by Mimi Barbour
Snickering, Lisa said, “I’ve never seen a man more proud of his baby girl. It’s kinda cute.”
“You wouldn’t say that if you saw all the crap he’s trying to sneak into her room. I have no doubt the idiot has hit every children’s section in all the major outlets in town.
Lisa chuckled and leaned back in her chair. “Kai? Shop?”
Aurora looked plenty disgruntled. However, the wicked glint in her wink gave her pissy attitude no oomph at all. “I finally warned him if he brings home one more stuffed bear, both him and Smokey are outta there.”
Cracking up, Lisa had no problem picturing petite Aurora standing up to her handsome, soft-hearted husband. She’d never seen a man more in love. For that matter, Aurora glowed from the same ailment and they made a wonderful couple. Add in their baby girl who at almost four months old had them both in the palm of her tiny little hands and the family was darn near perfect.
Sadness hit Lisa, surprising the hell out of her.
She’d miss working with her partner; miss that unspoken understanding they had going on. Det. John Hampton, their burly Irish colleague whose skills and charm drew her respect had been instructed to be Aurora’s stand-in so things weren’t totally black.
Aurora broke into Lisa’s musing. “I dropped by to see if you had time for lunch. I know there are cases pending but I didn’t think you’d be too crazy since we spent last week cleaning up a lot of the backlog.”
“Nah! I’m good. It’s just with Cory being away, Ham is trying to cover his calls and hang with me. I’ll finish up this mess of files and meet you at the grill in an hour. That work for you?”
“Sure.” In tight shorts and a killer blouse, Aurora wandered to the door and then stopped with her arms crossed and shot a glare across the room aimed directly at Lisa. “I’ll have time to stop by and say good-bye to a real good friend, Jeff Waters. You know, the man you blew off after my wedding. Unless you want to come with me?”
Lisa turned away but felt Aurora’s eagle-eyes drill into the top of her curly mop. She wouldn’t give her nosy friend the satisfaction of looking up just to see disapproval. The thought of letting Aurora nag at her yet again as to why she’d snubbed the owner of the Cascades Casino made her distinctly uncomfortable. “No thanks, Rory.” Lisa used Aurora’s hated nickname to show two could play the same game called ‘Let’s be annoying!’
Besides, Aurora enacting cupid was like a kettle boiling orange juice. It didn’t compute. Except that, she refused to drop this particular subject. Silence pealed. Lisa declined to co-operate. Her eyes fixed squarely on the assault report she worked on and, eventually, she heard the door close with an unnecessary snap.
Lisa wiped her hands on the knees of her black stretch pants. She hated these games with Aurora. Unfortunately, her friend wouldn’t let up and Lisa didn’t owe her an explanation. The only person who had a right to demand an account was Jeff. She should have talked to him before she’d snuck out of his luxurious penthouse suite after they’d spent the night together. With a man handsome as sin, wealthier than most and a lover who’d ruined her for anyone else, you’d think she’d be willing to take a chance. . Since a relationship between them wasn’t practical, she’d merely taken Jeff’s phone call the morning he’d woken to find her gone.
In straightforward, no nonsense language, she’d told him her views about carrying on an affair at this time in her life. Before he could try and talk her out of her stubbornness, she’d crisply thanked him for the wonderful evening, wished him all the best and hung up.
Jeff was the first person she’d ever met who had the ability to bring out a previously undiscovered shyness. He’d messed with her basic instincts and turned her brain to pure mush. Thinking back, she couldn’t remember one whole sentence she’d said to him that had made any sense. Her head dropped into her hands. This couldn’t be allowed to go on. She had to stop thinking about the dude, stop craving him or she’d lose it completely. Her cellphone rang to save her from further wallowing. When she saw the number, fear crawled in and started eating chunks out of her calm.
“Hi, Mattie,” said Lisa. “Is everything okay?” Mattie, Detective John Hampton’s wife, regularly babysat Lisa’s three-year-old nephew, Noel. Lisa still wasn’t used to the idea that she was a surrogate mom since her sister Carly sickened and passed away. Now she worried incessantly about the kid.
“I’m not sure. Oh, the boy’s just fine. It’s Ham I’m worried about. I can’t explain right now but he’s about to get the shock of his life and I don’t want him alone when it happens. Can you make sure that when a young lady called Francesca Donovan arrives to see him, they meet in private? She was just here thinking it was his day off and I had to tell her he’d been called in. I tried to talk her into waiting here or coming back later but the girl’s determined to see him as soon as possible. I expect she’ll be arriving any minute so I can’t explain. Just don’t leave him alone with her. You’re the darling man’s partner now and trust me, lovie, he’ll be needing backup on this one.”
“No problem, Mattie. I’ll go and scout for her now. What does she look like?”
“Oh, you can’t miss her, Lisa. She’s the spitting image of her father.” Mattie’s chuckle sounded slightly hysterical to Lisa. Before she could question the ditzy woman further, the dial tone buzzed in her ear.
What the hell was that all about?
Chapter Two
Lisa scrambled out from behind her desk, opened her door and peered out at the conglomeration of people working in the main area. Her eyes flew to Ham’s desk where. He worked behind a stack of files that threatened to topple over, head down and fingers flying over the computer keys.
Other detectives were on their phones, a few more were in the corner conversing and uniforms were milling everywhere. Good, everything looked normal. The place ticked away the same as usual and Lisa breathed a sigh of relief. She decided the best way to intercept this chick from bugging Ham would be to call him to her office and let one of the receptionists bring his visitor to them.
Striding to confront the big guy, she winked at a lost child sitting on one of the department’s desks eating ice cream, waiting to be picked up by her parents. The tiny tot stopped licking long enough to grace Lisa with a precocious chocolate grin before her tongue swept out once again.
Lisa stopped in front of Detective Hampton’s desk and waited for him to look up. Surreptitiously, her eyes scanned the large room for any sign of a girl looking for someone. How Mattie had thought she’d recognize this stranger, Lisa didn’t have a clue. His inquiring stare caught her attention and pulled her eyes back. She had to think of something to say that would coax him into her office. “Ham, have you got a minute. I… ahhh I need to show you a report on my desktop.” Oh, that’s just brilliant!
Ham’s bushy eyebrows rose with the question he hadn’t bothered to speak. Playing for time, Lisa checked her phone as if waiting for a call. Ham cleared his throat then angled his thumb towards the screen to let her know she’d interrupted him.
“I need some help on the paperwork for that assault case we worked together. I’m not sure how you want the procedures listed. Can you come?”
Slowly, he saved his work and stood, then stretched his tall bulky body. While he rubbed his square jaw and flattened his mustache, his startling blue eyes smiled at her lazily. “Sure’n I’ll be happy to come, Lassy. Can’t figure out why you’d want my help since you’ve worked those kinds of cases time and again, but I need a break from this blasted computer anyway.”
Glad for a reason to hide her flushed cheeks, Lisa stomped away and cursed her slow brain. On the way past the receptionist, she pointed her direction to let the uniformed woman know where to find them both. Once there, she bustled around to the coffee machine and played with the dials. “Can I get you a mug, Ham?”
“No, I’ve had my limit for this morning. Just quit your dithering and tell me why you’ve hauled me in here. I suspect you want to tell me something. It’s
written all over your face. I just saw Aurora leave. Did she upset you?”
“Not today she didn’t.”
“Well, don’t give up hope, it’s early yet.” He chuckled at his own joke but stopped when his humor fell flat. “So, what’s up?”
Lisa swallowed and plunked herself in the chair facing his. “You’re a crafty man, John Hampton. Don’t see how anyone can put anything over on you.” Lisa decided to come clean. “This is the deal. Mattie called a few minutes ago and said you’d be getting a visitor. From the sound of her voice, I gathered you would be more comfortable here in an office rather than in the middle of the squad room.”
“Did she say who?”
“Nope. Just that you’d probably need backup. I presumed by her comments the meeting might be upsetting and better held in private—”
A knock at the open door stopped her rambling. Lisa glanced up and wondered if the shock on her face and her open mouth might give Ham a clue that his visitor arrived. Her gaze swung to her colleague, who sat stock-still, the color drained from his skin. Ham’s throat muscles shifted up and down repeatedly and were the only thing on his stiff body that did move. His inaction forced Lisa to take the lead. Tripping on the chair and bumping her hip into the corner of the desk slowed her down some, but didn’t completely stop her forward momentum. Reaching the girl who hovered in the doorway, Lisa first wiped her hands on the sides her pants and then extended her right one.
“You must be a relative of John’s. The similarities are quite extraordinary. Are you his niece?”
The stranger’s slight trembling vibrated through her fingers and warned Lisa to prepare herself. Good thing she did.
“No. Not his niece. I’m his daughter.” In a voice full of Irish bravado, the gorgeous young redheaded female stepped hesitantly toward John Hampton.
“Jumped-up Joseph,” Ham whispered. Unsteady but determined he took forever to rise. His expressive face mirrored utmost confusion. Disbelief filled his features, followed by anger, trailed by hope and finally tears. The tall man, whose handsome face emphasized his deep blue eyes, was probably, for the very first time in his life, speechless.
Instantly, Lisa knew why Mattie had asked her to stay nearby since Ham didn’t do shock well. Blubbering like a baby, he reached out and hauled the stunned girl into his arms then rocked her back and forth. “Tis an angel you are.” His voice wobbled with emotion and he took no heed of the poor girl whose feet dangled three inches from the floor and whose back must be taking considerable punishment from the overzealous hug.
Striding up to his side, Lisa pulled at his arm to get his attention. “Let her down, Ham. You’re squeezing her to death. Her face is swelling already.”
Overcome, Ham lowered the young woman and lovingly cupped her cheeks in his large, gentle hands.
“Your mother’s name is Kathleen Donovan.” It wasn’t a question.
Her eyes, twins of her dad’s, narrowed as she watched his reaction. “Yes.” The word, barely audible, was none-the-less defiant. “I’m Francesca.”
“You’re the spitting image of the lovely lass, the spitting image. She was the most beautiful woman I ever met. Never did blame her for leaving a big lug like me. Except, I never knew she took a part of me with her. Th-that’s surely unforgivable.” His last words choked him so he couldn’t continue.
Francesca answered. Her conciliatory tone held a warning and a message all wrapped up in a plea. “Kathleen just told me about you. She admitted that the choice between you and the career she’d always dreamed of had been the hardest one she’d ever made.”
“And I lost,” said Ham.
Lisa had never heard words spoken in such a sad tone saturated with a world of regret. Time to go! Lisa tiptoed from the room and left the two alone. Ham wiped the streams from his cheeks using the tissues she passed him on her way from the room. Softly, she closed the door. Now, she had a story that would shock the shit out of Aurora, and she couldn’t wait to share.
Chapter Three
Fifteen minutes later, Lisa was sitting in their favorite restaurant and wolfing down steaks in a hungry but lady-like fashion. She finished describing the scene she’d witnessed earlier in her office. “Ham was precious. I’ve never seen a big guy look like such a small boy. Truly, Aurora, he melted right in front of us. Sagged like a blow-up doll with the air deflating.”
Aurora giggled. “Really? Blow-up doll? Couldn’t you come up with a better image than that?”
“Right! Not thinking straight here. I’m still in shock. I called Mattie after I left the two alone and you know what the darling said?” Lisa asked.
“Something wonderful I have no doubt.”
“She was out of breath. Said she’d been busy cleaning out her sewing room so her new daughter would have a place to stay. Tell me, could I have a better babysitter for Noel than her?”
“Not in this town.” Aurora finished off her coffee and leaned forward. “Did this Francesca Donovan say anything about her plans?”
“Other than she wore an FBI shield on her belt, not a thing.”
“Fuck!” Aurora’s forehead hit the table.
“Hey, nothing is a hundred percent perfect.” Lisa wiped her lips with her napkin and hid her smile behind it while she watched her friend come to terms with this bit of information. Not sure why, Lisa only knew that Aurora had little tolerance for that branch of the law.
The vibrating cellphone on the table between them had Aurora’s hand reaching. Her expression underwent numerous expressions before it settled on disgruntled. Something wasn’t right.
The vibe at the table changed as soon as Lisa caught Aurora’s narrow-eyed stare. Foreboding worked its way down Lisa’s spine and landed amongst the disconcerting twinges in her stomach. She had no doubt she wouldn’t like the news Aurora meant to share.
Voice hard, Aurora stated, “Jeff Waters is missing.”
“That’s not funny, Pal.”
“It’s not meant to be. The casino staff waited twenty-four hours before panicking but they are now. No one has seen or heard from him since the night before last. It’s not like him, Lisa. Management is important to him and he wouldn’t just leave everyone up in the air without notifying them about any changes to his agenda.”
“Did he know you were coming to see him today?” Lisa asked.
“Sure. We talked about it last week when he called to ask me all kinds of questions about you.” Aurora held up her hand before Lisa could attack. “I told him he had to get his info straight from the stubborn idiot herself.”
“Very cute.” Lisa flipped her the bird.
Aurora smiled, and for just a second she looked like a little kid does when they know they’ve won an argument. “Anyway, he had no plans for the next ten days and would be available. In fact, he said he’d be happy for me to cheer him up. So, when I arrived earlier and he wasn’t there, I started to push on his whereabouts. Jonathon Wimbly, his manager, admitted they were still checking his chalet in Aspen just on the off chance he’d travelled there and his memo had gone astray. Strange thing is, his plane is in the hanger and he would’ve flown there like always.”
Under the table, Lisa clasped her hands tightly together. Shit! So, this is how it feels when the bottom drops out of your world. “Did they report it to the authorities?” Lisa wet her lips first and bit down on the trembling she knew would appear. Then she tried to look merely interested and not panicky.
“I got the impression that Wimbly vacillated and finally decided to wait a little longer. Except that I picked up something weird about his attitude. I knew he was lying. I hauled him through the third degree before he’d admit as much as he did. It was like digging in mud for a tiny piece of gravel. Idiot!”
Playing the devil’s advocate, Lisa cajoled. “Aurora, you know most of these missing person cases are solved when the jerks show up full of stupid stories about their car breaking down or some such nonsense. Don’t worry until there’s a reason.”
“My intuit
ion is reason enough. How the hell can I go away on vacation when one of my close friends might be in trouble?”
Lisa knew by Aurora’s demeanour that she was as serious as a stroke. “Might. Did you hear what you said? Chances are it’s nothing and this isn’t just any old holiday, it’s your honeymoon. With your brand new husband! Listen Pal, you want to stay here and play cops and robbers, hell I’ll go with Kai.” Just as Lisa knew Aurora would, she took the bait.
“Dream on, girlfriend. The only female over a year old travelling in that rolling mansion with him is me.” She grinned with her mouth but fear toned down the usual sparkles in her eyes. “I’ll go on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“Promise me you’ll look into Jeff’s disappearance.”
Now the sick feeling started increasing until Lisa thought she might be seeing her steak again. “Missing persons is an FBI problem.”
“Hell Lisa, you have no idea of the kind of incompetent agents we have around here. Promise me. If I didn’t think you and Ham would follow up, I couldn’t enjoy my first break in years.”
Sure, pile it on thick. “Aw, Aurora.” Lisa heard herself whine like a three-year-old Noel when she’d told him he couldn’t have a puppy.
Aurora leaned forward and her beseeching look did a number on Lisa. Never having seen Aurora plead, ignoring her was impossible. “Jeff might not matter to you, Partner, but the man was there for me when I needed a friend. How could I think to leave him now if he’s in trouble?”
Caught! Hook, line and sunk! There wasn’t an inch of wiggle room no matter where her mind raced to find one. Lisa rolled her head from side to side and heard the stiffness crack. She knew Aurora watched and waited. “Fine! I promise. He’s Noel’s friend too. You didn’t need to push so hard.”