Catching the Bad Guy (Book Two) (Janet Maple Series)

by Marie Astor

  “I’ll make coffee,” Janet offered.

  A few minutes later they were seated behind the table. Baxter curled up by Janet’s feet, his nose curiously inhaling the tantalizing breakfast fumes.

  Janet ate a forkful of eggs and bacon. “It’s delicious.” Normally, she limited her breakfast fare to toast, oatmeal or yogurt, but she figured that she had burned more than enough calories last night and this morning to justify the splurge.

  “Good. You’d better eat up if we are going to have an encore of this morning.”

  Janet’s face grew warm with pleasure. An encore of this morning meant that he wanted to see her again, which meant …

  “I love it when you blush,” Dennis teased her.

  “I bet you do. You love making me uncomfortable.”

  “From what I recall, you were pretty comfortable with me this morning. More than comfortable, actually.”

  “See what I mean?” Janet felt the blush creeping up her face. “You’re doing it again.”

  “Okay, I’ll stop.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  Dennis put a forkful of pancakes into his mouth. “You’re safe for now. I’m too hungry to embarrass you.”

  “Good.” Janet dug her fork into her food.

  Baxter peaked from under the table and placed his head on Dennis’s lap.

  “He’s just had his breakfast,” Janet said reproachfully.

  “Come on.” Dennis made eyes at her. “How can you resist the little fella?”

  “Human food is bad for him.”

  “Most human food is bad for humans too, but we eat it anyway.”

  “I’m looking out for Baxter’s wellbeing. If he gets an upset stomach, I’ll be the one dealing with the mess, thank you very much.”

  Dennis made a face. “Sometimes you can be such a worrywart, but I love that about you too.” Dennis blew an air to Janet with one hand, while his other hand disappeared under the table.

  “I saw that.”

  “What?”

  “You slipped Baxter a piece of bacon. I can hear him chewing it.”

  “Guilty as charged. We men have got to stick together.”

  “What have I gotten myself into?”

  “I hope you’ll stick around to find out.”

  This time Janet did not blush. “I intend to.”

  Finished with his meal, Dennis took a long swallow of coffee. “How about we go for a walk around the city and play Joe tourist?”

  “Sounds like a great idea. I’m just going to call my neighbor and ask her to take Baxter for the day.”

  Baxter was the only one who seemed to disapprove of the plan, as he growled and looked at Janet reproachfully.

  Dennis scratched Baxter’s back. “We can take Baxter with us. He looks like he’s dying to come along.”

  “Are you sure you don’t mind? I can leave him with my neighbor. She is retired and she is always glad to take Baxter for a few hours.”

  “Me, mind Baxter? We’ve become best buddies.” Dennis began scratching Baxter’s belly, and Baxter rolled on his back in pure delight.

  “You’re going to spoil him.” Janet folded her arms on her chest. Not that she was jealous, but …

  As if to reassure her, Baxter got to his feet and started licking her legs. “Yes, I love you too.” Janet smiled.

  A few minutes later they were exiting the lobby of Janet’s building. “That breakfast hit the spot.” Dennis rubbed his washboard stomach, which miraculously stayed just as flat as it had been prior to their meal.

  “Yes, it did.” Janet agreed, conscious of the snugger fit of her jeans.

  “How about a walk in Central Park? We could cut across town here.”

  “Sounds like a great idea. I need to walk off all that greasy food we just ate,” Janet replied.

  Dennis gave her a once over. “I don’t see the need to walk off anything.” He pulled her toward him and held her in a long, sweet kiss. “Believe me, I’ll make sure that you get plenty of exercise.”

  “Dennis! We’re in the middle of the street.”

  “So what? Can’t a man kiss his girlfriend?”

  Girlfriend? Janet’s heart jumped like a schoolgirl’s. She was Dennis Walker’s girlfriend. “You don’t mind me calling you my girlfriend, do you, Janet?”

  “Not in the least,” she murmured.

  “Good. In that case, your boyfriend would like to know if you’ll grant him another kiss.”

  “With pleasure.”

  They spent the day enjoying Central Park, eating hot dogs and ice cream. Baxter was happy to tag along, and Dennis had managed to sneak him bits of food while Janet pretended to be oblivious to Dennis’s tricks. Afterwards, Dennis suggested that they go to SoHo, and they took the bus downtown. They stopped by SoHo’s many galleries and enjoyed the neighborhood’s artistic flair. Baxter received endless compliments as he was welcomed by all the gallery attendants and visitors.

  “I’ve to get going soon,” Janet said. “We both have a big day tomorrow.” It was close to five o’clock.

  “Yes, we could do that, but why waste another wonderful night?” asked Dennis.

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “My place is just a few blocks away from here.”

  “Ah, I see you had a plan in mind.”

  “Maybe. Do you like it? You could stay over.”

  “I’d love to, but I don’t have a change of clothes for the office.”

  “Ah, I didn’t think of that, but I could grab a change of clothes and stay at your place instead.”

  “That sounds like an excellent idea.”

  Chapter 27

  Usually Janet woke up to the sound of the alarm clock, but the next morning she awoke from a sensation of kisses on her neck.

  “Rise and shine, sleepyhead.”

  She smiled at the sound of Dennis’s voice. The details of the previous day came back to her. She had spent two magical nights and one wonderful day with Dennis Walker, and now he was in her apartment, making her breakfast. He was in her apartment! Janet burrowed her head under the pillow, only imagining how she must have looked with her hair a mess and her eyes bleary from the lack of sleep last night. “What time is it?” she mumbled.

  “Time to go to work,” Dennis whispered. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”

  Twenty minutes later, Janet was ready for work. Her hair was pulled in a French twist. She was dressed in a black suit and black pumps—her usual work attire. The only difference from her typical appearance was the flush in her cheeks and the plumpness in her lips that still tingled from Dennis’s kisses.

  “Wow, now that’s what I call a transformation.” Dennis gave her a once over. “Although I liked you warm and sleepy under the covers.”

  “We’ve got to go work in a few minutes. Don’t get me all excited.”

  Dennis looked at his watch. “You’ve got a point there. But you owe me a rain check.”

  “You can claim it any time after work.”

  “That’s a deal.”

  “Should we get going?” Janet asked.

  “Don’t you want to have breakfast first?”

  “I usually have breakfast at work.”

  “But you don’t usually have breakfast with me. Don’t tell me that you’re going to make my cooking go to waste.” Dennis motioned at the kitchen table that was set with coffee and toasted bagels.

  “Oh, I didn’t even notice. Thank you.” This was a nice surprise indeed. How hard was it to make coffee and toast bagels? Not very, but none of her previous boyfriends had ever made her breakfast.

  Janet took a sip of her coffee. If anyone had told her a week ago or even a few days ago that she was going to spend two steamy nights and one incredible day with Dennis Walker, and that after all of that he was going to cook her breakfast, she would have never believed them. And even though Dennis was sitting opposite her right now, she still found it hard to believe.

  Dennis checked his watch. “We’d better hurry. I wan
t to talk to Laskin first thing when we get in. He’s got to be on the lookout for trading in Rover and Valley Metals.” Dennis finished the last bit of his bagel. “Ready?”

  “Ready.”

  “But you didn’t eat anything.”

  “I ate some.” Janet motioned at the three quarters of her bagel.

  “You eat like a mouse, Janet. It’s going to be one hell of a day today, and you’ll need your strength.”

  “I’ll take it with me to go. How does that sound?”

  “That’s better,” Dennis relented. “Do you need to walk Baxter before we leave for work?”

  “No. I knew we’d be in a rush to leave so I’ve asked my neighbor to walk him. She has the key.”

  “In that case, let’s go.” Dennis halted. “Janet, you know that this weekend has been amazing …”

  Here it comes, Janet thought. The brush off.

  “And I want to see a whole lot more of you. But until we have the case wrapped, I think it would be best if Alex did not see us together. Would you agree?”

  Janet hesitated. Alex had insisted on keeping their relationship secret at work, and now Dennis wanted the same. Her common sense told her that he had a point, but her heart literally sank.

  “Is something wrong?” Dennis asked.

  “I … No, nothing’s wrong. Let’s get going.”

  “Janet,” said Dennis, taking her hand. “This is only for the next few days, until we get the case nailed. After that I’m going to stand in the middle of the office and yell that Janet Maple is my girlfriend.”

  “Promise?”

  “I swear.”

  “I was only kidding. I wouldn’t want you to get dinged for disorderly conduct. Just promise that that you won’t hide it from people.”

  “I won’t, Janet. I know you’ve been hurt, but I’m not like him. I will never do anything to hurt you.”

  “Promise?”

  “I swear.”

  “Good. Then you’d better get of here. I’ll follow you in ten minutes.”

  “See you at the office.”

  Half an hour later, Janet was at work. She was a few steps away from her office when Alex intercepted her in the hallway. “Good morning, Janet. How was your weekend?” Alex regarded her for several moments. “You look rested,” he added.

  I look like I’ve been made love to all weekend, Janet mused. “Thank you, Alex. I took Baxter to Central Park. Being outdoors always does it for me.”

  “I agree. How is the little fella? No more jumping at people, ripping off trousers?”

  Janet swallowed a smirk. “Nope. I believe he reserves that kind of treatment especially for you.”

  “I see. The next time I go to visit you, I’ll make sure to wear combat gear.”

  What made Alex think that she wanted him to visit her? But she knew better than to argue. If everything went according to plan, Alex would not be her boss for much longer.

  “Oh,” added Alex, “I meant to ask you about that anonymous complaint against Rover executives—has that been closed out?”

  “Yes, Alex. It was closed out right after we spoke, as you requested. I have the file in my office. I could bring it over if you’d like.”

  Alex frowned. “A file for a nonexistent complaint? I don’t believe we should be spending our resources on that. No official complaint, no file.”

  “I’ll shred it then.”

  “Excellent. I’ll let you get back to work,” said Alex, stepping aside.

  When Janet got to her office her phone was ringing. She shut the door and picked up. It was Laskin.

  “Janet, can you stop by my office please?”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  A moment later she was in Laskin’s office.

  “Shut the door behind you,” Laskin instructed her calmly.

  Janet did as she was told.

  “Dennis has briefed me on the situation,” Laskin began. “I’ve requested market watch reports on Rover and Valley Metals.”

  Just then, Dennis walked into Laskin’s office. “Do you really think it’s a good idea for you to be seen here? Do you want Alex to walk in on us?” Laskin snapped.

  “Relax, I took precautions. Anyway, Alex is busy getting a blowjob from Georgiana.”

  “How do you know that?” Laskin’s voice peaked with interest.

  “I heard them from behind his office door. The walls here are thinner than Mr. Kingsley realizes.”

  “I knew it!” Janet exclaimed. “I saw that floozy sitting on his knee before, and I thought that was funny. But I never thought they would do it in the office.”

  “If we do our job right, they won’t be doing it for long,” said Dennis. “Peter, what have you got so far?”

  “Option trades in Rover and Valley Metals have spiked through the roof. The trades are broken up into small pieces, but the overall size is almost twice the usual volume. It’ll be a pain to trace these to Muller, but we’ll get it. He won’t be able to get the money before the trades clear, and by that time we’ll have the information on the accounts.”

  Dennis nodded. “Good. I’m going to call Ham.”

  “Do you think he can help us?” Janet asked.

  “I sure hope so. He’s been in this business long enough.”

  “Then why didn’t he fight his retirement?” Laskin asked.

  “I don’t know. I guess he just got fed up, but I know for a fact that he’s got friends in high places. I sure hope he won’t be fed up now.” Dennis halted, about to leave. “How are you doing, Peter?”

  “Is that a serious question?” Laskin peered at Dennis over the computer screen. “Other than losing the one woman who could have been the love of my life, I’m doing peachy, just peachy.”

  “You’ve got to talk to her, Peter,” Janet cut in.

  “And ruin the investigation?” Laskin shook his head. “I couldn’t do that. I’ll just have to find myself a different woman to fall in love with.”

  “I understand that you can’t do it now, but once the investigation is in the open, you’ve got to talk to her, Peter. Sure, she’ll hate you at first, but chances are she’ll forgive you later. She’ll need a friend, and you can be that friend,” said Dennis.

  “Yeah, right, a friend who ruined her life. I don’t think so.”

  “Don’t be a chicken, Laskin. Take your chances. I’m glad I did.” Dennis took Janet’s hand.

  Laskin’s glance shot from Dennis to Janet. “Are the two of you …? Finally! It sure took you long enough, Dennis.”

  “Better late than never.”

  “I’m afraid it’s never for me and Aileen,” Laskin muttered. “Now, if you two lovebirds will excuse me, I’ve got work to do.”

  ***

  Back in his office, Dennis grabbed his cell phone and dialed Ham Kirk’s number. “Ham?”

  “Dennis! It’s so good to hear from you! What have you been up to?”

  “Ham, can you talk?”

  “Of course I can talk. I’ve got all the time in the world.”

  The reception grew fuzzy. “Where are you?” Dennis demanded, alarmed by this laidback-sounding Ham who was nothing like Dennis’s old boss.

  “I’m in Delaware, doing some fishing. I’ve never had the time for it before, you know, but I’ve always loved it. It’s a wonderful way to de-stress. My wife came up with me, but she is not an early riser, so it works out perfectly. I have the mornings to myself, and then we spend the days and evenings together.”

  “Ham!”

  “What? What’s the matter with you?”

  “I am trying to tell you that I’ve got information on Muller that’s going to put the bastard away once and for all, and you’re carrying on about fishing.”

  “Do me a favor, Dennis, and let that whole thing go. It won’t do you any good to keep digging at that corpse. Sometimes, you just have to cut your losses and move on.”

  “What if I told you that I have proof of Muller being involved with the attorney general and one of Rover�
��s executives?”

  There was a pause on the other line. “You’ve always been pigheaded, but then that’s why you’re so good at what you do. I can’t promise anything, but I’m listening.”

  Dennis bit his lip in order to keep himself from cursing at Ham. Dennis spoke slowly and clearly as he brought Ham up to date on everything that had transpired since Ham’s departure from the Treasury.

  When Dennis was finished, there was a whistling sound on the other end of the line. “Are you sure you want to get into this? It could get really messy.”

  “Of course I’m sure, Ham. And I was hoping that you would be willing to help me settle the score. Hell, I thought you would want to settle the score.”

  “Don’t get me wrong, Dennis. Of course I want that, but I don’t want to put you in any danger. You see, I’ve got nothing to lose: I’m retired; there’s nothing they could do to me. But they could destroy you, and as much as I’d like to, I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to protect you. Although I promise to do my best.”

  “That’s good enough for me.”

  “In that case, I’m going to call my friend on the senate subcommittee.”

  “You’ve got friends on the senate subcommittee?”

  “I’ve got one friend there and a very good one.

  “Then why didn’t you call him when they booted you out of here?”

  “I don’t like calling in favors.”

  “But you’ll call in a favor for me?”

  “Yes I will, Dennis. After everything you’ve done to bring this case home, it’s the least I could do. I hope you brought an extra large umbrella because it’s going to be a shit storm. I’ll call you as soon as I have an update for you.”

  Dennis hung up the phone. There were any number of people he could have turned to—his old boss at the FBI, the head of the SEC—but after learning what he had learned about Finnegan, where was the guarantee that they, too, would not be corrupt? If there were one thing that Dennis knew about Ham it was that Ham was honest, and that Ham never made promises that he did not keep. Dennis clasped his hands. It was going to be a shit storm, and he was prepared to face it.