That Old Devil Moon

by Anne Logan

  Even wet and caked with mud, Alex’s closeness was disturbing. But when he pulled out the gramophone base, Maddie forgot everything but what he was holding. Although in awe of the beauty of the antique, she was more confused than ever. She reached out and ran her fingers over the smooth wood. “I don’t understand,” she whispered. She turned troubled eyes toward Alex. “Why would anyone want to—” She stopped short of saying “murder” and darted a quick glance at Carla before returning her gaze to Alex. “Why?”

  His face was without expression, and instead of answering, he directed his attention to his daughter. “Sweetheart, would you please leave us alone for a few minutes?”

  Carla glanced uncertainly from Alex to Maddie, then back to Alex. “Just a few minutes,” he added.

  The teenager finally shrugged. “Sure. No problem. I need to finish making the tuna salad, anyway.” With one last, curious look at Maddie, she turned and headed back to the kitchen.

  “Why, Alex?” Maddie repeated her earlier question.

  “I’m not sure…yet,” he answered. “But with your permission, I’d like to take a look inside the base.”

  Maddie narrowed her eyes. “You think something’s hidden inside? Something…illegal?”

  “I hope not,” he answered. “For your sake,” he added quietly, his meaning obvious.

  Maddie felt her temper rising. “Well, you can look,” she said, unable to curb the defensive tone in her voice. “But you won’t find anything. My brother never did an illegal thing in his life.”

  Alex stared at her for several silent moments, but there was nothing in his expression that gave even a hint of what he was thinking, a trait of his that was beginning to drive Maddie up the wall. Then, without a word, he stood and carried the base to the coffee table and set it on top.

  For long minutes, Maddie battled to control her temper. When she was finally able to speak, she turned her attention to the other two boxes. “What’s in those?”

  When he didn’t answer, she glanced over at him to find that he was totally absorbed in his examination of the base, and she wondered if he had even heard her question.

  “Alex?”

  “The horn and some old discs,” he answered absently. “I’ll need a flathead screwdriver,” he said, eyeing the tiny brass screws that held the sides of the base in place.

  Half an hour later, Alex replaced the last of the screws that he had removed and twisted it tight. “Well, looks like this blows the hell out of your key theory and my suspicions.”

  “I told you that you wouldn’t find anything.” Although Maddie was disappointed that she had been wrong about the key, she felt vindicated on her brother’s behalf.

  Rubbing his sore arm, Alex stood. “I don’t understand,” he muttered. “I would have sworn that you were right, especially after that sleazeball, Arnie, attacked me—”

  “Attacked you!” She motioned at his clothes. “Is that why—?”

  Alex nodded. “Yeah.” He held out his hands, palms up, as if presenting himself for inspection. “I look like I’ve been wallowing with pigs because I have, so to speak. Arnie is a snitch that Jack uses…Well, when I got to the storage vault, Arnie sneaked up from behind and tried to knock me over the head with a damn tire iron. We scuffled, but the little bastard got away.”

  Alex shook his head. “He must have been following me all along. Either that or he had the place staked out, just waiting for someone to come along with the key.” He paused, his expression thoughtful. “But how the hell did he know about the key in the first place, and what could be so all-fired important about a gramophone, important enough to threaten murder and commit assault?” He frowned and shook his head again. “Nothing,” he said, answering his own question. “He had to be after something else.”

  Chill bumps marched up her arms, and Maddie shivered. “Does that mean you think this Arnie person is the one who broke in on me?”

  Alex gazed at her thoughtfully. “I can’t be sure,” he said guardedly, “but it seems logical.” Maddie crossed her arms, hugging herself tightly, and paled. “Maddie, don’t.” Alex reached out and clasped her upper arms. Instantly, he knew that touching her was a mistake, and it took every ounce of his willpower to keep from pulling her closer and wrapping his arms around her. “You’re safe now, and there’s no way to know he’s the one for sure,” he said gruffly, “not until I catch up with him. And I will catch up with him. That’s a promise.” With one last reassuring squeeze, he made himself release her.

  Maddie rubbed her arms where he’d held her. All he had to do was touch her to set off longings that she couldn’t even put a name to. She stared at the floor for several seconds and tried to concentrate on what he had said instead of how her body responded to him. “Alex, who else knew about the key besides you, me and Josephine Carter?”

  “I showed it to Casey,” he said with a frown. “But it was actually another detective—Tom Langley—who identified the type and gave me a list of possible sources.”

  “Were there other people around at the time?”

  His frown deepened. “Maddie, what are you getting at?”

  “I’m only trying to figure out who could have sicced Arnie on you.”

  Alex shook his head. “You’re barking up the wrong tree. If he was the one who broke in on you then he knew about it beforehand. Besides, I was in the squad room when the key was being discussed. Jack had come by to take me out for lunch, and there was no one in the room but other cops…and Jack.”

  “And your friend, Jack, was the one who was in charge of the investigation in the first place,” she said softly, thoughtfully, almost as if talking to herself. “The one who was in such an big hurry to close the case. And—” she looked up at Alex “—the one who just so happens to use Arnie occasionally to snitch for him.”

  The muscles in Alex’s jaw tightened. Her implication hit too close to home, too close to his own recent traitorous thoughts of his childhood friend.

  “If you’re implying that Jack has anything to do with all of this, then forget it,” he said. Too late he realized how defensive he sounded. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before he tried to explain. “Look, I’ve known Jack for years. He’s a good cop and a good friend. Like I said before, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”

  Maddie closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. None are so blind as those who will not see, she thought, wishing she had the courage to say the aphorism out loud. But one look at the closed expression on Alex’s face, and she knew that no amount of arguing would do any good. Still…what could one more shot at it hurt? “Look, I’m not accusing anyone or implying anything,” she said wearily. “It just seems odd to me that Jack’s name keeps popping up.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  JACK MOORE HAD a death grip on the receiver, and he felt like smashing it into the nearest wall in hopes that by some miracle it would turn into Arnie Turner’s head.

  “Hey, man, I tried,” Arnie complained. “Got a sore gut and skinned elbows to prove it.”

  Jack squeezed his eyes closed and reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

  “That friend of yours is one mean mother. And you did say anything short of murder,” he added.

  “Okay, Arnie—okay! Stop your damn whining. I should have known better than to depend on you. But you just remember, you still owe me.’’

  Jack didn’t wait for Arnie’s response before slamming down the receiver. For minutes he glared into space while tapping out an impatient rhythm against the phone. Finally, he picked up the receiver again and punched out a number. As soon as the answering machine played its message and beeped, Jack left one of his own.

  “This is Jack. The gramophone has been found, and by now, the woman probably has it. If you can locate her and retrieve it, you’ll be a hero. I have an idea that she’s probably staying with Alex Batiste.” He paused. “And this time, don’t screw it up.”

  Feeling a twinge of regret, Jack hesitated before he rattled off Alex’s a
ddress. Then he hung up the phone. There was no use worrying about Alex, he thought in an attempt to console his conscience. Of all people, Alex would understand that he had no choice. Besides, his old friend was tough and more than able to handle himself. As for the woman…Jack shrugged. She was no concern of his, not compared with what was at stake. She just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and related to the wrong person.

  MADDIE WAS as confused as ever about everything that had happened since she’d arrived in New Orleans, but there was one thing she was sure of, she thought, as she took another bite of tuna salad. She certainly couldn’t continue to impose on Alex’s generosity indefinitely, especially not now that she’d goofed and as much as accused his best friend of being behind everything. Besides, she thought, Alex was an intelligent man. Sooner or later, he was sure to pick up on how she was beginning to feel about him, and since he had done nothing to encourage her, the result would be unnecessary embarrassment for both of them.

  But she couldn’t bring herself to return to Michael’s apartment, either…not to live there, and especially not now that people were searching for something they thought she had.

  She supposed that she could always rent an apartment, but she would need her car and a few necessities, which meant that she would have to go back to Nashville for a couple of days.

  She glanced across the table at Alex, who was already working on devouring his second sandwich. Stubborn man, she thought, remembering the ease with which he’d dismissed her suspicions about his friend.

  All traces of mud were gone. His dark hair was still damp from the shower and slicked back from his rugged face. He’d changed into a pair of faded jeans and a snug pullover that outlined his broad shoulders and chest. Her face grew warm just thinking about those excruciating minutes when he’d first sat down at the table after his shower and she had caught a whiff of the clean, spicy scent wafting around him. Unable to help herself, she had taken so many deep breaths that she’d almost hyperventilated.

  Even though she found Alex to be one of the sexiest men she had ever met, and his sense of responsibility, his dependability and his serious but generous nature appealed to her on a level she didn’t quite understand, she knew that a relationship between them would never work. How could it when they had such opposing views about her career?

  “Alex, I’ve decided to look around for another apartment,” she said. “If you could point me in the right direction, I would appreciate it.”

  Alex looked up, but before he had a chance to answer, Carla spoke. “Dad and I don’t have anything planned this afternoon. We could show you around.”

  Maddie glanced at Alex, but once again he was wearing that infuriating, unreadable expression that didn’t give her a clue as to how he felt about his daughter’s offer. She shook her head. “Carla, I appreciate the offer, it’s very thoughtful of you, but I’ve imposed enough on your father’s hospitality and time.”

  When Alex wasn’t forthcoming with any objections, Carla turned her full attention to him, her crestfallen look making it more than obvious how she felt about his silence.

  Having grown up without a father, Maddie found the interplay between Alex and his daughter both fascinating and amusing, and she quickly pushed away the pang of envy that surfaced, the same envy she’d had to deal with many times as a child.

  She didn’t fail to notice that it was only after his daughter’s blatant show of disapproval that Alex finally responded. “Carla’s right,” he said. “We can show you around. There are certain parts of the city which are definitely safer to live in than other parts.”

  And although his tone wasn’t exactly brimming with enthusiasm, Maddie was too relieved to object further.

  They spent an exhausting afternoon looking at apartments and by the end of it, Maddie had located a suitable apartment in an upscale apartment complex, one complete with security-guard service.

  Although Maddie had strenuously objected, Carla had once again won out, forcing her father to invite Maddie to stay the night with them again. Maddie had reluctantly agreed, but only on the condition that they let her prepare dinner that evening. By the time they had stopped at a grocery store and purchased the ingredients she needed, it was after six.

  Now, using a fork, Maddie stirred pasta in boiling water until it softened. “If I can book a flight for tomorrow,” she said, “I’m going to return to Nashville for a couple of days to pack some things and pick up my car.”

  Alex was in the middle of tearing chunks of lettuce into a bowl. He turned to her, a pensive look on his face. “I know you’ve already put down a deposit on the apartment, but are you absolutely certain that you want to come back to New Orleans? With everything that’s happened, you’d probably be safer in Nashville until I track down Arnie and find out exactly what’s going on. It’s not too late to get your money back on the apartment.”

  Maddie shook her head. “I don’t expect you to understand, but I have to keep my promise to Michael,” she answered quietly, with feeling.

  Alex opened his mouth to say more, but Carla chose that moment to walk into the kitchen.

  Carla looked at Maddie then at Alex. “Did I interrupt something?”

  Maddie summoned a smile. “No, not really. I was just telling your father that I need to go back to Nashville for a couple of days. If I can get a flight out, I’ll leave tomorrow.”

  “Nashville.” Carla whispered the word as if it were sacred. Maddie glanced at Alex and could tell he knew what was coming before Carla even spoke.

  “Why couldn’t we drive Maddie to Nashville?”

  Maddie felt a sudden wave of heat sting her cheeks. “Oh, no!” she protested. “I could never let you do that. I’m sure you two have much better ways to spend your time together than carting me across the country.”

  Carla continued to stare at her father.

  Now what? Alex thought, suddenly feeling like a bug under a microscope. If he didn’t agree, he’d have to put up with Carla pouting about it. But when he thought of being confined in a car with Maddie for hours on end, he feared that agreeing to the trip would exact its own price.

  Still, he didn’t have any plans for the next few days, and a trip to a place his daughter considered synonymous with Mecca might be just the thing to help cement more of a bond between them and maybe it would solve his other problem with her, too. Carla was an intelligent girl, he reasoned. Once she got a look at what she was up against, once she actually came face-to-face with her competition and realized how high the odds against her were, maybe she would give up her dream.

  “I think Carla is right,” he finally said, throwing both Carla and Maddie off guard. “I think a road trip is just the thing for all of us.”

  Carla grinned from ear to ear. “Oh, cool!” she squealed. “Could we tour some of the recording studios?”

  Alex shrugged. “If it’s okay with Maddie, I don’t see why not.”

  Maddie couldn’t believe her ears. Something wasn’t quite right here, she thought. Alex was far too pragmatic to agree so readily to something he was so opposed to. She was fairly sure his reason had nothing to do with supporting his daughter’s dream. Probably just the opposite. Still, she had a feeling that no matter what Alex had up his sleeve, his daughter was one tough cookie, one of the few who—like Maddie— would persevere, no matter what the odds.

  “I know just the one you should see,” Maddie said. “I have a friend who’s an engineer with Vibration Recording Studio.”

  “Oh, wow! Isn’t that the studio that Judd Cameron uses?”

  Surprised that Carla would know such a detail, Maddie nodded even as her stomach turned sour even at the mention of Judd’s name. “That’s where I first met my friend Tara,” she said evenly. “We were working on the ‘Down Home’ album.”

  “Oh, this is just too cool. I can’t wait to tell—” Carla abruptly darted a nervous look at her father. “To tell my friends,” she finished quickly.

  Too quickly, thought
Maddie. The teenager made a sudden show of sniffing the air. “Mmm, that sauce smells heavenly. How much longer till we eat?”

  Maddie frowned at Carla’s fast change of subject. Why? she wondered…unless the girl was hiding something. But what would Carla be hiding? She glanced at Alex, and from the expression on his face, she knew that she wasn’t the only one who had suspicions about the girl’s peculiar behavior.

  “Thirty minutes or so,” Maddie answered, telling herself that whatever was going on between father and daughter was none of her business. The less she got involved with them, the better off she would be. “Think you can hold out that long?”

  Letting out an exaggerated sigh, the teenager reached over, pinched off a piece of French bread and gave a reluctant nod as she popped it into her mouth. When the girl continued to stand there, Maddie sensed that she had more on her mind than food.

  “Ah, Maddie, I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve been going through that box of discs. There’s a bunch of neat old songs inside, and if you like, I could start cataloging them for you?”

  Maddie paused from stirring the spaghetti sauce. “Hey, that’s a terrific idea.”

  Carla smiled self-consciously, but instead of rushing off, she suddenly became preoccupied with examining her fingernails and began to fidget, shifting from one foot to the other. “Would you mind—I mean, would it be okay if—”

  “Carla, what is this? Twenty Questions?”

  Alex’s comment earned him a fierce glare from his daughter before she turned her attention back to Maddie.

  “Could I play a couple of the discs?” she blurted out. “I’ll be super careful,” she hurried to add.

  Alex began shaking his head. “That’s probably not such a good idea.”

  Before he could protest further, Maddie spoke up. “No, it’s okay. Really,” she assured him when Alex frowned. “Besides, I’ve been kind of anxious to hear some of them myself.”

  “Oh, cool,” Carla squealed, throwing her father a triumphant look.