Bad Boy, Back in Town

by Summer Jordan

Kitt read the caption aloud for Sug. “It goes on to say the guy had a wealthy new girlfriend and might have wanted this one out of the way. She was trying to get him back and he’d filed a stalking complaint against her.” She held out the paper for Sug to see.

  She squinted over her half-glasses. “The story I read on last night’s back page was about a couple in Los Angeles.” Sug tapped the picture. “But you see? It’s happening everywhere.”

  That one wasn’t the Terewsky case if it was in California. And the woman who was killed in Orlando had already been identified and it wasn’t Pamela. But Auntie’s remark sent chills through Kitt. Would Pamela’s life be endangered if Jason learned she’d hired a detective to find him? Would Kitt’s be in jeopardy if Jason learned she was tracking him?

  “You know the saying,” Sug said. “‘Money is the root of all evil’.”

  Where had Rob gotten his money? He was never off her mind for long. Kitt had always believed in his basic goodness. And she still did. If evil wasn’t involved, however, who or what was? Rob Harrison had come a long ways from his roots and she was happy for him. She just hoped another woman hadn’t helped him get where he was today.

  Suzette stretched her long limbs out in front of her, displaying a lot of leg. Every motion she made was designed to titillate men and Rob wasn’t immune to her catlike beauty but noticing was as far as it went. Suzette liked to be admired.

  Handing Rob her lighter even though he was driving the limo, she pulled out a long thin cigarette for him to light. She’d chosen to sit in the front seat with him tonight. In daylight when she might be seen, she sat in the back. She maintained that it didn’t look right for her to sit next to the chauffeur. But she liked to chat and she’d grown tired of Rob asking her to repeat herself. He’d told her to speak louder but she said she’d paid a voice coach to cultivate her speaking voice and she wasn’t going to ruin it.

  He flicked her silver lighter and she leaned closer. She always wore low-cut dresses to tantalise her would-be suitors. Rob didn’t fall into that category but it was a practiced motion. “Thank you, doll,” she said, sitting back to inhale off the lit cigarette.

  Rob wore many hats, figuratively speaking. He was Suzette Gold’s all-around helper, and though he grumbled about it, she insisted he wear a chauffeur’s hat when he drove her. “My man” was what she called him when talking to others. She liked living like a celebrity and he liked the variety in his work. Sometimes chef, year-round pool boy and oftentimes butler, he did whatever she wanted. Fortunately, that didn’t include anything more personal than rubbing her back on occasion. He would never perform sexual favours for money. Even for a beautiful woman like her.

  She was a show-off in some respects, but he understood. Suzette was an aging model who had been a popular cover girl at one time. She’d been in such demand, she’d banked enough money to live well for the rest of her life, plus she’d been married twice to wealthy men who’d showered her with fabulous gifts. But she wasn’t satisfied lunching with ladies or playing bridge. She wanted her career back and had hired a new agent because the old one wasn’t getting her any decent jobs nowadays. He’d gotten lazy, Suzette had confided to Rob.

  Rob had other ideas about her lack of work. To be fair, she was still lovely for a woman in her late fifties but she was such a prima donna—he’d seen her working—photographers probably found her to be a pain in the ass. When she was a lovely young thing at the height of her career, they were all so hot for her body, they jumped to meet her requests.

  “Stop here,” Suzette said, laying a slender manicured hand on his arm. “Pull over and I’ll get in the back seat.”

  “So what difference does it make if a valet sees you riding up front with your chauffeur?” Rob had once asked her, but by now he knew the routine. He’d been working for her the past six months, and at first he’d lived in a couple of rooms over her carriage house. But when he learned Kitt might be coming to Summerfield, he’d made up his mind to move somewhere else. He’d saved his money over the years. The only foolish spending he’d done involved the woman he’d been married to briefly. He’d been drunk when he made that mistake. The only woman he’d ever really cared about was Kitt.

  Rob pulled up at the hotel entrance, hopped out and opened the door for Suzette.

  “Wait in the bar and put your dinner and drinks on my tab,” she told him, even though that was also standard.

  He relinquished the keys to one of the eager young guys waiting for the opportunity to drive a silver limo.

  Gaylord Palms was a fantastic resort hotel and he’d entertained himself here before by checking out its lavish features and watching the patrons. He’d grown up never even dreaming such places existed or that so many people lived these kinds of lives. There were multiple restaurants in the hotel and he could choose any one of them as long as he was waiting for Suzette at the bar she’d designated on previous trips. He wasn’t hungry yet and couldn’t drink much since he had to drive, so he strolled the lobby feeling invisible even though he was wearing a custom tux that Suzette bought him.

  “Rob Harrison?”

  Rob came to a surprised halt and found himself face-to-face with Joe Pringle, the guy that used his class ring on Rob’s face like a brass knuckle. “Joe.” Laughing, Rob pumped Joe’s hand like he would any old friend’s. Running into someone from high school when he was here in a tuxedo felt good. “How are you doing, buddy? Want to knock back a few and catch up on old times?”

  “Damn. I wish I could, but Amy’s in the ladies’ room and we’re meeting her parents for dinner.”

  Rob took a quick look at Joe’s left hand and saw the wedding ring. “So you two got married?”

  “Yeah. Can you believe it?”

  “Are you treating her right?” Rob narrowed his eyes. He still remembered the way the big guy treated his petite girlfriend.

  Joe smacked a fist in his palm. “I thought you and I had moved past that. She’s okay. What about you? Did you marry any of your horny little playmates?” He smirked. “Or did love-struck Kitt Maxwell finally catch you?”

  Rob ached to hit the bastard again but he’d risen above that. “I haven’t seen any of them since graduation.”

  “I heard Kitt’s in town visiting her aunt. Amy said she looks hot. Maybe you should give her a tumble.”

  “Hello, Rob.” Amy appeared on the scene with a swollen belly. “Number three,” she said, patting her baby bulge. “You should call Kitt. I’ll bet she’d like to see you. You look wonderful, Rob, even without your curly hair. The shaved head is…sexy.”

  Joe shuffled his feet and took her arm. Looking at Rob, he loosened his grip.

  “Thanks, Amy. I might do that but I don’t have her number.”

  “I’ll write it down for you. She and I talk on the phone occasionally.”

  Pulling a paper out of her purse, Amy scrawled a number and handed it to Rob before Joe dragged her away.

  Hot damn. Rob headed for a quiet corner of the lobby.

  Chapter Five

  Kitt’s head was spinning as she sat down on the living room sofa with her laptop. Thoughts of Rob were beginning to interweave with Sug’s surprising past. Add the Terewsky case and the newspaper articles, and Kitt was going to turn into a nut case.

  She might inherit money she never knew Auntie had. Hopefully not soon. She’d rather have the feisty old broad in her life than any amount of money. When her test results came back, they’d all know for sure. Kitt suspected her mother was worried too but she hadn’t called to inquire what Kitt thought about her sister’s health.

  Did Auntie tell Kitt’s dad she might have cancer to scare her sister? Or was she trying to bring Kitt to Summerville to get her together with Rob? Sug wouldn’t lie but she might milk her health problems to attain a goal.

  Kitt shook her head to clear it. I’m distrusting everyone with little cause.

  Was her detective work making her paranoid? So, Terewski was a fortune hunter. That didn’t make him a kille
r. And just because Sug seemed perky, it didn’t mean she wasn’t ill. Rob was in the Navy and worked as a chef after that, so he could have saved his money to live a more comfortable life. He was charming enough to become a gigolo as she’d once predicted, but that wasn’t saying he’d done so. Maybe she was too imaginative for this kind of work.

  Stop it, Kitt.

  It was time to get down to business and she should go about her manhunt in a logical manner. She had a description for Jason but she’d like to see a picture so she could make a positive identification if she found him inside The Silver Spoon.

  She started a search on the internet. Finding a newspaper photo of him at a Cruise-In with his Porsche, Kitt bounced in excitement on the cushioned couch, then stopped as she took a closer look.

  Terewski, wearing what appeared to be dress pants incongruously paired with a white T-shirt with the sleeve rolled up, obviously around a pack of cigarettes, Jason looked like… “Rob,” she gasped.

  “No.” Kitt shook her head. The guy in the picture was taller. Wasn’t he? And he wasn’t wearing blue jeans. His pants were belted and cuffed. Rob never wore slacks like that and she’d never seen him with a belt. It was the way he carried his cigarettes that rang a bell. That and the white tee were what made her think they were lookalikes. Right?

  She zeroed in farther and saw Jason did have hair that curled tightly. The way Rob’s used to. “But his head is shaved now,” she whispered to herself. In a black and white shot, there was no way to determine the colour of Jason’s locks or eyes. They both appeared dark but who could tell? She wiped her sweaty palms together.

  Was she going crazy? Everyone and everything brought her long time idol to mind. Was it her imagination…? How long ago did Rob shave his head? Was it him a while back? The picture was dated August twentieth of last year.

  Kitt buried her head in her hands. The man in the picture couldn’t be him. Why would she even think such a thing? Rob Harrison wouldn’t steal from a woman. He wouldn’t hurt one in any way. He respected females.

  She upped the resolution of the photo and zoomed in on the man to look for identifying marks. Rob had a scar under his left eye. A boy in their class once grabbed his girlfriend’s arm so hard that she screamed and Rob blacked his eye. The kid he socked had retaliated wearing a bulky class ring. The school nurse applied a butterfly Band-Aid and told Rob his parents needed to take him to the doctor for stitches. But they didn’t have the means for doctors. Or gold class rings. He said he wouldn’t wear it anyhow. Jewellery was for girls. And the resulting scar added character to his face.

  Rob’s scar was less noticeable but could still be seen, plus he now had a gold edge lining his front tooth. She studied Jason Terewski’s face. He wasn’t smiling so she couldn’t see his teeth and she couldn’t spot any telltale marks. However, the picture was grainy and she couldn’t be certain.

  The resemblance was striking. She tapped a fingernail against her teeth. Had Rob refused to take her to The Silver Spoon because it was the business his current flame owned? Kitt couldn’t bear the thought of him living off a wealthy widow, and even worse, sleeping with a restaurant owner so glamorous she could have been a model.

  If Rob and Jason are the same man… Kitt burst into tears.

  Kitt had just finished dousing her red eyes with cold water and was drying them when her cell phone rang. She’d taken refuge in her bedroom so Sug wouldn’t see her crying, and Kitt was now trying to make herself presentable to join her aunt in front of the TV.

  Remembering it couldn’t be Rob because he didn’t have her number, Kitt picked up gingerly. Dan wasn’t likely to call at eight o’clock at night, and Lionel should be attending his genealogy class. “Hello?”

  “I didn’t think you were going to pick up.”

  Lionel. She’d hoped by some miracle Rob had gotten her number. He and Jason couldn’t be the same person. Hearing his voice would make everything all right. She just knew it. She pressed her hand to her pounding heart. “I was…er…in the other room.” She tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

  “…thinking about driving to Summerville to see you,” Lionel was saying.

  Kitt nearly dropped her phone. “Wh…what?” She’d better start paying attention. “I…I didn’t think you could get away. With work and your classes and all.”

  “My genealogy class took a break and I’ve been thinking of you all night.” He cleared his throat. “I want to see you, Kitt.”

  She swallowed against the lump in her throat. Did he miss her? She was surprised he felt that way. “I…uh…when were you thinking of coming?”

  “This weekend unless you’re coming back before then.”

  “No. I mean, no, I can’t possibly come back that soon.”

  “I didn’t think so. That’s why I’ve made plans to take off Friday, drive over and stay till Sunday. We need to talk about…us.”

  Oh, no. He was going to push for engagement and a wedding date. Kitt could feel it in her gut.

  “Aunt Sug doesn’t have any spare bedrooms and she’d never let us share one.” Kitt crossed her fingers. If Sug wouldn’t let them sleep together, it was only because she favoured Rob. But Kitt had to stop Lionel from coming. “Besides, she isn’t well, you know. And I’m not sure I should leave her.”

  “Sorry Kitt, but I have to go. I see the others returning to the classroom. I’ll call you on the way to Summerville for directions to your aunt’s house. I can stay at a hotel. I just need to see you.”

  Lionel hung up.

  Crap. What am I going to do now?

  Before she could unlock the bedroom door, Kitt’s phone rang again. This time, she looked at the identifier and picked up, fingers trembling. “Rob!”

  She heard the excitement in her voice and changed her tone when speaking into the phone. “How did you get my number?”

  “Don’t sound so thrilled to hear from me.” He paused and when she didn’t say anything, he went on. “I…I ran into Amy and she gave it to me.”

  Kitt’s heart beat faster. Had he asked for it? “Amy Woodruff? She married Joe Pringle. Did you know that?” Joe was the guy that put the scar on Rob’s face.

  “Yeah. They were together. She’s expecting their third child. She said you talk now and then.”

  “Not often, but he hasn’t changed and she cries on my shoulder occasionally,” Kitt said, curling up on the bed. “Most recently about getting pregnant again. It’s so like Joe to keep her knocked up.

  “Did you ask her for my phone number?” Kitt tucked her bare feet up under her. She couldn’t prevent the tingle that even Rob’s voice sent through her and remembering his magic toes and where he’d put them, she grew wet.

  He wasn’t a gigolo or a criminal, and he cared about her or he wouldn’t have called. She’d been foolish to judge him with so little reason. The resemblance between the two men didn’t prove anything.

  “Amy offered it. Look, Kitten. I just called to say I’m sorry I ticked you off. I…I should have taken you where you wanted to go this afternoon.”

  Kitt beamed. She was sure Rob didn’t hand out apologies on a regular basis if ever and now was her big chance. Tomorrow wouldn’t be as opportune as today but she still might see her perp or at least get some info. “You can make it up to me by taking me to The Silver Spoon. I still want to go.” She held her breath.

  Rob sighed into the phone. “You drive a hard bargain, but fine, although I still don’t understand why.”

  There. That proved it. He wouldn’t agree to take her if he was involved with Lana. He wasn’t Jason. Kitt smiled. And Amy wouldn’t have volunteered her number unless… “Where did you run into Amy and Joe?”

  “Orlando, at a…uh…hotel…restaurant. I drove a friend and I’m hanging out while…she and he…he and she meet.”

  She and he or he and she? Did he drive a woman to Orlando to meet another guy? “You’re still there? Doesn’t your friend have a car?” Kitt asked.

  “It’s in th
e garage.” Rob cleared his throat. “Okay. I’ll take you tomorrow if you are really sure it’s a place you want to go. But it’s a dive.”

  “The Silver Spoon is a dive? The name doesn’t sound like it. Where are you now?”

  “Gaylord Palms.”

  “Wow.” Kitt whistled. “Hanging out at a dive tomorrow is a good idea if you’re living that high tonight.”

  Who was Rob with that rated a night out at the Gaylord Palms Resort Hotel? Or was he the one footing the bill? Maybe some rich chick was picking up the tab. He might not be a criminal but he could still be a gigolo. She was coming to hate that word.

  Reining in her thoughts, she got back to business. “Pick me up at four and maybe we can make Happy Hour with its two-for-one drinks.” A popular time at most bars, I’ll stand a better chance of spotting Jason or Lana.

  “I can afford regular prices, Kitten. In fact, I’ll buy you dinner too. At some place nice.”

  “Gaylord Palms?” She laughed, although her heart wasn’t in it. She was still curious, and she hated to admit it, but jealous.

  “Sure. If that’s what you want.”

  “I was joking. Eating at The Silver Spoon is good enough for me.” Better than the resort hotel, for her purposes. While proving Rob wasn’t Lana’s lover, she might spot the real Jason and solve everything. Then she could get on with learning more about what was going on with her heartthrob and his plans for the future.

  Kitt had an actual date with Rob Harrison, at last, and when he picked her up the next afternoon, she was raring to go. Since he indicated the place they were going wasn’t classy, she wore short white shorts and a black tank top low enough to offer a peek at her breasts nestled inside a lacy black strapless bra. She might be thirty years old but she was still in great shape, and she longed to make Rob want her. Really want her. Not just offer lovemaking to take her mind off going to The Silver Spoon.

  Remembering what her true mission was supposed to be, she tucked her Ace Agency ID and pepper spray into her red canvas shoulder bag. Not that she would need to protect herself as long as Rob was around. She knew he’d take care of her.