Read Online Chain Reaction by Diane Fanning - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Diane Fanning
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‘That’s right. The Walking Dog is a fairly recent addition to town. It wasn’t here when you moved up to Charlottesville. It’s just a fast-food teenage hang-out specializing in hot dogs. Mind if we talk about something else? I am drained right now.’
‘Course not. You want a family update?’
‘I’d love one. How’s your dad … Ellen, the kids?’
‘The kids are great. Good grades, lots of friends; they really like it up there. Dad? Well, I feel like we lose another piece of him every day but the good news is that he remains pleasant and still remembers all our names most days. When he temporarily forgets one of the kids’ names, he calls them “Buddy” and they don’t have a clue.’
‘And Ellen? Your marriage?’
‘That’s best of all.’
‘Really?’
‘We’ve both been doing a lot of healing. We’ve been able to talk about the loss of the baby without getting angry or pointing fingers. We still walk on eggshells a bit with each other but that’s getting better. And we’re sharing a bed once again.’
‘That’s terrific, Ted.’
Ted blushed a bit and said, ‘Yeah. I finally got to the point where I accepted the fact that the high school romance you and I had was just that – a thing of the past. That helped a lot and it made me realize that I was as much a part of the problem in our marriage as Ellen was. I had been placing all the blame on her.’
Lucinda didn’t express the total relief she was feeling, afraid that it would sound too much like rejection. She just patted his arm and said, ‘Good, Ted. That is what you needed to do.’
‘And you? Look at you. You look fabulous. Only traces of the scarring remain. I bet those will fade even more with time.’
‘Thanks, Ted. I no longer cringe when I look in the mirror but they still stand out like flashing lights to me.’ For the rest of the ride, they shared the latest news about mutual acquaintances. Before getting out of the car at the Justice Center, Lucinda leaned across the seat and placed a kiss on Ted’s cheek. ‘Thanks for everything, Ted.’
‘The least I could do,’ he said.
Lucinda walked into her office with a list of fifty-seven names. including one girl named Emily, two named Elizabeth and one Electra – what were her parents thinking? She looked up addresses and phone numbers. She called those five girls first – although she found all but one of them at home, the parents were at work. She’d gotten times when she could interview them with a parent present. She went back to the list gathering information about the remaining students identified by last names.
She was halfway through it when Captain Holland barked, ‘My office, Pierce.’
She reluctantly rose from her desk and followed him down the hall. What are the odds, she wondered, that this summons was related to Connelly? He’s probably been whining about me since he left the Bayneses’ house. Then again, maybe the captain just wants an update on the progress at the high school.
‘Sit,’ Holland barked as Lucinda walked through the door.
The look on his face told Lucinda that she was not going to like what he had to say.
‘You’re off the case,’ he said and stared at her with an expressionless face.
She was certain what he meant but didn’t want to believe it. ‘What case, sir?’
Holland lowered his head and glared at her. ‘You know what case. The case at the high school. The explosion. You are no longer involved.’
Lucinda sighed. ‘Jeez, Captain, are you really going to cave in to a little whining from an obnoxious federal agent?’
The captain bolted to his feet and slammed both hands down on the surface of his desk. ‘A little whining? A little whining? Oh, give me patience. You threatened a federal officer with a firearm and you describe his reaction as a little whining? You are lucky that you still have a job, Lieutenant – even luckier that you still are, at least for now, a lieutenant. What were you
‘Course not. You want a family update?’
‘I’d love one. How’s your dad … Ellen, the kids?’
‘The kids are great. Good grades, lots of friends; they really like it up there. Dad? Well, I feel like we lose another piece of him every day but the good news is that he remains pleasant and still remembers all our names most days. When he temporarily forgets one of the kids’ names, he calls them “Buddy” and they don’t have a clue.’
‘And Ellen? Your marriage?’
‘That’s best of all.’
‘Really?’
‘We’ve both been doing a lot of healing. We’ve been able to talk about the loss of the baby without getting angry or pointing fingers. We still walk on eggshells a bit with each other but that’s getting better. And we’re sharing a bed once again.’
‘That’s terrific, Ted.’
Ted blushed a bit and said, ‘Yeah. I finally got to the point where I accepted the fact that the high school romance you and I had was just that – a thing of the past. That helped a lot and it made me realize that I was as much a part of the problem in our marriage as Ellen was. I had been placing all the blame on her.’
Lucinda didn’t express the total relief she was feeling, afraid that it would sound too much like rejection. She just patted his arm and said, ‘Good, Ted. That is what you needed to do.’
‘And you? Look at you. You look fabulous. Only traces of the scarring remain. I bet those will fade even more with time.’
‘Thanks, Ted. I no longer cringe when I look in the mirror but they still stand out like flashing lights to me.’ For the rest of the ride, they shared the latest news about mutual acquaintances. Before getting out of the car at the Justice Center, Lucinda leaned across the seat and placed a kiss on Ted’s cheek. ‘Thanks for everything, Ted.’
‘The least I could do,’ he said.
Lucinda walked into her office with a list of fifty-seven names. including one girl named Emily, two named Elizabeth and one Electra – what were her parents thinking? She looked up addresses and phone numbers. She called those five girls first – although she found all but one of them at home, the parents were at work. She’d gotten times when she could interview them with a parent present. She went back to the list gathering information about the remaining students identified by last names.
She was halfway through it when Captain Holland barked, ‘My office, Pierce.’
She reluctantly rose from her desk and followed him down the hall. What are the odds, she wondered, that this summons was related to Connelly? He’s probably been whining about me since he left the Bayneses’ house. Then again, maybe the captain just wants an update on the progress at the high school.
‘Sit,’ Holland barked as Lucinda walked through the door.
The look on his face told Lucinda that she was not going to like what he had to say.
‘You’re off the case,’ he said and stared at her with an expressionless face.
She was certain what he meant but didn’t want to believe it. ‘What case, sir?’
Holland lowered his head and glared at her. ‘You know what case. The case at the high school. The explosion. You are no longer involved.’
Lucinda sighed. ‘Jeez, Captain, are you really going to cave in to a little whining from an obnoxious federal agent?’
The captain bolted to his feet and slammed both hands down on the surface of his desk. ‘A little whining? A little whining? Oh, give me patience. You threatened a federal officer with a firearm and you describe his reaction as a little whining? You are lucky that you still have a job, Lieutenant – even luckier that you still are, at least for now, a lieutenant. What were you
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