The Shelter of His Arms (Harlequin Heartwarming)

by Dawn Stewardson

  Just as he was silently saying “ninety-seven,” his cell phone rang. He dug it out of his pocket and answered.

  “It’s me,” Hank said. “Figured you’d like to know that we finally caught up with the lowlifes Steve Parker blew the whistle on. A couple of our fellows questioned them last night.”

  “And?”

  “They’ve got an alibi. They were in a bar at the time of the murder. Came in around eight and didn’t leave until the place shut down.”

  “Witnesses?”

  “Uh-huh. The bartender remembers them because they were complaining about the TV channel he had on.”

  “And they were both there the whole time?”

  “As far as he noticed. He’s got some regular customers, and we’re in the midst of following up with them. But unless one of them says something different, those two are pretty much in the clear.”

  “Doesn’t leave us with many suspects, does it?”

  “Uh-uh. There’s Celeste’s husband, who we know doesn’t have an alibi, and our mystery woman in the hall—whose identity we’re no closer to having than we were when we started.”

  “What about the lab results?”

  Usually, the crime-scene techs came up with at least something that helped the investigators. And every now and then, there was a “something” that blew a case wide open.

  “Haven’t heard a thing,” Hank was saying. “But they’ve got a ton of work, so it could still be a while. How about Wayland, though? I assume Celeste’s filled you in on their conversation?”

  “Not yet. I was just getting to that.”

  “Yeah, well, give me a call later and let me know what you think. Because I’m trying to decide whether it’s time to bring him in for questioning.”

  “Have you turned up anything on him?”

  “Nothing that helps. As far as we can determine, he’s not at all desperate for money. Earns a good buck at his law firm. No major legitimate debts, and no sign that he’s a gambler or into drugs. And he’s not licensed to own a firearm.”

  “Well, we both know how easily he could have gotten a gun on the street. And how carefully he’d have disposed of it if he did kill Parker.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. But the bottom line is we’ve still got nothing solid. So I’ve been thinking I shouldn’t tip my hand too soon. That as long as he doesn’t realize he’s a suspect I should sit tight until I get those lab results. Just keep hoping something in them points at him.”

  Right, Travis thought. Regardless of how convinced they were of Bryce’s guilt, they needed hard evidence.

  When it came to building a case, the facts that he had a possible motive and was home alone the night of the murder only added up to a starting point.

  “Oh, something else,” Hank said. “There’s still no sign of Donna Rainfield, and her mother’s filed a missing person’s. So I’ve got the option of paying Wayland another visit about her disappearance. Without even mentioning Parker.”

  “Just off the top, that sounds like the best idea.”

  “Yeah, well, as I said, let me know what you think after you’ve talked to Celeste.”

  “Right. I’ll get back to you.”

  “That was Hank,” she said as he tucked the phone away.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “And he said...?”

  Briefly, Travis told her. “So he wants to know what I think about your conversation with Bryce,” he concluded.

  She nodded, then began to recount it.

  When she got to the part where Bryce said he wanted to give their marriage another try, Travis’s heart froze.

  What if she went along with that? What if, regardless of everything, she didn’t really believe he was behind the contract? What if she still loved him? More than she loved a man she’d known for almost no time at all?

  He exhaled slowly, telling himself that line of thinking was so irrational he must be having some kind of brain seizure.

  She’d left Bryce almost a year ago. She’d said they hadn’t had much of a marriage even before she’d learned he’d been cheating on her. And she was far too intelligent to be taken in by anything he tried at this late date.

  “What’s wrong?” she said.

  “Nothing. I just can’t believe he has that much gall.”

  “Well, he does. He wants us to get together and discuss how we could work things out. And I’m wondering...I asked Hank this, but he didn’t really give me an answer. Do you think Bryce would try to set me up for the Ice Man?”

  “It’s possible. Or could be he’s had second thoughts about killing you. If he wants to lay his hands on your mother’s estate, and you went along with the idea of—”

  “I wouldn’t get back together with him in a million years,” she murmured.

  Absurd as he realized it was, her words made Travis feel immensely better.

  “But you know what I’ve been thinking?” she continued.

  “What?”

  “That maybe I should agree to meet him for that talk.”

  He glanced at her, assuming she was joking. But her expression was deadly serious.

  “Are you out of your mind?” he said quietly.

  “No, listen for a minute. If his idea is to set me up, you could turn it from a setup into a trap.”

  “With you as decoy? Not a chance.”

  “But I could wear a bulletproof vest. The loose way my coat’s cut, if I kept it on the vest wouldn’t show. And you could have a dozen cops there, and—”

  “And you’d be scared half to death.”

  “I’m scared half to death, anyway! Travis, I’ve been living in fear since the minute you told me about the contract. I can’t stop thinking about it while I’m awake, and when I fall asleep I have nightmares.

  “There’s a faceless man with an enormous gun,” she continued, “who keeps saying my time is running out and... I just want this to be over. So badly that—”

  “No. It’s absolutely out of the question. Aside from anything else, it’s against department policy to use civilians as decoys.”

  “Oh? Well I’d rather be a decoy than a sitting duck. Because sooner or later, if you don’t get him he’s going to get me.”

  “I’ll get him.”

  “Travis...I know how hard you’re trying. But what if he finds me before you find him? Finds me sometime when you’re not around? When I’m not wearing a vest and there aren’t any cops watching out for me?

  “I mean, you’re right. I’d be scared. I’d be downright terrified. But at least I’d be doing something that might help bring this to an end.”

  He didn’t reply, just wondered whether he’d be reacting quite so negatively if someone else was offering to play decoy. If it wasn’t the woman he loved.

  * * *

  HE’D PRACTICALLY FROZEN his butt off before the black Mustang appeared.

  The cop drove by slowly, providing him with a good look into the car. The Langley woman was in the passenger seat.

  He took a drag on his cigarette and waited.

  They found an empty parking space down the block, and a minute later the two of them were walking toward Quinn’s building. He was carrying takeout, which probably meant they weren’t just going in to pick up her things.

  The Ice Man had figured she might move back to her own apartment after the funeral. Thought she might have only been staying with Quinn until after it was over. That she’d been feeling down and didn’t want to be on her own. But now he was thinking she’d be here at least a little longer.

  Having established that he still knew exactly where to find her when the time came, he turned and started away—trying to ignore the sense of impatience that had been growing inside him for days now.

  In the beginning, this hit had seemed
perfectly straightforward. Oh, he didn’t usually get told he couldn’t pick and choose his own time. Didn’t usually have to wait for a go-ahead call.

  Still, it wasn’t unheard of. Sometimes, a client wanted to be sure that the hit went down when he had an airtight alibi. Like, he was out of the country or something. So the condition hadn’t struck him as any big deal at first.

  But that was before he’d known how long the call would take in coming. Before he’d known Langley wouldn’t stay put in her own place. That he’d have to keep an eye on what she was up to for all this time.

  He should be able to charge extra for that. And for her having a boyfriend who was a homicide detective, too.

  * * *

  “I THINK IT’S a good idea,” Hank said.

  Even before they’d phoned him, Travis had been almost sure that would be his partner’s reaction. But he’d been hoping against hope it wouldn’t.

  He switched his cell to his other ear and glanced at Celeste—sitting on the couch with the cordless.

  She shot him a glance that didn’t exactly say “I told you, so,” but came close.

  It made him wish that he’d never introduced her to the conference-call routine. Because if he’d had his way she sure wouldn’t be listening in on this conversation. Yet when she’d insisted, there hadn’t been much he could do to stop her.

  He’d learned that if she wanted something badly enough, she got extremely stubborn.

  “I don’t mean that if Bryce suggests a secluded place you should agree,” Hank was saying. “But if he’s thinking about a restaurant or something, then I’d say he’s not trying to set you up. That it’s the other alternative. He’s decided he’d be smarter to get back together with you, at least for a while, than have you killed. That way, he can still get his hands on the estate, and—”

  “Why would he change his mind?” Celeste interrupted.

  “Well, maybe whatever actually happened with Donna Rainfield’s unnerved him. Or maybe he realized that three deaths by unnatural causes, in the same family, would make us just too suspicious.”

  “Look, if he’s changed his mind, then there’s no point to them meeting,” Travis said. “Because Celeste getting back together with him is out of the question.”

  “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean a meeting wouldn’t be useful. If she can get him talking about her brother, or Donna, she might learn something that’ll help us.

  “But I think we’ve got to go with a vest instead of a wire, this time. Just in case I’m guessing wrong. So we have to figure out how you can get away with wearing one, Celeste.”

  “I’ve already thought of that. It won’t show if I keep my coat on.”

  “Wait a minute,” Travis said. “You two are talking details—as if we’ve already decided this is the plan. And, Hank, you know Espizito would have our hides if we used a civilian as a decoy.”

  “Uh-uh. Not under these circumstances. Let’s say Celeste told us she was going to meet with Bryce whether we liked it or not. We could hardly order her not to. So ensuring her safety would be our obvious move.”

  “Well, I just don’t like the idea,” Travis muttered. “I don’t like anything about it.”

  “I know. But just because you don’t like it...”

  As Hank’s words trailed off, Celeste glanced uneasily at Travis—then said into the phone, “I told Bryce I’d get back to him in a day or so.”

  “Yeah, you mentioned that.”

  “But I could do it earlier. I could call him as soon as we’re finished talking. Tell him I’ve been thinking about what he said and...”

  “The sooner the better. All I need is time to get things organized, so if you want to set something up for tomorrow—”

  “Will you hold on here,” Travis snapped, glaring across the room at Celeste. “We still haven’t agreed this is the way to go.”

  “Then let’s vote on it,” Hank suggested. “I vote she does it.”

  Travis continued to look at Celeste, willing her to rethink the idea.

  She held his gaze for a long moment, then said, “I vote with Hank.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Saturday, October 9, 4:18 p.m.

  WHEN BRYCE ANSWERED his phone, Celeste took a deep breath, then said, “Hi, it’s me.”

  She glanced at Travis as she spoke.

  He was sitting on the far end of the couch, listening in on his cell. And although she knew he was still unhappy about her doing this, he gave her an encouraging thumbs-up.

  “Well, hello,” Bryce was saying. “I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”

  She uneasily licked her lips. He sounded as pleased that she’d called him as he used to way back when. But they were light-years beyond those days.

  “Yes, well, I changed my mind about Connecticut. Decided I’d wait a day or two before heading up there again. And I’ve been considering what you said.”

  “Good. Then how about dinner tonight?”

  Dinner. A restaurant, not a secluded place. That sounded as if Hank had guessed right. But he needed more than a couple of hours’ lead time.

  Feeling a bit less nervous, she said, “I’m afraid tonight won’t work. What about tomorrow, though? Maybe just meet somewhere for coffee?”

  “Why don’t we compromise. Do lunch.”

  She’d known he’d never let her off with just coffee, so they were a step ahead of him on that. Before she’d called, they’d checked that Zia’s was open for both lunch and dinner on Sundays. The surveillance had been so easy when she’d met Evan Reese there, it only made sense to use the restaurant again.

  “Lunch,” she said slowly. “Well...sure, that would be nice. Do you want to try a new place I discovered?”

  “Anywhere you’d like.”

  She’d anticipated that response, too. Bryce was always easy to get along with when he wanted something.

  “It’s called Zia’s,” she told him. “Just down the block from Joe Allen. Why don’t I meet you there around one.”

  “I’ll come by your place. Pick you up. A little after twelve-thirty?”

  “No, I’ll be out in the morning. I’ve got a few things to do. So meeting you makes more sense.”

  “Oh, okay. But I’ll drive you home afterward. Maybe come in and pay Snoops a visit.”

  She glanced at Travis again.

  He shook his head, even though he had to know there wasn’t the slightest doubt in her mind. There was no way she intended to be all alone with her ex-husband.

  “How’s he doing?” Bryce asked.

  For a second she didn’t realize he meant Snoops—the cat he’d basically ignored when they’d lived together.

  “Fine,” she said. “He’s fine.”

  “Good. Well...tomorrow then. I’ll make reservations.”

  “Yes, we might need them. It’s not a very big place.”

  “Then I’ll call now. And Celeste?”

  “Uh-huh?”

  “I’m really happy you got in touch right away.”

  “Oh, no,” she murmured as he clicked off. “He figures I’m eager to get together with him.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Travis told her. “I’ll phone Hank. Let him know we’re on. And it’s supposed to be cold again tomorrow. So if he tells the owner to give you that table by the door, you’ll have a perfect excuse to keep your coat on.”

  She nodded, trying not to think about the reason she’d be wearing a Kevlar vest under it.

  “But I’ll have to be there first,” she said. “Because if they try to give Bryce that table he’ll insist on a better one.”

  “We’ll get you there in plenty of time.”

  As Travis pressed the speed dial for Hank’s number, Snoops came skulking into the room and leaped o
nto the couch between them. Celeste absently stroked the cat while she listened to Travis’s side of the conversation.

  After it was over, he said, “Hank was thinking about paying Bryce another visit in the morning, but now he’s going to leave it until after your lunch. See how that goes first.”

  She nodded, then waited, expecting him to say something more. When he merely sat gazing at her, she said, “What are you thinking?”

  Travis shrugged. He didn’t want to tell her the truth—that he’d been thinking how much he loved her. And about how, if Bryce was setting her up...

  “Travis? You’re still upset that Hank and I outvoted you, aren’t you.”

  “Yeah, I am. I’d far rather you’d just stay far away from Bryce. But that wasn’t what I was thinking.”

  “No? Then...”

  He mentally scrambled for something and decided on, “I was thinking that once this is over you’ll have to meet my family.”

  She smiled a smile that made him love her even more. Which was pretty unbelievable, considering he wouldn’t have imagined “more” was possible.

  “I’d like that,” she said softly.

  “And they’ll like you.”

  “I hope so.”

  Her words made his pulse race.

  Oh, he hadn’t forgotten what she’d said mere days ago. That they should wait until this situation was resolved. See how they felt about each other at that point.

  And even though the “waiting” had pretty much gone by the boards, he knew that didn’t necessarily mean she was contemplating a future together—something he just couldn’t stop himself from doing.

  But if she cared about whether his family liked her...

  He told himself it was a promising sign. That was all it was, though.

  “I wish we could go out,” she said quietly. “Just for a walk or something. I enjoy walking.”

  Suddenly, he was imagining long walks with her. Wandering around the South Street Seaport. Heading up to the top of Manhattan to explore the Cloisters. Window shopping on Fifth Avenue. And Central Park was only a couple of blocks from her apartment.

  There was so much to see in the city that they could walk forever if she liked. But not until this was over.