On the Line (29 page)

That was almost the only thing she felt skilled in. Hurting people with her poor
decisions.

“What happened with Nathan last night?” Kelsey asked as she propped her hips against
the counter beside the sink. “And, no, I don’t need the gory details.” Kelsey gave
her sister a wink and a grin that Janelle simply met with a blank stare. Kelsey’s
smile faded slowly. “If there are any,” she added slowly.

“Kels, I don’t want to talk about it.” Janelle reached for the sugar and milk and
added a little of each to her cup.

“It didn’t end well?” Kelsey walked toward Janelle and sat on the stool beside her.

“What did I just say?” Janelle snapped. She took a long, slow sip of the hot brew
and savored the burn in her throat as she set the cup back down on the island’s counter.
“I need to get to work.”

“School can wait,” Kelsey said softly and wrapped her hand around Janelle’s and the
mug. “Something’s bothering you. I’d like to help if I can.”

Janelle closed her eyes against the tears and shook her head. “There’s nothing you
can do. I made a mistake, that’s all.”

Kelsey warm hand moved off hers, and Janelle slowly opened her eyes. She met Kelsey’s
pitying stare and looked away.

“What was the mistake?” Kelsey asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Janelle replied, her jaw clenched as her sister’s
soothing demeanor threatened the dam that held her tears and frustrations back.

“That’s okay, I have a list I can work off of. If you’d like, you can simply nod
or shake your head.”

Janelle’s brow furrowed as she looked up at her sister. Kelsey took a sip of her
coffee and shrugged a shoulder.

“Your choice.” Kelsey set her coffee down and folded her hands in her lap and they
stared at each other for a few moments. “Would you like me to begin?”

Janelle’s head moved side to side on its own. “What list?”

Kelsey held up her first finger. “You loved Richard more than he deserved.” Her second
finger went up. “You give Mom too much credence in your life.” Another finger up.
“You blame yourself for things that are beyond your control and let them eat at you.”
Her pinky joined the others and her mouth opened.

Janelle held up her palm to silence her sister. “That’s enough.”

Kelsey’s lips pursed and she moved her head from side to side. “You let a good man
leave last night because of all of the above,” she said somberly.

Janelle pressed her lips together and pulled her shoulders back. “You know nothing
about last night.”

Kelsey released a long sigh. “I know you had a nightmare, I heard it and was halfway
down the hall before I heard you arguing with him. I went back to my room and heard
him leave shortly after that. But, you’re right, I don’t know what happened between
the two of you. Please don’t tell me you told him sex was a mistake.”

Janelle’s cheeks warmed slightly. “Maybe,” she mumbled as she looked into her almost
empty mug. She stood and walked over to the coffee pot on the counter behind Kelsey.
She slowly added to her cup, filling it almost to the top, then took a long sip.

“Is that really what you think?” Kelsey’s voice drifted over Janelle’s shoulder.

“No,” Janelle answered quietly as she turned around.

“Then why would you say it?” Kelsey was still on her stool, but had turned to face
her sister, a frown on her face and sadness in her eyes.

Janelle shrugged. She shouldn’t be having this conversation with her younger sister.
Kelsey was supposed to come to her for advice on relationships, not the other way
around. As much as she hated to admit it, though, Kelsey was probably the only person
she could talk to about this. Kelsey seemed to have broken away from Mary’s way of
thinking, and, at least most of the time, was confident in her decisions.

She approached the kitchen island and rested her forearms on it, setting the cup
of coffee between her hands. “I felt guilty,” she answered, her eyes following a
dark line in the marble. “The nightmare came from that and I panicked.”

Kelsey grasped Janelle’s hand. “Who was the voice of that guilt?”

“Mom, of course,” Janelle answered. “She was taking the kids away because neither
of us is fit to be their mother. You were sitting at the table, crying over a tabloid,
and she was harassing me about taking Nathan to bed before Richard was cold in his
grave.”

“Oh, Janelle,” Kelsey breathed softly. “Richard was cold long before he was in the
grave. Your marriage to him ended a long time ago and you have nothing to feel guilty
about.” She stood and walked to Janelle’s side. She slid her arm around her sister’s
waist and laid her head on Janelle’s shoulder. “After everything you’ve been through
with Richard, you deserve happiness. Whether you find it with Nathan or not is up
to you, but I feel pretty confident that man has cared about you for a very long
time.”

Janelle released a short burst of air. “Since high school,” she acknowledged. “Or so
he says.”

“Have you ever known him to lie?” Kelsey questioned and Janelle shook her head in
response. “I’m not trying to push you in his direction, J, that choice is completely
yours. But please don’t let our mother’s crappy beliefs and her horrid advice ruin
your joy. She’s wrong, you are an excellent mother. It’s not too soon for you to
be with Nathan if you’re both comfortable with it. And Richard does not deserve another
second of thought from either of us.”

Tears ran down Janelle’s cheeks at Kelsey’s reaffirming words.

“Do you remember what you said to me when I told you I was pregnant?” Kelsey asked.

Janelle nodded as she sniffled.

“We’ll get through this together. I’ve got your back.” Kelsey kissed Janelle’s cheek
and held her until Janelle’s tears stopped flowing.

Nathan strolled through the police station, nodding to the familiar faces of his
fellow officers as he made his way to Captain Little’s office. He’d sat on Janelle’s
porch until just before the sun had come up that morning, thinking about everything
that had happened after his arrival that evening. He’d reviewed every word, every
action, for any hint that she hadn’t wanted to make love to him. It killed him to
think that he might have rushed her, but the first indication he’d gotten that she
thought it might be a mistake had been when she’d woken up from her nightmare.

That didn’t sit well with him. Even if her conscious mind was telling her yes, her
subconscious was apparently not in agreement, and that would be a harder battle for
him to fight.

After sunrise, he’d gone home and taken a quick shower, then called the captain to
set up a meeting as early as possible. He had no idea what he would do after this
meeting. He wanted to go back to Janelle’s house so he could spend some quality time
with Janelle and their daughter, but he wouldn’t go back until she called. Or until
Zoe’s birthday party, whichever came first. He had a feeling it would be the latter.
He hoped he was wrong.

As he reached the long hall of interrogation rooms that led to his destination, he
nearly ran into Sergeant Hayes, who was focused on the floor as he hurried around
the corner.

“Excuse me,” Hayes mumbled without looking up as he sidestepped Nathan and tried
to continue around him.

“Hayes,” Nathan said and the young man froze.

He slowly lifted his head and turned toward Nathan. When he met Nathan’s stare, the
detective paled and his mouth fell open.

“Harris,” he sputtered. “What . . . what are you doing here?” Hayes cast a brief
glance down the hallway he’d been fleeing then looked at Nathan again. Nathan’s eyes
narrowed as he turned his head slightly and heard a door close
behind him. “I have
a meeting,” Nathan answered calmly. “Hey, man, are you okay? You seem to be in quite
a hurry.”

“Yeah, all cool,” Hayes answered quickly. “There’s just a lot going on right now.
I have some papers to file and stuff, so I guess I’d better get back to work. Good
seeing you.” He turned on his heel and nearly sprinted away.

Nathan watched him go, uneasiness slithering up his spine. He’d known Thomas Hayes
since he’d started on the force five years before. Hayes had a kind, calm demeanor
that always put suspects at ease, usually causing them to tell more than they’d meant
to when they sat down for questioning. Nathan had never known the man to look so
frazzled.

Slowly, Nathan resumed his walk down the hall, considering the encounter he’d just
had with Bonner’s partner. Something wasn’t right, but Nathan couldn’t decide if
it was his instinct picking up on the edginess in the other man, or the fact that
he was just anxious because he wanted this case to be closed so he could go on with
his life.

Captain Little was just walking into his office, fresh cup of coffee in hand, when
Nathan turned the corner. The captain looked at him and frowned.

“You look like something’s bothering you,” he said when Nathan stopped in front of
him.

Nathan nodded. “I just ran into, literally, Tom Hayes in the hallway. He looked distracted
and a bit weary. I can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right.”

The captain motioned toward his open door. “Come in and we’ll talk about it,” he
said and led the way into his office. Nathan followed and closed the thick, mahogany
door behind him. Captain Little sat down on the edge of his desk as Nathan sat in
a brown leather and wood armchair facing him. “Now, tell me about Sergeant Hayes.
What concerns you?”

“He nearly bowled over me as he came around the corner of the hall. His head was
down and he was moving with an obvious purpose,” Nathan answered. “He went white
when he saw me and he rushed off before I could really ask him anything.”

Captain Little’s brow furrowed thoughtfully.

“Other than the Wagoner investigation, is there anything else he’s working on right
now?” Nathan asked cautiously. He didn’t want to sound as suspicious as he felt.

“No, he’s helping Bonner with the investigation, but as far as I know that’s it.
Bonner’s doing most of the legwork, Hayes is there to observe and learn. I thought
it would be a good investigation since it seemed like such an open and shut case.”
Captain Little took a sip of his coffee. “I’m surprised it’s taking them so long.”

“Do you have any idea why it is?” Nathan questioned. “I wouldn’t have thought they
had that much to do. They’ve questioned everyone who was there that night. I’m sure
the coroner’s report is available and they have the crime scene photos. What more
do they need?”

“I don’t know.” The captain shook his head. “I’ve asked Bonner repeatedly if they
were almost finished and he keeps reassuring me they’re close.” Captain Little put
his coffee on the desk and folded his arms across his chest. “As for the Internal
Affairs investigation, I’ll let you know as soon as we get started on it. I don’t
think it should take long, but there are obviously no guarantees, and I really don’t
know what the results might be.”

Nathan placed his elbows on the arms of the chairs and clasped his hands in front
of him. “Fine, but I’m here to talk about my daughter.”

Captain Little raised an eyebrow.

“Her birthday is this week, and Janelle is having a party for her on Saturday. I’d
like to go,” Nathan said and watched his captain’s expression slowly change from
curiosity to a low level of irritation.

“I recommended you stay away from them for your own good. Can you imagine how it
will look if you are seen with the woman you had an affair with just after her husband’s
death?” the captain argued.

“People are talking anyway. She’d been separated from the man for nearly a year and
he died over a month ago. I don’t see why that should have anything to do with me
seeing them,” Nathan responded.

“I thought I explained that to you before. I know, by all appearances, Mr. Wagoner’s
death was by his own actions, but I don’t want anyone to even question the idea that
perhaps it wasn’t.” Captain Little rose from his perch on the desk and walked around
to pace behind it. Nathan opened his mouth to argue, but the captain held up his
hand to stop him. “If you’re seen with her so soon, people might think you were involved
in his death. You’re one of my best detectives, and I don’t want people entertaining
the idea that you
may have been involved. Your career and the reputation of our department
are on the line here, Harris.”

“I hardly see why the
people
would care. With Patrick involved, I can see the appeal
to the general public. As for my connection, I’m assuming you mean the investigators.”
Nathan stood and walked around the back of his chair. “Has Bonner hinted that he
might think it was homicide?”

Captain Little paused in his pacing and met Nathan’s stare. “I told you I don’t know
what he’s thinking and, if I did, you know I couldn’t tell you.”

Nathan placed his hands on the back of the chair and took a deep breath. “Okay,”
he said with a nod. “Then I’m here to give you a heads up. I will be going to my
daughter’s birthday party on Saturday, and I will be spending more time with her,
and her mother, before,” he hoped, “and after that day. I’ve missed almost three
years of her life. I don’t intend to miss any more.”