Detective Partners (18 page)

She smiled at him weakly. "Thank you, Galen."

He smiled back. "I've got your back, Goodwin."

"Always?"

"Always."

C
hapter  18

Nicole had just finished dinner, that evening, when the doctor showed up. He examined her, answered her questions, and then informed her that she could go home the following day. Nicole could not wait. She was tired of lying in bed all day with nothing to do but watch TV, sleep, and wait for Galen to drop by or call. She needed exercise and fresh air, but more than that, she needed to get back to work.

Not long after the doctor left, Pastor Kelly dropped by. Nicole, who wasn't expecting him, was surprised to see him. "P - Pastor," she stuttered.

"Nicole." Pastor Kelly shut the door behind him and moved toward the bed. "I haven't seen you in church lately. I was worried about you so I stopped by your house to check on you. Your next door neighbor told me an ambulance picked you up yesterday morning." His hazel eyes filled with concern, he paused beside the bed and looked down at her. "Will you tell me what happened to you?"

"Sit down, please." She waited until he was settled before she spoke again. "My father did this to me when I refused to let him in my house. You see after my partner learned that I was being abused he made me promise him that I would stay away from my father. Letting him in the house would mean breaking my promise. I couldn't do that." She bowed her head. "I had my father arrested."

"How do you feel about that?" he asked softly.

"I feel torn," Nicole confessed. "A part of me knows I did the right thing, but-"

"There is a part of you that feels as though you betrayed him," Pastor Kelly guessed. "Am I right?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"You haven't done anything wrong." He reached out and touched her arm. "Your father needs to be held accountable for what he has done, Nicole. If you hadn't put a stop to the abuse, he would have ended up killing you. It is a miracle that you are alive and here with me now. Do not regret your decision. You did the right thing."

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome." Pastor Kelly crossed his legs. "Would you like to talk about something else?"

"Yes," Nicole said, happy to change the subject.

"How is work?"

"Far from boring."
She adjusted the blankets and then said, "I've been transferred to homicide." Briefly, she told him about the new case. "I don't understand why God would allow this sick man to use his name in such a vile way. It's blasphemy."

"This Judas character will stand before God on judgment day and answer for the wrong he has done," Pastor Kelly told her. "Our heavenly father sees and hears all. He won't forget and his punishment will be swift and just. Tell me about your new partner."

Nicole thought of Galen and a warm feeling spread through her. "His name is Galen Maxwell." She smiled weakly. "He is the complete opposite of me. He's tall, strong, and confident. I forgot to mention that's
he
stubborn and determined too. It seems as though he has made it a mission of his to get me to open up and share myself with him. Slowly, but surely he's breaking down the walls I've built to keep people out. I've only known him for a short time, but I find myself wanting to tell him everything about me. It's scary how easily he's slipped past my barriers."

"Perhaps he was brought into your life so that you might learn to trust again."

Before Nicole could say anything, there was a knock at the door. The door opened and Galen entered the room. "Am I interrupting?" he asked.

"No, not at all," she assured him. "Galen, this is Pastor John Kelly. Pastor, this is my partner, Galen Maxwell."

The Pastor stood and turned around. "Mr. Maxwell." He offered his hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too," Galen said, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake.

Pastor Kelly released his hand and checked his watch. "I hate to leave so soon, but I need to go over my sermon for the service later." He turned back to Nicole and took her hand. Holding it between both of his, he said, "Shall we pray before I go?"

"Yes, please." She closed her eye and lowered her head.

The Pastor kept the prayer brief. Once he was done, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze and let go. "If you need anything please let me know."

"Thank you for stopping by," Nicole said.

"You're welcome," he replied. "You take it easy and I will see you soon." He said goodbye to Galen and then left.

"Nice man," Galen muttered.

"Yes, he is," she agreed. "I wasn't expecting you to drop by again today."

He arched an eyebrow. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No," Nicole said quickly. "Stay, please. Sit down and talk to me." Expecting him to sit in the chair, she was taken by surprise when he perched on the side of the bed.

"So, how long have you known the Pastor?" he asked, shrugging out of his suit coat.

"Five years," she mumbled. "I attend his church." She sighed. "I haven't been lately. Work keeps me busy."

"I see." Galen leaned forward and draped his coat over the back of the chair. "Well, I'll just have to make sure you show up more often. You should make time for church."

"I can't make time when we're in the middle of a murder investigation," Nicole stated.

"Yes, you can," he told her. "I don't mind covering for you for a few hours."

She cocked her head to one side. "Why does it matter to you whether or not I go to church?"

Galen placed his hand on her leg. "It matters to me because I don't want you to neglect something that's important to you. This job will take from you until you have no life of your own. I don't want that for you. You've all ready seen things and will continue to see things that could affect you emotionally and maybe even mentally. You're going to need your faith to help you through it all. Now you're going to go to church more often. The discussion is closed. Move on."

Nicole smiled at him.
"Bossy much?"

"I have my moments," he said, smirking.

"How's the case coming along?" she asked, changing topics.

"Nothing new," Galen sighed. "I spent the afternoon questioning the employees at the bar where the victims' body was found. No one saw or heard anything. We've got nothing."

She swallowed hard. "So we wait for him to kill again and hope he leaves some shred of evidence behind that will lead us to him."

"That's usually how it works." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I suspect there will be another body turning up soon.
Within the next day or two.
He's probably out there right now hunting for his next victim."

A sick feeling settled in the pit of Nicole's stomach. "Let's talk about something else."

"All right," Galen said. "Is the doctor releasing you tomorrow?"

"Yes." She reached for the glass of water on the bedside table and took a drink. "I'm not sure exactly when. It will probably be around noon."

"Do you want me to stop by your house and pick up anything?"

"Thank you for the offer, but that's all ready taken care of," Nicole said. "I called my neighbor, Alicia and asked her if she would drop off some things in the morning on her way to work. She said she would."

"Call me when the doctor releases you and I'll swing by and pick you up."

Nicole told him she would.

Judas stood in the shadows of an old abandoned building and watched while drugs and money exchanged hands. A mixture of loathing and rage made his gut burn as he stared at the two men. His heart pounded in his ears and his body trembled. When he got this way it meant only one thing.
Some one
was about to die. He slipped his hand into the pocket of his coat and caressed the knife he kept there. A small smile graced his mouth as he remembered using the knife to slash the prostitute's throat. There was no remorse for what he did. She had been a sinner and deserved what she got.

The men talked for a moment and then parted ways. Judas shoved away from the brick wall and moved in the direction of the drug dealer. The dealer turned a corner and disappeared from his sight. He jogged up the sidewalk and around the corner. Spotting the man up ahead, he slowed down to a walk. Excitement coursed through him and he caressed the knife once more.

The ringing of a cell phone shattered the silence. The dealer stopped in his tracks and removed the phone from his pocket. Seeing the perfect opportunity to make his move, Judas drew the knife from his coat pocket. The blade was spotless and gleaming and looked well taken care of. He edged closer to the man talking on the phone, moving as silent as a cat on the prowl. When he was within striking distance, he raised the knife and attacked.

The knife met flesh and bone. With surprise forever etched on his face, the drug dealer crumpled to the ground and knew no more. With a pleased expression on his face, Judas pulled the knife free from
the
mans
throat and gazed at the blood dripping from the blade. "For you, my Lord," he whispered.

C
hapter  19

Galen stepped out of the elevator, the following morning, and made his way up the corridor. At the end of the long hallway, he pushed through the double doors. His eyes scanned the waiting room and the nurses' station as he passed by. A nurse smiled at him and said good morning. He returned the greeting and moved on down the hallway. As he drew near to Nicole's room, the door opened and Officer Travers walked out. Galen stopped in his tracks and looked at him.

"Morning, Maxwell," he muttered.

"Good morning."