Grafted into Deceit

by Sherri Wilson Johnson

  Steven ran his fingers through his hair. He needed to sit. Exhaustion and stress had taken their toll. “We won’t get in there until we catch somebody coming out with drugs in their vehicle. We’ve got to put units out there to do road blocks and random car searches.”

  John shook his head and frowned. “That’s crazy! We can’t do that. Besides, I doubt they’re selling out of there. They’re shipping.”

  “Rex O’Reilly told me some of his ranch hands have been showing up late to work and disappearing during the day. He thinks something’s up with them, maybe drugs. Maybe we could do an investigation there and see if it leads back to Acres and Fields.”

  “It’s a possibility. But it still doesn’t get us onto their property to search.”

  Steven folded his arms across his stomach and spread his feet apart. Was there a way without forcing Marina to participate and without endangering her? He squinted at John in the afternoon light. “Then what do you suggest?”

  “We’ve got to convince her to do the investigation for us, or this case is dead.”

  Steven shook his head, and the headache he’d been fighting locked his skull into a vice. “No, no, we can’t let her do that. It’s too dangerous.”

  John threw his hands up in the air. “But you said you tried to convince her to help.”

  “I did. But it’s not my first choice.”

  John pivoted and stood between Steven and the playground. He had no choice but to look at him. “Man, you’re doing what I told you not to do.”

  Steven braced for the rest of John’s lecture but remained silent.

  “You’ve lost your professionalism. You’re trying to make a friend or something else out of Marina.” John sighed.

  An afternoon gust blew across Steven, but John’s dead-on observation, not the breeze, chilled him.

  “Normally, you wouldn’t go this easy on a witness if you knew they held the key to your case. You’d force their hand into helping you. But you don’t want to do that with Marina because you’re personally involved. Admit it. That’s the real problem.”

  Steven ducked his head and stared at the woodchip-covered ground. Denying meant lying to his best friend. Ignoring his feelings meant jeopardizing everything he’d worked for. If he couldn’t be honest with John, then he couldn’t be honest with anyone—or himself. He jammed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and prepared for John’s chastisement. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Well, you had better think of something because we’ll have to wait it out and risk blowing this case if you’re not going to get her to help.”

  “No, not about the case, John. You’re right. I’m interested in her. I want to know everything I can about her. And because of that, I need to protect her and solve this case without her help.” He raised his chin and broadened his shoulders.

  John’s ears and cheeks flamed. “But you can’t get to know her right now in that way because she’s a key witness in your case.”

  “I know that.” He scrubbed a hand over his face and moaned.

  “And you’ve done this before.” John rested his hand on Steven’s shoulder.

  John told the truth, but there was something different about Marina. Her needing protection had little to do with it. Nor did the fact she knew Mark and was familiar to him factor into it. “I know that too.” Steven clinched his jaw. “But this time it’s different.”

  “Then I suggest you solve this case and do it fast.” John laughed.

  Steven tugged at his collar. “Too bad I hadn’t already thought of that. So glad you suggested it, partner.” He groaned and held his fist up to John’s chin like he’d punch him.

  John grabbed it and shoved him, and the two wrestled by the playground like two children.

  “Hey guys, what’s up?” Rich Spearmon called out as he shoved his keys and phone into the front pocket of his camo pants.

  Steven reached out and took his offered hand, then John did the same. “John’s putting too much pressure on his old partner here to find the answers to our mystery from Friday night.”

  “Not true.” John elbowed him.

  Rich removed his sunglasses and smirked. “Friday night was bizarre.”

  “You ain’t kidding. How’s your shoulder?”

  “All right. PT for a couple of weeks will help. Any new leads?”

  “No, man. I wish. You know that jump drive I found in the pack of cigarettes?”

  “Yeah, any luck with that?”

  Steven nodded. “It contained a list of names. Ms. Acres will look at it later and see if she recognizes any of them.”

  Rich cupped his right elbow with his left hand and scratched his stubbly chin with his right. His eyes, bloodshot and watery, revealed he must have been on duty all night. “I can’t believe we didn’t find the passenger of the truck.”

  Directing his gaze back up the hill toward the pavilion and making sure Marina seemed safe, Steven added, “I’m wondering if he made his way to the O’Reilly ranch. He could be one of Rex’s ranch hands.” He refocused on his two friends.

  “What makes you say that?” Rich arched an eyebrow.

  “Rex told me he’d been having trouble with some of his guys.”

  “Gotcha. Might be worth investigating.”

  John leaned closer to Rich and spoke low enough that any surrounding children wouldn’t hear him. “You know we found the guy she hit with her car, right?”

  “Yeah, I heard that. Is he connected to the company in any way?”

  Steven grimaced. “He was the best friend of the business partner’s husband. I’m still convinced everything ties together and the people Ms. Acres is in business with are involved.”

  “Interesting. But she’s not?”

  “Not one bit.” Steven groaned.

  “You know they let Kemar Mejora out on bail?”

  Steven flinched, and his head throbbed. “What? When?”

  “This morning, I think.”

  Steven swiped the sweat from his brow. His stomach churned. Had Kemar been the one outside Marina’s house today with the paintball gun? The one who deceived her into thinking he’d killed the cat? “No, no. That’s not right. He shouldn’t be out.” He paced away then stormed back over to them.

  “It’s the way it goes sometimes, man.”

  Steven got in Rich’s face. “That’s the way it goes? That guy tried to kill Marina! Where is he?”

  Rich held his hands up. “I have no idea, man. Don’t kill the messenger.” He turned toward John. “What’s with him?”

  Steven didn’t wait for John to respond. He had better get away from R.J. before he started a fight. Bolting toward the pavilion on the hill, he left behind the two men without caring what they thought of him. He had to get to Marina.

  ***

  Why was Steven taking so long? The onslaught of questions was more than Marina could handle right now. Why couldn’t these women understand the least effective way to welcome someone new to their group was to bombard them with invasive inquiries? She might as well be in an interrogation room at the police department.

  “Marina, how did you get those stitches on your forehead?” Julie finished nursing her baby and handed him off to Monique, a woman in her mid-forties whose tender nature made Marina want to sit and drink coffee with her for hours. She was the only one besides Sharon who hadn’t pried.

  “I had a wreck the other night. The windshield decided to eat my face. I busted up my ribs and ankle too.” She stepped to the edge of the pavilion ready to escape toward the playground to find Steven.

  Ann Marie squealed and clapped her hands. “Oh, so that’s how you met. He was on duty, I bet, and responded to the scene. How romantic!”

  Marina squeezed her eyes shut and slumped. Where was the concern from these women who were mothers? Didn’t they care that she’d been injured? She wouldn’t get out of this until she told them the truth.

  “Ann Marie, a narcotics detective wouldn’t respond to the scene of an acci
dent.” Stef, coming off a twelve-hour shift at the hospital, slogged around in scrubs setting up the chips and condiments on the table nearest the grill.

  “Actually, you’re right. That’s what happened.” Marina spun around and jammed her hands onto her hips. Maybe that would shut them up for the rest of the day.

  Sharon pulled the chicken off the grill and added a few dozen hot dogs to it then opened a package of red plastic cups. “Marina, how about you come and put ice in the cups. Julie, since your baby is in safe hands, why don’t you go down to the playground and call the men and kids?”

  A rush of relief washed over Marina. Finally, someone came to her defense!

  “What happened?”

  Marina spun back around to find Steven two feet behind her with squinted eyes and a firm jaw. How had he crept up behind her so fast? Her face warmed, but her hands and feet went cold. She pinched her bottom lip and considered whether she should be honest or change the subject.

  Steven cracked his knuckles then flexed his fingers. His eyes were cold and hard. Was he angry? Or was that worry etched across his face? “Well? What happened?”

  She couldn’t lie to him. The detective would see right through her. “I told them you responded when I wrecked my car the other night, and that’s how we met. These friends of yours are a curious bunch.”

  “That they are.” Glancing at the inquisitive bystanders, he towed her to the corner of the pavilion and captured her gaze with his. “You let them know about the case? That you’re a witness?” His whisper carried an edge of anger and harsh criticism that confused her, yet worry filtered through and showed his concern.

  “No, I didn’t, because you told me not to. They were hounding me about how we met, and I went along with their romanticized versions of our meeting to stave them off.”

  He stepped back and withdrew. “When in reality, it’s quite the opposite of romantic since you don’t date cops. Right?”

  Marina shot Steven a look filled with irritation. Did he get its meaning? He didn’t have to treat her like a child. “Right.”

  Like two cage fighters before a fight, they locked gazes and sized each other up. But why the anger? Why did he treat her with harshness when he’d been kind earlier? She hadn’t divulged the truth behind their connection. What did he want her to say?

  He blinked and broke their connected gazes. “There’s something about you I don’t get.”

  “What’s that?”

  He chewed on his tongue as if to bite off his next words before they escaped his mouth. However, they came out anyway. “It’s like you’ve hung a Do Not Disturb sign over your heart, and no one can get in no matter how hard they try. Being a cop is irrelevant.”

  She gasped. Who did he think he was? “Me? Well, you’ve outlined your heart in Crime Scene tape, and no one can get through that.” Why was he playing the part of the wounded lover? He’d made sure she knew this was a fake date.

  He’d dumped her off with his gal friends, might as well have left her in a shark tank, and told her not to tell them who she was, how they’d met, or anything that came close to the truth. What did he think she’d say when they pressed her for more information? Instead of telling the truth, she’d play the part of the new love interest and let his friends think they were more than they were—than they ever could be.

  Games. They were playing games. She was a witness in one of his cases and no more, and Steven needed to stop personalizing everything.

  She abandoned her spot beside him and joined his girlfriends, not caring if she ever spoke to him again.

  Chapter Fifteen

  No one around them seemed to notice the tension between them because they were too busy laughing and enjoying each other at this pre-Thanksgiving gettogether, but the charade choked Marina. Doing the right thing was so difficult. They had gone back and forth between friendliness, professionalism, and something else ever since they’d met on Friday. When he all but accused her of revealing her situation to his friends, it had cut. When he’d lashed out at her about the walls she’d built around her heart without admitting he had walls too, the sting was almost unforgiveable.

  Why he’d picked at Sharon’s food after the way he’d bragged about her cooking baffled Marina. He’d cut the chicken into small pieces, even kept the flies off it, but little made it into his mouth. He’d swirled his baked beans around his plate and nibbled at his corn on the cob, but his disinterest in food was evident.

  Maybe he felt terrible, as he should, for saying those hateful things to her and making her feel like a criminal. She should let him soak in his bath of misery all day, but she hated when people were miserable—even detectives who used her for their gain. Although the idea of sanding the rough edges between them irritated her, they had to make amends because without him, she was too vulnerable. And without her, he might not solve this case.

  Sighing and giving in to the nagging in her heart, Marina elbowed Steven. “What’s wrong with you? I figured you’d gobble that chicken and pumpkin trifle up like a starving dog.”

  Steven tossed his fork onto his plate and groaned. “I lost my appetite.”

  “Why?” She took a bite of the trifle, the creaminess and fluffiness bursting forth with delight in her mouth. The ginger provided the right amount of zing—almost enough to make her forget about her mini-feud with Steven and about the danger to her life. Almost.

  His eyes darted around to several of his friends, and then he leaned closer to Marina. “My assumption earlier hurt you.”

  “It did.”

  He groaned again. “I’m sorry.”

  “You know, I told you I trust you. You should trust me too.”

  “I will. Marina, I do. My top concern is your safety, though.

  “I know.”

  “And that’s why I will keep your identity private.”

  She picked a butterscotch drop off the top of the dessert and popped it into her mouth. “And be on a fake date?”

  He blushed. “Right.”

  She leaned in and whispered, “Hence why I fed your little sharks what they wanted.”

  “I know.”

  “You’re the one who took offense to it.”

  “I didn’t take offense, Marina.” His neck and cheeks flamed. “I didn’t want … I couldn’t allow myself … never mind.”

  She tilted her head and studied his face. “What?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  And with that, Steven’s wall went back up. Whatever he was feeling, he was keeping to himself.

  He swirled his fork through the trifle and took a small bite. “My appetite disappeared because I can’t stop thinking about the identity and location of the passenger in the truck from Friday night and the guy outside your place today. I don’t know if they’re one and the same. I don’t know how we’ll ever catch them. Kemar Mejora was released today, and I can’t stop thinking he’s going to show up at any minute and harm you.”

  Something had knocked Steven off center.

  “You will catch them, and you won’t let Kemar harm me.”

  He rubbed his chin and grunted. “How can you be sure?”

  Marina forced him to look at her and leaned a little closer. “Because you told me when I was in the hospital you’d make sure that guy was caught. If there are two guys, the one from Friday and the one from today, you’ll catch them. You’re that kind of guy.”

  “You’ve got confidence in me, huh?”

  She shrugged. “Even if I’m mad at you, and even if I disagree with you, I can trust you.”

  “I won’t stop until I know you’re safe.” He leaned toward her and rested his arm against hers. His warmth blasted through her all the way to her toes. With eyes gleaming, he tapped her hand. “Come walk with me.”

  “You know I’m not supposed to walk much.” Marina batted her eyelashes in her first flirtatious gesture toward him. She stood from the bench and followed Steven to the trailhead anyway.

  She didn’t look to see if his friend
s noticed them and didn’t care if they did. Yellow and orange leaves blanketed the ground, and birds sang in the late afternoon light. And her heart did that flip flop thing again.

  “Let’s talk out of earshot of everyone else.”

  Marina sighed, and her heart settled when he didn’t seem to notice her flirting. This wasn’t a romantic walk in the park. He’d talked to John earlier, and now he was going to try again to convince her to dig around. Why couldn’t he let the rest of the cookout be a time of pretending they were on a date and let her forget their lives could be in danger?

  Steven slowed his pace to match hers, and as soon as they were distanced from his friends, he inched his way closer to her. Their hands brushed against each other as they walked. If she’d been bold, she would have grabbed his hand, but boldness wasn’t her friend right now.

  “I meant it when I said I was sorry for being so rude earlier. And you know I wouldn’t force a warrant on you.”

  She shook her head. “No, I don’t know that. Technically, I met you three days ago. I don’t know you at all. I want to believe that’s true, but your case comes first.”

  He stepped around in front of her. “I promise I won’t force a warrant on you. Wait until Iris gets into town since your friendship is already at a boiling point. I respect your need to address things with her without us meddling. Okay?”

  Who was this compliant man standing in front of her? Someone had taken the real Steven hostage. “What gives?”

  “What do you mean?” He pivoted and began walking down the trail again.

  She followed him but remained at a distance. “Why are you easing up on this, Steven? You could assert your authority if you really wanted.”

  “I could.”

  “Then, why aren’t you?”

  Steven didn’t answer her right away. They walked along the leaf-covered trail, silent except for the chirps and squeals from birds and far-off children. The fall foliage and late afternoon glow couldn’t distract Marina from the hunch that something else was behind his acquiescent demeanor. What if…

  “You don’t have enough evidence, do you? That’s why you’re giving up on trying to convince me. You couldn’t get a warrant even if you wanted one because you don’t have enough proof.”