The Jumper (SF Mystery)

The Jumper 01: Carol

"Just let me get my wrap, and I'll be ready." Carol beamed at him.

Jeff Cramer could not help her with her shawl; he was busy trying to work his jacket over the cast. After a week, it was really only a problem taking showers and when the San Francisco temperature changes made it itch. Three more weeks before he could take it off.

Carol pouted at seeing his holster under the jacket, but she didn't say anything. She knew he had to wear it. They had hashed that out too many times for it to be an issue now.

As Jeff looked at his girlfriend, his heart began to thump. She was a study in carefully prepared beauty. Her hair was up in ringlets, and the long dress clung to her slender form. She has really worked hard for tonight. I wonder if she knows tonight is the night. After tonight, I won't call her my girlfriend any more. He swallowed. I hope.

He finished getting his jacket settled, and surreptitiously patted the jacket pocket to be sure the little box hadn't gotten lost in the last five minutes. Six months since she moved in, and he was ready to take The Big Step. They were celebrating their six-month anniversary as a couple—at least, that's what he had told her. Everything was all set.

Then again, everything had been all set with Jane, two years ago. Don't think about that, he told himself. This is different.

As they began to move to the door, Jeff's cell phone went off.

"Don't answer it!"

Jeff lifted the phone far enough from his pocket to see who was calling. Oh, no. "Honey, it's the precinct. I have to take this." This can't be happening again!

"Don't you 'Honey' me, Jeff Cramer! You are off duty. They can get someone else. If you answer that phone, we are through!" Carol's brown eyes blazed up at him, as the phone chimed a second time.

"I—" He grimaced and looked at her in anguish, as the phone continued to ring. Why wouldn't she understand?

He sighed over his guilt. "Carol, you know they can't. I'm the only one available, and they wouldn't be calling me on leave if it weren't important." He pressed a button, lifted the phone to his ear, and said, "Cramer." He did his best to ignore the twisting in his gut.

Carol stood perfectly still, watching him. Tears welled up and began to spill out over her cheeks. As Jeff said "hold on," and set down the phone, her eyes opened a little wider, but he just used his good hand to open a drawer and pull out a sheet of paper and a pencil. When he did that, her mouth set, and she turned abruptly and went back into the bedroom.

Despite taking down the captain's information, Jeff watched her disappear and close the bedroom door with a finality that made his heart sink. Dammit Captain, couldn't this have waited until tomorrow? But he already knew it couldn't. "Yeah, Cap, I'm still here. What was that again?"

When Jeff looked up after his call, Carol stood where she had before, and he was surprised to see that the long dress was gone. I really should have told her how nice she looked, he realized belatedly. Carol was in jeans and a t-shirt, and her hair, so carefully done up before, was down around her shoulders again. He actually liked it better that way, but he saw how red her eyes were, and the guilt rose up again. "Carol, I don't know what to say."

She sighed, tried to laugh, and it came out as a sob. Then she took a deep breath, and smiled. "It's okay, Jeff. I should have realized you were going to be yourself and do your duty, and I shouldn't have asked you to be anyone else. I'm sorry."

Jeff's mouth fell open. "I have to cancel our date, and you're apologizing?"

"Yes. Was it important, that call?"

He sighed again, relieved, but still shaken by how she'd taken it. "Probably, yeah. A suicide, but there were some very strange things about it, and they need me to come in right away."

"Nothing dangerous?"

He shrugged, and gave a half-smile. "Not if it's a suicide, but you know it goes with the territory."

"Yeah, I got that when you broke your arm and almost got shot, last week."

Jeff looked down at the sling over his left arm, smiled ruefully and shrugged. He hadn't told her about the itches, the aches when the weather changed—or the nightmares. He had gotten the collar despite his broken arm, earning a commendation and some paid time off to heal. He had hoped being on leave and around more would ease the tension from when he did have to go on duty—like right now.

"I'm afraid I do have to go in," he said. "Can we do dinner tomorrow?"

She sighed again, but appeared to be calmer. "No, Jeff. I called Sally. I'll be at her place, if you need me for anything."

His eyes opened wide, and he swallowed, then said, "Sure, take a couple days, and—"

"I'm not coming back. I thought I could handle the stress, Jeff, and I can, but it's not fun. What I can't handle is the fact that I will never be enough to help you with your stress. This thing we call life—it's supposed to be a partnership. If I can't distract you from your work with the way I was done up tonight, I'll never be what you need. If I can't be that, then I don't want to sit around to wonder if you'll come home hurt again or not at all, knowing that I can't help you deal with it when things do get bad."

She stepped forward and kissed him tenderly. "Good-bye, Jeff."

"Carol, I—"

"Don't. Just go." She gently pushed him away.

Feeling empty, Jeff turned, picked up his keys, checked his gun and holstered it, and left.

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