Gotta Get Next To You (29 page)

Three days later his partner sat across from
him in his apartment just outside New Orleans. Lee’s mind twisted
with indecision. He’d given in when he shouldn’t have. Now he had
to find a way out. He should have avoided Andrea and concentrated
on the case. Why couldn’t he have walked away? No mystery there.
He’d looked into her eyes and leaving was not an option. Every
detail of their lovemaking came back to him vividly, hot memories
that burned him even now. The way she wrapped her legs around him
left him weak. He wanted to taste her sweetness all the time. Not a
minute of the day passed when he didn’t think of Andrea.

“Well?” Vince’s deep voice broke through his
musing.

Lee shook off the haze he was in and looked
back at him. Vince sat on the patio chair across from him, wearing
a frown of disapproval.

“She’s not in on it,” Lee said
defensively.

“Uh-huh. And that’s your totally objective
opinion,” Vince tossed back. “Yeah, right.” He took a long sip from
a can of beer.

Lee sprang from his chair and paced. “I
shouldn’t have told you about us,” he muttered in irritation.

“You told me after I put two and two
together, my brother,” Vince said. “I figured something was up. Two
months on one simple case. In and out, that was the plan,
remember?”

“Sheriff Boudreaux wanted me to stay in,” Lee
growled. “It wasn’t just Andrea.”

“C’mon, you’re talking to me. You’ve tied up
more complicated cases in less time.”

“This is different.” Lee stared across the
small patch of ground that was his urban backyard.

“Damn! Don’t tell me, you’re in love,” Vince
said with a sour note in his voice. He drew a huge hand over his
face.

The word “love” sent a chill up Lee’s spine.
He didn’t want to talk about his feelings for Andrea, not even with
his closest friend. Besides, he could not face the thought of what
would happen in the future. All good things came to an end. What
he’d shared with Andrea went way above good, to beautiful. In the
light of day Lee realized the pain would be that much more intense.
At this point the best thing he could do was wrap up the case
without hurting either of them too much. That meant he would
protect Andrea from the whole ugly mess. He spun around to face
Vince.

“Look, I can finish this in three weeks.”

“I say two.” Vince held up three thick
fingers and ticked them off as he spoke. “You’ve met with the small
town scum wanna-bes. You know what the kid’s been up to. Give
Sheriff Whatsit the info and let him take it from there.”

“I don’t know if I can.” Lee rubbed his
chin.

“No, you don’t know if you want to,” Vince
replied.

‘Two weeks starting when?”

“Monday.” Vince nodded when Lee glanced at
him sharply. “Yep, I mean tomorrow.”

“That’s it. I just disappear.” It sounded so
cold and final when Lee said it out loud. But that was what he
wanted, right?

“I’m not totally heartless. I can see you
care about this lady. Two weeks is stretching it, but you can break
it off gently.” Vince shrugged.

“Yeah.” Lee walked back to him and sat down
heavily.

Vince lifted the can to take another swig,
but paused with it halfway to his mouth. “You are going to stop
seeing her?”

Lee shook his head slowly. “She’s not like
the rest, Vince. I know this sounds like a stupid line from some
stupid love song, but Andrea is special.”

Vince sighed and put the can down on the
table. He drummed his fingers on the tabletop for several seconds.
“I wasn’t gonna say anything, but—”

“I know what you’re going to say. Don’t let a
sexy body make me lose my head. Letting women tied to a case get to
you is the first fatal mistake for cops and private investigators.”
Lee rattled off the admonition Vince had given numerous times over
the years.

“That’s not it. I got kinda worried about
this so- called simple case getting too dangerous. I did some
checking up on the principles.” Vince paused, his jaw clenched
tight.

“You don’t need to go behind me like I'm some
rookie,” Lee said with a scowl.

“I know that,” Vince snapped. “Stop being so
damn touchy. We’ve watched each other’s backs since day one.” Lee
raked his fingers through his hair. Vince was right, of course.
More than once they’d delved deeper on each other’s cases when they
had a lead that would help. “Sorry, man.”

“Forget it,” Vince said, and waved a hand in
the air. “But you ain’t gonna like this.”

Vince wore a deep frown as he leaned forward.
A cold chill, this time fear, went through Lee despite the thick
Louisiana heat.

“What?” Lee said, his throat constricted.

“I finished the background on Mandeville and
Andrea Noble. He’s no dummy. I had to really dig deep,” Vince
said.

“And he’s up to his neck in shady dealings. I
suspected as much.” Lee shrugged.

“Mandeville’s interest in the clinic is more
than just as a concerned citizen. He’s majority owner of a medical
supply business that sells to the state, including the Bayou Blue
Health Clinic.”

“I’m not surprised. So he wants to make sure
he keeps a fat contract.” Lee began to relax, but Vince’s
expression stopped him. “There’s more?”

“He’s ripping them off,” Vince said. “The
usual stuff, billing more than they should.”

“Some of his political enemies are trying to
get him?” Lee remembered the snatch of conversations he’d overheard
at Mandeville’s office.

“That little clinic could bring him down. All
they have to do is find one loose thread to follow and the whole
scheme could unravel.”

“With his money, he’ll survive.” Lee lifted a
shoulder. “And I never thought his motives were pure anyway.”

“He can’t afford another scandal and a
criminal investigation. Some of his empire hasn’t bounced back yet.
He was heavily invested in Asian markets. Top notch lawyers charge
a lot of money.”

“So he hired me to investigate.” Lee nodded.
It only confirmed his low opinion of the man.

“Good way for him to keep one step ahead,”
Vince said.

“No wonder he was so eager to have me follow
up on the gang connection. He wants time to clean up his mess and
get attention away from the contracts.” Lee rocked back in his
chair. “I knew he wasn’t just interested in helping the poor.”

“Not hardly,” Vince retorted.

“What goes around comes around. Mandeville
will get his sooner or later. Besides, Andrea won’t let him rip off
that clinic. She’s too dedicated to the patients,” Lee said.

Vince let out a puff of air. “Lee, she’s his
daughter.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Lee’s
eyes narrowed. He let the chair fall forward.

“Andrea Noble is John Mandeville’s
wrong-side-of- the-blanket daughter. I’m sorry, man.” Vince fell
back in the chair. He seemed drained from the act of delivering bad
news.

“Are you sure?” Lee clenched his hands into
fists.

“It’s not on her birth certificate, but I
tracked down Louis Noble’s sister in Lake Carlos. Course nobody
talks openly.”

“There’s no way to confirm thirty-year-old
gossip,” Lee snapped. He glared at his partner.

Vince’s expression was sympathetic despite
Lee’s anger. “Louis Noble married her mother and adopted Andrea,
thinking she was his. When he found out the truth, he started
drinking heavily and doing cocaine. He went on a binge and crashed
his car. The sister is still bitter about it.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s true,” Lee protested.
He got up and paced. “Maybe they never liked Andrea’s mom.
Maybe—”

“Charlene Noble and Mandeville quietly
settled her claim for child support when Andrea was born.
Mandeville’s rich daddy wrote a check for seventy thousand
dollars.” Vince drew an envelope out of his shirt pocket.

Lee took the photocopy of the court record
and read it. His fury grew with each sentence. Charlene had agreed
not to press any further claims in exchange for the money.

“Damn it, I should have known.” He held the
papers so tight, they crumpled at the edges.

“I didn’t find any evidence Andrea’s hooked
up with Mandeville to pad prices. But—” Vince broke off as though
unwilling to make the final accusation.

“She might even have an interest in some of
Mandeville’s businesses.” Lee’s mind raced ahead at the
possibilities. “Hell! I’ll bet she’s known all along that I’m a
private investigator.”

He laughed bitterly, a sour taste in his
mouth. Andrea had succeeded at beating Lee at his own game. Those
whispered words of passion were an act. Most of his life he’d run
from women who wanted more than he could or would give. This time
it was the other way around. He’d fallen in love with a woman who
didn’t care for him at all. Vince’s voice finally pierced the rage
that fogged his brain.

“Lee, listen to me. I’m not sure she knows
about you. Mandeville is a crafty snake. It could be in his
interest to keep her in the dark,” Vince said loudly to get his
attention.

Lee paced and thought hard. “But why wouldn’t
he tell her?”

‘To protect her or himself. And another
thing, Andrea and her mom might have their own agenda. This thing
is like the twisted plot of some southern gothic novel.” Vince
threw up both hands. “Just give the sheriff what he wants and
forget about the Addams Family.”

Lee’s expression hardened along with his
heart, or at least he tried to harden his heart against her. But
one thing he did know. He would kick her to the curb for sure. He’d
learned long ago to cut his losses with beautiful women who
lied.

“Yeah. I’ll bag more than one crook before
I’m through.” Lee’s jaw hurt when he clenched his teeth.

Vince stared at him intently. “Meaning?”

“I’m going to help put those gangstas in jail
and ex-pose Mandeville’s scam,” he said.

“And what if Andrea is involved?” Vince
pressed.

Lee rubbed a hand over his face. He closed
his eyes and thought of holding her in his arms naked beneath a
bright blue sky. She’d definitely gotten through his cynical armor.
He had to get over it. Fast.

“Whatever happens, happens. The board hired
me to find out exactly what’s going on, and that’s what I plan to
do. I’ll get the job done,” he said, his voice strained.

***

Andrea laced her fingers together and rested
her hands on the top of her desk. She studied Denny’s sullen
expression. This was not at all the reaction she’d expected, and
certainly not the one she would tolerate. The informal meeting had
started off on a cordial note. After twenty minutes of her trying
to get a straight answer about discrepancies she’d found in the
inventory, Denny had become irritable. Now both stared at the
printed reports like two chess players planning their next move.
“Well?” Andrea said to break the silent standoff.

“I don’t appreciate it. Okay, so maybe I did
get in a little trouble when I was young. That’s no reason to act
like you want to search my house or something.” Denny gestured with
both hands to dramatize his outrage.

“I didn’t accuse you. I’ve said that a half
dozen times in the last five minutes.” Andrea spoke in a level tone
even though her temper was steadily rising. “But you know one of my
priorities is to improve accountability with inventory. Especially
when it comes to drugs.”

“Like I haven’t been giving up my nights and
weekends to get the place straight!” Denny blurted out. “This is
the thanks I get.”

“I know how hard you worked.” Andrea ground
her back teeth.

“I can’t help it if the place got run into
the ground. I wasn’t in charge. Awright?”

“This is about the inventory and invoices for
the past three months. Forget the last director and what happened
then.” Andrea picked up the printed record from the database. “Over
fifteen numbered invoices have disappeared. And this bill seems to
indicate two very ex-pensive digital drug scales and a microscope
were ordered.” She waved the discarded carbon of the clinic credit
card.

“I don’t know,” Denny mumbled. “You can’t
even read all the numbers. How you know when that stuff was
ordered?”

Andrea could not argue with him. She could
only read the brand names and a few numbers. Most of it had been
tom off. The slip of paper had fallen out from between two rolling
file cabinets.

Andrea nodded. ‘True. But what’s with this
attitude, Denny?”

“I can’t do my work with everybody looking
over my shoulder, giving me orders. Man, it’s working my
nerves.”

“I’m not asking any more from you than I
expect from all the staff, including myself. We can’t afford many
mistakes. All eyes are on us.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Denny mumbled under his
breath. He stared at the floor.

“Excuse me. Maybe I can help.” Jamal stood in
the door, but did not come in. He glanced from Andrea to Denny.

Andrea looked up and smiled. “No, but thanks
any—” Denny jumped from the chair. “Man, she riding me about some
stupid reports. Tell her, Jamal. We’ve put those records back
together.”

“He’s right. We keep finding missing forms.
But we did the best we could.” Jamal nodded.

“Yeah, even Dr. B says they’re in the best
shape he’s ever seen ’em.” Denny referred to the pharmacist.

Andrea placed both hands on her desk, palm
down. “Fine. Then I need to know which sets of invoices have been
ordered since my first day here.”

“There’s no way to know that,” Denny said
promptly. “The box with sixty packs was opened. They were all
jumbled up.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Jamal added.

“Who opened the box?” Andrea said tightly.
This was beginning to seem like a game of dodge.

“The previous director—” Jamal began.

“Shonda did it—” Denny said.

They broke off at the same time. Denny cast a
side-long glance at Jamal. Jamal did not look at him but
shrugged.