Good Tidings (7 page)

“
Why is everyone criticizing my driving?” she asked.

“
Have you looked in your driveway lately?” Stanley asked.

Mary rolled her eyes. “It was snowing; it was icy,” she said. “The Roadster isn’t built for those kinds of conditions.”

Stanley nodded. “I can see that.”

“
Funny, Stanley, you sound like Bradley.”

Both of their ears perked.

“
Bradley, as in Police Chief Alden?” Rosie asked.

Mary, not aware of the undercurrent at the table, responded blithely, “Yes, he insisted on driving.”

Stanley and Rosie exchanged delighted glances.

“
He’s going into Chicago with you?” Stanley asked. “For several nights?”

Mary, reviewing her checklist, nodded absently. Rosie stood, walked around the table and hugged Mary. “Oh, I knew it would finally happen,” she gushed. “I am so happy for you!”

Mary shook her head. “What happened?”

“
You both finally wised up and took advantage of the situation,” Stanley said.

“
What are you two talking about?”

“
You and Bradley…together…in Chicago…for a couple of days,” Rosie said, raising her eyebrows with emphasis after each comment.

“
Bradley and I…solving a kidnapping…with my brother…and another police officer pretending to be my husband,” Mary responded with mock emphasis.

Stanley snorted. “Nothing but fools,” he muttered. “Plain as the nose on my face. Don’t see an opportunity when it presents itself.”

Mary laughed and gave each of them a hug. “Will you stop matchmaking,” she said. “Really, it’s not going to work.”

A quick knock sounded on the door.

“
That’s Bradley,” Mary said. “Are you both certain you want to help.”

“
Well, it’s obvious you need help,” Stanley grumbled, picking up his coat and notebook. “No problem, missy, no problem at all. Just watch yourself in that big city.”

Rosie slipped on her parka and picked up her purse. “I have this lovely perfume…”

Mary shook her head. “No thank you,” she said politely, but firmly. “This is a case. Nothing else.”

They walked over to the door and Mary opened it, letting Bradley step in.

“
Good morning Rosie, Stanley. Good to see you.”

“
Disappointing,” Stanley muttered, as he walked past Bradley. “Quite disappointing.”

Rosie stopped and took a good look at Bradley. Her face lit up with sudden understanding. She patted Bradley on the shoulder. “It’s okay, dear,” she said. “You just be happy with who you are.”

She turned to Mary, shook her head sadly and whispered loudly, “It’s always the good-looking ones.”

Bradley watched them both walk down the steps before closing the door and turning to Mary. “Why do I feel like I’ve just walked into the middle of something I know nothing about?”

Mary laughed out loud. “Believe me, you don’t want to know.”

He shrugged, “Okay, I’ll trust you on that. You ready to go?”

Mary nodded. “Yes, all packed and ready. Any problems with arranging time off?”

“
No, I let them know I was following up on the Marcum case and they were more than willing to cover for me.”

“
They really are the good guys,” Mary said.

Bradley smiled. “Yeah, and I’m beginning to think that my administrative assistant, Dorothy, doesn’t think I’m nuts anymore.”

“
Well, we’ll have to do something to change that,” she said with a grin.

He shrugged. “Unfortunately, I don’t think it will take much.”

Laughing, they picked up Mary’s gear and carried it to Bradley’s 4-wheel drive SUV. “Do you need to stop at your office before we leave town?” he asked.

Mary shook her head. “No, Rosie and Stanley are going to check calls for me. Andy is going to shovel for me. And Joey is going to find me in Chicago. I think things are set.”

“
Good, let’s get going.”

*****

As they drove down South Street to Highway 20, Mary’s cell phone rang. “It’s Sean,” she said to Bradley before answering the call.

“
Hi what’s up?” she asked, “We are just getting on the road.”

“
We’ve made contact with the couple who was interested in the baby,” he said. “They had a feeling that things weren’t on the up and up. But they were more concerned about young mothers changing their minds, rather than any kind of criminal activity. When we told them the safety of the baby was concerned, they were willing to meet with us.”

“
That’s great,” Mary replied. “When are we meeting them? Should we go directly there?”

“
No. Let’s meet at the folks first,” Sean said. “Then we’ll talk with them later this afternoon. We’re putting a tap on their phone and we’ve got someone from our unit with them. We’re going to have them call the perps back and tell them they’ve changed their minds and they want the baby.”

“
You don’t think the perps will be concerned they’re being set up?” she asked.

“
No, the couple said the perps told them to think about it and not make a hasty decision,” he said. “So, I think we’re safe. But, just in case, is Joey still able to reach you?”

“
Yes. Joey said once he made contact with me, he’s able to find me no matter where I am.”

“
I’ve gotta tell you, sis. This is just too weird for me.”

Mary laughed. “Yeah, for me too. But, hey, you play with the cards you’re dealt.”

“
You’re doing a great job,” he said. “I don’t know if I’ve told you I’m amazed at what you’ve done with your life.”

“
Thanks, Sean, that means a lot coming from you,” she replied, her voice catching. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours, okay?”

“
Yeah,” he replied. “See you then.”

“
Are you okay?” Bradley asked.

She turned and smiled at him. “Yeah, Sean was getting mushy, so I had to get off the phone before he embarrassed himself.”

Bradley chuckled. “It’s pretty sad to see those big manly types go soft.”

“
I know,” Mary responded, as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “They make such a mess.”

“
So, what’s up with the perps?” Bradley asked, hoping the change of topic would clear the emotion from her face.

“
Great news,” she said brightly. “They contacted the couple, who thought the whole adoption organization might have been suspicious. The couple is willing to cooperate with the police. We’re going to meet with them this afternoon.”

Bradley pulled onto Highway 20 and shifted into a lower gear. Mary sat up in her seat and looked around the snow-covered landscape. The road had been cleared of most of the accumulated snow, but was still covered with a layer of white. The divided highway wove through six-foot high drifts and an assortment of abandoned jack-knifed trucks and cars stuck in the ditch.

“
Looks like there are a lot of people out there who drive like you,” Bradley teased.

“
I’d punch your arm,” Mary said. “But you might lose control and we’d end up in there too.”

Bradley laughed. “Saved by fear.”

“
This is one of the things I noticed when I moved out here,” Mary said, looking out over the acres of farmland frosted in soft white peaks, “the openness. You don’t have block after block of buildings. You can actually see for miles. In Chicago, you can only see for miles if you’re at the top of one of the high skyscrapers.”

He nodded. “I noticed the dark,” he said. “In the city, there is so much additional light you only see the brightest stars. At night in Freeport it actually gets dark, dark enough to see hundreds of stars. You get to see what’s really out there.”

“
Some people don’t like to know what’s really out there,” Mary commented. “They would rather stay where the light shelters them from the truth.”

“
Mary O’Reilly, are you a philosopher?” Bradley teased.

She laughed. “No, just someone who has been spending a whole lot of time in the dark lately.”

“
Can I ask a personal question?” he asked.

“
Sure.”

“
It seems to me that your brother, Sean, really cares about you.”

“
Yes, he does,” she replied. “We’re a very close-knit family.”

Bradley nodded. “That’s what I thought. So, why does he risk your safety by having you come into the city and work on a case?”

Mary looked out the window and sighed.

“
He doesn’t know how the spirits can overwhelm you, does he?”

Mary shook her head. “No, he doesn’t. No one in the family knows except for my mother,” she admitted.

“
And she guessed it for herself,” Bradley added.

Mary nodded and shrugged. “Yeah, she always knows more than we tell her.”

“
Why wouldn’t you tell them?” he asked. “They would never…”

“
Do you know what it’s like being the little sister of three big brothers?” she interrupted, “No, of course not, because you would be one of the big brothers. Always protecting little Mary. Always watching out for little Mary. Always warning off the boys. Always telling me what I should and shouldn’t do.”

“
Because they love you.”

“
Yes, I know,” she said, “And that’s what makes it even harder. They would smother me with love. I finally, finally, received the respect and trust I wanted when I joined the force and received commendations for my work. I was finally one of them, not just a little sister. An equal. I don’t want that to change.”

She turned in her seat and met his eyes. “I don’t want them to find out,” she said. “I want you to keep my secret.”

Bradley sighed. “Okay, I can understand your feelings,” he said. “But I think you’re making a mistake not telling them. However, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help you keep your secret.”

“
Thanks, I really appreciate it.”

He shrugged. “Hey, that’s what friends do,” he said.

“
So, it’s my turn,” she said. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

He smiled. “Yes, my life is an open book.”

“
Would you tell me about your wife, Jeannine?”

Bradley nearly drove the SUV off the road. “What?”

Mary cringed. “If you don’t want to talk about her…that’s your prerogative.”

He was silent for a few moments. Then he nodded absently.

“
No, it’s fair,” he said. “I put my nose into your business…”

Mary shook her head. “No, this isn’t a game,” she said. “Really, if talking about her causes you pain…”

“
We were married for four years,” he said. “We were high school sweethearts. She was a cheerleader…”

“
And you were the football stud,” Mary added.

Bradley looked at her and shook his head. “No, I was the clumsy, nerdy, math geek,” he grinned at her, “But, thanks!”

She shook her head. “I don’t believe that. Come on, which position?”

He laughed. “Water Boy.”

“
No! Really?”

“
Yeah, I was the captain of the swim team,” he said, “The original water boy.”

The image of Bradley in a Speedo flashed across Mary’s mind.

“
I can picture you in Speedo,” she said absently, her mind still focused on the mental image.

“
What did you say?” Bradley asked.

Mary blushed. “I mean, I can see you as a swimmer.”

Bradley chuckled. “I could lend you my high school yearbook if you’d like.”

“
Shut up,” she said.

He laughed aloud. “Just trying to be helpful.”

Mary snorted. “Continue with your story.”

“
I did my time in the military and when I was finished, I got accepted in the police force. We got married a week after I completed my training at the Police Academy. I had accepted a position with the DeKalb Police Department and Jeannine worked as a veterinary assistant in Sycamore. We had a nice little house, some extra spending money, and good friends. I thought things were pretty great.”

“
But they weren’t?”

Bradley smiled. “You know, you’re using your interrogation tactics right now.”

Mary blushed. “Sorry, hard habit to break.”

He nodded. “Actually, that ended up being our problem too,” he said.

“
You would interrogate her?”

“
No, I was just always on the job,” he said. “Always a cop. Always casing the joint. Always on alert. And she was feeling left out.”

“
Yeah, sometimes I wonder how my mom does it,” she said. “She’s surrounded by cops. But she does insist we stop shop talk for a while and converse about other things.”

“
Does that work?”

Mary laughed. “For about fifteen minutes, then we’re back at it.”

“
Yeah, Jeannine was trying to get me to do the same thing,” he said. “But I wasn’t as willing to let things go.”