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Finally, I realized I was lying on the couch in our living room. Remnants of the boys’ game night were still evident. Extra chairs were pulled around the Nintendo system, which was still hooked to the TV, and two empty pi
zza boxes sat neatly stacked on the floor, waiting to be recycled.
I looked to the foot of the couch and realized it was Brian who’d brushed my feet as he gathered up some papers and stuffed them into his backpack.
Brian said in a quiet voice, “It’s just me, Dad. My phone was stuck in the couch and I needed some of these papers. Sorry.” He stood up and slipped on the backpack. “Why are you sleeping on the couch? Did you have a fight with Mary Catherine?”
I shook my head, actually had to think before I answered, as if I’d been drinking the night before and everything was confused. “I got in late, didn’t want to wake her, and the next thing I knew you were here.” I looked at the blinds and saw slants of sunshine pushing through the slats. “What time is it?”
“About six thirty in the morning. I think everyone else is still asleep. They’ve all been really quiet.”
That quiet was shattered a few moments later as my other sons all came tumbling out of their rooms. I looked at Brian and said, “Thanks for the gentle wake-up, as opposed to the cymbal clash of our very own Bennett family percussion section.”
I stood up and realized I was even still wearing my shoes from the night before. My body was stiff, and I tried to shake out my shoulders. I felt like I was doing a walk of shame when I shambled into the dining room. The girls all smiled. Chrissy jumped up and gave me a hug.
Mary Catherine said in a flat voice, “You need more sleep.”
I wanted to say, No shit. Instead, I just nodded.
Mary Catherine was serious. “The wedding is sooner than you think. I don’t want you making yourself sick from not eating or sleeping right.” She walked across the kitchen into the dining room, then kissed me gently on the forehead. “The boys told me you got called out again last night. Did you get a break on the serial killer?”
I shook my head and mumbled, “Just another body.”
Mary Catherine spoke up so everyone could hear her. “That’s why I instituted a no news policy in this house. There’s nothing else on the news these days but the murders. CNN is even starting to cover them.” She looked at the bright faces around the dining room table and said, “Does everyone understand?”
There were nods and mumbling as Mary Catherine returned to the kitchen. Not watching the news wasn’t a particular hardship on my kids. I plopped into the chair at the end of the table and just listened to the simple chatter between the kids. It was nice to get a sense of what was going on with my family.
Jane looked at her phone and frowned. “Allan didn’t text me good night.”
Juliana teased her sister. “Give it a rest, Jane. We all know you have a boyfriend.”
Fiona added, “And we know he’s cute.”
Bridget chimed in. “And he plays on the lacrosse team.”
Jane knew they were winding her up but couldn’t help throwing in “Captain of the lacrosse team.”
Mary Catherine came back out of the kitchen. “That’s enough, girls. Leave your sister alone.”
I closed my eyes for a moment and immediately felt myself start to doze off. Instead, I stood up again. “Gotta shower and get back into the office. Lots to do.” I clapped my hands together as if I was excited about the prospect.
Mary Catherine gave me a stern look. “You can’t sleep for a couple more hours?”
“Afraid not.”
“This case won’t affect our wedding, will it?”
“No way.”
She seemed dubious.
I added, “I promise.”
Mary Catherine knew I wouldn’t break a promise.
Chapter 59
I’d like to say I was more than ready to face another day when I sat down at my desk in the Manhattan North Homicide office. But that would be a lie. Almost as soon as I sat in my new rolling leather chair—Mary Catherine had ordered it from Office Depot after I complained one too many times about city-issued furniture aggravating my aching back—all I wanted to do was put my head down on the desk and go back to sleep. But a twenty-minute nap would do nothing for me. What I really needed was a two-week nap to get back to normal.
