“Yes, I definitely think you should. She likes you, Circe. I could see it in her eyes, and you like her. That’s what people do when they like each other.” Lisa poured the steamed milk into two mugs, then picked up both and held one out to Circe.
She took the latte Lisa handed her and held it between her palms. It smelled wonderful and the warmth of the mug was reassuring. Lisa was telling her exactly what she wanted to hear. Always nice to have friends with good instincts.
She took a sip of the perfectly prepared drink and said, “Speaking of liking someone, I couldn’t help but notice a little spark of something between you and detective tall, dark, and handsome.”
Lisa’s smile lit up her face. “He is definitely tall, dark, and handsome.”
“You like him.” She’d lived with Lisa long enough to be able to read her. Like Circe was drawn to Diana, Lisa was drawn to Paul.
For a second, Circe thought Lisa would deny it. Then she nodded slowly, her eyes intently studying the latte she held. “I do.”
“But what?” The hesitation in her voice gave her away.
Lisa shrugged and frowned. “I don’t know. I have the distinct feeling he’s interested in me, but I’m sensing something of a shadow there too.”
“Now you’re starting to sound like me.”
“Probably because I’ve lived with you for so long. You must be rubbing off on me.”
Hopefully they only sounded alike. She wouldn’t wish her little gift on anyone. Coming face to face with dead people every time she turned around was wearing on the soul. She couldn’t ignore them, and often she couldn’t help them. What she existed for were days like the last couple where she and Zelda truly made a difference.
“Probably,” she mused. “Either that or we really are related and nobody ever told us.”
The frown disappeared, replaced by a bright smile. “Nobody has to tell us anything. After everything you’ve done for me, you’ll be my sister for life.”
Circe put down her latte and hugged Lisa. “You’ll always be one of the family.”
Stepping back, Lisa looked at her and smiled. “I think we forego the call and just drive on into the police station. Don’t you think an up-close and personal visit is appropriate under the circumstances? I think your lady cop could use a sympathetic friend right now.”
Another reason she loved Lisa. The woman possessed a knack for knowing what was in Circe’s heart and putting a voice to it. “Why yes, I think that’s absolutely what we should do.”
*
Paul made the decision to come clean. After what had happened at Diana’s house last night, it didn’t feel right to hold back. She had a serious problem and so did he. Partners didn’t hide things from each other. Not real partners anyway.
“Need to talk with you, D.” He motioned his head in the direction of one of the small conference rooms. He might have decided to tell Diana, but that didn’t mean he wanted his secret to be public knowledge. Sharing with a partner was one thing, blabbing to the entire department something altogether different.
She gave him a curious look. “Okay.” Getting up from her desk, she followed him into the conference room. It made him love her all the more when he noticed she carried a file folder in one hand. Until he saw it in her hand he didn’t think about how odd it might look if they were heading to a conference room without any case information. That was the kind of thing that would make talk buzz. By carrying a folder, any folder, she made it appear they were sitting down to discuss an open case. Once again, Diana rocked.
After they were both inside with the door firmly shut, he put his hands on the table and studied them for a long moment. His nails were trimmed and tidy, the hands of a guy who worked at a desk. He tapped his fingers and wondered where to start. Out at his desk it had all seemed simple and straightforward. Just blurt it out. Here, alone with Diana, it wasn’t nearly as simple or straightforward. This was going to be harder than he thought. He finally looked up and met her eyes, and what he saw there gave him courage. “All right, here’s the shit. You know I broke it off with Brenda.”
“Of course.”
“Well, I broke it off but she didn’t.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning the crazy bitch is stalking me.”
She wrinkled her forehead and studied his face. Not hard to follow her train of thought because it had all run through his mind when the nightmare first started. He could almost predict what she was about to say, and when she spoke, he wasn’t wrong.
“Brenda? She seems so normal. Well, normal in the way-too-focused-on-her-looks way.”
“Yeah, well, I’m telling you, she’s gone off the deep end and I can’t shake her. Every time I turn around there she is. I go to take the trash out and she’s standing in my driveway with cookies. I stop at the grocery store and big coincidence. There she is casually shopping. Last night was the crowning glory. I got home from the crime scene out at Seven Mile and she was in my kitchen. She was in my fucking kitchen.”
Diana blew out a long breath. “You got your house keys back from her, right?”
That was almost insulting. Of course he did and she should know that. In her defense, she was treating his problem with the same professionalism she brought to everything, and after the first flush of irritation at feeling like she was treating him like he was stupid, he appreciated it. “Did that when I had her move out, but little did I know the sneaky bitch made extra copies. I about had a coronary when I found out. Made her give me the one she used last night, and even though she said it was the only one she had left, I don’t believe a word that comes out of her mouth. I’m telling you, Diana, she’s bat-shit crazy. Got a guy coming out this morning to change all the locks and install a few more deadbolts.”
Diana nodded as she studied him for what seemed like a really long time, and emotions he couldn’t name played across her face. He had no idea what she was thinking, but something was definitely going on inside her head. Exactly what he had been trying to avoid all these months and exactly what he needed. Avoiding the truth hadn’t done him any favors, and it was time to get help from the person he trusted the most. If anyone could figure out how to get rid of Brenda without anyone ending up in jail, it was Diana.
“Paul,” she said slowly. “If Brenda really has slipped into the realm of stalker…”
“She has.” There was no maybe about it despite the delusions he’d tried to embrace earlier. Along with his decision to come clean with Diana was the decision to be realistic about the situation with Brenda.
“Okay, she has, she is. What do you think the odds are she sees me as a rival for your attention and affections?”
“What?” That came out of left field. What did Diana have to do with Brenda stalking him?
“Me. Do you think she sees me as competition?”
Diana? No way. He’d never been anything besides professional with her. He loved her in many ways, but not in the way that would be important to Brenda. Even if things were different, he simply never would or could have a shot with her. Undeniably he wasn’t her type, so the idea Brenda would perceive Diana as a threat was far-fetched.
Or was it? A rational person wouldn’t perceive Diana as anything other than his partner and good friend. A person who’d ditched rational and embraced crazy was something altogether different. Suddenly the emotions that played across Diana’s face made perfect sense, and a chill raced up his spine.
“I want to say no, but you and I both know you could be onto something. It’s pretty coincidental your place gets trashed right after Brenda and I duke it out, verbally, that is. She’s crazy enough to do something like that. You should have seen the way she chucked a tray of cheese and crackers across my kitchen and smashed a bowl of ice and beer on my tile floor. I’ll be sweeping up shattered pieces of platter and beer bottles for months.”
“What time did she leave your house?” She was obviously still working a scenario in her head.
“I don’t know, wasn’
t looking at the clock. Too pissed off that she got into my house to begin with and even more pissed off at the mess I had to clean up.” He shrugged. “Eight, maybe, give or take a few.” Not checking the time was a rookie mistake. Just another sign of how out of sync he got when Brenda was around.
Diana pursed her lips and then said, “I didn’t get back home until almost ten.”
Shit. Now his problem was becoming Diana’s. He sure didn’t see this coming. All his grandiose ideas about keeping the Brenda problem to himself and finding his own solution just went up in smoke. “Plenty of time for her to do the damage at your place.”
Diana screwed up her face. “Yes, except how did she get into my garage? I mean, I think we’ve established she’s unbalanced enough to do it, but she’d still have to gain access somehow. I keep everything locked up tight.”
He didn’t have a quick answer on the how, but one thing he did know: Brenda was a sneaky bitch and one with money enough to get whatever she wanted. Though he’d asked her about its source on more than one occasion, she’d managed to avoid answering every time. Once she’d made a vague reference to a wealthy family, and maybe that was what set her up initially, but he was pretty sure she made as much or more herself. “Who knows. Diana. If she stole my key, why not one of yours too? Let’s just say when she’s motivated, she seems to find a way to do whatever she wants.”
Diana was tapping a pen on the table, a telltale sign of her concentration. He’d seen her do that a hundred times as she worked through problems. “We need to explore this a little more. God knows I’ve pissed off more than my share of folks in this city and in reality it could be any one of them.”
“Except you don’t think so.”
Slowly she shook her head. “No, I don’t, and that’s why we have to dig into this.”
His heart sank as he realized how true her words were. He’d been going along fat, dumb, and happy, thinking Brenda was his problem alone. So wrapped up in his own troubles, he’d apparently missed the forest for the trees. “I think we have to. I don’t believe in coincidence.”
Her eyes were on his. “Neither do I.”
*
Diana walked out of the conference room, her mind whirling, and stopped. Sitting next to her desk was Circe. The sight made her heart tighten, and she had to work hard not to smile like a kid on her birthday. Good Lord, she was falling fast. It felt good. It felt wrong. She ignored wrong.
“Is there a problem?” Despite her happiness at seeing both Circe and Lisa at her desk, she didn’t believe for a moment their visit was just to say hello. And, to her knowledge, no one else had contacted the sheriff’s department to borrow Circe and Zelda for another search. So why were they sitting at her desk?
Circe stood and Diana’s gaze swept over her. She looked fantastic in jeans, a figure-hugging blue shirt, and red kicks. Why couldn’t it be five o’clock on a Friday night so they could leave here together for a night on the town? How much fun would it be to go dancing with her in that outfit?
Circe was shaking her head as she took one of Diana’s hands. Like before, the shock on contact was amazing. Amazingly good that is. “I heard what happened at your house last night.”
Diana didn’t get it. The news vans had showed up right after the investigation crew, but no way would her name have been mentioned. No reporter worth their salt would have dared put her name out there if they wanted to keep on good terms with one of the city’s best detectives. “How did you know it was me?”
Circe shrugged, her expression open. “I just knew. Can’t explain it.”
“You didn’t hear it on the news?”
“Oh God, no. I heard about the break-in and I knew it here.” She touched her chest.
“She does that kind of thing all the time,” Lisa added. “She has that weird sixth-sense thing. A bit on the creepy side at first, and then you get used to it after a while.”
Diana noticed that Lisa’s eyes were on Paul as she spoke, and Diana almost smiled. Had Paul noticed? Not quite yet. Interesting development.
“Are you okay?” Circe asked. “That had to be frightening.” The genuine concern in her eyes touched Diana.
When was the last time a woman besides the women in her family or her good friends had really worried about her? She couldn’t even remember, it had been so long. Sad story on her part though exciting now to think someone would reach out to her like this. It felt really nice, and for just a moment she was going to let it warm her. It suddenly didn’t matter how Circe knew she was the victim; it only mattered that she’d come to her.
“I’m fine, though I opted to stay at my dad’s place last night.”
Something like relief played across Circe’s face. “I’m so glad to hear that. When I saw that news report all I could think about was you in your house alone. If I’d known last night, Zelda and I would have tracked you down to make sure you were okay.”
Wow was all she could think. Even when she was out there dating, no one ever stood up for her like that. She was the big tough cop who looked out for everyone, and suddenly here was someone looking out for her. Circe was special, and it wasn’t just her hormones talking. If she was this kind so soon after they met, what would she be like later? She wanted to find out.
“I appreciate your kind thoughts. I was safe and I will be safe.”
As Circe studied her face, Diana wondered what she was searching for. Was this what subjects felt like when she sat across from them in interrogation? Well, maybe not quite like this because Circe’s scrutiny made her feel warm, and she was pretty sure that wasn’t the vibe she gave off when questioning people, innocent or guilty. Whatever Circe searched for, when a tiny smile turned up the corners of her lips, Diana was pretty sure she was satisfied by what she saw in her face. She dropped Diana’s hand and got up from the chair by her desk. As she stepped away, she said, “I was going to call, but Lisa thought we should come down and see if we could do anything. This is much better than calling, particularly as it somehow feels like my fault.”
That stopped her. For a brief second she watched Circe walk away, before she started to follow Circe’s retreat. “Your fault? Why on earth would you feel like that? The vandalism at my house had nothing to do with you.”
Circe stopped, put her hands in her pockets, and looked down. “I disagree. You made a special trip out to my house, and if you’d simply called me, you would have been at home and it wouldn’t have happened. No one would have been stupid enough to trash your garage if you’d been there.”
Diana thought about the conversation with Paul. Given what he’d told her, Circe’s theory was only partially right. It might not have happened, or it could have been much worse if, in fact, Brenda had trashed her garage. If she’d do that in her misguided quest to secure Paul’s love, what would she have done if they’d come face-to-face?
This time Diana shook her head. “It had absolutely nothing to do with you, Circe, I promise. We might have a lead, although I can’t really say too much more at the moment.”
Relief showed in Circe’s face as she looked up to meet Diana’s eyes. “I still feel responsible.”
She hated that this beautiful woman believed she was responsible for last night’s violation of her home. “You’re not. Our lead is a million miles away from you and no one you’d have any reason to know.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
“All right. You’re the professional and I trust your judgment.” With a nod, she started toward the door again before stopping once more. “You will stay at your dad’s until you know for certain though, right? I hate to think of you there alone, even though you are a big-time detective.”
She smiled. “Absolutely. Dad would have a coronary if I went back home before we arrest the ass who broke into my garage.”
Circe’s smile made her eyes light up. “That’s good. It means I won’t have to worry about you.”
“No, you don’t. I’ll be just fine.”
&nb
sp; “Oh, I know, and I know one other thing.”
“And that is?”
“You’ll get her.”
As Circe spoke, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. As her gaze shifted to the doorway, two questions hit her all at once. How did Brenda get into the squad room, and why did Circe say they would get her?
Chapter Ten
Fucking A. It didn’t seem to matter what he did. Paul couldn’t catch a goddamn break. When he’d first walked out of the conference room and saw Lisa at Diana’s desk with Circe, he thought his whole day was starting off on a great note. He felt good about coming clean with Diana. He felt even better seeing Lisa. It was the first real burst of optimism he’d experienced in months.
Now it was all blown to hell in the space of a few seconds. Whatever dumb-ass let Brenda up here was going to be sorry. He would personally see to that. He put a hand on Lisa’s shoulder and spoke quietly in her ear. “Sorry, love, give me a second.”
He tried not to let the fury show on his face or in his body as he crossed the room and stopped Brenda from getting any closer to his desk or the three women behind him. As she always did, Brenda looked great. Wearing slim black slacks that showed off her long legs, a flowing blue shirt, and with her hair cascading down her back in golden waves, she had every guy in the place staring at her. The hotness factor probably played into how she was allowed upstairs without checking with him first. One lesson he’d learned the hard way—she was a master manipulator. She was so smooth, she’d get her way before the unsuspecting even realized they’d been had. He’d be sure to clue them all in later.
“Hey,” she said, smiling as if their conversation last night never happened. Or the shattered platter or the key launched in his face. Or Diana’s trashed garage.
Without pausing, he took her arm in a firm grip and turned her back toward the door, knowing he held her too tight. Leaving marks on her arm wasn’t a good idea. Neither was having her linger in his office. “What are you doing here,” he spat close to her ear.
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