Emilio’s eyes grew round. ‘Oh.’
Dani picked up the boy’s crutches. ‘Tommy and Edna are in the clinic waiting room, Scarlett.’ She looked over her shoulder. ‘You coming, Marcus? Coach Diesel?’
‘In a minute,’ Marcus answered. When the women were back behind the clinic door, he grabbed Diesel’s biceps and with a groan yanked him to his feet. ‘Lay off the beer, buddy. You’re putting on weight.’
Diesel didn’t answer, just stood staring at Dani Novak’s retreating back. Marcus waved his hand in front of his friend’s face. ‘Yo. Diesel. You in there?’
A mute nod, then Diesel spun on his heel and walked out of the shelter, not saying a single word. Marcus followed him to the door, watched him take the steps down to the street in one giant stride. ‘Diesel? Kennedy, stop!’
Diesel turned and looked up. Expecting to see the dazed, glassy, shaken gaze that came after one of his friend’s episodes, Marcus was shocked to find himself staring into the saddest, most defeated eyes he’d ever seen.
‘Diesel, wait.’ He started walking down the steps until he realized he’d promised Scarlett he’d stay out of bullet range should any shooters be camped on the roofs. ‘Talk to me.’
‘I’ll be all right, Marcus. Stay with your detective. I’ll see you later.’
Cincinnati, Ohio
Wednesday 5 August, 4.50 P.M.
‘So,’ Dani murmured as she and Scarlett went back to the clinic. ‘You and Marcus?’
‘Oh yeah.’ Scarlett chanced a glance at Dani’s face and saw that her friend wore a delighted smile. ‘It’s been him for a long time. I just didn’t know he felt the same.’
‘I’m really happy for you. I’ve been grinning ever since Faith called and told me.’
‘I didn’t think it would be a secret all that long the way you two burn up the phone lines,’ Scarlett said wryly. ‘Still, less than a day is pretty fast.’ She set Emilio down and Dani gave him his crutches. The boy hobbled over to his grandmother, who began to scold him.
Dani looked over her shoulder, her smile dimming. ‘Is Marcus’s friend okay? I didn’t want to embarrass him by asking, but he didn’t look so good.’
‘I don’t know. I only met Diesel last night, but I know there’s something going on there. He seems like a decent guy, though. Marcus will tell me if I’m supposed to know. Otherwise . . .’ Scarlett shrugged.
‘I know. I just can’t help but try to fix things.’ Dani sighed. ‘And people.’ She pointed across the room to where the elderly Tommy and Edna sat snoozing in front of the television. ‘I’ve got patients to see, so I’ll leave you to your job.’
‘Thanks for keeping them here, Dani.’ Scarlett took stock of her friend’s face, the dark circles under her eyes expertly covered with makeup. ‘How are you? Really?’
Dani sighed again. ‘Tired. And nauseous. But my counts are back in whack, so I’m healthy. I’m just stressed over not knowing where I’m going next.’
Dani had taken a leave of absence from the hospital where she’d worked in the ER when her HIV status had been exposed. Now she looked around at the waiting room bursting at the seams with people. ‘I love my work here, but it doesn’t exactly cover the bills, especially since I moved back into my apartment. At least I’m getting some sleep again.’ She scrunched up her face. ‘Deacon and Faith were keeping me up every night. They weren’t exactly quiet while, you know, in the throes. “Oooh, Deacon!”’ she cooed.
Scarlett laughed. ‘I know. I’m getting to the point where I’m afraid to call him at home. I keep interrupting them.’
Dani tilted her head. ‘I haven’t heard you laugh like that since . . . maybe never. I’m glad. Marcus is a good influence on you.’ Her eyes were wistful for a moment before she forced a smile. ‘I have to go. Keep him safe, and yourself too.’
‘You always have a room at my place if you need to ditch the apartment.’
Dani walked backward toward her office, shaking her head ruefully. ‘Not that I don’t appreciate the offer,’ she said lightly, ‘but then I’d have to hear, “Oooh, Marcus!”’ She chuckled when Scarlett blushed, then blew her a kiss. ‘Bye now.’
She felt Marcus come up behind her. ‘What was that about?’ he asked.
‘Oh, you know Dani. She and Faith have been giggling over us.’ She studied his face, saw his worry over Diesel’s abrupt exit. ‘I know, I know, some secrets aren’t yours to share,’ she said gently. ‘But you know you can, should you need to.’
‘Thanks.’ He curled his hand around her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. ‘Thanks for that too. I needed it.’ He scanned the waiting room. ‘That’s Tommy and Edna?’ he asked.
‘Yeah. Let’s wake them up.’ She took out her phone and brought up her email. ‘I had Isenberg’s clerk work up a photo array with Drake’s picture in it, just in case they did see something. Oh, and don’t mind Tommy. He’ll propose marriage at least once before we leave.’
‘To you or to me?’ Marcus asked.
She grinned at him. ‘Edna might propose to you. We can have a double wedding.’
‘How long have you known them?’
‘A long, long time. I walked a beat around here when I was right out of the Academy. I’ve tried to get them housing so many times, but this is the life they know.’ She walked over to where they slept, shook them both gently. ‘Tommy. Edna. Wake up.’
Edna came awake in a panicked jerk, while Tommy roused slowly. Edna looked around, disoriented. Then she saw Scarlett and relaxed.
‘Detective Bishop. Dr Dani said you wanted to talk to us.’
‘Miss Scarlett,’ Tommy drawled. ‘I knew you’d finally come to your senses. Where you taking me for our honeymoon? Better make it the mountains. Cooler this time of year.’
Scarlett went down on her haunches so that they didn’t have to look up at her. ‘I’m afraid we’ll have to put that honeymoon on ice, Tommy. You remember early, early yesterday when I saw you?’
Edna nodded. ‘You ran off to that alley where the girl was shot.’
‘I came back later to talk to you, but you were gone.’
Edna grimaced. ‘Too many cops and flashing lights. Tommy and I took our stuff and found a quieter stoop.’ She glanced up. ‘Who’s he?’
‘His name is Marcus. He’s the man I was meeting. He was there to help the girl because she was being hurt by the people she lived with. Somebody shot and killed her to keep her from asking Marcus for help. Did you see anything else? Like maybe someone running away?’
‘Lots o’ people were running away,’ Tommy said. ‘They hear shots and they scatter, cuz the cops’ll think they did it and shoot ’em.’ He shrugged. ‘Mebbe they did. Don’t seem to matter to the cops who they shoot.’ He lifted one grizzled gray brow. ‘No offense, Miss Scarlett. You’re not like them. Is he?’
‘Marcus? He’s not a cop. He’s a reporter.’
Tommy visibly relaxed. ‘That’s good. Hate to think you’d leave me at the altar for a cop. I saw you kissin’ that man.’
Scarlett smiled at him. ‘You little sneak. You weren’t asleep at all.’
Tommy didn’t smile back. ‘I sleep with my eyes open, Miss Scarlett,’ he said soberly.
‘Cops’ll sometimes give us a hard time,’ Edna said, ‘for sleepin’ on our stoop. They shake us awake, yell at us.’ She dropped her voice, mimicking a cop’s command. ‘“Move along, move along. Can’t sleep here.”’ She shook her head ruefully. ‘We’ve been sleeping on that stoop for years. I don’t know why they care. Nobody else is using it.’
Their neighborhood had been the epicenter of racial violence more than a decade before. While things had dramatically improved in the years that followed, many residents still feared and mistrusted the police.
‘I’m sorry,’ Scarlett said simply. She knew better than to tell them that most of the cops who made them move along were trying to keep them safe. ‘Did you see anyone running away who looked like they didn’t belong? Someone you didn’t know from the neighborhood?’
Edna hesitated. ‘I don’t want no trouble.’ Scarlett waited patiently until Edna sighed, long and heavy. ‘Fine,’ the old woman said. ‘I saw him.’ She pointed up at Marcus. ‘He was running.’