To Catch a Bad Guy (Book One of the Janet Maple Series)

by Marie Astor

  ***

  Dennis Walker was hurriedly making his way through the crowd. He could see Janet by the bar. He had not missed his chance after all. In a few moments, he would reach her and apologize, citing an important work assignment as the cause of his delay. In reality, it was his boss’s micromanagement that had made him late. With so much riding on the Bostoff investigation, Hamilton Kirk had turned into a nervous Nellie and demanded daily updates from Dennis. Ham had stipulated that these updates be face-to-face, and for the past week Dennis had found himself rushing to see his boss at all kinds of hours. Usually their meetings were either early in the day or late in the evening, but today Ham had insisted that they meet at five-thirty, claiming that he could not stay late due to a family function. Oh, well, when it came to his boss’s whims, there was little that Dennis could do.

  At least Ham had managed to get a one-week extension out of the Feds, which left Dennis with a total of three weeks to work the case, as one week, Dean was chagrined to admit, had already gone by. Dennis could sense that something big was brewing at Bostoff. With Janet’s help, he could solve the case much faster. All week long, he had gone out of his way to run into Janet in the hallways and the cafeteria. They chatted and laughed. She liked him, he could tell. All he needed now was a little bit more time to make her trust him, and tonight would provide the perfect opportunity for that.

  As he got closer to the bar, Dennis halted in his footsteps, realizing that Janet was not alone. Bostoff’s attorney, Tom Wyman, was hovering over her like a bee over honey, and Janet seemed to be welcoming his advances, leaning toward him at angles of alarming proximity. At the sight of this display, Dennis froze in place. Dennis was certain that Wyman was the link that connected Bostoff to Emperial and the rest of the hedge fund piranhas that filled Bostoff’s client list. If Janet got close to Wyman, she could find out all sorts of useful information from him. But if Janet genuinely liked Wyman - if she were to become his accomplice - she would be of no use to Dennis. Even more unsettling was the possibility of her becoming something more than Wyman’s ally. The thought made Dennis’s fists curl involuntarily. His reaction scared him; this was a job, not a game of hanky-panky. Dennis needed to secure Janet’s affection, but he needed it to procure evidence from her, not to indulge his own emotions.

  Deliberating his next move, Dennis shot another glance at Janet. She looked positively glowing tonight. Her chestnut hair draped her shoulders, adding a new kind of attractiveness to her face. Her entire demeanor seemed more relaxed, exuding a new kind of appeal. Was it merely the change in her hair style or was it Wyman’s presence that was responsible for this change in her? Dennis wondered. The thought of Tom Wyman as a rival for Janet’s attention undid the last remnants of Dennis’s resolve. He wanted to rake his fingers through the rich mane of Janet’s hair, to cover her inviting mouth with his lips, to trace the outline of her body with his hands. While Dennis struggled with his fueling desire, Wyman leaned in closer to Janet and whispered something into her ear. She nodded and smiled, shrugging her shoulders coquettishly. Before Dennis could make up his mind whether to approach the cooing couple, the decision was made for him. Seething inside, Dennis watched Wyman get up from his chair and usher Janet toward the exit. As they passed through the crowd, Dennis ducked against the wall, but the precaution had been unnecessary. Janet’s eyes were glued to Tom Wyman.

  Chapter 20