Mary sank back down to the sofa again for the simple reason that her knees had finally given way. Then a sound drew her attention. She looked up and saw the most beautiful sight in all the world. The two men she loved beyond all reason were staring at her as if she were an ice cream sundae and they were just waiting on spoons.
She jumped up again and took a step forward and then stopped. Her gaze slid to the floor, to the unconscious form of Joey Conway, who was, thank God, still breathing.
Then she looked at her men again.
Anthony and Toby traded a look and spoke at the same time.
“Fuck this.”
Mary didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when they both said that. But when they came to her and gathered her close, she knew what to do. She clung. She clung so hard she didn’t know if she would ever let go of them again.
* * * *
“That was not the most pleasant experience.” Anthony considered he made out better than Toby had. The cotton swab Robert Jessop needed to use for the test had triggered Toby’s gag reflex.
“Agreed,” Adam Kendall said.
They were in the living room of Mary’s house, where he, Toby, and Mary had decided they were going to self-quarantine for the next twenty-one days. Not fourteen, because Robert had been studying and consulting and had decided that going forward, they were going to make it three instead of two weeks.
Adam was going to complete filling out the reports on his laptop. He’d been nearly finished taking Mary’s statement when Robert, in full protective gear, had arrived.
When Adam was done, he would send those reports to Matt, and then he was taking himself off to one of the RVs the town had set up by the cottage—a ridiculous name for what looked more like a country lodge than a cottage—that was the property of the Town Trust.
Adam didn’t know how right he was when he told us we were lucky. He felt bad his long-time friend and soon-to-be cousin had been exposed to the virus. But he had insisted on being the one through the door first, and Anthony and Toby were both cop enough to understand this really was his jurisdiction and not theirs, his call, and not theirs.
Anthony would contact his captain as soon as the three of them were alone. The results of the test administered by Warren and Ed Jessop to Joey Conway and processed immediately by their cousin Marc Jessop, who used to work for the CDC, had come back positive. They’d transported him to a hospital in Waco.
“We’ll have the results soon, and I’ll let you know,” Robert said.
“Thank you, Robert. I’d give you a hug, but….” Mary’s voice trailed off.
Robert chuckled. “I’ll consider myself hugged,” he said. “And I’ll be back in two days for your next tests. In the meantime, if any of you begin to experience any symptoms, call.”
“We will,” Anthony said. “Thanks.”
Robert opened the door then turned back. “Our team works fast. There’s a bin with fresh PPE on the right and another bin—a red one—on the left for the used gear. And Adam? Your cruiser’s been replaced by one of the family cars.”
He shut the door, and Anthony turned because he sensed Mary’s gaze on him.
“Wow, you guys really did organize procedures, didn’t you?”
“And we have a backup medical team in the wings, just in case,” Adam said. Adam looked at Mary. “I think I’ve got enough notes here, and of course, we have the recording made by the surveillance equipment. I also have said equipment, all of it.” He held up the plastic bag that held all the devices that he and Toby had planted earlier. He nodded his thanks to Adam for showing her those little bugs.
“Toby, I think we’ll hold off on having Joey Conway charged right away. Do you want Matt to call Beck, or will you?”
“Let me take care of that, please.” Toby’s expression said it all. He wasn’t looking forward to disappointing his former partner with the news that Joey had indeed been their stalker—or that he’d contracted the virus. On the other hand, Joey was alive. Whether or not he survived the virus, well, only time would answer that question.
“All right. We’ll discuss possible charges here, after you’ve had a conversation with the department in Casper.”
Anthony understood Adam’s reasoning. “Joey did admit to having sold information to the gang. But listening to the way he went on, just before he collapsed? Dude’s been suffering for a long time. I know it’s not an excuse.” Anthony did know that. Aside from being a cop, he was a Texan. Texans believed in being responsible for their own actions.
“It’s not an excuse,” Adam agreed. “But it is an explanation. And, too, what happened here? A good defense attorney could get him off based on diminished capacity.”
“I was thinking that,” Toby said. “I know he hates me, but now that I understand why…he was only eleven when I became his grandfather’s partner. In all the ways that count for the measure of a man, he really hasn’t matured much beyond adolescence.” Then he met Adam’s gaze. “Thanks, cousin. I mean that.”
“You’re welcome.”
Adam made ready to leave.
“I have one more question,” Mary asked. “How did Joey get the virus? Is it because he went camping out in the woods by the stream?”
“I spoke to Mel and Connor, who’ve been tracking his movements,” Adam said. “Apparently, he was frequenting some bars in town, hanging out with all sorts of people. One of them, a man who took Joey out to a farm outside of Waco, to buy that car we found at the motel? Well, that guy is hospitalized with the virus. Calculating it out, Joey spent a good two hours with the man, some of that time in a vehicle.”
“Wow, it really is contagious, then.”
“It is. And the trickiest part? A lot of people who are testing positive don’t seem to have
