Past Midnight (South Island PD Book 2) Page 17

  Peyton didn’t need to look to see who or what the photos were of; she knew.

  Taking a step backward, she rapped on the door. “Madison?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Dinner’s ready.”

  CHAPTER 18

  Monday was a rainy day, nothing like the bright sunshine of the day before. No thunder, just a constant, grey downpour. The island was a sea of slate and charcoal splashed with the green of wet palmetto leaves.

  The familiar flash of lavender on Orange Avenue caught Elijah’s eye as soon as he turned onto the street. Charmed’s sign gleamed with rainwater, and the new window below was spattered with it. The droplets kept him from seeing inside clearly, but he knew Peyton was there.

  She always was, around lunchtime.

  He pulled over to the curb and stepped out of his cruiser before he could second-guess himself, grabbing the carryout bag from Sakura Sushi.

  He didn’t even know if she liked sushi. It was a shot in the dark; he’d stopped at the first restaurant to catch his eye as soon as his break had rolled around.

  Water splashed the back of his neck and ran under the collar of his uniform shirt as he approached the door, and his blood rushed a little faster than normal when he pulled it open.

  The bell above the door announced him as he stepped into the empty shop.

  He was glad no one else was there, which was selfish, just like the fact that he was there in the first place.

  The breakroom curtain rustled and he stopped where he stood, dripping with rainwater.

  “Can I help you?”

  A brunette woman in a wheelchair rolled out from behind the curtain, her wary gaze fixed on him.

  He knew right away who she was. She had the same nose, the same eyes. That was what struck him first: how much those eyes made her look like her sister. Her hair was much darker than Peyton’s, but the resemblance was clear.

  The hint of a sunburn across the bridge of her nose told him that Peyton had taken her to the beach the day before. He could even see the little pale stripe between her eyes where her sunglasses had rested above the bridge of her nose.

  “I’m looking for Miss Argent,” he said.

  Madison sat still in her chair, her shoulders squared and spine rigid.

  Guilt arrowed through him. He knew exactly what kind of memories he was stirring up in her mind.

  He was sorry, although he couldn’t tell her that.

  “My sister, Peyton Argent.” It wasn’t a question.

  He nodded. “I’m Officer Bennett. Your sister and I met when someone broke into the store.”

  “Did you figure out who did it?”

  “So far, no.” The security footage from across the street had been reviewed, but it had been low quality and the thief had come and gone on foot, his features obscured by an oversized hoodie. All they knew about him was that he was male and of average height. “I was stopping by to check in. See whether she needed anything.”

  Madison’s eyes narrowed, and she looked just like Peyton had when he’d first met her.

  “We’re fine.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.” He longed to leave. Peyton clearly wasn’t there, and he knew his presence was raking Madison over the coals. She kept her composure, but the things Peyton had told him rang clear in his mind.

  “My sister went up the street to get lunch. If you really need to talk to her, she’ll be back soon. But unless you’ve caught the person who damaged our property, I don’t see why you’d need to take any more time out of your day.”

  Her tone suggested he’d be a fool to do so.

  He felt foolish. “If you don’t need anything, I’ll be on my way. Have a good afternoon.”

  “Goodbye.”

  He walked out of the store, and it wasn’t until he got back out into the rain that he remembered he’d been carrying the bag of sushi the whole time.

  What Madison had thought of that, he had no idea.

  After climbing back into his cruiser, he cast a glance up the street.

  The Greek restaurant with the great baklava caught his eye. Was that where Peyton was?

  It was the nearest he’d been to her in several days. She was so damn close.

  Forcing himself to look ahead, he put the car into gear and drove away, down Orange Avenue and onto Clement.

  He had four rolls of sushi to consume before they went bad, which wouldn’t take long. Even with the rain pouring down, it was still hot out. He’d have to find somewhere to park and eat lunch alone.

  * * * * *

  Peyton’s bedroom hummed with the low rumble of the air conditioner. Beyond the closed door, she could just barely hear the indistinct noise of the movie Madison and Jace were watching.

  It was after dinner, almost eight o’clock. Elijah would’ve gotten off work nearly two hours ago.

  Peyton dialed his number and swallowed a knot in her throat.

  God, she’d about had a heart attack when Madison had told her a cop had stopped by the shop while she’d been picking up lunch from The Greek Connection.

  “Hey, Peyton.” His voice sent a little shiver of pleasure down her spine.

  “Hey. My sister told me you stopped by the shop today.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know she’d be there.”

  “She said it felt so good to get out of the house on Sunday that she wanted to come back to Charmed. She’s planning to work weekdays during school hours from now on.”

  “It’s good that she’s feeling better. I hope I didn’t upset her too much.”

  “She was a little riled. I hope she wasn’t too hostile.”

  “No more so than you were the first time I showed my face there.”

  She knew he was teasing, but she tensed up anyway.

  “Why’d you really stop by?” He’d given Madison a bullshit reason.

  “For lunch. I brought sushi.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. “Really?”

  “Yeah. From Sakura. It was pretty good.”

  “No, I mean, you came by for lunch?”

  “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought that was our thing.”

  “I didn’t think you’d be back, after I told you about Madison.”

  “The only reason I’d stop showing up would be if you asked me to.”

  She slumped back against the small mountain of pillows on her bed.

  “Did you want me to stop coming by?” he asked.

  “No. When you left, I just thought—”

  “I know I left fast. That wasn’t my way of blowing you off; it was just work.”

  “Right.” Frustration bubbled inside her, making the space beneath her ribs ache. “Well, Madison will be at Charmed during lunchtime for the foreseeable future. Unless she decides she doesn’t feel up to it after all.”

  The pang of longing she felt as she acknowledged that possibility filled her with shame. What was wrong with her?

  She wanted Madison to get better, wanted her working regular hours at Charmed again.

  But she wanted Elijah too, and lunchtime was the one small occasion they’d been free to share together.

  There’d be no more conversations over her home cooking, no more trying carry out from restaurants Elijah had heard were good. No more locking the supply room door and shutting out the rest of the world for a short, hot while.

  Now that Madison was back at work, she realized that a part of her had expected Elijah to come back despite what she’d told herself. Now, though … he couldn’t. Not with Madison there.

  Disappointment hit harder this time, a cold wave dragging her under.

  “I understand,” he said, “and I’m glad she’s getting better. I’m gonna miss seeing you almost every day, though.”

  “Yeah, I’m gonna miss it too.” Her voice sounded weirdly scratchy.

  He probably thought she was about to cry. She wasn’t, but she was being hit with some embarrassingly strong emotion.

  “With your sister doing better, will you be able to s
ee me outside of work? In the evenings or on weekends, maybe?”

  Her heart raced, a rapid drumbeat in her pulse points.

  She wanted to say yes.

  “I know what I’m asking,” he said. “I know you don’t want to tell your sister about me, and I get why. But I have to ask.”

  His words echoed in her mind as she sat there, one hand wrapped tightly around the phone and the other curled into a fist. Why did he have to be a cop?

  Other than that, he was perfect. Hell, he was perfect anyway – it was just that Madison would never see it.

  Her mind raced with hope and guilt. She wanted so badly to make this work, to think of some magical way to let Elijah into her life without pushing her sister away.

  Her gut urged her to say yes, but every time she opened her mouth to do so, the other shoe fell and she was crushed by a lurching sense of dread at the thought of confessing to Madison.

  It was like the feeling you got when you missed the last step on a staircase. One second everything was fine, and the next you were bracing yourself for impact.

  Hands clenched, she tipped her head back. She had to be an adult about this, which meant no lying – not to Madison, and not to Elijah.

  “I want to keep seeing you, but I need to level with my sister first. I don’t like keeping secrets, and I know the longer I wait to tell her, the more hurtful it’ll be.”

  “Okay. Let me know when you’re ready. I’m going to take you out like you deserve – like I’ve been wanting to.”

  A rush of warmth swept through her, sizzling like electricity in her fingertips. “Thanks for being so patient with me.”

  “It’s not a problem. You’re worth it.”

  Her heart sped as they said their goodbyes, and she promised to call back soon.

  It kept racing after the call was over. Now came the hard part: confessing to Madison.

  * * * * *

  “So, you wanna hit up Tempest for the lunch special today?” Elijah asked.

  Jackson paused just outside the rollcall room. “You serious?”

  “It’s Wednesday, isn’t it?”

  “You haven’t eaten lunch at Tempest on Wednesdays for weeks. Your new girlfriend get tired of you already?”

  “Her schedule changed.”

  “And I’m your fallback lunch date.”

  Elijah grinned. “Always.”

  Before Jackson could reply, Lieutenant Aldred appeared behind him. “Bennett, I need to speak with you.”

  Elijah assessed the Lieutenant in the blink of an eye. She wasn’t the type to walk around grinning like a fool, but now that he noticed, she looked more serious than usual.

  It wasn’t just the sleek knot she’d pulled her blonde hair back into, or the perfect creases of her uniform. It wasn’t even the hairline scar that ran the length of her jaw. It was the set of her mouth, and the look in her eyes.

  He was in some kind of trouble. Why or how, he had no idea, but whatever she had to say to him wasn’t going to be good news.

  “Sure, Lieutenant.”

  Jackson caught Elijah’s eye, his expression questioning.

  “Let’s step into my office.” She moved toward the door at the far end of the room.

  “See you around noon,” Elijah said to Jackson before following the Lieutenant.

  She pulled the door shut behind him, even though most of the shift’s officers were already out the door, ready to begin the day.

  “Half of our new bodycam order came in. I’m giving one to you. Here.” She reached into an open box that sat on top of her desk.

  He accepted the camera when she handed it to him. It was smaller and sleeker than his old one.

  “Thank you.” Why was she only giving one to him? None of the other officers had received new cameras before starting the day’s shift. Most of them still had their old ones, but they sucked compared to the upgraded models.

  She nodded. “That’s not the only reason I called you in here. Unfortunately, I have something serious I need to discuss with you.”

  A leaden weight settled into the pit of his gut. What had he done to warrant a one-on-one? His shift sergeant hadn’t mentioned any problems to him, hadn’t given him any warning that this was coming.

  “Do you recall arresting a Joseph Weitkamp recently?”

  “The DUI on Benton Street.” Of course he remembered. His blood still simmered when he thought about it.

  Lieutenant Aldred nodded. “Joseph Weitkamp is purporting that you used excessive force during the arrest and broke his arm.”

  Elijah’s stomach clenched. “He fractured his wrist when he tripped while running from me, resisting arrest. And that was after he assaulted Rogers.”

  “I know. But he’s claiming otherwise.”

  “Anything to shift the spotlight from him to me.” There was a hard edge to his voice he normally wouldn’t have used with his superior, but damn it, he felt a headache coming on.

  Lieutenant Aldred inclined her head slightly, frowning. “He’s eighteen years old. Just finished high school and was set to head off to a prestigious university in a couple months on a sports scholarship. I’m sure the charges you hit him with are jeopardizing that.”

  DUI, underage drinking, assaulting an officer and resisting arrest. Elijah had hit the kid with all of that, and he didn’t feel an ounce of regret. The driver had surrendered all claims to his sympathy when he’d nearly killed three pedestrians.

  “He deserved those charges.”

  Rogers had bruised her tailbone when the kid had knocked her off her feet with the SUV door, and she’d ended up taking several days off work.

  “I agree. I already spoke to Rogers, and she says you did everything by the book. If there was anyone in this department I’d expect to criticize your work, it’d be her. I also know from my own experience that you’re a conscientious officer.”

  A haze of anger clouded Elijah’s mind, preventing him from feeling any pride at the praise.

  “I didn’t have a bodycam. Mine crapped out.”

  “I know.”

  “My dash cam was running, but it won’t have footage of when he fell and neither will Rogers’ bodycam. The fall happened in an alley.”

  Aldred nodded. “I’ve already reviewed the footage we did capture, and it backs up Rogers’ account of the incident exactly, including Weitkamp’s assault against her.”

  That was true, but Elijah’s skin crawled anyway. The false accusation of abuse was like something sharp stuck in the back of his throat. He couldn’t swallow it, just had to try to breathe around it while remaining as calm as he could.

  It wasn’t easy.

  He glanced at the clock, noting every minute of the shift that had already slipped by without him.

  “Ralph Weitcamp – Joseph’s father – is a member of the city council,” Aldred said. “I won’t sugarcoat it; this is a major pain in the ass. He supports his son’s version of events and has been very vocal about it. But with the footage we do have aligning with your story and clearly depicting the assault, we—”

  Elijah barely heard what she said next. The kid’s dad was a member of the city council and was siding with the irresponsible little shit over the city PD?

  Unbelievable.

  Aldred touched his arm – a first. “I know this is difficult.”

  To say that she wasn’t the touchy-feely type would’ve been an understatement. What kind of police lieutenant was?

  He met her gaze, and his gut tightened when he saw how much her pained expression made her look like his mother.

  It was bizarre, but true. It was the same look his mother had given him the year before, when he’d told her Jackson had been shot in the line of duty. The lieutenant’s blonde hair added to the effect, although it was hard to imagine his mother wearing hers in such a severe style.

  “I read your report,” she said, “but I want you to tell me what happened anyway.”

  He nodded, unable to dislodge the bitter lump in his throat.


  CHAPTER 19

  “Damn.” Jackson sat with his elbows on the table at Tempest. His inked arm was curled around a plate of brisket, and his other hand held a glass of sweet tea.

  Elijah shook his head. His own lunch was still steaming on the plate, but the savory aroma didn’t do much to pique his appetite. “Of all the damn days for my bodycam to finally give up the ghost. If I’d had it, this wouldn’t be an issue.”

  “It’s bullshit anyway.” Jackson kept his voice low. “It doesn’t matter how much of a special snowflake mommy and daddy have told this kid he is; there’s no way his word is gonna stand up against yours. Especially since he was drunk. Falling down is what drunks do.”

  Elijah nodded, but his heart wasn’t in it. It was easy enough to appreciate the sentiment, but much harder to actually believe what Jackson had said.

  No matter how ridiculous the whole thing was, or how clean Elijah’s record was, the bottom line was that there was no footage of the incident, and that left room for doubt. Even if the chance his career would be damaged by this was small, it was still there.

  That fact made beads of sweat pop up on his brow. This career was all he’d ever wanted, ever since he’d been a kid running around with a plastic badge. Had he really spent a lifetime looking forward to this only to have it threatened just because he’d caught some councilman’s kid in a criminal act?

  It wasn’t just a teenager accusing him of abuse, it was an elected city official.

  “We should do something tonight to get your mind off things,” Jackson said. “Maybe hit up Due South.”

  Elijah shifted in his seat. “Sure.”

  “Or maybe we could go somewhere a little nicer. Belle said the other day that she’d like to go out together with you and Peyton sometime.”

  The heavy feeling in his chest increased.

  “Belle liked her,” Jackson added. “Thought you two were good together.”

  “I can’t ask her. Not tonight.”

  Jackson shrugged. “Maybe some other time.”

  “Maybe.” Elijah considered telling Jackson everything: that he’d never wanted any woman like he’d wanted Peyton, and that one of her best qualities – her loyalty – was keeping them apart. That waiting to hear from her again felt like trying and failing to catch his breath. That they might not ever be able to make it work, just because he was a cop.