“What did it say?” Sienna asked. She unwrapped her own cookie while eyeing Juliet’s tiny slip of paper lying in a scattered pile of rice.
“These things are so stupid. They just recycle old clichés and stick them in a mildly sweet dessert shell.”
Sienna snatched the fortune from Juliet’s plate before she could slap her hand away. “It can’t be that bad. Oh. See? It’s sweet.” Sienna dropped the fortune back onto Juliet’s plate like it had stung her, and this time it landed face up. The love of your life is right in front of your eyes.
“What does yours say?” Juliet swallowed hard.
“It says ‘All things are difficult before they are easy.’ Good to know,” Sienna said. She popped one half of the cookie into her mouth.
“Might as well say ‘Every cloud has a silver lining.’ Isn’t that usually the gist of these things?”
Sienna laughed. “Yes. Usually.” She started cleaning up the table and throwing their trash into the waste bin near the door. “I should let you get back to work. Thank you so much for having dinner with me tonight.”
Juliet stood and pushed in her chair. “No, this was great, actually. Just what I needed to take my mind off of things for a little while. Thank you.” She walked up to Sienna as she was adjusting the purse on her shoulder. Juliet leaned in to give her a half-hug, not sure if they had a hug good-bye kind of relationship or if a simple see ya later would have been more acceptable, but for some reason, she kind of wanted a hug.
Sienna turned into her hug and embraced Juliet fully. “Thanks again,” she whispered, sending a shiver up Juliet’s back. When they broke apart, Juliet smiled and rolled her shoulders.
“Okay. Let’s do this again?” Juliet said, walking Sienna to the front entrance.
“Yes. Definitely. Call me. Or I’ll text you. Or…something. Okay, good night.”
Juliet waved as Sienna walked outside to her car. What the hell was that? She watched Sienna pull out into the street. It was unlike her to be all goofy around anyone, let alone Will’s wife. Estranged wife. Separated wife. Soon-to-be-ex-wife? Either way, it was probably best to stuff the strange emotions that were swirling inside her into a black hole where they could never be found again. Ever.
Chapter Eight
Sienna hadn’t had a dream like that in years. She sat up, breathing in deeply. Her satin pillowcase was mildly damp with sweat. She ran her fingers across her clammy forehead and smiled in spite of herself.
It was mostly a foggy memory now, but she could still remember the basics. She’d been in her bedroom playing guitar, (she didn’t even own a guitar, but hey, it was a dream) when someone had walked into her room by mistake. It was Juliet, looking for Declan. Sienna had told her Declan was out, but Juliet didn’t leave. She came closer and closer until they were face-to-face. Before she knew what was happening, they were kissing and clawing and ending up in a messy pile of sheets on her bed.
Her stupid alarm clock blaring in her ear had prevented them from going any further. She got out of bed and walked into the bathroom attached to her bedroom. It was big and spacious and everything in it was bright white. What had once seemed so modern and stylish now seemed sterile. Sienna turned the shower on and leaned against the sink while it heated up.
Did she really think of Juliet in that way? She was beautiful, made even more so by the casual way she carried herself. She left her light blond hair down most of the time, only fixing it into a low bun when she was on duty. She was muscular and confident, and her smile was contagious. Fuck. Thinking of Juliet as anything more than a friend, or Declan’s mother, or Will’s past, was an invitation to chaos. But it wasn’t like there was any point in putting too much thought into it. People had silly crushes all the time, they didn’t mean anything. Juliet was a friend who understood what she was going through, and it was logical that she’d be the one Sienna’s mind turned to for comfort. She shook her head, trying to clear out the impure thoughts before she got into the shower. It didn’t work.
* * *
By the time she’d arrived at the hospital, Sienna had focused herself on Gretchen Kowalski and the tough road ahead of her. Not only would she have to recover from her accident, but she would have to do it without her husband of forty years. Endless physical therapy and emotional setbacks would make healing that much harder, especially under a cloud of grief.
“Hey,” Sienna said softly. Gretchen’s head was turned toward the window, where she seemed to be staring intently at her view of a brick wall, with a sliver of sky above it. Sienna gently touched her foot.
“Oh, hi. Did the police catch him yet?” Gretchen looked at her hopefully, which caused Sienna’s heart to fracture.
“I don’t think so. But I know they’re working on it. Lieutenant Mitchell has been working round the clock to figure out what happened.”
“I can tell you what happened. Someone tried to kill me and then killed Richard. Maybe it was a gang initiation. I saw it on Crime Files once.” Gretchen sounded monotone and resigned.
Indulging her wasn’t a good idea, but neither was shooting her down. Sienna decided sticking to the script was the best way to go. “They’ll investigate all angles, I’m sure of it. Right now, we need to focus on you. How are you feeling?”
“Like shit.”
Fair enough. She’d still been in shock on their previous visit, so it only made sense that she was feeling a little belligerent once the truth had set in.
“I don’t doubt that. Your body has been through a good deal of trauma on top of your tremendous loss.”
“The truck was red.”
Sienna perked up. “What truck was red?”
“The truck that ran me off the road. I just got a flash of it when it pulled up alongside my car. I didn’t remember it until just now.”
“That’s great, Gretchen. Really helpful information. And you’re sure about the color? And that it was a truck?” Sienna asked, writing furiously in her notebook. These were obviously questions for the police, but she wanted to get as much as she could while it was clear in Gretchen’s mind.
“Yes, I’m sure, I wouldn’t have said it if I wasn’t sure. It was a red pickup truck.” Gretchen reached for the cup of water on her tray but gasped in pain before she could reach it. Sienna picked it up and placed it gently in her hand.
“Has your daughter been able to make it in to see you?” Sienna asked.
Gretchen looked at her distrustfully. “What exactly is it that you do? When I was first brought here, the policewoman asked if I wanted someone to talk to, to support me through all this. Apparently, I said yes. Are you a cop?”
“No, not a cop. I’m a victim advocate, which is someone who works with victims of crime. It could be any kind of crime, from domestic abuse to sexual abuse to a victim of an attempted homicide. Basically, anyone who has been a victim has a right to an advocate. We make sure that you’re not alone in making decisions or confronting your perpetrator.” Sienna edged her chair closer to Gretchen’s bed. “If you need to go to court for any reason, or meet with a judge, I’d accompany you on those trips as well.”
“You sound like a cop. If you are a cop, shouldn’t you be finding out who tried to kill me? Why my husband is dead?”
“I’m not part of the police force, but I do work inside a police station. We work closely with law enforcement, so our clients have every opportunity to pursue the justice they deserve.”
Gretchen nodded. “What about Rich? What kind of justice does he deserve?”
Sienna said nothing, since it was clearly a rhetorical question. Gretchen wiped at her eyes and pressed the call button for her nurse.
“Are you okay?” Sienna asked.
“I’m feeling things again. It’s better when I feel nothing.” Gretchen sniffed. “And yes, my daughter came by yesterday for a little bit. So did what’s-her-name, that secretary who worked with Rich at the library. I pretended to be asleep when she came in though. Don’t like her much.”
“How
come?”
Gretchen shrugged. “She’s sweet. Sickly sweet. I’ve always felt like she’s putting on a show. But anyway, I don’t feel like talking right now. We can play This is Your Life next time you come by.”
A nurse dressed in light green scrubs with a stethoscope around her neck came in to check on Gretchen. Sienna stood and walked to the other side of the curtain while they spoke.
A light knock sounded on the door before it opened slightly. Juliet walked into the room with her hat in her hands.
“Hey.” Juliet smiled when she saw Sienna. “You’re here. How is she?”
Sienna couldn’t help but return her smile, even though her meeting with Gretchen had been less than stellar. “I’m glad you’re here. She told me a few things you’ll find useful, I think. Otherwise, she’s disheartened, as is expected. Angry.”
“Is she taking it out on you?” Juliet asked.
“Not really. She doesn’t see me as being very helpful at the moment, which I can understand. She wants you to catch who did this to them, but she’s not sure who to trust right now. She seems to be in some form of denial, and she’s being abrupt and angry because of it. I’ve dealt with much worse, believe me. I think the nurse is upping her morphine a little to dull the pain. And to let her sleep, which is probably the best thing right now.” Sienna sighed as she heard the nurse pressing buttons on one of the many machines Gretchen was hooked up to.
“What did she tell you?” Juliet asked.
“That it was a red pickup truck that pushed her off the road. I asked her if she was sure about both it being a truck and the color of it, and she assured me that she was. Maybe that will give you a place to start, if you haven’t found one yet.” Sienna internally chastised herself for noticing how shiny Juliet’s lips were. She must have applied some type of lip gloss before entering the room. Not the time or the place. Damn dream.
“That’s huge, actually. We don’t have much right now, to be honest. I’m going back over to the library later today to see what else I can dig up. Quinlan talked to Gretchen about their ‘enemies,’ and not surprisingly, she couldn’t come up with any. There were some disruptive kids Rich had thrown out of the library a time or two, but that hardly seems like a motive for murder.” Juliet shrugged, seemingly frustrated.
“No, not particularly. Maybe she’ll remember more or think of something significant as time goes on. Her life has been turned completely upside down.”
“Very true. If she’s going to sleep for a while, I’ll head back to the station and ask one of the guys there if they can get a list of registered red pickup trucks in the area. How many can there possibly be?” Juliet rolled her eyes.
“Okay, sounds good. I’m going to head back to the house and work out of my home office for a couple of hours. I have a few court cases coming up that I really need to prep for.” Sienna wanted to suggest meeting up again in the near future. Not the time or the place, she told herself once again. She gathered her things and gave Juliet a slight wave, and they both mumbled some obligatory parting comments. Juliet seemed to hesitate before walking away, but Sienna didn’t want to assume. Damn dream.
Chapter Nine
Declan walked toward his bus engrossed in his phone, his wireless AirPods blocking all sound from the outside world. Juliet tried to wave him down with giant, swooping arm motions, but he didn’t turn in her direction. She finally hightailed it over to him and grabbed his backpack before he could board the bus, catching him completely off guard.
“Shit, Mom,” he said, clearly startled by Juliet’s interception.
“Language. Sorry, I called your name like ten times and tried to get your attention, but of course you didn’t hear me.” Juliet flicked the bottom of Declan’s AirPod.
“Is everything okay?” Declan asked, glancing at her squad car.
“Yeah, everything’s fine. I just wanted to see my son’s smiling face after dealing with so much doom and gloom over the past few days,” Juliet said.
“Am I smiling?” Declan ran his hand over his mouth.
“Nah, that was just wishful thinking on my part. I’m meeting the chief over at the library in a little bit, so I thought I’d see if you wanted to grab a quick bite before you went to Dad’s. You can stay at home tonight if you want to. I shouldn’t be too late. I think Celeste and Brooke are coming over to watch the game. Celeste said the Sox could clinch in the next few weeks.” Juliet pulled her sunglasses down over her eyes as they walked across the street toward the Gray Café. The sun wasn’t out, really, but it was peeking from behind the storm clouds just enough to make Juliet squint.
“I’d rather just stay at Dad’s tonight, honestly. If you don’t mind. That’s where my Xbox is and I’m supposed to play Smell of Death with a few of the guys from school later on. I hate starting school in the middle of summer.”
“Oh. Sure, that’s fine. It’s not exactly the middle of summer. September is in a week. What system do you have at our house?”
“PlayStation.”
“You can’t just play on that one?”
Declan shook his head, amused. “It doesn’t work that way. If everyone is playing on one system, you can’t play on a different one and join up with them. Do you want me home for some reason?”
“No, not at all. Just miss your sparkling personality around the house,” Juliet said as she opened the door to the café, letting Declan enter first.
“It’s been, like, two days.”
“Whatever. Just sit somewhere and let’s eat,” Juliet said.
They grabbed a table near the window. Juliet adjusted her utility belt so her flashlight wasn’t stabbing her in the lower back. “The usual?” she asked.
“Yup.”
Declan ordered his standard fare: cheeseburger, chips, and a Coke. Juliet echoed his order for herself and was surprised to see Declan smiling at her when she put the menu back into its metal holder.
“What?” she asked.
“How was your date with Sienna the other night?”
“My what?” Juliet said, coughing.
“Your date with Sienna,” Declan repeated, much slower for effect.
“It was not a date. Why would you even say that?” Juliet lowered her voice, realizing that she was nearly shouting. “Why would you say that?”
“She told me she was going out to have dinner with you. Isn’t that kinda weird? It’s not like you guys are friends.” Declan shrugged.
“We are too friends,” Juliet said, sounding like a five-year-old. “We’ve kept in touch ever since we drove you up to camp together. She’s very nice.”
“Well, I’m glad it wasn’t a date. I was kidding because that would be way too weird. It would be a lot easier if Dad moved back into the main house and I didn’t have to be a kid from a fractured home.”
Juliet blanched. “You’re already from a fractured home, remember? I’ve never lived with your dad and you’ve done just fine.”
“Yeah, but that’s different. You and Dad were never a couple, so it’s not like I was missing anything. I’ve just gotten used to having Sienna around, I guess. I’m sure they can fix whatever Dad broke.” Declan’s eyes lit up as the waitress set his plate down in front of him.
“How do you know your dad broke it?” Juliet found it amusing that Declan just assumed it was his father’s fault. He’d only been three or four the last time Will had gone through a breakup.
He crunched through a bunch of chips before answering. “Isn’t it?”
She wasn’t sure how to answer that. Sienna had implied that the fault lay with both of them, for different reasons. She had moved too quickly, Will was content with the status quo. That seemed a little too heavy to get into with her fifteen-year-old son. “Not entirely. Things are rarely that simple when it comes to relationships.”
“Still. Maybe they’ll just both apologize and realize they’ve been being stupid. Then things can just go back to normal. That house is so awkward right now.”
Juliet nodded bu
t didn’t say anything. She concentrated on her napkin and refolded it a few times. She didn’t think that Sienna and Will would be reconciling any time soon. And for that inexplicable reason that she refused to address, she didn’t necessarily want them to.
* * *
Juliet had been friends with Celeste Jeffries since high school. Their paths had always run parallel, and they’d shared the dream of becoming first responders. Years later, when Celeste admitted to Juliet that she had a girlfriend and not a boyfriend, as she’d implied, Juliet had laughed. They were more similar than they’d realized. Celeste had been a wonderful aunt-type figure for Declan, and they were still close, at least as close as Declan would allow without damaging his reputation as a tough guy who didn’t need anyone.
“Are the prints guys finished with Kowalski’s office?” Celeste swiped a tortilla chip through the melted cheddar and salsa Juliet had put out.
“Yeah, they should be. I’m going back over there tomorrow. Quinlan is going through their house with a fine-tooth comb. Gretchen finally acquiesced earlier today. He didn’t want her to feel completely powerless in the matter. She admitted she was afraid that everyone in town would look at her differently if we saw her private things, you know, inside her closets and under her bed. Quinlan promised her that nothing would be broadcast on Channel Five, so she agreed.” Juliet flopped onto the couch.
“Leland heard Gretchen telling Will’s wife that she didn’t know how she was supposed to live without him, how they’d been together for so long—”
“Ex-wife,” Juliet interjected, and then cringed.
“They’re divorced?” Celeste said, her chip only making it halfway to her mouth. “When did that happen? Why didn’t you tell me? That’s huge news.”
“Well, not exactly divorced, but they’re separated. I’m pretty sure it’s just a matter of time at this point. I didn’t tell you?” Juliet busied herself with plastic cups and paper plates.
“No, I definitely would have remembered that. She is super hot by the way. I forgot about that until I saw her at the hospital the other day. I’m surprised Will wants a divorce.” Celeste resumed her nacho consumption.
Heart of the Storm Page 5
