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Darby
I felt much looser after a shower in the ladies’ locker room, then I followed Will to a restaurant on the Country Club Plaza. We enjoyed Chinese together but mostly enjoyed getting to know each other better. I was having such a good time I was almost reluctant to head out to the meeting but knew I had some business there.
I didn’t usually like mixing business with pleasure, or rather torture since I really didn’t care for the SHS meetings, but I had little option tonight. Even if Will hadn’t invited me to accompany him, the fact that players in my case would likely be in attendance meant I needed to show up.
Holly found Will and me almost immediately when we entered the atrium of Nelson-Atkins Art Museum, where the SHS typically held their monthly meetings. Rozelle Court was quite loud with little to absorb the voices of a couple hundred superhumans. A round fountain in the center of the lowered main floor added ambiance. Marble columns more than two stories high stretched to support the second level. Outside the court, precious art and statuary were ready for the hordes of people who regularly came to the museum.
“Oh my word, woman! You scared the living daylights out of me!” Holly bear-hugged me fiercely, and I hugged her back. “You should have called.”
“We were taken to St. Mary’s. I figured you’d come see us.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I had an autopsy. But my tech turned on the screen when we heard. You even made national news.”
I groaned.
“So, who’s this handsome man?” Holly said, turning to Will.
He held out his hand. “Dr. William Young, psychology. Started at KC Bendex this week.”
I completed introductions between Holly and Will, and chatted with my friend and date for several minutes, though I searched the crowd for familiar faces while they discovered they had a mutual acquaintance in Atlanta.
Holly excused herself shortly after, giving me another hug before darting off to help in some capacity.
I tried my best to ignore the stares from the others supers. It felt like everyone was watching me. Remarkably, none foisted insults in my direction. Perhaps because I was with someone who exuded more of a presence?
Probably shouldn’t be the case, being a cop. But here, in this crowd, I always felt small.
Though not quite as much with Will beside me.
As we picked our way through to the other end of the room, I looked up at him. For some reason, I felt secure on his arm. Content. Safe. I hadn’t felt this way around a potential romantic partner in ages...maybe ever.
Thoughts of Mark intruded, and while I had to admit he made me feel safe too, it was different. He was my partner. It was our job to keep the other safe.
With Will, he made me feel like a normal woman, not a cop.
“You’re thinking about me?” Will asked loud enough to hear above the throng.
I chuckled. “Maybe.”
He smiled.
“It’s kind of weird being with an empath. My friend Genova is one, but it’s a bit different with a man.”
“Are you going to introduce me to her? I’ve heard a lot about her from others inside the SHS community.”
I nodded. “She’s near the bar. Her hair is blue, but not bright.” Amazingly, she hadn’t changed since yesterday.
“I see her.”
“I’m glad you can. I sometimes wonder if I need stilts!”
Will laughed. “Just a taller man to see above the crowd.”
“She was with someone a few minutes ago. Is she still?”
He shook his head. “No, she’s ordering from the bar.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. After the day I’d had, I really wanted to see my friend alone for a few minutes.
Genova turned toward us as we emerged from the crowd. She held a glass of white wine.
“Darby,” she said cordially, but not overly-friendly-like.
“Hi, Genny. I wanted you to meet Dr. William Young.”
Will separated and held his hand out. “Ms. Murphie, your reputation precedes you. I’m a big admirer.”
She smiled politely but didn’t take his hand. “Thank you, Dr. Young. I presume you must be the newbie at Bendex?”
I frowned at my friend’s rudeness. I knew empaths didn’t typically touch other empaths on first acquaintance. With some, but not all, touch increased sensitivity of their powers. But couldn’t Genova at least be polite?
He nodded and put his hand in his pocket. “Not exactly new, transferred from Orlando. Wanted a change of scenery.”
“Those are always good. We’re glad you’re here. The meeting should start in twenty minutes or so. I think you’ll enjoy the program.”
“I’m sure I will. The SHS in Kissimmee usually had very interesting presentations.”
“Well, they lack one thing.”
“What’s that?”
She smiled seductively. “Me.”
He grinned. “There is that. Darby, can I get you something to drink?”
“I’ll wait for now. Thanks. Genny, can I talk to you for a minute?”
She nodded. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Doctor.”
“I’m only a doctor at work. It’s Will when I’m with my fellow supers.”
She bobbed her head again. “I won’t let this one stay away for long.”
“Appreciated.”
Genova sipped her wine, gently putting her hand on my back and propelling me away from the crowd. The atrium had a raised area with columns near the steps down, and the shorter, darker areas frequently were unused during our meetings. They were also quieter, if not by much with all the marble around to bounce sound off of.
“What do you need, Darb?” she asked when we’d taken a spot behind a column some distance from the crowd.
I took a moment to get my thoughts in order. “You heard about our accident today?”
She nodded. “You got out, with assistance. A little surprised you’re here, but I’m guessing your date had something to do with that?”
“Yeah, I guess he is. I was planning to come with him before now. Can’t send him here by himself.”
“Real big of you, Darb.” There was a derisive undertone in her voice.
“I’m just trying to be polite.”
“Politeness would have had you showing up regularly the last two or three years.” Genova sipped her wine.
“You could’ve been nice and shook his hand.”
“I looked him up after I saw you. He’s a very powerful empath. It could have hurt both of us for us to touch, not without being prepared. Which I wasn’t. He should know that.”
“Maybe he figured in this situation, you would be prepared.”
She gave me a long look. “Well, tonight, I wasn’t. I was a little more concerned today with the fact that one of my best friends was in a severe hover accident that should have killed her. Hard to do mental prep when that’s going on.”
I opened my mouth and shut it again. Okay, fair enough.
“Do you need anything? I’m going to have to get things going soon.”
I sighed. “Is Rick Pierce here tonight? I was supposed to reinterview him with Mark, but everything happened.”
“I’m not Rick’s keeper.”
I dropped my voice to a whisper. “Genny, I need to know.”
“Have I slept with him?” She lifted her chin.
I nodded. Score one for the empath.
“I figured one of you would figure it out. Which one was it?”
“Mark.”
She snorted. “Of course.” She clicked her tongue then took another sip of wine. “Yeah, Rick and I have a history.”
“How far back does it go?”
She pursed her lips. “Twelve years, give or take.”
“When was the last time you slept together?”
“That’s really none—”
“Come on, Genny.”
She shook her head again. “Damn it, Darby. I don’t pry into your sex life.”
“I don’t have a sex life.”
“You’re not going easy on me, just because you’re my friend?”
“I can’t do that. If anything, I have to look at you harder. Please, tell me.”
“Fine. Eighteen months ago. We’ve been bed buddies off and on most of the time I’ve known him.”
“Is it just sex, or is there more there?”
She shook her head. “He has a thing for a blogger he grew up with. But they’re so alike, they can’t make things work for long.”
“O’Flannigan?”
“You’ve done some research.”
“I had to, Genny. He came to us with some pretty crazy suggestions yesterday.”
“He’s telling the truth.”
“I believe you believe that. But I have no evidence.”
“What more evidence do you need?” She hissed. “You know the DSHA is corrupt. You should be the first one to believe what he told you.”
“Then why is a DSHA agent working with him? Or was until she ended up dead on Sunday night?”
“You can’t lump them all together because some of the higher-ups are bad.”
“I need evidence. I can’t figure out this case based on hearsay. I have to investigate everyone who touches this case. That includes Richard Pierce, and if necessary, it includes you.”
She nearly spilled her wine. “What the hell? You can’t be serious!”
I folded my arms. “You were the one who insinuated yourself into my life three years ago.”
“Because you were completely lost! You had no idea what was about to happen if I hadn’t gotten involved. Is it my fault I took a liking to you?”
I shook my head. “No. But you knowingly withheld something this past year. What else have you withheld? Maybe you’re actually working with the DSHA to gather evidence on me.”
She scoffed. “Like you’ve withheld something from Mark? He told me you’d lied to him. Wouldn’t tell me what, but he was pissed with you.”
“He told you?” I felt like she had punched me in the gut.
“Yeah, he did. Came over after you guys got back from Costa Rica.”
My head started to spin. “Why...why would he come to your place?”
“I don’t know. But he did. And we talked.”
Snippets of conversation and reactions the last couple weeks flooded my brain. All revolving around Mark and his reaction to Genova, either in person or when I mentioned her.
“You two slept together? Because he was pissed at me?”
She lifted her chin again. There was anger in her eyes...but maybe guilt, too? It was hard to tell when my own emotions were twirling out of control.
“Please tell me.”
“You already know the answer.”
The knife she’d figuratively thrust in my belly twisted. This shouldn’t hurt so much. I wasn’t with Mark. Why did it hurt like he’d cheated on me?
“I need a drink,” I said, looking over my shoulder to the bar.
“Darby...I hadn’t intended on you finding out about that at all, let alone like this.”
I gaped at her. “You mean you both were going to hide the fact you slept together? When both of you are keen that he and I get together?”
She sipped her wine at length. “It just...happened. Neither of us intended it to.”
I scoffed. “Nothing ever just happens, Genova.”
She frowned, clutching her glass tightly in her hands. “Look, he was pissed as hell with you when he got to my place that night. He was already seriously buzzed. We’ve been flirting like crazy the last year or so. I thought he’d come by to make good on that.”
“And you didn’t think to stop him? Out of respect for your so-called friend?”
She glared at me sharply. “If you wanted him, you should have made a move a long time ago, Darb. I told you the other day I’ve been attracted to him. Is it so far out of the realm of possibility that he and I could get together?”
“I thought you said you were past that.”
She lifted her glass, finished the contents. “Why do you think I left town? I had to. The next morning, he woke up, and you were on his mind. Not me. I knew then it had been a mistake. I felt a little used, but I’d been just as guilty of using him, too.”
“So that’s it? That’s the only apology I’m going to get for you sleeping with my partner?”
“Darby, listen to yourself. You sound like a jealous girlfriend, not a partner or a detective. Mark and I were not in relationships. It was a one-off. It won’t happen again.”
“Until one of you gets horny and needs a partner.” I started to turn.
“No. We both agreed it can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because I knew it would hurt you. And it has.”
“Maybe both of you should have been more concerned about how I’d feel about it before you got into bed together.” I turned on my heel and made my way to the bar, my head reeling.
I ordered a double bourbon with a little water. I wanted something strong.
I needed something strong.
The bartender, a young kid maybe still in college, poured me a Jim Beam.
I downed the high-ball in three gulps, and my eyes watered from the burn. I’d probably regret the high-proof choice later. Right now, I didn’t care.
I took a deep breath and willed myself to look around for William or Richard Pierce.
I had to climb the steps to do so.
Pierce was on the opposite side of the atrium, about midway down the length of the room, talking to a pretty brunette I recognized from the SHS office.
I stepped down, the alcohol already warming my chest, and made my way across the room.
He glanced up when I approached and pushed his glasses up his nose.
“Excuse me,” he said to the brunette.
She turned and frowned, but departed.
“Detective,” he started, putting his hand out to me.
I thought about shaking it for a long moment before I finally took his hand. “Mr. Pierce.”
“I heard about your accident. I’m glad to see you’re back on your feet.”
“Thank you.”
“Your partner? I heard he had more severe injuries.”
Even thinking about Mark at the moment made my anger boil, and I had to take a deep breath to let my fury calm down. “He’s planning to be back in the office tomorrow.”
“Hopefully without any ill-effects.”
I ignored his well wishes. “We’ve uncovered some evidence that spins what you told us yesterday in a whole new light. I need to speak with you.”
“Here?”
“I think it might be best.”
He scrutinized my face. “Have you been drinking, Detective?”
I ignored him. “Where were you the night Prairie Rasmussen was murdered?”
He blinked.
“Sunday? Where were you Sunday between five P.M. and midnight?”
We edged away from the crowd.
“I was at home. Working on my car. I restore classics for fun.”
“Was anyone with you? Genova? Amanda O’Flannigan? Anyone?”
He blinked twice. “Certainly not Genova. Amanda...She may have stopped in. I can’t remember for sure.”
“Or maybe you were in town, killing Prairie.”
He gaped. “Why would I kill her? She was important to the cause.”
“Maybe because she double-crossed you. Or because she was trying to back out of her arrangement. Either way, we know you threatened to kill her.”
He stared for a moment before gathering his words. “Threatened to... Detective Shaw, you’re mistaken. I never threatened to kill Prairie. And she never tried to back out of helping us.”
“Her comp records would indicate otherwise.”
His gaze flicked away. “Your records must have been tampered with because I never threatened Prairie.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Deny it all you want, we have the records.”
“I was a hundred miles away when she was killed.”
“You don’t have an alibi.”
We both shifted, and now I caught Genova crossing the room toward us from the corner of my eye.
“You can call Amanda. She probably stopped in. We’re working on a project together, something for her blog.”
“You don’t even remember if she did stop by, and now you want her to alibi you?”
“What’s going on?” Genova asked, stepping up.
“Your friend is accusing me of murder,” Rick said indignantly.
Genova turned to me, arms folded. “Darby...”
“We have evidence,” I said. “He threatened Prairie because she wanted to back out of the project.”
Genova shot her eyes to Rick. “Is this true?”
He shook his head vehemently. “Absolutely not. You’ve been working on this with me for the last year. You know everything I know.”
“As your attorney, I must instruct you to stop talking.” She turned. “Darby, you’re my friend, but I’m not going to allow you to keep going. We can come in to HQ in the morning, and you can have another chance to interrogate my client. Until then, either shut up or get out.”
“You can’t talk to me like that, Genova. Perhaps I should haul both of you in for obstruction of justice.”
Her eyes went hard, business-like. “And if you do, I’ll have you thrown off the case. I watched you down a double whiskey. You’re interrogating my client, and you shouldn’t be doing it drunk. Now you heard me. You either leave Rick alone until morning when we will both willingly come in and speak with you, or you can lose your badge tonight.”
I ground my teeth. I wasn’t drunk, had never been drunk in my life. But any blood alcohol content while I was technically working could get me suspended.
Unfortunately, she knew it.
Damn it. She was right. I shouldn’t be interviewing Pierce, not after the whiskey. And definitely not when I was emotionally worked up to boot.
As I was making up my mind, Will approached. “Darby, I was looking for you.” He handed me a glass of rosé wine. Then he looked toward my companions. “Am I interrupting something?”
“No,” Rick said, taking a half-step back. “We decided to settle this in the morning.”
“Great, then I’ll escort Darby to our seats.”
“I think that would be a very good idea, Will,” Genova said. She sent me a pointed look. “I’ll see you in the morning, Detective.”
My dentist was going to be pissed with me by the time this case was over with the teeth clenching I was doing. But I allowed myself to be led away.
I took a sip of the wine, knowing it was probably a bad idea on top of the bourbon. But I was so mad, I didn’t really care. I knew my autopilot was on the fritz, but hopefully, it would make it back to Mark’s.
“Everything okay, Darby?” Will asked, escorting me to our seats about two-thirds of the way toward the back of the setup. “I sense you’re agitated.”
“I’ll get over it. Just...case stuff.”
I was so irritated, in fact, I couldn’t sit, not yet.
“Is your friend working with that man?”
I nodded, drank more wine, then responded. “Yeah, she’s representing him. He’s a suspect in my current case.”
“But he’s going to come in to talk to you in the morning?”
I bobbed my head again. “And hopefully he’ll be bringing the truth.”
“You suspect he’s lying to you?”
“I have evidence proving he is.”
Will looked back to where Rick and Genova still stood and gave them a thoughtful gaze. “I can’t get a read on her because she’s blocking me out. But I think he may be hiding something.”
“Well, it’s nice to confirm it.”
“Why don’t you try to push it out of your head?” He put his arm around me. “Try to relax and enjoy the meeting?”
“I’d like to, I really would, but I’m really tired. Do you mind if I just bug out? Head home?”
He frowned. “Are you sure?”
I swallowed the last of the wine in a big gulp, handing him the glass. “Tonight didn’t go quite the way I’d hoped. We can try again tomorrow night.”
“Let me at least drive you home.”
“I have an autopilot.” No need to tell him the computer that controlled it didn’t like to work all the time.
He frowned and took my arm. “I think it would be best if I drove you home, Darby.”
I shrugged him off, suddenly tired of the touching. “I’ll be fine.”
He followed me as I stalked out of Rozelle Court and to the front of the museum.
One of the security guards came on alert as we reached the main doors. “Everything okay, ma’am?”
“Fine.”
Will said to him, “I want to make sure she gets to her car okay. Can you let me back in?”
The guard nodded.
“I don’t need your guidance, Will,” I said testily as we exited.
The fresh, cool air smelled of the rain from earlier in the day. The crispness made my head swim as I tread down the mass of marble stairs leading down to the main grounds.
I slipped on the last few, landing at the bottom with a thunk. “Damn it!”
“Here, let me help you.”
I shrugged him off. “Just go back to the meeting, Will. I’m perfectly capable of making it to my car. I need to be alone.”
Too much had happened, and I needed time to think.
Even with the alcohol in my system.
“All right.” He pulled me to him and kissed me hard.
I started to push away from him, but in spite of myself, relaxed into his arms. I didn’t want to be kissed, not now, not here, but felt myself respond to him.
He smoothed my hair from my face as he came up for air, leaning his forehead against mine.
“Reconsider. Let me drive you home.”
I almost did. Almost wanted to let him. I was exhausted, and with the feelings of betrayal I had for my partner right now, would rather spend some more time with Will than any with Mark.
But I firmly made up my mind. I’d return to my partner’s home.
And he and I were going to have words.
“I need to go. I’m sorry. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He nodded, reluctantly letting me go.
I turned and crossed the lawn, finding my car parked out on the street—it seemed further away than I’d originally parked—and climbed in, then fumbled my way through programming Mark’s address. It kept telling me error, no such address. Damn it, I knew where he lived.
Finally, it accepted and took off haltingly. I needed to get this fixed badly.
I closed my eyes and drifted while my car drove. Mark was foremost on my mind. How could he have slept with my best friend?
I vaguely remembered a text I’d sent to Priscilla earlier, jokingly asking her if she’d ever spent time with Mark without me. It had been half in jest. But now I wondered if I’d been more on the mark than I’d expected, no pun intended.
I dug my personal comm out of my bag and slipped it on, the viewer popping out so I could see new messages. One from Simon. Two from Priscilla. One from Holly. Another couple from members of Simon’s church, friends of mine. The first one from Priscilla was my biggest concern.
Uh, no. I’m dating Charles now, remember? And even If I wasn’t, I’m not going to mess with a man who’s in love with my best friend. Why?
Wish Genova had felt that way.
I put my comm away without response.
I leaned my elbow against the ledge of the window, covering my mouth with my hand, trying to keep the tears from falling as I stared out at the passing city. My thoughts were slow to form, muddled with alcohol, anger, and regret.
Why? Why had my partner and best friend ended up sleeping together? How could they have even remotely thought this was a good idea?
What did it say of me that I was...whatever I was? The alcohol had made me so punchy, I couldn’t even decide what emotions I was feeling.
I’d be back to Mark’s place soon.
What was I going to say to him?
The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.
Mark was going to find out I knew what he’d done—and exactly how I felt about it.