Tropic of Trouble Read online

  “I told you, it’s Smith. Lilith Smith.”

  He returned to his desk and wrote the name on his blotter, although he doubted a search would turn anything up. “And your number?” He crossed his fingers.

  “Are you going to give me my book, or what?” Her voice had risen and now bordered on shrill. “It belongs to me.”

  “I never said I still had it. And you never said how you came upon that information.”

  She let out a half growl, half scream. “You’re making me angry, Sergeant. You won’t much like me when I’m angry.”

  Okay, she’d passed shrill and had moved up to frantic. And crazy. He’d had enough crazy to last a lifetime. No way did he want to deal with another off-balance woman, but this one very well might be a murderer. He drew a steadying breath, tried to keep his voice level and firm. “I’m not trying to make you angry, Lilith. I only want to know how you—”

  The phone went dead. Damn it!

  At least he’d learned one thing—the murder definitely hadn’t been a random robbery. He racked his brain to come up with a connection. How did she know not only that he had the book, but his number as well? And she’d addressed him as Sergeant. Even if she’d managed to get hold of an unlisted directory, nothing would have noted his rank.

  He drummed a pen against the wood veneer on his desk, distilling all the clues. The most likely conclusion was the most difficult to accept. She either worked within the corrections department or the police department. One of their own.

  Unless…he swiveled his chair toward the computer and pulled up the jail’s internal network. He ran a search of former inmates who’d been charged with property crimes in the last couple of months.

  He groaned aloud when the query returned more than a thousand hits. Narrowing the parameter to burglary didn’t cut the total by much. It would take weeks to look up each of those arrest affidavits to any who’d stolen rare books. Not to mention, it was a stretch, at best.

  A knock at his door ripped his attention from the case. Major Riley, his commanding officer, waved. “Can I have a minute of your time, Jason?” he called through the glass.

  “Come on in.”

  The major swiped his ID card in the reader and the lock clicked open.

  “What’s up, Rich?”

  Riley shut the door behind him. “You planning to join Peterson for his bachelor party?” He folded his lanky frame into the chair opposite Jason’s desk.

  Jason vaguely remembered the officer mentioning that. “I have a lot going on right now, but I’ll try.” He scrubbed a hand over his cheek, realized he’d neglected to shave. Too much on my mind.

  “Well if you go, have a beer and a lap dance and think of me when you do.” He threw Jason a conspiratorial wink. “Wish I could be there. Sounds a whole lot more fun than the time-wasting retreat Chief Farley’s dragging all the top brass to.” He rolled his eyes. “Some sort of leadership boot camp bullshit. Lieutenants and above. What a jackass.”

  Jason forced a smile. “Have fun with that.”

  The major narrowed his gaze. “You look like hell, Jason. Must be a woman.”

  He rolled his eyes. “More than one, actually.”

  Riley leaned back in his chair, grinning. “Throw an old married man a bone. Are they hot?”

  Jason held his hands in the air. “It’s not what you think.” Without revealing all the details, he told the major about the murder at Kelsey’s store, her stubbornness and refusal to let him protect her. “And now I have this nut calling saying the book belongs to her. Good chance she’s connected to the killer. I have no idea how she came upon my number or name or how she knows my position here.”

  Riley furrowed his brow. “So it’s probably someone who works here. That’s disturbing.”

  Jason shrugged. “Not necessarily. Could be a former inmate. Or someone who has access to our internal phone directory like the wife, girlfriend or friend of a staff member.”

  “You are aware that nearly three thousand people work in this department, right? Add in friends and significant others and what do you have? Ten thousand or more.”

  “And another thousand former inmates with recent burglary charges.” He rubbed his temples, trying to chase away the headache. “I’m missing something, a connection between the caller and the murderer, who Kelsey insists was male.”

  “If this traces back to one of our people, let me know immediately. I’ll fill in the chief.” He stood. “I hate to think it’s one of our own. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it isn’t.”

  “Thanks, Rich. I hope to hell it’s not.” After Major Riley left, Jason thought about Kelsey, prayed she was safe. There had to be something he was overlooking, some scrap of a clue that linked Lilith to the killer.

  Her strode to the coffee station down the hall and waved to Corporal Ellis Washington and two other officers standing around the reception desk. “Hey, guys. What’s going on?”

  Ellis shook his head. “Kimble and Chester are arguing over who has the crazier wife.”

  All the men laughed.

  “Makes me glad I’m divorced.” Ellis chuckled and gave his head a heavy shake.

  “No shit.” Officer Kimble set his coffee cup down on the desk. “My wife is convinced I’m cheating on her. Like I’d have time after leaving here at six in the morning, sleeping for a few hours, picking up the kids after school and helping them with their homework. By the time she comes home from work I’ve got supper on the table and the house cleaned up. When does she think I’d fit in a hot affair?”

  Chester poked a finger at Kimble. “There’s where you’re screwing up, dude. She ought to be home with the kids, cleaning the place up and cooking the food.”

  “Move into the twenty-first century, bro. You’re living in a dream world, expecting your wife to be June Cleaver.” Ellis let out a laugh. “Probably tells her exactly what to do in bed.” He thrust his hips forward and gyrated. “Blow’s just an expression, baby. Suck it. Left, not right, down, not up. Yeah, baby, that’s right.”

  Kimble joined in the teasing. “And don’t forget to make the bed after I’m done screwing you, honey.”

  Jason snickered and poured himself a cup of coffee. The men suddenly grew silent. When he looked up, he saw Chief Farley approach the group. He wore jeans and a polo shirt, rather than his usual suit and tie.

  “Evening, guys.” The chief shook hands with each officer, then turned to Jason. “Sergeant.”

  Jason pasted on a cool smile. “Keeping late hours, Chief. What brings you here?”

  “A high-profile guest.” He set his hands on his waist and shook his head. “Governor’s nephew was arrested for DUI a couple hours ago. I promised his honor I’d attend to the kid’s accommodations personally. Parking lot’s crawling with media people.”

  Nothing bothered Jason more than officials using their position to garner preferential treatment for a friend or relative who’d been arrested. And Chief Farley was as big a suck-up as he’d ever met, kowtowing to every politician and celebrity he could. “Where’s our PIO? Shouldn’t she be handling that?” He couldn’t help mentioning the worthless Public Information Officer the chief had hired, an attractive redhead who wouldn’t know a press release if one bit her on the ass. The very competent man who’d had the job when the chief took office had been offered a lose-lose option—retire or work the floor. He’d opted for early retirement.

  Farley leveled a cool stare at Jason then glanced at the officers. “Shouldn’t you men be getting back to your posts?”

  They scattered in every direction.

  “Nice to see you, sir.” Jason picked up his cup and returned to his office. He agreed with most of the top brass’s opinion of Farley—the man was an incompetent asshole.

  But right now, he had more important things on his mind, like figuring out Lilith’s identity and her connection to the killer. He removed a tablet from his drawer and wrote what he knew about her.

  Wants book, rare, antique Shakespeare volume
, family heirloom, stolen. Says name is Lilith Smith.

  He drummed his pen on the desk. Maybe Kelsey had come up with something in her research. When he’d spoken to her earlier in the day, she said she’d still not been able to reach her rare book contact. Maybe he could talk her into the two of them going to pay the man a visit together. Truth be told, he wanted an excuse to spend time with her, make sure she stayed safe. Even though Callahan assured him he’d have an officer keep checking on her, he’d feel better after he’d put an eyeball on her to make sure she was really okay.

  She’d probably reopen her shop tomorrow morning. Considering she discovered her friend’s body there, she’d likely need all the support she could get. And he was just the man for that job.

  Yawning, he checked his watch. Not even five-thirty. His shift didn’t end for another hour and his lack of sleep was beginning to take a toll. Glancing at his empty cup, he frowned. Maybe more caffeine would help. He left his office, heading for the coffee station for a refill.

  “So who is she?”

  He stopped pouring and turned to see Corporal Washington coming toward him wearing a big grin.

  “I resisted putting you on the spot in front of the guys, but now I want details, Sarge,” the other man said. “It’s not often you skip work to make time with a lady. She must be pretty fine.”

  “Not what you think, buddy.” He returned the pot to the coffeemaker and took a long sip.

  “Mm hmm. Sure. What’s her name?”

  He couldn’t hold back a chuckle. “You win. It’s Kelsey. But I only helped her with…an emergency. Wasn’t a date.”

  “That why you look as if the cat dragged you in here kicking and screaming?” Ellis fixed himself a cup of coffee.

  “You’re the second person to say that tonight.”

  “Get out of here. Go home and get some shuteye. Nothing going on here tonight.”

  “What’d you find on those inmates you pulled?”

  The corporal pointed at him. “You were right on target, Sarge. Found a kite, a good one. I’ll have an intelligence report ready for A-shift briefing later this morning.”

  He patted the black man’s shoulder. “Good work, Ellis. Long as you have this under control, I think I will cut out early.”

  “Do it. Not as if you don’t give the county tons of your own time.” He threw a wink at Jason. “Got to rest and keep your strength up for your new woman.”

  Ten minutes later, Jason fastened his seat belt in his truck and started the engine. A detour past Kelsey’s place would hardly take any extra time. The peace of mind would help him sleep after he got home.

  He turned on to Thirty-Sixth Street and noticed the same dark sedan behind him he’d seen immediately after leaving the jail complex. Blinded by the car’s high-beam headlights, he adjusted his rearview mirror to cut the glare.

  Slowing a little, he eased the truck to the right, giving the car a wide berth to pass, but it didn’t. On a hunch, he took a left on to Eighty-Seventh Avenue. The sedan did the same, sticking close to him.

  Suddenly the other driver accelerated and bumped his tailgate.

  Son of a bitch. That was no accident. He swerved into a parking lot, but the other driver refused to quit. The car pulled alongside him and jerked hard to the left. The truck lurched, but he immediately righted it. He tried to glimpse inside the driver’s window but the tint proved too dark and the sky still too black.

  Abruptly as it had started, the game ended and the sedan sped off. He tried to make out the license plate, but couldn’t. He gave chase for several blocks until he caught sight of a woman crossing a street pushing a stroller ahead. Easing on his brakes, he prayed the other car would slow down and avoid hitting the mother and child. The sedan continued on, barely missing them.

  The vehicle zoomed away, then veered on to a side street. No way could he catch up now. Drawing a deep breath, he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

  Any doubt that Margaret’s murder had merely been an unfortunate accident during a random robbery vanished. This had become way too personal.

  * * * * *

  Jenna Jones’ pulse sped up when she checked the display on her phone. Why would Mike Callahan be calling? She grabbed the remote from her night table and muted the TV. Sucking in a calming breath, she hit the Send button. “Hello?”

  “Hey. It’s Mike.”

  The mere sound of his voice undid her.

  Pull yourself together!

  “Hi. What’s up?” God, she missed him.

  “I, uh…I’ve been thinking about you, Jen. Honestly, I can’t seem to concentrate on much else.”

  A huge lump formed in her throat. But she had to stay firm in her resolve. She’d watched her mother worry herself sick over her father until the day he retired from the force. She’d be damned before she’d put herself through that.

  “I was wondering if… Do you think I could swing by?”

  She glanced at the clock next to her bed. “It’s almost ten, Mike. And, well it’s not a good idea.” Could she handle a night with him?

  Making him leave the next morning that is the part I couldn’t bear.

  “Seeing you last night, it kind of threw me for a loop, you know?”

  Boy, did she ever. All she saw when she shut her eyes last night was his handsome face. Those gray eyes and that sandy brown hair. She’d dreamed about him too. They were making love on a deserted beach.

  “So, what do you think? I can be there in twenty minutes.”

  Say no. Say no.

  “Okay.” Just this once. She’d get her rocks off then she’d have him out of her system. A good roll in the hay would do her good, clear her mind.

  “Really? Great. I’ll see you. Very soon.” The line went dead.

  “What the hell am I doing?” She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and gasped. Her hair was still wet and tangled from the shower and she wore her threadbare granny nightgown. Dropping the phone, she raced into the bathroom to put herself together.

  By the time Mike rang her doorbell, she’d managed to dry her hair, put her makeup back on and slip into something incredibly uncomfortable under her red kimono—a black bustier with impossible boning and a lacy garter belt with sheer black silk stockings. Her six-inch stilettos were killing her feet, but she knew what Mike liked.

  She flashed on one of their many trips to the lingerie store. He’d pick out items for her to try then insist on buying the ones she liked best.

  No dwelling on the past.

  She untied the sash around her waist and let her robe hang open. Then she breathed into her hand to check her breath before pulling open the door.

  His gaze slowly slid over her and as it did, his eyes widened. He glanced up toward the ceiling. “Thank you, God.”

  Chuckling, she stepped aside to let him pass. She caught his familiar scent and it brought back so many memories.

  Just for tonight. And only because I’m horny.

  She shut the door and faced him. “I want to be perfectly clear about this. Don’t think I’ve changed my mind about us because I haven’t.”

  His face fell, but he quickly recovered. “I’ll take what I can get.” Closing the distance between them, he drew her into his arms. His hands slipped under her robe and circled her waist.

  Erotic images of the two of them making love filled her mind. Mike on his knees on the floor as she sat, legs spread on her couch and tried not to burst into flames as he licked and teased her pussy.

  Him fucking her against the wall in his shower, then again in his bed when they were supposed to be getting ready for some stuffy event. A hot stab of longing pierced her insides.

  His gray gaze dropped to her lips. He twined one of her curls around his finger then let it spring back. “Being apart from you has been torture.” He covered her mouth with his and she was lost.

  Clothes came off in a blur—his jacket, shoulder holster, shirt and pants, her robe and shoes. Seconds later he was completely nude and she couldn’t
stop herself from marveling at his exquisite form. She kissed his neck, his shoulder, the cross of sandy colored hair marking his chest. Shutting her eyes, she drank in the earthy scent of his skin, the comfortable feel of his skin.

  He worked the laces of her corset, loosened the fabric then peeled it away from her breasts. The cool air did nothing to quell the heat building inside her. Her nipples peaked.

  Mike caught her breasts and kissed them in turn, laving her skin and sucking the sensitive tips into his mouth. Pleasure flared from the spots and snaked to every part of her body. Her pussy vibrated with pent-up craving.

  She led him toward her bedroom, but they stopped every few steps to kiss here, touch there. Stumbling across the threshold, she giggled and pulled him toward the bed.

  Mike stopped her and grasped her upper arms. “I don’t want this to be only for tonight.”

  Her chest tightened and her heart caught in her throat. “Mike…” What could she say? She’d been over this with him, a dozen times or more. “You know how I feel about being with a cop.”

  “You made me fall in love with you, Jenna. I didn’t mean to.” He released her and scrubbed a hand over her face. “God, I didn’t mean to.”

  Neither had she. They’d met at a party over a year ago and ended up flirting all night, then leaving together. It was supposed to be a one-night stand.

  But she didn’t want to talk about this now. She needed to touch him, to have him touch her and she knew he craved it as much as she. “Can’t this just be about this moment? Fuck tomorrow.”

  She closed her hand around his erection and he shut his eyes and hissed out a breath. Releasing him, she turned and strode the rest of the way to the bed. “Come on.” She climbed onto the mattress and lay on her side.

  He hesitated, but only for seconds before he joined her. Narrowing his gaze, he stared down at her naked breasts. Gathering them in his hands, he shook his head. “Oh, Jen. You’re so beautiful.” His voice, a seductive rumble, stoked her fire.

  She took hold of his shaft and swiped a pearl of his seed from the head. His salty taste brought back more memories. Licking her lips, she looked up at his face. The erotic tension she found there hiked up her temperature even more. She kissed the side of his cock then circled her tongue along the ridge around the crown. He had the most perfect one she’d ever seen.