Beauty and the Badge

by Lyn Stone

  Luckily, it sat right where they’d left it and the streets looked clear. Ford drove by twice before he finally parked.

  “Can you drive a stick shift?” he asked, jingling the two sets of keys in one hand.

  Mary nodded, and he handed her one ring. “Good, you follow me in the Jeep. Keep close. If we get company, I’ll draw him away. You take this,” he advised as he placed his cellular phone in her hand, “and find a place to hide. Then hit Redial on this and tell Blevins where you are.”

  Mary clutched the keys so hard they bit into her palm. “Where are we going?”

  “Molly’s house.” He seemed to realize how unnecessary she thought this additional venture was and added, “She’ll want her van back and we might need my four-wheel drive.”

  Mary couldn’t imagine why, but she had to trust that he knew best. She held off arguing about it, hopped out and got into the Jeep. A few minutes later, they were back on the freeway.

  The subdivision where Molly lived caused Mary a few pangs of longing. Here was exactly what she had always dreamed of in a home, she thought as she drove down the streets lined with half-grown trees, past houses surrounded by flower beds. Normalcy. She imagined Molly’s home would be comfortable, filled with laughter and love, and as friendly as the woman herself had seemed.

  Ford pulled into the driveway of the light-colored twostory house with dark shutters and a small portico on the front. Mary pulled in behind him and waited, watching as he got out and went around back.

  No interior lights came on, but it was after one o’clock in the morning. Normal people would be sound asleep at this hour.

  When he returned, Mary got out to let Ford in the driver’s seat, then climbed in on the passenger side. “Did you wake them?” she asked as he pulled back out onto the street

  “No, no point in that,” he replied with a grimace. “Molly can kill me later. She’s not going to be too happy with all those holes in her pride and joy. Insurance ought to cover fixing it, but guess who gets to foot her deductible. Got a hard heart, that girl.”

  “I’ll pay for it!” Mary rushed to offer. She had no inkling what an FBI agent made in the way of salary, and had never asked what Molly’s husband did for a living, but she felt responsible for the damage to the van. “If it hadn’t been for me, this would never have happened.”

  He shot her a look. His eyes narrowed and his mouth kicked up on one side. Snide. This man could do snideness like no one else. “And have you do without lunches? No way.”

  “Peanut butter is cheap,” she countered.

  Ford laughed out loud and pounded the steering wheel with the heel of his hand. “You just slay me, Mary Shaw. You really do.”

  She dearly wished she could smack him. He was treating her like a rich bitch again, when he had no more idea of her financial situation than she did of his. “I’ll pay! And that’s the end of it!”

  “Okay,” he said with one last chuckle. “I’ll let you.”

  They rode in silence until they reached the community where Mary taught. It looked so alien at night, she thought. Very few rooms were illuminated in the homes they passed, but outdoor security lights glared over the manicured yards.

  “Are you sure nobody will be watching for us?” she asked, scanning the driveways for cars. Few remained outside the garages, and none looked like the one that had followed them.

  “No reason for them to keep up a surveillance here. Nobody would dream of your coming back to the school until all this is over.” He hesitated, then added, “One way or another.”

  She was wringing her hands she noticed, and promptly separated them, deliberately relaxing her fingers.

  “You don’t have to come in if you’d rather wait for me.”

  “Again? I don’t think so!” Mary huffed, recalling how terrified she had been when he’d left her alone behind that Dumpster.

  “It’ll be okay,” Ford promised. “Only the two of us know that you left your bag at the school, so Perry has no reason to think we’d come here. Neither does Blevins.”

  He turned onto the street where Cartland’s Preschool was located. Instead of stopping, he drove right by it at normal speed, taking in the surrounding area. “See? No one watching and no lights on, which means there’s probably nobody inside.”

  “Inside? It’s two o’clock in the morning. Why would you think anyone might be there?”

  “Janitors usually work at night. Painters, sometimes exterminators and plumbers,” he explained. “We’ll park a few blocks away and come back on foot.”

  He left the Jeep in a small treed park where nearby residents did their morning jogs and mothers strolled with their children in the afternoons. Silently, they crossed the street and threaded between the widely spaced houses, keeping near the hedges and trees until they reached the school.

  “I wish I had my key,” Mary whispered while they hugged the shadows beside the front entrance.

  “Now you’re sure there’s no alarm?” he asked. When she nodded, he opened the miniature tool kit he’d retrieved from his condo and had the door open in less than two minutes.

  He carefully closed the self-locking door, led the way to her classroom and ushered her inside. The spotlights from the back of the closest house shone through the windows, reducing the room by night to stark gray and black.

  Mary hesitated for a moment, glancing down at the big pillow she had been sitting on when Ford had first barreled into her life. The memory of that kiss tingled on her lips. It had been urgent, consuming, and more than a little scary, just like their every action these past two days. And like tonight’s escapade.

  She shook off the feeling and went straight for the cubbyholes bearing boldly printed names that stood out, even in the near darkness.

  Since it was the weekend, most were empty. She noted little Libby’s forgotten bunny in one, and Sarah’s wadded, fuzzy security blanket in another. Mary didn’t envy Sarah’s parents their weekend without “banky,” she thought with a frown.

  Her own roomy tote bag nearly filled the open compartment bearing her name. Catching it by the wide strap, she pulled it free. Through the leather she could feel the sharp edges of the two foot-long boxes that held the nine-inch dolls.

  “Looks like a weekender instead of a handbag,” Ford commented.

  “Because I bring show-and-tell surprises for the kids every day,” she whispered as she hooked the strap over her head and settled the bag comfortably against her side. “All set! Let’s go,” she said, patting the purse.

  Ford clutched her elbow and pulled her toward the door. “Come on, we’d better get out of here.”

  They quickly left the way they had come. A patchy fog had drifted in, granting them more cover than they’d had on the way in. As a result, Ford took a more direct route to the park.

  Only moments later, Ford pulled out of the park slowly, so their exit wouldn’t draw attention. Soon they reached the on-ramp to 440 South and were absorbed into the late-night traffic. Mary watched him forcibly relax, flexing his fingers on the steering wheel, shifting his chin to unclench his jaw.

  Then for miles, he kept his eyes on the highway except for frequent glances in the rearview mirror.

  Mary hoped this would be her last excursion into the world of breaking and entering. She sighed, leaned back against the headrest and closed her eyes.

  “If you’re bored, I’ll take you home,” Ford said with a chuckle.

  ,Mary laughed, too, and some of her tension dissipated. “Give me a break. I’m not used to this. Please tell me our crime wave’s over for tonight.”

  “Yeah, I think we’ve had enough excitement.”

  With a last look behind them, Ford took the next exit and pulled up beside an all-night Texaco station. They sat there for a while with the engine idling, watching the offramp until Ford decided they hadn’t been followed.

  Though he had assured her repeatedly that neither Perry nor Agent Blevins would expect them to turn up at the preschool, Mary knew For
d was exercising every caution in the event that he was wrong.

  “Looks like a successful heist!” he declared finally and pulled around to one of the pumps. “Come on,” he said as he opened his door. “You can hit the ladies’ room while I gas up the Jeep and get us some coffee.”

  Mary wondered how he knew she needed to go. Was he that attuned to her? Nonsense, she thought, laughing to herself. It was only that they had been busy for several hours now, and had downed numerous cups of coffee in preparation for their little adventure. He’d be feeling the results of that, as well. She shrugged her purse strap higher on her shoulder and followed him into the station.

  Once she had taken care of business, Mary washed her hands and looked in the mirror over the sink. Her face was as pale as a death mask, surrounded by several dark strands that had escaped her beret. She unzipped her bag to find her hairbrush.

  The doll boxes rested on top of everything else. Open. And empty. “Ford!” she cried, rushing out of the rest room and through the aisles of toiletries and snacks. “Ford! They’re gone!”

  He turned from the counter, warning her to silence with a look. The clerk glanced back and forth between them, curious.

  Mary shrugged. “Can’t find my glasses,” she explained.

  “Maybe I left them in the car.”

  “You’d better go see if they’re there,” Ford said. He handed her one of the capped plastic cups, plunked down a twenty and a five, and calmly awaited change.

  Mary rushed out and climbed into the Jeep. She set the coffee in the cup holder and began emptying the contents of her bag onto her lap, though she knew the dolls were not in it.

  Ford got in, slammed his door and settled back to watch her. “Any theories?” he asked, peeling the lid off his cup.

  Mary slumped back in her seat and closed her eyes. “Somebody obviously figured out the dolls were there. Nothing else is missing.” She roused herself and began replacing the items she had scattered in the futile search.

  He reached over and took one of the boxes, examining it.

  “They were left open,” she told him. “Whoever took the dolls must have been in a hurry.”

  “Not one of the teachers, then,” he said thoughtfully.

  “No, of course it wasn’t!” Mary said, aghast. “I don’t work with thieves!”

  One of his dark brows shot up. Mary realized his thought before he voiced it. “Don’t you?”

  “Don’t be an idiot!” she said defensively, crossing her arms over the purse.

  “Maybe I have been already,” he said, sipping the hot coffee and staring out into the night. After a moment, he recapped his cup, set it in the holder and reached for the ignition key. “Guess we’d better go and get some sleep.”

  The silent ride back to her grandmother’s house worked on Mary’s already frazzled nerves. What could she say to convince him that she had nothing to do with the dolls’ disappearance?

  “We’ll talk about it tomorrow,” he said when they arlived. Then he sent her into the study where she spent a restless few hours alone.

  Mary finally gave up trying to sleep. She showered and dressed in comfortable navy slacks and a pullover. Since she had her purse now, she applied a little makeup. It was she closest thing to armor she had, and she needed to prepare for the battle that was about to ensue. The only weapon she could wield against Ford’s suspicion was the truth. Somehow, she didn’t believe it would prove adequate.

  Ford leaned his forehead against his palms and ran his fingers through his hair. No matter how he figured it, she looked guilty as hell. No one knew she had left those dolls at the school but Mary and himself. Except the person she must have phoned after they got here.

  She had called Knoblett yesterday without his knowing what she was up to, and could just as easily have called the courier she was supposed to meet with the diamonds. Whoever took them had to have broken in exactly as he had done, gotten what he was after and split. It couldn’t have been a regular break-in because nothing else had been disturbed.

  “He might have realized I didn’t have time to get my purse,” Mary said. “If Perry thought I had the diamonds, where else would he think they’d be but in my handbag? Or it could have been Blevins, for that matter! He might have figured it out.”

  “Into mind reading, are you?” Ford asked, glaring at her. She had no right to look that great with only three hours’ sleep. He felt like hell and looked it, he was sure.

  Mary sighed and slid into the chair to his right. “I can’t imagine what else you’d be thinking about,” she replied wearily.

  “Try what we’re going to do next,” he said wryly. “Even if you’re telling the truth and are right about Perry, he’s still going to want you dead. You saw him kill Antonio.”

  “Heard him do it,” she corrected, stealing a sip from his cup of coffee.

  “Yeah, but he doesn’t know that I gotta tell you, Mary, a hit man wouldn’t waste time doodling around in your cubby for loot. He’d think it was beneath him. Somebody else is involved here. I can’t play this little game right if I don’t have all the cards. Who’d you phone to pick up those dolls?”

  “Nobody!” she assured him, reaching for the long roll of cookies he had opened earlier and taking several. She nibbled thoughtfully. “Who says a killer can’t also dabble in other things?”

  Ford watched her, looking for signs of guilt. He saw none, but that didn’t absolve her. He was hardly objective when it came to Mary Shaw.

  She nodded twice, slowly. “I think I’ve got it figured out. Try this. Perry found out about Antonio’s part in the theft ring. Maybe he approached him about sharing the diamonds instead of passing them on as Antonio had done in the past.”

  “Not possible,” Ford argued. “Somebody might have done that, but I’ll bet you money it wasn’t Damien Perry. If what we have on him is any indication, wealth means nothing. He probably lives in a little monk cell somewhere fondling his high-powered scope between jobs. With men like him, it’s the kill they enjoy.”

  Ford could see her picturing the monster he’d just described. Her wide eyes and tremors affected him so much, he felt obliged to change the subject. Scaring women made him sick.

  “Want to guess why your buddy put them in those dolls?”

  Mary got up and poured him another cup of coffee, since she had drunk half of his already, and fixed one for herself.

  “We don’t know that he did put them inside,” she said, glancing at him over her shoulder. “If he did, then maybe that’s the way he shipped the others. Antonio deals with shops in other countries all the time, seeking or supplying specific requests by customers. There might not be another courier at all. Had you thought of that? He could have intended to mail the dolls to wherever they go. Amsterdam, you said?”

  “Diamond city,” Ford explained. “Lots of expert cutters there who can alter the gems so that they’re no longer recognizable when they hit the market.” He paused. “And no, I don’t buy his trusting the postal service with gems worth millions. Would you?”

  “Good point. He didn’t with other expensive items.”

  Ford went on instant alert. “Who did he hire?”

  “Didn’t,” she explained. “He hand-carried or the buyers sent someone to get them.”

  She rejoined him at the table, leaning closer as though they were telling secrets. “If the diamonds were in the dolls, and if Antonio gave them to me, it’s because he knew I would keep them safe for him until he told me what he meant to do with them.”

  “What did he do with the others you took care of?” Ford asked.

  “He gave them to me for a charity auction benefiting cancer research. For the children, he said. They brought a magnificent sum.”

  “No sparklers in those, I’ll bet,” Ford muttered.

  He couldn’t restrain a smile. Mary was talking her way right past his mistrust again. The girl was good. She might still be guilty as hell, but she was definitely good. “Okay, I’ll rent that for a m
inute. Tell me how you think Perry figures into it.”

  Her brow furrowed while she worked it out. When she answered, she paused between sentences as though testing them for plausibility. “Someone else must be involved. Antonio refused to give up the gems to whoever that is. He wasn’t the type to renege on a deal, you know. So, this person who had approached him failed to get his cooperation. Then they probably hired Perry to kill him and steal the diamonds. I prevented Perry’s searching either Antonio or the shop when I called the police. The sirens alerted him and he ran.”

  “So why would he or the man who hired him go looking for the dolls Antonio gave you?”

  She bit her lips together, searching for an answer. There wasn’t one. Wide-eyed and appealing, Mary placed her hand on his arm, squeezing it. “Please, believe me, Ford. I had nothing to do with any of this.”

  God help him, he wanted to believe her. He wanted that so badly it hurt. Probably because he wanted her. But he had a job to do that involved more than keeping her safe.

  “Innocent until proved guilty” might prevail once suspects got into a court of law. But until then, when officers or agents were in the process of eliminating possibilities, that rule was reversed.

  Mary did not have the diamonds at the moment, he knew that much for certain. If she knew who did, she wasn’t going to tell him. Ford couldn’t see spending however long they had left together locked in a debate over her guilt or innocence. She would certainly be a lot more cooperative if she thought he believed her completely.

  “Okay, Mary, your theory makes sense,” he said. “At least we gave it a shot, huh?” Forcing a grin, he punched her gently on the shoulder. “By the way, you did fine tonight.”

  Mary shuddered in response and hugged herself, triggering anew Ford’s urgent desire to protect her from anything that might threaten her. That included doll manglers, murderers, and even the justice system he’d sworn an oath to uphold.

  Could he disregard the law for her? Bending rules was one thing; aiding and abetting, quite another. Could he justify not telling Blevins everything that had happened when he knew it would solidly implicate Mary, right up to those lovely eyebrows? He had only a few hours left to decide.