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“Good. I hope great things for you.” Charlie yawned. “I hate this feeling, you know. Being helpless.” She rolled halfway onto her side, facing Antony. “Tell me how Aud’s doing. And Simon.”
“Worried sick. Both of them. I thought Audrey was gonna crawl up the detective’s ass.”
Antony looked at his friend and smiled softly. Charlie was fast asleep. He reached out and smoothed one of her curls out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. As he leaned back in the seat, he pulled out his phone and tapped out some messages to Audrey and Randall.
He stayed long enough for Belva to peek her head back in and followed the nurse out of the room.
“We’ll take good care of her for you,” she said.
“Of that, I have no doubt. Do you have my phone number at the desk?”
“Let’s go check on that.”
She sat down at the station and called up Charlie’s file. “I have you, Audrey Linser, and one First Sergeant Randall.”
“Wonderful. I left a note on her tray for when she wakes up. Thank you, Belva.”
“You go on home and get yourself some rest, Mr. Ramos. You look like you need it.”
CHAPTER SIX
“Okay, so what’s the deal with you going home?” Lesley asked. She grabbed another slice of pizza from the box that sat between them on the low coffee table.
Stina twirled a long strand of cheese around her finger and finally got it to break. She chewed for a moment before swallowing. “Well, I have to take leave. Got use/lose going on. And mom’s not doing so well these days.”
Lesley frowned. “What now?”
“Same shit. She’s stopped functioning as an adult.” Stina took a long drink of water. “Dad died, and she basically did, too. Neighbor sent me a picture. House is falling the fuck apart.”
“Jesus. And so you’re taking your leave to go out there and handle her business?”
“That’s not the worst. She called me this morning.”
“Uh oh.”
“Yeah. She’s got about six months. Maybe. Pancreatic.”
“Fuck, Stina. I’m sorry.” To say that Stina had a distant relationship with her mother was kind. Stina did her best to keep her mother at arm’s length, and mostly succeeded, but despite all the bullshit she’d gone through, familial guilt still plagued her. Piling all of that on top was going to make things worse. “So, what are you going to do?”
“I’m going out there to put her into a residential hospice place. Doc said the six months is generous.” She toyed with the crust of her pizza before tossing it onto the cardboard.
“I’m only taking ten days for this. Just long enough to get her settled in there. Already made all the arrangements. You know, I figured something else would get her. She stopped after Dad died. Didn’t do anything, didn’t go anywhere. I didn’t expect her to go to the bars on Friday nights, but fuck’s sake, she sat down and didn’t get back up unless she absolutely had to. That’s what I thought would kill her in the end. Not fucking cancer.” Stina blew out a long breath. “Anyway, that’s what it is. I’ll clean up the house a little, get the few valuables out of it, and when she’s gone, the state can take it.”
“You want me to go with you?” Lesley did some quick calculations. She had plenty of leave available.
“I love you, Les. Thank you, but no. If we’re gonna take a road trip, we’re going somewhere fun.” Stina got up and walked to the fridge. “Beer?”
Lesley nodded and accepted the bottle.
Stina folded herself back down onto the floor, took a swig, and grinned. “Now. Mr. Tall, muscled, and sexy. Spill.”
Lesley took a drink and started working her fingernail under the label. “He’s CID.” Stina’s eyebrows shot up. “Yeah. That’s what I thought. So’s the gal he was with. She’s okay, by the way.”
Stina’s shoulders relaxed. “Good. I hope they get the fucker who did this. What happened? How did you find him?”
“I went to the food court, and he came up behind me. We went to lunch.”
“He ask you out?”
