Bad Guys Don't Win (Janet Maple Series Book 4) (8 page)

“Hang on, Baxter.” Janet rushed after
him. “Let’s see who it is first.” She hurried to the foyer, but was too
late—Baxter had already announced his presence with a loud bark. “Who is it?”
Janet asked cautiously.

“It’s me.”

At the sound of Dennis’s voice Janet
exhaled with relief and Baxter barked exuberantly. Dennis had his own key, so
he rarely rang the bell when he was coming over. However, it made sense that he
did so tonight—he must’ve figured out that Janet would be mad at him. Dennis
Walker was many things, but unobservant wasn’t one of them.

As irked as she was, Janet couldn’t deny
she was exhilarated to see her fiancé on her doorstep—Mrs. Chapman was
right—she was head over heels for the bugger. The important thing now was to
remain calm and not spoil everything by overreacting. Janet took a deep breath
and flung open the door.

“What’s going on?” she asked upon seeing
her fiancé with a suitcase in his hand. Dennis often stayed at her place and he
usually kept a change of clothes in her closet, but now he looked ready to move
in.

“I’ll explain in a minute. Can I come
in?”

Perplexed, Janet stepped aside.

Dennis quickly shut the door behind him,
carefully locking all the locks, including the door chain. Then he checked the
peephole and only after that proceeded into the living room. There, he
collapsed onto the couch and closed his eyes, completely oblivious to Janet or
Baxter, who had been trying to get his attention with loud, excited barks.

“Calm down, Baxter.” Janet scratched
Baxter behind the ear and took a seat next to Dennis. “What’s going on?” she
asked, her voice filled with concern. Questioning Dennis about Mila could wait.
She knew Dennis well enough to guess something was seriously wrong.

Dennis groaned. “Where do I start? I had
one hell of a day.”

“Try at the beginning,” Janet suggested.

“Thanks. Can I get a drink first? A
scotch would be perfect right now.”

“Sure,” Janet resisted the urge for a
sarcastic remark—she could tell that Dennis was really shaken up. She got up
from the couch and headed for the kitchen cupboard where she kept the liquor.
She reached for a bottle of Pinch and poured two drinks—she could use a drink
too—and then settled back into her seat.

Dennis took a glass from her hand and
drained it in one gulp.

“Looks like you need a refill.” Janet
headed back into the kitchen and this time returned with the entire bottle.

Dennis poured himself three fingers
worth of scotch and drained half his glass. Janet didn’t say anything, waiting
for him to finally spit it out.

“Remember when I told you the Kovars
article was a sham?”

Janet nodded, instantly connecting the
dots. So that’s what the meeting with Mila was all about—the Kovars were back
and she was reaching out to Dennis for protection. “Yes, so?” Janet asked
innocently, not wanting to admit she knew more than she was supposed to.

“Mila Brabec called me today.”

“She was the one you were meeting with
tonight?” Janet asked, already knowing the answer.

Dennis nodded. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell
you—I wanted to protect you. Mila was terrified when she called me, and I
wanted to know exactly what we were dealing with before telling you.”

Janet resisted the urge to roll her
eyes. This better not be some story about a damsel in distress, she thought
irritably.

“Mila found a note from Anton Kovar in
her apartment.”

Dennis’s words hit Janet like a
cannonball. “What? How’s that possible—” she cut herself off, remembering
Dennis’s reaction to the article. Even back then she had inwardly known
Dennis’s hunch was correct. She just didn’t want to admit it, having much more
important things on her mind, like planning the wedding and finding that
perfect apartment. “What did the note say?” Janet asked slowly. “Are you sure
it was from Anton Kovar and not from some other dirt bag Mila used to date?”

Dennis shook his head. “I’m sure. She
showed me the note—it was addressed to ‘Milochka’—a pet name Anton used for
Mila. It said, ‘I’d go to the end of the earth to find you.’ That’s what he
used to say to her when they were together, so she wouldn’t leave him.”

“How romantic,” Janet quipped, but
inside she was far from feeling humorous.

“Mila found the note in her apartment
the same night her bar had burned down. I’d say it wasn’t a coincidence.”

“No, it probably wasn’t.”

“It was stupid of me not to tell you
right away—whatever it is I get into, you have the right to know. And I’m sorry
I missed our wedding cake appointment,” Dennis added, his glance falling on the
remnants of the wedding cake samples. “These look delicious.”

Janet shook her head. “Forget about it.
It’s just cake.” She felt completely deflated. Her earlier anger seemed
pointless now in the face of the potential danger hanging over them. The
possibility of Anton Kovar as a surprise guest at their wedding was unnerving.

“I told Mila to stay at my apartment
until we figure things out—”

“What?” Janet couldn’t believe the words
coming out of Dennis’s mouth. “Why would you put yourself into such danger? We
need to go straight to the FBI—”

“Calm down, Janet,” Dennis cut her off.
“Don’t you think I’ve already considered this option? The Kovars probably have
someone on the inside helping them, which makes going to the authorities out of
the question until we figure out what we’re dealing with.”

“We don’t know that for sure. We need to
alert the FBI right away and we need to tell Ham. I can’t believe you’re being
so reckless.”
And pigheaded
, Janet wanted to add, but bit her tongue.

“Going to the FBI would be reckless,”
Dennis shot back. “Come on, Janet, you can do better than that. The nifty
accident that’s been arranged to cover up the Kovars’ escape, and the fact that
there’s been no investigation into their deaths tells me there’s someone
covering the whole thing up. Someone who’s very high up.”

“So what’s your plan? To have Mila shack
up at your place indefinitely? It’s not your job to protect her. You can’t do
it by yourself—”

“No,” Dennis admitted. “I was hoping you
would help me.”

“And what, you expect me to stop being
mad at you just because you asked for my help? I don’t think so,” Janet fumed.
“You’ve gotten into enough crazy schemes, but this one takes the cake—no pun
intended. The right thing to do is to go to the authorities and that’s what
we’re going to do. I’m not having Mila staying at your apartment—that’s
crossing the line.”

Dennis eyed her incredulously. “Don’t tell
me you’re jealous of Mila?”

“Jealous? Jealous of what?” Janet
bristled. The thought of Mila lounging around in her fiancé’s apartment
bothered her immensely, but there was no way in hell she was going to admit to
it.

“Of Mila staying at my place. Is this
what this is about? I told you I’m sorry for not telling you right away, but
you’ve got to see the bigger picture. We can’t go to the FBI—not until we know
about this whole sham accident the Kovars had planned or we might tip off their
inside source.”

“And how do you propose we find that
out?”

“We use our own resources. I thought I’d
ask Laskin to do some digging for us.”

“Laskin? The Treasury wouldn’t know
anything about something like this.”

“The Treasury can get its hooks into
anything involving money transfers. I’m pretty sure whoever faked the Kovars’
death got paid handsomely for their services.”

“And do you really think the Kovars paid
with a check or a wire?”

“No. But it’s worth a try. You never
know—sometimes people do dumb things.”

“Tell me about it,” Janet sighed
pointedly, but the hint was lost on Dennis.

“We should look for officials living
beyond their means, spending excessively. That sort of thing,” Dennis
continued.

“And of course you want to keep the
whole thing secret from Ham?”

“You heard his reaction last time. Don’t
get me wrong—I know we have to tell him, but I want to actually have something
of substance to show before we tell him.”

“Fine. I’ll give you two weeks. If you
don’t get anywhere, we’re telling Ham and the FBI.”

“Fair enough.”

“You can sleep on the couch tonight. And
I think it might be better if you found a hotel while Mila’s at your place.”
Janet rose to her feet.

“Hang on a minute—”

Before Janet could say another word,
Dennis’s hands were around her waist and she found herself being swept onto his
lap. “Let me go,” she demanded, wriggling, but Dennis held on tight.

“I will,” he said calmly, “just as soon
as you tell me why you’re so upset.”

“You mean you still need an explanation?
I thought it was pretty obvious,” she bristled.

“Yeah, it’s pretty obvious you’re
jealous of Mila. So whatever crazy thoughts you have on that account, I want
you to drop this nonsense right now.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Janet
muttered, trying to get out of Dennis’s embrace, but he held on tight.

“Might I persuade you to change your
mind?” he asked.

Before Janet could say another word,
Dennis’s lips dovetailed over hers, his hands seeking out all the sensual
points in her body he knew so well.

“Have I managed to convince you?” Dennis
asked after he finally pulled away.

“For now,” Janet consented breathlessly.
It was impossible to stay mad at him.

“Do you still want me to sleep on the
couch?” Dennis asked, his hands sliding by his sides.

“Don’t you dare,” she growled, aware of
the mockery in his tone. By now she was on fire, yearning for his touch, and of
course it was just like Dennis to withhold it to prove a point.

“Does that mean I’m forgiven?” he
pressed, his hands still hanging limply by his sides.

This time she caught him unawares as she
used her freedom of movement to straddle him. “Dennis Walker, if you don’t take
me to bed right now, I swear there’ll be no forgiveness for you.” She kissed
him hungrily, channeling all the frustration that had bubbled up inside her
into passion.

“Well, in that case—”

“No more talking.” Janet pressed her
finger against his lips, eager to obliterate their fight with lovemaking.

Without another word Dennis lifted her
into his arms and carried her to the bed.

“I love you, Janet, don’t you ever
forget that. Nothing is more important to me than you,” he whispered, kissing
her neck.

She closed her eyes, half delirious with
pleasure. No matter how many times Dennis Walker made love to her, it never got
old. Sure, the man could be stubborn as hell sometimes, but that was also what
made him so damn irresistible. Dennis was in her bed—he loved her and no one
else. How could she have been stupid enough to ever doubt him?

“We’d better hurry. You know how Laskin
is about punctuality.” Dennis grimaced.

“I’d say we’re not in any position to
criticize Laskin,” Janet shot back. She was walking as fast as she could. They
were supposed to meet Laskin at twelve thirty in his office at the Treasury,
but at the last minute Ham had pulled them into a client meeting that lasted
way longer than it should have. To make things worse, they couldn’t get a cab
and wound up taking the subway.

Dennis checked his watch. “We’re five
minutes late. Laskin is going to have a fit.”

“Stop being so dramatic. We’re two
blocks away from his office. I’ll text him and tell him we’re a little behind.”

“As if that’s going to make a
difference.”

“Stop complaining. If you hate Laskin so
much how come you’re asking him for help?” Janet shot back.

“’Cause we’re in a bind. And I got
nothing against Laskin. He just irritates me. Fussy know-it-all, if ever I knew
one,” Dennis muttered.

“He may be fussy at times, but he’s damn
good at his job,” Janet countered. She knew Dennis hated asking for help, but
at least this time he admitted they were in over their heads. She just hoped
that Laskin would have access to the information they needed.

“I can’t argue with you there,” Dennis
conceded.

Fifteen minutes later they were in the
elevator, heading for Laskin’s office.

“Janet, Dennis, come in, come in,” Laskin
greeted them the minute he saw them in the doorway. Laskin shook hands with
Dennis and kissed Janet on the cheek. “It’s great to see you guys.”

“It’s good to see you too, Peter.” Janet
looked around Laskin’s office, which, except for the name plaque on Laskin’s
desk, had remained mostly unchanged since Laskin had been made department head
after Ham Kirk’s departure. The place brought back memories. A lot of cases had
been solved in this office when Janet and Dennis worked alongside Laskin at the
Treasury. They didn’t always see eye to eye, but they got things done and there
hadn’t yet been a case that stumbled them. She just hoped that their winning
streak wasn’t going to run out on them now.

“It’s always great to see you, old pal.
Wish we could do it more often,” Dennis chimed in. And despite his earlier
grumbling, Janet could tell he meant it.

“Yeah, me too. How long has it been
since we last saw each other? Too long.” Laskin shook his head. “What is it
they say, life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans or the days
are short, but the years fly by—”

“You got that right,” Dennis cut in.
“Which brings me to the point of our visit.”

Janet glared at Dennis—she could just
kick the man. Would it have killed him to let Laskin reminisce a minute more?

“I’m all ears.” Laskin straightened in
his seat. “Please forgive my digression. It’s just that when a man learns that
he’s going to be a father, it makes one put things in perspective.” He took off
his glasses, pinched the bridge of his nose, and started to wipe his glasses
meticulously.

Dennis blinked, his mouth agape, but
Janet ignored him—the man could be such a spaz at times. “Peter, that’s great
news! When did you find out?”

“Just now.” Laskin grinned. “I got off
the phone with Aileen a minute before you walked in. You’re the first people I
told.”

“Congratulations! I’m so happy for you
guys.” Janet jumped from her seat to hug Laskin. “Give my love to Aileen.”

“Congrats, Peter.” Dennis reached over
and stiffly shook Laskin’s hand. “Really happy for you. You’ll be great
parents.”

“Thanks. It wasn’t something we planned,
but now that it happened, I highly recommend it. What about you two?” Laskin
winked. “I say, just do it, like the Nike commercial.”

“Time out, Peter,” Dennis cut in. “We
haven’t even tied the knot yet, not to mention found an apartment to move in
together.”

“So, what’s stopping you? Quit dragging
your feet man, and get busy making little Walkers. I need playmates for my kid.
And by the way, I’m yet to receive my wedding invitation,” Laskin added.
“What’s up with that?”

By now Dennis had turned the color of
crimson and looked like he was about to blow steam out of his ears. “I’ll tell
you what’s up—”

“Peter, the reason we came to see you
today,” Janet cut in to get the conversation back on track.

“Yes, yes, please forgive me. I got
carried away there for a moment.” Laskin put his glasses back on. “I’m all
ears.” He interlinked his fingers and looked at Janet intently.

Since Dennis still looked shell-shocked
by Laskin’s news, Janet took over and gave a quick summary of the latest twists
and turns in the Kovars case. Laskin listened attentively, frowning and nodding
at each new development in the story.

When Janet finished, Laskin gave a low
whistle and shifted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. “You’ve really
gotten yourselves into hot water now.”

“Now you see why we didn’t have time for
wedding invitations or apartment hunting?” Dennis said testily.

Laskin looked up in dismay and Janet
hurried to smooth things over, “We’re past that, honey. Peter was just kidding
around.”

Laskin coughed apologetically. “I see
now why you’re so high strung, my friend. Please forgive me,” he added
solemnly. “Now is no time for levity.”

“Thanks, man. You make it sound like
we’re already dead meat,” Dennis groaned.

“Now, now, let’s not get overly
dramatic,” Laskin counseled. “There’s still time to turn things around.
Although if the Kovars are indeed on the loose, I must admit that the odds of
success are not very promising.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,”
Dennis muttered.

“Oh, it has nothing to do with your
investigative abilities, which are superb,” Laskin clarified, “it’s merely a
matter of statistics—you and Janet against the Kovars . . .  The odds don’t
look too good. But you can count on me—anything I can do to help, I’m happy to
do. Although given the caliber of criminals we’re dealing with, it may not be
much. Just giving full disclosure here,” he added.

“Thanks, Peter. You’re a real pal. We
knew we could count on you,” Dennis said testily.

Janet nudged him with her elbow. “What
Dennis is trying to say so ineptly, Peter, is that we’re both very grateful for
your help. Because we really do need it,” she added.

“So what can I do you for?” Laskin
asked, reaching for a pen.

“The Kovars had to have greased someone
on the inside to get out. The way their so called ‘car accident’ so
conveniently happened, points in the direction of the office of U.S. Marshals.”

Laskin nodded. “Possibly, but not
necessarily. The Kovars could have someone influential on the take elsewhere.
Someone could’ve called in a favor for them.”

“That’s a pretty big favor if you ask my
opinion,” Dennis shot back. “But then maybe I’m oversimplifying because I want
my theory to stick. At any rate, we’ve got to start somewhere. Could you run a
trace on any unusual personal fund transfers for the officials in the U.S.
Marshal for Eastern District of New York office?”

Laskin whistled. “That’s a lot of data
to run through. I’ll do what I can. Why are you focusing on this particular
office?”

“That’s the office that would’ve
authorized the Kovars transfer.”

Laskin slapped himself on the forehead.
“Dah, figures. Sorry, I’m a little distracted today.” He smiled in allusion to
his earlier news.

“No need to apologize, Peter. It’s a big
day for you. And you’re doing us a huge favor. We both really appreciate it,”
Dennis added.

“No sweat. Like I said, I’ll do anything
I can to help. I’ll call as soon as I have any news.” Laskin checked his watch.
“Oh, shoot, I totally forgot. I have a meeting in fifteen minutes and I didn’t
even have lunch.”

“We’ll be out of your hair.” Dennis rose
from his seat and Janet followed suit. “Thanks for your help, Peter.”

A few minutes later they were standing
outside. Dennis tucked his hands in his pockets. “That was deeply
unimpressive.”

“Whatever do you mean?” Janet asked.

“The prospect of fatherhood turned
Laskin into a total space cadet. I doubt he’ll be any help to us now.”

“Oh, come on. You’re not being fair.
He’d just gotten the news as we walked in. Cut the poor guy some slack.”

“The job we’re in doesn’t leave any room
for distractions or slack.”

Janet bit her lip. “Of course not.” The
bewildered look on Dennis’s face when Laskin had teased them about having kids
flashed before her eyes. Dennis had looked as if the prospect of having a
family was about the same as tying a noose around his neck.

Not that the thought of having a baby
had crossed her mind before—not until she’d heard Laskin’s news, at any rate.
And it went without saying they had to put their wedding plans and apartment
hunting on hold. It was only temporary of course, until the Kovars case was
over, but what was there to stop the same thing from happening with the next
case, and the next, and the next? She knew it was selfish, but Janet couldn’t
help wishing Dennis hadn’t picked up that newspaper article about the Kovars
and hadn’t answered Mila’s phone call—then they wouldn’t be in the mess they
were in right now.

***

Mila turned off the TV, dejectedly
flinging the remote control on the couch. It was almost six p.m. She had spent
the night at Dennis Walker’s apartment and had been marooned there all day and
she was starting to feel antsy. As promised, Dennis had been checking on her
every few hours, but that didn’t make her feel any better. In fact, it made her
feel like a prisoner.

Sure, she was the one who’d come to
Dennis for help, but she had expected more than being locked up in his
apartment. She had hoped Dennis would offer her real protection and put her
fears to rest. Instead, she was just as afraid, but now she didn’t even have
the comfort of being afraid in her own apartment. Maybe, the whole thing was a
mistake. Maybe, she should’ve just stuck it out on her own.

Mila reached for her phone and checked
her messages. There was a message from Philip and she dreaded returning it. How
on earth was she going to explain to him her whereabouts?

She needed someone to talk to or she’d
go mad. Quickly, Mila dialed Amy’s number.

“Hey, I was just going to call you,”
Amy’s voice sounded as cheerful as ever.

“Hey,” Mila did her best to match her
friend’s mood. She hadn’t told her about the terrifying note she’d found in her
apartment or the fact that she was hiding out at Dennis’s place.

“By the way, Philip is looking for you.”

“Yeah, I got his message. We’ve been
playing phone tag,” Mila lied.

“He is a busy man.”

“Did he say if there was any news from
the insurance?” Mila asked.

“Not yet, but they are looking into it.
You know how those buggers are—always there to collect the dues, never there to
pay up.”

“You got that right.” Mila wondered if
arson was a covered event. By now she was certain Amy and Mila’s going up in
flames and the note she found in her apartment were more than coincidences.

“Do you want to grab a drink?” Amy
asked. “I’ve been sitting around all day, waiting for news, and I need to get
out. Let’s go paint the town red.”

Mila desperately wanted to say yes, but
Dennis’s warning rang in her ears, making her pause. “I don’t know if that’s a
good idea. We should be saving our pennies.”

“We can make an exception for tonight.
We need to blow off steam. I’ve got a few bucks saved for a rainy day and right
now I’d say it’s pretty much pouring.”

“I can’t argue with you there.” Mila bit
her lip, thinking she really should call Dennis first. But then she already
knew what his answer was going to be—a flat out no. But this was Amy—her best
friend—what harm could there be in seeing her best friend for a couple of
hours?

“So I’ll meet you at the Vine at seven?”
Amy suggested one of their favorite bars.

“No, let’s try something new. How about
Olives?” Mila came up with a busy bar in Midtown where it’d be easy to get lost
in the crowd.

“That’s all the way in Midtown,” Amy
complained. “We never hang out there.”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to shake
things up? Let’s try something new for a change.” Mila reasoned—if Anton was
looking for her, he’d have a much harder time doing so in touristy Midtown.

“You got a point. See you there. Oh, and
no bringing Philip with you. This is girls’ night out!” Amy cautioned.

“You got it.” Mila hung up, wondering
how on earth she was going to explain it all to Philip. That’s why she needed
to see Amy—to figure things out, she rationalized. She was only going out for a
couple of hours and she was going to be super careful. Manhattan was a big
place—what were the odds of her being spotted by the Kovars? The way she saw
it, there was no need to call Dennis and get him all worked up over nothing.