Broken Promise: A Thriller

Fifty-four

Angus Carlson phoned his wife, Gale, at the dental clinic where she worked as a hygienist. She was with a patient, doing a cleaning, but Carlson told the woman at the desk that it was an emergency.

Several seconds later, Gale came on the line. “What is it? What’s happened? Are you okay?”

“It’s not that kind of emergency,” he told her. “It’s something good.”

“Oh, God, you gave me a heart attack. You’re a cop! Someone says it’s an emergency and my mind goes to the worst possible place!”

“Sorry, I didn’t think.”

“I’ve got someone in the chair. What’s happened?”

“I got a promotion.”

“What?” Excited now, no longer annoyed. “What kind of promotion?”

“It’s temporary,” he said. “But if I do a good job, they might make it permanent.”

“Tell me.”

“Detective,” he said. “They’ve got me working as a detective.”

“That’s fantastic! That’s wonderful! I’m so proud of you.”

“I just wanted you to know. I wanted you to be the first call.”

“Does this mean you’ll get more money?”

“I’ll probably get a bump up while I’m doing it.”

“Because,” Gale said gently, “if you get a raise, this could be a good time—”

“Only thing I’m a bit worried about is this guy I have to work with. Duckworth. I don’t think he likes me. There was this thing with squirrels, and I was just making a joke and—”

“Squirrels?”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll just have to work it out with him. Prove to him I’m not an idiot.”

“You’re not,” Gale said. “You’re going to do great. But what I was going to say was, if you’re going to be making more money, maybe this would be a good time to think about starting a—”

“Please, Gale, don’t go there,” Angus Carlson said.

“You don’t even know what I’m going to say.”

“I know what you’re going to say. That’s not why I’m calling you. I don’t want to get into that.”

“I’m sorry,” Gale said. “I just thought—”

“You know how I feel about this.”

“I know, but we’ve had this discussion. I’m not like her. I’d be a good mother. Just because—”

“That reminds me. I’m going to let her know.”

“Let who know?”

“My mother. I’m going to let her know.”

“Angus.”

“I am. She never thought I’d amount to anything. I’m going to tell her.”

“Angus, please,” Gale said. “Don’t say that. Let it go. We left that behind. We came here to get away from all that.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment. Finally, his voice somewhat distant: “Okay, okay. You’re right. I don’t have to do that.”

“We should... celebrate,” Gale said, her voice starting to break. A sniff, then: “When you get home.”

“Are you crying?”

“I’m not crying.”

“You sound like you’re crying. This is a big thing for me, Gale. Don’t ruin it by crying.”

“I said I wasn’t crying. I have to go. I have to get back to Mr. Ormin.”

“Okay,” he said. “We’ll go out. You want to do that?”

“You pick,” Gale said. “I have to go.”