Woof at the Door

by Laura Morrigan

  He lifted his shoulders and said, “Look, I’m just askin’ ya to cut him some slack. I think he was, you know, kinda upset that you and LaBryce are a thing.”

  “Jealous? Are you telling me Kai is jealous?” I was aware that my voice had risen enough to be quite loud in the cramped elevator.

  “‘Disappointed’ might be a better word.”

  “I met Kai yesterday. Don’t you have to be in a relationship with someone for them to be jealous over you?”

  Clearly Jake realized he’d opened a can of worms and regretted it. “I’m just sayin’ . . . cut the guy some slack.”

  I could hear music suddenly. My phone. I don’t know how I managed to keep up with my purse through the scuffle, but somehow, it was still slung over my shoulder. I pulled the phone out.

  “Hello?”

  “Grace. I wanted to call and check on you. You didn’t answer your text.” My sister sounded worried and I was sorry about that, but half the time I didn’t hear the little chime that told me I had a text message.

  “Sorry, Em, I’m fine, aside from almost being arrested a few seconds ago.”

  “Arrested?”

  I knew I shouldn’t have said it the second it was out of my mouth. “Never mind—”

  “Grace.” Wes’s voice replaced my sister’s. He sounded very serious. You would never know the two of them had been out all evening drinking martinis and celebrating. “Tell me what happened.”

  The doors slid open and I asked Jake to point me to the nearest ladies’ room. Once I was inside, I said, “Look, it was just a misunderstanding. This altercation happened and the cops, one stupid cop, thought I was involved, but I think it’s cleared up now.”

  “You think or you know?”

  “Um . . .” I actually wasn’t sure. Jake had just told me Kai was upset because he thought I was involved with LaBryce. Like I was his girlfriend or something. Which I wasn’t. But if they thought that, they would stick me in one of those rooms and start asking me all kinds of questions.

  “Grace?”

  “I’m not sure what’s going on. Let me call you back.” I hung up and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Wow. Not good. But not terrible either. I didn’t look beaten or roughed up. My hair was a tangled mess and the mascara had run down my cheeks. I looked like I’d been crying. But it wasn’t bad enough to drive LaBryce to attack a cop, even if he were my boyfriend.

  Which he wasn’t.

  I pushed the door open, deciding to straighten this out once and for all. Jake was stationed outside the door waiting for me.

  “Listen. I’m not LaBryce’s girlfriend. I wanted to see him so I could talk to him about Charm. The jaguar. I’ll have to feed her in the morning.”

  Jake was nodding, but I could feel his skepticism. Damn cops and their trust issues.

  Cops get lied to all the time. I’m sure he—and Kai—were used to thinking “liar liar pants on fire” half the time they talked to people. But I knew Jake. I thought he’d believe me with a little reasoning.

  “LaBryce and I are friends, nothing more. I haven’t seen him in months. Check my phone, his phone, e-mails . . . whatever. We are not involved. And I have no clue why he attacked Kai. I really don’t.”

  I saw Jake’s eyes focus behind me and I turned. Kai had walked up, still looking irritated, though he’d toned it down a bit. He didn’t apologize to me, but he suggested we all go talk to LaBryce, who was conscious and asking to speak to me.

  I was baffled. Really and truly. But I went along and walked back into the same room we had been in before. This time LaBryce was hunched over the table. He was crying.

  I rushed forward. “LaBryce! Are you okay?” I thought maybe the cops had beaten him up after Kai had dragged me from the room. But when he looked up, he seemed unharmed, aside from a lump under his eye from Kai’s elbow. Tears trailed down his cheeks and snot bubbled out of his nose. Blubbering. My friend, the super badass football player, was blubbering.

  LaBryce did not blubber. I stared at him, mouth agape.

  “Tell me it was quick, Grace.” His voice was low and quavering.

  “What?”

  He sniffled. Not a pretty sound, or sight for that matter. “She didn’t suffer, right?”

  I had no idea what he was talking about. I started to ask him to clarify when it hit me. Charm. He thought something had happened to her. And I had shown up to break the news.

  “Oh, LaBryce, she’s fine. I fed her and we sat and visited and . . . she’s fine.”

  Relief crumpled his face like an aluminum can. He leaned back and cried harder. He was making noises foreign to human ears. Moose in Canada awoke and began to migrate toward Florida.

  I looked over my shoulder at Jake. He and Kai shared the same expression. Eyebrows raised, lips parted. Stunned. I wondered how often that happened—two seasoned investigators shocked into silence.

  LaBryce struggled to speak, heaved in a sigh, and finally managed, “First Mark . . . then Charm. It was too much.” He looked right at Kai. “I’m sorry, man. I saw Grace and thought . . .” He trailed off and started crying again.

  “You have your answer, Sergeant Duncan.” My voice was a tad more waspish than I’d intended. Kai blinked at me, then looked back at LaBryce.

  “You attacked me because you thought I had done something to Charm?”

  LaBryce nodded. “Why else would you be here, Grace? I heard the commotion here a few hours ago. Everyone was talking about a big cat on the loose. Sayin’ they was gonna shoot her. I saw you, like that, and thought . . .”

  His huge body was wracked with sobs again.

  “LaBryce, why was Charm out of her enclosure?” I asked.

  His face became hard. “I don’t know. Alex should have fed her and put her up tonight. I’m gonna kill that little shit.”

  I tried not to wince at the threat. The last thing LaBryce needed to do was talk about killing someone.

  “Alex was scheduled to take care of the cat?” Kai asked.

  “Yeah. Alex Burke. He was supposed to come this morning, but he didn’t show. I called him. He texted me back and said he was on his way, but he was running late. I had an appointment I was late for, so I left.” He turned to me. “I never leave her out like that, Grace. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  I patted his arm and nodded. Though part of me wanted to smack him upside the head. Alex Burke was Foodman. I now had a name with the face. Whatever—he was going to get an earful from me. I started to ask LaBryce for his number when Jake stepped closer to the table.

  “No matter who did or didn’t show up for work, you’re responsible for that animal.”

  LaBryce nodded.

  “I could arrest you for attempted assault with a deadly weapon. I could have been killed. One of my guys could have been killed.” Jake’s voice was low and filled with disgust.

  I wanted to say something, defend LaBryce. But Jake was right. LaBryce was accountable. Jake had worked in K9 and understood what it meant to be in charge of an animal that was capable of killing. Control is important. No—it’s paramount.

  LaBryce knew this, too. He just sat, silent and miserable.

  “Miss Wilde has agreed to take care of the cat tomorrow morning. Your ass is staying here.”

  “Thanks, Grace.” LaBryce looked over at me. “She usually gets meat in the morning.”

  “I’ll pick up a beef shank for her. Is she on meds?” I wanted to make sure she didn’t miss any doses.

  “Just vitamins. They’re on the counter.” He looked away from me, staring off at a blank spot on the wall.

  I glanced at Kai and Jake, hoping they would come to see the truth.

  LaBryce wasn’t acting guilty. He was acting like a guy who had learned his friend was dead, that he was the prime suspect, an
d thought his beloved pet had been killed—all in one day. Maybe the fact that I knew he was innocent made it easier for me to look at this tough, hulking man and see that he was scared and sad and completely shell-shocked.

  I looked back at LaBryce and said softly, “It’s going to be okay.” I hoped I was right.

  There was a long pause. Jake motioned to someone outside the room, and a uniformed officer walked in. “You’re under arrest for assaulting a law enforcement officer.”

  “Okay,” LaBryce said.

  “LaBryce, don’t you want to call your lawyer?” I asked.

  Silence. Everyone looked at me. LaBryce seemed to be trying to wrap his head around the idea. All three cops gave me blank looks that barely masked the undercurrent of annoyance.

  “Yeah, I guess I need to do that.”

  And with that, he was cuffed and ushered from the room.

  CHAPTER 7

  Kai offered to take me home, and even though I was still miffed at him, I agreed. Mainly because I wanted to talk to him more about finding Burke. And because I wanted to give him a chance to apologize.

  We stood waiting by the elevators. When they slid open, a small, trim man stepped out. He glanced at me and then silently turned to scan Kai’s face with deep-set, sharp blue eyes. Though I had no idea who he was, everything about him said “head honcho.”

  “I need a word with you, Sergeant.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  I excused myself and walked away, stopping as soon as I rounded the corner that led to the bathrooms so I could hear what was said.

  “Any more on Walker?” the man asked Kai.

  “Not yet, sir.”

  “I know you’re aware of the pressure surrounding this case.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Don’t let it affect your work. No matter who crawls up to bite you on the ass. You can’t rush the evidence, Kai.”

  There was a pause and I wondered if that was all the man had to say. I peeked around the corner—he was staring up at Kai, his gaze as sharp as a laser. “Now having said that, I want to hear you tell me that you are on this like white on rice.”

  “I’m all over it, Chief.”

  “Notify me when you get something.” The chief dismissed him with a nod, turned, and walked way.

  I watched Kai blow out a breath and look up at the ceiling. It was obvious that the pressure was mounting. I felt a pang of sympathy for him. How was he supposed to do a good job under this much stress? No wonder he was hoping to find something on LaBryce that would cinch the case.

  He looked over and saw me. “Sorry.” I came around the corner and walked up to him. “I guess that was your boss?”

  “Yeah.”

  The elevator dinged and we got on. I moved to face him once the doors closed. “Your boss is right, you know.” No point in denying that I was listening to their conversation. “If you rush to a conclusion, you could be ruining the life of an innocent man.”

  Kai shook his head. “You are so certain LaBryce is innocent. Why?”

  I thought about it for a moment, taking time to study his face. His brows were knit together, his green eyes dark and serious. Gone was the half grin and surfer boy nonchalance. Oh, hell, now I was really in for it. Not only did I want to make sure the cops dropped LaBryce as a suspect, I really wanted Kai to solve the case. I wanted to see the playful cockiness return to his manner. I had no idea why. Well, maybe an inkling of an idea.

  “What would you say if I told you I knew—for a fact—that LaBryce is innocent?”

  “You know he’s innocent? Are you telling me you can provide LaBryce Walker with an alibi?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “Then what are you telling me, exactly?”

  I took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. “Just trust me, okay? Pretend like this is an anonymous tip or something.”

  “Trust works both ways, Grace. You need to tell me everything you know.”

  “Jesus, this is crazy,” I muttered.

  Kai waited for me to elaborate.

  I looked away. What was I supposed to say? “I’m sorry. I can’t.”

  “Grace, are you in some sort of trouble?” He grabbed my arm and gently turned me to face him. The concern I saw in his face made me feel like an ass. Kai was worried about me. And all I was doing was keeping secrets. But what choice did I have?

  The doors of the elevator opened. Neither of us moved until we heard, “Take your hand off my sister. Now.”

  I glanced over. Emma and Wes stood looking at us. Emma’s face was cool and expressionless. Not good.

  I started to explain that everything was fine when Wes said, “If you have anything else to say to my client, you will do it through me.”

  Kai dropped his hand as if my skin suddenly burned. “Fine by me. Though your client has agreed to assist us tomorrow. Should I make other arrangements?”

  “No. I’ll be there.” The doors began to close and Wes caught them, forcing them to bump back open.

  “Let’s go, Grace,” Emma said, though her eyes were still on Kai.

  With a last backward glance, I walked out of the elevator and into a hailstorm of questions and admonishments. What happened? Why didn’t I call? I should know better than to let the cops ask me questions without counsel.

  I was suddenly too tired to talk. I wanted out of the dress. I wanted to forget about Kai and Mark Richardson and Alex Burke. The knowledge that LaBryce had been arrested and the fact that I would have to dive back into the case in the morning only made me want to forget more.

  We walked out of the sheriff’s office and to the limo waiting for us. I wasn’t surprised to see it. Wes traveled in style. I knew I’d ruined his birthday celebrations.

  “I’m sorry about tonight, Wes,” I said when we’d all settled into the soft leather seats.

  He waved a hand, and smiled. Wes was handsome in a chic, meticulously groomed way. His dark hair was styled, his clothes tailored and elegant. He and Emma sat across from me. If I didn’t know he was gay, I’d say he and my sister were the perfect couple. Two peas in a pod.

  To prove my point, Wes nudged Emma and said, “I think you were right—the cop is into her.”

  “I told you. I thought he was going to trip over his tongue when he saw her in that dress. Though it’s seen better moments.” Emma skimmed her gaze over the grimy outfit.

  “I’ll pay for the dry cleaning.”

  “I know.”

  “He seemed very intense, your cop.” Wes grinned and lifted his brows, waiting for me to dish out some detail.

  “He is not my cop.”

  “Maybe too intense,” Emma said. “What was going on in that elevator?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know, he thinks I know something.”

  “Do you?”

  I leaned my head back onto the soft headrest. My temples had started throbbing. “I know that LaBryce is innocent.”

  “How do you know that?” Wes asked.

  “Because his pet jaguar told me.”

  “Oh . . .”

  “Did you tell Kai? Is that what the whole severe look was about?” Emma asked.

  I snorted out a laugh. “No. I didn’t tell him.” I raised my head off the seatback to look at my sister. “What could I possibly say? He already knows I’m hiding something from him. If I told him what I knew, which, by the way, I have no proof of other than from the cat, then what? How could he possibly believe me?”

  “What do they have on LaBryce?” Wes asked.

  I told them about the hairs, the fight, and LaBryce threatening to kill Mark.

  “Circumstantial. If he has a good lawyer, he’ll probably get off,” Wes said.

  “But the cops aren’t even looking at anyone else. Someone killed Mar
k Richardson. And it wasn’t LaBryce. They’re totally barking up the wrong tree.”

  “What are you going to do?” Wes asked.

  “I have no idea. I’ve got to go to LaBryce’s house in the morning to feed Charm and make sure the cops can search her enclosure safely. Maybe I’ll talk to Kai then.”

  “And tell him about your ability?” Emma asked.

  “No! I just . . . maybe I can convince him that LaBryce is innocent.”

  “Sweetie, how are you going to do that if you don’t tell him the truth?” Wes reached over and patted my knee.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Have you tried seducing him yet?” Emma grinned wickedly.

  “Be serious, Emma!”

  “I am being serious. I saw the way he was looking at you earlier.” Her smile widened. “You may be clueless when it comes to men, little sister, but I’m not. He wanted to suck your toenail polish off.”

  “I’m not wearing any toenail polish.”

  “Details. My point is this—the man is totally into you. You need to use that to your advantage. Tomorrow morning, get him alone and flirt a little bit.”

  “Use your womanly wiles,” Wes added.

  “I don’t have any womanly wiles!”

  They rolled their eyes in tandem.

  “Grace, you are beautiful,” Wes said with a smile. “Even in this state, you’ve got a whole wild temptress thing going on.”

  “Like Raquel Welch in that cavewoman bikini.”

  Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. “Please. There’s no way I can just flirt LaBryce out of jail.”

  “You underestimate yourself,” Wes said.

  “And the power of cleavage,” Emma added.

  “Right.”

  “Listen, sweetie,” Wes said. “You need to understand this. Kai will be more interested in listening to what you have to say if you work him over a little first.”

  “Distract him,” Emma said. “Pull his strings. Bat your eyes and smile. If you’re not going to tell him the truth, which, for the record, I think you should, at least you’ll be able to influence him.”