Cover Me

by Margaret Watson

  Why would Cilla voluntarily sign up for that kind of drama herself?

  "You don't think he's looking for revenge for that asshole Ward, do you?"

  "No," she admitted. "But it's just too complicated."

  "Only if you want it to be."

  Cilla opened and closed her notebook. Did it again. "I'm gonna go, Liv. I'll call when I have any information."

  "Okay." Livvy gave her a knowing look. She knew exactly why Cilla was running away. "Stay safe in the seamy underworld."

  "Not so seamy." Remembering the rush of singing as she played the keyboards, the satisfaction when the guys gave her a turn in the spotlight, Cilla grinned at her sister. "I'm in a band. Playing keyboards. It's actually pretty cool."

  * * *

  When Cilla walked into the nineteenth district station half an hour later, Brendan was already there. He sat at his desk, his feet up on the corner, typing away at the computer on his lap. "Hey," she said. "You're here early."

  "So are you." Brendan set the computer on the desk, swung his long legs to the floor and stood up. So did the dog she hadn't noticed lying next to her desk.

  "Where did the dog come from?" she asked, staring at the black, tan and white animal.

  "This is Franny." He bent and slid his hand over her back, and the dog's rear end wiggled in delight. "My brother's fiancée's dog. They're going to visit Lizzie's brother, and he's allergic to dogs. So I offered to take her for a few days. Mac and Lizzie dropped her off this morning. Figured no one would mind if I kept her here until I can take her home at lunch. She's a well-behaved dog." He bent and rubbed her head, crooning, "Aren't you, Franny? Who's a good girl, hmm?"

  The dog wiggled again and pressed against Brendan's leg, and Cilla felt a pinch in her chest. It was very hard to resist a man who loved animals. "What kind of dog is she?"

  "She's an Aussie. An Australian Shepherd." He rubbed Franny's head again. "I've always wanted one. Once I get...if I'm ever home more, I'm going to try and convince Lizzie to breed Franny so I can have one of her puppies."

  Cilla bent over and extended her hand to the dog. Franny sniffed her, then butted her hand until Cilla petted her.

  When Cilla stood up and pulled over a chair from an empty desk, Brendan pointed to the floor at the side of her desk. "Franny, bed." The dog curled up on the red blanket Cilla hadn't seen.

  Then he scooted over so Cilla could see the monitor screen. "Got a few things. O'Dwyer is still unconscious. So no help there on who he got the drug from. The girlfriend claimed she didn't know a thing. Didn't see him buy any drugs, she didn't ask him to get pharmaceutical help for any bedroom issues, he never told her he'd used anything. She did say, however," he pulled a sheet from the manila file folder on the desk and read from it, "that she was pleasantly surprised by his performance before things went to hell. And that they'd never had sex in their car before, but he didn't want to wait until they had more privacy."

  "He used the drug," Cilla said, reaching for the sheet of paper and scanning it herself.

  "I agree. They're still waiting on toxicology, but I'm betting it'll be the same one involved in the deaths." He leaned forward. "I'm guessing this would have been another death if the girlfriend hadn't freaked and come running for help. And if the ambulance hadn't arrived so fast."

  "Yeah." She swiveled in her chair and stared at the screen, which held pictures of blond women. "Looking for Romano's friend?"

  "Yeah. Nothing. These two," he touched a pair of pictures, "were possibles, but both of them are currently guests of the state."

  She eventually moved to the desk next to Brendan's. They worked for two hours but couldn't find anything on Dominick Romano, no matter how deeply they dug. And with no mug shots matching Tiffany or Holly, and no last names, they couldn't go much farther.

  Cilla got up and poured two cups of coffee and set one down in front of Brendan. "You ready to take a break from this? I could use some help with my sister's situation."

  "She said I could help?" he asked, lighting up like she'd just given him a gift.

  His eagerness to help her made her chest tight. "Yeah. She worked with one of your brothers. Said he was a good cop."

  "Then fill me in. This drug case is frustrating. I'm ready for something new."

  When Cilla bent over to pull her notebook out of her bag, Franny lifted her head and studied her. Cilla scratched the dog's ear, and Franny made a tiny whining noise.

  Smiling, Cilla pulled out her notebook. "These are the cases that my sister had in her briefcase," she said, setting the list in front of Brendan. "This one's a murder. This one an embezzlement. The other two are drug cases."

  Brendan studied the names. "Don't know any of them."

  "I don't either. Livvy said to put the murder case last. It's a domestic, the guy didn't make bail, pretty much open and shut case. The embezzlement is an older suburban guy. We should check him out, make sure the douchebag isn't his kid or his nephew. The other two cases are drugs."

  "Does the douchebag have a name?"

  "James Dugger."

  Brendan typed in his name. Shook his head. "A couple of speeding tickets, a handful of unpaid parking tickets, but that's it."

  "I wasn't expecting much on him. Livvy wouldn't have dated him if he had a record."

  "Does she check before she goes out with a guy?"

  "Probably." Cilla shrugged. "She's gotta be careful."

  "Okay." Brendan studied the two names. "I'll run Dugger, see if he's related to the embezzler, then I'll take the first drug case. You take the second one. Let's see if we can find a connection to the douchebag."

  An hour later, Cilla smiled as she studied the screen. "I found something."

  Chapter 13

  Brendan rolled his chair closer to a triumphant Cilla. Her eyes sparkled, and she was practically bouncing up and down in her seat. Her excitement was contagious and he wanted to hug her. But they were in the middle of a room full of cops, and he'd promised himself last night to keep his hands off Cilla. So he asked, "Whatcha got?"

  She had a Facebook page displayed on the screen. "Dugger's list of friends. He doesn't have a huge number, like a lot of people his age. Looks like mostly close friends. So it was easy to run all their names."

  "Nothing on Dugger's page linked him to Blaine. They're not Facebook friends. But one of his other friends is friends with Blaine, and that's where I found it."

  She tapped her computer screen next to one name. "David Blaine and James Dugger were at Illinois State at the same time. And Mr. Blaine has an arrest record in Normal, where ISU is located. Dealing drugs. Mostly pot, some prescription pills. Ecstasy."

  This was what he loved about police work. The rush when the pieces all began to fall into place. Just like writing a story. "So Dugger was trolling for info on Blaine's case." He studied a picture of Blaine and Dugger that Cilla found on another guy's Facebook page. Their arms were around each other's necks, they both held beers, and they grinned into the camera. "You think Dugger was involved in the case in Normal?"

  "I'm gonna find out."

  She picked up the phone and called the campus police at Illinois State. He rolled his chair back to his desk and kept working as she talked and took notes. Finally she hung up and turned to him, her face full of satisfaction. "Bingo."

  "What did you get?" He could watch excited, happy Cilla forever.

  "Dugger was Blaine's roommate in an off-campus apartment. Blaine was arrested a couple of times for dealing drugs, but they could never make a solid case against him. The witnesses always changed their stories. They suspected Blaine was threatening them, but couldn't prove it. Both times his slick lawyer got him pled down to possession and Blainegot off with community service."

  "What about Dugger?"

  "The guy I talked to said they were sure he was involved. The operation was too smooth to be just one guy. But they never had any evidence against Dugger. Never caught him with anything, no one ever implicated him." Her mouth curved. "Officer P
lank told me he'd put money on Dugger being part of the operation. Told me he hoped we could take the son of a bitch down."

  Brendan saw the anger boiling beneath Cilla's calm, professional expression. "Blaine's still in County Jail, right? Couldn't make bail? When did your sister start seeing Dugger?" he asked quietly.

  Her mouth tightened. "About the same time Blaine got arrested, damn it."

  "I thought you said she checked guys out before she dated them."

  "Yeah, she would have checked, but probably wouldn't have gone this deep. And if Blaine and Dugger are still in business together, they've probably kept their distance from each other since their college days. At least in public."

  "You going to tell her?"

  Cilla stabbed at her keyboard and the Facebook page closed. "I'll tell her it's the Blaine case. Other than that?" Cilla shrugged. "She's a smart woman. She'll figure it out herself."

  "I'm sorry, Cilla."

  She lifted one shoulder and gave him a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Not your fault."

  "Maybe I'm apologizing for my gender."

  This time her eyes smiled, too. "Think that's a lost cause, Donovan. You go down that road, you'll be apologizing for a long time." She slapped both palms on her desk. "Let's pick Dugger up and have a chat with him."

  She stood up and started to walk away, and he grabbed her hand. Let it go as soon as she stopped, although he let it slip through his hand a little too slowly. "We need to let someone else pick him up and handle the interrogation," he said quietly. "We don't want him to see us. Don't want to blow our cover. It would be a huge coincidence if Dugger is involved in our case, but stranger things have happened."

  Cilla sank back into her chair. "You're right. Why didn't I remember that?"

  "Because you're angry. Upset." He smiled. "I was beginning to wonder about you, Marini. You're a scary good cop. Haven't seen you put a foot wrong yet. Good to know you're human."

  She'd been all too human yesterday afternoon in his apartment. Cilla must have been thinking the same thing, because a flush of color came and went in her face. Her throat rippled, then she nodded once.

  "Now that we've established that I screw up like everyone else, can we get someone else to handle the interrogation?"

  Brendan pursed his lips. "Julia Cooper and Alex Jennings," he finally said. "They're from the twenty-third, homicide, not vice, but they've got a great vibe together." He smiled. "Cooper does a hell of a bad cop. Jennings is a mellow good cop."

  "Okay. Let's call them and ask them if they'll do it."

  * * *

  Three hours later, Brendan sat beside Cilla outside one of the station's interrogation rooms. Her leg jiggled as she watched James Dugger sprawling in the chair at the table, and Brendan wanted to put his hand on her knee. Help her settle. Dirtbag Dugger was smirking, as if he had a secret 'get out of jail' card in his back pocket.

  He wore an expensive, probably imported suit. Had a two hundred dollar haircut. Fancy Italian shoes. All more expensive than a lower-level manager at a bank could afford.

  Brendan smiled grimly. He loved it when research he did on his own time, for his own reasons, paid off at work. Especially with slick numbers like Dugger.

  "Pretty fancy clothes for a guy who makes forty or fifty thousand a year," he said, watching Dugger examine his image in the two-way mirror.

  Cilla swung around to face him. "How do you know how much his clothes cost? What are you, some kind of fashion plate on your own time?" She glanced at his jeans and worn dress shirt. "Because you sure don't look like it."

  "Research," he said, lifting one eyebrow. "I do my research."

  Cilla narrowed her gaze as she stared at him for a moment longer, then she turned back to the glass. A muscle in her jaw worked as she watched Dugger. He knew what she was thinking. Her sister had trusted this asshat. Gotten involved with him. And the whole time, he was using her.

  Brendan wanted to flatten the guy for her. Kick his ass like he was booting a field goal at Soldier Field. But he was practicing patience. Not being impulsive. So he stayed in his chair.

  When he saw Cooper and Jennings heading for the box, he called them over. "You all set?" he asked them.

  Julia Cooper tucked a stray strand of her red hair behind her ear. "Yeah. We read Blaine's sheet, saw the stuff you got from the campus cops in Normal. Anything you need to add?"

  "Yeah," Brendan said. "Don't take your kid gloves in there with you. We want him shaken up. In fact, I wouldn't mind seeing him piss himself. We need anything you can get about that new sex drug."

  "We'll do our best," Cooper said with a smile. "You know I like being the bad cop, Donovan."

  "Have a ball, Cooper," Brendan said, jerking his head toward Dugger.

  Dugger didn't move from his sprawl when Cooper and Jennings walked into the room. They stood staring at him for a long moment. Dugger kept smirking back, and then suddenly Cooper kicked the leg of his chair. Dugger grabbed the table to keep himself from falling.

  "Guys who are looking at serious time should be a little more respectful," she said, her voice calm. "They should acknowledge the major charges being filed against them right now."

  "Major charges?" Dugger scrambled to sit up straight in the uncomfortable chair. "What charges? I thought you just had a few questions for me."

  Cooper pulled out a chair and Jennings sat beside her. She laid her folder on the table and leaned toward him. "Your buddy Blaine doesn't like Cook County Jail. He's rolling on you like a dog with fleas. He can't give us the details fast enough. Looks like he's gonna get a plea again. And you'll get a cage."

  "What are you talking about?" Dugger's gaze swept from Cooper to Jennings and back to Cooper. "There are no details to give. I'm not involved in what he did."

  Cooper shook her head. "We're not the Uni cops from Normal, Illinois, Dugger. We're not dazzled by your slick. You're just another low-level dirt bag. Blaine has agreed to tell us everything, including your role in his little operation. So unless you want to rot in prison, you'd better start talking."

  "I...I don't know anything."

  He looked scared, Brendan thought with satisfaction. There was no trace of his former smirk.

  Cooper opened the folder, scanned a piece of paper in it, then slammed it shut. "Let's start with the sex drug that's making its way around the clubs. You guys selling that?"

  "No." He narrowed his eyes at Cooper. "Did Dave say that?"

  "Nope." She smirked at Dugger. "Just testing you. If it's not you and Blaine, who is it?"

  "I don't know." Dugger shoved his hands through his hair. "No one knows. It's not Dave. I'd know..." He pressed his lips together. "It's not Dave. Word is that the guy is someone big. Untouchable. Someone with serious protection. A guy you don't want to mess with."

  "Some banger?" Cooper shook her head. "Gangs don't scare us, Dugger."

  Dugger shook his head violently. "Not a gang. I don't think. Someone that scares the crap out of all the players in the business. Even the gangs."

  Brendan glanced over at Cilla, who turned to stare at him. "Cops?" she murmured.

  "Possible," he said, equally quietly.

  They watched Cooper and Jennings work over Dugger for another half-hour. Cooper was careful not to ask questions that would make Dugger ask for a lawyer. When he and Cilla were finally convinced he knew nothing more, Brendan rapped on the door to the interrogation room. Moments later, Cooper and Jennings emerged.

  "You get what you need?" Jennings asked.

  Brendan shrugged. "No, but it's more than we had before."

  "Why don't you show him some pictures? We put a few arrays together. Let's see if he recognizes anyone," Cilla said.

  Brendan handed the three sheets to Copper. They'd put a picture of Romano in with a few other men. Holly and Tiffany were in arrays with other women. Cooper and Jennings went back into the box.

  Dugger didn't recognize any of the women. But when he saw the photos of the men, his eyebrows rose. "Is
this a joke?" he asked, tapping the photo of Romano. "That asshole is a narc. I saw him make a bust in a club a year or so ago."

  "You picked up in that bust, Dugger?" Cooper asked.

  "Nope. Just out having a good time." From the way the smirk returned, Brendan figured Dugger had managed to slip away before he was caught in the net. "But that guy was wearing a badge and carrying a gun. Vest said DEA."

  "Make yourself comfortable, Dugger," Jennings said, standing up. "You want coffee or a soda?"

  "I want to get out of here." Dugger stared at the two cops, and the smirk fell away. All that was left was anger that Brendan realized had been simmering beneath his surface the whole time.

  "Damn good thing your sister dumped him, " Brendan said to Cilla in a low voice.

  "Yeah." He watched her curl her fingers around the arms of the chair. "Livvy needs better instincts when it comes to men."

  "Maybe you should give her lessons, Marini."

  "Me?" She turned to look at him. "Why would she listen to me?"

  "You saw through my bullshit, didn't you?"

  Her expression softened. "Yeah, but you're basically a good guy. Dugger's problems are bone deep."

  A weight lifted from his shoulders. "You saying he's bad to the bone?" He had a hard time controlling the smile that curled his mouth. "And I'm not?"

  "That's what I'm saying." She studied him, a smile lurking in her eyes. "Maybe we'll play that at the pub this weekend."

  "As long as you don't dedicate it to me."

  "Don't worry, Donovan. I'll keep your name out of it."

  The sound of footsteps on the stairs had them pushing their chairs away from the window and turning to face Julia Cooper and Alex Jennings. "You done with this guy?" Cooper asked.

  "Yeah. Thanks. I owe you one. Both of you."

  "You know we'll collect." Cooper jerked her head toward the window. "What do you want us to do with Mr. Charming?"

  "Let him sweat for awhile, then cut him loose. Tell him you have to consult your captain before you make a decision on charges, don't leave town, yada yada. You know the drill."