8
It Had to be You
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Chapter 22
After a quick shower, Sue fell asleep the instant her head touched the pillow. The day's events and the ensuing emotional turmoil had left her drained. Bobby had insisted she come home with him for his peace of mind.
"Just humor me for this one night, Sue—or what's left of it," he had urged. It was past two in the morning. There wouldn't be much sleep for either one since Sue began work at six and Bobby was going along to make sure she got there safely.
"But I really don't think he saw me," she had argued, "and I didn't call out for Eric so he couldn't have recognized my voice either."
"Doesn't matter. Until we catch this bloke, you're in danger. He doesn't know how much you did see."
"But Bobby, I need clothes. I work tomorrow."
"You left some from the weekend, remember?"
She had colored faintly. "Oh. So I did. I forgot."
He'd smiled at the memory. "While it wouldn't be appropriate to show the same kind of attention, I promise I will keep my eyes on you." The concern in his expression had belied the lightness of his tone.
"What about Janice?" she'd continued protesting.
"I'm sure she'd want me to take every precaution for your safety. Please, Sue…at least for one night."
"All right," she'd relented, "just for one night." She had looked at Bobby with a teasing glint. "If I didn't know better, I'd think this was a scheme of yours to get me to stay at your place for the night."
"When I want you alone, Miss Thomas, I'd plan something a little less drastic than murder," he'd affirmed pleased to have won the argument. "And if we didn't have three pairs of eyes looking at us as well as the FBI's guidelines on PDAs I would demonstrate right here and now how I would accomplish that," he'd said impudently.
For now she was safe but for how long? He had to figure out a way to provide protection for Sue until the killer was caught. Pending a more obvious threat to her safety, chances of the Agency providing security were low. Who could he ask?
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He felt something gently touching his arm. Peeling open one eye then the other, his blurred vision focused on Sue's concerned face hovering over his.
"Good morning," she smiled briefly.
"It is a good morning with you here. What time is it?" his voice gravelly with sleep.
"Five. Sorry I fell asleep on you," she apologized.
"You're not here to keep me company," he stated.
"Well, it would have been nice to talk a little with you and find out about this." She motioned to his bandaged arm. "What happened?"
"Just a scratch," he shrugged off to minimize his injury.
"A scratch needing a bandage like that," she remarked gravely. "Uh-huh. This I'm supposed to believe?"
"It's nothing serious—I promise," he told her.
Her eyes stared into his trying to discern the truth in his statement.
"All right…if you say so."
"Since we're taking inventory of injuries, how's your hand?" He'd re-bandaged it after her shower.
She held it up. "A little stiff but I'll live," she kidded.
"Good," he smiled as his eyes swept her face. Even in the early morning she was beautiful. His hand reached out to cup the back of her neck and pull her down for a kiss.
"Also good," she said softly when Bobby released her.
"I'll show you very good when this is all over," he promised. Being with her was a very good thing no matter what the circumstances.
Sue resisted the urge to kiss his lips again. She knew if she did they would wind up making love. She bent down to kiss the tip of his nose. "Give me five minutes," she smiled as she slid out of bed. "Then you can have the bathroom."
He laid back his head resting on his hands a grin on his face. He could definitely get used to waking up with Sue next to him every morning.
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"And that's the gist of it, Janice," Bobby finished explaining Sue's absence at home. She was busy in the back preparing for her pastry baking. "If you and Howie here could keep an eye on her at work, that would be a great help and give me some peace of mind."
"Of course," Janice agreed instantly.
"I'd take a bullet for that woman," Howie declared. "Well, maybe not literally but you know what I mean. I'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe."
"Thanks, I appreciate it. If the situation becomes more serious…"
"You don't call being a possible witness in a murder serious?" asked an astonished Janice.
"Based on the information we have at present, there are no indications the killer can identify Sue. Should that situation change, the FBI will be able to provide round-the-clock security," Bobby shared. "It's not what I prefer we do but there is only so much manpower to go around and this is a low priority concern…to the FBI, not me."
"To me, too," Howie stated. "In fact, why don't I check on her right now? She might need some help with that injured hand of hers. Excuse me."
"What about after work?" Janice questioned when she was alone with Bobby. "You want me to stick to her like glue?"
"Could you? I'll take over as much and as often as possible."
"I know how much of a burden that will be for you," she remarked dryly.
"It's a dirty job but someone has to do it." He flashed a dimpled smile. "Thanks," he said serious once more. "You don't know how much this means to me."
"I think I do," Janice said kindly. "Now go catch this guy so you can continue your wooing uninterrupted."
"Wooing?" asked a puzzled Bobby not sure he heard correctly.
"You're Harry all over," she said cryptically. "Now get out of here so we can work. Go protect the country and you better damn well be sure you protect that girl in there."
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"Thought I'd find you here when I didn't see you in the office," remarked Jack when he arrived at the crime scene at little after seven. "Read the report yet?" He'd found the copy on his desk.
"Yea," Bobby replied as he crouched down over the spot Eric had been found. "Spotted it on your desk. Read it then came here. According to the report, Eric Shelton was lying about here when Sue found him."
"Find anything?"
"Not yet."
"What do you expect to find that the police didn't?"
"Something…anything that could lead us to our killer."
"And what makes you think you'll succeed where the police haven't?
"Because, Jack my man, I have an incentive the police don't," he shared. "I want to put the bloody bastard away so I can get on with my life…preferably with Sue in it."
Jack gazed at his friend. He'd never seen him so serious about a woman before…not even with Darcy.
"If I were administering a lethal dose of digitalis and someone came upon me unexpectedly," Bobby began as he peered under the dumpster with his flashlight, "what would I do with the murder weapon? Would I have the presence of mind to hang on to it or perhaps drop it in my surprise? Hang on," he uttered as reached under with a gloved hand. "What's this/'
"What'd you find?" asked Jack with interest.
Bobby delicately held a syringe. "One potential murder weapon."
"Good work," praised Jack. "Let's hope the lab finds traces of digitalis in there and not some other drug."
"Where's your positive thinking, Jack?" asked Bobby as he dropped the syringe in an evidence bag. He scribbled the necessary information on the outside. "If there is digitalis in here, it may be the murder weapon and there may be a fingerprint or two on it and if we can identify the fingerprint, we'll have our killer."
"That's a lot of maybes," Jack commented. "Don't you think that may be wishful thinking on your part?"
"That's all we've got at this point," Bobby stated.
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"You look beat," Brother Donahue commented when Mark walked into the empty kitchen to get a cup of coffee.
There was a huge yawn before he could answer. "Sorry about that, Sean," he apologized as he reached for a cup. "It was a very late night."
"Did you find Eric?"
"Sue did."
"How was he?"
"In a diabetic coma brought on by his consumption of alcohol and not taking his medication."
"Took him to the hospital?"
"Uh-huh."
"How's he doing?"
"He died last night."
Sean made the sign of the cross. "May God rest his soul," he murmured. "What about his funeral?"
"It has to wait until after the autopsy."
"Autopsy?" echoed the puzzled priest. "Since when do you need to do an autopsy when a person dies of complications of a diabetic coma?"
"When it involves murder."
"Murder!"
Mark nodded grimly.
"Why would anyone want to…" Sean stopped when he remembered something. "Does this have anything to do with that little visit we had from the FBI last week?"
"You got it."
"Good Lord!"
"Expect a visit from the FBI. They'll be around to ask some questions."
"All right," said Sean soberly. "How's Richie?" he asked well aware of the friendship between the two homeless men.
"Not well. Eric's death hit him very hard. We'll need to keep an eye on him for a while."
"Understood."
While the two men began to discuss the day's activities, outside a man peeled himself off the wall next to the open doorway of the kitchen. He had heard enough.
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"You look exhausted, Sue," commented Janice after the lunch crowd had thinned out. "Why don't you go home and rest?"
"I'll be fine," she replied. "Besides, I still have to prep for tomorrow."
"Howie can help and so can I. I'm a pretty good pastry chef if I do say so myself," she smiled. She'd been a pastry chef at a hotel before opening Sweet Treats. That's how she'd met Terry.
"Still can't. "
"Why not? I'm the boss. If the boss says take the afternoon off, you take the afternoon off," Janice said in mock anger.
"Bobby wants me to wait for him or someone from his office," she shared. "I told him it's not necessary but he insists."
"I forgot he wants someone with you at all times until this crazy person is caught," said Janice ruefully. She thought for a moment. "I could send Howie home with you and I could prep for tomorrow," she offered.
"Then you'd be two people short instead of one," Sue pointed out. "And don't even suggest coming home with me. That would be even worse. It's okay, Janice. I'll be fine. I'll just go to bed early tonight."
"We-l-l…"
"I'll be fine…I promise not to fall asleep in the cookie dough."
"Which is always a good idea," agreed Janice irreverently. "Cookie dough is definitely not good for the complexion."
Sue chuckled. "No, it's not."
"All right, Sue, you win. But if your young man is not here by the time we're ready to close shop, we're going home with or without him," Janice warned her. "Are you coming home?"
"I think so," Sue replied. "The arrangement was supposed to be for only one night."
"Does that mean he'll be staying at the house?" Janice asked in alarm. "I need to vacuum…make up Brian's bed for him…what does he like to eat?
"Janice…" Sue said trying to interrupt the stream of words, "Janice?"
"…there's really not enough time to make my pot roast," Janice went on. "I'll need to make something that won't take so long. Now let me see…"
Sue waved her hands in front of her boss' face to get her attention. "Janice…Janice."
"Uh…yeah?"
"I don't know if Bobby will be staying at the house…I don't know what his plans are. All he told me was wait."
"And a very good job you're doing, sweetie," remarked Janice absent-mindedly as she patted Sue's arm. Her mind was still on dinner. "Okay. We'll just play it be ear for now."
Smiling, Sue returned to work in the back. First Terry then Janice and yes, Mark and Howie, too. It was good to have such good friends.
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A/N: I hope I used the same first name for Brother Donahue in this chapter that I may have used in another part of the story. I re-read the previous chapters several but you just never know when something like that will slip thru.