by Kylie Brant
She sensed the exact moment when Gabe’s interest sharpened. Although she didn’t raise her gaze from the easels in front of her, she felt his close attention. She took the boys through the process, and had them in fits of laughter over the pictures they described.
“Change my guy’s nose, now,” demanded Alex. “Make it long with a big bump on the end.”
“I want my guy’s eyes to be different. Make them squinty like this.” Danny demonstrated by screwing up his face comically. She acceded to that change, and all the others the two came up with. If she hadn’t finally called an end to the projects, she thought the boys would have been entertained for hours.
Ripping the sheets off the pads, she handed each boy’s picture to him.
“That was fun, Aunt Meggie. Let’s do another one.”
“We’re going to do one again, but this time we’ll do it a little differently. I want you to describe someone you’ve seen. Do you remember what the men looked like that you saw running outside of the toy store that day?”
Instantly Danny’s eyes clouded, and his gaze slid to Gabe. “Yeah. Sort of.”
Meghan squatted down until she was eye level with her nephew. “We’re going to let you do a little detective work.”
“You are?” The dubious tone in Danny’s voice said better than words that he wasn’t totally comfortable with the idea.
“I am. And we’re going to do it here, the way we did these drawings.”
If she could help Gabe with the case in this way, it might relieve her conscience a bit. May make her feel less deceitful. But she wouldn’t compromise her nephew’s well-being for the investigation. And Gabe…well, he’d just have to accept that.
Danny considered her words. “Which man?”
Giving a sigh of relief, she looked at Gabe questioningly.
“The second one,” he said. “The one you said was tall and thin.”
“He had a skull face.”
Meghan rose, went to the pad. “Tell me what you mean. What was his face shaped like?” Slowly, a little at a time, she drew details from the boy, drew, erased, revised. Gabe came over to stand behind her. The questions he directed at Danny helped elicit more specifics. Finally Danny said, “That’s how I remember him looking. Can we go watch our movie now?”
Meghan looked at Gabe, and he nodded, not taking his eyes away from the picture. “I’ll be damned,” he murmured. “I can see what the kid meant.” The figure in the sketch had deep-set eyes, broad cheekbones and a long narrow chin. The close-cropped dark hair she’d added only accentuated the skeletal features.
It was easier to concentrate on putting away her supplies than on the menacing face she’d drawn. If anything, she was more certain than ever that she’d done the right thing by protecting Danny. If the news of his ability leaked the way Sandra’s had, he could be endangered by the man in the drawing, or someone like him. She shuddered at the thought.
“You did great, Meghan.” Gabe’s words of praise spread a honeyed warmth through her veins. The warmth notched up a few degrees when he drew her into his arms. “You’re very talented.”
She tilted her head to look up at him. Being in his embrace was too new, too stimulating, to take one moment of it for granted. But the thrill was marred by a feeling of dishonesty she couldn’t seem to shake. She wanted, desperately, to believe that the sketch somehow made up for the other secrets she was keeping from him.
But she couldn’t quite manage to make herself believe it. “I think that statement could be a considered compliment if you didn’t sound so surprised.”
“Oh, it’s a compliment,” he assured her. “I think I’m becoming a real fan of your talents. Both in the studio—” he dipped his head, nuzzled her neck “—and out of it.”
A breathless laugh escaped her, and she twined her arms around his neck. “I have lots of talents. Would you care to be more specific?”
There was a promising gleam in his eyes that sent rivers of delight cascading through her veins. “I’d like to do just that. What’s on your schedule tonight?”
“Alex is here for an overnight.”
“Lucky Alex.”
“Bedtime is nine o’clock, because the boys don’t have school tomorrow.” The look of disappointment on his face filled her with a soft, womanly satisfaction. “I have it on good authority that you’re a very early riser.”
His brows rose. “With the birds.”
“Then maybe we can work out an overnight for you, too.”
His lips took hers in a quick hard kiss that wanted to linger. “I’m a very considerate houseguest.”
She linked her arms around his neck and smiled up at him. “I’m counting on it.”
“Sit down, Paul.”
The man in the chair observed his employee over steepled fingers. “You dispatched our last bit of business with your usual aplomb.”
Paulie shrugged gaunt shoulders. “Collins was no problem.”
“No,” the man murmured. “He won’t be anymore. I’ve always found his type to be eminently dispensable.” He reached into his Italian-tailored suit jacket and withdrew a leather wallet, setting it on the desk. With one well-manicured index finger he nudged the wallet across the desk.
It was a mark of wariness that Paul didn’t count the money before slipping it inside his coat. There wasn’t a man on earth he feared, but this one at least commanded a certain respect. It helped, of course, that he was well paid for work he enjoyed.
“Was Shadrach able to be of some use to us before you finished him?”
Paulie remained motionless with that eerie stillness that was so much a part of him. Perhaps the hours spent waiting for prey had trained him. It was difficult to be sure. But he got results. And if he approached his work with a rather distasteful amount of enthusiasm, that really was of little consequence.
“It was pretty much like you thought. Apparently he and his friend got Barton to help them by sending pictures they took of her and her kid. Collins could be identified in most of them.”
“Incompetent fool.” The diamond in the man’s pinkie ring glinted as he drummed his fingers on the desktop of polished cherry. Nothing was more an affront than stupidity. He breathed deeply, attempting to shove back the remembered fury. Stress of this type wasn’t healthy. “Well, at least they gave us D’Brusco. It hardly made up for the mess they made of things, but it was something.”
“Do you have anything else for me?”
“Perhaps.” The man pursed his lips, calmer now. “I’ll have to discern how much damage has been done. I know how to contact you if I need you.”
The dismissal in his tone was obvious, and Paulie silently rose to leave. He’d be summoned again. His services were in great demand. Especially among men like this one.
Chapter 12
“Connally, this came for you earlier, special messenger.”
Gabe took the large manila envelope the desk clerk held out to him. “Is it ticking?”
“If it was I’d have put it in your desk.”
“You’re heartless, Mona. After all I’ve done for you.” The wounded expression he affected didn’t soften the woman’s expression appreciably.
“Let’s see. Would that be the time you put the rubber rat in my desk drawer or the time you sent a singing telegram to my birthday party.”
“I’m told he had an excellent voice.”
“He was nearly naked,” the woman retorted. “I thought my mother was going to have a heart attack. She’s almost ninety, you know.”
Gabe grinned all the way back to his desk. Although he couldn’t claim all the credit for that particular masterpiece, it had been his brainchild and he felt a resulting pride.
His partner wasn’t in yet. Gabe was early again, having left Meghan’s before the boys could awaken. He sensed she felt awkward about his presence there with Danny in the apartment, and he was willing to do what it took to allay her concerns. But he couldn’t deny an underlying visceral satisfaction. Her obvious disco
mfort with having a man spend the night probably meant he was the first to do so in a while. And though he’d never been possessive about a woman in his life, there was no doubt that he was interested in keeping this an exclusive relationship.
The recognition of that fact should have scared the hell out of him. The distance he maintained with other women didn’t seem to apply to her. He wasn’t quite ready to examine the reasons for that.
Dropping the envelope on his desk, he strolled over to pour himself a cup of what passed for coffee in the place. Only then did he settle in at his desk and tear open the envelope to examine the contents.
When Cal arrived later, the cup of coffee sat forgotten on Gabe’s desk. “You beat me here again? What gives, Connally? Is one of your favorite greasy spoons running a sunrise special on cholesterol-packed breakfasts? No, even then they’d have to be free,” he said, immediately correcting himself. “There’s not much else that would get you up early.”
It took a moment for the words to register. It took another for Gabe’s concentration to shift. “It’s not free breakfasts—but someone is giving away information. C’mere and take a look at this.”
Cal rounded the desks and peered over Gabe’s shoulder. After several minutes of scanning the papers his partner showed him, he said, “That looks like…”
“It is. Someone’s gone to an awful lot of trouble to compile all this.” He riffled the stack of pages. “It tracks various holdings of Golden Enterprises. According to this, Ultimate Video is only one of its many businesses. And talk about coincidences…” He stabbed his index finger at a line on one sheet. “The Sunrise Lounge is owned by the same group.”
Cal reached around him and flipped through some more pages.
“Trying to keep track of who’s actually at the helm of Golden Enterprises is like shooting in the dark. There’s more blind trusts and offshore companies listed here than I can even keep track of. And that raises some interesting questions.”
“Like why go to all this trouble of hiding something that’s legit.”
Gabe nodded. “Exactly.”
“Why would this information be sent to us? We’re not even handling the laundering aspect anymore.”
Piling the papers back into some semblance of order, Gabe said, “That’s just the question I’m going to ask.”
“Did I miss something here? Are you saying you know who this package is from?”
Gabe rose and stuffed the contents back into the envelope. “I think I have a pretty good idea.”
Gabe and Cal were on their third cup of coffee when Dare McKay slipped into the diner booth. “Detectives. Always a pleasure to receive an invitation from some of Chicago’s overworked public servants.” He gave an easy smile at a waitress passing by and said, “Anne, would you mind bringing me a cup?”
The woman smiled warmly at him. “Sure thing, sugar.”
“Come here often, McKay?” Gabe inquired blandly.
Dare took the cup the waitress brought, in half the time it had taken her to wait on him and Cal, Gabe noted, and reached for the pot on the table. “You don’t mind, do you?” Without waiting for an answer he filled his mug. “I get here once or twice a week. They serve a hell of a pancake breakfast.”
Although Cal rolled his eyes, Gabe felt a spark of interest. “Yeah?” Catching his partner’s look, he shifted back to business. Picking up the envelope and emptying its contents on the table, he asked, “Recognize these?”
Bringing the cup to his lips, Dare raised his eyebrows over the rim. He took a drink, returned the cup to the table. “Should I?”
“I figure so. They were sent anonymously this morning by someone who seems to have an interest in our case.”
Dare gave the sheets a cursory glance. “Guess that’s a lucky break for you, huh? Might help you make a big break in the investigation.”
“Only problem is,” Cal put in, “we’re not working the money angle anymore. Justice is. Seems odd that this information would be sent to us rather than the agents assigned to it.”
“Maybe Justice already has this information,” Dare suggested. He waited for the detectives to digest his remark.
“I’m no expert in financial matters but it looks kind of complicated to me. Corporations, offshore accounts…” He shook his head. “Hard to tell what might be lurking behind all those blinds, isn’t it?”
“Hard to tell how someone came by this information,” Cal said.
“I couldn’t say.” Having emptied his cup, Dare refilled it. “But life is surely full of mysteries.” The man smiled broadly. “Keeps things interesting, doesn’t it?”
“Like we said, we’re just working the murder of Lenny D’Brusco.”
Dare tapped an index finger on the envelope and said, “My dad always told me that money was the root of all evil. I’d guess someone’s telling you that you might turn up the murderer if you follow the money.”
“Thank you so much,” Gabe said with mock politeness.
“Without that piece of wisdom we could never do the jobs we’re trained for.”
“Tough to follow the maze of corporate ownerships isn’t it?” Dare drained his cup and rose. “Suppose it might be interesting to see who the corporation acquired some of those properties from.” He winked. “Thanks for the coffee, guys. And, hey, if you ever want to try out their breakfasts here, you should arrive around seven. You’ll beat the rush.” He sauntered away from the booth and out of the diner.
“You think he sent the information?”
“He sent it,” Gabe said surely.
Cal looked at his watch and then reached for his cup. “If Justice already has this information, why the hell didn’t they tell us about it?”
Leaning back in the booth, Gabe said, “You know how the suits are. They think the information highway is a one-way street. Let’s get back to Area One. I’ve got a sketch of the guy with D’Brusco the day we went to question him, and I want to run it by the lieutenant. Then we can start digging through this pile—” he lifted the envelope “—and find whatever the hell it is that McKay wants found.”
Cal’s attention had been snared by an earlier sentence. “You’ve got a sketch? How the hell did you manage that?”
“Meghan did it.” He didn’t like the look that came over his partner’s face at his words.
“Oh, Meghan did it. She do police sketches a lot, does she?”
Gabe shifted uncomfortably in the booth. “Don’t be stupid. I asked about having the kid come in, but she wasn’t keen on the idea. She suggested trying her hand first. Did a decent job of it, too. We both got what we wanted.”
“Did you, now?” The gleam in Cal’s eyes was more than matched by his suggestive tone, and both added to Gabe’s discomfort.
“C’mon, knock it off.”
“What? I’m just thinking that Meghan Patterson is a really nice lady.”
“Yeah.” Gabe stood, dug for some bills and threw them on the table.
“Not your usual type, though.” Cal stood, as well, enjoying himself hugely. It was a rare treat to see Gabe this uncomfortable talking about a woman. “And by that I mean she seems to have an IQ higher than her body temperature.”
Walking quickly to the door, Gabe said, “Sounds like you’ve been looking. Wait until Becky finds out.” The sound of his partner’s chuckle scraped across his nerves.
“Becky knows she’s got nothing to worry about. You, though…you I’m not so sure about.”
That his partner’s words should so closely parrot his earlier thoughts didn’t fill Gabe with any particular sense of calm. “Yeah, well don’t worry about me. I know what I’m doing.”
Tongue in cheek, Cal replied, “I think that’s what Samson said before Delilah showed him the true meaning of the phrase ‘bad hair day.”’
“Well, Detective, I had no idea.” Meghan walked around his basement bemusedly. “So this is how you spend your free time, huh?” Large platforms were set up in his basement, and each was covered with m
iniature track. The plywood had been cleverly designed so that it appeared as though the trains were running through countryside, over hills and bridges. One of the scenes was unfinished, and she went to examine it. A city was taking shape, she observed. Miniature skyscrapers crowded streets, with a partially finished lake nearby.
“Wow, this is cool, Gabe!” Danny went excitedly from one platform to the other. “Did you get all of these from your foster dad? They’re neat.”
Meghan and Gabe both looked sharply at the boy, who didn’t seem to notice. “How’d you know about that?” Gabe asked him.
“You said.” Danny was eyeing a old fashioned steam engine with fascination. “That night you stayed.”
Although Meghan still wore a puzzled look, Gabe quickly recalled the night in question. It was the one when he’d remained to make sure Meghan was okay. The night when they’d been in each other’s arms for the first time. The night, he remembered wryly, that he’d ended up frustrated and aching on her couch.
He’d been unable to come up with a bedtime story for the boy, so he’d told him about trains instead. He’d surprised himself then by how much he’d talked, but an even greater shock was that he’d mentioned his foster father. Family, with its tangles and dysfunctions, wasn’t something he often spoke of. He must have been more distracted that night than he’d remembered.
“Make ’em go,” the boy demanded. Gabe went over and flipped the switch on one platform, and the miniature train began its ascent over a hill.
“Cool!” It was clear that Danny was impressed. It was equally clear, Meghan thought amusedly, that the man enjoyed explaining the different functions of various pieces of track and equipment. Who would have thought that the big, tough detective spent his time in such a fashion? The many facets of Gabe Connally were a tempting invitation for exploration. She only hoped that she’d have the chance to do so.
She watched the two males silently, their heads bent close together as Gabe explained the intricacies of some mechanism. The bond she’d noted before seemed even stronger, and she wondered at it. She’d never known Danny to take to someone as readily as he did Gabe, not even her. A pang accompanied the thought. With Raina’s help she was trying to put to rest those old fears about his ability. For Danny’s sake, for both their sakes, she was going to have to find a way to do so.
