Eyes wide in exasperation, she waved a hand to emphasize the story. “So, he tackles the undercover guy about to make a buy, and right then, a rival gang-banger decides to pepper the street corner with an AR-fifteen.” Jessica looked down at her hands and rubbed them together and took a deep breath. “The officer came out without a scratch, the drug pusher took a couple of rounds to the chest, and Mark was wounded in the leg. After he recovered, we tried again. Things were going well, but then…” She bit her lip and shrugged. “Well, you know what happened then.”
“So, you’re telling me that the marks on his record with the Chicago P.D. came about when he was trying to help?” The official reports barely made mention of Taylor’s role, but now Jim understood. What police officer wanted to admit to being saved by a civilian? Instead of awarding a medal, they arrested him for interfering in a case. They couldn’t make any of the charges stick, but just the fact that he was charged in the first place remained on his record. “I noticed that the charges were dropped.”
She shrugged. “It was an embarrassment to the department. I can’t claim to be innocent. I felt the same way when he began showing up.”
“But you don’t any more?”
“I didn’t understand it then, but I think I do now.” She swept the loose strands of hair out of her face. “I used his camera to take pictures of my little niece’s dance recital. When I picked the film up, most of the pictures came out great. Little Maggie did a wonderful job.” Jessica’s face softened and a smile curved her lips. “The last two pictures I took were of Maggie with her dance class. The girls were so wound up, I had a hard time getting them to sit still long enough to snap the picture, so when I finally got them to cooperate, I took two pictures, just to be sure.” She separated the photos of Taylor, looking from one to the other, then up to Jim. “Only instead of laughing little girls, I got these. I had the negatives checked, along with the camera. I thought maybe the pictures had been staged before he left or something, but according to the negatives, that would have been impossible. These were the last two on the roll.” Jessica slid the pictures together and put them back in the envelope. “Now, I believe his story.”
While interesting, Jim wasn’t sure that it was related in any way to Taylor’s innocence or guilt. There was still the time in Afghanistan. “You are aware that Taylor spent several weeks in Afghanistan back a few years ago?”
“Yes, he mentioned it to me. I didn’t know him at the time he went, but he showed me some pictures he brought back. I was touched at how he captured the fear and strength in the women’s faces. He wanted to help tell their story. It’s too bad that book wasn’t published. Mark’s photos were stunning.”
“I’m sure he’s an accomplished photographer, but our source claims Taylor agreed to take photos of possible Chicago targets. The Sears Tower, the Hancock building and others.”
Jessica crossed her arms and shook her head. “I don’t believe it. No way.”
“Your belief in Taylor is admirable, however, you don’t have the same information nor responsibility that I have.”
She stared at him, eyes narrowed, then without a word, swung her legs to the outside of the bench and stood. “I have to return to work.” She strode towards the car.
Jim slid to the end of the bench and hurried after her. He caught up and put his hand over hers, stopping her from opening the car door. “I’m sorry. I know this must be hard on you. Nobody ever wants to believe that someone they care about could do horrible things.”
“Take your hand off me.” She didn’t raise her voice. With the look she gave him, she didn’t have to.
“Sorry.” Jim snatched his hand away and took a step back.
Her shoulders sagged a fraction. “You have no idea what I do or do not feel for Mark. I’m not even sure, but I do know one thing-that man is not capable of the things you claim. I’m saying that as someone who has been a police officer for ten years and a detective for three.” She opened the door and nodded towards the passenger door. “Get in.”
It took a moment for Jim to register that she didn’t intend to leave him here, and then he jogged to the other side and got in before she changed her mind. “Thanks. I thought I’d have to find a cab.”
Jessica shrugged and started the car. “Well, it’s not like I’m doing it out of the goodness of my heart. I would like nothing more than to leave you here to bake on the pavement, but I want to show you something.”
Jessica gripped the wheel and forced her hands to relax before her fingernails dug into her palms. The thought of the things this man had done to Mark and God knew how many others, made her skin crawl. She glanced at him. There he sat, looking like an accountant, all neat and crisp. Like he never got his hands dirty. “Can I ask you something?” She faced forward and eased the car into traffic.
“Sure. That doesn’t mean I’ll answer.” He sounded weary, but not in the least intimidated. “I hope you don’t mind if I roll the window down. It’s a gorgeous day.”
“Doesn’t it bother you to do these things to other human beings?” She knew it was a bold question and that he would probably deny that what he did was wrong.
Sheridan remained silent for so long, she thought he was going to ignore the question, but then she saw his jaw tighten, and knew that she hit a nerve. Good.
“Believe it or not, I don’t like that part of my job at all. It’s like asking a surgeon if he enjoys amputating a patient’s diseased leg. It’s not pleasant, but sometimes you have to cut away the diseased portion to get healthy again.” He rested his elbow on the windowsill, his hand disappearing above the car. She could hear him drumming his fingers on the roof.
There was another long pause then he said, “There’s nothing I want more than a healthy country. One that isn’t afraid to carry on with business as usual. If I do my job right, the rest of you will be able to live, work and travel without having to worry that the next terrorist plot will tear your world apart.”
She shot back, “I have the same goal for the city of Chicago, and maybe it’s small-scale, but I don’t torture my crime suspects until they confess and point fingers”
Her building was just around the corner and she turned right.
“That’s very admirable, but then I doubt your suspects were trained to withhold or to give false information.”
“Withhold information? Are you serious? One look at Mark’s face would tell you if he’s telling the truth or not. The guy can’t tell a lie if his life depended upon it.” She rolled to a stop in front of her building. “I’ll be right back.”
She wasn’t sure why she needed to show him the camera. For all she knew, the two images of Mark had been a one time thing. Since buying the new roll of film, she had been too afraid to take more pictures. Who knew what might show up? She even wondered why Mark had ever continued using the camera. The fear of what might develop made her mouth go dry every time she thought about trying it again. Some things were better left unknown. Had Mark known he would be shot that time?
“Well, here it is.” She moved the driver’s seat back. “I haven’t used it since that time, but I planned on testing it again.”
“Go ahead if you want, but just to let you know, I have a feeling that those pictures of Taylor are the product of a leak on my team. That’s all it is. I’ll get to the bottom of it and I promise, you’ll see no more of those kinds of photos.”
Jessica ignored him, and instead, loaded the film. It was a bit trickier than she was used to, but after shutting the compartment, she advanced the film to the first frame. She turned to Jim. “Say cheese!”
CHAPTER TWELVE
“What the hell are you doing?” Jim glared at Jessie as she snapped off three photos. Who knew what she would do with the photographs? He wasn’t even supposed to be here.