by Jane Graves
After a moment, he opened another button, then slid his hands to the sides of her waist, leaned over, and teased his tongue over the small opening he’d created in her jeans just above the edge of her panties.
“Alex, please …”
She squirmed against him, but her thighs were trapped between his knees. She put her hands against his shoulders, digging into them with her fingertips, but still it felt as if ages passed before he finally rose and reached for her jeans again.
Then, slowly, she became aware of something. A sound that was out of place. A creaking noise.
Alex unbuttoned the third button of her jeans, then took pity on her and moved right ahead to the fourth.
She heard it again: a plaintive creaking noise right above their heads.
She pressed her hand down on Alex’s. “Alex?” she whispered. “What’s that noise?”
By the way he stopped suddenly and tilted his head, she knew he heard it, too. He looked up at the ceiling of the shed.
“What the hell …?”
Val glanced up, too, and through a crack between boards, she saw an unmistakable flash of black and orange. Her heart nearly stopped.
“Holy shit,” Alex said. “He’s on the roof!”
The boards creaked again. Alex grabbed Val by her upper arms, at the same time falling backward, rolling to the left and pulling her on top of him. He rolled again until he was shielding her body with his right up against the door of the shed. Val heard a huge crack. The roof caved in, and the tiger fell into the shed in a thunderous crash of splintered wood and a spray of dust.
As the animal squirmed wildly in the rubble, Alex leaped to his feet and hauled Val along with him.
“Let’s go!”
She snagged her backpack at the last moment, right before Alex threw open the door and shoved her through it. He slammed the door behind him, grabbed Val’s hand and took off running.
“He could still come back out through the roof,” Alex said. “Let’s move!”
They scrambled up the rocky hillside toward the gate. She slipped once, and Alex pulled her back to her feet and they kept on running. As they moved into the trees about twenty yards away from the gate, she glanced back to see the tiger scrambling through the opening in the top of the shed.
They reached the gate. Alex lifted the rod to open it, pushed Val through the opening, then followed her, clanging the gate shut behind them.
Val stumbled over to a tree, turned and leaned against it. Then she slid slowly down the trunk and rested her head back against it, her breath coming in sharp spurts.
“Oh, God,” she said under her breath. “I don’t think I’ve ever run that fast in my entire life.”
Her hair was sweat-soaked, her face still hot and flushed. And her bra was unhooked, hanging open beneath her shirt. Her jeans were in a similar condition.
He’d wanted her. As insane as the situation had been, he wasn’t about to say he didn’t. Or that it had been a mistake. Or any of a hundred different things he could say right now to downplay it. Because he didn’t want to downplay it. Not in the least.
He walked over to where she sat and offered her his hand. She stared up at him for a moment, then took it, and he pulled her to her feet. When their eyes met, she immediately looked away. She pulled her hand from his, turned away and buttoned the fly of her jeans.
“Val,” he said. “What happened in that shed—”
“Was no big deal,” she said, hooking her bra beneath her T-shirt. “I always get horny when I’m attacked by a tiger.”
And with that, the wall came up. Just like that, she dismissed all of it. Every touch, every kiss, every moment they were on the verge of sexual explosion—gone. Meaningless. No big deal.
He stepped toward her. Her expression grew a little apprehensive as he advanced, and she was forced to take a step backward, bumping into the tree. Moving very slowly, he smoothed a tangle of hair away from her cheek, then took her face in his hands and stared down at her.
“Did what just happened between us really mean so little to you?”
For a full ten seconds she just looked at him, her eyes wide. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it again. Finally she simply closed her eyes to avoid his insistent gaze.
“No,” she whispered. “Of course not.”
“Was that really so hard to say?”
“Yes.”
He still didn’t know why. Not completely. But he accepted the enormity of her tiny admission without pushing her for more. He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, only to realize that she was trembling.
“Are you okay?”
“Of course.”
“We have to get moving.”
“I know.”
There were a thousand things left to be said between them, but this certainly wasn’t the time or the place to go into it. They eased apart, and Alex turned and surveyed the enclosure they’d just emerged from.
“Okay,” he said. “Let’s find a way to skirt this tiger cage so we can move closer to the house and see what’s going on.”
Alex turned and started down through the trees along the perimeter of the fence, whacking short saplings aside as he walked. Val leaned back against the tree for a moment, a wobbly sensation in her stomach, overcome by a feeling of sudden helplessness that made her knees weak.
When she didn’t follow, Alex turned back and waited, his feet slightly spread and sweat glistening on his upper body. The harsh afternoon sun streaked through the treetops, highlighting every plane of muscle in his shoulders, his arms, his abdomen. He hadn’t picked his shirt up on the way out of that shed, and now she was paying the price for it.
And it was her fault. She’d asked for it. Begged, practically. She felt a flush of embarrassment.
Now he knew. He knew just how important he was to her, and just how much she wanted him. She’d tipped her hand in every way possible.
I care about you. How long is it going to take you to figure that out?
She hadn’t known what to say when she heard those words come out of Alex’s mouth. How could the man she was certain had no heart have become so adept at seeing right into hers?
Her mind was a muddled mess, swimming with the memory of how he’d touched her and the words he’d spoken. But she couldn’t stop to sort it all out now.
She pushed herself away from the tree, still feeling so hot and flushed that she could barely walk. But right now she had no choice. She pressed ahead, shoving aside the same saplings Alex had and following him through the trees.
Soon they realized that the tiger enclosure wasn’t as large as it appeared, because the western boundary had been hidden by a thicket of trees. They skirted it, then headed south. Soon, down a long, brushy hillside, the ranch house came into view. They swung around until they were directly behind it, yet still under the cover of trees.
Northeast of the house stood a large horse barn with adjacent corrals and a hay barn with a pickup truck parked behind it. Northwest of the house were several small cabins backing up to a grove of trees. The cabins appeared to be made of actual logs, very rustic, clearly aimed at male guests.
But the action was happening on the east side of the house, where at least half a dozen men were erecting a large awning, while others prepared barbecue pits. And in the middle of it all stood a blond woman who, even at this distance, seemed to be in charge.
“Damn,” Alex said. “The place looked deserted before. It’s not deserted now.”
Val pulled out her binoculars and zeroed in on the woman. She was tall and strikingly beautiful in the same oozingly sexual way that Shannon had been. She was maybe thirty. Maybe. She wore a pair of frayed denim shorts, a pink tube top, and sandals, and even in the short time Val watched her, it was pretty clear that the men working for her would be getting things done a lot faster if she went inside and put on a pair of baggy jeans and an old T-shirt.
“That must be Reichert’s girlfriend,” she said, handing Alex the binocul
ars.
Alex peered at her for a moment. “He’s sure got a thing for younger women.” He panned the binoculars around the area. “The men who are working are Mexican. Wonder if they’re legal?”
“Knowing Reichert, probably not.”
Alex lowered the binoculars. “There’s no way to get in there now. Too many people around. We’ll wait until tonight.”
“But there will be even more people around then.”
“We need the cover of darkness to get into that house. We’ll wait until the party is in full swing, because by then everybody will be gathered on the patio or under that awning, not scattered around the cabins or the horse barn. We’ll wait until the women show up, too. Another distraction. By then surely there will be a lot of alcohol flowing, too, which means that all those guys, including Reichert, will probably have their attention someplace besides the house and the barn. While you’re monitoring what’s going on out here, I’ll go into the house.”
“No,” she said. “It would be better if I went in.”
“No, it wouldn’t. I don’t want you anywhere near Reichert. He’d recognize you in a heartbeat.”
“And he wouldn’t recognize you?”
“If somebody’s going to have to deal with him, I’d rather it be me.”
“People will be in the back of the house, which means you’ll need to go in the front door. What if it’s locked? Can you pick a lock?”
Alex sighed with disgust.
“It appears, then, that you’re not the man for the job.”
Alex was silent for a moment, turning the situation over in his mind. “Okay. You said you had disguises. What kind of disguises?”
“Clothes, wigs, makeup …”
“Anything sleazy?”
“Oh, sure. I can do sleazy.”
“I expect that the ladies who show up here tonight won’t look like schoolteachers. If somebody spots you, maybe they’ll be drunk enough to think you’re one of them. You might even be able to fool Reichert if the need arises.”
“So I’m going in?”
“You’re going in. But I want you wearing one of the bugs right up to the time you plant it. I want to hear everything that’s going on. Do you have something wireless you can wear that will let me talk to you?”
“Yeah. Fits right inside my ear.”
“Good. But we have to come up with some kind of diversion I can use in case you get into trouble. Any ideas?”
Val scanned the area, her gaze falling on the hay barn. Through its large open doors, she saw bales of hay stacked nearly to the roof. In the middle of summer it would be dry as tinder.
“Sure would be a shame if that hay barn caught fire,” she said.
Alex stared at her for a moment, and she expected him to tell her one more time what a goofy plan she’d just proposed. Instead, he got a calculating look on his face.
“Not a bad idea.”
Val felt a rush of adrenaline. It was a hell of a good plan. Within hours they would have that ranch house loaded with listening devices, and before long Reichert would be on tape, possibly having hot sex with his girlfriend two days after his wife’s murder. Eventually they’d say something to incriminate themselves. And if they were lucky enough to get the latter, then nobody—not even Henderson—could continue to accuse Alex of murder.
chapter twenty
At nine o’clock that night, Alex paced up and down outside the van, his boots scuffing through the dead leaves at his feet. Hot, humid, deathly still nights like this one made him tense. They always had. On nights like this, he had the uncanny sensation that danger was hovering just outside his line of sight, ready to attack. Tonight was no exception. And the disquiet he felt was fueled by the fact that Val was inside the van right now, getting herself ready for their undercover operation.
He wasn’t at all sure about this. The plan was solid, but still he worried about the possibility of Val meeting Reichert head-on inside that house. He remembered the gut-wrenching feeling he had had when he thought that was what had happened at Reichert’s house in Tolosa, and he had no desire to repeat the experience. But he didn’t know a blessed thing about picking locks and he certainly couldn’t learn now.
He reached for his cell phone he’d pulled out of the van earlier, knowing there was something he had to do before they left, and he couldn’t put it off any longer. He wasn’t looking forward to talking to Dave and getting the third degree, but he had to find out just what Henderson was up to after Stanley told him he’d spotted them in Tinsdale.
He dialed the number of Dave’s cell phone. Four rings later, he heard his brother’s voice.
“Hello?”
“Dave. It’s me.”
“Alex! For God’s sake, where are you?”
“Just listen to me. We had a little run-in with a deputy sheriff this morning. Has he called Henderson?”
“What kind of run-in?”
“Just answer the question. Did he get in touch with Henderson to tell him he’d spotted us?”
“Us? Does that mean Val is with you?”
Damn. He hadn’t intended to say that. “Yes. But don’t let anyone know that. I know they suspect she’s with me, but I don’t want anyone to know it for sure.”
“Okay.”
“Now tell me—did a deputy sheriff contact Henderson, probably in the early afternoon?”
“Not that I know of. And I saw Henderson as I was leaving today. If he had any idea where you were, he’d have gloated about it.”
So Stanley hadn’t said a word. That didn’t completely surprise Alex, but he was relieved just the same. Not that he couldn’t still decide to say something eventually, but at least for now, no new law enforcement was on their tails.
“Alex?” Dave said. “What happened at Reichert’s house? What the hell were you doing in there?”
“Don’t ask.”
“But—”
“I said don’t ask.”
“Why can’t you tell me where you are?”
“Because the second you know where I am and you don’t tell somebody, you’re in deep shit right along with me. I have no intention of putting you in that position.”
“Then at least tell me what you’re up to.”
Alex debated telling his brother anything, then relented. “I’ve got a lead on the real killer. I’ve got to pursue it.”
“Reichert?”
“Don’t ask me any more questions. I mean it, Dave.”
“Okay. But this lead—what are you going to do if it doesn’t pan out?”
For the first time, Alex truly felt the chasm that separated him from his brother, that separated him from everyone else on earth who was walking around free right now. The hard truth was that he might never be able to prove that Reichert was Shannon’s killer. And if he couldn’t, what would he do?
Only one thing was certain: under no circumstances would he allow somebody to slap a pair of handcuffs on him again, then throw him in a prison cell and slam the door shut behind him. No matter what he had to do, that was never going to happen.
“I’ll worry about that if the time comes,” he told Dave.
“Can I give you any help from here?”
“Not now. I’ll let you know if I need anything. Just call me if anyone contacts Henderson, will you?”
“Yeah. I will.”
Alex disconnected the call, then leaned against the van, the hot night air so thick he could barely breathe. For some reason, he found himself thinking about what he’d be telling Dave right now if their positions were reversed.
Get your ass back to Tolosa, damn it! Right now!
He wouldn’t be sympathetic, and he wouldn’t be listening to a lot his brother had to say. He’d just be telling him what a fool he was for the things he’d done, and to rectify the situation ASAP because it was the right thing to do.
But as he imagined saying all that to his brother, suddenly he didn’t recognize himself. Suddenly he saw shades of gray where there was once only bl
ack and white. And suddenly he started to see that while Dave was trying to understand his position, understanding would have been the last thing he would have offered if he’d been in Dave’s place.
The back door of the van opened. Alex swung his flashlight around, and when Val stepped out, he couldn’t believe his eyes. How could she have gone into that van, only to have another woman come out?
“Holy shit.”
“What?”
What did she mean, what? Val had never been one to play up her sexuality, but here she was wearing a denim skirt with a button front that clung to her like a sausage casing, rising so high on her thighs that if she bent over, nothing would remain a secret. Above that was a hot-pink blouse that plunged so low that he could clearly see that she’d foregone a bra. She’d added a wig with long, straight black hair that she’d swept forward to cover the stitches on her temple, and enough makeup to make a Vegas showgirl green with envy.
“Close your mouth, Alex.”
He did.
“You said sleazy.”
“Yeah, but—”
“I’m a private investigator. Think of it as a uniform.”
Uniform, hell. Cops wore uniforms. So did janitors. And cleaning ladies. This was no uniform.
Well, one thing was good about it: he’d barely recognized her, so maybe Reichert wouldn’t either, in case the two of them happened to meet. They’d talked about the importance of looking like one of the girls there tonight, who they assumed would be Mexican, so she’d used a darker makeup foundation. Since she was half-Mexican already, the look was complete. And because she swore she could fake the accent with the necessary broken English and sprinkle her speech with actual Spanish, he felt certain that she’d be able to pass herself off as one of the ladies of the evening.
“Wait a minute,” he said. “You can’t carry a weapon wearing that skirt.”
“I have one in my purse.”
“Where are the bugs?” he asked.
“In my purse, too. Along with the lock pick and a mini-flashlight.”
“I want to be able to hear you when you go into the house.”
“Don’t worry. The bugs are plenty sensitive, even inside there.”
