by Ana Leigh
"So you're angry."
She regretted he couldn't see her glare in the darkened car. "Confused," she replied.
"About what?"
"I guess I was naive enough to believe there was a little more between us than just sex."
"Of course there is. I think you're an incredible woman, Jess – in or out of bed."
"Then why treat me like I'm a hooker."
"Is this a joke?"
"Do you see me laughing?" she snapped.
"Dammit, Jess, I wanted you to leave because I feel you're too classy to have to sneak out of my place at dawn."
"Isn't that what you do when you come to mine?"
"Wrong. I don't have to sneak. Charlie and I have an unspoken understanding. He keeps his mouth shut, and I don't rearrange his face."
"Damn you, Doug!" she cried, unable to hold back her anger. "Are you really as tough as you'd like me to believe?"
His tone was intense. "Tip of the iceberg. Don't fool yourself into believing otherwise, Judge Jess."
It was senseless to continue. She was getting nowhere with him, and the conversation was developing quickly into an all-out argument.
"Perhaps so. I'd like to believe otherwise. Good night, Doug." Jess reached for the door handle.
His hand closed on her shoulder and pulled her back. He kissed her before she could utter a protest.
"Whether you believe it or not, I want to go upstairs with you, Jess."
"All right, I believe you."
His cell phone went off, and for the length of their drawn sighs of frustration, he stared at her. Then he reached for it. She knew what that meant.
Jess got out of the car and as she entered the building she glanced back. He was still parked. She stopped and said a few words to Charlie and moved on.
She had no sooner entered her apartment then the telephone rang. She wondered who would be calling at this time of night, and hoped it wasn't Liz phoning to tell her she wouldn't be in the office tomorrow.
"Did you put the chain on the door?"
"Doug! Where are you?"
"Still in the parking lot. That call was from the precinct. I have to go in."
"I never doubted that for a moment."
"Well, did you put on the chain?"
Jess glanced over at the dangling chain. "Ah…"
"Jess, go over and chain the door," he said in a firm tone. "I'll wait."
She went to the door and slid the chain in place, then returned to the telephone. "All right, it's done. How did I ever get along without you, McGuire?"
"When I figure that out, you'll be the first to know. I'll pick you up at eight-thirty in the morning. Until then, be good."
"I try to be."
"Oh, you are, Angel Face. You are so-o-o good. Good night."
"Good night." The phone clicked in her ear.
Smiling, she replaced the phone on the cradle. You care. You're such a fraud, McGuire. No matter how much you pretend to the contrary, you care about me.
"Just be patient, Jessica. All you need is a little patience, gal," she assured herself later as she luxuriated in a bubble bath.
Jess was still smiling when she climbed into bed.
* * *
The next morning the smile reappeared when Doug, drove up promptly at eight-thirty.
"Good morning, Doug. I'm sorry to be such a bother to you," she said, climbing into the car.
"You are that, Angel Face. You've bothered me since the first time I saw you. Fasten your seat belt."
"You look tired. Did you get any sleep last night?"
"Don't ask." He looked askance at her. "You must have. Do you always look this good in the mornings?"
"If you'd ever manage to hang around long enough in the morning, you could judge for yourself."
She sat back and relaxed as he wove through the morning traffic with his usual competence. Was there anything he didn't do well – that is other than ignoring the letter of the law in the execution of his duties? Of course, come to think of it, he did do that well.
"What are you grinning about?"
"Oh, am I grinning? I didn't realize it." She looked out the window and began to hum "As Time Goes By."
"If I can get away, how about taking in Summerfest? Tonight's the opening night."
"Do you know I've never been to Summerfest? I've seen the fireworks from my apartment, but I've actually never attended."
He drew back in surprise. "Hmmm, that sounds like a felony, Your Honor, or at least a misdemeanor. After all, Milwaukee's Summerfest is the largest music festival in these United States."
"So I've heard. Are you moonlighting as a hawker for it, McGuire?"
"Shucks, ma'am. No one can pull anything over on you." He grinned. "Actually, Neil Diamond's performing at the Amphitheater tonight. It's sold out, but one of the guys had tickets for tonight, and his wife delivered prematurely this morning, so he offered them to me. So what about it?"
"Wonderful. I love Neil Diamond."
"Good." He pulled up in front of the courthouse. "Barring anything unexpected, I'll pick you up right here at five, get you home so you can change and we'll get an early start. There's a lot to see for anyone who's never been there before."
Doug waited and watched as she climbed the stairs and entered the building, then he pulled out and headed for the precinct.
After he'd left her last night, he'd done a lot of thinking about Jess – in between chasing false leads in the middle of the night with Vic. He and Jess had been seeing each other now for almost two weeks. When it began, he'd figured that after a couple of tumbles in the sack the affair would burn out. But that hadn't happened. They had either talked on the phone or been together every day since then.
The funny thing was that he really liked her. He'd be plumb crazy to give her up. He liked the way she could laugh at herself, the way that laughter carried to her eyes, the scent of that hundred-dollar perfume she wore. He liked waking up and seeing her sleeping beside him, or sitting across a table eating frozen dinners even if she insisted upon candlelight for a feminine touch.
He even liked driving her to work and taking her home at night as if they were … as if they were a married couple.
But what was there not to like about Jess except maybe that "letter of the law" attitude of hers – but having gotten to know her, he now understood she was doing what she believed was proper.
He'd never felt this way about any other woman. Last night that realization had hit him hard. He hadn't wanted Jess to leave his place – to go back to that fancy palace she lived in. He'd wanted her to stay with him. Sleep in his bed.
The hardest thing he'd ever done was making her leave knowing how much she wanted to stay. But he had to prove something to himself – he could do it if he had to.
Because – sure as God made little green apples – that day would come when he would have to.
* * *
Chapter 13
«^»
When Doug returned to the squad room Vic was on the telephone. He went over to his desk, sat down and glanced desolately at the stacked pile of printouts. He and Vic were no closer to solving these murders than when they had started.
Vic hung up. "Well, so much for that lead. Let's get out of here and ring some more doorbells. Maybe we'll get lucky."
* * *
After lunch Doug and Vic were due in court to testify in an earlier case, but this time it wasn't in Jess's court. In the course of a robbery of a service station, Roger Bolton, the station attendant, had been shot to death. Doug and Vic had been the homicide detectives called to the scene. After some extensive investigation, they had found the culprit.
Dennis Wolcott was the defense attorney and was trying to get his client a lighter charge of involuntary manslaughter instead of intentional homicide. During the examination he came at Vic like Perry Mason in an effort to convince the jury that the defendant's only intention had been to rob the service station, not kill the attendant.
Doug rem
ained unflappable when it was his turn to testify, calmly repeating the time the detectives arrived on the scene, the condition of the victim and his own observations of the crime scene. Wolcott attacked him in an effort to cross him up.
"Isn't it true, Detective McGuire, that according to the medical examiner's report the bullet that actually killed Roger Bolton ricocheted off the cash register and then struck him in the head, killing him instantly."
"That's what I've been told."
"Then speaking from your professional experience as a homicide detective you would have to concur, Detective McGuire, that Mr. Bolton's death was accidental."
"The victim was shot four times. You may call it accidental, Mr. Wolcott … I call it overkill."
Flushed with anger, Wolcott turned to the bench. "Your Honor, I request that last statement be stricken from the record."
* * *
Later as Doug picked up Jess, Wolcott came up to the car. "You're looking lovely, Jessica."
"Thank you, Dennis."
"Apparently slumming agrees with you. I'm surprised to see that the two of you are still playing footsie. I'd have thought the novelty would have worn off by now." He looked at Doug. "You were quite impressive in court today, McGuire."
"Sorry I can't return the compliment, Wolcott."
Doug turned on the ignition and drove away. "How could you get mixed up with that prick, Jess?"
"I really don't know. Naive, I guess. I was young – had never been in a serious relationship with a man before. My career had monopolized all my time and interests for years. I met Dennis when I was working as an assistant D.A. He was charming and persuasive. He kind of swept me off my feet. Overwhelmed me, you might say."
"For seven years?"
"Habit, I guess. Or maybe I used him as a safety net to keep me from getting entangled with any other man."
"Such as?"
"Sexy detectives who came into my court."
"Didn't work, did it, Angel Face?" They grinned at each other, and then he squeezed her hand.
Doug had had the foresight to take a change of clothing to the precinct and had already changed into jeans, T-shirt and sneakers. He chatted with Charlie while Jess went upstairs and put on a pair of jeans and her Robin Yount shirt.
By the time they arrived – the gates of Summerfest had been opened since before noon – the after-work crowd had begun to pour in for the Big Bang, the opening day fireworks display scheduled for later that evening.
The festival offered everything from a twenty-ride amusement park for children to an amphitheater that seated twenty-four thousand.
They rode the Sky View that gave her a bird's-eye view of the whole layout, then hand in hand they strolled along from venue to venue where famous musical entertainers from the past and present performed daily on over a dozen open stages, offering everything from jazz to rock and roll.
Doug was drawn to a stage where several popular athletes from the Milwaukee Bucks, the Brewers and the Green Bay Packers were giving sports demonstrations to youngsters.
They decided to eat in courses, but Jess was at a loss what to select first. It was an ethnic delight with over forty of the city's most popular restaurants offering everything from Thai fried squid to American hot dogs, Greek gyros to Tuscany bread, Italian prepared pasta to delectable French desserts.
They sat down and while they listened to the sound of jazz coming from a nearby stage, Jess ate a fresh fruit salad, and Doug settled for a beer. When they finished, once again, he reached for her hand and they moved on into one of the marketplaces.
Jess couldn't resist stopping at a vendor selling paste-on tattoos. She picked out chains of hearts and pasted them around the biceps of Doug's arms. In return, he had a rose painted on her cheek.
They halted their strolling and ate the next course. Doug bought barbecue ribs for himself, while Jess opted for Viennese chicken. This time they were entertained by Ringo Starr and his All Star Band.
In the next marketplace while Doug studied a large poster of a Harley Davidson motorcycle, Jess bought him a Harley bandanna. She tied the bandanna around his neck and stepped back to admire it. "You look marvelous," she said, pleased with the result. "George Clooney, you're toast."
They finally capped off their meal with dessert. Deciding to split their choices, Jess fed him some of her chocolate-covered strawberries, and he gave her bites of his cheesecake.
By this time, Jess was exhausted and as she sat enjoying a glass of iced cappuccino, Doug excused himself and came back shortly and handed her a small bag.
"I love surprises! What is it?" Jess asked.
"Open it and find out."
She grinned at him and opened the bag. Inside was a Mickey Mouse watch. "Oh, Doug, I love it."
Jess quickly removed the expensive Gucci watch she had on, and showed it into the pocket of her jeans.
"Hey, what are you doing?" he asked. "You might lose that."
"So what?" Her gaze held his and she said softly, "If a babe cares enough about the guy who gave her a Mickey Mouse watch, it's more valuable to her than any Gucci watch."
She could tell by his expression that he knew she was referring to the story he'd told her about the diamond earrings. For a long moment their gazes were locked. She yearned to tell him she loved him, and prayed he'd say it to her first.
"You're no babe, Jess. You couldn't be if you tried. Right now, I want to kiss you so badly I ache."
"Then what's stopping you?" she asked.
"I'm afraid if I started, I wouldn't be able to stop."
"Well, if this isn't a cozy sight."
Startled, they both looked up to discover Sherilyn Matthews and her ever-present microphone and cameraman. "Bernie, look what I've found – Law and Order Doing Summerfest," she said. "What a great lead-in for tonight's late news." She nodded to the cameraman and he turned on the camera, spotlighting them in blinding light.
"Tell us, Judge Kirkland, what is your impression of the festival?"
"It's truly remarkable. As usual the Summerfest directors have done Milwaukee proud."
"And your impression, Detective McGuire?" Sherilyn asked, shifting the microphone in his direction.
"Ditto," Doug replied.
"Not to change the subject, Detective McGuire, but since you and your partner are the investigating detectives on the 'Rollin' On the River' murders, could you tell the viewing audience if you're near to solving the crimes."
"I'd like to, Ms. Matthews, but then I'd be telling the killer, too, wouldn't I?"
For the barest of seconds anger flashed in her eyes, then she smiled into the camera. "Just two of the many thousands of people who are enjoying this opening night of Summerfest. Thank you," she said. Then Sherilyn Matthews, her microphone and cameraman moved on.
Jess glanced at Doug. He didn't say anything, but his enigmatic expression followed the reporter.
"Well, according to my brand-new Mickey Mouse watch, Detective, if we intend to see that show, we'd better get moving."
* * *
Jess thoroughly enjoyed the Neil Diamond concert. She had the biggest surprise of her life when they left the amphitheater and she saw that thousands more people had arrived while they were attending the concert.
The grass was completely covered with shoulder-to-shoulder spectators waiting for the fireworks to start. Doug found space for them to sit down in a spot as far from the crowd as possible.
"Tired?" Doug asked when Jess yawned.
She nodded. "It's been a long day. How do you keep going? You've been up all night."
"Lean back against me." He spread his legs apart and drew her between them. She leaned back against him, and his arms closed around her.
"I'm really having a good time tonight, Doug."
"I am, too."
"I enjoy being with you."
His arms tightened. "Same goes for me."
"You know we still have time to get back to my apartment before the Big Bang begins."
He n
uzzled her ear. "I love it when you talk dirty, Judge Jess."
"I was referring to the fireworks exhibition, McGuire. We can watch it perfectly in comfortable chairs on my terrace."
"Yeah, but you'd miss the crowd's ohs and ahs."
"Trust me, Doug. I wouldn't miss them."
He lifted up her wrist to read her watch. "Well, if we're going to do it, we better get moving."
He stood up and just as he reached out a hand to pull her to her feet, two young boys ran up to the couple sitting next to them.
"Daddy, Mom, we saw a dead man in the water."
Doug dropped his hand and looked at the boys. "What did you say?"
"My brother and I saw a dead man in the water, mister," the eldest one said.
"I'm with the police department. Will you show me where you saw him?"
"Sure."
"Jess, you stay here." Doug hurried away with the two boys.
Jess had intended to do what he said until the couple followed them, so she did, too. By the time they reached the spot where the boys were pointing, Doug had started to climb down on the water-slick rocks. The area was in darkness but she was able to make out a dark outline at the water's edge.
Shortly after, he climbed back up. "It's a body all right. I'm going to need some help in getting him out of the water." He asked the boys' father to get a couple of security people.
While they waited, Doug called Vic on the cell phone, gave him the details, and told him to contact the necessary departments, then get over there as soon as possible.
By the time he hung up, the man had returned with two security guards. Doug came over to Jess and handed her his wallet, badge, gun and cell phone. She felt numb and she clutched the items against her and watched Doug and the other two men climb back down the treacherous rocks. Between the three of them, they managed to get the dead man out of the water and haul him up the rocks. They laid the body on the ground and Doug came over and retrieved his belongings from her.
By now, the scene had attracted the attention of the nearby crowd. Many began to come over. Several more security men arrived and started to push back the swarming crowd.
