Body Movers 4 - 4 Bodies and a Funeral (21 page)

community service for the body-snatching stunt.”

He nodded.

“Considering how high-profile that case was, I have to

confess that I’m surprised that the D.A. let you off so

easily. It’s no secret the man has it in for you—he could’ve

thrown you in jail, if only for violating your probation.”

So E. didn’t know about his deal to work undercover for

The Carver—Lucas must have meant what he said, that

only the four of them in the room and his police contact

would know what was going down. “Guess I got lucky.”

She looked dubious for a few seconds, then seemed to

shrug off her doubts. “How’s the body moving job?”

“It’s on hold for a while,” he said, with no explanation.

“But I got a line on a job as a bike courier.”

“Sounds perfect for you. Can you work around your

community service?”

“I think so.”

“Good. I’l need to see your W-4 form.”

“My what?”

“The form for the information your employer wil use to

issue a paycheck and a W-2 at the end of the year.”

“Uh…it pays cash,” he improvised. “And tips.”

“Okay, then a note from your boss wil do. How’s the

community service going?”

“It’s going.”

She rol ed a pen between her clasped hands. “Staying out

of trouble?”

“Yeah,” he said, then realized he’d answered too quickly.

“No gambling?”

“Nah.” Not until Chance lined up another game for him.

And his mouth watered to tel her that the last poker

tournament he’d played in had grossed him twenty large,

but her boyfriend and two of his friends had robbed the

gaming house before anyone could col ect their winnings.

The men had all worn masks, but he’d recognized

Leonard’s big deformed arms—the man was definitely on

the juice.

“How are things at home?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Fine.”

“How’s your sister?”

“Fine.”

“I heard there was a disturbance at Neiman’s the other

day.”

“If there was trouble, I’m sure Carlotta was in the middle

of it. We Wrens seem to have a knack for finding it.”

E. smiled. “That you do. Anything else you want to talk

about?”

My dad’s alive after all. I really don’t want to work

undercover for the man who sliced his name into my arm.

And I’m afraid that I totally blew it with Coop. “Nah,” he

said. “Everything’s good.”

“Okay,” she said with a nod. “See you next week.”

“You bet,” he said, then left before she changed her mind

and asked him for a urine sample.

He walked to the elevator bay, then punched the button

and sighed in relief. He’d dodged a bul et with E.

But when the elevator doors slid open, Tick, the col ector

for Father Thom, the other loan shark that Wesley owed,

stood there smiling at him.

Wesley actually tried to jump back, but his muscles were

slow to respond. Tick reached out, dragged him inside the

elevator, and the doors closed.

15

Carlotta stood at the door and waved goodbye to Coop as

he backed out of the driveway.

“Don’t forget to blow him a kiss,” Jack called from the

kitchen.

She closed the door and walked back inside. “Be nice.”

He saluted her with his coffee cup. “Sorry, I’m a little

cranky from the crick in my neck I got sleeping on your

couch.”

“Coop needed a friend last night.”

“I know,” he said, taking a drink of coffee, then wincing. “I

don’t want to see Coop fall off the wagon any more than

you do, but he has a lousy sense of timing.” His gaze raked

over her regretfully.

Under her olive-green Kay Unger sleeveless sheath, her

body twinged with similar disappointment, but it couldn’t

be helped. “Did Coop tel you what was bothering him?”

“No, but…”

“But what?”

He shrugged and took another drink. “I kind of assumed

that you were bothering him, if you know what I mean.”

Then he held up his hands. “But I’m not suggesting you

should take ownership of his drinking problem.”

She frowned. “I’m flattered that you’d think I’d have that

much sway, but I’m sure something else is troubling

Coop.”

“Why didn’t you ask him?”

“I did. He said it wasn’t anything in particular.”

“And why don’t you believe him?”

Carlotta pursed her mouth. “Call it women’s intuition.”

He rol ed his eyes and took another healthy drink from his

mug. “Maybe being asked to consult on open cases at the

morgue is too much pressure for him.”

“It’s probably pretty awkward, working in the morgue he

used to run,” she agreed.

“Yeah. As long as he’s only moving bodies for them, he can

stay on the periphery. But working on cases means

rubbing elbows with former coworkers.”

“From what I’ve seen, the people he used to work with

respect him.”

“Coop wil figure it out, I’m sure.” Jack glanced at his

watch. “Marquez should be here soon. Are you ready to

go?”

“Are you two taking me to work?”

“You don’t have a car, remember?”

“I don’t want to be a pain.”

A dry laugh escaped him. “Darling, that ship sailed the day

we met.”

“Ha, ha.” Carlotta studied her cuticles. “I don’t think your

partner likes me.”

“Marquez likes you fine.”

“She thinks you’re giving me special treatment.”

He pushed to his feet and carried his plate to the

dishwasher. “No comment, on the grounds that I’l be in

trouble no matter how I answer that. I wish you’d

reconsider going in today. It makes me crazy that Lane is

stil out there somewhere.”

“Jack, I don’t have a lot of choice. I have bil s to pay.”

He nodded. “Do you have the stun baton?”

“In my bag.” She walked up to him and slid her hands up

the front of his shirt. “You make me feel safe, Jack.”

His eyes turned smoky and he smiled. “Good.”

“So what were you and Wesley talking about in his room

with the door closed?”

His smile fel and he stil ed her hands with his. “I just

wanted to make sure he knew nothing kinky went on here

last night.”

“That’s all you talked about? You were in there for a

while.” Again she thought of the pil she’d found. She’d

considered showing it to Coop when Jack was in the

shower, but since Coop and Wes’s relationship was on

such thin ice at the moment, she didn’t want to give Coop

more reason to think il of her brother.

Jack looked away, then back. “If you want to know the

truth, your brother told me to leave you alone.”

She gave a little laugh. “You’re joking.”

“No. He said I couldn’t give you what you need.” He locked

gazes with her, then made a rueful noise. “And although I

think Wes generally exhibits exceptionally bad judgment,

in this case, I tend to agree with him.”

Carlotta pul ed back and crossed her arms. “So the two of

you know what I need, do you?”

Jack squirmed. “Carlotta, I’m not exactly the settling down

type.”

“If I wanted to settle down, I could marry Peter

tomorrow.”

“Maybe you should,” he murmured.

She blinked. “You think I should marry Peter?”

He reached up to stroke her cheek with a callused thumb.

“I think it’s the life you were meant for.”

The piercing sound of the motion detector alarm knifed

into the air. Jack dropped his hand and strode to the front

window. “There’s Marquez. Let’s go.”

“Talk about timing,” Carlotta muttered.

Feeling blindsided by Jack’s assessment, she grabbed her

purse and sunglasses and fol owed him outside into the

morning sunshine. The black sedan sat on the driveway,

engine humming. After Carlotta locked the front door, Jack

shepherded her into the backseat and he slid into the front

passenger seat. Carlotta was surprised his macho ego

would allow him to let a woman drive. It actually elevated

him in her eyes.

But it didn’t make up for the abrupt kiss-off, which hurt

more than she cared to admit.

And quite possibly changed everything.

Meanwhile, Maria looked like a mil ion dol ars in a wine-

colored pantsuit, her lush, bronze-colored hair coiled into

a chic chignon that brought her amazing bone structure

into finer focus.

“Good morning,” she said to Carlotta in the rearview

mirror. “Did you two sleep wel ?”

Carlotta didn’t miss the sly intonation.

“One of us did,” Jack muttered.

Carlotta bit her lip. Was it her imagination, or had Maria’s

shoulders relaxed at the subtle assurance that she and

Jack had slept apart?

“No incidents?” Maria asked.

“No. Any updates on Lane?”

“No. But every available uniform is out looking for him.”

The two of them talked about work on the drive to Lenox

Square. Carlotta sat back and looked at the sky through

the window, wondering where Michael Lane was, and

what frame of mind he was in. He’d had everything going

for him, but he’d gotten greedy, and people had died

because of it.

The ugly memory of what he’d done, in juxtaposition to a

beautiful, sunny day like this one, made Carlotta

philosophical. The women he’d kil ed would never enjoy

another day like this one…and neither would Shawna

Whitt. The sad truth was no matter the cause, each of the

women was just as dead as the others. And none of them

had seen it coming—the randomness of death was

positively breathtaking.

She wondered idly if anyone would know to take down

Shawna’s profile from the online dating service. She

supposed that it would expire eventually, but how many

men had looked at her bio in the past few days, had sent a

note hoping to meet with her soon? If she had lived, would

Shawna have married one of the men? Had children? The

woman’s headstone should read “What Could Have Been.”

Most disconcerting, though, was why Shawna Whitt had

had that charm in her mouth when she’d died. Maria’s

explanation of an oral fixation sounded bizarre…but then

again, Maria was the expert.

“Carlotta?”

Jack’s voice jarred her out of her thoughts.

“I need your car keys.”

She glanced around and realized they were pul ing into the

mall parking lot.

“Are you going to boost my car battery again?” she asked

as they pul ed up to the Monte Carlo.

“No, I got you a new battery yesterday.”

Her eyes widened. “You did? Thank you…I’l pay you back,

of course.”

“Forget about it,” he said, then turned to Maria. “Pop the

trunk, wil you?”

He climbed out and Carlotta noticed Maria’s gaze linger on

Jack. “I’l give you a hand,” the woman said to him as she

got out.

Carlotta pressed her lips together. So Maria was interested

in Jack after all, but—at least for now—she wouldn’t cross

the professional boundary. If the two of them would let

themselves go for it, they’d probably be the perfect match,

Carlotta conceded miserably.

Maybe Jack was right. Maybe there was something to be

said about fitting into the other person’s world.

As a token gesture of support, she opened the door and

slid out to watch the dynamic duo swap her old battery for

a spanking brand-new one. As they loosened bolts and re-

fastened cables, she felt totally inept. It was moments like

this that she wondered how she’d managed to raise

Wesley in one piece.

Not that she’d done such a bang-up job, considering all the

trouble he’d been in. In hindsight, it was a good thing her

little brother hadn’t run on batteries.

When Jack started her car, Maria went back to the sedan

to answer a radio call. After a few seconds, she stood and

waved to get Jack’s attention. “Lane was spotted leaving

the North Springs MARTA station. He’s on the run, but

there’s a traffic chopper in the area on its way.”

Jack sprang into motion, turning off Carlotta’s car and

locking it. “Come on, Carlotta, we’l drop you off at the

door. I’l drive,” he said to Maria.

Carlotta jumped in and held on as Jack raced to the

Neiman’s entrance. “Michael is a long-distance runner,”

she offered as she opened the car door to get out.

“Good to know,” Jack said, picking up the radio. “I’l call

you as soon as I have news.”

She stepped out and closed the door. “Be—”

But the car was already speeding away, siren flashing from

the dashboard. “Careful,” she whispered.

Carlotta walked into Neiman’s, her mind clicking with

worry. She hoped that Michael was apprehended without

anyone else getting hurt. In the employee break room, a

group of people were gathered around the TV in the dining

area.

Patricia saw her and waved. “Michael Lane’s on the news!

The police are tracking him. There’s a helicopter and

everything.”

She walked over, hugging herself. On the screen was an

aerial view of a man wearing what appeared to be scrubs

sprinting through a neighborhood. Occasionally he would

disappear beneath the leafy branches of trees, only to

reappear a few seconds later, having zigzagged.

“Where is that?” Carlotta managed to ask.