“Thirty seconds?” Max seemed incredulous.
“Maybe forty-five, because you’ll have to climb through the driver’s side to your seat. That will slow us down. Good thing you’re so little.”
“You better not be all talk.”
“I guess we’re about to find out.” Dubs tested the driver side door. It was locked. She pulled out her lock pick kit and moved to the trunk. Max followed close. “Watch for anyone coming. I’ll have this open in a second.”
“Why are you opening the trunk?”
“Because I would much rather have a key to drive us out of here than have to hot-wire this thing and set off the alarm. The owner didn’t use a valet key when he dropped it off. I’m banking on the valet key still being in the BMW-issued toolkit in the trunk. Most people don’t even know it’s back here. Not all the models have them that way. Some have a spare key adapter in the glove box, but this one does.”
“Car approaching, D south,” Max said, sounding stressed.
“What?” Dubs didn’t understand anything but the first part.
“Company. We’ve got company.”
Dubs had the trunk unlocked, but she didn’t want that to be obvious. She held it down, but not enough to relock, and spun Max around so that Max was leaning against the car and Dubs was pressed against her. “Go with it, okay?”
Max nodded and cupped the back of Dubs’s head with the uncuffed hand. She pulled her in and kissed her. Dubs knew Max was playing a part, but she was still surprised at how exciting the kiss felt. Maybe it was because it was delivered during the commission of a theft, something that already excited her, or maybe because she knew so little about Max and that, in and of itself, was alluring. Or maybe it was all the coffee she had consumed. Regardless, she didn’t think Max kissing her would be so enjoyable, especially when she knew it didn’t mean anything.
After the car moved past and parked and the valet returned to his post, Max returned Dubs to her work.
“Damn, Pretty Girl. Where’d you learn to kiss like that?”
“That wasn’t a kiss,” Max said. “That was an undercover maneuver. If I had kissed you, you would know.”
Dubs wasn’t sure Max was as unaffected as she was pretending to be, but she got back to work. It wouldn’t do either of them any good to stand here and argue about it. She located the valet key and unlocked the driver side door. They let out the full length of the cuffs for the first time all night and Max scrambled across the driver’s seat and center console to the passenger seat. Dubs was hot on her tail.
She started the car and pulled out of the lot. Her pace was casual, and she used her turn signals and obeyed traffic laws and speed limits. This was not the time to burn up the pavement.
“The valet key only allows the car to run for ten minutes at a time,” Dubs said. “We have to find an alley to restart in four minutes.”
“There.” Max pointed to the perfect location a few blocks ahead.
Dubs pulled in, stopped the engine, and restarted. She backed out and turned back into traffic. “Where are we ditching this thing?”
“Downtown. Somewhere easy for it to be found. How about by Kennedy Plaza?” Max said.
“You got it,” Dubs said. “We might have to stop again. Find me another alley in about five minutes.”
“This is a damn fine car,” Max said, looking around for the first time.
“I told you there’s nothing like it. Isn’t it better knowing someone else is making the payments?”
“I didn’t say that. I just said it’s a nice car. I understand why you like them so much. Jose, too. He rambles on about cars so much and I never understood why. This car I can understand. Some of the crap cars he seems to love, those I don’t understand.”
“Oh, I’m going to make you love them all. You’ll see. No friend of mine will be allowed to be a luxury car snob. I shouldn’t have started you off so high-end. Now you’ve got a taste for it. Next time we’re going to steal a nineteen eighty-four Lincoln Town Car.”
“I can tell already I won’t like that one,” Max said. “Our next alley is ahead on the right. And just when did you decide we were friends?”
Dubs pulled the car into the alley and repeated the shutdown and restart procedure. “When you kissed me. That really brought our relationship to a new level. Didn’t you feel it? Remember, we’re building trust here. Be truthful.”
“You’re impossible,” Max said. “Okay, I guess once you’ve stolen a car with someone, it would be rude not to consider them a friend.”
“Pretty Girl, you and I did make a good team, but you’re dancing around the kiss. Which of course tells me everything I need to know. I’m pretty good at data acquisition too. Just in my own Luddite way.”
“Focus on the road, Dubs.”
“Uh huh.” Dubs liked working with Max. She didn’t think she would have enjoyed it. In fact, she had been dreading it. But sitting here now, cruising along in a beautiful car, with Max sitting next to her, that was nice. It also made her feel horribly guilty. It used to be Levi sitting next to her. Was she going to take Max on as her protégé like she had Levi? Look how that had turned out. But Max wasn’t here to learn from her, and she had never had any interest in kissing Levi. She shouldn’t feel the similarities, but she did. Until she figured out how to do right by Levi, this was a burden she had to carry.
“What’s wrong?” Max asked. “You look awfully brooding all of a sudden.”
“Oh, nothing.” She didn’t realize she was so transparent. “This just reminded me of a moment from the past.”
“Did it involve Levi, Mrs. Otis’s son?”
“He’s off limits, Max. We don’t know each other that well,” Dubs said. She didn’t talk about Levi with anyone.
“Okay, then tell me about the best car you ever stole.”
“That’s a hard question. Do you want to know about my favorite car I ever stole? Or my favorite theft? Those aren’t the same question, and they don’t get the same answer.”
“This sounds like fun,” Max said. “Start with your favorite car.”
“That’s easy. Maserati GranTurismo. It was a matte black exterior with a red wine color leather interior. Even the steering wheel. You should have seen the pedals on this thing. I could have just stolen those and been happy until the day I died. I wanted to keep driving that car all night.”
“Where did you find a car like that? I don’t think I’ve ever seen something like that rolling through Providence,” Max said.
“You should spend a little time in Narragansett in the summer. I’d love to see you killing it on the beach. If you did, you would also see a lot of really amazing cars.”
“So how did you pull that off? Don’t those cars have maximum security?”
“I would assume so, but I wouldn’t know. The driver left the car running when he ran in to buy snacks at the gas station. Good thing I was there to relieve such a dumbass of that amazing car. He probably would have driven it into something. A beauty like that didn’t deserve that idiot,” Dubs said.
“You’ve got some funny ideas about deserving and ownership, but I guess I already knew that. What about your favorite theft?”
“It isn’t the most complicated, but it is my favorite. There was this politician from a few years ago that had it out for a friend of mine. So I stole his car three times. I kept stealing it and leaving it a few blocks from where he had parked it. I always waited a few days though. Just long enough for the police to get involved and the news media to pick up the story. By the third time, he was considered a buffoon and his career was basically over.”
“I remember reading about the politician who couldn’t keep track of his car. The assumption was that he couldn’t remember where he parked. That he was so rich and spoiled it wasn’t important to him if he couldn’t find his car for a few days. No one trusted him with a higher office if he couldn’t even manage his own car keys. That was you?” Max was laughing.
“Yep. After the
second time his car went missing, he knew it was me taking it. He had his security staff watching it constantly, but I still managed to get it one more time. That’s all it took.”
“Remind me not to make you mad. Although I don’t have a car, so I’m probably safe, right?”
“You’re safe with me, Pretty Girl,” Dubs said. “You’re safe with me.”
Chapter Seven
Max waited until she was sure Dubs was asleep before she made any movements. She only had a twin bed in her small apartment and she hadn’t felt like sharing a bed with Dubs, so for this evening, Dubs was in the bed, and Max was set up on the floor. It wasn’t comfortable in the least. One of them had to have their hand extended up or down to accommodate the handcuffs.
Dubs didn’t move when Max did, and her gentle snoring breaths stayed steady. Max pried the gum out of the handcuff hole, picked the lock quickly on the set attached to her wrist, and freed herself. She closed the open cuff around the metal bedpost, effectively cuffing Dubs to her bed, and slowly snuck out of the room and downstairs to the office.
Holt looked up when Max knocked. “Hey, H,” Max said. “It’s been one hell of a day.”
“So I hear. Where’s Dubs?”
“Handcuffed to my bed,” Max said.
“I think I’m going to leave that one alone,” Holt said. “How are you doing?”
“I can’t really get a read on Dubs,” Max said. “She’s flirty and cocky, but I kinda like her. I don’t know if I trust her though. You might have been right about that. Can I use your computer?”
“What’s up?” Holt looked concerned.
“Dubs lost a friend named Levi Otis. It seems to be on her mind a lot. I want to know more about him.”
“I remember when he died,” Holt said. “It stirred up the debate of police engaging in high-speed chases with suspects again. I think another person may have been injured in the accident. A lot of ugly things were said on all sides. I don’t know how you spend so much time online. I think that was the last time I read the comments section of a news article.”
“Boss, don’t ever read the comment section. That’s where the trolls live. They go there specifically to rile up the rest of the world.”
“Good to know,” Holt said. “The car you and Dubs liberated from the valet lot this evening was reported stolen about two hours ago. Shouldn’t be long before the Providence Police find it downtown. It’s in one piece, correct?”
“Not a scratch. If I hadn’t had to kiss her, Dubs would have had us out of there in under forty-five seconds.”
“Excuse me?”
Max didn’t think she was suddenly curious about Dubs’s impressive skill. She played dumb anyway. “She’s cocky as hell, but she delivered as advertised.”
“Max.”
“What? One of the valets was coming to park a new car, and we were going to be seen. We needed a reasonable excuse to be where we were. Strictly for allaying suspicion. You would have done the same thing in my shoes.” Max didn’t believe that for a second. For one thing, Holt had Isabelle now so she wasn’t kissing anyone but her. For another, if it was only for cover, why did both of them come away breathing a little heavily? And why had Dubs tried to add some tongue to the equation? Either she took her cover scenarios very seriously, or she too had gotten a little carried away by the moment.
Holt didn’t look like she was buying it.
“H, another thing. I don’t think Dubs or I can work long-term with the handcuffs. I know you want me to keep an eye on her, but neither of us can do the job you want from us attached to each other. I can’t see Dubs being able to sit still for hours next to me while I dig through leads here in the office. And frankly, she needs both hands to work if you’re going to ask her to steal any more cars.”
“Do you think I should?” Holt asked.
Max was surprised by the question. Holt often wanted input from her crew, but Max had spent so little time in the field, so she didn’t expect Holt to seek her opinion.
“You’ve spent the most time with her. I want to know what you think,” Holt said, clearly able to read Max’s surprise.
“Dubs thinks getting her name out there again is important if we want the new crew to make contact. The valet lot we hit tonight was a place she worked a lot before she was locked up. She seemed to think those who mattered would know any car stolen from there was done by her.”
“How can she be sure someone else hasn’t moved into her territory while she’s been away? It’s been a long time,” Holt said.
“I asked her that too,” Max said. “But she said it wasn’t possible, that no one would move on her turf. I don’t know how she’s so sure. She wouldn’t tell me how she could be so sure. Do you think it’s possible she’s using us? That we’re basically sponsoring her getting back to her old ways, making new connections, and then she’ll ditch us?”
“Of course it’s possible,” Holt said. “I have no idea what her true motivations are. But right now, she’s agreed to help us.”
“But we keep her on a handcuff short leash?” Max said. “Until we can tell what her true motivations are?”
“You said yourself, neither of you can work that way. I would love to keep you locked to her constantly, but I imagine after being in prison and having someone else telling her what to do all the time, having me control her every move, through you, isn’t a great way to make friends. But you’re still with her constantly. If you can’t be for some reason, and it better be a good one, get Jose to stick with her. They can talk cars until one of them goes hoarse or deaf. At night, either the cuffs go back on, or I put a man outside your door. Your choice.”
Max didn’t like the idea of any of her co-workers sitting outside her door all night. She didn’t think she snored, and there wouldn’t be anything else to hear, but it still seemed like an invasion of her privacy. Her apartment was tiny enough as it was. Having the lurking presence of another just outside would make it even more claustrophobic. Not that the cuffs were an exciting alternative.
“I think that will work,” Max said. “But I’m really wishing I had taken you up on the offer of a bigger bed. Maybe if I had a king it wouldn’t feel weird to share it with Dubs. There’s a lot of spooning right now.”
“Just make sure you’re the big spoon,” Holt said. “And face both of you toward the door.”
“I think I’m learning a lot about you, H. Do you sleep with a knife under your pillow just in case, too?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Isabelle could get hurt accidently. I moved it to my boot by the bedside when she moved in.”
Max had been kidding. She had a miniature baseball bat that she kept in the freezer. She couldn’t remember the thought process that had led her to hide it there, but at the time it had made a lot of sense.
“Maybe when this case is over, I should brush up on my tactical skills. If I’m going to be spending more time out from behind my computer.”
“We can arrange that. Your instincts are good. Trust those. You held your own in the park. You can learn fighting skills. When my back was exposed, you covered it. When you were in trouble, you backed up and sought reinforcements. Like I said, good instincts.”
Holt’s praise meant a lot. Everyone on the crew wanted to be like Holt, but few of them had an opportunity to prove themselves next to her. Most of their daily routine was rather boring, and Holt wasn’t directly involved in many of the captures anymore. Max knew she used to be responsible for all of them, but now she was more a behind the scenes player, except on a big case, like this one.
“Thanks, H. I really feel like I’ve mastered the desperation attack, but a little more thought and planning to my fighting skills might serve me well.”
“It certainly can’t hurt. I’ll let Moose know you’re interested. And, Max, be careful with Dubs.”
“Of course,” Max answered confidently, but she didn’t feel confident. She didn’t know what Holt was cautioning her about exactly. Professional responsibility, p
ersonal entanglements, or something in between, maybe, but Max felt like she was in the dark in both areas. Normally, when she was having a problem at work she would talk to Lola or Moose. But Lola was having her own problems right now, and Moose would feel obligated to tell Holt about this particular problem.
“Good night, H.”
Chapter Eight
“Good morning.”
Max looked up from her bed on the floor and saw a smiling Dubs, who appeared quite awake and cheerful, peering down at her from her bed.
“What time is it? How long have you been awake? Why are you so awake?” Max asked.
“I waited as long as I could, but I really have to pee, and I can’t sit still any more,” Dubs said. “You sleep awfully late in the morning. We’ve wasted half the morning already. I thought we had a bad guy to catch. I’ve got some new ideas about that, by the way. I’m going to need a cell phone.”
“Oh my God,” Max said. “You’re even worse with a full night’s sleep. How is that possible? And what time is it?”
“What do you mean I’m worse, Pretty Girl? That sounds like a thinly veiled insult. But I really have to use the bathroom. Can you get up and insult me on the way to the can? And it’s six thirty. How can you sleep so late? Half the morning is gone. How do you people catch any criminals?”
Max got up and stumbled after Dubs to the bathroom. “Six thirty. Really? Do you know how little crime is happening right now? We catch the criminals who keep normal criminal business hours. Can we try being silent for sixty seconds so I can wake up the rest of the way? It’s my day off, and you’ve woken me at an ungodly hour. Not fair.”
“Wait, Holt gives you days off? How is she, by the way? How was your chat last night? I have to say, in the movies, when someone is handcuffed to a bedpost, there’s a little more of a happy ending than the wicked back spasms I’ve got from our two-tiered sleeping arrangement, but I know we’re both new to this.”
Pedal to the Metal Page 5