Arissa tried to hold back the laugh, but she could so totally see Elmer and Sal doing that. “You really need to cuff them to that table of theirs. They’re menaces, the both of them.”
“Got them in the holding cell,” Hank said proudly with a trace of anger mixed in.
“Did they share why they did it? They had to have known what would happen?”
“Well,” Hank started with a drawl. “Where you want me to start?” It wasn’t a question he wanted Arissa to answer as he went on. “First, Hya dared them. Elmer refused cause he knew I’d get pissed. Sal then called him a pussy. You know Elmer doesn’t take kindly to being called a pussy. Then Hya said she was holding back her pussy till he did it.” Hank let out a breath, took another and added, “Don’t ya just fucking miss it all, Babe?”
“I do miss it,” she said softly. “I miss you, but I think we need to make sure all three of them are in your barn before we burn it down.”
“Speaking of murder, how’d it go with Sean?”
“He made it painless. I brought Danielle, the two hit it off.”
Some of Hank’s stress eased. He had no doubt Sean would go easy on her but hearing it felt fucking good. “Let me guess, Danielle is the blue-eyed, blonde hair, not so smart kinda girl?”
“Brilliant stager, but yeah she’s an airhead.”
“Yep,” Hank muttered. “Exactly Sean’s type. How’s work going?”
That guilt twisted in her gut knowing it was more than work keeping her from him. Craig would have the info on Catherine shortly, probably already had shit. Sasha should be calling her later too, when she arrived for shift. With luck, she’d know what was bugging Catherine by the time she went to bed. And even knowing she was nosing around where she shouldn’t, if it got Hank the answers he needed so he could put Catherine at ease, he’d be pissed at Arissa, but he’d forgive her. To him she said, “I’m about done. Should be wrapping shit up today. I’ll be heading home in the morning.”
“Hearing that makes my shit day better.”
“Maybe when I get back we can go away for a little,” Arissa suggested because she wanted alone time, just them, no interruptions.
Hank’s voice was a little lighter when he said, “Yeah, let’s fucking do it, plan to be sipping drinks with those fucking umbrellas in them, laying on a beach next week, Sweetheart.”
“And naked in a bed. Sounds perfect.”
“It is perfect,” Hank whispered but was clearly not talking about the vacation they had planned. “Call me later.”
“I will. Love you.”
“Love you.”
If she had known then what would happen next, she’d have gotten into her car right then and there and gone back home…back to Hank.
* * *
Arissa woke to the pounding at her door. Reaching for her phone, it was only six in the morning. Climbing from bed, she walked to the door, peeked out and saw it was Craig. It was the look of him that had her yanking the door open.
He didn’t wait to be invited in, pushing past her into her hotel room. “Got coffee?” He said, already looking around the room for the pot.
“What’s wrong, Craig?” Arissa asked, then studying him added, “Have you been up all night?”
“Yeah, on two pots of coffee and a dozen red bull, but once I got started I couldn’t stop.”
“Got started on what?” Arissa asked, even knowing the answer as a shiver moved down her spine.
“Looked into Catherine Barbos. On the surface, it looked legit.”
That shiver turned to a chill. “What do you mean on the surface it looked legit?”
Craig started pacing. “She worked for the shelter, was there for five years. Found a lot of medical bills, mostly fertility clinics.” He stopped pacing, pulled a hand through his hair. “Dropped a shit ton of money on trying to get pregnant.”
Catherine had trouble getting pregnant? That certainly explained her overprotectiveness toward Hank. He was, in a way, their miracle baby. The news softened Arissa’s opinion of Catherine.
“What isn’t legit about that?” Arissa asked.
“It’s moving further up the timeline,” Craig said.
“What does that mean?”
“It means all references to Catherine Barbos ceased to exist after nineteen eighty-four.”
“I don’t understand.”
“There’s nothing. No activity of any kind on her. No more medical bills, no marriage license, no credit cards statements. There’s nothing on her.”
Numbness moved through Arissa because that was weird. “Did you look into Catherine Weathers?”
“I did, yeah.” But Craig looked a little ill. Before she could ask him what was putting that look on his face her phone rang.
Looking at it, it was the hospital. “I need to take this. Why don’t you call down to room service, get yourself some water and food.” Craig went to the hotel phone as Arissa stepped out onto the balcony.
“Hello.”
“Is this Arissa Haywood?” A woman asked.
“Yes.”
“Sasha Michaels. Dorothy from Sacred Heart asked me to call you.”
Arissa leaned against the railing of the balcony because her legs were struggling to keep her up. “Yes, thank you for calling me back.” Based on what Craig had shared, Arissa wasn’t so sure she wanted to know the answer to the question but she heard herself asking.
“I was interested in learning about Catherine Barbos, her time at the shelter and her work with the hospital’s patients that found their way to the overflow room.”
“Can I ask why you’re asking?”
Arissa thought about it for about two seconds before she told her the truth. “I’m dating her son and her past haunts her. I’m hoping to put her at ease.”
Another long pause before Sasha shared. “I’m not surprised to hear that. It wasn’t an easy job Catherine took on. Addicts rarely get clean and when they’re pregnant, it makes it even harder. And when you’ve chosen to help people like that, you can only take so much of the brutality of life on the streets before it gets to you. That’s
