Part 6 (1/2)
Danny turned off the ignition and started to get out of the truck as Rae opened the pa.s.senger door to get in.
”Unless you need to use the bathroom, I think we're ready to go.”
Rae carried a small, worn attache case that she deposited on the floor as she settled into the pa.s.senger seat.
”Just give me a minute.” He wondered how much to tell her before they got to Lakewood P.D. Maybe he'd just ad lib on the fly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her looking at the place on the side of his face where she'd hit him.
”There's hardly a mark. I'm glad of that.” Her hand wavered, as if to touch the spot, then she retracted it.
She hadn't articulated an apology, but he felt one. ”I know what day it was,” he said.
”What?”
”I know. Sandy told me.” It had been the anniversary of her husband's murder by a meth-head.
”Let's get the show on the road.”
Fine. Danny didn't want to talk about it either, and he sure didn't want to tell her about Josh. Rae would freak and insist he call the cops. If only Josh called soon, it wouldn't be an issue.
He turned the truck around and headed back down the drive.
”I see you still have a couple of cows left,” he said by way of filling the conversational void.
Rae snickered. ”Those are steers. Black Angus.”
”They look like cows to me.”
”Check out the udders.”
They pa.s.sed close to the beasts, and he saw what she meant. ”Ah, they're males. I thought boy cows were bulls.”
”Take another look at the plumbing.”
Danny slowed down and squinted at one of the critters. ”Steers are neutered males?”
”You're a quick study.”
They hit a depression in the dirt road, and the truck bounced. ”But what use are neutered males?”
”You buy steers, fatten them up and sell them for meat. You know, like the Black Angus Steak House?”
He knew Rae wasn't stingy with food, but these creatures were gaunt, and he could see white hairs on their muzzles.
”It looks like you have a long way to go with these guys. You just get them?”
”You're kidding. Right?”
They rolled onto the paved road and headed toward the Ute Highway while Rae continued, ”Jake and Augie were here the first time you came with Josh. Remember I let him pet them?”
Confusion. ”How long does it take to fatten them up?”
”They were fat. When they were young.” Her voice faded, leaving his question unanswered.
Oh, right. How could he have missed it? The old gray Angus steers that never made it to slaughter.
”What about all those chickens you had?”
They were coming up on I-25 by now.
”Some of them still lay eggs. Don't miss your turn, city boy.”
Rae felt an apprehension settle upon her as Danny turned onto Allison Boulevard at her direction. She knew the police environment was bound to trigger old memories even though Anthony had never worked for Lakewood P.D. As Danny parked the truck on the east side of the building, she realized she was going to have her hands full keeping her head on straight. At least long enough to help Danny deal with what lay ahead for him.
The building, which housed other Lakewood munic.i.p.al offices as well, was as unfamiliar to her as it was to Danny. But she'd checked out the directions on Google after calculating the likelihood that Danny would have done this versus counting on her to show him the way.
Rae swallowed several times as she bent over her briefcase to hide her face from Danny's view. Get a grip, Rae. As she heard Danny's door clank shut, she heaved herself from the truck and joined Danny, who was giving her a puzzled eye.
Tulips and daffodils made their last stand along the walk leading to the entrance. A crew of gardeners setting out annuals stood aside for them to pa.s.s.
Inside the angular, concrete building, Rae handed her business card to the desk clerk. The woman broke into a smile of recognition upon seeing her name. This gave Rae p.r.i.c.kles down her spine. Her first time cas.h.i.+ng in on the special status accorded police widows by those in law enforcement also, at some level, embarra.s.sed her.
”Be right back,” said the clerk. ”Detective Sanchez is expecting you.”
As the clerk retreated, a soft ripple of voices surged through the department's cl.u.s.ter of cubicles. The murmur of daily routine resumed as Rae's husband's former partner opened the outer door, stepped through it and embraced her.
”Rae!”
”Veronica.”
Taller than she and, Rae guessed, maybe a few years younger, Veronica hadn't changed much. At least in Rae's memory of her. She still moved with an athletic ease, a black-maned lioness whose mane showed no trace of gray.
”It's been too long. Come in.”
Danny appeared to be hanging back. Rae pushed him ahead of her through the door. They wended their way past the cubicles to a spa.r.s.ely-furnished interrogation room.
Rae did the introductions. Veronica extended a smooth brown hand, her grip so firm that Rae saw Danny wince.
”Sorry for your loss, Mr. La.s.siter.”
They took seats around a metal table that was topped by a large stack of papers. Veronica handed Rae and Danny her business cards, then addressed Rae: ”After your call I pulled everything I could find and had it copied. Some of this duplicates what I already faxed you.”
Veronica removed two sets of doc.u.ments from the pile and handed one set to Danny, the other to Rae.
”Have you told him?” Veronica asked.
Rae shook her head. She felt a shudder pa.s.s through her body. ”Not yet.”
”I think you need to.” Veronica spoke with quiet authority.
”Danny,” Rae's voice had a crack in it, ”Veronica is with the s.e.x crimes unit.”