Page 16 of Ghostmaker

“What?” Jude set a hand against Cope’s forehead. “You don’t have a fever. Are you delusional or fantasizing about me in a skin-tight wetsuit?”

“Do you want the long story or shorter version?” Cope wrapped his arms around his husband.

“Long, but with opportunities to stop along the way and ask questions.”

“There’s a story online this morning about a man who was murdered in his home last night.”

“Yeah, the guy lived close to the shop.”

“Right,” Cope agreed. “My mind started to wander about where you, Ronan, and Fitz would end up if the cold case unit was disbanded. The article mentioned how detectives were at the scene all night and I realized those sorts of hours could be in your future. We’d be ships passing in the night and wouldn’t have time to spend together as a family.”

“I’m with you so far. I’ve had some of the same thoughts myself about my future.” Jude bussed a kiss to Cope’s cheek. “I’m still not seeing where the sea anemones come into play.”

Cope grimaced. He wasn’t looking forward to telling the next part of the story. “Then, I started wondering what you would do if you had to leave the SPD. My mind went to you taking classes in criminal justice or marine biology and imagined you’d be the renegade, free-swimming with great whites instead of studying sedentary and safe animals like the sea anemone.”

“For your information, sea anemones sting other fish. We’ve seen Finding Nemo enough times to know that. So, for your information, it would be dangerous studying anemones.” Jude got up from the table and grabbed a bowl of his own and filled it full of Cheerios. “The idea of going to college never crossed my mind.”

“I know you’re not going to like me saying this, but if the unit does close and the SPD lets you go, we have enough money in my Buford account to keep us going for a while.”

“Yeah, into the next millennium.” Jude rolled his eyes.

“My father might have been a dick in life, but his money could do us a world of good now.”

“Cope, you know it isn’t in me to bum around the house watching General Hospital and eating my weight in Barbeque Fritos.”

“I know that, Jude. What I’m saying is that it wouldn’t be an all-out crisis if things ended with the department. You could go to school or volunteer as a room parent at Lizzie’s pre-school, maybe start an OnlyFans page. You wouldn’t have to scramble to find another job.”

“OnlyFans, huh?” Jude grinned. “I bet the money would be rolling in.” Jude flexed his muscles.

“I’d sure as hell sign up for a subscription.” Cope snorted.

“I don’t want to leave the SPD. I’m happy working there. I’m contributing and making a difference in Salem. This is the first place I ever felt like I belonged. This is my home and I feel good about making this city safer for our neighbors and kids. If I had to leave, I don’t know how I’d recover from that.”

Cope pulled Jude back into his arms. “We’ll figure it out together.”

“I have the best job in the world. Screwing off with my best friends every day. Solving cases. Arresting dirtbags. Making fun of Ronan. I’ll never find anything close to that ever again. Do you see anything about this? How it’s going to go or if Strickland is going to screw us over?”

“I keep seeing shifting results. One minute the department is saved, the next minute, its being dissolved. I do know that Cisco and Fitz are going to fight like hell to keep from letting that happen, but ultimately the final decision lies with the mayor and the city council.”

“Thanks to Everly, we know why Strickland was against keeping the cold case team. Do you think it’s something similar with the mayor?”

“Maybe.” Cope sighed. He wasn’t seeing anything in regard to the mayor’s thought process. “The one thing voters love is lower taxes. Usually, you see things like infrastructure projects or teachers being cut from the budget. This is different. With the current political climate, I can see voters wanting to make policing smaller, with fewer officers on the street.”

“We’re not on the street.”

“I know.” Cope patted Jude’s shoulder. “But it’s not like they can cut vice, right? People would be outraged if cops stopped arresting drug dealers and people who manufacture meth. Your department deals with old crimes. With killers who’ve passed out of recent memory. In all fairness, if a department is going to be cut, cold case would do the least amount of damage to public trust, while satisfying people who think they pay too much in taxes anyway.”

“I hate to admit it, but you’re right.” Jude poured his cereal and added milk.

Cope hated the look on his husband’s face. Jude looked as if the battle was already lost. “I have an idea.”

“You think we should become pearl divers in Bora Bora?” Jude’s eyes glowed with excitement.

“That’s not the worst idea you’ve ever had.” Cope grinned. “I was thinking more along the lines of you and Ronan going through your cases and making a slide show or something highlighting cases you solved and the innovations or what not that you used to find and arrest the killers. This information could be attached to Strickland’s recommendation.”

Jude nodded. “I’ll mention that to Ronan and Fitz. Do you know what Strickland is going to do when it comes to cold case?”

“I don’t. His emotions were all over the place last night. He vacillated between being angry, grief-stricken, skeptical, hopeful. You name it, he felt it. I imagine he’s waking up confused this morning.”