In the Shadow of the Shield (Secret Lives Series Book 2) (5 page)

Instead, she smiled and slid her hand back across the table. A flash of disappointment crossed his expression. It happened so fast, she couldn’t be sure if she had actually seen it, or if it had been wishful thinking on her part. “Just got caught up in some old memories. I’m sorry, what was it you were saying?”

“I was asking if I could get your number.”

“My number?”

He smiled again. She liked his smile. “Yes, your phone number. So I can get in touch with you without stalking you at the cemetery.”

She couldn’t hold back the laugh that came out. “Of course! Although, I have to say, it was sort of exciting having a stalker for, like, five minutes.”

They exchanged numbers while they finished their coffee and chatted about how unusually cold it was outside for the time of year.

“There—there’s something else. Something that I have never told anyone, but I guess maybe I should now.”

“What is it?”

“The night Donnie died, I received a phone call.”

“Phone call?”

“Yes. I thought it was a—wrong number, but they mentioned Donnie by name. They said he was ready.”

“Ready for what?”

“I have no idea.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone when he died? It could have made a difference.”

“We’ve gotten calls like that before over the years. I texted Donnie, he said he was okay, so it slipped my mind until it was too late to tell anyone.” Not to mention the fact that she was working when the call came in, and that would have crushed her son. Carter nodded his understanding.

“Thank you for meeting me today, Mrs.—I mean, Diana.”

“It’s not like you gave me much choice.” She softened the words with a smile.

He laughed. She had begun to like his laugh as much as his smile. So not a good thing.

“I’m sorry I startled you. I thought it would be better than showing up at your house unannounced.”

“You’re absolutely right. It’s always better to show up unannounced in a graveyard. Next time, just call instead.” She winked and flashed him yet another smile. Oh wow, was she actually flirting with Carter? He had to be barely older than Jackson! Okay, maybe he wasn’t that young, but she
was
that old.

“This isn’t something I’d want to discuss over the phone.”

“You’d be surprised what I talk about on the phone.” She laughed. Carter looked at her curiously.

“I can see now why Massey was so happy. The way he always talked about you—I was envious of his life.”

“Surely your wife…”

“Left me after two years on the job. She couldn’t handle the stresses of being married to a cop, I guess.”

“I’m sorry. I suppose the job isn’t for everyone.”

“Or every wife. We couldn’t all be as lucky as Massey.”

She felt her cheeks warm, despite the chill she still felt from being outside. “You never wanted to remarry?”

“I would love to have a wife and a family. It just wasn’t in the cards.”

“You’re young. There’s still plenty of time.”

“I’m older than you think.”

“How many years has it been since Donnie trained you?”

“Right around twelve.”

“It’s been that long?” Much longer than she thought.
Hmmm…

“Seems like yesterday, doesn’t it?”

She nodded. The server approached the table with a fresh pot of coffee, but they waved her away.

“I suppose I should be getting home. My son will be home soon, and I need to get dinner started.”

“That’s one thing I really feel like I have missed out on.”

“What? Dinner?” she teased, knowing full well he was referring to having children.

“Aren’t you the witty one? And it only took one cup of coffee. Wonder what tricks you have up your sleeve after two cups?”

“I guess we’ll have to find out another time.”

Carter rose from his seat. “It has truly been a pleasure, Diana.”

She stood up also, marveling again at his impressive height. “It most definitely has been. Especially the stalking part. Best thing to happen to me in months.”

He laughed as he reached over and took her coat from her. Turning her around, he held the coat out for her to slip into. She had really missed having a man in her life.

He is not in your life!

She knew the truth, but it felt good to pretend for a few minutes. Together they walked out of the restaurant, Carter stopping to hold the door for her and help her down the steps. When they reached her car, he waited while she unlocked the doors and slid behind the wheel. She turned the key to let the engine warm up some.

“Thank you for having coffee with me, Diana.”

“Thank you for inviting me.”

“I will definitely be in touch in the next few days. Can we keep this between us for now?”

“Oh, absolutely,” she replied, maybe a little too vehemently. Carter laughed.

“Good. Take care of yourself.”

She waved and pulled away from the curb. Carter straightened, his hands shoved into his pockets, watching her as she drove away. Their eyes met in the rearview mirror as a large black van pulled out in front of her. Gravel flew everywhere as she slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel, trying to avoid the other vehicle, but her efforts were in vain.

“Diana! Diana!” Carter was screaming as her face slammed into the top of the steering wheel.

Chapter Five

“Mom?”

Her head ached and her chest throbbed. It took all she had to open her eyes and peer up at the very worried set of familiar brown eyes peering down at her.

“Donnie?” The words came out in a croak, barely above a whisper. The eyes went from worried to sad.

“No, Mom. It’s me, Jackson.”

She squeezed back the tears that threatened and took a deep breath before opening her eyes again. “Of course it’s you. I never realized how much you look like your father when he was your age.”

“I miss him too, Mom. Are you okay?”

She glanced around the curtained space. “I don’t know. I think so. What happened?”

“You were in a car wreck.”

“A pretty nasty one too,” a newly familiar voice spoke up. Carter stepped into her line of sight. “The airbag failed.”

“Mom, this is Officer Ryan. He used to work with Dad. He saw the whole thing.”

Embarrassment washed over her in heavy waves. Oh boy, she must look like hell. Trying to keep it cool, she smiled at Carter.

“Your mom and I met earlier today.”

“Oh?” Jackson looked from her to Carter.

“Yes, I went to visit your Dad. Officer Carter was there to pay his respects as well.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“So, if you were there, what exactly happened?” she asked Carter.

“I’m not totally sure. The road was clear as you started to drive away, and then that van came out of nowhere. After you hit it, the driver took off.”

“A hit and run?”

“Yes. And the van had no tags on it.”

No tags?
“It’s against the law to drive a vehicle without a license plate.”

Carter chuckled. “I know. That’s my point.”

“Hey, go easy on her, man. She whacked her head pretty hard,” Jackson snapped.

“Mmm…no wonder my head feels like someone is inside my skull banging on it with a hammer.” She reached up and rubbed her forehead. “Why does my chest hurt?”

“Seat belt,” Carter replied. “It did its job, fortunately. You are going to be pretty bruised for a while, though.”

“Oh, okay.” With her eyes closed, the pain seemed to dull some. “Jackson, go find a nurse and see about getting me out of here. I want to go home and take a hot bath right about now.”

“Sorry, Mom. They are keeping you overnight. Observation. You took a nasty whack to the skull.”

She sat up, ignoring the waves of dizziness and nausea. “No way. Hospitals kill people. Get me out of here.” She started pulling at the tubes attached to her arm, suddenly frantic to be free of them.

“Diana.” The warm yet firm voice penetrated the fog of panic. She looked up to find Carter standing beside her bed, his hand clasping her wrist. Even in her current state, Carter’s touch made her heart race in a different way. How hard had she hit her head, anyway?

“What?”

“You need to stay the night and let them watch over you. It won’t do Donnie—I mean, Jackson here—any good if you go home with a concussion and slip in the shower or something.”

I won’t slip if you hold me up.

The thought came out of nowhere. She felt the heat rise in her face, and hoped Carter attributed it to her injuries.

She relaxed against the bed. “Okay. Fine. But only because I don’t want my son to have to worry about seeing his poor mother naked when she passes out, and he has to call for help.”

“Mom! Eeeww!”

“I know. Exactly.” Carter smiled.

Jackson stood up. “I’m going to get something from the vending machine. You gonna be okay, Mom?” He eyed Carter with suspicion as his gaze dropped to her wrist and the large hand still wrapped around it. Carter made no move to let her go.

“I’m fine, honey. Go on. A growing boy’s gotta eat.”

Jackson hesitated. “If you’re sure…? I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.”

“I’m sure. I’ll be fine.”

Her son left with a quick glare at Carter.

“Is he always so protective of you?”

“I guess since Donnie died he feels like it’s his job.”

“He thinks I want to take his father’s place.” Carter slid his hand down from her wrist and into her palm, giving it a light squeeze before letting go and sitting in the chair Jackson had vacated.

“That’s ridiculous. We just met.”

“And he doesn’t know the reason for that meeting.”

She tried to sit upright so she could face Carter, but the nausea quickly moved in again. Bright lights shone behind her eyes, and blood pulsed against her eardrums. Carter was at her side in a split second, his arm behind her as he assisted her back down to the mattress.

“Will you stop doing that? You need to be careful, you have a concussion.” He looked so concerned, she almost laughed. All her years married to Donnie, and she had never seen him look like that.

“I’m fine. I just got a little dizzy.”

“Stay right there. I’ll stand so you can see me. I wanted to tell you, while we are alone, that I don’t think your accident was really an accident.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“I may be paranoid, but I think someone knew we were together.”

“Yeah, that cop we saw in the diner.”

“I don’t think so. I think it was someone else.”

“What do we do, then? I don’t want to spend all my time worrying about someone trying to kill me.”

“If they wanted you dead, you would be. I think they were trying to send a message. To me.”

“So, the plot thickens?”

“This isn’t a joke, Diana. This means I am on to something about Massey’s death.”

“You okay, Mom?” Jackson walked into the room, eyeballing Carter’s proximity to her once again.

“I’m fine. Stop worrying about me so much, okay? I’m tough. I managed to stay married to your dad all those years, right?” She meant it as a joke, but Jackson didn’t take it that way.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” her son demanded.

“Watch your tone with me, young man! You may be taller than me, and I might be stuck in this bed, but I am still your mother!”

“You need to leave,” Jackson said to Carter. “This has nothing to do with you.”

Carter glanced at her. “Will you be okay?”

“Of course she will be okay! I’m her son! Who the hell are you?”

“Jackson! Calm down!” Diana yelled, but her son ignored her.

“Get out.” He glared at Carter.

“All right.” Carter held his hands up in surrender. “I’m leaving. Diana, I’ll be in touch.”

She nodded and he left the room. When they were alone, she turned to her son. “What has gotten into you?”

“Nothing.”

“Jackson.”

“Dad’s barely been gone a year, and you are getting all giddy with some guy barely older than me. Seriously, Mom!” He started pacing the room. “Why were you with him today?”

“I told you, we ran into each other at the cemetery.”

“Why was he even there?”

“I don’t know, Jackson, maybe he wanted to pay his respects like I said before. I am pretty sure that I am the parent here, and I really don’t have to explain myself to you. Weren’t you telling me not long ago that it was time for me to move on?” she replied. She couldn’t tell him the real reason they were together, so she tried the subject-change tactic. After someone had tried to hurt her, the less Jackson knew, the better.

Her son was angry. His eyes did that bug-out thing Donnie’s had always done. She was torn between laughing and crying as he stopped pacing and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m the man of the house now. Dad would want me to take care of you.”

“Oh, Jack, you
do
take good care of me. But I am a grown woman, and you can’t be responsible for me.”

“You could have died.”

“But I didn’t.”

“Does the accident have anything to do with that guy?”

“You mean Officer Ryan?”

“Yes.”

“No.” A twinge of guilt fluttered around her heart as she lied to her son.

You don’t know if it’s a lie. The accident could have been just that—an accident.

Lying to herself was almost as bad. That van had intentionally tried to harm her. She knew it, Carter knew it, and Jackson suspected it. Her son was too smart for his own good sometimes.

She patted the bed beside her. “Come here, son.”

Jackson scowled, but did as she asked. “What?”

“You don’t have to worry about me, okay?”

He shifted his weight and uncrossed his arms. “I can’t lose you too, Mom. I am not ready to be an orphan.”

She couldn’t stop her laughter. “I am not ready to die, so I think you are safe!”

“Dad wasn’t ready, either.”

“No, son, he wasn’t. But his death was different. You know that.”

“I wish he hadn’t been a cop. If he had worked somewhere else, somewhere safe, he never would have gone into that house, and he would still be alive.”

“Don’t you ever talk like that! Your father loved his job, and it was who he was. It’s downright disrespectful of you to say things like that.”

Jackson turned his back on her. His shoulders quivered the slightest bit. He was crying, but he didn’t want her to know it. Diana waited for her son to pull himself together. Finally, he turned back to face her. “I hate that stupid job, and I hate him for leaving us.”

She worked herself into a sitting position, ignoring the overwhelming urge to vomit and the sudden, severe shifting of the little curtained room to the left. “Jackson, I understand. I really do. Every day I want to cry, and then I want to punch your father right in the nose for leaving us. But the anger won’t do either of us any good. He’s gone, and we still have to go on living.”

“That’s what Lily said before we broke up.”

“Oh?” The break-up had to do with Donnie’s death?

“Yeah. She said I was living in the past, and I needed to get over Dad. How do you get over your father?” Tears flowed down his cheeks, soaking the front of the white t-shirt he wore. How she wanted to go to him, but when she attempted to stand, the floor and ceiling tried to switch places. She fell back onto the little emergency room bed with a groan.

“Mom! Are you okay?” Jackson was at her side, fear heavy in his voice.

“Fine. I’m fine. Damned whack to the head has me a little dizzy, that’s all. It’ll pass.”

Her son wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and blinked back any lingering tears. “I’m really sorry, Mom. I shouldn’t have put all that on you right now.”

She took his hand in her own and squeezed it. “It’s okay. I wish you would have talked to me about this before, though. Maybe you and Lily…”

“That would have been over, no matter what. She wanted her freedom so she could party and do what she wants. Dad was just her excuse to ditch me.”

“I’m so sorry, honey. I really am. Losing someone you care about is never easy, regardless of the circumstances.”

“Which is why I can’t lose you too. I need my mother.”

Diana chuckled. “Yes, you do. At least until you get married and some other lucky woman gets to wash your dirty clothes.”

They both laughed, and she was happy to see her boy looking more like himself. Jackson had grown up right before her eyes, maturing so much in the last year. Her heart ached at the thought of him leaving in a few months for college.

The curtain pushed to the side, and a short little man in a white coat and blue scrubs stepped into the area. “Well, Mrs. Massey, that was some hit you took to the old noggin. There’s gonna be a knot there for a good long time. Good news is that you will be fine in a day or so; the concussion appears to be relatively mild. We’re gonna keep you overnight for observation, but if all goes well, you will be heading home tomorrow. Get ready to do a little car shopping. The EMTs had to cut yours open like a tuna can to get you out.”

The car was totaled? She glanced at Jackson, and he nodded. “Sorry, Mom. They had to have it towed to the junkyard.”

“That was…that was my husband’s car.”

“Well, I am sure he will be happy to hear you are okay. Cars are replaceable. People, not so much. Where is the detective anyway? I thought for sure he’d be hovering around you like a bee around a flower.”

“You knew Donnie?” she asked as the doctor examined her head wound.

“Sure do. He’s been here a time or two with an arrestee. How’s he doing?”

“He died a year ago.”

The doctor looked up from the chart. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Massey. I had no idea.”

“I guess I thought everyone knew. The night he died, he was here.”

“I probably wasn’t on duty that night. I am very sorry for your loss. Detective Massey was a good man. One of the best.”