Jenny felt a touch of sadness. Whoever Roy's wife had been, it was clear he had loved her. This ring stood as a symbol of that. It had been lovingly selected. Jenny was sure the woman that wore it had thought it just as beautiful as she did.
The sound of the shower shutting off made her shut it away again. She tucked the box back inside the drawer and drew a handful of papers on top to mask that she had been snooping. She closed the drawer softly just as his footsteps sounded in the hall.
“Hey.”
Roy looked a little sheepish when he entered the room. She had the impression this was a somewhat new experience for him. She liked that he hadn't experimented a lot with other women. It made her feel special.
“Ready to finally get some sleep?” she asked as she pulled back the covers and slipped inside. She moved across to the left-hand side of the bed as Roy toweled himself dry at the end of the bed. She thought it best if he slept beside his bedside table. It didn't feel right to lay between him and the memories of his wife.
“I am.”
He smiled mischievously as he crawled in beside her. He wrapped an arm under her shoulders and smiled when she curled up against his body.
“Between the investigation, the chase, and the shower, I'm worn out.”
“Not to mention a lot cleaner,” she teased.
I could get used to showers like that.
Jenny smiled contently as she rested an arm across his well-defined chest. It felt like heaven on earth. She wished this feeling could last forever, but they had work to do.
Chapter 25
Jenny woke with a start a few hours later.
She had been dreaming. Chloe was there with Isabelle. Jenny was trying to catch up with the two of them, but they always seemed to be a few too many steps ahead, just out of her reach. She had just managed to grasp a good hold of Chloe when she had been startled awake.
She lay there dazed and confused for a second or two. Roy was still slumbering beside her, his chest rising and falling with each breath he took. His snores were gentle and soft.
Jenny realized with a start that what had woken her was coming from the hall. The shrill sound of a telephone was muffled but determined through the bedroom door. Cursing under her breath, she climbed out of bed and grabbed Roy's housecoat from the back of the door. The fleece felt warm against her skin as she walked out into the cold hallway.
The caller was not letting up. The phone continued to ring as she trudged down the hall toward it. She picked it up, her voice still slurred by sleep.
“Yes?”
The liquor store owner, Lawrence, was on the other end of the line. His voice crackled. He sounded distressed.
“Miss Dale? It's Lawrence from the store in town. I think I made a terrible mistake yesterday.”
Jenny placed the phone against her other ear, using her free hand to tighten the housecoat belt.
“What do you mean?”
“I gave you the wrong information when you asked about the wine bottles.”
“Well, what did you mean to tell me instead?” she asked. “You can tell me anything, Lawrence.”
“I'm not going to say it all over the phone. It isn't safe. Can you and Roy come down to the shop this afternoon around five p.m. I'll be closing then, and we’ll be able to talk freely.”
“Okay. We'll be there.”
Jenny couldn't wait to hear what Roy would make of this. She went back to the bedroom to wake him up in her own special way.
She saw him lying there, looking as sexy as ever. His muscular chest, its tattoos, rising up and down with his breath.
She climbed quietly onto the bed, got under the blankets, and crawled up along his body, careful not to wake him. She stopped when she reached his boxer shorts and carefully pulled them down, letting his long cock fall out.
He moved slightly in his sleep but didn’t wake up.
Leaning close over him, she ran her tongue along the length of his cock. He moved again but still didn’t wake up. She was surprised to see that his cock was stiffening and growing, even though he was still asleep.
She ran her tongue all the way along it, from the base to the head, tracing the line of the vein on its underside. Roy moved but still didn’t wake up.
She felt very naughty and mischievous as she took the head of his cock into her mouth and began sucking on it gently. As it grew in her mouth, she brought it further and further into her throat, taking his full shaft into her throat.
“Oh, god,” she heard him groan up above the sheets.
He was beginning to wake up.
She ran her tongue in circles around his head, and then massaged the head of his cock with her tongue as her hand reached up to cup his balls.
He began to thrust very slowly and gently toward her, and she paused to see if he was awake. Miraculously he was still fast asleep.
She smiled and continued sucking, working the head of his cock skillfully, thinking about how much fun it would be to make him cum without even waking him. Would he even know it had happened?
She wasn’t sure.
She let his cock slide all the way into her throat and she could feel the early pulses and throbs of his orgasm getting ready to explode. She didn’t stop, she kept sucking and rising her mouth up and then back down on his shaft.
In a few more seconds, she tasted the first pulse of his semen flowing into her mouth. She swallowed it as another load throbbed out of his cock and into her mouth. His orgasm was gentler than when he was awake, but the thought of having coaxed it out of him without his knowledge gave her a strange thrill. It was naughty, like something she’d stolen, and it also gave her a feeling of control and power over him. She could do this to him any time she wanted, and he’d never know any better.
He’d love her more and more, need her more and more, and never know where it came from!
She waited for his orgasm to finish and licked him clean. Then she crawled up and snuggled in against his chest. He was still only half awake and she wasn’t sure if he knew what she’d just done to him.
“I love you, Jenny,” he mumbled.
Her heart jumped with joy.
“What?” she whispered.
But he was back asleep. He pulled her close against his chest and breathed deeply in his satisfied slumber.
Jenny had never felt so safe in a man’s arms.
* * *
Roy was eager to call the police commissioner straight after breakfast. He had dug through his old files in the study the night before and located the phone number on an old sheet of foolscap. He hoped it was still operational.
It took him by surprise when Jenny told him they should wait. He listened to her account of the curious phone call early that morning and agreed with her to meet Lawrence later that afternoon.
“I don't like holding off on this,” he told her as they collected up the breakfast dishes together. I feel like we should act fast. The longer we leave it, the longer Chief Cartright has to get his ducks in a row.”
“I agree, but Lawrence’s information may make our case even stronger.”
Roy shrugged as he took a seat at the kitchen table.
“What if his information turns out to be not so helpful after all? The police badge is enough to put Chief Cartright at the scene of Chloe's murder. It won’t matter how hard he's worked to keep their relationship a secret across town.”
“But what if Lawrence can give us more information on the blue wine bottle? If Chief Cartright orders it into the liquor store, then it also can place him at the scene of the fire. It could prove he tried to kill me.”
Roy put his head into his hands with a sigh.
“Fine. You're right.”
“Wouldn't be the first time.”
“We’ll wait it out until tomorrow morning.”
He held up a finger.
“But then we have to act. I hate the idea of that smug bastard sitting in his office thinking he's king of the heap when Joey is confined to a metal box.”
When is the last time you saw Cartright? Jenny asked
“Not for a couple days, now that I think about it. Not that I’m complaining. That guy has a knack for ruining a man’s day.” Roy said. “It’s possible he was the mysterious stranger in the woods the other day. If so, I think I hate him even more than I did before for what he did to my ankle.”
Jenny laughed.
“Then you must not have seen what he's been sporting on his face lately.”
“A soul patch? A new tattoo across his forehead that reads I'm a giant prick?”
“A black eye.”
He had to chuckle at how clearly overjoyed Jenny was about it.
“Joey took a pot shot at his face.”
“What makes you think it was Joey who took the shot? I can think of a few people who’d love to punch the smirk off that asshole’s face..”
“Joey had bruises on the knuckles of his right hand when I visited him at the station. I never thought to ask him about it, but it was as clear as day. I got a kick out of it.”
“Well, good on Joey.” Roy sat back in his chair, impressed with his friend’s guts. “He is my new hero.”
Jenny smiled sweetly across at him.
“Damn, and I thought it was going to be me.”
“You make a very close second.” he said as he reached across and squeezed her hand.
“I would have thought this morning’s interaction would have made me top-dog.”
“Ah, but you’ve never taken a shot at Cartright. You go see to that, and I’ll be waiting here with your crown.”
She raised an eyebrow with a laugh.
“I think if I did that I’d be sharing a cell with Joey. ”
“Not for long,” Roy reminded her. “When the police commissioner hears all of our evidence, Joey won't be staring at those four, stone walls much longer. He will be a free man and Isabelle will have her daddy back.”
Jenny nodded in response, but he noticed she had grown quiet.
“What's the matter?” he asked.
“It just doesn't seem real,” she admitted. “A week ago, I was offered the job of a lifetime. In a flash, it all disappeared, and I was forced to return to Ombrea to care for some young kid I had barely even met before. Now I'm trying to prove my brother's innocence, so I can get him out of jail. I'm a genuine aunt, I have you as a friend, and Ombrea doesn’t seem as bad as I had made it out to be in my mind. It's like my life took a U-turn. I'm in upside-down mode.”
“It's not so bad, is it”
Roy had been wondering what Jenny would do when the case was over and Joey had his freedom back. It filled him with dread.
“I miss what I had, yet I like what I’ve found here, too. I wish I could have both”
Jenny and Roy sighed deeply in unison, regarding each other fondly.
“How about we fish?” he suggested, rising to his feet. “It’ll help take your mind off things. Plus we have time to kill before we meet Lawrence.”
“It’s going to be worth the wait, believe me. He has to know something that will make our case even stronger.”
Roy hoped she was right.
Chapter 26
That evening, a little before five, Roy and Jenny drove into town.
They made a pit stop at Norma’s to leave Isabelle and the dog in her care. Isabelle seemed a little unsure when they dropped her off. Roy assured her that they would be there in a couple of hours to take her back to the cabin. It broke his heart that Isabelle was afraid of being abandoned. It was understandable for her to feel that way, having lost her mother, her father and nearly her aunt as well.
Their drive into the main part of town was mostly silent. Jenny was distracted. Roy didn't want to press her. He knew she had a lot to think about and that she would talk to him when she was ready.
He was very aware that the sight of him driving into town, Joey’s Dales’ sister in the cab of his truck beside him, would turn heads. He glanced in the rearview mirror and found a couple staring him down as he turned a corner.
Let them stare, he thought to himself.
“It's probably best that we don't park out front.”
Jenny had read his mind.
“We can pull into the library parking lot. It's behind the row of shops on Parson's Square.”
It was a great idea. Behind the shops, they had less chance of being seen. No one used the location after hours, and the library had been closed for a whole hour already.
They locked the truck, in spite of its missing window and turned down a path alongside the library. At this time of the evening, most stores had closed or were in the process of shutting down for the day. Only a few people remained on the once busy streets.
Roy led the way, making great strides, eager to hear what Lawrence had to tell them. Jenny hurried along beside him, her eyes to the ground to avoid the attention of strangers.
The bell above the shop door dinged as they entered. Jenny locked the door behind them to prevent anyone interrupting their meeting.
Lawrence came through the plastic curtain. Although he had called that morning to arrange the meeting, he appeared unhappy to see them. He ushered them in.
Roy stepped up to shake his hand.
“Hello there, Lawrence. Jenny said you remembered something you wanted to tell us.”
Lawrence nodded his head. He looked worriedly past them to the street, nervous that someone might see them.
“There's something that you should know.”
He wrung his hands together nervously. It was clear that he was uncomfortable about speaking to them.
“I can shut the blinds on the front window,” Jenny suggested. Perhaps eliminating the threat of being would help to put him at ease. She turned to fix the blinds, but Lawrence stopped her.
“No!” His voice softened. “Please. It's best we just go unnoticed in here.”
“How about we head into the back office? It's a little more private in there,” Roy suggested.
He was grateful when Lawrence agreed and led the way past the curtain. He glanced back to Jenny to make sure she was following behind.
“Any idea what we are about to hear?” he muttered to her as they passed through the blue curtain into the back of the shop.
“It has to have something to do with the wine bottle.” Jenny said quietly. “He started acting strange when I brought it up the last time. Maybe he’s changed his mind and is willing to talk.”
“Hopefully.” He held up crossed fingers.
He saw a smile pass across her lips. Each time he saw her smile, he felt as if the weight in his chest was slowly beginning to give way. Jenny had opened a door to something inside of him that he had been suppressing for a very long time. For the first time since Natalie had passed, he was able to be himself. No matter what happened between him and Jenny, he knew he would always be grateful to her for softening his heart.
Lawrence had to move aside some paperwork from the chairs in his office before they could all take a seat. Roy tried to help him out, but he waved him off impatiently. When the chairs were clear enough to take a seat, Roy gestured for Jenny to take a seat first and then he took his place beside her. Lawrence seemed a little unsteady as he took his own seat. When he finally settled into his chair, his hands still shook in his lap.
“Is everything okay, Lawrence?” Roy asked gently. “You look like you've been having a rough go of it.”
“Something has been going on through the shop lately that has made me rather uncomfortable.”
Lawrence bowed his head and averted their eyes in embarrassment.
“I feel like I've been taken advantage of.”
“Whatever you tell us won’t go past this office,” Jenny assured him, and Roy nodded his head in agreement. It seemed to settle Lawrence’s nerves some, but he still looked a little uneasy.
When Lawrence looked back up at them again, his eyes settled on Jenny.
“I'm sorry, Miss Dale.”
“Jenny, please.”
“Jenny, right.”
Lawrence took a deep breath.
“I'm afraid I lied to you when you were last in the shop. You asked about the blue wine bottle – the Rosaceae brand, to be specific. I've had it in the shop many times, but only on special order. Someone orders it here and picks it up the same day it comes in, two bottles at a time. I hate to admit it, but I get a good profit on it.”
“The brown paper bag Chief Cartright was carrying,” Jenny whispered in Roy’s ear. He nodded his head in agreement. She had to be right.
“Who orders it in?” he asked.
The old man shook his head in protest.
“I can't say who it is. He will know if I do.”
“He will never find out, I assure you,” Roy told him firmly. “This is all going to stay between us. The only other person it might reach is the police commissioner, and only so we can see to it that Joey Dale is released from prison where he is serving time for a crime he didn’t commit. The real murderer needs to take his spot in that dingy cell.”
“That's what you don't understand.”
Lawrence wasn’t convinced.
“He won’t ever go to jail for what he's done. He’s too smart for that. He has fooled everyone into believing he's an outstanding citizen, a dedicated authority figure in this town. No one is going to believe it if when we accuse him of Chloe Dale's murder.”
“They will if we can show them proof to back it up,” Roy countered. “And we have enough, so far, to at least cast reasonable doubt on Joey's guilt. What you tell us is just going to add to our case.”
“If he knows I've been involved in bringing him to ruin, he’ll come after me.”
“Does he have something to hold over you?”
It was Jenny who first realized what it was he feared. Lawrence’s hands shook as he reached for his desk drawer. He turned the old key wedged in the lock and pulled it open slowly.
“About three months ago, he came into the shop with this.”
He reached into the drawer and removed a manila folder. He passed it across to Roy as if it were full of explosives that might go off at any moment.
Playboy Ever After Page 36
