Strand of Deception

by Robin Caroll

  “Mine was excellent as well.” Nick pushed aside his plate too. “Now, how about the crème brûlée for dessert?”

  “I don’t think I can eat any more.”

  “Split it?” His expression was like a child on Christmas morning and she couldn’t deny him.

  “Fine, but you have to eat most of it. I don’t need the fifteen hundred calories.”

  He smoldered her with his stare. “As if you have to worry about your figure.”

  Her mouth went dry at the compliment. She shot down the rest of her tea. Mercy, but the man twisted her up at times.

  “I have a strange question for you.”

  “Okay.”

  “You and Eva . . . you’re pretty close friends, right?”

  She nodded. Where was he going with this? If he asked for Eva’s number, she’d smack him.

  “And do y’all ever have . . . spats?”

  “Spats?” Where on earth had he come up with that?

  “You know, times where you get into arguments and go for weeks without really speaking?”

  She recalled the silent lunch. “All the time.”

  “Seriously?” His eyes popped open wide.

  She chuckled. “Yes. Close friends will argue and then go for weeks, sometimes even months, without speaking, then fall right back into the same friendship.” She shrugged. “It’s the way women’s friendships work. Rafe never understood it.”

  “Me either.”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “Oh, someone I interviewed said that and I just didn’t understand.”

  “It’s because you’re a guy.” And was she ever thankful he was.

  He grinned back. “I guess.”

  Maddie leaned forward, dusting crumbs off the table. “So, tell me why you chose the FBI.”

  “You know, I’ve been asked that many times over the course of my career, usually when under consideration for a promotion.”

  She waited. “That’s not really an answer, you know.”

  “I know.” He shot her a sheepish half smile. “I guess I wanted to do something that mattered with my life.”

  “You didn’t consider going into the Marines, like your father and brother?”

  Nick stiffened. Ah, she’d hit a sore spot. “No, much to my father’s disappointment. He thought there was no question I’d join right behind him and Roger. I just never felt the strong pull to the military. I always wanted to be working for the right side in the civilian realm, so to speak. Then, after Roger died . . . well, it was better I’d gone into a different field.”

  “I see.” She smiled across at him. “I bet your parents are so proud of you.” It hurt that her parents hadn’t lived to see her reach the level of success in her career that balanced her. Or met Remington and Hayden.

  “Yeah. Sure.”

  But he didn’t sound so sure. Before she could ask anything further, the waitress came and took their dessert and coffee order, then disappeared again. The staff at Folk’s Folly was well trained and extremely professional. Unobtrusive. It was one of the reasons so many business deals were set upstairs in the private dining rooms.

  “What about you? Forensic science. Proving people’s guilt or innocence.”

  “I love science. Like figuring out the pieces of the puzzle. Not so wild about testifying in court, but it’s part of the job.”

  “But you help bring criminals to justice.”

  “And help stop infractions of injustice.”

  “What do you mean?” He cocked his head.

  “For instance, the hearing I testified at a few weeks ago. A convicted sex offender. His defense attorney resubmitted fluid samples from the crime scene. We ran the DNA and it didn’t match. The man, while creepy, was innocent of the crime he was incarcerated for. He was released based on my testimony.”

  Nick leaned forward, pinning her to the chair with the intensity of his stare. “But you think he’s guilty?”

  “No. I think he’s a creep. And he’s probably guilty of something, but not this particular one.”

  “But if he’s guilty of something . . .”

  She shook her head, voicing the battle she had with herself all the time. “It’s not my job to find a crime he is guilty of. My job is to run the tests, evaluate and analyze the results, and base my testimony on science.” She swallowed. “Science doesn’t lie.” Even when she desperately wished the results were different.

  “What hearing?”

  She nodded. “The one that set Mark Hubble free. It was all over the news.”

  His face twisted into a grimace. “I normally avoid the media, and that means the news by extension, but I remember this highlight. That guy is scum of the earth.”

  “I agree.”

  “But you helped set him free? On a technicality?”

  She shook her head, defiance threatening to roar its ugly head. “No, on science. Because I ran those results a half-dozen times. So did Eva. Peter went over every spec and technical data line by line, looking to see if we’d made any mistake. Then our scientist supervisor ran the tests yet again. All to the same conclusion: Mark Hubble’s DNA was not at the scene of the crime.”

  His face wore an expression of horror.

  Nick waited to reply until the waitress had delivered their coffees and crème brûlée. “Does it bother you?”

  She set down the cup, a little hard so the whipped cream of her latte splashed to the saucer. “Of course it bothers me. I hate seeing men like that go free. I detest looking into their smirking faces and know they’ll be on the street again to terrorize other women.” She tented her hands over the steaming mug. “But it’s my job. Evaluating data and reporting the conclusions, good or bad. My personal preference in how the results turn out doesn’t factor into the considerations.”

  He shook his head as he scooped a spoonful of the French vanilla custard, flavored with hazelnut liqueur. “I guess I’m so on the case-building end that what you’re telling me sounds counterproductive.”

  The coolness in his voice straightened her spine. She took another sip of coffee. “I suppose it sounds that way, but I’m sure the prosecution’s best friend when the results help convict.”

  He held up his hands in mock surrender. “Sorry, I meant no offense. It’s just hard for me to grasp.”

  She lifted her spoon. “Sometimes it’s hard for me as well. Especially when everyone makes out like it’s all my fault. Like I choose to let monsters out.” She remembered the iciness in the caller’s voice. The sobs of that woman. “I don’t have a choice at all.”

  “I never considered it from your angle. That’s got to be hard.” He slipped a spoonful into his mouth, swallowed, then swiped a napkin over his lips. “Speaking of things from your angle, why don’t you tell me about the threatening phone calls you reported to Memphis PD?”

  She set her spoon on the edge of her saucer. “How did you know about that?” Had he been checking up on her? Looking into her for some reason? Did it have anything to do with all these questions and nonimplications/implications?

  He smiled, almost seductively. “I am an FBI agent, remember? I get paid to know things.”

  “I don’t think anyone’s paying you to keep up with me.” His assertion that he was an agent as if that made everything okay rubbed against her. It was the same with Rafe—just because he was FBI, he thought he was the big, bad protector. It didn’t seem to matter that she was a commissioned law enforcement officer who carried a gun. Or was it that he was a man and she a woman?

  “Whoa. Didn’t mean to hit a nerve or offend.” He looked innocent enough. “I just keep my ears open about everyone involved in any case I’m working. Especially one with such political overtones as this one. I expect all the crazies to come out to play.”

  Oh. Now she
felt like a jerk, just like Eva had called her. “I’m sorry. Just a little sensitive about the perception I can’t take care of myself.”

  He chuckled. “Oh, I know Rafe, so I can only imagine. I didn’t mean to imply you can’t take care of yourself. I just wanted to know what was going on.”

  “Sorry I overreacted.” She took a sip of her coffee that had cooled quite a bit. “It’s just some crack. Called first with a woman sobbing, then again with a man asking me how I’d feel if I was attacked.” She would never forget his voice. Gun on nightstand or not, his threatening tone had kept her tossing until the wee hours of the morning.

  But no more than the memory of Nick’s voice had.

  Maddie scared off every preconceived notion he ever thought of women. While beautiful and nothing but feminine, she wasn’t squeamish like some women, nor was she so determined to be one of the guys like some of the female agents in the bureau.

  Just when he thought he had a grasp on her, she showed another side to her personality. The woman had to have a zillion facets. Funny thing was, he enjoyed learning about each and every one. Except maybe when she had to testify to release criminals.

  “Do you think it has anything to do with the Hubble hearing?”

  She nodded. “More than likely. That’s the first thing I thought. Either someone who feels like he has to stand up for the victim, or a member of society who believes in public outcry.”

  “What did the police say about that?”

  She smiled as she set her napkin on the table. “What do you think? Same spiel as usual—we’ll file the report, try to get a unit to drive by and monitor your neighborhood even though we’re so short staffed, blah, blah, blah.”

  Wasn’t that always the way with local police? “Yep, same old runaround.” He motioned for the waitress to bring the check. “I noticed you used your security system tonight. Do you use it all the time?”

  Her eyes narrowed a fraction.

  “Just asking because I’m concerned, not because I don’t think you can handle yourself. I’d ask the same question of any of my agents in the same situation.”

  “Yes, I use it religiously.”

  “Can I get you anything else?” The waitress appeared at his elbow.

  He shook his head. “No, thank you.”

  She slipped the leather padfolio on the table at his right hand. He pushed his American Express card inside, then set it back on the edge of the table. He stared into Maddie’s eyes, quite certain he could get lost in their darkness if he let himself. “I see so many people who have them and never use them. Some people act like the sign of the security service on the door is enough of a deterrent.”

  The waitress rushed past, grabbing the padfolio in a fluid movement.

  “Seems like a terrible waste of money to do that.” Maddie flipped her hair over her shoulder, wafting the clean scent of her shampoo over the table. “You don’t have to worry about me, though. I follow all safety measures and I carry a gun.” Her scent tickled his senses.

  He shifted in his seat. She made him want to fidget. “So, what’s on your agenda for tomorrow?”

  She glanced at her watch. “Actually, I’m due back in the lab at four thirty.”

  “In the morning?” Was she serious?

  “Yes.” Maddie chuckled. “Did you think the samples prepped themselves and walked from one instrument to the other?”

  “No, but I thought you put them on at five and it would take at least twelve hours.”

  The waitress returned and handed him the padfolio. “Y’all come back and see us again. Have a good evening.”

  “Thank you.” He added a tip, signed his name, stuck the credit card back into his wallet, then stood. He took Maddie’s elbow as she stood as well.

  “It takes twelve and a half hours, actually. But we need to be there at least an hour before the cycle is finished to sterilize, clean, and prepare for the data review and interpretation.”

  The wind whistled as they crossed the parking lot with ducked heads. Bitter cold crept through their coats. The faint hint of rain carried on the gusts. A thunderstorm was scheduled for later tonight.

  Nick sat Maddie in the front seat of his car, then got behind the steering wheel. He started the engine and blew on his hands. “Wish they’d invent a car with instant heat.”

  “That’d be nice.” She fastened her seat belt and stuck her hands under her thighs.

  “It’ll warm up soon—”

  His cell phone chimed. He jerked it off his hip. “Hagar.”

  “Have you seen the news promo?” Timmons’s excitement wasn’t necessarily an indication of a good thing.

  “What?”

  “I caught it on commercial from one of Savannah’s shows. It’s Senator Ford. Talking about his daughter’s murder.”

  Nick sighed. “Just great. I’m sure it’ll hit all the locals at ten.”

  “Thought you’d want a heads-up.”

  “Thanks, Darren. Now, go put your daughter to bed.”

  “Night, Boss.”

  How much damage would the senator do to the case?

  “Bad news?” Maddie asked.

  He shoved the phone back on his hip and put the car in reverse. “Promo of Senator Ford addressing the public. News at ten.”

  “Oh.” She paused as he pulled out of the restaurant’s parking lot. “That’s bad?”

  “Yeah. Until we get a break in the case, we prefer controlling what information is put out to the public.”

  “Ah. I see.”

  He chanced a glance at her before turning in front of oncoming traffic. “You disagree?”

  “Not at all. Especially if you have reason for withholding specific information. But in this case, when you really don’t have much this early, what could he tell the public that could harm the case?”

  The senator didn’t know his daughter’s murderer and Hailey’s weren’t the same. He didn’t know about the doll and the threat.

  “Well, actually, not as much as I’d initially thought, now that you asked me.” He let out a breath as he steered toward Maddie’s subdivision. “But still, I wish he’d clear his statements through our office.” Nick could see her grin by the dashboard light. “What?”

  She shook her head. “Are all you FBI guys control freaks?”

  “Me, a control freak? Surely you jest.” But he couldn’t help grinning himself. He’d been called a control freak more than once. And stubborn. Muleheaded. Pigheaded.

  “Ah, it is something taught at the academy. For years I’ve suspected this, now I know it to be true.” Her laughter caused a tightening reaction in his gut.

  And that perfume she wore? Vanilla and spice, yet earthy too—whatever it was, he’d never be able to smell it again and not think of Maddie Baxter.

  He pulled up to her subdivision’s gate, punched in the code, then slowly headed to her house. He parked the car in the driveway, then rushed to open the door for her. The wind nearly knocked him over as he helped her from the car.

  Thunder rumbled overhead. Flickers flashed in the distance. The promised storm would arrive right on time.

  Nick hurried to her front door.

  She pulled out her keys from her purse, then unlocked the door. Was she trembling from the cold or from being so close to him? He hoped it was the latter because all of a sudden, he felt like a teenager out on his first date with the prom queen.

  The beeps echoed in the foyer as she turned off the alarm system. She let out a slow breath. “Would you like a cup of coffee?” Her voice was even throatier than usual.

  His gut reacted but his head prevailed. This was one woman he didn’t want to scare off. “I would, but I know you have an early morning.” But man, did he ever want to stay for a cup of coffee, a glass of water, anything.

&nb
sp; “And you need to do damage control over whatever the senator puts in his statement.”

  “I do. But I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

  She nodded. “And I’ll have the results for you in the afternoon.”

  He knew he should just tell her good night and head home to watch the newscast, but his feet refused to budge.

  Maddie turned to him. Light spilled from another room, washing her in light akin to candlelight. “I had a really lovely time tonight. Thank you.”

  He leaned forward . . . slowly . . . taking a single step toward her. He put his arms around her waist and drew her closer. The scent that was all Maddie and nothing else wrapped around him, smothering him like a security blanket.

  Nick leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheek. “I had a wonderful time too.” It took every command to force his muscles to release her. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  “Good night.” Maddie’s voice was barely a whisper.

  He turned and jogged back to his car and slammed the door before he forgot himself.

  Now the score was even between them. Maddie Baxter had just schooled him about what go stupid meant.

  Chapter Eleven

  “From the time I was a kid, I always knew something was going to happen to me. Didn’t know exactly what.”

  Elvis Presley

  “I think you might be right.”

  Eva looked up from her desk and met Maddie’s stare. “I usually am, but what am I right about, specifically, this time?”

  Maddie chuckled. “About me being scared of risking my heart again. That all men aren’t like Adam and Kevin.” She’d lain awake for hours last night and come to the brilliant conclusion that neither jerk could even come close to comparison with Nick Hagar.

  “Hallelujah. It’s about time you saw the light of day.” Eva reached for her coffee. “So, I’m taking it the date went well last night?”

  “I had a wonderful time.” As she’d replayed Nick’s and her discussion over and over last night, she realized how much she truly enjoyed being in his company. And she knew for a fact he was honest and single. Two of her requirements met. She just needed to find out if he met the rest of them.