“I thought you might need a ride home.”
“I do or at least to the arena to pick up my car,” Scottie said. “Have you spoken to Flynn’s sister? How is she doing?”
“Carly did earlier today. Said she was dealing. About as well as you would expect under the circumstances.”
“Yeah. I guess you are right,” Scottie said. “Did that Internal Affairs guy question you?”
Brand nodded. “He did because I broke up the scuffle between you and Flynn. I didn’t have too much to tell him, but I told what I saw and then what I learned at the hospital.”
“What did you learn?” Scottie asked.
“I can’t tell you that,” Brand said. “It might jeopardize the case. Not that I believe you had anything to do with it.”
Scottie quietly thought about what Brand said as they walked out of the police station. “The case? Are you saying something else is going on besides an accident on the ice?”
“No. You’re reaching there, Dugan. Come on, let me give you a ride over to the arena to get your car and you go home and shower. You’re getting a little ripe,” Brand said and laughed.
Scottie sniffed his shoulder and frowned. “I guess I am. Sorry.”
The phone wokeHarley late in the afternoon and it was Commander Burns calling to check on her. “I hope I didn’t wake you?”
“That’s okay,” she said “I needed to get up. Do you have any news for me?”
“I heard from Reilly’s doctor, and he confirmed that he wasn’t taking any prescription medication with Warfarin in it or a blood thinner.”
“Exactly like I thought,” she said. “I even searched the cabinet and his room today to make sure there wasn’t anything hidden here that I didn’t know about.”
“And there wasn’t?”
“No. Nothing.”
“Well, if there had been it would have made things easier,” Commander Burns said, regret evident in his voice. “But since there wasn’t, we will open an investigation. Be prepared to have questions asked about Reilly’s personal life as well as your own.”
“I understand. It’s part of the job.”
“I’m sorry, Harley,” he said. “But at least you will know the one’s investigating. Brand and Loverboy will be leading up the investigation unless you have to speak to the Internal Affairs officer Robert Trainor.”
“Okay. Do you have any idea when we will be able to hold Reilly’s funeral?” she asked.
“Not for a few days yet. We’ll let you know when the Medical Examiner or prepared to release the body,” Commander Burns said.
Harley sighed and they chatted briefly before the call ended.
She got up and went to the kitchen to fix herself something to drink and then watched a little television but had to switch stations when the news came on reporting about Reilly’s death.
She reached for her phone and dialed Scottie’s number, but it just rang and rang without an answer. When the voice mail came on she didn’t leave a message afraid that if he didn’t answer it meant he was warned not to speak to her, and she shouldn’t leave him one. She deleted his number from her call log and his contact from her address book. Then she felt silly for doing so. Did that make her look guilty? Him?
They weren’t.
All they were doing were dating.
Reilly didn’t like Scottie.
It was a simple fact.
A fact she should have respected.
And yet, she’d gone out with him. And fell in love.
