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The next day at work, Gina stopped by Tim’s desk, mostly out of obligation, to express her appreciation. She knew it would only encourage him, but she didn’t want to appear ungrateful. She made sure Frank was around before she approached. The last thing she wanted was to catch Tim alone. He would only get the wrong idea.
“Tim?”
“Hey, Gina! How are you feeling?”
“Much better. I just wanted to thank you for finding me yesterday.”
“No problem, darlin’. The pleasure was all mine.”
Gina just wanted to walk away and let it be, but Tim was quick on his feet and drew her in deeper. “Of course, I certainly wouldn’t object if you offered to buy me a drink to show your gratitude.” When she didn’t jump at the chance, Tim was forced to work harder. “Come on, Gina! I know you already turned me down once, but you can’t turn me down now. I am a hero, after all.”
Gina could see Frank rolling his eyes, but she considered Tim’s request. She realized it was in her best interest to give in now rather than remain in his debt and be constantly reminded about it. She knew Tim would never let her off the hook. “Fine. One drink tonight after work.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” he replied. His smug grin suggested that his intentions were not entirely innocent.
“Wait a minute. I’m not done, Tim. There are conditions.” Gina looked him directly in the eyes and tried to speak assertively. “I know what you’re hoping this will lead to, and you can forget it. Also, Frank is invited too, so we won’t be alone. Besides, I have a boyfriend, remember?” She thought it was completely unnecessary for her to reveal that Frank and her boyfriend might soon be one and the same.
“Right, right.”
After work, the three of them walked to the bar together. Frank watched Tim’s every move, observing with increased vigilance once they were seated at a table.
Frank spoke first. “Actually, Gina, I still owe you that drink for your birthday, so I’ll get this.”
“No, you won’t,” she insisted. “Tonight it’s my treat. Thanks to both of you, I’m doing well and feel like celebrating.”
Surprisingly, the three of them had a good time at first, joking around and laughing together. While Gina knew her male companions were showing off and trying to outdo each other in an attempt to impress her, she had to admit she was enjoying all the attention. It appeared harmless until Tim upset the delicate balance.
“How about a dance, Gina?” Tim asked out of the blue.
“No, thanks, Tim.”
“So, you’re going to turn down the guy who saved your life?”
“A bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think? You’re really milking that for everything it’s worth, aren’t you?”
“You bet. You know, I wanted to dance with you at the charity ball, but this guy outbid me. Thanks a lot, Frank.”
“Hey, I won fair and square,” Frank replied. “You could have bid more if you wanted to.”
Gina sighed. “Alright you guys, one dance for each of you and then I’m going home...alone.”
“Me first,” Tim begged. “Besides, I doubt Frank wants to dance to this, but I will.”
“OK,” she agreed, reluctantly allowing Tim to get her out on the dance floor. “You’re a good dancer,” Gina complimented after seeing some of his moves. She could tell he wasn’t holding anything back.
When the tempo slowed down, Tim seized the opportunity to get close. Gina immediately felt uncomfortable with his arms around her and wondered how long Frank would be able to keep his cool watching this. A crowd of people had packed the floor, surrounding them. There was no escape. She felt Tim’s hands slip below her waist. There was no way she was going to let Tim get away with that! Why did he always have to take things one step too far? Couldn’t they just enjoy an innocent dance together as friends? Gina felt her temperature rise. She had to show him who was boss. It was time to be firm. She knew he wouldn’t respond to a polite request.
“Tim, if you don’t move your hands to someplace more appropriate, I’ll be forced to kick you someplace you’d rather not be kicked!”
“Easy there, Gina! Don’t get feisty! I thought we were having fun.”
“We were until you gave me one more reason not to trust you.”
“Sorry, Gina. My mistake.”
“That can’t happen again, or this dance is over. Do you understand?”
“Fine, I’ll behave myself. Just finish the dance with me.”
When the song was over, Frank watched Tim and Gina make their way back to the table. He could tell by the look on Gina’s face that something was wrong, even though she tried not to let it show.
“Your turn,” Gina said casually, looking at Frank.
He took her hand, gave Tim a glance as they moved past, and focused his attention back on Gina. Frank had not been able to see much from his vantage point, so he could only guess what had gone on.
“I managed to get us a dance together, now didn’t I?” Gina playfully pointed out. “Pretty clever, if you ask me.” She thought it was best not to tell Frank what Tim had done to offend her. It would only cause more trouble. Besides, she was used to men harassing her, both on and off the job. She told herself she could handle it, as she always had before, but Gina was growing far less tolerant of such behavior. It was true that men could be pigs sometimes, and it only made her value Frank more. He was a gentleman and only touched her when and how she wanted him to. He looked for her permission and put her in control. She never had to worry about him taking things further than she wanted to go.
Frank studied her face for a moment. Her smile for him was genuine, but he knew there was something hiding behind her eyes that he couldn’t access. Gina had no intention of talking about it, so Frank just smiled back at her and tried to enjoy the dance. Three or four precious minutes were all they had to themselves, and they couldn’t afford to waste it. Frank held her close, but not too close, for fear of Tim catching on, and the three of them parted ways without incident when the dance was over.
All week, Frank waited for Gina to tell him she had dumped her boyfriend. Finally on Friday, he pulled her aside and asked again. “Gina? Can I talk to you, please?”
“Sure, Frank. What is it?”
“So, have you talked to Carlos yet, and how did he take it?”
“I really don’t want to talk about it right now. This isn’t the place,” Gina said, her eyes darting around nervously.
“Gina, you’ve got to stop doing this to me!” Frank responded, raising his voice a little. “Can’t you see you’re driving me crazy?”
“People are walking by, Frank. We don’t want them to overhear us, do we?” Gina scolded.
“Look, you either want to stay with him, or you want to be with me,” Frank said, starting to lose his temper. “I thought you chose me, but maybe I was wrong.”
“Frank, please don’t do this! You don’t understand.”
“No, I don’t,” Frank muttered and walked away. He was too angry, frustrated, and hurt to stay. He just needed to get away from her and cool down. He knew if he didn’t, he would say something he’d regret. It was time for lunch anyway, so he headed to the park to get some air.
“Hey, Frank!” Claire greeted him cheerfully.
“Hey,” he said half-heartedly.
“Oh, I know that tone. What’s wrong?” she asked. “Let me guess, it’s either work-related or about a woman.”
“The latter,” he replied.
“So you’re seeing someone now? You never said anything.”
“It’s complicated.”
“It always is.”
“I work with her.”
“As an HR manager, I’d say that’s a bad idea. As your friend, I’d say I’m happy for you, although you don’t seem very happy right now. Did you two have a fight?”
“She won’t leave her loser boyfriend even though she says it’s over between them, and I’m getting sick of it!”
“I can see that. You’ve got it bad for her, don’t you?”
“It’s that obvious?”
“I’m afraid so. Maybe she thinks she’s got all the time in the world to dump him, and you’ll still be right there waiting for her.”
“I’ve been more than patient. Why can’t she be done with him? He’s been such a jerk to her.”
“I’m sure she has her reasons. You’re the detective, Frank. Figure it out. Find a way to get her to talk to you, but don’t interrogate her. You need to be non-threatening and really listen to her.”
“I’ll try. I’m just so frustrated right now.”
“Are you absolutely sure she likes you as much as you like her?”
“I believe so.”
“Then you’ve got nothing to worry about.”
“Any other advice?”
“Well, a little jealousy couldn’t hurt to get things moving in the right direction. It might make her realize what she’s doing to you. If you want, I could help with that. Does she know we’re friends?”
“No. It’s never come up.”
“Perfect. This afternoon when you’re sure she’s within earshot, call me, or pretend to call me. Use my name a lot and really play it up. Act like you can’t wait to see me. If she’s really that interested in you, she’ll be begging to know what other woman has your attention. Trust me. It works!”
When Frank got back to his desk, he could feel Gina’s eyes on him, but he didn’t look up. Instead, he played with his phone, wondering if he dared to try what Claire had suggested. Before Frank could make up his mind, his phone rang. “Hello?”
“Frank? It’s Claire. Is she around?”
“Claire! It’s good to hear your voice. How have you been?”
“Just remember to smile a lot,” she instructed.
“Good. Glad to hear it. Hey, Claire, we should catch up sometime. Are you free tonight? 9 o’clock? Great. I’ll be there.”
Later in the afternoon, Gina cornered Frank in the break room. “So, who’s Claire?”
“A woman I know.”
“A friend of yours?”
“Something like that,” Frank said evasively. He didn’t like playing games with her, but Gina appeared to be playing games with him. What was he supposed to do?
“Well, I was hoping we could talk tonight if you’re free.”
“I already have plans. How about tomorrow?”
“OK,” she agreed before walking away feeling hurt and defeated.
Gina was more than a little curious about Claire, and it was driving her crazy! She made up her mind to find out what Frank was up to with this mystery woman no matter what it took, so she pulled into the parking lot of his apartment complex at eight and waited for him to go to his car. Nine o’clock came and went, but Frank did not appear. Gina debated what to do. It was shortly before ten by the time she decided to take some action. Gina wondered if she had somehow missed him or his plans with Claire had changed. Her curiosity got the best of her, and she knocked on his door to see what was going on.
“Gina?” Frank said, surprised to see her.
“So, I thought you were out with Claire.”
“Then why are you even here right now?”
“Why are you still here?”
“Alright, Gina. Enough games! Claire is just a friend and no one to be jealous of. I’m obviously not out with her tonight.”
“Who said I was jealous?”
“Well, you’re here, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, but...”
“All I wanted to do was get your attention. Now that I have it, maybe you can help me understand what’s really going on between you and Carlos. Please, Gina, just sit down and talk to me. You know you can tell me anything.” When Gina looked back at him with fearful eyes, he knew whatever was going through her head couldn’t be good.
Gina took a deep breath and made up her mind to surrender. She could no longer avoid him, but she didn’t know how to tell him. “Frank, I swear to you I tried to break up with Carlos. I told him we were over, but he wouldn’t have it.”
“Well, that’s too bad. He needs to respect your wishes.”
“He got really angry, and he threatened me.”
“He threatened to hurt you?”
“Not exactly. He’s blackmailing me. He knows something about my past that could devastate my career. It could cost me my badge, Frank.”
“I’m sure whatever you did isn’t as bad as you think. We’ve all done things we’re not proud of, but I can’t help you if you won’t tell me what it is.”
“You have to understand I was really messed up back then. Keep in mind, I was only 17, and I did a lot of stupid things when I was a teen.”
“Me too.”
“I was lucky to make it through high school. Most girls I knew ended up dropping out, getting pregnant, or both. Worse yet, some wound up in jail or dead. Somehow, I managed to avoid all that. I even stayed away from drugs since I saw what they did to my dad and brother.”
“So, what is it, Gina, that you’ve been hiding all these years?”
“I don’t want you to feel differently about me if I tell you what I did. I know what I did was wrong, but my intentions were good.”
“You didn’t kill someone, did you?” Frank asked, fearing the worst.
“No, of course not.”
“Well then, sweetheart, it can’t be that bad,” Frank said reassuringly as he rubbed her back and stroked her hair. “Just let it out. Don’t let this one mistake, whatever it is, come between you and me.”
“What if I committed a felony? Would you still want anything to do with me?”
Frank thought about it for a moment. Something like this could drag them both down, but his feelings for her had a way of clouding his better judgment. While he sensed this was becoming a pattern, first sticking his neck out for her brother and now possibly for her, it did not concern him as much as it should have. “You don’t see me running for the door, do you?”
“But if I confess what I did, and you don’t tell someone, then keeping my secret could cost you your job too.”
“For you, I’ll risk it,” he replied bravely. Who was he to judge? He’d made mistakes in his life too. “Carlos is the only other person who knows about this, right?”
“Yes, as far as I know.”
“Go on,” he encouraged. “Start at the beginning.”
“My brother got hooked on drugs when he was only 13. When I found out, I tried to get him to quit, but there was nothing I could do to stop him. I couldn’t be his chaperone 24 hours a day, and he knew it. One night, he sneaked out of his room, and I followed him. He met up with some of his loser friends, all older than he was, and they walked to an abandoned house a couple blocks from where we lived. It was obvious what was going on there. Night after night, at all hours of the night, my brother kept going back. Carlos was my boyfriend back in high school, so I told him about the place. He seemed a little too familiar with it, like he’d been there before. Carlos never did drugs around me, so I didn’t think much of it until we were at a party one night and I caught him buying pot. I was shocked because Carlos knew how much I hated drugs. Of course, that’s why he kept it a secret from me. I got really mad at him, but he just tried to blow it off, saying at least he wasn’t a hardcore addict like my brother. He just liked to have a little fun once in a while, or so he said. To me, there wasn’t much difference, so I told him we were done. I felt so betrayed when I realized every man in my life who had ever meant something to me had let me down. First, it was my father, then my brother and my boyfriend.” Gina paused for a moment before making her confession.
“So what did you do, Gina?”
“Well, the next day, I skipped school and walked over to the house. I went inside and made sure no one was in there. It was empty, so I took out a lighter and watched the place burn, as if setting that fire would somehow put an end to my brother’s drug problem and Carlos’s. After a while, I got out of there. No one was around. I saw on the news that the house burned to the ground before the fire department even responded. Nobody got hurt, and they had no suspects. The arson fell through the cracks and was never investigated, so I had nothing to worry about until I made the mistake of telling Carlos it was me. I mostly told him to rub his face in it and make him see how much he’d hurt me. Stupid, I know, but I wasn’t thinking clearly. I didn’t speak to him again until we saw each other years later at a nightclub. He told me he got clean and begged me to forgive him. He said he was an idiot back then and wanted me back. Carlos really laid on the charm and seemed like a changed man, so I eventually took him back. It’s hard to forget your high school sweetheart. Outside of doing drugs behind my back, he was a good boyfriend and did a good job protecting me from the rough neighborhood we grew up in.”
“So, your deep dark secret is that you burned down a crack house?”
“I committed arson, Frank! Someone could have gotten hurt because of me!”
“It sounds more like you did the neighborhood a favor.”
“I think being a vigilante is generally frowned upon, although it basically inspired me to work in law enforcement, particularly in Narcotics. Becoming a cop gave me a legal avenue to rid the streets of drugs. Of course, if I’m charged with arson, I’d be a felon. Felons can’t possess firearms and can’t be police officers. I’d end up in jail and lose the job I’ve worked so hard for.”
“So, if Carlos ever told the authorities, you’d be looking at a class 2 felony with no statute of limitations and definite jail time if convicted. That’s providing there was enough evidence to link you to the crime, beyond his word over yours. Of course, you were a minor then, which helps.”
“The accusation alone could bring a lot of unwanted attention and open up a whole investigation. I should probably just turn myself in now, instead of having to live with this hanging over my head.”
“So, you want to throw away all the good you’ve done, and will do over the course of your career, for one mistake you made a long time ago that didn’t hurt anyone?”
“Would that be your reaction to a stranger’s confession, or just mine? It’s hard to believe someone with such a stellar reputation as yours wouldn’t be bothered by this.”
“It matters less to me the girl you used to be than the woman you are now. What you did doesn’t make you a bad person, Gina. It’s not like I’m harboring a dangerous criminal going around setting fire to the whole neighborhood. I’m sure your brother found another crack house, and you didn’t set fire to that one. What you did was spontaneous and stupid and wrong, but I understand why you did it, and you certainly weren’t out to harm anyone. I have a feeling a jury might feel the same way, but maybe I am a little biased.”
“You’re amazing,” Gina said, shaking her head in disbelief. “I really didn’t think you’d take it so well. I was afraid I’d lose you over this, which is why I kept putting off telling you.”
“Well, I don’t scare that easy, and as far as all the men in your life letting you down, that stops now. You can count on me. I’ll take your secret to my grave, and you know I’m a man of my word.”
“Thank you, Frank. I really don’t deserve you,” she said and wrapped her arms around him.
“I know it took a lot of courage for you to tell me this. Now you need to forgive yourself, Gina, and move on. Focus on being a good detective and putting away killers.”
“But what do I do about Carlos’s threat? I can’t leave him. He knows too much.”
“So, you really think he would turn you in when he supposedly loves you?”
“Yes. These days, I believe he’s capable of doing just that.”
“Then you’ll have to pretend to stay with him for now until we can think of something.”
“I’m so sorry, Frank. If I could take back what I did, I would. But what’s done is done, and now it’s coming back to haunt me. Did you ever think I was capable of doing such a thing?”
“I believe anyone is capable of doing anything under the right circumstances. In our line of work, we see it all the time. Don’t worry. We’ll figure this out. I promise.” Frank pulled Gina to him, hugged her tight, and gently placed a kiss on her forehead.
