Deadly Influence

by Lakes, Lynde

  “Stop the car. Now,” she said. The throbbing tic in his jaw and the fact that he ignored her theory of an inside man strongly suggested he was covering for Bud.

  Jay pulled into a turnout and faced her, his expression questioning. She opened the door and stumbled from the van. To think straight, she needed to get away from the charisma of this man.

  Jay followed her. “What’s going on?” he asked, frowning. “Why so touchy?”

  She wanted to yell, “Your betrayal! My desire!” but settled for, “You blew off my idea of an inside man without even discussing it.” She plunked down on a low stone wall.

  “What the hell are you talking about?” He stood close to her and put his foot up on the wall. When he rested his arm on his knee, his face was only inches above hers.

  She caught a whiff of his damnable shaving lotion again. She shivered at the intimidating way he was looking down on her. “I don’t need this, Jay.”

  “What?” Jay’s dark eyes clouded, but they didn’t waver. The wind disheveled his hair and made him look more rugged, more desirable.

  “Working together is a mistake.” She winced at the breathy quality to her words.

  “Come on, Lisa. Working together avoids duplicating efforts.” His deep voice rumbled through her.

  “I wouldn’t call the way you snuck out of the house last night working together.”

  He snorted. “I wasn’t aware I was supposed to check in and out with you.” His gaze hardened. “But if it takes that to get this job done and get the hell out of here, fine.”

  Lisa watched in fascination as he struggled for control. He took a deep breath, and slowly the pulse throbbing in his forehead disappeared and his gaze softened. He stared at her for a moment, then gently took her by the arms and drew her to her feet. “I’m sorry, Lisa, but I’m under a time pressure here.”

  She wanted to stick to her guns, but to her chagrin, all she could think about was the warmth of his fingers on her skin, and how much she wanted him to kiss her. It would be so easy to reach up and draw his lips down to hers.

  Good Lord, had it been so long since she found a man this attractive that she was losing her marbles over him? She wrenched herself from his grasp and left him standing there. She climbed, less than gracefully, into the van and slammed the door as hard as she could. She stuck her head out the open window. “The only reason I’m putting up with you, Jay, is because if you were left to your own devices, you’d get in my way and foul things up.”

  Shaking his head, he strode to the car and slid behind the wheel. He sat a moment, staring straight ahead. “I don’t know what all that was about, Lisa. But I’m not the enemy.” He waited as though he expected her to respond, and when she didn’t, he said, “Look, if we get on the same wavelength, we’ll make an unbeatable team, and if we’re as tough on the bad guys as we are on each other, we’ll pound them into the ground.”

  Her face burned. His words were too blasted reasonable. He’d handled that well, and she’d made a complete fool of herself. From now on, she’d keep emotions out of it. All she had to do was ignore Jay’s magnetism, the chemistry sizzling between them, and concentrate on the damn job.

  Jay had been worried about Lisa’s earlier erratic behavior, but she was back in control, and he was impressed with her calm confidence as they questioned people. Without leading, she drew Perry Roberson’s neighbors out. She gave them time to think—time to add information they probably otherwise would not have volunteered. Lisa explained that it was the community’s duty to pull together. She stressed that helping the police gather data on neighborhood crimes made the neighborhood safer for everyone. Her flag-waving style of drawing out information resembled his—resourceful and friendly. Moreover, the bottom line was, it worked.

  An elderly widow, living on a nearby street, told them she saw an unfamiliar, unoccupied car parked across from her house the night someone poisoned Grandma. A half block away, one of the teenage Davis twins squinted through her super-thick glasses and told them the only person on the street around dinnertime was Bud. She admitted she had only seen him from a distance. She was mistaken, of course, because Bud hadn’t left the house. Jay was certain of that.

  Lisa knocked on the Roberson’s door. After a moment, a blonde girl wearing a tight T-shirt and cutoff jeans opened the door and struck a bored pose. Lisa called her Darci. Jay remembered the name. Perry’s sister looked like fifteen going on twenty—a hot little number ripe for trouble.

  Lisa and Darci talked a minute about Meta’s health, and then Lisa switched the topic. “Have you seen anyone hanging around the neighborhood?

  Darci’s sullen expression clouded. “Nope, no one,” she said too quickly.

  Rather than pressing her further, Lisa changed the conversation again, this time to meaningless chatter about CD’s and one of the latest movies. Jay shifted from one foot to the other. Come on, come on, get on with it—no going off on tangents. Suddenly, Lisa took the conversation in another direction, this time to books, glasses, and then contact lenses. God, she was good, Jay thought. Darci admitted she and Perry wore them. And, after clever prodding, she finally admitted that Perry was away from the house for a short time during the evening that someone poisoned Meta.

  Once Lisa got the information she wanted, they left quickly before the girl could realize she’d been manipulated. “What now?” Jay asked. “Ready to check out Drake’s son?”

  “The only address the optometrist’s records show for him is a post office box,” Lisa said, “but his dad might be listed in the phone book. I’ll—”

  “He’s not.” Jay held up a piece of paper, fighting a touch of smugness. “But I already wheedled his address from Howard.”

  Lisa wrinkled her brow. “Howard had his home address?”

  “Affirmative. When Drake’s residential address wasn’t in the phone book, I—”

  “You had already checked the phone book?”

  Jay grinned when her voice rose. He took her arm and helped her into the van. “Maybe now you’ll realize I can be useful to you,” he said. And that I have everything under control. Except when I touch you—or you touch me.

  Damn. He had worked with women many times in the Air Force and even experienced surges of desire from time to time, but this was more consuming and more exhausting to control. He rounded the van and slid behind the wheel.

  “You were way ahead of me on this,” she said, patting his back in congratulations.

  He grinned, trying to ignore his arousal from her touch and hoping she didn’t notice. “With Drake’s interest in Grandma’s property, I figured we’d need it sooner or later.”

  “Why did you think Howard would have it?”

  “A hunch. When Howard and I talked before the dinner party, he mentioned that Drake had hired his grandson to do a big landscaping job at his place. When the kid didn’t complete the job, Drake threatened to sue, so Howard got another guy to finish up.”

  “So that’s what Howard and Drake were arguing about the other morning.”

  He laughed. “You never stop eavesdropping, do you?”

  She gave him a sharp glance, and then she laughed, too. “I guess I walked right into that one.”

  The glint in her eyes told him he’d pay for the gibe when he least expected it. He parked at the curb of Drake’s rambling brick ranch house. The dented VW in the driveway had no fenders and the paint was fading. It definitely didn’t fit into the neighborhood of newly constructed and heterogeneous homes for the affluent. No doubt it belonged to Drake’s son, Cory.

  “Looks like the kid’s home,” Jay said. Lisa suggested a cover story, but before she’d finished explaining it, he realized it was far too complex. “How about using the direct approach? We just go to the door and ask to speak to the kid.”

  She punched him lightly on the arm. “That isn’t even a plan!”

  “Would you rather sneak to a window and try to overhear something?”

  Lisa laughed and shook her head. “
Getting lots of mileage out of that, aren’t you?”

  “For as long as it works.” He got out of the van, strode around to the passenger side, and held out his hand. When she placed her slender fingers in his strong rough ones, it felt so right. “Don’t worry about a plan,” he said, knocking on the door. “I’ve got it covered. He was still holding her hand, and she didn’t seem to mind. “Just follow my lead.”

  A tall, lean boy of about nineteen answered the door.

  “Are you Cory?” Jay asked. The redheaded boy nodded. Jay exchanged a glance with Lisa. This skinny kid couldn’t be the muscular man who tried to smother Meta with a pillow.

  “Who are you?” Cory asked.

  Jay flashed his widest grin. “Joe told me you might want to sell your VW. How much?”

  “Joe who?”

  Jay shrugged, pleased that he didn’t even break a sweat. “Didn’t get his last name. So, what’s your price, Cory?”

  “Sorry, man, but the guy told you wrong. I wouldn’t sell that car for anything. It’s a classic.”

  Jay had counted on that. “Had to try,” he told the kid. “If it were mine, I wouldn’t sell it either.”

  Back in the van, Lisa asked, “What would you have done if he’d wanted to sell?”

  Jay started the van before answering. “Made him an insultingly low offer.”

  She shook her head. “You’re devious, Jay Corning.”

  “We’re rather evenly matched in that department, wouldn’t you say?”

  He expected her to agree, but she only smiled and said, “It’s looking more and more like Perry’s our attacker.”

  Jay’s stomach knotted. “Mind if we swing by the hospital to see how Grandma’s doing?”

  Lisa’s eyes glinted. “I was just going to suggest the same thing.”

  Jay gripped the steering wheel, against an impossible longing. Yet he failed to curb his joy at the renewed camaraderie forming between them.

  The head nurse only allowed them to stay a few minutes before she kicked them out. She assured Jay that Meta was recovering more quickly than expected of a woman her age and condition.

  As they headed down the corridor, Lisa said, “I hate seeing her so weak and pale.”

  Jay took Lisa’s arm. “I need a cup of coffee,” he said, feeling his tension building again. She nodded. He could tell by her glance back toward the room that she was just as worried as he was.

  Jay put two Styrofoam cups of decaf on the cafeteria table and sat down next to Lisa. The way his grandmother had gripped Lisa’s hand showed that she meant the world to her. And the gentle way Lisa brushed the silver hair back from his grandmother’s face told him the feeling was mutual.

  “Thanks,” Jay said.

  “For what?”

  He covered her hand with his. “For caring about Grandma beyond the job.”

  “What can I say? To know her is to love her.”

  “Unfortunately, someone doesn’t agree with you. We’ve eliminated Cory and confirmed that Perry Roberson wore contact lenses, and that he was out of his house during the poisoning. That makes him a serious suspect.”

  Lisa touched her lower lip with the tip of her finger, something Jay noticed she did often. At another time and another place, he would have found that alluring. Hell, in spite of himself, he found it alluring now. “Perry’s motive has to be money,” she said. “Someone paid him to hurt Meta.”

  “That leads us back to Gus and his lust for revenge. But where would a punk like him get enough money to pay a hit man?”

  “Wait, we just hit a snag,” Lisa said. “Gus isn’t the type to hire a hit man. A scumbag like him would want to inflict his own revenge.”

  “You’re right,” Jay admitted. “And how would either of them know about the garlic?”

  “Meta could have told Perry’s mother that she liked a side dish of garlic with her spaghetti. Perry could have overheard the discussion.”

  Jay watched Lisa. She blew on the coffee, then sipped it. The way the steam curled over her lips intrigued him. They would be warm, dewy, and moist.

  “Jay?”

  He cleared his throat. “Right. What time does Perry’s mom get home from work?”

  “Between six and six-thirty,” she said, looking puzzled.

  Jay squirmed in his seat. Had Lisa wondered where his mind had been for a few seconds? If she only knew. It was a very dangerous place for a man who just wanted to get the job done and get back to his career.

  Lisa wondered about Jay. He had seemed lost in thought several times today. Well, he was back with her now, and she liked tossing ideas around with him. They worked well together, once she got her emotions under control. Her decision to trust him had been the right one. However, there was no point in kidding herself about how difficult it was to keep those emotions reined in. Her heart beat a little faster when she looked into his dark eyes. He probably wasn’t even aware that they were seducing her with every look.

  Without thinking, she leaned forward and touched Jay’s arm. Big mistake. She pressed her lips tight until the surge of desire passed. “I think we should hide your grandmother somewhere until we can catch whoever is out to hurt her.”

  Jay put his hand over hers. “I was thinking the same thing, but where?”

  “I haven’t figured it all out yet, but I’ll dress up like Meta when she’s released.”

  Jay shot to his feet, tipping over his chair. “Are you out of your mind?”

  “Actually, I’m thinking more clearly than I have in days. I’ll be the decoy. That way Meta will stay safe.”

  “It’s too dangerous!”

  “I’m a bodyguard and an ex-cop, remember? Protecting Meta is what I was hired to do and what I’m well-trained to do.” She shot to her feet and stood tall and erect, resisting the urge to cave in when she looked up at his expansive shoulders and into his blazing eyes. “You can take her somewhere safe and stay with her until it’s over.”

  “No way. And that’s final!” Jay slammed his hand flat down on the table.

  Lisa flinched. Both cups of coffee tipped over, and the liquid flowed onto the table and floor. The few people in the cafeteria turned and looked. She stared at Jay. He had completely lost his cool, yet she had learned Jay wasn’t a man who easily lost his composure. “Don’t go against me on this, Jay. It will be more dangerous to pull off without your help.”

  Jay had a death grip on the steering wheel, and his profile was intense. They were heading for Crestline, Lisa knew that much, but she didn’t know why. Noting the fog drifting in patches over the hairpin curves, she said, “You’re driving too fast.” She clung to the overhead hold bar. “If you think your fast driving and silent intimidation will frighten me into backing off, you’re mistaken.”

  More silence.

  “I’m filling in as Meta’s decoy with or without your blessing.”

  Again, silence. Out of habit, Lisa turned and checked for signs of someone tailing them. Anyone matching their speed would have to be crazy—or following them. The road behind them was clear. They passed through Crestline. She’d tracked a mass murderer here several years ago. If he expected to lose her in the maze of unmarked, unpaved roads, he could forget it. She knew every lane, every trail, and had driven most of them with her dad even before she was a cop.

  Tantalizing aromas of steak and onion rings drifted from the food containers on the floor behind them. Jay had picked up the food after they’d left the hospital, and she’d believed they were on their way home to eat it.

  “Where the devil are we going? I’m starved.”

  “We’re almost there.”

  “Almost where?” she asked, glancing out at the uneven line of pine and fir trees silhouetted against the darkened sky.

  More silence.

  Okay. She could play the silent game, too. Moonlight had turned Lake Gregory into silver. She cracked her window open a little and inhaled crisp air, fragrant with pine, trying to ignore how much she wanted to punch him, kiss him, touch
him.

  Jay turned the wheels sharply onto a dirt road. Within minutes, they arrived at a cabin by the lake. The cabin was old, small, and dark—and not at all inviting. He grabbed the bags of food from the back floorboard and hustled around to her side of the car. She hesitated when he offered his hand. “I thought you were hungry,” he said.

  She put her hand in his. Electricity shot up her arm. She withdrew her hand and followed him onto the sagging porch. She tried to convince herself that she was really following the aroma of food. Jay felt around the top of the door frame until he found the key. Once inside, he lit a kerosene lamp and started a fire with the wood and kindling waiting in the fireplace.

  Lisa gave the rustic room a once-over, using her skilled bodyguard’s eyes. She noted possible weapons—a fireplace poker, a long nail protruding from the wall next to the fireplace, and a letter opener on the desk. A couple of years ago, she was in the process of transporting a prisoner down the hill when a blinding downpour forced her to leave the road and take cover in a deserted cabin much like this one. The handcuffed prisoner had used a nail in the wall as a weapon, but she had been ready for him.

  “Who owns this place?” Silence. “Oh, that’s right; you’ve lost your voice.”

  The ruffled curtains and lace doilies showed a woman’s touch. Other than a thick layer of dust over the maple furnishings, everything was neat and in order. The apricot plaid upholstery, copper art on the wall, and copper knickknacks on the cornice boards over the windows was not to her taste, but it all fit together somehow. The only thing that didn’t fit was that nail protruding from the wall. She touched it—it was loose—but she didn’t remove it.

  Lisa put her purse down on the table. The weight of the gun inside caused a dull thud. She opened one of the food containers and munched on an onion ring. “Whose place did you say this was?” she asked again, not really expecting an answer.

  “Grandma’s. But I don’t believe anyone has used it since Grandpa died. Except maybe the real estate people.”

  “This place is perfect. How many others know about it?”