Authors: Karen Rose
Max stopped and so did she. „What?“
She blinked and the moment was gone. „I – I hurt my leg awhile back and had trouble climbing these stairs while it was healing. I rested every couple steps.“
„How did you hurt your leg?“
She shrugged and smiled, but not a bit of it reached her eyes. „I fell down. I can be remarkably clumsy at times.“ She turned and headed up the stairs. He’d intruded on something, quite inadvertently. A memory perhaps?
He continued until he reached the second floor. Caroline was standing in the hall, talking to a large orange cat.
„So you’re back, Bubba-boy.“ She bent over and scratched the cat behind the ears. „Such a fickle boy you are, comin’ around only to get fed.“
Her accent thickened as she purred to the cat. She looked up and smiled and Max felt his heart stop. She was… beautiful.
„He’s a stray, but I call him Bubba. He comes around only when he’s got an empty belly. Don’cha, boy? I feed him sometimes, as do the old ladies across the hall.“ As if on cue, the door across the hall opened and a silver head popped out.
„He’s eaten, Caro,“ an elderly lady said, her eyes twinkling. „Don’t let him con you.“
Caroline laughed and put her key in her door. „He will, Mrs. Polasky. He will, just like he cons you and your sister.“
The old lady chuckled, then froze when she spotted Max standing a few feet away. „My, oh, my, Caroline, dear. When you bring home a stray, you really bring home a stray.“
Caroline looked at Mrs. Polasky and followed the old lady’s gaze to Max. And coughed. Her eyes were laughing again, even as her mouth frowned. „Mrs. Polasky! What a thing to say!“
Mrs. Polasky eyed Max up and down, making him feel very much like a side of beef in the supermarket. „I’m old, honey, not dead.“ She met Max’s eyes head on. „We like Caroline, you understand? Everybody in this building.“
Max nodded gravely. „Yes, ma’am.“ He hadn’t a clue what she meant.
„Good. We may be old, but everybody likes Caroline, and I for one have a firearm.“
Caroline shook her head and reached over to pull Max by the sleeve. „Good night, Mrs. Polasky. Come on, Max.“
She opened the door to her apartment and the orange cat sauntered in as if he owned the place. The television was on and a woman with red hair was curled up in the corner of an old couch, sound asleep. Caroline stopped and looked at the woman, her expression softening.
„That’s my best friend, Dana. She worked all night last night,“ she murmured, „for the second night in a row.“
„What does she do?“ Max murmured back.
Caroline was quiet for a long moment, so long he wondered if she’d even heard him. Then she sighed, shut off the television and turned to her kitchen, gesturing for him to follow. He grabbed one of her dinette chairs as he passed the little table and sat the chair down in the comer of the kitchen. Gratefully he sank down, feeling his hip throb even before it met the chair.
„Dana runs a shelter for runaways. She sometimes stays up all night with newcomers who need special help.“
Max peeked out of the kitchen. Dana hadn’t stirred. „Why is she here?“
Caroline looked up from scooping coffee into her coffeemaker. „She’s watching Tom.“
Tom. Her son. His stomach tightened. He didn’t do well with kids. Maybe Tom was asleep. Maybe he wouldn’t have to meet the boy tonight. Maybe –
„Mom.“
Together Max and Caroline turned. A young man stood in the kitchen doorway. He filled it. This boy was fourteen? He had to be six-one.
Caroline smiled uncertainly and Max remembered her saying men didn’t ask her out as often as he thought. Evidently finding a strange man in his kitchen was quite new for young Tom. It was the only thing that would explain the hard-edged distrust that filled the boy’s eyes, as expressive as his mother’s.
Max stood and stuck out his hand. „I’m Max Hunter. You must be Tom.“
The boy took his hand and shook it, eyeing him suspiciously. „It’s nice to meet you,“ he said, his voice obviously polite and withdrew his hand. „Did you have a good time, Mom?“
Caroline smiled again and this time it was a full reflection of the fun she’d had sharing dinner with him and David. „Yes, I did. Did you do your math homework?“
Tom smirked and in that moment looked just like a tall version of his mother. Very tall. „I did. Did you bring me anything?“
She snapped a dishtowel, narrowly missing him. Tom exaggerated his escape. „I guess that means no.“
„It means no. Has Dana been asleep long?“
Tom frowned. „Since she got here. And she talked in her sleep, too. She was having nightmares. Something about a baby’s feet.“
Caroline sighed and Max had the feeling the dream either happened often or had some basis in reality. „I’ll deal with it tomorrow. Go on to bed.“
Tom hesitated. „Can I eat first?“
Without missing a beat Caroline reached into the refrigerator and tossed him an apple. „Bed.“
Tom looked at Max from the corner of his eye. „Mom…“
Caroline shook her head firmly. „It will be all right, Tom. Go to bed.“
Tom hesitated, stared at Max another long minute, then turned for the back of the apartment.
With distinct discomfort Max watched Tom retreat, then turned to Caroline who was simultaneously watching her son and worrying her lower lip. „Look, you’re tired and your friend needs her sleep. Why don’t I take a raincheck on the coffee for another time?“
She looked up at him, her expression a mixture of too many things to sort. „Okay. I’m sorry – “
He stopped her by laying his finger across her lips, the first time he’d touched her, really touched her, since that morning in his office. Immediately her eyes widened, her cheeks colored and her breath quickened. He felt his own pulse accelerate. By just touching her mouth. It was truly amazing.
„It’s okay, really.“ He brushed his finger across her lower lip, feeling her shiver cross the inches between them to course down his own spine. Whoa. This was serious electricity. „Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?“
„I… can’t,“ she whispered. „Tom has a game. I never miss them.“
„Then Thursday night?“
She blinked. „Okay.“
The need to kiss her lips was overwhelming him. But somehow he knew that would be too much, too fast. So he tilted up her face and dropped a chaste peck on her cheek. „Good night, Caroline.“
She swallowed. „Good night, Max.“
„Good night, Caroline,“ a wry voice echoed, mockingly singsong.
Max whipped around to find the leggy redhead sitting on the edge of Caroline’s tiny dinette table, her arms loosely folded across her chest, one russet eyebrow raised in obvious interest even though her eyes were heavy with fatigue. His own brows snapped together in annoyance at being spied on when he was trying to be a gentleman.
„And you’d be Max Hunter,“ she continued, as if she weren’t a very rude woman. „I’m Dana Dupinsky, Caroline’s friend.“
„So I’m told,“ he responded dryly. „As well as a teen-sitter with a narcolepsy problem.“
Dana grinned and Max found himself charmed in spite of himself. „I’m just here to protect Tom from marauding Avon ladies, should they be so foolish to ring the bell. Beyond that, the kid’s pretty capable of sitting himself.“ She glanced over at Caroline whose eyes were still wide with shocked embarrassment. „She doesn’t think so, because she’s still Tom’s mommy“ Her eyes had started to wake up and were now bright with amusement. „So Tom and I go along with it to please her and sometimes work in a Bruce Willis flick or a hand of five-card draw. Don’t play poker with the kid. He’s pretty damn good.“
„I’ll remember that.“
She settled herself more comfortably on the edge of the table and her face quieted slightly as her mood seemed to shift. Max frowned, feeling her eyes probe his as if she were searching for something in particular. He was about to make a rather rude comment himself when she looked past him to Caroline.
„Okay,“ was all she said.
Max turned to Caroline, his frown deepening. „What’s that supposed to mean?“ he asked.
„It means you have kind eyes,“ Dana answered for herself. He looked back at her to find her in the same position, her expression now serene. „That’s all.“ Then one russet brow shot up again and one side of her wide mouth quirked up. „I’m also in charge of prospective boyfriend monitoring in addition to my teen-sitting duties. I take my responsibilities very seriously.“
Max had the unsettling feeling that she was, indeed, very serious. At least she hadn’t declared him some mutant serial killer or something. That was a very good thing as Dana Dupinsky evidently had a great deal of influence in Caroline’s life.
He shifted on his cane, pointing his body toward her front door. „I need to go now,“ he said pointedly, hoping Ms. Dupinsky would make herself scarce so he could have a few more minutes alone with Caroline. „It was nice to have met you, Dana.“
Dana grinned once again. „My cue to exit, stage left.“
„Stage right,“ Caroline muttered from behind him. „You need to powder your nose.“
„But, Caroline, hunny.“ Dana was practically laughing aloud. „I’ve never powdered my nose in my life.“
Caroline took a step forward, pulled her friend to her feet and sent her towards the end of the hall, presumably to the bathroom. „So you have a lot of powdering to make up for. Go now.“ The last was hissed and with a chuckle Dana complied, but not before lightly chucking Caroline under the chin.
„You were right.“ Dana looked over at Max, waggled her brows, then bent to whisper very loudly in Caroline’s ear, „Book ‘em, Dano.“
Max swallowed what was sure to have been a snort of laughter at the murderous expression on Caroline’s normally happy face even as a warm feeling bloomed inside his chest. She’d talked about him, very favorably if her scarlet cheeks were any indication. It was a good sign.
„Dana,“ she barked. „Bathroom. Now.“
„Yes, Mommy. You’ll tell me when it’s safe to come out won’t you?“
„Unlikely. Go“ Caroline pointed to the door as if directing a recalcitrant child.
Dana did laugh aloud at this, but finally moved her feet in the indicated direction. „Okay, okay. It was nice to meet you, Max,“ she called over her shoulder.
The bathroom door slammed. „I’m safely out of the way!“ she called, loudly enough to be easily heard.
A beat of silence followed. Caroline cleared her throat. „Some people say insanity runs in her family,“ she said, then turned to face him, her dimple in full relief. „Dana’s about the closest thing to a sister I’ve ever had. I hope you can excuse her.“
Max looked down at her smiling face and felt his heart do another one of those tuck and roll maneuvers. „Hey, you can’t choose your family. You’ve met my brother and you’re still willing to have dinner with me again.“ He pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering to slide along the curve of her jaw. Her eyes widened abruptly, her dimple disappearing, her lips parting ever so slightly. It was an invitation. Even if she didn’t know it yet.
Impulsively he dropped his head, this time placing the very brief, very chaste peck directly on her lips. „Good night, Caroline.“
She made no move to walk him to the door, continuing to stand where she was, staring up at him, her eyes now wide and shocked. Instinctively he knew it had been a first for her.
He also knew he was going to have one devil of a time waiting for Thursday night.
Chapter Eight
Boone, North Carolina
Wednesday, March 7
10:30 a.m.
Lennie Farrell’s father had retired to a large cabin in the mountains, complete with a paved driveway that held a shiny new bass boat. Steven’s mouth practically watered as he walked past it. He’d be fishing in one of these babies this weekend, thanks to Helen’s blind date. Her name was Suzanna Mendelson, and she was oh-so-excited to go out with a real police detective. She sounded very sweet and very young. And very unfisherperson-like. Turned out her daddy had a bass boat with a two hundred horse-motor and a GPS. Suzanna Mendelson wasn’t sure what the GPS was used for, but her daddy seemed to enjoy having it. He had the feeling his blind date on Saturday would fall in the vast majority of blind dates and be a total and complete disaster. A damn shame because Suzanna’s daddy’s boat sounded like a dream come true.
He was still staring longingly at the boat from the front porch when the door was opened by a short plump woman with a sweet smile. An incredible aroma met his nose.
The little lady smiled broadly. „Good morning, Special Agent Thatcher. I’m Sharlene Farrell. Please come in. My husband’s expecting you.“ She led him to her husband who was sitting in an ancient Barcolounger, his legs elevated. „Gabe, Special Agent Thatcher is here. Please have a seat.“
„Forgive me if I don’t stand,“ Gabe Farrell thundered from across the room. „A day of fishing with a pack of ten-year-old boys left me pretty sore. I might stand sometime next week.“ Sharlene bustled to cover his legs with an afghan and Steven bit back a smile when Gabe Farrell ripped the afghan off with an irritable frown. „I’m sore, Sharlene, not infirm.“
Sharlene shook the afghan out flat and replaced it over Farrell’s legs without missing a beat, then bustled from the room. „I’ll go get coffee and crumbcake and leave you all to your work.“
„Damnation,“ Farrell grumbled, ripping the afghan away again. „Woman drives me utterly insane.“ He settled himself again. „So talk, Thatcher. What brings you up to Boone on a pretty spring day besides the promise of my lovely wife’s crumbcake?“
Steven leaned back in his chair, feeling the starched doily on the back of the chair tickle the back of his neck. „Seven years ago. Mary Grace Winters.“
Snow white brows shot upwards. „I seem to recall the case,“ he responded dryly.
Steven smiled. „So I hear. The boys down in Sevier County pulled her car out of Douglas Lake Sunday morning,“ he continued. „Her purse with license and Robbie’s baby pictures was under the seat with Robbie’s school backpack in the back.“
Farrell's bushy brows bunched. „But no bodies?“
„Not a one, sir.“