He watched her go, once again finding himself torn between pride and irritation. But he could see already that her teenage years, especially once she started dating and got her driver’s license, were going to be a living hell for him.
Wade turned and went into the house. Nothing had really changed since he’d left. Even when he’d lived there, he’d never been allowed to have a say in decorating any room except the garage. The only familiar piece missing in the house was him.
He found Alison in the kitchen, sitting at the table, nursing a cup of coffee.
“You didn’t tell me you were living in Darwin Gardens,” she said.
“And you’re mad at me that you had to hear it from Brooke first,” he said, sitting down across from her. “I really am sorry about that, and I don’t blame you for being angry. I’m going to work a lot harder at communicating with you about things. That’s a promise.”
She nodded. “Did you invite her to spend the weekend with you?”
“No, of course I didn’t,” he said. “This is entirely her doing. She’s trying to press the issue because she’s curious about where I live. I told her that it isn’t safe for her there, and you know what she said? If she’s not safe in Darwin Gardens with an armed police officer at her side, then she’s not going to be safe anywhere.”
“She’s right,” Alison said.
“She is?”
“Brooke loves you, and if that’s where you live, then she wants to be there too.”
“It’s Darwin Gardens, Ally.”
“I don’t care where it is,” Alison said. “It’s your home, and it’s not going to be much of one if your daughter isn’t a part of it. Put her to work painting or something. She’ll love it.”
Investing his daughter in his home the way he’d invested his officers in the station. Alison was thinking about things the same way he was. It shouldn’t have been such a surprise to him. There was a lot of common ground between them, or they wouldn’t have fallen in love or been married for so many years.
“Aren’t you worried about her safety?” he asked.
“Of course I am. Constantly. But if she’s with you, I know that she’s safe.”
Wade didn’t know what to say. He’d been prepared for a confrontation and to uncharacteristically surrender without a fight. But he hadn’t prepared for this.
Alison smiled. “You were expecting me to be a hard?ass about this, weren’t you?”
“It would have helped.”
“I know you, Tom, and why you’re living down there. I’m not so sure that Brooke does. I want her to be in your life, to know you and what you believe. I will never stand in the way of that. Taking her out for burgers and movies once a week isn’t going to cut it.”
“Thanks, Ally, but I really wasn’t ready for this. It’s going to be damn awkward.”
“Life usually is,” she said. “It’ll be good for both of you.”
Wade wasn’t sure what he was going to do with Brooke during his shifts or how to deal with her and his relationship with Mandy.
He suddenly had a troubling thought.
Did Mandy leave her bra on the floor again? Were there plastic cups lying around with lipstick on the rim? Did his bed look like two people had slept in it? Did his place reek of sex?
He’d definitely have to stall Brooke in the station while he went upstairs and cleaned up any incriminating evidence in his apartment.
He got up. “Yeah, I’m sure it will be.”
“I’ll try not to call every hour to check on her,” she said.
“I appreciate your confidence,” he said.
“Maybe every other hour.”
“Works for me,” he said.
Brooke, for all of her bravado, slunk down in her seat as they rolled into Darwin Gardens. She’d never been anywhere as bleak, decayed, and forgotten as this. The signs of crime and neglect were everywhere.
“Having second thoughts?” Wade asked.
“I’d be crazy not to,” she said. “But no, I want to see this. I can’t hide from this stuff forever.”
That was true, and he began to question the wisdom of keeping her shielded from so much for so long.
“But do you want to live with it?” he asked.
“You do,” she said.
“I’m paid to.”
“Not to live here, you’re not. You made that choice.”
And he could tell that she was wondering how he could have made that insane decision. When he woke up each day to his piss?yellow walls and stained carpets, he sometimes wondered the same thing.
As they neared the station, he saw a truck carrying plates of glass parked outside and two workers inside, just behind the wrought iron bars, installing windows where the plywood had been.
He didn’t believe for one second that anyone at One King Plaza was willing to spend money on an outpost they didn’t care about, much less go to the trouble of arranging for workers to come on a weekend.
For a moment, he thought it might be the chief’s small way of acknowledging the good work that Wade and his team had done in their first week, but Wade quickly dismissed the notion. The chief didn’t want to encourage them to do any further police work. He wanted them to go away.
So where did the window installers come from? Could it have been Claggett, his landlord, who’d arranged it? If so, Wade would have him send the bill to One King Plaza and hope for the best.
Wade pulled the Mustang into the back lot and parked beside Billy’s Chevy convertible. He took his daughter’s sleeping bag and led her inside.
Billy was at his desk and sat up quickly, startled to see a child in the station, wheeling a suitcase.
“Brooke,” Wade said, “this is Officer Hagen. He works with me here.”
“Call me Billy,” he said, offering Brooke his hand. She gave it a surprisingly firm shake and glanced at her father for approval.
“You can call him whatever he likes,” Wade said, tossing the sleeping bag on his desk. “But remember that he’s a police officer and do what he tells you, especially if I am not around.”
“Pleased to meet you, Billy,” she said. “Are you sure you’re old enough to be a cop? You don’t look much older than me.”
“Youthful good looks is a family curse,” he said, then caught Wade watching the workers. “How did you get those guys to come down here?”
“I didn’t,” Wade said and then approached one of the two workers, a heavy Native American who wore thick work gloves and a white jumpsuit and was fitting a sheet of glass into place with suction cups. “Excuse me.”
The worker stopped what he was doing and regarded Wade. “Yes, sir?”
“It’s great that you’re here. Do you mind if I ask who’s paying for all of this?”
The worker tipped his head toward the Pancake Galaxy across the street. “Mr. Fallon.”
That’s when Wade noticed Fallon’s Mercedes parked on the Arness Street side of the restaurant. He thought about the situation for a moment, then came to a decision.
“Thanks,” he said, then looked over at Brooke. “Stay here with Billy for a minute. He’ll show you around. I need to have a talk with someone.”
“Sure,” she said.
Wade strode across the street and went into the restaurant. There were about a dozen patrons, but none of them acknowledged him when he came in, perhaps because Duke Fallon was there, sitting in a booth in the back, eating a slice of pie.
Of course he was.
Mandy and Pete were at the counter. He smiled at them as he passed on his way to Fallon’s booth.
“Good morning, Duke. May I join you?”
Duke had a napkin tucked into the collar of his tracksuit and another one on his lap. He wasn’t taking any chances on staining himself this time.
“I wish you would,” Duke said. “It’d make my life a lot easier.”
“That’s not why I’m here,” Wade said.
“I’ve noticed,” Duke said, then gestured for him to sit down.
Wade slid into the booth across from him. Mandy came over with a pot of coffee and an empty mug. She set the mug down in front of Wade and filled it up without waiting to be asked.
“Thank you, Mandy,” Wade said and took a sip.