Pulse Points

by Mary Lynn Baxter

  If only the Ellis woman could be of more help. Or even someone at Parker’s agency. When it came to Parker personally, her employees acted dumber than a box of rocks. How could you work for someone and not know something about them?

  Easy. Hell, no one at the station knew he was married to a bitchy shopoholic and had spawned two kids who weren’t worth a shit. Apparently Shirley Parker didn’t encourage fraternizing in the workplace, either.

  That left Kasey Ellis. She still remained his only ace in the hole. The more he was around her, the more his gut told him she’d seen more than she was telling. He would just have to keep up the pressure, keep urging her to think about that evening, until something clicked in her mind.

  When she’d called him about the notebook she’d found listing the staggering amount of money Parker had either given away or loaned someone, he’d gotten excited. However, that excitement had been short-lived. While he felt the money might have something to do with her death, he hadn’t been able to prove it.

  It seemed as though Shirley Parker hadn’t had a life outside the ad agency. But his instincts told him otherwise, which meant that if he kept digging, he might get lucky and uncover something.

  In the meantime, he’d continue to gently pressure Kasey Ellis.

  The light on the phone finally caught his attention. He groaned. The chief. He was being summoned for another ass chewing.

  Gallain swore as he walked out.

  “When are you coming to get me?”

  “I can’t right now, Mom.”

  “Why not?”

  Kasey tried to keep her mother’s strident pleadings in perspective. But it was hard. Lottie Hobbs had always taken the guilt route to bring her only daughter to heel, keep her on the straight and narrow. Even though Lottie’s mind wasn’t as sharp as it used to be, she hadn’t lost that particular skill.

  “This place is awful,” she whined.

  Kasey squeezed the receiver. “Now, Mom, you know that’s not true.”

  “Yes, it is,” Lottie lashed back. “And I hate you for making me stay here.”

  “It was your son’s idea.” The instant she said those words Kasey wanted to retract them, but it was too late.

  “That’s because you didn’t want me.”

  Kasey stilled herself against Lottie’s attacks and sniffles. “That’s not true. I did want you. And I still do.”

  “Then come get me. I want to go home.”

  Tears trickled down Kasey’s face. “If I came after you, Mom, I couldn’t take you home.”

  “Of course, you could.”

  At one time Lottie had known their house had been sold, but like so many other unpleasant things, she’d chosen to block that out. Or else she couldn’t honestly remember.

  “I’m planning to come see you soon,” Kasey said, changing the subject.

  “I don’t believe you.”

  Lottie’s tone was both forlorn and belligerent. Both broke Kasey’s heart.

  “I hope to bring Brock with me.”

  “Brock. Oh, that sweet child. How is he?”

  “He’s fine, Mom. But he’s no longer a child. He’s in college.”

  “Oh, dear me. That doesn’t seem possible.”

  “I know. I find it hard to believe myself.”

  A short pause.

  “Come get me, Kasey. Now. Or the Lord’s going to punish you. You just mark my word on that.”

  Kasey blinked back a new onslaught of tears. She couldn’t do this anymore. Lottie would never give up. Once she had something on her mind, she would harp on it for days. In order to shut her up, you either gave in or gave up.

  “Mom, I have to go. I love you and I’ll call you again soon. I promise.”

  Once the dial tone sounded in her ear, Kasey replaced the receiver and let the tears flow. Despite the fact that her mother had often made her life miserable by trying to control her, she hated the idea that Lottie was in a nursing facility so far away from her. Between the facility and her brother, she knew Lottie was well looked after. But that wasn’t the point. Lottie should be with her. Daughters were expected to take care of their mothers.

  Maybe that was why the old guilt had come back to haunt her. Before the latest disastrous turn of events, she had considered bringing Lottie back to Texas, had even discussed that possibility with her brother.

  But once again, circumstances beyond her control had thrown a wrench in that plan. Until Shirley’s murder was solved and the agency settled, she couldn’t give her mother the time and attention she would require. For now, she was better off where she was.

  Kasey had just repaired her makeup when the phone rang. Since she was due at the lawyer’s office shortly, she considered ignoring it. But when she saw it was Brock, she picked up.

  “Hey, darling.”

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “Did you have fun at Padre?”

  “Man, did we.”

  “Uh, did your new friend go?”

  “Of course.”

  Dread filled her. “I thought maybe you two might have split by now.”

  “No way,” he said in a heated tone. “We’re in love.”

  “So you told me.”

  “When can I bring her home?” he pressed. “She wants to meet you.”

  “Oh, Brock, I don’t know.” Kasey felt terrible for continuing to stall him. But she wasn’t ready to share this young girl with her son or encourage that relationship. “Things are still up in the air around here.”

  “That’s why I need to come home.”

  “Then come, but alone.”

  “Aw, Mom, come on. You’re not being fair.”

  “Look, we’ll talk about this later, okay? I have an appointment with my attorney even as we speak.”

  “I’m about to get mad at you, Mom.”

  “I know and I’m sorry. I love you.”

  By the time she hung up the second time, her head was pounding. Would her life ever straighten out? Suddenly she longed for someone strong to lean on, someone to pour her heart out to.

  Tanner.

  Kasey sucked in her breath and held it, feeling blind-sided by her subconscious. How could she betray herself like this. How could she long for the arms of the man she most feared? It didn’t make sense. Since they’d had that intimate dinner conversation two days ago, she hadn’t been able to get him off her mind or his passionate declaration.

  I want you, Kasey.

  And she wanted him. The memory of how good sex had been between them flamed eternal. That heightened the madness. Hysteria bubbled inside Kasey. The problem was, Tanner saw nothing wrong with them making love, having an affair. He saw their meeting again as fate. A second chance.

  While she might want him with every fiber of her being, she wouldn’t let him wear her down, make her do something she would regret for the rest of her life. She was no longer strong enough to suffer the consequences of such an action.

  Fighting off a bout of nausea stemming from her pounding head, Kasey relegated thoughts of Tanner to the dark corner of her heart, then dashed into the bathroom and swallowed a headache capsule.

  Fifteen minutes later she was sipping on coffee in Horace Bigfield’s office, staring at him over the rim of her cup.

  “I might as well get straight to the point.”

  “It’s not good news, is it?”

  “No. Burt Parker has filed suit.”

  Kasey’s stomach bottomed out. “I’m not surprised, though I was hoping otherwise.”

  “Me, too.”

  “If he found someone to represent him, then he must have a case.”

  “Not necessarily. Some idiot attorney has sugar-plums dancing in his head because of Shirley’s murder. Thinks he’s going to get some press time out of it.”

  “Can he win?” Kasey asked, feeling completely bombarded by circumstances beyond her control.

  “I don’t think he has a snowball’s chance in hell, but—”

  “We still have to fight him, and that takes money
.”

  Bigfield rubbed the back of his thick neck, narrowing his eyes on her. “And that’s a problem?”

  “A big one,” she admitted. “But don’t worry, you’ll get paid.”

  “I’m not worried. Don’t you, either.”

  “What happens now?” Kasey asked, getting to her feet, unable to sit still another second.

  Bigfield also rose, his bold features hardening. “We fight to win, anyway we can. But again, you don’t worry.”

  Worry. Her worry?

  The moment Kasey got behind the wheel of her car, she put her head down and sobbed.

  “If it’s trouble, I don’t want to hear about it.” Although Tanner smiled, he meant every word he’d said.

  Paul stopped, pivoted, then headed back toward the door.

  “Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Tanner demanded, scowling.

  The foreman swung around, his features serious. “I was taking you at your word.”

  Tanner’s scowl deepened. “Take a load off and say what’s on your mind.”

  “We’ve got more problems,” Paul said, hat in hand.

  Tanner muttered an expletive. “Just what I don’t need.”

  “Me, either.” Paul plopped down in the nearest chair. “The fight—”

  “Fight?”

  “Yeah,” Paul responded red-faced. “It started with two guys exchanging words, then shoves.”

  “Where were you?”

  “In the hut reviewing plans.”

  “Go on.”

  “The next thing I knew, they were exchanging blows. By the time I got there, the whole crew was involved.”

  “So why didn’t you and the foreman break it up?”

  Paul’s flush deepened. “One of the guys pulled a gun.”

  Tanner gave him an incredulous stare, then said in a cold tone, “You’d better tell me no one got shot.”

  “They didn’t, even though the idiot fired the gun. Of course, someone called 911, and you know the rest of the story.”

  “Dammit, Paul, it’ll be in all the papers.”

  “Maybe not, but I wanted to warn you, anyway.”

  “Get back to the job, and don’t let anything like this happen again or I’ll fire your ass.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Once he was alone, Tanner gritted his teeth and eyed the bar. He longed for a drink, but he wasn’t about to take one. The mood he was in he wouldn’t stop until he was dog drunk. While the episode at the job site was certainly disturbing, that wasn’t what had his nerves on edge.

  He wanted Kasey, and she wasn’t cooperating. That was gnawing at his insides. Get over it, he told himself. Find someone else to share your bed. Hell, Irene was ready and willing. That thought turned his stomach. That was the problem. He didn’t want another woman. Hadn’t wanted anyone else since Kasey had come back into his life.

  Tough shit, Hart.

  She wasn’t about to let him share her bed, and he might as well face that fact. Disgusted with himself and with his thoughts, he plowed a hand through his hair, then headed to the bathroom to change into his running attire. Maybe a three-mile run would relieve his mind as well as the ache in his groin. Damn, he hoped so.

  Twenty

  Hopefully she didn’t look as bedraggled as she felt. Kasey peered closer in the mirror in the office bathroom and frowned. Actually she looked worse. Her skin and hair looked dull, and there seemed to be more tiny lines around her eyes. She wasn’t surprised. These last few weeks had played havoc with her mind and her body. That crying jag in which she’d just indulged hadn’t helped, either.

  Once she left the lawyer’s office, she’d had every intention of going straight to the grocery store. However, one glance in the mirror on the visor changed all that. She’d headed here to the agency, for damage control.

  The complex was quiet for a Friday afternoon. Several employees had taken the afternoon off with her blessing. They had all been working such long hard hours to get the Hart campaign off to a stellar start that she didn’t begrudge them the time off. First thing Monday morning they would all have to hit the drawing boards again, especially as the new billboard signs were not quite up to par.

  A sigh filtered through Kasey’s lips as she walked out of the bathroom. She wished she’d told Brock to come home even if the girlfriend had to come with him. She missed her son, and it seemed like ages since she’d seen him. So why didn’t she just drive to Waco instead? Her day brightened considerably. If he could fit her into his plans, that would be a workable solution.

  Even though Shirley’s killer continued to pose no threat to her, she still hadn’t let her guard down. The thought of the person who had shot her partner in such a cold-blooded way running loose on the streets kept her fear factor high. She wondered if Gallain and company would ever find him. Of course they would, she told herself. With all the sophisticated tools at their disposal, it would happen. It was simply a matter of time.

  Meanwhile, Kasey worked hard on keeping her paranoia at bay and trying to function as normal as possible.

  “Mrs. Ellis.”

  Kasey jumped visibly before swinging around. “You scared me half to death.”

  “Sorry,” Detective Gallain responded. “Your receptionist told me you were in here.”

  “You should’ve knocked.” Kasey stared at him while rubbing her cold arms that felt like chunks of lead.

  “I did, only you apparently didn’t hear me.”

  Kasey stiffened, unwilling to take responsibility for his ill manners. Would she ever learn to tolerate this man? She had her doubts. His bulldog looks and frigid demeanor frightened her. Or closer to the truth was that he made her feel ill at ease as though she were under suspicion.

  “What can I do for you, Detective?” Kasey asked, forcing an even tone.

  “Give me a description of the man who shot your partner.”

  She took umbrage to that and said as much. “Are you being flippant?”

  “Hardly.”

  He didn’t like her, either. Too bad. He should just leave her alone, and they would both win. She didn’t think that was going to happen. He continued to assume she was holding out on him. To date, she’d been unable to convince him otherwise.

  “I’m still counting on you, Mrs. Ellis.” His expression was keen.

  “If anything changes, you’ll be the first to know.”

  “So you said,” he responded, cracking his knuckles.

  “Look, Detective, how many times are we going to have this conversation?”

  “As long as it takes to jog your memory.”

  Kasey gritted her teeth. “For the last time, I don’t have a memory to jog.”

  “I think you do,” he said bluntly.

  Her response was equally as blunt. “If you don’t solve this case, what happens?”

  “A killer goes free.”

  “Nothing else is at stake for you?” If she hadn’t been seething inside, she probably wouldn’t have counter-attacked. Could someone be arrested for smart-mouthing a cop?

  “I have a job to do, Mrs. Ellis,” he said, “pure and simple.”

  Kasey jutted her chin. “You’ve made that quite clear.”

  “Then we understand each other.”

  Fury snuffed out a comeback.

  “One way or the other, I intend to get this creep off the streets,” he added.

  With that, he pivoted and walked out of her office as quietly as he’d entered. Kasey sagged against her desk, feeling more washed out than ever. What a horrible little man. She was beginning to fear him and his tenacity almost as much as she once feared the killer.

  “What did he want?”

  Kasey gave a start as Red stepped into her office. Don followed on his heels.

  “The same as always,” Kasey replied in a forlorn voice.

  “He thinks you know more than you’re telling, right?” Don said, leaning against the door frame.

  Kasey nodded. “That’s about the size of it.”

/>   “What a self-absorbed little prick,” Red exclaimed in a huff.

  Don tongued the mole above his lip, then spoke. “I wish he’d get lost and stay lost.”

  “Look, guys,” Kasey said, shifting her gaze off Don, repulsed by the way his tongue kept going to his mole. “I’m leaving for the day. We’ll start fresh the first of the week.”

  “You watch out, you hear?” Red said to her back.

  Kasey swung around. “What does that mean?”

  “Knock it off, Red,” Don said, giving his cohort a harsh look. “You’re deliberately spooking her.”

  Red looked apologetic. “Didn’t mean to.”

  “It’s all right, Red,” Kasey said. “We’re all on edge, especially me.”

  She still felt that way a short time later as she made her way up and down the aisles of the grocery store. Although she’d been there a while, her cart was practically empty. Nothing looked good to her except the fruit. But she couldn’t live on fruit alone. Since she’d left Dallas, she’d lost several pounds. She didn’t want to lose any more.

  But it was no fun cooking for herself. Maybe she should ask Tanner… As quickly as that thought was born, she killed it. Even so, her heart didn’t settle. It continued to beat much too fast. If she made dinner for anyone, it would be Ginger.

  Realizing she’d passed up an item she wanted, Kasey parked the cart to one side and turned, smashing into a hard, smelly body.

  Kasey recoiled, then froze. Her already out-of-control heart lunged into her throat as she lifted her head and stared. A scroungy-looking man with longish dirty hair was so close to her she could see the flecks in his cold green eyes that pierced hers.

  Oh, my God, it’s the killer.

  Terror traumatized her.

  The man’s empty eyes took another quick tour of her body, then he turned and strode off.

  Shaking, Kasey bent over, fighting off an acute attack of nausea. When she no longer felt like gagging, she straightened.

  “Ma’am, are you all right?”

  A plump, matronly woman stood beside her, her face etched in concern. “I will be,” Kasey said in a weak voice. “I’m just a little sick to my stomach.”