The Drowning Pool Read online

  “Honey, I’ll chat with him for a few minutes while you finish getting ready.”

  “Okay, but no more third-degree tactics,” she warned.

  He gave her a quick hug and left the room. Downstairs in the living room, a nervous young man sat on the sofa.

  “So you’re Evie’s date,” Gardner said.

  “Yes, sir, and you’re her father?” The question was rhetorical.

  Gardner’s mind moved ahead, framing a few questions. He seated himself opposite the teenager.

  “I’ve heard a lot about you from Evie. She says you’re a great police detective.”

  “My daughter tends to be prejudiced.”

  Kim smiled and gave him a meaningful look as she left the room.

  The youth looked far from relaxed. Gardner took a moment to look him over. Evie’s young man was a sloppy dresser. Jean was right. His jeans were faded and ripped over one knee, shirt open carelessly at the neck. At least the kid wasn’t wearing an earring; that always put him off. No tattoos or visible piercings. Gardner went through a mental checklist. The shaggy head would have benefited from a haircut and the youth did wear dark glasses. That bothered him.

  “I don’t think I caught your name.”

  “It’s Gary Sargent. I like your daughter very much.” Gary Sargent’s face turned red.

  “Nothing wrong with that,” Gardner assured him. “We’re pretty fond of her too.”

  The boy smiled for the first time.

  “Where are you planning to go tonight?”

  “I was thinking about taking Evie to a movie. Do you think she’d like that?”

  “I’m certain of it. You will try to bring her home early?”

  “Sure,” he mumbled.

  Gardner carefully studied the sunglasses the young man wore.

  “Are those prescription lenses?”

  “These? Yeah, they are.”

  “May I see them?”

  Gary removed the glasses and handed them to Gardner. The gold rims were expensive and stylish.

  “I’m kind of myopic—near-sighted, that is.”

  “So I see,” Gardner responded, looking through the tinted glass. He observed the boy’s eyes. The pupils were not dilated and the irises were a clear, bright blue. He was convinced that Gary Sargent was not on drugs. He returned the eyeglasses. “Attractive frames, but isn’t tinted glass a little tiring on the eyes in the evening?”

  “Sure, but my regular glasses are so wimpy-looking. I’d feel like a dork wearing them.”

  “You might consider contact lenses. Evie wears them.”

  “She does?”

  “When they begin to bother her eyes, she wears her glasses. She’s slightly near-sighted herself. If you were to wear your regular glasses, I’m certain she’d think nothing of it.” Gardner hoped he wasn’t delivering his message in too heavy-handed a manner, but Gary didn’t seem offended.

  His daughter made her entrance looking very attractive, and her escort was quick to tell her so. Gardner called Kim back into the living room and they exchanged good-byes. After the young couple had gone, Kim turned to him.

  “So what do you think?”

  Gardner shrugged. “He’s okay I guess.”

  “Does that mean you approve of him?”

  “I’ll tell you all about it. But first, where’s Jean?”

  “She’s watching television upstairs. I think Evie said something to her about staying out of the way.”

  “Let’s give her something else to do.”

  “Like what?”

  “A walk in the mall maybe. It’s a perfect evening to go out for some ice cream.”

  “It’s probably going to rain again,” she hedged.

  “Doubt it.”

  “The truth is, I’m trying to lose weight. Ice cream will only tempt me.”

  “Frozen yogurt then. And we’ll start a diet together tomorrow.”

  “You don’t need one.”

  “Neither do you. You look terrific. Come on, Kim, it’s Saturday night. Let me take you out for a little while. A walk on the wild side. I feel like having a sundae.”

  He ran his hand down her arm, saw the goose bumps form there. She turned her face up to his.

  He knew she was expecting him to kiss her. He decided not to disappoint her. Their lips touched, brushed, and then the kiss deepened. When they came apart, she was just as breathless as he was.

  “Stay over tonight. Don’t go home. We need to be together.”

  “I’m not sure,” she said.

  He saw the doubt in her eyes. “I’m not giving up on you, on us. We belong together. I know given your past, it’s hard for you to trust men, and particularly cops. But I’ll always be there for you. I’ve made some mistakes in my life. I don’t intend to repeat them.”

  He kissed her again, this time hot and hungry.

  ELEVEN

  On Sunday morning, Mike Gardner woke up a little before eight a.m., glanced at the clock radio, and then closed his eyes again, rolling over on his side. Patterns of color and light danced beneath his eyelids as he reached over and felt for Kim. His hand lightly brushed her thigh. She moaned and moved slightly toward him. The touch of the soft curves of her body made him want her again. They’d made love last night, but he wanted her still. His groin pushed up against her buttocks, pressing into her.

  “Are you asleep?” he asked.

  “No, I’m awake now. I’ll go put the coffee on and start breakfast.” She mumbled her words in a tired manner.

  “You’re a guest here.”

  “I’d like to fix breakfast for you.”

  “I’m not hungry—for food.” He nibbled her earlobe then kissed the curve of her neck.

  She pulled away from him. “You’re really attracted to me?”

  “More so than ever. You’re a beautiful woman.”

  “Funny, my mirror doesn’t tell me that.”

  “Let me be your mirror.”

  They didn’t do much talking after that, instead making love in a passionate manner that reflected their affection and shared intimacy. Hands, lips and skin touched. His hands moved downward over her hips, over the roundness of her derriere. She explored his body as well. His mouth went dry with lust as her tongue trailed down his chest and stomach. And then her clever hands took over. She came astride him and took hold of his erection. She spread her hands on his chest and closed her eyes, lowering her body on to his with erotic slowness. She was moist and open and exciting. She clenched her inner muscles around him. The pleasure was almost too much to endure. He realized that this was the first time she’d taken the initiative in their love-making.

  “Ride me hard,” he demanded.

  She opened herself to him completely, trusting him. Her body met each thrust as he joined with her, completing her, filling her. When he came at last, she was right there with him. He felt the explosions that rocked her body. They shattered together.

  “God, how I love you,” he gasped, as she collapsed against his nude body.

  She caressed his cheek and kissed his brow. “I love you too,” she said.

  “Do you?” He wasn’t certain he’d heard her correctly. It had been a while since she’d told him that.

  “I must be totally crazy, but I do.” She playfully traced the dimple in his cheek with her forefinger.

  * * * *

  After Kim had showered, dressed and had gone downstairs, Gardner took his turn in the bathroom. As he dressed, he could smell the fragrant scent of fresh coffee brewing in the kitchen. He heard someone knocking lightly on the bedroom door.

  “Dad.” It was Jean. “Kim sent me up to tell you that breakfast is almost ready. She seems really happy. She’s singing.”

  Gardner smiled to himself. This was turning out to be a special morning. When he got down to the kitchen, he found Jean helping Kim with the preparation of what looked like a terrific meal. There were scrambled eggs, cantaloupe, toast, blueberry waffles made with fresh berries, and hot oatmeal. After that b
reakfast, he was ready to face whatever the day might bring.

  “You’re a wonderful cook,” he commented as he rose from the table. “I didn’t know that.”

  “Actually, I don’t cook much. It doesn’t pay for just one person. But Jean was a big help. You could say I felt inspired this morning.”

  They exchanged a meaningful smile and he squeezed her hand.

  “I wish you would stay with us all the time,” Jean said to Kim. “It would be so cool.”

  Kim turned to him, hands on hips. “Mike, did you tell her to say that?”

  “Me? No way. I guess great minds think alike.” He kissed his daughter’s forehead. “Right, Jeanie?”

  “Sure, Dad.”

  Kim followed him upstairs and watched as he got into his gray suit. “I thought I’d head home this morning.”

  “Can you come with me? I have to visit a frightened young woman who’s in the hospital.”

  “Anyone I know?”

  “Louise Scofield.”

  She paled visibly. “What happened?”

  “Tell you all about it on the way.”

  “First, I need to stop at my apartment and change. I’m not dressed properly for a hospital visit.”

  “Anything you say.” He gave her a quick kiss. “Before we go, I’ll check on Evie.”

  He knocked on his older daughter’s bedroom door. She’d slept through breakfast in spite of the clatter they’d made. Now she called out for him to come in. She was still in bed with the sheet pulled up to her neck, her young, oval face flushed with morning radiance.

  “How was your date with Gary last night?”

  She yawned and smiled. “Just great. I really like him.”

  “Why don’t you tell your sister about your date while you have something to eat? The waffles are still warm.” He gave her forehead a quick peck and hurried downstairs.

  Kim watched as he went through the daily ritual of unlocking his holstered revolver from the desk drawer in the living room. He checked his .38 caliber Smith and Wesson Chief’s Special in a precise manner. He checked his Smith & Wesson 327 TRR8 revolver in a precise manner. He preferred it to the Glock automatic, the latest issue. “You be careful,” she said, eyeing the weapon.

  “Me? I was born careful.”

  “Sure you were.” She shook her head in a dubious manner.

  “Did I ever tell you that my mother named me Michael Careful Gardner at birth, just to make certain?”

  She groaned, which made him smile and want to hug her.

  “Sometimes you’re a very strange man.”

  “But sexy?”

  “Definitely that.”

  * * * *

  County Regional was a twenty-minute drive from Kim’s apartment. Mike parked his car and checked his watch as they walked briskly through the main entrance. It was clearly later than he’d anticipated arriving.

  “Sorry for slowing you down,” she said.

  He gave her a slightly lopsided smile and squeezed her hand. “Hey, don’t apologize. I don’t regret a moment spent with you. Besides, you’re doing me the favor here. I prefer having you with me today, and so no regrets. I just want to make certain we speak with Louise Scofield before her husband does.”

  At the information desk, Mike got Mrs. Scofield’s room number and two visitor passes. It was only two flights up, and Kim agreed to walk instead of waiting for the elevator that, Mike explained, he knew from past experience was slow.

  There was something oppressive about the sterile, institutional corridors and the omnipresent smell of antiseptic. She never would feel comfortable in a hospital. There were many ghosts here, crying out in pain. She found herself shivering. Mike put his arm around her. He radiated strength. Even under these circumstances, his mere touch sent a chemical reaction surging through her.

  They found the correct room without difficulty. Mike didn’t seem the least bit surprised to find both Bert St. Croix and Mr. Scofield waiting outside like two pillars of granite contemplating eternity.

  “She says I can’t see my wife until after you’ve talked to her.” Scofield’s voice was angry and he pointed an accusing finger at Bert.

  “Under the circumstances,” Mike said, “that seems best. Don’t worry; you’ll see her. I just want to talk to her first. You’ll have to be patient. It’s a great virtue, so they say. I haven’t fully mastered it yet either. You can practice on Detective St. Croix. She’ll remain here with you.”

  Bert looked far from pleased but said nothing and gave a stoic nod of her head. Walking into the hospital room beside Mike, Kim quickly glanced around. The room was a private one, which made it a lot easier to talk. Mike positioned himself next to the bed. Kim sat down on a chair beside the bed. Mrs. Scofield, who had been staring out the window, now turned and faced them. Against the white pillows her faced looked smaller and paler than ever. Kim observed that her arm had been set in a cast.

  “How are you feeling?” Mike asked, his expression sympathetic.

  “Physically? I’ve had better days. My head hurts badly. But at least I’m not afraid anymore. I don’t have to live in dread because the worst has already happened. It’s over and done with.”

  Kim wasn’t certain that she understood Mrs. Scofield’s reasoning. She studied the younger woman thoughtfully. Louise Scofield did seem much calmer.

  “Did your husband do this to you intentionally?” Mike asked. He could be awfully blunt. Kim supposed that came with the job he did.

  “Intentionally?” Louise parroted, her russet hair spread out on the pillow like a fan.

  “Do you want to press charges against him?”

  “No, he doesn’t deserve that.”

  “It would help if you told me what happened yesterday.”

  “There isn’t a great deal to tell. We were quarreling as usual. He kept at me with his barbs and innuendoes. He just would not stop. When I began to cry and begged him to leave me alone, he became angrier. Finally, I lost control and began shouting at him, told him I was pregnant and couldn’t stand any more of his abuse. I told him I was going to leave him. He became like a madman. I’ve never seen him quite that way. He kept saying I was just like his mother. There wasn’t any reasoning with him.”

  “You think he lost it because he believed the baby wasn’t his?” Mike had a direct way of asking hard questions that was not offensive. It seemed as if he’d perfected it as an art. Kim supposed it had something to do with his innate intuition.

  Mrs. Scofield’s green eyes were reflective. “I don’t even know if that was it. Odd, because I was so afraid for him to know. It was when I said I was leaving him that Bill went wild. I thought he’d be glad for an easy out of our marriage after the way he’d been behaving. He’s been acting as if he hated me. When I said I was leaving him, his rage bordered on insanity. He started coming toward me, looking as if he were going to kill me, and I was terrified. I remember backing away from him, moving toward the steps that lead down to our front door. I told him again that I was leaving and that he shouldn’t think of trying to stop me. I said I would return for my things some other time. His features became distorted and his fist lunged forward. I thought, dear lord, he’s going to strike me! Involuntarily, I flinched, jerking backward. I lost my balance and fell backwards down the stairs.”

  “He would have struck you if you hadn’t fallen?” Mike’s expression was intense, concentrated.

  Louise Scofield gave a bitter cry from somewhere deep in her throat—or maybe it was her soul. “Probably not. As I lost my footing, his fist went crashing into the wall. He looked as shocked as I was when I fell backward that way. I can still see the expression on his face. It was the last thing I remember before I woke up here.”

  “You hit your head.”

  “So they tell me. As I told you, I have a terrible headache. But the worst part is losing the baby. I really feel awful about that. Yet I suppose it’s probably better this way. What kind of father would Bill be? What kind of childhood could my baby
have?” Tears welled in her eyes.

  Kim reached over and placed a comforting hand on Louise Scofield’s arm. “I’m sure there will be other babies under better circumstances in the future,” she reassured.

  Louise lowered her tear-stained eyes.

  “Mrs. Scofield, in cases of this kind, it’s not uncommon for a wife to cover up for her husband, even when he doesn’t merit it. Sometimes the motive is fear of reprisal. Other times, it’s caused by a misguided sense of loyalty. Some women foolishly believe that being beaten by a man shows he loves them.”

  Kim wondered if Mike intended to charge Louise’s husband.

  “No, it isn’t anything like that.” Louise’s denial was vehement.

  “You’re not protecting him, are you? That would be a serious mistake. Because if you do decide to stay with him, and what he did was deliberate, there’s every possibility, every likelihood, this will happen again. I don’t want to scare you, but it could be even worse next time. Wife-beaters tend to follow a pattern. They apologize, beg forgiveness, say it will never happen again, then repeat the same ugly behavior.”

  “You sound experienced.”

  “Unfortunately, I am.”

  Her long lashes fluttered like butterflies in a strong wind. “It’s just as I told you, Lieutenant, it really was an accident. I was afraid and I lost my balance.” The sparkle was completely gone from her eyes.

  “All right. I have no choice but to accept your statement. Are you up to seeing your husband?”

  “Yes, I think so.”

  The tears remained in Louise’s eyes. Kim took Louise’s cold, delicate hand in her own and silently offered comfort. Louise turned a grateful look to her. She closed her eyes as Mike went outside to get Mr. Scofield. It was obvious that Mike had no intention of leaving the two of them alone together until he’d had a chance to talk to Scofield in his wife’s presence. Kim fully agreed; the first concern had to be for the woman’s safety and well-being.

  Bert St. Croix did not demand inclusion, but waited while Mike followed Scofield back into the hospital room. Bill Scofield’s sandy hair was unkempt and he hadn’t bothered to shave. His clothes were rumpled, as if he’d slept in them. Was this to demonstrate atonement for his behavior of the previous evening?