“Thanks for that.”
“No problem,” Paul was up and moving, his footsteps echoing down the line as he walked out from wherever he was. A door creaked and the sound of cars in the distance could be heard. “Have you thought about what I said?”
Elijah nodded, disregarding the fact that his partner couldn’t see the action, “Yeah, and I’ve been thinking everything through, and the more I think the more I know something isn’t right. From a personal perspective—from the man that’s in love with her, I know that she’s in trouble. But from a cop’s head, I don’t know why.”
“Michael Stanton said that this is typical behaviour for her. That every couple of months she’d do this disappearing act. Maybe she’ll just come back when she’s good and ready.”
Elijah swallowed, wondering if this were true. If perhaps, once she’d made her mind up and cleared her head, she would come back. He wondered who she would be coming back to. Him or her husband.
A thought occurred to Elijah, a nagging doubt encompassed with the image of Delores’s face. Her features relaxed as she slept on his sofa one of the last days she had been there. A slit of sunlight escaping in through the blinds and shining across her pale face. Her fluttering eyes as she dreamed deeply.
“Mr. Stanton said he only contacted you because of me, right? Because he found our notes,” Elijah asked, the unsettled feeling continuing to grow in his stomach.
“Yeah. Why?” Paul asked, clearly uncomfortable remembering the love notes his partner had shared with Delores. The situation had put the entire station under a microscope with headquarters. One of the station’s leading officers having an affair with a married woman was not good for PR.
“I just find it strange.”
“I’m not sure I’m following you.” Paul’s steps had stopped, but the sound of a light breeze and cars in the distance still hung in the call.
“You don’t know him like I do. The things she used to tell me, how he treated her, spoke to her.” Elijah found himself clenching his teeth just thinking about it. “Finding out about Delores and I and then coming down to the station like that, that would have been a blow to his ego, Paul. Why would he do that?”
“Because he was worried about her?” Paul replied.
“No, it’s more than that.”
“Have you ever thought it might have all been in her head? All of it just a fantasy that she concocted? Maybe he ain’t such a bad guy after all and she’s just some messed up lady who turned to you when you were vulnerable.” Paul was direct with his questions, and Elijah wondered how long he’d been thinking that.
“Vulnerable? Me?” Elijah asked, trying to stem his own anger at Paul’s accusation.
“You’ve not been the same since your mom passed. I think you’ve been looking for someone to look after like you looked after your mom. And maybe Delores was it for you,” Paul said, his words forcing their way down the line and painfully into Elijah’s heart.
“What we have is real, Paul. I love her,”
“I know, buddy. I just mean—,”
“And she loves me!” Elijah snapped. “And her husband is an asshole, I don’t care what mask he puts on for you. I believe her, and you should believe me.”
“Alright, buddy, alright. I was just trying to give you another scenario.”
The line went quiet, tension passing between the two men. Eventually Elijah spoke up, breaking the silence.
“I’m sorry.” Elijah’s memory roved over images of Delores, the times when she’d been upset with her husband, crying and angry, frustrated and exhausted from her life. “It all felt real, honest.”
“If she were having an episode, it would be real. At least to her,” Paul replied quietly.
Elijah nodded. “Yeah. I guess that’s true.”
He hated thinking that it was all in her head, a manufactured fantasy that her broken mind had concocted. But more than hating the thought, he feared it. Because if she could convince him that it was all real, she could convince anyone of anything. What stories might she imagine about her and Elijah? What dark thoughts would make her run from the two men in her life?
It was Paul’s turn to huff out his frustration. “Look, I’m pretty certain how my call with Mr. Stanton is going to go. With no evidence to suggest foul play, he’s going to shut this thing down.”
“I know. At least if the case is shut down, I’ll be free to investigate it myself,” Elijah said.
“I think you need to stay out of this one, Elijah. Let her come home on her own,” Paul urged. “Best not to stir up too much trouble with Michael. He can be a loose cannon.”
“You seem to know him pretty well,” Elijah replied immediately.
Paul fell silent. “I just meant, a man that’s got his problems; missing wife with a long history of mental illness, two young children and a business to run, well, I’m sure he’s at the end of his tether. Men like that are unpredictable.” Paul fell silent for a second. “Best just to leave it to me. I’ll figure it out.”
