by Vella Day
“That’s total bullshit. I was married twice before I found my Julie. Each of my wives was wonderful in her own way. Unfortunately, my job forced me to be away too much of the time, so they left me. I’ll run for re-election once more then quit. I want to make sure I don’t lose wife number three. She’s the best.”
“I appreciate the advice.”
“Do more than appreciate it. Go after Sky. From the way she looks at you, she likes you.”
“She has a boyfriend.”
Paul chuckled. “She’s not married yet.”
“True, and the guy lives in New York, not in Savory. When I’m ready, I’ll find out from her where she stands.” Or maybe not. He didn’t need the distraction right now.
The Senator shook his head and finished his beer. He stood, winced, and then rubbed his thigh. “I’ll bring you some pillows and blankets. You can bunk out here.” He set the bottle on the counter.
“You sure you’re okay?”
“Yes.” He walked down the hall with a slight limp and returned with the bedding. “See you in the morning, assuming I don’t get taken again,” he said with a laugh.
For a moment, a wistful glimmer filled Paul’s eyes, almost as if he wanted to have sex with those women every day for the rest of his life.
“I’ll make sure nothing happens to you.” Kane turned on the tube and watched the news before shutting off the lights. He glanced at his cell, but there was no return text from Sky. He thought about calling her to make sure she’d gotten home safely, but at this late hour, he didn’t want to wake her. He had no real reason to believe something bad had happened.
Unfortunately, sleep eluded him. He kept thinking of Sky and how she’d actually looked afraid to work with him, but he couldn’t figure out why. Sure, she had to find the name of the dead man, but she had little to go on. No. There was definitely something else going on, and he was damned if he knew.
He draped an arm over his eyes and sighed, giving up on trying to figure out the answers tonight.
* * *
At the sound of a loud motorcycle, Kane jerked awake. Sunlight streamed in the RV and his cell told him it was 7:00 a.m. He’d overslept for the first time in a long time, probably because he’d only fallen asleep a few hours ago. After checking that Paul was still in bed, Kane decided to go for a short run before breakfast. Not only would he have the chance to exercise, he could check out the other trailers for anything suspicious.
After a thirty minute hard run, he slipped back into the motor home just as the Senator stepped from his room.
“You’re back. Good. I think something’s wrong with my leg.” He rolled up his pajama leg enough to expose the bottom half of his thigh. “I was getting dressed when I noticed this lump.”
It was about half an inch in diameter. “Looks more like scar tissue.” Kane wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his sleeve.
“I never had a scar on my leg before. I’d remember.”
“The mark looks old. Perhaps you forgot.”
“It’s new and rather tender. Put your finger here.” Kane did so. “See? It feels like there’s metal under there.”
“It is hard.” A sense of unease crept up his body. “What do you think it is?”
“What I’m about to tell you is classified.”
“My lips are sealed, sir.”
The Senator nodded. “Back in 2009, there was a lawsuit against the CIA claiming they had implanted devices into the noses of unsuspecting people in order to control their behavior.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “Jesus. Maybe my behavior was affected by this… this thing.”
Even though the Senator was parroting Sky’s fears, Kane wasn’t buying it. “Your leg is a little far from your nose.”
“To fool us, the government might have put it elsewhere. I want to get this out.” The Senator paced. “Now, and you’re going to help me.”
Chapter Eleven
“You said what?” Harriet followed Sky to her desk, pulled up a chair, and placed a plate of blond brownies in front of her.
Sky didn’t need any sugar today to mess with her mind or add to her mood swings. “I told him no.”
“Why?”
“For several reasons. First off, Kane needs to bring in the FBI to solve this case, not some lowly officer from small town USA.”
Harriet reached across the desk and nabbed a brownie. “Don’t be silly. This is a chance of a lifetime. If you work with him, you’ll be one step closer to being a detective.”
“Second, you know me; I can’t abandon this town. I also need to find out who murdered that headless man. You heard the Chief. If I mess up this case, it’s sayonara to achieving any advancement here.”
Harriet’s shoulders fell. “It’s so unfair.”
“You mean it’s unfair that the Chief doesn’t like Caucasian women in law enforcement? Ever since he took over, he’s been busting my chops.”
“True, but if you help Kane solve this high profile case, it might put you in a better light.” She raised her brows.
Sky had been wondering if that might be true. “Even if I’m not working on my big case, who would watch out for the speeders or make sure no one steals from the diner again.” She crossed her arms. “Carl should be here.”
“But he’s not.” Harriet shook her head. “Don’t use him as your excuse. You know what you are? A chicken. Harvey can take care of the town.”
“Since when has he ever cared enough to help out?”
“Talk to the Chief and see what he says. He’ll ride Harvey’s backside to get the job done. Hell, maybe the Chief will volunteer to look for the murderers.” Harriet chewed on her brownie while she held up a hand. “You want to know what I think?”
Not really. “What?”
“You’re afraid to work day in and day out with Mr. Sexy.”
Sky chuckled. “Oh, really, and why is that?”
“Any woman who spends even two days with that man would decide he’s Mr. Right.”
Sky shook a finger at Harriet. “I think someone in this office has a crush on Kane Cornell.”
Harriet fluffed her gray curls. “I admit I find him attractive, but I think I’m a little old for him, don’t you think? You, on the other hand, are perfect.”
“You forget he doesn’t live here.”
She smiled. “My point exactly. You’re afraid that if you work together, you’ll fall in love with him, and then the pain would be greater when he leaves for Phoenix.”
“That so? Have you forgotten Chris?” That was a cop out. Last night, she’d decided to break up with him.
“Chicken, chicken, chicken. And no I haven’t.”
Sky laughed and scooted back her chair. “I have to go. I need to find a murderer. In the process, I’ll see if I can find out anything about the Senator’s abduction.”
“Are you going to tell Kane you’re helping, on the side, of course?”
Sky blew out a breath. She should speak with the Chief about hiring more people, but perhaps she could work both cases at once. “I’m not helping Kane as much as I’m looking out for my advancement.”
“Sure, sweetie.”
As Sky moved toward the front, the door to the station opened. Harriet came up behind her and whispered. “Well, well, lookie who the cat dragged in. Why it’s Mr. Kane and our very own Senator Overton.” Harriet snatched the dessert plate from Sky’s desk and hurried to the front. “Welcome, boys. Have a brownie.”
Kane shook his head, but Overton stepped forward. “Don’t mind if I do.”
“How can I help you two handsome men?”
“I need to speak with Sky.” Kane lifted his gaze to her—intense, powerful, and demanding.
Even though she’d planned to work on her case today, he drew her in like a small fish on a ten-pound line. Kane closed the gap between them.
“Hey,” she said, trying not to sound excited. Damn. He’d reduced her to a gawky teenage girl.
“Is there some place we can
speak in private?” He hadn’t shaved and there wasn’t a hint of a smile on his face. It didn’t matter. He still turned her insides to mush.
“If you’ve come to ask me to help again, the answer hasn’t changed.” Harriet’s words had made her realize how vulnerable she was in Kane’s presence.
“I know you have your own work to do, and I’m not here about that. I promise I won’t take up much of your valuable time.”
She didn’t miss the hint of sarcasm. “The conference room is free.” Harriet frowned probably not happy that she wouldn’t be privy to their discussion, though Sky wouldn’t be surprised if she stood with her back to the door, listening to Kane’s every word.
She didn’t know if the Senator was invited to the tête-à-tête, but she held her head high as she made her way inside the empty but cramped room. Kane closed the door without the Senator. It was just the two of them, and her heart raced.
“Look. I know you’re afraid you’ll lose your job or something if we team up, but I’d really appreciate it if you could help the Senator with a little situation.”
“The Senator?” That didn’t sound bad. “What kind of situation?”
Kane scrubbed a hand down his chin. “He thinks he has an implant in his leg to track his whereabouts, put there by the government.”
She smiled for the first time since yesterday. “I knew it.”
That brought out a matching smile. “Okay, okay. You were right. Can you help?” He stepped closer, almost as if he understood his invisible power over her.
“I can try. I know a few good surgeons at the Page Hospital.”
He shook his head. “The Senator doesn’t want anyone to know. He thinks if word leaked out the government did this, the press would come swarming and crucify him, calling him a kook, or worse, a traitor.”
She leaned back against the table. “Do you know the government is responsible?”
“No.” He smiled. “Nor am I claiming little men from outer space did this to him. While I did feel something hard inside his leg, I doubt it’s an implant. Right now, all he can focus on is getting it out, so my plan is to help him. Can you find someone who’ll remove what’s theoretically in his leg but won’t document the operation? The Senator is willing to pay.”
Giving a name wouldn’t hurt. “I know just the man.” Sky pulled out her cell and called Dr. Williams, Page’s medical examiner. After a short conversation, he said he could operate, but that he had no drugs to numb the Senator’s leg when removing the implant. He was, after all, a coroner. But because national security was involved, a physician friend of his from the nearby hospital might be willing to perform the procedure at the morgue, and properly numb the area.
Sky didn’t consider her story a lie exactly, but telling the good doctor how important the removal was stretched the truth a bit. She hated to admit it, but this cloak and dagger stuff excited her.
“Well?” Kane looked excited, his eyes wide.
“He’ll call me back with the name of someone. I’m guessing it’ll take a good hour. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear.” She headed toward the door. Being in the small room alone with Kane didn’t help her composure.
“Thank you.” His warm brown eyes turned dark.
Don’t do this to me.
“Don’t forget to call me,” he said as he motioned her out.
“I won’t.” As if she could ever forget anything related to Kane Cornell.
As soon as Kane and the Senator left, she returned to her desk to do more research on the headless man, but her mind wasn’t on her job. Forty-five minutes later, she heard from the doctor with good news, and she immediately called Kane.
“That’s great,” he said. “I’d like you to come with us.”
Oh, no. Being in a car with him for more hours would only cause problems. “I can’t.”
“Please? I don’t know how to get there,” he said a bit too quickly.
She smiled. Talk about excuses. “That’s what your GPS is for.” She shifted the phone to her other ear.
He chuckled, and it was good to hear the cheer in his voice again. “Guilty. I asked because I want you to come, to keep me company.”
She nearly melted in her seat. Sky was helpless against his genuine charm, but she held fast. “You’re a big boy. I doubt you need me to hold your hand at the morgue.”
“If we have to do follow-up work, I’ll need your help. Come on, I don’t bite. It won’t take more than a couple of hours. Surely, Savory can stay safe that long.”
He did have a point, but with Kane, one thing always led to another. As much as she wanted to learn if there was a probe, she probably should go to Chris’s mom’s birthday party, as it would be more polite to break up with him in person. “I have another obligation.”
He huffed out a breath. “Look, I won’t ask you to do anything else for me. Please, just this once?”
Harvey was reading the paper at his desk, which meant he could handle any minor crisis. Harriet was right. Sky was a chicken. She could just call Chris. Hell, that’s how he would do it. “Okay, but no more after this.” She shouldn’t have given in, but being with Kane was exciting.
“Meet you out front in a few.”
She disconnected and pressed the phone to her chest for a moment, wondering what it would be like to have someone like Kane to talk to any time of day. Stop dreaming. Sometimes she hated that stupid voice in her head that believed in white picket fences and a family.
Now for the hard part—calling Chris. She didn’t want to have this conversation, but she had to tell him not only was she not going to the party, the spark she’d thought existed between them no longer burned. Breaking up with someone over the phone sucked, but he’d practically done the same thing to her.
When he picked up, she was actually surprised. What followed was terribly uncomfortable, but he seemed to understand. In fact, she swore she detected a hint of relief.
After she hung up, she sagged back against her seat, and decided not to tell Harriet what had just occurred. There would be time later to tell her. It would also be best not to mention where she was going or with whom, as the ribbing would be endless.
Sky did let Harvey know she wouldn’t be back before her shift ended. As usual, he grunted his response.
She waited at the curb for only a few minutes, and when Kane pulled up, she bent over to look inside his Jeep. Great. The Senator took up most of the back seat, which meant her only choice now was to join Kane in front. Being an adult, she could control her emotions or so she hoped.
As they headed north to Page, she wanted to ask Kane about his theory of what could be in the Senator’s leg, but she didn’t want to put him on the spot with the Senator in the back seat. Not that Kane would have had the chance to even respond since the Senator chatted the whole way there, regaling them with some of the projects his committee had funded—like the thousands of marines still in Okinawa, a carryover from a war that ended close to seven decades ago. It was amazing what the government thought was important to our security.
Once they made it to Page, Kane turned onto the morgue’s street. She then gave him instructions where to park. “Dr. Williams said you two could enter through that gray door without the secretary seeing you. Let me check in first then I’ll show you in.”
“Perfect.”
She crossed her fingers that everything would go smoothly. Once she entered, she chatted a bit with Darleen before heading back to Dr. Williams’ lab where she knocked on the key-coded door.
“Come on in,” Dr. Williams said after opening up.
The odor of death still lingered, despite the fact the room looked sterile. Inside stood a tall, thin African American woman garbed in a green surgeon’s outfit, seemingly ready to begin the procedure. The ME introduced Sky to Dr. Patty Deland, who was on loan from another hospital for a year.
“Where’s the Senator?” Deland asked in a crisp British accent.
“He and his security guard are around back.” K
ane was so much more than a guard, but it was what he preferred to be called. He would put his life on the line for the Senator; it was his job, his calling. “I’ll bring them in. I wanted to check with you first to make sure you were ready for them.”
The doctor nodded. The ME unhooked his swipe card from his belt. “You’ll need this to get back in.”
Sky stepped out the back entrance, escorted them inside, and made the introductions.
Once Dr. Williams helped the Senator onto the table, he faced her. “I think it best if you and Mr. Cornell waited in the reception area. I’ll let you know when we’re done.”
Sky peeked around the ME at the Senator to see if he wanted them there or not. Sweat beaded his forehead, but he tossed her a weak smile then shooed her out. “Go. I’ll be fine.”
She wanted to be there when the doctor removed the metal object, but if Dr. Williams thought it best to let Dr. Deland operate in peace, so be it. “I trust them,” she told Kane. She faced her friend. “You’ll let us know as soon as it’s out?” Whatever it was.
“Most definitely.”
They returned to the front office where the air was warmer and sweeter, a nice relief from the autopsy room. While Darleen said nothing as they waltzed past her, her raised brows implied she wondered how Kane had entered the building.
The only place to sit was on hard wooden chairs crammed into the corner of the entryway, but anything was better than the chilly, smelly room. While she believed Dr. Williams would be discreet about the procedure, there were lab technicians and others who could leak the information if they found something.
Because the receptionist sat not ten feet from them, Sky leaned close to Kane, and kept her voice low. “If the Senator does have a probe in his leg, how long do you think we can keep this quiet?”
Kane stretched out his long legs. “I don’t think we have to worry. I doubt his lump is anything more than inflammation under the scar tissue.”
“Scar tissue?” she asked. He nodded. “Don’t tell me that it’s crescent shaped?”
He stared at her for a moment. “Yes. Did Overton tell you?”