Perfect Partners?

by C. J. Carmichael

  “That’s why I feel like I have to be there. If one of them got hurt, I couldn’t live with that.”

  “Even though Celia pulled us off the case?”

  “Even though.”

  “Count me in,” she said.

  “I didn’t come here to issue an invitation.”

  “Don’t play games with me, Nathan. You know I have a right to be in on this.”

  “Don’t accuse me of playing games. That’s your specialty.”

  Her eyes widened as she registered the anger behind his words. “Don’t turn this personal.”

  “Sorry. I keep forgetting, don’t I? It was just sex.” Pissed off as he was, he had to concede that her limitations had never extended to her job. She’d busted her butt on the Burchard case. She did deserve to be in on the finish, if she wanted to be.

  “If you’re serious about coming, be ready at five. I’ll pick you up outside the agency.”

  He put a five on the counter to cover his water and didn’t linger to hear her response. He knew she’d show up.

  NATHAN WAS SERIOUSLY ANGRY at her, but Lindsay didn’t care. He’d agreed to take her along to the Catskills. That was the main thing. When it came to her cases, Lindsay needed to see them through to the finish. Work was one area where closure was possible.

  She eyed her drink, so close she could almost smell it, then reached for a peanut instead. On the TV screen the Dodgers were in the process of turning a double play. She groaned as Jeter was tagged out at home plate. That made two out.

  Almost no chance for a comeback now, yet she prayed for one. Not just for the Yankees’ sake. She didn’t want this game to end, didn’t want to get up from this stool and drag her butt down the block to her apartment. Since she’d determined to stop drinking, sleep had become even more elusive.

  The moment she tried to relax, thoughts of Nathan would pop into her head. She was so damn tired of thinking of him.

  What right did he have to be so angry at her? She’d warned him from the beginning about her emotional limitations. Did he think a little loving, some good sex and companionship were going to change her into a different person?

  No doubt she wouldn’t be the way she was if her parents hadn’t died the way they had. But it had happened. And it had left a mark, on both her and Meg, that neither time nor counseling was ever going to erase. The tragedy was something they had to deal with as best as they could. If Nathan couldn’t accept that fundamental truth about her, then it was just as well that he’d gone running.

  Conversation around her silenced as the Dodgers’ pitcher wound up for a crucial pitch. “Strike three. And that’s it, folks. The Dodgers win this one, five to nothing…” She tuned out the rest of what the announcer had to say.

  Mark came to commiserate with her. “That was a heartbreaker. I hate to admit it, but Steve was right. Our pitcher stunk.”

  “Everyone has an off night,” she replied, but her heart wasn’t into defending the Yankees anymore. She watched Mark clear away her drink with a sense of despair and also pride. She’d made it through another day without a drink.

  LINDSAY WAS READY AND WAITING at five o’clock when the gray rental sedan pulled up to the curb in front of her. She was pumped about the case, but trepidatious about spending time with Nathan. They were both too angry to be alone together for an indeterminate length of time.

  “Good choice with the car,” she said as she opened the passenger door. The color and model were so nondescript they’d be practically invisible on the freeway. She tossed her backpack into the rear seat, then buckled her safety belt.

  “Looks boring, but it’s got turbo power.” Nathan checked the traffic for an opening. When he found it, the car shot forward, proving his comment.

  He was talking about the car, but he could also be describing the way she intended their conversation to flow, as well. Last night she’d decided that the only way she was going to survive this assignment was to limit conversation strictly to the case at hand.

  Now she also decided she better limit eye contact, too. Nathan was dressed in black jeans and a dark gray sweater. Like the vehicle he drove, his clothing had been chosen to blend in with his surroundings. It also happened to make him look sexy as hell.

  She fixed her gaze forward. That was when she noticed two take-out coffees in the holders on the dash. She reached for the one on her side.

  “Thanks,” she said, taking a sip. Hot, creamy and sweet. Perfect.

  “It’s going to be a long night. I figured we’d need the caffeine.”

  He had an excuse not to look at her. Traffic was always crazy in the city, especially just before the weekend. But she found it hard not to look at him. Lindsay took another drink of coffee and shifted her attention to the store windows as they sped past. Many had been decorated for the holiday. She’d almost forgotten tonight was Halloween.

  “Will your nephew be going out to trick-or-treat?”

  “He’s too young. His day care had a party, though. He was pretty excited about that.”

  They fell back into silence then. Was Nathan as uptight as she was about being alone together? If his tight grip on the steering wheel was any indication, the answer was yes.

  Nathan cut through Central Park and headed north to the Burchard town house on Park Avenue. He parked half a block down, behind a large truck. It was twenty past five.

  “You think he’ll be early?” Lindsay didn’t know if it was the caffeine or adrenaline, but she was pumped. She could hardly wait to get moving, and hopefully find some answers to this disturbing case.

  “Probably not. But it’s better to wait a little longer than risk missing them.”

  The cautious approach was typical Nathan, but Lindsay ended up being thankful for his prudence when Maurice drove up in a navy Mercedes coupe about fifteen minutes ahead of the scheduled time.

  She and Nathan were still sipping their coffee, listening to the radio and avoiding conversation when she spotted him.

  He must have called ahead to warn Audrey that he’d be early, because she met him at the door with her suitcase. The silver-haired woman was dressed in classic Ralph Lauren cords, sweater and scarf for her weekend in the country. Using her binoculars, Lindsay zeroed in on her face. It seemed to her that the older woman looked nervous, but a little hopeful, too.

  The couple pecked one another’s cheeks, then Maurice carried his estranged wife’s suitcase to the car and placed it in the trunk. Celia came to the door then. She gave both her parents tight hugs and watched from the doorway as they drove off.

  Nathan waited, his fingers poised over the key in the ignition.

  “Get going,” Lindsay urged.

  “I can’t risk Celia recognizing us,” he replied calmly. “Besides, I know where they’re going. If we lose them, it won’t be for long.”

  Eventually Celia returned inside, and Nathan was able to drive past the town house and begin following the Mercedes. Within two blocks they had caught up to the navy coupe, weaving through traffic ahead of them. As Nathan had said, it did help knowing Maurice’s ultimate destination. When they lost them at a red light, all Nathan needed to do was up his speed until he caught them again.

  Eventually they were over the bridge and on the freeway heading north. City gave way to rolling mountains. The foliage was past its prime but still provided colorful jolts of red and yellow amid the green conifers. Autumn in New York was a much prettier season than it had been in California. Lindsay wished she could focus on the scenery for the entire trip but it was already growing dark.

  “I wonder what Paige Stevens is doing this weekend?” Nathan said.

  “We’ll soon know if she’s at home. I asked Nadine to keep watch on the penthouse this evening.”

  “Nadine?” Nathan looked surprised.

  “Apparently she wants to try her hand at the investigating side of the business. I thought this assignment would give her a taste for the work.”

  “Poor thing. Did you prepare her for the bor
edom?”

  Lindsay smiled. Surveillance was paradoxically the most exciting and the most tedious of an investigator’s jobs. Tonight Nadine would definitely be experiencing only the tedium. She wouldn’t have given her the assignment if there was any other possibility.

  “I told her Paige usually comes home from work between six and seven. Nadine is going to call as soon as she does.” Lindsay pulled out her cell phone to make sure it was on. The time displayed was 6:59 p.m. “We should hear from her anytime now.”

  AS IT TURNED OUT, NADINE didn’t get a chance to call Lindsay, because Lindsay phoned her first. It was almost midnight and she and Nathan were parked off the road in a copse of hemlock, surrounded by undergrowth that successfully concealed their location, a stone’s throw from Maurice’s parked Mercedes.

  The Burchards’ lodge was about five hundred yards off Route 296. To the north of the main building was a small guest lodge. Nathan had expected it to be empty. He’d even speculated that the two of them might break inside and pass the night there.

  That was before Paige Stevens showed up.

  With Nathan sitting silently beside her, Lindsay dialed the number of Nadine’s cell phone. As soon as she answered, Nadine starting gushing.

  “Lindsay, I’m so sorry. She still hasn’t shown up. I don’t think I missed her but maybe I did. At one point I almost fell asleep. And I’m awful at blending in with my surroundings, like you said I should do. So many people have stopped to ask if I need help or something. And it’s cold! And I need to go to the bathroom! I don’t know why I thought I’d be any good as an investigator. I’m doing a terrible job.”

  “Hang on, Nadine.” It had been a tense evening, but Lindsay couldn’t resist smiling now. Thanks to a full moon, there was enough light in the car that Nathan noticed. He raised his eyebrows questioningly, but she held a hand up for him to wait.

  “You aren’t doing a terrible job. You didn’t see Paige because she didn’t go home. She drove up in a rented van about fifteen minutes ago.”

  Just before turning off the main road, the redhead had dimmed her headlights, then coasted to a parking space tucked behind the guest cottage. At the time Lindsay and Nathan had been outside, trying to see if they could break into the cottage without causing any damage, but all of the doors and windows were securely locked.

  Nathan had pulled her back into the woods and they’d watched from their hiding spot as Paige used a key to let herself inside. Since then she hadn’t given any sign of her presence. The guest cottage remained dark and silent, just like the main lodge.

  “Paige Stevens is at the Burchards’ Catskills lodge?” Nadine sounded confused. “But why?”

  “I’m not sure. She had a key for the guest cottage. Maybe Maurice gave it to her. It’s a safe bet Audrey doesn’t know she’s here.”

  “Is Audrey okay?”

  “So far. It looks like she and Maurice are sleeping in separate bedrooms. Both lights went out about an hour ago.”

  “That doesn’t sound like a very successful reconciliation.”

  “It doesn’t, does it? Anyway, you can go home now, Nadine. I’m sorry you had such a long, boring night.” She ended the call and powered off her phone. “That may be the end of Nadine’s private investigator aspirations.”

  “I wouldn’t discount her that quickly.” Nathan’s voice was low and deep in the silent night.

  She felt a shiver that had nothing to do with the dropping temperature. Nathan had come prepared, with two blankets, a thermos of green tea, two paper cups and two bags of trail mix. They had to share nothing, except the vehicle.

  She looked out at the full moon. In the deep, dark of the forest, it wasn’t difficult to imagine witches and goblins on the prowl.

  “You should get some sleep,” Nathan said.

  “Should we take turns?”

  “I don’t think anyone’s going anywhere tonight. How about I set my watch alarm for dawn?”

  “Okay.” She reclined her seat and pulled the blanket to her chin. The warmth was unsatisfactory when all she could remember was the way it had felt to press her body next to Nathan’s and to feel his arms holding her close.

  Whatever had changed between them, the sexual attraction remained strong. She thought he must feel it, too, the huge awareness of how few inches stood between his arm and hers.

  Rather than stare longingly at his profile, she forced her gaze upward. The car had a sunroof and she could see the shadowy darkness of overhanging branches and way beyond those, flirting glimpses of the star-filled sky.

  Although she’d only caught three or four hours of sleep last night, she felt wide-awake. Nathan’s breathing was slow and even. God, she envied his ability to drop off anytime, anywhere.

  Suddenly hungry, she reached for the package of trail mix. As she attempted to open the cellophane package quietly, she felt like a coughing theater patron, trying to discreetly unwrap a throat lozenge. It seemed the quieter she tried to be, the more noise she made.

  “Just open the damn bag, already,” Nathan growled.

  “Sorry.” She quickly helped herself to a handful of mix, then set the bag on the dash. As she munched on the nuts and dried fruit, the sound seemed impossibly loud. Nathan must have also found it loud. He sighed, then shifted in his seat.

  Lindsay swallowed, then stared out the sunroof again. So much for eating. She’d have to find some other way to pass the hours until dawn.

  “Can’t sleep?”

  She shifted in the seat that had once seemed so comfortable. “I’ll take that as a rhetorical question.”

  A moment passed, then Nathan asked, “Why do you think Paige is here?”

  She’d been wondering the same thing. Also one other thing. “Do you think Maurice knows she’s there?”

  “He must. She has a key.”

  “Maybe she still has it from another visit.”

  “Maybe. But my hunch is that Maurice and Paige are planning to confront Audrey together in the morning.”

  “To what extent and to what purpose?”

  “Maybe asking for a quick and easy divorce? Who knows…we’ll have to wait and see.”

  She fidgeted with her watch strap. Waiting was not her strong suit.

  They discussed certain possibilities and outlined plans of action for each one. Eventually their conversation dwindled. Nathan yawned. She guessed he would fall asleep in a minute flat if she stopped talking.

  “So you’re planning to go back to police work?” As soon as she’d asked the question, she wanted to reel it back in. They’d been doing so well. Focusing on the job and ignoring everything personal—including the fact that all either of them had to do was reach out a hand and they’d be touching.

  “Sorry,” she added quickly. “That isn’t my business.”

  “No, it isn’t. So why do you know anything about it?” With a quick snap, Nathan had his seat in the upright position again.

  “I happened to see you having lunch with Lt. Rock.”

  “At the Garden Cafe?”

  “Yes. Nathan, how could you even consider going back after what they put you through?”

  “What’s it to you? You made it pretty clear you don’t give a damn about me.”

  “No. I made it clear that I didn’t want to give a damn about you. It’s not the same thing.”

  Expecting a quick retort, she was confused by silence. Nathan seemed to be thinking about what she’d said. When he finally spoke again his tone was gentle.

  “Are you saying you do care?”

  “Of course, I care. That doesn’t change anything. I’m still the same person. What did you call me—cold and remote? It’s not something I can change.” She was a bad risk for the long haul. And a guy like Nathan, well, before long he’d find someone sweet and loving who had no shadows hanging over her bed late at night.

  “Lindsay, you drive me crazy. Nothing’s ever easy with you. Nothing.”

  “And it never will be. So thank your lucky stars you got o
ut in time.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  NATHAN DID NOT CONSIDER himself lucky. Lindsay could think he’d gotten out of their relationship free and clear, but he knew better. Even with his eyes closed, every nerve in his body was tuned in to her presence beside him. All his instincts were urging him to touch her, to pull her closer, to kiss her.

  It didn’t seem to matter that she encouraged none of this. She’d pushed him away, and he’d left her and had felt terrible as a result. Now that he was with her again—even in this uneasy state of truce—he finally felt alive.

  He loved her.

  With considerable effort, he sat still in his seat, resting, feigning sleep, waiting to hear the elusive sound of Lindsay’s gentle snoring. Beside him she was a bundle of potential energy. Though she sat relatively still, he could sense her restlessness. He let his mind wander and soon he was dozing. Next time he opened his eyes, the display on the dash said it was three-fifteen. He turned slightly and met the blue flash of Lindsay’s gaze.

  He felt a deep sympathy for her predicament, but knew better than to voice it. “Want to listen to the radio for a while?” he offered.

  She shook her head and closed her eyes. Lindsay finally fell asleep about an hour before dawn. He was struck again by how innocent and young she looked when she was sleeping. He resisted the urge to touch her face, settling instead for pulling her blanket up to her chin.

  THE BEEPING OF NATHAN’S WATCH woke Lindsay just as she was settling into deep REM sleep. She opened her eyes, foggy-brained and disoriented.

  Next to her, Nathan was already awake. His seat was upright, though he was still covered with the blanket. It was freezing in the car.

  “Did something happen?”

  “Not yet.”

  His gaze scanned warmly over her, and she automatically put a hand to her hair. She finger-combed the tangled strands, then ran her tongue over her teeth. “I could use a toothbrush.”

  “Try this.” He handed her a stick of peppermint gum.