Page 24 of Freedom to Love

“Fucking shit, Murph, I’m fine. Tell everyone I’m fine.”

“But you’re not.”

“Murph. Hooker. Diamond.” The words sank in slowly. She could almost see them penetrate.

He yanked off his hat and rubbed his hair in frustration. “She won’t believe it, Vander. I haven’t done anything wrong.” He shook his head. “I’ll call your bluff, Vander. I will.”

Kat smiled. “No, you won’t.”

He stood and smacked his cap against his thigh. “Mother fuck, Vander.”

He was cursing. This was a good sign. She had gotten to him. He was putty in her hands now. “You know they say that even the thought of cheating can be considered cheating.”

“Enough. Just stop. You win.”

“Great. Thanks, Murph. Now, I believe that IV is empty. Help me get dressed and get the hell out of here.”

* * *

“Vander, we shouldn’t be here,” Murph said, desperation high in his voice. He scrambled after her and opened the door to the station for her.

“I have to make things right,” she said. “I know you know what I mean, Murph.” She looked him in the eye. “We do what’s right, don’t we? Brynn is innocent. She saved my life and Damien’s. Then she even went and got Gunner to care for him. Why? Because I asked her to. Now what do you call that, Murph? A crime?”

She entered the station when Murph didn’t respond and walked straight ahead and eyed Johnnie Madison on the right behind the counter.

“Christ on a cracker,” he said when he saw her. “Vander, you okay?” He brushed crumbs off his broad chest and stared at her. He began swatting George Marks who was sitting and typing at the computer. Mads and Marks. It was damn good to see them.

“I’m well, Mads, thanks for asking.” She stopped at the locked door. Marks looked up and his face went ashen. He stood at attention. “Ma’am,” he said. “Welcome back.”

“She’s not back,” Murph said.

“Not yet,” she corrected him.

Madison buzzed her in, and they walked into the inner workings of her police station.

Phones rang, the strong smell of coffee permeated the air. The gray industrial carpet was worn into a trail, leading the way to each section. When they came to homicide, she smelled microwave popcorn and found the detectives at their desks, heads in files and computers. When she came to her captain’s desk, he was busy thumbing through papers and talking softly to another colleague, Lenny Tanner. When they sensed a presence, they looked up then did a double take. Captain Bowman stood.

“Vander, what in the hell are you doing here?”

But she was busy looking around, walking to look in on the interrogation room. “Where is she? Where’s Brynn Williams?”

“She’s in holding, why?”

“You got her locked up?”

He nodded. “For the time being, yes.”

“Get her out. Get her in here.”

Captain Bowman looked to Murph who threw up his hands. Tanner moved quickly and pulled up a chair for Kat, and she knew she must still look like death warmed over with her pale pallor and dirt coated hiking clothes. Her shirt had a big bloodstain on it.

“Sit, sit,” Tanner said, easing her down.

“I’m okay. Really. Thanks.”

“Cap, I need to clear some things up,” she said. “Brynn Williams has done nothing wrong. You can’t lock her up.”

He cleared his throat and leaned against the front of his desk, hefty arms crossed.

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