CHAPTER 11
Jan marched up to the information desk at the police station.
“You know the drill,” she said, addressing the front desk officer.
He gave her an annoyed look, then without saying a word picked up the receiver and called back for Detective Moore.
He stated that if he wasn’t available, Lieutenant O’Connor is requested at the front.
The desk officer did in fact know the drill.
Jan took a step away from the counter and waited for the door beside the window to open.
Finally, after what seemed like forever and a day, Detective Moore stepped out, followed by Lieutenant O’Connor.
She couldn’t help but smirk. Both of them present for the first time made her feel she had their undivided attention.
“Ms. Bingman, how can we help you?” Moore said.
Without saying a word, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the silver dollar. She held it at eye level. “Gentlemen, do you know what this is? And you’ll never guess where I found it.”
Jake reached for it, and Jan proudly placed it in his hand.
He examined it and flipped it over once. “No way. You found one? This is worth thousands alone.”
Detective Moore looked over Jake’s shoulder to study it too. “Okay, Ms. Bingman. Where did you find this?”
The coin still had dirt in its crevices and had patinaed too.
The lieutenant must have done research because he recognized the bicentennial San Francisco minted coin.
A feeling of justification washed over her.
“Right where Drew Thompson saw Geoff Wickham drop the box the night of the fire. In the backyard of my uncle’s house...
well, where his house once was,” she replied.
They didn’t respond right away, taking a moment to analyze the coin.
Moore was the first to break his gaze away from the coin. “How’d you find it? A metal detector?”
Maybe he was a detective after all, Jan thought.
“Yep. That’s exactly right, Detective. Something you should’ve done after receiving Drew Thompson’s statement.
” Jan stepped closer and Moore crossed his arms, standing his ground, which didn’t deter her in the least. “I want Wickham’s house searched, his place of work, and ... ”
“Let me stop you right there,” Moore said. “We can’t get a search warrant off one coin. Also, we didn’t collect it. You did. We can’t prove you found it where you said, and...”
“You don’t believe me?” Jan snapped.
Moore held his hand up. “It’s not that. I believe you, but we’ll never get a judge to sign-off on any search warrants this way. Listen,” he softened his tone, “I can question Wickham’s widow and see where that leads.”
“I already did that,” Jan scoffed. “She knows nothing. The last time Lainey Wickham talked to her husband was well before the fire.”
“I know, but maybe she knows something she doesn’t realize she knows. Let me do my job, Ms. Bingman.”
“Well, it’s about time! That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
Moore jammed his fists in his trouser pockets, giving her an expression of contempt.
Lieutenant O’Connor spoke up. “Ms. Bingman. This is a great lead. What Moore is trying to say is...” he glanced at Moore, “I mean we will follow up on this. Just let us.”
“Fine.” Jan finally felt somewhat vindicated. Now they knew she wasn’t crazy, and the coins did in fact exist. Detective Moore never verbalized it, but she’d always felt he thought she’d made it up. “I expect updates though,” she added.
Moore nodded. “Give us three days, and I’ll report back to you.”
* * *
A swift double knock on the door made Lainey look at the clock.
Robert was exactly on time. She patted her hands on a dish towel, then went to the front door.
She opened it, suddenly remembering she’d meant to take a peek in the mirror first. Too late now.
It is what it is. She glanced down and discovered she’d accidentally left her apron on too.
Once she saw him, she forgot her worries, as if she was a doe-eyed teenage girl looking at a star quarterback.
There he was, all six feet four of him. Broad shoulders and a soft smile greeting her. Lainey remembered what Robert looked like, but she’d disregarded the memory of the physical effect he’d had on her. She literally felt her heart jump a few beats. “Hey stranger,” she smiled, inviting him in.
He stepped inside, and she felt her chest pulsating, her heart pounded. She was far more nervous than she’d expected.
He dressed casually in jeans and a long sleeve shirt. The shirt’s fabric hugged in all the right places. His freshly shaven jaw glinted, and she got a whiff of aftershave.
He was here, actually here in her house. She feared touching him or letting him touch her, as if this were a dream and he might vanish.
She stepped back to broaden the space between them. She’d forgotten how freaking massive he was. Her furniture seemed so dainty next to him.
For the first time, she felt self-conscious about her home. Does he like it? Does he feel comfortable? He surveyed the living room, and she wondered what he was thinking?
She’d moved all of Viv’s Barbies and books to her room. Lainey wanted Robert to see HER tonight, not Vivian’s mother. She wanted to be Lainey tonight, whoever she was anyway.
Finally, her hostess mind kicked in. “What would you like to drink?” She proceeded to the kitchen, and he followed. “I have iced tea, soda, beer, white wine...”
“Iced tea’s good.”
She retrieved a pitcher from the fridge and poured him a glass. “Dinner is almost ready,” she said, handing the glass to him. “I thought we’d sit at the table in here instead of the dining room, if that’s okay?” She motioned to the kitchen table, already set with two place settings.
Robert pulled a chair and sat. “Fine by me.”
Lainey had first sat the dining room table, an hour before he arrived. She rummaged through cabinets to find candles left over from a holiday dinner. However, she lost her nerve as soon as she found them. She might appear as a forlorn widow trying to seduce him with a candlelit dinner.
No, this was supposed to be a nice dinner, seasoned with friendly conversation and a relaxed ambiance. That was it. A nice dinner, definitely not romantic in any way. She decided the kitchen was better suited for tonight’s casual meal.
When Lainey opened the door, revealing her knockout self on the other side, Robert had to hold himself back. He couldn’t wait to see and touch her. He’d been eager since yesterday, knowing today was the day. He suppressed the smile he felt emerging on his face as he caught sight of her.
He was going to greet her with a hug, but she’d immediately stepped out of reach when he entered the house. The warm, savory smell of something cooking filled the air, and his stomach rumbled.
It was as he’d predicted. Her house was clean and comfortable.
As she led him to the kitchen, he couldn’t help but notice her blue jeans hugged her ass perfectly.
He took the glass of iced tea and sat down at the table, observing her move effortlessly in her element.
She had a cute checkered apron tied around her waist, and he had a vision of her wearing nothing but the apron.
“It smells amazing,” he said. They spoke so comfortably over the phone nearly every night, but now in person he felt a bit unstable. He’d forgotten how inadequate he felt with a woman like Lainey.
He started questioning himself internally. Had she realized through their phone conversations what an unstable, crap-tastic man he was? A man completely unsuitable for her to be romantically interested in.
Maybe tonight was her way of putting him in the friend zone, once and for all. She was being nice in giving the soldier a home-cooked meal, but she’d be sending him on his way by dessert.
He took a sip of iced tea and caught his hand tremor as he sat the glass on the table.
It dumbfounded him. Again he was nervous, but instead of clamming up and coming across as an asshole like the first time he met Lainey, he was having this physical reaction.
The voice in his head, which was on repeat, didn’t help. It kept saying, “Don’t fuck this up.”
Man, he liked her.
How on earth did this happen? His plan was to be stationed here until things cooled down with his sister and his dad’s health. He also needed time to clear his head after his last mission.
Only four months left and he’d be out of here, onto the next post. But he hadn’t decided yet. Knowing he wouldn’t return to the Unit, his best choice was to become an instructor for Army Intelligence.
But maybe his heart was telling him it was time to plant roots.
He started imagining what life with Lainey would be like.
Could he live in this house? Could he help raise her daughter?
Was this a chance to see all the milestones he’d missed with his own daughter?
Could he raise another man’s daughter, when he barely raised his own?
He was unexpectedly struck by a realization. He had developed genuine feelings for this woman.
Never had these questions surfaced with any woman he’d dated. Not even his ex-wife. She’d been in the service and had had her own military career. Neither of them wanted children, and she understood his weeks-long absences. At least he thought she did.
This was different. He couldn’t go missing for weeks on end with a woman like Lainey, he wouldn’t want to. He studied her gliding from the fridge to the sink to the oven. If she didn’t show the slightest interest tonight, he’d be crushed.
Lainey could feel his eyes on her as she moved about the kitchen.
Did he like what he saw? Was he second-guessing accepting her invitation tonight?
He was quiet. She started plating the food and kept forgetting things like garnishes and finishing touches of seasonings she’d carefully thought out beforehand. She sighed.
“Can I help you with anything?” He finally said something.
“Oh, thank you, but no. It’s ready,” she replied, placing the plates on the table.