Long Simmering Spring (19 page)

A horrified tingle began to creep up Julie’s spine. “I’m sorry, did you say oxycodone?”

“Yes.” He narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

“Because I’m just starting to connect the dots. Oxy is a prescription drug.”

“Where are you going with this?”

Julie swallowed. “I discovered the other day that I’m missing a huge number of tamper-resistant prescription pads—the kind I use to prescribe controlled substances. And this isn’t the first time. I thought at first I’d just misplaced them, but twice in a row is just too much of a coincidence. I looked into reporting the loss, but the DEA only requires that I report losses or thefts of the controlled substances themselves, not prescription pads.”

“Are you kidding me?”

She shook her head, a little pit forming in the center of her stomach. “No. I actually had to reorder a bunch of new pads. Just to be safe, I had them shipped here instead of to the office. They came last Friday. I took them to work and locked them up in my supply closet.”

He gave her a dark look. “Let me get this straight. You’ve been bugging me about getting involved in the drug investigation, but when your controlled substance prescription pads went missing you neglected to say anything. When, exactly, were you going to tell me this?”

“I swear I was going to. It just kept slipping my mind. I think I’m working too hard.” She tried a smile, but he didn’t smile back.

“Lord, woman,” he said, rubbing a hand over his eyes. Then he straightened. “Wait. Those missing pads have serial numbers on them, right?”

“That’s right.”

“If your prescription pads were stolen, and whoever took them is using them to get prescription drugs and cut them with the bath salts, which is what I suspect, then we have one hell of a sting operation to set up.” He rubbed his hands together. “Wait until I tell my team. And Val. He’ll be thrilled.”

Julie’s brow furrowed. “But my name and medical license number are also on the pads. So I can help, right?”

“Wrong. My team will handle everything. We’ll get everything sorted out with the DEA and the medical board before we proceed so it’s clear that you had nothing to do with this. It’ll make it easier for damage control later.”

“I don’t care about damage control. I care about cleaning up Star Harbor.”

“Are you unwilling to cooperate with the Sheriff’s Department?” he asked, his gaze hard.

“Of course you have my cooperation,” she said, throwing her hands up. “I can’t have my name out there being used by drug dealers to get supplies. But if there’s a sting operation, I want in.”

“You are stubborn,” he murmured, sizing her up for a few moments. “Before I agree to anything, you have to promise that if anything—anything at all—seems unusual to you . . .”

“Like missing prescription pads?”

“Yes, like missing prescription pads, you have to tell me right away.”

Julie nodded.

“All right,” Cole said. “I’ll prep you, just in case pharmacists need to get involved.”

“Pharmacists?” Her elation quickly burst as she realized that some of her friends might be implicated. “John Anson is a good man. If he’d seen any discrepancies in my prescriptions, he’d have called me right away.”

“Of course I’ll have to look into it.”

She must have looked horrified, because he reached out a hand to cover hers. “I’m sure he’s innocent, just like you. And this is why you can’t get involved too deeply. You definitely don’t think like a cop, and no amount of training will get you ready in time. For sure, your physical presence will not be required. As long as you understand that, we can move forward.”

Reluctantly, Julie nodded.

“Anyway,” Cole continued, “I’m not worried about John. I’m worried about those pharmacists who
wouldn’t
call you if they noticed something funny going on. They’re the ones who are likely involved with all of this. There was a sting operation in New York a few years ago that brought down twenty-five people, including users, doctors, and pharmacists. They’re still sorting out all the legal stuff, but I guarantee you that those pharmacists were dirty and knew exactly what was going on.”

“They take an oath.”

“Money matters more to some people.”

“That’s really sad,” she said, her appetite all but gone.

“It’s just human nature.” He rose and kissed her on top of her head. “And yours is firmly on the side of good. You done?”

“Yes.” She couldn’t eat another bite. Not after that conversation.

Cole picked up their plates and tidied up while she sat there, still numb. Then he reached for her hand. “Come with me. I’ll make you feel better.” He pulled her out of the kitchen to the front door. “Grab the keys. They’re probably somewhere near the hall table.” He gave her a fairly indecent grin. Oh, that
did
make her feel better.

“We’re going outside? Wait a second.” She found them on the floor. “Got ‘em. But what if there’s someone out there? What about Don? Aren’t you worried?”

“No one’s out there. I checked the perimeter before you got back. And it wouldn’t matter, anyway. You’re with me.”

Cole’s simple phrase underscored his absolute confidence in his ability to keep her safe. If he was that secure, who was she to argue? Then she had another thought.

“Won’t we destroy evidence of the prowler if we walk through the grass?” she asked.

“I don’t need to look again. I know what I saw.”

“Let’s go, then,” she said.

“Great.” He slipped a jacket over her shoulders, took her hand, and led her out the back door and down the stairs, to the path through the small woodsy area that led to the edge of the bluff. The moon lit their way as they tramped through the short stretch of trees, coming out at the other end and into the clearing.

They walked a few yards to stand at the edge of the cliffs. Above them, the nearly full moon gleamed, surrounded by twinkling stars. From their vantage point by the ocean’s edge, the sky seemed vast and curved. On their right, the evening lights from Star Harbor’s downtown gas lamps flickered. Lights on the water gently glowed, swaying back and forth as boats moored at the piers rocked with the tide. The town looked beautiful and picturesque, even in the dimness.

“I used to come here as a kid,” Cole said. “This is the best view of town. But I’m sure you knew that.”

“Are you saying you used to trespass onto our property at night?” Julie asked, her lip curling up.

He didn’t rise to the bait, instead keeping his gaze trained on the little town below. “Yeah. Sometimes I’d wonder about you and your family. So different from the way I grew up with just my mom and brothers. I always thought you were lucky.”

“I didn’t know you thought about me at all,” she said, more than a bit surprised.

Cole coughed. “I have to admit,” he said, changing the subject quickly, “that I was always worried your dad would come out and we’d get in trouble.”

“He wouldn’t have cared,” Julie said, getting a lump in her throat as she remembered her strong, intelligent father. “Besides, he would have been in the family room all night, reading books about strange fish. His work as a scientist definitely inspired me to become a doctor.”

Cole moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, then turned her so that they were both looking out over the water. “Even at the time, we knew we were doing something wrong. It was worth it to trespass, though. This scene is burned into my brain. Every crazy, sleepless night when I was in the army, every insane workday on the force in Boston, I’d think of this, and it would remind me of better days. I always knew if I made it out alive, I’d come back to make this my home.”

“I think I always knew I’d come back, too,” Julie said quietly. “There are only a few places like this left. Plus, it was the only place I really ever felt like I’d be connected to my parents. They would have loved that I came back here.”

They stood in silence for a few minutes watching the lights, until Julie began to shiver. Cole rubbed her upper arms over the jacket. “I’d better get you back inside.”

Taking her by the hand, he led her through the woods and back to the house.

“What now?” she asked when they were back inside.

“Now, you sleep.”

“You’re not staying with me?” she asked, shrugging off the jacket and placing it over the back of one of the kitchen chairs.

He was watching her carefully. “You sure you want me to?”

Was this some kind of test? “I’d like you to stay,” she said slowly. “In my room.”

Cole stared at her for another long moment, as if weighing his options. “All right. Let me get my stuff from the family room.” When he’d gone, Julie took a breath. Before she had a chance to ponder what she’d asked him to do, he was back. “You lead the way up, Doc,” he said softly. As if he didn’t know where to go. As if he hadn’t just stripped her bare in her bedroom. Twice.

She walked up the stairs, fully conscious of him behind her. But he didn’t reach out and touch her. She showed him where to wash up, she waited for him to finish, and then she did the same. When she crawled into her bed, he was there, wearing only a pair of boxers and a slight smile.

“You okay with the gun there?” he said, indicating the night table where he’d placed his weapon.

She nodded. “Sure. I don’t sleep with my stethoscope next to me, though.” She snuggled under the covers and gave him a smile, but his expression didn’t change. “I won’t make any jokes about there being a gun in your pocket,” she said, trying to get him to laugh. Instead, he wrapped his long arms around her, pulling her close to his chest. She nestled into the hollow of his shoulder. Her head fit perfectly, as if the spot were tailor-made just for her. “It’s okay, Cole. I’ll still respect you in the morning.”

Now he did laugh, briefly. He kissed the top of her head. “Go to sleep, Doc.”

So she did.

CHAPTER 15

The blast rocked his truck, ringing his bell. It took a minute for his vision to clear. It was quiet. Why couldn’t he hear anything? He looked at his driver. Dead silence, despite his lips moving.

Stay calm. Assess the situation
.

They were in the middle of open terrain and the blast had taken out the gun truck. The only way out of the situation was forward or backward, and forward was blocked by a blown-up vehicle.
We’re screwed.

Warren turned their truck around, but before Cole could blink, another bomb ripped through its right side. A blinding pain tore through his leg, but he ignored it.

“Lay down suppressive fire! We need to secure the site!” Cole’s ears started to clear. Quickly, he called in the situation report.

Delta Three Seven was out of commission and he didn’t know what kind of shape his boys were in. They needed to secure the kill zone and get everyone the hell out of there.

But as Cole opened the door to step out, another explosion ripped through the countryside. And everything went dark.

Cole sat bolt upright in bed and grabbed his gun, clutching it to his chest. He was bathed in sweat, his hair curled and damp on his neck, his heart beating a war cry in his chest. Residual flashes of fighting and explosions slowly faded from his brain, and his leg hurt like a mother.
Breathe. Just another dream. Easy, now.

It took him a moment before he realized where he was. Aware of movement next to him, he turned. Julie lay there, shock etched on her face.

“You yelled. Are you all right?” she asked quietly, staring at his gun.

Wow, that nightmare had come out of nowhere.
Slowly, he slid his weapon back onto the nightstand and leaned against the headboard, willing his heartbeat back to normal. “Yeah,” he said, before realizing that the look on his face said it all. “No.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” She seemed calmer now without the gun right in front of her.

Cole stared into the darkness of the room, listening to his breathing and rubbing his thigh. A diagnosis in his medical file was one thing, but witnessing the aftermath of an episode firsthand was something different. Now, she knew how damaged he was, and she could either take him or leave him. He prayed she’d take him.

After a few moments of silence, he spoke. “When the first IED exploded, I knew we’d just ridden into an ambush. Men I had pledged my life to protect—men I was responsible for—died in front of my eyes. Rick Davey, my best friend and a damned good soldier, took a bullet to his face.” His voice was hoarse. “I promised to bring him home safe to his wife and I failed.”

“I’m sorry, Cole.”

“I’m sorry, too.”
Sorry I didn’t serve my men better.
He should have known that his unit would be a target given their specific mission, and he still had the clawing suspicion that somehow, the deaths could have been prevented. The army had found nothing at fault with Cole’s behavior. In fact, he’d even received a Bronze Star with V Device. The “V” stood for valor.

He didn’t deserve it.

“What are you sorry for?” she said. “You’re the one who had the nightmare.”

His sweat cooled on his body in the chill of the room and he shivered. “Sorry for scaring you.”

Julie sat up and put her arm around his neck. With her other hand, she swept his damp hair back from his face and smoothed it down. “You didn’t. I was just surprised.” She wasn’t looking at him with revulsion or fear, just concern. He didn’t see pity, thank God. He couldn’t have stood that. Not tonight.

“I’ll be all right. I just need to lie here with you.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

They settled down into the bed and Cole pulled the covers over them both. Julie curled up next to him, one hand on his chest, her head resting on his shoulder. Cole kept his hand on her back, focusing on the simple movement of her diaphragm rising and falling with her breathing.

It was a long time before either of them got back to sleep.

Julie woke up to the sound of early-morning birds chirping outside her window and the waves hitting the breakers near the bluff. Birch branches scraped the side of her house, blown by the brisk spring wind coming from the south. She yawned and blinked her eyes. Some things never changed.

And some things did.