Sterling's Reasons
When a wounded hero seeks solitude from the world, only a determined woman can
save him from a lifetime of anguish and isolation.
All it took was one moment for Police Officer Joe McDaniels’s life to change forever. A bust gone bad has resulted in the death of his partner—and the bullet was from his gun. Cleared of all wrongdoing, Joe nevertheless blames himself for the death of his best friend. Hiding from the world, he retreats to an isolated beach house on the Maryland shore.
When Sterling Powell finds Joe, she can see behind his cynical façade to the wounded man below. Day after day, she forces him to participate in daily life—
jogs on the beach, regular meals and conversations. And when she sees a spark of desire in his eyes, Sterling thinks of nothing but giving in to their mutual attraction. But she is supposed to be there to help him, and love was definitely not part of the plan.
This book was previously published by Kismet Books in June 1991.
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B
Cincinnati OH 45249
Sterling’s Reasons
Copyright © 2012 by Joey Light
ISBN: 978-1-61921-003-5
Edited by Heather Osborn
Cover by Lyn Taylor
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Original Publication by Kismet Books: June 1991
Firs
t Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
electronic publication: May 2012
Sterling’s Reasons
Joey Light
Dedication
For Lt. Col. J.J. Hoopert
My mentor, my teacher, my very special friend.
It means everything.
And
My husband, Danny,
Always, always, to you.
Chapter One
“The cop who killed his partner?”
“That’s the one. Name’s Joe Timothy MacDaniels.” He pushed the Washington
Post
across the desk to her. He watched her over his steepled fingers. “Don’t give me that little-girl ‘good grief’ look of yours, Sterling. Think about it. The preliminary report states he has no family. Is he going to quit the force; start a new life? End the old one? Is he going to wind up in a nut house because he’s alone? The newspaper doesn’t give that kind of information.”
Sterling picked up the paper and studied the picture of the man on the front page under the headline LT. ACCIDENTALLY KILLS HIS PARTNER. The face was worldly, the eyes were clear and direct. A thick mustache hid his top lip. She wouldn’t exactly call it a cold face, but she could call it aloof. Of course it was a file photo. She wondered what those eyes looked like now. And the hint of a smile would be gone. The handsomeness might be hidden beneath lines of pain.
God, a thing like that, Sterling couldn’t imagine it. It was a mistake, a bad one, but definitely an accident. She had read about it. She had watched it on TV as she forced down a piece of cold pizza during the late news.
“He’s been put on administrative leave,” she read.
“Read on. He’s pulled himself out of the picture for a while. Get out there.
Find out what you can.”
When Sterling hesitated a moment longer than Mr. Ramsburg thought she should, he added, “How many years have you been working for me now, Sterling?”
Sterling’s Reasons
“Five, sir.”
“How many times have we failed to be able to do something constructive?
How many times has there been no reason to intervene?”
“Out of about thirty cases, none, sir.” She smiled then, for she knew what he was getting at. “Sometimes I just wish I knew what drives you. What makes you do this? I think it’s wonderful, you know that… Where would I be without you, but…”
“When I stop, you become unemployed, Sterling. So you better just sit back for the ride. I take good care of myself and the money…” He shrugged, gesturing it away, “I don’t need it and others do. Certainly not that money-grubbing so-called family of mine.” He grimaced, remembering. “Tossed me from one to the other when I became orphaned. Different darn story when I made something out of myself. I just make more money to aggravate them. I have more than one person should.” The twinkle in his eye was hidden as he looked down to straighten the cuffs of his shirt.
“Don’t worry about me, child. Just continue to do your job as well as you have been. You have a gift. You can see into people. You can pick up on feelings others can’t. Like the family that was burned out. I would simply have built them a new house.” He sipped from a full brandy snifter. “You got to know them and told me that they needed to be relocated back to where most of their family lived.
So they miraculously found a job opening and a house in their hometown. It was so much more effective that way. Your job is to find out, and my job is to enable.
Together we make a darn good team.”
“You’ve given more people a second chance, a new perspective, a clean slate and a shot at a real life, and all this without anyone knowing where it came from or why. It just burns inside me to let them know.”
7
Joey Light
“Well, it doesn’t burn inside me, and since it’s my money that does the job, you can’t tell them.” His entire face wrinkled into a smile. “Gets you, doesn’t it, Ster?”
She had to shake her head and smile at the man. “Somewhere along the way, someone gave you a helping hand or another chance. Will you ever tell me about it?”
He leaned over his desk a little. “No, you’ll never learn my life story, young lady. Don’t you know by now that I thrive on secrets?”
Sterling replaced the newspaper on the corner of the huge cherry desk and looked at Mr. Ramsburg. Fatigue creased his forehead and weakened his eyes. It was nearing four o’clock, and Sterling often wondered where he got the drive to continue with his work at seventy years of age. His hands remained steepled under his chin as he watched her. His suit was a fine gray pinstriped double-breasted wool. He dressed with immaculate care. His tie was dark gray with a hint of maroon running through it. His hair was white and thin. His eyes, though tired, remained direct and challenging.
Smiling indulgently, Sterling assured him. “I’ll fine tune my magic wand and make arrangements to get to D.C. right away.” She stood up, moving her pad and pen to her right hand. Smoothing the skirt of her navy-blue suit, she moved toward the office door.
“Already been made. He’s on a sabbatical of sorts in North Ocean City, so it will be a little farther to travel. Nancy has your tickets and the investigator’s reports. You leave at five-thirty tomorrow,” he paused for effect, “on a plane.”
“I’m to fly?” She stopped with her hand on the brass knob.
Mr. Ramsburg smiled. “Yes. When are you going to conquer your fear of the big metal bird? No other way to travel, dear girl. Now shoo. Get your things in order. And stop sighing and get home and pack. It’s beautiful in Ocean City.
8
Sterling’s Reasons
Take some time to enjoy yourself, but remember, this chap may need our help right this very minute. And, Sterling…”
She stopped with the door open to the outer office and looked back at him.
“Wear your blue jeans. That suit makes you look too staid, and you’re too young and beautiful to look so solemn.” He took in her bright tawny-gold eyes and her light-brown hair. “And a bathing suit. Two-piece. You need some color.” He winked, and she raised a brow then let herself out of his office.
By six-thirty that evening her bags were packed and set by the door. She would liked to have taken a train. Or a pack mule, she thought as she shoved the suitcase back against the wall. He knew she hated flying and that’s exactly why he made her do it.
She gathered Edison, her gray long-haired cat, in one hand and picked up the bag with his food and favorite toys in it in the other one as she headed across the hall to Mrs. Murphy’s apartment. She knocked on the door with the toe of her shoe.
Mrs. Murphy swung the door wide. “Come on in, my dear. Hello, Edison.”
She took the gray cat from Sterling and rubbed his whiskered face against hers.
“How are you, Edison? You pretty boy,” she crooned.
Sterling ambled past them to set the bag of food on the sink top. “I certainly appreciate your taking him again this time. I think he’s more your cat than mine anyway. I shouldn’t be longer than two or three weeks.”
“Not to worry. He’s company for an old lady like me. I still have the litter box here and a whole new bag of litter. The green kind. He likes that the best.”
She took the cat to her big raggedy overstuffed chair by the window and sat down, arranging him in her lap. Edison looked up at Sterling with an expression that told her he would never forgive her for this. Again.
9
Joey Light
“You’re a godsend, Mrs. Murphy. I’ll see you when I get back. And thank you.”
She looked away from the cat just long enough to study Sterling. “That company you work for is too hard on you. Always sending you here and there.
Don’t they see how skinny you are? Last time you were away for two months and now they’re sending you away again. Did you ever think of changing jobs?
My niece, Lori, has a wonderful job waitressing down at Matt’s. Makes good money, too, and doesn’t have to leave her home for days and months at a time.”
She pointed a bony finger toward Sterling. “You consider it while you’re on this trip. Promise me, girl.”
Sterling merely smiled. Mrs. Murphy’s stockings were rolled down to her ankles. The flowery dress was protected by an apron hooked around her neck and tied at her ample waist. “I promise.” With a wave, Sterling pulled the door shut behind her, and then took a minute to rest her back on it.
I’m not skinny,
she thought, and looked down at herself.
Well,
she sighed inwardly,
not real skinny.
Moments later, propped up on the couch against several pillows, the radio playing softly in the kitchen, Sterling broke the seal on the first of the four envelopes. She would use the contents to make herself familiar with this Joe MacDaniels.
As she read, she nibbled on pretzels and drank Diet Coke. He was forty-five; born in Indiana to Lee and Ann MacDaniels. He was raised on a farm, went to school when it pleased him. Enlisted and spent three years in the Army, one in Vietnam. Decorated twice; the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for Valor. His parents were killed in an accident while he was in-country. No brothers or sisters. No family was listed at all. Nothing out of the ordinary. His police record was clean, though he seemed to be a bit of a rule-stretcher. He got the job done and done well. He’d accomplished many arrests and convictions. Reading 10
Sterling’s Reasons
between the lines she got the idea that he was his own man. He seemed afraid of nothing. She had an image of an in-charge type of person who was highly respected. She idly wondered what made a man so devoted to something, so channeled.
The other envelopes contained his employment record, his service record, dozens of newspaper clippings, and a synopsis. No commendations. A few mild reprimands. One investigation. All cleared. There was a list of former addresses along with a list of references and a few pages of comments by the investigators.
It seemed he had rented an old beach cottage in North Ocean City. It was all so routine, Sterling shrugged lazily and snuggled deeper into the pillows. She fell sound asleep. The pretzel slid from her hand to the rug. The radio continued to play.