Night Shield (5 page)

“And now you want a raise?”

“I’m going to stick with my day job, thanks all the same. I’d rather clean up the streets than tables.” Absently she pressed a hand to the ache in the small of her back.

“We go back to bar food at eleven, so the busing slows down.”

“Hallelujah.”

He laid a hand on her arm before she could lift the tray. “You corner Frannie outside?”

“Excuse me?”

“She went out, you went out, she came in, you came in.”

“I’m doing my job. However, I resisted shining a light in her eyes and smacking her in the face with my rubber hose. Now let me get on with it.”

She hefted the tray, shoved past him.

“By the way, Allison.”

She stopped, a snarl working its way up her throat. “What?”

“The power ball trounced your guts and efficiency. Eight to two.”

“One game doesn’t a season make.” She jerked up her chin and strode off. On her way by the dance floor, a man reached out and gave her butt a hopeful pat. As Jonah watched, she stopped dead in her tracks, turned slowly and gave him one, long icy look. The man stepped back, lifted his hands in apology and quickly melted into the dancers.

“Handles herself,” Beth said from beside him.

“Yeah. Yeah, she does.”

“Pulls her weight, too, and doesn’t whine about it. I like your girlfriend, Jonah.”

He was too surprised to comment and only stared when Beth hustled away.

He let out a short laugh and shook his head. Oh, that one had slipped by him. Right on by him.

*  *  *

Last call was enough to make Ally all but weep with gratitude. She’d been on her feet since eight that morning. Her fondest wish was to go home, fall into bed and sleep for the precious five hours she had before starting it all over again.

“Go on home,” Beth ordered. “We’ll go over closing tomorrow night. You did fine.”

“Thanks. I mean it.”

“Will, let Ally into the lounge, will you?”

“No problem. Nice crowd tonight. Nothing I like better than a crowded club. Want a drink before you head out?”

“Not unless I can stick my feet in it.”

He chuckled, patted her back. “Frannie, pour me one, will you?”

“Already on it.”

“I like a brandy at the end of a shift. One glass of the good stuff. You change your mind,” he said as he unlocked the door, “just pull up a stool. The man, he doesn’t charge employees for an end-of-shift drink.”

He went off, whistling through his teeth.

Ally shoved her apron into her locker, pulled out her bag and jacket. She was just putting the jacket on when Jan breezed in. “Heading out? You look beat. Me, I’m just hitting my stride this time of night.”

“My stride hit me about an hour ago.” Ally paused at the door. “Don’t your feet hurt?”

“Nah. I got arches of steel. And most guys tip better if you walk around on skinny heels.” She bent to run a hand up her leg. “I believe in using what works.”

“Yeah. Well, good night.”

Ally stepped out of the lounge, shutting the door behind her, and bumped solidly into Jonah.

“Where’d you park?” he asked her.

“I didn’t. I walked.” Ran, she remembered, but it came to the same thing.

“I’ll drive you home.”

“I can walk. It’s not far.”

“It’s two in the morning. A block is too far.”

“For heaven’s sake, Blackhawk, I’m a cop.”

“So naturally, bullets bounce off you.”

Before she could argue, he caught her chin in his hand. The gesture, the firm grip of his fingers, shocked her to silence. “You’re not a cop at the moment,” he murmured. “You’re a female employee and the daughter of a friend. I’ll drive you home.”

“Fine. Dandy. My feet hurt anyway.”

She started to shove his hand away, but he beat her to it and shifted his grip to her arm.

“Night, boss.” Beth called out, grinning at them as they passed. “Get that girl off her feet.”

“That’s my plan. Later, Will. Night, Frannie.”

Suspicion was buzzing in Ally’s brain as Will lifted his brandy snifter and Frannie watched her with quiet and serious eyes.

“What was that?” Ally demanded when they stepped out in the cool air. “What exactly was that?”

“That was me saying good night to friends and employees. I’m parked across the street.”

“Excuse me, my feet have gone numb, not my brain. You gave those people the very distinct impression that we have a thing here.”

“That’s right. I didn’t consider it, either, until Beth made some remark earlier. It simplifies things.”

She stopped beside a sleek black Jaguar. “Just how do you figure that having people think there’s a personal thing between us simplifies anything?”

“And you call yourself a detective.” He unlocked the passenger door, opened it. “You’re a beautiful blonde with legs up to your ears. I hire you, out of the blue, when you have basically no experience. The first assumption from people who know me is I’m attracted to you. The second would be you’re attracted to me. Add all those together and you end up with romance. Or at least sex. Are you going to get in?”

“You haven’t explained how those deductions equal simple.”

“If people think we’re involved, they won’t think twice if I give you a little leeway, if you come up to my office. They’ll be friendlier.”

Ally said nothing while she let it run through her head. Then she nodded. “All right. There’s an advantage to it.”

Going with impulse, he shifted, boxed her in between his body and the car door. There was a light breeze, just enough to stir her scent. There was a three-quarter moon, bright enough to sprinkle silver into her eyes. The moment, he decided, seemed to call for it.

“Could be more than one advantage to it.”

The thrill that sprinted straight up her spine irritated her. “Oh, you’re going to want to step back, Blackhawk.”

“Beth’s at the window of the bar, and she’s got a romantic heart despite everything that’s happened to her. She’s hoping for a moment here. A long, slow kiss, the kind that slides over melting sighs and heats the blood.”

His hands came to her hips as he spoke, rode up to just under her breasts. Her mouth went dry and the ache in her belly was a wide stretch of longing.

“You’re going to have to disappoint her.”

Jonah skimmed his gaze down to her mouth. “She’s not the only one.” But he released her, stepped back. “Don’t worry, Detective. I never hit on cops, or daughters of friends.”

“Then I guess I’ve got a double shield against your wild and irresistible charms.”

“Good thing for both of us, because I sure as hell like the look of you. You getting in?”

“Yeah, I’m getting in.” She got into the car and waited until the door shut before letting out the
long, painful breath she’d been holding.

Wherever that spurt of lust inside her had come from, it would just have to go away again. Cool off, she ordered herself, but her heart was bumping madly against her rib cage. Cool off and focus on the job.

Jonah slid in beside her, annoyed that his pulse wasn’t quite steady. “Where to?” When she rattled off the address, he shoved the key into the ignition and aimed one hot look at her. “That’s a damn mile. Why the hell did you walk?”

“Because it was rush hour. It’s quicker. And it’s ten blocks.”

“That’s just stupid.”

She had a response for that. The venom of it scalded her tongue as she rounded on him. She didn’t even recognize the vibration of her beeper for several seconds, mistaking it for the vibration of rage.

She yanked it from her skirt, checked the number. “Damn it. Damn it.” From her purse she pulled out her cell phone and quickly dialed. “Detective Fletcher. Yeah, I got it. I’m on my way.”

Calming herself, she shoved the phone back into her purse. “Since you’re determined to play cabdriver, let’s get going. I’ve got another B and E.”

“Give me the address.”

“Just take me home so I can get my car.”

“Give me the address, Allison. Why waste time?”

Jonah dropped her off in front of an attractive, ranch-style home in an upscale development convenient to the freeway. In reasonable traffic, the commute to downtown would take under twenty minutes.

The Chamberses, Ally discovered, were an attractive, upscale couple, both lawyers in their early thirties, childless professionals who spent their comfortable income on the good life.

Wine, wardrobe, jewelry, art and music.

“They got my diamond earrings and my Cartier Tank watch.” Maggie Chambers rubbed her eyes as she sat in what was left of her sprawling great room. “We haven’t gone through everything, but there were Dalí and Picasso lithographs on that wall there. And in that niche there was an Erté sculpture we bought at an auction two years ago. Joe collected cuff links. I don’t know how many pairs he had offhand, but he had diamond ones and ruby for his birthstone and several antique pairs.”

“They’re insured.” Her husband reached out to take her hand, squeeze it.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s not the same. Those thugs were in our house. In our house, Joe, and they’ve taken our things. Damn it, they stole my car. My brand-new BMW, and it didn’t have five thousand miles on it. I loved that stupid car.”

“Mrs. Chambers, I know it’s hard.”

Maggie Chambers whipped her gaze toward Ally. “Have you ever been robbed, Detective?”

“No.” Ally set her notebook on her knee a moment. “But I’ve worked plenty of burglaries, robberies, muggings.”

“It’s not the same.”

“Maggie, she’s just doing her job.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I know.” She covered her face with her hands, drew air in, slowly let it out. “I’ve got the shakes, that’s all. I don’t want to stay here tonight.”

“We don’t have to. We’ll go to a hotel. How much more do you need, Detective … was it Fletcher?”

“Yes. Just a few more questions. You said both of you were out all evening.”

“Yeah, Maggie won a case today, and we decided to go out and celebrate. She’s been piled under for more than a month. We went to the Starfire club with some friends.” As he spoke, he rubbed soothing circles over his wife’s back. “Drinks, dinner, a little dancing. Like we told the other policeman, we didn’t get home until nearly two.”

“Does anyone other than the two of you have a key?”

“Our housekeeper.”

“Would she also have the security code?”

“Sure.” Joe started to speak, then blinked, stuttered. “Oh, listen, Carol’s been cleaning for us for nearly ten years. She’s practically family.”

“It’s just procedure, Mr. Chambers. Could I have her full name and address, for the record?”

She took them through the entire evening, looking for a connection, a contact, anything that struck a chord. But for the Chamberses it had been nothing more than an entertaining evening out, until they’d
walked back in their own front door.

When Ally left them, she had a partial list of stolen items, with a promise for the complete list as well as the insurance information. The crime scene unit was still working, but she’d gone over the scene herself. She didn’t expect the miracle of fingerprints or dropped clues.

The moon had set, but the stars were out and brilliant. The wind had picked up to dance down the street in little whirls and gusts. The neighborhood was hushed, the houses dark. Those who lived here had long since been tucked in for the night.

She doubted the canvass was going to turn up any handy eyewitnesses.

Jonah was leaning against the hood of his car, drinking what appeared to be a cup of take-out coffee with one of the uniforms.

When she approached the car, Jonah held out the half cup he had left. “Thanks.”

“You can have a whole one. There’s a twenty-four-hour place a few blocks down.”

“This is fine,” she replied, taking the cup. “Officer, you and your partner were first on scene?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I’ll need your report on my desk by eleven hundred.” With a brisk nod, the officer headed for his car. Ally sipped the coffee, then turned to Jonah and handed him the cup. “You didn’t have to wait. I can get a ride home in one of the radio cars.”

“I have a stake here.” He opened the car door. “Were they at my place?”

“Now, why would you ask me when we both know you just got finished pumping that uniform?”

“Hey, I bought the coffee.” He handed it back to her, then walked around to the driver’s side. “So, the perps picked their marks at the Starfire tonight. Have they hit there before?”

“No, you’re still the only repeater. They’ll come back to you.” She shut her exhausted eyes. “It’s just a matter of time.”

“Well, that makes me feel lots better. What kind of take did they get?”

“BMW roadster out of the garage, some art, high-end electronics and heavy on the jewelry.”

“Don’t these people have safes?”

“These did, a small one in the walk-in closet of the master suite. Of course, they had the combination for it written down on a piece of paper in the desk.”

“That’ll discourage the criminal element.”

“They had a security system, which they swear they engaged when they left—though the wife didn’t look quite so sure of that. Anyway, the point is they felt secure. Nice house, nice neighborhood. People get sloppy.” Eyes still closed, she circled her head, cracking out the tension. “They’re both lawyers.”

“Well, hell then, what do we care?”

She was tired enough to laugh. “Watch it, ace. My aunt is district attorney in Urbana.”

“You going to drink that coffee or just hold on to it?”

“What? Oh, no, here. I don’t want anymore. It’ll just keep me awake.”

He doubted a tanker truck of coffee could keep her awake much longer. Her voice was going thick, adding, he thought, to the in-the-gut sexiness of it. Fatigue had her unguarded enough to tilt her face toward him as she tried to find a comfortable resting spot. Her eyes were shut, her lips soft and just parted.

He had a feeling he knew exactly how they’d taste. Warm and soft. Ripe with sleep.

At a stop sign, he put the car in neutral, engaged the emergency brake, then leaned over her to press the mechanism that lowered her seat back.

She jerked up, rapped her head smartly against his. Even as he swore, she slapped a hand on his
chest.