Nolan set his cup down as the sound of crunching gravel outside signaled an approaching car. Panther-like grace reminded her he was a cop first and foremost, regardless of the tempest-blue regard that kept drawing her into his world.
The doorbell rang in a trio burst of tinkling bells.
“I’m not expecting anyone this morning.” When he opened the door, his shoulders sagged and a short exhale indicated sources of frustration.
The fact Keiki wore yoga pants and an oversized T-shirt with her hair in a messy bun suggested the status of overnight visitor.
“Hey, Knotty. Carolyn called me last night and said you might need—oh, sorry. I didn’t know you had company.” The visitor’s long ponytail swiveled over her shoulder to land in the grasp of the baby she held.
“Hi, Faye, I’m sure Carolyn didn’t mention she had a tenant,” Nolan snarked.
She pushed past him ignoring the jibe, and approaching her. “Hey there. I’m Faye.” A certain deviousness entered the young mother’s expression.
Keiki couldn’t help but return the infectious smile. “Knotty? You call him Knotty?”
Nolan growled and looked up as if the ceiling held some long-forgotten answers. The sternness of his expression melted as he approached his guests. “Keiki, this is the eldest and most frustrating of my four sisters.” In spite of his words, he leaned over to kiss the baby on the forehead. “Please don’t grow up like your mama. Or, actually, it would serve her right.”
“Never mind him, let’s talk. I’m starved for adult conversation.” With assurance born of experience, she deposited her bundle in Nolan’s waiting arms then smacked her lips together in an appreciative gesture. “Ah, this smells great. Mind if I join you?” Without waiting for an invite, Faye grabbed a plate and served herself.
He peered out a side window of his living room before remarking. “I’m guessing the other three will take turns visiting now?”
Gentle cooing and a murmured stream of baby talk conveyed both confidence and familiarity. The man was comfortable with kids.
In the kitchen, he froze at seeing the women’s expressions. “What? I’ve spent enough time with your toddler to know what I’m doing, not to mention the fact I was eight when the first of my hellion siblings was born.”
His eyes widened when his phone rang. Stepping toward Faye, he held the baby out, but stopped when she pointed to Keiki instead.
Turning a pleading look to the younger woman, Faye urged, “You don’t mind do you? Just for a minute…?” Words drifted off with a mouthful of egg and sausage. “I rarely catch a break these days,” she said after swallowing.
Keiki held her hands out as if warding off a great evil.
Nolan, deciding this equaled an affirmative, placed the now-sleeping babe in her arms with reverence.
“I—I don’t know what to do with this.” The act of holding the babe raised the dilemma of whether she’d turn to stone or throw up. Unlike when faced with the intruder’s violence, her current threat came from within.
If she had to guess, her landlady’s previous elaboration of Nolan’s virtues and obvious phone call to Faye had something to do with the devilish gleam in the sister’s eyes.
“You’re doing fine. If you give her a little bounce now and then, she’s more likely to stay asleep and not scream in your ear.” Faye mimed the action of patting a baby’s bottom.
“What if I drop it?”
Nolan pulled the phone away from his ear. “She is fine, and looks more in danger of being suffocated than falling, judging by your grip.” His presence beside her offered little fortitude.
Keiki’s reflexive jolt when the infant burped almost dislodged the infant from her grasp.
“Ah… um. Okay. I got this.” Soft patting stemmed more from involuntary shaking than intentional rocking.
A pleading look to Nolan returned a grin formed from pity and understanding. After cutting his call short, he took the child back, snugging her to his chest with one hand and sitting to continue his breakfast with the other.
“Trouble?” Faye turned innocent eyes to her brother’s hawkish glare.
“Nothing I can’t handle.” Nolan shifted the conversation to the family’s current events, including visits to the pediatrician and their youngest sister’s newest fascination, Coyote.
When the infant woke and squealed in Nolan’s arms, he sighed. “She sounds hungry. I’m not equipped to handle this one, sis. You’re on your own.”
A wry smile preceded her soft, “Obviously.”
Keiki swallowed hard, wondering if the mother’s strong sense of self extended to breast-feeding among strangers.
As if reading her mind, Faye smiled as she took the baby. “Don’t worry. You’ll do fine when the time comes. But here’s a tip. Line your bras with panty liners to keep your shirts dry.” With that, she turned and disappeared down the hallway toward Nolan’s guest bedroom.
Nolan slapped his hand over his forehead then covered his face while chanting, “I love my family. I love my family.”
Faye reappeared, then diverted toward the sofa in the living room. Once settled in a chair facing the fireplace, she glared at her brother. “It’s not like we’re discussing down-there care. Although I think this diaper does need changing.”
A conspicuous wink and amusement dancing in wide green eyes signified the game afoot.
Of course, Keiki jumped on board. Unseating Nolan’s self-assuredness proved a worthy cause. “Did you know there’s a national study showing forty-five percent of the people polled wear their underwear more than one day in a row?”
Faye laughed. “I love useless trivia!”
“And… thirteen percent of women surveyed wear their panties a week or more.” Keiki laughed at Nolan’s horrific expression before clarifying, “I, myself, am not among them.”
Nolan mumbled something unintelligible and dropped his phone on the table. Crimson stained his cheeks. “Jesus. It’s an epidemic. I’m surrounded by women who stuff their brains with annoying and useless facts.”
“Aw, Knotty, you look miserable. Must be the equivalent of your time of the month?”
Keiki couldn’t resist. “Wow, it really does suck to be a man. It’s not like we can give him a happy period with vibrating tampons.”
“No! Please stop! No more.” Turning to his sister, he added, “Why today? Why now? Did Carolyn put you up to this?”
“Well, no, actually. Although we did talk at length.”
This time, Keiki’s face heated. Carolyn had set them up.
“You.” Nolan glared and pointed a finger at Keiki. “You have no business even knowing about such things. And my sister is not a good role model. You do realize she’s here at Carolyn’s bidding?”
It was a virtual bucket of ice water. Possible retorts flitted through her mind, but embarrassment overrode them all. In her haste to get up and hide, anywhere, Keiki kicked his shins under the table. “Sorry. I’ve got to use your restroom.”
Mumbled curses between siblings followed her down the hall. She didn’t think to “ask” which door held her destination, merely rushed to where she’d seen the guest bath during her electronic fly-through.
Cold water soothed the burning in her cheeks even as Nolan and Faye continued to argue back in the kitchen.
The visit both humanized the cop and revealed a vulnerability she’d never thought to see. His armor remained intact except where family delved underneath and flipped his world inside out, uncovering his greatest weakness. His reaction had been reflexive, direct, and severe.
Self-protection.
Minutes later, she returned to see the baby sleeping in Faye’s arms.
“I’m gonna get her home for her morning nap. See you this weekend for barbeque, Knotty?”
“Sure. Why not.”
A pointed glance in Keiki’s direction accompanied the indisputable directive, “You don’t need to bring anything.”
“Um…”
“Good. It’s settled. C
arolyn’s gonna make pies. You’ll love ‘em.” Grabbing the infant’s diaper bag, she smiled. “See you two later.” The whirlwind who was Faye departed without another sound, leaving destruction and confusion in her wake. Along with the odor of a dirty diaper.
“That went… well?” Nolan scrubbed a hand over the back of his nape. His expression matched how she felt.
“At least I know how to keep my shirts dry when the time comes.” She enjoyed the deep crimson climbing his cheeks again but needed to clarify their non-relationship status. “About this weekend…”
“Don’t even think about backing out. My entire family would swarm your apartment. By now, Carolyn has given them the rundown on everything she knows.” His pause spoke of a man searching for endurance. “I’m sorry. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, after all.”
Chapter Seventeen
Time never dragged unless she had somewhere to go and something to do. Classwork was finished despite the painful and constant reminders of her missing friends.
Her methods of investigation had bent the law at sharp angles, but with each passing hour, the line between right and wrong became a little dimmer.
That line had disintegrated in the face of her desperation, evidenced when Nolan returned home and found her latest device in the kitchen. Who was she kidding? She’d known it was wrong when she’d hidden it there. How he’d spotted it, she’d never know.
His response sent a chill through her which numbed her mind. His eyes had widened for a split second then narrowed with barely suppressed wrath. The thunderous expression while retrieving her drone sucked the air from her lungs. Though distorted, the view conveyed enough to know she was in deep shit.
Now she’d have to find another way to gather information—if she managed to stay out of jail.
The minute he backed out of his driveway, she searched for a plausible explanation.
Tires on his personal vehicle didn’t squeal to a stop in front of her apartment. His door didn’t slam with unnecessary force. The wolf was under control, at least outwardly, and that scared her more than if he’d come tearing in.
Tensed muscles hunched her shoulders as he thumped up her wooden stairs.
She’d already unlocked the door so her jellied legs wouldn’t betray the trepidation snaking its way through her chest.
Seen through the glass inset of her door, his face was a mask of indifference. She knew better. She’d read the signs.
He’s pissed as hell.
At the landing to her apartment, he didn’t knock and didn’t announce himself, he merely opened the door.
His frame blocked most of the exit, coiled and ready to strike, the thinnest filament of an iron will holding him in check, waiting. The setting sun backlit his form, making him appear like an avenging God.
He accepted her motion to enter without a word.
She wasn’t ready for this. Would he arrest her?
Her seat at the kitchen table offered direct access to the other exit but not the time to gain it before he could snatch her up like a rag doll. He was probably mad enough to do it at the moment.
Without preamble, he fished her micro drone from his jacket and set it on the center doily beside her scented candle.
His arched brow declared he could outwait, outmaneuver, and would use any means necessary to acquire the answers he sought.
“So, um, maybe I haven’t told you everything,” she hedged.
“Really? That thought never crossed my mind.”
Instead of clarifying, he took a chair, turned it around, and straddled it to face her. “If we do this here, there’s no recording…”
“Okay, okay. I got it. I admit I was spying. I need to know what’s going on so I can figure out why the creep is after me.”
“You have little demon spies everywhere, don’t you? Had you placed one in my bedroom, you’d now be wearing handcuffs.”
“Shouldn’t we set limits—” Remaining words dried in her mouth when his jaw hardened. He was dead serious, and it wasn’t the time for her smart mouth to erupt.
Heat drained from her face and hands to leave her fingers shaking and numb.
“I’m not a pervert and haven’t done anything wrong. Well, not with drugs or murder.” If she withheld information now, it’d be impossible to untangle the spider web of evidence from behind bars.
His fingers drummed a soft beat on the back of the wooden slat, meanwhile, the mini drone stood sentinel to strengthen his wordless disapproval while the tapping digits declared his patience waning.
Heaving a sigh, she motioned him to sit beside her, opening her laptop to let him see for himself. If she couldn’t convince him of her innocence, she’d end up in jail charged with killing her best friend.
“I was talking with Shelly when the bastard attacked her.” A quick swipe removed the unbidden tear from her cheek.
This time when he sat, he pulled his chair close. “We knew that. Your grief is so close to the surface.”
You would know.
“Did you…” he stopped for a beat, then pressed on, “record it?”
“Yes, but even through voice prints, Tucker’s contact can’t identify him. We’ve got nothing.”
A flash of uncertainty crossed his face. “How many dozens of times have you watched this?”
“Lost count.”
On the laptop, Shelly’s image appeared. She sat beside her flowerbed and considered the drone sitting on her hand. Keiki turned up the volume.
“This is where she was trying to fix the front right arm. It broke off.” Knowing what came next made it harder to look at the screen. “I’ve seen it a hundred times yet can’t pick out anything that would help.
“You two could’ve been sisters, you look so much alike, Nolan murmured then leaned in to take a closer look, his shoulder brushing her forearm. “Turn up the audio.”
“From the time we hit kindergarten, people thought we were twins. It used to make Gabby jealous.” Hoarse words rasped her throat.
When the masked face came into view, Keiki had to turn away.
“I’ve been through this footage a million times. There’s nothing on here that will help. If there had been, I would’ve already turned it over. I had a copy for you, but then the bastard broke into my apartment and I couldn’t get to it. Then, everything kinda went catawampus.”
“You intentionally withheld the video.”
“It’s useless. You already know he planted evidence to frame me. How am I gonna prove it except for the mistake with the engraving? It’s pretty weak as far as defenses go.”
“Yeah, the periods he put after each letter isn’t something you do.”
“Like a cop is gonna believe that exonerates me? I don’t think so.”
“You have a damn low opinion of cops in general, or is it just detectives, or perhaps me?” He reached over and paused the recording.
“My parents were killed by carjackers, caught on tape, yet the shooters were never found.”
Nolan shook his head as if feeling a personal loss. “Believe it or not, I know losing someone you love is painful as hell.”
“You mean Carolyn’s daughter?” She couldn’t say the name, couldn’t bring the specter of lost love to life. “So… I just accept it as a new portion of my life? Make friends with the devil?”
“No.” Nolan rubbed his chin in consideration. “I think of it more like awareness and avoiding the pitfalls of certain reminders.” His expression turned introspective for a brief moment. “At least until something opens your eyes and one day you realize you don’t feel that stabbing pain every time a reminder cross your path.”
With his piece said, he continued the recording while Keiki looked away from the eyes that haunted her dreams.
“That’s why you were so sure it was the killer who broke into your apartment. You listened to the recording again.”
“Yeah. But I’m missing something. I just can’t figure out what.”
Nolan’s cursing filled the roo
m when the footage ended.
“You’re punishing yourself. This has to stop. I think you should…” He left the remainder unsaid.
He wanted to protect her. That much was obvious. Hiding or sticking her head in the sand wouldn’t solve her friend’s murder.
“I have another clip. Two creeps went to the meads looking for Gabby’s phone. There’s no clear view of either of their faces, so it’s pretty much worthless, too.”
“Ah, the party place behind fraternity row.” Nolan watched the next video in silence until it ended. His fingers continued to drum on the table, his mind piecing together details and deciding on a course of action. “Damn, they disassembled the cell.”
“Which is why I didn’t turn this over to you right away.”
“Hell. It was you he wanted first.”
“Yeah. Shelly died because she looked like me. I used to go up there with her. Her sister was a sweet kid, and they were close.”
“Tell me where your extra cash is coming from. Harock pays you by check, but the cash deposits aren’t matching up.”
“I—I’m a licensed drone pilot. People pay me to fly them around. It’s not like I do anything illegal with them.”
A twist of his lips and lifted brow declared he needed more convincing. Considering her current predicament, it seemed prudent to come clean.
“Tucker Investigations.”
A mixture of relief and frustration crossed his face. “Nick Tucker. Okay, it could be worse.”
“You know him?”
“Kinda.” Nolan’s refusal to explain his sudden turn in mood boded ill. “You shouldn’t be involved with this kind of work. Tell me exactly what projects you’re working on, both present and past.”
“I know the law where drones are concerned. I haven’t recorded any footage that couldn’t be used in a courtroom. Taking pictures from a drone sitting in a tree on a public street is the same as a PI taking it, legally speaking.”
“And from what cereal box did you obtain that nugget?”
“I looked into it before I started accepting assignments.”
“Tell me about his current cases. And for the record, a closed file doesn’t preclude a disgruntled client from retaliating when caught on film.”
A Critical Tangent Page 17
