Something Like That
CHAPTER
ONE
Bill Polaski paced back and forth, covering the same five feet of
linoleum more than one hundred times in the five minutes he’d been in the tiny
exam room. Normally he was a patient
man, it was one of his strengths, but today was different.
“Honey, why don’t you sit down.”
Bill looked across the room at his brother’s partner, Lloyd Garreth.
In the chair next to him, Bill’s younger brother, Danny, squeezed
Lloyd’s hand.
“It’s OK. He needs to
pace. It’s fine.”
“He’s making you nervous, baby,” Lloyd argued.
His ruddy face was creased with lines of concern, dark circles smudged
beneath his normally smiling eyes.
“It’s OK. He’s just
worried.”
Frustrated that they were talking as if he weren’t there, Bill stopped
and looked for a place to sit. Danny
and Lloyd occupied the two chairs, leaving only the rolling stool for the
doctor, or the exam table. Knowing
Lloyd was right, that he was making Danny nervous, Bill propped his shoulder
against the wall. “Sorry,” he
mumbled shoving his messy hair out of his face.
He needed a haircut, badly. But
when was there time?
“Billy, it’s fine. Pace
if you need to.”
Bill looked over at Danny, startled.
It had been years since Danny called him Billy, and it worried him.
Really looking at Danny for the first time since he met the couple in the
waiting room ten minutes ago, he understood why Danny was reverting back to the
childhood name Bill had given up around age eleven.
Danny was scared. His brown
eyes, eyes once identical to Bill’s, were now too large for his shrunken face,
his skin a sallow yellow-green tint. He
hadn’t gained any weight in the past few months. If
anything, he was thinner than before. His
rich brown hair, the same as Bill’s, now had an almost gray tint to it.
It looked as tired and sick as the rest of him.
Once upon a time, looking at Danny had been like looking in a mirror.
Now he was looking at a stranger.
Bill hadn’t thought
anything of it at the time, but he realized now that Lloyd’s new habit of
putting his arm around his lover was not only an affectionate gesture but a
necessary one. Danny was weak and
needed the support to stand. He
looked so old and tired, Bill could barely believe it was the same person he’d
taught to ride a bike, had tutored through biology, had tried to explain girls
to - although now he understood why that one had been so difficult.
“Have you been taking your vitamins?” Bill asked.
Danny leaned his head back against the wall with a long-suffering sigh.
“Yes, thank you, big brother. I
already have one nanny, and that’s quite enough.”
“We worry,” Lloyd snapped.
Obviously, Bill had hit
on a sore spot. “Dan, why don’t
you lie down on the exam table, get a quick nap before the doctor comes back.
You look tired.” There was
an understatement.
“I’m fine,” Danny said although his eyes were barely open.
“Dr. Kaufman should be here any minute.”
Bill resisted the urge to snort. Doctors
were notorious for leaving people waiting, and Dr. Kaufman was one of the worst
he had experienced. Before he could
say anything, however, the pager on his waistband began to vibrate.
He checked the number and saw that it was from his partner.
Nodding at his hip, Bill opened the door.
“I gotta return this call. I’ll
be right back.”
Danny gave a slight head movement that might have been a nod and Lloyd
made a shooing motion. Glad for the
excuse, Bill escaped to the hall.
He walked down to the window where he could get better reception on his
cell phone, and dialed.
Adam Southall answered before the first ring finished.
“Southall.”
“What’s up?”
“How’s your brother?”
Bill cleared his throat. Although
he and Adam had grown to be friends over the year and a half they’d worked
together he still didn’t like discussing his personal life much.
He didn’t discuss it with anyone, really, and Adam had plenty on his
plate to worry about with the new baby. “We’re
still waiting for the doctor.”
Bill heard a mumbled word that was probably a curse but he couldn’t be
sure. “What’s up?”
“I’m on my way to a crime scene.
Looks like hubby got a little carried away.
Wife has a split skull and is on the way to the hospital.
Most likely she’ll be DOA.”
Bill resisted the urge to throw out a few of his own curse words.
He may have arrested plenty of them, but he would never understand how a
man could beat the woman he supposedly loved.
Even his jackass of a father had never hit his mother.
“Where are they taking her?”
“Sinai. Why, where are
you?”
“One and the same.”
“Perfect. When you’re
done with your brother, check on her, then get your ass on over here.
I’m told it’s pretty messy, so I’ll be there a while.”
Oh goody. “What’s her
name?”
Adam rattled off a name and address.
Bill was about to hang up when Adam added, “Hey, Polaski.”
“Yeah?”
“I hope everything goes OK with Danny.”
Bill sighed. “Thanks.”
*
* *
Dr. Kaufman was just sitting down on his stool when Bill let himself back
into the exam room. He gave Bill a
nod and a stiff smile. “Hello,
Detective. It’s nice to see you
again.”
Bill just nodded. He
couldn’t say it was nice to see the doc. He’d
be quite happy never to see Kaufman again.
He resumed his lean against the wall and waited for the doctor to start.
“Well, Daniel, it looks as if there’s a good reason you’ve been
feeling so under the weather.”
Bill swallowed hard against the fear eating through him the way the
cancer was eating through Danny. He
was aware of how rigid his body was against the wall, but none of the relaxation
techniques he knew were working. This
was too overwhelming.
“The tests we did indicate that the cancer has come back.
I’m afraid you’ve had a relapse.”
He was vaguely aware of Dr. Kaufman continuing to explain Danny’s blood
work, talking about cell counts and white cells versus red cells and blah blah
blah. Bill could barely hear it over
the roaring and pounding in his head.
He couldn’t do it
again. More importantly, Danny
couldn’t. He was so weak already.
Another round of chemotherapy might kill him just as easily as the
leukemia.
Danny had always been a frail child.
Growing up, he usually had a runny nose or an upset stomach.
During the first round of chemo a year ago, his lagging body had barely
been able to survive.
Bill fought the memories
of his brother vomiting on himself because he was too weak to sit up and use the
bucket Lloyd kept at the bedside. He’d
dropped to less than a hundred pounds, his five-foot-ten frame so bony he barely
looked human.
They couldn’t do it again. None
of them. Lloyd had been strong for
Danny, but Bill remembered finding him curled on the couch, reduced to sobs, on
more than one occasion.
There had to be another way. Had
to.
Bill was about to open his mouth to tell the doctor his thoughts when
Lloyd stood and helped Danny to his feet. Dr.
Kaufman was holding out his hand for them to shake.
“Make an appointment for Monday, and we’ll discuss treatment
options.” He gave Bill his hand,
which Bill obligingly shook, and then left the room.
Bill cleared his throat as he waited to follow Danny and Lloyd from the
room. Why couldn’t the busy doctor
take the time to talk to them now, dammit? But
Kaufman had said options. That
meant something other than chemo.
That had to be a good sign.
*
* *
Vicki Whitley picked up the file in her in-box as she scooted around her
desk. She dropped into her chair,
flipped open the file and skimmed the initial report while she unwrapped her
sandwich.
She paused mid-bite, fighting the sickness that rolled through her.
Another woman dead at the hands of her husband.
Memory of Michael.
At least this one had
confessed and she would get a conviction. Most
likely. With that small comfort the
sick feeling subsided and she was able to finish her bite and eat her lunch.
At least she’d found a good sandwich shop.
At her last job it took her three weeks before she found a decent
take-out place. This time, only five
days. She allowed herself a few
minutes to sit back in her chair and eat the first half of the chicken salad on
pumpernickel in relative relaxation. She
closed her eyes and focused on the creamy yet chewy mixture, trying not to think
about the folder in front of her.
Two minutes later she sat back upright, wrapped the other half of the
sandwich to eat on her way home, and pulled the file closer.
Time for a more detailed reading.
She only got as far as the name of the detective filing the report before
she stopped.
William Polaski? Billy
Polaski? She hadn’t talked to him
in years. It couldn’t possibly be
the same person. It just didn’t
fit with her memory of him. He’d
been skinny with gorgeous brown eyes and brown hair that always seemed to need a
haircut. And the freckles he hated
so much. Little Billy Freckleski was
a homicide detective? No way.
Still...
Needing to know if her old friend and her new colleague were one in the
same, Vicki picked up her folder and hurried down the hall to Jesse Long’s
office. She didn’t know anyone in
the office very well, but Jesse had been extremely helpful.
Of course, he was also
devastatingly gorgeous, with the kind of bad-boy smile she would have melted for
a decade ago. He had a reputation to
match, and she was certain some of his helpfulness sprung from a desire to get
to know the new tall blond in the office on a much more personal level.
She had no intention of getting involved with the man, but she would use
his hospitality to her benefit.
Jesse’s door was open and he was at his desk, hunched over a thick
stack of legal briefs. She knocked
on the doorframe, then stepped over the threshold.
When he looked up, Jesse’s mild frown shifted to a wide grin.
His brown eyes crinkled in the corners and Vicki almost wished she had it
in her to have at least a fling with him. He
was probably as amazing in bed as he thought he was, and he definitely was not
lacking in the self-esteem category. But
she wasn’t letting herself get excited by any man these days, and except for
during the occasional burst of hormones, she was fine with that.
“To what do I owe this privilege, Miss Whitley?”
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
“I was looking over the file for my newest case, and I was curious if
you know the detectives working on it?”
Jesse gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk.
“I’m sure I do. Who is
it?”
Vicki sat, crossing her legs, glad she’d worn pants rather than a
skirt. She did not need to give
Jesse an excuse to ogle her legs. “The
detective writing the report is William Polaski.
He lists his partner as Adam Southall.”
“Bill and Adam? Sure.
They’re good friends of mine. My
brother used to work with Adam.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize you have a brother who’s a detective.”
The sparkle in Jesse’s eyes dimmed.
“I did. He died in the line
of duty about two years ago.”
Vicki struggled against the urge to put her hand over his and give him a
reassuring squeeze. There was
nothing she could do to take away his hurt, so what was the point in trying?
Still, she at least had to say, “I’m so sorry.”
Jesse shrugged. “Me too.
Anyway, yeah, I’m friends with Adam, and I know Bill pretty well too.
In fact, Adam and his wife are having a party tonight.
A combination housewarming and one month birthday for their daughter.
If you’re free, I’d love for you to join me.”
Vicki’s stomach started jiggling. She
took a deep breath. “Oh, that’s
very sweet, Jesse. Really, but
I...it’s not...I shouldn’t.”
“Don’t worry, I can be a perfect gentleman when I want to be.”
He winked at her. “It’s a
way to get to know some of your colleagues.
Quite a few of the people here are going, and I imagine there will be a
number of other detectives there as well.”
“Oh, well, I...” What was
her problem? It wasn’t like she
had a whirling social life. Aside
from taking her dog, Lucky, for a walk, her Friday night – hell, her whole
weekend – was totally free. “Alright.
That sounds like fun.”
*
* *
Bill watched his partner lift his tiny daughter to his shoulder and kiss
her fuzzy head. A stab of envy
pierced his stomach. He knew that
Adam’s life wasn’t perfect, but looking at him now, no one would ever guess
that. He was madly in love with
Janey, and madly in love with his wife, Tonya.
They had a brand new house in a nice neighborhood, Tonya’s day spa was
starting to make a profit, and Adam was considered one of the best detectives in
the department.
With a long pull from his Miller Genuine Draft, Bill forced himself to
stop his train of thought. His own
life wasn’t terrible. He would
meet the right woman soon enough, and the family part would fall into place.
As Adam’s partner, and a pretty damn good detective on his own, he was
respected at work. He had a brand
new house, too, having recently bought Adam and Tonya’s old house.
And the thing with Danny, well, they’d get through it.
It would suck, but he would be with Danny and Lloyd for every step.
“That doesn’t look like a party face.”
Bill turned to see Jesse Long approaching with a grin on his face.
Bill forced a smile. “Long
day.”
Jesse nodded. “I hear ya.”
He propped an elbow on the breakfast bar, next to Bill.
“Although, as some weeks go, this one has been pretty good.”
Bill looked over in time to see Jesse wink.
Which meant Jesse had met yet another new woman.
Some guys had all the luck. Or
maybe it was that he had all the looks. Not
that he was much judge, but Bill could tell Jesse was an attractive man.
How had Danny put it? The
kind of guy to spread on toast, lick off your fingers, and then devour.
Something like that. “So,
who is she?”
“We got a new
Bill tried not to roll his eyes. He
wasn’t sure he succeeded.
“Blond, big blue eyes, and legs that don’t end.”
Sounded pretty much like Jesse’s type.
Usually, though, he stayed away from women at work, since his longest
relationship to date had lasted all of five weeks.
“In fact, I wanted to introduce you to her.”
Jesse punched Bill on the shoulder. “She’s
got a case-“
“Hey, guys!”
Bill and Jesse turned to see Heidi Melnyk, the victim’s advocate who
worked in the DA’s office. She
reached her hand to Bill’s shoulder and pulled him down to kiss his cheek.
“It’s good to see you, Bill. It’s
been a while.”
“Yeah, you too.”
Heidi moved around the counter into the kitchen.
“Jesse. Nice to see you,
too.”
Beside him, Jesse had stiffened. He’d
gone so rigid, Bill thought he might actually snap something.
“Heidi.”
Trying to ignore the tension between the two of them, Bill turned to talk
to Heidi.
“You got glasses.” He
smiled at Heidi. The funky
tortoiseshell frames went perfectly with her funky personality.
“Yeah. I realized when I
couldn’t read the license plate of the car in front of me that it was probably
time to start wearing them.” She
smiled sheepishly. “I hate having
them on my face, but I guess I don’t have much choice.”
“You could get contacts.” Bill
remembered the oversized round, wire frames he used to wear, before he
discovered contacts. God, he’d
been a geek. Still was, really. He
just hid it better now.
Heidi shuddered. “I can’t
stand the idea of putting something right on my eyeball.
Yuck.”
Bill chuckled. “It’s not
so bad.”
Heidi pulled a bowl of pasta salad out of the refrigerator.
“Well, I’ll just leave the eyeball touching to you.
I’ll stick with my glasses, thanks.”
She tossed a brilliant smile over her shoulder, then headed for the
dining room.
Bill took a swig of his beer and turned back to Jesse.
Jesse’s fists had unclenched but the tendon in his jaw was still
jumping. Bill resisted the urge to
shake his head. He knew Heidi and
Jesse had hooked up once. He
didn’t know why things had ended, but the two of them barely spoke anymore.
Ridiculous, really, if you asked Bill.
But they didn’t.
“So, who’s this new
Jesse’s shoulders relaxed a little.
“Right. I was saying I
wanted to introduce you. She’s got
a case that you and Adam are handling. In
fact, she came in to my office today to ask me if I knew the cops working the
case, and I invited her along tonight.”
Yeah, that was why Jesse invited a leggy blond.
To meet him and Adam. Sure.
Bill set his empty beer bottle down on the counter.
“Well, hell. Introduce
me.” He knew better than to think
he could compete with Jesse for female attention, but he was still human.
There was always room in his life for more beautiful women, even if he
admired them from afar.
Jesse scanned the room, looking for his target.
“She just started with us on Monday.
She was working in
Groan. Sometimes Jesse was
too much. “What’s her name?”
“Victoria Whitley. There
she is. She’s over on the couch,
talking with Tonya.”
For a moment, Bill could only stare after Jesse as he started across the
room. Victoria Whitley?
Crazy Vicki? His Vick?
A lawyer?
It couldn’t be.
*
* *
Vicki looked up from precious little Janey, gurgling in her mother’s
lap, to see Jesse strutting across the living room toward her and Tonya.
She tried not to show
her exhasperation. She wasn’t in
the mood to dodge Jesse’s flirting. In
fact, she was pretty sure she was going to call it a night soon.
It was after ten, and she was exhausted.
How pathetic was she?
“Hey, beautiful.” Jesse
grinned at all three of them, then leaned down to place a gentle kiss on
Janey’s head. “How’s my
favorite goddaughter?”
Tonya beamed down at her daughter. “Perfect.”
Vicki fought the envy bubbling up inside her.
Once upon a time, she’d wanted to be a mother, to look at a baby like
that and know it was part of her. Now
all she wanted was to get through the day. One
day at a time, isn’t that what her therapist told her?
Jesse slid into an armchair and continued smiling at Tonya.
“How’re you doing? You
look good.” He gestured to his
flat stomach.
Tonya gave him a dry stare. “You
know your charm and flattery will get you no where with me, Jesse.”
He grinned. “OK, fine.
You’re still looking a little pudgy.
But I’m sure that’ll go away soon.”
He turned to Vicki to say something and she looked over at him.
Just in time to see who stepped up behind him.
He was taller and
broader than the last time she’d seen him thirteen years ago, but he was still
on the lanky side and he still had those same soul-deep brown eyes.
He hadn’t outgrown the few freckles scattered on his too-straight nose
and he continued to wear his brown hair in a style that made him look
perpetually in need of a haircut.
Warmth spread through
her whole body and she felt better than she had in months.
She couldn’t explain it, but seeing him made her feel good, really
good, inside. She couldn’t
remember the last time she could say that.
She knew, as their eyes met, that a goofy grin covered her face.
“Billy?”
It didn’t adamer if she was grinning like an idiot because so was he.
“Vick?”
She scrambled off the couch and into his hug without a thought.
It felt so good with his arms wrapped around her, squeezing her tighter
than he ever had when they were teens. She
couldn’t help laughing a little when he lifted her off the floor and swung her
around in a circle.
“Damn, Vick, it’s good to see you.”
He set her on her feet and stepped back to look at her.
The way his eyes looked right inside her, the way they seemed to know
every thought in her head, almost stopped her heart.
She’d forgotten how disconcerting yet comforting his gaze could be.
“How you been?”
She almost laughed again. That
was hardly something she could sum up in a sentence or two.
“Good. I’ve been good.”
At least in the past few years. Kind
of. Well, OK, maybe not.
But definitely the last few minutes.
“What about you?”
She didn’t miss the shadow that flicked across his face, so brief it
was barely there. “I’m good.
Real good. I, uh, I guess you
heard, I’m a detective.” He
grinned again, his eyes crinkling and those killer dimples of his flashing.
Once upon a time she could have fallen in love with those dimples if
she’d let herself. “And look at
you. Crazy Vick, a prosecutor.
Do they know your record?”
She couldn’t help laughing yet again, which felt so good.
When was the last time she’d really laughed, because she wanted
to, not because it seemed like the socially acceptable thing to do?
“Keep your mouth shut, Billy.”
“Billy? Is that what
we’re supposed to call you?” Adam
clapped him on the shoulder as he walked by.
“All this time, I thought you preferred Bill or Polaski.”
Vicki couldn’t stop the grin on her face.
Just seeing him made her feel younger, like her old self, the one she’d
thought was completely gone. Apparently
it was still there, somewhere.
Bill slid his arm around Vicki’s shoulder.
“Yeah, well, Vick here was always a little off her rocker.”
Without thinking, she jabbed her elbow into his ribs.
But he was fast, faster than all the times she’d done it before and
doubled him over in pain. He caught
her elbow and held it with a strong grip. Her
little Billy was definitely not little anymore.
“Vick, this is my partner, Adam Southall.
I see you’ve already met his much better half, Tonya, and their guest
of honor.”
“Nice to meet you, Adam.” Vicki
nodded at him, still smiling. “I
hear we’ll be working together very soon.”
“You just be sure to think up some nice, incriminating stories on our
boy Bill here, and I’m sure we’ll get along just fine.”
He grinned back at her, then turned his attention to Tonya and Janey.
“You want a drink?” Bill
asked, his arm still around her shoulder. Vicki
resisted the urge to lean into him, take a little of the support he seemed to be
offering. It was amazing, really,
that they hadn’t seen each other in over a decade, yet she still felt closer
to him than anyone else she’d ever known.
Knowing she had to step away before she got crazy notions about leaning
on him, literally and figuratively, she moved toward the kitchen.
“I’d love one.” Suddenly,
she wasn’t tired anymore. The
chorus of “I Could Have Danced All Night” flitted through her head.
She knew how Eliza Doolittle felt.
“What can I get you?” Bill
opened the refrigerator and bent inward, giving her a perfect view of his butt.
It was definitely not objectionable.
He’d filled out considerably, but that wasn’t surprising.
He’d been a scrawny teenager, but his father was broad and muscular.
Over the years Bill had grown to look, in body and in face, very much
like his father.
Vicki noticed that he’d turned and was looking at her, question in his
eyes. “Vick?”
She’d been so busy admiring his butt she forgot the question.
Damn. She did not need
great-butt distractions, even brief ones that belonged to old friends.
“Drink?” His eyes sparked
with what she knew would turn easily to mockery.
She did not need to be mocked, either.
“Wine is good.” She
preferred something with a little kick, but wine would have to do.
Bill pulled out a bottle of sauvignon blanc and went to the cupboard for
a glass. He moved around the kitchen
as if he lived there. He must spend
quite a bit of time with his partner. She
hadn’t missed the affection between Bill and Adam during the exchange she’d
witnessed.
A small pang of longing flitted through her chest but she shoved it away
before she could dwell on it or wonder what it was about.
“So, no more Bud Light in a can?” Bill asked as he handed her the
glass of wine.
She groaned, not wanting to remember the times Bill had helped her
through being sick from cheap beer. “No.
I sort of outgrew that when I turned twenty-one.
Once they let you in the store, you can pick out what you want.”
Bill nodded, then just stared at her.
She smiled at him, and he still didn’t look away.
Just stared with those eyes that she could get lost in.
And that just wasn’t acceptable.
Before she could do something to show her discomfort, Bill said, “Damn,
it’s so good to see you.”
Vicki smiled, a little awkward this time.
“It’s really good to see you too, Bill.”
“Jesse told me you just moved here from
She was much more comfortable with this line of conversation.
Nice and non-personal. “Not
a single one. Even though my record
was nearly flawless, my boss thought murder was a man’s area.
You know, didn’t want to sully our delicate feminine minds with blood
and gore.”
“So what did you get instead?” Bill
raised his eyebrows, his face a mixture of amusement and contempt.
“Oh, you know, girly stuff. Like
child abuse, child molesters. Anything
with kids, that was a woman’s area.”
Bill laughed. “Yeah, nice
and tame.”
“I was ready for a change and guess I figured, if I was going to go
home and have all the gory stuff in my mind, I might as well go for the really
juicy stuff. I know the Milwaukee
DA’s office here lets women play in the big leagues, so I applied, and by some
miracle, here I am.” She gave him
an overly brilliant smile.
Bill just shook his head, smiling back at her.
“What?”
“Look at you. God, I never
would have figured you for a lawyer.”
“Yeah, well, I never would have thought your scrawny butt would be a
cop.” It certainly wasn’t a
scrawny butt now.
Slowly, the smile faded off Bill’s face.
His eyes got a touch darker. “Let
me take you to dinner.”
Vicki’s heart stuttered. Billy
Polaski was asking her out on a date?
“We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”
No, Billy Polaski wanted to take her to dinner and resume their
friendship. Which was a good thing,
since she didn’t have room in her life for dating.
“You have plans tomorrow night?”
She smiled softly at him.
“Give me your address. I’ll
pick you up at seven.”
Vicki tapped her wine glass against his beer bottle.
“It’s a plan. I live down
in the Third Ward, in one of the lofts. It’s—“
“Hey, I thought maybe you’d left.”
Vicki turned to see Jesse coming into the kitchen.
“Nope. Just catching up
with Bill.”
“You two know each other?” Jesse
got a beer from the refrigerator, then leaned against the door to join the
conversation.
“She lived with her grandmother for a summer in high school.
I lived two houses down.”
Vicki laughed. “I was
supposed to be helping her, after my grandpa died.
I think I just gave her more grief.”
“Troublemakers, huh?”
“Hell no!” Bill narrowed
his eyes at her. “I spent the
summer bailing her out of trouble. She
was a disaster magnet.”
“You shut your mouth, Billy Polaski.
I remember having to get you out of a few situations so your dad
wouldn’t come after you.” She
smacked him on the shoulder. God, it
felt good to fall back into the role she’d had in high school.
Life had been so much easier then.
“Yeah, and who got me into those situations?”
Well, if he wanted to get into the details.
Jesse pushed off the refrigerator and started toward the door.
“I think I’m gonna take a quick tour of the house.
Get out of here before this gets ugly.”