Count on a Cop 49 - Julianna Morris

by Honor Bound

  “Don’t forget, she had you.” Ben lifted the broken frame. “Those are butterflies on the edge, aren’t they?” he mused.

  “Yes, she loved butterflies. She thought they were as close to heaven as a creature could be.”

  He studied Shanna’s image, then removed the photograph and shook bits of glass from its surface. To Kelly’s surprise, the picture was folded in half, and a strip of instant photos was hidden in the middle.

  “I didn’t know those were there.”

  “I bet it’s your father,” Ben said. “You have his eyes.”

  A boy with a Marine buzz cut grinned at her from the folded half of the picture. The strip of photos were of the same boy and her mother—the kind of pictures you took when you were in love and crowded into a photo booth. Kelly wanted to hate him, but it was hard to hate someone with such an engaging smile and square jaw. She had a weakness for men with strong faces.

  Maybe that’s why Shanna hadn’t liked Ben…he’d reminded her of the boy who’d broken her heart.

  Warmth was seeping back into Kelly’s extremities, and from where they sat on the floor she could see the mess that waited for attention. She sighed. “It’s going to take forever to clean this up.”

  “You’re worn-out. We’ll do it tomorrow.”

  “No.” She didn’t think she could sleep with everything torn apart; it would be as if the intruder was still in the house. “But this is my problem—you don’t need to help.”

  Ben snorted. “Like I’d let you do it by yourself.”

  They reshelved books, filled a garbage bag, vacuumed and put several items into the utility room to be repaired before moving upstairs. Though she’d already seen the chaos in her bedroom, Kelly gulped at the reminder that her most intimate space had been invaded.

  “Check your jewelry again,” Ben said as he put the contents of her lingerie drawer in the laundry hamper. “It’s small and easy to pocket.”

  “I doubt there’s anything missing. I’ve never cared for expensive jewelry, and the few pieces I own are in a safe-deposit box with important documents. I just—” Kelly stopped at the sight of glass beads scattered across the hardwood floor.

  Ben picked one up. “This is nice. Kind of artsy.”

  “I know.” Her voice shook. “They’re Venetian. Mitch bought them for me on our honeymoon.”

  Kelly fought back tears as Ben began hunting. One by one he put the beads into her jewelry box, examining every square inch of the floor.

  “That should be all,” he said gruffly. “I’ll take them to a jeweler and have them restrung.”

  She nodded, uncertain whether it was the damage to Mitch’s gift or Ben’s careful search, making her emotional again.

  Together they put fresh sheets on the bed and turned to her home office. It wasn’t as torn up as the rest of the house, but Kelly frowned as she looked around.

  “By the way,” Ben said as he arranged more books on the shelves, “I need Simon’s sketches. He might have seen something he wasn’t supposed to, and there could be clues in his drawings. I have my detectives trying to track down any they can find.”

  “That’s it,” she exclaimed. “The drawings are missing. I had them on my worktable so I could frame them.”

  “Damn.”

  “They were just harbor scenes. Boats and seagulls. Nothing incriminating.”

  “Somebody obviously thought they were important enough to break in and steal,” Ben pointed out grimly.

  “But isn’t it a wild coincidence that someone would break in today for the drawings, at the same time you got interested in seeing them?”

  Ben sat on the edge of the desk. “I’ve been thinking about that. The mayor saw us looking at the applications for the detective positions this morning. He was angry. What if he mentioned what we were doing to his brother? Frank could be involved. The mayor could be involved. They could have decided they had to act quickly, or risk exposure. Your friendship with Simon wasn’t a secret.”

  “No, and I showed the drawings around thinking Simon might be able to make money with them.” Kelly went cold again. “I’m responsible. Harvey’s murder was copied from my novel and Simon was killed because I told everyone about his artwork.”

  “Hey.” Ben gave her a small shake. “We don’t know anything yet, and you aren’t responsible for criminal acts that someone else commits. I may wish we had some of Simon’s drawings, but you’re only guilty of being a good friend to him.”

  Kelly tried to clear the mental fog in her head. “Wait a minute. Simon gave me two of his sketchbooks a few weeks ago, not long before he was killed. They’re at work. I forgot about them with everything that’s happened. Let’s go.”

  “Hell, no. It’s late and you’re exhausted. We’ll get them tomorrow.”

  “The mayor has full access to City Hall,” she retorted. “He and his brother could be searching my office this very minute, if they haven’t already. Those sketchbooks may be some of the last things Simon drew. We can’t let them be lost.”

  BEN WAVERED.

  Kelly was white with fatigue. Putting her through more was difficult to justify, even for a hard-nosed cop trying to solve two homicides.

  “We’re going,” she insisted. “We have to be sure those sketches are safe.”

  The thought of the mayor and his potentially larcenous brother convinced Ben. He couldn’t leave Kelly alone, and having someone else guard her at the house would be just as upsetting as a late-night trip to City Hall. Besides, he knew Kelly. She had taken a personal interest in seeing those sketchbooks were safe; she was going with him, whether he agreed or not.

  He checked the repaired door to be certain it was secure, double-checked the automatic in his holster, then escorted Kelly to the Jeep with a twitchy feeling between his shoulders. Henry was right, paranoia wasn’t pretty, but Ben still wished he had eyes in the back of his head.

  They entered in through the police station and Ben told one of his men on the night shift to stand watch while they went into Kelly’s office.

  She pulled the sketchbooks from behind the bookcase with an air of relief. “I didn’t want them getting damaged, so I put them back there for safekeeping.”

  “It might have kept them safe in other ways, as well,” Ben commented.

  They went through the books. A number of the sketches were of Kelly or seabirds and general harbor scenes, but a drab cargo ship called the Tiananmen showed up, over and over.

  “I don’t see what it could mean. This boat is dull even for a cargo ship,” she said.

  “Frank Stone was arrested once for smuggling rare artifacts,” Ben explained softly. The way sound echoed in the marble halls of the city buildings, he didn’t want to risk being overheard. “I’m guessing the Tiananmen is a Chinese vessel, and China is a rich source of art and other antiquities. I have to get this information to the state crime lab. Maybe they can pick out something more.”

  “We have a scanner in the media room,” Kelly said in the same low tone, tucking the books under her arm. “We’ll scan and email them tonight.”

  “Good. I’ll check with the Port Authority tomorrow and find out when the Tiananmen is due again. If the dates on the sketches are anything to go by, she comes in every two or three months.”

  Ben ignored the curious gaze of the officer he’d assigned to guard duty, and followed Kelly down the hall. She began scanning each sketch at a high resolution, skillfully adjusting the image as needed. The strain around her mouth relaxed and he guessed the technical, repetitive task was soothing.

  He couldn’t help; it was a one-person job. Instead he watched, trying to grasp emotions and insights he’d spent his life avoiding. If only he’d come back and held Kelly when she was grieving for Shanna…if only he’d listened. He would have learned a lot about people, and about himself.

  Her fierce independence finally made sense.

  Raised by a single mother determined to make it on her own, of course Kelly wouldn’t have accepted he
lp or the easy way out when she was left alone. Shanna hadn’t, and neither would her daughter.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  IT WAS AFTER 2:00 a.m. when Ben turned into Kelly’s driveway.

  She yawned.

  They’d emailed the files to the Oregon state crime lab from Ben’s office, left the sketchbooks with Henry for safekeeping, and now they were back at the scene of the most recent crime. Her home had been horribly violated. She didn’t know if she’d ever feel the same way about it.

  “I want to be sure nobody came back. Stay in the Jeep and lock the doors,” Ben instructed, pulling out his gun and checking the clip. “Drive straight to Henry if anything happens.”

  “I couldn’t leave you here alone.”

  “I’m not alone—there’s your cat. Though…Frodo is more likely to inflict damage than protect me from it. Now get in the driver’s seat and do as I asked.”

  Kelly reluctantly locked the Jeep and watched as Ben patrolled the exterior and then disappeared into the house. What would she do if she heard gunshots? Drive away? Run in and get shot herself? Thankfully, it wasn’t a decision she had to make. Ben reappeared and she scrambled out of the vehicle.

  She had more cleaning and setting things to rights to do, but once inside, it all seemed less important.

  Frodo cried at her feet, distressed that she’d abandoned him for several hours. Or else he was distressed that Ben was still with her.

  “Don’t be jealous,” she murmured, scratching his neck. He both purred and glared.

  “That cat hates me.”

  Kelly looked at Ben, realizing for the first time that he was still wearing his uniform—he must have come directly from the police station when he learned about the breakin.

  “I hope Toby isn’t upset that you didn’t see him tonight,” she said.

  “I spoke to him earlier. He understands.”

  She nodded. She could feel guilty, or she could accept that Toby would survive an evening without his father. Taking Ben’s hand, she drew him upstairs.

  “We should just sleep,” he breathed when she kissed his throat, but Kelly shook her head. She needed the simple, honest act of making love; she’d worry about tomorrow and where they were going later.

  THE NEXT MORNING BEN WOKE alone again.

  That woman had better be here. If she’s gone to work I’ll wring her neck myself, he decided crossly. It took a moment to realize the water was running in the shower. He pictured Kelly wet and sleek and his body leaped to attention.

  Frodo sat on a windowsill, his tail twitching with displeasure.

  “Too bad, cat. I’m staying.”

  And he was staying.

  The decision about what he wanted from Kelly had been made the moment he’d heard about the breakin. He couldn’t be that afraid and not care about her completely and utterly.

  Ben collected a condom from his wallet and sauntered into the bathroom. The shower stall was long and open and formed of stone and glass tile, but the real attraction was Kelly, arching her back as the spray poured over her.

  “Hey,” he said, stepping inside. “Don’t do that again.”

  “Do what?”

  “Get up without me.”

  Her blue eyes were enigmatic. “It’s an old habit. I always wanted Mitch to get enough rest.”

  Ben heard what Kelly didn’t say…that a fatigued fireman would be more in danger on the job. So that was what he’d missed all these years—a woman who loved her husband so much she thought of his safety ahead of anything else.

  Could she ever love another man that much? Ben prayed she could, but right now, desire was the only thing he could be certain she felt. Her breasts had tightened and there was a subtle shift to her posture.

  He put the condom on a shelf, took the bar of soap and worked up a sudsy lather.

  “Let me wash your back.”

  It was a corny offer, but Kelly pivoted on one foot with a faint smile. She knew he wouldn’t stop with her back, and it wasn’t long before he’d taken possession of her breasts, firm and round, slickly pert beneath the slippery soap. She moaned, reaching back and kneading the muscles in his thighs. He was so hard it hurt to breathe.

  Somehow Ben rolled the condom on without tearing the latex, then he spun her around, hooked an arm under her bottom and lifted. Kelly’s legs clasped his hips as he thrust into her core. She was so damned hot…he could die now and be content. He moved faster, deeper, trying to hold back and barely making it as she cried out, seconds before he lost the battle with himself. Heart pounding, he sank to the shower floor, with Kelly draped over him.

  The water beating on Ben’s shoulders had cooled considerably before he raised his head.

  “We’re going to be late,” he muttered.

  “You think?”

  Ben put a thumb under Kelly’s chin and tipped her face back. She blinked languidly.

  “I’m pretty sure.”

  “Okay.”

  “From now on we’re driving to work together.”

  She suddenly looked wider awake. “You need to see Toby in the morning. And besides, this will be over when you solve the case.”

  “Not if you give me another chance. A real chance. I’m not going anywhere, Kelly. Let me prove it to you.”

  He wanted to say more, to say he loved her, but she’d been married to an upstanding guy, someone the whole town admired. Someday he hoped she could believe in him as much as she believed in Mitch.

  “You can’t make guarantees,” Kelly whispered. “Mitch didn’t know he’d die in that fire.”

  “I’m the police chief now. It’s not the same as when I was working the streets as a detective.”

  “Isn’t it?” She gave him an enigmatic look. “Henry was the police chief, too. And you think someone tried to kill him in that accident.”

  A shudder went through Ben that had nothing to do with cold water. He could lose Kelly before he’d ever really had her.

  KELLY STOOD IN FRONT of the mirror, blow-drying her hair, thinking how quickly she’d gone from having a dull but comfortable life to utter turmoil.

  Some of the turmoil wasn’t so bad…and some of it was awful.

  The doorbell rang as she slipped on a pair of shoes. Downstairs she found Henry and Ben in the living room.

  “How are you doing, kiddo?” Henry asked, the way he used to when she was growing up. “Surviving.”

  He hugged her. “It’s going to get better. I called a friend from a security firm in Portland. A company he trusts in Sand Point will handle the monitoring, but he’s coming today to install his best system himself. You don’t have to worry—I’ll be here the whole time. He owes me a busload of favors, so this works out for everyone.”

  Ben cleared his throat as she opened her mouth to protest. “Kelly, isn’t it great that Henry has connections like that? The local alarm companies are booked for weeks.”

  “Uh, yeah. It’s great.”

  Henry beamed. “Any coffee?”

  “I made some,” Ben said. He’d put on the clean uniform he kept in his Jeep and seemed revoltingly fresh and alert.

  Well, why not, Kelly thought irritably. A little sex, a little coffee, and men were good to go.

  She stalked to the freezer and took out a sour cream coffee cake and tray of enchiladas. If this guy was driving all the way from Portland to install a security system in her home, the least she could do was feed him.

  Ben handed his uncle a cup and Henry took a long swallow.

  “That hits the spot. Gina has been buying fancy stuff you have to grind, with flavors like Irish cream and hazelnut—says we need to get out of our rut. God love her, I just want an ordinary cup of java.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with flavored coffee,” Kelly said.

  “That’s what she claims, but I’m old-fashioned.”

  Kelly put the pastry in the oven. “That will be warm in about twenty minutes,” she explained, then pointed to the enchiladas. “Heat those for lunch.”

&n
bsp; “I could have ordered out.”

  “And now you don’t have to. Feel free to eat whatever else you find.”

  She and Ben hurried to the Jeep. It was a relief to have Henry at her house, making sure there wouldn’t be any repeats of the day before. Without a doubt the new security system would be state-of-the-art, with every imaginable backup feature available—Henry Jefferson didn’t play around.

  In the meantime, she was late. She’d called Viv when she woke up, telling her about the breakin and saying that she’d be delayed getting to the office, but she had other things to consider as well—such as what Ben had said about giving him a chance. Still, men would say anything in bed, or in this case, in the shower.

  When they pulled into the employee parking area she didn’t get out, but sat wrinkling her nose.

  Ben lifted an eyebrow. “What?”

  “I was thinking…we’re late and coming in together—”

  “I know. You’re worried about the gossip.”

  “Actually, no.”

  Ben’s surprise was almost laughable. “No?”

  “No. I was thinking it might be a good idea for everyone to believe we’re involved.”

  “We are involved.”

  “I mean for the purposes of the case,” she said, exasperated.

  “Like being undercover. We publicly act like lovers and the perpetrators will think we aren’t talking about the investigation and coming to awkward conclusions. Except it won’t work, not after the breakin and me sending an officer to escort you home yesterday afternoon. Everybody knows we’re not discussing which side of the bed we prefer.”

  “Oh.”

  Ben went around to the passenger door to help her from the Jeep. “But it might have worked a week ago. You’d be a decent detective, only don’t apply for a job. I wouldn’t hire you.”