by Curry, Edna
Candi sighed. “Me, too. I talked to her and told her to ask for police protection, but she was afraid of making things worse for all of us. What could be worse than getting murdered?”
“I’m so sorry.” Mr. Thomas looked chagrined. “I should have called the police myself and asked for protection for her.”
“And, as the FBI agent assigned to follow her, I should have brought her into protective custody,” Luke said. “The problem was, by the time I realized she was in danger, she had slipped away from us.”
Candi put her hand on Luke’s and squeezed. “We can’t make people accept help, Luke. Jolene had made up her mind she could handle it. Maybe the problem was she was sure it was George following her and she didn’t believe he’d hurt her.”
“I suppose,” Luke said doubt, his voice full of doubt.
“You can’t blame her for thinking that. After all, she’d been living with the man for months and he hadn’t harmed her.”
“That may be,” Mr. Thomas said. “But when she was here she told me she didn’t want him near Jessie. She said he was a bad man.”
“Do you think the judge will listen to her wishes?”
“I don’t know. If this George can prove he’s the baby’s father, he has a legal right to his child. Her letter would have to convince the judge that he’d be an unfit parent. Ah, here’s Jolene’s file.”
His secretary came in, handed him a file and retreated to her desk.
Mr. Thomas straightened, opened the file and handed Candi a manila envelope with her name on it.
Candi recognized Jolene’s handwriting and broke the seal with trembling fingers. Inside she found the missing address book Bart had always carried. She recognized the tooled leather cover immediately. She flipped through it and handed it to Luke. Next, she pulled out a letter.
She instinctively leaned closer to Luke, holding the paper between them so he could read it as well.
Jolene wrote: “Candi, I’m leaving this with our family lawyer in hopes you’ll get it okay.
“I love you and I’m so sorry to have involved you in this mess. I’m afraid. If anything happens to me, please take good care of Jessie. I love her so much and I know you will too.
“Here’s Daddy’s address book. I want you to have it because I know it will mean more to you than anyone else. I want you to have the IBM stock Daddy gave me to help a bit with Jessie’s expenses. I’m sorry it’s not much but it’s all I have. If the court gets involved, tell the judge I know George will not be a good father to Jessie. He’s doing illegal stuff like stealing or at least dealing in stolen goods. I think the diamond necklace he gave me was stolen.
“I’m putting in my copy of the key to the safe deposit box at Daddy’s bank. I hope the stock is still there. Oh, and I almost forgot, Daddy sometimes used the name Bart Shakespeare instead of his own name, so that may be the one he used at the bank. You know, because he always liked to quote Shakespeare and the Bible too. Like, ‘Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.’ Remember?
“Anyway, I know Daddy was a good man. George said he was a blackmailer, but I don’t believe that. Don’t you believe it, either. Daddy loved us and always tried to get us to do the right thing, so how could he have done the wrong thing himself?
“Love and kisses, Jolene.”
The letter was written in a hasty scrawl and drops of moisture had blurred some of the words like Jolene had been crying. Candi’s stomach knotted at the thought and her own tears welled.
Luke was paging through the address book.
She handed Mr. Thomas the letter to read and he blanched. “Blackmail? Stolen jewelry? This is way out of my league. I usually handle family and property cases. I don’t take criminal law cases.”
“We mainly need you to help me keep Jessie for now,” Candi said. “I don’t even want to think about the rest.”
“That I can handle,” Mr. Thomas said, nodding. “I’ll make copies of this letter in case we need them and so you can have a copy.”
“Thanks,” Candi said, wiping her eyes. “I’d like that. It’s the last letter I’ll ever have from her.”
“Since Jolene is dead, we don’t have to worry about her involvement in any of the criminal activity,” Luke put in. “She mentions a safe deposit box key.”
Candi nodded, opened the envelope and shook it. A little card and a flat metal key fell out, bouncing off the thick carpet.
Luke picked up the key and noted the business card had the name of a bank in Las Vegas. He handed them to Candi. “We should go to Las Vegas to check this out.”
Candi nodded. “It may be another dead end. Mom already looked for assets after Daddy died. She couldn’t find any except a small checking account. Just because Jolene had a key doesn’t mean Daddy was still using the safety deposit box. Anyway, wouldn’t the bank close the box after he died and no one paid the fee?”
“He could have paid for several years in advance. Or if he was using the Shakespeare alias, the bank wouldn’t connect Bart’s death to that name. Even if they did, rules say they have to hold the box for years in case someone claims it.”
“Oh. I suppose.”
“We won’t know without checking it out. Your dad didn’t give you a key?”
She shook her head. “Jolene spent a lot of time in Las Vegas with Daddy, so she was closer to him than I was.”
“I think it’s worth investigating. Finding another name Bart used may be the break we’re looking for. Your mother didn’t know about Bart using the name Shakespeare, did she?”
Candi frowned. “She never mentioned he’d used another name, no.”
“There you go. I think it’s possible he kept the box. We may need a certified copy of both Bart and Jolene’s death certificates so the bank will let us into it, though.”
“No problem. Mom gave me a couple of copies of Jolene’s and I know Grandma has some of Bart’s at her house.”
“May I keep this address book for a while? I’d like to check out the people in it.”
“Sure. I can help you with that. I mean, I can tell you which names belong to my family members and which don’t.”
“Thanks. That’ll help. I didn’t think we’d need info on your whole family tree, so I don’t have all that info.”
Candi frowned. “I should hope not. I hate to think what everyone would say to being investigated by the FBI.”
“Sorry, but sometimes it’s necessary. Do you think your mother and grandmother will stay in Minnesota another day or two to watch Jessie while we go to Las Vegas?”
Candi smiled. “Probably. I don’t think they’re too anxious to go home and clean up the mess the burglars left in Mom’s house.”
Chapter 13
Luke paid extra to get them tickets on the next available flight to Las Vegas.
They hurriedly packed. Candi nervously went through Jessie’s routine with her mother and grandmother, who waved away her concern.
“I raised your dad, didn’t I?” Amanda said with an indignant sniff.
Candi rolled her eyes. “That was many years ago, Gram.”
“And I raised you and Jolene,” Maggie scolded. “You’ve only had Jessie a few days. Stop acting like an expert on child care. We’ll be fine.”
Candi chewed her bottom lip and nodded. “Thanks. It may be only a dead end. I mean, the safety deposit box may be closed, so we don’t get any new leads, but I want to go see. Luke thinks it might help their investigation, too.”
Maggie hugged her. “We’re happy to stay. We want to help catch Jolene’s killer, too. And I’d be thrilled if Bart left anything else for you girls. Yes, go. You must check it out.” They left.
***
Now, Candi worried. At thirty thousand feet, she couldn’t do anything else about her concerns. She stared out the window at the lovely banks of fluffy clouds. Blue sky and sunshine made the white clouds sparkle. The soft murmur of other voices in the aircraft failed to soothe her nerves.
“Do you t
hink they’ll be all right?” she asked Luke for the third time.
Luke leaned over and kissed her. “Relax. They’ll be fine. Curt is keeping watch and someone from the Minneapolis office will relieve him. They’re available for backup as well, if he needs help.”
“Yeah, okay. But, I can’t stop worrying. Something doesn’t feel right.”
“It’ll be okay, Candi.”
“I just want it all to be over.”
“Me, too.” He smiled into her eyes and took her hand in his. “Me, too. Try not to think about it, okay? Think about this, instead. We’ll be alone for the first time in days.”
Candi met his gaze and saw raw desire written on his face. Her heart pounded and her fingers tightened around his. An answering heat raced along her veins. She’d forgotten the silver lining to this trip, time alone together. She whispered, “One room tonight or two?”
He leaned over and brushed her lips with his. “One gets my vote.”
“Mine, too.” She smiled and sat back as the hostess appeared to ask for their drink orders.
She dozed a while, and woke to find they were about to land in Las Vegas. They followed the crowd to baggage claim.
“We’ll arrive after the bank closes, so we’ll go there in the morning.” Luke eyed the bags bouncing down the carousel chute, searching for theirs.
“So our evening is free for fun?” she asked as they collected their luggage.
He sent her a sly, provocative grin. “I think so.”
They took a shuttle to their hotel. True to Las Vegas style, the noise of the casino surrounded them at the lobby desk.
Candi looked around. Only a plush rope and a little carpet separated the check in area from slot machines. People sat at most of the flashing machines, their faces intense and their eyes glued to the screens.
“They tempt us to begin playing the slots immediately, don’t they?” she said.
“That’s the idea. Get every nickel they can,” Luke agreed. He signed the register, took the room key cards and grabbed the handles of their luggage. “Elevators are this way.”
They made their way along the edge of the casino floor and down a hallway. She followed him into the crowded elevator.
Their room was large, clean and neat, with a bed, table and chairs. The huge bed took up a lot of floor space. Or did it only seem so because she was so aware of the bed? Suddenly very nervous, she swallowed and looked at Luke. “Did you ask for a king sized bed?”
“Yes. I like plenty of room to play around,” he said with a wicked grin. He parked their luggage, locked the door and came back to claim a kiss.
“Oh, you!” She returned his grin and he was just Luke again. Her nervousness vanished. She gave him a push, toppled him onto the bed and went after him, covering his body with hers and his face with kisses.
“God, I’ve missed you,” she said, wiggling her torso against his. Ah, yes, he reacted nicely. She rubbed again. “You feel wonderful.”
“It’s been days. I wasn’t too fond of having others around every second either,” he agreed, wrapping his arms around her to hold her body tightly against his rigid erection. “I’ve been itching to get you naked ever since Chicago.”
“Well, you’ve succeed in getting me alone,” she said. “What about the rest of it?”
“What’s the rush? We have all night, don’t we? I want to enjoy every inch of you.” He ran his hands along her back, squeezed her butt and teased her lips with his tongue.
“Oh. Okay.” She smoothed back his dark hair and rubbed a hand over his five o’clock shadow. “Your whiskers are starting to show already.”
“I know.” He rubbed his chin. “My beard grows so fast. I shave every morning, but if I want to look nice at night, I have to shave again.”
“I like it.” She kissed his chin and ran a finger along the side of his jaw. “You have the cutest dent in your chin.”
“You like it?”
“Definitely. But let’s take off all these clothes.” She started unbuttoning his shirt.
He put up a hand to stop her. “Aren’t you hungry?”
“Yes. For you.”
“What about dinner?”
“Later,” she said, kissing his ear, then blowing a little puff of air into it.
He shivered. He flipped her under him, rubbing his groin against hers to show her his readiness. “Okay, if that’s how you want it. Dinner can wait.”
She shoved aside his shirt and pulled up his tee shirt so she could touch and taste his bare skin. She ran her tongue over his small, hard nipples. He trembled. “Um, delicious.”
He leaned down and opened her blouse, pushed it off. He slid her bra straps down her arms and kissed the soft breasts he’d uncovered. Gently, he rubbed his whiskers across their peaks, making her gasp.
“Definitely delicious,” he agreed as she squirmed under the ministrations of his tongue.
He unsnapped her jeans and slid them down her legs then sat her up, unsnapped her bra and tossed it aside. His jeans and shorts followed and in a minute, they were both naked.
She slid her hands over his bare skin, kissing and touching as she explored. “Now, Luke,” she demanded.
He grabbed a condom from his jeans and covered himself, then came back to her. She sighed with pleasure as he filled her slowly and began to move faster and faster.
She couldn’t hold out any longer. She exploded in release, and felt his shudder a moment later. Then he collapsed and rolled to her side, keeping her tightly in his arms.
“Sorry that went too fast. I couldn’t wait,” Luke said with a groan.
“Neither could I.” A satisfied giggle burst out. “So you’ll just have to do it over again, won’t you?”
“Let me catch my breath, first, woman!”
“Well, okay,” she agreed. “Or maybe I’ll even let you eat dinner first.”
“Really?” Luke opened one eye and regarded her. “I’m starving, here.”
“Sure, why not? First a shower, dinner and then we’ll hit the slots. We’re in Sin City, Sweetheart. Lots to see and do.”
He stilled and hesitated. “Ah, no.”
She eyed him doubtfully. “No, we’re not in Sin City?”
Luke laughed. “Oh, we’re in Vegas all right. But we can’t go out.”
She blanched, immediately guessing why. “You think we’re still in danger here?”
He shrugged. “We’re not sure. Bill and Randy are keeping an eye on the casinos where the last robberies took place. We think the guy who attacked us in Florida is back here with the rest of the gang again.”
Candi stared, her mouth open. “I thought you arrested him.”
Luke sent her a wry grin. “We did, but a hot-shot lawyer sprang him a couple of days later.”
“How awful. Whatever was the judge thinking?”
“Yeah. It happens all the time. Our guys have been watching the gang, but we’re still not sure if we know everyone connected to them. Or how much they are aware we know.”
“You lost me there.”
He frowned at her. “We don’t know if they’re still following us, know we’re here or what we’re doing here. The upshot is, we’re staying out of sight and eating in our room.”
She rolled off the bed. “In that case, you call room service while I take a shower. Then I’ll wait for the delivery while you shower, okay?”
“Sounds like a plan, except let’s switch jobs. You order and I’ll shower first so I can check out the waiter before letting him in.”
“Spoilsport. Go, then.” She went over to the desk and picked up the menu. “What do you want to eat?”
“Anything recognizable as plain, simple meat,” he said and disappeared into the bathroom.
An hour later, they sat eating steaks and salads at the small table in their room. He cut another slice of steak. “This is delicious.”
“Excellent. You picked a good place to stay.”
He laughed. “We’ve been here awhile. Long enough to
figure out who has the best food anyway. I talked to Bill. He’ll stop over in a bit.”
“Did they get any more leads on the jewelry robberies here? Or can’t you tell me?” Candi asked, sipping her iced tea.
“Yes, and some on the murder as well,” Luke said. “I can tell you this because they’ve already printed it in the papers. They identified a couple more pieces in a hock shop as coming from the apartment where the guy was killed. And a maid reported her master key card missing after a red haired guy stopped to talk to her demanding more towels.”
Candi frowned. “I just remembered something. Jolene called one of George’s friends, ‘Red.’”
“Hm. Did she say anything else about him?”
“She saw him coming out of a hotel room close to hers right as she was leaving. She said he recognized her and looked angry. She was afraid George sent him after her to bring her back.”
“Harvey, the guy with George in Florida, had dark hair. Remember?”
“Yeah. He was tall and thin. I wonder if he was the one who killed Jolene?”
“We thought of him first thing. But we haven’t been able to find anything definite to tie him to that yet. We’re trying to trace down his movements, but it’s not easy when this whole gang seems to constantly change disguises and the ID they use while traveling,” Luke said. “Are you finished eating? I’ll put this tray out in the hall.”
“Yes, thanks. I’d better call Mom before she and Grandma go to bed. They’re not used to getting up at all hours with a baby.”
At a knock at the door, Luke said, “That’s probably Bill.”
“I’ll use the bathroom for my call then.” Candi disappeared into the only other room.
Luke checked the peephole, let the other agent in and set their dinner tray outside.
They sat in the chairs by the small table where he’d eaten with Candi. He’d talked to Bill several times by phone, but Luke was still anxious for any update.
“The boss isn’t going to want me to keep an eye on Candi much longer if we can’t convince him they’re still in danger. I want these creeps in jail.” He hated to think of Candi and Jessie on their own if all these guys were still on the loose. He couldn’t let that happen. He was not going to fail again.
