Baby. We work our asses off to get scum off the street, and some greedy lawyer sets them free again." She sighed. "Spider's breaking faster than the rest of us, because, face it, what the hell else does she have?"
"What do you mean?"
"What does Spider do? Does she have somebody in her life? Something besides work? Does she have family or friends, besides you?"
It was a good question. He'd known Spider Web from academy days. He'd spent more time with her than any other person he'd ever known. Not just from work, but hours spent fishing and bar hopping and sitting around in her apartment or his house staring at the tube. But while he often spilled his guts to her, she rarely did the same with him. Tommy thought for a moment. They joked about it all the time, but there had to be something in Spider's life.
"Her mother died when she was like—three. Her father was an alcoholic, so she was raised mostly by an older brother. She went into the service right out of high school. While she was in the service her brother died. She's never said how, but she must have blamed her old man because she hasn't seen him since her brother's funeral. As far as I know, there's no other family that she's close to. As for friends," Tommy shrugged and could feel that his shoulders were loosening up, "the only people she ever talks about are the guys we work with. So I don't know. If she's got friends outside of work she doesn't talk about them. She writes to a couple of her old army buddies, but that's about it."
"Does she have a girl friend?"
"I don't know. Like I've told you before, I'm not even a hundred percent sure she's gay. I think she is, but she's never really said one way or the other . . . "
"And of course you'd never think to ask. You're such a guy. Take my word for it; she's gay." Laura quit rubbing his back then and sat down across from him. "As you know, our new assistant DA, my new boss, is a lesbian. Carrie's worked in the DA's office for the last two years, and I always thought she was really cool, but now that I'm working with her . . . She's just a really nice person. She's in her late twenties, sharp looking, very intelligent, great sense of humor, and . . . Well, she would really like to meet Spider away from work . . . "
"No! Absolutely not!" Tommy screamed, laughing. He swung his hands in front of his face, stood up, and headed for the bathroom. "We are not fixing my partner up with one of your friends from work. It's just too creepy."
Laura followed him into the bathroom. "Why not? Spider needs . . . well, I don't know, something. And Carrie . . . well, she's like totally obsessed with Spider. She keeps wanting me to introduce them."
"No," Tommy said emphatically.
"Ah, come on, Tommy. What could it hurt? Carrie's my friend. Spider's your partner. It might be fun."
"Yeah, like fucking heart burn," Tommy said. "We don't even know for certain that Spider is gay. How stupid are we going to look if it turns out that she's straight, and we fix her up with a woman?" He looked from her to the toilet and back. "Now, do you mind?"
"Not at all." Laura crossed her arms across her chest, smiled and just stared at him.
Tommy laughed, shook his head, pushed her out of the room and shut the door.
Spider looked down at him. "I know it's late, Henry, but I had to talk to somebody. I couldn't just go home."
She fixed his pillows, sat beside him and took his hand. "I got wired tonight. I do that a lot lately. It's like my brain is on fire." She paused a moment, then continued in a whisper. "I killed the perp on purpose. I'll get off because it was a righteous shoot, but I didn't have to kill him. I did it because I wanted to, and I enjoyed it. It gave me a rush . . . Yeah, I know it's sick. But whoever said you could do the right thing and keep your hands clean? I am tired . . . and lonely."
She brushed the tears from her eyes and
"What do you mean?"
"What does Spider do? Does she have somebody in her life? Something besides work? Does she have family or friends, besides you?"
It was a good question. He'd known Spider Web from academy days. He'd spent more time with her than any other person he'd ever known. Not just from work, but hours spent fishing and bar hopping and sitting around in her apartment or his house staring at the tube. But while he often spilled his guts to her, she rarely did the same with him. Tommy thought for a moment. They joked about it all the time, but there had to be something in Spider's life.
"Her mother died when she was like—three. Her father was an alcoholic, so she was raised mostly by an older brother. She went into the service right out of high school. While she was in the service her brother died. She's never said how, but she must have blamed her old man because she hasn't seen him since her brother's funeral. As far as I know, there's no other family that she's close to. As for friends," Tommy shrugged and could feel that his shoulders were loosening up, "the only people she ever talks about are the guys we work with. So I don't know. If she's got friends outside of work she doesn't talk about them. She writes to a couple of her old army buddies, but that's about it."
"Does she have a girl friend?"
"I don't know. Like I've told you before, I'm not even a hundred percent sure she's gay. I think she is, but she's never really said one way or the other . . . "
"And of course you'd never think to ask. You're such a guy. Take my word for it; she's gay." Laura quit rubbing his back then and sat down across from him. "As you know, our new assistant DA, my new boss, is a lesbian. Carrie's worked in the DA's office for the last two years, and I always thought she was really cool, but now that I'm working with her . . . She's just a really nice person. She's in her late twenties, sharp looking, very intelligent, great sense of humor, and . . . Well, she would really like to meet Spider away from work . . . "
"No! Absolutely not!" Tommy screamed, laughing. He swung his hands in front of his face, stood up, and headed for the bathroom. "We are not fixing my partner up with one of your friends from work. It's just too creepy."
Laura followed him into the bathroom. "Why not? Spider needs . . . well, I don't know, something. And Carrie . . . well, she's like totally obsessed with Spider. She keeps wanting me to introduce them."
"No," Tommy said emphatically.
"Ah, come on, Tommy. What could it hurt? Carrie's my friend. Spider's your partner. It might be fun."
"Yeah, like fucking heart burn," Tommy said. "We don't even know for certain that Spider is gay. How stupid are we going to look if it turns out that she's straight, and we fix her up with a woman?" He looked from her to the toilet and back. "Now, do you mind?"
"Not at all." Laura crossed her arms across her chest, smiled and just stared at him.
Tommy laughed, shook his head, pushed her out of the room and shut the door.
Spider looked down at him. "I know it's late, Henry, but I had to talk to somebody. I couldn't just go home."
She fixed his pillows, sat beside him and took his hand. "I got wired tonight. I do that a lot lately. It's like my brain is on fire." She paused a moment, then continued in a whisper. "I killed the perp on purpose. I'll get off because it was a righteous shoot, but I didn't have to kill him. I did it because I wanted to, and I enjoyed it. It gave me a rush . . . Yeah, I know it's sick. But whoever said you could do the right thing and keep your hands clean? I am tired . . . and lonely."
She brushed the tears from her eyes and
Similar Books
Silent Symmetry (The Embodied trilogy)
JB Dutton
Beloved Forever
Kit Tunstall
Bunker 01 - Slipknot
Linda Greenlaw
UndeniablyHisE
Christa Wick
Bared
Stacey Kennedy
The Extinction Code
Dean Crawford
Diablo Blanco Club 2, Under Control
Qwillia Rain
Brazen (Brazen 1)
Maya Banks