Diamonds In Her Eyes
Chapter Four
The next morning was… awkward to say the least. As soon as I entered the bullpen, I headed straight for the coffee pot. Good Ol' Bertha was just finishing up a fresh brew too. Thank the Lord.
I waited until the old girl finished spewing out her last dregs while grabbing my favorite mug and dumping a few packets of sugar into it. Sticking a stirrer between my teeth, I then poured myself a cup and mixed it all together.
Taking a sip, I turned around to head over to my desk, but I stopped in my tracks when my gaze met Tara's. She said nothing to me; only gave me a half-hearted smile as she squeezed by me in order to pour her own cup.
I couldn't help but notice how tired she looked. Circles rimmed her eyes. They were light and she'd been able to cover them up enough with makeup, but I could still tell the difference between natural Tara and the Tara that stood in front of me just then.
"You okay?" I asked, resisting the urge to reach out and give her shoulder a squeeze. Somehow, touching her like that just didn't seem right anymore.
"Huh?" she asked as though distracted. She perked up a bit after sipping from the caffeine and sugar concoction she'd just created. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine. I was just up late last night trying to get everything all planned out before the wedding." My gut wasn't telling me that she wasn't telling the truth—she wasn't very good at I anyway. Maybe they were just signs of her being tired written all over her face, after all. "I still have to get my dress, order the cake, and find a place to hold the reception." She began to ramble in that way that always seemed to make me smile.
After all of the inner turmoil I'd been going through, it felt good. But the sensation soon dissipated.
"You're in luck, then," Lucy butted in as she hung up her coat on the hook by the door. "It just so happened that a friend of mine owns this adorable little wedding boutique and one of her dresses might be right up your alley."
"How soon can we go?" Tara's eyes widened with excitement.
Lucy smiled. "How does after work sound?"
Tara bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. The coffee had perked her up nicely and now our happy-go-lucky Tara was back to her usual self. "Lucy, you're the best!"
"And she's not the only one with good news," Sue added as she reached down and unhooked Levi from his leash. "I have a friend of a friend who owns a bakery in Georgetown. They don't only focus on wedding cakes, but their designs are beautiful."
"When can Terry and I meet with them?" Tara was in awe of what her friends had been able to accomplish for her in only one day's time.
"You're scheduled to meet with them tomorrow after work."
Tara's eyes flooded with tears as she glanced between Sue and Lucy. She obviously didn't know who to hug first. So, instead, she pulled them both close in a group hug. "I don't know how to thank you both. If not for you, this wedding probably wouldn't be happening at all."
"What? Lover boy not helping any?" I asked as I plopped down in my desk chair with a groan. I was so tired. Sleep had evaded me the night before. I had no defense for my actions at all. I hadn't even been thinking when I touched her. I only knew that I wanted to reach out and comfort her and then I wanted to kiss her. But I'd backed down like a chook. Shaking my head, I decided to pick up one of the new files from the corner of my desk and bury my nose in it.
The question had been a low blow, I'll admit. But I couldn't help it. All I knew was that if I was the one to be marrying Tara, I would want to be there for every little detail, no matter if she wanted my opinion or not. But, of course, I wasn't.
Sigh… Just from that one thought alone, I knew that it wasn't going to be a good day.
"He's been really busy," Tara replied defensively, yet there was a hint of sadness to her tone. "Last night was the first we'd spent time together since he proposed on Friday."
Proposed on Friday and married nine days later on Sunday. When did they meet, Tuesday?
In fact, that was one of the details Tara remained sketchy on. It was like she didn't want any of us to know how long—or in this case short—hers and Terry's courtship was. That, along with a few other details was beginning to infuriate me to no end. I mean, this Terry yabbo was more interested in Tara for how she looked in a dress. It was obvious to me because, well, she did look pretty spunky in a dress that was for sure. But was it obvious to anyone else?
"And our meddling couldn't have helped much, either," Sue offered over her sympathy.
Tara shook her head, though. "No. Not at all. I wanted all of you to meet Terry." Did she really mean that now or was she only saying that because I was in the room? "I mean, he's going to be a big part of my life now so I figured he should meet those who already are."
"He's great, Tara," was all Sue found to say and that made me finally peer over the top of the file in my hands. Lucy only nodded in agreement. It was very unlike them. Usually they would be jabbering on through a mile-long list of just how great he was. Hmmm… Perhaps Mr.-I-Have-Money-And-You-Don't hadn't made quite the impression on the others as I'd first believed.
"He is, isn't he?" Oh, come on! That great expression returned to Tara's eyes as she gazed upon the diamond on her finger. It was honestly making me sick to my stomach just to look at it.
What kind of love potion did that dipstick slip into her iced tea?
And where could I get some?
Tara was so love-struck that she didn't witness the expressions shared between her two bridesmaids. Finally! At least I wasn't the only one having doubts about this whole ordeal.
Lucy looked like she wanted to say something but refrained from doing so when Jack, Myles and D strolled into the bullpen. Jack and D had been in the office well before even I'd arrived. They'd been upstairs for at least a half an hour now with the Assistant Director. All we knew was that there'd been another robbery and the details were only beginning to trickle in. But the look on their faces, the news wasn't good either.
"What's up, mate?" Jack looked quite sullen this morning, the fire of determination was burning through his eyes. Nope. The news definitely wasn't good.
Turning my attention to the white board where a photograph—one blown up from a driver's license or company ID card—had been posted up by Dimitrius. By the clothes the man wore in the picture, he'd been a security guard.
"We've had a casualty," he replied solemnly as he glanced around the room to see if we were all paying attention. Of course, when they'd entered the room, every other trivial thing flew out the window until only the case was in the forefront of all our minds.
"What do we know?" Myles asked, hanging up his coat and perching himself on the corner of his desk.
"Jared Shepherd," Dimitrius began. His voice sounded a bit choked, like it was difficult for him to speak. "Thirty-eight-years-old. Wife, Elizabeth. Daughter, Sophia… born two weeks ago."
And now I understood the reason for D's emotional tone. Mr. Jared Shepherd would have been on top of the world ever since his daughter had entered his life. Now the poor little imp would never know her father. It was something our Supervisor had dreaded every single day he'd been in the field. I know it was something I would be haunted by the same fears if I was in the same position.
Clearing his throat, D continued his briefing. "Shepherd was working this morning at Hansen's Jewelry store on L Street early this morning. He was standing guard at the main entrance when four men wearing black ski masks rushed the door, guns drawn. Shepherd drew his own weapon, but never got a shot off. One of the robbers got him first."
An icy cold chill ran down my spine as I took in every word and allowed them to take shelter inside my mind. There was something about this story that was different. There was something that happened at this particular robbery that hadn't happened at any of the others. They'd slipped up.
"They shot him?" Sue asked. She crossed her arms over her chest and ran her hands up and down her forearms to soothe away the chill that no doubt had claimed her as well. "They've never done that before."
"Sounds like someone got a little trigger-happy," Myles commented with no ounce of humor to his voice.
"No doubt about it," Jack agreed, "things were definitely different this time around." But what had caused them to shift so far away from their original plan? That was the question that was on everyone's mind.
"You said there were four men, didn't you?" Sue asked, her head perking up like she'd just received an electric shock.
Jack nodded as he glanced over the case notes in his hand. He wasn't really reading though. If I knew Jack as well as I thought I did, he would have had those notes memories backward and forward. He was only looking at them so he wouldn't end up staring at Sue with that lost puppy look on his face and a trickle of drool running down his chin.
"According to eye witnesses, there were only four men, yes." He clearly wasn't getting what had struck Sue, he was so lost. But, I had.
"Yeah, but weren't there five yabbos in the other robberies?"
"I think you're right," Tara chimed in from behind her computer monitor as she tapped away at her keyboard. I couldn't stop the frown I felt curling my mouth downward. There were days that she used that bloody thing like a shield to prevent her outward emotions from being seen by the others. This was going to be one of those days.
"I'm putting up a scene from the last robbery," she addressed the room. And true to her word, the image was there, highlighting the five masked figures spread out among the storefront, smashing cases and forcing the patrons to their knees behind the counters so they wouldn't be injured.
"Five," Myles confirmed as if the rest of us couldn't see that as well.
"Glad you learned to count that high, mate," I teased him with a cheeky grin. I just hadn't been able to resist. Getting Leland riled up was usually one of the highlights of my day.
"Oh, that was so funny that I can't contain my laughter." Myles clutched at his side like he had a stitch, but he wasn't laughing.
"So, I wonder what changed between then and now," Tara mused, choosing to ignore me and Myles as we glared at each other in exasperation.
"Well, that is up to us to figure out," Jack said, jumping back into his role as Team Leader. He clapped his hands together as he began dishing out assignments.
As if the day couldn't get any worse, he chose to team me up with Tara. I glanced in her direction as the rest of the room bustled around for their coats and talking about when we would all be meeting up again. I heard none of it though. Tara was peering out from the top of her monitor in my direction. Our eyes met for only the briefest of moments, but it was enough to send the jolt of longing straight through me.
A hint of pink appeared on her cheeks before she ducked back behind her computer and away from my heated gaze.
I couldn't hide my grin of amusement. Sometimes she was so difficult to read—to know what she really wanted—but then there were days when she was just so easy to tease. Those were the days I loved her the most.
Getting up from my chair, I pulled on my jacket and sauntered over to her desk. She was still hiding like an ostrich with her head in the sand. Rapping lightly upon the desk top with my knuckles, I fought back a chuckle as she startled. Her eyes were wide and her cheeks were shaded with an even more delectable shade of pink. "Ready to hit the road, luv?"
She blinked at me a few times before she found her voice. "Um, I just need a few minutes. How about I meet you downstairs in five minutes?"
I could only nod in agreement. I could tell she needed her space and I was willing to give her that. At least for now.
