Hi everyone just a note to say I just love reading your reactions to Ann. It's so interesting for me since she's taken a turn toward the dark side in my story. Love your feedback!
Sue Ellen stops massaging her aching forehead, opens her eyes and sees her reflection on the glass table in her dining room. Tired eyes look up at her. She pushes herself up from the table and heads to bed without eating dinner. Why does she often feel so weary after talking to John Ross? She wonders what Oprah and her team of life coaches would think about her and her son.
"They'd throw their hands up and walk away, that's what they'd do," she says.
Her phone buzzes with an email from Mark. Grateful for the distraction, she stretches out on her bed and opens the message on her laptop. A lengthy brief of the First Lady's family history with alcoholism and depression appears. Sue Ellen reads the entire thing, fascinated and hoping to connect with her all the more. Her nightstand clock reads nearly 1 am by the time she's finished.
"Oh no. We've got to be up in four hours, boys," she says to the dogs curled up on their floor beds beside her.
For the next hour, she tosses restlessly in bed, wide awake. Why did I tell John Ross I still love JR when I haven't even admitted it to myself? What if he tells him?
"Well, that might not be so bad, actually," she says to the darkness and drifts to sleep moments later.
Boone sits in Tuesday morning briefing thinking about Lucy. The sergeant talks about suspects wanted for a liquor store robbery last night but Boone can't concentrate at all. His mind, and his body, keep reliving the wild love making he and his wife did before dawn. Who would ever think his lil' lady could pack such a punch, petite as she is? A big, inappropriate smile covers his face.
"Hey Ellis! What's that goofy look for?" his partner asks. "You drunk or somethin'?"
"Just reliving the dream," Boone says with a wink.
"Yeah? Well shake it off, you lucky bastard. We got some crooks to find. Gotta be clear-headed. Let's get a move on," he says as the officers clear out of the squad room.
"You go on ahead. I need to go upstairs and stop by the lab real quick," Boone says. "I'll meet you at the car."
"The lab? What for?"
"Why all the questions today, Hank? You a reporter on the side or just nosy?" Boone says.
"Well damn, excuse me, Mr. Mysterious. Go ahead and take care of your secret business then. See if I care," Hank says and punches him on the arm on his way out.
"Mornin' ladies," Boone says to the elevator full of secretaries. They all smile, some giggle and the ones in the front scoot back to make room for him.
"Come on in, honey," a brunette says. "We won't bite. We might nibble, though," she says while looking at Boone's wedding band. The ladies laugh.
Boone smiles and enters the elevator confidently. "You're all under arrest for exceeding the beauty limit," he says and winks at the brunette.
The group swoons on the way up to the fourth floor and there are audible sighs when Boone exits.
"Bye bye, now," he says without turning around.
"Hey Lloyd," he says to the lab tech at the evidence counter. "Can I talk to Candy a minute?"
"How you doin', Boone. Candy's on break. Said if you came by you could find her out on the landing," Lloyd says, motioning to the platform on the exterior stair well.
Boone nods and pushes the release bar on the fire door. It unlocks with a loud click and as he opens it, a cloud of cigarette smoke hits him in the face.
"Damn, Candy," Boone says, waving his arm. "You smoke a whole pack out here, girl?"
Candy smiles and blows smoke out of her nose. Her big green eyes are bloodshot and her short blond hair is limp and messy instead of gelled into sexy little spikes.
"Hi Boone," she says and takes another long drag, then drops the butt on the ground and smothers it with a white rubber lab shoe.
"You alright, honey?" Boone says. "You look a little tore up, if you don't mind me saying."
Candy laughs. "That's what I like about you, Boone, you're a straight shooter," she says while pointing her thumb and index finger like a gun. "I'm fine. Just been thinking on some things."
"Oh yeah? Anything I can do to help?"
"Actually there sure is, but we'll talk about that later. I reckon you came by to get results on that evidence you gave me, right?"
"Right. Watchoo got for me, honey?"
"Prints inside and outside the glove belong to none other than our own Officer Jensen. The dead one," Candy says looking straight into Boone's eyes. "But I expect you already knew that, didn't you?" she says in a strange tone.
"No, matter of fact I did not," Boone says with a curious look, feeling like she's playing cat and mouse.
Candy smiles slyly and lights another cigarette.
"Well, alright then. Thank you kindly for processing that on the down low for me, honey. Kind of freaky it turned out to be Jensen's prints," Boone says and laughs.
He turns to go.
"Hold up, Boone," Candy says.
Boone turns around, one hand holding the fire door open.
"Close the door," she says and flicks her ash on the ground.
Boone lets the door close and folds his arms across his chest against the bad vibes radiating from the girl in the white lab coat he thought he could trust.
"I helped you. Now you return the favor," she says.
"Oh? How's that?"
"I got my little cousin's wedding in Odessa next weekend and my date cancelled on me."
Boone's face drops, not believing where this seems to be going.
"I'm the oldest single girl in my family and I got all of them out there thinking I got me a boyfriend just so they'll stop pestering me about it. There's no way I can show up solo unless I want my mama, my sisters and all my damn aunties sending blind dates to my door for the rest of the year."
"Being single's nothing to be ashamed of," Boone says. "But what's this got to do with me anyhow?"
"You're my new boyfriend, baby," Candy says, laughs and kisses him on the cheek.
Boone holds her back. "Now wait a minute! What the hell do you mean?"
"You're gonna be my wedding date, Boone Ellis, that's what I mean," she says.
Boone scrunches his face up in disbelief. "You got to be joking. That's ridiculous. And I'm married. Ain't no way Lucy's gonna let me go out there with you, not that I think it's a good idea myself."
"And that's exactly why you ain't gonna tell her," Candy says. "You say you're going to training or hunting or whatever you please - "
"You're blackmailing me? With my own wife?" Boone says. "What in hell's the matter with you, Candy? This ain't you. This ain't you at all."
She looks down for a split second and then, "I'll tell you what ain't me. Hiding evidence linked to a dead cop, that ain't me, Boone. But that's what I'm doing for you - "
"Goddam Jensen wasn't dead when I asked you to process that glove and I sure as hell didn't have anything to do with him dying!" Boone says loud enough for Candy to put her hand over his mouth. It smells of smoke.
"Shut up! You want to get both of us in trouble?" she says. "What's done is done. And I didn't ask you no questions or put up a fuss when you asked me to print the glove. So you owe me the same when I ask a favor of you, as I see it."
"No. No way. This is way different. You're asking me to lie to my wife. And I ain't gonna do it."
"Fine. That's your choice. Then I ain't gonna lie for you neither. I'll share my print result with the lab supervisor if that's how you wanna go."
Boone puts both hands on his face and sighs. "Dammit, Candy! You know how bad that's gonna make me look. And there's things going on here you don't understand. This is bigger than us. Just leave it alone, will you? You know I had nothing to do with Jensen's death. You know I didn't," Boone says, pleading with her.
"Odessa. One night. You in a suit and me in a party dress, smiling for my family who ain't never seen you and never will again. I don't go home but for weddings and holidays and Christmas is a long ways away. By then maybe I'll have me a real boyfriend," she says, her eyes watering.
"Oh come on now, Candy. You're a pretty girl. No need to get all dramatic about this. Some young man's gonna come around and snatch you up before you know it," Boone says.
"Maybe so. But not before next weekend," she says, back in control. "You can meet me at the hotel. I'll tell the family you couldn't get away from work any earlier. It's one damn night, Boone, and then you can rush home to your precious wife and we'll call it even," she snarls.
"Now I'm done discussing this. Those are my conditions. Yes or no. What's it gonna be?" Candy says.
Boone's cell buzzes with a text. "Hey you fall down a hole or something? We got calls holding," his partner Hank's message reads.
Boone punches the fire door and his knuckles crack with pain. Candy jumps.
"Fine," he says and gets right up against her face. "Let this be the end of it. I didn't take you for no blackmailer, Candy," Boone says. "Big mistake on my part."
He opens the door and disappears down the hall.
Candy exhales and grabs the stair railing for support, her knees almost buckling. She dials the number the man texted her on her cell.
"Yes?" Harris says.
"It's done. He agreed to go with me. Now send me my money," Candy says.
"Was it easy?" Harris asks.
"What?"
"Did he agree to your demand without much of a fight?" Harris says.
"Hell no he did not!" Candy hisses. "And I think I should get more money because of it. That wasn't easy at all. He fought me all the way until I played like I was gonna cry."
"You will get what was previously agreed upon and nothing more," Harris says.
"But - "
"Young lady, you are two inches away from annoying me. Once I am annoyed, the deal is off. You get nothing but a mess to clean up with this officer. Do you understand, you back roads twit?"
"….Yes," Candy says, wanting to follow it with an insult of her own. She bites her tongue for now. "So where's my money?"
"The first half is incoming now. The rest upon delivery of the pictures," Harris says. The phone clicks dead.
Candy walks back into the lab and sits at her computer. She logs into her bank account and keeps refreshing the page until her balance of $232 reads "$5,232".
Hot damn! She's never had that much money in her life. And another 5K on the way next week! She downloads a registration form for the University of Texas forensic certification program. Eager to finally get that certification that will let her become the lab director she deserves be.
JR sits on the back patio enjoying a bourbon and branch in the late afternoon breeze. He closes his eyes and swirls the liquor around in his mouth, letting it trickle slowly down his dry throat. His cell ringing startles him out of reverie.
"Hello Bum," JR says, "What do you know?"
Bum laughs lightly at JR's characteristic greeting. "I got a good one for you today, JR."
"Oh? Let's hear it," JR says.
"Well that GPS tracker you had me put on Ann's car shows her doing some real odd driving today. She went in circles on highway 30, back and forth on both sides for nearly an hour this morning. Drove about 20 miles each way, then turn around and do it all again," Bum says.
JR sighs. "This fool woman doesn't know who she's messing with. Maybe it's time I show her," JR says.