Arrest of the Heart

by Judy Kentrus

  The slight movement of her dress brushed against Linc’s pants leg, and he forced himself to concentrate on the cherry trees decorating the church walkway. “Do you know what I want to do right now?”

  Jess, too, kept her eyes on the pale pink blossoms. She knew what he wanted. “I know what I’d like to do right now.”

  “Tell me.” His heart was racing like he’d run a marathon.

  “Cash in my kiss rain check.”

  “Funny, that’s what I was thinking, too.” Now, he did look at her. “How long do you have to stay?”

  “Till the coroner is through. Detective Catcher will interview Mr. B. and conduct his own investigation. He’ll also need statements from us. I’ll let him know you took your own pictures. He’ll want to add them to his report.”

  “No problem. I’ll come down to headquarters tomorrow.”

  “Perfect.” She prayed she hadn’t been misreading his signals. “I’ve a favor, two actually.”

  “Name it.”

  Jess stared at the handsome devil that had her emotions in turmoil. She still wasn’t sure he could be trusted. Her logical mind warred with her heart, and she called herself a lovesick fool. “Could you please take Edie and my mother to breakfast? I want to keep things normal, as much as possible.”

  “Done. Favor two?”

  “I’d like to use your tub.”

  Link closed his eye slowly and opened it again. His heart beat faster, if that was possible. “Come again.”

  “After a nerve-racking day, I go over to the apartment and relax in the tub.” A teasing sparkle filled her eyes. “I’m sure you saw my candles, especially my favorite, Lavender Vanilla.”

  Linc was glad his suit jacket hid the evidence of his very hard arousal. They were standing outside the house of the Lord and his grandfather’s grave was within shouting distance. Jessie was deliberately seducing him.

  “Am I to understand I wouldn’t be turned away if I offered to wash your back?”

  Jess flipped a hip and winked at him before stepping inside. “That’s for me to know and for you to find out.”

  Margaret declined the invitation to breakfast. The town council had declared an emergency meeting to make some needed decisions, since the mayor’s demise had been confirmed. Edie was delighted to go to breakfast with Mr. Lincoln. When they got to the Spoonful, every seat was taken. Sallie Mae had to open the dining room to handle the overflow. She’d thoughtfully reserved one of the dozen tables for Linc and the Taylors.

  The colors of deep rose, black and gold were carried throughout the formal setting. Flocked wallpaper was the background for gold and black framed pictures of entertainers and musicians from the thirties and forties. Linc had always thought of it as a Speak Easy, without the alcohol. Normally, music played softly, but this morning the speakers were silent.

  His breakfast date couldn’t stop talking about her “bat” adventure and Alice, the little girl ghost. During the meal, people stopped at their table on the pretext of asking about the bats, but as expected, they brought up the subject of the mayor’s body. Linc offered them a friendly smile and denied any knowledge of the investigation. Edie had just devoured her second helping of strawberries and whipped cream, when Sallie Mae brought him a note. “Need to see you, important. Come in kitchen before you leave.” Sam. No way was he going to leave Edie at the mercy of the gossip-hungry citizens of Laurel Heights. His only option was to take her with him. Sallie Mae could distract her.

  To anyone else, the kitchen would appear to be in chaos. Northrup and Sam manned the two grills, and Sallie Mae helped plate as fast as they completed the orders. A teenage boy handled the commercial dishwasher and another was replenishing baskets of fresh baked pastries that went on each table. Linc later found out the two boys were Northrup’s grandsons.

  “Did you come back here to help?” Sallie Mae asked, plating a stack of flapjacks, bacon, and grits. When Edie ran over to Sallie Mae, she stopped what she was doing and gave the nine-year-old a big hug. “Beautiful, just like your Momma.”

  Sam looked at Linc with a questioning frown and he mouthed, “Not yet.” He smiled at Edie and tapped the tip of her nose. “Why don’t you go in Sallie Mae’s office and she’ll show you a picture of me and my sister Jennie when I graduated high school.”

  Sallie Mae got the silent message and took Edie’s hand. “I’ll show you a picture of me and Northrup when we were little, playing on the old Baldwin train.”

  Sam broke three eggs on the grill and flipped the stack of peppers, onions, and thinly sliced potatoes. “We, mainly you, have problems. Reggie forwarded the results of Preston’s financial search. I reviewed the data at five this morning before I came into work.” Sam flipped the eggs over easy and plated them along with slices of grilled tomatoes and sausage links. With lightning speed, a stack of home fries was added to the plate and slid under the warming light. “Table fifteen up,” she hollered, tapping the bell on the nearby shelf. The order clips were momentarily empty, and Sam leaned against the counter, waiting for the next round. “Three of the members of the town council have unexplained incomes. That includes the now dead mayor. It started almost two years ago. Reggie’s trying to locate the source. The mayor was shelling out five big ones a month, but our favorite computer tech hasn’t been able to find out the recipient of the funds. He hasn’t given up.”

  Sam grabbed the latest order and started on a Western Omelet. “The biggie is the results of the fingerprints on the note Danni sent to the FBI.”

  “How did you get them?”

  “Mike Snow forwarded the information to Reggie. They’ve worked together on a couple of investigations for the FBI. He had a feeling his wife was going into labor, and he was right.” A big smile filled Sam’s face. “Mike Snow and his wife are the parents of an eight pound baby boy, Mathew Michael Snow. Both mother and baby are doing fine. Hold onto your ass, boss. One set of prints belongs to Leon Price, a member of the town council. He’s one of the guys bringing in money from an unknown source. The other set belongs to Andrew Sayers.”

  Linc frowned. “Am I supposed to be familiar with that name?”

  Sam whipped off the colorful scarf tied at the back of her neck, and lengths of champagne blond hair sought freedom. Eyes the color of crystal blue sapphires glowered at him. “Boss, for as long as we’ve been working together, I’ve never known you to be so off on a case.”

  Linc kissed Sam on the temple. “That’s why I have you around to keep me on the straight and narrow. Now, who is Andrew Sayers?”

  “Sergeant Jessica Taylor’s ex-husband.”

  “Ah, shit!”

  Chapter 13

  Linc stared at the woman who had worked for him since he started Adams Security and Investigations. Samantha Kingsley’s life hadn’t always been a bed of roses. The youngest of five children, she ran away from home to escape abusive parents when she was sixteen, and worked as a waitress at a truck stop. She’d barely turned eighteen when she fell for the smooth line of an open-road trucker. Three months after a hellish marriage, she realized she’d made a very big mistake. Fate came to her rescue when her husband and his current girlfriend were killed in a motorcycle accident. She went back to school and got her degree. Men only saw a tall, curvaceous blond, with a jaw-dropping face, not an intelligent woman with a sharp mind and a warm, giving heart. He hadn’t lied when he told Sallie Mae that Samantha had attended the NY Culinary Institute. She was a gourmet chef, certified to drive an eighteen wheeler and operate construction equipment, and did a stint as a pole dancer. Samantha Kingsley was one of his top undercover investigators.

  “I’ll review everything Reggie sent to me as soon as I can.” Linc sighed deeply. “I can’t keep this situation under wraps much longer. Now we’re dealing with a homicide.”

  “We’ve got another kink in our undercover operation,” Samantha continued. “I ran into the bat man at the Last Chance Motel the other afternoon. He was surprised to see me and I asked him what he was doing
in Laurel Heights. He said he was renovating the old train depot.” Sam dabbed the sweat on her brow with the back of her hand before reaching for a glass of ice water. “Why is a retired ATF agent, who has enough money to buy a dozen railroads, doing construction work?”

  “Good question. I found out he’s around from Lisa Kay, Jessie’s neighbor. I’ve added his name to the list of phone calls I’ve got to make.” Linc glanced at the shelf above the serving table. Delicate china plates were filled with flaky Danish and cookies. “I see you haven’t lost your touch.”

  Sam’s eyes warmed with pride. “Sallie Mae is letting me put out my pastries for the lunch patrons in the dining room.”

  “You better watch it. There will be a stampede.”

  Samantha drank more water. “Let me know if you find out the real reason Morlock is in Laurel Heights. Send me more candy bars for your lady love.”

  “I will.” Linc wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed Samantha on the cheek, just as Edie came running into the kitchen.

  “Mr. Lincoln, you look different without your eye patch. I like you better now because you look like a pirate.” Edie watched the pretty lady tie the scarf around her head and adjust her long white apron. “Why was Mr. Lincoln giving you a hug and a kiss?”

  Sam smiled and held out a hand. “Hi, Edie, my name is Samantha. Mr. Lincoln and I are very good friends. He told me about your anti-bullying campaign. It’s a terrific idea.”

  “It’s very nice to meet you.” Edie dipped her head to the side. “Why are you wearing earrings shaped like ducks?”

  It was the only jewelry she ever wore. Sam leaned closer to Edie and showed her the back of a gold duck. “Each one has a name. This one is Cupcake and the other is Muffin.”

  “You have two real ducks?

  “Yes. They’re sisters and my very best friends.”

  “Those are funny names for ducks. Who takes care of Cupcake and Muffin when you are working?”

  Samantha avoided direct eye contact with her boss. “A very good friend,” she quickly answered, and reached for the Tupperware container on the shelf above the baking supplies. “I made a new cookie this morning and I need an official taster.” Sam took out one of the lacy-edged cookies sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar and passed it to Edie. “See if you can guess my secret ingredient.”

  Edie took a bite and her eyes widened in delight. The cookie practically melted on her tongue. “These are soooo yummy!” she mumbled with a mouth coated in powdered sugar. “If you tell me what your secret ingredient is, I promise not to tell.”

  Sam winked at Lincoln and Sallie Mae, who were holding back laughs and whispered in Edie’s ear.

  The nine-year-old jerked away from Sam lips, her eyes wide in surprise. “Really? Can I bring some home to my mom and grandmother?”

  “Sure.” Sam passed a sandwich Ziploc bag of cookies to Linc and noticed that the order slips were starting to fill up. “I have to get back to work. Come back anytime, Edie.”

  They exited through the back door and were just about to get in the truck when Edie heard someone call her name.

  “Peter!” she grinned. “What are you doing here?”

  “We just had lunch at the Spoonful.”

  The boy with Harry Potter glasses and slight build smiled shyly at Edie. His mother and father stood beside him, along with his infant sister who was secured in an infant carrier. Linc recognized the sweetheart couple from high school. Jeff Wayne had played football with Treig, and Cheryl was the drum major for the marching band.

  Jeff held out a hand. “Glad to see you Linc. It’s been a long time.”

  “That it has.” Linc smiled at Cheryl. “Still the prettiest girl in school.”

  “You always did have a clever tongue,” she laughed, and smoothed down the soft flowing skirt of her paisley green shirtwaist. “How are you, Lincoln?”

  “Good.” He glanced at Edie and Peter, their close friendship evident from the way their heads were huddled together. He couldn’t overhear their conversation, but from the way Edie was waving her arms and Peter’s wide-eyed expression, their conversation was about the bat sighting.

  “She’s quite a girl, standing up to the bullies who teased Peter,” Jeff said, and pushed his dark framed glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Now that he’s part of the bullying campaign, he’s coming out of his shell. I’m the principal of the elementary school. It’s been difficult for me not to intervene, but Edie has things well in hand.”

  “She’s very excited about the campaign,” Linc said.

  “I’m the music teacher in the same school, currently on maternity leave.” Cheryl beamed down at Hannah, their six-week-old miracle baby. “Would it be okay if Edie came over to our house this afternoon? I’m helping with the publicity for the fishing derby, so Peter and Edie could work on their posters. We’re having a small barbecue for dinner, and we’ll bring her home as soon as we finish eating.”

  “I’ll have to text her mother to find out if it’s okay. She’s still at the church.”

  “We heard about the mayor, and no, we are not going to pump you for information. It’s a terrible shame,” Cheryl said, shaking her head of light brown hair that she kept in soft, manageable layers.

  Jessie texted back moments later and said it would be fine. They were good friends. Linc was disappointed she hadn’t indicated when she might be coming home.

  “Edie, you’ve been invited to Peter’s house. Mr. and Mrs. Wayne will bring you home after dinner.”

  “Yippee!” Edie and Peter yelled together. “Thank you for taking me to breakfast.” Her momentary happiness faded. “But you will be alone.”

  “You’re welcome to join us,” Cheryl quickly invited.

  “Thanks, another time. I’ve got some work to do.” He’d just come up with an idea for the anti-bullying campaign and added a call to Cindi to his growing list. He also had a few stops to make before he went home. When the young family headed for their mini-van, Linc realized he was still holding the bag of cookies and helped himself. He chewed slowly and savored the special ingredient on his tongue. Linc silently congratulated himself for recognizing the unique flavor. After all, he was a top notch investigator.

  He headed straight for the shower when he got home. His new underwear wouldn’t be delivered until the following day, so he’d go commando under his jeans, and he pulled on a soft blue shirt. His bare feet felt good against the linoleum-covered floor.

  He set his laptop on the kitchen table and called up the information Reggie had sent on Jessie’s ex. Andrew Sayers, thirty-eight, had an address in the Bronx. Until eighteen months ago, he’d been employed as a maitre d’ at his uncle’s five-star restaurant in the Soho section of NYC. He never remarried and spread himself thin with the ladies. Reggie hadn’t uncovered any illegal or drug activities, but Sayers had a gambling problem. “Why would you send me a get out of town note? How are you connected to Leon Price, a member of the town council?” Linc had a lot of unanswered questions about Andrew Sayers. He reviewed the financial analysis on the councilmen. Leon Price and Harvey Thornton, the big-mouth from the coffee hour, along with the mayor, had unexplained incomes. Price was a CPA, and also the town treasurer. If a surprise audit were to be conducted on the town’s financial records, would embezzlement be uncovered? Reggie and Preston, their forensic accountant, planned to dig deeper into the three men’s credit history.

  Time was passing, and he wondered when Jessie would be home. He hadn’t been this horny since, ever. No Edie or watch-dog judge was around to interfere. He chided himself to use a little self-control. The past few hours had been hell for Jessie, having to deal with a dead body and bats. He wondered how long it would take until she cashed in her rain check.

  “Thanks for dropping me off,” Jess said to Lieutenant McCarthy before she opened the front door. She was glad to be home and had never felt dirtier in her life. The coroner estimated Mayor Humperdinck had been dead over a week. Once the autopsy was completed, he
would determine a closer time of death. Lisa Kay had contacted Sam Morlock when the bats became more agitated from all the commotion. He suggested they keep the crypt door open, and the bats would seek the darkness. Lisa Kay and Sam planned to go down to the basement when it was full dark to capture any diehard bats that might be clinging to the rafters and release them outside.

  She headed into the kitchen and temptation drew her to the window on the back door. She was so ready to jump Lincoln Adams’ bones. No Edie, no mother, to interrupt or stop them. Common sense warnings, fool, trust, beat in her head. In the end, her heart triumphed. This might be her only chance to be with him. Do it now, no regrets. Decision made, her heart began to pound. “I just can’t go over there and say I’m ready to experience the thrill of a lifetime.” Then she remembered, rain check, and reached for the note pad next to the house phone.

  Adrenalin shot through his body when he heard the creaking stairs, and he opened the door before she could knock. “Hi, this is a pleasant surprise.”

  “I believe I have an open-ended invitation.” Her hand wasn’t quite steady when she presented her note.

  “The bearer of this rain check is due a very big kiss

  And all amenities attached to this offer,

  Including a personal backwash.”

  “Hot damn!” he silently rejoiced. “You’ve come to the right place.” He lifted her hand and brushed his lips against her knuckles.

  Jess was getting lightheaded from his masculine, musky scent. His hair was flowing loose and glossy wet from a recent shower. She loved that his feet were bare. “Are all pirates this polite?”

  “On the contrary, it’s taking all of my willpower not to ravish you here and now.”

  A slow blush spread on her cheeks. “I’d like to collect on that bath, first.”

  “It will be my pleasure, milady, but first.” He took her hand and led her into the kitchen. In the center of the table were a plate of assorted cheeses and a basket of sliced French bread. He’d also included a selection of fresh fruit. The flame from a flickering candle was reflected in a bottle of wine and two tall-stemmed glasses. .