Tender Is The Night (Callaways Book 10)

by Barbara Freethy

  "Then I think I'll take a shower. Maybe the hot water will give me some new ideas," she said, as they walked toward the locker room.

  "Ever the optimist."

  "Investigating is always one step forward, two steps back—you know that, Devin."

  "In my case, it's usually one step forward, a hundred steps back," he said cynically.

  She gave him a playful punch in the arm. "As long as there's still that one step in a positive direction…"

  Her words teased a reluctant smile out of him.

  "Take your shower and come up with a brilliant new plan," he said. "Maybe then I'll be as optimistic as you are."

  * * *

  A half an hour later, she was warm, dry, and clear-headed. Unfortunately, she had no brilliant plan in her head, just a lot of swirling thoughts. She stuffed her sweaty clothes into a duffel bag, then went out to the lobby.

  Devin was waiting for her. "How do you feel about sushi?" he asked.

  "We have a long-term, committed relationship."

  He smiled. "Good to know. There's a great place not far from here."

  "Excellent. I think we've earned ourselves some calories."

  As they drove toward the sushi place, she checked her phone. "Nothing from Emma. I don't know why she hasn't called me back."

  "She could have been ordered to stay out of it."

  "I hope not. I'm going to assume she's just super busy." She saw the gleam in his eyes and beat him to the punch. "And, yes, I know I'm being optimistic. It's who I am, Devin. You're going to have to deal with it—for at least the next few days. Then you can be spared my happy thoughts."

  "I guess I can last that long," he said dryly. "Just don't try to make me hopeful."

  "I don't believe in knocking my head against a brick wall—too painful."

  "I think you like to knock your head against a brick wall. The harder the better—the sweeter the victory."

  Okay, he might be partially right, but she wasn't going to tell him that. "Just drive."

  "I don't have to; we're here."

  He pulled into a parking lot, and a few minutes later, they entered the restaurant.

  Kaz Sushi was a trendy Japanese restaurant, and even at nine o'clock on a Thursday night, it was still crowded with diners. After perusing the menu, they ordered several platters to share and a couple of glasses of water. She drank half of hers in one long sip.

  "Still hydrating?" he teased.

  "That class was not for amateurs."

  "I thought you were a runner."

  "I've been busy lately. And you can't seriously tell me you didn't feel a little challenged by the workout."

  "It was intense, but I enjoyed it. Working out has been the only thing keeping me sane."

  "All evidence to the contrary," she joked.

  "Hey, I was worse right after the fire."

  "I believe that." She set down her water glass. "Have you ever thought about quitting, Devin? It's been a long time. I know since Monday's fire, you've gotten amped up again, but what about before? What about all the long months in between?"

  "They were hell, but I never thought about quitting. I haven't found Sam's killer, and until I do, I'll keep working the case."

  "Even when there's nothing to work? What about your life, Devin? What about your dreams?"

  "My only dream is to solve this puzzle."

  "What about friends? Do you have any? Do you ever do anything fun? Do you go to ballgames? Do you drink? Pick up women? Any of the above?"

  "Are you done?"

  "That depends on if you're going to answer any of my questions."

  "Why do you care what I do with my life?"

  "I don't care, but I'm curious. You seem…isolated."

  "Work can do that. Aren't you just as isolated? The job takes everything from you."

  "I still make time for friends, for myself." She frowned, thinking that wasn't completely true, but she was living far from her friends and forging a new life for herself. "And I'm working for me, for my career, my goals. The devotion and loyalty you have for Sam is admirable and amazing. But I can't imagine that she holds you responsible for her death."

  "You don't know that."

  "I've worked with partners and so have you. We all do our best, but sometimes bad things still happen. I might have only been on the job a year, but I've already seen that." She took a breath. "I would hate for you to wake up one day and suddenly realize a decade had passed, and you were still stuck in the same place."

  "This won't take a decade."

  "It might."

  "Hey, you're supposed to be the optimistic one," he reminded her. "Don't go dark on me now."

  "Fine, let's talk about something else."

  "Thank God."

  She smiled at his heartfelt relief. "Most men like to talk about themselves. They brag and boast for hours on end, and then at the last minute, right before you're about to leave, they say something like: how was your day?"

  "I can't believe you let anyone get away with that."

  "Sometimes it's hard to get a word in edgewise."

  "You seem up to the task," he said with a smile. "Have you dated anyone at the Bureau?"

  She immediately shook her head. "No, I don't need to add that complication into my life."

  "Not even at Quantico? I saw more than a few relationships start there."

  "I wouldn't call them relationships. And, no, I didn't get involved with anyone there. I was more concerned with passing all the tests and becoming an agent. There's no way I could have gone back to my family if I flunked out."

  "What do you like about the job so far?"

  "Everything."

  He rested his forearms on the table as he gave her a thoughtful look. "Not everything. Be more specific."

  "I don't know. I've been moved around a lot the past year."

  He nodded. "There's always a process to get agents with the right skillsets for the right jobs. What have you worked on?"

  "I've done a couple of fraud investigations, a counterfeit operation sting, and most recently I was part of a task force trailing a possible domestic terrorist group in Colorado. They were all interesting."

  "But?"

  "I didn't say but…"

  He held her gaze. "Kate."

  "But," she admitted, "I really want to work kidnappings. I want to find people who are lost. I want to help put their families back together. Unfortunately, for some reason that's one of the jobs I haven't been given a shot at yet."

  "That's on purpose. The Bureau knows your background. They want to test your mettle before they put you on a case that will have more of an emotional impact."

  "I think I've proven my mettle."

  "They have to think so, too. You're young. You have a long way to go. But you'll go at the Bureau's pace, not yours."

  "I know. I'm really not complaining. I love the job. And I tell myself that whatever I'm working on is important."

  "Does that help?"

  "Most of the time," she said, acknowledging the gleam in his eyes. "I can't help it. I'm a little impatient. I always have been. When I want something, I want it that second."

  He smiled. "Something we have in common."

  The way he looked at her reminded her of the moment just before he'd kissed her earlier that day.

  She'd had the reckless urge to lean across the table and kiss him again.

  Fortunately, the waiter arrived with their food, and with the platters of sushi between them, Kate concentrated on filling her stomach and not the other hunger filling her soul.

  "Do you want to come back to my apartment?" Devin asked as they finished dinner. "To look at the files again?"

  She wondered why he'd felt the need to clarify, but she wasn't going to ask. She also thought ending the night and going to her brother's house was a better idea. "I think I'll grab a cab and go back to my brother's apartment. It's been a long day. We both need to rest and regroup."

  "All right. I'll drive you."


  "It's out of your way."

  "Who cares?" he asked. "I'm sure it's not that far. I can pick you up in the morning on the way to St. Bernadette's."

  "That's a good plan."

  Devin paid the check, and they walked out to his car. "So which brother are you staying with? One of the firefighters?"

  "No, I'm staying with Ian. He's a scientist. And don't ask me any specifics. He's very cagey about what he does."

  "Sounds intriguing. I can't believe you haven't dug into it."

  "I've thought about it, but I try to stay out of my siblings' business, because then they stay out of mine."

  "Got it."

  "You can turn right at the next street," she said, directing him to Ian's apartment.

  "Whatever he's doing, he must make some good cash," Devin commented as he double-parked in front of the building. "This is nice."

  "That's why I decided to stay here." She opened her door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

  "I'll come by a little before ten."

  "I'll be ready. I think we'll get a new lead tomorrow."

  "There's that optimism again."

  "Good-night, Devin."

  "Good-night, Kate," he murmured, his gaze holding hers for a long second. Then she got out of the car and shut it firmly behind her before she could decide that going home with Devin would have actually been the better idea.

  Nine

  Devin woke up early and went for a run before breakfast. His legs ached from the spin class the night before, but it felt good to get outside. His usual route took him through the Marina and along the waterfront to the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a popular trail, especially on the weekends, but on Friday morning before eight it was fairly empty.

  As he ran, his thoughts drifted back to Kate, to all her questions about his life. He hadn't answered any of them, not because he thought she was prying, but because he didn't have any answers.

  It had been a long time since anyone had questioned what he was doing with his life. He barely kept in contact with what little family he had left, and his friends were scattered. There were a few guys in the city who he knew. He occasionally picked up a game of basketball at the gym or went out to a club for a drink and some conversation. But most of the time, he just had his head down, buried in a case that would probably haunt him until he died.

  Which was why he had to solve it.

  And it had to happen now—during this trio of fires. If he missed this opportunity, who knew when another one would come his way?

  The second fire would most likely happen within the next few days, which reminded him that after they went to St. Bernadette's, they needed to focus on potential targets and decide if they could rule any out, and if not, how they could cover all the bases that needed to be covered.

  He wished he had a team, five people he could send to stake out every possibility, but it was just him and Kate. Their partnership of two was going to have to be enough.

  He had to admit she had proved to be incredibly helpful so far, more than he'd imagined when she'd first entered his office. But still, she was only one person.

  Maybe Emma would get involved and bring some of her department with her. That was probably his only hope for getting more help.

  When he reached the bridge, he slowed his pace down to a walk. For several long minutes he looked up at the bridge and out beyond it—at the Pacific Ocean. It was the first time he'd looked beyond the bridge, beyond the immediate goal in a long time, and that was because of Kate and all her damn questions about how isolated his life had become.

  He didn't like that she was getting into his head. He hadn't dreamed about anything but fire in the last year until last night when he'd dreamed about her, when his brain had relived the kiss between them in excruciating detail.

  That kiss couldn't have been that good, could it?

  It was just because it had been a while, that was all.

  But was it?

  He'd never been good at lying to himself.

  He hadn't kissed Kate just because she was there, and she was pretty. He'd kissed her because he couldn't stop himself.

  But it wouldn't happen again. She'd said so. And while he hadn't exactly agreed, he knew she was right. He couldn't let his desire for Kate distract him from his goals.

  With that thought in mind, he turned and ran even faster back the way he'd come. But no matter how fast he ran, he couldn't outrun his brain, and Kate stayed on his mind through a colder-than-normal shower, a quick breakfast, and a drive across town to pick her up.

  Kate was waiting outside the apartment building when he pulled up. She wore black slacks and a short-sleeved silky cream-colored top.

  "Good morning," she said, as she got into the car.

  "You know you don't have to dress official for me."

  "I'm not dressing for you, but I'm officially on the job, so I thought I should look the part, especially if I'm going to be flashing my badge around town. Did you have any brainstorms last night?"

  He could hardly tell her all of his brainstorms had to do with getting her into bed. Dammit. He shook his head. He couldn't remember when he'd been this distracted. "No," he said shortly. "Nothing."

  "I was thinking we should get back into the potential target sites today. As much as I don't want to alert my family to my presence here in the city, we should go by Ashbury Studios so I can let Sean and Jessica know they should beef up their security. And what about the other places? Shall we try to warn them? I know you didn't have much luck before when you tried to contact schools, but I feel like we should do something."

  "Since I have you on the team, we might get better reception," he said. "Let's see if we can narrow down the list after we go by St. Bernadette's."

  "Good idea. I was also making a list of suspects this morning, and it seems to be getting longer instead of shorter. But that could be a good thing. Better to have more prospects than none. It gives us new leads to chase, new paths to take."

  "You woke up with a lot of energy."

  "Mental energy," she said with a laugh. "My legs are in pain from last night's spin class. What about you?"

  "I felt fine. I went for a run this morning."

  "Really? So you are Superman."

  "Probably only in my own head," he said dryly.

  "You spend too much time in your head, Devin."

  He had, until about three days ago when Kate had shown up in his office. "Did you see your brother last night? Has he asked you any questions about what you're doing here?"

  "He was out. A woman came by to visit him though, one of his neighbors. She was very pretty but kind of nervous. She was really surprised to see me there. I quickly explained I was Ian's sister, but I'm not sure she believed me. It was kind of odd really."

  "It doesn't sound that odd. A beautiful neighbor stops by to visit your single brother—what's so strange about that?"

  "I don't know. It was just sisterly instinct. I've answered the door for a lot of girls looking for one of my brothers. And there was just something a little off about this one. Oh, and she told me not to mention she'd stopped by, that she'd just see Ian later. She really didn't want me to tell him she was there."

  "Maybe she got embarrassed."

  "Maybe." Kate didn't sound convinced.

  He looked over at her. "What are you thinking?"

  "That I'd like to check her out, maybe run her name through a database."

  "That's against Bureau rules, Kate."

  "I wasn't thinking of using the Bureau. I happen to know a private investigator who seems to have some skills."

  "You want to hire me?"

  "God, no. I don't have money for that. I want you to do me a favor."

  He laughed. "You're always direct. I do like that about you."

  "I don't know how else to be. I hate games. A guy I used to date was very passive-aggressive. He'd agree with me on everything, then he just wouldn't do it. I wish he would have just said he didn't want to do something instead of stri
nging me along."

  "You won't have that problem with me—not that we're dating," he added quickly.

  "We certainly wouldn't do that," she agreed.

  He was happy to see St. Bernadette's on the next block. They were veering back into dangerous territory.

  Since school was in session, they first stopped in the office where the principal told them that the counselor had already reported the details of their conversation. She escorted them to the library and asked the librarian to get them the yearbooks from the years when Rick Baines attended school there. She went on to say that she couldn’t provide contact information, even if she had it, which she didn't, since it had been twelve years since Baines had attended the school.

  A few moments later, the librarian handed them the yearbooks in question. "You're welcome to take them with you, but we hope you'll bring them back."

  "We will," Devin promised, happy that they could take the books out of the library.

  As they left the school, Kate said, "There's a café not too far from here. In fact, we can walk. Want to get some coffee while we go through these?"

  "Sounds good." He fell into step with her as they walked down a residential street, then into a more commercial area with shops and restaurants.

  The Bird's View Café was on the third-floor rooftop deck of a building, offering a view of the city from the outdoor tables.

  "This is cool," he said, as they took their coffees out to the deck. "I didn't know it was here."

  "We used to come here in high school when we were cramming for tests. I wasn't sure it was still open." Kate tilted her head as she looked at him. "It occurs to me that I don't know very much about you, Devin. Where did you grow up? Was it here in San Francisco?"

  "No, I grew up in Sacramento."

  "Does your mom still live there?"

  "She lives in Sonoma now with her husband and her daughter."

  "She remarried after your dad died?"

  "She remarried before he died. My mom left my dad when I was about ten. She said she got tired of waiting for him to come home from work."

  "I'm sorry." Kate's eyes filled with compassion. "I didn't know that."

  "It was a long time ago."

  "Who did you live with after the divorce?

  "Technically, my parents shared custody, but I mostly lived with my mom. Then she fell in love and got remarried and was happier for me to spend more time with my dad. When she had my half-sister, she really had no room in her house for me, so whenever my father was in town, I was with him. But then he died, and I was back with her and her second family." He let out a breath, irritated with himself for telling Kate so much, because he'd only ignited more questions.