by Toni Leland
Quaid cleared his throat. “Kim, I know it’s none of my business, but last summer Dixie mentioned that you’d once been engaged. May I ask what happened?”
Interestingly enough, the reminder of that sad part of her life didn’t stir up the usual pain. Why not tell him? If they were to work together, they should each at least know a little bit about the person behind the badge, so to speak.
She smiled sadly. “Something not too dissimilar to Damon’s situation. My fiancé felt that my police work was more important than he was. When he gave me the ring, it was with a request to leave the police force. I had a terrible time with that, but I loved him and wanted to spend my life with him.” She shook her head. “I honestly thought I’d find a way around it, convince him to change his mind.”
Quaid frowned. “I’ve always wondered why people fall in love with someone, then immediately start trying to change them. It seems so dishonest.” His eyes widened. “Oh, I don’t mean you. I mean, if you like certain things about a person – enough to want to marry them – then why ask them to change?”
Kim gazed at him, stunned at the depth of his feelings. So much to know about a person, things that never surfaced except under certain circumstances. Exactly like the hidden person inside Peter.
“It gets worse. After I was shot, he couldn’t come to grips with the fact I hadn’t voluntarily left the force, that I hadn’t made the decision for him. By the time I got into rehab, he was gone.”
“That’s just bullshit.”
Quaid’s scowl sharpened the angles of his face and hardened his gaze. With such a reaction, what was his story? Was this the time to ask?
He drained his cup and stood up. “Sorry, I just have a problem with flaky people. You deserve better.” He started gathering up the remaining food. “We can put this in the fridge for tomorrow, just in case.”
“Let me give you some money toward all this. And thank you for thinking of it.” She grinned. “Especially the wine.”
He gave her that wonderful lopsided grin. “My pleasure. Good food, good wine, good company.”
She followed him to the door, where he turned suddenly. She found herself mere inches away.
He gazed at her for a moment, as though waiting for something. “Well...guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She lifted her chin, peering into those hazel eyes flecked with gold. Her heart beat so hard her chest hurt. She licked her lips, seeing his gaze soften. Just step into his arms...Oh my god, what am I doing!
She quickly stepped back, her cheeks on fire. “Yes, okay, g’night.”
He nodded. “Sleep tight.”
The door closed with a quiet click and Kim exhaled sharply. Her heart thudded even harder against her ribs and a hollow feeling oozed through her stomach. Too much wine?
Or was her libido coming back online after all these years?
She peeled off her clothes and shakily climbed into bed. Whatever the reason, she’d almost made a fool of herself and it wasn’t going to happen again.
Chapter 45
“Un–believable.”
Kim stood at the hotel window, gaping at drifts of snow that, overnight, had all but obliterated the cars in the parking lot. A sapphire blue sky accentuated the pristine white landscape, and fiery sunlight frosted the tops of the trees. Picking up the television remote, she surfed through the channels until she found a local station. The weather was the main news at that hour. Overnight, thirteen inches of snow had brought the City of Chicago to a standstill just in time for the morning commute. Varying depths were reported elsewhere in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio as the storm worked its way east.
She turned off the television and flopped down on the bed to stare at the ceiling. Images of the showdown at Natalie’s barn crowded in and Kim rehashed the entire case. How long had they spent pursuing the wrong leads? Was four days a long time to wrap up a case? She didn’t know. Quaid hadn’t appeared to think it was taking too long, but he possessed a much steadier, more easygoing personality than she. And he’d been doing this for a long time.
Thoughts about him segued to the night before, and she closed her eyes. In the light of day and without the encouragement of too much wine, the memory of her desire embarrassed her. It had seemed like a natural thing at the time, the urge to step into his arms, close the small gap between them. He knew it too. But, realistically, she’d have to draw the line if she had any plans to take him up on his job offer.
Was that what she was going to do?
Did she have a choice?
She glanced at her watch, then reached for the phone. Dixie would be up by now and she would have some answers.
Quaid headed down the stairs toward the breakfast room, whistling softly under his breath. The weather had thrown a monkey wrench into his schedule, but on the plus side, it would provide some time to get himself mentally organized for the move. He could answer e-mails, make some phone calls, connect with his boss. Spend a little more time convincing Kim to join the exciting world of a private eye. He smiled, liking the way it felt to say her name.
He stood in front of the coffee urns, debating whether to fix a coffee and take it back up to her, or give her a chance to recover from last night. Her rosy cheeks and “deer in the headlights” expression had been a dead giveaway of what had been on her mind as they’d stood at the door. It would have been so easy to fold her into his arms and taste those luscious lips. Had he wanted to? Yes, most definitely. Would that be a problem if they worked together? Yes, most definitely.
He returned the other coffee cup to the holder.
Back in his room ten minutes later, he opened his laptop and scanned the new e-mails. Two from Harriett Post and another from Elizabeth Ferguson. He sat back and sipped his coffee, wondering how Kenneth Ferguson had fared with his wife. Relationships were the root of most of Quaid’s cases. He’d warned Natalie that the source of her problems lay somewhere in her personal life – and he’d been right. And the theft case last summer had evolved from a lonely woman’s poor choice of bed partners. And, and, and – he could list them all. Good things to point out to Kovak if she decided to join him. He could teach her a lot that she wouldn’t learn in any PI course.
He pulled out his phone and dialed her number.
“Hey, good morning. Have you looked outside yet?”
Her tone was guarded. “Yes, and I am not amused. And I have a headache.”
He chuckled. “Well, you could go back to bed. Neither of us is going anywhere today.”
“Nuts. I’d hoped the roads would be plowed soon.”
“Interstate is still closed, and they’re saying the road conditions everywhere are dangerous. Hey, just enjoy an unscheduled day off. Have you had breakfast yet?”
“Uh, yeah, I mean, no. I’m not hungry.”
Quaid nodded. She wasn’t ready to face him yet.
“Okay, give me a call later and I’ll show you how to write up Natalie’s case report.”
“I thought I’d call her to see how the foal is doing.”
“Good idea. Be sure to fill her in on Susan’s treachery, speaking of which, I wonder if we can find out how that all ended up. Maybe I’ll call Mark. I can’t believe the authorities wouldn’t have brought him in on it. As her husband, surely he’s responsible for her.”
Kim’s tone softened. “Yeah, poor guy. I wonder what pushed her over the edge.”
“I think I did, telling Damon about the baby. Susan’s fragile mental state wasn’t prepared for that news.”
“Boy, I hope something good comes out of all this.”
“Don’t dwell on it...we often never hear the final chapter of a case.”
“Well, on that happy note, I’m going back to bed. I’ll call you later.”
Quaid disconnected and stared at the floor. Maybe Kim was too soft for the job. The number one rule was: don’t get personally involved. It appeared that she couldn’t avoid it.
A few hours later, he sat back and stretched, then looked at his watc
h. Almost noon and no call from her. He turned on the television and found the local weather news. Temperatures had stayed in the upper twenties and snow was still falling. He’d better give Jenna a call before the day was over.
Kim called a minute later. “I’m coherent now.”
“Good, let’s get Natalie’s report written.” He chuckled. “How about leftover Italian for lunch?”
“Sounds good to me. No wine, thank you.”
“You have the food, so I’ll be down in a few minutes.”
As he closed up his laptop, Quaid thought again about personal relationships and the trouble they could cause. Much as he liked Ms. Kovak, for the time being, he’d have to keep his distance.
Chapter 46
As she warmed the lasagna in the tiny microwave, Kim thought about her call to Dixie. Though she’d called specifically to get some advice, she wasn’t happy with the answers she’d been handed. Dixie’s challenge had been uncomfortable, not exactly what Kim had been looking for. Dixie had been blunt: “If you want the job, you need to forget the man. If you want the man, then don’t take the job. Simple as that.”
Kim closed the microwave door with a hard snap. “Nothing simple about it!”
A loud rap on the door made her stomach jerk. She’d just have to sidestep Quaid’s pressure about the job until she had time to really think things through.
She opened the door and her resolve threatened to crumble as he stepped into the room.
“Mmm, smells good.” He chuckled. “I remember the days when a motel room had a bed and a television, period. Eating was a major undertaking, but now even the cheapest motels have a fridge and microwave, iron and ironing board, all the amenities of home.”
Kim breathed a small sigh of relief. Neutral ground.
Once they’d polished off the leftovers, Kim cleared away the debris while Quaid set up his laptop.
“Did you talk to Mark?” she asked.
“No, his housekeeper said he was out for the day. He wasn’t at the theater, either I suspect that he’s handling the mess with Susan. Did you call Natalie?”
“Yes, she managed to get to the race track to check on her other horses. Everything was fine, but she was horrified to find out that Susan had gone there yesterday. Then when I told her about the apples and how poor Damon had unwittingly damaged her horses, she went to pieces. I felt really bad, wished I could be there for her.”
Quaid gave her a long look she couldn’t fathom. What was on his mind?
He shook his head. “Too bad. Any word on Damon?”
“He came through the surgery just fine. Natalie will take him home tomorrow.”
“Sounds like she’s forgiven him.”
Kim looked away. “Everyone deserves a second chance.” She sat down across from him. “Yesterday I told you my sad tale of woe, now it’s your turn.”
Quaid’s expression hardened a bit. Not a frown, but a perceptible tightening of his jaw muscles. Did I hit a nerve? So what? I bared my pain to him, he can do the same.
“I was engaged once, but it didn’t work out.”
Kim waited, but nothing else was forthcoming.
“Why?”
“Conflict of job and personal life, only not as earthshaking as yours.”
Dixie’s words echoed in Kim’s head and sadness threaded into her heart. What a helluva choice to have to make.
Quaid’s optimistic mood evaporated immediately after lunch. Much as he wanted Kovak as a business associate, her soft side was so strong that he knew she’d always get closely involved with the victims of each case. Had that side of her ever affected her police work? He doubted it. More likely, the series of events that led to her retirement from the force was the trigger for her sympathetic personality traits. Another thought crossed his mind. While they had worked the theft ring case, he’d seen that same personalization several times. Why hadn’t it bothered him then? Had it interfered with the investigation? No. If anything, Kovak had made inroads into the case because of her tendency to put herself into someone else’s shoes. I need to stop worrying about this.
Kim sat down next to him while he opened a desktop window on his laptop, then located Natalie’s case folder.
“Okay,” he said. “I suspect this report won’t be much different than any you’ve done for the police force. First, we list the client information, then the details of the complaint or reason the client called. Tell me exactly what Natalie said to you when she called.”
He began transcribing Kim’s description of the call, then grinned. “So she saw you in the newspaper. I saw the scene too, only it was on a newscast while I was on stakeout downtown. You sure have the knack for getting into the thick of things.”
Kim shook her head. “I didn’t know anything about the photo until she called. Now you’re saying it was on the news too?”
“More as an addendum to a story about the Knight’s horses being turned loose from their pasture.”
“Yes, I did know about that. Do you suppose it had anything to do with this case?”
“Oh, I’d bet money on it. Susan was clearly on a rampage to damage anyone connected with the horse theater or Damon.” He moved the cursor down the page. “Okay, next we write a summary of who we interviewed and what they said. A time line is a good addition, helps the client see the big picture. Also serves as justification for our time charges.”
As he typed and talked, Quaid realized he was training her for the job.
“Now, if we have photographs that are part of the case, we include them here. For example, my case with Ferguson...” He double clicked a folder and a screen opened showing several horse photographs. “Oops, wrong one.”
“Wait! What are those?”
“An insurance case I just received from the head office. I haven’t looked at it yet, but apparently there’s some problem with doctored registration photographs.”
“Ooh, I could help with that. Photoshop is my specialty.”
Quaid turned and studied her face. “Does that mean you want the job?”
A brief flash of indecision flickered through her brown eyes. “I think so.”
Chapter 47
Quaid tightened the laces on his boots, then climbed out of his truck and trudged across the parking lot. Being on the road so much for his job, he always kept standard emergency supplies in his truck for just such an occasion. Being stranded in the winter without a warm coat or snow boots could be the difference between surviving or not. Good Army training – always be prepared.
The snow formed an effective sound muffler and, except for an occasional snowplow or sanding truck, the air was quiet. He headed toward a brightly lit service station two blocks away. He’d gotten gas there that morning and they had a good-sized convenience store. The Italian restaurant was closed, so there’d be no more real food. With any luck, the gas station store would have something they could eat.
The cold air burned his cheeks and sharpened his thoughts. Kim might change her mind about the job, but he didn’t think so. Based on the assumption that they would work together, Quaid assessed the various ramifications of that union. Kim’s photography business seemed to be seasonal. She had mentioned living off the photography income, so it must be fairly significant. Would she be willing to give that up to be available whenever he needed her? An uneasy feeling moved through his gut. Not likely, given her stubborn independent streak. So, how was this going to work?
He opened the door to the store and stamped the snow off his boots. They would have to have that conversation, and soon.
“Natalie? It’s Kim Kovak. You have a minute?”
“I do, indeed.” She chuckled. “Lots of them.”
“Yeah, a storm like this can sure leave you with time on your hands. Anyway, we wrote up the details and summary of your case and I’ll e-mail it to you along with the final invoice for our services.”
“Thank you. I’ll send a check immediately. I’m so grateful to you two for getting to the bottom of this, despite
my unhelpfulness.” She chuckled. “My shrink says I need to learn to play with others. I can see what she means.”
Kim smiled. “What are your plans now?”
“The horses are improving daily, so Damon and I plan to try again for an opening in early summer.”
“Sounds like a reconciliation.”
Natalie’s voice softened. “Yes, we need each other. I never stopped loving him and realize now that I drove him away. It’s time to put the past behind us.”
“Just out of curiosity, do you plan to press charges against Susan?”
“No, the poor woman has enough demons to fight, and it wouldn’t change the course of my horses’ health, so I just want to move forward. And I owe Mark an apology for suspecting him. I think, in my heart, I knew he could never do something so awful.”
“Forgiveness is good for the soul, I think.”
“I’m amazed at how good you and Mr. Quaid are at what you do. You work so well together, complementing each other’s strong points.”
The words took Kim by surprise. If others could see it, why had she herself been so blind? Regardless of her attraction to her possible future partner, wouldn’t this change in her life be for the better?
“Thanks. Say, listen, did I understand correctly that you got your mare through Sophia Barevsky? How did that come about?”
“I think Mark met Sophia coincidentally when he was in the market for another horse for the acts. We lost one of the older ones to colic last winter. Mark was referred to Sophia through one of his European contacts.” Natalie sighed. “Then, of course, Sophia ended up coming to work for him.”
“So, Barevsky brokers performance horses?”
“I guess so...why do you ask?”
“Just curious.”
And I don’t believe in coincidence for one minute.
Kim sat by the window, watching the snow swirl in the light of the lampposts bordering the parking lot. Her conversation with Natalie had been both positive and unsettling. Closing the case and hearing Natalie’s determination to move forward with both her business and her marriage was the best outcome Kim could want. In spite of the good news, her busy mind was racing ahead with the tidbit of information about Barevsky. This was too much of a “coincidence” to be a true coincidence. The European black market for performance horses was alive and thriving – had been for years – and Kim was again confronted with a possible player in that deadly game. Wouldn’t it be something if Barevsky were connected to the international theft ring that she and Quaid had uncovered? Now that would be a major coincidence.