by Laura Scott
“Okay.” Eden turned to face him. “All set?”
“Absolutely.” He couldn’t help but grin. “After you.”
She led the way outside. The walk to the diner didn’t take long. The place was packed as usual, but when two spots opened up at the counter on the corner, allowing a place for Sam to lie down comfortably and out of the way, he quickly snagged them.
“Do you need a menu?” He glanced at her. “I have it memorized, but then again, I eat here far more than I should.”
She smiled and he found himself captivated by the light shining from her dark eyes.
The server came to take their order. “I’ll have coffee and a cheeseburger loaded with the works.”
“I’ll have green tea, please, and a Cobb salad.” She glanced at him. “Maybe you’ll share your fries?”
“Absolutely.” He chuckled and it occurred to him that it had been a long time since he’d enjoyed spending time with a woman. Playing pickup basketball with the guys was fine, but this was different.
Nicer.
“Hey, there’s peanut-butter-cup ice cream for dessert.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “What do you think?”
She smiled and shook her head. “Not for me—I have a severe peanut allergy.”
He hadn’t known about that. “Okay, no peanuts. But if I remember correctly, they have peppermint cheesecake, too.”
She held up a hand in protest. “The Cobb salad and stealing a few of your fries is enough for me, thanks.”
“We could share one.” He liked teasing her. “After all, Christmas is less than a week away. Why not celebrate?”
She shook her head, but her smile was warm. “What are your plans for the holiday?”
Her innocent question caught him off guard. “I offered to work. I figured as one of the single guys, I should let the married and engaged couples have the day off.”
“I offered to work, too.” She wrinkled her nose and glanced away. “Normally I try to spend time with Ricky, but I doubt that will happen this year.”
“Christmas is about families, isn’t it?” He looked at the way her slender fingers cupped her steaming tea. “I lost my fiancée just over a year ago, and I’m dreading the upcoming holiday.”
“Oh, Max. I’m sorry to hear that.” She rested her hand on his arm.
“Thanks.” Telling her about Jessica wasn’t something he’d planned, but he felt better having told her. It wasn’t that he cared if others knew, but he preferred not to talk about it.
His burger and her salad were set before them. Eden bowed her head and silently prayed, then glanced over at him with a mischievous grin. She leaned over and scooped several french fries off his plate. “Yum.”
He chuckled again. “You’re welcome.” He remembered how Jessica used to pray before meals, too. He’d gone to church with her, but since her death, had found himself unable to attend services.
He took a bite of his burger. For several minutes they enjoyed their respective meals when suddenly Eden’s hand clamped tightly down on his arm.
“What is it?” He glanced at her. She had one hand at her throat, her eyes wide with fear. Panic seized him. “Eden? What do you need?”
“Can’t breathe...” She pulled something out of her pocket, but it fell to the floor.
He jumped off the stool and grabbed what he now realized was an epinephrine injector. All cops were trained in the basics of first aid, including administering Narcan and epinephrine, but his hands shook as he took the device in his hand.
A strangled sound came from her throat and he knew there wasn’t a moment to waste. He caught the gaze of the woman behind the counter. “Call 911!” He jammed the syringe through her slacks into the muscle of her thigh and gave the injection.
The medication worked, and after a moment she was able to speak, her voice still hoarse. “Peanut oil.”
“Where?” He glanced around in confusion.
She gestured to her salad. What? He didn’t understand. The Cobb salad didn’t come with peanuts in any way, shape or form. He leaned forward to sniff at her salad and caught the faint scent of peanut oil.
He scowled, raking his gaze over the crowded diner. This wasn’t an accident. This had been done on purpose. By someone who knew exactly how Eden would be affected.
FOUR
Eden took a couple of deep breaths using the oxygen mask the paramedics provided. Her thigh ached where she’d gotten the epinephrine injection, but she ignored the pain. Max’s quick thinking, the way he’d instantly understood what needed to be done, had saved her life.
God had been watching out for her.
“Your heart rate is still very fast,” the paramedic with an ID tag indicating his name was Weston said. “We need to get you to the closest emergency department to be evaluated.”
She moved the face mask to the side so she could speak. “My pulse is up because epinephrine is a stimulant. As soon as the medication wears off, I’ll be fine.”
Weston scowled. “Maybe, but we still need to take you in.”
She shook her head, took one last deep breath of oxygen, then handed him the mask. “I’ve been through this before, and promise I’ll be fine.”
“You’ll have to sign a waiver,” the second paramedic said. She couldn’t see his name. “And make sure you read the risks of not going in to be evaluated, including the possibility of death.”
“I know the risks, but as I said, this isn’t my first allergic reaction. And I only took a small bite of my salad.” She took the clipboard from the paramedic’s hand and signed the waiver. “Thanks for coming.”
The two paramedics looked at each other, shrugged and packed their equipment up onto the gurney.
Eden sat next to Sam, watching as Max spoke to one diner customer after another in an attempt to understand what had happened. There were several cops there from other precincts who joined in. From what she could overhear, the answers weren’t helpful.
No one saw anyone doing anything near her salad.
Joe Best, former cop and owner of the diner, limped over, his brow deeply furrowed with concern. They all knew that Joe had been seriously injured on the job, forcing him into early retirement. He opened the diner after. “Officer Santelli? I just heard what happened.”
Max shook hands with Joe, then gestured to her. “You remember our technical specialist, Eden Chang. Someone doused her salad with peanut oil in a deliberate attempt to harm her. She’s allergic. I’d like to interview your kitchen crew.”
“Of course.” Joe stepped back. “You know I’ll always cooperate with the police.”
Eden slid off her stool, her legs still a bit shaky. Max told Sam to stay. She followed Max into the kitchen, unwilling to be left out of the investigation.
The interviews didn’t take long. Each of the kitchen staff adamantly denied having anything to do with the peanut oil incident and based on the fact that Joe was a former cop and would vet his employees carefully, she was inclined to believe them. After taking each staff member’s name and phone number, Max searched the kitchen for the source of the peanut oil.
There was nothing to find. No bottle of peanut oil lying around that might be used by mistake. Even the peanut-butter-cup ice cream came prepackaged and was not likely to be a cross-contaminant.
“We need to get back to the precinct,” Eden said as Max tucked his notebook into the pocket of his uniform. “We might find something on the cameras surrounding the building.”
Max nodded. “Okay, fine. But you’d better be prepared to answer to Gavin about refusing to go to the ER.”
“I’m fine. Not sure why you don’t believe me.” Eden didn’t appreciate his lack of support. She wasn’t an idiot. She’d know if she needed additional medical attention.
Thankfully, she’d only taken one bite of her salad, or her reaction could have been much worse.
“Hold on.” Joe came out with two to-go boxes. “Replacement meals on the house. I made them myself. And I’m putting up a five grand reward for anyone who helps solve this crime.”
Max lifted a brow. “That’s a lot of money.”
Joe scowled. “I take this attack on Eden personally. I won’t tolerate this type of criminal behavior in my diner.”
“Once a cop, always a cop.” Max smiled.
“Thank you, Joe.” Eden took the boxes from him.
Max put Sam on his leash and together they walked outside. Once they were alone, he glanced at her. “I’ve never been so scared.”
His frank admission surprised her. “You did great. I appreciate you saving my life.”
He shook his head. “They teach us to do this kind of thing but the reality is far different.”
“I know.” She patted his arm. “But you were amazing.”
Max fell silent as they made their way back to the precinct. He and Sam accompanied her to her workstation, where she quickly pulled up the video from the streetlights closest to the diner.
“Are you hungry?” He glanced at her. “You only ate a couple of fries.”
“Not really,” she answered absently, her gaze never wavering from the screen.
Max set her salad on the edge of her workstation. She chose to eat yogurt from the mini-fridge instead, while watching the video feed.
By the time she’d finished, she still didn’t have any inclination of who had tried to harm her. She sat back in her seat and sighed.
“I just don’t get it. Where could he have gone?”
“He?” Max had eaten his cheeseburger while watching the video, too. “You think Tayron Lee did this?”
“He knows about my peanut allergy.”
“Don’t your friends know, too?”
She glanced at him. “Yes. But Tayron is the only person I can think of with an ax to grind. Not just because I repeatedly refused to go out with him, but because I attempt to keep my brother away from him.”
He nodded. “Who knows you’ve moved to Sunset Park?”
She thought about this. “My roommate, of course, but she’s in Colorado. My Geek Quad friends helped me move in. I honestly haven’t told Ricky about our new place, because I didn’t want Tayron to know.”
“The Geek Quad helped you move.”
“Yes, so what if they did?”
“I just think that whoever did this is someone very close to you.” He gestured to the screen where there was no one remotely suspicious-looking going in or out of the diner. “You recently moved, haven’t told Tayron Lee or your brother where you live, and this guy definitely knows your address since he left bomb residue on your apartment doorknob and seems to know where every camera in the area is located.”
She frowned, not liking where this was going.
“It makes me wonder if Tayron Lee is sophisticated enough to elude the authorities like this. Whereas your Geek Quad friends are very smart, tech savvy enough to hack into the cameras, know where you live and know about your allergy.”
“I can’t believe it.” She couldn’t imagine any of her friends being involved. But working around cops, she understood it was just as important to clear people from suspicion. Darnell Hicks and Bryon Avery were both average height and weight. Darnell had dark hair, and Bryon’s hair was light brown. Tom Gellner was taller than the other two and wore his red hair short. They were computer nerds, like her. She couldn’t imagine they were involved. “I’ve known Darnell, Tom and Bryon for nearly a decade. I get they have amazing tech skills, but they have no reason to hurt me. Go ahead and check them out. I’m sure you’ll be able to clear all three of them, especially since they all work for the government.”
“Working for the government doesn’t mean incapable of committing a crime.”
Max’s light blue eyes bored into hers. He was right, of course. But she still didn’t want to believe it. “I know.”
“When is the last time you’ve seen these guys?”
“Just last week. We get together often, mostly for gaming competitions, sometimes in person, sometimes online, but generally every two weeks or so to keep up our tech skills.”
“Gaming, huh?” He looked surprised by that, but she refused to be embarrassed. Maybe she wasn’t the most athletically inclined person in Brooklyn, but she was smart. And gaming helped hone her tech skills. “You physically met in person just a week ago?”
“Yes.” She waved a hand. “We often meet at a place called The Center. It’s a gaming store that caters to serious gamers.”
He frowned. “And what, the store has a large room where gamers can get together?”
“Exactly.” She shrugged. “It’s neutral territory and Chris, the owner, sets up tournaments and stuff.”
“I see.” When Max rose to his feet, Sam did, too. “I need to do some digging into their backgrounds. Will you please stay here and wait for me? I don’t want you to go anywhere alone.”
With a grimace, she reluctantly nodded. “I’ll wait.”
“Thanks.”
She watched as Max and Sam left, then thought back to the last time she’d gotten together with the Geek Quad. That day, she hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary. They’d all been intense about the game, eager to knock each other out of the competition. They played to win, and frankly, she’d always appreciated how the guys treated her like one of the guys, and not a girl they might be interested in.
It just didn’t make sense that one of them would turn on her to the point of trying to hurt her.
To nearly kill her.
She forced herself to focus on the video. The real culprit had to be Tayron Lee. It was entirely possible she and Max weren’t giving him enough credit.
Tayron and Ricky had attended three years of college. They weren’t stupid. Misguided, yes, but not stupid.
She felt certain Tayron Lee was involved. And that once he was found and questioned, the danger would be over.
Leaving her to go back to her dull life. One in which Max wasn’t with her every minute of every day.
* * *
Max kenneled Sam, then went to his cubicle. He wrote up the report about what had transpired at the 646 Diner. Once that was finished and sent off to Gavin, he began investigating the three members of Eden’s Geek Quad. It pained him to think someone she called a friend would do something like this, but he wasn’t about to overlook any possibility.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to find. Each of them had squeaky-clean backgrounds. Nothing remotely close to indicating a predilection for criminal behavior. He made a note to ask Eden about other techy friends she might have, other than the Geek Quad.
“Max?”
He glanced up as Gavin Sutherland approached his cubicle. “Yeah, Sarge?”
“My office,” Gavin said, leaving Max to follow.
Gavin waved him toward the chair, but he didn’t move. “I prefer to stand when getting chewed out.”
Gavin flashed a crooked smile. “Who said I was upset? I just finished reviewing your report on Eden’s allergic reaction. Are you sure this was done intentionally?”
“Absolutely certain.” He didn’t hesitate. “As I indicated in my report, there was no peanut oil in the kitchen. I don’t see how this could be anything but a targeted attack on Eden.”
Gavin nodded slowly. “Still nothing on Tayron Lee?”
“No, and that’s a problem. It’s seems as if the guy is hiding from the police. He didn’t show up for his scheduled shift at the warehouse today and hasn’t returned to the apartment he shares with Eden’s brother, Ricky.”
“No sign of Eden’s brother, either?”
“No.” Max knew it was likely the two guys were hiding out together. Because of the attack on Eden? Or something else?
Unfortunately, anything was possible.
“I don’t like it,” Gavin said with a deep frown. “It’s odd that someone would have known Eden was going to the diner for lunch today.”
Max straightened in his seat as Gavin’s point hit home. “You’re right. We didn’t make lunch plans ahead of time, only just decided to head over there this morning.”
“Which means the perp is following her or watching from someplace nearby.”
“Yeah. And that would explain how the perp knew when she’d walked away from the precinct last night. The video shows the guy in black leaving the bomb for her, then catching up to her at the subway.” He sprang to his feet. “I need to check out all the businesses nearby, see if I can pinpoint a potential stakeout location.”
“Let me know what you find.”
“Will do.” Max returned to his cubicle.
There were times police work was tedious and pulling up information on the adjacent properties to the precinct was exactly that. But he managed to identify two distinct possibilities. Each were brown brick buildings, one had a real-estate business and fast-food restaurant on the main level with apartments up above, and the other had a coffee shop and drugstore on the main level, also with apartments above.
The fact that there were so many apartments was depressing. It offered far too many possibilities. But he was leaning toward the fast-food restaurant and drugstore as the likely source. They were public places where anyone could linger without drawing attention. And they were open until 11:00 p.m.
The coffee shop closed at nine o’clock, so he didn’t think the perp had been there that first night, but certainly could be rotating the places he used to observe the precinct.
Armed with this new information, he rose, stretched and glanced around, surprised to note the time was well past five o’clock and many of the cubicles around him were empty.
He went down to get Sam out of his kennel. After taking his partner outside and working with him for a few minutes, he headed up to Eden’s workspace.
She was leaning on her desk, rubbing her temples.
“Are you okay?”
She startled and turned to face him. “Yes. Just battling a headache, a common side effect of epinephrine.”