A Barricade in Hell by Jaime Lee Moyer

Author:Jaime Lee Moyer
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781429948180
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates

CHAPTER 14

Gabe

Rain was falling heavily when Gabe and Jack started the drive from downtown to Noe Valley. Moisture fogged the car windows inside and out, blurring the view of brightly painted row houses and dripping trees. Henderson maneuvered cautiously along the slick streets, doing what he could to avoid sliding on the thin sheen of oil glistening on the pavement. Wipers swished back and forth on the windshield, their metronome ticking marking time.

The dreary skies matched Gabe’s mood. Commissioner Lindsey had moved his daughter into the family home on Elizabeth Street and had promised Gabe he’d meet them there. That the commissioner wanted to be present while they questioned Adele was understandable, especially given her fragile health. Neither he nor Jack would object.

Running down the list of questions he needed to ask Adele Wells made Gabe’s stomach hurt. He wished there were another way to find out what he needed to know, a way that wouldn’t cause a grieving woman more pain.

He wadded the lining of his overcoat pocket in a fist and muttered to the raindrops. “If wishes were horses, then everyone could ride.”

Jack turned from his own contemplation of the rainy landscape. “What did you say?”

“Something my grandmother used to say when I wanted things I couldn’t have.” Gabe sat up straighter, easing the knot between his shoulders. “Gram used to recite old rhymes or sing songs while washing the breakfast dishes. She wanted to pass on what she’d learned while growing up in Ireland to me and Penelope. I couldn’t have been much older than three at the time.”

“You’re lucky, Gabe. I never knew either of my grandmothers. Neither will Stella.” Jack gave him a sidelong glance. “What made you think of that now?”

“I’m not sure. I didn’t think I remembered much of anything from the year my sister died, other than my mother crying.” Gabe shifted in his seat, strangely uncomfortable remembering his mother weeping in the bedroom and his father’s bright, red-rimmed eyes as he held her. Even at the age of three, he knew he’d intruded on something private between his parents. A large part of his discomfort was how close the memory hit home. He’d held Delia the same way after their baby had been stillborn. “I’m not even sure I told Delia about my sister. It’s not something I think about, but lately I’ve been waking up with pieces of Gram’s rhymes going around in my head.”

“Maybe that’s part of the dreams you told me about. Remembering.” Jack pulled his plaid cap out of a pocket and shook it out before stuffing it over his hair. “Lindsey’s house is in this block. If we’re lucky, Marshall can park right out front.”

“A little rain won’t hurt you, Lieutenant Fitzgerald.” Gabe put on his own hat and buttoned his overcoat. “We walked a beat in worse weather than this more times than I care to remember.”

“Reminding me of our rookie days always makes me feel old. And old men are allowed to grouse about going out in the rain, Captain Ryan.

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