Scarlet Nights (Edilean 3)

Captain Erickson had to read it twice before he believed it. His first impulse was to slip out and see the girl for himself. Maybe he’d take her into an empty room and talk to her about what Mike had done for her, “above and beyond” what he needed to do.

But as the captain sat there thinking about what he should do, he knew that what he most wanted was to see how Mike felt about the girl. Today Mike had been moody, even morose. Was it because he knew he’d put himself in an impossible situation?

The captain turned to his secretary who was waiting with her usual impatience. “Go get her and bring her up here,” he whispered.

“Here? To this room?”

“Yeah,” the captain said. “In here.”

He moved to the other side of the table, across from Mike, so he could see out the glass doors. It took a while for his secretary to get down the stairs and lead the girl up through the rabbit warren of doors and long hallways of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.

When the captain first saw Miss Sara Shaw coming toward them, he sat up straighter. He’d seen a photo of her, but she was prettier than that, with her blonde hair neatly about her shoulders. In a state where women constantly wore tank tops and frayed blue jeans, Miss Shaw’s prim yellow dress was a throwback in time.

The detective next to the captain saw her, and he too stopped listening and stared. He punched the guy next to him, and soon they were all watching Sara walk toward them.

By the time she got to the door, the only person not looking at her was Mike. He seemed to be in his own world as he toyed with his ring and stared into space.

The speaker opened the door for Sara. “Can I help you?” he asked, smiling broadly.

Sara only had eyes for Mike. Taking the few steps to his chair, she stood there watching.

It was a while before Mike heard the silence in the room. When he looked up, he saw Sara standing in front of him.

“Shamus and Luke finished these and I brought them to you,” Sara said, holding out the stack of tarot cards.

Mike just sat there, looking at her.

“I think we should—” the captain began.

He stopped talking when Mike abruptly stood up, grabbed Sara in his arms, and twirled her around. The cards went flying about the room.

“You’re here!” Mike was saying as he kept hugging his wife. No one had ever seen Mike so happy. “You’re really here!”

When

he started to kiss her, Sara pushed at his chest. “Maybe you should introduce me.” Her face radiated happiness.

The men who weren’t regulars were on their knees picking up the cards, but the men and women Mike worked with were behind him, all of them eager to meet his wife.

“Yeah, sure,” Mike said as he put her down but kept firm hold of her hand. “This is Sara Sh—” He looked at her. “Newland. Sara Newland, my wife.”

His coworkers stood there staring in silence. They’re in shock, Sara thought, and knew she needed to break the ice. “Notice that the word ‘wife’ nearly choked him,” Sara said. “It’ll take a while for him to adjust to the concept that he’s no longer a free man.”

Everyone, including the captain, laughed. But more important than laughter was that he realized Mike’s moodiness that day had been caused by his missing this pretty young woman. Maybe Mike’s main reason for marrying her was to protect her, but there was more to it than that.

“Speaking of husbands,” Mike said, “I told you you couldn’t come here.”

Sara looked at the captain. “He’s worried that I’ll be lonely in this big, bad city while he’s at work. Is there a possibility that he could have some time off for a three-day honeymoon?”

“Sara, this isn’t the time—” Mike began.

“I think that can be arranged,” the captain said. “Oh, yeah, Mike, I forgot to tell you.” He tossed two keys on a ring to him. “I raised a bit of a ruckus about what had been done to your apartment, and I managed to get you a new one. There is now an FBI agent who’s after my scalp because he was supposed to get this place.” The captain looked at Sara. “Let me know if you like it or not.”

“What about the cards?” the Secret Service agent asked as he held them up.

“Mike will tell us everything tomorrow. You kids go on. Mike, show her some of our beautiful city,” the captain said.

Sara smiled. “I have a friend who grew up in Boca Raton and she gave me a list of places to see. Mizner Park, Town Center, a place called Las Olas?”