Alone in the Dark

Dani had taken a leave of absence from the hospital where she’d worked in the ER when her HIV status had been exposed. Now she looked around at the waiting room bursting at the seams with people. ‘I love my work here, but it doesn’t exactly cover the bills, especially since I moved back into my apartment. At least I’m getting some sleep again.’ She scrunched up her face. ‘Deacon and Faith were keeping me up every night. They weren’t exactly quiet while, you know, in the throes. “Oooh, Deacon!”’ she cooed.

Scarlett laughed. ‘I know. I’m getting to the point where I’m afraid to call him at home. I keep interrupting them.’

Dani tilted her head. ‘I haven’t heard you laugh like that since . . . maybe never. I’m glad. Marcus is a good influence on you.’ Her eyes were wistful for a moment before she forced a smile. ‘I have to go. Keep him safe, and yourself too.’

‘You always have a room at my place if you need to ditch the apartment.’

Dani walked backward toward her office, shaking her head ruefully. ‘Not that I don’t appreciate the offer,’ she said lightly, ‘but then I’d have to hear, “Oooh, Marcus!”’ She chuckled when Scarlett blushed, then blew her a kiss. ‘Bye now.’

She felt Marcus come up behind her. ‘What was that about?’ he asked.

‘Oh, you know Dani. She and Faith have been giggling over us.’ She studied his face, saw his worry over Diesel’s abrupt exit. ‘I know, I know, some secrets aren’t yours to share,’ she said gently. ‘But you know you can, should you need to.’

‘Thanks.’ He curled his hand around her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. ‘Thanks for that too. I needed it.’ He sca

‘Yeah. Let’s wake them up.’ She took out her phone and brought up her email. ‘I had Isenberg’s clerk work up a photo array with Drake’s picture in it, just in case they did see something. Oh, and don’t mind Tommy. He’ll propose marriage at least once before we leave.’

‘To you or to me?’ Marcus asked.

She gri

‘How long have you known them?’

‘A long, long time. I walked a beat around here when I was right out of the Academy. I’ve tried to get them housing so many times, but this is the life they know.’ She walked over to where they slept, shook them both gently. ‘Tommy. Edna. Wake up.’

Edna came awake in a panicked jerk, while Tommy roused slowly. Edna looked around, disoriented. Then she saw Scarlett and relaxed.

‘Detective Bishop. Dr Dani said you wanted to talk to us.’

‘Miss Scarlett,’ Tommy drawled. ‘I knew you’d finally come to your senses. Where you taking me for our honeymoon? Better make it the mountains. Cooler this time of year.’

Scarlett went down on her haunches so that they didn’t have to look up at her. ‘I’m afraid we’ll have to put that honeymoon on ice, Tommy. You remember early, early yesterday when I saw you?’

Edna nodded. ‘You ran off to that alley where the girl was shot.’

‘I came back later to talk to you, but you were gone.’

Edna grimaced. ‘Too many cops and flashing lights. Tommy and I took our stuff and found a quieter stoop.’ She glanced up. ‘Who’s he?’

‘His name is Marcus. He’s the man I was meeting. He was there to help the girl because she was being hurt by the people she lived with. Somebody shot and killed her to keep her from asking Marcus for help. Did you see anything else? Like maybe someone ru

‘Lots o’ people were ru

‘Marcus? He’s not a cop. He’s a reporter.’

Tommy visibly relaxed. ‘That’s good. Hate to think you’d leave me at the altar for a cop. I saw you kissin’ that man.’

Scarlett smiled at him. ‘You little sneak. You weren’t asleep at all.’

Tommy didn’t smile back. ‘I sleep with my eyes open, Miss Scarlett,’ he said soberly.

‘Cops’ll sometimes give us a hard time,’ Edna said, ‘for sleepin’ on our stoop. They shake us awake, yell at us.’ She dropped her voice, mimicking a cop’s command. ‘“Move along, move along. Can’t sleep here.”’ She shook her head ruefully. ‘We’ve been sleeping on that stoop for years. I don’t know why they care. Nobody else is using it.’

Their neighborhood had been the epicenter of racial violence more than a decade before. While things had dramatically improved in the years that followed, many residents still feared and mistrusted the police.

‘I’m sorry,’ Scarlett said simply. She knew better than to tell them that most of the cops who made them move along were trying to keep them safe. ‘Did you see anyone ru

Edna hesitated. ‘I don’t want no trouble.’ Scarlett waited patiently until Edna sighed, long and heavy. ‘Fine,’ the old woman said. ‘I saw him.’ She pointed up at Marcus. ‘He was ru

‘I know he was there,’ Scarlett said mildly. ‘One of those shots you heard was fired into his back. Luckily he was wearing a Kevlar vest or he wouldn’t be here with me now.’

Edna gave Marcus a thorough looking-over. ‘Would be a shame to waste a man like that,’ she agreed. ‘There was one other. White boy. Blond hair. Ran fast. Cleared an overturned garbage can like one of those guys in the Olympics.’

‘You mean like he was ru

‘Yes,’ Edna said. ‘He ran right past me.’

‘I was too busy lookin’ at his gun,’ Tommy drawled. ‘Kid wavin’ it around like some stupid gangbanger.’

Scarlett sighed. ‘Why didn’t you tell me this yesterday morning?’

‘You didn’t—’

Scarlett waved her hand. ‘I know. I didn’t ask.’

‘No,’ Tommy said. ‘I was go

‘Oh,’ Scarlett said, feeling very foolish. ‘Do you think you could pick him out of a lineup?’

Tommy wagged his head side to side. ‘All them white boys look the same to me.’

‘We’re not going into any police station, Detective,’ Edna said, folding her arms over her chest. ‘Not go

‘That’s okay. I have a few photos for you to look at.’ Holding her phone so that they could see, she flicked through the photos Isenberg’s clerk had provided for the array. She’d cajole Edna into the station for a formal identification later if she needed to.

‘That’s him,’ Edna said, identifying Drake on the second pass. ‘The third one.’

Yes. We got you, you little fucker. Scarlett kept her expression impassive even as she fiercely fist-pumped the sky on the inside. ‘Where did he run after he passed you?’

‘To the end of the street. Got into a fancy car. Passenger side.’

‘A Mercedes,’ Tommy added with gusto. ‘Silver. Shone under the street lights. Took off, burnin’ rubber.’

Excellent, Scarlett thought. A silver Mercedes had been registered to Stephanie Anders. She quickly typed a text to Vince Tanaka: Check silver Merc taken from Anders garage for evidence that Drake Co