Deadly Rumors

by Cheris Hodges

  She wiggled out of his embrace. “What’s there to talk about? The sexual tension between us has been intense since the moment you showed up and asked me to take this case. We’ve finally gotten our carnal needs out of the way, and now we can focus on solving this case for the Dolan family.”

  “You think that’s all it was?”

  She looked at her watch. They had about an hour left before the plane landed. “Listen, we know that’s what it was. You and I don’t have a future and you know it as much as I do.”

  “Why don’t we have a future? What are you afraid of, Zoe?”

  “Nothing. Carver. You have this life in DC that I know nothing about. And I’m a New York girl who doesn’t believe in long distance relationships.”

  “It’s Maryland, actually. We can make this work, Zoe. And every excuse you throw at me just shows me one thing.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “You’re afraid, and you feel the same way that I do.” He stroked her cheek. “You’re the one I want in my life, and I’m not going to stop until you’re mine.”

  She shivered as he brought his lips close to hers. “And, Zoe, you will be mine.”

  “I’m not a possession for you to capture, Carver. And who said that I wanted to belong to you or any other man?”

  “I know what you want, but until you admit it to yourself, you’re going to continue to pretend that you don’t want or need me. It’s getting tired, but I’m not the kind of man to force a woman into something she’s not ready for.”

  Before Zoe could respond, the pilot’s voice came through the speakers. “Guys, we’re going to encounter some rough air. I need you to return to your seats and fasten your seat belts.”

  “Great,” Zoe muttered. “Even these jets have turbulence.”

  “I got you,” Carver said as he placed his hand on her knee. She closed her eyes and didn’t respond. When the plane hit the first pocket of turbulence, Zoe was all right. But the second pocket made the plane shake violently, and she gripped Carver’s arm like a vise.

  He stroked her hair and wrapped his other arm around her shoulder. “We’re good. We’re good.”

  “I should’ve just stayed asleep,” she muttered. “You like this, don’t you?”

  “No. I get no joy from you being this upset.”

  Zoe smiled and held on to him a little tighter. “Carver, I have a confession.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I do care a lot about you, and yes, it scares me. You’re in a dangerous profession, and I don’t deal with loss well. I’m scared to love you and lose you.”

  He took her face into his hands. “You’re not going to lose me.”

  “You can’t say that with certainty.”

  “Yes, I can.” He brushed his lips across hers. “Zoe, I waited a long time to hear you say that you feel this way about me, because I’ve felt like this about you for a long time.”

  “Before or after you arrested me?”

  Carver rolled his eyes. “Are you ever going to let that go?”

  She laughed and shook her head. “Nope.”

  “Then maybe I need to allow you to slap some handcuffs on me so that we’re even.”

  “If I put handcuffs on you, you’re either going to be really happy or really excited.” She winked at him as the pilot announced that they would be landing in Las Vegas in about thirty minutes and the air was clear. Carver unhooked his seat belt and fixed two cups of juice for him and Zoe.

  “Should I give you the handcuffs now?” He winked at her as he handed her the juice.

  “How about we solve this case first?”

  Carver sipped his juice and nodded. “Zoe.”

  “What?”

  “Thank you for this.”

  She grinned at him. “Just because I love you, that doesn’t mean you’re not getting a bill.”

  “Wouldn’t expect anything less.”

  “I’m glad you know this.”

  * * *

  Charlotte, North Carolina

  Chante Harrington smiled as her husband walked into her law office carrying a dozen roses.

  “Zach,” she said.

  “Hello, beautiful. I missed you this morning.”

  “You were really restless last night, Zach. Is everything all right?”

  He set the roses on her desk and took a seat across from her. “I think so. I just had a bad dream about Zoe. I think something is going on with my sister that she’s not telling me about.”

  “So that twin connection thing is real?” Chante rubbed her barely there baby bump.

  Zach nodded, then rose to his feet and kneeled in front of Chante. “How’s my son doing in there? Are you feeling all right?”

  She took his hand and placed it on her belly. “You feel that?”

  “He’s moving.”

  “Yes, she is.” Chante leaned forward and kissed Zach on the forehead.

  “I hope God doesn’t give us a daughter who looks like you. I don’t know if I want to spend that much money in ammunition.”

  “That’s not sexist at all.”

  “Speaking of sexist. How did the case go this morning?”

  She took his face in her hands. “Who am I? Of course I won.”

  “I married a superstar.” Zach leaned in and kissed her, slow and deep. As they broke the kiss, he looked into her eyes. “But you’re going to have to slow down.”

  “Here we go again. Zach, I’m not doing anything to put our baby in danger.”

  “That’s why this baby has to be a boy. Between you and Zoe, I need backup.” He laughed and stroked her stomach.

  “Well, you should be happy to know that I only have one more big case that I’m taking. A couple of victims of human trafficking are suing the state.”

  Zach shivered. “This can be dangerous.”

  “I know, and it puts me at odds with my best friend, who just happens to be married to a state senator. But Liza is classy enough not to say anything about it.”

  “Can’t you hand it off to one of your associates?” Zach rose to his feet and spun Chante’s chair around.

  She grabbed his wrists. “I could. But I won’t. Why don’t we go get something to eat? Your son and I are hungry.”

  “I see how this works. He’s my son when you want something.” He winked at her. “Do you know how much I love you?”

  “I do, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop telling me.”

  * * *

  Zoe wanted to kiss the ground when the plane landed. Private jet, commercial flight, she still hated to fly. Carver grabbed their bags and pulled out his cell phone to call a car service. This was probably the only thing she liked about the private jet. No waiting for baggage and hailing a taxi. But it was a little warm outside. She pulled out her cell phone and Googled missing girls in Las Vegas. No African American women. She sighed, knowing that a missing black woman just didn’t make headlines.

  “You all right?” Carver asked when he locked eyes with Zoe.

  “Yeah. Just ready to get off this tarmac. I hope this is the last stop. Do you know if anyone from the FBI has contacted the Dolans to let them know what’s going on?”

  Carver rubbed his forehead. “I don’t know.”

  “Do you have a source at the Bureau that you can press to help us?” Zoe ran her fingers though her hair.

  “No. I mean, I do have a friend I might be able to reach out to, but this was something that I was trying to avoid. We don’t want the public to know what’s going on, in case we don’t find Jessica’s body. The fewer people we talk to about this case the less chance we have of leaks making it out to the media.”

  “Why? We’re at a dead end, a roadblock. We have to do something, Carver. And maybe there is someone out there who knows something. It wouldn’t hurt to get the public involved.”

  “Zoe, I’m still following your lead, so whatever you think we should do, I’m with it.”

  She glanced at her watch. “Well, after a nap and some food, I
’m going to head out with my buddy from the sheriff’s department and see what we can find out. Have you booked our rooms yet?”

  “We still need two?” Carver winked at her.

  “Yes. Because I can’t be distracted by you.” Zoe stroked his cheek and smiled. “The sooner we find Jessica’s body, the sooner we can head back to New York and figure out how we’re going to make this thing work.”

  “I’m looking forward to that.” Zach leaned in and kissed Zoe, slow and deep. Quivering in his arms, Zoe was sure that she and Carver had the future that she’d been dreaming about.

  Chapter 20

  Lewis Martinez had been in hiding since the bombing at Zoe’s office. He wished she’d been in there. When he walked into the bodega on the corner, he noticed a man following him.

  He wasn’t going down like this. Turning around, he was ready to push a rack of chips into the man’s chest. “Martinez, right?” the man said.

  “Who are you?”

  “Someone who wants Zoe Harrington dead, and I’m willing to pay you to make it happen.”

  Lewis shook his head and backed away from the man. “This is a setup.”

  The man pulled out a wad of money and handed it to Lewis. “There’s more where this came from. And this is not a setup.”

  “Who are you?”

  “Let’s get out of here and talk. We have a common goal.”

  Lewis narrowed his eyes as he counted the money. Three thousand dollars. “You wearing a wire?”

  “No.” The man headed for the door and Lewis followed him.

  “All right,” he said once they were outside. “What’s this common goal?”

  “Dancing on Zoe’s grave. I know what she did to you, and you guys were partners. Police officers are supposed to be closer than that.”

  “And you know this because?”

  “It’s on Google. Everything is on Google.”

  Lewis folded his arms across his chest. “And who in the hell are you? Open your shirt and show me there’s no wire.”

  The man laughed. “I’m the last person who would be wearing a wire. I’m Joe Singletary.”

  Lewis had heard that name before, and he knew this man didn’t have anything to do with law enforcement. “What did she do to you?”

  “Cost me millions of dollars. Now she’s on some trip with the FBI to avoid me. I’ve had people try to get her, but she’s like a cat with nine lives.”

  “That’s true. So, the FBI is keeping her safe, huh?”

  Joe nodded. “But I have a plan, and I need your help. And it’s going to be very lucrative. Once she’s dead, you’ll be able to get away and start over. Don’t you think you deserve that?”

  Lewis nodded. “How are we going to make this happen?”

  “We’re going to North Carolina to flush her out. She cares about her family, and that’s where we’re going to hit her.”

  Lewis smiled, realizing that this man was the real deal. “Let’s head over to Pelham Bay and hash this thing out. Are you driving?”

  Joe shook his head. “We should probably take a cab so that we aren’t captured on too many cameras.”

  “Good idea.” Lewis hadn’t been this excited since he set the bomb at Zoe’s office a week ago. If this guy was the real deal, then they would be dancing on Zoe’s grave. He figured that he would settle into an island life after the job was done. A couple of girls in bikinis pouring him drinks and feeding him exotic fruits would make up for everything he lost in New York.

  * * *

  Carver had gotten over his jet lag after two days. Zoe, however, seemed to hit the ground running. While she was out on patrol with her sheriff friend, Carver linked up with the Shadow Team through a videoconference on their secure server.

  “Wendy was Singletary’s inside contact at the Bureau,” Sarah said. “And it looks as if she was the only person working with him. Since her death, it doesn’t look as if he’s been having any communication with anyone else.”

  “That’s good to know,” Carver said.

  Sarah nodded. “Now, we have to wait for the official announcement from the Bureau about her death and ties to Singletary. But knowing them, they are going to gloss over it.”

  Ray picked up a cup of coffee. “Of course they will. Wendy dying trying to stop Singletary will make a better story for the Feds than a rogue agent.”

  “Why haven’t you guys outed Wendy yet?” Carver asked.

  “Because,” Ken began, “that’s going to bring heat on you as well.”

  Carver nodded. “I didn’t think about that.”

  “She was pretty cunning,” Sarah said. “I’m thinking she worked with Singletary because she was upset about the way her sister’s case was handled.”

  “Of all the people to saddle up with, she chose that monster?” Ray shook his head. “If he knew her sister, he probably would’ve put her on the stroll.”

  “Probably?” Carver said. “Joe doesn’t respect women. If he could make a buck off his mother, he would.”

  “Here’s the question, though: How much longer are you going to be able to keep Zoe on this wild-goose chase?” Sarah asked. “She’s going to catch on sooner or later.”

  “To everything,” Ray said.

  Carver gritted his teeth and fought the urge to flip his friend off. He knew that comment had a lot to do with how he felt about Zoe. But now that she knew, and he knew she felt the same way, he wasn’t as worried about how she would react to the fact that he’d been lying to her.

  After all, he’d done it for her safety.

  “Carver, you all right?” Ken asked.

  “Yeah. Any idea where Singletary is now, though?”

  “He left Virginia and we haven’t been able to get eyes on him. That bastard is smart. He bought a plane ticket to Memphis, but never got on the flight.” Sarah sighed. “I should’ve put a bullet in his head when I had a chance a year ago.”

  “So you could be out of a job?” Ken asked. “We’re going to get him and we’re doing it the right way.”

  “We need to hurry up and do it, because until he’s locked up or dead, Zoe isn’t safe,” Carver said.

  * * *

  Zoe yawned as she and Dale James, her sheriff’s deputy friend, rode around the famed Vegas strip.

  “Zoe, you know this Jessica Dolan case is about three years old, and the only thing we’re going to find—if we find anything—is bones.”

  “Listen, her parents just need to know where their daughter’s remains are and how they can find closure with her death. Could you imagine losing a loved one to a crazed serial killer?”

  “No. But I remember losing the love of my life to New York.”

  Zoe rolled her eyes. “You got over it. You have a beautiful wife and family.”

  “True. But I’d still marry you.”

  “Too late for that,” Zoe quipped. “I didn’t think bigamy was legal.”

  “Courtney loves Sister Wives. She’d be cool with it. You know you were my first love. And first heartbreak.”

  “Can we leave the past in the past? You said you were going to help me find this girl’s body.”

  “Yeah. I just wanted to drop that on you real quick. Since you’re not on the force in New York anymore, have you thought about leaving the city and joining another department?”

  “After working for myself, I can’t go back to following someone else’s rules.”

  Dale nodded. “I can see that. Now, this neighborhood right here is one of the places where people settle after moving to Vegas. It’s cheap and transient. We’ve also found bodies here before.”

  Zoe nodded.

  Dale parked the car and glanced at Zoe. “You got a gun?”

  “Yes, and it’s legal.”

  “Good, because this isn’t the safest hood in Vegas.”

  “Thanks, Dale. See you in an hour.”

  Zoe walked around the neighborhood for about fifteen minutes, looking for ground that looked disturbed, and she tried talking to a few peo
ple milling about, but she was ignored. Then she wondered, how do you ask people where’s the best place to bury a body?

  Sighing, she felt as if she wasn’t going to be able to get the Dolans closure, and she’d all but given up hope that Jessica was still alive. When her phone rang, she almost jumped out of her skin.

  “This is Zoe.”

  “Hey, it’s me,” Carver said. “Any luck?”

  “Nope. I feel like I’m going in circles.”

  “Why don’t we call it a day and try tomorrow. I can come and pick you up.”

  “Not yet. I told Dale to pick me up in an hour and it’s only been about forty-five minutes.”

  “How far are you from the Hilton?”

  “I don’t know. I just know it’s getting hot out here and I’m frustrated.” Zoe sighed into the phone.

  “I’m coming to get you. Just text me the address.”

  “You rented a car?”

  “Yep.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you shouldn’t have to depend on this deputy to get around.”

  “Your eyes are turning green as you speak. Dale and I are friends, and being around him gives me more access to police reports and missing persons cases than rolling around a town I don’t know in a rental car.” She laughed. “Though he did ask me to marry him this morning.”

  “He did what?”

  “Yep, you have some nerve to be jealous.”

  “Let me go on record and say, I don’t want my woman riding around with some man who wants to marry her.”

  “He was joking because he’s already married.”

  “Whatever. Text me the address and I’ll see you in a few.”

  Zoe laughed, then hung up to text him her location. She started walking back toward the apartments, hoping to find someone who she hadn’t talked to earlier. When she didn’t, Zoe decided that Carver had a point. Maybe tomorrow they could cover more ground together and find this girl.

  * * *

  Carver watched Zoe walk down the sidewalk and knew when she got in the car she was going to pepper him with questions he didn’t have answers to.

  He blew the horn to get her attention. He’d rented a Corvette because it had been the only car available at the time.