You Only Love Once

“No.”

She bit her tongue to stop herself from asking anymore questions, no matter how much she wanted to. She knew from experience that she would only upset her father more. And the more upset he got, the more he clammed up, locking himself away even from her. She didn’t want to make that happen. Not in her first few days back home, no matter how desperately she needed answers.

“Okay, Dad. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

She switched the phone to her other ear, focusing her entire attention on lightening the conversation, coaxing it back to safer ground. “So tell me, big bad police chief…did you go for the Café Vienna or the French Vanilla this morning?”

For the next ten minutes she and her father talked about everything and nothing, with Kelli carefully redirecting the conversation whenever it moved too near career territory…too close to family issues that might include mention of her mother. It was altogether easier for both of them to forget that she was a police officer. Um, edit that. It was infinitely easier to make her father forget she was a police officer, much less why she had chosen the career to begin with. She wasn’t sure what he told everyone about her time in New York, but if she knew Garth Hatfield, and she did, it probably had something to do with art school.

Of course that explanation would not only raise some brows now that she was back in town, it would call into question his mental capacity.

Kelli glanced at her watch. “I gotta run, Dad.”

“Oh. Sure. Okay.”

She methodically closed each of the files in front of her and piled them back up, chucking any idea she had of going through them this morning. “I’ll talk to you later, then?”

“Later.”

“Goodbye.” She started to get up and nearly tripped over where Kojak was licking a jelly stain from the wood floor.

“Hold up a second, Kell.” Her father’s voice stopped her from hitting the disconnect button. “There’s something I wanted to ask you.”

She absently watched the muted images slide across the television screen. Stories of murder and corruption, all against the background of the most powerful capital of the world. Never a dull moment. “What is it?”

“How did it go yesterday?”

Kelli paused, wondering at the neutral sound of her father’s voice. She decided to play it as vaguely as he was. “It went well. Really well.” Liar. Although she was sure her dad would approve of her trouble with David even less than the idea of her putting on a uniform every morning.

“You meet your new partner yet?” he asked.

She slowly reached out and switched the television off. “Yes.”

“Are you getting on well?”

Kelli crossed her free arm over her chest. “Yes.”

Her father’s sigh burst over the line. “Come on, girl, this isn’t an official interrogation. You can give more than a yes or no answer. Do you like the guy or don’t you? Do you want me to have you assigned somewhere else? Another district station, maybe?”

“Like out in Arlington where the most serious crime is loitering? No, Dad, but thanks just the same.” She rubbed her forehead. So much for avoidance measures. “And my partner’s name’s McCoy. He’s a pigheaded, male chauvinist who needs an ego adjustment, but I can handle him.” At least she hoped she could.

There was a heartbeat of a pause. Kelli fought the desire to ask him if he was still there.

“McCoy?” he finally said gruffly.

“Yeah. David. Do you know him?”

“Of him. I know his father.”

“That’s nice, Dad. Maybe you and he can get together and plot how to scare your kids off the force over a beer sometime. Look, I’ve—”

“If Sean McCoy and I ever end up in the same room together where there’s beer, I’d just as soon crack a bottle over his head,” her father said vehemently.

Kelli’s mouth dropped open. She’d never heard him say such a thing about another person. Yes, he was quite adamant on where he stood on her decisions, but that was different. In almost every other aspect of his life he was as open-minded as they came. “Dad…I don’t quite know what to say. I’m…shocked.”

“Yeah, well, you wouldn’t be if you knew the guy. They don’t make them any cockier than Sean McCoy.”

He hadn’t met David yet. “When’s the last time you spoke to this…Sean?”

He mumbled something she couldn’t quite make out.

“What was that?”

“Twenty years.”

Kelli smacked her hand against her forehead. “Gee, and here I thought it was something a little more recent. Like yesterday.”

“It was. I might not speak to the old geezer, but I see him just about every day on the job.”

“Wait, don’t tell me. He’s on the force, too. What is he? Regional Assistant Chief for the West or something?”

“Chief?” Garth nearly shouted. “Hell, Kelli, aren’t you getting the drift of anything I’m saying? The guy’s a damn beat cop. Always has been, always will be.”

“So?” she said carefully. “Look, Dad, call me slow, but I’m not getting this. What is this, a modern day replaying of the old Hatfields and McCoys thing?” She glanced at her watch and nearly gasped. “I gotta run, Dad. We can talk about this later, okay?”

She pressed the disconnect button while he was still blathering on. She cringed. No doubt she would hear about that later, as well.

DAVID STARED at his watch for the third time, although no more than a minute had passed since the last time he’d looked. The briefing room was already filled to capacity. Which wasn’t abnormal in and of itself, except the collection of plainclothes at the front of the room had ignited gossip among the officers surrounding him.

Where is she?

“What do you think’s up?” Jones, next to him, asked.

David shrugged. “Beats me.”

“Harris thinks it’s the Degenerate case.”

He grimaced. “All this attention for a sexual deviant? Seems a little excessive.”

“Where you been, man? The guy’s been promoted. He’s chalked up his first killing. Body was found this morning, though they think she’s been dead a couple of days.”

David recalled the case. “Damn.”

Jones chuckled. “You got that right.”

“Did I miss anything?”

David looked to his left where Kelli had claimed the seat he’d been saving for her. She looked far too fresh, too alert, for first thing in the morning. And far too enticing. It was all he could do not to pant all over her like a Chihuahua, bug eyes and all.