Coffee & Crime

by Anita Rodgers

  Amused, Ted shook his head. "Nice try. We're not finished. I'm going to get in my car and you're going to follow me."

  "Did I mention that you're not the boss of me?"

  Ted smiled and tweaked my nose. "If you don't do as I ask, I'll just stay right here. All night if necessary." His eyes dared me to test him. Kind of sexy. Kind of scary too. "You read me?"

  I pouted, backed up, and positioned my car behind the Escalade. He stepped out of the car and got into the SUV. When he pulled out I followed him. We drove a few blocks to a cheap motel on Venice Boulevard and pulled in. We parked side by side but I stayed in my car. He locked the SUV and came to my window — I buzzed it down. "Now what? You going to spank me for being a bad girl? Although that would be better than a lecture."

  "I'll take care of the rooms." He nodded his head toward an all-night food truck at the front of the lot. "You hungry?"

  <<>>

  I met him outside of the motel office with a bag of hot, greasy food and a couple of cups of coffee. Taking me by the elbow, he led to a room a few doors down. I stopped. "Where's Boomer?"

  Ted unlocked the door and motioned me in ahead of him. "He's in the room."

  Boomer lay on one of the two double beds, gnawing his chewie and barely looked up when I entered. The tacky room was done in the requisite brown and orange motif that all crap motels used. The two double beds threw me though. I set the food down on the table near the door and dropped my bag on the bed where Boomer lay. "Nice. Where's your room?"

  Ted took the food out of the bag and laid it out on the table. "They only had one vacancy." He busied himself fashioning serving dishes out of napkins and the paper sack. "Food looks good."

  I snickered. "This is how you want to be my boyfriend? You figure you'll seduce me, then I'll be a good little girl and come home?"

  Ted continued setting out dinner. "This is how I handle the situation when there's only one vacancy." His eyes met mine. I saw no deception there but I didn't like the idea of sharing a room with a man I pined for either. And I told my hormones to shut the hell up. He pushed out a chair with his foot and pointed to it. "Sit."

  The smell of greasy junk food made my mouth water and I plopped into the chair. Halfway through the burger, my blood sugar leveled, and I took a breath. Squirting ketchup on my fries I asked, "What are you up to, Ted?" I looked up at him. "Why are you here?"

  He fixed his deep green eyes on mine. "To keep you out of trouble."

  I smirked. "Who appointed you my guardian angel?"

  "Zelda had concerns."

  I pounded my fist on the table, sloshing coffee out of my cup. "I knew it! You two have been talking behind my back." I squinted at him. "How long has that been going on?"

  Ted looked away and stared at his French fry so hard that he must've been fascinated by it. "She was worried."

  I scoffed. "I'll bet she was." Then I pointed at him. "You’re the one who fixed her window, aren’t you? Don't bother denying it, I already know the answer." I shook my head. "I knew you were plotting with Zelda behind my back."

  He looked up with soft, caring eyes. "So was I. Worried that is." He shrugged and grinned. "Can I help it if I'm smitten?"

  The electricity between us buzzed in my ears. If I didn't shift gears, we'd end up tangled in the sheets with no hope of escape. "Smitten? Now there's a word you don't hear every day."

  Ted pushed his food aside and laced his fingers behind his head. "A man doesn't get smitten everyday either."

  I rolled my eyes. "How long have you been following me?"

  "Since you left the house tonight."

  He reached for my hand but I dropped it to my lap. "What did Zelda do, text you while I was in the bathroom?"

  "Scotti, don't be like this. I..."

  I jumped out of my seat. "You what?"

  "I know about the diner. I'm sorry, I know how much it meant to you. How upset you must be."

  I backed away from the table. "Oh, so this is a pity party? I'm like the sad puppy in the shelter cage that you can't resist adopting?"

  Ted chuckled softly and leaned back in his chair. "You're funny." He blew on his coffee and took a sip. "You really are."

  I glared at him. "I'm funny?"

  Ted stood up and crossed the room to me in two strides. Then he put his hands on my shoulders and kissed the top of my head. "I mean you're cute. You're adorable." He cupped my chin. "Sweet."

  I scooted around him and sat on Boomer's bed. "What's your plan?" I asked punching the pillows then jamming them against the headboard. "You must have one."

  Ted sat on the edge of the bed. "My plan?"

  I leaned back against the pillows and stretched out my legs. "Yeah, your mission. Are you going to roll me up in a carpet and haul me back home? Promise me anything to get me to go back? What?"

  Ted pulled off my shoes and massaged my feet, which under different circumstances would've been foreplay. "I don't have an agenda if that's what you mean." His warm hands soothed my cold feet, and I could've drifted off to sleep if I wasn't so amped on hormones and adrenaline. "I wanted to make sure you were okay." He looked up at me. "Do you have a plan?"

  Oh, I had a plan all right but I wasn't going to tell him. I'll admit that having Ted there was reassuring. At least someone would notice if I disappeared. But he'd try to talk me out of what I had in mind. He could deny having an agenda all he liked, but his goal was to convince me to come home and forget my plan. I yawned and wriggled my feet away from his magic hands. "I'm tired."

  He reached for me. "Scotti..."

  I pulled up my legs and hugged my knees. "I need to sleep."

  Ted nodded and stood up. "I was just going hug you."

  He bent down and patted the top of my head then moved to the other bed. When he started to undress my heart thrummed. "Would you mind getting my duffel bag out of the car?" I snuggled down into the pillows. "I'm so comfortable I don't think I can move."

  Ted buttoned his shirt back up and smiled. "Sure."

  I tossed him my keys. "While you're at it, would you take Boomer for a walk? He probably needs to go."

  I smiled and batted my eyelashes at him like a big fat fraud. Ted nodded, tucked Boomer under his arm and cast me a quizzical look before he left the room.

  Once the door closed, I pulled out my phone, set the alarm for 6:00 a.m. and put it on vibrate — then stuck it under my pillow. Then I got under the blankets and turned off the lights.

  When Ted returned to the room, I feigned sleep and tried to ignore the undressing sounds. The bed clothes rustled when he got into bed, and soon his soft snore confirmed he’d drifted off.

  I hoped Ted was a sound sleeper because I had things to do the next morning and didn't want company.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Ted was a sound sleeper, and when my phone vibrated a few hours later, he didn't stir. Boomer wriggled up from under the covers and let out a little yap. I shushed him and rolled out of bed onto my knees. Still dressed, I was ready to make my escape. On tip-toes, I grabbed the duffel — tossed my shoes, bag, and Boomer into it and went to the door. The deadbolt doohickey made a clack when I lifted it, but Ted was dead to the world. I slipped out of the room and pulsed with the thrill of a successful escape.

  I hopped-ran to the car, unlocked it and tossed in the duffel. Boomer didn't appreciate being air-born, and he attacked the duffel bag with a growl. Not yet sunrise, the misty drizzle hovered around my car like a ghostly guardian. With an eye on the motel room, I

  switched on the engine. No lights came on and Ted didn't come to the door to look out. Slowly I cruised to the exit and pulled onto Venice Boulevard. Looking in the rearview mirror I said, "Later boyfriend."

  I didn't figure Lily for an early riser, so we grabbed a breakfast sandwich and coffee for me and a kiddy meal for Boomer on the way. We ate while I drove because I had to be in and out before the sun came up and the mist burned off.

  I cruised down Lily's street and passed her building. The Mini was stil
l parked where Lily had left it the night before. Near the corner, I found a parking space and turned off the car. While I finished my coffee I used my mirrors to watch Lily's building. Slouched in my seat, I also scanned for any early birds out for a morning jog.

  After I finished my coffee, I pulled up my hood, leashed Boomer, and got out of the car. Boomer was delighted to scout a new neighborhood and took his time sniffing. I paused when we arrived directly across the street from Lily's. Though it was tempting to stay glued to the spot and watch the building, I pulled Boomer along. We strolled the street as though part of the neighborhood — though no one was around to notice. We reached the corner, and a few steps more brought us to the mouth of the alley that ran behind Lily's building.

  We hooked right into the alley and started toward Lily's. The first strains of daylight fought against the mist, and I got a better view than the previous night. The alley was a narrow concrete strip, jammed with dumpsters, trash cans, and the odd box of cast asides or rolled up carpet waiting for pick up. The posted signs declared the alley a no parking zone and the properties had fencing separating them from the alley. Mostly, old cedar planking, with an occasional chain link overgrown with vines.

  No fencing safeguarded the rear of Lily's building, but a couple of ancient fence posts sticking out of the cracked concrete indicated that once upon a time, someone had cared enough to protect the property. From the alley, I looked up to Lily's balcony. The patio door was closed and the apartment dark. The morning sky had gone from pitch black to soggy gray and I couldn't stand out in the open much longer.

  To my right stood a small storage shed where the building manager probably kept tools and maybe a little storage for the tenants. Probably spiders and rats too, but I went to the door and tried it anyway. Unlocked. I pushed the door open a few inches then ducked inside with Boomer.

  The shed held yard tools, a couple of old toilets and a broken sink. Propped against the wall was a metal extension ladder — the type that painters used. I wondered if it could reach the second floor.

  Boomer yapped and I jumped. I didn't hear anything but I was willing to take his word for it. "Time to split?" Boomer looked up and wagged his stub. I peeked around the door to ensure no one waited on the other side for us. All clear. "Okay puppy, be quiet."

  During the few minutes inside the shed, the mist had disappeared, and the sun streaked light across the sky. It was time to scoot before somebody stepped out to their balcony and wondered who the weird chick with the dog was. Shooting a last look up to Lily's apartment, I veered right, into the alley. We fast-footed our way to the end and hooked right to get back to the car. Out of nowhere, a jogger zipped past us and I gasped.

  The commuter hour had begun and a few cars roamed the streets. Without the cover of darkness and mist, I felt exposed and unsure. I could go back to the car, but people would notice a strange woman watching the neighborhood. They'd call the police. The

  cops would run my plates. Daniels and Davis would show up and haul me back to jail. Not a good plan.

  I needed to get into Lily's apartment, but standing on the corner in plain sight was not the place to come up with a strategy. At that moment, my only choice was to return to the motel room. I prayed Ted was still asleep. "Damn it."

  From behind, a man grabbed me around the waist and pulled me close. "Are you lost little girl?"

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  After I caught my breath, I wriggled out of Ted's arms and shoved him. "Damn it, Ted! Stop sneaking up on me!"

  He laughed and pointed a finger at me. "You can run, but you can't hide." I threw up my arms and started walking. He fell in behind me and dogged my steps. "Where are you going?"

  I kept walking. "I don't know."

  Ted caught up with me and steered me toward the SUV parked a few feet away. "Then let's talk in my office."

  Fuming, I climbed in, and slammed the door. The second Ted's fanny hit the driver's seat I said, "What are you doing? Running a special ops on me?"

  Ted pushed back my hood and tousled my hair. "It didn’t take a genius to figure out where you were."

  I angled against the passenger door and glared at him. "Nothing has changed here. You can't stop me."

  Ted rolled his eyes. "Okay, Captain Obvious, tell me something I don't know."

  I reared my head back. "Now you're okay with it? I don't get you. What's changed?"

  Ted leaned over and gazed at me for a few seconds as though he really liked what he saw. "I didn't force you to choose. I never said it was my way or else. That was your assumption."

  My emotions dialed up. I'd accepted that it was over between us. But he was acting like it wasn't. "Then why did you let me walk away?"

  He took my hand and held it tight. "You needed space and some time, so I backed off. I knew it wasn't over between us."

  I smirked. "I didn't know that."

  Ted kissed my hand and then placed it in my lap. "Sure you did. You just didn't have the nerve to stop when you drove by my place."

  I flushed and my cheeks burned. "Maybe I was reminiscing."

  Ted laughed. "And maybe you're full of shit."

  I stared at him for a long while — feeling happy and anxious at once. He had no idea how stubborn I could be. With us there'd always be a push and pull. How much of that could he stand before he really walked away from me? "Maybe so, but I have things I need to do. Alone. And it's not up for discussion. You'd disapprove and I'd dig in, then we'd fight. Not because I'd want to fight with you, I don't. I want you to like me..."

  He leaned in again. "I do like you. Very much."

  Why did he have to smell so good? Gently, I pushed him away. "And because I want you to like me, I'll be tempted to give in. When it comes to men, I'm needy and pathetic. And I'm always attracted to men who are wrong for me." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Which makes me wonder what's wrong with you."

  Ted's eyes crinkled when he smiled. "There's nothing wrong with me. Oh sure, I have a few quirks — I like to feed baby kittens to junkyard dogs, and pull the wings off butterflies, and play an occasional game of chicken with pedestrians..." He shrugged. "But everybody has hobbies, right?"

  I punched him in the arm. "Very funny."

  Ted leaned in and stroked my hair. "You don't seem needy to me."

  "That's only because you don't know me very well yet. Give it time."

  "Maybe I’m needy. Did you ever think of that?" he asked.

  I scoffed. "You could have any woman you want. What does a guy like you want with a girl like me?"

  Counting on his fingers, he said, "Gorgeous, smart, ballsy, makes the best soup on the planet?" He lowered his voice. "And oh so sexy. Who wouldn't want you?" He brushed his lips against mine. "We all meet nothing but wrong ones, until we meet the right one." He pulled me into his arms and held me. "Don’t you know that?"

  I could've nestled in and stayed there forever, feeling his warmth and listening to the steady beat of his heart, but I pulled away. "Okay, ground rules. You don't try to stop me. You don't object even if you don't like it. Got it?"

  Ted pursed his lips and scratched the stubble on his chin. "I reserve the right to object, but I’ll draw the line at tying you up and throwing you in the trunk." He winked. "I might insist on being your wing man, though."

  My mouth hung open in surprise. "You? Mr. Boy Scout, wants to be my wing man?"

  Ted snorted and laughed. "Boy Scout? Says who?" I was speechless. "What do you think special forces does, Scotti?"

  The casual statement about his needs to know missions, on our dinner date came to mind. "Ohhhhh."

  Ted cupped my chin. "It's okay, honey. You'll adjust to the idea that I'm not a choir boy."

  But a passing car caught my attention and I slid down in my seat. "Son of a bitch, duck!"

  Ted lay across the seat with his head on my breasts. "What is it?" he asked into one of my boobs.

  I whispered, "Lily is right in front of us at the stop sign."

  "Does she see u
s?"

  "I don't know." I raised my head then pushed Ted off my chest and sat up. "Okay, she's gone."

  Ted switched on the car. "Follow her?"

  "Hell no! We need to get into that apartment before she gets back."

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Ted's cell buzzed with a text. He read the text and responded, put the phone in his pocket and winked. "No hurry." He checked his mirrors, and squinted through the windshield. "Where's your car?"

  I hooked my head left. "Back there a few feet. What do you mean, no hurry?"

  "Let's rendezvous at the motel."