Beyond the Breakwater

by Radclyffe

  Blindly, unthinkingly, Tory grasped Reese’s shirtfront with both hands. “No.”

  “It’s all right, love. There’s no danger. I’ll be right back.”

  “Yes, I understand. Of course,” Tory said, swiftly quelling her involuntary reaction. “I was just so scared.”

  “I know. God, I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d be here.”

  “Go get Bri, darling.” With every second, Tory was feeling stronger, more in control. Reese was safe. And there was still much work to be done. Her work. “I’m going back to the ambulances to see if I can help out.”

  “You shouldn’t even be here. You sure shouldn’t be working.” Reese grabbed for her hand. “Go home, Tor. Please. It’s crazy out here.”

  Finally, Tory smiled. “You’re a fine one to talk, Sheriff. Go do what you have to do and come back as soon as you can.” She rested her palm for an instant against Reese’s cheek. “Please don’t be gone long. I can’t stand it right now.”

  “As soon as I get Bri and the other cadet squared away, I’ll find you. I promise.”

  Tory watched her walk away, believing her promise to return because without that, she couldn’t go on.

  *

  Tory straightened up and pressed both hands to her lower back. It felt as if she’d been bending over patients on stretchers, and others who had slumped onto every available surface, for hours. In reality, it had probably only been two. Fortunately, most of the injuries were minor—burns sustained by rescue personnel or bumps, bruises, and lacerations acquired by the evacuating tourists as they fumbled around in the near-dark while attempting to flee the scene.

  One firefighter had broken an arm falling from a crumbling balcony, and there had been at least one fatality. The body was still awaiting the medical examiner from Orleans and lay on the ground covered by a tarp, watched over by a CSI tech. In addition, a young female officer had sustained a leg injury after jumping from the second floor of a burning building.

  Tory glanced to her right to check on that particular patient. If she hadn’t been so busy, and so tired, she might have wondered more about what she saw. As it was, her concerns would have to wait until she could catch her breath.

  *

  Allie sat with her back against the tire of an EMS van while Bri crouched beside her, holding a cup of coffee.

  “Are you sure you’re not cold?” Bri asked worriedly.

  Allie smiled wanly. “Not really. Besides, if I drink any more of that I’m going to have to pee, and there’s no way I can walk.”

  “That’s okay. We’ll figure something out,” Bri said firmly. “Tory said you should keep your leg elevated and stay warm.”

  “You don’t have to stay with me, you know.” Allie shook her head in disgust. “Boy, I’m never going to live this down. My first big assignment and I end up falling on my ass.”

  “I don’t think anyone is going to put you down for twisting your ankle while jumping from a burning building.” Bri swiped sweat from her face and grimaced as she brushed against the burned spot on her neck. “Besides, it could happen to anybody.”

  “Oh sure,” Allie said sarcastically. “You and Reese not only managed to do it, but Reese did it with that old man over her shoulder.”

  “That’s Reese.” Bri shrugged. “She can do anything.”

  Allie regarded Bri intently in the gray light of early dawn. “You really believe that, don’t you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I wouldn’t mind being like her someday,” Allie said thoughtfully. She watched the pregnant doctor instructing an EMT about something involving the patient they were both caring for. When Bri and Reese had carried her from the woods, she’d seen Reese and Dr. King together for a few minutes. The two of them had looked at one another as if there was no one else on earth. Even soot-streaked and disheveled, Dr. King was a beautiful woman. “I wouldn’t mind having someone like her, either.”

  Bri followed Allie’s gaze, saw Tory, and laughed shortly. “Who wouldn’t?”

  “Don’t you?” Allie questioned softly.

  It was a few seconds before Bri replied. Then quietly, she said, “I don’t know. I hope so.”

  “You haven’t called me. I kind of thought it might be because of that girlfriend you mentioned.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Because, you know, I thought things were pretty hot between us.”

  Flushing, Bri thought about waking up with Allie naked beside her. She remembered it almost as a dream, and the memory was exciting. Her eyes moved slowly over Allie’s face, appreciating how attractive she was. Even scratched and sweat-streaked, she was sexy. “Yeah, it was hot. You’re hot. Totally.”

  “But?”

  “But I’m in love with someone.”

  “It wouldn’t have to be anything real serious, you know.” Allie brushed Bri’s hand with her fingertips. “Just a little fun. I think about you…a lot.”

  “I can’t,” Bri said. And it didn’t feel like a sacrifice at all.

  “Okay.” Allie acquiesced with a rueful grin. “I gave it my best shot. If things change, call me, okay? Because we’ve got unfinished business.”

  “I’m going to find Reese and see what else needs to be done. It looks like everything’s kind of under control now. I’ll be back soon.”

  “Sure.” Allie closed her eyes, giving in to her fatigue and discomfort. “I’m not going to be running off anywhere.”

  *

  “Tory,” a male voice said from behind her.

  Tory turned, frowning, and then exclaimed, “Dan! What are you doing here?”

  The solidly built dark-haired man shrugged, grinning a bit shyly. “Reese called me and said that you might need relief about now.”

  “Oh, she did, did she?” Tory raised an eyebrow, uncertain whether she was actually angry or not. She was tired, and she had a headache. It must be after five in the morning, and she was working on very little sleep. Nevertheless, she hadn’t quite gotten used to anyone interfering with her professional life. That was the one area where she had always had complete control, and for so many years, medicine had been the only area where she felt competent and, somehow, safe. But things are different now. I’m married; I have Reese; I have a different life. I’ll still be me, even if I’m not always doing this.

  Dan Riley frowned as he took in his new employer. She was clearly exhausted and the fingers that brushed absently at the strands of damp hair clinging to her cheeks trembled faintly. “I would have come sooner, but to tell you the truth, I slept right through all the sirens. Even if I’d I heard them, I probably wouldn’t have realized that they meant anything serious. In New York City, sirens are just part of life.”

  “If I’d had any idea how many people were going to need attention here,” Tory admitted, “I would have called you myself. Then I got busy, and I just forgot.”

  “Well,” he said briskly. “I’m here now, so let me finish triaging the remaining patients. You should go home.”

  Before Tory could respond, another voice interjected, “A very good suggestion, Dr. Riley.” Reese stepped closer to Tory and kissed her cheek. “Hello, love.”

  Smiling despite herself, Tory touched her fingertips to Reese’s chin, brushing at a trickle of dried blood. “You’ve cut yourself, Sheriff.”

  “Nothing major,” Reese assured her. She glanced to the side and inclined her head toward Allie. “How’s she doing?”

  “I think the ankle is just sprained, but she needs to be x-rayed.” Tory leaned her shoulder against the side of the fire rescue truck. “She wouldn’t let me send her off to Hyannis to be evaluated because she said the civilians should go first. I thought I’d bring her back to the clinic and shoot a film there.”

  “Fine,” Reese said. “There’s not much left to do here except cleanup. The fire’s under control, and all the civilians have been moved to temporary housing at the high schools in Provincetown and Wellfleet.”

  Reese turned to Dan Riley and murmured something.
Then to Tory, “As soon as I collect Bri, check in with the chief, and make sure that the rest of my people know what they’re supposed to be doing, we can get out of here.”

  As Tory watched Reese hurry off yet again, Dan said, “Let me take your pressure, Tory.”

  “What?” Tory asked in surprise.

  “Let me check your BP.” His eyes were kind as they met hers. “You’ve been on your feet all night.”

  “Did she ask you to do that?”

  “I know how she feels.” He deftly avoided the answer, then pulled a blood pressure cuff from inside the truck and wrapped it around Tory’s left upper arm. “When my wife was pregnant the first time, I had morning sickness every day for five months. I felt completely helpless and equal parts ecstatic and terrified. You can’t blame her for worrying.”

  “I don’t blame her,” Tory said seriously. “I just don’t want that to be all she feels about this.” If she hadn’t been so tired, she probably never would have admitted that out loud, particularly to someone she barely knew at all. But it was out before she could stop it.

  Dan smiled. “I’m sure she feels a lot more than that.”

  A minute later, he took the cuff off and regarded her steadily. “One-forty over ninety-two. Is that unusual?”

  Tory drew a shaky breath, and then shook her head. “It hasn’t been consistent, but for the last few days, it’s been in that range.”

  “Does your obstetrician know?”

  “Generally, yes, but I haven’t called her about this.”

  He sighed, sliding his hands into the pockets of his chinos. “It’s none of my business, but you should call her.”

  “I will. Listen,” Tory said quickly, “don’t say anything to Reese, all right, Dan? There’s nothing to worry about just yet. That’s been the only symptom.”

  “Of course. Like I said, it’s not my business.”

  At that moment, Reese and Bri returned.

  “Everything okay?” Reese looked from Tory to Dan.

  “Everything is fine.” Tory took Reese’s hand. “Let’s take Officer Tremont back to the clinic so I can evaluate her properly.”

  The four of them trudged through the water-soaked, litter-strewn fire site toward the highway where Reese had left her Blazer. She and Bri supported Allie between them.

  Halfway there, Reese noticed someone on the outskirts of the crowd and said quickly, “Let’s stop for a second. Bri, make sure you’ve got Officer Tremont.”

  “No problem.” Bri slipped her arm more firmly around Allie’s waist. Allie curved her arm around Bri’s neck and leaned into her.

  “I’ll be right back,” Reese said as she moved away.

  Tory watched Reese approach a woman and speak to her briefly. “Who is that?”

  “That’s Ashley Walker,” Bri said.

  “The private investigator?”

  “Yes.”

  After a minute, Reese and the redhead turned and walked back to where the others were waiting.

  “Officer Parker,” Ashley said with a slow smile when she recognized Bri.

  “Ms. Walker,” Bri said with a small tilt of her chin.

  “I thought we might have a chat with Ms. Walker while Tory checks out Allie’s ankle, Bri,” Reese said neutrally. She didn’t think it necessary to mention that it hadn’t been a request when she had told the private investigator to accompany them. She wanted answers, and she intended to have them before very much more time had passed.

  “Hello,” Allie said, extending her hand to the newcomer. “Allie Tremont.”

  “Ashley Walker,” the redhead replied languorously, her throaty tenor slightly raspy from the smoke, her green eyes flickering downward once before returning to Allie’s face. “Are you all right?”

  “I will be.” Allie never took her eyes from Ashley’s.

  Tory watched the exchange, which, although completely innocent, held a note of intimacy that almost made her feel like a voyeur. “If we’re all done with the introductions,” she interjected dryly, “perhaps we can get back to the clinic so I can decide how Officer Tremont is doing.”

  Reese laughed, noting the irritation in her lover’s voice. “Good idea, Dr. King.” She slid her arm around Allie’s waist from the opposite side and glanced at Bri. “Ready?”

  Bri, who had been completely silent during the exchange between the two women, just nodded. “You bet.”

  “I’ll follow you in my car,” Ashley said.

  “Don’t get lost,” Reese advised.

  “I wouldn’t think of it.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  “You can use my office,” Tory said to Reese as the small group proceeded down the central hallway of her clinic toward the x-ray room at the rear. “Just help me get Officer Tremont up onto the table so I can get these films.”

  After Reese and Bri lifted the injured officer onto the narrow x-ray table, Reese followed Tory to the opposite side of the room where the control panels that operated the machine were located. Too quietly for the others to hear, she murmured, “Is it okay for you to take the x-rays?”

  Tory smiled fondly and grasped her lover’s hand briefly. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ve got a very large lead shield.”

  “Sorry.”

  “No need to be. I love the way you love me.”

  “Good.” Reese brushed her fingers across Tory’s cheek. “We’ll be in your office. Just give a holler when you need us.”

  “No problem.”

  Reese, Bri, and Ashley Walker left the small radiology room and crossed the hall diagonally to Tory’s office.

  “Sit down, please, Ms. Walker,” Reese instructed while pointing to one of the two chairs in front of Tory’s large wood desk. She leaned her hips against it, but remained standing. Bri stood also, a few feet away, off to Ashley’s right.

  Without preamble, Reese stated, “This is now a murder investigation. The presumptive conclusion here is arson, with either intentional homicide or unintentional manslaughter. That distinction will need to be determined by the coroner and the fire marshal.”

  Ashley Walker watched Reese’s face as she spoke. The two women made eye contact and neither allowed her gaze to waver. Walker said nothing and sat relaxed in the chair, her booted right foot crossed over her left knee.

  “I want to know exactly what you’re investigating, Ms. Walker. If I find in the future that you have information pertinent to this investigation which you do not reveal to me now, I will arrest you for obstruction of justice. Not only will that be unpleasant for you, but it will also seriously jeopardize your PI license.” Reese’s tone was even and nonconfrontational. She was reciting the facts, and it was very clear that she meant every word.

  After a moment’s deliberation, Ashley Walker nodded slightly. “Up until last night, every suspicious fire has been set in unoccupied buildings. Not only that, there has never been any risk to surrounding structures or individuals. There’s never even been a serious injury.”

  “And because of that,” Bri said quietly, startling both Reese and Ashley, “you thought you could keep what you knew to yourself. Right?”

  “My job is to protect my client.” Walker shrugged. “If in the course of doing my job, I can help out the police, I do. On the other hand, I’m not obligated to do so.”

  “Things have changed now,” Reese persisted quietly.

  “Yes, I know.” Ashley shook out her thick red hair and eased her shoulders slightly. “I’m looking for a man named Stanley Morris. He was a claims investigator for the company that hired me.”

  “The insurance company?”

  “Yes. Six months ago, he was forced to leave, ostensibly due to downsizing. If there were other reasons, I don’t know about them. Shortly thereafter, the first of what would turn out to be a series of fires occurred in buildings that were insured by the company.”

  “Some kind of retribution?” Bri asked.

  “That’s what we think. Morris’s area of specialty was fire investigation, and the
timing seemed right. But the company didn’t have any proof.”

  “So they hired you,” Reese surmised.

  “I worked missing persons when I was a cop in Providence,” Ashley informed them. “I do a lot of skip tracing, and Morris had dropped out of sight soon after he had been let go. That was one of the reasons that he came under suspicion to begin with. They hired me to track him down and, hopefully, to clear him of these arsons.”

  “But?” Reese could hear the word in her tone.

  Ashley blew out a frustrated breath. “But I haven’t been able to find him, although it seems like I’m always close.”

  “What about his movement patterns?” Bri interjected. “Does he fit for the suspicious fires?”

  Again, Ashley nodded. “He’s been running through his credit cards pretty fast in the last few months. He uses them a few times and then stops. By the time I get on to him, he’s gone. But he’s been in the vicinity of at least a couple of the fires which we suspect to be arson.”

  “Do the authorities know about this?”

  “No.”

  “Christ,” Reese muttered in disgust.

  “Come on, Sheriff.” Ashley showed her first hint of ire. “You know how much attention the police are going to pay to a possible suspect with no concrete evidence to tie him to the crimes, and no indication of where he is or where he might be going. He’s moving around, and the entire case crosses too many jurisdictional borders.”

  Reluctantly, Reese agreed. “You’re right. If he’s crossing state lines, only a federal investigation would be able to keep track of him.”

  “Right. And I certainly don’t have enough to interest the feds.”

  “Can you place him anywhere around here?”

  Ashley shook her head. “No. The last place I can put him is in Falls River six weeks ago. But that doesn’t mean he’s not here on the Cape, paying with cash and lying low.”

  “All right. We’ll get an APB out to the other divisions on the Cape today,” Reese said in her command mode. “Is there anything else we should know about this guy?”