Chapter 4

 

“Eddie! How did it go?” Harvey met him at the door expectantly, answering his imperative knock.

“Not good.” Eddie pushed past him into the kitchen.

Harvey was baffled. “Come on, you spent an hour and a half with the pastor.”

Eddie shook his head. “No, I didn’t. I spent ten minutes with the pastor. I’ve been driving around for an hour and beating up my truck.”

Jennifer was closing the dishwasher. She straightened, turning wide gray eyes on him.

“I’m sorry, Jennifer,” Eddie said, tears in his eyes. “I let you guys down.”

She shook her head. “Oh, Eddie, it’s not me and Harvey who have been hurt here.” She stepped toward him, her arms open, and he gave her a squeeze then turned away, wiping his eyes on his sleeve.

“It was partly my fault,” he choked. “This time, anyway. I really blew it.”

“Sit down and have some coffee,” Harvey said gently.

“Did she tell you about the book offer?” Jennifer asked.

“What book offer?”

Jennifer and Harvey exchanged a glance.

“She called me from work today,” Jennifer said. “A big book publisher approached John Russell while she was in Hawaii. They want her to write a true crime book about the Fuller case.”

Eddie’s mouth twisted. “Great. No, she didn’t get around to that little tidbit.”

Jennifer took three mugs from the cupboard. “She told them she didn’t think she could handle school and work and write a book this fall, so John told her she could ease up on work, if she’d promise to sign on with the Press Herald after she graduates. He thinks the book is important, and she thinks—”

“She thinks she owes him,” Eddie said.

Harvey nodded. “John’s given her a real boost, and she doesn’t want to let him down. And he doesn’t want to lose her. He wants a two-year contract, Eddie.”

“Two years?” Eddie laughed. “She never said a word.”

“So, what did you do that was so awful?” Harvey took his coffee mug from Jennifer.

Eddie swallowed hard. “She started going on about her career and her opportunities that don’t include me, and I—I basically told her it’s over and left.”

They were silent for several seconds.

“Is it over?” Jennifer whispered.

 

*****

Ten days later, Eddie went to Harvey’s house after supper. Leeanne’s car wasn’t in Beth’s driveway, but it might be in the garage.

Jennifer opened the door with a smile.

“Come on in, Eddie.”

“Leeanne’s not here, is she?”

“I don’t think so. Beth is coming over after a bit, but I think Leeanne is working on a project.”

“Is she writing that book?”

“I don’t know.”

“Hello, Eddie!”

He swung around. Beth was crossing the driveway from her front yard.

“Hi, Beth. Jeff working tonight?”

“As usual.”

Eddie extended his hand to help her up the steps. “When’s B-day again?”

Beth laughed. “Baby day? Thanksgiving, if you can believe that. Of course, my mother insists he’s going to be early. Rick and I were both early.”

“Come on in and have some dessert.” Jennifer stepped out of the doorway.

“Leeanne home tonight?” Eddie asked Beth. He bit his lip, wishing he hadn’t asked, but wanting to know all the same.

“Yeah, she’s working on some big story,” Beth said. “School starts next week. I don’t know how she’s going to juggle school and this job. It’ll be part time, I guess, but still…”

“Has she said anything about taking her computer over there?” Jennifer asked.

“Her computer from here? No. She’s using Jeff’s. E-mails her stories to herself at the office.”

“Is she going to write the book?” Eddie asked.

“I don’t think she’s made a decision yet.”

“Hey, Eddie. Beth.” Harvey came in from the sunroom with Connor in the crook of his arm.

“Harv, can I see you for a sec?” Eddie asked.

Jennifer and Beth went on into the living room, and Eddie said quietly, “I think it’s official now.”

“What?”

“She sent the ring back.”

“Oh man, I’m sorry. I thought you told her to keep it.”

“I did. It was a gift. Guess she didn’t want to keep any reminders of me.”

“She actually mailed it?”

“Yeah. She couldn’t walk half a block down the street and hand it to me.” Eddie pulled out his handkerchief. “I told myself I wasn’t going to do this.”

“What did you do with it?”

Eddie sniffed and wiped his eyes.

“You didn’t pitch it off the bridge or anything, did you?” Harvey asked in alarm.

Eddie smiled wryly. “No, I just—” He broke off with a bitter chuckle.

“What?”

“I stuck it in the freezer.”

“You’re nuts.”

Eddie shrugged. “I didn’t know what else to do with it.”

“Burglars always look in the freezer. That’s where everyone keeps their money and cocaine.”

“It cost her a dollar-eighty-three to mail it. Can you believe that?”

“Well, help yourself to coffee and dessert. I think Jennifer said something about ice cream. We need to do some strategizing on this Labor Day thing. It’s creeping up on us.”

 

*****

Harvey parked his car across the street from the Press Herald building and took the elevator up to the managing editor’s office.

“Captain! Good morning.” John Russell rose and shook his hand. “Is this an official visit?”

“No, I just thought I’d see if my sister-in-law was free for lunch. She’s been so busy, my wife and I haven’t seen much of her lately.”

John winked. “I’ve been keeping her hard at work. Got to get all we can out of her before classes start.”

Harvey took the chair he indicated and said, “Actually, there is something that’s been bothering me, John.”

“Something I can help with?” Russell sat in his swivel chair and tipped it back.

“Well, I don’t want to presume on our acquaintance, but you know I put in a word or two in Leeanne’s favor last spring, when she wanted this internship.”

“Glad you did. She’s the brightest reporter I’ve seen since Martin Blake. Not that she has his style yet, but she’s got a real flair for it.” He nodded in satisfaction. “Yes, she’s got real potential.”

“Still, this job has put a strain on her personal life.”

“That so?”

“You know she broke her engagement recently?”

“Don’t know a thing about it.”

Harvey sighed. “She was going to marry my best friend, a really nice young man.”

Russell nodded. “So?”

“John, you’re not pressuring her into a contract, are you?”

“Pressure? No way. I offered her pretty good terms for after she graduates. She doesn’t have to accept. Of course, I hope she will.”

“You’ve invested in her.”

“Well, sure. I’ve encouraged her, and I’ve tried to teach her what real-life journalism is all about. Classroom lectures aren’t enough.”

“Sure.” Harvey locked his fingers on the edge of John’s desk. “So, she hasn’t actually signed the contract?”

“She’s making me a little nervous,” John admitted.

“Now, why is that?”

“I shouldn’t tip my hand to you, Captain.”

“Would it be because she can bypass you completely, take the book contract and go on to a career as an author, leaving you high and dry?”

“Well, as you said, I have an investment.”

“At intern’s pay. That’s nothing.”

“We sent her to a high-powered seminar in Honolulu,” John objected.

Harvey considered that. “Why did the publisher come to you about the book, anyway?”

“Her stories about the Fuller case came to his attention after we submitted them for a press club award. His firm publishes these true crime stories, you know? It can be very lucrative. And Leeanne was an insider on the case, a hostage, and a lucid writer. He approached me as a contact, and I decided it might be good for Leeanne, so I set up a meeting for them as a favor.”

“But you’d hate to cut her loose.”

John smiled. “She’s a conscientious young lady. Doesn’t want her grades to slip, and doesn’t want to give me the short end of the stick on her work here. So I told her, take three months off, write the book and finish the degree, then come back here.”

“For two years.”

“She told you that.”

“Yes. Do you think that’s fair?”

“Absolutely, if she wants a three-month leave of absence and a guaranteed reporter’s job after. And I’ll pay her what our most experienced reporters get.”

“How can you do that? Won’t the union get on your case?”

He shrugged. “I have latitude for attracting talent. And she’s good. I need the contract, you understand that. The New York Times would come courting if I didn’t have her signed when the book launched.”

Harvey stood up. “Well, I guess I’d better get down to the newsroom if I want a lunch date.”

“You’re not going to steer her away from me, are you, Captain? We’ve established a rapport, you and I.”

“It’s her decision, but I mean that, her decision. Not yours. Not mine.”

John nodded. “Fair enough.”

 

*****

Harvey stopped next to Leeanne’s desk and waited for her to look up, wondering if she would be glad to see him.

“Harvey! Hey. Whatcha doing here?”

She leaped up and kissed him, and he gave her a squeeze.

“Just wanted to take my little sister to lunch. Got time?”

“Well, sure, I guess so.” She looked around the office and leaned toward him, whispering, “Do me a favor?”

He quirked his eyebrows.

“Pin your badge on your jacket. I want everyone to know I’m going to lunch with a bigshot.”

He laughed and opened his sport jacket to retrieve the badge and clipped it on his breast pocket. “Better?”

“Perfect.”

At the restaurant, she sat smiling across at him as they waited for their entrees.

“So, I popped in on your boss for a minute to get some details on this contract deal,” Harvey said.

“Oh?” Leeanne asked warily.

“Yeah, it sounds pretty tempting. You haven’t signed yet, though.”

“I’ve got to make a decision before Labor Day.”

“It’s coming right up.”

“I know.” She frowned, then looked up at him eagerly. “What would you do, Harvey?”

“Oh, I’m not the person to ask. I’m not a writer.”

“It’s a business deal. You’re shrewd when it comes to business.”

“Is that a compliment?”

She sobered. “I’d really appreciate it if you’d give me your opinion.”

The waitress came and set their plates before them. When she had left, Harvey looked Leeanne straight in the eye. “All right, you asked for it; here it is. If you’re going to do the book, don’t tie it to your newspaper contract. John has no right to pressure you into a long-term commitment. You don’t owe him anything.”

“But he gave me the internship and—”

“At minimum wage. Trust me, honey, he more than got his money’s worth out of you this summer.”

“But the seminar,” she said weakly.

“Bait. He wants you on board, and he’s afraid someone else is going to lure you away. That’s why he’s offering you a big salary after you graduate. He wants to make sure he’s got your loyalty.”

“So, you think I should quit the Press Herald and make my own deal with the book publisher?”

Harvey sat back and considered. “No, I think you should get an agent to make an independent book deal for you—that’s if you really want to write the book—and keep your business with the paper separate. No strings.”

“I can do that? Get an agent just like that?”

Harvey laughed. “With a publisher waving a hefty contract under your nose? Nothing could be simpler.”

“If I do the book …” Her eyes darkened.

“What?”

“Eddie was the investigating officer.”

“True. You’d have to interview him, not to mention me and Beth and Jeff and Nate, and everyone else involved. And you’d have to spend hours and hours hanging around the police station, going over records and looking at evidence. If you don’t want to spend time with the people involved in the Fuller case, don’t do the book. It should be fun, not torture.”

“I’ve really missed you guys,” she admitted, cutting into her chicken.

“We’ve missed you, too. Your room is still there, you know.”

“Thanks. I think Beth really needs me now. Jeff is gone so many nights, and she gets scared sometimes, even with the burglar alarm. I think I ought to stay there, at least until the baby is born.”

He nodded. “Okay, kiddo. I just didn’t want you to think, since Eddie frequents my house, that you have to stay away. Just don’t be such a stranger, okay?”

She nodded. “Thanks. It’s been really lonely. I—I guess I’ve been afraid you and Jennifer didn’t want to see me.”

His heart clenched. “No, honey. We love you.”

“I know how much Eddie means to you.”

“We can love you both.”

“Even if we’re not together?”

“Of course.” He ate silently for a few minutes, thinking about all that had changed. “Leeanne, do you feel this whole thing was a mistake? Your engagement, I mean.”

She looked very vulnerable as she raised her eyes to his. “No, I never thought that. I just—I didn’t handle it very well, I guess.”

“You sent the ring back.”

“I couldn’t keep it after he said it was over.” She ducked her head. “Eddie’s mother thinks I’m terrible anyway. If I kept his grandmother’s diamond, she’d never let him hear the end of it.” She picked up her napkin and dabbed at her eyelashes. “You know, it’s funny, I was sure I’d be able to get along with Marie, as a daughter-in-law. She was beginning to accept me. She was going to teach me to make tortières.”

Harvey smiled. “They loved you.”

“Not at first. And Lisa. I thought we could be real friends. She called me last week and yelled at me over the phone.”

“I’m sorry.”

Leeanne gave him a half smile. “She said I was too English for Eddie, and they knew it wouldn’t last. Then she chewed me out for dumping her brother.”

“Funny, that’s the story going around the police station, too. That you broke up with Eddie, I mean, not the other way around.”

The tears rolled down her cheeks, and she didn’t try to stop them. “You and I both know he was the one who broke it off in the end. I don’t know why he doesn’t just tell everyone. I was stubborn and mean, and so he called it quits.”

“Eddie’s got class. He’s very close-lipped about this. I think he wanted to give you the chance to put out whatever story you wanted the public to hear.”

She sniffed. “You know, he was really mad that night at the pastor’s.”

Harvey nodded. “He told me. If it means anything, he regretted it deeply.”

“He hasn’t said so.”

“Do you want him to apologize?”

She swallowed hard. “I don’t know what I want these days.” She picked up half a roll and buttered it, then set it down again. “I was furious at the time, but I’ve gotten to the point now where I can’t really blame him. After he left that night, Pastor Rowland called his wife, and she came over. We talked for a long time.”

Harvey felt a flicker of hope, but said nothing. He fought the urge to look at his watch. This was more important than anything waiting on his desk.

“She showed me some things in the Bible that night, things I never knew were there. She wasn’t judgmental, but…” She picked up her water glass and took a sip.

“So, do you think the Lord was showing you something?”

“Definitely. I’ve gone over to their house a couple of times since, after work. Harvey, there’s so much I need to learn.”

He closed his eyes for an instant in thankfulness, then looked hard at her. “Whether you marry Eddie or not, straighten things out with the Lord, honey. That’s the most important thing in your life.”

“I’ve made such a mess of things.”

“I can’t deny that, but speaking as a guy who’s made a few royal messes himself, those things will fall into place if you’re right spiritually.”

She nodded gravely. “I don’t know if Eddie would consider giving me the time of day again. To be truthful, I’m not sure now if he’s the one God would choose for me to marry. I thought so before. I just knew it. But now … There are some things we’d have to work out, I know that. And I don’t know as he wants to anymore.”

Harvey’s heart ached for her. “Such as?”

“Well, this work thing. I don’t think Eddie wants a working wife at all, do you?”

“He might agree to it for a while, but I know he wants children, and he doesn’t want them raised in daycare.”

Leeanne dropped her gaze. “I can’t imagine Jennifer leaving Connor with a babysitter so she could go write software.”

“Neither one of us would stand for that. We’d miss so much!”

“Well, Eddie’s always admitted he was jealous of your marriage. He wants a wife who will be there when he comes home at night. And, you know, I think I want that, too. I just couldn’t stand being told I didn’t have a choice.” She took a bite and chewed thoughtfully. “Eddie’s not … seeing someone else, is he?”

Harvey fought back a smile. “You think he could forget you that fast?”

Leeanne blushed a little, and Harvey pressed the advantage. “How about you? Dating up a storm?”

“No.” She looked at him, rolling her eyes a little. “There was this guy from Hartford on the Hawaii trip. He was trying to flirt with me. Kept asking me to go to dinner with him. It scared me to death.”

Harvey chuckled. “Well, you take your time and sort things out. You and Eddie can be friends, if it comes down to that. But you can’t avoid him for the rest of your life. The two of you are going to stay major players in my life and Jennifer’s, so you’ll just have to make peace somehow.”

“I’ll try.”

“Good girl. And one more thing. There’s a computer gathering dust at our house. Would you be upset if I set it up over at Jeff’s for you?”

“Oh, Harvey, I can’t—”

“Yes, you can. That was a present.”

“Like the ring?”

“Sort of.” He smiled. At least he didn’t put the computer on ice. “I really think you need it, especially if you’re going to write a book.”

Leeanne’s blue eyes were clear now, and her mind was zooming ahead, he could tell. “What you said about an agent …”

“Yeah?”

“How would I find one?”

Harvey reached for his wallet. “I might know someone.”

She grinned. “You know everyone.”

“Not everyone.”

“But you know a literary agent?”

“I met one last summer. Remember the Martin Blake case?”

“Martin Blake’s agent? But he was … colossal. Someone like that would consider a greenhorn like me?”

“I don’t know, but if this book deal isn’t up his alley, he’ll know someone else. It’s called networking.”

She nodded, clearly impressed.

“Want me to give Bob Hoffsted a call?” He took out his credit card.

“Wow! How can you just pull a name out like that, a year later?”

Harvey smiled. “I could tell you I have an eidetic memory, but I don’t. I’ve been thinking about this book deal ever since you told us about it, and I admit I pulled the file on the Blake murder to refresh my memory. I can call him and refresh his memory as to who I am, and see if he’s interested in reviewing your contract.”

“That would be super. Thanks so much, Harvey.”

“You’re welcome.”

He wasn’t sure if he’d helped Eddie’s cause or not, but at least he’d made progress on the personal front. Leeanne knew they didn’t want her to stop being part of the family. It was a start.