Cheryl Tardif - Submerged

Marcus banged the heel of his hand against his forehead. “You idiot. And now you’re going to rummage around in her underwear?” What the hell?

The elevator stopped on the second floor, but no one got on. When the doors closed, his thoughts drifted back to Rebecca. She deserved someone better than Wesley Kingston in her life. And that someone wasn’t Marcus.

“She’s still officially married,” he reminded himself. And drop-dead gorgeous.

His offer to stay with her was strictly professional courtesy. She had no one else. It was a business arrangement. That’s all it was. Even if he didn’t accept a penny from her, which he wouldn’t. Like doing an old friend a favor.

Except she’s not really an old friend. More like a new one.

The elevator took him down to the main level, and he made a beeline for the emergency wing. The ER was bustling with action, but he veered toward the outside exit, weaving through the crowd of broken legs, coughs and a very pregnant woman with a brood of six kids around her.

In the parking lot, he found his car, climbed inside and glanced at the address Rebecca had written down. Edmonton… right. Damn it!

It would take about three hours to get there, maybe twenty minutes to grab the clothes and another three hours to get back to the hospital. Being away from her for so long didn’t sit well with him.

He picked up his cell phone and called John. “I’m heading to Rebecca’s house to pick up some clothes for her and the kids. You got a car watching the place?”

“Yeah. I’ll let them know.”

“Thanks, John. Any news on the truck or driver?”

“Actually, there is. We finally caught a break. There’s a computer store across from the Esso station. They have cameras in the windows, and one of them is on 24/7, filming the street. We’re going through the tape now.”

“I hope you catch this guy.”

“Me too. Listen, Marcus, what are your plans for the next few days? I heard you got suspended.”

“I’m going to stay at Rebecca’s for a bit. Until you nab this guy.”

“Really?” Zur’s voice was more than a little stunned.

“She didn’t want to ask her sister. Doesn’t want to put her in any danger. And the ex is out of the question, since you still think he’s connected.” Marcus paused. “You do still think that, don’t you?”

“Nothing else makes much sense. It couldn’t be a random hit and run. He was waiting for her, followed her, made sure she’d end up in the McLeod River.”

“Anything pan out at the casinos?”

“Nothing so far. We’re still asking questions. All we need is the right answer.”

“Okay, I’ll be back in about six and a half hours. You’ll check in on Rebecca and the kids for me?”

“Definitely. We still have a few questions for her. And the ex.”

“Have you searched his place yet?”

“Can’t get a warrant. Not enough evidence.”

“Shit. Can’t you even look at his phone records or e-mails?”

“Nope. Not until we get the warrant.”

Marcus gritted his teeth. “By then he could dump everything. Especially if anyone threatened him in a voice mail or e-mail.”

“I know. But we have to do this by the book. We’ve got a request in for a warrant. Should have it by tomorrow, maybe the next day.”

Marcus massaged his temples. “Tomorrow could be too late. If Wesley Kingston has anything to connect him to the attempt on his wife’s life, it’ll be gone by the time you get there.”

Zur let out a huff. “People think it’s easy to erase files and information from a computer. It’s not. Our tech guys can pull data that was deleted years ago. There’s almost always a trace. I promise you, if Kingston’s got anything incriminating, we’ll find it.” He let out a snicker. “Now let’s talk about you and Mrs. Kingston living together.”

“It’s not like that, John.”

“Isn’t it?” Another chuckle. “I think it’s exactly like that. But do yourself a favor. Wait until the ink’s dry on her divorce papers before you make your move.”

“I don’t have a move.”

“Then you’d better get one. She’s into you.”

Marcus blinked. “You think so?”

More laugher sounded, then Zur said, “Bye, Marcus.”

Marcus started the car and pulled away from the hospital. Securing the Bluetooth over his left ear, he called Leo.

“You headed home?” Leo asked.

“No, I’m going to stay in Edmonton for a few days.”

“So you can keep an eye on that Kingston woman?”

“Good guess. Actually, I agreed to stay at her house for a few days.”

“Why would you do that?”

Marcus sucked in a deep breath. “She’s petrified that whoever tried to kill her will come back and try again. Even the police think it’s a possibility.”

“What about her kids?”

“They’re staying with their aunt. That leaves Rebecca alone in her house with no support other than a patrol car outside.”

“If she’s got police watching her, she’s more than likely gonna be fine.”

“Why are you giving me such a hard time about this, Leo? I’m trying to be a nice guy.”

“Sorry, man. I can’t help it if I worry about you. It strikes me as very unusual for you to take such an interest in one of our callers.”

“Rebecca’s not merely a caller. Not to me. Not after all this.”

Leo sighed. “I know you feel some kind of connection to her. I won’t argue with that. But I do think you’re rushing into things, not considering the consequences.”

“What’s there to consider? I’m going to sleep on her couch so she’s not alone, not sleep with her.”

“You sure about that?”

Marcus clenched his jaw. “You’ve been telling me for months to get out more, meet someone. Well, guess what? I did. Okay, granted I met her on the job, but who’s to say there’s anything wrong with that? I like her. I think she likes me. Right now, all that’s important is that she feels safe. I can do that for her.”

“I’m not sure about this, Marcus.”

“I know what I’m doing is a bit… unorthodox. But she asked me to stay, and I couldn’t say no. Hell, it’s for a few days. It’s not like I’m moving in with her permanently.”

There was a long, uncomfortable pause.

Then Leo said, “Fine. Do what you gotta do.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust your judgment. It’s just that I—”

“Don’t trust my judgment.”

Leo chuckled. “I worry about you. You can’t blame me for that.”

“I know, Leo. And I appreciate it. Really. But I’m fine. For the first time in a long time I feel like I’ve got my life back.”

“Something else happen to you out at the river?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean… you sound like you’ve had a near-death experience or something. You know, seen the light and all. Maybe you drowned and then came back to life.”

Marcus laughed. “You should write books with that imagination. No, I didn’t drown. No near-death experience either. No tunnel or bright light, except from the flashlight.”

“So this woman. Rebecca. She hot?”

The question took Marcus by complete surprise. “Uh… I guess.”

“You guess? That’s lame, man. She’s either hot or not.”

“Fine. She’s hot.” Sizzling hot.

“You bring her over for dinner one night.”

Marcus wiped a hand across his brow and focused on the road.

“Marcus, you there?”

“Yeah, Leo. I heard you. And the invite. I won’t promise anything. She may not be that into me. I’m rusty at reading signals.”

“But there were signals?”

“I think so.”

“Well, you are her superhero .”