Gabe rose from his chair when I was finished and pulled me into his arms. “Thank you, Sunshine. I love my haircut and shave.”
“That’ll be forty-five dollars,” I told him.
His eyes widened and he said, “Uh oh, I forgot my wallet. Can I work it off somehow?”
“Absolutely.” I turned and put an extra sway in my hips as I made my way to the door that led upstairs. “There’s dishes you can do.” I started to run when I heard him coming after me, but I didn’t run too fast or too far. Sometimes it was so much better to be caught than to keep running.
JOSH NEVER FAILED TOsurprise me and, luckily for me, ninety-nine percent of them were great ones. I honestly expected him to laugh at my issues with haircuts and clowns. I didn’t expect him to know the names of the phobias or help me through them–well the hair one, anyway. It’d take a hell of a lot more than a hot body and some sweet kisses to get me over the clown one.
Having him wash my hair felt almost as good as a full body massage. I felt the tension wash down the drain along with the shampoo he rinsed from my hair. His fingers felt like magic and I could see why there was never an open slot in his appointment book. He made me forget about the cases and my fears and helped me to just enjoy the moment. He truly was, and I hoped would always be, my Sunshine.
I so badly wanted to find out who was making threats against Josh and why. There was no clear connection to any of it. Sure, Nate had called me one time, but it wasn’t like we’d been meeting on a regular basis or that he told me anything of importance. There was no need to threaten me. Unless they thought I knew more than I did because Nate told them so. To what end? Buy him more time, but to do what? He didn’t escape; he ended up dead in my county. I felt like the idea had merit, but I wasn’t sure what to do with it.
“I imagine the CPD has scrubbed his computer clean and the sheriff may or may not have obtained copies,” Adrian said when I mentioned it the following morning while we made ourselves coffee. “Nice haircut, by the way. You get that at the Clip-N-Save?”
“Is that a real place, Adrian? It sounds a lot like a coupon cutting group instead of a barber,” I told him skeptically. I pretended to hand him a coupon. “Here’s a fifty cents off peanut butter. Do you have any for toothpaste?”
“You’re going to need one for boot retrieval out of your smart ass,” Adrian countered. He fought to keep the smile off his face, but lost. “You’re sounding an awful lot like your boyfriend these days.”
“And that’s a good thing,” I replied because it was true.
“You’re quoting Martha Stewart now?” Adrian asked.
“What’s a straight guy like you know about Martha Stewart?” Teasing Adrian was one of my favorite parts of the job, and although I harassed him long before I met Josh, the barbs had gotten sharper.
“The kind who has a wife who adores the woman. Hey,” Adrian said, puffing up his chest, “I’m a modern man. I’m in touch with my feelings, I’ll watch cooking shows with my wife, and I’m not afraid to cry.”
“Cry later,” said a firm voice behind us. Adrian and I spun around to face our captain. His expression was moderately softer than his tone of voice. “I need you two in my office. Now.” We set our cups down and followed behind him without another word. We could make a fresh cup later, but whatever the captain had to say couldn’t wait.
“I don’t ever discuss my personal life here at the office and I don’t believe this is news to either of you,” Captain Reardon said. I thought he was chastising us for our little chat at the coffee pot, but his next words erased that. “I’m not fond of my father-in-law and I don’t believe it’s news to anyone around here either.” It was news to me just a few weeks ago, but I kept my mouth shut. “He’s not been very forthcoming about anything his department has discovered in the Nate Turner homicide investigation. Well, I got a call just now and he’s changed his mind. You see, my wife and daughter–his daughter and granddaughter–are very fond of Mr. Roman and they don’t like the idea that he’s being threatened, and Big Papa,” the captain rolled his eyes on that one, “could be hindering our part in keeping Josh safe.”
Relief flooded through my system. “He’s going to work with us?” I asked hopefully.
“He wants to see us in his office at noon.” I could tell the time and location didn’t sit well with the captain, but the sheriff had us by the balls and he knew it. He wasn’t required to share details of an ongoing case with us so I was grateful for anything.
“Be ready to leave at quarter till noon. I’m not about to get there early and then sit forever in his lobby while he holds his power trip over my head. It’s not going to happen.”
“We’ll be ready to go, sir.” I rose to my feet and Adrian did the same. We thought it was best to let the captain work through whatever he was feeling in private.
“Gabe,” he called out from behind his desk.
“Yes, sir?”
“Martha Stewart belongs to everyone,” he admonished.
“Yes, sir.”
We hadn’t been in Captain Reardon’s office for very long so our coffee was salvageable. I took a big swig and nearly spit it out. “Who the fuck put salt in my coffee?” No one looked up from their desk to confess or rat out anyone else.
“Paybacks,” I called out as I poured the remaining coffee in the sink then made a fresh cup.
“Thanks for saving me, partner,” Adrian said as he did the same.
I had just sat down at my desk when the phone rang. “Detective Wyatt,” I said into the phone.
“Detective, this is Myrna Evans calling. I’m the editor-in-chief with the Blissville Daily News and I’m calling about a disturbing package that was dropped off through our mail receptacle.” I sat up straighter in my chair. “It’s a photo taken of you and Mr. Roman in his shop and the message reads: ‘The police didn’t take me serious, but maybe you will. Josh Roman is going to die.’ Now, I’m not sure what’s going on…”
I cut her off before she could finish. “I’m coming over,” I said then hung up. I picked up my coat and Adrian did the same without question. I was sure the alarm he heard in my voice told him enough. “I tried to end things with him so that whoever this is would back off,” I told my partner once we were in the car. “If something happens to Josh…”
