A Case of the Heart (2 page)

Chapter Two

It turned out the guy Alex had chased was eighteen-year-old Richard Pirelli. Alex guided the teen into the squad car and then radioed in for a check. As he waited for it to run through, he could hear a TV blaring and noticed shadows of movement inside the kitchen window. He heard Liz knock on the door and then bits of conversation. He was here in body but with her in spirit. He wasn’t usually needed on social service calls, but he was on this one because it was her.

The information came back. Pirelli worked at Carl’s, the local convenience store that supplied everything from soda and chips to alcohol, drugs and cigarettes to minors. Alex’s mind raced with the possibilities that opened up knowing the crowd that hung at a place like Carl’s.

He finished questioning Pirelli just as Officer Jake Brown drove up.

Alex was glad to see Jake tonight. He and Alex met when Alex joined the force. Jake often accompanied Alex to the sports bar near the station to watch the games and have a quick bite before heading home for the night. During that time, they grew to know about each other and became great friends.

Alex wondered how Liz was doing, but he needed to get Pirelli off his hands so he could go upstairs to help her. The occasional murmur of the television gave him a continual reminder.

The dry leaves crunched under Jake’s steel-toed boots as he walked over. “How goes it, Officer Brown?” Alex called as he got out of the car to greet him.

“Good, until you called in for backup.” Jake put his hand on the car and bent over, looking at Pirelli. “You couldn’t handle this youngster by yourself?” he teased.

Pirelli scoffed as did Alex.

“We’ll know soon enough if he checks out or not, but my hunch is he’s a pushover. I need to get upstairs to help out on a social service call as soon as we’re done here.” Just saying it made him antsy, but the knowing grin on Jake’s face told Alex he wasn’t going to help things along.

“Yeah, and who’s the caseworker, as if I don’t know?”

“Liz Adams.” Alex smiled. So did Jake. “I was on a disturbance call with her and got distracted by this guy.” Alex motioned to Pirelli who sat motionless in the cruiser. “Can you transport Mr. Rich Pirelli for me?”

Jake leaned against the car grinning. “Sure, in exchange for some information.”

Alex lowered his head and gave Jake a cautious look. “What information?”

Pirelli sat up and began to stand. “Hey, are you taking me in or are ya gonna let me go?”

Jake pushed him back to a sitting position in the car. “Not until we know all about you, Mr. Pirelli.” Jake slammed the car door and turned to Alex. “So, you two are working together again.”

Alex crossed his arms over his chest and widened his stance. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Jake grinned. “You were still on a call when you responded to this one.” He tipped his head down, wrinkling his forehead as he looked up at Alex.

Alex looked away for a moment, quietly contemplating why he had no problem asking out any other woman except Liz. His conscience forced him to fess up. He had always felt she was too special, as special as his ex, Sharon. But that relationship was a long time ago, and the women he’d dated since Sharon weren’t in the same category, until he met Liz, and she was in a category all her own. Trying to court a woman like Liz was out of his caliber. He couldn’t take the chance.

He turned back to Jake. “What do you think of her?”

Jake chuckled at his question. “She’s real nice, but not dating material.”

Alex surrendered and leaned against the car next to Jake. “Why is that?”

Jake shrugged. “She has a lot going for her, besides her good looks. She’s top notch as far as the caseworkers go, has a good sense of humor. Christian, talks about her faith with clients who are comfortable with it, but she’s the independent type. Doesn’t need a guy in her life and goes out of her way to prove it. You know what I mean?”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Unfortunately, he knew that very well. She had a chip on both shoulders. He had assumed it was just her reaction to him, but apparently she was like that with the entire male species.

“Too bad,” he muttered under his breath.

Jake grinned. “She is under your skin, my friend.”

Alex frowned at his assumption. “I wouldn’t go that far. I just like working with her.” That’s all he’d admit to anyway.

Through the years, he had found a certain comfort when her relationships failed and she was single again. He liked being able to do the consoling and cheer her up, always wishing it was him she would eventually want to be with. Her current situation could definitely work to his advantage, and he thought it may be an opportunity to ask her out. Once again he had hesitated to broach the subject.

Alex noticed Jake scrutinizing him and turned to face him, bringing his eyebrows together. “What?”

“Nothing.” Jake still had that stupid smile on his face which was starting to irritate Alex. He didn’t want to talk further about Liz, not like he did the others.

Besides, he was the guy who always had a handle on his relationships. He never had trouble getting a date and was always the one to end things. It was easier that way. No one got hurt, and he didn’t let himself feel any regret after the relationship was over.

Alex breathed in, filling his lungs with the crisp, cool air. He looked up to the second floor but saw no movement. Hopefully things were going smoothly. “She is intriguing, but she’s built a wall six feet tall, and I’m not going to be the poor guy to tear it down. Besides, I probably wouldn’t pass the test on the Christianity part.” Alex made sure there was an edge to his voice in hopes Jake would get the hint and change the subject.

“I didn’t know there was a test.” Jake shrugged. “And if there was one, you passed it a long time ago when you asked Christ into your life.”

Alex knew Jake had strong convictions of his own about his faith and appreciated his comment. He hadn’t turned to God since before leaving Chicago, and didn’t quite know what it would take for him to turn back again.

The computer beeped telling them the information had been transferred. Alex pushed Jake’s words out of his mind and sat next to him in the car, scanning Pirelli’s priors.

Pirelli had enough to pique their interest, starting with regular misdemeanors as a young teen and then graduating into a few more serious convictions.

Alex looked over at Jake. “Are you ready to take Pirelli for me so we can both get back to work?” Alex slapped the computer shut, set it down, and got out of the squad car. He felt if he didn’t get upstairs with Liz right now, he’d implode.

“I’ve got it covered.” Jake pulled Pirelli out of Alex’s patrol car and stood behind him holding his cuffs. “But after this call is over, we need to finish this talk.”

Alex chuckled and walked away, giving Jake a small wave of thanks. Jake was awfully sure of himself, but for the first time in his dating history, Alex wasn’t.

He took two steps at a time and was almost to the top of the stairs when he heard a man yelling. His pulse quickened as he rushed to the landing. Alex pushed the door open, hitting the wall with a bang. His heart skipped when he looked inside and saw Harris stalking toward Liz, and he reached for his gun.

Chapter Three

Liz and the boys sat in her car as Alex finished a conversation with another officer. She liked to get paperwork done while it was fresh in her mind, but the blue and red flashes became too distracting, and the adrenalin was still pumping through her veins. She’d do it later. She should be giving her attention to the boys, even if they weren’t talking.

They watched as the EMTs loaded Harris into the ambulance to check his heart condition and drove off, chirping the siren to cross an intersection. Both boys peered out the window in silence as if seeing something they shouldn’t.

Liz reached out a hand to each of them as the patrol car disappeared down the street. “Your dad is going to be okay,” she said, reassuring both boys. They were quiet. And if they were worried or scared, neither one showed it. Their faces held little expression. Obviously, events like these were not so unusual for them.

Alex came over to sit with the boys so Liz could call to find a placement for them. Good short-term placements had become difficult. She had basically one foster home she felt comfortable with, and if they were full, she had a hard time leaving the children anywhere else. That one home was the Bowies’.

The Bowies were a couple in their fifties but had more energy than Liz and loved kids. She made the call and was glad to hear Nancy say they had room for the Harris boys—both boys. Splitting siblings wasn’t an option for Liz. It was often done but not by her standards.

She looked back into her car. A game of rock, paper, scissors was in progress. From the sound of it, Alex was losing.

“You cheated!” he exclaimed.

“How can you cheat at rock, paper, scissors?” Liz stuck her head into the car.

“He switched his rock to paper when he saw my rock,” Alex objected as he winked, causing the boys to squeal their protests.

He flashed Liz a smile, enjoying their playful anger toward his pretend accusation. Liz sighed as the familiar flutter bounced around in her stomach. His smiles touched a part of her that no one else’s could.

She settled in the front seat and faced the back. “You two don’t know how lucky you are to be staying at the Bowies’ home. They’ll take good care of you.” Leaning a cheek against the head rest, she smiled gently. “The doctors are going to make sure your dad is healthy, and then he’ll have to talk to a judge who will decide if and when you can go back home. But for now, you’ll be safe with Mr. and Mrs. Bowie.”