“Murphy, have a seat,” said Sergeant Bailey.
Kate obeyed, sitting across the desk from her supervisor.
As though a movie played in her mind, she thought about all the times she’d sat right here across from him during the last few weeks.
Way too many times for a single police officer.
But with her morning sickness episodes gone for good, and with Bower’s pranks far less likely to happen, she was hopeful her one-on-ones with the sergeant would become less frequent.
“The meaning of being ‘on leave’ didn’t sink in through your thick skull, I take it.”
Fuck, here it goes again.
“But, Murphy,”—he shook his head—“your theory checked out. I don’t know how you connected dots that the detectives didn’t, but you did it. So, good work. They found a long-range rifle with a silencer. The ballistic report came back positive. They found the snake and spiders…”
Kate was anxious to ask about getting her badge and gun back, but she didn’t want to put her foot in her mouth, so she kept quiet.
“All these years,” he continued, his head shaking. “Who knew my mother’s Halloween warnings about razor blades hidden in apples would be something I encountered at work in Boston. But this guy certainly took it up a notch, lacing food with pins and tiny shards of razor blades and a blend of snake and spider venom. Nothing like a fresh wound in your mouth to ensure the toxins make it straight into your bloodstream instead of being neutralized in your stomach. Well, he’s off the streets now, thanks to you, Murphy.”
“So, does that mean I’ll be reinstated?” she asked, unable to help herself.
“We obviously can’t keep you away from the job. I’m re-instating you, but only for desk duty.”
“Like Larson? But Sergeant—”
“For now!” His brown eyes were stern as he continued. “It’s simply not my call. The doc hasn’t cleared you yet is all.”
He stood behind his desk, indicating the end of their meeting.
“And for the record,” he added as Kate got on her feet, “you’re nothing like Larson. You’re a good cop. With a hell of a lot of potential.”
On her way home from the station, Kate stopped by a liquor store to grab a bottle to celebrate her reinstatement at work.
Just as she was browsing through the low- to mid-range whiskey, her phone beeped with a message from her newly acquired divorce lawyer.
He’s been served.
“Yay!” she said aloud. A short and stubby Hispanic man turned to squint at her, but Kate couldn’t care less.
Instead, she turned her gaze to the next shelf up, which held a much better selection to choose from.
The hell with it. This day is worth celebrating! And Kenny’s going to love my gift this time.
Kenny walked from the kitchen to the living room with two tumblers in hand, each containing a single ice cube. He sat down on the couch next to Kate then put the glasses near the bottle in front of them.
“I can’t believe you splurged on a bottle of Jameson Gold Reserve,” he told Kate.
“We only live once, and we have multiple reasons to celebrate today,” she said. “I don’t know if I’ll get any money out of this divorce when all is said and done, but one thing’s for certain: my own money will no longer be used to pay for fancy meals, hotel rooms, or other things I never even partook in!”
“Hear, hear.” Kenny poured a finger of the amber liquid in each glass.
“To this hell finally being over,” Kate said, raising her drink.
Kenny met her eyes, raised his glass, but then pulled it back toward him and paused. “No, Katie. To the start of a new chapter in your life. You’ve got a great future ahead of you. I just know it,” he said, clinking his drink against Kate’s. “To a bright future.”
Kate repeated the words and smiled at her uncle before bringing the rich, layered liquid to her lips and enjoying the warmth of it sliding down her throat.
“Shall we?” he asked her, excitement in his eyes.
Kate nodded as she got comfortable on the old couch next to him.
Kenny pressed play on his VCR remote, and an old episode of Adam-12 played on Kenny’s old TV set.
As the familiar characters appeared on the screen, she couldn’t help but reflect on her own life.
Who knew what would happen now…
With Matt out of the picture, she’d lost a part of herself, but it was an infected part. It had to go. She’d spend less time worrying about her home life. She’d be able to focus on work moving forward.
And that was all good.
As for the life she’d lost…
She briefly rubbed her stomach then decided that she wouldn’t dwell on it. It was probably for the best as well. She moved that sad memory into the same mental drawer where the pictures of her murdered family resided.
Since nothing could be done about it, she decided to move on and swore to herself to never let it become another endless source of nightmares for her.
Kate had enough tangible, life-or-death problems. She couldn’t afford the luxury of obsessing over the troubles that only lived in her mind.
So, after sipping her whiskey, she leaned her head against Kenny’s shoulder, letting his presence reassure her the way it had done so throughout her teenage years.
He stretched his legs out on the ottoman in front of him and then wrapped his arm around Kate before gently tapping her on the shoulder.
“Everything’s gonna be just fine. I’ve got you. You’ve got me.” After a short pause, Kenny added. “And if all fails, we’ve got Jameson.”
Kate smiled.
Everything’s gonna be just fine.
BOOK 2: Kate Murphy’s love life will finally improve but she faces a new problem: Kenny is accused of murder. She will encounter the unexpected while trying to prove his innocence.
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