After Midnight (10 page)

There was a pause, then he asked, his tone light, “You think I’m handsome?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I haven’t actually seen you for a few days, so my memory’s fading fast.”

He laughed out loud. “That’s easy to fix. Why don’t I meet you between shows again tomorrow, then I can follow you home in case that truck shows up again?”

“You can sit through the play again?”

“Are you in it?”

“Of course.”

“Then I want to see it again. And again. And again.” His voice was husky with promise.

Kate closed her eyes and smiled. “You’re either a real fan or a glutton for punishment.”

“You might say I’m a
big
fan.”

“Okay, it’s a date.”

“Just curious, but where do you live?”

“You don’t already know?” she teased. “I thought cops had access to all that.”

“We do, if you were a suspect. We don’t usually run investigations on our girlfriends.”

That little junior high tingle shot through her again.
Girlfriend!
Okay, so he had said it as a plural, but she heard it only as it referred to her. “My apartment is in the Newcastle Hotel on the corner of Colfax and Grant. Do you know where that is?”

“Are you kidding me? I go there about three times a week. Shootings. Overdoses. Stabbings. Good God, woman. That place is a shit hole.”

“It’s cheap, and I can’t afford to be picky.”

“Well, keep your doors and windows locked.”

“You’re going all cop on me again.”

“I’m just trying to keep you alive. And, lady, you’re turning this into quite a challenge.”

“Ta-da!” He held out both arms, if somewhat a little stiffly on the right side.

“No sling!” Kate exclaimed with a smile.

“Come on. I’ll show you that I can eat a chili cheeseburger like a big boy now.”

“Oooh. You really know how to impress a girl, don’t you?”

“Lady, you have no idea.” He wiggled his dark eyebrows at her provocatively.

“So, how long until you’re back at work?”

He took her hand as they left the Music Hall and went to the food area. “Probably not for another month. I’ve been practicing shooting with my left hand, but I’m still pretty pathetic. I’ll probably have to ride a desk for a while, which will make me crazy.”

“Don’t you want to become a detective or something? I thought all cops couldn’t wait to get off patrol.”

They placed their orders and carried their food to an empty picnic table. Although it hurt like hell, Sam flexed his arm so he could eat without making too much of a mess.

“I’ll admit that this whole episode has made me think. I love being out there, dealing with people and watching the wildlife on Colfax. But facing the business end of a gun was a sobering experience.”

“Is that the first time you’ve been shot?”

“And the last, I hope. I guess cops have a sense of immortality, but once you see your friend dying at your feet, you realize it’s for real.” He felt the sting of tears burn his eyelids, so he quickly changed the subject.

“So when are you going to move?”

She blinked. “I can barely pay my rent. There’s no way I could pull together enough cash for a deposit and first month somewhere more expensive. Especially now that I have to pay my deductible to get my car fixed.”

“I could loan you some money.”

“Oh, no.” She shook her head so vigorously that her long hair swirled around her shoulders. “I couldn’t do that. I’ll be fine.”

“Did you know that there are eleven registered sex offenders living at the Newcastle?”

All the color except for two spots of red high on her cheekbones drained from her face. “No, but—”

“And that the courts house felons there when they’re on parole?”

“Stop. You’ve made your point.” She held up her hands to silence him. “I’ll be careful, and I’ll save as much as I can so I can move.”

Her words were strong, but he noticed that her hands were shaking as she dropped her half-eaten corn dog into the bag. “Hey, I’m sorry.” He rushed to mend some of the damage. “I shouldn’t have told you all that. But I want you to be
extra
careful.”

“I will,” she promised, but the mood had darkened.

Sam put the rest of the trash in the bag and wadded it up. With a deliberately aimed shot, he tossed it toward the garbage can with his right hand. Not only did that send a painful jolt of pain shooting up to his shoulder, but it went left. “Damn!”

But when he looked back at Kate, she was trying hard to hide a smile.

“When you meet my brothers, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention that,” he suggested.

“And the other one?”

“Yeah, that, too. I was closer this time.” He stood and walked toward the can, picked up the trash, and dropped it in. “How about some ice cream? While I was waiting, I saw a place that looked pretty good.”

She nodded her agreement, and they walked down Main Street to a small restaurant where several people were either standing in line or walking away with one or two generous scoops of ice cream on cones.

“I started physical therapy this week, and it kicked my butt. I was as grumpy as a bear.”

Kate seemed relieved by that explanation.

“I’m sorry I didn’t call earlier, but as soon as I got home, I’d take a pain pill and go to bed.”

“Is it feeling any better?”

“A little. But they tell me it’s healing well.” They moved up in line. “I’m glad you called me back.” He looked down at her and couldn’t keep from smiling. He wanted to tell her how much he had missed her, and how disappointed he had been that she hadn’t called him. What he told her about feeling like crap had been all too true. But in his moments of clarity, he had wanted to hear her voice.

No, he definitely didn’t want her to know any of that. He didn’t even understand it himself. There was no question that she was easy on the eyes. But there were always lots of pretty girls hanging around cops. It wasn’t like he couldn’t find a date.

There had been a spark the first moment he saw her. He had to admit that his efforts to find her had been a little above and beyond. And spending more time with her had only made him want more. It was a new and disturbing experience for him.

They moved forward and stopped at the window. “Chocolate for me,” he said.

“Me, too,” Kate said, and reluctantly let his hand go so she could take her cone when it was ready.

They wandered around the two blocks that made up the small town, hurriedly licking their ice cream before it melted. He could tell Kate had relaxed again and was enjoying herself. Sam regretted being so aggressive about her apartment, but he was determined to get her out of there as soon as possible. He would just have to be more subtle about it.

The late show went well, and Kate was in high spirits when she joined him afterward. He helped her with her section, feeling only slightly more useful, since the flexibility of his right arm was still limited. When he saw the damage to her car, he had to force himself to remain calm. She could have been killed, and that thought brought out a fiercely protective emotion that frightened him with its intensity.

“I’m going to get it fixed as soon as I can. I know the taillights aren’t legal.” She frowned at the red tape the guy at the auto parts store had stuck across the new bulbs in the recessed areas where the plastic covers used to be.

She opened her door and turned. He stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. Without hesitation, she lifted her face to meet his as he leaned down and kissed her. “I’ve been dying to do that all day,” he whispered.

“Me, too,” she admitted.

Her breath was warm on his lips, and he pulled her closer. It was the first time he had been able to put both arms around her and really feel the feminine softness of her body pressed against him. His reaction was immediate, and he pulled away, not wanting her to be put off by its intensity. In the background were the voices and laughter of families leaving the park and heading toward their cars, reminding him that this was definitely not the place for a romantic moment.

“I’ll follow you,” he said, his voice still husky. Clearing his throat, he continued, “When we get closer to Denver, let’s stop for a real meal.”

She nodded, as if not quite trusting her voice, either.

He closed her door after she was safely inside, then walked to his car. They found a Denny’s that was open all night and stopped for a middle-of-the-night breakfast.

It was almost one by the time they reached her apartment. When he offered to walk her to her door, she didn’t hesitate to accept. His earlier cautions had frightened her more than she wanted to admit. It didn’t help that the desk clerk knew Sam by name and greeted him as if he were an old friend, further proof of his frequent visits there.

When they reached her room, she unlocked the door and felt a rush of anxiety as she looked around at the shabby furniture. If this didn’t chase him away, nothing would. But Sam was more interested in the sturdiness of the deadbolt and of the wood of her door. He went to the window and checked the locks and the access from outside. Satisfied that no one without an extension ladder could reach her apartment, he turned back to her as she stood nervously in the middle of the living room.

“I’ll replace the locks on the door and figure out some way to reinforce it,” he told her in a tone that allowed her no room for her not to accept. “Do you mind if I look around the rest of the place?”

“No, not at all.” She led him into the tiny bedroom that was almost completely filled by the double bed and small dresser.

“A Beanie Baby?” He gave her that crooked grin that made her heart do that silly flip-flop.

A little unnerved, she picked up the small purple bear. “Her name is Princess, I think in honor of Princess Diana,” she told him, pulling apart the Velcro opening to reveal the roll of bills she had hidden inside. “It’s my secret stash.”

“Do you think that’s safe?”

“I used it all the way through college. With the value of Beanies falling to nothing, I figured nobody would ever want to steal her. What could be safer?”

He shrugged. “You could be right. It’s the last place I’d look.”

“My point exactly.” She flashed him a teasing smile as she placed Princess back on her pillow. Something on her dresser caught her eye and she gasped.

“Oh God!” Her hands flew to her mouth and she stepped back so quickly that she slammed into Sam.

“What?” He wrapped his arms around her automatically, sensing her dismay.

Shock washed over her, bathing her in a cold sweat. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Even worse, she couldn’t bear to consider how it had happened. She turned her back toward the dresser and buried her face into Sam’s broad chest. Her voice shook as she murmured, “On the dresser.”

Sam looked confused, but he knew she was upset, so he tightened his hold. “What about it?”

Kate turned her head just enough to peek back at the dresser, as if it were a cobra about to strike.

There, carefully placed side by side on top of the worn wood, were both of the crystal hoops she had been wearing the night Sam got shot.

“The earrings. Someone has been here.”

Still Sam didn’t see the significance.

“I lost an earring that night…you know, after you…on the sidewalk or somewhere, I don’t know.” She could barely catch her breath, and her voice broke as she tried to explain. “I threw all my other clothes away, except for the one earring that was left. I tossed it in the drawer and haven’t touched it since.” Her hands clung to his shirt as if it and his arm around her waist were the only things keeping her from either collapsing on the floor or running from the room. “Someone must have picked it up…then broke in here and…went through my drawer and found the one I had…” She shivered violently. “Why? Why would someone do that?”

She felt Sam stiffen and switch into what she thought of as his cop mode. Without releasing her, he pulled out his cell phone and made a call. Then he took her into the living room and helped her sit down at the kitchen table, facing away from the bedroom. From somewhere beneath the loose button-up cotton shirt he’d been wearing, he pulled out a small revolver and held it in his right hand.

“Stay here,” he told her. “I’m going to check out the bathroom and under the bed.”

Her eyes popped open. “You mean he might still be here?”

“Probably not. But I’d feel better if I checked it out. Jim and whoever else is in the area will be here momentarily.”

The apartment was so small, it didn’t take him but a couple of minutes to completely check every nook and cranny. Satisfied that they were alone, he stuck the pistol back into the waistband of his jeans. As promised, two police officers arrived shortly thereafter, and the next hour was a blur. Sam made her a cup of tea while the cops dusted for fingerprints, studied the door for signs of forced entry, and took dozens of photographs. She repeated her story to Jim Luccardi, who had been roused out of bed to join them. She tried to overhear Sam and Jim’s conversation as they talked together in the bedroom, but there was too much noise and activity.

Finally, when everyone had left except Sam, she looked around what had been her safety zone and felt totally violated. Everything Sam had said had been tumbling through her mind, along with her own financial limitations. She didn’t know what she was going to do, but she couldn’t spend the night in the apartment.

Sam held his hand out to her and helped her stand. “Go pack some things. You’re coming home with me tonight.”

“I can’t…” she started to object. She knew there were so many reasons she shouldn’t, but there were more reasons why she should. It didn’t take but a few minutes to stuff some clothes, a few of her toiletries, and the rest of her jewelry into a bag. At the last minute, she grabbed Princess off the bed and added her to the bag.

Thankfully, the cops had taken the earrings for evidence, so she didn’t have to be taunted by them again. It gave her the creeps just to look at the dresser where they had been. Someone had gone through her things. Touching them. Moving them. Doing God knows what to them. The thought made her nauseous.

Sam didn’t even suggest taking her car. He just led her to his Mustang, helped her into the passenger seat, and buckled her seat belt as if she were a two-year-old. Her eyes searched every face they passed as if she’d recognize the person who had been in her apartment. Several people stared back, but she was coherent enough to realize they couldn’t actually see inside the vehicle because of the dark tint on the windows. Besides, they were probably just admiring the car. If she had been in a better frame of mind, she, too, would have been enjoying the ride in the flashy vehicle.

Less than ten minutes later, they pulled into a parking lot and stopped in a space by a front door. Even though she was still completely rattled, she couldn’t help but notice that they were in front of what looked like an old church.

“Are we going to pray for divine intervention?” she asked, twisting her head so she could see the top of the weathered copper spire. Light spilled out in a brilliant rainbow through the huge round stained-glass window on the third level and several tall, cathedral-shaped ones on the first floor.

“This is where I live.” He got out of the car and hurried around to her side so he could open her door.

“You’re a cop
and
a priest? That must keep you pretty busy.”

“I assure you, I’m no priest.” The sexy crooked grin stretched across his face. “This church was about to be torn down when an architect bought it and turned it into condos several years ago.”

“It’s gorgeous. How can you afford it?” She realized how impertinent that sounded and quickly added, “On a cop’s salary, I mean.”