Turning on the car, he snapped his own seat belt shut and looked over at her. “Who knows what they would do? It looks like they’re getting desperate, and these guys seem to like bombs,” he answered in a flat voice. “I didn’t think about it last night when I drove over here, but by now whoever set that bomb in my office has to know it didn’t do its job. I don’t want to take any chances.” The engine sputtered as he pulled out into the street. “You can’t be too careful with a finely tuned machine like this one.”
“I can see you wouldn’t want anything disturbing its delicate balance,” she agreed gravely, surprising him with a flicker of a smile. After a minute, she asked, “What about my car?”
“A very good question. We’re leaving it right where it’s at for now. You won’t need it, anyway. From now on, we’re inseparable.” He didn’t like the emotion that surged through his body at his words.
Julia glanced over at his profile and felt panic stir in her chest. Last night was bad enough. He’d stirred up feelings in her she’d banished from her life long ago, feelings she had no intention of succumbing to. The only thing that had reassured her last night was that in the morning it would be over. He’d go his way, she’d go hers, and they’d meet occasionally to discuss the case. She was horribly afraid to ask about his definition of inseparable.
She’d handle it one small bit at a time, she thought. “Where are we going now?”
“I thought we’d go to your office so you can pick up the rest of your files on the case. I don’t think it would be wise to stay there, though. Right now I don’t know who we can trust, so we don’t trust anyone.”
“We don’t have to go back to the office. I keep everything about the case with me.” She glanced at the briefcase at her feet and added, “I haven’t left anything there from the beginning. This is too sensitive a case.”
The look he gave her was one of respect. “I’m glad,” he said softly. “You never know who your enemies might be.”
“Does this mean you believe me about Timmons and the others?”
“I told you that I need some solid proof, especially about who specifically is involved. I still can’t believe that Eddie could be involved in something so dirty, but I can’t deny that something’s going on. That bomb at my office last night was sure as hell real.”
She noticed that they were heading toward the northwest. “Where are we going?”
“I want to stop by my office, see if the Bomb and Arson Squad has found anything. It might also be interesting to see who else is hanging around there.”
His voice was hard and implacable. He was talking about stalking the men who’d tried to kill him, and his voice was completely matter-of-fact. Lucas McKinley would make a formidable enemy.
He pulled into a parking space down the block from his office, and as she got out of the car she could see the blue police barricades in front of his building. Something glittered on the sidewalk, and as they got closer she saw that it was broken glass.
She stared, appalled at the destruction, as they stopped next to the barricades. It was a miracle that he hadn’t received more than a few superficial cuts. Anyone standing at the door to the building at the moment of the explosion would have been showered with jagged fragments of the windows above.
Luke approached one of the fire fighters coming out of the building. “I’m the tenant in that office. Have you found anything yet?”
The fire fighter shook his head wearily. “Everything in the room was reduced to matchsticks. It’s a miracle they found anything at all. You can call headquarters later, but I doubt if they’ll find anything more. It was a pretty professional job.”
“Yeah, that’s what I was afraid of.” Luke shoved his hands in his pockets and Julia followed his gaze up to the windows above them. The tiny bits of glass remaining looked like sharp teeth waiting to devour anyone who ventured too close. She’d seen bomb sites before, but the thought of those points of glass ripping into Luke made her shudder. She instinctively moved closer to him.
Even though he stood inches away from her, she felt his body tighten. Following his line of sight, she saw a teenage boy leaning up against the building across the street. Grabbing her hand, Luke slipped through the crowd of people that still milled around in front of the office and darted across the street.
When the boy turned around and saw Luke, his face paled. He didn’t have a chance to run, although she could see that he wanted to. As he backed away from them down the sidewalk, Luke said casually, “Good to see you, Piotyr.” He paused, then said deliberately, “I saw your mother last night. What are you doing out here this morning?”
The boy licked his lips as his gaze darted between Luke and the bombed-out building. Julia thought she saw guilt flicker deep in his eyes before he answered.
“Just looking. Nothing wrong with that, is there?” he said defensively. His accent was much less noticeable than his mother’s, and if she didn’t know who he was she would have assumed he was just another kid, hanging out on the streets.
“There’s nothing wrong with looking,” Luke agreed. “But I think your school might have something to say about doing it now. Why aren’t you in class?”
“They got nothing to teach me,” Piotyr said with false bravado. “I’m thinking about dropping out.”
“Oh, yeah?” Luke’s voice was soft. “What kind of job are you going to get, Pete? You don’t make a lot of money working as a bag boy at a grocery store.”
“I’ll get a job where I can make plenty of money,” the boy boasted. “I don’t need to go to school for that. Why do you think I’m here…?” He clamped his lips together and looked at them with fear in his eyes. “I’ve gotta go.” He scooted around them and disappeared down a side street.
Luke watched him go, then turned to her with a thoughtful look on his face. “It looks like Piotyr is in deeper than I’d thought. Damn.” He looked back for a moment to where the boy had disappeared, then shook his head. “Come on, let’s get out of here. I’ve seen all I need to see.”
She had to trot to keep up with him as he strode back to the car. Once they were inside, he started the engine and pressed the accelerator to the floor. Watching the rearview mirror, he frowned and slowed down.
“Are we being followed again?” She gripped the armrest on the door and resisted the urge to look behind her.
“There’s no one behind me.”
“Why is that wrong?” She looked over at him, bewildered.
“Because if they’re not following us, they must have a reason. And none of the reasons I can think of are real appealing to me.”
They cruised slowly up Milwaukee Avenue, but Julia could tell by the dark expression on his face that no one was behind them. When they got to Devon, he made a sharp right and sped up.
“Where are we going now?”
“To my house. There are a few things that I need.”
After driving through a forest preserve that seemed out of place in the city, he turned down a side street and stopped in front of a small Cape Cod-style house. It was painted white with black shutters on the windows, but there were no flowers planted in the boxes that hung under the windows. The grass was just a little too long, and the shrubs were overgrown and gangly. The house had a depressed, dispirited look about it.
“I want you to wait in the car for me,” he instructed as he got out. “I’ll only be a minute.”
She was surprised at the pang she felt at his words. He’d spent the night at her apartment, but he wouldn’t even let her in the door of his house.
He must have noticed the expression on her face, because he opened the door on her side of the car and squatted next to her. “I don’t want you to come in because I’m afraid there may be a bomb waiting for me here. There’s no reason for both of us to get hurt.”
As he pushed himself up from the ground and turned to the house, she jumped out of the car and grabbed his arm, ignoring the sudden tensing of his muscles. “If you think there may be a
bomb in there, why go in at all? Call the Bomb Squad and have them check.”
He turned around slowly. “This is a big case we’re working on, Julia. You have no idea who may be involved. It may be only some of the men on your list, or it may be a lot bigger than that. Until we have more information, we don’t trust anyone. There are a few things in that house I need, and I’m going to get them. Whoever set that bomb in my office knew what they were doing. It would be damn stupid to set another one in my home so soon afterward, and I don’t think we’re dealing with stupid people.”
“In that case, why can’t I come in with you?”
He stopped and turned around. “Because I’m not willing to gamble their stupidity against your life.”
With that he disappeared into the house. Julia stood on the lawn and stared at the door, willing him to reappear quickly. The minutes seemed to stretch on forever as she waited, her muscles tensed against the explosion she was sure was coming any second.
He finally slipped out the door with a duffel bag in his hand. Locking the door carefully behind him, he said, “Nothing was disturbed, as far as I could tell. Let’s get out of here.”
He tossed his bag into the back seat and started the engine. She longed to ask him what was in the bag that was worth risking his life for, but instead she asked, “Where to now?”
He swung the car back onto a busy street and seemed to relax. Nodding toward her briefcase, he said, “Read me the names of the informants you’ve talked to.”
It was back to business, back to something she had some control over, and she took a deep breath of relief. Standing in front of Luke’s house, worrying about him and wondering when the explosion was coming that would blow him to tiny bits, she’d felt too naked and exposed. She’d felt some of her control slipping away, and it terrified her. It was way past time to get this relationship back on the business track, where it belonged.
Riffling through the papers in one folder, she pulled out a list and read him the names. When he looked over at her, she saw surprised respect in his eyes.
“You found a lot of the snitches the guys in my precinct use. How did you do it?”
“I did my homework.” She shrugged. “If you’re patient, you can find out almost anything.”
“You did a good job.”
The praise from Luke made her feel ridiculously proud. Her cheeks warm, she murmured, “Thank you.”
“You missed one, though.” He looked over at her and actually grinned, pleased, she was sure, to have one up on her. “My own personal snitch. He doesn’t talk to anyone but me.”
“Is that where we’re going now?”
“You got it.”
He accelerated and headed southeast, toward the inner city and downtown. In what seemed like a very short time they were in Humboldt Park, one of the neighborhoods in Luke’s old precinct. As he parked the car on a side street, she looked at the dilapidated two- and three-story buildings and felt the depression of the neighborhood press in on her.
“Where are we going?”
“I told you, to talk to an old friend of mine.” He eased out of the car and came around to open her door. “You’ll find Raul very interesting. He knows a lot of people in this neighborhood.”
“Why doesn’t that impress me?” she muttered under her breath. Looking around, she couldn’t help but notice the stillness. It was midday in the city, but there were no children playing in the front yards of the houses, no women walking down the street. It looked like an urban ghost town, only the occasional sound of music coming from an open window telling them there were people around.
She squared her shoulders as they walked down the silent streets. Luke didn’t seem to notice her. His head moved constantly, looking at the buildings and the cars, but he moved with confidence, as if he belonged in this neighborhood.
“When we find Raul, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. He’ll be wary enough as it is. I haven’t talked to him in a long time.”
I haven’t had to talk to him much since I was dismissed from the police force. He didn’t say the words out loud, but he didn’t have to. Guilt rose in her and she pushed it furiously away. She had done the only thing she could have done, dammit. She hadn’t had any choice.
Luke turned abruptly down another street, and she had to swerve to keep up with him. He walked down two blocks, still warily checking everything, before he slowed and turned into an alley. Briefly she wished she carried a gun. Alleys were notoriously dangerous, even in broad daylight. She prayed that Luke knew what he was doing.
He stopped in front of a garage that was just as neglected as all the other garages in the alley. The paint was peeling and the door hung in its frame at an odd angle. Several shingles were missing from the roof, and the windows were so encrusted with dirt and grime it was impossible to see through them.
Luke rapped sharply at the door with two knuckles. It was a code of some sort, she realized as he repeated the knock. In a few seconds the door opened and Luke pulled her through, shutting the door behind them.
The inside of the garage was as tidy and clean as the outside was dirty. In one corner stood a bed and a dresser, close to a hot plate and a tiny refrigerator. The majority of the space in the garage seemed to be used as a workroom.
Blocks of wood stood piled against the wall and on a workbench that dominated the room. Tools that looked like chisels were scattered on the surface of the workbench, and other oddly shaped instruments were attached to a Peg Board above the bench. Julia looked around the room, speechless, as Luke stepped to one side and she saw the man standing in front of them.
Slight and wiry, he wasn’t much taller than she was. His black hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and a gold hoop glittered in one ear. His olive skin proclaimed that he was Latino, as were most of the other residents of the Humboldt Park neighborhood.
“I’ve missed you, Raul. How’ve you been?” Luke’s voice was low, but Julia realized with surprise that he meant it.
“I’m okay.” The other man’s eyes were fixed on Julia. “Who’s this?”
“Her name is Julia Carleton,” Luke said easily, reaching for her hand. His palm slid over hers, warm and comforting. She curled her fingers around his and clung. “We’re working together.”
Raul’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve always worked alone since you went out on your own.”
“Things change and you do what you have to do.” He stared at Raul. “You ought to know about that.”
The smaller man flushed slightly. “If you vouch for her, I guess she’s okay.”
“I vouch for her.” Luke’s hand tightened on hers. “How’s the carving going?” He nodded toward the workbench.
Raul smiled and his face softened as he walked over to the table and picked something up. Handing it to Luke, he said, “You tell me.”
Luke let go of her hand and cradled the object in both of his. “It’s beautiful, Raul.”
Luke held a duck in his hands. The colors shimmered in the dim light by the door, and she would have sworn the duck was alive. It looked poised to dive under the water, every feather on its body quivering with anticipation.
“This is wonderful, Raul.” She looked up from the carving to find Raul’s eyes on hers. “It looks so real.”
Raul’s face relaxed into a proud smile, and he reached out and took the duck from Luke and placed it gently on the table. Luke ran his hand over it one more time, then looked at Raul.
“Have you enrolled in the Art Institute yet?”
The smile faded from Raul’s eyes and he silently shook his head. “This isn’t art, man. This is just wood carving.”
“That’s as beautiful as any sculpture I’ve seen at the Art Institute,” Julia heard herself say.
Raul looked at her and he finally smiled again. “Thank you,” he said softly. Then he looked at Luke and the smile slowly faded. “But I don’t think you came here to admire my carvings.”
“No, we didn’t.” Luke paused and looked at
Raul, and Julia felt something unspoken swirl in the air for an instant.
Raul nodded. “I knew you would come here sooner or later.” He glanced over at Julia. “She has been talking to a lot of people.”
Startled, Julia opened her mouth. Luke’s hand tightened on hers until she glanced over at him. The message in his eyes was plain. Let me do the talking.
“What do you know, Raul?” Luke asked.
Raul stared at him for a while, troubled, then turned and picked up one of his chisels. “There are a lot of rumors. The Demons are boasting about certain things.” Anger swept over his face. “Not only are they arrogant, it appears they are stupid, too. I have heard that some of the detectives from your old precinct have been cut into the action. The Demons are selling their drugs quite openly these days, and the only ones they arrest are the children who do the selling.”
Julia felt the tension building in Luke. It sizzled through the hand she held like an electric current. “Have you heard any names?”
Raul shook his head. “Unfortunately, they aren’t that stupid. But it is more than one. That I do know.”
“Have you seen any of the detectives?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. The Demons are aware of my feelings and they stay away from me. It’s possible I might have seen one or more of the detectives in the neighborhood, in places they shouldn’t have been, and didn’t realize it.”
Julia knew how the gangs operated. If you weren’t one of them, you were the enemy. She couldn’t contain her curiosity about how Raul managed to live in this neighborhood and be openly scornful of the Demons.
“How do you manage to do it?” she asked. “Live here on your own terms, I mean.”
Luke frowned, but Raul looked at her and smiled slightly. “I am a wood-carver. I have many talents with a knife.”
She stared at the knives lying casually on the worktable as Luke pulled her toward the door. “Thank you, Raul. Your information has been valuable, as usual.” He paused at the door before opening it. “You really should check with the Art Institute, you know. You’re every damn bit as good as any other student there.”
An Honorable Man Page 8
