“Celia Johnson. She came to my office and predicted that an apartment building would burn. She insisted it was a copycat.”
“Either we have a copycat on our hands or we arrested the wrong man a year ago,” Ed said. His grin appeared more as a grimace than a look of pleasure.
“Thanks for calling. What exactly do you want?”
“A PI can do things a cop can’t. Keep you ear to the ground.”
“And what will I get in return?” Zach sipped his coffee, the liquid now lukewarm.
“I’ll feed you as much info as I can, unofficially.”
“Right.”
A mere bone. No one would ever let him back in the door at the prosecutor’s office. No PD would have him. Besides, he’d lived in Jersey his whole life. Why would he move now?
Lors’ baby tied him here for good.
Ed slapped him on the back. “You know how it is. Ted Hodgins keeps things close. He’d have my balls if he knew you were here.”
Zach jerked his head toward the other detectives. “Will they rat you out?”
“Nah. They’re good kids.”
Zach sighed. As much as he hated leaving the department, he couldn’t see himself going back. He had more freedom and no boss breathing down his neck. Even if he tracked down cheating husbands, he still had the occasional arson case to keep his skills sharp.
He held out his hand to his friend. “I’ll do it. Just don’t risk your job.”
“Thanks, buddy. And I won’t do anything stupid.”
“Yes, you will, but I’m not concerned with that. Just don’t lose your job.”
Ed walked him back to his car.
“Dolores is pregnant.”
His friend faltered in his steps. “Yours?” Not unless my old partner slept with her again.
“She says so.”
Ed nodded. “You believe her?”
“I have no reason not to.”
“How about that she slept with your partner.”
Ed had never forgiven Dolores for that. Zach had, maybe. He shrugged. “Don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“Don’t get hooked into her web again.”
“No, I don’t think I will.”
A visitor in uniform appeared at Zach’s desk as soon as he took a bite of his protein bar. He hated the taste of it, but they got him through the day. His gaze traveled from the dark blue pants to the belt holding trauma shears, latex gloves and a stethoscope.
Grace looked ready to spit nails at him. How did she find him?
He dropped the bar on his desk, wiping his fingers on his pants. “You ready to talk?” He motioned for her to sit. e He
She shook her head. “No, and I don’t appreciate prowlers spying on me in the middle of the night. At least have the balls to identify yourself.”
What was she talking about? “Miss Harmony, trust me. If I were spying on you, I’d have walked through the front door or you wouldn’t have known I was there.”
“Don’t snow me. I’ve dealt with you law enforcement types before. You were on the driveway last night.”
“I was not. I was deep in sleep after I left Lors’ house.”
“And what time did you leave? Abruptly at midnight?”
“Did you see someone in your driveway at midnight?” he asked, shifting a pad of paper to the center of his desk. “Was that the exact time?”
eWhat
She looked at him as if he’d just walked out of a space ship. “You know what time you were there.”
“Please sit and listen carefully to what I have to say. I was not on Dolores’ driveway at midnight. I was having a very lewd dream, probably right around that time if you must know. So I’ll take notes and you should file a police report.”
She plopped herself down in the chair, her radio hitting the side of his desk. “It wasn’t you?”
He liked that she didn’t blush at his comments. Since working mostly with men she probably heard sexual comments all of the time. “No. What time exactly?”
She ran a hand over her face, the momentum out of her anger. Her radio squawked and she turned down the volume. “My clock said 12:15.”
“What did you see?”
He scribbled the time at the top of his page. Who would be scoping out Dolores’ house so late at night? He’d check with the local PD to see if there were any burglaries in the area.
“A man was standing on the driveway,” Grace said. Her gaze looked over his shoulder as if she were reliving the incident. “I assumed it was you.”
“Where?”
“First at the end then he moved down the driveway. He seemed to be looking up at my apartment. I backed away.”
“Did you feel threatened?”
“I was naked. I put on a robe and went outside.”
He resisted the urge to throttle her. “You went outside when you thought you saw a strange man?”
“I thought it was you. As strange as you may be, I don’t see you as a threat.”
He glanced up at her. The thought of her naked clouded his mind for a moment. Dolores is carrying my baby, he said to himself. “You don’t see me as a threat?”
She swallowed visibly, her hands holding onto each other. One booted foot tapped on the floor. “No.”
Her gaze didn’t waiver, but he didn’t believe her. Her body language said the opposite of her words. She sat with both feet on the ground, ready to take flight. He could smell her fear. Why did he make her afraid?
“Really.”
“At least not a physical one.”
He put down his pen. “Am I a threat in some other way?”
This could be good.
“No,” she said, too quickly.
He wasn’t going to crack this tough nut. How did she get that haunted look in those beautiful eyes? “What’d the guy look like?”
“You, I guess. Couldn’t see well. The moon was out, but the house cast a shadow and he stayed in it.”
“How close did you get?”
“Not very since he was gone by the time I went out. I heard a car start down the block.”
“You didn’t think to call the police?”
“I thought it was you. If I called the police, who would have believed me?”
“I see you have some trust issues with cops.”
She snorted. “You could say that.” With a deep sigh, she stood. “I have to get back to work.”
“You’re a medic?”
“Yes.”
She didn’t elaborate, but stared at him for a moment as if deciding to say something.
“I think Dolores is in danger.”
His radar went up. “Why? Did this guy do anything last night?”
“No, I just think she is.”
Great. He needed another psychic like a fish needed swimming lessons. “A feeling?”
She shrugged. “If you want to call it that.”
