Capitol Heights
11:30 p.m.
Lynette Holt stared out the open window. The breeze was a little chilly but she needed to be able to hear. Sound carried in the darkness. She could make out the drone of the traffic on Atlanta Highway. Tonight, though, her attention was tuned in far closer to home. A second ago she’d thought she heard the Sheltons yelling, but she hadn’t heard the noise again. Maybe if a helpless baby weren’t involved she could let it go. Let the other neighbors continue to call it in and allow the chips to fall where they may. But the baby prevented her from pretending it wasn’t her problem.
She already had far too much hanging over her head at work. Three dead, two missing. Not one decent lead. Thankfully she had Bauer under control. But then there was Bobbie. Damn her, she was hiding something and Lynette knew it.
“Are you ever coming to bed?”
Lynette jumped. She hadn’t heard Tricia come into the room. “Sorry. Did I wake you?”
“The cold spot on your side of the bed woke me.” Tricia sat down on the sofa next to Lynette. “You can’t force the woman to make the right choices.”
Lynette understood Tricia meant Olivia Shelton, the woman two houses away whose husband abused her every day of her damned life. Lynette fully understood she couldn’t make the woman do the right thing, but she couldn’t stand idly by and do nothing, either. She was an officer of the law. She had a sworn duty to serve and to protect.
Olivia and Wesley Shelton had become a sore spot between Lynette and her wife. The younger couple and their six-month-old daughter had moved in three months ago. The first few weeks they had been quiet, like the rest of the neighbors on the block. Then the fighting had begun. Screaming and crying and name-calling. Neighbors had called the police on numerous occasions. A week ago a representative from every home on the block had showed up at Lynette’s door to demand action.
She was doing all in her power, which wasn’t a hell of a lot since Olivia Shelton wouldn’t cooperate. The woman wore bruises like most women wore jewelry and black eyes more often than not. But she refused to press charges or to move to a shelter.
“I can’t do nothing,” Lynette reasoned, knowing the words were falling on deaf ears.
“You’re too close to this,” Tricia argued. “When you feel compelled to step in, call Bobbie or Asher. This is too personal. For better or worse or until their lease is up they are our neighbors.”
Tricia was right. Lynette comprehended that fact, but every time she thought of a baby living in the hell that bastard raised nearly every night she wanted to storm down there and kick his no-good ass. But there were laws that protected pieces of shit like him the same as they protected the innocent. Unless the wife filed a complaint or filed for a restraining order, there was little Lynette could do.
“I’ll talk to Bauer. Maybe he can help with this.” Lynette was at her wit’s end.
Tricia reached out and caressed her cheek. “You are a good cop, love. You care deeply. But you can’t save everyone.”
Lynette felt herself smile for the first time today. “I think having a baby made you smarter.”
“They do say cells from the baby stay with the mother for decades, making her stronger and healthier. Maybe smarter, too.”
Lynette wrapped her arms around Tricia and held her close. “You were already brilliant.”
“You’re pretty smart yourself.” Tricia kissed her cheek. “So is everything settling down with the new guy?”
“Yeah. He’s working out better than I expected.” Steven Devine had somehow managed to impress everyone on the team. Except maybe Bauer, though Lynette thought he might be coming around.
“You worried about Bobbie again?”
Lynette contemplated the idea for a moment. She opted not to mention her suspicions about Bobbie having secrets. Tricia would only worry and hound Lynette about the issue. “Actually I’m feeling good about where Bobbie is these days. She’s much stronger and she even smiles and laughs once in a while.”
“This new case isn’t stirring up any old issues?”
“Maybe a little, but she’s holding her own.” Maybe if she’d just come clean there wouldn’t be any issues.
“Good. You’re always happier when your team is happy.”
Lynette smiled. “And when I’m happy, you’re happy. Is that it?”
“Definitely.”
They laughed. When the laughter faded their mouths found each other’s. They hadn’t been intimate since Howie was born. Suddenly they couldn’t touch each other enough. Lynette’s heart beat so fast she couldn’t breathe. God, she needed this.
A scream two houses away fractured the moment.
They stilled, neither ready to pull away.
The yelling and cursing started next.
And then Howie began to wail.