Arouse Suspicion

by Maureen McKade

  Gary scowled. "It's no big deal. Just type in some stuff, and there it is."

  Angela rolled her eyes, making her look like a landed fish with three silver hoops in her left eyebrow and another through her left nostril. "You are so fuckin' clueless, Gary. Hacking into a security company's system isn't like getting into a porn chat room."

  So that was how they knew when people would be on vacation. And there'd be no common denominator with the security company, because they could hack into various companies.

  "But you don't know how to hot-wire a car," Gary shot back peevishly.

  "I'm so impressed." Angela's tone implied the opposite.

  "What do you know," the boy muttered. He stood and crossed to Danni, the gun held loosely in his right hand. "Wonder what she knows anyhow."

  Before Danni realized what he was going to do, he'd ripped the tape off her mouth. The abrupt sting made her gasp and her eyes water, but her throat was too dry to do anything more.

  "So, you're Paddy Hawkins's daughter," Gary began. "You're a helluva lot better lookin' than I figured you'd be."

  "Gary—" Angela began.

  "I'm bored," he interrupted. "Might be fun to have a captive audience." He threw back his head and laughed, as if it were the funniest thing he'd ever said.

  Danni glared at him.

  Gary pulled his chair closer to her, turned it around and straddled it. "You wanna know about your old man? Or maybe about Matt? Or how about my old friend Marsel?"

  Danni refused to be baited.

  Gary shrugged and skimmed his fingers over the pistol's barrel, like he was caressing a lover. "None of the others know anything about them, but I do. I'm the boss's right-hand man."

  "I thought Karen Crandle was," Danni said.

  Gary scowled. "Sometimes she thinks she's in charge. Tellin' the boss to do this or not to do that. If she was my girlfriend, I'd lose her."

  "I don't think Mr. Gilsen wants you tellin' her this stuff," Angela said.

  Gary laughed. "Who's she gonna tell? She's gonna be dead by tomorrow morning."

  Not if I can help it, Danni thought with a surge of determination.

  "Crandle killed your old man," Gary continued. "She dressed up real hot and went over there. The old guy really thought she wanted him to fuck her."

  Danni was going to throw up if she heard any more about Crandle and her father. "Who killed Matt?"

  "That was the boss. I went over to see Matt, played his pal, slipped him some stuff, and when he was out of it, I let the boss in. Matt didn't hardly do anything when the boss slashed his wrists." Gary paused and took a breath, the first sign of remorse in his young face. "I used to like him, but then he turned rat. Stupid bastard. Didn't know a good thing when he had it."

  "Wasn't Marsel your friend, too?"

  "We hung out until he got religion. He knew what was going on but didn't know who the boss was. Tried to find out a couple of days ago. That's when he had to be reminded what happens to rats."

  Danni shivered inwardly. Gary Otis may not have been so cold-blooded a year ago, but he'd obviously learned from Gilsen. The kid was on a one-way road to prison, or worse.

  "So why was Gilsen trying to kill Nick Sirocco and me?" she asked. Maybe if she kept him talking, he'd give her an opening to try to escape.

  "Because you had something I wanted," Gilsen replied as he entered the room. He strode to Gary and glared down at him. "Why the hell isn't she gagged?"

  Gary flushed. "We were just talking."

  Gilsen dismissed him with a shake of his head and faced Danni. "Where is he?"

  She suspected "he" was Nick, and intense relief washed through her. If Gilsen was asking her, he obviously hadn't found him. And Danni had no intention of helping him. "Who?"

  Anger glittered in his eyes. "Nick Sirocco. I spent over two hours watching Paddy's place. He never showed."

  Danni shrugged as well as she could in her bonds. "I'm not his mother."

  "You two have been like Siamese twins for the past week."

  "Since everyone figured you had left the city, we didn't think there was a reason to stick together any longer."

  "I guess I'll just have to be satisfied with Nick's notes." Gilsen smiled without warmth. "But you, I'm afraid, I'll have to kill."

  Nick shifted his butt as he remembered his first stakeout five days ago on the passenger side of this same unyielding bench seat. That time he and Danni had been watching a sleazy two-timer hook up with his overendowed girlfriend. This time the stakes were a hell of a lot higher than gathering evidence against a wandering husband.

  Nick's stomach growled, and he wished he'd at least thought to grab a bottle of water when he left Paddy's. The streetlamps and security lights in the parking lot had come on an hour ago. If Crandle didn't come out soon, he would have to resort to plan B, whatever the hell that was.

  The building's back door opened, creating a shaft of light with a body silhouetted in the opening. The person halted on the stoop and glanced around. Karen Crandle. Finally.

  She hurried over to her Camaro and got inside. Moments later, Crandle turned onto the street, heading away from Nick's position. He started Danni's truck and followed.

  Although he'd never tailed a person, he'd watched enough cop shows to know he couldn't stay on her bumper. But no matter what, he couldn't lose her. She was the key to finding Danni.

  Nick concentrated on keeping her sports car in sight as she jockeyed back and forth through the traffic. She was in a hurry, that much was obvious.

  The neighborhood became more familiar, and he realized she was heading to the youth center. Confident of her destination, he hung back and drove past the center when Crandle turned toward the rear of the building. Nick parked by the curb, and as soon as he switched off the engine, he sprinted around to the back of the center.

  He halted and peeked around the corner. Crandle stood by a back door as she spoke into a cell phone. Then she closed the phone and waited. Nick assumed she'd called someone in the center to let her in. Pressed against the old brick, he glanced around, and his heart missed a beat when he spotted his Jeep.

  If he hadn't been certain before that Crandle was involved with Gilsen, he was now. The foreboding he'd felt earlier mushroomed. He'd bet his next book that Gilsen hadn't left town and was inside the center waiting for his girlfriend.

  Nick again debated calling the police but realized he didn't have time. Someone, probably Gilsen, would let Crandle in at any moment.

  He reached back and withdrew Paddy's revolver from where it was tucked into his waistband. He adjusted the revolver's grip in his right hand and waited.

  The door opened.

  "It's about time," Karen grumbled. She entered, and the door began to close behind her.

  Nick raced over and grabbed the handle carefully, allowing the door to continue swinging shut, but stopped its movement before it automatically locked. He stood there, his breathing harsh in his ears as he strained to hear sounds from within the center. There were only fading voices. Fortunately, neither Crandle nor whoever let her in bothered to make certain the door closed behind them.

  He remained outside for a count of sixty, then entered soundlessly and found himself in the dark hallway that ran between the administrative area and the gym. Using his Ranger skills, he moved down the hall stealthily until he reached the door that led into the main corridor. He cracked it open and peeked through to see if anyone was around. Nothing moved, nor did he hear any voices.

  Keeping his body flush with the wall, he sidled into the wide hallway and crept down to the computer lab. If Gilsen were still in town, there was a good chance he'd be in there.

  He wasn't surprised to see the lab door shut. Pressing his ear against it, he listened and was rewarded with Crandle's voice. He shoved the door open and surged into the room. Three people stood between the two rows of computer stations, and their startled gazes fell on him.

  "Hold it," he ordered.

  Gary Otis's eyes slid
to where a pistol lay, six feet away.

  "Don't try it," Nick warned the teenager, but then addressed the trio. "Raise your hands where I can see them."

  Gary glared at him but didn't make a move toward the weapon. Angela shifted closer to her boyfriend, fear in her expression. Only Karen Crandle appeared unruffled.

  "So you figured it out?" she asked.

  Nick ignored her question. "Where's Danni Hawkins?"

  He heard a muffled voice and shifted to the left. Danni was tied to a chair at the end of the row, hidden by the stations' dividers. Her eyes were wide, and she was trying to speak, but tape covered her mouth.

  Nick's knees wobbled with relief. The sight of her wild chestnut curls and huge dark blue eyes gave him a moment of lightheadedness. A part of him had been terrified that Danni was already dead.

  Although he wanted nothing more than to untie Danni and hold her, he had more pressing problems to deal with.

  "Karen and Gary, on the floor, facedown and hands behind your backs."

  Rebellion filled their faces, but they did as he ordered. A loaded weapon was a powerful motivator.

  "Angela, untie Danni," Nick said, his voice a shade gentler with the girl.

  Her face pale, Angela stooped down to untie Danni's ankles from the chair. As the teen moved to release her hands, Danni's eyes widened. She yelled something in a muffled voice, but Nick couldn't understand.

  Until he heard Gilsen's voice. "I've been looking all over for you, Nick. Nice of you to come to me."

  Nick glanced over his shoulder to see Gilsen holding a gun and framed in the doorway. His heart sank. "You won't get out of the city. Your picture's plastered everywhere—airport, bus station, rental car agencies."

  "But I don't need any of them. I've got Karen and a moving truck."

  As a teenager, Gilsen had had everything: girlfriends, brains, and athletic prowess. Even a successful career, except Nick hadn't known at the time that Paul's success was illegally gained. It seemed Paul had always bested Nick, no matter what measuring stick was used.

  But this time Gilsen couldn't win. If he did, both Nick and Danni were dead. And Nick had no intention of seeing the woman he loved killed.

  Déjà vu flooded Danni. Two years ago, it had been Scott who'd died because of her inadequacy. Now it would be Nick. And people would go on believing Patrick Hawkins had taken the easy way out, instead of being murdered by a dirty cop.

  Karen and Gary climbed to their feet and brushed off the front of their clothing. The teenager took Nick's revolver, which Danni recognized as her father's.

  "Now what?" Nick asked Gilsen conversationally.

  "As soon as the stage is set, you and Danni will come to an unfortunate end." The thief and murderer sounded almost apologetic.

  "Why?"

  He shrugged. "It's not good business practice to leave loose ends. I'll still have to change my name, but you two are the only ones who know where we're going."

  "To use kids—" Nick motioned to Gary and Angela. "Like them, again?"

  Gilsen glanced at the teenagers. "I paid you well, didn't I?"

  "Yes, sir, you did," Gary answered.

  "Did I use you?"

  "No, sir."

  Gilsen, with a condescending smile, turned back to Nick. "See, I don't use kids. I employ them."

  A muscle flexed in Nick's jaw, and Danni knew how difficult it was for him to curb his anger. Yet without Paddy Hawkins's guidance, Nick might very well have turned out like Gilsen.

  "How are you going to get rid of us?" Nick asked calmly.

  Startled, Danni looked at Nick, who met her gaze. Despite the flippancy of his tone, his eyes were intense, as if trying to tell her something. She watched as his gaze deliberately slid to Gilsen and the weapon in his hand, then back to her. Nick was going to try to take Gilsen.

  Her partner would need a diversion.

  She struggled to free her hands but was bound too tightly to the chair. However, her feet were free, and Gary Otis had shifted so he was directly in front of her....

  She caught Nick's eye and nodded minutely. For a moment, she thought he didn't understand. Then she felt it— like the final knot unraveling. He placed his faith in her and she placed hers in his. Without reservations.

  Danni listened to Gilsen describe to Nick, in detail, how he was going to make their deaths look like a murder and suicide. But her attention remained focused on Gary, and when the teenager looked away from her, Danni surged upward. Head lowered, she rammed into Gary, who stumbled back against a chair and flailed for balance. But Danni's momentum tipped the scales, and Gary fell under her weight. The boy's head hit the floor with a sickening thud, and Gary lay unmoving. Danni, still lashed to the wooden chair, registered a wrenching ache in her shoulders as she lay on top of the teenager.

  Angela screamed and stood frozen as she stared down at her unconscious boyfriend.

  Danni rolled off Gary and renewed her struggle to free her arms. There was slack in the rope that hadn't been there before, and she took advantage of it, tugging free of the chair with only a mild hiss of pain. But she still wore the handcuffs behind her, and she quickly rolled onto her back and drew her knees to her chest. Straining against the metal, Danni drew her cuffed hands down the back of her thighs and behind her knees, past her calves, and finally over her feet. Although the handcuffs still held her, at least she had her hands in front of her now.

  She ripped the tape from her mouth and barely noticed the sting, then did a quick visual reconnaissance. Nick had taken advantage of her diversion and grappled with Gilsen, who still had his pistol, but the barrel was pointed upward. However, Nick's red face showed the strain he exerted to keep the weapon away from him.

  Danni swung around and came face-to-face with Karen Crandle, who had snatched up a pistol and aimed it at Danni. Her finger was poised on the trigger.

  "Shoot him," Gilsen suddenly yelled.

  Karen swung the weapon toward Nick.

  Danni's heart missed a beat. She dived for her father's revolver where it lay on the floor and rolled to a kneeling position with the weapon held between her hands.

  "Drop it," Danni barked.

  Please drop it. Two years ago she'd frozen, and her partner had been killed. This time it was Nick's life in the balance.

  She saw the flex in Karen's right hand as if in slow motion, and this time she didn't hesitate. The old revolver kicked in her hands as the gunshot registered. Karen crumpled to the floor, the pistol falling from her hand as she went down with a bullet in her shoulder.

  She kicked Karen's weapon under a computer station. Then she swung her attention to Nick and Gilsen in time to see Nick throw a right hook that sent Gilsen tumbling backward. Gilsen's head cracked against the corner of a desk on the way down. He lay motionless.

  Nick stumbled over to Danni. "Are you all right?"

  She trembled as she looked from Gary and Angela, who'd fallen to her knees beside her boyfriend, to Karen and Gilsen. The only one who moved was Angela, but it was with grief, not menace.

  Danni finally settled her gaze on Nick. His concern for her reflected in his face and eyes and the warm, strong hands that clasped her arms. A bruise was already forming on his cheekbone, and blood trickled from a split lip, but he was alive. And so vibrant and handsome that he stole her breath. And her heart.

  She leaned forward to rest her head against his chest, and his heartbeat calmed her. "Definitely all right."

  Nick enveloped her within his arms and kissed the top of her head. "Keep an eye on them, and I'll call nine-one-one."

  She nodded and stepped back, using every ounce of energy left in her adrenaline-drained body to stay upright. Listening to Nick's authoritative tone on the phone, she couldn't help but smile. Her father had helped mold the man Nick had become—the man she loved.

  Her throat felt tight as she smiled.

  Thank you, Dad.

  Epilogue

  As Nick parked the Jeep behind a familiar sedan, Danni wasn't s
urprised to see Sam and Nancy Richmond standing at her father's graveside. Their heads were bowed, and they held hands.

  "Looks like they had the same idea as us," Nick said.

  Danni nodded absently, concerned by Nancy's fragile appearance. "Nancy couldn't come to the funeral, but Sam told me she wanted to pay her respects."

  She opened her door and stepped into the sunny warmth of the early afternoon. She waited for Nick to come around, and when he took her hand, she clung to his welcome strength. They walked across the luxuriant green grass with the reverence a cemetery invoked.

  They stopped at the foot of the grave, and Sam glanced up, startled, then gave them a brief nod. But Danni could see he was focused on his pale wife who dabbed at her eyes with a lace-trimmed handkerchief.

  Danni lowered her head and listened to nearby birdsong and the far-off drone of traffic. One week ago she'd stood in this exact place surrounded by grieving people, but she had felt isolated and alone as she'd stared dry-eyed at her father's casket. Today, with the three people she cared for most, she felt their sorrow keenly but also felt their love and acceptance.

  Nancy sniffed and wiped her nose. "I wanted to say good-bye," she said softly.

  Danni raised her head and smiled tremulously at the woman who'd baked her cookies and helped her shop for school clothes. "I know Dad appreciates it."

  Nancy reached out and clasped Danni's hand. Her fingers were cool and waxen, but there was still strength in her grip. "He loved you so very much, Danni. He just didn't know how to show it."

  A lump filled Danni's throat, and she could barely speak around it. "I know."

  Sam wrapped an arm around Nancy's thin shoulders. "I owe you both an apology," he said to Nick and Danni.

  "Why's that?" Nick asked.

  "I didn't believe you," the older man admitted with a shake of his head. "I was Paddy's partner for over twenty years. I should've known he'd never take the easy way out."

  "Don't feel bad, Sam. Nick had to struggle to convince me." She glanced up and met Nick's warm gaze. "He was the only one who had faith in Dad."

  "You had faith, too," Nick said. "It just took you a little longer to find it."