soon?” I asked.
Michael went to the refrigerator and pulled out two bottles of spring water. He handed one to me and returned to his seat.
“So, you never did tell me what happened with that cop, what was his name?” Michael asked.
“You know his name,” I said. “It’s Friday. Tyler Friday.”
“So, what happened with you guys?” he asked. “You seemed to really have something going on there.”
“I thought there was, but then, I had an unexpected visitor during our last evening together that kind of put the kibosh on things,” I said. He gestured for me to keep talking. “Okay, well, I never really shared this with you, or anyone, but I kind of have a….husband, that I never actually divorced.”
Michael choked. “A what?” he said.
“You heard me,” I replied. “I never thought about him as my husband, really, mostly because I didn’t think the marriage was legit. But he believes we’re really legally married, and he showed up out of the blue, with roses, of course, one night when Ty was at my place. You should’ve seen the look on Ty’s face.”
“Disappointed?” Michael asked.
“No—he just shut down. Like, that was the end before it even began. He didn’t even want to know what the story was—he practically ran out of the house. In fact, I had to ask him to stay, mostly because I didn’t really want to be alone with my ex. Or, well, he’s not really my ex, not yet. I’m not sure—like I said, I don’t think the marriage was legal. So that complicates things with Ty. Once Yurgos left, I tried to explain the situation to Ty. That I thought the marriage was actually invalid, but he completely shut me down and was gone as soon as I said, okay then, thanks for staying. And I haven’t heard from him since.”
“Oh, that’s probably not good,” Michael said.
“No, I would guess that doesn’t bode well for our relationship or whatever it was going to be,” I said. “I thought at least he’d come around to talk some more about Neville’s case—you know, he was full of questions about the art smuggling ring and what I knew about it—but I haven’t heard a peep out of him.”
“Maybe he’s been busy.”
“Uh-huh. But it’s been a couple of months, so, I’m not holding my breath about it,” I said.
“Huh,” he said.
“Exactly,” I said. We sat in silence for a few minutes. “So, I bet you’re looking forward to getting back to work soon.”
“I am,” he said, glad for the change of subject. “I really missed being in the classroom this semester. And although I ended up getting a lot of writing done, I much prefer being around students to being alone.”
“I know, you’re a people person,” I said. “Not like me.”
“Maybe it’s because of being an only child,” he said. “I just always wanted to have siblings, and I was so happy when I went to nursery school and there were all those other kids to play with—I didn’t want to go home at the end of the day. I remember that my mother was embarrassed.”
“I’m an only child, too, and I was just the opposite. I wanted to stay home and be by myself. I didn’t want to have to share the books and toys with any of the other kids, because I was used to having everything when I wanted it, for as long as I wanted it—I didn’t know how to share with anybody else,” I said. “And, truthfully, I didn’t want to have to share. I told my parents that I would prefer to be home schooled. But they said no, that I had to go to school.”
“All the more reason why you shouldn’t get cats,” Michael said. “You’ll never get along with them.”
“I can get along with people, if I want to,” I said.
“Really?” He looked skeptical.
“How about you? Getting any action lately?” I asked.
“No—I need to get back to a real gym,” he said. “And no, you can’t join me. You’ll cramp my style.”
I picked up the card again. “Maybe I can ask Detective Friday if he can check this for DNA or fingerprints.”
“Sure—you can bring him a little bit of Christmas cheer at the same time,” he said. “Go for it.”
“You don’t mind?” I asked.
“No, I’m happy to get that out of here,” he said. “Take the envelope, too.” He reached into the fridge and brought out a wine bottle wrapped in a cheerful red foil. “Bring some bubbly to the good officer. Maybe that will help mend your fence with him. It’s worth a try, right?”
“Why not?” I asked. “I’ll stop by and see him and then pick you up at around ten o’clock tomorrow, okay?”
“Perfect,” he said.
“And let me know if your mom would prefer to have you all to herself,” I said. “It’s okay with me. I don’t want to impose.”
“Yes, I know, I know. Now get out of here. And make sure you put on a little makeup before you go and talk to the good detective. Let him see what he’s been missing.”
I blushed and gave him a kiss on the cheek, took the card and the wine, and headed home to pack.
Chapter 2
Detective Friday, or Ty as I called him when he was off-duty, and I had been sniffing each other’s pheromones since I’d stumbled upon a murder in the fall. I got way too involved in the investigation and, oh yeah, I ended up shooting a couple of guys dead and being held captive at one point. The shootings were purely self-defense, and the entire experience was pretty traumatic. I was threatened, chased, held hostage, assaulted, and ended up on an operating gurney having my spine fused in several places. And my buddy Michael was run over by a car, so he was a victim, too. But although he said I drove him crazy, Ty seemed to really get me and I thought we were heading toward a mutually agreeable, adult-type friendship. Until the arrival of my long-lost husband.
I owed Michael big time, so if I could find out something about who sent him this card that would be good. We had both lost a semester’s worth of teaching, and Michael had a complex fracture of his left leg, so he went through more pain and suffering than any friend should have to endure. I put on a nice face and opened the precinct door carrying a dozen doughnuts, a box of Mrs. See’s chocolates, and the bottle of wine from Michael’s fridge.
“You again?” The desk sergeant buzzed me in. “Killed anyone lately?”
“No, I did my quota for the year, so I have to wait for January,” I said. “Is Detective Friday upstairs?”
“Yep. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to see you,” he said.
I slipped him a small bag from Dunkin’ Donuts with a cruller and a regular coffee. “Merry Christmas,” I said.
“Thanks, Doc.” His face muscles contracted into something resembling a smile.
I stopped at the entrance to the detective’s area and located Ty among the men. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits, and the noise level in the room was high. I made my way slowly through the maze of desks.
“Oh, look who’s here, Friday. It’s the little professor. What have you got there, Doc? Some sweets for your sweetie?” Detective Gardner stepped in my path and loomed over me. “Where’s my Christmas present, Professor?”
“I brought doughnuts for everyone,” I said. “Here, why don’t you take one and pass the box around?” I shoved the box at him and tried to sidle past.
“Not so fast. What are you really doing here? Come to try and pay your debt with Detective Friday? Since he covered up your crimes and destroyed evidence