Thicker Than Water

Chapter

Three

“UGH.” KERRY SLID down into the hot tub and cradled her neck on its edge. “Thank God that’s over.”

Dar had her eyes closed. “Yeah.” She squirmed around, taking advantage of the heavy jets of water. “Thank God it turned out to be a firmware glitch, not a stolen file. Even if it took us most of the night to figure it out.”

“Mm.” Kerry turned her head, captured her straw, and sucked in a mouthful of peach iced tea. “It’s not quite ten. We’ve stayed later.”

Dar tangled her legs with Kerry’s and exhaled. “Uh huh. Glad we didn’t have to. I’m tanked.”

“Fish tanked?” Kerry snickered, splashing her a little.

“Wench. Get your snorkel ready.” The cordless phone rang, and, after giving it an evil look, Dar picked it up and answered it.

“Hello?”

There was silence, then a gasp. “Um…um…can I talk to Kerry?”

Dar’s brow creased. “Sure.” With widening eyes and a shrug, she handed the phone to Kerry. The voice had sounded very young.

Kerry took it and put it to her damp ear. “Hello?” Dar sidled over and pressed her head against Kerry’s to listen.

“Oh, Kerry, hi.” There was a sharp intake of breath. “I’m really sorry to like, bother you this late and all that, but—”

“Lena?” Kerry’s mental recognition kicked in. “Is that you?”

There was silence for a breath. “Yeah.”

“Hey, folks have been looking for you,” Kerry said. “Where are you?”

Lena hesitated. “Um…not in a good place.”

Dar nestled closer and listened.

“What’s ‘not a good place’? Are you in the hospital?”

“No,” Lena muttered. “I’m in jail.”

Dar’s eyes widened in surprise. She and Kerry exchanged Thicker Than Water 25

startled looks.

“In jail? What are you doing there?” Kerry sputtered. “What did you…?” She half turned and pushed the wet hair out of her eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Lena sounded tired. “It’s just really stupid, you know? My folks clued into like, me being gay, and they grounded me.”

“Grounded you?” Kerry’s voice dropped in pitch. “Did they think that would fix it?”

“Fuck if I know,” Lena replied glumly. “A window got busted in my old man’s car, and they called the cops on me.”

“Ah.” Kerry’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You need help getting out?”

Lena was very quiet for a few seconds. “You’re the only person I know that doesn’t make minimum wage. My folks told me to rot in here.”

Blue and green eyes met. “We’ll be right down there. You at the main jail? The one off Flagler?”

“Yeah,” Lena whispered. “Thanks, Kerry.”

“No problem. Take it easy until we get there.” Kerry hung up and put the phone down. “Stupid son of a b—” She was stopped with a kiss. “Damn it, Dar. What the hell is wrong with people?”

“I don’t know.” Dar wiped a bit of water off Kerry’s cheek.

“But we’d better get dressed and go bail your little buddy out.

Then we can worry about her dimwitted genetic contributors.”

“Pah.” Kerry sloshed out of the tub, grabbed a towel, and handed Dar hers. “Poor kid. How could they let her be taken down there? She’s probably scared half to death.”

“She the one with the tattoos?” Dar asked.

“Yeah.”

“Mm. And the nose ring?”

“Yeah.”

“She’ll be fine.”

They walked into the condo and were halfway across the living room before Kerry stopped and turned with her hands on her hips. “Do you know this from personal experience?”

Dar rubbed her face and just kept walking, a faint chuckle escaping her.

“Oh, I can’t wait to hear this story.” Kerry followed, with a chuckle of her own.

THE DADE COUNTY primary jail was, as most jails are, a supremely depressing place. The walls were institutional beige, and the floors were repeatedly shined heavy tile. Kerry was 26 Melissa Good sharply aware of the glances thrown her way as she entered and was glad of Dar’s light touch on her back as they walked across the starkly lit lobby to the processing desk.

Thick, bulletproof glass protected the woman seated behind it and it took a moment before she realized someone was there and looked up. “Yes?”

Ew. Kerry exhaled. “A friend of ours is in here. I’d like to see about getting her out.”

The woman looked at her, then pushed a pad across the desk and through the small opening in the glass. “Name?”

Kerry glanced at the pad, then fished in her purse for a pen.

She realized she didn’t know Lena’s last name at the same time Dar handed over her favorite heavy, silver-cased ballpoint.

“Thanks.” Kerry scribed the first name, then hesitated. “I’m sorry.

I only know her first name.”

“Real good friend of yours, huh?” The officer took the pad back and studied it. “Could be worse; could be Maria. Lemme go look.” She ripped the top sheet off the pad, got up, and disappeared into a cluttered area full of files and tall cabinets behind her.

“Hm.” Kerry rocked on her heels. “I feel pretty stupid about that.”

Dar shrugged, laced her fingers together behind her back, and glanced around the lobby. “Hasn’t changed much.” She accepted Kerry’s curious look. “After I…” Dar paused and inclined her head. “That little incident at the club I think you mentioned once.”

“Ah.” Kerry did, indeed, remember. “They brought you here?”

“I was pretty young,” Dar said. “They wanted to make sure one of the jackass’s friends didn’t come after me. They called Dad and he came down to pick me up.”

Two officers with an obviously inebriated young woman slung between them pushed by. Kerry moved out of the way and ducked as the woman wildly swung an arm. “Whoa.” Dar pulled her to one side and hovered protectively over her. Kerry decided a distraction was appropriate. “So, Dad picked you up, huh?”

Dar’s nose wrinkled at the sudden stench of vomit. “Yeah.”

She took another step backwards, tugging Kerry with her. “He was, um…”

“Proud.” Kerry tried to breathe through her mouth.

“Well…”

“Paladar Katherine Roberts, I can just stand here and picture your father coming in here to get you. I bet he made every cop who was there tell him what you did.”

Thicker Than Water 27

Two men, arguing in loud, strident Spanish, brushed by. They had badges on chains around their necks. Another yelling man, pointing a finger at one of the detectives, approached. The detective slapped his hand and yelled back.

“Hey!” The clerk had returned to her desk, and now she used the microphone. “Take it inside!”

The three men gave her a look, then shoved through a worn, wood paneled door off to one side, which opened into a large room filled with desks and papers. The clerk watched them, then looked up, made eye contact with Kerry, and curled her finger inward.

“Officious little—”

“Dar.” Kerry patted her lover’s leg. “C’mon, let’s get this over with.” She led Dar over to the counter and rested her elbows on its chipped Formica surface. “Find her?”

“Yeah.” The woman shuffled some papers. “You a relative?”

“No. Just a friend.” Kerry moved a little closer and tilted her head to see the officer’s nametag. Funk. Hm. “She had a little trouble with her folks.”

“No kidding,” Officer Funk said. “All right. The bail’s a thousand dollars.”

Kerry saw the officer’s eyes lift to her and she suspected she was waiting for a reaction. Kerry smiled pleasantly. “Okay. Do you take checks? Credit cards?” She waited a moment and there was still no reaction from the officer. “Animal pelts?”

“Cash,” Officer Funk replied. “Ten percent.”

Dar removed her wallet from her hip pocket and sorted through its contents. She removed a hundred dollar bill and tossed it onto the counter. “There.”

Kerry opened her mouth to object, then realized she didn’t have that much cash on her. She pushed the bill closer to the officer. “There.”

They stood there while the paperwork was completed, what looked like an eight or nine part form along with a sheaf of other documents. “I didn’t have to sign that many things for my new car,” Kerry commented idly.

“You weren’t buying it from Dade County,” the officer muttered. “All right. Jack, c’mere. Get me this one from the holding area.” She thrust a piece of paper behind her, and it was taken by a shorter man in uniform, sporting a thick, dark mustache. “This is your receipt.” She pushed a form to Kerry. “She comes up for a hearing in ten days. Make sure she’s there, or you’re in the hole for the other nine hundred.”

Dar leaned forward. “What is she charged with?”

The deeper tones caught the officer’s attention and she looked 28 Melissa Good up to find Dar’s piercing eyes pinning her. “Destruction of property.”

“What did she break?” Kerry asked.

“Car window.”

Dar’s brow creased. “Wouldn’t it be cheaper to just pay for the damn window?”

Officer Funk shrugged. “Her parents pressed charges. Guess they figured the kid couldn’t pay.”

“Bastards.”

The policewoman stopped from standing up to put away her papers and peered through the glass at Dar. “I don’t know. If my kid told me she was queer, I might do the same thing.” She shrugged and walked away.

Kerry turned and met Dar’s eyes, and they looked at each other in silence. After a moment, an inner door opened and the short, male officer appeared, one hand grasping Lena’s arm. The girl was very quiet, her face showing signs of rough handling and her clothes ripped and stained. She looked up and saw the two of them and a look of utter gratitude lit her face.

“Hey, Lena.” Kerry smiled at her. “C’mon, I bet you want out of here.”

“Oh.” Lena closed her eyes, then opened them. “You bet your ass I do.” She paused awkwardly. “Um…I mean…”

“I think you said exactly what you mean,” Dar drawled.

“Let’s get out of this place.” Her eyes drifted and met Officer Funk’s. “It stinks.”

They went out through the large double doors and into the cool night air. Lena stopped on the stone steps and took a breath, tilting her head back to look up at the night sky. “Thank you.” She hugged herself. “I’ll pay you guys back. I’ve got some money in my savings account.” She looked around with a lost expression.

“I’ll have to take it all out anyway. I’ll need clothes before I can go back to work tomorrow.” She paused. “If they haven’t fired me.”

Kerry and Dar exchanged glances. “C’mon.” Kerry put a hand on her arm and steered her towards the Lexus. “The first thing you need is a shower and some clean stuff to wear. We’ve got both back at our place.”

“I can’t ask you to do that.” But Lena looked pathetically grateful.

“You’re not. Let’s go.” Dar keyed the doors open and motioned her inside. The poor kid looked so ragged, and so at a loss, Dar felt like… Like what, Dar? her conscience pricked her. Like you want to go punch her mother? She closed the door after Lena climbed up inside, then walked around and started to get in. She paused and rested her arm on the edge of the windowsill as she Thicker Than Water 29

gazed down the sidewalk.

She remembered walking down it, dressed in her scary, punky best, with parts of her aching from the fight but happy, because her daddy was there next to her. They’d stopped on the corner and leaned back against the coral wall, across from the parking lot where she’d spotted her dad’s truck. Andrew had looked her over and shook his head. “Lord. You are mah kid, ain’t you.”

Dar had stuck her hands into her ripped pockets and just nodded.

“Y’know, they don’t much give medals to folks who do what I do,” Andrew had said, looking off into the distance. “And I sure ain’t got none to give up, but here.” He’d taken off his dog tags and put them around Dar’s neck.

Dar remembered looking up at him, and she knew her face must have shown how she felt, because he’d smiled and cupped her cheek with one callused hand.

They’d just gone on home after that, after a stop at a gas sta-tion mart to pick up a couple of ice cream bars and two bottles of pop. Even her mother had listened to the story and, with a sigh, given her a pat on the knee and told her she’d done a good thing.

It had felt like winning the lottery, that winning of her parents’ praise, and listening to Lena, Dar realized all over again how different it could have been for her.

“Dar?” Kerry leaned over and tugged on Dar’s shirt. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” Dar slid behind the wheel and closed the door. “I was just thinking of something.”

Kerry studied the angular profile for a moment, then patted Dar’s thigh and half turned in her seat to address Lena. “You’re doing data entry, aren’t you?”

Lena was running her fingers over the soft leather of the seat.

She glanced up guiltily. “Um…oh, yeah, yeah, I do. It’s a telemar-keting thingie. I put in the orders.” Her eyes dropped. “Or, I did.

My boss hates when people are late. I can just imagine what his reaction was when I didn’t show for work for two days.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Kerry smiled at her. “So, what exactly happened?”

Lena pushed some very dirty hair back off her forehead. “Oh, my God, it was like…It was so incredibly stupid.” She exhaled, but her spirit was rebounding a little. “I can’t believe it. It’s like some dumb weird ass dream thing, you know?”

“No. But if you’d tell me, I would,” Kerry replied patiently.

Lena emitted a sigh. “Okay. Like, I told you I was really into this Internet thing, right?”

30 Melissa Good Dar and Kerry exchanged looks. “We can relate to that,”

Kerry said.

Lena was momentarily distracted. “Are you guys on the Internet?”

“We run the Internet,” Dar said as she pulled carefully onto the highway. “So, yeah, you could say we’re on it, under it, inside it, crawling all over it.”

“Wow. For real?” Lena watched Dar’s profile with interest.

“That’s so cool. Are you, like, hackers?”

“No.”

“Sometimes.”

Kerry gave Dar a look. “We are not.”

“You’ve never seen what I can do with a data analyzer, have you?”

Lena started laughing. “You guys are funny.” She relaxed into the leather seat. “So, anyway, I’m like really into this Internet stuff and I found some really cool places, with people…um...” She hesitated.

“Like us?” Kerry hazarded a guess.

“Yeah,” Lena said. “Anyway, we all get together and we chat, and do stuff, and a lot of them write these story things.” She rubbed her fingers together. “Some of them are okay, and some are pretty good, and some…ew.” Lena made a face. “So, I figured I could try doing it, too, and just see how it went.”

“Stories?” Kerry leaned against the seat and considered that.

“What? Stories about…school and things like that?”

“Uh, no.” Lena blushed. “Not about school. Well, one of them was. This girl wrote this one about her and two other girls and some gym equipment, but—”

Kerry cocked her head. “Gym equipment?” She looked at a laughing Dar. “What?” Her brow knit, then relaxed as she realized what sort of stories Lena was talking about. “Oh. Kind of…romantic stories, huh?”

Lena chewed her lip. “Well, I guess some of them might be called that.”

“So, did your parents catch you reading this lesbian erotica?”

Dar asked in a low, amused tone.

“No way.” Lena shook her head. “I’m way too careful for that, and my parents wouldn’t know what they were looking at in my computer anyway.” She folded her arms. “I wrote my first one, and I posted it, and you know, everyone liked it. It was so cool.”

“Hey, that’s great,” Kerry said.

“Yeah, except I printed out a copy to take to school, to show Casey and them, and it was on my printer, and my mother came in Thicker Than Water 31

and took it.” Lena looked out the window. “Wow, we’re driving onto a boat? Where do you guys live, Cuba?”

“That’d be a commute,” Dar muttered. “I’d say your mother got what she deserved if she walked in and just took what wasn’t hers.”

Kerry sighed. “Some parents are of the opinion that they own whatever’s in the house because they pay the mortgage. Boy, have I been there.”

Dar looked at her sideways, one eyebrow lifting.

“Yeah, you’re absolutely right,” Lena blurted. “That’s exactly what my parents think. My mom took it while I was in the shower and by the time I got out and got dressed, she was…” She fell silent for a second. “She started throwing things at me.”

Kerry took her hand.

“I tried to stay out of the way, you know? Because she does that sometimes, just goes off and shit. But she just kept coming at me.” Lena took a shaky breath. “She chased me into the garage, and…oh my God, everything was falling, and she threw a baseball bat at me. Then I don’t know what happened, something, and a sled we had up in the overhead fell down right on my dad’s car.”

“So that’s what broke the window,” Kerry murmured.

“It broke everything. And that sports car is his, like, best child,” Lena said. “She locked me in there, and the next thing I knew, the cops were there and they took me off.”

The ferry docked and the conversation ended as Dar piloted the Lexus onto the island and turned down the road leading to the condo. Lena slid over to one side and peered out of the window, looking around curiously until they pulled up next to the condo and parked. “Wow. Holy shit, Toto, we’re not in Hialeah anymore.”

They got out of the car and headed up the stairs.

KERRY LED THE way upstairs, leaving Dar to putter around and put on some coffee. Lena crept along behind Kerry, trying not to touch anything as she walked in the very center of the stairs.

“Let me get you something to change into; you can use the shower in there.” She gestured to the guest bathroom, tucked in neatly next to its attendant bedroom.

“Wow.” Lena peeked inside, then hurriedly followed Kerry into her own bedroom. “This is a way amazing place.”

Kerry pulled open a drawer and rooted around inside it. “It’s pretty big, yeah.” She removed a shirt and a pair of shorts. “Here.

These’ll be big on you, but not too bad. They’re old ones of mine from when I was a lot smaller.”

32 Melissa Good Lena took them gingerly and eyed Kerry. “You’re not fat.”

Kerry smiled. “No, but I used to be a lot lighter before I started all this wall climbing and weight lifting.” She turned Lena around and pointed her towards the guest bathroom. “There’s lots of soap, and everything you need in there. Help yourself.”

“Okay.” Lena carefully folded the clothes over her arm.

“Um…thanks, Kerry. I thought I’d be all tough and that, and just stay in there. You know, like—wow, so this is jail.”

One of Kerry’s pale eyebrows cocked. “Why? You’re not stupid.”

Lena fingered the clothes. “There were some really fucked up people in there. I figured I’d better find a way to get out before something stupid happened.” Her eyes lifted. “So, thanks.”

“No problem, but one thing is puzzling me,” Kerry said as they walked down the hall. “I don’t remember giving out our phone number here.”

“Oh.” Lena managed a wan, but cheeky grin. “Casey got that out of the church Rolodex. We were all, like, curious to see if we could figure out where you lived and stuff.”

“Ah,” Kerry replied. “I thought that was locked up in the office.”

Lena grinned again. “And?”

Kerry sighed. “That’s supposed to be private information.

You could have just asked.” She folded her arms.

Lena looked nonplused for a moment. “I didn’t…I mean, we didn’t think of that. It’s just that, like, no one tells you anything when you’re our age, you know? It’s like everything’s such a big secret, and if you want to know stuff, you have to go find it out yourself.”

“Mm.” Kerry understood that, having grown up in a very political household.

“What is up with adults?” Lena asked. “It’s like, even in school, they say they don’t teach things so we don’t get ‘ideas.’ I thought the whole thing school was for was to, like, encourage us to get ideas. So they don’t tell us about important shit, like what sex is all about. How brainless is that?”

“Very brainless,” Kerry acknowledged wryly.

“Um…listen.” Lena cleared her throat. “My cousin’s got a place right down from the ferry base in Miami Beach. I can stay with her, if you can give me a ride back over there. I feel kinda bad about getting you guys all out at night and stuff.”

Kerry pondered. “If you’re sure that’s okay, yeah, we can do that.”

Lena shrugged. “I’ve been, like, talking to her anyway. After you said all that stuff about being out and all that, I figured Thicker Than Water 33

maybe I’d give it a try.” She scowled a little. “Didn’t work out as good as it did for you, though, huh?”

Kerry exhaled. “Go take a shower. It didn’t work out well for me in the beginning either.”

“People suck,” Lena commented. “I guess.”

“Yeah. Sometimes they really do,” Kerry said quietly, remembering waking up in a cold, sterile hospital room. “But that’s why getting away from those people is sometimes the best thing you can do.”

Lena nodded, started to turn, then stopped. “But hey, you know? Sometimes it’s okay. Look at what happened to Barbara, yeah?”

Kerry blinked. “What happened to Barbara?”

“Oh, yeah. I guess you didn’t hear. That guy at work likes her. He made her, like, an assistant manager. How do you like that shit?” Lena seemed amazed. “So I guess you were right.”

Guess I was. “Mm.” Kerry smiled. “So, see, you never know.”

“Yeah.”

Lena disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Kerry to a moment of silent reflection. Shaking her head, she headed back downstairs to the sounds of brewing coffee and Dar.

“SO.” DAR FLEXED her bare toes against the floor tile. “Now what?”

Kerry trudged across the kitchen and ended up next to her partner. “She’s got a friend she can stay with. I’ll ride her over after she gets cleaned up.”

Dar poured her a cup of coffee and mixed some sugar and cream into it before she handed it to Kerry. “I can go with you. It’s late.”

Kerry kissed her on one shoulder. “You should rest your arm.

I can handle this.” She took a swallow of the coffee. “Dar, I feel so bad for her.”

“I know.” Dar took a sip of her own coffee. “So do I.”

“As bad as my father is, it’s not like that.”

“No.” Dar leaned against her. “Your father’s a bastard and he’s just thinking of himself, but sick as it is, I really do think he thought he was helping you.”

Kerry sighed. “I keep wondering if I should try giving him a call. Maybe for Christmas. What do you think?”

Dar’s nose wrinkled a bit. “Well, it’s worth a try. Look at me and my mother.”

“Mm.” Kerry took another sip of coffee. “C’mon, let’s go sit inside. Isn’t the croc man on now?” She gently guided Dar 34 Melissa Good towards the living room and its soft leather couches. “You know what I think I’m going to do, Dar?”

“Get her a job with us?” Dar suggested wryly.

“Did you read my mind?”

“No, your heart.”

Despite how tired she was, Kerry had to smile at that. “You’re such a sweetie.”

“No, I’m not!”

“Munchkin.”

HOURS LATER, THE phone pulled Kerry out of a deep sleep, which caused her to stare at the ringing object for several long seconds before she got her brain in gear and grabbed it. It was still dark, and a glance at the clock showed barely six a.m. Dar stirred against her as she got the receiver to her ear. “Hello?”

“Kerry?” The voice was familiar, if strained. “It’s Angie.”

A surge of adrenaline cleared Kerry’s mind as she put together her sister’s voice and the time. “Ang? What’s wrong?”

She hadn’t spoken to her family in over a month and a pang of guilt made her grimace.

A sigh filtered through the receiver. “It’s dad. He’s had a stroke.”

Kerry drew in a shocked breath. “Oh my God.” She felt the pressure of Dar’s arm around her and she turned to see the dim outside light reflecting off her lover’s pale eyes. “My father’s had a stroke,” she told Dar. “How is he?” She directed that to her sister.

“Not good,” Angie replied quietly. “If you…” She hesitated.

“Maybe you should think about coming up.”

Very bad, then. Kerry’s thoughts were whirling and scattered.

“How’s mom?”

Angie was silent for a moment, then she sighed. “She’s not dealing with things really well. No one is. It’s kind of a real mess right now.” A pause followed as Angie collected herself. “It happened last night. He was at a meeting with some other people, over some bill or something, and he got mad, like he does, and the next thing we knew, they were all yelling, and calling out and…”

She stopped. “Anyway, it’s been a really long night.”

The speech gave Kerry time to sort out her thoughts. “Yeah, for us, too. I just got to bed two hours ago. All right. Let me get my wits together and I’ll book a flight up.” She paused. “Did you say you were calling me?”

“I told mom, yeah,” Angie said. “I’m not sure she understood what I meant, but I think it’s okay.”

Thicker Than Water 35

Great. Kerry scrubbed her face with her free hand. “Okay, thanks for calling me, Ang. I’ll see you soon.” She listened to Angie’s quiet goodbye, then set the receiver in the cradle. Then she turned around and faced Dar.

“Bad?” Dar’s voice was burred and husky from sleep.

“Sounds like it,” Kerry replied. “Not good timing, I know.”

“No way to help it.” Dar shrugged. “I’d offer to go with you, but I’m thinking my presence wouldn’t do a thing for his condition, or make it any easier with your family.”

“No,” Kerry had to regretfully agree. “But I wish that wasn’t true, Dar.”

Dar’s smile was barely visible in the gloom. “I know.” She drew in a breath and rubbed her neck to ease the headache brought on by her sudden awakening. “All right, let’s get this show on the road.”

“Hey, sweetie.” Kerry gently pushed her back down onto the pillows. “There’s absolutely no sense in you getting up just because I have to. Let me go book my flight and you go back to sleep, okay?”

Dar gazed at her. “Too late.” She smiled wryly. “Phone calls at six a.m. tend to wake me up pretty thoroughly.” She tugged on Kerry’s Tweety Bird T-shirt. “How about you go start coffee and I’ll book your flight?”

Kerry sighed. “Sorry about that. All right. Feel like anything for breakfast?”

Dar considered. “Steak,” she replied as Kerry rolled out of bed, paused in mid motion, and looked back over a shoulder at her. She shrugged sheepishly. “You asked.”

“Really?” Kerry asked, getting a nod in response. Dar generally was a very light eater for breakfast, usually contenting herself with her coffee, and either a bowl of cereal or a banana. Kerry herself preferred a simple muffin, but had learned recently to supple-ment that with a protein shake to fuel her early morning exercise.

“Guess I’ll call the beach club. I don’t think we have any sirloins lying around.”

DAR POKED HER head into Kerry’s upstairs bedroom, where her lover was busy packing a small overnight bag. “You’re set.”

She entered the room and went to the bed. “You’ve got a plane change in Detroit.”

“Always. I think we even change planes in Detroit going from Saugatuck to Grand Rapids,” Kerry murmured, neatly tucking a sweatshirt into the bag. “Thanks for taking care of that for me.

What time is the flight?”

36 Melissa Good

“Nine thirty.” Dar slipped the folded piece of paper with the details into the side pocket of the carry on. She was dressed in a pair of worn cutoffs and a sweatshirt, with her hair pulled back into a neat tail. “I’ll drop you off at the airport, then just go in to work.”

Kerry looked at Dar. “Like that? Damn. No fair. I don’t want to miss José’s expression.”

Dar chuckled softly. “I’ll bring a change of clothes. I don’t want to scandalize the entire building by walking in looking like a beach bum.”

“A very cute beach bum, but I see your point. Nothing would get done all day.” Kerry sighed and pulled the zipper closed on her bag. “That’s that.” She had packed enough clothing for a couple days and her traveling kit. And her black suit. Just in case.

Dar sensed her change in mood. “Got everything you need?”

Kerry nodded somberly. “I guess I’d better—”

“I booked you into the Marriott.”

A faint smile appeared. “Thanks. This is going to be tough enough without sharing space.” Kerry took a deep breath. “Hopefully it won’t be for long.”

Dar put her hands on Kerry’s shoulders, turned her around, and faced her with a serious expression. “Take as long as you need. Don’t worry about what’s going on here.”

Kerry kept her eyes locked on Dar’s shirt. “Thanks. But to be honest, I’d rather that you tell me you desperately need me here and not to take a minute more than necessary.” She felt shaky and knew her voice showed it. She wished she knew why.

Dar tipped her chin up and gazed into her eyes. “I need you desperately. Every minute you’re gone is going to seem like a lifetime to me.” The look on Kerry’s face brought a smile to Dar’s.

“And we’ll miss you at work, too.”

It didn’t untwist her guts, but it did make her feel a lot better.

Kerry put her arms around Dar and hugged her. “Please take care of yourself while I’m gone.”

“You mean I can’t start that skydiving class I’d planned?” Dar teased gently. “Or the I-95 rugby league?” She kissed the top of Kerry’s head. “You be careful, too, okay? I want you back in one piece, safe and sound.”

“I will be,” Kerry promised.

“I hope your father’s okay,” Dar said, in a very quiet voice.

“For what it’s worth.”

Kerry didn’t answer, not sure of how she felt about that herself.