Roan laughed cynically. "Yes, we aren't at loggerheads. We merely have a different outlook on policing and life in general. When you tell him, he'll take you seriously. As to the outcome, that will be up to you."

"Thank you, Roan. I really don't know what to say or how to repay you for the faith, but..."

"There isn't any payback except for your help at the moment. Then we'll be even. How about you go home and have some personal time and I'll go to bed? I'm kind of tired now anyway." Echo glanced at her. The pale face made Roan appear remarkably fragile. A part of Echo wanted to stay and keep watch over her, but she knew that was absurd. Roan would have a fit if she knew that was how she was feeling, probably consider it the sympathy vote, but it was far from it. "I'm sorry for keeping you up. I'll lock the door on my way out."

Frowning, Roan looked at Echo closely and made a decision. "On the wall over there by the phone is a key cabinet. The first on the left is the spare. Take it and let yourself in when you come back tomorrow."

Echo beamed. "I'll be here early around seven to make you breakfast and check that you're taking the meds and general stuff like that. Fortunately, you only live three blocks from the office, so I can come over and have lunch with you..." Echo lifted one shoulder. "...if you want." G.o.d I sound like my mother.

"Echo."

Echo turned to look into the blue eyes. "Yes?"

"You've done enough already. It really isn't necessary."

"You don't want me to come back? But the key?" Echo felt her smile fix on her lips, as her expression grew dull.

Roan saw the downbeat expression and shook her head. "I meant you don't need to go to all that trouble. Please come by after work. I'll have news on the appointment with the chief for you."

Echo felt the sense of despair disappear and nodded. "Here's my card if you need me. You can call anytime at my office, and I'll put my personal number on the back." Echo mentally smacked her head as she handed the card to Roan. d.a.m.n, she already has all my information...what a dunderhead she must think I am.

"Sounds good." Roan tried to stifle a yawn. "Good night, Echo."

The curt tone of voice told Echo that Roan was dismissing her, but she didn't care. "Good night, Roan, I'll see you tomorrow night for that tour."

"You got it," Roan said with a slight smile. Once Echo left the kitchen, Roan dragged her body out of the chair and drew in a deep breath. The thought of the stairs she had to climb to her bed made her cringe. As she entered the hallway, she watched Echo putting on her coat. "Hey, one last thing, Echo," she said as she internally winced.

"Yes?"

Roan cleared her throat and scratched the back of her neck. "Will you help me up the stairs? My legs feel like jelly."

Alarm in Echo's expression had her swiftly eating up the short distance between them before she placed a gentle, yet firm, hand on the muscled arm. "You got it. I was going to volunteer my services, but..." Echo shrugged as they mounted the first step.

Roan didn't reply. Her concentration fixed on the mountain of stairs ahead of her. When they reached the top of the stairs, Echo maneuvered her toward the bedroom and opened the door.

"Thanks."

Echo's warm smile resonated in the darkening room. It was only around six, but with the weather being particularly surly, it felt more like late evening. "Are you okay now or do you need...?"

Roan shook her head. "No, I'm fine. Have a safe journey home, and I'll see you tomorrow."

Echo nodded. She didn't want to push her, but she could see by the tense muscles pulling at Roan's mouth that it hadn't been an easy thing for Roan to ask for help in the first place. Asking for more help would be next to impossible. "I will and don't you forget to take the meds...promise?"

Roan wanted to laugh. For most of her life, she was a loner and fiercely independent. She did not respond well to people telling her what to do. Now a stranger, Echo Radar, had breached her walls. With a faint smile, she said, "I promise."

"Good night, Roan." Echo lightly touched Roan's arm. "If you need anything, I'm just a phone call away." Echo smiled, then made her way down the stairs.

Standing in the doorway of her bedroom, Roan realized that she was still clutching Echo's card in her left hand. Her brow furrowed, and she muttered, "A phone call away, yet right now, it feels like a million miles. G.o.d, I need some rest." She closed the door behind her as she heard the outer door click shut.

Echo allowed a smile to follow her all the way out of the house and on her walk to her car. A part of her was beginning to live again, and she had Roan to thank for that.

It was strange how fate placed people in your life and you never knew why until something happened and it was perfectly clear. Only time would tell if Roan Keating would remain in her life after all this was over.

Chapter Eleven.

Chief Mahoney gazed at the young woman in his office. This was a favor and Roan owed him one in return. "How can I help you?" He hesitated at the name and glanced at the papers on his desk. Clearing his throat, he gruffly continued, "Ms. Radar?"

Echo fought the nerves she had at seeing the man. Roan's insistence that her uncle was an ordinary man like any other seemed to vanish as she now faced him. What she wouldn't give right now to be talking about her day with Roan. The thought made her smile and some of her bravado returned.

"I believe that the verdict my best friend Karen Thompson committed suicide and that she murdered another woman is wrong, and I have proof." Do I? Her hands clutched the folder Roan had compiled for her as a lifeline.

Declan Mahoney smiled slightly as he appraised the young woman. The widening of his smile was indicative that he liked what he saw. He was partial to a pretty woman, and this one had an infectious smile. "I'm sorry...I'm not familiar with the case. Has the DA seen it?"

"No...my friend," she said while puffing out her chest to fuel her courage. "My friend Karen Thompson would never commit suicide nor would she have murdered anyone."

"I see. The statements you've made...you say you have proof. Is it conclusive proof that your friend didn't commit suicide or murder?" Declan's gaze continued to roam her body appreciatively.

Echo's fingers moved nervously over the file she had in her hands and she took a deep breath. "Yes, please, take a look in this file."

She pa.s.sed the file across the gla.s.s desk. As Mahoney opened it, an amused smile wreathed his lips. As she watched him read, she saw his amus.e.m.e.nt change to interest, then to anger.

"Someone has been very thorough. Is that someone you, Ms. Radar? Are you a reporter perhaps?" he said in a cold voice.

Evading the disclosure of Roan as the compiler, she said, "No, a...friend helped me."

"Who is that friend?"

Echo heard the tone and smiled inwardly-he already knew the answer. "Roan Keating, she's a..."

"Lieutenant at the ninth precinct, I know."

Under her breath, Echo said, "Runs in the family." Mahoney's upper lip curled as he read the details. "What is it you want exactly, Ms. Radar?"

"Justice."

"Really? And you think this..." He tapped the folder. "...makes a difference from the original findings?"

For a few seconds, Echo felt alone and lost before she remembered what she was there to do. As she felt a little of the weight lift from her shoulders she said, "Yes, it does. I want you to reopen the case."

"You do? What if I said this isn't enough and that you need more?" Mahoney continued to read the contents of the file.

"I'd say...you're bluffing. Will you authorize the case to be reopened, Chief Mahoney?"

Declan Mahoney didn't give away his inner feelings, which were in contrast to his words. "You're not family, and that makes a big difference." He saw her crestfallen expression and inclined his head slightly. "In light of this new information...I will. In fact, I'll request that Lieutenant Keating take on the case. I'm sure she'll find all the answers you need."

Echo sighed in relief. "Oh, you don't know how grateful I am. Thank you."

"Really, how about I take you to dinner and you can show me?" His suave words fell from his tongue and dripped like acid into her ears.

Echo was torn. She didn't want to jeopardize the case from reopening, but at the same time, she wondered if Roan knew her uncle was a sleazy old man. He was her uncle, therefore, it made sense that she knew. Probably what she meant when she said it would all be up to me.

"Sorry I have another dinner date this evening, perhaps another time. Thank you for all your help." Echo rapidly left the room and breathed a sigh of relief. The outer office was empty, and for that, she was grateful. Echo fled the building before Mahoney could change his mind.

"I've been waiting for you to return from your vacation. We have a problem, two actually. Two new players have unexpectedly entered the game. A Lieutenant Keating and a woman called Echo Radar. They're asking questions about Thompson."

"I know. The case is being reopened as of tonight."

"How can that be? You told me there wouldn't be any further problems."

"There isn't...don't panic. I straightened everything out last time, and I'll do the same now. Besides, Keating's injured...she took a bullet at that hostage situation recently. It will give her something to do while on sick leave, cool her jets, so to speak, but cooperation will be limited. She's not going to be welcomed with open arms at her precinct when her captain finds out she went behind her back."

"Okay, but remember you promised...no road leads to me."

"They won't, you have my word."

"I'd rather that I'd never become involved in this from the beginning."

"Too late, you're up to your neck in it as much as I am. I'll be in touch."

Echo couldn't wait to see Roan to tell her the good news. As she sped through the dark night, brightened by row after row of streetlights, her curiosity about the file, which she hadn't opened, teased her incessantly. Whatever was in the folder was enough to change Mahoney's mind. Roan had been right on the money when she said he would have no choice. As she rounded the corner that led to the street where Roan lived, she couldn't prevent the smile that lately naturally occurred when she was going to see Roan.

Parking on the opposite side of the street, she picked up the Chinese takeout from the backseat, locked the car, and ran across the street and up the short stone steps to punch in the key code. Once inside the alcove, she opened the main door with the key Roan gave her as excitement built like a gigantic bubble inside her. Seconds later, she was in the hall, and after dropping her purse on the side table, she rushed to the kitchen. "Hey, Roan, you'll never guess what happened. I brought us takeout. I remembered the beef special you love."

Her words seemed to ping off the kitchen walls as she faced Roan, who was sitting at the table with two other women. She recognized them both and a slight blush appeared on her cheeks. "Hey, sorry, I didn't know you had company. I'll let myself out and you can..."

"Echo...it's fine...come on in. Takeout sounds great and you brought my favorite." Roan smiled as her tired, yet appreciative gaze, caught Echo's.

Echo stepped farther into the room and placed the food on the kitchen counter. Feeling awkward, she bit her lip and shuffled her feet as she wondered what to do next. Through her embarra.s.sment, she smiled at the other women in the room who were giving her interested looks.

Noticing how uncomfortable Echo seemed, Roan saved her further embarra.s.sment and introduced the women. "Echo, this is my captain who you've met before. This is Officer Lyn Paris, a good friend of mine. She was at the hospital when you came to visit. They have news that will make you happy. They came to tell me..."

"That the chief reopened the case and that he's put you in charge." Echo grinned. Her faced reddened more as she realized that it might not have been appropriate to finish Roan's sentence, especially on that topic, as the two women gave her and Roan an extraordinary glance.

"Echo's been around me too long. She's taken up my bad habits of antic.i.p.ating the next words."

There was silence in the room, then Sofia gave them both a long look. "Well, I guess we can go now. You do appreciate that this case is strictly low-key...don't you, Roan? All you're doing is checking that everything is okay. Then Mahoney will publicly announce his support for the Greystoke Project," Renaldo said. She was still smarting from learning about this new event and that one of her senior officers had been part of the instigation.

"Yeah, Roan, you're not due back to light duty for another two weeks. Take it easy. I'll be back to check on you later in the week." Officer Paris smiled and gave a saucy wink.

Echo felt that she had to protest their departure. "Why don't you join us for supper? I always bring too much food. Besides, Roan eats like a sparrow most of the time."

Roan's face remained bland as she looked at the two police officers.

"Sorry, I'm still on duty." Lyn said. "Maybe another time."

"Sure." Echo nodded before she caught Roan's expression. If the cold look was anything to go by, she definitely overshot the mark this time.

"Roan, remember low-key." Renaldo walked toward the door. She nodded at Echo and quietly said, "You're doing a great job. Roan's actually acting like a social b.u.t.terfly for once...well, in comparison to how she usually is."

After a few minutes, Echo and Roan were alone in the kitchen. The silence seemed to go on forever. "I'm sorry for barging in tonight," Echo said. "I'll call in the future."

Roan remained silent as the smell of the Chinese food a.s.sailed her senses; she was starving. She hadn't eaten much but wasn't going to impart that information to Echo, who stood nervously at the kitchen counter. Then she noticed Echo's hands fumbling with the containers and shook her head as a slight smile crossed her face. She stood quickly and wished she hadn't as the pain shot through her chest in protest.

With a slower pace, she walked to where Echo stood. "It doesn't matter. They were leaving anyway." Roan placed a hand over Echo's trembling ones and gave her best attempt at a smile. It worked.

The touch of Roan's hand on hers and the tiny smile was Echo's undoing. She blinked back tears and felt her throat constrict at her emotions that began to rage out of control. Summoning her inner karma, she gave a bright smile. "Are you hungry?"

"I could eat a food mountain. First, tell me about your visit with my uncle." Roan saw the infectious grin that had flooded Echo's face when she'd first entered the room and knew she'd said the right thing.

After imparting her news about her meeting with Mahoney, Echo gave a self-deprecating shrug.

Roan nodded. "You can guarantee one thing about my uncle...a pretty face will generally win the day."

The words sounded hollow and Echo felt a surge of resentment bubble up. "Are you saying that if I'd been ugly, he'd have ignored the request?"

"No, not at all...honestly, I just know that if I'd gone to see him with the file, he'd have listened with only half an ear, then ditched the folder in his out basket after I'd left."

Echo wasn't convinced. "Doesn't say much for the contents of the file you compiled, does it?"

"I guess, even the truth needs a helping hand, and believe me, in more ways than you know, you're that hand. Your friend Karen would be proud of you." Roan decided against a retaliatory smart remark and instead remained calm and non-confrontational. Normally, that would have grated on her nerves, but with Echo, she felt better for it somehow.

"Let's eat...you did say you could eat a mountain." Roan's words deflated her earlier irritation, and in that split second, she felt another of the bricks removed from wall that surrounded Roan.

The food was delicious and temporarily warded off Roan's near exhaustion. The doctors had warned her that it would be several weeks before she felt one hundred percent, and she wondered if she'd ever feel that way again. Now that the st.i.tches were out, her chest wound looked partially healed, but she knew that it wouldn't take the strain of any heavy lifting or strenuous workouts for a couple of months. After taking a basket of laundry to the machine in the bas.e.m.e.nt that morning, she felt like she'd taken part in a marathon. She wasn't going to admit that to Echo, or there would be verbal sparks.

"Roan, are you listening to me?"

With a blink of her heavy eyelids, she removed her gaze from the empty cartons of food. "I always listen to you."

Echo shook her head. "Why don't you get along with your uncle?"

Roan frowned. "Simple, I told you we have differing views on how the police work."

"I don't believe that's the only reason. I guess like a lot of things with you, it's like trying to figure out a complicated jigsaw puzzle." Echo sighed, leaning back on the bench.

"In my experience, sometimes going over the past has little benefit. Take you, for instance. You have diverted your current life to delve into the past...if you'll pardon the pun, for the echo of what once was. Your friend isn't coming back, no matter what you find out," Roan said flatly.