Killer Romances

by Dana Delamar, Talullah Grace, Sandy Loyd, Kristine Mason, Dale Mayer, Nina Pierce Chantel Rhondeau, K. T. Roberts, H. D. Thomson, Susan Vaughan

  Lucy headed for the wall safe as her thoughts switched to Manny Graves. Was the sleazoid from the motel the ringleader who lured entitled teens into selling drugs? Was he pushing them to high school kids? Had Cassie discovered his activities and gotten herself kidnapped, or worse, to keep her from exposing him? Manny didn’t seem the type to kill. And he was too smarmy for rich mean girls to hang out with, but Lucy couldn’t discount a connection. Those girls from the dressing room were afraid of someone and Manny fit that criteria. And where did Lindsay fit it?

  “That’s amazing,” Jack said, watching her adjust the camera and set the door the way Cassie had it.

  Lucy smiled. “Cassie has always been a little eccentric about her privacy. Her dad was a tyrannical snoop before he died,” she explained, adding silently to her already long list of prayers that the sleazoid would lead her to Cassie. She couldn’t pin her hopes on prayer. First they had to talk to the guy, not a pleasant task considering her first encounter with him. She placed the picture in the same spot over the safe, exactly as it had been, and turned back to Jack. “Her dad had been consumed with wanting to know whatever she and her older sister were doing, to the point of punishing them for withholding information, even stupid girl stuff. Anyway, to hold on to as much privacy as she could, Cassie got very creative in hiding everything, not just the important stuff she didn’t want others to discover.”

  Lucy refrained from adding that anything useful was apt to be buried deep, saying only, “We’ve had too many laughs over that very topic.”

  Like Cassie, Lucy had trust issues, but she wasn’t about to enlighten Jack on that little personality quirk. He would use the information to misconstrue her motives. Instead, she offered, “It’s become a hard habit to break for both of us. But more so for Cassie who’s a reporter and always has competitors nipping at her heels. Some stoop to stealing stories for a leg up, so she’s only gotten worse.”

  Jack shrugged, then said impatiently, “Can you hurry it up? It’s still hot as hell in here.”

  “I’m done.” Lucy quickly joined him at the bedroom door. The cotton T-shirt she wore was so sweat-drenched it stuck to her back. “Let’s go check on Manny.”

  “So, there’s no talking you out of it?” he asked in a resigned tone. When she shook her head, he sighed. “Figures.” Jack passed by the hall thermostat and glanced back at her. “Should I turn off the air?”

  “No, leave it on.”

  Jack waited for Lucy to catch up to him, then placed a hand on the small of her back and ushered her toward the exit. “My car will be more comfortable since it’s parked in the shade.”

  Nodding, she wiped the moisture trickling on her brow and paused only long enough to lock the door. At the bottom of the outside staircase, she caught a flash of white out of the corner of her eye. She glanced up as a van, similar to those GD Investigations used, tore out of the parking lot.

  “That’s odd.” Her momentum slowed as they walked toward the black BMW parked in the last row.

  “What?” Jack’s curious expression added to the question.

  “That van.” When she nodded in the direction of the street, his gaze shifted. The vehicle turned right, not bothering to slow down for the stop sign at the end of the street. Both watched until it disappeared from view.

  “Gillespie was driving a white van.” Jack stared pointedly at her. “He’s not following us, is he?”

  Lucy shook her head, then smiled, and kept her voice light. “Why, Jack, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you were jealous.”

  “Of Gillespie?” He snorted. “Dream on.” Amusement lit his eyes as he spared her another quick glance. “I was only pointing out the obvious. A—he was driving a white van the last time I saw him, and B—he seems to be everywhere you are lately, and if you ask me, I find that mighty odd.”

  Lucy mentally rolled her eyes, wishing she could find it odd too. “Mike has a few quirks too,” she admitted. He had a habit of following her just to make sure she was okay, which on occasion had worked to her advantage. “But Mike had to return the company van yesterday, so that couldn’t have been him.” Lucy glanced at the stop sign at the end of the street as a thought struck. “But now that you mention it, that van did look like one of Gerald’s.” Even though she couldn’t be certain, her instincts went on alert. Was someone from the agency following her?

  Jack threw her a skeptical look. “A white utility van is like a gray sedan. There are millions of them on the road.” A car honked behind them. “Come on. Let’s get out of the middle of the parking lot.” He gripped her elbow and led her directly to his car.

  “Where is this motel?” Jack asked, once they were seated inside and he had the engine running with the air conditioner on full blast.

  Lucy gave him instructions. He backed out of the space and began driving in the direction they’d come.

  The trip to the outskirts of Lexington took more than an hour.

  Jack parked. They exited the car together, heading for the grimy plate glass door. When Lucy walked up to the counter and hit the little bell, a woman who looked as if she’d eaten a few too many Pop-Tarts lumbered out of the back room. The sleazoid was nowhere to be seen.

  “Is Manny Graves here?” Lucy asked, noting the MOD sign now held a different name. Gwen Rogers. Funny, you’d think if this establishment cared so much about details, like the names of managers on duty, those in charge would clean the damned windows.

  Gwen shook her head. “Doesn’t work on Sundays.” She offered a smile, showing a few empty spaces in the back where teeth used to be. “He should be in tomorrow afternoon.”

  Lucy frowned and glanced at Jack, who shrugged. “You wouldn’t happen to know his phone number or address?” He was the key to finding Cassie. “I’ll make it worth your while.”

  “I’m not supposed to give out personal information.” The heavyset woman eyed the twenty dollars that Lucy took out of her wallet like a kid eyeing a candy bar right before dinner.

  When that didn’t entice her enough to start talking, Lucy added another twenty.

  The lady sighed regrettably and shook her head. “I could get fired. And I need my job.”

  “No one needs to know you gave us anything,” Jack said, adding another forty dollars to Lucy’s two bills. “After all, it’s public information. I could probably find it in seconds on the Internet if I had access to a computer, but we’re pressed for time.”

  The woman licked her lips in indecision. After a moment, her hand shot out. “I don’t see a problem with sharing what’s already public record.”

  She tried to snatch the money out of her hand, but Lucy drew it back and smiled. “It’s not that I don’t trust you,” she said, telling a bald-faced lie. “But business is business. I’ll take the address and phone number first.”

  The woman swore under her breath, but reached for a pen and paper. She opened a Rolodex file and flipped to the right card before writing out a phone number and an address.

  “Thanks,” Lucy said. The minute they swapped the money for the information, she grabbed Jack’s arm. “Come on. We’ve got things to do.” She started for the door as Jack waved good-bye.

  “Bye. Y’all come back, now,” Gwen yelled as Lucy stepped past Jack, who now was holding the door open as if the fingerprints and dirt on the glass didn’t bother him in the least. “Sunday nights are special priced.”

  “Of course they are,” Lucy muttered.

  “What an interesting place.” Jack’s expression said otherwise. His eyebrows rose. “Come here often?”

  Ignoring him, Lucy looked around the parking lot for Cassie’s car. “That’s odd.”

  “Now what?”

  “Cassie’s car is no longer parked in the lot.” Lucy hadn’t noticed it missing when they drove up. “I’ll be right back.” She pivoted and marched back inside and up to the counter. The woman hadn’t left yet, in fact had watched her approach with interest.

  “Back already? Guess you wanted a room afte
r all. Can’t say as I blame ya, with that one.” The woman offered a gravelly laugh and nodded at the grimy windows in the direction of Jack, who was climbing into his parked car.

  Lucy swallowed the irritated reply that rested on the tip of her tongue. Wouldn’t do to alienate someone who might have information she needed. “I don’t want a room. What I want is to find out if the person in room 251 is still registered. Did you happen to see her?”

  The large woman shook her head. “No. Ain’t no one in that room.”

  “She checked out?”

  “Never checked in is more like it.” She snorted. “Toilet in 251’s got some plumbing problems so we’re not s’posed to rent it out unless we’re short. Haven’t been full up for a couple of weeks.”

  “Really?” Lucy’s smile died as her eyebrows drew together. Then what were Cassie’s things doing there? “Maybe she checked in one night when you weren’t here. Can you check?”

  Gwen rolled her eyes, seeming put out to have to move, but did as Lucy asked and opened a corner drawer that had a bunch of keys spaced in an organized fashion. After rummaging around with her hand, she held up two keys similar to the one the sleazoid had given her the day before. “Both keys’re in the drawer, so no one’s rented it.”

  “Can I take a look at the room just to be sure?”

  “Go ahead.” She tossed one of the keys across the counter. “But bring it back.

  “Yeah, I know.” Lucy grabbed the key. “Owner hates to pay postage.” She added a thanks and turned to go. What the hell was going on? Lucy mounted the stairs two at a time, hurried to the right room, and shoved the key into the lock. After opening the door, she stared openmouthed at the empty room that was neat and tidy. Apparently the maid had cleaned since yesterday afternoon. She ran to the bathroom and found it just as empty. No trace of Cassie. As Lucy headed back out the door to return the key, her thoughts focused on the sleazoid. Was he in on it? With Gerald and Cardello?

  What about Mike? No. She shook her head. Suspecting Mike didn’t wash. He never even knew of Cassie’s existence until she went missing and Lucy asked him for help. He simply had no motive. Gerald did. Being a card-carrying member of the GOB gave him a motive. Maybe that’s why the judge didn’t like Cassie’s snooping. The members protected each other. Having been a beat cop, Mike could never penetrate the GOB network. Besides, her partner had bent over backward to help, even to the point of risking his job too.

  Manny Graves was the connection here and she needed to investigate him further.

  Once back inside the car after returning the key, Jack asked her something about what took her so long. Ignoring his question, she pointed in the direction of the street. “Did you see that van?”

  Stopping in the act of reaching for the gearshift, his glance followed hers. “What van?”

  She stared off into the distance, wondering if she was starting to imagine seeing white vans. Or was one actually following her? “Never mind.” Jack was right. There were thousands of white vans on the road.

  Lucy’s thoughts then reverted to the sleazoid. “I want to check out Manny Graves’ house.” She also fully intended to find out more about him. She made a mental note to give Mike a call to tap into his police connections and utilize his Internet skills.

  “No.” The one word, said with total annoyance, drew her focus. “You’re not doing anything so stupid.” He looked pointedly at her, his gaze narrowing to a squint that roamed over her features as if he were reading fine print.

  Her face flushed and she couldn’t keep eye contact.

  “And you can forget breaking and entering,” he finally said. “Capital N, capital O. No. Hell no.”

  “Manny is a lead.” How in the hell had he figured out her next move so easily? Her chin lifted and she glared at him. “I’m not about to let it go without checking it out.”

  “Fine, but we’re doing it my way. We’ll go back to your place and come up with a plan we can both live with.”

  Losing the will to argue more, she sighed, her energy level suddenly drained. She leaned back against the seat, dreading the hours of searching still ahead. Her eyes felt like gritty sandpaper when she blinked. For the last hour, she’d staved off a lurking headache and right now the pain increased, mainly due to the exasperating man sitting next to her adjusting the rearview mirror.

  “Look, if you must know, I’m beat.” Lucy closed her eyes, swallowing her disappointment and feeling frustrated. “Too beat to do much right now. Finding Cassie can wait until tomorrow,” she lied, hoping he’d drop her off once they made it to her house. “Besides, I haven’t totally gone through Reecie’s date book.” And she was damn sure planning to research the sleazoid, despite Jack’s objections. The minute she could escape him, she’d break into Manny’s house. Maybe Mike could help her with that too. She’d give him a call. Satisfied she now had a plan, one question still plagued her. Where the hell was Cassie?

  “Uh-uh. Try again.” Jack’s irritated voice broke into her thoughts again. “I know what you’re thinking. Get rid of me and then you can do what you want.”

  “I’m not planning on doing anything more than a few hours of research and then sleeping.” That wasn’t a total lie. When he threw her another skeptical glower, she snorted. “I promise.”

  “I can help. Two heads are better than one.”

  Frowning, Lucy paused, then reached for his hand resting on the gearshift and squeezed. “You don’t have to, you know.”

  Suspicion lurked in his gaze when it gripped hers. “Still trying to get rid of me like you did yesterday?”

  She laughed. “I’m only trying to be nice and save you from boredom.” He almost sounded as if she’d rejected him rather than offering to let him off the hook for the tedious hours of reading that lay ahead. Okay, she was trying to ditch him, but he shouldn’t take it personally. Besides, it was so unlike Jack to feel rejected from anything she could do or say. He must still be miffed about yesterday afternoon. “I’m sorry for…you know, lifting the cell phone. I should’ve told you about it.”

  Jack didn’t move a muscle, just kept his gaze pointed her way, his glare almost shouting, “Ya think?”

  Another burst of laugher rose up, dispelling some of her tension. “Okay, we’ll work together.” Winking, Lucy let go of his hand and gave his shoulder a friendly nudge. “Besides, I have nothing more to hide. I’m an open book.” Somehow, she’d figure a way to circumvent him. She could even call Mike from the bathroom and get him started on researching Manny Graves.

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.” Sighing, Jack shifted into gear.

  “I don’t know why you’re worried,” she said, as the car lurched forward. “I’ve told you everything.”

  “Under duress,” he mumbled, downshifting and braking at the parking lot’s exit to the main road. He eyed her thoughtfully. Her breasts responded when his gaze lowered to linger on her chest. “You should know that if I stay, we might just end up in bed together again.”

  She chewed on his comment for a bit, not quite sure how to respond. “For fun and games, because that’s all this is?” she finally asked, deciding to go for light and playful. “Right?”

  The slight lift of his shoulders as his focus moved to pay an inordinate amount of attention to the road in front of them said more than words ever could.

  Nodding, he gently pressed the gas pedal, eased into the next gear, and turned onto the road once traffic was clear. “To expect more would be stupid, on both our parts.”

  For the next few seconds he didn’t speak, as if choosing his words carefully. “I’m not exactly in the right place for a relationship right now, Lucy. I lack the emotional wherewithal.”

  She swallowed her disappointment and patted his hand now covering the gearshift. “I understand and I appreciate your honesty.” When she let go, her gaze zeroed in on Jack’s fingers. She wished she were normal. Someone who could simply have fun and play games and just enjoy plain old sex with a man like him—one of the h
aves.

  Sighing, Lucy purposefully raised her eyes to study his face. “So I’ll return the favor and be just as honest. I’m not very good at the relationship thing either. Nor am I into sex just for the sake of sex.” She offered a small smile. “So…” She took a deep breath and added, “It’s probably better if we forego ending up in bed together.” She could fall for him and that made Jack Finnegan a dangerous man. A very dangerous man.

  “Okay.” Jack braked for the light at the freeway entrance. Slight confusion marred his expression along with a frown, but he nodded as if he understood.

  Didn’t matter whether he did or didn’t. And whether or not he got her temperature up wasn’t the issue. What mattered was that they were both being honest, and the real issue was what came afterward and how they’d deal with it. Such a shame too, she thought, shaking her head.

  Lost in a myriad of similar thoughts, Lucy remained silent and focused on the passing scenery out the passenger window, rather than on what Jack’s hands were capable of or how that gorgeous body sitting too close to hers affected her. The entire time, she felt his radiating heat and was totally aware of the tension building inside the car. The hum of attraction ran steadily throughout her body. If Jack affected her this much now, how could she withstand hours of being alone with him while they worked without making a complete fool of herself? Lucy didn’t bother saying anything more, instead just kept looking out the window, more impatient than ever to just get the hell away from him.

  Chapter 16

  Jack accelerated and the Beamer merged into heavy traffic on 1-64.

  They hadn’t gone more than a few miles when he stiffened and said, “Shit,” under his breath.

  Lucy glanced at his face. His features gave nothing away, but his concentration was solely on the road in front of him. “What’s wrong?” she finally asked, unable to hold the question inside when she noted his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel.

  “I have no brakes.”