Smoking Hot

by Karen Kelley

  “Pocket change?”

  “Maybe he thought he might need to make a fast getaway and would need to have quick access.”

  “Sounds plausible.”

  She socked him on the arm.

  “Ow.” He rubbed his arm. “Why’d you do that? He answered all our questions.”

  “That didn’t hurt and you know it.”

  “You frogged me.” He shrugged. “It hurt for a second.”

  “What were you doing? You could’ve blown everything playing cop. What was with all the dramatics?”

  He suddenly grinned. “Acting lessons. I was pretty good, right?”

  “Acting lessons? Who from? Laurel and Hardy?”

  His eyebrows drew together. “You’ve heard about them?”

  She opened her mouth, then snapped it closed. God, sometimes he made her feel like a fish out of water. “Never mind. I don’t want to know. We have enough information to continue the investigation.” She glanced down at her notes. “We need to know about this long lost uncle.”

  But it wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought. There were more Miles listed in the Galveston area than she had time to search through. It was time to call in a favor.

  “Hello?” Darla said, sounding drowsy.

  Raine glanced at her watch. Darla worked last night and she would work tonight. “I’m sorry I woke you, but I need to ask a really big favor.”

  “Raine?”

  “Yes, it’s me.”

  “Whatcha want?” She yawned.

  Raine waited, then said, “I need you to leave the back door at the sheriff’s office unlocked tonight.” She hated asking her, but it was the only way to get to Ethan’s personal files so she could find out more about him. It could cost Darla her job.

  “What’s going on?” Darla asked, more alert than she had been a moment ago.

  “The less you know, the better off you’ll be. You can’t tell anyone about this, and if they question you, say you didn’t realize the door was unlocked.” She wasn’t sure Darla would put her job on the line. Raine was taking a huge risk asking her to do this much. What if Darla left it unlocked, then got scared and told the sheriff what Raine asked her to do? But then, Darla was taking an even bigger risk if she followed through.

  “I won’t say a word, sweetie. I know you didn’t rob that bank, even if you do need the money. If I can help in any other way, let me know.”

  “I will. Thanks, Darla.” She pressed her lips together as an unexpected wave of emotion flowed through her. Oh hell, she didn’t want to care about anyone else. What if something happened? How would she protect Darla? She slipped her phone back into her pocket.

  “She’ll be fine.” Dillon put his arm across her shoulder and pulled her against him. “You can’t take care of everyone all the time. Friends help friends and that’s what Darla is doing.”

  “But I don’t take care of everyone. That’s the problem.”

  “It’s not your fault your father gave up after your mother left him.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut. “But I was partly to blame. I let him down. I promised I wouldn’t let anyone hurt him again. I didn’t follow through. He hurt up until the day he died. Alcohol was the only thing that made his pain go away.”

  He looked into her eyes. “He made the choice to drink. Not you.”

  “But— ”

  “No. It was his choice, not yours. He was the parent. He should have seen to your needs, taken care of you.”

  “It hurts,” she whispered. The pain was raw and it had festered inside her for too many years.

  “I know.”

  “I thought we had something special, but we didn’t.”

  “Sometimes people can’t accept the pain of their loss for one reason or another. It consumes them until they start making bad choices. You need to stop blaming yourself and understand he was human and had flaws. Everyone does.”

  Dillon was right. But accepting it was another matter entirely.

  It was easy to tell herself that she wasn’t to blame for her father’s drinking; it was harder to believe it. For the first time in a long time, though, she felt as though the weight on her shoulders was beginning to lighten.

  “I want to see Grandpa,” she said.

  The ground suddenly disappeared beneath her feet. Her stomach rolled as it did every time they transported. She tightened her hold around his waist and closed her eyes tight as the wind rushed past. What if she let go? Would she end up somewhere halfway between wherever they were going, her body splattered all over the place?

  Her feet touched on solid surface again and she breathed a thankful sigh of relief. She opened her eyes and saw they were in Tilly’s living room. “I meant we should take the car.” She stepped out of his arms.

  “Oh. You didn’t say you wanted to drive.”

  “I thought it was implied.”

  “Have I told you how sexy you are when you get ticked off at someone?”

  She clamped her lips together. “That’s not what we were discussing, so don’t change the subject.”

  “We thought we heard voices,” Grandpa said as he and Tilly walked into the room.

  “Grandpa!” She rushed to him, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tight.

  “What’s the matter, little girl?” Worry laced his words.

  “Nothing. I’ve missed you.”

  “This will all be over soon.” He patted her on the back.

  “We’ve been working on our end to find out more.”

  “Everyone sit,” Tilly said. She beamed when she looked at Dillon. “I never thought I’d see the day when there was an angel in my home.” Her forehead furrowed. “Except maybe when I was dying.” She shook her head. “But that’s neither here nor there.”

  When she and Dillon were comfortably seated on an antique red velvet settee, and Tilly and Grandpa in matching high-backed chairs, Grandpa said, “You first.”

  Raine began with what they’d discovered a little while ago, telling them everything Mr. Turner had told them. “I think Ethan is guilty. Everything points to him.”

  “But you still don’t believe it,” Grandpa guessed.

  “I’m not sure. I don’t agree with the way he does a lot of things, but he’s a good cop,” she said.

  “Or is it out of loyalty?” Grandpa asked. “He’s a cop and you were always taught to respect someone with a badge. Good cops can go bad.”

  “I know,” she said. He was right. She didn’t want to believe it.

  “What have you discovered?” Dillon asked.

  As Raine looked at everyone in the room, she knew that whatever happened, she wasn’t alone. She wasn’t the only one to carry the burden. Except it could all be taken from her at any moment.

  “He had to have help,” Tilly said. “We put our heads together and it has to be Leo. When we followed him— ”

  Raine sat forward. “You followed him?”

  “We stayed back a ways,” Grandpa reassured her.

  “No, you’re not to follow anyone. This isn’t a game. Guilty people get desperate when they’re cornered. You could get hurt.

  Promise me you won’t follow anyone else.” When Tilly and Grandpa would have protested, Raine crossed her arms in front of her and pursed her lips.

  “Okay, no more tailing people,” Grandpa grumbled.

  Lady came barreling into the room, going straight to Grandpa, but the dog stopped at his knees as if she sensed she couldn’t plow into him. He laughed and rubbed her ears.

  Raine studied the animal. The dog had fattened up and was no longer limping. Lady looked too much like a purebred to be a stray. She had a funny feeling about all this. “Where, again, did you find the dog?”

  Grandpa and Tilly shared a look. Tilly suddenly became preoccupied with her hands. Grandpa cleared his throat. “East of town.”

  There was definitely more to the story. But before she could question him further, Dillon spoke up.

  “Did you find out anything
when you trailed Leo?”

  Grandpa immediately launched into what they discovered, and Raine forgot about the dog. Where Grandpa got the dog wasn’t that important.

  “Like I said, we followed Leo. Ethan and Leo met on the sly more times than I can count.”

  “Five,” Tilly supplied.

  Grandpa frowned. “I’m telling the story.”

  “But we want to be accurate,” she lightly admonished.

  “We saw them meet five times.” He cast a pointed look in Tilly’s direction and she smiled. “They met at the car dealership four times and went out to the wrecking yard once.”

  Raine looked between them, waiting for more. “That’s it?”

  “Of course not.” Tilly was frowning again when she looked at Grandpa. “You’re waiting much too long before delivering the punch. You pause, count two seconds, then tell them the important stuff. That makes your pitch stronger. By the time you get around to saying what needs to be said, you’ve already lost your audience.”

  Raine met Dillon’s gaze. She silently asked if he knew what they were talking about, but he looked as confused as she felt. She returned her attention to Tilly again. “Was there more?”

  “I told you they were as lost as Hogan’s ghost,” she said, reaffirming her point.

  “You’re right,” Grandpa conceded. “There was more. Ethan kept glancing around, all nervous like.”

  “But he didn’t see you?” Dillon asked.

  “If he did, then he wouldn’t think nothin’ about it. We were in disguises.”

  “Disguises.” Raine repeated. She was living in a bad B-rated movie again.

  “Yeah, nothing elaborate. We didn’t want to stand out. I wore a big wide-brimmed hat low on my forehead and overalls, but that’s not all. I kept a pipe in my mouth and leaned heavy-like on a cane.” His gaze moved to Tilly. “Tell them what you wore,” he urged.

  “Oh, it wasn’t that fancy.” She giggled like a schoolgirl.

  What the hell? Didn’t they realize this was serious? Apparently not, since they were playing dress up.

  “I put on a baggy dress with great big flowers and a wide white belt,” she quickly launched into her description anyway. “And a long fake white pearl necklace. I dug out my grandmother’s garden bonnet from a trunk upstairs. It’s the kind that fits close to your face and ties in a big bow under the chin.

  Grandpa slapped his leg and Lady looked up from where she had laid beside him, saw that he was all right, and laid her head back down. ‘We were a sight. Should’ve took a picture.”

  “Tell them the rest,” Tilly urged.

  “Oh, right.” He was thoughtful for a moment, as though he tried to remember what he’d been about to say.

  “At the dealership,” she nudged.

  “Someone else showed up.” He lowered his voice dramatically and looked around as though someone might overhear. “A woman.”

  Tilly clapped her hands. “Much better delivery!”

  “Did we miss something?” Dillon finally asked.

  Grandpa’s face turned a bright red. “We’ve started going to the nursing home every Tuesday. We tell stories or read from one of the books they’ve chosen. A lot of them are friends who can’t get around like they used to. We try to make them feel as though they’re still living, not dying. Sometimes we forget about the ones who can’t do for themselves. They’re still useful, just in other ways.” His gaze dropped.

  Raine’s heart swelled with pride. “You’re right, we do sometimes forget.” Grandpa looked up and smiled. How long they took to get their story across stopped mattering.

  “Can you tell us what the woman looked like?”

  “That’s where it gets a little tricky.” Tilly’s words were hesitant, and for the first time since Dillon and Raine arrived, her forehead creased with worry. “She wore a dark skirt.”

  “That’s how we knew it was a woman,” Grandpa added.

  “But our eyes aren’t as good as they used to be. So we really didn’t see her that well,” Tilly finished.

  Raine leaned back and crossed her legs. “I never thought that it might be two men and a woman who robbed the bank.”

  “You said their voices were muffled, right?” Dillon asked. “I never heard them speak, so I can’t help there.”

  “They were definitely muffled.” She rubbed the place where she’d hit her head when she fell after Dillon shoved her out of the way. “And everything is still a little foggy.”

  “That’s all we have,” Grandpa said. “Did we do okay?”

  “I couldn’t ask for two better detectives,” she told them.

  “What’s next?” Grandpa asked.

  “We’re breaking into the sheriff’s office tonight to steal Ethan’s personal file,” Dillon said.

  Raine wanted to slap her hand over his mouth. Why in the world would he tell them about her plan?

  “Can we come?” Tilly and Grandpa asked almost in unison.

  “No,” she said emphatically, then reiterated, “Promise me you won’t come to the sheriff’s office tonight.”

  “Promise,” Grandpa grumbled, then added, “Don’t put me out to pasture yet.”

  She went to him, kneeling in front of him. “I would never do that, Grandpa. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

  His smile was gentle, the kind he used to give her when she did something wrong but he didn’t want to scold her. “If you don’t get hurt every once in a while, little girl, then you ain’t living. You’re only pretending.”

  Was that what she was doing? Pretending?

  ******

  That night couldn’t come soon enough; then it came too fast.

  Raine knew if she got caught in Sheriff Barnes’s office going through his files, he would have no choice except to lock her up.

  She didn’t have a choice either.

  Her hand shook when she tested the door. The knob turned.

  Some of the tension inside her eased. Darla was true to her word.

  The door was unlocked. She opened it and slipped inside. Bless her heart, Darla had gone one step farther and turned off the bright entry light.

  “The coast is clear,” Dillon spoke beside her.

  She slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming.

  “You scared the hell out of me!” she whispered. Her pulse raced so fast she was almost afraid she might keel over dead any second.

  “I was trying to help.”

  “I don’t need that kind of help.” She drew in a steady breath and waited a moment for her heart rate to return to normal.

  “Thank you anyway.”

  “You’re welcome.” His smile was slow and sexy. “You look good dressed all in black.”

  Her body began to respond, but just as quickly, she tamped down the sexual thoughts that began to run through her head.

  “Really, Dillon?”

  “Just letting you know what I think. Is that a crime?” He leaned against the wall.

  “Your thoughts are,” she mumbled. “Will you please let me do what I came her to do?”

  He swung his arm wide, motioning her to continue on her way. “Darla gave Justin a stack of papers to read. She told him there would be a test when he finished. Ethan is filling in for you tonight since you’re on leave. He’s patrolling the streets, and Leo’s at the truck stop flirting with the new waitress.”

  “I thought you weren’t supposed to help?”

  “Up to a point,” he said.

  “It seems like you make up a lot of the rules as you go along.”

  He was causing her to lose track of why she was there. She frowned at him as she slipped past. He vanished in front of her eyes and she stumbled. She really hated when he did that. It was good to know she wouldn’t run into someone when she rounded the corner, though.

  She still didn’t breathe easier until she was standing outside the sheriff’s door. She tested the lock. This one was locked, but Darla wouldn’t have the key anyway and Raine hadn’t told her whe
re she was going once she was inside. It didn’t matter. She could pick a lock in under three minutes. Most of them, at least.

  She reached in her back pocket and pulled out a flat bag of tools. She chose the one she would need and set the others on the floor. It took her under a minute to pick the lock, but then this was the door she’d always practiced on when her daddy was sheriff.

  Once inside, she carefully closed the door behind her, then used her cell phone light to shine around the room. Dillon was leaning against the file cabinet. The man was seriously becoming a thorn in her side. “You couldn’t open the door?”

  “You didn’t ask me to. Besides, it was sexy watching you pick the lock.”

  She shook her head and moved to the file cabinet. It was locked, but she reached behind the cabinet, sliding her hand down the inside edge, then smiling when she felt the key. Her father always kept it there too.

  She unlocked the cabinet, then grasped the handle, but at the last second indecision filled her. The idea that Ethan might have committed the crime, then let her take the fall, didn’t sit well with her. If he was a dirty cop, then she would put him away, but it left a sour taste in her mouth. She tugged on the drawer, then quickly located Ethan’s file. She brought it out and took it over to the desk. Her hands shook when she opened his file. She skimmed through all the unimportant stuff, skidding to a stop when her eyes landed on one word.

  “What did you find?” Dillon asked.

  “He couldn’t have inherited the money from an uncle,” she said.

  “Why not?”

  She raised her eyes to meet his. “He’s an orphan. It clearly states he grew up in an orphanage on this background check. He was never adopted.” Odd that she should have felt elated, but the only emotion running through her was sadness that Ethan hadn’t known a real family. Her parents might have had problems but Grandpa had been there to help pick up the pieces.

  Maybe that’s why Ethan didn’t share a lot of his past. It might be why he robbed the bank, too. And as much as she hated the idea that one of their own turned out to be a rotten apple, she was leaning more and more to that conclusion.