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In Liberty Lake you had an in because you were from the area, but it was more than that—you instill trust and loyalty among the men and women in blue, and that’s something we need when we go into small communities.
She instilled loyalty because she could play any part that was necessary. It was a knack she’d always had. Being raised by two con artists meant Kara read people better than most cops.
Which was another reason it burned her that Catherine didn’t trust her assessment of Madelyn Jeffries. You could only learn so much from a book or files. The one-on-one conversation said a whole lot more, and if every one of Kara’s interrogations was going to be second-guessed and duplicated, they would never make any forward progress on the case. Matt had to take a stand on this, or Kara would.
When they moved off the main road, Marcy picked up the pace and Kara easily kept up with her, even though Marcy had much longer legs.
Halfway down the two-lane road, the water came into view on the right. A few houses sat right on the water, but it still felt like they were in the middle of nowhere. Kara understood why Marcy liked this stretch.
Maybe, Kara thought, if she survived being a cop, in thirty years she could park herself on the water, not caring about the gossip of a small town. She could investigate insurance fraud, or maybe turn into that old broad the British lady wrote about all those years ago...a busybody. What was her name? Marble? Kara could sit on her front porch and solve crimes the cops couldn’t.
Boring, but if she made it to sixty and was forced to retire, she’d do it in a place like this because ofwater. It’s what she’d loved about growing up in Liberty Lake, what she loved about her apartment in Santa Monica, and what she loved about this job here in the San Juan Islands. Especially considering their last big assignment had sent them to the middle of the desert at the beginning of summer, this was like sitting down with a hot fudge sundae with extra fudge and cherries.
By the time they reached the end of the road, Kara felt more herself. Marcy slowed the pace and jogged down a worn dirt path toward the shore. There was an old shed and a dock that had collapsed into the water. Kara was surprised that a storm hadn’t swept it completely away. Maybe it was because they were in a small inlet that protected the rotting wood from complete destruction.
And right now, as the sun was rising quickly, it was pretty damn spectacular.
“I found this spot shortly after I moved here,” Marcy said as she stretched. “I love it. Sometimes on my day off I’ll walk out here with a blanket and sit down and read for an hour or two. You can’t even see the houses, and this is public land. No one seems to know about this place—I’ve never seen anyone, except other joggers or someone walking their dog.”
“Why’d you leave the big city for here?”
“A lot of little things. I think it was the hostility toward police in Seattle that finally sent me packing. I mean, people call us because they have a problem but treat us as if their problems were our fault.”
“Welcome to twenty-first-century policing.”
“We got hit hard in Seattle a few years back, and I felt like I just couldn’t do the job anymore. At least, I didn’t feel like I was making a difference. So when this opportunity came up, I jumped. Who wouldn’t want to live and work up here? Winter kind of sucks, it can be boring as hell, but then I go running along the coastline and feel...well, like I’m where I’m supposed to be. Home.”
Kara wondered if she would ever find a place she felt was home. In thirty years, only her grandma’s place even came close.
“I thought maybe I could settle down, you know?” Marcy continued. “A quieter life, find someone who appreciates me, have a baby. I’m thirty-four and single—I don’t have a lot of time.”
“A lot of women don’t even get married and they still have a kid.”
“Is that what you plan to do?”
She asked it as if it was a serious question.
“I’m not having kids.”
“Why? Don’t you like them?”
“Sure, they’re little people, I like them, but the world sucks. I’m not going to bring a kid into this mess.” She paused. “Maybe, down the road, I’d adopt an older kid, you know, someone who was dealt a bad hand.” She’d met a couple of kids in her undercover work that she’d wanted to help in the worst way. Sometimes she could.
Most of the time she couldn’t.
“But hey, you want a kid of your own. Who am I to say squat?”
“Do you think you’ll ever go back to LAPD?” Marcy asked. “Or do you like working with the FBI?”
It took Kara a second to remember she’d given Marcy the quick version of her situation in LA.
“If I have the opportunity? I’d go back. But things are up in the air right now.”
Marcy looked at her, expecting more, but Kara didn’t feel like sharing. Even though it was nearly four months ago, the whole fiasco was still raw. In fact, this way-too-personal conversation was giving her palpitations.
“We should head back,” she said. “I need to shower, then I’m interviewing McKinnon and following up with Justin Jeffries.”
“I’ll go with you.”
