Only Time Will Tell
Part 8
Tom sat on the park bench, under the shade tree. A walk around the building had allowed him to mentally cool down, although the heat of the Florida day had the opposite effect on his body.
He hated fighting with Cassy, especially when that fight centered on their failed marriage. She had been convinced that Tom had cheated on her for so long that no words seemed to change her opinion. Tom had tried every approach he could think of. He had tried to logically explain his relationship with Janet, he had tried defending himself with anger and indignation, he had tried ignoring Cassy's comments, but nothing seemed to make the doubts go away.
In a way, he understood her skepticism. Cassy's mother had been the victim of failed marriages to men who had been less than faithful. She had instilled her doubts in Cassy. But Tom wasn't like those men. When he married Cassy he made a promise to her, a promise that was never to be broken. That meant something to him when they were married. . .it meant something to him now.
He took a deep breath and pushed himself off the bench. He had to go back to work and face Cassy again. There was no choice about that. They were still partners. They had to work together. It was unfortunate however, that what happened in the marriage could still impact how they dealt with each other now. Maybe that would never change.
He walked back into the squad room to find that Cassy was gone. Her desk was empty. Tom had not seen her exit the building, but she could have left from the rear exit.
He plopped down at his desk and spotted the pink slip in the center. He recognized his partner's handwriting immediately. The note was short and to the point, 'Janet called. Call her at 555-2250.'
Tom picked up the piece of paper, staring at it for a long time. Then he crumpled it up angrily and threw it in the trashcan next to his desk. He debated upon placing the phone call, but remembered he had promised Janet a ride home from the hospital. He dialed the number provided.
On the first ring the phone was answered, "Tommy?" Janet's anxious voice came over the line.
"Hi Janet. How was your night?"
"I would have never made it through if you hadn't come to be with me. Thank you."
"So when are you being released?" Tom tried to maintain a cool tone.
"The doctor says that I can get out this afternoon, probably by 2:00. Can you pick me up?"
Tom glanced at his watch and then looked at his clear calendar, "Yeah, no problem. Did you decide where you wanted to stay?"
There was silence for a moment, "No. I need to go back to the house, though, to get some clothes and personal things. You can take me there first, right?"
"If you think you're up to it." Tom answered, wondering how the woman would act when she saw the scene of her husband's death once again.
"I can handle it if you are with me," she whispered.
Tom swallowed deeply, not sure of how to respond, then deciding that ignoring the implications of the comment would be best, "Okay. I'll be at the hospital a little before 2:00."
"Thank you, Tommy," Janet responded gratefully.
Tom hung up the phone, feeling a twinge of a headache growing behind his eyebrows. He knew it was stress related. He dropped his head into his hand and tried to rub away the pain. "Problem, Thomas?" Harry's voice brought his head up rapidly, intensifying the discomfort.
"No, no problem," Tom answered quickly.
Harry lowered his eyebrows and looked over the upper rim of his glasses, "Yeah, right. Let's talk." He turned and walked into his office, expecting Tom to obediently follow. Reluctantly, Tom did exactly as expected.
Harry closed the office door behind his detective and motioned for him to take a chair. Tom plopped down, staring at his hands.
"What's going on with you two." Harry said gruffly.
"Nothing," was the succinct reply.
"Don't tell me 'nothing,' Thomas. I know you too well to fall for that."
Tom was silent. He did not want to dredge up the personal problems which had been reborn as a result of Janet Angelini's appearance. "Thomas, I want an answer."
"It's personal, Harry." Tom finally replied.
"No. . .not sufficient, Sergeant," Harry's voice became coldly professional. "I saw what went on between you and your partner. What was happening between you went beyond private. It's now interfering in your work. And when it disrupts work, it disrupts me. What's going on?" Harry pushed.
Tom stood suddenly and walked to the other side of the room, retreating from his Captain. He turned his back on the older man, "Harry, please. I don't want to talk about it."
Harry stood and walked to the other side of his desk, sitting on the edge, arms crossed in front of him, "I'm sorry Tom. But I think you need to. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that you are upset about something. You've been acting strange ever since we went to Cardinal's house. I know it has something to do with the wife. If I'm right and it does involve the wife, then it involves me. The file on her husband's death has not been officially closed. So let's have it."
Tom turned towards his Captain, but did not see 'Captain' eyes staring back at him. Instead, he saw the eyes of a concerned friend and knew, instinctively, he could trust those eyes.
"I met Janet a few weeks before Cassy filed for divorce. We just seemed to hit it off," Tom saw doubt in Harry's eyes and quickly added, "as friends. Cassy and I, well, we just weren't communicating anymore. We couldn't seem to get through an hour together without some sort of fight breaking out. Janet listened to me. . .provided a shoulder to cry on, I guess." Tom looked down with a hint of guilt.
"And Cassy became jealous?" Harry guessed.
Tom looked up in surprise and then nodded. "I was stupid, Harry. I should have seen what it was doing to Cassy and backed off from Janet. But I was so hurt by what Cassy was doing to me. She was my wife. . .my best friend and yet she was pushing me away. I needed someone. . .Janet was there."
Harry said nothing for a long while, then he took a deep breath, "But nothing happened?"
Tom tilted his head, "I didn't cheat on Cassy, if that's what you're asking."
Harry nodded. "But Cassy thinks you did?" It was Tom's turn to nod. "What made her think that?" Tom shrugged his shoulders.
"Don't give me that, Ryan. Cassy's not a person to just jump to conclusions. There had to be something that made her suspicious."
Tom closed his eyes, remembering back to those pre-divorce days. His voice dropped very low, almost so quiet that Harry couldn't hear it. "Cassy said she found a song that I wrote. She said I wrote it for Janet."
"Did you?" Harry asked innocently.
"No!" Tom's response was immediate. "I never understood why Cassy came to that conclusion. She wouldn't talk about it. . .she won't talk about it now, either."
"Nothing else happened?" Harry prodded.
"No. . . nothing that Cassy would have known about." Tom realized what he said as soon as the words escaped his lips. However, he knew it was too late to take them back.
Harry latched on to them instantly, "What was that supposed to mean?"
Tom looked at his feet with guilt, once again. "Right before Cassy asked me to move out, I bought Janet a gift. . .as a thank you. . .for being there for me."
"A gift?" Harry sounded incredulous. "What were you thinking?"
Tom struggled to keep his emotions under control, "I was thinking about how Cassy was abandoning me. . .how she was breaking her promise to me by giving up on our marriage. . .and how Janet was sticking by my side."
Harry shook his head, "What did you buy her?"
"It was nothing personal, Harry, just a statue of a cat. She liked cats. . .and I wanted to give her something she would like."
"A cat. That's it," Harry's voice indicated his doubt.
"A cat. . .a white stone cat." Tom repeated. "That's it."
"And Cassy didn't know about it."
"No. I paid cash for it. I wanted to thank Janet, but I didn't want Cassy having reason to use it against me."
"Sounds innocent enough," Harry commented, and then shook his head, "unless your marriage is falling apart at the time."
Tom closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the glass of the office window. "I was an idiot, wasn't I."
Harry's lips drew into a thin line and he nodded his head, "You were naïve, Thomas."
"But Cassy didn't know about it," Tom tried to reason.
"Are you sure?" Harry asked.
"She never mentioned it."
"Maybe she never mentioned it because it hurt too much to talk about," Harry reasoned. "And what would have been the point. She may have concluded that it was too late to save the marriage. Arguing about a gift would be a waste of time."
Tom's eyes grew wider, "I was an idiot."
Harry chuckled and shook his head. He stood and put an arm around the younger man's shoulders, "No. You were in a bad situation. You weren't thinking clearly. Trust me, Thomas. Every marriage goes through something like this. There are always things that happen which test the relationship. Some marriages make it through because of the strength of the bond. Others don't."
"You and Frannie?" Tom's eyes held doubt.
"Remember last year? Remember my doubts about Frannie's fidelity? It happens to the best marriages. And when it does, the couple either grows closer and stronger, like Frannie and me, or the couple grows apart."
"Like Cassy and me," Tom completed.
Harry shrugged his shoulders and then nodded. "But, you two have a friendship that nothing can tear apart. I mean, look at you two. With everything you have been through together, you are still the best of friends. You care about each other. You are there to pick up the pieces for one another. That says a lot about you. Janet Cardinal's reappearance may bring back the bad memories, but it can't destroy that friendship. . .trust me."
Tom closed his eyes, saying a silent prayer that Harry was right. "Thanks Harry."
"Feel better?"
Tom gave him a crooked grin, "Yeah." He glanced at his watch. It was almost 1:00. "I have to run an errand. Tell Cassy I won't be back until close to 4:00 or so."
"An errand?" Harry's eyes were filled with questions.
Tom nodded, a slight look of guilt crossing his face, "It's Janet. She needs a ride home from the hospital. I promised I'd pick her up."
Harry chuckled, "You're playing a very dangerous game, Ryan."
Tom nodded in agreement, "I know, Harry. Lord, I know."
End Part 8
To Part 9