Veiled Intentions (12 page)

“It takes thirteen average-size steps to go from one side to the other,” Garrett commented from the doorway of the headquarters' conference room. “But then you probably already figured that out since all you've done is pace for the past fifteen minutes.”

“I beg to differ.” Katelyn held up the foam cup. “I've had coffee with my pacing.”

“How very multitasked of you. Try it with gum, and you'll really impress me.”

Too bad their attempts at levity failed.

Mercy. Another shooting.

She tried to choke back a sigh, failed, and dropped down into one of the burgundy leather chairs that encircled a massive oval table.

Garrett glanced at Joe, who was in the adjoining room. He'd kept the door open, and the glass panel allowed them both to see that Joe was still talking on the phone. Too bad she couldn't hear what he was saying.

“You have an update on the wounded couple yet?” Garrett asked her.

“That's what Joe's getting now.” She set her empty cup aside. “Their names are Melissa and Brad Garcia. They're alive. At least, they were when they arrived at the hospital a couple of hours ago, but they're both in surgery.”

“I heard the shooting happened not too far from the Municipal Auditorium?”

She nodded. “They were getting married in a late night ceremony on one of those tour boats. Just the couple, a minister and two others who were witnessing the wedding.”

That in itself posed some serious questions as to how the sniper had learned about the ceremony. It wasn't exactly a well-publicized event. If she could somehow pick up the information trail, it might lead her to the person responsible. And in this case, the person responsible had shot the bride and groom within seconds after they said I do.

Just the thought of that made her stomach churn. What was supposed to be the happiest night of their life had turned into a nightmare.

Katelyn shook her head, and her fingers curled into a fist. “I should have stopped him, Garrett. This shouldn't have happened.”

“You know, in some cultures that remark would be considered heresy. You're not God. Heck, you're not even in the angel category.” And though it was a typical cocky Garrett response, he gave her a broth
erly pat on the back. “Are you close to collaring this shooter?”

“He struck twice in the same night so at least we know we're pushing the right buttons.” She glanced in Joe's direction, but he was still on the phone. “Or in light of the wounded couple, maybe it was the wrong buttons.”

“It's not wrong. You'll get him.” Garrett unwrapped two mints that he took from his pocket, popped one in his mouth and uncurled her fist so he could put the other one in her hand. “I heard the owner of Perfect Match might be closing down the place for a couple of days. Will that affect your follow-up plans?”

“I don't know yet.” She stared at the mint because it gave her some place to focus her attention. “Joe just got the news before the hospital called.”

But it would definitely have an effect. After all, they were supposed to go to Perfect Match that very afternoon and invite Merrick to the wedding. Since that was a critical step in the plan, it meant they'd have to make other arrangements to see him.

Not an ideal contingency.

If they met Merrick elsewhere, it only increased problems for securing yet another location. But then, calling the man and asking him to meet them at Perfect Match might make him even more suspicious than he already was.

Garrett took a chair, turned it backward and sat across from her so they were face-to-face. When she didn't make eye contact with him, he put his finger
beneath her chin, lifted and forced the eye contact. He tipped his head toward Joe. “So how hard are you falling for that jerk?”

Katelyn frowned and tossed the mint into her mouth. She cracked it with her teeth. “He's not a jerk.”

“How hard are you falling for him?” Garrett flatly repeated.

The mint crunching didn't last nearly as long as Garrett's inquisitive, in-her-face expression. “As hard as a massive crate of concrete,” she admitted.

Garrett made a sound of disappointment, lifted her hand and studied the ring for her fake engagement to Joe. “I thought I taught you better than that. The badge first. Family second. Lust and laundry last.”

“I'm scared it's more than just lust,” Katelyn whispered.

“Hell.”

“Yes.” She considered some profanity of her own.

“What about all the other stuff going on?” Garrett asked. “You just plan to forget that Rico's investigation could ultimately hurt Brayden?”

“Don't give me that.” Katelyn managed to keep her voice at a whisper. An angry whisper. But it was still hopefully low enough that Joe wouldn't hear her. “The chief ordered that investigation, not Joe. And it could only ultimately hurt Brayden if there were some truth to it. There isn't.”

“You think Rico knows that?”

“I think I'll trust him to figure it out. Judas Priest, Garrett, he's not the bad guy in all of this. Heck,
maybe the chief isn't, either. Maybe he just wants to make sure he doesn't have a potential problem in the department that could affect morale.” But Katelyn groaned when she heard herself. “Good grief, I sound like Brayden. And Joe.”

“Scary, huh?” He took her empty coffee cup, crushed it and launched it into the trash can. “Wanna know what else sounds scary? According to the rumor mill, Rico will probably be promoted to lieutenant. If that happens, he'll almost certainly be put in charge of Special Investigations since Brodell's retiring. That means Rico will be
my
boss.”

Katelyn gave him a weary smile. “You've got nothing to worry about. Joe's a good boss.”

“Yeah, but there's no lust factor in this for me, just the concern that I might have to beat him to a pulp if he doesn't do right by Brayden.”

“He'll do right by Brayden.” And Katelyn was surprised to realize that she believed that with all her heart.

She was
so
in trouble.

One fantastic orgasm, and she was falling head over heels for a man she certainly shouldn't be falling for.

Because she couldn't sit still and because she noted a renewed concern on Joe's face, she got up and continued her pacing. Mercy, how long did it take to get a status report on patients?

“So the rumor mill is saying he'll be promoted?” Katelyn asked just to get her mind off that phone call.

“Apparently.”

“And what about my promotion?”

It was a gutsy question because she knew Garrett wouldn't lie to her. But there was a good chance he might try to sugarcoat it.

He lifted a shoulder. “It's just a rumor mill. What the heck does it matter?”

She groaned. Definitely sugarcoating. In other words, the odds were against her. However, it seemed a trivial worry with people's lives in limbo. Later, when this was over, she'd spend some time worrying about that particular aspect of her life.

Joe finally put down the phone and came out into the conference room. He nodded a greeting at Garrett before his gaze came to hers.

“The Garcias are out of the woods,” he let her know. “Both required surgery, but they're stable. The doctors are hopeful they'll make a full recovery. Not only that, we should be able to get an officer in there by evening to ask them some questions.”

Katelyn took a deep breath and said a prayer of thanks. Finally, a break. Now if they'd just get one with stopping this sniper before he could do any more damage.

“That's my cue to get out of here,” Garrett insisted. “Remember what I just told you, Sis.”

“No, thanks,” she tossed back.

He smiled in that secretive way that only Garrett and Mona Lisa could have managed, lifted a hand in farewell and headed out the door.

“A problem?” Joe asked, watching Garrett leave.

“No.” She glared at Garrett until he was out of
sight and then turned back to Joe. “Is this one connected to Perfect Match?”

“Afraid so. According to the minister, the couple met there at an icebreaker about three months ago.”

Katelyn had known he would say that. The sniper was back to the pattern. “Did anyone see the shooter?”

Joe shook his head. “No one's come forward, but it's early. We have an evidence response team checking the scene now. Brayden is still rounding up Bruce Donovan and Fiona Shipley. We might have answers soon.”

“What about Dr. Kent and Addison Merrick?” she asked.

“Supposedly they were at their residences, asleep. But three of the four suspects live alone so any of them could have sneaked out to commit the crime. Fiona could have left the mental health facility, as well.”

“Wait a minute—they weren't being watched?”

“They were, but it would have been easy enough to get out without being seen.”

True. So no breaks in that particular area. “This time the shots were fairly accurate?”

“Accurate enough to wound two people, but there were strays. At least a dozen. And the minister's leg was grazed with a bullet.” Joe scrubbed his fingers over his chin. “You're thinking about Donovan and those two rifles he owns?”

“Yes. Maybe he's a lousy shot despite being a gun owner? Or maybe he just wants to make people be
lieve the sniper has a bad aim so it'll take suspicion off him?”

“Or maybe he's not the sniper.” Joe stopped, apparently gave that some thought, and then looked at her. “What's going on in your head?”

“I was just thinking about how the sniper broke his own rules when he fired shots at us. We weren't a newlywed couple. Now with this latest shooting maybe he, or she, wants to remind everyone that he's really only after brides and grooms who meet at the agency. And if so, then it's obviously an important message to get across.”

“That brings us back to motive.” He flexed his eyebrows. “All four of our suspects have that in spades.”

Katelyn might have dwelled on that a little longer if she hadn't noticed the paper in Joe's hand.

“It's the details for tomorrow,” he said, obviously aware of what had caught her attention.

With everything else going on, she hadn't even thought that far in advance. She did now.

A wedding.

A fake one. With Joe. Tomorrow. Maybe what'd happened in the bathroom was coloring her opinion, but that suddenly sounded as nerve-wracking as facing a gunman.

“The ceremony's scheduled for noon,” Joe explained, handing her the paper. “The plan is for us to have officers and the SWAT team stake out every building around the church. We're hoping to catch the
sniper before either of us get near anything resembling an aisle.”

“That's something worth hoping for,” she mumbled, going over the mission summary.

“Of course, we'll be armed and wearing bullet-proof vests just in case he manages to get through.”

Of course. “Sounds like you've covered the primary bases. Well, except for maybe clothes. Do we need anything special to wear?”

A wedding dress, for example?

“Brayden's taking care of that. He knew your size,” Joe clarified when she stared at him.

“Better him than Garrett, I guess. I'd end up wearing pajamas to the church if you put him in charge of wardrobe.”

He reached out and touched her cheek. A quick, nonsexual tap. “Are you okay?”

“Of course.” She rubbed her arm in a
see?
gesture. “It really is just a scratch.”

“I wasn't talking about your arm.”

“Oh. That.” It seemed a good time to stare at the floor. The ceiling. Or anything other than Joe. “That's the problem with the morning after. Things seem, well, awkward.”

“Which is why I should have backed away.”

Heck. She hadn't meant to put this all on his shoulders. “I heard recently that in some cultures a comment like that could be considered heresy. You're not a supreme being, Joe, and don't worry—what happened between us won't affect the job.”

She hoped.

But she kept that inkling of doubt to herself.

“We're both consenting adults,” Katelyn continued. “Besides, we didn't even fully sleep together. It was just…lust.” There, that was the word she was looking for. “And now that we've taken the edge off, so to speak, everything should be fine.”

Mercy, she was babbling.

And lying.

Really lying.

That episode hadn't taken the edge off anything. It'd just made her aware of how hot Joe could get her and how masterfully he could satisfy that heat—all without fully having sex with her.

“Are you finished?” he asked.

She nodded.

And Joe stole her breath by leaning forward and kissing her.

It was nothing like the frenzied lip lock at the apartment. It was gentle. Comforting. Easy.

So easy.

It seemed as if her bones turned to liquid. But that only made it more memorable.

“Sergeant Rico?” she heard someone say. “Sorry to interrupt.”

Katelyn glanced at the door, fearing who might be there. It was Detective Dawn Davidson, who'd done the initial interrogation with Dr. Kent. Thankfully, the woman looked away while Katelyn broke the kiss. Not that it would diffuse much of anything. By afternoon, the rumor mill would have something savory to nibble on.

“Here's that info you requested. And the chief wants to see you right away.” Dawn handed Joe the folder and quickly excused herself.

The chief's request would have been alarming enough news without the “right away” part. It was probably about the investigation into the favoritism allegations.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall.

Despite the command from the highest ranking man in the building, Joe didn't leave. He did, however, let her fully slip out of his embrace so he could open the folder.

“I asked the techs to tap into Perfect Match's files and give me a list of all of Fiona Shipley's dream matches, plus the matches of the murdered couple.” He handed her half the pages. “Look through those.”