by Lee McKenzie
He got up off the couch, laughing at Rex, who stretched his hind legs over the spot he’d just vacated. After one last futile check for messages, he headed for the bedroom.
“’Night, Rex. Maybe we’ll hear from her tomorrow.”
The dog’s one-eyed examination suggested he didn’t believe it any more than Luke did. It really was time to come up with a better plan.
* * *
THREE DAYS AFTER SHE’D moved into her new house, Claire was stuck in traffic on her way home from the office. The route she’d tried yesterday had been slow. Today she was at a standstill. She had plenty of time, though, and this gave her a chance to think about what to wear tonight because, true to their word, Sam and Kristi made a reservation at one of their favorite downtown restaurants.
“We’re going totally glam,” Kristi had insisted. “While you and Sam can still fit into your glamorous clothes.”
Claire smiled at that, trying to think of the last time she’d seen Sam in anything other than jeans and a work shirt. Probably not since her wedding, which had been a small, intimate affair with only family and a handful of friends. Sam had worn a sleeveless, cream-colored satin shift, knee-length, with matching pumps and the stunning ruby pendant earrings that had been AJ’s wedding gift to his beautiful bride. It turned out that Sam, understated and elegant that day, had been hiding a knockout figure under those work duds of hers, and the groom hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her.
Claire accelerated slowly as traffic started to move again.
Of the three of them, Kristi was, without question, the girliest. Knowing her, she’d probably sat down at her sewing machine last night and whipped up something brand-new, one-of-a-kind and totally eye-popping.
Claire still had no idea what she would wear tonight. She had several basic black dresses in her wardrobe and each of them had been a very safe choice. Black was classic, it worked for any occasion, and it was slimming. In theory, at least. Ever since that week with Luke, she’d been wishing she had something sexier in her closet. She had actually splurged on some new lingerie but that had been the day of the raid on her condominium complex, and she hadn’t had a chance to test-drive it.
She would dig it out and wear it tonight. There was no law that said a girl couldn’t feel good about herself, even though she was just having dinner with friends. She was still pondering what to wear over the lingerie as she turned onto her street. The sight of two police cruisers parked halfway down the block had her braking and flashing back to a couple of weeks ago when she’d come home to find the condominium complex surrounded by police vehicles.
Déjà vu I can live with, but please don’t let this have anything to do with my house. Or, God forbid, Luke.
Her dread increased, though, as she drove slowly down the street. The police cars with their lights flashing were parked right in front of her place and a police officer stood in her front yard, talking on a radio. Several neighbors she hadn’t even met yet were clustered across the street.
Great introduction to the neighborhood, she thought as she pulled up and jumped out of her car. “Is there a problem here?” she asked, walking through the open gate.
“Ma’am.” The guy tipped his hat. “Is this your home?”
“Yes, it is. I just moved in on the weekend.”
“I’m afraid to tell you that you’ve had an intruder. One of your neighbors called it in.”
Someone was in her house? Her first thought was for Chloe. “My cat—” She started for the front door.
The officer stepped in front of her. “Sorry, ma’am. I have to ask you to wait here until the house is clear. Two officers are inside right now.”
“Inside? How?”
“Seems the intruder climbed in through an unsecured window.”
An unsecured window? She was pretty sure she hadn’t even opened any of the windows, it wasn’t warm enough. But had she checked to make sure they were locked? No, she was sure she hadn’t. What was she thinking? Someone could have broken in while she was there, sleeping even. To wake up and know someone was in her home...her skin crawled.
A voice crackled from the officer’s radio, but Claire couldn’t make out what was being said.
“The intruder has been apprehended,” he said. “They’re bringing him out now. Would you rather wait in your car, ma’am? They’ll be taking him down to the station, and then we can go inside with you, make sure everything’s as it should be.”
It had to be a random break-and-enter, so did she want the intruder to see her? No, not at all, so waiting in the car was probably a good idea.
She had her hand on the door handle when two more officers appeared from the side of the house, escorting a man...
Was that...
“Donald?” Not thinking clearly and not caring one little bit, she rushed toward them. The officers had Donald by both arms and... Ha! His hands were cuffed behind his back, and for once he actually looked cowed.
“You broke into my house?” Anger and disgust bubbled up inside her. “How do you even know where I live? Have you been following me?”
The officer who’d been standing on the lawn quickly stepped up and took her arm, preventing her from getting any closer. “You know this man?”
“Unfortunately, I do. He’s my ex-husband.” At least that part was fortunate. “Emphasis on ex,” she said, watching them secure the loser in the backseat of one of the cruisers. One officer got behind the wheel, the other, a woman, walked toward Claire.
“Alex, can you go with Vern, take this guy downtown and get him processed? I’ll stay here and go through the house with the owner.”
She extended her hand. Claire, still seething and inexplicably relieved that it was the woman staying behind, accepted the handshake.
“I’m Officer Kate Bradshaw.”
“I’m Claire DeAngelo. This is my home, and that—” She waved at the car pulling away. “That scumbag is my ex-husband.”
“He told us his name is Donald Robinson.”
“That’s right. Have you...I don’t know...arrested him?”
She didn’t answer the question. “He told us he doesn’t live here. That would make this break-and-enter.”
Break-and-enter. The exact words Luke had used that night when Donald came to the condo. The man she had once been married to, thought she had been in love with, had become a stranger. And a criminal.
“I hope you lock him up and throw away the key.”
A hint of a smile twitched on Officer Bradshaw’s lips. “Is it okay if I go back inside with you so we can go through the place together? He wasn’t in there for long, but I’d like you to make sure everything is where it should be, that nothing’s missing. And I’ll need to get a little more information from you.”
“Of course. Come in.”
Kate Bradshaw followed her up the steps and waited while she unlocked the front door.
“Nice place,” the woman said after she followed Claire inside. “Have you lived here long?”
That was an odd question. “No. Just a few days, actually.”
“So it’s your place. Mr. Robinson has never lived here with you?”
“No.” The second question made the first one sound a little more appropriate. “He has never lived here, and he’s not welcome here.”
Kate Bradshaw jotted notes. She was maybe five-foot-five, slender but solid-looking, and very, very pretty. Claire wondered if she had pulled her gun on Donald before she’d handcuffed him. It would serve him right. Maybe this time he’d learn his lesson.
“Do you know if Mr. Robinson has ever had any prior criminal charges or convictions?”
“He never mentioned anything like that.”
“And where did you live before you moved here?”
Another odd question. Claire gave her the address and watched her write it down.
“How long have you and Mr. Robinson lived apart?”
“Almost a year.”
“I see.” She flipped her noteboo
k shut. “Let’s take a look around. You can let me know me know if you notice anything’s missing. And we’ll check your windows, make sure they’re locked.”
“The other officer said that’s how he got in—”
“That’s right. A bedroom window at the back of the house, the room that’s empty.”
The baby’s room. Claire thought she might throw up. They spent nearly half an hour going through the house, made sure the windows were locked and as far as Claire could see, nothing was missing. But Donald was only after one thing, the Beatrix Potter book, and it was still locked in the safe at her office.
“I can tell you why he broke in. His grandmother gave me an extremely rare edition of an old book. It turns out that it’s quite valuable and now that we’re divorced, he wants it back.” That had to be it. How hard up for money was he? He had tracked her down, broken into her house to look for the book and what...? Was he going to steal it from her? For Donald to do something this stupid, he had to be in serious, deeply serious financial trouble.
“I see.” Kate Bradshaw flipped open her notebook, made some more notes. “And you can prove the book belongs to you?”
“Yes, I still have the gift card that came with the book. My lawyer has seen it and she’s confident that if it ever became a legal issue—” and how ironic that it had “—the card proves that it belongs to me.”
“I see. So this book has already been an issue?”
“Yes, and it was settled, or at least I thought it had been.”
“And there’s nothing else he might have been looking for? Jewelry? Rings?”
Did she mean wedding and engagement rings? Claire had given those back with the rest of his things when she’d sent him packing, but this woman didn’t need to know that so Claire simply shook her head.
“I need to get down to the precinct with this information. Here’s my card,” she said, pulling one from her pocket and handing it to Claire. “Please call me if you think of anything else that might be pertinent, or if you notice anything missing. And I’ll keep you up-to-date with any developments concerning Mr. Robinson.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that.”
“And be sure to keep those doors and windows locked.”
“Oh, I will.” And first thing in the morning she would arrange to have a security system installed.
Kate hesitated, hand on the doorknob. “I hope you don’t mind me asking you one more question.”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you happen to know Luke Devlin?”
Hmm. The earlier questions that had seemed odd were now a little less...odd. “I do. Why do you ask?”
She shrugged. “No particular reason. Your former address looks familiar. Luke was involved in a situation at that complex a couple of weeks ago. He mentioned that he knew someone who lived there, and I thought your name sounded familiar.”
“I take it you know Luke, too?”
“We work together.”
I’ll bet you do. “Luke and I used to be friends. We went to college together.”
She hoped it sounded casual, off the cuff, since anything she said was sure to get back to him. Then it dawned on her that he would hear about the break-in, as well.
Kate opened the door and stepped out. “Things like this can be unnerving. Maybe you have a friend or family member who can come stay with you for a bit?”
“I do.” They were probably at the restaurant already. “Thanks.”
“Take care.”
She shut the door, locked it and went to get her phone. Sam and Kristi would be getting worried, and the last thing Claire felt like doing right now was getting glammed up for a night out on the town.
Chapter Fourteen
Luke watched Norman dump sugar into a cup of coffee, peel open three little creamers and pour those in and stir. They’d been meeting in this little greasy spoon since Norm, nineteen years sober, had taken Luke under his wing at the first AA meeting he’d ever attended. They’d increased these get-togethers since Luke’s close call at the liquor store a couple of weeks ago.
Norm sipped his coffee, sighed appreciatively and leaned back in his chair, giving his ample girth some breathing space. “So...how’ve you been?”
“Good. More or less.”
“How ’bout we start with the less?”
Luke had grown up with a father who was absent much of the time and three sheets to wind all of the time. They had never talked, not really, unless he counted his father’s negative and often vulgar criticism. A man who asked straight up how he was feeling, how he was doing and zeroed right in on the problem areas, was an anomaly that had taken some getting used to. His initial instinct was still to gloss over, even cover up what he was really feeling. Norm, God love him, cut through his bullshit like a hot knife through butter.
“I miss her.”
“Have you been in touch?”
“Not yet.” She ignored his text messages so there’d been no point in calling. Now he realized he shouldn’t have left it so long, should have tried to see her in person and get her to hear him out.
“The longer you leave it, the harder it gets.” Norm drank some more of his coffee. “Ah, that hits the spot.”
Luke gulped his black brew, which, after a week of drinking Claire’s coffee, now tasted cheap and bitter. “I shouldn’t have left it, but I figured she needed space. She was dealing with her divorce, moving into her new place.”
“And now?”
And now he worried it might be too late. “I don’t know.”
“Does thinking about this make you feel like having a drink?”
Luke stared into his cup. “Yeah.” Hell yeah.
“Does being with her make you feel like having a drink?”
Luke looked up, connected with his friend’s intense scrutiny. “When I was with her, no. It was the furthest thing from my mind.”
“Then I guess you know where you need to be.” Norm’s deep laugh accompanied that bit of wisdom. “See how easy that was?”
What Norm said made total sense, and sounded a lot easier than it was. Claire’s forgiveness would be hard won, if he managed to win it at all. And yes, she was good for him, she always had been. He wouldn’t have made it through college without her help. But what did he have to offer her? She was smart, sexy, damn successful in her own right. Any man would be lucky to have her, but she sure as hell didn’t need one to look after her.
“You’re already overthinking this,” Norm said. “Sometimes a man’s gotta shut that off and just do what he’s gotta do.”
“You’re a wise man, Norm.” Luke drained his cup.
Norm reached for his wallet, but Luke held up a hand, tossed a couple of bills on the table. “My treat. Cheaper than seeing a shrink.”
The man’s expansive chest heaved with laughter. “You’re a good kid, Luke. Don’t sell yourself short.”
They stood, gave each other a one-armed hug that ended with a pat on the back.
“See you at a meeting soon?” Norm asked.
“You bet.” Luke pulled his ringing phone from his jacket pocket. The call was from Kate Bradshaw’s cell. “It’s work,” he said. “I have to take this.”
He slid back into the booth, watching Norm leave the coffee shop as he answered. “Hey, Kate. What’s up?”
“Remember that guy you asked about a couple weeks ago? Donald Robinson?”
The name alone had the hair up on the back of his neck. “Yeah. What about him?”
“We just booked him for break-and-enter.”
“Son of a bitch. What’d he break into?” he asked, although he already knew the answer.
“His ex-wife’s place. She’s a friend of yours?”
“Claire DeAngelo. Yes, she’s a friend.” Was a friend. “Is she okay?” If that guy touched her...
“She’s fine. She wasn’t home at the time, but she pulled up just after we arrested him, probably on her way home from work.”
Thank God for that. “How did he get i
n?”
“Through a bedroom window. One of the neighbors saw him.”
“What time?” Luke was on his feet and heading for the door.
“Just before five this afternoon.”
In broad daylight? Talk about stupid. Luke’s initial assessment of the guy was bang on.
“How’s she doing? Did she seem okay?”
“Pretty shaken. I stayed with her for a bit, went through the house, made sure everything was secure. Suggested she might want to call someone to come and stay with her a while.”
He got up and left the coffee shop. He knew exactly who she would call. Sam and Kristi. “Did you wait until someone showed up?”
“No. I took her statement and we went through the house to see if anything was missing, then I came back to the precinct. Vern and Alex already had him booked.”
“Is he still there?” He crossed the street and climbed into his truck.
“You bet he is.”
“How long can you keep him?”
“I’m pretty sure we can stall long enough to keep him overnight.”
“Good stuff. I owe you one.”
“You already owe me one.”
“Okay, I owe you two. Thanks for letting me know about this, Kate. I appreciate it.”
“No problem. I had a hunch she was someone special.”
She was that, all right. “You’ll let me know when Robinson’s back on the street?”
“You bet.”
He ended the call, shoved the phone into his pocket and revved the engine. Norm was right, he thought as he swerved out of the parking lot. Sometimes a man knew what he had to do, and right now Luke knew he had to go to Claire. He hated to think how rattled she must be, but this might be what it took for him to get his foot in the door. Besides, if he didn’t go see her, he’d go down to the precinct to see Donald, and that wouldn’t end well for either of them.
