Kimberly Meter - The Truth about Family

“Yeah, that family’s had it rough. I guess you can’t blame Erin for wanting to get the hell out of here.”

Leslie’s tone suggested that she knew what Colin was referring to but before he could prompt her for more details, she was paged to the front desk and she turned to leave. “Well, let me know if you need any help,” she said, gesturing to the paperwork before hurrying down the hall.

He knew the offer was made in light of Danni’s escapade and, although he appreciated everyone’s concern, it chafed more than a little that everyone knew his business. He couldn’t hold it against anyone, though. Colin had moved to Granite Hills when Danni had still been in diapers. As a single father, sometimes without daycare to fall back on, Danni had been a frequent visitor to the station. This recent turn of events probably had everyone alarmed, he realized.

Returning to the case in his hand, he grabbed the hospital report to attach to the file and his eyes focused on the BAC levels.

Totally sober.

He had to admit, he’d been surprised. The discovery certainly begged a few questions.

If the man hadn’t been impaired and, as evidenced by the supplemental report, the roads had been clear, what had sent the old Ford into that tree? He flipped through the medical evaluation, but there was no indication that Charlie had had a stroke or heart attack, no medical reason for him to lose control. Then he thumbed through the state trooper’s report, looking for the skid-mark pattern, but came up empty. Puzzled, he checked again, thinking he might have missed it, until he realized with a perplexed frown that there weren’t any to find. Charlie McNulty had plowed headlong into that birch…for no apparent reason.

What was he looking at?

Something didn’t sit right with Colin about this accident. His mind was moving in circles, but he couldn’t put a voice to his suspicions.

The unanswered questions prevented him from filing the case as closed.

He needed more information, preferably background, to see if he had cause to dig a little deeper. A pair of vivid blue eyes appeared in his mind and an electric thrill followed that was both unexpected and startling. If he hadn’t been annoyed at his own reaction, he might’ve chuckled at the absurdity. Erin McNulty? She was about as warm as the waters in Lake Superior at this time of year. Anyone willing to walk out on family like she was itching to do could use a little help in the compassion department. He’d do well to nip that attraction in the bud. He had enough problems.

From what he could gather from people who’d known Erin’s family, he found that while the McNulty side had been hard workers, they played equally as hard. Erin’s mother Rose had come from an upper middle class family. Rose Rawlins’s father had been a businessman, and her mother a homemaker, but both had perished in a house fire when Rose had been seventeen. Rose had been sleeping over at a friend’s house when it happened. It seems that family was a magnet for trouble.

Colin sat back in his chair, his thoughts returning to Erin. He supposed he was still caught off guard by how different she was. Though he had to admit his assumptions had been ridiculous. What had he expected? A wild-haired, younger version of Charlie? He snorted—well, she was anything but that. She was sleek and refined, whereas Charlie was coarse and crabby. The differences raised more questions than they answered.

Another officer walked by, offering a quick goodbye before heading out the door. Shaking himself out of the useless direction of his thoughts, he proofread his official report of the accident, reviving the memory of that night.

He’d been heading down Old Copper Road when he saw the vapor spiraling from the ruptured radiator into the frigid air. The front end of the older model Ford was wrapped around the solid trunk of an old yellow birch while a fresh drift of snow had started to fall on the wreckage. As Colin picked up speed toward the accident, he radioed for emergency crews and prayed whoever was in that mess was still alive. He glanced at his report again.

Driver #1, 58-year-old male, head lacerations, multiple injuries.

Passenger #1, 54-year-old female, severe head trauma. Dead on arrival.

The sterile report in his hands did little to communicate the horror of the fatal accident. Colin could smell the tang of copper drifting on the wind and mingling with the scent of wintergreen from the injured tree as emergency crews worked to save Charlie, knowing that Caroline was long gone.

Thank God no one else had been traveling that same stretch of highway that night. Colin shifted in his chair and let the paper slip out of his hands. Tomorrow he’d have to stop by the hospital and check Charlie’s status. He couldn’t help but feel bad for the old guy, seeing as he was broken all to hell without a soul in the world to care if he lived or died. The one person who had cared was dead; and the one who should care would rather walk the other way.

Colin could hear the night shift arriving, their voices rising in playful banter with one another. He recognized the voice of Mark Sporlan and the newest officer to join the small department, Missy Reznick. Then, he heard the voice of Roger Hampton, the chief of Granite Hills P. D.

“Got a minute?”

Surprised, Colin swiveled in his chair. “Sure, Chief,” he answered, following him to his office. Normally, the chief left before the night shift came in. The fact that he was still here and wanted a private audience gave Colin pause. Something was up.

“Take a seat, detective.”

“Something wrong?”

“I was hoping you could tell me.” He fixed Colin with a sharp stare that was piercing, yet showed concern. “I’m not one to meddle in personal affairs but I couldn’t help but notice that Danni got hauled in last night on a misdemeanor drug charge. What’s that all about?”

Colin tensed, immediately on the defensive. “Nothing I can’t handle. Just your run-of-the-mill teenage rebellion.”

“I’m sure you’ve got things well in hand, Colin. Look, I know I’m treading on dangerous ground here. No parent likes a meddler. So, I’m not going to do that. But if my officers are having personal problems that might affect their job performance, I like to know ahead of time what I’m dealing with.”

“The problems I’m having with Danni won’t affect my job,” he assured the chief. “She’s a good kid. This is just a phase.”

“What if it isn’t?”

The chief’s blunt question zeroed in on Colin’s worst fear. “Then, I’ll deal with it,” he answered with more confidence than he felt. How he was going to deal with it, he hadn’t a clue, but that was just one more problem he’d work through. If he could handle midnight feedings, diapers and daycare issues as a single father, he could handle this.

“Listen, Colin.” The chief drew himself up as far as his round belly would allow, his finger tapping his desk. “You’re a good cop. I’m only saying this to you because I don’t want to lose you. I’d rather authorize some personal time now so you can figure things out than lose you permanently because the problems have spun out of your control. I already had Bruce look at the books and you have plenty of vacation time banked. If you need it, just say the word and I’ll sign the paperwork.”

At a loss for an appropriate response, he gave the chief a curt nod. “Thanks,” he said. “I’ll keep your offer in mind. If things continue to go downhill…” God, he hoped it didn’t go that way. “Then I’ll take your advice and cash in some of that vacation time.”

“Good. Glad to hear it.” The chief stood and grabbed his jacket. As Colin approached the door, his mind returning to the situation with Danni, the chief’s voice stopped him.