“That’s a given. Then we need to ask ourselves if Mladen would have access to the information.” Keely massaged her temples.
“Not likely.”
“Is the bomber after me or both of us?” Keely asked.
“We’ll know that only after the bomber is caught.”
“Take me home. I need some rest. We’ll get back at it tomorrow.” Keely closed her eyes.
Lane started the engine.
“Yesterday you almost get blown up, and today you go back to work! Are you nuts?” Christine stood over Lane. He was sitting on the couch with his feet up.
Lane looked at Matt and Arthur for support. Daniel looked at the front door as if searching for an escape route.
Matt said, “She’s right.”
Arthur put his fists on his hips. “You’ll get no sympathy from me!”
Lane looked at Daniel. A glare from Christine froze her boyfriend in place.
“Are you ready?” Matt asked.
“For what?” Lane asked.
Roz tilted her head to one side and gave him a quizzical look.
“For dinner at Lisa and Loraine’s.” Christine rolled her eyes.
“Why didn’t you remind me?” Lane asked.
“We did,” Matt said.
Lane drove while Arthur, Matt, Christine, and Daniel talked.
It took twenty-five minutes to drive to Lisa and Loraine’s house, which was situated on a street lined with mature trees, a motor home or two, and several aged automobiles. There were cars parked on either side of the street in front of their house. “Somebody’s having a party,” Lane said.
“Ya think?” Christine asked.
The inside of the car was quiet as he parked half a block away. They climbed out of the Jeep. Arthur took two bottles of wine and a gift for the baby from the back of the vehicle.
Lane followed the four as they walked up the sidewalk to the front door. A note was taped to the glass: GO AROUND BACK.
When they reached the side of the house, they heard voices and laughter. A baby said something delightfully unintelligible. Another tiny voice said, “Mom? Mom!”
They rounded the corner. Lane saw familiar faces.
Harper’s daughter Jessica climbed up into his arms. Harper walked toward Lane and offered his hand. “A clandestine meeting. Everyone here can keep this meeting secret, I hope.” He rolled his eyes.
“Good to see you.” Lane smiled and received a hug from Erinn, Harper’s redheaded wife.
She said, “We’ve missed you.”
Jessica wrapped her arms around her father’s neck and glared at Lane.
“She remembers me!” Lane said.
Erinn laughed. “She’s daddy’s girl and thinks you’ve come to take him away from her.”
Arthur was getting a group hug from Lisa and Loraine and their infant son Ben. Christine and Matt introduced Daniel to Harper’s nephew Glenn.
Lane looked over Erinn’s shoulder. Keely stood behind Loraine. Lisa released Arthur and turned, Ben squirming in her arms, wanting to be put down on the grass.
He heard Keely say, “My dad told Dylan he was going to have to convert if he wants to marry me.”
“What does your mom think of that?” Loraine asked.
“She wouldn’t convert when they got married. She thinks going to Catholic school for eleven years was more than anyone should be asked to do in the religious department.” Keely kicked her sandals off.
“Eleven years?” Loraine asked.
“She got kicked out of school at the end of Grade Eleven. There was a discussion about the rights of women as they’re written in the Bible. She stood up and said there are no rights for women as far as the Bible or the Catholic Church are concerned. She got suspended for being disrespectful and confrontational. She finished up her Grade Twelve in another school. Then she went into law.”
Dylan walked out the screen door with a beer in one hand and a soft drink in the other. He handed the soft drink to Keely, took a swig of the beer, and asked, “Do you want me to convert?”
“Eavesdropping again?” Keely asked. “Do you want to?”
Dylan blushed and shook his head. “No.”
“Then don’t.” Keely looked at Lane. “Are you surprised?”
Christine laughed. “The legendary deductive skills of Detective Lane! He had no idea that all of you would be here.”
Harper laughed. “Since we’re talking about your reputation – you’ve wrecked three cars in the last year or so. Could you give me a rough estimate on how many you’ll need for next year? We’re in the middle of budget negotiations.”
Lisa hugged Lane, and baby Ben squirmed between them. “I hear you’re getting on-the-job training with high explosives.” Lane winced. “Just trying to stay current on the latest data concerning injuries caused by improvised explosive devices.”
Keely laughed. “Yes, Detective Lane believes in hands-on training methods. Since explosive devises are becoming more and more common, he decided to make them part of our investigation and part of my training regimen. So far, I’ve had first-hand experience with two types of explosions.”
Harper raised a bottle of beer. “Careful, Keely – it gets even more interesting from here on in!”
Erinn said, “I’m just glad you’re both in one piece.”
“Can we talk about something else?” Christine reached for Ben. Lisa handed him off. Then Daniel reached for Ben. Ben smiled, turned to Christine, and grabbed the collar of her sleeveless top. “Hey, Ben! Watch what you’re grabbing!” she said.
Arthur touched Lane on the shoulder. “What can I get you?” he asked.
“A cold beer, please.” Lane sat down and was joined by Keely, Loraine, Erinn, Lisa, Arthur, and Harper. Soon, Dylan, Christine, Glenn, and Matt were playing with the younger children. The older people sat in a circle of lawn chairs.
Lane listened to the conversations swirling around him. Mladen lost all of this. What would I do if someone took my family away?
Erinn asked, “When do you go in for your surgery, Arthur?”
The party fell quiet.
Arthur looked over her head. “It’s not one hundred percent for sure yet. I have an appointment tomorrow. But it looks like Friday.”
“That’s quick,” Lisa said.
“Anything we can do to help?” Harper asked.
“Now that you mention it, you can keep Lane from being blown up or shot,” Arthur said.
Harper raised his glass and said, “To long life and good friends.”
TUESDAY, AUGUST 28
chapter 14
“Detective Lane?”
Lane recognized the voice. He tucked the phone next to his ear and held it there with his shoulder while he sat on the edge of the bed. He glanced at the clock; it was just after five in the morning. “Chief Simpson.”
“I just got off the phone with the defense lawyer for Officer Stockwell. Stockwell is to be charged with the bombing of Officer Saliba’s vehicle. Is it possible for you to view the interrogation as a bystander? Is Detective Saliba well enough to be there also?”
“I think so. She’ll be my next call.” Lane stood up. His ribs ached from the bruises left by the seat belt and the airbags.
“How was Stockwell’s involvement uncovered?” Lane asked.
“I’ll leave that up to the discretion of the investigator in charge to decide how much information to share with you.”
“I see.” I wonder who the source is?
“How long will you be?” Simpson asked.
Lane looked at the clock. “Thirty minutes.”
“Good.” Simpson gave him the name of the investigator and hung up.
Lane dialed. “Keely? There’s a suspect in the bombing of your car. Can you make it for the interrogation?”
“Fuckin’ right!” she said.
“I’ll pick you up in fifteen minutes.”
When he drove up to the front door of the condo, Keely was waiting on the curb. As she eased into the Jeep, she said, “Have we got time for a coffee?”
Lane pulled away and said, “Not yet.”