Message in the Bones by Dawn Merriman

Author:Dawn Merriman [Merriman, Dawn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-09-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

LUCAS

My king size bed stretches empty around me. Weariness sinks bone deep. I don’t remember the last time I slept.

My sheets hold a faint smell of old sweat. My ex-wife, Vivian, kept the house clean and neat. But she is far away in Indianapolis now with Olivia. They’ve been gone for over a year, but laundering the sheets has not been a priority. I miss the clean house and Olivia.

I make a mental note to change the sheets tomorrow, bury my face in the pillow and fade away.

My well deserved rest is short lived.

My phone rings, the special ring tone telling me it’s dispatch. A shot of adrenaline wakes me up. I’m not on call tonight, dispatch shouldn’t be calling me.

“Detecive Hartley? This is Regina in dispatch.”

“Hartley here.” I rub my face, brace for what’s coming next.

“Gabby McAllister called to report an intruder.”

My previous exhaustion disappears.

“Is she okay?”

“She’s fine.” I don’t like Regina’s tone. “She is requesting you personally.” Regina makes the statement sound like a question.

“I’ll take care of it.”

“I’m sure you will. I offered to call Detective McAllister, but she only wanted you.” Regina sounds smug now. Her job requires a certain level of confidentiality, but she loves to gossip.

“Regina, you’re on the job right now,” I warn her. I’m not her supervisor, but I don’t need her reading too much into the situation.

“Yes, sir.” I don’t miss the sarcasm. “Do you need the address?”

“I know where it is.”

“Of course you do.” I expect by tomorrow, the whole department will be buzzing that Gabby and I are an item. That could be bad, considering her stunt on the news today and her obvious role in the murder case.

I dial Gabby’s number, and she picks up on the first ring. I expected her to be frightened, maybe even tearful. Instead she’s angry. Gabby always keeps me guessing.

She puts Officer Brinkstone on the phone. Brinkstone is new to our department, and I don’t know him well.

“Brinkstone, Detective Hartley here.”

“Sir.”

“Do you want to tell me why the victim so upset?”

“This woman is wasting our time. There’s no one here. She probably made the whole thing up, trying to get attention. You know who she is, obviously.”

“I do know who she is, and she doesn’t make up false claims about intruders.” I slide on jeans as I talk, try to keep my calm. I’m tired and grouchy, in no mood for dealing with a rookie who can’t be professional.

“Brinkstone, are you wearing a badge right now?”

“Of course.” The young officer sounds weary.

“Then right now, you are an officer. Protect and serve. Sound familiar? You leave your personal feelings behind when you put on that badge. If Gabby says someone threatened her, then you act on it. Do you understand?” I try to keep the anger at bay, but fail.

Someone tried to hurt Gabby. The thought pushes control out of my reach.

“Yes, sir,” Brinkstone says, sounding like a chastised child.

“I will be there in a few minutes. In the meantime, you serve Gabby and protect her.

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