price tag and saw it cost two hundred dollars. "Think again. And purple doesn't really go with the décor I'm aiming for."
"What décor is that?" Gwen teased.
He drew her to his side, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Anything without tassels on it." Out of the corner of his eye, Ian caught a glimpse of someone an aisle over. For the last half hour, he'd had the eerie feeling someone was watching them as they moved through the antique store. "Be right back."
Ian walked quickly to the end of the aisle and peered around the corner. He barely caught a glimpse of the man as he disappeared through a small crowd of people entering the store. At least six-two, medium build, brown hair and white ball cap. Probably just another shopper.
"Something catch your eye?" Gwen asked, joining him.
"Not really." He took her hand. "Are you having a good time?"
"I am. JoAnn's really nice. I see a lot of you in her."
"Good looks, charm, humor—"
"All of the above." She leaned against him. "She and Chad seem real close."
"Yeah. I'm afraid it won't be long till she springs an engagement ring on me."
"Now come on, Dad. You have to let them live their own lives."
"I know. Chad's a good kid. He's got a bright future ahead of him and I know he cares a lot for JoAnn. She's still my baby though."
*****
It was almost ten when Gwen decided she better leave. She still had to swing by her apartment and call Kris and talk her into using her car tonight.
She went over to tell Ian she was leaving and JoAnn pulled her inside. "I have to tell you, I haven't seen my dad this happy in a very long time. I want to thank you for that."
"I know it seems sudden…I mean we haven't really known one another but a few weeks—"
"I'm not surprised. That's my dad. He has an amazing…what do you call it your line of work…gut feeling or maybe instinct. I remember him telling me once that he knew within a day or two of meeting my mom, he was going to marry her."
"Whoa!" Gwen stopped her. "We're just dating, JoAnn."
"Of course. I didn't mean to imply otherwise. It's just nice to see him this happy. That's all."
"Sorry. I immediately go into panic mode when I hear marriage."
"Hope I haven't scared you off."
"No. Your dad's a great guy and I love spending time with him, but for the time being that's all this is."
"I got you. I'm the same way. Marriage is a big step and I don't think I'm gonna be ready for it for a long time."
Her dad would be happy to hear that but Gwen didn't tell her that. "It was really nice meeting you and I hope we can all get together again soon."
"Me too."
Much to Gwen's surprise, JoAnn hugged her.
"You're not leaving, are you?" Ian stepped inside.
"Yeah, I need to head home."
"I'll leave you two alone. Good bye, Gwen."
"See you, JoAnn." Gwen wrapped her arms around Ian's waist. "I really had a nice time today."
"Me too." He gave her a leisurely kiss and then walked her out to her car. "Be careful going home."
*****
An hour later, Gwen and Kris sat in the minivan down the road from the Bartlett house. A single light near the back of the house lit up part of the driveway. The best Gwen could recollect, it was the kitchen area.
"It doesn't look like he's even home." Kris adjusted her seat so that it reclined. "Beats playing dominoes with my in-laws, though."
"Are they leaving tomorrow?"
"Monday."
Gwen's cell phone rang and she answered it.
"Hey, I've been trying your apartment off and on all evening," Tony said. "You must be on a date so I won't keep you. I talked to Kara and she said 'okay' to having the girl come stay with us temporarily."
"Awesome. Thanks a lot. I'll give you a call tomorrow."
"The lieutenant?" Kris guessed.
"No. Tony." She picked up the binoculars and looked toward the house again.
"Did you and Ian go out tonight?"
"His daughter is visiting for the weekend. We all spent the day together and then we had a cookout."
"Meeting the kids. Sounds pretty serious," Kris teased.
"It wasn't planned. JoAnn and her boyfriend wanted to surprise him."
"How'd she react, or did she already know you two were dating?"
"Ian had told her. She was nervous, and I was kind of freaked at first. JoAnn's a nice kid, though. We ended up having a lot of fun."
"You're falling in love with him, aren't you?"
Gwen lowered the binoculars and smiled at her friend. "I think so."
"You don't sound too sure, Gwen."
"All I know is I haven't thought about Coop since my birthday party. I look forward to seeing Ian everyday, and I love the time we spend together. It's been a long time since I've felt this way, Kris."
"I'm really happy for you." Kris reached over and squeezed her hand. "You better pray he doesn't find out you're still obsessing over Bartlett or he's liable to fire us both.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
First thing Tuesday morning, Ian was summoned to the captain's office. It was the second time in his short employment he'd been called to the man's office. Upon his arrival, Ian took the seat Captain Bradley offered. He had a feeling this visit was a lot more serious than the last one.
At five-eight, Frank Bradley stood several inches shorter than Ian, but that didn't take away from the air of authority the man projected. Short jet-black hair settled along the collar of his gray suit as he leaned against his desk. Ian judged him to be in his early fifties, and by all accounts, he was a stickler to the rulebook. His dark eyes settled on Ian as he folded his arms.
"You need to put a leash on Detective Jamison."
"I doubt it'd do any good, sir. She'd just chew through it."
"Well, you better come up with a solution to her insubordination or she's out of here. I just got word from legal that she, along with the entire police department, has been named in an injunction. Compliments of Dawson Bartlett."
Ian sighed. He'd been with Gwen most of the weekend and not once had she mentioned the man. Now he knew why.
"According to the injunction, Detective Jamison participated in an unauthorized surveillance of his house over the weekend. As proof, Bartlett's attorney has submitted a video, he acquired from a neighbor, of the detective sitting in a blue 2016 Volvo."
"Detective Jamison doesn't own a Volvo, sir. She drives a Chevy Trailblazer." Then Ian remembered an elderly neighbor of Gwen's getting out of a Volvo when he picked up Gwen that Friday. "Never mind. She knows someone who does."
"At least she was smart enough not to use her own vehicle. Not that it did any good in this case." He walked around his desk and sat in the black leather chair. "The chief has left her reprimand up to me. I'm real tempted to suspend her for two weeks without pay, but since you’re her supervisor, I'll leave that decision up to you. If you can't rein her in, Lieutenant, I can guarantee you if she goes near Bartlett again, she'll be fired."
"I'll see that she doesn't." Ian stood, but he found he couldn't just leave without saying something on her behalf. "In her defense, sir, the kid does look good for the murders of his family."
"You've read Bartlett's file?"
"I have, sir. In my professional opinion, he's a classic psychopath, clearly capable of violent behavior. He's smart, calculating, and very dangerous."
"While I respect your judgment, Lieutenant, it doesn't do me much good without proof he committed the murders. Unless Detective Jamison can provide that, she's to stay away from him." He lifted some folded papers from his desk and handed them to Ian. "Your copy of the injunction. See that she abides by it."
"Yes, sir."
*****
Gwen feared Kris's premonition from Saturday night was about to come true when Ian entered the squad room and glared at Gwen.
"Jamison. My office. Now!"
Gwen met Kris's smirk.
"Don't say I didn't warn you."
"Thanks." Gwen blew out a heavy sigh and went into Ian's office.
"Shut the door."
She closed it. "That bad, huh?"
"Shut up and listen." He glared up at her from his desk. "Did I not give you a direct order to stay away from Bartlett?"
Geez. He was even sexier when he was mad.
"Jamison!"
"Sir?"
"Did I not give you—"
"I heard you the first time. You told me to shut up and listen."
"Don't get cocky with me. I'm not in the mood."
"Sorry. Yes, you did."
"And did you not go against those orders by tailing him all weekend?"
"Only in the evenings."
"You're on desk duty for the next two weeks." He picked up a file from his desk.
"Are you serious? What about the robbery—"
"Detectives Todd and Chavez will be taking over that case. Thanks to you, the department has been slapped with an injunction. You or no other law enforcement officer is to go within two hundred yards of Dawson Bartlett, his residence, workplace, or his friends and family members."
"Sir, I—"
"Do you want to make it three weeks?"
"No," Gwen answered.
"That's all. Leave the door open when you go."
Gwen reached for the handle then turned back to him. "What if I just—"
"We're done here."
"Right."
Gwen sank into her chair. She was used to reprimands but none had stung as deeply as Ian's.
"What'd he say?" Kris asked.
Before Gwen could answer, Ian called Kris, Nick, and Ron into his office.
Gwen continued to stew at her desk. She knew she had no one to blame but herself. Gwen wasn't completely sorry, though, because her persistence had paid off. There were no liquor store robberies over the weekend. She wondered how Bartlett could still afford an attorney if he had to rob liquor stores to support his gambling habit. Maybe he wasn't as broke as they thought.
Her colleagues came out of Ian's office. Nick looked at her. "Sorry, Gwen."
"Don't worry about it."
Gwen spent the rest of the morning catching up on her paperwork. Since she was off the Bartlett murders and the robbery case, it left her plenty of time to work on her two other open cases. There wasn't much she could do, though, being chained to her desk. Gwen grabbed one of the files and started to read over the burglary report from six weeks ago.
"You want anything from the break room?" Nick asked, rising from his desk.
She shook her head and continued to scan over the witness statements. Her phone rang. "Criminal Investigations Division, Detective Jamison."
"This is Detective Henry with Phoenix PD." Gwen quickly scribbled the information down. Once she hung up, she went into Ian's office.
"I just received a call from Phoenix PD. Saturday night, a female clerk was shot during a liquor store robbery. She's in critical condition with two gunshot wounds to the chest. The perp matched our guy's description and MO. Guess with me sitting on Bartlett's house, he was forced to go back to his old hunting ground."
"If you think this changes anything, think again."
"Just passing on the news, Lieutenant." She turned to leave.
"Wait, Gwen." He walked past her and closed the door, even though no one else was in the squad room. "You're very fortunate you only got desk duty. Captain Bradley wanted me to suspend you for two weeks without pay."
"Seems a small price to pay to get a murderer off the streets."
"What about losing your job. Is that worth it? Because that's what's going to happen if you go near him again."
The image of Bartlett standing at the gas pumps Friday night flashed through her mind. In eight years, she had never met anyone on the job as arrogant and shrewd—or more deadly. "Maybe that's a chance I'm willing to take."
"Think long and hard before you make that choice, Gwen. You're a good detective. Don't let one man destroy that for you."
*****
Gwen stopped off at the gym after work to get rid of some of her aggression. Due to her arm still healing, she couldn't do any of her usual workout routines, so she stuck to th
e treadmill and exercise bike. It did the trick for the most part. It wasn't Ian she was upset with or the captain. She was mad at herself for letting Bartlett get the best of her. She had to find Mandy. Gwen knew in her gut, that she was the key to finally getting the upper hand.
She considered going back to the church tomorrow. Gwen doubted the girl would show up but Levi and his family might. She could follow them and hopefully they would lead her to the girl. The only thing wrong with that plan was she was no longer on the case. It was unlikely Kris or Ron would have any luck getting Mandy to talk. Gwen had to be the one to talk to her. Like Judge Larkin said, they were a lot alike. She could use that to her advantage. Plus she had Mandy's scarf. Something connected to the girl's past that she had desperately tried to hang on to that night in the alley. Even if the teenager didn't want to talk, it was important to Gwen to get Mandy off the streets. She had gone to too much trouble not to accomplish at least that.
Instead of using the shower facilities at the gym, Gwen drove home. Stopping along the way to pick up Chinese take-out. While waiting for her order, she heard her phone ping, notifying her of a text. Gwen dug it from her pocket and swiped the screen. It was from Stuart. 'At work. Can't talk. Found girl. Will call tomorrow.'
"Yes!"
Before bed that night, Gwen mustered the courage to call Ian. "Still mad at me?"
"If I were, I wouldn't have answered the phone."
She grabbed a bottled water and stepped out onto her balcony. "I’m sorry, Ian. I shouldn't have placed you in the line of fire today. It's just that I'm so frustrated. I know Bartlett is guilty. I've never been more sure of anything in my life."
"You've gotta be smarter about this, Gwen. Right now, he's inside your head and knows exactly which buttons to push to spur you on. He's getting exactly what he wants, which is you off the case."
Well Bartlett may have won this round, but the fight was far from over. Hopefully, once she got Mandy to talk, it would all be over. "Two weeks huh?"
"And not a day sooner."
CHAPTER TWENTY
By nine o'clock Stuart still hadn't called Gwen. She tried his number and got his voice mail. She left him a message to call her back.
