Blood Stained (33 page)

He chuckled and the sound made Adam's skin shiver. "Guess she figured it would sell better if she went with him. Like I said, she was smart. Smartest fish I ever got."

Adam jerked up straight, halfway out of his chair. "She was no fish."

"She never told you?" Defiance glittered from his eyes. "Before her, they were all hit and run jobs. She was so sweet, special somehow. I kept her longer. Took her away instead of finishing the job. Oh the things we did. And she loved every minute. Begged for it. She needed me. To tell her what to do, how to think. She wouldn't blink without my permission. Best fish I ever had." 

He sighed. "It was good while it lasted. So don't you let her down. You do as you're told. Stay quiet. And everything will be fine. I'll be out before you know it. Things will go back to the way they always were."

Adam shook his head. "No."

"What do you mean, no? I own you, boy. You're just as much a part of this as I am. Don't you forget that."

"No."

The chains stretched as he raised a hand to slap Adam. Before it could make it halfway, Adam caught it, twisted his thumb back, and shoved it away. As if Clint was weak. Powerless.

The word felt right. Adam pressed the button to call the guards. He pushed his chair back and stood, towering over his father.

"Don't do this, son! You'll regret it. I have friends in here, powerful friends. You're going to jail, too, and I'll make your life a living hell." Saliva speckled the tabletop as Clint ranted, enraged by Adam's rebellion. "You'll be back, begging me to protect you. But I won't, I won't, because you're a fish like all the rest. Worthless, no good—"

The guards came, one pressing Clint's face down hard into the table, keeping pressure on the back of his neck so he couldn't resist.

"You done here, son?" the other guard asked Adam.

"I'm done."

They escorted Adam back outside to where Lucy waited. She'd arranged this final visit before he went into supervised custody. They made him stay in juvie until the psych eval was done, but after, the judge said he could have an ankle monitor and stay in a foster home. 

Mrs. Chesshir, his old teacher had volunteered—which surprised Adam. He didn't think anyone in New Hope would want him anywhere near their home, not after what he did. Figured he'd stay in juvie for the duration. Even thought maybe that was better for everyone.

He didn't want to hurt anyone ever again. Didn't want to end up like his father. Or Morgan.

"Amanda's waiting," Lucy said as they walked out to her car. He was still getting used to the idea of calling Mrs. Chesshir by her first name. "Said the monitoring folks will be there by ten."

They passed an area with picnic tables. For families waiting to visit—or maybe the guards ate out here when the weather was nice. He stopped. "I need to tell you something."

She looked at him, nodded slowly. He used his sleeve to wipe a spot at a table clean for her, then took a seat on the other side. He wasn't sure he could face her when he told her his secret, but he knew he should try.

"What is it, Adam? Did your father upset you?"

"No. He wanted me to not say anything, but I don't care. I want to tell you and the judge and everyone everything. It's the least I can do if it helps those families. I can't take you to any bodies, my dad always took care of them, but maybe I can help you figure out who they were. And what happened to them."

She covered his hand with hers. "That's very brave of you."

He shrugged with one shoulder. "Least I can do. Try to make up for," he jerked his chin at the red brick jail behind them, "what he did. I know I was just a kid, but I should've known better."

"You never had a chance to know better. They raised you to be a part of it your entire life. There's no way a kid could have fought against everything he'd ever known."

"But I'm not a kid anymore." He sucked in his breath. The cold felt sharp, scratchy against his throat. "I need to be a man and own up to what I did. Everything I did. Including what happened in the cave four years ago."

"I know your mom set that up. She faked the carjacking and told you to lead us there, didn't she? She wanted to give your dad an alibi." She paused. "Who was the man? Was it Rachel's boyfriend?"

"How'd you know?"

"He was a geology major. Into caving."

"He just showed up one day when Mom was feeding the fish. She hit him on the head and had me help her drag him to one of the back chambers. Dad said he kept him alive so he could frame him when Dad was ready to leave New Hope."

"But then Rachel came looking for him."

"Rachel." He sighed, his breath emerging in a puff of steam quickly whisked away by the breeze. "She was too much for Dad to resist. Kept saying how defiant she was, all her praying and faith in God. Mom wanted him to leave, take me. Let her clean up after him, but he refused. Said he wouldn't leave New Hope until he broke Rachel. Showed her what God really was, who was in charge."

They were both silent for a long moment. "I guess Rachel won in the long run," Lucy said. "If it wasn't for her and you, we never would have caught him." She rubbed her finger against the tabletop, tracing letters in the moisture left behind by the melted snow. "Did she mean to kill herself or was that an accident? Your mom."

"She was dying. Her cancer was back. I guess it was one last way for her to show how much she loved him." He swallowed hard against the knot in his throat. Not from thinking about Mom, but thinking about what else had happened that day. "But…" This was the hard part. The part he never told anyone. "I'm the one who stabbed you."

Lucy jerked her chin up at that. "You?"

"When I ran into the cave, Mom grabbed me, said she needed more time to get things ready. She gave me one of his knives. Told me to slow you down anyway I could." He blinked back tears. Wished this was easier. Better to get it out as fast as possible. "She wanted me to kill you then run and get the other cops. But, but, I couldn't. I knew how to do it right, where to put the knife, but I just couldn't. I wimped out. Just like a fish."

He watched in agony as she gazed past him, eyes clouded with memory. Goodbye house arrest. Hello jail. For a long, long time. You didn't admit to trying to kill a FBI agent and get to walk free.

Worse, he'd lose Lucy. 

"You were ten years old, Adam. And you didn't really hurt me."

He looked up in surprise. "You're not mad? I mean—"

"Don't get me wrong, I don't recommend the experience. And we definitely have to tell your counselor and the judge. You don't get to keep secrets like this. Not anymore."

"No. No ma'am. I…" he stammered into silence, not sure what to say.

"Truth is, you probably saved my life. If you hadn't slowed me down, it might have been my body Marion threw off that cliff. Then my husband and little girl would have never known what really happened to me."

He hadn't thought of it that way. "So, we're like, cool? You're not going to leave me, are you?"

The desperation coloring his voice shamed him, made him look down, waiting for her answer. 

"No, Adam. I'm not leaving you. Why would I when you're turning out to be such a fine young man?" She stood and brushed off the back of her pants. "But we need to leave here or we'll be late for your appointment with the monitoring company. And I have to get home. I've a soccer game to get to."

<><><>

The final soccer game between the league all-stars. Lucy stood on the sidelines, not worried about the rain or the mud the players sprayed over her as they scrambled after the ball. She held a red umbrella, big enough for two, waiting for Nick, and bright enough for Megan to spot no matter where she was on the field.

Unlike the other soccer moms and dads, she held her umbrella in her left hand. Leaving her weapon hand free and her parka unzipped, but it was only force of training. 

The crowd cheered and laughed and shouted, Lucy right there with them, not even looking more than twice when two dads pushed in behind her for a better view of a penalty kick. She ignored her phone the first three times it rang, but finally picked it up after the fourth to see if it was Nick canceling.

It was John Greally. Just like the other three times.

There was a time out on the field, so she relented and took the call. "Guardino."

"Where the hell are you? The shrink's been calling here. You missed your appointment. Again."

"Couldn't help it. Megan's game went late."

"How's she doing?" John's daughter played on Megan's regular team but hadn't made it to the all-stars.

"Kicking butt and taking numbers." Pride rang through Lucy's voice.

Greally laughed. "Just like her mother. You sound better. More like yourself."

Lucy cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder as she moved to the parking area, standing with her back to the Subaru and keeping an eye on Megan. Not in panic, but because she didn't want to miss any of the game.

"I feel better," she admitted. "I know what happened in New Hope wasn't by the books and I'm willing to take whatever OPR throws at me. But John, we both know being chained to that desk was killing me. I belong out in the field. I can lead my people from the front lines. You know I can. And it will get the job done better. Plus keep them safe." She pled her case. For the last time. If the Office of Professional Responsibility wanted to kick her to the curb, then so be it.

She'd done what needed doing and she'd do it again. Not just for the victims she fought for every day. For herself. To give Megan a mother she could be proud of. A mother she could respect.

"Given the public support and media behind you, I think the brass will back off. Again." His voice held a tone of warning Lucy almost missed as Megan stole the ball and ran down field. She leaned forward, fist clutching the umbrella, urging her on, then sighed as the ball flew out of bounds.

"Do me a favor, though," Greally said, "don't miss another psych eval. And I'll see about getting you help to deal with the administrative duties. But you'll be a man short."

"Why? Who am I losing?" Lucy's focus returned to the phone. 

"Galloway. Failed her own psych eval."

Lucy turned her back on the field for a moment, gaze searching the parking lot and the cars zooming past. No threats. In fact, the car slowing and turning in was the one she'd been waiting for. 

"Don't say 'failed.' She didn't fail anything," she told Greally. "It's a tough job. Not everyone is cut out for it." 

Nick parked beside her and hopped across the puddles of melted snow to reach the shelter she provided, taking the umbrella from her so she could have both hands free. She tilted her face to him and he kissed her beneath the cover of the umbrella.

"Gotta go," she told her boss. "Family time."

She hung up the phone, shoved it deep inside her pocket, intertwined her left arm in Nick's right, and they strolled back to the soccer field just in time to see Megan dive headfirst into the mud as she blocked what would have been the winning goal.

Behind them stood a girl in a black raincoat, watching. Not the game, but Lucy and Nick. Lucy caught a glimpse of dark curls, just before the girl turned and ran splashing through the puddles. 

No. Couldn't be. No reason why Morgan would risk showing her face anywhere around Lucy. Just her imagination running wild. 

Lucy tightened her arm around Nick and edged closer to the sideline to keep Megan in sight, one hand resting on the butt of her gun. More than training, this time. But less than panic.

Maybe it was Morgan watching. Maybe it wasn't. Didn't matter. Lucy was ready.

<><><>

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