Lu Price returns, except I'm almost positive that what I'm calling Ironwood is not the third story in Lu's saga, but the fourth. In Ironwood, her career is settling in a new direction and her personal life, while still unfulfilled in regards to Malcom, is at least mostly settled in other areas. Ironwood is the story of twins separated at birth and mistaken for one another when one goes on a crime spree. It also sees Tallulah and Malcolm actually begin to talk and interact with one another again (although, not for the first time, because there's a confrontation in what should be the third story, called 'Old Lace.' Hey, look at that! I wrote outside of NaNo for that to happen! Yay! My writing was starting to become truly important again!
Like Copper and Old Lace, Ironwood isn't finished, but I think the issues there are the fact that I just couldn't resonate with my criminal element. They said and did things that I just don't agree with and I was struggling with the idea of what potential readers might think of me when reading those heinous views and thoughts (seriously, how do crime writers who write truly horrible antagonists and write from their point of view do it? Do they wounder what people think of them? Do they feel horrible typing out those words of hate and anger and... I don't know.) Perhaps I worry too much what other people think!
Now that I'm looking aback at all of these, I four novels in various stages of completion s in one series. Maybe I should work on doing something about that. In the midst of working on every other partially finished project I'm going to dig up during this process! it looks like I've got an awful lot of editing in my future...
(Details as taken from my NaNoWriMo.com entries - Unedited and as they were!)
Story Summary
Life had finally settled for Tallulah Price. She'd found a new place within the SOCIT unit based out of headquarters and with her new partner Declan Greene. Amanda had settled in at her new school and she was finally able to look Malcolm in the eyes without feeling the need to back away in fright of spilling her terrible secret.
But when the bar is broken into and Malcolm refuses to be treated in the hospital, Tallulah is the only one available to watch him and his young nephew for the day. The memories and thought of what could have been effect them both as they come to terms with what they've lost.
Still, a day with Malcolm doesn't compare to a serial rapist being set loose when her partner is accused of murdering three gay men and assaulting a fourth. Tallulah knows that Declan is innocent and is willing to go to extreme lengths to prove her point, relying on her ties throughout the police department to assist her and protect her from ending her career in a crusade to clear his name.
Story Excerpt
Tallulah shifted when the knock sounded at her door. She didn’t want to get up. Amanda was in bed, Molly was curled up on her legs and she was reading a book. One might say that a cop shouldn’t read crime novels, but to Tallulah, they were the only type worth reading. You could incorporate anything around a good crime novel. A little romance, a little politics, a little cooking or juist good old fashioned police work. She decided, that given the time, she would ignore whoever was at her door.
The knock sounded again and the cat looked up at her expectantly, “What?” Lu asked. “You answer the door if you’re so desperate to know who’s there,” she told the animal.
Whoever was at the door knocked a third time, this time louder than the others. It was a cop’s knock. She didn’t know what it was, just something every rookie cop got taught in the academy or during their first months on te job. They all learned to knock the same. A strong, three tap knock that told the occupants that you mean business. Whoever was at her door, was a cop.
With a sigh, Tallulah closed the book on DD Warren and Bobby Dodge and shifted molly onto the couch. She got up and walked to the door. She peered through the peep hole and sighed when she saw who was on the other side of her door.
“I can hear you in there Lu,” Declan called softly through door, not wanting to be heard by her neighbors in the other flats.
Reluctantly, Tallulah opened the door and looked at her partner. “Hi,” she said softly.
“Hi,” he replied. After a moment of silence he asked, “Can I come in?”
Tallulah opened the door wider and took a step back to allow him entry. “It’s late Dex,” she told him. “Mandy’s asleep.”
He nodded as she closed the door and looked at him expectantly. “I uh.. I get that. I won’t stay long. I just… I wanted to apologize.”
“For what?” she asked.
“The way I treated you in the hospital, the things I said outside the commissioner’s office,” Declan explained.
“You had every reason to be angry with me,” Tallulah replied walking away from the door. She stepped into the kitchen and Declan followed her. Molly, realizing the time of night and the proximity of Tallulah to her food, jumped down from the couch and wandered into the kitchen to stand by her bowl expectantly.
“No, I didn’t. I was a fool, “Declan argued.
“The things I said to you, about you and about Seth?” she asked. “Yeah. It was unforgivable.”
“Maybr, except you were trying to save our lives,” he told her.
“There were other ways,” Tallulah replied turning away from him again to find the cat food. Molly had begun yowling in contempt when nobody had noticed her and Tallulah couldn’t handle the cat’s cries and this conversation with Declan at the same time. She poured the cat food into the bowl and Molly turned her attention away from the humans and went head first into her bowl, tail up high in the air.
“Not in the time we had,” Declan corrected. “You needed to gain his trust. He already believed you to be a religious person. Making him believe you hated us was the best course of action. It made him give you our location. You were able to get to us, you were able to save Seth. Doctor’s said if… He wouldn’t be alive…”
“Maria told me,” Tallulah said
“I was wrong to be so angry with you,” Declan persisted and whilr I was busy being angry, I wasn’t there for you after the shooting.”
“I’m fine,” Tallulah replied. “OPI cleared me.”
He nodded. “Have you ever… I mean, before the other day…?” he tried to ask.
Tallulah pulled a chair out from her kitchen table and sat down, waving him towards a chair of his own. “Once before,” she replied. “About three months after I joined Major Crimes.”
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