She was quiet for a moment and he wondered if he had overstepped his bounds giving voice to the desire that he would like to be at her house. Just as he was beginning to backtrack, she eased his mind.
“I can’t think of anything I’d like better,” she said. “Are you sure you don’t want to come over when work is finished? Colleen and I’ll be there.”
He opened his mouth to agree, then hesitated. Am I ready for this? It seemed like such an insignificant invitation— go to her house after work. See her and Colleen informally, not for a date. Eat something, share their day, everyone checking on each other. The answer to his question was abso-fucking-lutely yes. “If you don’t mind, I’d love to stop by and see you two.”
The relief in her voice was audible and he smiled. “Today we moved the investigation forward, Tara. I got to spend some time tying up some loose ends here. Plus, Evan and I need to figure out our next step.”
“I can’t believe that somebody’s been dealing drugs through our lunch program.” Tara’s voice was tight as she continued. “I also can’t believe that you won’t let me shut it all down.”
“Babe, you know this is the only lead we’ve got. It doesn’t matter how many Levi’s are out there, we’ve got to figure out where these drugs are coming from and shut down the pipeline. I’m not after the small fish, I want the fuckin’ whale.”
A snort came across the phone line, and he grinned wider. Evan walked into the room, and he halted his conversation but now knew they could continue it at her place. “Gotta go for now. See you tonight, babe.”
Disconnecting, he turned his attention toward his partner.
Evan sat down and laughed. “Fuck, man. Weeks of this investigation like our feet are stuck in molasses. Suddenly, today, all hell breaks loose.”
Chuckling, he nodded. Looking up at the board, he said, “So, now we know the use of the lunch line to get people down on their luck—especially someone who’s already addicted—to carry and distribute. We spent today chasing down Levi and that line of questioning. I want to spend some time this evening digging into Lewis Washington. First thing in the morning, we’re getting that fucker and see where that takes us.”
26
Tara sat in her office, thinking about her call with Carter. Excited that he was coming over that evening, she knew it would not be early. Glancing at her clock, she saw that her workday was at an end. The events of the day had played heavily on her mind, not the least finding out from Levi about his opioid addiction.
Looking down at her phone messages from the day, she saw one from Kate. She hated that she had not seen the message earlier, being the kind of day that she could have shared with someone who understood. Knowing the clinic’s phone would have already been shut down for the day, she wondered if Kate was still next door. Since Colleen was at a friend’s house playing, she decided to run over to the clinic, hoping to see Kate before she left.
Tara grabbed her keys and walked down the hall in the opposite direction of the reception area. The little-used door that led from the shelter to the back of the clinic’s supply area was kept locked to ensure that none of the shelter residents had access to the clinic that way.
She moved through the door and was just passing a supply closet when she heard sounds of panting and moaning. The instinct to rush through to see if someone needed help was halted at the sound of voices.
“Robert, Robert… hurry.”
“Shift around a little bit, Beth. I can’t get a condom on.”
At that breathy declaration, Tara froze. The supply closet door was not shut completely, and she was afraid of moving for fear that they would know someone was there. The sounds of hushed moaning continued, and she couldn’t imagine Robert having sex in the clinic. Granted, the clinic was officially closed by now, and much of the staff had probably left.
Her face burned at the fear of being branded a peeping Tom, even though there was no peeping to be had. Finally, after a long, low groan, she could eventually hear the sound of rustling clothes. Coming unfrozen, she tiptoed past, but not before she heard Robert tell Beth that she needed to stay quiet.
Continuing to tip-toe down the hall, she did not see any of the nurses or staff. Deciding she would come back tomorrow, she turned, then hesitated. How the hell am I supposed to go back the way I came without running into Robert and Beth? Skirting around the main reception area, she saw Dr. Tiller’s door open. If I talk to him for a few minutes, that will give the lovebirds a chance to pull themselves together.
She knocked on the doorframe and he looked up in surprise.
“Tara? Is everything okay?”
Nodding, she said, “Yes. I actually came by to see Kate. She had called and left a message for me earlier today, but it was a crazy day.”
He shook his head and sighed. “It makes me wonder if we’re not having a full moon. The clinic was hopping today as well.”
“Her message was that she desperately needed to talk to me, so I feel really bad that I didn’t even get the note until she had left.” She sighed heavily and offered a little smile that was more polite than happiness. “I had asked her to get some information on opioids to me.”
His eyes widened. “Opioids?”
Nodding, she said, “Yes, but not just the prescribed ones. I’m also interested in the illegally manufactured drugs.”
“Is there any special reason why?”
She lifted her shoulders in a slight shrug. “Let’s just call it professional curiosity. We’re seeing more and more of it, and
