He’d be sure to ask his mother the next time they had lunch at the café. That is, unless his father decided to join them. The one part of his life that Sam would just as soon keep Dad out of was his love life—or lack of one. Max could not understand why Sam was still single at thirty-two. Sam couldn’t help it that his parents had been lucky enough to find the right person the first go-round. Sam had discovered quickly what a rare woman his mother truly was—strong, patient, trusting and very capable of handling a houseful of kids all on her own. With his dad out of the country much of his childhood, Sam had grown especially close to his mother, which fostered uncommonly high expectations when it came time to choose a wife. Yes, his father was a lucky man. Sam could only hope to find such a treasure for himself. When he found the right woman—if he found her—he’d take all the time needed to make sure they were right for one another. According to his sister, Lucia, Sam would never find a woman to measure up to the outlandish expectations he’d set. Only God knew for sure.
It was too late to be outside shooting baskets. Where was his brother when he needed a sparring partner?
“How’d I get myself into this mess?” he mumbled as the impact of the evening set in. Of all the women, it had to be Jessica Mathers. Hoping not to bother the neighbors, he closed the windows and started the central air-conditioning, then turned on the keyboard. He played familiar rock-and-roll tunes that helped him release the pent-up frustration so he could clear his mind and focus on the praise music for tomorrow’s service.
An hour later, he gave in to the fatigue and got ready to turn in. Sam tuned the radio to his favorite station, determined to get Jessica out of his head. Every time she drifted into his mind, he forced his thoughts elsewhere.
The replacement wasn’t much easier to deal with tonight. Visions and voices ran a play-by-play of his father talking to Alistair Barclay, a man too smooth to be on the up-and-up. Barclay had blown into town a few years ago and started throwing his weight around, along with his money.
As a part of the Vice Division, Sam was well aware of the increased drug activity in the city. With drugs came countless other problems. And instinct told Sam that Barclay was one man to keep an eye on. He drove fast cars and had a harem of equally speedy escorts to keep him company. Women with model figures and faces to match were only interested in a sleaze like Barclay for one reason, and the red comb-over wasn’t it. Sam found it amazing what money could buy. A woman’s love and loyalty was the one thing Sam refused to pay for.
Jessica invaded his thoughts again, and he forced himself to think about something easier to deal with, like Alistair Barclay.
The hotels Barclay built had brought jobs to the community, making him an instant hero to many. Sam didn’t blame those so easily influenced during a struggling economy. On the surface, even he would agree— Barclay almost looked good. He only wished he could find substantial evidence to link Barclay’s arrival to the increase of crime in the community.
Sam just happened to be more suspicious than the average citizen, which probably had more to do with why he was home alone every night. Women seemed to thrive on love, and love involved trust. Sam found it next to impossible to put his trust in anyone else. He’d seen what love had done to his brothers, what it did to the women left behind.
Emily came to mind. She’d loved Peter, but even then, love and trust weren’t enough to overcome the perils of a career filled with secrets. Travis’s wife never did adjust to the fact that her husband was a cop, and Travis still lived with weight of guilt on his shoulders.
Sam shook his head and turned out the lights. Nothing killed a perfect romance like secrets. How could he ever expect to find happiness with the odds stacked against him? His life, like his brothers’ and father’s, dealt mostly with lies and deception—rooting them out and upholding justice.
A certain brunette faded in and out of his mind as he drifted to sleep. Why couldn’t he just forget her? She wasn’t his type.
Every dream he’d had during the night came alive when he saw Jessica step through the precinct door with a springy bounce. Until she reminded him of the one thing he wanted desperately to forget…the bachelor auction.
“Afternoon, Sam. Ready to put together a dream date?” She’d obviously slept her aches away, or was on some pretty powerful medication. Her enthusiasm spread throughout the office as every detective in the building turned to see Sam’s reaction.
“I don’t remember setting an appointment.”
She lifted her hands regretfully and smiled. “I really need to finalize your selections for the newspaper ad.”
Sam leaned forward, instinctively defensive. “You didn’t say anything about publicity.”
Interest in their conversation grew by the syllable. “You wouldn’t have heard me if I had. If I recall correctly—”
Sam jumped from his seat, led her into the captain’s office and closed the door.
“Do you realize that I have a reputation in this city as a—” His words lost their punch when he discovered the amusement in her gaze. “A cynical cop, a—a respected officer. What will my fellow officers think?”
She laughed at him. He couldn’t believe her nerve.
Jessica leaned her head back, gazing into his eyes. “There isn’t a man out there who wouldn’t trade places with you in an instant.” She motioned to the outer offices and placed a hand on her hip. “And I have news for you, Sam. You aren’t nearly as tough as you try to make people think you are. But that’s okay, your secret’s safe with me.” She raised an eyebrow and smiled. “The tough silent type isn’t nearly as attractive as Hollywood wants us to believe. Marriages in this country wouldn’t be nearly as endangered if couples realized that honesty is far more desirable than physical appearance.” Jessica lifted her briefcase to the chair and shook her head. “If I can convince half the women in the shelter of that, my own pain won’t have been wasted. Now, so I don’t waste any more of your valuable time, why don’t we get to work?”
He couldn’t believe she’d condensed his own opinions and verbalized them. It unnerved him. He’d never cared half as much about looks as he did personality. Had his mother told Jessica to say that? She must have. How else could Jessica have known?
There was no doubt in his mind who was on the other side of the door when that fist hammered on the glass. Sam backed his way to the entry, hoping the captain would appreciate the humor in the situation. His hand paused on the doorknob.
“Why don’t we go to the Stagecoach for a cup of coffee and go through this?”
She stepped close. “You wouldn’t be trying to get out of this, would you?”
“Vance! Out here, on the double.” A loud voice resonated through the door.
The humor just left the office. “Honestly, I was, but since it’s for such a good cause, I’ll go through with it.” Sam turned the doorknob. “I’ll call you to set up a time to meet.”
One eyebrow lifted and Jessica’s gray eyes sparkled. “I’ll be waiting, but remember, I have to get this done before my surgery.”
Captain Sullivan’s eyes widened in surprise when Jessica eased her way past him. “Excuse me, Captain Sullivan.”
Sullivan eyed Sam, then Jessica. “I didn’t mean to interrupt, Ms. Mathers. Sam, I really am sorry to break this up, but we have a major problem in the jail.”
A major problem could only refer to one inmate— Dr. Lionel Valenti. “I was on my way there. He’s got to crack one of these days.”
Sullivan’s grimace didn’t leave much doubt what the problem was. “Your suspect just became the victim. He’s dead.”
“Suicide?”
“No, doesn’t look like it.” Sully nodded a greeting to Jessica and looked at Sam. “When you’re finished here, we need to get started on the investigation. Mayor Montgomery called the press. He’s making a statement on the evening news. We need to be ready with an announcement before rumors get started. Jessica, good to see you again.”
She smiled. “You, t
oo, Captain. Sam, give me a call and we’ll discuss what you’d like to do.”
“Let’s make it over dinner at seven, and be sure to bring Amy. I could use a little laughter.”
Her astonishment was obvious as the words caught in her throat. “Tonight? Where?”
“I’m not sure yet, I’ll pick you up.”
“Do you…”
He laughed. “I’m sure I can find your address somehow. I have connections.”
Sam watched her leave, dreading the job ahead of him. He would definitely need some cheering up tonight, even if it involved Jessica Mathers.
He and the captain spent the remainder of the afternoon on the Valenti homicide, interrogating other prisoners, jailers and guards. No one had seen anything suspicious. They examined the visitors’ log and moved on to question the kitchen staff. It could be days before they’d know if anything showed up in the blood tests. The crime scene investigators finished taking pictures and logging the contents of Valenti’s cell. Sam stayed behind, looking under the mattress and in every nook and cranny for anything that might have been hidden.
Once back at the precinct, Sam dug deep into each witness’s profile, hoping to find some connection to the Diablo Syndicate, Venezuela, or local drug dealers. He couldn’t believe they had a connection and he’d slipped right through their fingers. Sam contacted Valenti’s next of kin, depressed to think that Valenti’s parents had to hear the news from a total stranger, under such incriminating circumstances.
This job never got any easier.
He spent two hours on the phone with the director of Doctors Without Borders, trying to evaluate whether they had noticed any problems with Lionel Valenti before the burglary that injured Adam Montgomery. He kept digging, hoping someone could identify locals in the area that Valenti had been seen with when off duty.
Either Dr. Valenti led a very isolated life, or he was very adept at keeping secrets. No one seemed to have known anything about Valenti’s personal life, who his friends had been, or where he’d lived.
Before Sam realized it, it was time to go to City Hall. The crew had set up the cameras and lights in the conference room. Colleen Montgomery, reporter for the Colorado Springs Sentinel, stood by as her father prepared for his speech. Mayor Montgomery stepped behind the podium and began by giving a picture-book description of Colorado Springs as the idyllic city.
“For the past year, however, we’ve experienced a drastic increase in violent crimes and drug-related violence.” Montgomery encouraged the community to join together to help city officials work to bring justice to criminals. Twenty minutes later a local television reporter interviewed Sam for the evening news.
Jessica closed down her computer at the Galilee Women’s Shelter, ready to call it a day. She locked the door behind her and shouldered the strap of her backpack, then walked past Susan Carter’s door. “See you tomorrow, Susan,” she said to the director.
“Come here a minute. You might be interested in this story on the news. The mayor is going to speak after the commercial.”
“Mayor Montgomery? I wonder what is up?”
“I’m not sure, but I received an e-mail from his secretary requesting my attendance at a task-force planning meeting on Wednesday.”
“Do you need coverage? I’ll be here Wednesday, but not Thursday or Friday, remember?”
Susan nodded, sending her corkscrew curls into motion. “I have your sick leave on my schedule. Are you getting nervous about the surgery?”
“No, I’m so ready. I can hardly make it through the evening with Amy some nights. That’s just not fair to her—”
Their conversation was interrupted by the return of the program. Mayor Montgomery’s picture came on, and then they moved to clips from his speech. “Violence is like a virus—it mutates and spreads, and it will take over our city if we don’t do something now. We are going to stamp out crime in Colorado Springs. Our law enforcement will work to eradicate domestic abuse, drugs…”
“That must be what the meeting is about,” Susan said.
“They have a huge job ahead of them. I admire the mayor’s determination. Someone has to do something.”
As Jessica headed for the door, Sam appeared on the television screen. Jessica stopped to watch. She admired him, anxious to see him at dinner tonight. Even if it would be official business.
“That is one handsome man,” Susan said with a teasing grin.
Jessica smiled. “I wouldn’t dream of arguing with you. I’m sure he’ll bring a pretty penny for the shelter’s budget. Which brings me to say farewell. I need to get Amy home. We girls have a business dinner to get ready for.”
Susan raised her eyebrows. “That sounds interesting. Keep me up-to-date on how it goes. And if you need any help finishing up the publicity, I’ll be glad to get it to Colleen.”
Just before seven o’clock, Sam called Jessica to confirm her address and see if they were still on.
“Surely you don’t think you’re going to be let off the hook? Took me long enough to get the courage to ask you to do this, Samuel Vance. Now that I have you, I’m not about to let you go.”
“You sound awfully confident, Ms. Mathers.”
“Do you want to be the one to tell your mother you backed out?”
He laughed. “Not a chance. But honestly, I can’t believe that spending the evening planning a date for a bachelor auction is the highlight of my day. I’ll be right over.”
Chapter Four
Despite the tension of the murder investigation, a smile teased Sam’s lips when he saw Jessica and Amy waiting in front of the two-story Victorian. He stopped the truck and walked around it to meet them.
“Evening, Jessica.” He knelt down and smiled at the little girl. “Hi, Amy, I’m Sam, a friend of your mom’s.”
Amy giggled then ducked behind Jessica’s leg.
“She doesn’t talk much,” Jessica explained. Amy held out her teddy bear for Sam to see.
Sam recognized it as the one he’d given her in the hospital. “That’s a really cute bear. Looks like you love it a lot.”
Jessica tousled Amy’s windblown hair. “She takes it everywhere. Someone gave it to her after the accident.”
He extended his hands, but Amy held on tight to her mother’s leg. “Well, if you’re ready to go… Amy, would you let me help you and your bear into the truck?”
Jessica glanced into the truck as she spoke. “I was going to suggest we take my car since you don’t…oh, you do have a child seat.” She looked again in the truck and back at him. “I hadn’t even considered you might have children.”
He somewhat enjoyed watching “Miss Personality” fumbling for words, though it seemed peculiar. She hadn’t seemed at a loss when he’d seen her lunching recently with those other men at the Stagecoach Café. “I brought one from the station. We keep them on hand, in case we need to transport children.”
She bit her lower lip, wrinkled her nose for a second and looked at him, her expression full of appreciation. “What made you think of bringing one?”
“It’s my job to plan ahead. I figured it would be easier this way. Are you ready? I’m starving.” Sam motioned to the truck and opened the passenger door.
As Jessica stepped back, Amy moved with her. “Don’t tell me you got so caught up in the investigation that you didn’t have lunch?” While Jessica pried Amy’s arms from around her legs, Sam noted her disapproving glance. “Amy, we’re going to eat now. Can you let Sam help you into his big truck? Mommy’s back hurts.”
Amy nodded. “Mommy owie.”
He offered Amy a hand, and she lifted both arms up to him. “Can you say ‘Sam,’ Amy?”
Amy smiled and gave Sam a hug.
“Wow.” Jessica’s slate-colored eyes opened wide. “You should be flattered.” She apparently hadn’t expected Amy to respond so well to him. “What did you do, give her C-A-N-D-Y when I wasn’t looking?” She gave him a wink as she moved to the truck and set her briefcase on the floor beneath t
he car seat.
As she stepped back, Sam reached up and grabbed the door, blocking her in the small triangular opening with him and Amy. “Kids are a good judge of character. I don’t need to bribe her.” Jessica’s eyes brightened with her usual perkiness. “Must just be that natural charm, huh?”
“Must be. Only works on certain females, though.”
She blushed, then ducked under his arm, skimming her hand along his ribs. “That’s what you think, Samuel Vance.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” While he waited for another of Jessica’s smart-aleck remarks, he gently set Amy in the seat and helped position the straps over her shoulders. Amy grabbed the buckle, as if she thought she could do it herself. Sam waited until she took his hand and guided it to the buckle. “Need help?”
Amy nodded. Sam snapped the locks in place, then tested the seat to make sure it was secure. “I asked around the precinct for suggestions on where the car seat works best. There isn’t enough room in the back seat. Sometimes kids kick the gearshift when they’re in the middle, so the passenger seat won the vote. I turned off the air bags, so that’s safe.”
“Sounds like you have everything under control.”
“Not quite everything. You didn’t answer my question.”
Her pink cheeks were answer enough for him.
“Nor do I plan to.” Jessica wished she had an on-off switch to her heart. Sam’s charm could be considered a lethal weapon. And this wasn’t even a date, it was a business dinner.
“Plan to what? Answer me honestly, or fall for my charms?” He stepped around her, glancing up the street, then back at her with a boyish smile. Sam opened the driver’s door and the half door to the back seat, lifted the bench seat, placed his service pistol inside a lockbox and closed it. That told her a lot about him. “Knowing I had plans with you and Amy got me through the day.”
Finding Amy Page 3