by Jo Leigh
The second they were out of the room, his thoughts went to the murder. It hadn’t been a shakedown. It had been an execution. The killer hadn’t asked any questions. And yet, they’d torn up his apartment and come after Megan. Why? Why hadn’t they beaten the information out of Chandler? Or popped him in the kneecap or something equally gruesome but effective?
It didn’t make sense.
He studied the book cover. It wasn’t anything special. No writing, just plain paper between some plastic-covered cardboard.
He looked at the hallway again, his impatience getting the better of him. It wouldn’t matter if he opened the damn thing. He’d already gotten a look back at the storage place.
But he couldn’t. Which was ridiculous. He couldn’t look because he knew she’d be upset if he looked without her. He also knew she wouldn’t say anything about it. She wasn’t a complainer. He tried to imagine Crystal coping with this situation, and he couldn’t. Because Megan would have been with social services so fast it would have made his head spin. Because Crystal would have disassociated herself from anything to do with the murder. Crystal had one priority: Crystal.
Who was he kidding? He was the same way. As selfish as the day was long. So consumed with his own problems, the rest of the world hardly existed.
Hailey wasn’t like that. She’d made him promise to do his exercises again today. And she’d make him keep that promise. Because unlike him, she gave a damn about another person. She had a good heart. That would probably get her into big trouble one day. If he didn’t watch himself, that day would get here real fast.
At last he heard Hailey’s footsteps in the hall. “She’s asleep,” Hailey said, going to the couch and plopping down next to him. “Finally.”
“You were good with her,” he said.
She shrugged, then nodded at the book. “So? What’s the scoop?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t looked yet.”
“Why?”
“I waited for you.”
The look she gave him made the waiting worth it. More than worth it. No woman had ever looked at him that way before. It did something to him. Something dangerous.
He coughed, then shifted his attention to the book. He opened it to the first page, holding it so they both could see.
A long string of what he assumed were initials ran down the page, each followed by a number. A large number. Some entries had checkmarks, some were underlined, and two were crossed out. Jack turned the page and found the same thing. He noticed that a couple of the entries had phone numbers with the Chicago area code. And most had a string of numbers and letters that he couldn’t identify.
“There’s a repeat,” she said, pointing to the initials PB. “I saw it on the first page.”
He flipped back. On the first page PB was followed by 72,000 and 4BB330. On the second page, it was followed by 125,000 and the 4BB330 again. If the first number represented dollars, the amounts were major. He quickly flipped through the whole book, and sure enough, it was more than three-quarters full. If those numbers were amounts of money, which he was hard-pressed to dispute, conservatively, he’d have to say they were talking about millions. Many many millions.
“What’s that?”
“Hmm?”
Hailey reached over and took the book, then turned to a page near the end. A newspaper clipping was stuck on a blank page. It was a picture, no caption. She lifted it up, but it wasn’t glued. “Well, goodness,” she said. “It’s our friend Craig Faraday.”
“Why aren’t I surprised?” He reached for the paper, but she peered at it more closely, her brows knitting with concern.
“Jack, look at this.” She pointed to a police officer standing behind Faraday.
“Yeah?”
“Doesn’t he look familiar to you?”
Jack stared, trying to figure out what she meant. The guy was big, maybe in his late fifties. But his face didn’t ring any bells.
“The cop,” she said. “Back at Roy’s apartment.” She shook her head. “But he was younger. A lot younger.”
Jack looked at the clipping again, trying to make some kind of ID on the guy, but the picture wasn’t clear enough. Except…“You know, he does kinda look like Brett Nichols.”
“What do you know about him?”
“He’s a detective in vice. I didn’t know him well. He hadn’t been working very long before I had to leave. He moved here from somewhere.”
Hailey looked at him, her eyes alight with discovery. “From Chicago?”
“I don’t know. But I can find out.”
Hailey fetched the phone, and she took the book and the press clipping while he dialed. He asked for Bob Dorran, hoping he was there and not out on some case.
“Dorran.”
“Hey. It’s Jack.”
“How you doin’ buddy?” Bob asked, lowering his voice.
“Fine. I want you to do something for me.”
“Name it.”
“You know that new guy, Brett Nichols?”
“In vice?”
“Yeah. Find out where he’s from, would you? And find out if he’s got any connection to Faraday.”
There was a stretch of silence, and then Jack heard a woman’s voice in the background. Probably Kelly, the chief’s assistant.
“Listen, pal,” Bob said, and from the way he sounded, Jack thought he was probably cupping his hand over the mouthpiece. “I don’t know if this is such a good idea.”
“Why not?” Jack asked, fighting the urge to whisper.
“Faraday isn’t someone to mess with.”
“Neither am I.”
“He’s got a lot of juice behind him, Jack. Why don’t you just forget this thing, huh?”
“I can’t.” He laughed, but not because anything was funny. “You try staying home and watching TV every day for three months.”
“If you’re bored, take up knitting. This isn’t a hobby for a smart man. And if I remember correctly, your momma didn’t raise any fools.”
“No, she didn’t. But she did raise a determined SOB.”
Bob sighed. “All right. I’ll find out what I can.” He chuckled. “Between me and Frank, you have half the force doing your legwork.”
“Yeah, well, I figure if the captain finds out, he’ll thank me for keeping you guys out of the doughnut shop.”
“Hey, Jack?”
Jack smiled as Bob told him where he and his doughnuts could go. Then he hung up and dialed Houston information. The operator gave him Faraday’s number. It wasn’t his home, though. She didn’t have that. But if he needed it, Bob or Frank would find it for him.
“You’re calling Faraday?” Hailey asked. “Isn’t that dangerous?”
“Not if I do it right,” he said as he punched in the number. A woman answered. A receptionist or secretary. Jack asked for Faraday. When she wanted to know who was calling, he said “Detective Regan. Houston PD.”
Hailey’s brows shot up at the lie, but he just smiled at her. Then he listened to an instrumental version of an Elton John song for a while. A long while.
“Faraday.”
He sounded busy. Like a real tycoon. “Mr. Faraday, I’m Detective Regan for the Houston PD. I’d like to ask you a couple of questions.”
“What’s this regarding?”
“An ex-employee of yours. A Mr. Barry Strangis.”
Faraday didn’t say anything. He just breathed into the phone. “I vaguely remember someone by that name. But it was years ago.”
“Yes, sir, it would be. I was wondering if you could give me any information about him. What he did for you. If you had anything to do with him going to jail. If he has any family.”
“I don’t know,” Faraday said, sounding irritated. “I hardly remember the man.”
There was a long pause, and Jack figured that was the end of it. But then he heard Faraday sigh.
“He was hired as a butler. He and his wife worked for me. She was the cook.”
“And why did they leave y
our employ?”
“Because they stole close to twenty thousand dollars from me, that’s why.”
“I see.”
“Don’t you have that in your files?”
“Yes, but the data is sketchy. What about family?”
Jack waited. He could hold out as long as he needed to.
“He had a brother, I think. It’s a long time ago, and I never paid that much attention to him when he worked for me. But I seem to recall a brother in Oklahoma. Tulsa.”
“Is there anything else you can tell me about Mr. Strangis?”
“No. I don’t know much about him. I haven’t seen him in years. Oh—I also heard he had a daughter.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. But then, I’m sure you know that already.”
Jack coughed, but he didn’t take the bait.
Finally he wore Faraday down. “Is that all, Detective?” he said, not bothering to hide his annoyance.
“One more thing. I hear you’re moving your corporate offices?”
“Yes. Which is why I don’t have a lot of time to chat.”
“Are you moving out of the state?”
“No. We’re moving downtown. Look, Regan, I need to go now. If you have any more questions, send me a letter and I’ll have my secretary dig around, but I’m sure there’s nothing else to be found.”
“Thank you.”
Faraday hung up without saying goodbye. Jack put the phone on the floor, then turned to Hailey. “There might be a brother.”
Hailey cocked her head. “Do you think he was involved?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “But if he’s there and he’s a relative…”
She turned away, and he could see he’d really upset her. Her body language was tighter than it should be.
“Hailey? We need to find out the truth.
“I don’t want to know,” she said, whirling to face him.
He got his cane and struggled to his feet. “Yeah, you do. Because it’s the right thing. Listen, I think you’re good for her. And she’s good for you. But you have to know the score. Be prepared. You’re not going to be in hiding forever.”
“You don’t think so?”
He touched her arm and she didn’t jerk away, which was a good sign. “No, I don’t. This book, if it’s what we think it is, is going to make a lot of people unhappy. But it’s also gonna make a judge real interested in certain bank accounts.”
“But that’s just it. We don’t know for sure.”
“We’ll find out. And when we do, we’ll end this thing. And I’ll make sure you and Megan are safe. You have my word on that.”
“I want to believe you,” she said softly.
“Have I ever lied to you before?”
That got a little smile out of her. “I have no idea.”
“Trust me. I’m just like a friggin’ Boy Scout.”
She brought her hand to his face and gently caressed his cheek. Her gaze, only moments ago like steel, was now soft and caring. Too caring. But her hand felt damn good. Damn soft.
“What am I going to do with you?” she whispered.
He took her hand in his, stopping her. “You’re going to be cautious, that’s what. You have important business to take care of now. A little girl who’s depending on you.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
He looked away as he let go of her hand. “I know. But that’s all I can offer you right now.”
“Why?” she asked, moving until he was forced to meet her gaze again. “Why can’t we have more?”
His gut tightened as he fought for control. As he struggled not to take her in his arms. He wanted to give her everything, but the truth was his “everything” wasn’t a whole hell of a lot.
“Is it about that?” she asked, nodding at his cane.
“That’s part of it.”
“What else?”
“Hailey, we don’t have time for this. I need to go to the station. I need to talk to Frank.”
“Oh, no. You’re not leaving now. I won’t let you.”
“What do you want from me?” he asked.
She stared at him for a few seconds, her gaze never wavering. “I don’t know for sure. But I think…I think we might have something. Together.”
“It’s the circumstances. The forced togetherness. You’re just afraid and—”
“Don’t tell me what I feel or don’t feel. Everyone always wants to tell me that. I understand about the circumstances. And I understand about your hip and about your job and everything else. And I’m still telling you I think there’s something going on here. Something we need to explore.”
He could feel his heart beat in his chest. The air fill his lungs. But all he wanted to feel was Hailey in his arms. In his bed. “I can’t,” he said, forcing the words out. Breaking the last of his spirit. “I can’t.”
“Bull. You won’t. There’s a big difference.” She walked to the kitchen and got herself a glass, then banged the cupboard shut. She was mad, and he couldn’t blame her. It had taken courage to say what she had. Courage he couldn’t match.
He was a coward and he knew it. A sorry broken coward.
“Are you leaving?” she asked. She poured herself some bottled water and drank it down quickly.
“Yes.”
“How long will you be gone?”
“I don’t know. A few hours.”
“And what if something happens? Then what?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“I wasn’t talking about you. I was talking about Megan and me. What do we do if you don’t come back?”
He moved to the kitchen counter and pulled over a small notepad. He wrote Frank’s number, Bob’s number and, just in case, Crystal’s number. “You won’t need these,” he said.
She nodded, but she didn’t look at the numbers. “All my life people have told me I wasn’t good enough or smart enough or pretty enough. I’ve had to struggle for everything I’ve ever had. I won’t beg you, Jack. If you say no, that’s it.”
He closed his eyes for a second, then looked at her, hardly believing that anyone could have said she wasn’t smart or pretty. She was all that and so much more. But she wasn’t for him. He was nothing but a burned-out shot-up selfish cop who wouldn’t know how to have a good relationship if he tried. “For what it’s worth,” he said, “I think you’re an incredible woman. In every way. And you deserve to have it all.”
“All meaning, not you.”
He nodded.
She sighed. “Go to the station,” she said. “I want this thing solved. I want it over. And I want you gone.”
He turned, cursing his luck. Cursing the bullet that had shattered his life.
He went to the door and put on his holster, then his jacket. He fished the keys from his pocket, and even though he was ready, he didn’t open the door.
“Well?” she asked. “What are you waiting for?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I hate leaving like this.”
“Like what?”
“With you mad at me.”
“I’m not mad,” she said, as she walked toward him. “I’m disappointed. I’ll get over it.”
He remembered their kiss. The way she’d felt and her scent and the overwhelming urge he’d had to take her right there in the kitchen. The way he wanted her made him crazy. And that she thought she wanted him was just plain cruel.
But what he could see that she couldn’t was what would happen after this case was over. After they left this house by the beach.
He had nothing. She deserved everything. It was as simple as that. “I’m sorry,” he said.
“Me, too.”
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Yeah.” Then she turned and headed for the hallway. He walked out the door and locked it behind him. A bolt of lightning lit up the sky and thunder followed, a crash from the gods, a smash of Thor’s hammer. A fitting score for the wreckage that was his life.
Chapter Fourteen
Hail
ey looked in on Megan to find her sleeping soundly. She had her arm around Tottie’s neck in a comforting embrace. Just looking at her made Hailey feel like crying.
But the tears she held back weren’t for Megan. They were for her. And for Jack. He was so frustrating! The attraction was mutual, that much she was sure about. She’d never been more positive of anything. There was something remarkable going on between them, and she knew if they played it out, it would change both their lives.
She’d never been bolder with a man. She’d certainly never set herself up for rejection like this before. But something told her he was worth the fight.
As she went back into the living room, her gaze fell on a picture of her mother. She certainly hadn’t learned much about good relationships from her. She’d bickered constantly with all her husbands. It was a terrible thing to grow up with, and she wasn’t spared their vicious tongues, either. All her life she’d had her failings pointed out. If she came home with a B on her report card, her mother asked why it wasn’t an A. She’d wanted to try out for the softball team at her high school, but after her father had told her how inept she was and how she’d never be a real player, she’d given it up. They hadn’t approved of her friends, which made for a very lonely childhood. By the time she was eighteen, she was afraid to try anything.
Looking back, it was easy to see why she’d settled for Steven. He was so much like her parents, always negative, always demeaning. It was painful, but it was a familiar pain.
Leaving him, starting her web-site-design business and keeping her distance from her parents had taken all her strength. The voices in her head were a constant. Whenever she tried anything new, she heard her mother’s disdainful chuckle or her father’s sharp ridicule. It was as much a part of her as her hair or her eyes.
Until now. Until Jack. When she was with him, the voices stilled. The incessant second-guessing disappeared, and in its place came a strength she’d never known. The way he listened to her, the way Jack trusted her. It made her feel as if she could conquer the world. Or at the very least, it made her feel as if she could be a good mother to Megan, which was actually better.