Chapter 1 Part 8
Patches' head snapped up.
“Oh,” she said with a strained smile. “Sorry. I had a thought.”
“Or two,” he said. “What else? There must be more.” There was always more with Patches.
She turned her back to him, busying herself with something near the coffee pot. Unlike his wife Bill wasn’t as observant toward specific behaviors in people but the rigid way she held her body was more than obvious even to him. She had something to say, but she didn’t want to say it.
“Patches,” he said, his tone soft, encouraging. “What else?”
She turned to him and crossed her arms over her chest. “If you should decide to take this case,” she stated her voice hard, “he won’t let me work with you.”
Bill was taken aback, “Why not?”
“For all the reasons I just stated, and then some,” she smiled a bit but not without a touch of sadness. “When you mentioned that I too was a Deputy Marshal in Tucson, he thought you were lying. This leads me to believe that his lieutenant worked for the city marshal after we left. Your reputation precedes you, mine does not.”
She shook her head as if to clear it. “But it’s of no importance. I can help you from here. Just take good photos and let me see the reports. I have school to teach anyway.”
Bill reached for his wife and she let herself be gathered into his embrace. “Find someone to substitute for you. We are going to take this case.”
“They’ll try to push you out,” she said into his shoulder, “because of me. I can’t let that happen. Really Bill, it’s all right.”
“No,” he lifted her chin and slid her glasses down her nose a bit so he could look into her deep green eyes. “And it won’t. I don’t need this case. This is nothing more than an intellectual exercise. If they don’t take us both then they don’t get it solved. It’s that simple.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, returning his gaze. “This would be a wonderful opportunity for you.”
Bill scoffed. “And you also. It’s about time your contributions to law enforcement are recognized. Don’t worry. I’ll convince them or they won’t have me either.”
Patches smiled and this time it was genuine and excited. He loved that smile.
“All right,” she said kissing him. “Thank you. Want to have another look at those sketches?”
It was his turn to smile. “I do. Shall we?”
“I’ll race you!” she stepped over his legs and ran straight to the parlor.
END CHAPTER 1
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