Page 142 of Now and Then
I frown. “What exactly does that mean?”
Navy doesn’t flinch. “Sutton’s been through more than most people know how to carry. Losing her dad. Her relationship. The baby. Everything that came after.” She pauses. “And she’s never really dealt with it.”
I sit up straighter.
“She’s learning,” Navy says. “She’s trying. But healing like that doesn’t happen overnight. And I can’t help worrying that your accident might have . . .”
Her eyes meet mine.
“If you’re in this with her,” Navy says, “and I know you are—just make sure you go in with your eyes open. You’ve always been her anchor when things spiral. But she’s got to learn how to weather storms without burying the hard stuff.”
I nod slowly. Navy is right. Since the accident, Sutton has become hypervigilant with everything and everyone. With all my doctor appointments and my own work, we haven’t really talked about the accident and how it affected me or her.
Like so many other things, they’re left unsaid in the space between us.
“I know,” I say.
Navy studies my face like she’s searching for cracks. Whatever she sees seems to satisfy her, because her shoulders drop a fraction. “Good,” she says. “Because this Sutton? The one we’ve seen lately? That’s the real Sutton, and I’d hate for her to disappear again. Plus, she kinda loves you a lot, and it would suck if you broke up, because I’d already planned on baking y’all’s wedding cake someday.”
My chest tightens at the quiet certainty of her voice. Is Navy coming around to me? “You’re a good friend, Navy.”
“Psh, tell me something I don’t already know.” Without missing a beat, she lifts a hand over her shoulder and gives me a curt wave as she disappears into the hall.
My laptop dings, followed by a second buzz from my phone.
Chris: These guys are intense.
Me: I’m sure. They’re 3 times the size of SVPD.
Another ding—this time from Chief.
Chief: My office.
When I step inside Chief’s office, he’s got the scanners up and bodycam footage streaming from the raid in Eagle Falls. I drag a chair over and study the live feed with him.
“This is your case,” Chief says. “Sit down and finish it.”
I lean closer to the monitor. The bodycam footage bounces as the SWAT teams breach the door.
On the screen, a tangle of metal pipes runs along the ceiling inside the doorway. “Those vent lines.” I point with my good hand. “Same setup we saw at the lumber mill. That lab’s going to be bigger than it looks from the outside.”
I key the radio. “Eagle Falls, be advised of possible secondary lab space past the entry. Watch your left wall.”
The SWAT team breaches the door with quick efficiency. I lean forward despite the ache in my arm, my heart thudding as the team clears the first room.
When they enter the secondary area, the officers freeze mid-step. There is enough equipment and chemicals to pump meth across the entire state.
Men wearing breathing masks look up at the intrusion and put their hands in the air. The team moves in and apprehends the suspects in a matter of seconds. I swallow past the lump in my throat.
“Thank God. At least this step of the case went the way we wanted it to,” Chief says. “You sad you missed out, Detective?”
“Maybe a little,” I admit. “We all like to be the hero occasionally, right?”
“Nah, my hero days are behind me.” He gathers up a stack of papers, eyes still on the screen. “All I want to do is ensure my officers are home safe each night and our city is taken care of.”
“Exactly,” I say. “It’s why they call it a police force. Takes a whole team.”
Chief’s mouth quirks into a rare smile. “I knew I promoted the right guy to detective. You’ll be ready to take my job in no time at all.” He pushes from his desk and steps into the hallway, leaving me staring after him.
