Chapter One
FIVE YEARS EARLIER
Friday, August 16
CHICAGO
Stephen parked the ambulance next to a police squad car in
the parking lot across from the county building and
confirmed his location with dispatch. He'd dropped off his
partner Ryan at the gym down the street to take a much
needed shower. A happy drunk staggering home at 6 A.M. had
lost most of his last beer across Ryan's shirt. It already
had the makings of an interesting Friday shift.
The heat hit him as he stepped from the vehicle. It was a
day that would send tempers flaring somewhere in the city,
and his squad would be sent to patch up the results of the
inevitable fights. Stephen hoped they didn't get a DOA
run: He'd had enough dead-on-arrival calls to last the
year. He spent his days dealing with car accidents, heart
attacks, gunshot victims, and drug overdoses. He didn't
need some rookie cop trying to comfort the family calling
him out to a victim with no pulse whose body was cold and
stiff. This job wore at him enough without adding the
strain of having to tell people they were looking at a
corpse.
Stephen shoved his hands into his pockets and tried to
force himself out of the morbid mood. Last night's
dispatch to a man who had died hoursbefore lingered in his
mind like some dark dangerous cloud. Being a paramedic
might be a noble profession, but it didn't run to being a
chaplain. He didn't need crying kids and angry spouses
shouting at him to do something when it was obvious there
was nothing he could do. The voices had haunted his dreams
last night.
What he really needed was a vacation, a nice long
pedestrian vacation where no one paged him or, for that
matter, knew him. The decision resonated, and he made a
mental note to force some time off into his schedule. He
loved his job, but there were days he wanted to walk away
from it.
Stephen entered into the restaurant on the corner and
paused in front of the display of pastries and donuts to
glance around the tables for his sister Kate. Cops hung
out here. He eliminated those in police blues and looked
at the remaining ladies. Kate rarely looked like the cop
she was. As a hostage negotiator, she tried to downplay
any sense of being a threat to the person she was trying
to convince to surrender. He didn't see her and was
surprised that he had arrived first.
Stephen waved good morning to the owner and walked to
Kate's favorite table in the back of the restaurant. She
preferred to sit with her back to the wall so no one could
come up behind her.
He ordered a sunrise special for himself and, since Kate
was a creature of habit, ordered blueberry pancakes and
coffee for her. He'd learned to eat early and well as time
for lunch in his job was never a given. He turned up the
sound on his radio. Kate was rarely late unless she was
out on an assignment somewhere. There had been too many
close calls with her lately. The last thing he needed was
his sister getting herself shot.
He was on his second cup of coffee when she arrived. Kate
wore jeans and a pale blue shirt and carried a folded
newspaper under her arm. He rose and pulled out the chair
for her. She had been out in the sun this morning-the
beginning of a sunburn was showing on her face and she had
the glow of sweat on her skin. Since she hated early
mornings, he guessed she'd been on a call somewhere in the
city.
He could feel the heat coming from her back as she took
her seat, and the sun had lightened a few more strands of
her hair. He was constantly tugging a baseball cap on her
to keep her from getting sunstroke on the job. She tossed
her newspaper onto the table. "Thanks."
"I'm glad you could make it." Stephen sat back down. "I
already ordered for you."
"Great. I needed this break." Kate dipped a napkin in her
glass of water and used the wet corner to clean her
sunglasses. "The heat is getting to people. We had an
incident at a manufacturing plant this morning, and I
spent two hours leaning in a window to have a conversation
with a guy."
He pushed five sugar packets across the table for her
coffee. "Did it end okay?"
She glanced up and smiled at his question; he had to smile
back.
"It was the usual supervisor-employee fight that just kept
building until they threw a few punches and then the
employee pulled a gun." She set down the sunglasses. "He
talked with his kids and apologized for a fight with them
the night before, released his supervisor, then gave
himself up. The gun turned out not to be loaded. I would
have resolved it in an hour, but the supervisor wouldn't
keep his mouth shut. Even I felt like hitting the guy at
one point, so I can understand how the fight got started."
She dumped four packets of sugar in her coffee, tasted it,
and added a fifth.
"You're going to make yourself hyper drinking that."
"Sugar is my one vice and I'm sticking to it." She propped
her elbows on the table, steepled her fingers, and pointed
at him. "Your call this morning was a surprise. What's
happening, Stephen?"
"I need a favor."
She tilted her head to the side. "I'm always good for
one."
"It's not difficult-I need you to meet Lisa at the airport
for me tonight. She's carrying bones back with her and
needs an extra hand." Their sister Lisa was a forensic
pathologist for the city coroner's office. She'd been
working for weeks to figure out how a Jane Doe had died
and decided it was time to consult the experts at the
Smithsonian. It got a little complex explaining to airport
personnel and taxi drivers why she was hauling around
boxes of bones.
"Sure, I'll meet her. Have you got other plans?"
"A date."
Kate's expression shifted from amusement to interest. "A
good thing to have on a Friday night. Do I know her?"
"Maybe ... Paula Lewis. I've had to cancel on her twice
when a dispatch held me up, and it hasn't been easy to get
her to say yes again. I'm going to make it up to her
tonight."
"Paula's a nice lady, if you like doctors."
He smiled at the qualification. "Very nice." Their sister
Jennifer was a pediatrician and therefore an exception,
but beyond that Kate did her best to avoid those in the
medical profession and their inevitable work-related
conversations.
The restaurant owner brought their breakfasts and paused
to chat with Kate. News affecting the city in general and
the police department specifically was debated here long
before it reached the watercooler at the precinct.
Stephen spread jelly on his toast and listened to his
sister's intense talk about work. Kate was the heart,
soul, and passion of the O'Malleys. When someone in the
family needed an advocate, she was the one they turned to.
He couldn't imagine life without Kate in it. Having lost
his little sister Peg in a drowning accident and his
parents in a car accident by the time he was eleven, he'd
been convinced at an early age that he was destined to
lose people he cared about. He'd been feeling pretty grim
at Trevor House until Kate came crashing into his life.
She had practically dared him to try to get rid of her.
Her tenacious leading with her chin, her I'm-in-your-life,
deal-with-it attitude had slipped under his guard like
nothing else ever could. He loved her for it.
The conversation broke up and Kate turned her attention to
her breakfast. "So what have you been up to lately besides
convincing Paula to give you another chance?"
He opened his shirt pocket and tugged out a checker piece
he had carved. "Another one for your collection." They
would have enough to play a game soon.
She studied both sides of the checker. "You're getting
really good at the detail work."
"The whittling is a challenge. It's certainly tougher than
hanging drywall." On his days off he gutted and remodeled
old homes. He enjoyed the carpentry work. It didn't wear
at his emotions the way being a paramedic did.
She tucked the piece in her pocket. Kate's eyes narrowed
as she looked over his shoulder.
He knew better than to turn and look. Her face turned
impassive. At her simple shift-to-work mode, Stephen slid
his plate aside. The more impassive she got, the more
dangerous she was. "Cool off, Kate."
Her gaze met his and the anger in her eyes had him leaning
back. "That cop nearly cost me a child's life."
"You look like you're ready to deck him."
"Maybe serve him my breakfast in his lap." She picked up
her water glass. "We had a custody blowup last week. A dad
took his daughter from school during recess and holed up
at his place, threatening to kill her rather than let his
wife have custody. I got called in. That patrol officer
nearly gave away the SWAT team position when he decided to
get some media airtime and describe what had happened and
his role in it."
"Not everyone avoids media like you do."
"He's not a rookie; he knows better."
Stephen reached over and loosened her fist. Whoever made
the mistake of thinking Kate was not a cop down to her
marrow didn't understand what drove her. Justice for her
was very black and white. "Let it go."
Peg's drowning had driven him to be a paramedic, and Kate
had also made the decision to be a cop at an early age.
"You're right. He's not worth it." Her tension turned to a
hard smile. "He's a little out of his normal patrol area.
He probably has a meeting with my boss to discuss the
incident. He won't feel like stopping to eat afterward."
Stephen smiled. "That's better. Your optimism is back."
"It's going to be one of those Fridays. I can feel it."
"I hope you're wrong."
His radio sounded. Stephen pushed back his chair and
stood. He set money on the table and leaned over to kiss
Kate's cheek. "I've gotta go. See you around this
weekend."
"I want to hear about this date, Stephen."
Knowing the O'Malley family grapevine, it would be common
knowledge soon after it was over. "As if I could keep it
from you. Stay safe, Kate."
"I'll do my best."
Stephen headed back to the ambulance. He stayed in Chicago
because of Kate. He didn't bother to tell her that, but
she probably already knew. Someone needed to watch her
back, and their oldest brother Marcus who normally filled
that role was working in the U.S. Marshal's office in
Washington, D.C. After Kate was married and had someone
else around to watch her back, he'd think more seriously
about moving on. He would find a small town with a lake
where he could cultivate his love of fishing and find an
EMS job where he'd treat more bee stings and heart attacks
than gunshot wounds. He liked the certainty of having that
dream even if he didn't have a plan to act on yet.
His partner Ryan was towel drying his hair. The ambulance
passenger door was open but Ryan stood outside. The heat
built up inside the metal box fast.
"I'll drive," Stephen said. His new partner was still
learning Chicago's streets.
Ryan tossed his towel across the hot leather seat. "Fine
with me."
Dispatch assigned them to a code three run-a transport
from Memorial Hospital to Lutheran General-so Stephen
didn't bother with the lights and sirens. It was probably
a high-risk pregnancy being moved to the specialized
maternity unit. He'd almost rather deal with a gunshot
victim than a woman in labor. They averaged two pregnancy
runs a month where a lady mistimed the pace of her
contractions and left going to the hospital a little too
late. Infants were hard to handle in a moving vehicle that
was never designed to be a delivery room. At least with
pregnancy runs, one of the nurses from the maternity ward
rode along to be safe.
Stephen pulled in to Memorial Hospital and looked around
at the vehicles. He didn't see Meghan's jeep. There was
family, there were girlfriends, and then there was Meghan.
The ER nurse was in a class by herself.
"She must still be on night shifts," Ryan commented.
Stephen glanced over, his right eyebrow raised a fraction.
"Meghan. That is who you're looking for, isn't it?"
"She's just an old friend."
Ryan laughed. "If you say so, O'Malley." He tugged run
sheets from the folder under the seat. "Let's go find our
pregnant lady. I'm guessing triplets."
"Lunch says it's twins trying to come early."
"You're on. And if I'm right, I'm driving and you can ride
the back bench with her."
SILVERTON, ILLINOIS
Craig Fulton opened the door to Neil Coffer's jewelry
store Friday afternoon and heard familiar chimes signal
his entrance. He walked through the store past the display
counters and the spin racks of postcards of famous jewelry
to the door in the back of the store marked employees
only. Ignoring the restriction, he walked through to the
repair shop.
In a tourist town the size of Silverton, the jewelry Neil
sold attracted more lookers than buyers. Not many farmers
and small business owners could afford an antique bracelet
that started in the thousands or a modern necklace that
cost five figures. Fortunately, Neil also had a thriving
jewelry repair business that paid the bills. Orders to
jewelry stores around the state were stacked on the side
counter, already prepared for Fed-Ex to pick up.
Craig waited until Neil looked up from the large
magnifying glass and the piece he was working on. Neil
hated to be interrupted while a repair was underway, and
Craig had no desire to get on his bad side today. Hunched
over the workbench the man looked more like ninety than
seventy-five. He was a chain smoker and time had not been
kind. How the man ever sold any jewelry was a mystery. He
hadn't smiled since the Nixon era. When he did unwillingly
part with a piece, he hardly offered much of a bargain.
Neil lifted the diamond from the ring with tweezers and
placed it in a small ceramic dish inside a box labeled:
Mrs. Heather Teal. Only one customer's piece was allowed
on the repair bench at a time, and the smooth metal work
area was lined with a ridge to prevent a stone from
rolling off onto the floor. Rumors circulated that Neil
had been a forger for the army during the cold war, making
documents to allow soldiers to move around behind enemy
lines, and Craig tended to believe it.
Neil finished his task and closed the box holding Mrs.
Teal's work order. He walked to the east wall of the room
and opened the door to the walk-in safe. When Neil had
bought the old bank building, he turned its massive walk-
in vault into a storage place for his jewelry.
Someone had robbed Neil two years ago, taking the pieces
in the front room display cases. During the trial a year
later, it had come out that the pieces in the display
cases were actually excellent fakes of the real pieces
Neil kept stored in the safe. When he went back to box a
sold item, he retrieved the actual piece.
Some of the town residents had been impressed that he
didn't leave out valuable pieces to be taken; others were
embarrassed over raving about a fake diamond's size and
clarity.