Just the Facts Volume 2

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It figured, Sean decided, that the moment he was getting somewhere with Andy—barely even aware that’s what he wanted until the situation presented itself—his sister, Moira, had to interrupt.

Not that he really blamed Moira. He husband, Phil, had been suffering from pain for a couple of months, and though Sean was no doctor, he had suggested the possibility of it being related to his appendix. Now, here it was, crisis time. And yeah, Sean would have wanted the two hellions away from the hospital if he were Moira, too.

She looked incredibly tired as she smiled wanly at him when he arrived. She brought Shanna and Ryan out to him at the front reception area of the hospital. They were twins, just six years old.

“Thank you so much.” She hugged him. “Did I interrupt anything?”

“Er, yeah. But it’s all right.”

“I’m sorry.” She glanced at the kids. “Anything important?”

“Just…I was spending some time with Andy.”

“Oh.” Her face cleared. “Your partner. Okay, then.”

Because of course, she wouldn’t guess it was more than that. Well, it was getting there anyway.

“I haven’t had a chance to feed them. Can you make them something or at least stop and get it? Anything, really.”

“Can we have pizza?” Ryan asked.

“We’ll see,” Sean replied. He put a hand on each of their shoulders, steering them toward the exit. Fortunately, he’d brought the SUV that had two extra car seats she’d given to him for when he was required to watch them. More often than he would have probably thought would happen when she first had the kids.

“I’ll call you later,” Moira called after them. “Thank you!”

“Can we have ice cream?” Shanna asked once they were outside.

“Does your mama let you have ice cream?”

“No.”

“Okay, then maybe.” He grinned at them and they grinned back, running to his car.

* * * *

The way the table of old folks setting up to play bingo eyed him and Andy suspiciously, Sean would have thought they were the suspects, and the oldsters, the cops.

He sat in a little plastic chair that made him feel like he was back in Elementary School, or whatever they were calling it these days.

“Annabelle sits there,” the elderly lady across from him said, pointing her finger at him.

“Where is she?”

“She doesn’t come until six.”

“We’ve got time then.” Sean looked at Andy. “Take a seat.”

Andy sighed and plopped into the chair next to him. It creaked.

“I’m Sean Callahan and this is Andy Mantegna. We’re with the Haydon Cliff Police Department. Homicide division.

“They got enough murders here for a whole division devoted to it?” an old man asked.

“Of course they do,” the woman responded for them. “They killed all those poor people in the park.”

Sean didn’t know who “they” were, as the killer had been one asshole. “Your name, ma’am?”

“Am I under arrest, Officer?”

“It’s Detective, I’m sure.” Another older woman appeared at their table and stuck out her hand at Sean. “Mavis Pillary. P-I-L-L-A-R-Y. That’s Norma Moore and her husband Eugene.”

Sean shook her hand. “Ma’am.”

She sat on the other side of Norma and Eugene.

“No one’s under arrest,” Andy spoke up. “We just want to ask some questions related to the victims.”

Mavis eyed him. “You’re a cutie. You married, son?”

He cleared his throat. “It’s Detective, Mrs. Pillary. And no, I’m not.”

“If we can focus on our reason for being here and finish up,” Sean interrupted, “everyone can get back to enjoying their evening. Rose O’Hearn played bingo here, didn’t she?”

“Did she?” Eugene asked. “Which one was she, Norma?”

“Old lady that sat at that table way over there,” Norma told him. “Yes, she did play here, though we didn’t know her too well. Just ran into her at the coffee table or the bathroom, that kind of thing.”

“Was she the one that wore the beanie?” he asked.

“No, no dear. The one next to her.”

“How about you, Mrs. Pillary?” Andy asked.

“She won a lot. That I know,” Mavis said with a sniff. “Quite unfair.”

Sean raised his eyebrows. “Why is that?”

“She already had money. It’s always the ones who don’t need it that win. Some of us could really use it.”

“Do you think gambling is a good way to make money?” This from Andy. It earned him several hard stares.

“How about Maria Castro?” Sean asked, drawing their attention back to him.

Norma Moore frowned. “There are so many here, it’s hard to know them by name.”

“Yes,” her husband agreed. “And some don’t come every week. Just sometimes.”

Sean turned to Andy. “Got that picture of Maria Castro?”

“On my phone. Tony sent it.” Andy took his cell phone out of his pocket, stabbed his finger at it, then passed around the digital picture Maria’s son had provided for them.

Mavis looked at it first. She shrugged. “I think…maybe. Not every week. Maybe once a month? She came by herself. Didn’t talk to anyone, I think. At least that’s my recollection.”

The phone was passed to the other two. Neither could remember for sure.

As Sean and Andy got up to leave, Mavis checked her watch. “Wonder where Annabelle is. She’s usually here by now.”

Sean exchanged a look with Andy. “What’s Annabelle’s last name?”

“You know, I don’t think she ever said. But her daughter drops her off and picks her up. She wasn’t feeling well last week. That’s probably it. Under the weather.”

Sean nodded. “Okay. Thanks for talking to us.”

They questioned a few people at other tables, but they got similar results. Most remembered Rose, but only a few recalled Maria.

“Dead end, huh?” Andy asked as they left the lodge. He winced at the word “dead,” but Sean ignored that. In their business, you couldn’t be sensitive about such things.

“Tomorrow I’d like to re-interview Tony Castro, but for now, let’s call it a day, yeah?”

“Sounds great to me.”

“Want to grab some dinner?” Sean tried to make it casual-sounding. They hadn’t talked about the “almost thing” the night before. They’d kept the day, the work, strictly business. But now that it was time to end their shift, Sean was ready to see where things went.

“Okay. What do you have in mind?”

Sean liked casual, honestly. He was not a particularly fancy guy. He preferred unassuming restaurants, more rustic than hoity toity. But Andy, on the other hand, when off duty, dressed like he belonged on a men’s fashion magazine. Sean was pretty sure he liked fine dining.

Either way, he wasn’t looking for a meal that would fill them up too much, because he was hoping to continue what they’d barely started.

“How about we go back to the station, you get your car, and I grab us some burgers at Luke’s and we take them back to my apartment? It’s closer than your house.”

And Sean knew there he’d have the necessary supplies if things progressed. Andy might, too, but it was an unknown factor. Sean preferred to be prepared.

Andy nodded. “Yeah, that sound good. Get some fries, too.”

Sean smirked. “Of course.”

* * * *

Andy was waiting for him when he pulled up to the carport directly in front of his apartment building. He parked under the awning in his assigned space and got out. He spotted Andy’s car in one of the guest spots.

Sean reached into his backseat and took out the greasy paper bag that contained their burgers and fries. He also grabbed the six-pack of beer he’d picked up at the convenience store next to Luke’s.

He grinned at Andy. “All set.”

Sean lived on the second floor, in Apartment Two of this particular building, and he let Andy head up the stairs first, mostly so he could have a good view of his partner’s ass on the way up.

Once at the door, Sean used his key to open it. “Make yourself at home there on the couch and I’ll get this set up. You want a glass with your beer?”

“If you have a cold one, yeah.”

“I do.”

Sean went into his kitchen, flicking on the light as he did so. Yeah, he didn’t have Andy over much. He recalled a poker game and maybe one other time. This wasn’t Sean’s “forever” home or even, if he was honest, an apartment he intended to stay in long, and Andy’s house was all around better for gatherings.

Still, he liked the sight of Andy on his couch. He liked the idea even more of Andy in his bed. And he wondered when he had begun to think that way. Pretty recently, sure, but he’d known since the beginning he was insanely attracted to Andy. But Sean supposed he had never really thought about acting on that.

Until now.

Sean plopped the wrapped burgers on a couple of paper plates, added fries, and grabbed two glasses and two beers, returning to the living room.

“I haven’t had Luke’s since last Christmas,” Andy said. He unwrapped the burger. “Trying to stay away from too much fast food.”

“Sorry. Should have thought of that.”

“Nah, once in a while is okay. I was eating out almost every night. Gaining.”

Sean grinned and shook his head. “I don’t think you need to worry.”

“Really?” Andy poured his beer into his glass. “How’s that, Callahan?”

“You’re still the hottest guy at the precinct.”

Andy choked on the sip he had just taken. “Me?”

“Yes, you. I’ve always thought so.”

“You’ve never done anything about it.”

Sean nodded and sat back on the leather sofa. “A few reasons. One, when we first met, I was seeing someone. Two, I wasn’t sure if you were straight. Three, despite the first two, getting involved with a co-worker is dicey.”

“True. And there was already Lopez and O’Hara.”

“I don’t give a rat’s ass about that. Them being together shouldn’t mean we can’t be.”

“The gay thing.”

Sean snorted. “What about it?”

“Rivers.”

“Eh, I don’t think he cares about that. I think it’s more about any partners being involved with each other. He wouldn’t dig, for instance, Suzanne with Martin either.”

“Hmm. I don’t know.”

“You think that should stop us?”

Andy moistened his lips with his tongue. “I didn’t say that. I mean, I get it. I knew you invited me over, because, well…”

“Have you changed your mind, Andy? From last night? It’s cool if you have.”

“Is it?”

Sean sighed and ran a hand over the top of his head. “I’ll be disappointed, sure. But I’m not an ass. Both of us have to want it, to be into it. I wouldn’t force anything on you, Andy. Ever.”

“I know,” Andy whispered. “And the answer is, ‘no.’ I haven’t changed my mind.”