“I-I-Ihave to be tactful aboutth-thi-this,Rosie,” I told her, stopping my spin cycle to look at her. “Icannaeju-ju-justapproach him and tell him he's uh-uh-un-under arrest.”
Thehope and triumph that had just been in Rosie's eyes was suddenly extinguishedwith compassion and unnecessary defeat. She cocked her head and released herbreath as she nodded.
“Ifyou can't do it, or if you just don't want to, then we can go to your officeand—”
“No,”I interrupted harshly, and her mouth clamped shut. “We don’t know if he actedalone or if there were others. No, I have to do this, and I have to do italone.”
Rosie'sface fell with disappointment before turning angry, and I braced myself for thebacklash.
“What?”she whispered loudly, to where it almost wasn't a whisper at all. “I have notcome this far for you to make the fucking arrest without me, Alec. Don't youdare do that to me!”
Witha finger pressed firmly to my lips, I demanded that she quiet herself. Then, ina low growl, I told her, “He may still not ken I'mworkin'with ye, and Iwillnaemake him or anybody else awareof that now.”
“Butwe can’t be sure he doesn’t know. You don't remember those pictures on herphone? He knows I'm here already, so what difference does it make?” she shotback, with a fire in her eyes that called to me in flickers of lust I wasfinding difficult to ignore.
“Rosie,”I growled through gritted teeth, planting my hands firmly against the desk andbringing my face within inches of hers. “Wedinnaeken that he's seen ustogether.”
“We'retogether right now!” she growled back, low and agitated.
“Iunderstand,” I replied slowly, forcing a calm I didn't feel. “And if ye'regonnasay wehavenaebeen ascareful as weshouldaebeen, I'd agree. I'd do thingsdifferently if we could go back and do it all again. But it would be foolish toassume thathespecifically has seen us. I don’twannaoffer that to him until we know for sure.”
Thelass was as fiery as they come, and Lord, I would have been glad to meet mydeath within the flames, as she held my gaze with a firm grasp. But eventually,she relented with a brief nod and crossed her arms, turning away to survey theshelf of books and trinkets.
“So,what's the plan, then?”
Theoffice walls closed in on me and forced every ounce of oxygen away from mylungs' reach, as I imagined apprehending themanI'dcalled my friend. I wondered how he'd react, if he'd attempt my own murder, andit saddened me to think that just recently, I couldn't imagine him killinganyone at all.
Witha sigh and a shrug, I raked a hand through my hair and muttered, “Well, beforeI do anything, I guess I'mgonnago get a drink.”
***
I toldher I was going to take her back to Rick's house, and that's exactly what Iintended to do. But before I drove out of town, I pulled into a car park, witha quick decision to make an impromptu visit. Rosie regarded me with a curiousglance as I turned off the car and got out, gesturing for her to follow.
“Whatare we doing here?” she asked, as I led the way to the large, glass entrance.
“Sayin' hello,” I muttered, praying to God that it wouldn’tbe my last time.
Iheld the door open for her and together we stepped inside the clinical lobby,where the harsh sting of bleach bit at my nostrils as I signed in at the desk.Then, I led Rosie down a long, boring corridor of white walls and beige tiles,to a brown door with only a small window in the center.
“Ready?”I asked her, and she responded with a curious peek through the window and aslight nod.
Thedoor opened with a creak, and the scent of canned stew instantly washed thelingering bleach from my nose. Dad stood at his small kitchenette, slowlystirring his everyday supper, when he turned at the sound of our entrance.
“Hi,Dad,” I said, allowing Rosie to enter before closingthe door. “How're ye?”
“Alec?Are ye home from school already,laddie?”
Witha quick glance at Rosie, I watched for the recognizable flicker of heartbreakand understanding, and just as I'd expected, it came with a slow exhale and agentle parting of her lips. Now, she knew of my father and his dying mind, andI couldn't explain why that made me glad.
“Aye,”I replied, approaching him with a smile. “Stew tonight?”
“Oh,ye ken I love the stuff,” he said, grinning the way he always did when I wasable to visit. “Can ye stay?”
“Ican for a while,” I said. “I'd love to eat with ye. But first, I wanted tointroduce ye to someone.”
Dadlooked further over his shoulder into the drab room we'd tried to spruce up abit with artwork and my mother's quilt over the back of the sofa. He spottedRosie, standing at the table with her hands gripping the back of a chair. Hersmile was shy, as if she were a schoolgirl meeting a boyfriend's family for thefirst time, and I swore I could've loved her if I was given the chance.
“Andwho is this?” he asked, his smile widening further than I'd seen it in a longtime.
