Only Time Will Tell
Part 5
"Do you intend to go home tonight, Thomas?" Harry Lipschitz made a passing comment to his detective on his way out the door.
The sound of Harry’s voice broke into Tom’s memories, "What? I’m sorry, what did you say?"
"I asked if you were going to go home tonight. Since Cassy left I figured you would make it an early day as well." Harry threw his suit jacket over one shoulder and took another step to the door.
Tom glanced at his watch. It was nearly 5:30. He had been sitting there, daydreaming for almost thirty minutes. He shook his head slightly, "No, Harry. I think I’m going to finish up some paper work here."
"Well, I should join you, but I promised Frannie that we would go out to dinner and a movie tonight. She’d kill me if I gave up my evening with her to spend it with you," Harry joked.
Tom laughed, "Harry, I would worry if you chose to give up an evening with her to spend it with me. Go on. Go home to your wife."
Harry gave him a casual salute and made his way out the door. Tom turned his attention back to the file on his desk and reread Morton’s report for what had to be the fiftieth time.
He pulled up a blank investigation report onto his computer and began to type his notes from his informal interview of Janet. Her statement seemed to match perfectly with Morton’s conclusions about the death of Mitch Cardinal. There was no logical reason to believe that anything more had happened. It was just an act of self-defense.
Completing his notes, he saved the file and shut the computer down. It was now close to 6:30. Grabbing his jacket from the back of the chair, Tom pushed his chair under the desk. Before he could complete the motion, the phone rang. "Ryan."
"Tommy?" Janet’s whispered voice came over the line.
"How are you doing Janet?" Tom asked, plopping his body back down into the chair.
"I was hoping that you would come back up to the hospital and see me tonight," Janet’s voice was filled with plea.
"I was just heading home," Tom started to say, but Janet cut him off.
"I don’t want to be here by myself. I have. . .no one," Tom could hear a sob catch in her throat.
"I thought your lawyer didn’t want me talking to you," Tom countered.
"Stewart can go to hell for all I care."
"Aren’t you supposed to be resting?" Tom tried another tactic.
"I don’t want to sleep. When I close my eyes I see Mitch. Please, Tommy, I want you with me. You’re the only one I trust."
Tom sighed deeply and shook his head, "Janet, I’m really not the person you should be trusting right now. I’m a cop and you are, at least on paper, still under investigation for your husband’s death."
There was a small gasp on the other end and then the sound of more sobs, "I have no one, Tommy. Please. . ."
Tom took a deep breath and surrendered to the woman’s pleas. He couldn’t stand to hear her pain any longer. It reminded him too much of the guilt from before. If he could make her feel better by being with her, then that was what he would do. "Okay, Janet. Give me a half-hour. I’ll try to be there by 7:00."
He made his way to the Mustang, all the while thinking of how things had changed compared to the last time he had spoken with Janet.
The day after she had left his apartment, she called Tom at work. "Tommy? It's Janet."
"Hi," Tom responded, not sure how he should react to the call.
"I. . ." Janet paused, as if gathering her nerve, "I wanted to apologize for what happened last night."
"Janet. . ." Tom started to answer, wanting to tell her that an apology was not necessary.
"No, Tommy, let me finish. I was out of line. I should have realized that you would be sensitive about the divorce and that you wouldn't be ready to date again."
"Thanks for understanding," Tom said gratefully.
Janet was quiet for a moment. "How about lunch? I'll take you out. We'll call it a peace offering."
Tom considered the offer. Even though he had come to consider Janet a friend over the past weeks, knowing her intentions now had changed everything. He doubted that she would be able to go back to being 'just friends' and he certainly wasn't ready for anything deeper. "Janet, I just don't think that would be a good idea right now."
The answer was met with silence. For a moment, Tom thought she had hung up on him. Then her quiet voice came over the line, "Well. . .okay. I understand."
"I'm sorry, Janet."
"That's okay. Maybe later in the week we can get together," she suggested.
"Yeah, maybe."
"I'll see you at the gym?" Her voice sounded hopeful.
"Maybe. It's been kind of busy this week. I'm not sure I'm going to have time for a workout." Tom cringed at his lie.
"Oh. . .well. . ." Janet's voice trailed off, all sound of hope gone. "I guess I'll talk to you later, then."
"Okay. Take care, Janet."
The woman hung up without saying another word. Tom leaned his head into his hand, the guilt suddenly overwhelming.
The night after Janet's apology, Tom had arrived home to find four messages on his answering machine from the woman. Each message was an individual plea for Tom's company, whether as a lover or a friend. Tom could not find the nerve to return the calls.
The phone rang several more times that night. Tom refused to answer. No messages were left.
The days that followed brought more calls. Tom continued to screen those placed to his home, and was fortunate to have been out of the office when those made to the police department had been made. He didn't return any of them.
He felt like a heel avoiding Janet, but he just couldn't find the nerve or the desire to face the conversation that he knew would occur. Tom's success at avoidance finally failed. A week and a half after the encounter at his apartment, Janet called Tom at work. "Finally! If I didn't know better I'd say you were avoiding me." The comment brought a cringe to Tom's face. "How about lunch?" She asked with renewed hope.
Tom, once again, turned her down. "Look, Janet. I need time. Please, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but frankly, I'm just not over what happened with Cassy."
"You still love her, don't you? After everything she's done to you, you still care for her." Janet's voice was strangely accusatory.
"I don't know how I feel. I just know that I'm not ready to move on."
"Too bad she doesn't care for you." Tom could here her rage build with each word. "She's taken everything from you, Tommy. But you're too stupid to see her for what she is. She's a leech, nothing more. She's sucked you dry and now she's moving on. The best thing that happened was the divorce, but you. . ."
Tom felt his anger rise up, "Janet! Enough! I don't want to talk about this now. I have to go." Before Tom knew it, he had hung up the phone on the woman.
He never heard from her again. . .until the morning of her husband's death.
End Part 5
To Part 6