Deadfall (32 page)

“Okay.” Mac took the preliminary results from Detective Manza and shook his hand.

“I'll get the formal results to you in a day or two,” Manza said.

Mac nodded. “Right. Thanks for coming on such short notice.”

“Not a problem. You guys take care.”

Mac quickly looked over the results, then he and Kevin wrapped up their interview with Jessica, deciding not to take her to the falls at this point. They did, however, have her fingerprinted and mugged for comparison standards, as she had no criminal record. This was a precaution in case she became less than cooperative down the road.

“Where can we drop you off, Jessica?” Mac asked when they got to the car. “Jeremy's place?” Kevin took the driver's seat as he and Mac had agreed, while Mac joined Jessica in the backseat.

“Jeremy's?” She frowned. “Why would you think I'd be staying there?” She dug into her purse and fished out a piece of paper with an address on it. “I'm staying with Aaron's sister and her family.”

“I'm sorry for the assumption. Jeremy indicated the two of you were friends.”

She laughed. “‘Friends' is the operative word, Detective. I know he would have liked us to be together, but he isn't my type.

Besides, I really don't have much contact with the old gang.”

“It's just as well.” Mac told her about the firearm they'd recovered from Jeremy's house. Jessica didn't seem surprised. “And just so you know,” Mac continued, “the property you had in the pawnshop has been seized.”

“So I don't have to pay to get it out?”

“Not at this point.”

“What will happen to it?”

“Since we signed for the gun,” Mac explained, “we'll have to make sure the pawnbroker is reimbursed what he paid you for the gun. You or Vicki and Todd can pay the store or allow us to return the gun; the broker just won't make any money off the exchange.”

“I'll pay for it.” She sighed. “Why did you take the stuff— because of the gun?”

“Primarily yes. But it's all being processed for trace evidence by our lab.”

“Huh—like they do on that CSI show?”

“Yeah.” Mac smiled. “Like that.”

“I'm glad I took the lie-detector test.” Jessica watched the street signs. “I did okay, huh?”

“You did.” Jessica seemed more relaxed now, and Mac could see more of her personality. Warm and kind, with a nice sense of humor. Opposite of the time he'd first met her.

Aaron's sister, April, met them in the driveway and enveloped Jessica in a welcoming hug. Apparently the two hadn't met face to face. April asked Mac and Kevin to come in, but they declined.

“That was interesting,” Mac said once he and Kevin were on the road again.

“Jessica seems like a sweet girl.”

“Yeah. Different than when I first met her.”

“Maybe not so different,” Kevin said. “Maybe different circumstances. The kid's been through a lot, and you have to admire how she's gotten her life together.”

“You mean the church thing?”

Kevin chuckled. “That's part of it.”

Mac laughed. “I'll remember that. All I have to do to get on the good side of you is tell you I'm going to church.”

“Would you be telling the truth?” Kevin asked in a hopeful tone.

“Nope. I tried going to those counseling sessions with Linda and . . .” He frowned. “Well, you know about that. It didn't work out so well.” Mac had told him awhile back how the pastor and Linda had basically ganged up on him.

“I'm sorry about that, Mac, but don't base your decisions on the actions of a few. Not all pastors are equipped to counsel people. Seems to me he should have been neutral and not taken sides.”

“Yeah, well, that episode of my life is over.”

“You sound bitter.”

“Maybe I am—a little. I really tried to make it work.” But had he? Linda wanted phone calls. He could have given her more of those. He didn't much like the idea of quitting.

“It wouldn't have worked, Mac. Not very many women can deal with the life we lead, the work we do. They might say they understand, but they don't—not really.”

“So what do you think about Jessica?” Mac asked, wanting to change the subject. “Was it wise for me to turn her loose?”

“I would have. I know it's tough to give up your best lead, but something will shake loose if we keep dogging it. Don't lose faith, partner.”

“I just hope I made the right call.” Mac yawned.

“You made the decision—a very hard decision, which I happen to support. We had nothing to hold her on, and you followed your gut instincts. Without that, you wouldn't be worth a plug nickel as a major case detective. You have to follow your heart, Mac. And rest assured, I would have said something if I had any problem with the call. This thing is going as well as can be expected, and the family will have to understand that. There isn't a detective in the back room who doesn't support Sarge's decision to give you the lead rope.”

Mac swallowed hard and managed to say, “Thanks, Kev. I appreciate that.”

“You been getting much rest?” Kevin glanced over at Mac, pushing at his shoulder.

“Some, why?”

“Not that I'm concerned; I'm just tired of driving,” Kevin teased, effectively changing the mood. He pressed his back against the seat, stretching his legs.

“I'll bet. It's been what, almost half a day now?” Mac chuckled.

“Seriously, I'm doing okay.”

“I think it's time you worked a short day, Mac. You've been burning the candle at both ends for months now.”

“A short day sounds good. A day off sounds even better.” Mac folded his arms and focused on the car in front of them. “But I can't. I'm up to my eyeballs in reports. Sarge is going to have me in the blue room like Philly if I don't have them on his desk soon.

The late reports were in my last evaluation, remember?”

“Tell you what. Why don't we both knock off early? I'll give you a hand in the morning and we'll get them wrapped up by noon. What do you say?”

“Sounds like a plan, partner,” Mac yawned his response. “Say, what was the deal with the captain today?”

“What, coffee with John?”

“Yeah. Are you bucking for promotion or something?”

“Please, I want to work for a living. John and I came on together; we're both eligible this spring and were comparing retirement plans. We may joke about the brass, but I would have certainly gone for that promotion if I'd thought about retirement twenty years ago. John will pull about a thousand more a month in retirement than me.”

Mac whistled. “Yeah, but with his job, you'd have to work sixty-hour weeks and live by the pager all day every day.”

“And that's different than our job?” Kevin eased the car around the corner. “You better get ready, the pressure is going to come for you to promote someday. The captain already asked if I thought you might be interested. They test next summer, you know.”

“Sergeant McAllister.” Mac grinned. “Has a nice ring to it. But, I don't know—we'll see when the time comes. This place won't be the same without you around. Depends what kind of partner I get strapped with.”

“What if it's Dana? I'll bet you'd stick around for that.”

“I might.” Mac laughed out loud. “She'll be good, Kev. In fact, much as I'd hate to admit it, she'd probably already have this investigation wrapped up.”

“Don't sell yourself short.” Kevin pulled into the back lot of the patrol office and pulled up behind Mac's car. He sighed. “I'm not even going into the office.”

Mac sat there a moment. “Kevin, can I ask you something?”

“Sure. What's troubling you?”

“You,” Mac ventured. “I know something is going on, and I don't have a good feeling about it.”

“You're right, Mac. Something is going on.”

“But you're not going to tell me?”

“I was going to wait until morning. Planned to tell all of you together.”

“All of us.” Mac frowned. “As in Russ and Philly and Eric and . . .”

“And you. My friends, Mac.”

“So you are retiring?”

“No, Macot unless I'm forced to.” Kevin paused. “There's no easy way to say it. I have cancer.”

29

M
AC SAT IN STUNNED DISBELIEF, his head reverberating with Kevin's announcement. “That can't be.” Mac finally found his voice.

“That was my reaction at first. I've suspected it for a while. My wife finally made me go in a couple of weeks ago, and the doc ran a bunch of tests. I have prostate cancer.”

“Why didn't you tell us sooner?”

“Guess I didn't want to say it out loud. Talking about it made it too real.” Kevin ran a hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. “I'll be starting chemo next week, so I thought I'd better let you all know so you and Philly wouldn't start teasing me about losing my hair.” He offered a tense smile.

SOMEHOW Mac managed to say good-bye to Kevin and get into his car. Robotlike, he turned the key, belted himself in, and headed out, following his partner as they drove toward the freeway. Mac honked and waved as he went north on I-205 and Kevin took the opposite ramp to the south.

Cancer.

Mac would never have come up with that scenario. Not in a million years. Even having heard it from Kevin's own mouth, he still couldn't believe he'd heard right. Shock followed him all the way home and came inside with him. Mac took off his shoes and turned on his gas fireplace, then settled into his chair. Lucy, Mac's golden retriever, seemed to sense something was wrong and curled up at Mac's feet, occasionally putting her head on Mac's lap.

“What's a matter, old girl—you worried about me?” Lucy's big brown eyes stared lovingly back at him. Mac rubbed the dog's ears and scratched her head. Lucy placed her right paw on Mac's left forearm to make sure the cuddling didn't end anytime soon. Mac rested his hand on the dog's head, stroking her silky fur.

“Why Kevin, God?” he murmured, his gaze fixed on the fake log. “It isn't fair. Kevin is one of the good guys. He even believes in you and in those prayers he says. How could you let this happen to him?”

Mac remembered what Kevin had told him about the rain falling on the just and the unjust. How the world was in a mess and bad things happened.
“The important question isn't why, but
how,”
Mac remembered Kevin saying.
“How can I be a better person
because of what has happened?”

God will turn your mourning into joy.
Mac wasn't certain where that thought had come from, but he recognized it as a Bible verse he'd memorized as a child. He tipped his head back, wishing he were still at work. Maybe he'd go back over to the office and work through the night.

He closed his eyes and within seconds felt himself drift off.

MAC AWOKE AT SEVEN P.M., feeling hungry and at odds. He didn't want to go out to eat but hadn't bought any groceries either. He thought about calling Dana, but he didn't think he could hang out with her for very long before she figured out something was wrong. Dana tended to be very perceptive. He didn't want to talk about Kevin. Instead, he decided to drive to the retirement inn to visit his grandmother.

As usual, Nana welcomed him with open arms and listened intently as he brought her up to date on everything that had happened in his personal life during the last two weeks.

“You look so sad, Antonio. Because of Linda?”

“A little, mostly about my partner.” He told Nana about Kevin's diagnosis and got about fifteen minutes' worth of people he should talk to. “Half the people here have had cancer. There are so many options. You tell Kevin to come see me. I'll introduce him to some survivors.” She smiled and patted his arm. “I know it's a hard word to hear, but your friend will come out of this. You'll see.”

“I wish I had your faith.”

“You do,Antonio. It's all inside you. All you have to do is admit it.”

Mac hung around until eight-thirty, when Nana's eyes began to droop. “I should go.”

“Don't wait so long next time.” She kissed his cheek and gave him the usual hug.

“I won't.”

“And bring Kevin.”

“I'll try.”

Driving home, Mac had to smile at the irony. He visited Nana to cheer her up, but nearly every time he went, it was he who ended up feeling better.

“YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME.” Mac glanced at the nightstand alarm clock. Two o' clock in the morning. The audible tone on his pager went silent after three choruses. Mac leaned over and pressed the readout button on the digital pager, squinting to read the alpha message.

The page from dispatch read, TROOPER DOWNEY REQUESTS 12-4 AT TROUTDALE P.D. ASAP.

“Now what?” he grumbled. “Probably a car full of stolen property, and they want me to write the warrant again.”

Mac reached for the phone, calling dispatch to have them patch him through to Troutdale. No sense in spending his dime on the call; it was long distance from his place.

“State police dispatch. Is this an emergency?” the dispatcher answered.

“This is Detective McAllister out of Portland. The supervisor sent me a page to call a troop at Troutdale. Would you patch me through, please?”

“I think the desk supervisor wanted to talk to you when you called in. Hold on a sec, and I'll transfer you.”

“Who's the . . .” Mac stopped, realizing she'd already put him on hold.

“Is this Mac?” a woman asked.

“Yeah. I was paged to call TPD.”

“Hi, Mac; this is Sue. Trooper Downey called a few minutes ago and said he needs you to respond to TPD instead of calling.

He said it is important, related to the twelve-forty-nine Adam you are working.”