The Witching Hour

by Anina Collins

  Joining his officer, Derek frowned too. “Poppy, I’m sorry I have to say this. The town council and the mayor have decided you won’t be able to work with Alex anymore.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Derek’s words slowly registered in my brain, and I felt like I’d run headlong into a wall. Every day since I started working with Alex, I’d wondered when the word would come down from on high that it all had to end. They’d done him a huge favor when he joined the town’s police force by agreeing to let me partner with him on cases, but I always had a feeling it couldn’t last.

  Now that day had come, and as the reality sunk in, I knew no matter how I felt I had to respect Derek and his superiors. I couldn’t lash out, even if I wanted to, because I knew Alex had to work with them after I was out of the picture.

  But my chest hurt as I began to accept that my time as his partner had ended. I stood there in Derek’s bland office feeling like someone had just taken away an important part of my life. Alex stared down at the floor shaking his head.

  Taking a deep breath, I let it out and came up with something to say that sounded professional so he wouldn’t be embarrassed. “I understand. I just have something to tell you guys about Mrs. Henderson and then I’ll head out.”

  “No. This isn’t right,” Alex said in a low voice, still looking down at the floor.

  Derek gave me a sad look and shrugged. “I don’t have a choice, guys. I hope you know that. I fought them on this, but they had their minds set.”

  Looking up, Alex glared at him. “Then fight them more. Poppy shouldn’t have to stop working with me. Nothing that’s happening with this case warrants that.”

  I stood there stunned that he had pushed back on Derek’s claim that he had tried to change the council’s mind. Alex never did that. If anything, he was the quintessential team player. No matter what Derek assigned him, he never complained. He had more experience as a detective than the rest of the Sunset Ridge police force combined, yet still he never mentioned it, even as Derek scheduled him for overnight shifts and assigned him minor cases like missing garden planters or neighbor disputes over where a tree’s leaves should fall while officers like Stephen were assigned more important cases.

  I wanted to make this as easy on him as I could, so I faked a smile and waved the situation off like it didn’t bother me to have what I loved taken away. “It’s okay. I’m probably a pain most of the time anyway, right?”

  Expecting Alex to force a smile too, I stood there stunned once more when he spoke again, this time in a much louder and angrier voice. “Derek, this isn’t right. Poppy shouldn’t be shoved out because Stephen has made this entire police force look bad. If anything, she’s done more to help all of us than he ever has.”

  “Well, he made a big stink when they met with him and claimed that she was a problem. They’re looking to get rid of anything that could make the town look bad.”

  “So instead of firing a cop who kept his relationship with a victim a secret and could very well be her killer, they’re going to bother with Poppy?” Alex asked, his voice getting louder and louder.

  “It’s not a big deal. Really. It’s okay,” I lied, just wanting to diffuse the situation.

  He spun around to face me and shook his head violently. “No, it’s not okay! It’s not okay at all.”

  My mouth hung open at Alex’s outburst. I’d never seen him so angry. His eyes flashed fury, even at me. Taking a step back, I tried to speak but nothing came out.

  “Alex, there’s nothing I can do,” Derek said weakly. “She’s not a cop, so there’s nothing that can be done officially.”

  And there was the real truth of this whole situation. No matter what Stephen had been accused of, he was a cop and I wasn’t. He got the benefit of the doubt until it could be proven he was or wasn’t guilty. I’d done nothing against the law, but in their attempt to make sure nothing else could hurt the police reputation in town, I was easily expendable because I wasn’t a cop.

  I was just someone who tagged along with a cop.

  Alex shook his head again and pointed at me. “This woman is the reason I’m still working here. The only reason. When everyone else thought I was guilty of killing Bethany, including you, Poppy worked day and night to prove that I wasn’t. She’s helped me with every case since we started working together in ways that no other partner has ever done for me. I’m not going to let you stand there and claim that because she doesn’t wear a badge that she’s somehow less important than Stephen. He lied to all of us!”

  Derek looked at his officer in shock. When Alex finished, he stared at the chief waiting for him to answer, but he said nothing.

  I couldn’t let Alex do this. His career meant the world to him, and barking at his boss was wrong. Derek wasn’t to blame for this.

  “Please, Alex. Stop this. I found out from Mrs. Henderson that there was some change of programming the other night and that favorite show of hers didn’t come on until nine-thirty instead of at nine. Now she thinks Stephen might have been at her house until just before ten.”

  Both men focused on me for a few moments, but I saw by the anger still in his eyes that my news hadn’t swayed Alex from his position that forcing me to stop working with him was wrong.

  “See what I mean?” he said to Derek. “There was no reason to question that woman’s claim that he had left her house in enough time to do the crime. This is what Poppy brings to our cases. Because she’s not a cop, people say things to her that they wouldn’t say to us. And that’s just one of the many ways we benefit from her help.”

  Derek looked over toward me, his brows knitted. “So you’re saying Stephen couldn’t have killed her?”

  I shook my head. “It doesn’t seem like he would have had enough time.”

  Preoccupied with this news, he sat down behind his desk like the whole conversation had exhausted him. “I’ll have to tell him and then the council. Make sure you give me all the information before you go, okay, Poppy?”

  As he handed me a pen and paper, Alex slammed his hand down on the edge of Derek’s desk, startling both of us. “Before she goes? Why does she have to go now? Stephen is in the clear, and it’s because of what Poppy did that we know he couldn’t have killed Amy Perkins. Just tell the council and the mayor that everything’s fine and we’ll call them the next time we need money for uniforms or to get the cruisers fixed for the hundredth time.”

  I opened my mouth to once again say this wasn’t a problem, but Derek bolted out of his seat and stepped toward Alex until they were toe-to-toe. He tilted his chin up and leveled his gaze on his officer with a look like I’d never seen Derek give anyone before.

  “This isn’t open for discussion anymore, Alex. They’ve made their decision, and that’s it. It’s settled.”

  But Alex obviously didn’t agree. Setting his jaw defiantly, he drew his eyebrows in until they looked like two angry dark slashes on his forehead and narrowed his eyes.

  “I’ve done everything this department has asked of me since I became a cop in Sunset Ridge. I’ve done the dog and pony show for the town council every time you asked me to so we could get what we needed from those five men who couldn’t give a damn if we even have a building to work out of. I’ve paraded around ice cream socials and church picnics on my time off dressed in my uniform because you said it was good PR for the force. I’ve kept my relationship with Poppy almost completely behind closed doors, avoiding almost all public displays of affection and all in the name of being a cop this town can respect, even though my being happy in love with her and wanting to show her that outside her house or mine has nothing to do with my job or how well I do it.”

  Relenting for a moment, Derek quietly said, “I know, Alex.”

  But Alex wasn’t finished. “I’ve never once even argued with you when you haven’t assigned me to a case I’d be a hell of a lot better at and gave it to another cop who had almost no experience. I’ve done everything I can to make sure the people of this town see u
s as a police force they can trust and believe in. Ask yourself if you can say that about all of your officers. I’m asking you to go to bat for me with the council on this one thing, Derek.”

  I stood listening to this amazed at every word. I’d never complained about how we had to conduct our relationship because I’d always believed Alex wanted it that way. I knew him to be a private man, so naturally, it came as no surprise that he didn’t like public displays of affection. I’d never been the type of woman to hang all over her boyfriend, so it wasn’t like he ever denied me anything I ever needed.

  When we were alone, he made sure I never had reason to doubt how much he cared for me. That had always been enough for me, and I’d thought that it had been enough for him too.

  Now I realized his behavior had all been for the job. Not that this surprised me. Being a police officer was everything to Alex. He believed the life of a cop was a calling he’d had for so long he couldn’t remember a time when he didn’t want to serve.

  It was everything to him. What he thought about twenty-four hours a day. Above all else, Alex Montero was a dedicated public servant who believed in the job he’d devoted his life to. Whether he was wearing the uniform or not, he was still a cop.

  Derek hung his head and said what I knew bothered even him. “There’s nothing more I can do, Alex. They’ve made their decision.”

  “Then you can put Stephen back on this case as the lead officer because I’m done. After all I’ve done for this department and the one time I need you to stand by me you can’t…”

  His voice choked up, and he cleared his throat before continuing and stunning both Derek and me.

  “You’ll have my official resignation within the hour.”

  A feather could have knocked me over as my brain processed those terrible words that hung in the air. Derek lifted his head and stared at him, his mouth hanging open as the news that he’d lost his best officer filtered into his consciousness.

  Alex didn’t wait for his response, though. Turning toward me, he held out his hand and motioned with his chin toward the door. “Let’s go, Poppy.”

  I wanted to ask if he was sure of what he was doing. Being a cop meant the world to him. Why would he do this because of some stupid decision by the town council? It’s not like we weren’t still going to be together like we were now after work.

  But I didn’t say a thing. We’d have that conversation later in private. For now, I’d stand by him and his decision like I always did because I loved him.

  I placed my hand in his and smiled when he closed his fingers around it. It wouldn’t have been surprising if I felt it shake as we walked out, but I didn’t feel anything but the steady strength I always found in Alex.

  Behind us, Derek yelled, “Alex, wait! Don’t do this! You’re a good cop. We can work this out!”

  Alex squeezed my hand gently and looked back at him. “The only way we can work this out is if you convince the council that Poppy stays. Period. If that can’t happen, then there’s nothing more to talk about.”

  We waited to hear what Derek would say next, and for the first time, I worried that Alex had played this all wrong. He didn’t have to put his job on the line for me like this. I wasn’t sure it was worth it in the long run, and what if the council refused even knowing he wouldn’t return if they didn’t agree to his condition?

  Before I could whisper to him that he didn’t have to do any of this and that I was okay with what they’d decided, Derek came out into the hallway and said, “Let me talk to them before you go making any final decisions. I won’t take your resignation until I hear from them. Give me a couple hours, okay?”

  “Fine. I’ll wait to hear what you find out.”

  With that, we walked out hand in hand into the blazing heat that had settled in for the fifth straight day in a row and began walking toward my house. Confused and more than a little disappointed that we weren’t going toward his car, I tugged on his arm to get his attention.

  “Hey, your car is over there, Alex. Where are we going?”

  He looked down at me and shook his head. “I need to blow off a little steam, so I hope you’ll be okay with walking. Anyway, I think it’s time this town saw that we’re together as a couple. I’m tired of hiding what I feel for you because of this uniform.”

  “Are you sure? You don’t have to do that for me. I know how you feel about us, and I don’t care who else knows.”

  He smiled in that sexy way that never failed to make me crazy about him. “Well, I do. Maybe the town council wouldn’t feel like they can do this if they knew how I felt about you. I’ve done everything I can for this town from the moment I agreed to help you on that first case, and I expected better from them. They seem to want to make Stephen happy even after he lied, then Derek can assign this case to him. Let him solve it. Or let Craig. I don’t care. I’m done if they won’t let you stay.”

  We walked down Main Street together as people walked toward us, and I noticed not one of them even bothered to look down at where we held hands. They smiled at Alex, saying, “Hello, Officer Montero,” or said hi to both of us with a pleasant “How are you two today?”

  Not a single fellow Sunset Ridge citizen frowned at the sight of us so obviously displaying our relationship. True, we weren’t exactly draped over one another or pawing each other as we walked down the street, but we were holding hands like couples did and nobody cared.

  Except the two of us. We cared.

  I basked in the happiness of knowing that we could be seen together this way and not have to keep all our feelings to ourselves and behind closed doors. It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

  We crossed Main Street to head toward my house, and when we were alone again, I asked him, “Why was it such a big deal that the council said I couldn’t work cases with you anymore?”

  I expected him to say that they’d agreed when he took the job that I could partner with him and reneging meant he’d have to take on a new partner. I knew Alex well enough to know the loner part of him preferred not to have a fellow cop to work with.

  But he didn’t answer like that. And the way he answered my question made all my worries about the future of our relationship and where we were going with it disappear.

  Alex stopped and turned to face me. He looked down at me with an expression of love in his eyes that I usually only saw when we were alone at one of our homes.

  “Poppy, what I said back there to Derek about you being the only reason I was still a Sunset Ridge police officer was true. Even more true is that you believed in me when no else would. You fought for me when I needed it most. How could I not fight for you when the mayor and council wanted to just cast you aside?”

  As tears welled in my eyes, I looked down at where our hands joined together. “Are you sure this is a hill you want to die on?”

  Lifting my chin with his finger, he smiled sweetly at me. “You’re the most important thing in my life, Poppy. Disrespecting you is disrespecting me.”

  “But I’m not a cop, Alex. It’s just a fact.”

  “You care as much about our cases as I do. You worry about what clues mean and think about each and every suspect as much as me. I don’t care if you’re not a cop. You’re an investigator and my partner. I made it clear when I agreed to take the job that you were part of the deal. That’s the hill I’m willing to die on.”

  I smiled up at him, even as I worried that at some point he’d regret what he’d done. “I love you, Alex. Thank you for saying all of that back there to Derek. It meant more to me than you could ever imagine.”

  “All I did was say the truth. Nothing more and nothing less. Since I first met you, I thought the people in this town underestimated you. Today told me they still are. As the man who loves you, it’s my responsibility to show them how wrong they are.”

  I wanted to tell him how foolish I’d been for worrying for the past few weeks about where we were going and what kind of future we had together, but I kept that to mys
elf for the moment. We had more important things to talk about anyway.

  As we started walking again, I brought his hand up to my lips and placed a kiss on his knuckles. “So Officer Montero, what about this case? Now that we know Stephen likely isn’t the killer, we’re left with Tamara the shrew and Kellen the awful boyfriend. Have you thought about which one you think is our murderer?”

  Alex smiled and shook his head. “No, I haven’t. In fact, I have no intention of thinking about that case for the rest of the day.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. How could he ignore the Amy Perkins case?

  “What do you mean?” I asked, stopping and tugging his arm as he continued to walk.

  Turning around, he shrugged. “What? Don’t I deserve a day off?”

  “Yeah, I guess, but the case. You aren’t just going to stop thinking about it. How can you?”

  He flashed me a sexy grin. “I figured I’d have something else to occupy my time. The case will be there tomorrow, and if Derek doesn’t convince the town council to let you come back, then there will be no tomorrow at all for that case and me. Stephen will handle it. In the meantime, I want to relax in your cool house with a glass of something cold and think about nothing but the woman I love by my side. Are you in?”

  Of course I was in. It wasn’t every day that Alex and I got to have a day together without either one of us worrying about work. I just hoped I could be like him and not think about who killed Amy Perkins, even if I wasn’t officially a part of the case anymore.

  “Air conditioning and you in relaxation mode? I’m all in,” I said with a smile.

  Pulling me toward my house, he winked at me. “Good. Let’s make the most of today, Poppy. Whatever happens with the town council and this case, it can happen tomorrow.”

  I loved that idea as much as I loved him.

  Chapter Seventeen

  I stretched my legs under Alex’s as we lay on the couch watching TV for the fourth hour in a row. Looking up at him, I saw even though he hadn’t said a word since telling me he had to get a drink two episodes ago, he wasn’t asleep. He just stared at the TV like he was completely engrossed in the show.