Twice in a Lifetime

by Jodie Griffin

  “Understood.”

  She flashed the briefest of smiles. “Nature of the beast, unfortunately. You’ll get used to it. What’s next?”

  Goodness, I hope so. I forwarded the message as directed, then opened the next one. “College student asking if she can interview you for a term paper she’s doing on women in law enforcement.”

  Eve raised a brow. “And you needed to ask me about this one personally, why?”

  I grinned. “Because I wanted to see your reaction?”

  She laughed. “Fair enough. Yes. Find a spot on my calendar and schedule her in. I don’t love these, but I’ll do them. Especially for other women. What else?”

  I pulled up the next email. “This one they’re looking for a school visit. Pretty standard and we went over how to schedule those, but I had an idea for it.”

  She leaned close and read the email, her shoulder brushing mine. I sucked in a breath, and when she leaned back, I finally breathed again.

  “Okay, so what’s your suggestion?”

  “Since this is a special education preschool, I thought maybe bringing a police dog might break the ice. Most kids love dogs, and it might strengthen the lesson you give. I know we’d have to check with the school about allergies or any other issues first, but . . .”

  A broad smile landed on her face. “I’d say you’re a great fit for this job. It’s an excellent idea. Go ahead and set it up. Jake Watanabe is one of our K-9 handlers, and he’s training a new puppy. That might be fun for them.”

  I nodded, then opened the last email I’d wanted to ask her about. But before we could go over it, there was a loud commotion in the hallway, with shouting and sounds of a scuffle.

  Eve surged to her feet, pointing at me even as she raced for the door. “Stay in here. You do not leave this room. Got it?”

  I swallowed. “I . . . Yes.”

  She was only gone a few minutes—a few really long minutes—and when she came back, she was shaking her head, disgust etched on her face.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Oh, fine, except two recruits from this year’s academy class are about to get their asses chewed out for brawling in the hallway. What the hell were they thinking, anyway?” She didn’t let me answer, just continued. “They weren’t. They were too busy comparing test scores—and dick sizes.”

  I couldn’t help myself, and a snort escaped.

  The corner of her mouth turned up. “Were we ever that young? Hard to remember.”

  “We must’ve been. But the fighting thing—I never got that. My late husband, Seth, and his brother used to get into it all the time. We were, what? Twenty-three, twenty-four? Men—especially young ones—are a mystery to me. I only have girls. And right now, I’m thinking all guys that age are pains in the ass.” After the words were out of my mouth, I remembered Eve had a son who was that age, and tried to clarify. “My daughter caught her boyfriend cheating on her yesterday.”

  Eve winced. “That’s bad. But really, they’re not all that way. Derrick has his head on pretty straight for a twenty-five-year-old man. At least, I hope he does. Hard to tell from half a world away.”

  Her eyes grew troubled, and I cursed my unthinking words. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

  She blinked. “What? No, it wasn’t that. I was just thinking about his call yesterday. It’s why I was late getting here, why I left my access pass at home. He told me he had something to tell me, but we got cut off. I haven’t been able to get in touch with him since. Not unusual to have unreliable phone service, but I have no idea what he was going to tell me.” A half smile, half grimace twisted her lips even as her eyes grew shadowed. “You’re a parent. I’m sure you can imagine the things going through my head.”

  “Yeah. I can.” My heart clenched in sympathy. I held up my coffee cup. “I’m going to get a refill. Can I get you anything?”

  She peered into her empty mug. “You don’t mind? It’s definitely not part of the job.”

  “I don’t mind,” I said, smiling.

  “Just some hot water, then. Thank you.” Her computer dinged, and her eyes drifted to her screen. The minute she started reading she looked completely absorbed, so I picked up her mug and mine and went down to the break room.

  There was a redheaded woman at the counter, waiting for the pot of coffee to finish. She was dressed in street clothes with a badge clipped to her waist. As I came in, she smiled and her sharp eyes flicked to the ID around my neck.

  “Oh, hey. You’re Eve’s new assistant.” She held out her hand. “I’m Delia Butler.”

  I shook her hand. “Talia Wasserman. Nice to meet you. I just sent you an email.”

  She grimaced. “I got it, thanks. This makes three. Did Eve tell you if you get anything else like that—email, post office mail, phone call—to let us know?”

  “She did.” I paused, not sure if I was stepping somewhere I shouldn’t, considering I wasn’t a cop. “Is this something she needs to worry about? Even to me, it sounded creepy.”

  “Not sure yet. Some people are looking for attention. Others have darker things in mind. I’m investigating.” She frowned. “And since I’m on limited duty, it gets my full attention.” I must’ve seemed confused, because she smiled wryly and motioned to her waist. “Pregnant. Just starting my second trimester.”

  I smiled. “Congratulations. Is this your first?”

  She fiddled with a shamrock charm on a chain around her neck. “Yes. And considering my husband’s reaction to the first trimester, he or she might be an only child. You have kids?”

  “I do. Two girls, one in college, one working. And I know what you mean. When I was pregnant with Lila, my first, I had morning sickness all day long. My late husband got a little overbearing and kept telling me what I could and couldn’t do.”

  “Sounds like Colin.” Delia grinned and rolled her eyes, but then her smile faded. “Anyway, keep me posted if anything else comes across your desk. As a female cop, this makes me twitchy. And as a cop, period, I hate having this hanging over our heads this close to the festival, when the streets will be jam-packed with people.”

  I’d been to it before, and I knew she spoke the truth. My stomach knotted, and I swallowed over the lump sitting in my throat. “I will.”

  Work settled into a comfortable routine. I got in around seven thirty every day, even though I didn’t get paid for that extra half hour. I liked the quiet mornings where I could slice and dice the request mailbox into things I could handle and things that needed Eve’s attention. It felt good to be able to take some of the stress off her, and I tried not to think about why I felt that way.

  The more I got to know her, the more I liked her. She was book-smart and life-smart and really cared about the community she served. She stayed patient with me and gave freely of her time, even when it might be faster to just do something herself. And she was wickedly funny, with a dry humor I would bet many people didn’t understand. My physical attraction to her was still there too, and it continued to grow.

  We spent a few hours a week out and about at different events. The college student’s interview had been eye-opening for me, and I’d learned quite a bit about my boss and what it had taken for her to get where she was. The preschool visit had been a big hit with the kids, and the K-9 puppy had stolen the show.

  The six weeks I’d been there had flown, and I was having the time of my life.

  Today was Friday, the last day before my first weekend event with the department. Sunday was the street festival that had been taking up most of our planning time, where several blocks in the downtown area would be roped off. There would be food and art and activities for kids to do.

  We’d received one more email that mentioned the festival, and another that just said female cops needed to be careful. No outward threats, but a warning that something might happen.

  I’d learned there would be a large officer presence at the festival, both as part of the event and policing it. Eve and Delia had met
several times about the issue, and I knew they’d also met with the team who’d be responsible for public safety.

  Eve’s confidence should’ve calmed me, but I was still uneasy. Maybe because it was my first event. Or maybe it was because, as a female cop, Eve could be a target.

  As I printed fliers we’d be handing out, I glanced at Eve’s empty desk, then back at the clock. It was eight thirty and I hadn’t heard from her or seen her. I’d grown used to finding her things here when I arrived in the morning. I decided everyone had the right to sleep late some days, and besides, she was the boss. I finished with the fliers and began to gather all the promotional items we’d need for Sunday. If she wasn’t here by ten, I’d start to worry.

  A few minutes before ten, she came in. Her posture was rigid, and she all but slammed her stuff down on her desk. Her voice came out in a low growl, a tone I’d never heard from her before. “What’d I miss?”

  I winced. “Ah, nothing much? I printed everything off for Sunday. You okay?”

  She sucked in a long breath and blew it out slowly. “No, but I will be. It’s nothing work related, but it put me in a foul mood. I don’t mean to take it out on you.”

  “I raised teenagers. This is nothing.” I said them matter-of-factly, but my words seemed to put her on edge. “Eve?”

  “That damn fool son of mine got himself engaged to a girl I’ve never even met.” She swore, low and profane. “She’s a civilian reporter he kept talking about, but engaged? Good lord.” I started to speak, but she waved me off with a deep sigh. “I can’t think about it right now. We’ve got things to do before the festival.”

  She dropped into her chair with complete lack of her usual grace, then grimaced at her empty mug.

  Well, I could fix this, at least. “Read your mail. Take a few deep breaths. I’ll go get your tea.” She opened her mouth as if to protest, but I smiled gently. “Read. Breathe. When you think you’re settled, breathe some more.”

  She sighed, then rolled her shoulders. “Thanks, Talia. Really.”

  “Any time.”

  Eve was laser-focused for the rest of the day. She brought me out to the large mobile command center we’d use to do child fingerprinting and showed me how to do what I’d need to do. We sat side by side at the small table, so close our knees pressed together. Her skin felt warm and smooth as she picked up my hand to ink my fingers, and I trembled at the contact. Get a grip, Talia.

  Her brown eyes flicked to mine, and maybe it was my imagination, but I swore her voice deepened ever so slightly.

  “Kids will wiggle a lot, so you have to talk to them the whole time you’re taking their prints. Here’s how you do the ink,” she said, rolling my thumb across the pad. “And here’s how you get it on the paper.” She did another finger, and then handed me a cloth to wipe the ink off. “Now, you do me.”

  There was dead silence for a moment, but I couldn’t help myself. I tried, really I did, but I let out a snort-laugh, covering my mouth as I glanced over at Eve’s face. “I’m sorry. I know. Twelve-year-old boy. I . . .” I dissolved into wholly inappropriate laughter.

  Eve just shook her head, but the amusement in her eyes was obvious. “Talia, Talia. What am I going to do with you?”

  I laughed again as I twisted her words into dirty ones, but it was more of a giggle-snort. We’d hit it off from the very first and, after working closely with her for the past six weeks, I felt comfortable teasing her. Boss or not. “Oh, come on. You can’t tell me you weren’t thinking the same thing.”

  An unrestrained grin flashed on her face. “That predictable, huh?”

  “Let’s just say I appreciate your sense of humor because it is very, very similar to mine.” I picked up her hand, trying to stifle my body’s response to her as I inked her thumb and rolled it on the paper.

  Once again, her voice had a slightly husky edge to it. “A little smudged, but not bad. Do all ten, and if the fingerprint tech can read it, we’ll consider this a success and you can help with them at the festival. It’s probably the busiest part of our area, and we can use all the help we can get.”

  When we finished up with that, we stocked all the things we were bringing for the kids—sticker badges, coloring books—and brochures for their parents with information on internet safety, drug awareness, and bike clinics.

  To my dismay, she also showed me how to sound the alarm if there was an issue, how to tune into the radio frequency everyone would be using—and how to respond if necessary. She leaned against the counter, arms crossed, and watched me as I tried to absorb everything I might need to know if things went all to hell.

  “Breathe, Talia.” I swiveled my head toward her, thinking she was teasing me by using words I’d used earlier, but she wasn’t smiling. “This festival and our mystery emailer do create a potentially serious situation. I’m not going to lie to you about that. The day should be fun for everyone, but we will have to keep our eyes open. This afternoon, we’ll do a final run-through of what we know about him or her in the command room with the entire team of people working on Sunday, along with contingency plans. I’d like you to come with me.”

  I swallowed hard, but nodded. I stayed quiet as we went back inside, and after spending almost all day together for six weeks, Eve understood me enough to realize I needed a few minutes to process what she’d told me. She pointed me toward the lab and, while she went back to our office, I gave the tech the samples I’d made and waited to see if I’d passed or failed Fingerprinting 101.

  I passed.

  When I got back to our office, Eve was on the phone, her brow furrowed as she listened to whoever was on the other end. Her eyes were closed, and she was rubbing a thumb against her temple.

  Then, as though a switch had been flipped, her hand dropped and her eyes popped open. “Excuse me?” She caught me hovering at the threshold and waved me in. “Isaiah Yee?” She paused, then spoke again. “No way. I’ve known him since he was a kid, and he doesn’t have a mean bone in him.” More listening, then a deep sigh. “Yes, he’s got a record. He was a good kid who had some issues with drugs, but I recently heard he was in school full-time, working part-time.” She clicked keys. “Last arrest he was twenty. He’s twenty-six now, and nothing but a speeding ticket since. He wouldn’t send those emails, Delia.”

  I sat, keeping myself busy with work as I tried not to eavesdrop, but I assumed Eve would’ve asked me to leave if it was something I shouldn’t hear, or she’d have taken the call in private.

  A few minutes later, Eve hung up the phone. “Damn it.”

  “Was that about our mystery emailer?”

  “Yeah. Isaiah and my son were joined at the hip until Derrick went off to the Naval Academy. I saw that boy almost every day for years, but then only while my son was home on breaks. When Derrick got deployed, I didn’t see Isaiah for a few years. I do remember that his Grandmother Yee passed away around the time Derrick went to Iraq for the first time. She was Isaiah’s rock and, when she died, he had a bit of a rough patch. But I saw him a few months ago, and he’d just started studying at the community college for network administration. He always was a smart kid, so I was glad to see him grounded again.”

  “So what makes anyone think he sent the emails?”

  She frowned. “His computer experience, for one. And for two, they all go back to a single terminal at the library. A terminal several librarians remembered seeing him use more than once. Of course, a lot of other people have used it multiple times too, so it’s speculation at this point.”

  I blinked. “But since he’s studying network administration, wouldn’t he use different computers in different places to make it harder to track him?”

  Eve smiled, but it was more a baring of teeth than anything. “You would think so. And actually, Delia agrees. Also because the librarian who works days at the reference desk nearest the computers is one of Delia’s friends and she remembers Isaiah, because he used to use the computers all the time, but she doesn’t remember seeing him ther
e in the last few months. My guess is he’s using the computers at the college now, since he’s in classes there. Anyway, Delia was just letting me know they had a suspect and they’d be interviewing him. She wasn’t aware that I know him.” She shifted her gaze to the clock on the wall and pushed up from her desk, squaring her shoulders. “Time for the briefing. We’ll do that, and then I’ll answer any other questions you have.”

  We headed to the briefing room together. My mind replayed the contents of those emails over and over again, and a shiver shook my body. I tried to hide it, but I’m pretty sure Eve caught my reaction. I couldn’t help it. When I signed on to do this job, I’d never considered it might be dangerous. Oh, life in and of itself had dangers, but I hadn’t put two and two together with cops and work and people hell-bent on retribution.

  I had now.

  Eve held out her hand and I preceded her into the room. It was full, standing room only. I looked over my shoulder at her, and she nodded to a place on the far side of the room where it was slightly less crowded. I wound my way over there, murmuring excuse me as people turned in my direction, their eyes curious.

  I cursed under my breath. I knew what it was—a stranger in their midst—but I hated being the center of attention like that. When I got to the space big enough for both of us, I shrank back against the wall and tried to act like a piece of the furniture.

  A man stepped to the podium and called for silence, nodding at Eve. I thought she was going up there, but instead she gave me a devilish grin, then spoke. “Before we get started, I’d like to introduce you all to Talia Wasserman, in case you haven’t met her yet. She replaced Bev as my civilian assistant and will be working the festival with me and those of you who’ve volunteered to help over the course of the day.”