Chapter 15
Not Convinced
Arielle Nygard
“You’ve been avoiding me,” Tim says. We’re sitting in the hospital cafeteria and he keeps his voice low as diners pass our table. He’s not wrong – I’ve been screening his calls as well as Sam’s.
A couple of weeks ago, Steve’s best friend stormed out of my house after I refused to accept a date with him. I tried to let him down easy, but it didn’t work. He’d made me afraid of him. And I really didn’t like the things he insinuated during his rant. So I’ve been keeping my distance, ignoring his calls and texts. Until today, when he’d shown up at my office and refused to leave until he’d said his piece. Just like Sam had done, barely a couple of hours before. Somehow, Tim’s version of the tactic has left me feeling less than charmed. I didn’t want him to cause a scene, so we moved the meeting to the cafeteria. I stare at him in stony silence, clamping my Styrofoam cup of coffee in a death grip.
Tim sighs. “Look, I wanted to apologize for my behavior at your house. I crossed a line. I’m sorry.”
I soften slightly. “Apology accepted, as long as you don’t do it again.”
He nods his head. “Arielle, I really need to talk to you about Samuel Foster.” I’m not sure where this is going, so I hold my tongue and he continues. “I’ve checked him out, and he’s a dangerous man. He’s been linked to a number of robberies, here and abroad. And he’s pissed off some seriously bad guys.”
“I know,” I say quietly. “He told me.”
The look of incredulity on Tim’s face is quickly replaced with anger. “You know?” he hisses. “You know he’s a thief and you’re still working for him? How could you? He’s a criminal, Arielle!”
“Actually, I’m not working for him anymore.”
Tim lets out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank heavens. You haven’t lost your wits.”
I know Tim might let it go at this. I don’t have to say anything more – I can end the conversation now and maintain the status quo. But I find myself blurting out, “I’m dating him.”
“What?” he sputters. “Are you serious?”
“Deadly serious,” I say.
“I don’t believe you. You would never knowingly date a criminal.”
“Tim, you don’t know me as well as you think you do. I am dating Samuel Foster. And you know what, I’m sleeping with him too.” I don’t know why I say this. Perhaps it’s to regain some power in this friendship I have with Tim. Or maybe I’ve turned into a hateful monster and I just want to hurt him. But I regret my words almost immediately.
“If you’re serious about that, I’m going to have to report you to Child Protective Services as an unfit mother,” he says sadly.
My mouth drops open. “You wouldn’t.”
“If Austin is in danger, I absolutely will.” He cuts me off before I can speak again. “I don’t want to do it, but Austin’s safety comes first. Forget that the man is a thief. He steals from powerful, dangerous people who would be all over his ass if they ever connected the dots the way I have. And if that ever happens, Austin cannot be anywhere close to the situation.”
I blanche. I have to admit, this is something I haven’t considered. Sam had told me about the mafia guys from his trip overseas, but it never occurred to me that they might come looking for him, or that they’d harm him.
“Seems like I’m finally getting through to you,” Tim says, but not unkindly.
“He’s getting out,” I say, a little desperately. “He told me that he wants to quit everything and move to another country, and start over.” I don’t mention India; frankly, I’m not really convinced Sam even meant any of that.
Tim rolls his eyes. “I don’t want to sound uncharitable, but all criminals say that. They all make promises that they’ll change so some poor woman will keep putting up with their shit. They never change. It’s wired into their DNA. They don’t know how to change, Arielle. Trust me, I’ve seen enough of his kind.”
I feel tears prick the corner of my eyes. “He seemed so sincere,” I say in a small voice. I don’t want to believe Tim, but what he says makes a lot of sense. “People can change.”
There’s a sigh from across the table. “I suppose some people can,” Tim says, “but in my experience, guys like Samuel Foster don’t.” Another sigh. “I have enough circumstantial evidence to bring Samuel Foster in for questioning, but if I do, it will shine a spotlight on him. If he’s serious about leaving and retiring his sticky fingers, questioning him will make that impossible. I’m breaking the law by not bringing him in, but despite our recent... misunderstanding... I just want you to be happy. I can see that it’s never going to be with me, and I’m dealing with that. But I can’t allow you or Austin to be put in harm’s way. I owe that to Steve.”
“I appreciate you looking out for me, Tim,” I say, “but telling me who I can and can’t date is going too far.”
“I know it looks that way, but that’s not what I’m doing,” he says. “What I’m telling you is that I’m willing to put my principles and duty aside to keep this guy out of jail if he gets the hell out of my town.”
I know he thinks he’s being fair, but the way he says it just rubs me up the wrong way. “How generous of you,” I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Arielle, I don’t think you understand,” he grinds out. “I’m putting my job and reputation on the line for this asshole. Because of you. I’m neglecting my duty as a detective of the Police Department by not moving forward with the information I have.”
“You only have this information because you wanted to find dirt on a guy I’m interested in,” I shoot back. “If I hadn’t started working for Sam, you would never have felt the need to look into him.”
“Regardless of the reason, the fact is that I now know and I’m legally obliged to follow through. But I’m not doing that because I care about you. And although I can’t fathom why, I can see you care about this guy too, and I know that if he goes to jail it would hurt you.” Tim takes a deep breath. “If he’s really leaving, if he’s not going to break the law in my jurisdiction, if he’s going to make himself someone else’s problem, I’m willing to look the other way for a little while.” He stands up and stuffs his fists into the pockets of his jeans. “Just think about it, okay?” He doesn’t wait for me to answer; he strides out of the cafeteria without looking back.
Somehow, I’m sure he’s not going to let this go.
