Bad Guys Don't Win (Janet Maple Series Book 4)

by Marie Astor

  “Now that you got him all worked up I can’t really say no, can I? Give me a minute.” Janet ran over to her chest of drawers and returned with a new leather leash for Baxter. “I almost forgot. I got this for him. Seems like a good occasion to wear it now.” She bent down and fastened the leash on Baxter’s neck.

  “It’ll look snazzy in the photos.” Dennis winked. He grabbed his camera and his jacket. “How does my mustache look?” He patted his fake mustache and goatee.

  “Looks great.”

  “I’ll see you later, honey. Good luck with Laskin.” He gave Janet a quick peck on the lips and was out the door.

  “I’m not the one who needs luck,” Janet muttered. She smoothed her hair into a ponytail, dabbed some lipstick, grabbed her purse and was on her way to see Laskin.

  ***

  An hour later, Janet opened the door of a small coffee shop a few blocks away from the Treasury Building downtown. She didn’t need to look twice to spot Laskin seated in his favorite booth.

  “Thanks so much for meeting me on such a short notice,” she said, sliding into the seat across from him.

  He smiled. “Any time, Janet. You know I’m always glad to see you. I wish I had news for you, but so far I haven’t found anything helpful,” he added, sensing her searching gaze.

  She nodded. “That’s not why I wanted to see you.”

  He looked surprised. “It’s not?”

  “Well, partially, but it’s not the main reason,” she stalled. “I needed someone to talk to, someone who knows about the case.”

  “Would you like a cup of coffee?” He asked, his cup already in front of him.

  “Sure,” she agreed, signaling for the waitress. “A coffee and a Boston Cream doughnut please.”

  She lowered her eyes, wondering if this was a mistake. Dennis would probably be furious if he knew. “I’m worried,” she said, not sure how to frame her words.

  Laskin’s eyes focused on her. “Worried about what?”

  Just then the waitress returned with her order and Janet took a bite of her doughnut and several sips of her coffee, thankful for the interruption.

  “Worried about what?” Laskin prodded quietly.

  “Dennis.” Not wanting to drag it out any further, Janet told Laskin about Dennis’s plan to get close to Jess.

  “I’ll admit it’s a bit risky, but overall, it sounds like a good plan. If it works and if she’s indeed the suspect, she’ll lead you to the Kovars.”

  “There are a lot of ifs in this statement.” Janet sighed. “What if it doesn’t work? Dennis didn’t even pay attention when I was telling him how to set the camera. He’s being too cavalier.”

  “That wouldn’t be the first time, would it? And it’s never stopped him before. Is that the only thing that’s bothering you?”

  Sensing Laskin’s keen gaze, Janet knew there was no point in lying. “No.” She sighed. “Ever since the Kovars case came back to life, Dennis has been a man possessed.”

  “It is an important case.”

  “More important than our wedding?” She shook her head. “I’m not an idiot, I know it’s more important than planning the wedding . . . It’s just that I can’t help feeling Dennis is almost happy it happened this way . . . We were going to move in together and now everything’s on hold, indefinitely.”

  Laskin reached for her hand. “I think you can stop worrying about it. If there’s ever been a man in love with a woman, it’s Dennis. He’s crazy about you. Do you know he came to see me before he proposed to you?”

  “He did? He never told me that.”

  Laskin smiled. “Figures. Yes, he did. The poor guy was shaking like a leaf. If ever I saw a man in love, it was Dennis. And he’s still that man today.”

  “I sure hope so. I got something else to tell you, Peter—something I didn’t even tell Dennis. I’m going to follow him—”

  Laskin nearly spat out his coffee. “Janet, surely, there’s no need to let jealousy jeopardize the operation.”

  “It’s not that,” she shot back. “I don’t have a good feeling about this plan of his and he wouldn’t let me come along. So I’m going to be his backup behind the scenes, in case he needs me.”

  “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

  “How hard can it be? He’s going to be photographing her around Central Park and Columbus Circle—there are tons of people there. They’ll never see me.”

  “Okay. If you say so. Do you want me to come along?”

  “What? No. I got it.” Janet paused. “Thank you for the offer, though. And thank you for listening. It helped a lot.”

  “You know I’m here for you, Janet. Any time you need me, just call.”

  ***

  At ten after one, Dennis walked towards the intersection of Columbus Circle and Central Park South, Baxter trotting excitedly beside him. Still a few paces away, he spotted Jess waiting for him at the agreed spot. He was a few minutes late on purpose and was pleased to see Jess was on time. She was twirling her purse in her hands. She’s nervous, Dennis remarked with satisfaction, good. She had bought his bluff.

  “All right, buddy, time to turn on the charm,” Dennis whispered as he scratched Baxter’s ear. “See that girl over there? We gotta make her like us.”

  Dennis loosened the length of Baxter’s leash so that when they approached Jess, Baxter had enough room to get close to her and wiggle his tail at her. Dennis’s plan was for Baxter to playfully paw at her legs, but his plan backfired as for some inexplicable reason Baxter barked sharply, growling and baring his teeth.

  Jess jumped back, clearly startled. “Is that how you greet all your models?”

  “Pardon me!” Dennis apologized, cursing under his breath. Already things weren’t going as planned. “Baxter, where are your manners, boy? I’m so sorry about this.”

  “It’s all right.” Jess smiled, bending down. “Hello Baxter, I’m Jess. So nice to meet you,” she cooed. She reached out her hand to pat Baxter on the back, but he snarled, nearly biting off her finger.

  “Baxter!” Dennis yanked the leash back. “I don’t know what’s gotten into him,” he said. “He doesn’t usually act this way. If I had known, I would’ve left him home. I thought we could take a few nice shots with him. I’m so sorry.”

  “That’s all right.” Jess smiled easily. “I’m babysitting for a friend’s cat this week. He probably picked up the smell on me.”

  “That must be it,” Dennis agreed with relief, still baffled about what on earth had gotten into Baxter. “Shall we?” He pointed at his camera.

  “You’re the boss.” Jess smiled.

  “I thought we’d start with a few shots in Central Park and then we can move onto Columbus Circle and Lincoln Center. This way you get a mix of things—urban and nature—” Dennis’s speech was unexpectedly interrupted by Baxter who started tugging at Dennis’s trouser and growling. “I’m so sorry,” Dennis apologized again. This wasn’t at all the effect he’d been counting on when he brought Baxter along.

  “What’s the matter, Baxter? Are you bored?” Jess tried to pet him again, but was met with another snarl. “He’s grumpy,” she said sourly, crossing her arms on her chest. “Do you think we should maybe do this another day?”

  “And waste a wonderful day like today? The light is just perfect. Baxter will be fine.” Dennis stooped down and scratched Baxter’s back. “Now, buddy, you be a good boy and let me do my job.” He slipped Baxter a dog biscuit, having taken a packet of treats just in case. Baxter gobbled up the biscuit and looked up expectantly. “If you’ll be a good boy, I’ll give you more,” Dennis told him. Baxter growled in protest. “No growling,” Dennis cautioned him, “or there won’t be any more treats.” Clearly unhappy, Baxter sat down on the ground and waited.

  “All right then. Let’s begin.” Dennis took the camera out of the case and pretended to fumble with the settings. He could tell Jess was watching him, so he made sure he looked convincing, plastering a look of artistic concentration
on his face. The whole thing was set on automatic and that’s how he intended to keep it the entire time. Despite Janet’s efforts to teach him the intricacies of exposure, aperture and ISO speed, the whole thing was mishmash in his head. Besides, it wasn’t like he was there to take photos. He was there to charm Jess into giving him the information he needed, and he didn’t need a camera for that.

  He pointed at the cluster of high-rise buildings in the background. “This is a good place to start,” he proclaimed. “Now, Baxter, you be a good boy and sit quietly while I take Jess’s pictures.” Baxter shifted on his feet, clearly unhappy, but quiet.

  “All set to go.” Dennis smiled at her. “Just be yourself and let me do the rest. Act as naturally as you can.” He started to snap away. Surprisingly, Jess was quite a pro at striking a pose—it was clear she’d told him the truth about trying to break into the modeling industry. At least one thing about her checked out so far. “Very good.”

  “Thanks.” She smiled. “I just hope the editors at Vogue agree with you.”

  “Oh, I’m sure they will, unless they’re blind,” he quipped. “And last time I checked, they weren’t,” he added quickly. “Let’s do a few more.” He pointed toward the trees marking the entrance to Central Park. “That’s a nice backdrop.”

  About two hours later, Dennis wiped his forehead with an exaggerated gesture. “Well, I certainly think we got enough to start with.” He’d photographed Jess all over Central Park and now they were back at Columbus Circle for more shots with an urban background. But aside from friendly chatter, he hadn’t been able to get any closer to her. This girl was so good at avoiding the most basic of questions, it made you wonder what she was hiding. At least Baxter had cooperated. He’d required a dog biscuit every thirty minutes, but he’d cooperated. Dennis hoped Janet was never going to find out—he was pretty sure he’d exceeded Baxter’s treats allowance for a month.

  “How about we grab a cup of coffee and take a quick break?” he suggested.

  “A cup of coffee would be nice,” she agreed.

  “We can go to Bouchon,” he mentioned a famous bakery with mouthwatering pastries in the Columbus Circle shopping complex. “They’ve got amazing chocolate croissants.”

  Jess wrinkled her nose. “Too much temptation. Pastry is off limits.”

  “You can splurge once in a while.”

  “Not if I’m ever going to make it as a model.” She nudged him. “How many models you know who eat croissants?”

  Dennis cursed his slipup—this girl didn’t miss a beat. “Not too many, but then they don’t have a gorgeous body like yours,” he flattered her to smooth things over.

  She nodded. “And I’d like to keep it that way. So how about we just grab coffee right here?” She motioned at a kiosk nearby. There were a couple of empty tables and chairs for them to sit down on.

  “Works for me. Grab a table and I’ll get the coffee. “How do you take yours, black?”

  “That’s right.”

  Dennis tugged at Baxter’s leash. “Come on buddy, let’s get some coffee.”

  A few minutes later Dennis joined Jess. He’d bought two cups of coffee and a bottle of water for Baxter. He poured the water into a paper cup and set it down on the ground for Baxter, thinking he’d be thirsty after all the biscuits he’d gobbled up.

  Jess sipped her coffee. “Mmm, this is good.”

  Dennis took a swallow of his. “Yes, but the espresso at Bouchon is better.”

  She shook her head. “Are we back to that?”

  “Sorry.” Dennis cursed himself again. It wasn’t like him to blunder like that. The whole day had gotten off with a bad start and it just wasn’t getting any better. He was ready to call it a day, but not before he bugged Jess’s phone. He needed to distract her for a few moments.

  “Can I see the photos you took so far?” she asked.

  “Sure.” He turned on the camera, about to show her the photos. Unexpectedly, she reached over and grabbed the camera from his hands. “Let me show you how to work it. You don’t want to accidentally erase the images.”

  “I think I can manage.” She flipped through the photos. “Not bad.” She frowned. “You keep your settings on automatic?”

  “Only when I turn the camera off,” Dennis improvised on the spot, wishing he’d paid more attention to Janet’s crash course on photography. “I like to adjust the settings to each shot.”

  She nodded. “I see. Looks good so far.”

  “I’m glad you like them. I’ll send you electronic files in the next few days once I’m finished editing them. And I should be able to get them printed within a week or so,” he rambled on. Now, he thought, I have to act now. He was about to get up when he flipped over the water bottle, its contents spilling on Jess.

  She jumped up, her purse falling on the ground.

  “I’m so sorry,” Dennis mumbled, as his hands reached for Jess’s purse. Within seconds he found her phone and quickly slipped a tiny bug beneath the cover case—it wasn’t ideal, but it was all he had time for. The bug looked like a speck of dust, so even if she did see it, she’d never put two and two together. “I’m terribly sorry. I’m such a klutz,” he continued, handing her purse back to her. “How bad is it? Let me get some napkins for you.”

  “Don’t bother. It’s not that bad.” She smiled. “I’m going to be a good sport about it. But if I were a real model, I’d give you hell.” She nudged him.

  “You will be soon enough,” he flattered her. “And I’ll be sure to watch my step about you.”

  “You’d better. It just so happens, we’re in luck—I have a change of clothes of in my car. I was going to change anyway. We can’t have my entire portfolio in the same outfit, can we?”

  “You’ve got a point there,” Dennis agreed, realizing yet another omission he’d made.

  “Good, so let’s go. I’m parked on Columbus Avenue and Sixty Second Street. Shall we?”

  Dennis grabbed Baxter’s leash and they proceeded to walk towards Sixty Second Street. At least he’d accomplished part of his plan. Now all he had to do was wait. In due time, Jess was going to tell him everything he needed to know about her.

  About fifteen minutes later they were approaching the spot where Jess had parked.

  “My car is over there,” Jess said, motioning to the right.

  “I’ll wait here to give you some privacy.”

  “Come with me.” Jess tugged at his sleeve. “I want you to help me pick an outfit.”

  “If you insist.” Dennis followed Jess to the red Volkswagen bug he assumed to be her car, but at the last minute Jess headed to a beat-up blue minivan next to it. Something inside Dennis made him feel uneasy. He brushed it off—they were in the middle of Manhattan for crying out loud—it wasn’t like he was going to get abducted.

  Baxter, who’d been obediently trotting by Dennis’s side, dug his hind legs into the ground and growled. Dennis pulled at his leash. “Come on, Baxter, be a good sport.” I don’t feel any better about this than you do, buddy, Dennis thought, but we can’t back out now.

  Jess swung the van’s back doors open. Inside, there were several rows of outfits hanging. “What should I wear next?”

  “You’ll look great in anything. I’ll leave the choice up to you.”

  “Come on in and help me pick an outfit,” she urged him, already inside the van.

  “You’ve got great taste—surprise me,” Dennis tried to bail out, feeling more and more uneasy about this.

  “Please?” Jess made puppy eyes at him. “Isn’t that what photographers are supposed to do—dress their models? My mom always told me I have terrible taste in clothes. I don’t want to mess this up.”

  “You managed pretty well so far,” Dennis pointed out.

  “I had my best friend help me get dressed this morning,” she explained. “Please?”

  “All right, all right. Come on, Baxter,” he added, ignoring Baxter’s growling and picking him up. Shaking off his unease, Dennis started t
o climb inside the van. He really was all bent out of shape today. What was this skinny girl going to do to him? Beat him up?

  Once inside, he ran his hand over the row of hangers. “This one looks nice,” he said, pointing at a random outfit. He reached for it and was about to hand it to Jess when he felt a sudden sharp pain in his neck. “What the—” he groaned, his entire body going into convulsions as he collapsed to the ground.

  Jess stepped over his body and he heard her shutting the van’s back doors. “Help!” he tried to scream and felt another painful jolt shake his body. He struggled to stay alert, but something heavy and blunt hit his head and then it all went dark.

  Chapter 14

  Janet’s heart was beating like a sledge hammer—she couldn’t believe she’d just witnessed Dennis being abducted. Things like that didn’t happen in real life. At least she’d memorized the van’s plates. Now, she had to find a way to follow that car. Her eyes scanned the street for a cab, as the minivan sped up the street. A few more moments and it would disappear from sight.

  “Janet, get in!”

  At the sound of the familiar voice she turned her head. “Peter? What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Saving your butt. Get in!” Laskin flung open the car door.

  Without another word, she got into his beaten up Jetta. “We gotta follow that van!”

  “Calm down, Janet. We have to notify the authorities. This is way out of our league.”

  “To hell with the authorities! My fiancé is in that van!” Janet leaned over, lifting her leg over Laskin’s and pressed her foot on top of his, pushing on the gas pedal. The car jolted into motion, zigzagging into the adjacent lane and almost colliding with a passing car. “Move over, let me drive.”

  Laskin grabbed the wheel, gently, but firmly pushing her aside. “Calm down. We’ll follow them, but that’s as far as it goes. We’re not going to do anything stupid.” Carefully, Laskin drove on.

  “Where’d you learn to drive like that?” Janet asked. They’d been driving for about thirty minutes with Laskin keeping the van in sight, yet staying back far enough not to raise suspicion. He’d been calm and collected the entire time, as though he pursued kidnappers on daily basis. Janet was still on edge, but Laskin’s cool demeanor was starting to rub off on her.