The Bitterest Pill

Forty-three

Suit was at the desk, reading a paperback. Jesse had stopped on the way up from Boston and bought Suit a jelly donut. The times of Suit devouring three or four donuts were over. Elena had seen to that. Suit even ate salads these days and went to the gym. His belly no longer strained at the buttons of his uniform shirts. He put down the book when Jesse came through the door.

Jesse held up the bag. “Only one.”

“Jelly?”

Jesse nodded.

Suit smiled, but it was sheepish. “Elena will kill me. Hell, Jesse, I’m down to less than my football-playing weight in high school.”

“How do you feel?”

“Great.”

“So you don’t want this?”

Suit’s right hand swung out and snatched the bag from Jesse’s hand. “Did I say that?”

Jesse enjoyed watching as Suit relished each small bite of the donut.

They hadn’t discussed Suit’s bravery at the old meetinghouse since right after it happened. Suit had been awarded a medal for his bravery, a plaque had been placed on the wall of the stationhouse, but like most real heroes, he was almost embarrassed by the attention. What mattered to Luther “Suitcase” Simpson had nothing to do with medals and plaques. He had always longed for Jesse’s respect. Not respect as a person. Jesse had always afforded him that. It was that he had always craved Jesse’s respect as a cop. There was no question of that now.

What still surprised Suit was not that he’d walked back into a building knowing he was very probably going to die inside. Nor was it that he’d done it only several months after getting married and finding true happiness for the first time. It was that when he walked into the old meetinghouse, it had nothing to do with winning Jesse’s approval or respect. It was all about doing his duty and doing what was right in spite of being choked with fear. He had done it because that’s what a good cop did.

“Did you hear about Cole?” Jesse asked, as Suit swallowed the last bite.

“No. What?”

“He’s going into the State Police Academy next month.”

Suit felt a twinge of something when Jesse said that and saw the smile light up his face. Suit hadn’t much liked Cole when he arrived in Paradise. Truthfully, Cole hadn’t made it easy for anyone to like him. And though Suit had earned everything he wanted from Jesse, he guessed what he felt was a touch of jealousy. Suit had always acted the part of Jesse’s surrogate son/younger brother, and a piece of him didn’t want to relinquish that just yet.

“Good for him,” Suit said, in spite of himself. “How do you feel about it?”

“Proud and scared. I’m going to throw him a party before he goes in.”

Suit changed the subject. “How did it go in Boston?”

“Mixed.”

“What’s that mean?”

“What it means,” Jesse said, “is that we’re going to change tactics tomorrow.”

“How so?”

“We’re going to put some people on notice at the high school.”

“We are?”

“We are. You have tomorrow off, right?”

Suit nodded.

“Want some overtime?”

“Sure, Jesse.”

“How long are the periods at the school?”

Suit thought about it. “If things haven’t changed, the periods last fifty minutes. With ten minutes between classes.”

“And school starts at seven?”

“Seven, yeah.”

“You meet me for breakfast at Daisy’s at nine.”

“Then what?”

“Then we’re going to the high school to shake the trees and see who falls out.”

“Whatever you say, Jesse.”

Jesse retreated into his office. Suit tried to go back to his book but felt too guilty about his reaction to Jesse’s pride over Cole. Suit had to laugh at himself for the irony of his petty jealousy. But he no longer had to walk around in silence, burdened by his thoughts and feelings. He had a wife at home to talk to and share with. Now he smiled at the prospect of talking to Elena, and the guilt disappeared even faster than the jelly donut had.