by Tara Randel
His mother broke into his thoughts. “When am I going to see you?”
“Maybe I can get over in the next week or two.”
“Don’t be a stranger. There’s this cute waitress who works at the local outdoor restaurant I’ve fallen in love with. She’d be perfect for you. I think—”
“Mom, I gotta run. Work might be calling me.”
“Might be? Dante Matthews—”
“Love you. Talk to you soon.”
Dante ended the call before his mother had him talked into calling this woman and asking her out on a date, sight unseen. He hoped Dylan got engaged soon, just to take the pressure off.
As he jogged back to his truck, he thought about work decisions, which then triggered visions of Ellie. Her lovely smile when she let her guard down. The deep brown of her eyes. She intrigued him, that’s for sure, which was odd, since she wasn’t his type. He went for women who were more put together in the looks department. Not that Eloise wasn’t pretty; she just hid behind the glasses, tightly pulled back hair and severe clothing choices. But his mother would love her.
Reason enough not to pursue the interest he’d discovered in her. He could already hear his mom humming the wedding march.
CHAPTER TWO
“HEY, ELLIE. WAIT UP.”
Eloise ignored the jolt to her heart and turned to find Dante racing through the parking lot the next morning. The sun was shining, the temperature hovered in the midseventies and Dante was calling her name. Did life get any better? She took a breath and kept her voice level. “What’s up?”
The bright morning light lifted the multiple shades of brown in his unruly hair. Dark sunglasses shaded his eyes, but not the cocky curve of his lips.
“I just found out we’re short a person for the mud run on Saturday.”
“That’s too bad.” Adjusting her purse strap on her shoulder, she was disappointed by his statement, though why, she couldn’t explain. She headed for the building.
“It won’t be if you’d join us.”
“I already told you, not interested.”
“See, here’s the thing. We haven’t lost a challenge to another PD in two years and we can’t lose now. We need you.”
She stopped. Faced him. Tamped down her annoyance.
“I can’t help you.”
“Sure you can. All you do is say yes, throw on clothes you don’t care about getting dirty and show up at the obstacle course at eight on Saturday morning.” He paused. “It’s for charity.”
Even though she stayed physically fit to keep up with the demands of the job and policy of the department, she wasn’t very fast. Or accurate. “Dante, trust me, no one wants me on their team.”
“I do.”
She wished she could read his eyes. Was he serious? Merely taunting her?
“I’m sorry, Dante. The answer is still no.”
She’d turned and had taken two steps along the blacktop when she heard, “Bawk, bawk, bawk.”
She whirled around. “Did you just make chicken noises at me?”
He shrugged. “If the chicken feet fit...”
“I don’t have chicken feet. And I’m not scared.”
“What, then?”
Oh, now he was taunting her. Her temper rose and she blurted, “Uncoordinated.”
Dante calmly walked to her. “Hey, it’s not my intention to upset you, but we really need you. We can’t find anyone else.”
“Be still my heart. Picked for a team last again.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I didn’t mean it that way. I just... It’s a team effort. You’re part of our team. Palm Cove PD, that is. We’d be honored to have you.”
Now he was laying it on thick. “There’s absolutely no one else available?”
“We need one more woman to even out the team. And even though you’ve expressed your displeasure at being part of the team, I’m hoping you’ll reconsider.” As backpedaling went, it wasn’t much, but the chagrined expression on his face granted him points. Even more points for actually listening to her. He wanted her to join despite her refusal.
“I’ve never done anything like a mud race before.”
“You come and do the best you can.”
She did want to feel accepted, be part of something bigger than herself. She’d forever been the odd person out. Vowed one day she’d change that status. Could it start with something as dirty as a mud run?
She pushed up her glasses. “You’re 100 percent certain you need me?”
He flashed her one of his charming grins. “Absolutely.”
Not sure if it was the team angle or Dante’s interest, but she nodded.
“Great. See you Saturday,” he said, then took off as if afraid she might back out if he hung around.
Which made her want to kick herself. She had three days to get ready. Well, today was already busy with follow-up interviews in ongoing cases, which essentially left her with two days. What was wrong with her?
Marching inside the building, she stopped short when Brandy ran up to her. “Something major’s going on.”
Holding up her hand to ebb the flow of information, she stalled by storing her purse in her desk drawer and pouring a much-needed mug of coffee. Brandy, nearly dancing with impatience to fill her ear with the latest news, was clearly ready to burst.
After a bracing sip of the supremely awful coffee, Eloise faced her friend. “This is a police department. Something is always going on. What makes today different?”
“There’s a rippling in the atmosphere. Plus, Chambers has been upstairs for over an hour.”
“He goes up a couple of times a week to meet with the chief.”
“I heard from the chief’s secretary that the sergeant position is a priority. Like the decision has to be made pronto.”
Eloise set the mug on her desk. Smoothed her black dress pants and straightened the collar on her white blouse while trying to contain her excitement. Would the chief of police seriously consider her?
“I don’t suppose you heard who the likely candidates are?”
“No. That information is being monitored, even more closely guarded than the gold at Fort Knox.”
Eloise blinked. Following Brandy’s thought process was like participating in a Ping-Pong match. If she wasn’t careful, she might get mental whiplash. Thankfully her friend was more focused when on the job.
“I can’t imagine there are that many choices. As far as I know, Dante and I are the only ones who have recently taken the test.”
Brandy’s lips curved. “Exactly.”
“You think...both of us?”
“Who else?”
Eloise sank down into her chair, her chest suddenly tight.
She knew it was a possibility they’d both be in the running. Although, when she’d learned Dante had taken the civil test, she’d been surprised. He’d never expressed a desire to be in a more supervisory role. Not that they’d had any lengthy conversations about their desired career paths or, let’s face it, lengthy conversations about anything much at all. She was lucky they got through their daily hellos. The man didn’t share his personal life with anyone that she knew of; why would he announce his professional career path to the entire department? Maybe it was because of the undercover life he’d adopted to so well. Keeping secrets, and his intentions, close to the vest.
Great. Did she have to worry about competition for the job? They were both qualified, and not to toot her own horn, but she was better suited for the position. But it didn’t matter what she thought. That decision came from those with a higher pay grade.
“Let’s not jump the gun here,” she reasoned. “Who even says they’ll promote someone from this station?”
“Why bring a new person from the outside when we have qualified candidates in this very building? Besides, anyone who kno
ws you can’t argue about how awesome you’d be.”
The pressure in Eloise’s chest eased. “Thanks for the boost of confidence.”
“You have to get the job. For the sisterhood.”
Eloise laughed. “The sisterhood, huh?”
“Seriously. We have to stick together. It’s bad enough we work in a male-dominated field. We have the added pressure of proving ourselves every day.”
As Brandy sauntered away, Eloise considered her words. Her friend spoke the truth. The women working here did prove themselves daily, but for Eloise, this was nothing new. She’d been proving herself her entire life. First, to parents who hadn’t been thrilled when she came along, leaving her pretty much to her own devices while growing up. Their academic careers came first and, as much as it hurt, had been a sterling example of the work ethic she’d adopted from the start of her career.
She’d tried to fit in, at college and on the job, but there was always something keeping her from fully joining in. Letting herself go. Something protecting that little girl who’d longed for the love of her parents and acceptance of others.
Shaking off the direction of her thoughts, she looked up when she sensed someone at her desk. Dante, holding out a slip of paper.
“Patrol called in trouble at Parson’s Auto Mall.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“Stolen vehicles. Damage.”
She stood and reached for her badge and a small wallet holding her ID and driver’s license. “Are you coming?”
“No. Still on house arre—I mean, desk duty.”
She would have smiled if his disgruntled expression wasn’t so fierce. Sitting on the sidelines had to be killing him.
“I wrote down the address for you.”
“Thanks,” she said as she took the paper, not really needing the address. Palm Cove was small enough that finding the major dealership wasn’t a problem. When Dante didn’t move, she asked, “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Just a little distracted today.”
Did she dare ask if he’d heard about Chambers’s meeting up in the chief’s office? No, she wouldn’t go there. Instead she said, “Sorry you’re stuck here all day.”
“Hopefully Chambers gets tired of seeing me around all the time and puts me back in the field.”
“You could bring him coffee. Ask him if he wants to talk about his day, what’s up with his family and then, if things are going especially well, ask if he wants to talk about his feelings.”
Dante shuddered. “As much as you meant that as a joke, if the guy doesn’t lighten up soon, I might resort to your suggestion.”
“Oh, let me know if you do. I want to stand by the door and listen to every word.”
“I’ll blame you.”
“Go for it,” she said as she walked away. “But he won’t believe that you and I ever had this conversation.”
His chuckle came from behind her, making her smile. Neither of them was very chatty with Chambers, but at least she’d lifted his spirits.
“Heading out to the auto mall?” Brandy asked as Eloise passed her desk.
“Yes. You, too?”
“I am,” she said, gathering her equipment.
“Want to ride together?”
“Sounds good.”
Fifteen minutes later they pulled into the dealership. A patrolman stood by the front door of the glass-enclosed showroom, speaking to an agitated middle-aged man.
“Mr. Parson?” Brandy guessed as they walked his way.
“Looks like him.” The dealership had two major billboards on the highway just outside town, prominently featuring the owner.
The patrolman noticed them and excused himself.
“Hi, Officer Stevens,” Eloise greeted him.
“Archer. Cummings.” He nodded in their direction. “Got the call when Mr. Parson arrived this morning. Two cars in the lot were stolen.” He pointed to his left. “The perps used bolt cutters to breach the perimeter fence and gain access to the property. Focused on taking two newly delivered cars.”
“I’ll go talk to the owner,” Eloise said, then to Brandy, “You can get started.”
“Follow me to the location,” the officer said.
Concentrating on the task at hand, Eloise went inside the bright, shiny showroom. Noticed the pervading scent of rubber and oil mixed with air freshener. Four cars were featured: two sporty models she couldn’t name, an SUV and a four-door sedan. New models. All high-end.
“Mr. Parson,” she said when the owner approached her. “I’m Detective Archer.”
“These car thefts are getting out of hand. This is the second time in six months.”
“I understand your frustration. Believe me, we’re concerned about the problem.”
He ran a hand over the sparse hair on his nearly bald head. “The cars were just delivered yesterday. I didn’t even have time to get them on the showroom floor. It’s like someone knew where the new arrivals were parked.”
“Do you have security camera footage covering the entire lot?”
“Yes. Over here.”
Parson muttered under his breath while leading her to an office on the back side of the showroom. A young woman, twentysomething, Eloise surmised, rushed to his side. “Mr. Parson, I have the insurance company on the line.”
“Give me a minute, Stacy.” He glanced at Eloise. “My office manager.”
She nodded. Once in the room complete with security screens covering different angles of the property, and what smelled like a greasy breakfast sandwich and coffee, Mr. Parson introduced her to Jerry, a security guard, and said, “I’ll be right back.”
Jerry sat back, the chair protesting under his girth. Crumpling up the food wrapper, he tossed it across the room to the trash can, missing his mark. Unconcerned, he clicked a mouse stationed beside his computer keyboard. “Got what ya need right here.”
“Did you go through the footage from last night?”
“Yep.”
“Can you show me where the stolen cars were located?”
“Sure, but you won’t see much. Was like the guys knew where the cameras were mounted. Made sure to face the opposite direction.”
He pulled up the footage in question. Sure enough, two people—young men, she thought—appeared on screen, their faces obscured by hoodies. One held a device in his hands, most likely a wireless code grabber that intercepted signals sent by remote keyless entry devices. Recording the code prior to trespassing on the property, it was then used to unlock the car doors. Once they’d cleared that hurdle, the vehicles started, and soon they were speeding away. As they moved into darkness, the image grew grainy, but she noticed a bright white slash on the back of one of the jackets.
Jerry pointed to another screen. “The gate barring entrance to the lot after-hours was tampered with and moved.”
Explained the easy getaway.
“The main question is, how did they get the key codes? From the office?” Eloise wondered out loud.
“Impossible. Mr. Parson has always been careful with the keys, but after the last theft, he’s even more diligent. I personally see that the keys are stored so that no one can hack ’em.”
Hmm. Obviously someone had. Here or elsewhere?
Eloise asked a few more questions and made notes. Arranged to get a copy of the video sent to the department. This motive didn’t follow the thefts they’d been experiencing with joyriding kids. It amazed her how often owners left a vehicle running to dash inside a store or business or leave an unlocked car in the driveway with the key left in the console. Ripe picking for a kid looking to car-hop. Not the case here. This was deliberate, a well-planned get-in-get-out before the authorities arrive.
She asked a few more questions, then went back to the dealership owner, who had returned to the showroom floor, talking in urgent tones to a sales
man.
“Anything else you can tell me, Mr. Parson?”
“Only that somehow these thugs knew I had a delivery scheduled.”
“Are new vehicles brought in on a regular schedule?”
“No, for this exact reason.”
“Any way one of your employees could have passed the delivery information along?”
“There’s only a handful who know the particulars. Stacy Monroe, my wife and my general manager.”
“Is the manager here?”
“No. On vacation. He’ll be back next week.” Mr. Parson’s phone blared. “I need to take this.”
“And your wife?” Eloise asked quickly.
“At home. This is her calling now.”
Pivoting on her heel, Eloise searched for the main office. She found Stacy, a pretty brunette, hanging up the phone, tears in her eyes. “This is terrible.” She swiped a tissue from the box and blotted her eyes. “I’ve been in line for the office manager job for months and when I finally get the position this happens.”
“Do you have something to be worried about?”
Stacy’s eyes went wide. “No, I just mean that we all take this personally.”
“Did you mention yesterday’s delivery to anyone?”
“Of course not.”
“How do you think the thieves knew to go right to the new cars?”
Her chin went up. “I wouldn’t know.”
Upset and defensive. Did Stacy know more than she let on? Or had she messed up somehow and was worried about keeping her job?
“And all the keys are accounted for?”
“Yes.” She grabbed a fancy, square key ring featuring an imprint of some kind of animal on it, passed Eloise in a haze of strong perfume that made her sneeze and unlocked a large wall safe. Inside, key fobs hung from individual hooks, along with corresponding numbers she assumed went with the car the key belonged to. “They were locked up last night.”
