Murders & Romance, page 5
Newman stared into his eyes for the longest of moments, and Isaac knew he was evaluating every word, gesture, and nuance.
“If you’d like to talk some more about the loss you and your fiancée have suffered, come see me.”
Isaac narrowed his eyes. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
“I’m clear to keep working?”
“You’re short-handed, remember?”
Isaac stared at him, twisting his lips.
Newman grinned. “You’re fine, Sergeant. I’ll be sure to let your lieutenant know.”
Isaac stood and moved toward the door.
“Thanks, Doc.”
He turned to leave, but stopped and took a breath. Then he turned to face him again.
“This helped. With the personal stuff, I mean. Thanks.”
Dr. Newman smiled. “That’s what I’m here for. Door’s always open.”
Isaac nodded and left.
The curtains were drawn, and the bedroom was dark. Just like the rest of the apartment. Gavin looked over at Gerri, who was sleeping peacefully, and he suddenly wondered when was the last time she’d actually slept.
When he’d arrived at her apartment a couple of hours ago, her eyes had been puffy and red, no doubt from crying. But he’d also seen evidence of fatigue — small bags beneath her eyes, and slightly sunken cheeks. She hadn’t been taking care of herself during her grief.
He carefully slid out of her bed and left the room in search of his underwear. Out in the living area, he pulled on his briefs and took note of the pervasive darkness. Well, that sure as hell wasn’t conducive to Gerri’s healing.
He walked over to the windows and opened up the blinds, flooding the space with the bright afternoon sun. Then he picked up the mountain of tissues and discarded water and juice bottles that were scattered around. At least she’d been keeping hydrated while she hid out in the darkness.
As he picked up around her place, Gavin thought about the pain of losing a partner. He remembered it well. And he remembered how difficult it had been to get over. It had taken him a long time, and he knew that it would take Gerri a long time too. But he worried that she was in danger of allowing her grief to take over her life. The way she talked so casually about walking away from a career he knew she loved and had so worked hard for. That was the grief talking. It had to be.
Back when he’d first recruited her for his homicide unit, one of the reasons he’d chosen her was because he’d read about how hard she had worked to prove that she could be just as good a police officer as any man. How her struggle had been even more difficult because of the color of her skin, and the fact that most of the ‘boys club’ only saw a pretty face and a nice rack when they looked at her.
She’d actually had the audacity to write those exact words in her letter of intent when she put in for the position of detective. Gavin had wanted to give her a chance to prove herself.
Just like he’d wanted to give Ike Taylor a chance when everyone laughed and shunned him over the whole trippy psychic thing.
Isaac hadn’t disappointed him. And neither had Gerri. She was an excellent homicide detective, and he was prepared to fight to keep her on the job.
He wandered into her kitchen to throw away all the trash, and then it occurred to him that Gerri probably hadn’t been eating well either.
He opened up her fridge and took inventory. Then he opened up her cabinets and did the same. There wasn’t much, but he spotted a can of chicken and wild rice soup, and pulled it out.
Opening other cabinets in search of cookware, he found a small pot and set it on the stove. Then he dumped the contents of the soup can into it.
He moved about her kitchen with ease, finding spices and slicing fresh mushrooms, and adding them to the canned soup. As he worked his cellphone chimed, and he rushed to the sofa, where his pants still lay, to grab it.
“Trey?”
He smiled as he took the call from his son.
“Hey, Dad. Bad time? I know you’re at work.”
Gavin glanced around Gerri’s apartment and guilt creeped in.
Yes. He should’ve been back at his desk at the PD by now. Instead, he was standing half naked in his grieving subordinate’s living room.
Oh, this would look so bad to Internal Affairs.
“Uh… no. It’s fine. You know I’m never too busy for you.”
He walked back to the kitchen and stirred the soup, turning down the heat.
“What’s up? Everything okay?”
He had a habit of being slightly overprotective when it came to Trey’s emotional well being ever since the divorce. He just wanted to be sure his son was handling things okay after Gavin and his ex-wife split. And with Trey down in Columbus at Ohio State, keeping tabs on his state of mind wasn’t always easy.
“Everything’s cool,” Trey said. “I was just calling before I hit the road. I’ll be home in a few hours.”
“Okay. You pay attention and drive safe.”
“I will, Dad.”
Gavin could hear the eye roll in Trey’s voice.
“Don’t give me that exasperated tone. People are crazy. You pay attention to the other drivers.”
“Yes, Officer,” Trey joked.
“Yeah, and you remember that response too. If you ever get pulled over, you keep your hands in plain view, and be polite. ‘Yes, Officer. No, Officer. My father is a Police Lieutenant, Officer.’ Don’t give them any reason to shoot you!”
“Dad!” Trey drew the word out on a long sigh. “I know. You’ve told me this a million times. I’m a Black man, and I have to remember that if I’m ever pulled over by the police, even though my dad is a cop.”
Trey recited the things Gavin had been drilling into him since he was a pre-teen, and Gavin nodded. He hated that it was even an issue, and Lord knew sometimes it was hard to admit he was associated with the police in any way. But the fact was, he loved his profession. Yes, the institution as a whole had its issues to overcome, but at its core, it was still a noble and necessary job, and he was proud of the career he’d built.
“All right, Trey. I’ll see you soon.”
“Okay. Cheeseburgers for dinner?”
Gavin laughed. The cheeseburgers were an inside joke between the two of them.
“Sure. Drive safe, kid.”
“I will.”
“I love you.”
“Love you too, Dad.”
Gavin set the cellphone aside.
“Is Trey all right?”
Her voice held a soft, dreamy quality, like she hadn’t fully awakened yet, and Gavin glanced up to see Gerri standing there in a t-shirt and panties, looking as tasty as the soup he was stirring.
“Yeah. He’s fine. He’s driving home from Columbus today. He’ll be staying with me for the rest of the summer.”
Gerri walked over to the island that separated her kitchen from the living room and sat on one of the stools, facing the kitchen.
“Are you cooking in my kitchen, Lieutenant?”
Gavin grinned at the amusement in her tone.
“Yes, I am, Detective. It doesn’t look like you’ve been eating much lately.”
“I haven’t exactly had an appetite.”
All amusement floated away, and so did Gerri. She got up and moved over to the couch, flinching at the brightness streaming in through the windows.
Gavin poured the soup into a bowl. Then he found a spoon and a small box of saltine crackers. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, and carried it all over to the couch.
“Here. You need to eat.”
She started to protest, but he wasn’t having it.
“Hey. I will tie you down and forcibly feed you if I have to.”
His tone told her that he wasn’t playing, and she carefully took the bowl. He put the water on the table and sat down beside her, watching as she blew over a spoonful and took a tentative bite. Then she took another spoonful, and another.
“Mmm. This is really good. You made this?”
She took another hearty spoonful, and Gavin was glad she was eating.
“Well, not completely. It’s just a can of soup I found in your cupboard. I added a few spices to it… some rosemary and thyme. A little seasoned salt. Some sliced mushrooms you had in the fridge.”
She smiled at him. “I had no idea you were such a gourmet chef.”
Gavin chuckled. “I opened a can of soup and doctored it up. Not a big deal.”
She dipped a cracker into the soup and took a bite, watching him as she chewed.
“You want to talk about the actual big deal? The one we’re trying so politely to avoid right now?”
Her eyes were bright as she asked the question. Her lips holding just the wisp of a smile, and Gavin wanted to kiss her. Instead, he sighed and looked at the table in front of them.
“What’s there to talk about? You were hurting and I gave you comfort.”
He looked back at her. Gerri took another bite and nodded, chewing slowly. Finally, she met his gaze.
“Is that all it was, Gavin? Just offering me comfort?”
“Look, Gerri… right now, you’re in a bad place, okay? You’re not making the best decisions. And me? I was irresponsible. I never should’ve let things go as far as they did. We’ve been all over the reasons why this…”
“…is such a bad idea.” She cut him off, throwing his words back at him. “Yeah. I remember the conversation.”
There was sadness in her voice, and turmoil in Gavin’s gut. He wanted her. He wanted her in ways he’d never wanted any other woman before. But he had to be sensible, didn’t he? He had to do the right thing.
What was the right thing?
“But see, the thing is,” Gerri continued, “when you held me earlier? When you kissed me and made love to me? That didn’t feel like a bad idea. It didn’t feel like a mistake, and it certainly didn’t feel like it was just comfort. It’s a whole lot more than that, and we both know it. Please stop trying to tell me it’s not. You are never going to convince me that you don’t want this every bit as much as I do. You’re lying to both of us, Gavin.”
He stared at her for a long moment, not trying to think up a rebuttal, not looking for a stronger argument. He just stared at her — at her beautiful face with the dark soulful eyes and the full kissable lips. God, she was sexy as sin.
“Okay. No more lies.”
He took the near empty bowl of soup from her hands and put it on the table. Then he pulled her into his arms and into a passionate kiss. He stood, lifting her easily, and carried her back into the bedroom.
The day dragged on for Isaac, and the wheels of justice went nowhere on their new case. But he and Pete were able to make an arrest on another case they’d been working on. He’d just finished up the paperwork on it and got up to take the report to Lieutenant Hayes’ office.
Near the door, someone slapped his left arm, causing him to flinch.
He spun to see Gavin Hayes breeze past him into the office.
“Got something for me, Sergeant?”
His tone was light, and Isaac noticed that his step was almost peppy. He frowned and glanced back toward the pit before looking at his boss again.
“Yeah. Paperwork on the Meyers case. Pete and I finally located the brother. He confessed to shooting the bar owner, but he insists it wasn’t over the money. Says he did it because the man insulted him and disrespected his woman. He and his morals are down in booking now.”
He handed the file to him.
“Ah. Good work!” Gavin smiled and plopped the file in the basket on his desk.
Isaac grinned, but he couldn’t help wondering who this pod person was, and he feared his facial expression gave him away.
“Um… sir? Is everything all right? You seem to be in a noticeably better mood than you were this morning.”
Come to think of it, Isaac couldn’t recall seeing his boss in the last few hours. Had he been gone all afternoon?
Gavin rolled up his sleeves and a momentary look of embarrassment passed over his eyes before his game face settled on.
“Everything’s fine.”
Then he cleared his throat, and his voice came down a few octaves to normal.
“I just spoke to my son. He’s on his way home from college. He’s going to be spending the rest of the summer with his old man.”
Isaac got the feeling there was more to the story, but he smiled. His boss was entitled to his secrets, after all.
“Oh. Well, that’s nice. I imagine it’s been a little strange being an empty nester of sorts.”
“Yes, it has,” Gavin confirmed. “Especially so on top of the divorce, you know? It’s like my whole life changed overnight. Suddenly I’m single again, and my kid’s out of the house. Then the house is gone and I’m in a whole new place. It’s been a hell of a year, that’s for sure.”
Gavin’s voice sounded wistful, and a wave of sadness and regret engulfed Isaac. The swell of it was so strong it nearly knocked him over. He took a deep breath in preparation of trying to mentally push his boss’ emotions away, when they suddenly lifted. Replaced by what felt like lightheartedness. The sensation both surprised and puzzled him.
“Well, uh…” Isaac paused to clear the confusion. “What kind of trouble are you and Trey headed for tonight?”
Gavin grinned at him.
“He’s obsessed with the cheeseburgers at this little all-night diner we found a few years back. The place is the very definition of greasy spoon, but the burgers are great. He’s already put in a request to have dinner there tonight.”
Isaac smiled. “And I’ll bet he can put three of them away in one sitting too.”
Gavin laughed out loud. “Sometimes, yeah!”
Isaac laughed, but he wondered if everything was okay with Gavin. He’d never seen his boss in such a weird head space before. His emotions were all over the place. But at least he was able to laugh.
“Hey, Ike. You ever think about having kids?”
The question caught him completely off guard, snapping thoughts of Sidney’s miscarriage squarely to the forefront of his mind like a rubber band. It took him a minute to recover.
“I didn’t. Not until I met Sidney. But, uh… yeah. I think about it now.”
“You should marry that girl, you know? There’s probably not many women out there who can put up with the likes of you.”
Isaac laughed again.
“You two set a date yet?” Gavin asked.
“Nope. Not yet.”
“Well, don’t wait too long.”
“And give her a chance to change her mind? My mama didn’t raise no dummies!”
Gavin chuckled, and Isaac headed for the door. He stopped and turned toward Gavin again.
“Oh. Were you able to speak to Gerri Miller?”
Gavin looked slightly startled by the question, but he recovered quickly.
“Uh, yeah. I did.”
“And? Did she say anything about coming back, or transferring precincts?”
Gavin sighed. “Actually, she said she’s questioning whether she’s staying on the job at all.”
“Well, shit. That ain’t good. I mean, if her heart’s not in it anymore, then she probably shouldn’t come back. But that leaves us in a bind.”
“Yeah, well. I’m not sure that’s the case. That her heart’s not in it, I mean. I think that’s the grief talking. And I think she’s got a lot on her mind on top of the grief.”
“Like what?”
Gavin clammed up and changed directions.
“Just some… personal stuff.”
“Personal stuff. Yeah, you mentioned that before.”
An awkward silence encroached, and they stared at each other.
“She gonna let you know her plans at least?”
“I’ve asked her to see Dr. Newman one more time before she calls it quits. I’m hoping he can convince her not to make any hasty decisions while she’s grieving. I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, I want you to look over those files I gave you this morning and give Dorn’s replacement some serious thought. I want your input.”
“You’ll have it.”
He left the office then and went back to his desk. Listening to Gavin talk about his son inevitably made him think about the baby he’d just lost. Could he really picture himself a father? Would he be a good one?
One thing he knew for certain… Sidney would be an incredible mother someday.
He picked up his cellphone and sent her a text.
* * *
Isaac:
I love you
* * *
Her response was immediate.
* * *
Sidney:
I love you back
* * *
Isaac smiled at the familiar words. But he wondered how she was doing at work. It had only been two days, after all.
* * *
Sidney:
I’m ok
I promise
* * *
He chuckled to himself. It was like that woman could read his mind sometimes. Or maybe it was just the incredible bond they shared.
* * *
Isaac:
Ok
6
Adam slow danced around the posh living room of his house with baby Isla in his arms, quietly rapping Tupac’s “Ghetto Gospel” to her. It was a dinnertime routine they’d fallen into since bringing Isla home from the hospital, and truth be told, it had quickly become Adam’s favorite time of day.
He stared down into her light blue eyes, so much like his own, and marveled at how she watched him so intently. She was brilliant. He already knew that his little girl was going to be absolutely brilliant.
As he rapped and danced her around the room, her fervent gaze began to wane, and he watched her beautiful blue eyes flutter closed.
