Friday, June 15th, 2018
Detective Kate Murphy stepped out of Detective Lieutenant Mark Fuller’s office, her heart pounding in her chest, her fists still clenched. She stood still in the middle of the vacant hallway for a second before finally stretching out her fingers. Her nails—while kept short compared to most women’s—had left deep, white grooves in her palms. But she hadn’t drawn blood, and—most importantly—she hadn’t lost her temper in front of both her partner and Fuller.
At least no one was sitting right here in the hall to overhear all of that screaming, she thought, a detail that brightened her mood, however slightly.
Concentrating on her breathing, she inhaled, counted to four, then exhaled slowly.
Snap out of it, Kate!
Then the muffled voices behind the door turned into deep, guttural laughter, and Detective Malvin Rosebud joined her in the hall a few minutes later. It seemed that, without Kate around, their conversation had lightened.
“Walk with me, Murphy,” he said, tapping her on the shoulder.
Kate shook her head but nonetheless caught up to her partner as he headed toward the lunchroom.
“How did you get him out of his pissy mood?”
“Trade secret.”
“Come on! You know I work my ass off. I don’t deserve to be treated that way.”
“Fuller’s old school. He likes his detectives burly and stubborn—”
“Come on—”
“Wait, before you call him a misogynist prick—which I could agree with—you qualify as both those things in his head.”
“What?” Kate looked down at her body, suddenly worried that her fairly recent lack of running had morphed her athletic body into a blob.
“If tiny burly existed, that is. You and I both know you’d kick my ass.”
“Then why is he so fucking upset at me?”
“The part that he didn’t say while you were in there—something I discovered a few hours ago myself—is the reason why he was away two days ago. Remember?”
“Yeah, but what could that possibly have to do with my performance at work?”
He headed toward the vending machine, shaking his head, his wallet in hand. “You missed the entire point of the conversation.”
Kate avoided the sugar-laden treats and went directly for the coffee dispenser. She pressed the button and waited for her large serving of Colombian blend as Rosebud droned on.
“He wasn’t giving you hell for not doing your job; he was upset at you for putting in too many hours.”
“What does he care if I choose to spend my personal time on open cases? I’m helping make Boston safer.” She grabbed her drink out of the machine and dared to dip her lips into the boiling hot liquid. There was nothing like the lunchroom’s tar-like substance to jolt her out of her crappy mood. No other coffee she’d ever tasted had been quite as potent (and foul-tasting), and she went back to it once or twice daily, like a true addict.
“The job will kill you if you don’t balance it out with happy things.”
“Oh, please…” Kate stirred her coffee in an effort to cool it off a tad.
“Murphy, I’m not joking. Fuller attended a funeral a few days ago. His old partner from back in the day. The man ate his gun.”
“Oh…” Kate walked over to the garbage to toss her stick.
“I reassured him. Told him I’d convince you to have a kid so you can have something to occupy your free time. That’s when he started laughing. He told me he’d be willing to bet on you never having a baby.” Rosebud tossed two snacks on one of the tables: a blueberry muffin and a packet of Skittles. “His comment was weird, but then I remembered your uncle’s murder case. He’d adopted you, right? Did you lose more than your parents back then?”
Rosebud sat and stayed quiet, as though expecting Kate to answer. “Come on, Murphy! If we’re going to keep working together, you gotta tell me what could make your head spin. I can’t protect your back if I don’t know your weakness.”
Kate leaned against the counter and looked at her partner, trying to gauge if she should or not. The last thing she wanted was for her own partner to think of her as the weakest link in their team. “What’s your Achilles’ heel?”
“Look at me!” He leaned back on his chair, making his rounded gut stick out more than it normally did. “Sugar. Fat. Bad eating habits. But I know you’ve got my back. You can fucking outrun anyone I know. Not that I’ve had to run after many suspects since becoming a homicide detective, but that’s my number one weakness. Speaking of which, I should really make use of that stupid gym.” He ripped the top off his muffin and broke it in half before stuffing it in his mouth. His closed eyes and growing smile made it obvious he was enjoying his calorie-dense treat. But he reopened his eyes and his expression turned stern.
“So, are you ever going to invite me to your house for drinks? Maybe I can talk your lab guy into picking you up early every evening from now on.”
Kate rolled her eyes at him. “Please don’t.”
“So, what’s your story?”
“Like I told Fuller before. I promise it won’t affect my work. I’ll focus. I’ll set aside my emotions.”
“Stop feeding me bullshit. I’m not Fuller. What is it?”
“Okay,” she said before taking a seat in front of him. “I’ll give you the CliffsNotes, but I don’t want everyone in the department to know about it. It’s gotta stay between us. The last thing I need is some stupid prank played on me again.”
“Deal.”
Kate sat at the table and inhaled deeply, preparing herself to discuss a part of her past she preferred to keep hidden.
When Kate unlocked the door and walked into Luke’s house, a delightful aroma of garlic and tomato reached her nostrils.
“Luke? Mrs. O’Brien? I’m home.”
“I’m in the kitchen, Kate,” Mrs. O’Brien yelled. “Luke’s not home yet.”
Kate locked the door behind her, hung her jacket on the coatrack, and unlocked the safe in the back of the closet before securing her firearm for the night. Every time she pressed the buttons on it—their high-pitch beeps echoing through the entire house—her heart filled with gratitude for having Luke in her life. He was the one who’d insisted on having the safe installed right in his vestibule since his mother had wanted nothing to do with guns in their house.
Mrs. O’Brien had already pushed aside her Irish Catholic values and reluctantly agreed to let Kate move in and share Luke’s bedroom (it was his house after all). Sure, the installation of a safe wasn’t a particularly romantic gesture, but that was Luke’s perfect solution to keep everyone happy and enjoy a secure home where they wouldn’t have to worry about intruders coming in to rob them… Or worse.
She shook her head as though the movement could prevent her recent conversation with Rosebud from returning to the forefront of her mind, where it threatened to fill her eyes with tears. She was definitely going to have nightmares again tonight.
And as she pressed one more button to lock the safe, the clink of a key through the lock made her turn her head just in time to see Luke come in.
“Hey, baby!” She bridged the gap between them to wrap her arms around his tall frame. Their lips met for a brief kiss, interrupted by Mrs. O’Brien yelling from the kitchen.
“Luke? Is that you?”
He pulled away from Kate, rolled his eyes, then yelled back toward the kitchen. “Yes, Mom. Who else are you expecting?” He turned to Kate again and smiled. “I had a great idea at work today. After dinner, remind me to tell you about it, okay?”
“Why don’t you tell me now?”
He took off his jacket and added it to the other side of the coatrack. “Because I know you, Katie. And I know my mom. It will lead to a topic that isn’t suitable for dinner conversation.”
“Ah!” Kate said, stealing another kiss from Luke. “Now I’ll just keep imagining all sorts of stuff.” She stood on her tippy-toes to whisper in his ears, “Or is it something you want to do to me? Or me to do to you?”
She bit his earlobe before returning her heels to the floor, realizing she’d forgotten to take off her shoes, again.
“Shoot! It’s like my mind doesn’t want to get with the program.” Kate took off her shoes and replaced them with a pair of Mrs. O’Brien’s hand-knitted slippers.
“My mom is just trying her best to domesticate you. Careful, she may try to teach you how to knit them next.”
“Argh! Don’t you dare suggest that to her. It’s bad enough I have to behave myself all the time because she lives with you, I don’t want to turn into a housewife!”
“Are you complaining about my mom?” he asked, a twisted smile on his lips.
Kate knew it was slippery territory, but she also understood the value of family. Especially since the only relatives she had left were distant cousins who lived in Ireland. “You know I love your mom. She’s fantastic. You’re lucky to still have her.”
“Well, remember that thought for when we talk later,” he said, kissing her and heading toward the kitchen.
Kate followed, grinning.
What had she done to deserve him? Luke reappearing in her life a few years prior had been nothing short of miraculous. Well, save for the fact that she didn’t believe in miracles.
“Mom, how was your day?” Luke asked before walking over to the chubby woman in the apron who was retrieving a dish from the oven.
“Wonderful, as usual. But careful, this is really hot.” She turned around and walked over to the kitchen table to rest the steamy lasagna on top of the pot holder in the middle of the table. “Now, dear. I’ll take my hug.”
Luke smiled and wrapped his arms around his mother before kissing her forehead.
Every time Kate saw him do it, it pinched a little part of her heart. It wasn’t jealousy. More like her own faint memories of simpler times pinging in her chest, trying to resurface. The pleasures and comforts of having a mother had long ago disappeared from Kate’s life, so joining Luke and his mom in their home made her nothing but joyful and grateful.
“Come on, Kate. You know the rules. I make you guys dinner, but you pay me back in hugs. Pay up, Kate!”
The daily charade was cheesy, but it was what they did. She hugged the woman who’d raised the man she loved.
“And you have to stop calling me Mrs. O’Brien!” After the hug ended, she turned to her son. “Luke, please make her call me Marjorie. She won’t listen to me.”
Luke raised his palms in the air before taking a seat at the table. “That’s between the two of you, I’m afraid.”
“I promise I’ll work on it! It’s just that I’ve known you as Mrs. O’Brien since I was a kid! It’s a little weird,” Kate said as she opened the cupboard where they stored the alcohol. “Who wants red wine?”
Her dinner cohorts replied in the affirmative, so she grabbed the bottle, along with three glasses, and brought it all to the table.
“Do you mind grabbing the salad from the fridge, Katie?” Mrs. O’Brien asked.
“Not at all.”
A minute later, with a decadent dinner spread in front of them, Mrs. O’Brien reached to grab Luke’s and Kate’s hands, then lowered her head.
“Dear Lord, thank you for bringing my Luke and his Katie home safely. I know they both work hard to make this world a better place. Thank you for providing us with the means to feed ourselves and live in such a wonderful, safe home. Thank you to the farmers who grew this food and to the merchants who brought it to us. Bless us, Lord, and bless the food we are about to receive. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.”
“Amen,” Luke said while Kate stared at her food, her mind wandering.
He kicked her under the table.
“Ouch!” Kate said, her eyes sending daggers toward her boyfriend. But she’d understood the message. “Amen!” she said before smiling at Mrs. O’Brien. “Let’s dig in! I’m starving.”