She was also thinking about Toni’s suggestion that she take off her jacket. She was still wearing a pancake waist holster. When she’d gone home to change her clothes, thinking she’d only be out about an hour or so, she hadn’t bothered switching to her ankle holster.
She was always a little leery about taking off her jacket around 80
people she didn’t know well. Some people, even attorneys, became somewhat nervous seeing a gun. She was always cognizant of this fact, even though she regarded it as just a necessary piece of equipment. You never knew.
She selected a CD labeled Mellow Mix and popped it in the stereo. She held up the case for Toni’s inspection. “Is this okay?” she asked.
Toni looked up. “That’s great. I haven’t listened to that in quite a while. A friend of mine burned it for me. It’s got a lot of oldies but goodies.”
Satisfied, Boggs sat on the couch and sipped her wine. As the first song began, she smiled broadly. “My God,” she said. “This sure does bring back memories.”
“No kidding,” Toni said. “Freshman year at college . . . all-night party at the dorm. How about you?” Boggs chuckled. The song had been playing during an incredibly romantic evening with Sally many years ago. She was momentarily caught up in a wave of emotion. What a wonderful night that had been.
Toni leaned over and touched her arm. “Back to earth, girl.
Must be one hell of a memory. Come on, I shared. Now it’s your turn.”
Jolted back to the present, she shifted her attention to Toni.
Shit! What the hell was she going to say to her? She groped for a plausible scenario. Best to stick as close to the truth as possible, she decided.
“Well, it was playing during a romantic dinner.” She smiled but said no more.
Toni cocked an eyebrow and looked as if she expected her to give more detail. “A romantic dinner, huh? Where did you go?” Boggs hesitated. They’d been in Sally’s studio apartment, sitting on the floor, surrounded by candles. She smiled. “Actually, it was in a tiny studio apartment.” She didn’t mean to be coy, but Toni was her colleague and she wasn’t sure if she was gay or not.
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Toni didn’t respond, which was fine with Boggs. She took a long swallow of wine and the conversation had turned to fashion when the next song played.
“Ugh,” Toni grunted. “This one reminds me of parachute pants and big hair. Yuck. And we thought we were such hot shit.” Boggs laughed. “No kidding. Everyone used so much hair spray that you’d be afraid to light a cigarette within five feet of them.” She was still laughing. She had been in the Air Force during that time and never wore her hair that style, but she had always been fascinated by the look on other women.
After another glass of wine, the doorbell rang.
“Food!” Toni leapt up, but instead of walking around the coffee table to get to the front door, she stepped over Boggs’s legs.
Boggs froze. She even held her breath. This had taken her by complete surprise and she wasn’t prepared to have Toni suddenly within inches of her. She felt her body react. She wanted to grab her, kiss her, touch her. Anything. The whole interaction lasted maybe three seconds. She snapped out of it and quickly got to her feet, reaching into her pocket for the money. She hoped she hadn’t been too obvious.
After Toni paid the pizza guy, she set the box on the coffee table and said with a flourish, “Madame, your main course. Please wait just a moment while I get the fine china.” Boggs grinned. She loved Toni’s sense of humor. Toni returned from the kitchen with paper plates, napkins, a corkscrew and a new bottle of wine, which she presented to Boggs.
Boggs pretended to inspect it carefully. “Yes, this is just fine,” she said. “A very good month.”
Toni laughed and began to serve the meal. Boggs opened the wine and filled their glasses. As they ate and drank, Toni steered the conversation toward work, for which Boggs was grateful. She was feeling a little nervous, incredibly attracted to Toni and yet still not sure if she was gay. And even if she was, it didn’t mean she was interested. Keeping the topics to work was good.
“So, Boggs,” Toni said after a while, since I’m now an old-timer 82
at the office, what can you tell me about the folks there? Is there any good gossip? People I should shy away from?” It was a leading question but Boggs didn’t mind. She thought for a moment before answering. “Well, overall I think we have a pretty good team. Some are obviously more experienced and some have huge egos, but no bad eggs.” She took a few more bites of pizza. “Anne Mulhoney is very good, both as an attorney and as a boss. She has a lot of clout and people truly seem to respect what she says. I wouldn’t be surprised if she became a judge in a few years.” She paused to drink more wine. “Let’s see. Paul Capelli is an excellent trial attorney. He can memorize every detail. He’s amazing to watch. Otherwise, I don’t know too much about him. I do know that his wife has tons of money. She’s always in the paper, at some charity ball or something.”
“I met him when I was in law school,” Toni said. “He is a fantastic speaker and I talked to him a couple times. He seems a little more distant now than he did then. I guess it’s because of this Crown mess.”
Boggs agreed. “It’s been rough on both him and Anne especially. Let’s see. Who else. There’s David something the third. He’s pretty new. He gives me the creeps, but I think he’s a decent lawyer.”
“What about Frank?” Toni seemed curious.
“I know you’ve already formed an opinion of him. He’s never given me much trouble, mostly ignores me. He’s definitely a member of the old boys’ network. He never gives me leads, but he gives them to Sam, so that’s okay. Rumor has it that Frank has a checkered past and that’s why he always knows what’s going down on the streets. When I first started working at Metro I did a little digging but came up dry. I got bored with him. I think maybe he started the rumor himself.”
They laughed. “That sounds like him,” Toni said. “Mr.
Studball. The dude who knows the score. I know he’s good, but he still annoys me.”
Boggs nodded. “Most of the other detectives are okay. There 83
are a few who barely work but always seem busy. But they’re all right. I play softball with a few.”
Toni’s eyes lit up. “Oh, you play softball? I love softball.”
“Do you play?” Boggs asked, surprised.
“No.” Toni shook her head. “I’m a professional fan. I got hooked years ago. This past summer I would just show up at a ball field and watch whomever was playing. It was a good way to enjoy myself without spending money.”
Boggs grinned. This was interesting. “Did you follow any particular team or league?” she asked.
Toni sipped her wine, then looked directly at Boggs and smiled.
The wine surely had played a part in her boldness. “I went to a Wednesday night league mostly. A friend of mine used to play and after she moved I just kept going.”
Upon hearing that, Boggs had a feeling. A strong feeling. She couldn’t quite pinpoint it, but she knew, or at least she thought she knew. At the very least, Toni was open-minded. Boggs knew exactly who played on the Wednesday night league. She looked at Toni, winked and said, “I understand the women’s league is a lot of fun. I’m thinking of playing on it next summer.” She waited for a response and she got more than she had hoped.
Toni grinned from ear to ear, held Boggs’s gaze and said, “I’ll be there, cheering for you.”
Nothing else was said. It didn’t have to be said, but it was as though neither wanted to break the spell by saying too much. She had a strong enough inkling and was thrilled. They finished their pizza and continued to sip wine. Toni was positively glowing.
Boggs reluctantly broke the silence. “Well, I suppose we should work on my hat. If I drink much more wine I’ll be utterly useless.
As it is now I’ll probably laugh incessantly.” Toni nodded, adding that she too had reached her limit. “I’ll either embarra
ss myself or fall asleep if I keep this up.” She went upstairs to retrieve the necessary supplies while Boggs got her hat and umbrella. Toni returned with a box crammed full of various crafts paraphernalia.
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“My gosh. I would have never pegged you as a craftsperson,” Boggs said. “You’ve got enough stuff in there to make just about anything.” She began poking through the items in the box.
Toni shook her head. “Actually, I hate doing anything remotely crafty. My folks insist I keep this stuff here. When they come to visit they always have such grand ideas and they like knowing they have supplies readily available. I did, however, use the staple gun last week to tack down a corner of the carpet.” Toni placed all the items on the coffee table and they began their project. Both acted as though they knew what they were doing, but that ruse lasted only a few minutes.
“I am absolutely clueless.” Toni laughed. “What the hell are we doing?”
Boggs was sitting on the floor trying to figure out how to work the glue gun. She was failing miserably. She raised her arms to the heavens and moaned. “Martha Stewart, I need you.” Toni, who had been sitting on the couch, was laughing so hard she rolled to the floor, nearly spilling the contents of the box.
“We’re two very intelligent, charming and somewhat tipsy women,” she said emphatically. “We should be able to handle scis-sors and glue.” As she held her side and wiped tears from her eyes, she looked over at Boggs.
Boggs was still on her back, laughing hysterically. It was contagious. After a few minutes, she was exhausted. She sat up and began studying the hat and umbrella intensely. “We must look at this logically,” she said after a minute or two. “It must be straight and secure.”
“Don’t look at me,” Toni said.
It took almost a half-hour, but between the two of them they were able to securely attach the umbrella by removing the black band from the hat and using duct tape, which was hidden when the band was replaced . . . almost.
After seeing a small ring of tape showing above the band, Boggs sighed. “This is good enough for me.”
“Martha Stewart would be so proud. Why, in one evening you 85
were able to create a completely new ensemble for a festive Halloween gathering. And while you were busy doing that, I made some decorative plates from the used pizza box, carved a beautiful ornament from the wine cork and made the wine bottle into a retro vase!” Toni was cracking herself up.
Boggs just shook her head. “You know, I can’t remember when I’ve had this much fun.”
“I know what you mean,” Toni replied. “In these past few weeks, I’ve laughed more and, well, had more fun than I’ve had in the past few years. Boy, that’s a pretty sad statement.” She paused for a moment and got serious. “It’s strange, but I feel so comfortable with you.”
Boggs smiled softly. “Funny, I feel that way too.” Both were silent for a few minutes, then Boggs laughed. “I never thought I’d enjoy spending time with a Martha Stewart protégé.” Then she told Toni about last year’s Halloween party and described some of the costumes. “This year should be even more fun. No one has ever worn a huge rubber butt before.”
“I’m really looking forward to a fun night,” Toni said. “Do you want to ride together?”
Boggs jumped at the chance. She never did like going to parties alone. “Sounds great. Sam said to come around seven, so how about if I come over about six thirty?”
Toni thought for a moment. “Make it six fifteen and you’ve got a deal. I may need your help. I’m not quite sure how I’m going to strap on the pillows.”
Boggs sensed that she should go. It had been a great evening.
She didn’t want to move too fast. When she began picking up the dinner dishes, Toni quickly stopped her.
“Don’t worry about that,” she said. “I’ll have the maid take care of it.”
Boggs smiled and moved toward the door. “Do you mind if I leave my hat here . . . since I’ll be back tomorrow?”
“That’s fine.” Toni followed her. At the door, Boggs felt the 86
moment turn slightly awkward. Toni said quickly, “I’ll walk you out,” which broke the tension.
Boggs quickly unlocked and opened her car door. Lingering for a moment, she turned to Toni and smiled. She then looked at the ground and kicked some imaginary rock. She felt like an awkward teenager and was cursing herself. Jeez. Why was she so nervous?
It’s not like they were on a date. Think, damn it. Say something. She felt stupid doing the “kick a rock” routine.
Before she could think of anything intelligent to say, Toni said,
“Thanks for a great evening, Boggs.” Toni was looking straight at her and smiling.
Damn! Boggs thought. How did she do that? Nothing seemed to rattle her. It was as if she was looking right through her.
“And thanks for the pizza,” Toni continued. “It really hit the spot. Next time dinner is on me. Although it may be hard to top tonight. I kinda like fancy apartment dinners on the good china.” She winked.
Boggs grinned but said nothing. She felt her cheeks flush.
Whew! If this was a small example of Toni flirting with her, she was in trouble.
“So,” Toni went on, “I appreciate your coming early tomorrow to help me get dressed.” She was clearly enjoying herself. She moved a few inches closer and said flirtatiously, “You know, I could put out”—a long pause ensued—“a few snacks . . . we could nibble on before we go tomorrow.”
“That sounds grun. I mean frate. I mean great. I was thinking great and fun, you know . . .” Boggs was stammering. Jeez. I’m a mess. I can’t even talk!
“Are you okay to drive?”
Boggs looked at her. “Oh, sure. It’s not the wine. I’m just tired,” she lied. And Toni was driving her crazy. Totally blowing her mind.
She couldn’t even think straight. She needed to head home and regroup. She hopped in her car, rolled down the window and shut the door. There. She felt a little more in control. She took a deep 87
breath and started the engine. Toni was standing next to her door.
Boggs stared up at her. “Thanks again for your help tonight. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow night. Maybe we can get something going in the haunted house.” She raised an eyebrow.
Two could play at this game.
“Hmm,” Toni replied. “Interesting. I wish I knew the floor plan so we could have some fun with Sam. It would be great to get in front of the others so we could scare them.” She paused and then looked up with that smile of hers. “But since we don’t know the layout, I guess we’ll just have to feel our way through. What a shame.”
Boggs shook her head and grinned. Damn, she was good. Here she thought she was out of practice. She put the car in reverse as Toni waved and went back to her townhouse.
Toni was still grinning while she cleaned up the plates and pizza box. This had been one of the most exciting evenings she’d had in recent memory. She was bombarded by emotions. It had been a hectic and hard week at work, so she was exhausted. She had spent the evening with a new friend with whom she felt very comfortable. She’d purchased a big butt and was preparing for a wonderful party. All those things combined would have made it a great Friday night. But wow! Add to that the fact that she found Boggs incredibly attractive and they had exchanged winks, smiles and double entendres, and the result was fabulous. Toni felt like a new woman. Oh, the possibilities. As she washed the wineglasses, she suddenly began to question Boggs’s reactions.
Oh, my God, she thought. What if she was reading her wrong?
Maybe all the sexual tension was coming from her, Toni. Maybe Boggs was nervous because it was obvious she was flirting. Was it obvious she was flirting? Duh. Maybe Boggs wasn’t good at reading people. Toni supposed that was a possibility. Boggs was an investigator, for Pete’s sake. Ugh! Did I just make a complete fool out of myself? Damn. Here’s what she’d do. Tomorrow, when Boggs 88
came over, Toni would b
e friendly and cheery, but no flirting. That way, maybe Boggs would think the flirting was in her imagination.
That was it. No harm, no foul. Toni smiled.
As she crawled between the sheets that evening, she allowed herself to relive the events of the night. She closed her eyes and felt a smile slowly creep across her face. Reality blended with fantasy as she imagined how the night could have gone. She drifted off to sleep and that same erotic dream from weeks ago began to form.
She was standing in her living room. Boggs was facing her, only three feet away. The electricity in the air was palpable. Toni was excited but nervous. Boggs took one step closer, and Toni backed up. Another step. Boggs was smiling and keeping direct eye contact. They were talking, but Toni had no clue what they were saying. She took another step back and found herself against the wall. Her knees felt weak. If Boggs took one more step . . .
Boggs drove home that night with a wide grin on her face. She had a mission. One way or another she was going to confirm her suspicions about Toni. She was pretty sure, but that wasn’t good enough. As soon as she walked in her apartment she turned on her computer. She settled into her chair and her investigative skills kicked in. She ignored her e-mail and began with a list of her own.
The facts were few. Toni was single and lived alone. No question there. Past relationships? No names ever mentioned. Affiliations?
Maybe. Memberships? Friends?
She hopped online and began her search. She found that Toni was a member, in good standing, of the Missouri state bar and American Bar Association. She was also a former member of a professional mental health workers’ association.
Well this was going nowhere. Boggs accessed another online service. Nothing. She sat back for a moment, then grinned. She found the site she needed, keyed in a special password, one she wasn’t supposed to know. Despite the miracle of firewalls—and courtesy of a good friend who worked for the government—she 89
was able to tap into Toni’s financial records and assets. She did feel a tad bit guilty knowing this was not exactly legal, but she was like a bulldog who wouldn’t let go once she had her teeth in something. She just had to know. She paged through current balances and other financial data. Then she hit paydirt. A closed bank account from two years ago. A joint bank account with Sadie Donaldson. Very interesting. Boggs continued to page through the information. Previous homeowner, jointly, with Sadie Donaldson.
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