Reckless

Part 11

The silence was deafening. Harry looked into his officer's blue eyes trying to detect some indication of a reaction, but found them to be dull and unfocused. "Cassy?" he frowned, reaching out a hand to the woman. "Are you okay?"

The listless gaze slowly turned from the file to her captain. "It can't be," she whispered. In a matter of nanoseconds, Harry saw Cassy's face turn from one of disbelief to one of sheer horror. She looked at the file again. "It's a mistake." She examined the photos, looking at each detail they contained.

"I'm sorry. But it's not a mistake, Cassy." Sterling shook his head. "I ran the tests myself. Both bullets came from your gun."

With sudden abruptness, Cassy slammed the file on the table and pushed the chair back, moving to stand next to the window. "I won't believe it. It's not possible. It's got to be a mistake." Her voice was tinged with rage.

Harry moved behind the woman. Sterling followed. "Cassy, Morton has to turn the report over to IA." He placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to temper the official words.

Cassy shoved the hand away and spun on the man. "No, I couldn't. . . I would never hurt Tom."

Harry shook his head. "It was an accident, Cassy. I. . .we know that."

The angry eyes changed once again. Tears suddenly spilled. Her now shaking hand covered her mouth. "Oh God, Harry, what have I done." The tears continued to fall, one after the other. Harry saw the woman lose her strength as it faded away into vulnerability. He gathered her in his arms, as a father holds a child, and pulled her close, feeling her sobs rack her body.

"What's happened?" a panicked female voice said from the doorway of the small waiting room.

Cassy pushed herself away from her Captain and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Margaret," she whispered, fighting down a sudden wave of nausea. She turned to look at Tom's parents, feeling the blood drain her face and rush to her feet.

"Has something happened to Tommy?" Lyam Ryan followed up his wife's question. He then looked at Sterling. "Are you another doctor?"

Morton held out his hand to the elder Ryan. "I'm Sterling Morton. I'm a friend of Tom's."

Lyam politely shook hands with the man and then redirected his attention to Harry and Cassy. Their distraught faces were evidence enough that something horrible had happened.

Cassy opened her mouth, starting to explain, but couldn't find the words. Harry's hand returned to her shoulder. "Let me handle this."

Margaret looked from her son's partner to Harry. "It's Tom, isn't it?"

Harry left his officer to stand next to the parents. "No, Tom is okay. There's been no change." He motioned for the couple to sit down. "Something has happened, though. We need to talk."

The older couple moved to the table and took seats next to each other. Harry started to sit across from them, but suddenly Cassy stepped forward and grabbed his arm, holding him back. "I. . .I'll do it."

The captain shook his head. "No, Cassy. Let me handle this."

"Please, Harry," Cassy's voice quivered. "This is my fault. I have to do this."

Harry nodded and stepped back, prepared to help her if she needed the backup.

Cassy lowered herself into the chair next to the couple. She rested folded hands on the tabletop, her eyes fixed on the intertwined fingers. "Sterling is our Medical Examiner. He. . .he. . ." she stuttered. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, starting over again. "Sterling did a test on the bullet that injured Tom. It. . ." she stalled again, looking desperately to her Captain for the right words. Harry stepped forward and allowed his hand to grip her shoulder again, giving her strength. "The bullet came from my gun," Cassy muttered, her eyes staring at her fingers again.

"What?" Margaret Ryan shot a confused look at her husband. "What are you saying, Cassy?"

Lyam frowned at the blond woman. "The bullet that they took out of Tom came from your gun?" Cassy nodded. Lyam swallowed deeply, letting the words sink in. "You shot Tommy?" Cassy nodded once again, her eyes lowered in shame.

Margaret gasped at the words. "But. . .but you told us that. . ."

"I was wrong. I thought. . .I thought that Slater had shot him. I didn't know. . .I'm so sorry. I never thought. . .Oh God, please believe me, I never would have hurt Tom on purpose," she pleaded with her former in-laws.

Tears filled Margaret's eyes. "I don't understand. How could this have happened? You told us it was that awful man."

Cassy was at a loss for an explanation. Harry, seeing that Cassy could not find the words, stepped in. "The warehouse was dark. Tom and Cassy were separated. It was an accident."

Cassy shook her head and stood up. "Say it, Harry. They need to know."

Harry frowned at the blond woman. "What?"

"The investigation." She turned to the stunned parents. "There's going to be a full investigation into my actions." The parents were speechless, another piece of their world crumbling.

Cassy grabbed her purse and started for the door. "Cassy, where are you going?" Harry grabbed the woman by the arm, halting her progress.

The woman didn't turn around as she pulled her arm away. She couldn't face the hurt in the eyes of the people in the room. "I need to get some air, Harry. Please. I just need some time."

She left them without waiting for a response.

Cassy slipped her pocketknife out of her purse and sliced the police tape which had sealed the warehouse entrance shut. She pushed the door open and walked in, her heels echoing in the large room. She closed her eyes and allowed her mind to replay the previous night's events. The room had been so dark, much darker than it was now with the afternoon sunlight passing through the ceiling-high windows.

She could hear Tom's words echoing in her mind, asking her to wait for him. She disconnected the phone, ignoring his plea and pushed on. She could see Slater firing upon her and her instinctual response to return fire.

Now, a day later, she slowly walked down the same long corridor. She came upon the perpendicular passage. A large red stain was on the floor where Tom's blood had spilled after the shooting. A chalk outline of Slater's body had been drawn on the floor a few yards away. She closed her eyes once again and relived the last seconds of the shoot out.

Slater was there, alone. He fired on her. She shot back. . .then, there was the sound of bodies colliding, a grunt of pain, and then nothing. It had never occurred to her that it was her bullet which had downed her partner. She was so certain that Slater had done it. But she had been wrong. . .about a lot of things.

She kneeled next to the dried crimson mark which tattooed the floor. Her fingers extended to it, brushing the flakes. Her mind flashed on Tom's still body lying in that bloody pool, the pain etched in his unconscious face. Her anger at her failure surged. "Damn it, how could I have been so stupid?" she mumbled. She stood and swung an angry fist at the wooden crate next to her. The pain of the impact never registered. "You just had to do it, didn't you, St. John?" she screamed. "You just had to be the one to bring him in. . .no matter what, no matter who you hurt in the process." She swung her fist a second time, still not feeling the sharp stabbing sensation in her knuckles.

The sound of a throat being cleared broke into the raging words. "I figured I'd find you here."

Cassy didn’t turn around. "I asked to be left alone," she grumbled, trying desperately to quell the flaring anger.

Harry Lipschitz ignored the words. "Why are you here, Cassy?"

Cassy was silent for a long time. She then took a deep breath and turned to the man. "I never knew he was there," she finally murmured.

"Tom?"

"I should have known where he was, but I didn't wait for him. Even though I knew he was coming to back me up, I didn't wait."

"Look, Cassy, it was an accident. . ." Harry started to comfort, but Cassy raised a hand, stopping him.

"Yeah, right, an accident," she spat. "I'm sure Tom feels a lot better knowing that. He's my partner, Harry. I've shot my partner. And I shot him because I was too pig-headed to listen to him." She paused for a moment, catching her breath. Harry was silent knowing that nothing he could say would make a difference to her. She turned fearful eyes on him as realization struck her. "What if he dies, Harry?" Cassy whispered. "What if I've killed him?"

"Cassy, stop it. There's no point in beating yourself up over this. He's not dead. To think otherwise does nothing more than to show your lack of faith in him."

The words bit the woman. She started to protest again and then closed her mouth. Harry stepped forward. "I came to tell you that the report has been turned in to IAD. They want to interview you. I set a meeting at 7:00 tonight."

Harry's cellular phone rang, startling him. He pulled it from his pocket. "Lipschitz." He listened silently. "We'll be right there."

Cassy turned at the sound of the man's voice. "What's wrong?"

"It's Tom," Harry said hesitantly. "He's had a seizure."

End Part 11

To Silk Stalkings Page