"Ah. I didn"t respond appropriately. She tells me she"s uncovered a legendary group of philanthropists who"ll presumably pay me very well to avenge horrible crimes, and I should have reacted by, oh, I don"t know, kissing her feet and pledging undying devotion."
A small twist of a smile. "That"d have worked."
"So now she"s punishing me for my lack of excitement by making me wait."
"Pretty much."
We drove out of the city in silence. Then I said, "I do want to hear about it."
"I know. You will. Just..."
"Be patient. Let her come to me, and when she does, show moderately more interest, enough to satisfy her ego without stroking it."
"Yeah." He ratcheted back the seat, stretching his bad leg. "Probably more than that."
"Give her a stronger reaction, you mean?"
"Nah. Her getting p.i.s.sy. More than sulking. She"s backtracking. Dotting her i"s. Crossing her t"s."
"About what?"
"This fellowship thing. I questioned it. We demanded proof. Wanted facts. Gonna make d.a.m.n sure she has them."
"To present a more solid case and avoid the risk of embarra.s.sing herself by admitting she can"t back up what she knows. But, naturally, she couldn"t just say that, and admit you might be right to question her sources. Instead, she"ll blame me, kick me to the curb as an ungrateful b.i.t.c.h, and make me stew for a while, worrying that I"ve blown a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity while she scrambles to check her facts."
"Pretty much."
I shook my head and adjusted my seat belt. "I know she has a lot to offer, Jack, but I really hate the games. I"m no good at them."
"Wouldn"t say that."
"Maybe, but I don"t like them."
"I know."
I looked over. "I never get that with you. We have our disagreements and our misunderstandings, but I never get the sense you have a bigger agenda, or that you want anything from me except exactly what you ask for up front. I appreciate that."
He nodded and bent to scratch his foot as I turned on the cruise control.
At eleven, I was slowing the car in front of the house where Destiny Ernst now lived. Or where we hoped she did. This sprawling two-story matched the Troy address where Fenniger said he"d delivered her. Whether Destiny was here remained to be seen.
Fenniger had no reason to lie, but just because he"d brought Destiny here in the dead of night didn"t mean she"d stayed. Still, we were dealing with ordinary citizens, the kind of people so far removed from the criminal mindset that if they bought a hot stereo, they"d drive five blocks out of their way to pick it up... but would call the seller using their personal cell phone.
My research had shown that the house was owned by Kenneth and Leslie Keyes, a systems a.n.a.lyst and his advertising executive wife. A childless couple, but still within their childbearing years. A call to Leslie"s workplace revealed she"d quit about a month ago, shortly before Sammi"s death. Rearranging her life to accommodate her new baby? We couldn"t jump to conclusions.
Getting proof wasn"t going to be easy. It was a tough neighborhood to stake out. Our small rental, so inconspicuous in an urban setting, stood out here in the land of SUVs, Volvos, and Audis. I pulled in behind some weird SUV station wagon cross, then stretched a map over the steering wheel.
"Can you see the house okay?" I asked without looking up.
"Yeah."
"If anyone walks by, start bickering."
"Bickering?"
"You know. "I told you to make a left back there." "Well, you"re the idiot who wouldn"t ask for directions." " I I don"t need directions." " don"t need directions." "
"Got it."
"We"ve got about fifteen minutes before someone peering out a window makes us for private investigators. What can you see?"
"Car in the lane," Jack said. "Sedan. Foreign make. Got one of those... baby signs in the back."
"Baby on board?"
"Yeah. Yard"s clear. No toys, strollers, s.h.i.t like that. Got a light on. Looks like " A pause. "Someone just pa.s.sed the window. Woman, I think. Probably living room. Where the light is. Upstairs? Got curtains in the left window. Bright yellow. Frilly."
"A nursery... or someone with G.o.d-awful decorating tastes."
"Yeah."
He continued to watch.
"So are we going to execute phase two when Quinn gets here?" I asked.
"Yeah. Otherwise? Never gonna be sure."
"Will he be okay with the acting gig?"
"Playing cop? Better be. Seemed fine with it. Anything changes? You"re in. Rather not, though."
"It"ll work better with you two, and it"s better to mix it up now that the Byrony Agency has seen you and me together."
I checked my prepaid cell for the umpteenth time, still hoping we might get a call from the Byrony Agency, with a special adoption offer for Debbie and Wayne Abbott. It was a long shot, but if it panned out, it would be better than the avenues we were pursuing now.
"Anything?" Jack asked.
"No."
He reached behind the seat, grabbed a parcel he"d picked up at the courier depot, and tossed it onto my lap.
"Are those the expedited goodies from Felix?" I asked.
"Yeah."
I peeked in and pulled out one package.
"Bugs?"
"Yeah. Ever place one?"
"No."
"Want a lesson?"
I smiled. "Please."
We left without seeing any definitive signs of a baby in residence. With only fifteen minutes to stake out the house, we would have been extremely lucky if we had. The cool, dreary, and overcast day wasn"t "push the pram around the block" weather. Probably not even "take the baby shopping" weather if you were a new and nervous mom.
Jack took over the driving and went in search of a shopping mall for our bug practice. The Web site for Troy, Michigan, had bragged that it was in the second most prosperous county in the U.S. and, while it was only the twelfth biggest city in the state, it was the second "biggest" for property values. So it was no surprise that when we located a mall, it was high-end. The valet parking gave it away.
We drove right past it before I saw the signs for Saks Fifth Avenue. By then we had to make a left to get back, which sounds a whole lot easier than it was, because we were on a divided highway, which meant the notorious "Michigan left" to go past the light, make a U-turn in a designated lane, double back, and quickly cross traffic to make a right to where you originally wanted to go.
On a Tuesday afternoon, the mall patrons were mostly Martha Stewart devotees checking out bronze Buddha knickknacks that would look so nice next to their five-thousand-dollar leather sofas. It was a world removed from my reality and, from the way Jack looked at the thousand-dollar Mont Blanc pens as if searching for the b.u.t.ton that would release a cache of uncut diamonds it was a universe universe away from his. It was, however, the perfect place to play "hide the covert listening device." away from his. It was, however, the perfect place to play "hide the covert listening device."
While neither of us looked like anyone who"d pocket a thousand-dollar pen, we didn"t look likely to buy one, either, so while salespeople weren"t watching our every move, we did stand out. Therein lay the challenge.
Still, that wasn"t enough for Jack. He had to up the ante by turning it into a real game with dares and rules, the basic premise being that one of us would pick an increasingly difficult location, then the other would lay the bug, retreat, listen, then recover it.
We went about ten rounds. After I managed to retrieve it from the men"s washroom, Jack declared my training was complete... the declaration roughly coinciding with the moment that I started eyeing the Victoria"s Secret changing rooms for his turn.
At three, I was in our hotel room, taking a much-needed bath. When I got out, I realized I"d forgotten to bring my clothes into the bathroom. I was going to have to get used to these coed living arrangements again. Fortunately, I was alone, Jack having left on a supply run.
So, towel haphazardly wrapped around me, I stepped from the bathroom and caught a glimpse of a tall man in a ball cap. I backpedaled into the bathroom, looking for a weapon, gaze settling on a can of hair spray.
"Dee," Quinn called.
"Jesus Christ," I said, peeking out. "How the h.e.l.l did you ?"
He brandished a key card. "I pa.s.sed Jack as he was leaving. He gave me this, muttered 212, and drove off."
I put the hair spray back on the counter. He stayed there, a foot from the bathroom door, his gaze traveling down me as I realized how small the towel was. It covered everything it needed to cover, but not by much. From his expression, though, he didn"t mind. I could have closed the door. Or asked him to step outside while I got my clothes. But I didn"t.
After this morning, I understood what was keeping me from taking what Quinn was offering. I"d been holding out hope that somehow I"d missed the signs and Jack felt the same way I did, and if I opened the door to Quinn, I"d be slamming it on Jack.
Well, that door had been slammed. And not by me.
With that possibility gone, I felt once again a shuddering sense of relief. Now I could take what both men were offering, and be happy with it.
Quinn stepped toward me, then leaned against the bathroom doorway, as if waiting permission to cross the threshold. Waiting for me to make the first move. And I wanted to make that move. Yet I stood there, clutching my towel, looking as s.e.xy as a headlight-stunned deer.
I"d read about things like this meeting your lover in a towel, doing a little tease and it always sounded s.e.xy and fun. I could certainly see how a guy might appreciate it. But it was like reading about the customs of another culture I had no idea how to proceed.
Fortunately, the fact that I hadn"t run away yet was encouragement enough for Quinn. He covered those last few steps slowly, giving me every opportunity to say no. Then he stopped in front of me, fingers running down the edge of the towel.
"Are you done with your shower?" he asked. "If you aren"t, I"ve had a very long drive. I"m sure I could use one."
"Actually, I had a bath." As the words came out, I mentally smacked myself. Bad enough I didn"t know the steps to a dance of seduction. Surely I could follow someone else"s lead. I stepped closer, moving against him as I looked up. "But a shower would be nice."
I lifted on tiptoes to kiss him, but he motioned for me to wait. Then he peeled off his cap and wig and turned away, taking out and discarding his contacts. When he turned back, he looked like he had at the lodge, the dark blond brush cut and light green eyes.
"Better?" he said.
"Much."
I reached for the back of his head, his short hair bristling against my fingers, and pulled him down into a kiss. He tried to swing me against the wall, but my foot slipped on the wet floor. He caught me, but awkwardly, and ended up on one knee, holding me before I hit the floor.
"Um, okay..." He struggled not to laugh, cheeks coloring. "So much for graceful."
"The trick is to pretend this is where you were heading the whole time."
I wriggled from his grasp and lowered myself to the floor, then wrapped my hands around the front of his shirt and pulled him down.
His hands went to my thighs, shoving the towel up over my hips as he pushed between my legs. I undid the b.u.t.tons on his shirt and slid my hands over his chest, feeling his muscles move. I broke the kiss, and traced a trail down his neck with my lips, tasting him, teeth grazing his skin as he arched up, grabbing my hips and thrusting.
He slid his hand between us, finding the edge of the towel. Wriggling to give him room to pull it off, I knocked over the wastebasket. He gallantly pretended not to notice, and peeled the towel The doorway darkened, a figure wheeling in, gun barrel swinging my way. I let out a yelp. Jack stood there, gun drawn, eyes widening, lips forming a silent "f.u.c.k," as he tore his gaze away.
"Jesus-f.u.c.king-Christ," Quinn swore, scrambling to cover me as I squirmed from under him. "How the h.e.l.l ? I thought you gave me your key card."
"Gave you Dee"s," Jack said. "Forgot to leave it. I said that."
"You muttered muttered something. It"s hard enough to figure out what the h.e.l.l you mean even when I something. It"s hard enough to figure out what the h.e.l.l you mean even when I can can hear you " hear you "
"Can I get dressed now?" I said as I scrambled up, Quinn moving in to block me while I pulled the towel into place. "Please?"
"And can you lower that gun now?" Quinn said. "Please?"
Jack had looked away, but kept the gun poised, aimed at a spot where Quinn would probably rather not be shot. Jack turned, careful to keep his gaze away from me. He glanced at the gun. Glanced at Quinn. Paused. Then hol-stered it.
"Outside," he said. "Let Dee dress."
Chapter Thirty-eight.
I dressed as fast as I could, then fled past them in the hall, murmuring, "I"ll be in the lounge." I sat on a bar stool, longingly eyeing the rows of liquor bottles as I sipped my c.o.ke.
Being found making out on a bathroom floor is, I suppose, cause for some blushing. Sure, I was thirty-three and single and we"d had every expectation of privacy, thinking we had the only key but I"d always been very private in my s.e.x life, so, yes, I"d been embarra.s.sed.
Yet having Jack Jack find me making out on a bathroom floor took the humiliation to a whole new level. Last fall, he"d made it clear what he thought of Quinn"s flirting with me on a job. Unacceptably unprofessional. Now that he"d been generous enough to put aside personal feelings and agree to let Quinn in on this case, exactly how long had it taken before we were rolling on the floor? find me making out on a bathroom floor took the humiliation to a whole new level. Last fall, he"d made it clear what he thought of Quinn"s flirting with me on a job. Unacceptably unprofessional. Now that he"d been generous enough to put aside personal feelings and agree to let Quinn in on this case, exactly how long had it taken before we were rolling on the floor?