by Carsen Taite
“She’s living with your buddy and you don’t know anything about her?” She coughed into her hand and muttered, “Bullshit.”
I glossed over everything she said, distracted by the fact she called Chance my “buddy.” Really? Guess she and her team of super sleuths hadn’t been tailing us last night when we were at the bar. If they had, she might have had to come up with a different word for our relationship, but I didn’t have a clue what it would be. I resisted the urge to get into a conversation about my relationship with Chance, and focused on Diamond’s question.
“I know she’s a doctor. She moved here from Chicago. She drives a fancy car. She’s hot, if you like redheaded supermodel types. That’s about it.”
“She’s a person of interest.”
“Maybe you think so. I prefer blondes.”
“Don’t play dumb. You know what I mean.”
I did, but I’d purposely ignored her cop-speak. Diamond was telling me Heather Deveaux was the target of an investigation. My jealous self should’ve been elated. Maybe the Feds would haul her back to Chicago in a cross-country perp walk. Maybe she’d do time, lose her fancy car, her fancy clothes. Lose Jess.
My stomach clenched. Jess liked the girl. No matter what had happened between us last night, Jess was in a relationship with Deveaux. She would protect her with all the loyalty she saved for the people she cared the most about. I knew how fierce that loyalty was. If she found out I knew whatever Diamond was about to tell me, I would be on the other side, one of the ones Jess had to protect her girl against. I didn’t want to be on that side.
But my own sense of loyalty kicked in. What if the good doctor wasn’t everything Jess thought she was? What if she’d been lying to Jess, using her? Didn’t I have a right to protect the person I cared about? How could I do that if I didn’t know the whole story? I could at least listen to what Diamond had to say and then talk to Jess.
I knew it was a bad plan, but once I set it in motion, I couldn’t stop. I motioned to a picnic bench about fifty feet from the trail, and we walked over and took a seat. “Okay, spill. And don’t give me any crap about how it’s an ongoing investigation and you can’t give me specifics. You brought it up; you better have some details.”
She nodded. “First off, it’s not my case.”
Already she was dancing around the subject. I pushed back from the table, but she raised a hand. “Wait, wait. I only said that so you don’t blame me for whatever trouble your pals are in.”
I cringed at the offhand reference to “pals.” Jess was more than that. Way more. And because she was, the doctor would never be my pal. “Just tell the story.”
“We’ve had a team following you for a few days. Shocked?” She smiled since she knew I’d made them. “One of the guys has been writing down the plate numbers every time you stop somewhere. We usually only run them if there’s a reason to be suspicious, and we didn’t have a reason until you started taking pictures of Deveaux’s car.”
Great. Guess I was partly to blame for the shiny spotlight the Feds had beamed onto Deveaux.
“They would’ve found her eventually.”
I could tell she meant to be comforting, but the words fell flat. “Go on.”
“She recently left a big, thriving practice in Chicago. All the doctors are super wealthy. Like way too wealthy for folks who treat hoards of Medicare patients. You get where I’m going?”
I did, but I also knew that law enforcement types, who don’t make much, had a tendency to think rich folks all thrived from ill-gotten gains or at least stepping on the backs of little people. Still, Medicare practices don’t usually translate into rich docs. “You think she’s committed fraud, right?”
“Like I said, it’s not my case. But yes, the agent in charge of the investigation thinks all the doctors are involved. They served some subpoenas, and all of the sudden, Deveaux takes off. Not a word to her partners. She just moves to Texas and starts living with a cop who knows enough to get her one of the best attorneys in town.”
I had a million questions, but most of them weren’t for Diamond. Good thing, since it wasn’t her case and all. No, my questions were for Jess. Where had she met Deveaux? How much did she know about what was going on? If she knew it all, then what was she doing mixed up in something that could lose her badge—protecting a criminal?
Didn’t matter how many questions I had, Jess wasn’t likely to talk to me. Not after last night. She’d acted almost embarrassed, as if giving me a hand job outside of a strip club wasn’t what she should’ve been doing last night. Maybe she thought she should’ve been home with Deveaux instead. And maybe she was right.
But Diamond owed me some answers. I started with the easy stuff. “Did your folks arrest the doctor?”
“No. Like I said, she’s just a person of interest. But you might tell your pal that if her girlfriend wants to be one of the first in the door, I hear there’s a deal to be made.”
“You’re assuming she’s guilty of something.”
“Innocent people don’t run.”
“Who said she ran? Maybe she just decided to spend her winter in a warmer climate.”
“You under her spell too, huh?”
Too? “Not me. Just trying to see both sides.”
“Well, make sure you keep an open mind. Detective Chance has decided we’re the devil, picking on her girlfriend.”
“I don’t think they’re that close.” How close could they be if Jess was willing to leave her in her darkest hour and meet me at a strip club? I knew I was wrong, though. They were close, but how they got that way was the mystery I needed to solve. Diamond wasn’t going to have those answers, so I changed the subject.
“By the way, I think you’re about to get some help with your fake prescription case.”
“Excuse me?”
“You remember our friend, Laura? I mean Yvonna Hump? She gave me her source, but don’t worry, I gave the info to the cops. Like any good citizen would do.”
“You’re fucking kidding. Who did you tell?” She slammed a hand on the table. “Tell me now.” I knew she’d be pissed that I’d given the lead to the locals, but I didn’t have a clue she’d go ballistic. Her overblown reaction to details drove me to be vague. “I have some old friends on the force. I just passed along the info. They might not even do anything with it.” I stood up. I’d gotten all I was going to get out of this conversation. Time to get out before I gave more than I got.
I couldn’t resist a parting shot. “If you plan to follow me today, I plan to go home and take a big long nap. Then some food. Then maybe I’ll get laid. Enjoy.”
She couldn’t help it. Her frown softened into a smile and I knew she’d enjoy watching at least one of those activities.
*
It may seem counterproductive to wake up, run, and then go right back to bed, but I’m convinced there is no better sleep than the kind cushioned by endorphins. Within minutes after getting back to my apartment, I fell into a deep sleep full of productive dreams. I got more done in those four hours than a week of awake time. And it was all easy. Totally unlike my dream from the afternoon before, I woke up refreshed and ready to take on the world. Or at least eat it. I was starving.
I considered ordering pizza. I don’t usually order delivery since I hate waiting for food and it’s just as easy to walk down the street to Maggie’s, but I didn’t feel like doing all the things I’d need to do in order to go outside. Like brush my teeth and put on shoes. I dialed the number stored in my phone and ordered a Big Brother, well done, and agreed to pay extra for delivery since I didn’t live close enough. Would totally be worth it. I Fratelli’s pizza was thin and crisp, unlike the cheap doughy crap with too much sauce like the pizza place around the corner served.
About thirty minutes later, my phone rang. I hoped it wasn’t the pizza guy, calling to tell me he’d gotten lost. It wasn’t, but it was an angry customer. I listened to my dad bluster for a few minutes before I cut in. “Dad, slow down and tell me
what’s wrong.”
“What did you do to get me banned from Bingo’s?”
Uh oh. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Is that so? How come when I went there last night, Bingo wouldn’t even let me through the door. He said I should talk to you and you could explain why.”
If he’d been banned last night, I was surprised he hadn’t called me on the spot. Of course, he sounded so drunk now, I was willing to bet he’d left Bingo’s, started drinking, and hadn’t stopped since. “Look, I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding. I’ll talk to Bingo and get it all straightened out.” Maybe he was so drunk he wouldn’t even remember this conversation.
“You better,” he slurred. “Known him a long time. Don’t need my nosy daughter messing in my business.” He hung up before I could point out that I barely ever messed in his business, but his new girlfriend, on the other hand, was the queen of bossy.
Ten minutes later, I heard a knock on the door and opened it, expecting my Big Brother. I was surprised to see a little brother instead. My little brother.
He grabbed me up in a bear hug before I could take evasive action. He’d always been more touchy feely than me. At six feet, he was barely taller, but the skinny frame of his teen years had transformed into that of a muscular man. I might have a hard time wrestling him to the ground as I had so many times during our youth.
When he finally set me down, I backed up to get a better look. He was even more handsome than the picture on Dad’s fridge. His dark brown hair was neatly trimmed—he probably paid a barber rather than using my DIY trim method. He wore tan pants and a really expensive looking sweater like it was a second skin. No one would guess that beneath the smooth good looks lurked a super nerd. I wondered if his wife-to-be dressed him.
“What are you doing here?”
“If you’d ever answer your phone, you’d know.”
I shook my head and he frowned at my puzzled look. “I’ve been calling you for days, but you never answer.”
“I have your number programmed in. Not a single call from you.” My curt words were as close as I’d get to admitting I was pissed that he’d told everyone he was getting married except his only sister.
“What number do you have?”
My memory flashed back to all the blocked numbers I hadn’t answered. I walked over to the kitchen counter and picked up my phone. As I scrolled through the contacts, he made himself comfortable on my couch.
“Nice place you have here.”
I could hear the light vein of sarcasm running beneath his words, but I wasn’t going to be nudged into a debate on better homes. “It works for me.” Before he could say anything else, I strode over and shoved my phone at him. “See? There’s your number.”
He read the display. “Luca, I haven’t had that number for months. Didn’t Dad give you my new number?”
We both knew the answer. If he’d given it to Dad, chances were only fifty-fifty the information would filter through whatever alcohol haze he was in to pass it along to me. And even then, it might not be right. The harder truth was neither one of us had bothered to call each other for well on six months. And even now, the only reason he’d been calling me was to tell me about a major life event. If he wasn’t getting married, who knows when I would have heard from him or him from me?
“You could’ve left a message. You didn’t need to fly out here just to tell me you’re becoming enslaved.”
He laughed. “Don’t flatter yourself, sis. I had to be here anyway. Wedding stuff. Don’t ask me what, but it involves dinner with the in-laws. Besides, I didn’t want to tell you my news in a message. I wanted to hear your voice when I told you I was getting married, and then asked you a very important question. This is even better because I can see your reaction.”
Uh-oh. Visions of creepy wedding stuff invaded my brain. I prayed that six months with no contact hadn’t caused my brother to forget that I hated all things sweet and frilly. Maybe he just wanted me to show his bride-to-be around. Oh no, couldn’t be that. She’d grown up here. But she might not know where all the good dyke bars were. I could take her to a softball game, go out for beer after. She’d have a grand time.
Mark punched me in the arm. “Did you hear a word I said?” he asked.
Last thing I remembered was the prelude to the important question. “Guess not. What’s the question?”
“I want you to be my best man, woman, whatever. I want you to stand up with me, carry the ring, make sure I don’t pass out. You know, all that stuff.”
He’d started out strong, but by the time he finished, he was red-faced and shy. And me? Well, I was blown away. Battling thoughts warred in my brain and I shared them. “Kind of bucking tradition, aren’t you? How does your bride feel about that? She has that traditional girl kind of look about her.”
He raised his eyebrows and I answered the unasked question. “Your sappy couple picture is on Dad’s fridge.”
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Her family’s pretty traditional, but she’s awesome. You think I’d be marrying her otherwise?”
“Truth? I didn’t think you’d ever get married.”
“Oh. Really?”
He was genuinely surprised, which surprised me. “You know, after the great example we got from Mom and Dad? And then Mom and Larry, and Mom and Barry, and Mom and…” I was making up names, but I hadn’t seen any sense in memorizing the details about our serial monogamist mother’s many partners. “You know, you said you’d be an old bachelor before you ever lived with someone you’d grow to hate.”
Despite my prodding, Mark’s eyes still had that dreamy “other people may not be able to find true love, but I did” look. Interesting. How could we both have such distinctly different memories of our childhood, or at least distinctly different paths from it?
“I was like thirteen when I said all that.”
I stubbornly refused to concede the truth of my memories. “And then you moved as far away as possible when you were old enough. You barely ever dated, even in college.”
“Who had time? I was majoring in the computer equivalent of rocket science.” He laughed, big and loud. “What? You thought I was going to be a lonely old man?”
“Oh.” My turn to be surprised and a little embarrassed. Apparently, my memories were the ones that were skewed.
“Hell, even Dad’s found a girl.”
I didn’t bother telling him that Maggie might deck him if he called her a “girl.” Doubtless he’d find that out when he met her. Maybe I should take him over there now, have a few beers, and let him size up what his future looked like. A knock on the door rousted my memory.
“I ordered pizza,” I explained as I answered the door. I shoved a twenty at the delivery guy and set the pizza on the counter. “Beer would go great with this, but my fridge is a wasteland.”
He stood. “I can go get some. We have a lot to talk about.”
I hadn’t forgotten his “big” question, but I’d managed to duck it. Here in the apartment with just the two of us, it would be hard to avoid. I grabbed the pizza box. “Better yet, let’s take the pizza to the beer. Come with me.”
Maggie wouldn’t be thrilled I’d brought my own food to her place, but it did mean I wouldn’t have to eat a crummy turkey sandwich or run up a huge tab. Well, except for beer. I had a feeling I’d be drinking a lot of beer tonight.
Maggie rushed over the minute we walked in and sucked Mark into a huge hug. “I’ve heard so much about you! I would know you anywhere.” She stepped back and held him at arm’s length while she looked him up and down. She pulled him back into a hug and then led us to the bar.
As I’d hoped, Maggie monopolized my time with Mark. Way to avoid any personal interaction with my brother. Wasn’t that I wasn’t glad to see him, but I was a little leery of him. This grown-up, put together, handsome guy wasn’t the nerdy little boy who hid under his bed every time our parents got into one of their screaming matc
hes. The Mark in my mind would’ve shown up wearing ragged jeans, a heavy metal T-shirt, and Coke bottle glasses. He wouldn’t be all gaga over a girl. He might even think they were strange and icky. We’d stayed in touch over the years, but apparently, our interactions were way more surface level than I’d realized.
“So you both like girls.” Leave it to Maggie to point out our similarities. “Mark, you think Luca here is ever going to get married?”
I choked on my beer, but Mark just laughed. “I don’t know, Maggie. Is she seeing anyone special?”
“Let me see, there was talk a while back about a Latin lawyer, but she turned out to be a piece of work. Maybe even a criminal.” Maggie stage-whispered those last words. “And then there was this cop. Now, I don’t generally like cops. They are too much in your business, but this one was real nice. Kind. And sweet.”
I willed her to stop talking, but my silent pleas went unanswered. Maggie extolled Jess’s virtues for a few more minutes, talking about how Jess had helped her brother, before she turned to me and asked, “You still with her? You never bring her around anymore.”
I took a deep breath to force myself not to answer too quickly. “No. I mean, I was never ‘with’ her. She’s a friend. An old friend. Just a friend.”
“Right. She’s not just a friend, unless she’s one of those ‘special friends.’” Finger quotes emphasized “special.”
I was mortified. My “special” friendship with Jess was a distant memory. No matter what had happened between us last night, Jess had gone home to be with Deveaux, her new friend. Her girlfriend. It’d been hard enough hearing Jess say the word, but it felt positively nasty in my mouth. To cleanse, I spat it out. Loud. “She has a girlfriend. A doctor.” I have no clue why I added the extra detail. Did it bother me that Jess found a professional more worthy of her affections than a blue-collar scuff like me?
I shook my head. No, that wasn’t it. Maybe it was just that I knew the doctor wasn’t all that, but Jess was blind to her faults. Of course she was. She cared about her. I didn’t care about her, but even I couldn’t put words to the nagging sensation that all wasn’t what it seemed when it came to the doctor. And Jess deserved better than that. Way better. Yep, that’s why I cared. I wanted the very best for my good friend.
