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An ice pick of fear pierced her heart and sent a cold shiver pulsing through her. She knew what was coming, knew what he’d ask next. He stepped closer stealing her air. “Have you ever been arrested?”
Chapter Two
Every natural-born cop instinct Riley had sang in tune. “Why are you rubbing your wrists?”
She didn’t answer and refused to look at him.
A telltale sign? His adrenaline kicked into high gear. “You won’t mind coming downtown to answer a few more questions, perhaps take a set of fingerprints?”
Her eyes shot to his. “What on earth for? I didn’t have anything to do with this woman’s murder. I didn’t even know her.”
“How do you know you didn’t know her? I haven’t shown you her picture yet.”
“Because I don’t know very many people here,” she said defensively and started to pace the room. “And I certainly don’t know any female police officers.” She stopped and looked at him with cold fear widening her eyes.
Gotcha, sweetheart. “I don’t believe I mentioned the young woman was a cop.”
She just stood there, staring at him.
“Right about now an explanation would be good,” he prompted. “How did you know she was a cop?”
A loud knock at the front door reverberated through the house. Devra jumped. Riley swore under his breath. “That would be my partner.”
“Oh,” she murmured, looking scared and relieved at the same time. He was aware of her soft step as she followed him through the living room and toward the front door.
How had this woman known Michelle was a cop? She’d been working undercover. Any bystander would have thought she was a prostitute. This woman knew a lot more than she was letting on. All he needed was a little more time alone with her and he’d have her singing.
He stood back and allowed her to open the door. Tony strode in, looking flushed and wiping the sweat off his brow. “It’s hotter than Hades out there. Are you about done here? The captain just called and said he wants to see you pronto.”
Riley turned. “Devra Morgan, Detective Tortorici. Grab your purse, looks like we’re going downtown.”
Tony raised a questioning brow.
She sputtered a protest, outrage crossing her face. “I can’t go. I’m due at the Children’s Hospital for story time. I have to be there.”
“I’m sure they can find someone else to read Green Eggs and Ham this morning.”
Unyielding, she stood with her hands braced on her hips. “No. There isn’t anyone else. The nurses are too busy. The children look forward to my being there. It’s important to them and to me.”
Her sudden display of backbone interested him. Was it disappointing the kids that had her all charged up, or the fear of going to the station?
Tony stepped forward. “Why don’t I accompany Miss Morgan to the hospital, then bring her by the station when she’s done?” He offered one of his smooth Italian smiles. “That way, Riley, you can go see the captain and she can still read to the kiddies.” He gestured wide with his hands.
Always the diplomat, Riley thought, but this time it wasn’t going to fly. “I’ll take her to the hospital,” he insisted. “We’ll come in to the station right after.”
Tony’s mouth twisted with disapproval.
“I’ll get my purse,” Devra said.
Riley watched her hurry down the hall. Once she rounded the corner, he lowered his voice. “Look, Tony. You and I both know what the captain is going to say the moment I walk through the door.”
“Yeah, what I already told you this morning. You shouldn’t be working this case. You’re too involved to be objective.”
“Exactly. That’s why I’m going to accompany Miss Morgan to the hospital. She knows something and she’s this close to breaking.” He pushed his thumb and forefinger close together. “I won’t let her out of my sight. After she’s done, I’ll bring her in to give her statement.”
“And what am I supposed to tell the captain?”
“You’ll think of something. I can’t let this slippery little fish slither off the line. Not after I so expertly baited the hook. She knows something, Tony, and I mean to get it out of her.”
AS RILEY parked the car, Miss Morgan leapt out and all but ran to the front of the building. He followed her into the hospital, easily keeping pace. She could run, but she couldn’t hide the truth from him for very long. Discovering secrets and solving mysteries were his forte and he wasn’t about to let this case be any different. He entered the sliding glass doors and followed her into the elevator.
She pressed the button for the fifth floor, then kept her gaze glued to the flashing lights as they rose. “How long have you been coming here?” he asked, trying to get her to open up. The more she talked, the more that deep sultry voice of hers gave away.
“Three years,” she answered without taking her eyes off the illuminated panel.
“Impressive.”
She didn’t respond.
“Which floor is the cafeteria on?”
She turned, irritation pursing her lips.
“You know. Coffee?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been.”
“Don’t eat or drink?”
She turned back to the doors, ignoring him. He smiled at the back of her head. He was getting to her, making her mad. That’s when she’d give away the game. He’d give her a little line, let her think she was slipping away, then jerk back and reel her in.
The doors opened.
Placing a hand on her rigid elbow, he walked her to the door of the Child Life Center where a group of kids—some in pajamas, some in wheelchairs, some sitting on the floor—was expectantly awaiting her arrival. He tightened his grip before she could enter the ward. “Can I trust you alone for a minute? I need a cup of joe.”
Her gaze shifted slightly, and he knew she was considering bolting. But she nodded, her eyes locked on his, a beseeching vulnerability shining in their dark blue depths. The look unsettled him. She’d looked that way earlier, like a lost and scared kitten stuck high in a tree. And, for a minute, he wanted to rescue her, to cuddle her.
To protect her.
But he wasn’t in the protection business. No matter how tempting the idea sounded, no matter how tempting she was playing Little Miss Scared and Innocent, he would bet his lunch money she was anything but.
She pulled free from his grasp and entered the room, smiling briefly at one of the nurses. It was a nice smile that brightened her whole face. He watched as she transformed once again into a different person—warm and friendly, with sincere hugs and bright smiles. No little lost kitty here.
He was about to leave when a nurse with bouncy brown curls and a white cotton shirt stretched tight across her breasts walked into the hall, shutting the door behind her. “Are you waiting for Devra?” she asked.
He nodded, and smiled as he read the name tag pinned to her blouse. “I sure am, Betty.”
She smiled back, deepening her dimples to craters. “She’s wonderful with the kids. They really look forward to her visits.”
He leaned against the wall. “How long has she been coming?”
“Every Saturday for years now. She’s never missed a day.” She glanced over her shoulder at Devra through the glass. “The kids are very important to her, and vice versa. We’re lucky to have her.”
“She’s a very special person,” he drawled. “But then I think anyone who devotes their life to helping people is special,” he added, cranking his Irish charm up a notch.
“Aren’t you sweet to say so,” she cooed and flapped her hand at his shoulder.
“And Devra,” he prompted. “She’s just so busy with…”
“Oh, yes. Her writing, I know what you mean. And she must be a very good writer, too.”
“Really? Have you read…”
Betty’s mouth puckered into a pretty pout. “No, she promised to bring something in, but it must have slipped her mind. And I didn’t find anything under her name, so I assume she uses a pseudonym. I keep forgetting to ask her what it is, though.” She brightened. “Do you know what it is?”
“No.” He paused. “I just thought since you said how good she is…”
“Oh, well she must be because she entrances the kids so. They retell her stories to one another at night before they go to sleep, changing the endings and the characters, acting them out, just as Devra has encouraged them to do. And sometimes, for these kids, that kind of distraction is just what they need.”
“She sounds like a saint,” he said dryly.
The nurse laughed. “Saint Devra. Has a nice ring to it.”
Too bad he was having so much trouble hearing it. “She must have a lot of admirers. Other than the kids,” he prompted.
“Well, they certainly do love her. It’s funny you mention it, though. In all the time she’s been coming, I’ve never seen her with anyone. And here she’s had two gentlemen stop by in the past week.”
“Two?”
“Oh, yeah. Though, maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.” A worried look crossed her face as she once again glanced over her shoulder at Devra through the glass.
“It’s okay,” he assured her. “Miss Morgan and I are just friends.” He smiled and dug his hands deep into his pockets, giving her one of those I’m-available-if-you-are looks.
The nurse tilted her head coquettishly. “Well, then, I suppose it’s all right if I let the cat out of the bag.”
He gave her a wink of encouragement.
“Just last Saturday, a man stood right where you are, watching Devra work with the kids. He didn’t say much, just stood there and watched her with this weird expression on his face. He disappeared right before she was done. When I mentioned him to her, she seemed a little surprised and a touch agitated. She was afraid of him, wasn’t she? Is that why you’re here with her? For her protection?”
Heaven help her if she really did need protection. Look how well he protected Michelle…not to mention his mother. He shook off the thought. More than likely, Devra was agitated because she didn’t want anyone linking her with her mystery man. Perhaps an estranged boyfriend? Or an accomplice.
“Can you describe this guy for me?”
“Well…he was ordinary-looking—dark hair, slim, average height. In fact, the only thing memorable about him was his eyes.”
“His eyes?”
“Yeah, they were real dark and deep-set—a little intense and spooky-looking. To tell you the truth, he was a little creepy. I could see why Devra would be afraid of him.”
“Was she?”
“It wasn’t anything she said, just a feeling I had.”
Could Miss Morgan have known what the killer was planning? Perhaps he wasn’t pushing hard enough. Perhaps it was time to tighten the line. Riley took a picture of Michelle out of his wallet. “Have you seen this woman before?”
The nurse took the picture and studied it for a long moment, then handed it back to him. “Sorry,” she said. “She looks a lot like Devra, though.”
DEVRA WAS TRYING to concentrate on the children, but found herself hopelessly distracted. He was out there flirting with Betty. And Betty was enjoying it, laughing, her perfect curls bouncing, her long red-tipped nails flicking the air as she spoke. And it was bugging Devra to no end, though she couldn’t fathom why. She finished another page. She held the book up for the kids to see the pictures, then caught the detective looking at her. Quickly, she turned the page, and her attention, back to the book.
If she thought about it, she’d have to admit that he was handsome in a rugged, arrogant kind of way. She wondered what it would be like to have him look at her the way he was looking at Betty. But, after a second, she stopped herself. Thinking about that particular man in any capacity was dangerous. The sooner she put him out of her sight and her mind, the better.
She read another page. Someday, she would write books just for kids and leave the dark, ugly world of her nightmares far behind her. But, for today, she needed to say goodbye to the people she would miss the most when she left New Orleans—the children. Then she would hurry home, finish packing and disappear. Again.
She closed the book, gave the children extra-tight hugs as she said goodbye, then watched them pile out of the room. Everyone except Joey. “Did you get your necklace, Miss Devra?”
Confused, Devra looked down into Joey’s eager gaze. “What necklace is that, sweetie?”
“Your heart necklace.”
Her breath caught. Her locket. She glanced through the window into the corridor outside the room, but the detective was gone. He and Betty must have left to get that cup of coffee.
“I found it under the chair last week,” Joey continued. “I was going to give it to Nurse Jenkins to hold for you, but your friend said he’d give it to you.”
“My friend?”
“Yeah, the man that was here last week.”
Devra’s heart stilled at his words. She’d forgotten about the man Betty had mentioned. She had convinced herself the nurse had been mistaken. That he’d been waiting for someone else. What if she’d been wrong? What if he had been watching her?
“Did you get it back?” A tinge of anxiousness colored Joey’s voice.
Devra bent down so they were eye to eye and offered him a big smile. “I will very soon. Thank you for telling me.”
His smile went wide with pride.
“Can you tell me what this man looked like?”
“He was big.”
She gave him an encouraging nod. “Uh-huh.”
“And dark.”
“His skin?”
“No, his hair. And his eyes. He had the darkest eyes I’ve ever seen. They looked…” He glanced down at his feet, then looked back up at her with uncertainty playing across his gaze. “They looked dead.”
Devra recalled seeing eyes like that once. The image flashed through her mind, her stomach turned. She forced a smile through gritted teeth. “Thank you, Joey.”
