“I’ll see what I can do. I’m leaving Saturday.”
Joni sighed and laid a hand on her shoulder. “I’m really going to miss you, Harper.”
“I’m going to miss you, too. And not just for your cooking and your wine. I think we should go sweater shopping for your date. Maybe something with a little scoop neck that you can cover with a scarf. Then if things are going well, you can take the scarf off.”
Joni laughed and poured them both more wine.
***
Luke leaned against Ty’s cruiser. His anger and frustration at being kept out of the interview with Glenn kept him warm against the frosty morning air and the subzero look Detective Rameson had tossed his way.
He kicked at the cracked asphalt.
He should be in there. Not waiting in the fucking parking lot. He felt useless and that was new for him. It wasn’t easy to step back and let someone else take care of a situation. One that he wanted to handle himself, in his own way. Let that fucker take one step in Harper’s direction. That’s all it would take.
He was in charge, in control. At work, in the Guard. That’s how he liked it. The responsibility was heavy, but the alternative was this. Standing and waiting for someone else to get the job done.
He had tried calling Harper again after he left the police station last night. But all he got in return was a text thanking him for dropping off the groceries and coat. She didn’t respond to him after that and he had to talk himself out of driving over to Joni’s house and dragging her out of there to talk to him. In the end, he decided it would be better to take care of the problem without her knowing.
He spotted Ty and Rameson as they exited the building and pushed away from the car.
“Well?”
“We got him,” Ty said, tapping the hood.
“What did he say? Did Perry send him?”
“You guys wanna grab some breakfast and talk strategy?” Rameson asked, zipping her coat.
Luke grilled Ty on the way to the restaurant.
“Don’t even think of making me wait until we get there.”
“Yeah, yeah. If it were Soph, I’d have my undies in a wad too,” Ty sighed. “Glenn sang like a damn soprano as soon as Rameson told him he’d die in prison like his pal Clive Perry.
“He told us he met Perry his first week in, and as soon as Perry found out that he knew Harper, well they got nice and chummy. Says Perry was the one who got his mom the cash for his bail and promised him more than that after the deed was done.
“All he had to do was slit Harper’s throat and whisper that fucker’s name in her ear as she died.”
The image flashed into Luke’s mind before he could guard against it. He took a second to push it back, catch his breath.
“Glenn swears he wasn’t actually gonna kill her, but he felt like he at least owed it to Perry to rough her up some.” Ty pulled into the parking lot of a long, squat building that promised “Homemade Everything.”
“You okay?”
Luke wanted to put his fist through the window of the cruiser and pretend it was Clive Perry’s face. He wanted to bolt out the door and run the twenty miles home to find Harper and wrap her in his arms and promise nothing bad would ever happen to her. She had come within inches of her life and he hadn’t been there to save her.
This time he would.
“I’m fine. Let’s go,” Luke said, trying to keep his tone neutral.
They got out of the car and met Rameson at the door. “Well I can see from your cheerful expression that Adler here told you what we got.”
“Perry doesn’t walk,” Luke snapped out.
“Yeah, yeah, tough guy. Get inside already. I’m hungry,” Rameson pushed past him and into the restaurant.
They ordered coffee and eggs from a waitress who looked like she was 12, and they talked strategy.
“We got a good start with Glenn rolling on him. He’ll testify to save his own ass.”
“Case would be airtight with a confession from Perry,” Rameson said, stirring an endless stream of sugar into her coffee.
“He’s not going to talk to you,” Luke said.
“No shit, he’s not,” she said, eyeing him. “However, a pissed off boyfriend who tries to tell him that he’s never gonna get near her?”
Luke smiled grimly. “Because he’s a weak, pathetic old man.”
“Exactly.” She grinned. “Maybe you’ll be useful after all, dumbass.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
Luke pulled open the heavy metal door of the prison’s visitor entrance and stepped into the cramped vestibule. A guard behind glass pointed to the speaker on Luke's side.
He leaned forward. “Here to see Clive Perry.” He felt like he was ordering movie tickets.