Radclyffe - Safe Harbor 02 - Beyond The Breakwater

by Beyond The Breakwater (lit)

  Reese was silent as Tory dressed.

  "There's nothing wrong, sweetheart," Tory said as she took Reese's hand.

  "I know," Reese said with a smile, but her eyes were dark. She drew a long breath and straightened her shoulders. "Is it okay for you to eat now?"

  "It had better be," Tory said with a laugh. "First of all, I'm starving. And I'm sure Cath expects us all to go to lunch."

  Reese slid her arm around Tory's waist and kissed her temple lightly, ignoring the cold feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Then let's not keep her waiting."

  Chapter Twenty-three

  May, Provincetown, MA

  “ Things will start jumping around here at the end of the week, Reese remarked at a little before 6:00 a.m. as she poured the French roast from the carafe into a travel mug. She was already in uniform, dressed for work. As always, the creases in her shirt and pants were knife-edge sharp, the knot below her buttoned collar perfectly squared, her leather belt a polished black. Her weapon was nestled in an equally highly-shined holster on her right hip.

  “ Uh-huh.

  Reese smiled as Tory, still in the T-shirt she usually slept inand not much elsecrossed the living room. Her normally energetic lover looked sleepy and out of sorts. “Want some juice?

  “ No, Tory snarled, settling a hip onto a stool at the breakfast counter. “I want some coffee.

  “ Ill make decaf.

  “ I dont want decaf. I want real Abruptly she quieted as her face grew pale.

  “ Bagel? I can toast

  “ Oh god Tory bolted off the stool.

  Heart in her throat, Reese watched Tory rush for the bathroom. After a moments hesitation, she followed, her insides roiling. This hasnt happened in weeks. Jesus, god...whats wrong?

  “ Tor? Lovecan I get you anything? Reese circled her palm aimlessly over Torys back as the other woman cradled her head on her arms, her body bent over the sink. Reese's heart lurched as she felt Tory tremble. “Honey?

  “ No, Tory gasped, not looking at her. “Im fine. Near missno eruptions.

  “ Water?

  “ Yes, fine. Good. With a shaky sigh, Tory straightened up and accepted the glass her worried lover filled and handed to her. She traced the curve of Reeses jaw with her fingers, smiling faintly. “Im okay.

  “ Youre sure?

  “ Mmm. I am.

  Reese said carefully, “Shouldnt we check your blood pressure?

  Tory was silent a long minute, reluctant to add to her lovers worry. I want this experience to be a joy for her, not a constant source of anxiety .

  “ It was just a little blip, sweetheart, Tory said softly.

  “ I need to be part of this, Tor. Please.

  Toryd never seen Reese look so helpless, and her heart twisted to see the pleading in her eyes. “Of course. Come on, Ill show you how to take it.

  Reese was a quick study, and five minutes later they looked at one another and smiled.

  “ No change since my last visit with Wendy, Tory reported. “Okay now?

  Reese nodded. “Can you eat something?

  “ I dont think Im quite ready for that. Tory wrapped her arm around Reese and leaned into her. “You should get to work.

  “ Im okay for a bit. You need to eat something. The doctor said

  “ Im a doctor. Tory heard the temper in her own voice and realized that Reese was just concerned. In fact, she still looks scared. I never thought Id see anything that could shake up my Marine. "Try not to worry, sweetheart. It was just a bit of left over morning sickness."

  Reese came quickly around the end of the counter and put her arms around her lover. Brushing her lips across Tory's temple, she said gently, "The most important thing for right now is that youre okay."

  "As long as I have you, I will be." Tory tilted her face and kissed Reese, a gentle lingering kiss of gratitude and soft desire. When she drew away, her throat was tight with a combination of wonder and need. "Go to work, Sheriff."

  "I'll call you later," Reese whispered, her lips to Tory's forehead. "I love you."

  *****

  Reese was just pulling into the small lot behind the Sheriffs department when the call came over her radio. The alarm sounded in front of the Fire Department in the middle of town at the same time.

  “ Fire reported, Bradford and 6A.

  It was Smiths voice, and as Reese spun the wheel with one hand and floored the accelerator, she flicked her shoulder mike with the other. “Conlon. Ive got it.

  “ Roger, Reese.

  The whole of Provincetown was less than four miles long, and, sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean and Cape Cod Bay, even narrower. At that time of morning, just before tourist season, there were barely any cars, and Reese was on scene in less than a minute. The Mooring restaurant, a squat, sprawling ramshackle place at the far end of town, was in flames. She pulled her cruiser diagonally across Bradford and got out, thumbing her mike again.

  "I need another car out here to block traffic coming west on 6." As she spoke, she opened the trunk of the vehicle and extracted orange plastic road cones.

  "How does it look?" she called to the fire captain as he approached. Alan Peterson was technically in charge of the scene.

  "It's pretty well involved," he yelled above the roar of the truck engine and the shouts of milling firefighters. "Fortunately, the place is isolated from the surrounding structures by the parking lot on three sides. Unless we get an awful lot of wind, I'm not worried about it spreading."

  "What about civilians?" Reese asked, leaning close to his ear to be heard. "Can your people get inside to make sure the place is empty?"

  "Negative." He spoke something unintelligible into his handy talkie and then turned his attention back to her. "Too hot."

  Reese took a step away from him in the direction of the burning building. She was stopped by a firm grip on her arm.

  "Forget it, Sheriff," he said gruffly. "If there were any way in there, we would have done it already. I don't want you anywhere near that place. Christ, last time you helped me out, you ended up in the hospital."

  "You're not pulling rank on me, are you, Alan?"

  "Damn right I am. As soon as I get an internal assessment, you'll be the first to know."

  At that moment, Nelson Parker jogged across the street to join them. "What have we got?"

  "Structural blaze," Reese informed him. "As far as we know, unoccupied."

  "Looks like it's gonna be a loss," Nelson remarked as he watched flames lick their way through the cedar-shingled roof and pulse like living beings through the shattered windows into the smoke clouded air.

  "Yeah," Peterson agreed. "A wood building like that, there's no way to stop it. This is a containment exercise, nothing more."

  "Well need the fire marshals report," Reese pointed out.

  "It'll take until tomorrow for the heat to die down enough to comb through the place and probably a couple of days to analyze the forensics, but I'll send along whatever we find as soon as we get it."

  "Good enough," Reese said. Turning to Nelson, she continued, "We'll need to keep someone from the night shift overtime for a few hours to handle traffic around this place. I'll give Smith a call."

  "He's back there on Six A. Go ahead and tell him."

  "Roger."

  “ Oh, and Reese?

  “ Chief?

  “ The new kid is waiting back at the station.

  She studied his face but couldnt read a thing in it. “Ill head back as soon as I talk to Smith, then.

  “ Good.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Within an hour, the fire was out, and all that remained was the cleanup. Reese headed back to the office. When she walked in, the newest member of the department was leaning against the corner of her desk. Reese pushed through the wooden gate and extended her hand to the young cadet in the pristine uniform.

  "Officer Parker, welcome aboard."

  "Thank you, Sheriff." Bri grinned fleetingly and then straightened. "I would have notif
ied you when I got here, but you were already out on a call."

  "No problem. Come on, let's take a ride through town, and well talk about the game plan."

  When they settled into the car, Reese turned to Bri. "Have you seen your dad?"

  "Just for a minute. He told me that my training officer would be along shortly."

  "You know, he needs to distance himself a little bit from your training so that there won't be any question of prejudice in your evaluations."

  "I know that," Bri said steadily, keeping her eyes forward. Plus he didnt seem too keen for me to be here. I guess he still thinks I made a mistake leavingNew York.

  She couldnt think about the fact that she hadnt talked to Carre in weeks. Once shed finally gotten over some of her anger and embarrassment over storming out, and worked up the nerve to call her, all she ever got was the answering machine. Eventually, shed just left a message reminding Carre of the party this coming Friday and left directionsjust in case. Yeah, sure. You know shes not coming.

  Reese pulled the patrol car to the side of the road across from the smoldering ruins of the Moorings restaurant.

  "Whoa," Bri exclaimed.

  "So," Reese said as the two of them crossed the street to the rubble-littered parking lot. "Tell me what you want to know about this."

  Bri looked around for a second and then began confidently to ask questions. Reese nodded in satisfaction as Bri succinctly elicited the vital information regarding time, circumstances of the call reporting the fire, initial impressions of the fire captain, nature of reported injuries, and other basic data from her.

  "Good. You can write all that up when we get back to the station." They slowly circled the perimeter, each of them silently studying the scene. Eventually, Reese asked, "How would you approach the investigation?"

  Bri took her time, and when she spoke, she sounded thoughtful but steady. "First, we'll need the fire marshal's report.

  "What do you think the fire marshal is going to tell us?"

  "This place has been closed since last summer. As I recall, one of the big resort consortiums has been trying to buy it to build a timeshare here. The land is worth a lot, but the restaurant has seen better days."

  "Uh-huh." Reese realized what a benefit it was for officers to have a history with the community that they policed. She was still a relative newcomer, but after three years, she knew a great deal about the inner workings of the tiny town and its inhabitants. Bri, though, had an advantage that Reese would never be able to match. She had spent all of her life in the midst of these people, and her history was their history.

  "Since the restaurant hasn't been functioning in months, it's doubtful that any of the power was on, which lets out electrical origins. Same for the gas." Bri stopped walking and put her hands in her pockets, a gesture that unconsciously mimicked Reeses stance. "No storms lately, so it wasnt lightning. I'd say this is going to be ruled incendiary in nature."

  “ The fire was manmade, you think?

  “ Yes. She didnt waver in her response.

  "But its not necessarily arson." At Bri's questioning look, Reese continued, "An abandoned building like this would be a good place for vagrants to camp, and an untended fire could certainly have started this. Incendiary and accidental."

  "Right," Bri said enthusiastically. "So we need to ask around town and find out if anybody has any info on vagrantsespecially where they might be congregating. Could be kids, too." At Reeses raised eyebrow, she blushed. “Uh, when I wasuhyounger, you knowwed get together in abandoned buildings toget together.

  “ Okay, good thought. Reese clapped Bri on the shoulder approvingly while she sighed inwardly. She still had so much to learn about that period of life which she seemed to have skipped over. Then it suddenly occurred to her that in not too many years, it could be her child partying in firetraps like this. Her stomach flipped. “ Christ.

  “ Maam?

  "Nothing, Reese said briskly. “Weve got several lines of questioning to pursue while we wait for the fire marshal. Let's get started, Officer."

  *****

  Tory followed the scent of barbecue up the driveway toward the rear of her home. She was surprised to hear the soft murmur of voices and tried to recall if they had made plans with anyone for dinner. She hoped not, because she was beat. But her spirits lifted as she mounted the stairs and saw their visitor.

  "Bri!" she cried in surprise. Reese and Bri were both in jeans and T-shirts, and a more attractive pair Tory didn't think she had ever seen. Both of them grinned at her as she joined them. She paused to kiss Reese before giving Bri a hug. "What are you doing here?"

  "I forgot to tell you that Bri was starting her field training today," Reese said with contrite a shrug.

  "That's terrific. Tory smiled and tried to hide her weariness. “I'm going inside to change. I'll be right back."

  “ She looks great, Bri commented as she popped open a beer.

  “ Yeah, Reese said absently as she followed her lover with her eyes. And she looks worn out. This new guy cant start too soon for me.

  When Tory returned a few moments later, Reese and Bri set the outside table and piled chicken from the grill onto paper plates. Tory grabbed a club soda and sat down with a grateful sigh.

  "God, this looks good." After helping herself to salad and chicken, she turned to Bri. "So where are you staying? With Nelson?"

  Bri blushed. "Uh, I'm not sure yet."

  "Where are you staying now?"

  "Well, most of my stuff is still in Barnstable. I moved out of the apartment I was sharing this morning and stowed my gear at school. I was going to go up this Friday after work and move it down Saturday." She glanced at Reese. “If I can take the morning off? I know its Memorial Day weekend, but classes just finished and I didnt have ti

  “ Its fine, Reese said. “Id rather you work nights Saturday and Sunday anyhow. More going on. You need help moving?

  “ Nah. I dont have all that much.

  “ Give a holler if you do.

  "I guess you and Caroline will want an apartment for the summer," Tory said as she reached for more salad. "Now is probably a good time to get one."

  "Carre's not coming home," Bri said quietly, staring at her plate.

  "How come?" Reese interjected.

  "She has a job in New York."

  Tory studied Bri's profile, noting the tight line of her jaw. "That's hard."

  "Yeah, well Bri cleared her throat. “It's a real good deal for her."

  "You can bunk here for a while if you need to," Reese said quietly. "Although I'm sure Nelson would like you to stay at home."

  "Thanks. I appreciate it." Bri shrugged. “I dont think Dad and I are ready to be living together right now.

  "No problem." Reese stood and stacked some of the plates. “Im going to take these inside and make coffee. Be back in a few minutes.

  "How is Caroline doing?" Tory asked after a few seconds. Bri sat with lowered head, her hands in fists on her thighs.

  "Good. She's good," Bri replied evenly without looking up. "She got a scholarship to study in France next year."

  "That's wonderful. The things I've seen that she's done are very good."

  Bri nodded her head, then reached for her fork and turned it aimlessly on the table. "Yeah, she's terrific. It will be good for hernext year."

  “ How long have you two been together? Three years?

  “ Four. Bris voice was barely a whisper.

  "It'll take some getting used toliving apart," Tory said softly.

  "I" Bri looked away. I can't get used to it. I don't know how to.

  Tory'd never seen Bri look so vulnerable, even in the hospital after she had been viciously beaten. Shed been so heartbreakingly strong then, mostly because shed probably thought Caroline needed her to be. Tory smiled, remembering the fierce look on Carolines face when shed stormed into the clinic, insisting that she be allowed to see Bri.

  Tory forcefully interrupted Carolines headlong dash down the hall.

>   "Wait a minute," Tory soothed, holding the struggling young woman. "It might be better if you see Bri tomorrow, Caroline. Itll be hard to see her like this."

  Caroline fixed Tory with a contemptuous glare. "Youre just like all the rest. You think just because were young that our feelings dont matter. Last night right about now, she was making love to me. Do you think that doesnt matter either?"

  "Thats not what I meant, Caroline. I know you care about her."

  " Care about her?" she said coldly. "What if it were Reese in there, Dr. King? Just how long would you wait out here in the hall?"

  Tory stared at her, knowing that it could easily be Reese under other circumstances. Just the thought made her ill.

  "Youre right. Im sorry," Tory said softly. "Nothing on earth would keep me away."

  She watched the pretty young blond, who now seemed so much older than her years, resolutely push through the doors to her lover.

  Hearing the uncertainty in Bris voice now, Tory realized that all of them, including her, had always assumed that Bri was the stronger of the pair. Probably because she looked it, with her swaggering charm and bold good looks. Appearances. God, how we let them deceive us. You dont know how strong Caroline really is, do you, my beautiful young one?

  "You know, Tory said gently, “it will probably be even harder for Caroline, being away from you and in a strange new country.

  Bri finally looked at her, a question in her eyes. "You think? It just seems like it would all be soexciting, that she mightforget."

  Gently, Tory rested her fingers on Bri's arm. "No, sweetie, I don't think that will happen."

  That slight, tender touch and the voice, soft with caring, sliced through the tenuous threads of Bris resolve. She was so scared most of the time, and so lost. It had all seemed so clear just a few months before. Now Carre was gone Oh, that cant be. Not really!

  Suddenly, Bri stood and strode rapidly to the rail. She held on to the wood, polished smooth by hundreds of hands, so tightly that her arms achedtrying to get her breath, waiting until she could speak around the tears crowding her throat. Eventually, in a voice held tightly in check, she said, "Reese showed me the baby pictures.