Page 21 of Rain Washed

“Well, that was a bloody vague answer,” she snapped, in no mood for his games.

“She lives in Romaine, less than ten minutes away,” he sighed, then finally turned to look at her. “Just long enough for me to say what I need to say.”

She huffed out a breath. So he did have an ulterior motive for bringing her along this afternoon. Effectively holding her captive so she had no choice but to listen to him. Crossing her arms over her chest, she pouted through the windshield. Perhaps she was being childish, but she didn’t care to be forced into this situation. Especially when he pulled rank to do it.

“I signed the divorce papers this morning. Marietta is on her way off the island as we speak.” Nico cut straight to the chase, speaking in an expressionless tone so that she couldn’t even judge how he felt about that.

“Good,” she replied. But her reluctant relief was more about Marietta leaving than it was about him signing the papers. “At least that means she’s finally out of your life for good.”

“She was always out of my life for good, as far as I was concerned, Lacey.”

“Hmm.”

Silence filled the cab.

“I missed you last night,” he finally said. His words stung like he’d shot a barb right into her heart. She knew she was probably being unreasonable, but she couldn’t rid herself of the icy feeling in the pit of her belly every time she thought about Nico being married to that woman, and so she didn’t reply. “I’m really not sure how else to make it up to you, Lacey,” he added as they pulled into the driveway of a suburban red-brick home. “I’ve signed the papers and sent Marietta packing. I wish with all my heart this had never happened. I’m a stupid ass for not checking the divorce went through all those years ago and I just want to apologize with all my heart.” He turned to look at her, the guarded wall he’d erected back at the station finally coming down enough to let her see his pain. “I’m sorry, Lace. Can you forgive me?” He held up his hands in supplication.

Lacey uncrossed her arms and tipped her head back against the car seat to stare at the ceiling. She hated to see Nico hurting like this, almost as much as she hated the ache in her own heart. But she couldn’t bring herself to say the wordsI forgive you, they seemed to stick in her throat.

“I just need some time,” she replied, softening her tone. Which was the truth. She needed a little space to sort out her convoluted feelings. She still loved Nico. Desperately. And with her whole heart. So she needed to find a way to wash these feelings of betrayal from under her skin and find new common ground with Nico, so she could tell him how much she loved him once again.

CHAPTER TEN

NICO KNOCKED ON the door and took a step back, Lacey right behind him. He hoped Mrs. Brown was home. He also hoped he had his game face on, because the last thing he needed was a member of the public to think he wasn’t in full control of his faculties. But the ride over here in the cruiser with Lacey had rattled him. She’d been so cold, so uncommunicative. It was like she’d morphed into a completely different person. At least she’d softened at the very end, telling him she needed more time. More time for what?

He couldn’t believe how quickly his love life had gone to shit. He’d thought he and Lacey were rock-solid, that nothing could shake their love for each other. How wrong he’d been.

If she needed time, then that’s what he’d give her. But he wasn’t sure he’d survive the wait. He was trying his damnedest to understand where Lacey was coming from. Surprisingly, it wasn’t Marietta that was Lacey’s problem—she wasn’t jealous or resentful that he’d been married to someone else—but his own stupidity that was causing the rift. Lacey said she’d felt betrayed he hadn’t told her about his marriage sooner. That he’d blindsided her. Truth was important to Lacey, he knew that. He couldn’t count the number of times they’d lain in bed together, arms around each other, and both swearing to hold nothing back. He was a believer in telling the truth as well. Nothing was ever gained by keeping secrets. So why had he held this one thing back from Lacey?

He could hardly find a solution to that question himself. It was most likely a vain attempt to protect Lacey from inflicting hurt. As well as protecting himself, as he didn’t want to spiral again by opening that can of worms. But he knew he needed to dig deeper than that to find the answer if he was to reassure Lacey. He was ashamed at how easily Marietta had tricked him. He thought he was above those types of men who only thought with their dick and had their heads turned by a beautiful woman. Clearly, that wasn’t the case. Marietta’s betrayal had set off a domino effect in himself, where he’d started to doubt every decision he’d ever made. It’d taken a long time for him to build up his own self-worth again, and a small part of him never wanted to revisit that terrible time.

Now, because of that weakness, he might’ve damaged the one thing that meant the world to him. He would just have to build their trust back up, little by little, brick by brick. As long as Lacey stuck around for him to prove himself to her. That was the scariest thing, the thought she might end things, and he tried not to let himself go there. If Lacey decided to leave him… No, she wouldn’t do that. They would survive this. Their love was strong enough to survive this. If only she’d let him take her in his arms, then he’d feel like everything would be fine. Let him stroke her hair, kiss her, show her with his body, how much he treasured her, how much—

A rattling sound announced someone was opening the door, and so he corralled his thoughts and held up his badge. “Hello, Mrs. Brown. I’m Detective Sergeant Favreau, and this is Probationary Constable Carmichael, ma’am. Are we able to come in and talk to you for a few moments?” The lady peered through a crack in the door, leaving the security screen door firmly locked and squinted at him for a closer look at his badge.

“If you must,” she replied, reluctantly unlocking the security door and opening the main door wider. She was a tall woman, who looked to be in her mid-fifties, dressed in black slacks and a blue sleeveless shirt, her long, dark hair pulled back in a low ponytail. Nico wouldn’t call her pretty, but her high cheekbones and piercing dark eyes leant her a severe beauty.

Putting all thoughts of his problems with Lacey out of his mind, he went through the door and turned to the left where the older woman indicated he take a seat in a small but tidy sitting room. Lacey took a seat next to him on the couch, and Mrs. Brown took the single armchair facing them with a resigned look on her face. The furnishings in the room were simple, austere even. A double-seater couch, an armchair, a standard lamp, and a coffee table. No pretty cushions, no warming throw rugs, no knickknacks on the shelves. Nico noted three framed photos on the mantel above a fireplace. All of them were of Tia.

“This is about those two bodies you found in Platypus Reserve, isn’t it?” the woman asked, not bothering with niceties. Sandra Brown was a woman who was used to dealing with the police it seemed; she’d clearly had her fair share after her daughter’s suicide.

“Yes.” Nico replied, deciding not to beat around the bush either. “How perceptive of you, Mrs. Brown.”

“I’m not stupid,” the woman snapped. “I can draw parallels between two crime scenes as well as the next person.” She glared at him as if it were his fault her daughter had killed herself.

“Of course you can,” he said, more to give himself time to think than to pacify her. “So, I guess you already know we’re here to ask you some questions about what happened to Tia four years ago.”

“When my daughter committed suicide, you mean?” This woman was nothing if not blunt. He flicked a quick look at Lacey sitting beside him, wondering what her take on this grieving mother was. “I’m not sure I can tell you anything new. Those cops couldn’t help bring back my daughter then, and you can’t bring her back now.”

“We’re really sorry we have to dredge up all these old memories,” Lacey cut in. “Would it be easier if you had someone with you while we talk? Do you have a friend you can call? A family member?” She used a soothing, compassionate tone, one woman speaking directly to another. He applauded her use of sensitivity; it was always one of the reasons he’d thought she’d make a great cop. They hadn’t discussed who was going to ask the questions on the way over in the car. But much like the interview with the gymnastics coach, Lacey didn’t look for permission to take charge of the interrogation. Who knew, perhaps she might find an angle he hadn’t yet considered, so he let her run with it. Just because they were having problems in their private life, it shouldn’t affect their work relationship. They could work as a team to find the answers they needed.

“No. I live alone now. With only my memories of Tia to keep me company.” Sandra’s long fingers tapped impatiently on her knee. Now they were in a well-lit room, Nico could make out the muscular curve of Sandra’s bare arms beneath her sleeveless shirt. She clearly worked out regularly to get that sort of definition. Perhaps going to the gym was her way of forgetting for a few hours the torment of losing her daughter.

“And the rest of your family?” Lacey asked with a smile, not to be put off.

“My husband left me for a younger woman six years ago,” Sandra said primly. “It was a relief after he left, and I feel no further need for any kind of male companionship.”

Nico wondered if she’d always been like this, or was it her daughter’s death that’d caused her to shut the rest of the world out? Most people would’ve offered for them to call her by her first name, but Sandra seemed to prefer the title of Mrs. Brown. Perhaps that was part of distancing herself from society, of keeping a level of dignity. And reproof.

---