CHAPTER 41

   Dylan counted the hours from the moment she took over her shift. To her they seemed to be passing slower as if the world had been suspended and the clock adjusted to tick once after every two hours to mark a second. The idleness was really getting into her head. It made her feel like she would go crazy if she went on like this. She wanted to do something,to get out into the field instead of babysitting a man she had no idea why he needed it. To her,he could be only a witness to the break in, which meant he had to there on the night of the break in and whoever had attacked him must have known he had been recognized and that Mr Powell would talk. But if it was only that,why was the secret service involved?

From the people who knew Mr Powell,he was a gentle and honest man who loved peace. He had a good relationship with everyone around him. He was not married and none of the people knew if he had any relatives. Basically, the closest people that would be considered as family were the regular customers who  spent time talking with him occasionally. When he wasn't at his shop,he would be in the quiet of his house near the beach or out there fishing. Apart from that, everything else about him was closed off and he liked it that way.

All had been quiet the whole day, nothing and no one suspicious had come around the place which made her wonder if they were just doing this for nothing. Detective Watson obviously knew more than her. He wouldn't be there without a reasonable explanation and so she decided she would try to befriend him and see if she could get anything out of him.

Meanwhile, she glanced at the iPhone that had been linked to the cameras in and outside her apartment once in every minute. So far, nothing alarming had happened. It was just normal people who were mostly other tenants like her passing through the hallway to attend to their business. Most likely nothing else would happen in the next couple of days but she was not going to take that chance. She wouldn't. The worst tended to happen when least expected.

   The hours dragged on slowly but her shift eventually came to an end. Detective Watson appeared carrying a bag that most likely contained his lunch.

                       "You could have taken another hour to have your lunch you know. You were here part of yesterday and then the whole night,I wouldn't have minded an extra hour," she said once he had joined her.

                      "I figured that maybe you had other things to tend to instead of being stuck here the whole day which you are not used to," he replied then went ahead to reveal what he had been carrying. There were two separate lunch boxes and for a minute, she wondered if he ate that much in one meal until he raised the two before her eyes. "But even though I figured that,I also thought that we could have lunch together before you leave. Pretty presumptuous but I'm hoping you can spare some minutes. I have got lasagne, chicken or beef?"

 She smiled,"You only wanted to buy me lunch."

                        "Guilty but there is nothing wrong with that."

                         "No there isn't. I'll take the chicken."

                        "Figured as much," he replied with a chuckle then immediately dug into his. "I also thought that I could get to know you a little bit more,you know,as my partner for the next...I don't know how many days. How is our patient by the way?"

                        "Still not awake yet but everything else is good. His vitals are normal. The doctors say that he is completely out of danger,"she replied and took a bite of her food. After some seconds, she decided to try and see if he would give her anything. "There is something I have been wondering though,why is secret service involved in this?"

Kenny raised an eyebrow,"Are you fishing for information?"

                     "No detective, I'm only wondering. There is nothing wrong with that, right?"

                    "Uh-huh," he replied then went back to his meal before adding,"Tell you what, I will tell you if you agree to get a drink with me once this is over."

Dylan chuckled and shook her head. Was this guy that dumb to notice the obvious? Or maybe he just wanted to see her reaction to that. She answered anyway.

                  "I am into women in case you haven't noticed," she stated but his face didn't register any surprise.

                   "That I know and trust me I am not trying to hit on you. There is just a certain kind of vibe I am picking up from you that tells me we have something in common and we would enjoy each others company. Not the getting naked kind of company but friendship and just talking."

                   "Oh yeah? And what could we possibly have in common?"

                   "Well for starters,we are both stuck here babysitting. I might be used to it unlike you but we both would rather be somewhere else doing something more sensible, something more fun."

                       "Oh,I thought working in secret service was great and respectable since you work for the big fishes. The catch must be big too."

                      "The catch is big, yeah but it's not the kind of life for me. I don't want to be stuck there forever. I was actually thinking of leaving it behind once I am through with this case."

                        "And why is Mr Powell so important? I don't see him as a criminal so he must be related to a powerful person to be accorded this kind of protection."

He was silent for a moment then sighed.

                      "I am not really supposed to share this kind of information with anyone but since I'm working with you and your bosses must really trust you to get you involved in this so, I'm going to trust you too. If anything goes to shit,I will be after your throat."

                    "Okay,you don't need to threaten me and you certainly don't have to tell me. I only thought it would be fair since I am in it."

                     "Mr Powell is the vice president's brother."

She frowned and turned to him clearly puzzled by his answer. That was the last thing she had been expecting.

                     "I don't understand,if he is his brother,then how come he lives here with little to no life whatsoever while his brother is swimming in wealth?"

                 "Because they have nothing in common other than sharing the same father. Their mothers are different and they also happen to have different values and interests. While one took after their father's love for politics and power, the other one who happens to be older chose a life of solitude and peace. I kinda admire that. He cut off relations with power and the family and decided to come out here where he has been for the last twenty years. His brother, the vice president loves him to death and that's why even though Mr Powell cut him off, he still looks after him from a distance."

                   "Oh,wow. That was definitely not the kind of explanation I was expecting. So what will happen after he recovers, leave him alone again?"

                   "I have orders to take him with me but first we need to know if he has any idea who attacked him. Any enemy or if he had quarrelled with a customer who got angry enough to want to smash his head in."

                    "I doubt that. He is gentle and many people who know him can testify to that. It's either someone who is trying to cover up something he had discovered,so they attacked to silence him. Or he just happened to be out there in the wrong time. The night of the attack,he was at the shop very early in the morning which isn't normal."

                   "That means we need to hear what he knows as soon as we can because this might not be a one time thing. If someone could try to kill him to cover up something,then that person might be up to some really bad shit. We should work on it together."

She laughed,"In case you are forgetting we are on watch duty and not detectives. At least you are,I am not and I am used to following orders."  Yeah right. Another voice ridiculed her immediately she had said the words. There were so many things she had done and was still doing that could land her in serious trouble especially if the chief found out. Kenny saw right through her lie immediately.

                    "You don't strike me as the  by the book kind of officer. Something tells me that you are not as innocent as you want me to believe."

   Dylan did the maths in her head. Yeah, sitting here bored her to death. This could be a great opportunity and she would be stupid to throw it away. Maybe even sharing her own issues with him would help for as long as he would be there. Who knew, maybe the two cases were even related.

                   "You are right, I'm not but in return I will need your help."

                    "Okay, I'll be happy to help."

                   "Let's just hope that Mr Powell won't wake up with a wiped out memory." She looked at her watch,"Anyway, I have to be somewhere else but I can come back later."

                    "Go ahead. Also the company would be great if you have nothing much to do."

                    "Thanks for the lunch,it was delicious."

     She called Carly the moment she left the hospital building and arranged where they would meet. And that marked the beginning of a string of questions in her head. What was she going to tell her? ‘Hey Carly,if you see a tall and very attractive woman with blue eyes and blonde hair and wants to get close to you,run or call me.’ She scoffed. There was no way she could say that without sounding like a jealous ex-girlfriend who was still holding on to someone who didn't want her, even after seven good years. So how was she supposed to bring up the subject? And again, what did Carly want to talk about? She sighed heavily then drove away.

                          ★★★

     Carly stood up from a bench near the headstone that marked the gravesite for Wendy Lewis, Dylan's mother. That was the first thing she had decided to do immediately after she got back from the hospital. A bouquet of freshly bought flowers she had picked from the town's florist lay on the concrete block. She had spent the last ten minutes or so sitting there, remembering the woman. For a long time she and Dylan had thought that Wendy had no idea they were dating. And then she had confessed to seeing them sneaking around and they had laughed about it. The woman was observant and kind, almost kinder than her mother. She had treated her not just as Dylan's girlfriend but also as her daughter. She had been the greatest supporter of their relationship and she had very high hopes for them. Hopes that she had crushed down with one stupid move.

  As she remembered all those things,she felt her heart break. Wendy didn't deserve to die like that and Dylan definitely didn't deserve to go through that pain. Then, she remembered the night of their senior prom. The night that had wiped everything she had known, the night that had marked the beginning of the end. ‘Thank you for loving my daughter.’ She remembered the words very well. She remembered the look in her eyes,so trusting and so loving. She had believed in her and what had she done in return? She walked closer to the headstone and touched it lightly. Tears now came out freely and she let them.

                   "I failed you,I failed both of you. I'm really sorry and I don't know if I can ever forgive myself for what I did,"she sobbed not really knowing why she was talking out loud as if there was someone listening. She only felt the urge to. "I was stupid to realize that what I had then was all I needed. I lost everything."

 Her phone rang interrupting her one sided conversation. She wiped her tears quickly and answered, trying to sound normal and not like a person who had been stupidly crying because of things she could have prevented from happening. Or at least could have solved in a civil and mature manner. Dylan would have understood.

                   "Yeah?" 

Dylan's voice came through and she recognized it even before she could identify herself. 

                     "Okay, I will be there in five minutes."

Five minutes? Her reply rang back in her head after the call ended. There was no way she could get there within five minutes while walking. It was about time she got a new car. She walked hurriedly out of the cemetery and into the street then got into a cab heading into town.