Her Kind Of Hero

Hanna looked at her, then to Luke and began laughing. “You’re kidding. Not again.”

Jon tried phoning Nate after dinner, but according to his five-year-old sister, Nate was supposedly at Jon’s. Jon had become his best friend’s alibi more than ever before. He wouldn’t have minded at one time, but fact was, he rarely saw Nate at all anymore, and Jon didn’t like his friend’s new pals.

He finished his algebra and threw his reading book aside. “I’m going to take the trash outside, Mrs. Maloney.”

She looked up from her knitting and seemed to know he had something on his mind. “Don’t take long. You haven’t finished the dishes, and I assume you still have reading to do.”

“It’s a stupid book,” he muttered.

“That may be your opinion, but I don’t think that will answer the questions on your test. Take a break, then get back to your homework, young man.”

Jon grumbled, then walked out of the apartment. He checked the stairway, then headed outside.

Nate’s recent hangout seemed to be the park. Without hesitation, Jon rounded the corner and sauntered to the end of the block. He saw Nate and his new friends near the picnic table, laughing. Jon paused, then backed behind a budding lilac bush and watched. The huddle tightened, then Nate backed away from the group and looked around.

A few more minutes passed, and the group broke up. Jon stepped into the alley and ran home. He rode the elevator to the third floor, waiting for his breathing to slow before going into the apartment. It was about ten minutes later that he heard the sirens, and wondered if they’d caught Nate this time.

The next morning, Jon went to school alone. Nate finally showed up third hour, unprepared for the reading test. After another of Nate’s outbursts of profanity, the teacher ordered him to finish the class period in the office. Wearing a smirk, Nate turned to Jon as he left the classroom. It was all Jon could do to meet his friend’s gaze.

In the lunchroom, Nate approached Jon. “So what’s up, Jonny boy?”

“What’s with you, Nate?” Jon kept eating.

His friend ignored the question. “Saw you at the park last night.”

Their eyes met. “You’re asking for trouble with them, Nate.”

“They’re my friends.”

“Whatever.”

Nate pushed his tray closer to Jon’s. “You the one who called the cops on us last night?”

“I wouldn’t do that to you. Besides, I’m not stupid enough to cross the Eastsiders.”

“They’re not so bad,” Nate insisted. “Give ‘em a break.”

Jon looked at his empty tray. “Nate, don’t tell your mom that you’re at my house next time you ditch out.” He stood and backed away from the table. “I’ll see you around.”

Chapter Six

“How soon’s that cellular tracking system supposed to be active? That may be our best chance to find the anonymous caller.”

“A few weeks.” Tom took a swig of pop. “Typical glitches in the system. Tested it the other night. The call was made right outside the station. Showed in the system near Golden Acres.”

“A lot of good that does us.” Luke turned on the alley lights, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

“Let’s hope she can stay out of trouble until it’s ready.” Tom cleared his throat. “Say, you never finished telling me about Bart’s class last night.”

Luke proceeded to tell his friend about Calli. Tom laughed, making a few good-natured comments. “You haven’t had that look in a long time, bro.”

“Don’t get any ideas.” Luke shone the spotlight behind a trash can, then up a dilapidated fire escape.

“Doesn’t look like I need to. Vanessa’s been nagging me to plan that night out. Thought I got away from dating when I said ‘I do.’ Did you ask Calli?”

“Who said anything about a date?” Though Luke would like nothing more than to ask Calli to dinner, he wasn’t fond of beating his head against brick walls.

“Last week I told you to find a date for dinner and a movie. You did ask her, didn’t you?”

Thinking of Calli’s reaction, he shook his head. “I need to spend some time with Jon. Sorry. Maybe next time.”

“You didn’t get her number, did you?” Tom tossed his head back and began laughing. “You are out of touch with women, Luke. No wonder you’re still single.”

“I have her number. For your information, she’s going to help me teach Bart’s class. Then I’m going to convince her to help with the classes at the high schools.”

“She agreed to work with you, but she won’t go out with you? Did you even get her name?”

His partner knew all of his downfalls. “What do you think I am, a rookie?”

“I don’t have to think, I know. You’re so out of touch with women, you’d have fallen for any lame alibi.”

He thought of the way she’d avoided telling him her name, and hated to admit his friend could be right. Though he didn’t blame Calli—or whatever her name was. He continued the thought aloud. “A single woman can’t be too careful nowadays. There’s a whole lot of kooks in the world. I’m not going to push her.”

“A man of integrity. One of these days, I’ll teach you everything you need to know to find the right woman.”

Throughout their patrol, Luke thought about Calli. He was ready to call the registrar for the self-defense classes, when he remembered where else he had seen her. Why didn’t I see it before? Sassy, short dark hair. Tall and thin. Calli—Calandre. Calli Giovanni. That’s it.

Luke radioed dispatch to end their patrol as Tom shifted the cruiser into park. He was still razzing Luke about letting Calli slip away. Hoping to get Tom off his back, Luke mentioned the blonde in the 4 Runner. Contrary to what he wanted Tom to believe, Luke had just made his own plans, with Calandre, a.k.a. Calli Giovanni. “You have plans for tomorrow?”

Taking the bait, Tom nixed his idea of researching the anonymous caller. “Get a life, Luke. You can’t be married to the job. It’ll kill you.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, partner.”

A shrill ring woke Luke before he’d even had a chance to fall into a deep sleep. He moved the phone from one ear to the other and flopped onto his back, listening to his exwife’s whining. At one time he’d have sympathized with her, but not any longer. She’d changed her mind too many times. This time she thought she wanted to take Jon for the summer.

“If you want to see Jon, I don’t have any problem with you coming to visit”

Along with a few remarks meant to upset him, she threatened to contact a lawyer. Now, in addition to the summer, she wanted to petition the courts to let Jon decide whom to live with.

“Nancy, have you forgotten that you signed away your maternal rights twelve years ago? I never had to let you see him at all. It’s been at least six months since you’ve even called. You missed his birthday, Christmas…”

She hung up. Without even asking how her son was doing. Nothing had changed. Luke set the receiver in the cradle and let out a deep breath. Kids do stupid things, Jon. I was a kid once, I know.

An hour later the apartment door clicked closed. Luke heard his son open the fridge, take a glass from the cupboard and close the refrigerator. Luke could imagine Jon chugging down his usual quart of orange juice. Footsteps approached the bedroom and his door creaked open.

“I’m home, Dad. I’m going to shower and go back to bed for a while.”

“You’re home awfully early. Things go okay with Nate?”

Jon grumbled a response and disappeared.

The phone conversation left him wide-awake. Luke got out of bed and pulled his sweats on. Before his son went to sleep, he ran the vacuum, then straightened the rest of the apartment. His mind returned to Nancy’s phone call. At least a million times in the last fourteen years Luke had regretted his carelessness that night. They’d been dating for several months, and with stars in their eyes, one thing had led to another. And before they’d stopped to think about repercussions, they’d become parents.

He walked to the door of Jon’s room and leaned against the doorjamb, watching his son’s peaceful slumber. Luke would always regret his irresponsibility that night, but he had never once regretted having a son or being a father. Not even when his seventeen-year-old wife had walked out of their short-lived marriage, dropping their baby off at Luke’s parents’ house while he was at school. He gave up dreams of the military in order to give Nancy time to grow, adjust and change her mind about leaving the two of them. Two days after Jon’s first birthday, she returned, just long enough to hand Luke the papers giving up her son.

That had been a dark, difficult time in his life, but Luke had found that, as his faith had grown stronger, so had his ability to cope as a single parent.

He wouldn’t back down now, either. He had to think of what Jon had been through. Consider his son’s feelings. His mother’s rejection hurt, though Jon would never admit it.

Luke remembered the day about a month before Jon’s fifth birthday when he first realized his family was different. Sure, they knew other single-parent families, but those kids went back and forth between Mom’s house and Dad’s house. Jon didn’t.

“I want a brother for my birthday.”

Luke had never believed in lying, especially to a child. In fourteen years he’d faced some doozies, but he’d never lied.

Luke stared at the anger and confusion in the five-year-old’s eyes. His own emotions were mirrored on his child’s face. “I can’t give you a brother. I can buy you a present at the store. Would you like a bicycle?”

“No. I told you what I want,” Jon growled. “I want a brother.”

“Come on, Jon, you’ve never seen a brother for sale at the store, have you?” Luke chuckled, groping for some levity. “Do you want a doll? Is that what you mean?”

“No! I want a baby, just like Nate’s mom had a baby.”

“I see.” He paused to swallow the lump in his throat. “Babies need a mom and a dad.” He wasn’t ready to go into this discussion, but he felt the questions coming. “I’m not married, and it’s best to be married to have a baby. Babies look like a lot of fun, but they’re lots of work, too.”

After Luke told Jon a simplified version of how babies are made, the two embraced. As if he finally understood, Jon’s smile faded. “But I don’t have a mom.”

It hurt to tell his own son that he had a mother who didn’t want to be one. “So we can’t have another baby without someone to be a mom. Someone who wants to be a mom as much as I want to be a dad and you want to be a big brother.”

Even now, Luke still noticed Jon’s interest in babies. Tom and Vanessa and their new twins were great fun for Jon. Every few days, Jon stopped by after school to visit the Davises. It was painfully obvious. His son still wanted the one thing Luke couldn’t give him: a family.

* * *

Calli watched the leader of the gang walk past as she checked Mrs. Polanski’s basket of groceries. Every Saturday afternoon, her neighbor came to check out in her lane.

“How are your eyes doing, Calli?”

“They still tire easily, but other than that, just fine, Mrs. Polanski. The doctor says there doesn’t seem to be any permanent damage.”

“Is there any loss of vision?”

Calli smiled and shook her head in lieu of an answer. She ran the boxes past the scanner, thinking about Luke Northrup’s request for her to help him teach the self-defense classes. She did little but think about it since their class. On one hand, she firmly believed in the cause. But on the other, she had to be crazy to consider spending even one evening a week with the very man she should be avoiding.

She glanced nervously at the kids wearing gang colors, and totaled her neighbor’s order. “Twenty-five dollars, fifty-three cents, Mrs. Polanski.” While the elderly woman dug through her tapestry bag for money to pay her bill, Calli turned to the bagger and whispered, “Jake, help Mrs. Polanski into her car, and be sure it’s locked before she leaves.” He nodded. Feeling a bit easier, Calli watched Jake and her neighbor walk out the door.

The manager tapped Calli on the shoulder. “It’s time for your break.”

“Thanks.” She turned her light out, signed off her money drawer and strode to the back of the store for some fresh air. It had been a long day already. She stepped outside and headed for the abandoned loading docks. Taking a deep breath, Calli leaned to one side, the other, then forward, stretching her tired back.

She took a sip of soda, admiring the clear sky. The brisk wind tousled her hair and refreshed her senses. Finding a clean spot on the cold cement, Calli sat down. The breeze and drastic drop from the dock reminded her of the day she’d met Luke at the ski slope.

Don’t get any ideas, Calli. That man is off-limits. Her watch beeped, alerting her that it was time to get back to work. She went down the steps and around the corner, surprised to find three kids spray painting graffiti on the wall of the store in broad daylight.

“Hey, guys. You need to clear out of here.”

They laughed. “You going to make us?” the kid with the blue bandanna around his head taunted.

Calli took a deep breath and quickly dispelled the notion of doing just that. The odds were stacked on their side. Tiger glared at her. “Just a bit of advice. Take it or leave it. It’s your choice.” She hurried past them and turned the corner to the front of the store, relieved to see the flurry of activity.

Knowing they had followed her inside, she went straight back to her lane and entered her number into the register. For the next half hour, they lurked nearby, she supposed to make sure she didn’t call the police. One picked up a candy bar and started eating it. She pretended not to notice, until he opened the second one. Calli was ready to confront him, when he stepped up to the register and handed her two onedollar bills.

“Remember this, lady, you talk, you pay.”

She snatched the bills from his hand and waited for him to take the change from the automatic dispenser at the end of the counter. “Your bill is paid, now leave.”

Another customer stepped into her lane, and she decided to ignore the boys. Why me, God? Why did I have to find them out there? I’m trying to convince myself that these kids aren’t all bad, and this happens. I’m not convinced If you don’t want me to get involved, why do you keep bringing trouble to my door?

“Good afternoon. Would you like plastic or paper?” Calli addressed the customer absently, pulling the cart forward until it rested against the stainless-steel counter.

“What a coincidence meeting you here, Miss Giovanni,” a smooth voice answered.

Calli looked up, stunned to see Luke. He looked over her shoulder, also surveying the boys she’d been watching. She looked nervously at him, then at the teens. “How did you find me?”

“What, you don’t believe in coincidences?” Then he lowered his voice, still smiling. “Just keep checking, Calli. I’m watching them. Why are they bothering you?”

He reached under his leather jacket.

When she saw him release the snap of his holster, her shoulders tightened. Then her neck. She could feel her throat constrict. “Call me a skeptic, but no, I don’t believe in coincidences,” she said, squeezing each word out. In no time at all, she’d sound like a child with croup.

Calli turned toward the gang. Tiger was gone, and the remaining kids acted as if they’d never seen her. “Nothing. They’re just loitering,” Calli added.

Luke’s rigid profile exemplified power and control. “Loitering?” Smiling, he leaned over the counter and whispered, as if he was flirting. “You’re lying through your teeth, Calli Giovanni. They have you terrified. Now what’s up?”

She looked at him wide-eyed, stunned at the sparkle in his eyes, despite the seriousness of his words. “That is quite a performance, Sergeant. You should get an Oscar.”

“All in a day’s work. Now are you going to tell me why they are harassing you and none of the other clerks?”

She thought of the kid’s threats and backed away. “I can handle it myself, but thank you anyway.”

Luke paid for his groceries in silence and took them just outside the door. He asked an employee to watch his basket and stepped back inside and behind the pop display. Easing his way closer, he listened as the two remaining gang members grilled Calli about their conversation. After hearing implications that threats had already been made, Luke addressed the suspects, obviously surprising Calli as well as the kids by his return. “Afternoon, boys. I don’t know what this is about, but it’s obvious that you’re not shopping. Why don’t you get on your way?”

“What you talkin’ about, Sarge?”

“Well, Pete, maybe you’d like to tell me what the lady here won’t.”

The two looked at Calli, then back to Luke. She recognized the steely look in Luke’s eyes. A cop’s eyes.

“Nothing. We didn’t do nothing.”

“Then I suggest you leave before I haul you all downtown to get answers.”

The two left the store without any more “encouragement.”

Unable to deny her relief that he’d returned, Calli struggled to maintain her composure. They had shaken her. There was no doubt about that.

Luke touched her shoulder. “You okay?”

She nodded, knowing her scratchy voice would again give her away.

“How long until you’re off?”

She’d walked to work this morning, not concerned with walking home alone midafternoon. Now she couldn’t deny the fear. Calli wanted company, even if it was Luke. “About an hour.”

“I want to make sure you get home okay. Will you wait so I can get these groceries home and let my son know I’ll be out for a while longer? He was still asleep when I called.”

Calli assessed him openly, her doubts softened by the silver cross dangling from the chain around his neck, and the surprising news that Sergeant Luke Northrup was a father. “I’ll wait. I don’t want to walk home alone after this.”

The hard-edged cop again faded, replaced with a caring, gentle man. “I’ll hurry back.”

Surprisingly enough, she wanted him to do just that.

Chapter Seven

Before she had time to consider leaving without Luke, he appeared in the employees’ locker room. When he gazed at her, she fought to conquer the involuntary nervousness that overcame her.

“The manager told me where I could find you.”

She smiled weakly. “Hi. I really don’t need a police escort.”

“Good, because this isn’t official.” He tilted his head to one side. “To be honest, it wasn’t a coincidence that I came here.”

She’d been unable to take her mind off Luke Northrup since he stepped into her checkout lane. This guilty feeling was due to the joy of his return. “Oh, really? Isn’t it a little unethical to use police records for personal interests?”

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