Page 25 of Finding Our Reality

She walks away, not waiting on me. “That’s fine. We were done anyway.”

I don’t know if I’ll ever be done when it comes to Lulu.

Tired of crossing the enemy line to the neutral zone, she doesn’t elaborate when I try to ask her more questions on our walk back to the station. So, instead, I make small talk about another case I have going on—a robbery. She’s making some intriguing comments, giving me cause to think, when she immediately stops walking. Clenching her jaw, her palms curl into fists. I follow her line of sight to an older woman who just stepped outside one of the expensive downtown boutiques with bags in hand. She looks familiar.

The woman suddenly notices Lulu. “Ella! Darling.” She trots over to us, clicking her heels on the sidewalk. Bending forward, she brushes an air kiss in the direction of Lulu’s cheek. She’s shorter than Lulu so she has to bounce on her toes to even come close to her cheek. “It’s wonderful to see you. We didn’t get a chance to chat after the funeral services. I wanted to tell you how sorry I am that your parents are gone. Susan was such an amazing woman and an amazing best friend. I cry every day just thinking about her and Robert.”

Lulu plants a saccharine smile on her face. “Thank you, Noreen.”

The woman turns her sights on me. Now I know who she is. And after all these years, she still looks at me like I’m some kind of boy toy. She takes a deep breath, trying to minimize her waist and maximize her chest. I wonder how many times over the years that has worked. How many times she’s cheated on herhusband? “And who is your dashing friend? A member of law enforcement?”

Lulu doesn’t speak. Her eyes grow wide as saucers. She actually looks scared to talk. It’s freaking weird. Lulu is many things, but scared speechless isn’t typically one of them. She may not talk at times, but that’s her choice, her choice to usually piss people off and act like a bitch. But that’s not what’s happening now. Now, she actually looks afraid.

I hold out my hand. “Sergeant Ryland Crutchfield, ma’am.”

The smile disappears from the woman’s face. It’s quickly replaced with a look of utter disgust. Well, that didn’t take long. I guess shedoesremember me from twelve years ago. I guess the badge and gun don’t hide the trashy DNA roaming around inside my body.

She slowly turns to Lulu. “Him? That didn’t take long, did it?”

My Lulu finds her voice. “Be careful what you say, Noreen. I wouldn’t want you to say something you’d regret.”

Hudson’s mother spits words of hate in Lulu’s direction. “You’re the one who should have regrets. Not me. You have a life full of poor decisions.” Her eyes dart back to me. “And it looks like you haven’t even learned from your past mistakes.”

Screw that. I slice my way between their bodies, blocking their standoff. My back rubs against Lulu’s shoulder. “That’s enough.”

Taking a step back, Noreen rearranges the bags in her hand. “Quite right. Some of us are too sophisticated for petty arguments.” She turns, walking away. Before she rounds the corner, she peeks over her shoulder. “Oh, and Hudson sends his regards. He couldn’t attend the funeral. He’s on a major trial right now, couldn’t break away. Plus, Celeste is due any day. He wants her to avoid all possible stress. Meeting her was the bestthing that ever happened to him. A healthy birth is his number one focus.”

As soon as the nasty woman is out of sight and earshot, I turn around. Lulu has completely locked herself away, deep inside of her own mind. My fingers ache to shake her, break her, bring her back to life. That last sentence tells me all I need to know. Hudson is with someone new, and they are about to have a baby. Is that why Lulu is so upset? Does she miss Hudson? Miss their life? That thought makes me want to lock myself away in my own mind, but I won’t give her that satisfaction so I say the only thing I can think of saying to neutralize the situation, “So, Hudson’s mom is just as pleasurable as I remember.”

“Yeah, she’s a fucking bitch.”

Chapter 11

ELLA

“Nancy needs to buy you some new socks. How can you stand to walk around with holes in your socks?” Leary frowns, pointing at Marcum’s dress socks, where a hole shows the pale skin of his ankle beneath the cuff of his dress slacks.

“Well, hopefully, the crowd will be looking at my face when I give the presentation, not my ankles. And if you’re really that concerned about it, come with me tonight. They’ll be too busy looking at the stain on your shirt to notice the hole in my sock.”

I bite my lip, trying not laugh. They act more and more like an old married couple, every single day.

Leary scoffs, “It’s Friday night, I have a life. Watching you give a speech at the assisted living facility is not my idea of a good time.”

“You’re forgetting the Bingo. It’s a speech, followed by Bingo.”

I doodle on a notepad, drawing a house. “Why did you even wear a suit? I didn’t know Bingo had a dress code.”

He pouts, looking down at his tie. “Nancy made me dress me up.”

Leary and I break out into stitches, laughing until my side hurts. After we calm down, Leary says goodbye, leaving me alone with Marcum. Colson is in the file room, finishing up some paperwork with a patrol deputy, and Ry is over in the gym.

Marcum leans back, rocking in his chair. “So, how are things going?”

Tossing my doodle to him, I cross my legs. “Meaning, personally? Professionally? Or both?”

“Both. All of it. But I’m more curious about how things are going with Carrie’s case. And Crutch?”

“Well, I haven’t killed him yet. That should tell you something.”

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