Twelve Shades of Midnight:

by Liliana Hart

  “Behind her? You came in separate cars?” Hallie asked, the smile slowly disappearing when the curious quirk to her brow returned.

  “Why wouldn’t we both want our cars here?” Essie asked.

  Then all three granddaughters turned to her. Patty sat in her chair again wishing she had three more so the girls didn’t tower over her.

  The identical twins stood a good three inches shorter on either side of Hallie. All held themselves with the same good posture. All of their full, beautiful lips were smashed into harsh straight lines. And all their expressions asked the same unspoken question.

  “I’ve never realized that you all have your grandfather’s hazel eyes.”

  “How long have you been planning this, Grammy?” Hallie crossed her arms looking exactly like her disapproving mother.

  “You haven’t told her?” The twins exclaimed together.

  “The idea came to me in a dream almost a year ago. Hallie Gale, you needed a new beginning. Emma and Essie were about to graduate and needed jobs.”

  “You should have said something.” Hallie slammed the key on the counter and turned to leave. “There’s no way this is going to work.”

  Each of the younger women made a frustrating growl, throwing their hands in the air and splitting separate directions. Patty had to get them all on board in a short time. Their first job was hours away unless… Hallie could have easily changed her mind and decided against becoming involved with Gage again.

  “Listen here.” She waited for Hallie to let the door close and turn to face them again. “You girls all have special skills that can mesh into a very effective detective agency. I believe you can make a go of this…even if you all have your doubts.”

  “It’s just not that simple, Grammy. You need licenses and permits and–”

  Patty held up the papers. “I sort of fibbed earlier. I hired a local attorney to help me get everything nice and legal.”

  “You just have to hang your PI shingle, cuz.” Essie was always optimistic, dressing in a bright yellow. “Number one reason for us to stay is that mom and dad were totally against this idea and sort of cut their support.”

  “Yea, that conversation was fun.” Essie, dressed in black, slid down the wall to sit on the floor. Identical in looks, opposites in demeanor.

  “Besides, Grammy told us when we checked in that you had a job that required round the clock eyes. How are you supposed to do that on your own?” Essie popped her gum, looking much younger than twenty-two. Maybe that’s why she wore the dark, gothic clothes and makeup.

  Patty could see the gears catching hold of each other in Hallie’s mind. She did need her cousins. Almost more than they needed her. The younger twins needed a successful example to emulate. Not to mention that Hallie needed help to loosen up.

  Yes, there was also the round-the-clock surveillance where three people could be very useful. And there was that horribly empty house just north of them that needed life.

  “We can give it a try. This case is a trial basis.” Hallie shrugged, facing Patty. “No buying furniture for this place or signs or ads or anything else until we know if we’re moving forward.”

  Too late. The office furniture was scheduled for delivery at ten in the morning. Teaching her grandchildren about family would be so rewarding. And helping them understand their gifts… Well, that was her right and responsibility.

  Chapter Four

  “This place is as big of a dump as the last. How much longer do I have to do this? It’s been a week already.”

  Daniel Miller dropped his suitcase in the doorway, forcing Hallie to push it out of her way so she could enter the motel room. Being a “bodyguard” wasn’t anything like she’d envisioned. There was absolutely, positively, no excitement. There was the exception that her ears might explode from Daniel’s complaining.

  “Agent Owens wanted you off the beaten path and not in the same place more than two nights.”

  “I don’t think he meant hotel hell. How am I supposed to eat?”

  Oh good grief! She’d explained all of this on the way over. Maybe he’d stop complaining when Essie arrived with his fiancée and snacks.

  “There’s a kitchen in the back. Groceries are on their way.” Along with my relief.

  “You expect me to cook? I don’t know how to cook!”

  “Keep your voice down, please. You can’t draw attention to yourself.”

  The electronics wizard in her protection was a complete and utterly spoiled brat. No one had been able to talk with him, let alone do anything he agreed with. He could be a little appreciative since they were supposedly saving his life. Well, that is, if Essie didn’t kill him first.

  “I only see one bed. Do you intend to take advantage of me?”

  The young man decked out in Armani was probably eight years younger. If that in itself wasn’t a turn off, then his constant complaining was. And of course, the spoiled brat–as she’d already labeled him–looked down on everything she did. He was as scaly as his expensive snake skin boots.

  So no, there wouldn’t be any sharing the bed.

  “I’ll be in my car in the parking lot.”

  “But what if something happens?” he whined.

  “There’s only one way inside and I’ll be watching the door. And stay off the phone. The gal at the front desk won’t bring you a diet soda.”

  “Right. You’ve said that before.” He walked to the TV grabbing the remote before spinning back around. “Hallie? How do I know for sure that you’re even qualified to protect me?”

  Her visualized protective bubble was about to pop under the anxiety oozing from Daniel Miller. She had to get away from him.

  “I’m not supposed to ask you any questions. That should probably work both ways. If you were worried about qualifications, maybe you should have asked before you slipped away from whoever you’re hiding from. Please look through the window to make sure it’s me when your groceries arrive.”

  Essie would be there with groceries and Marta Canning. Daniel didn’t know that he wouldn’t be alone for the next two days. He’d complained often enough about being separated from his one true love. It was safer to keep them apart, even if it was slightly mind-numbing listening to a man who never shut up.

  Then Essie thought of a way for the lovebirds to have a visit. A new location and Marta tells her father she’s heading out of town for the weekend. Simple enough, but if something went wrong and it didn’t happen… There was no way they were playing that record until the dance started.

  Hallie backed out of the door and waited for him to turn the deadbolt. When the sound didn’t happen, she knocked on the door and leaned against the window. Daniel opened it without looking.

  “What?” he mouthed through the open door.

  If he’d spoken from the other side of the window she would have heard him. The walls were pretty dang thin. Kicking the door would probably pull the dead bolt straight from the frame, but it needed to be done. She could ignore that he was mocking her.

  “Daniel, always look through the window. If it isn’t me, don’t open the door. And please use the deadbolt.”

  He slammed the door in her face and childishly turned the deadbolt four or five times before she walked to her car. Gage owed her big time for this character and she was never going to let him forget. He couldn’t ever pay her enough. Okay, she grudgingly admitted, he was paying her quite a bit.

  So what if her client wasn’t professional. She could be. She slid behind the wheel of Grammy’s car. Or maybe she should call it a boat since it was the size of one.

  A huge fifteen-year-old dark blue Buick. It was so large she wasn’t used to backing it up, so she’d parked in two spaces across the motel lot. Prompting Daniel to complain about walking too far and dragging his suitcase across the holes.

  Spoiled brat.

  She missed the quickness of her Miata, but the boat was less conspicuous than the bright sky blue paint job. Her luxury car was the final gift from her dad.
He’d thought small was better for Manhattan. They’d never considered that three years later she’d be in Texas…where everything was bigger.

  Other than the irritating Daniel, the week had passed smoothly. Her cousins were excited about going into business together. They each took an eight hour shift watching Daniel. Hallie had said yes mainly to keep Gage out of the picture.

  Thinking of the FBI agent sent mixed feelings and emotions to every part of her being. The sexual tension between them grew with every encounter. She didn’t know how much more she could handle and tried to avoid being alone with him.

  A close-quarters protection detail would be impossible. Thank goodness he needed to avoid meeting with her, too. Keeping this operation secret was imperative since Marta had refused to leave her father. She’d gotten the crazy idea that she’d protect Daniel if she didn’t disappear at the same time.

  Gage had texted earlier, warning that there was talk Marta’s father was looking for Daniel. They’d all assumed he would, so she wasn’t certain why Gage thought it more important to let her know today. But the message had done its job. She’d been just a little more careful getting to the hotel.

  Even though their brand new agency was racking up the dollars for this job, Hallie wanted it to be finished. It made her itchy to investigate what was really going on. And it made her itchy to check into the life of Harold D. Chandler and who he was involved with.

  But she couldn’t. She’d been hired to babysit, not help Gage obtain his evidence. Nope. She’d sit in this boat of a car and be totally bored.

  Bored was good when on an operation like this.

  “Boring is damn excellent.”

  She sank back into the shadows when a dark sedan slowed and circled the lot. Tinted windows prevented her from seeing inside, but it was obvious they were looking for something…or someone.

  “You just had to say that out loud. Didn’t you?”

  She wasn’t close enough to get a reading–as her grandmother called it–on what the occupants of the car wanted. The car parked at the far end of the lot. Under a conveniently broken light, the image gave her a dread that pressed her into the vinyl seat.

  Something was going on. She pulled her cell phone into her lap, covering the brightness with the bottom of her shirt. She sent a cryptic message to Gage along with the address. Then another to Emma and Essie.

  How had the men searching for Daniel found their location? How was neither here or there for the moment. What she could do about it was the real question. If the car occupants were looking for Daniel, she couldn’t get to his door before something happened. Or without leading them directly to him.

  If she moved her car, she’d give herself away. But it seemed her only choice. They’d removed Daniel’s cell phone and told him he couldn’t use or answer the room phone. So the only way to contact him was to show herself at his window.

  With her hand on the ignition key, she noticed a cab stopping at the front of the building. She had a great view where the sedan occupants didn’t. A woman got out and Hallie recognized her immediately. Dressed in a slender sheath with long straight black hair, it was Marta.

  She didn’t go inside the office or hang close to the edge of the building. Instead, she walked boldly through the parking spaces. The dark sedan tore across the broken asphalt. Hallie leapt from the car, pulling her .45 from her hip holster.

  She could see the indecision in Marta’s movement. The young woman attempted to avoid the racing vehicle, but was too late. Caught between climbing onto the hood of an old pickup or diving into an open parking spot to be hit head on, she chose the pickup.

  Hallie planted her feet and fired her weapon into the backend, hitting a taillight. The sedan barely missed her then sped into oncoming traffic. Horns blared as Hallie breathed a sigh of relief.

  Instead of running for cover, Marta ran after the sedan. Out of nowhere a second sedan swung into the driveway, catching Marta’s lower body. She flew through the air landing at an odd angle against a light post. Hallie wanted to run away from the horrible scream that hit her mentally. Poor Marta hadn’t had time to scream aloud.

  Hallie didn’t catch a license plate on either car. No distinctions, previous to the shots into the sedan’s trunk and broken taillight.

  Light from the motel rooms dotted Hallie’s right side as she ran to Marta. “Can someone dial 911?” she shouted, kneeling next to her. The young woman was still breathing. “Thank heavens.”

  “Marta!” Daniel fell to his knees. “What are you doing here? How did this happen?”

  Suddenly very grown up. He methodically checked for breaks and other injuries. Gone was the whining man tired of being confined to a hotel room. In his place was someone completely in charge of the situation.

  “Hallie go to my room. There’s clean towels we can use for pressure on her leg wound.” He returned his attention on Marta, speaking softly, leaning forward to kiss her forehead, smoothing back her hair, sweeping the pebbles from her dress. “Anyone got an ETA on that ambulance?”

  A crowd was gathering. She could no longer be certain the people standing around looking concerned were motel guests or coming from the semi-busy street. The hit and run driver could have returned to finish Marta or find Daniel.

  “Hallie! I need those towels. I haven’t touched mine. I know they’re still clean.”

  Hallie searched the crowd with an analytical eye seeing only faces who were worried or curious as to what happened. She sprinted to the hotel room, grabbed the towels and sprinted back.

  “The 911 person says the ambulance has been dispatched and should be here in four minutes,” a man said holding out his cell to Daniel who ignored it.

  “Did you hear that, sweetheart? Help’s on its way.” He yanked the towel from Hallie’s hand.

  “Is she hurt real bad?” a woman asked.

  It was a ridiculous question to ask. Of course, Marta was hurt badly. She was unconscious, two obvious broken bones from what Hallie could see, and a severe cut to her thigh.

  Daniel ignored the woman as did everyone else. But there was something about the well-dressed stranger that bugged Hallie. The bad grammar seemed forced. The accent a little over-enunciated. It was late at night. Most of the hotel guests were in casual clothes or pajamas. Daniel had his shirt off and was barefoot.

  For the first time in two years, Hallie deliberately sought the emotions of the crowd. She fought to keep her body from jerking with the impact of sensation and instantaneous nausea. She concentrated on keeping her eyes open and watching for reactions.

  No one else knew what was going on, but she felt them. Deeply felt them as the curiosity and sympathy swirled around her. And then she found it. The ghoulish expectation of someone who needed to finish the job. The job of death.

  A jarring hand on her shoulder broke the spell.

  “Are you alright ma’am?” the man who’d dialed 911 asked.

  She nodded.

  “The EMTs need us to move back,” he said.

  “Thanks.” She shook off his hand and moved closer to kneel by Daniel.

  “I need to get you out of here before the police show up.” And before someone attempts to kill you.

  “No way. I’m going with Marta to the hospital.”

  “I know you care about her, Daniel. But you have to understand that whoever did this isn’t going to stop until you’re both dead.” There was no pulling him away until the paramedics were working on his fiancée. “Remember. You told Agent Owens last week that you both needed protection.”

  “I don’t want to live without her. Just leave me alone.” He shrugged her hand off his shoulder.

  “We’ll follow them to the hospital, but it’s not a good idea,” she whispered.

  “Good or bad, I’m not leaving her.”

  By the time she stood, the feeling of death had disappeared and so had the well-dressed older woman. By the time they’d stabilized Marta, Gage arrived. A few quick whispered words to Daniel and the young ma
n reluctantly climbed into his car.

  “He’s riding with me. They’re taking her to Methodist. Do you know where that is?”

  “I’ve got a GPS.”

  “Great. There’s no talking him out of going. I know nobody would convince me. Give your statement to the locals and head over.”

  “How much do you want me to tell them?”

  “Did you really see anything?”

  “Black, no visible tags, definitely a red Mustang that hit her. Maybe an Impala that missed. I’d have to look at some sedans to be certain.”

  “How did she find him?” he asked while he watched the paramedics load her into the ambulance. He jerked back to face her. “Don’t tell me you left the phone in the room. Dammit, Hallie. I thought you were past rookie mistakes.”

  “So did I.” She watched a patrolman finish up with another hotel guest and look in her direction. “You better head out before they want to know Daniel’s identity.”

  Gage pivoted and strode to his rental. She prepared to give her statement. Mentally getting her story firmly in her head. Tell the truth without sharing all of the truth.

  Her first job as a private investigator would end with a hit and run case that couldn’t easily be solved. What were the odds?

  Chapter Five

  “Very impressive,” Essie said before Hallie’s second heel touched the new carpet.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Just sayin’, that’s all.” Essie shrugged, but she had a look.

  An all-knowing look that confused Hallie who had a sneaking suspicion her cousin knew something that she didn’t. It would drive her crazy, but it would have to wait. She was exhausted and needed to catch up with Gage–wherever he was after disappearing.

  It had been a very long night full of cops who had their own notions she wasn’t telling all the truth. Of course, they were right. Stretching the truth was the part of this business that she didn’t care for and couldn’t change. She had a client.

  A client that managed to sneak Marta and Daniel away to an unknown location. Yes, the police had let her know about that quick switcheroo, too. It had cost her another two hours of questioning.