Jamie Hill Triple Threat (11 page)

She looked at the laundry, and then him, with amazement. “Oh, Jack.”

He smiled at her. “I washed, dried and folded them, but I draw the line at putting them away. You’ll have to do that. Hey!” he wiped a tear from her cheek. “I sorted the white and darks, I promise.” He picked up a bra from the top of her pile. “I especially liked folding your things.”

She snatched the bra away from him and threw her arms around his neck. She murmured softly in his ear, “Thank you. Did I ever tell you that you’re my hero?”

He pulled away gently. “Hold that thought. I had another brainstorm today. My sister has a couple boys a little older than these two. She had some clothes they’d outgrown and was thrilled to find someone who could use them.” He went around the sofa and pulled up two bags of clothing.

“Oh my gosh!”
Crystal
took a bag from him. The first things she noticed were two heavy winter coats, gloves and hats. “Oh my gosh!” She looked through the clothes and murmured “These are like new! How can we ever thank her?” She hesitated when she noticed a price tag hanging from the sleeve of one shirt. “Jack…why is your sister giving away clothes with price tags still on them?”

He quickly yanked the tag and it came off. “Oh, you know, she’s one of those snooty society gals. Has more money than she knows what to do with.”

She looked at him with suspicion. “You drove to see her today and still had time to do three loads of laundry? Did you have time to work?”

“Of course.” He took the bag from her and set it down. “Just call me Super-Jack. Now let’s try on these coats and see if they fit.” He gave one to each boy.

When they tried them on, she saw that they fit perfectly.
Crystal
leaned against him and smiled. “I bet you’re a good uncle.”

“Hmmm?” Jack looked at her for a second, and then said, “Oh, yeah. Kids are great.”

She smiled again as she watched the boys checking out all the pockets in their new coats.
Crystal
wondered if Jack really had nephews, or even a sister for that matter, but let it go. He was helping them, and they definitely needed his help.

They ate, cleaned up, checked homework, gave the boys showers and had enough time left for a few hands of Crazy Eights. When they tucked the boys in and turned out the lights,
Crystal
knew she needed to go to bed too. She gave Jack a quick but good kiss, and smiled. “See you tomorrow.”

He dropped back onto the sofa. “Going to bed so soon?”

She snorted. “I know what would happen if I stayed out here. You call it distraction. Most people have another name or two for it.”

He closed his eyes. “I guess I’m left with my fantasies, then.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “I’d better be in them.”

He opened his eyes and grinned at her. “Baby, you’re the star.”

“Good. See you in the morning, Jack.”

“See you.”

Crystal
walked to her room and stopped in the doorway. “Have happy dreams,” she said softly, and caught a glimpse of his smile.

She’d slept for several hours when
Crystal
heard a noise and hopped out of bed. She tiptoed into the dark front room and ran smack into Jack’s bare chest.

He cursed and raised his gun to the ceiling. “What are you doing, Crys?”

“I heard a noise,” she whispered.

He tucked the gun between the sofa cushions and peered at her while their eyes acclimated to the darkness. “Noises are my department, babe. You’re supposed to let me handle that stuff from here on out.”

“Like that’s gonna happen.” She looked around. “Did you hear something too?”

“Yes, and I checked, but it seems to have been nothing. Everything's secure, both here and next door.”

She nodded and looked him over. He looked extremely sexy wearing nothing but jeans, unsnapped at the waist. She put two fingers through the belt loops on his waistband and pulled him closer. “Here we are again, alone in the dark.”

“We keep managing to end up this way.” He stared into her eyes.

“Must be fate.” She stared back and licked her lips nervously.

Another voice said softly, “Jack, I heard something.”

Jack looked at
Crystal
’s mouth and then her eyes as he spoke. “It’s okay, Mark. It’s nothing. Well, it was
Crystal
hearing me thinking I heard something. But it was nothing. Go back to sleep.”

“Okay Jack,” the boy answered, and rolled over.

Crystal
was impressed that Jack knew the boys’ voices already. She still had trouble telling them apart sometimes. She smiled and let loose of his jeans. “So much for being alone in the dark.”

“Yeah. I guess I should tell you goodnight, Crys.” He hesitated and then said, “I guess I shouldn’t call you Crys, since you don’t like nicknames.”

She took a step closer to him. “I like it when you call me Crys. It makes me feel strong for some reason. Like that tennis player. What was her name? Chris Evert?”

He chuckled. “She was pretty strong. I have a feeling you’re strong, too. You underestimate yourself.”

“Years of practice,” she replied simply.

He touched her cheek with one hand. “I want to hear all about those years. I’m fascinated to find out what makes you tick.” He caressed her cheek. “But it isn’t going to happen tonight. I can’t stand here looking at you any longer. I want to do so much more than just look.”

She took his hand in hers and kissed his palm. “Good night.”

“’Night.” They went back to their separate beds.

They all managed to oversleep the next morning, and it was a hectic madhouse for the half-hour it took everyone to get dressed and out the door.
Crystal
checked herself and the boys over and decided they had everything they needed before she pulled the door shut. She smiled quickly at Jack and planted a noisy kiss on his mouth. “Couldn’t have done it without ya. Thanks, babe.”

“You bet.” He patted her butt and hurried them all down the stairs.

He left her at the diner with promises to be there at four, but it was just an hour and a half later at nine-thirty when he returned.

“Hey!” She smiled as he walked in. “You must have news. Please tell me it’s good news. The way this day started, well, you know the way it started. And then I dropped a tray, which is not like me at all. And I…” her voice trailed off as she looked at his face. “It doesn’t appear to be good news.”

He gave her a look and shrugged. “Depends how you choose to look at it, I guess. It’s sort of a good news/bad news type of thing.”

She looked at him hopefully. “I’m a good news kind of a girl, so let’s have that first.”

“I found Dave.”

Crystal
sat in the nearest chair. “That
is
good news. Which means the bad news must be that he’s either in jail or dead.” She looked up at Jack. “Please tell me he’s in jail.”

Jack touched her hand. “He’s not in jail, Crys. I got a return fax on the inquiries I made to the local morgues. They’re pretty sure they’ve got him over in
Hutchinson
.”

She breathed in and out deeply. “How do we make one hundred percent sure it’s him?”

“They’re testing dental records and fingerprints, now that they have a name to go with the body. They’ll know by tonight or tomorrow. But since this affects us so personally, I thought we might drive over there and ID him in person.”

“I’d have to…look at…?” she trailed off.

He nodded.

I’ll have to look at the body.
She thought about it, and stood up. “I can do that. We need to know.”

“We really do,” he agreed. “Think Moe’ll cut you loose? It’s going to take at least an hour to get there, and what with the red tape and all, I’m not sure you’ll be back to work today.”

“What about the boys?”

“We’ll get them from school later, or catch them on their way here. They’ll be fine.”

She nodded and went to talk to Moe. They stood in the doorway to the kitchen as she explained the situation to him.

“No problem, Crystal-ina. We’ll manage without you.” Moe patted her hand. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

“Thank you so much,”
Crystal
told him, and as she went for her coat she caught Caesar watching them. The look on his face terrified her. She grabbed her things quickly and returned to Jack. “Let’s go.”

He was studying the doorway to the kitchen. “What’s with the cook?”

“General creepiness,” she muttered.

Jack smiled and led her out. “Let’s run by the apartment so you can change.”

“Thanks.”

At the apartment building, he gave her the key so she could run up by herself. It would have been their first time alone in the apartment together, and
Crystal
knew that although they were heading off to identify a dead body, if they had a chance to be alone first they’d take advantage of it. As appealing as that idea was, this was definitely not the time. 

She changed into jeans and a v-neck sweater, and then slipped back into her jacket. It wasn’t really warm enough for the weather, but it was all she had. She blew on her hands as she slid back into his truck. She saw Jack look her over appreciatively. She could tell his eyes didn’t miss the way the ‘v’ of her sweater enhanced her breasts. She zipped her jacket higher and smiled apologetically. “I wanted something warm,” she remarked, trying to explain the sweater.

He looked her over again. “I don’t know about you, but it definitely warmed me up.”

Crystal
laughed nervously and buckled her seat belt. “I guess we should go,” she reminded him. She lit up a cigarette and tapped her toe on the floorboard.

“I guess we should get you a warmer coat.” He checked his blind spot before he pulled out into the street.

She puffed on her cigarette and gazed out the window. “Maybe your sister has one she’s not using anymore.”

He glanced sideways at her and gave her a small smile. “You giving me a hard time?”

“No,” she flicked her ashes out the window and looked at him. “I’m sorry, I’m just nervous.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“Not yet. I need to think about it first.”

“Want some music?” He pushed a button and the radio came on.

“Depends. What do you listen to?”

Jack shrugged. “I like everything. Currently I’m on a country kick. I don’t know why, but the Musik Mafia amuses me. Big and Rich, Cowboy
Troy
…”

“Gretchen Wilson,”
Crystal
added.

He nodded. “Not entirely unpleasant to look at.”

She thought about that as she puffed her smoke. “I know all the words to ‘Redneck Woman’. Don’t ask me why.”

He laughed at that, and drove toward the neighboring town of
Hutchinson
.

The morgue at the Hutchinson Police Department, like many others, was located in the basement of the building. Jack checked in with the homicide department, exchanged some shop talk and easy banter, and less than half an hour later they were being led down a long corridor in the cool, damp basement.
Crystal
started to shiver. Jack reached over and took her hand.

“He was beaten up badly, but was pretty easily identified with the rap sheet you faxed us. His fingerprints are a match. Still waiting on dental records.” The
Hutchinson
officer told them.

Crystal
looked at Jack. “So it’s him, then.”

He nodded and squeezed her hand. “We knew it was, Crys. Let’s just get this done and have it over with.”

“Okay.” She steeled herself, but clung to his hand as they were led into a cold room, made even colder with banks of clinical silver cabinets lining the walls. A covered body lay in the center of the room on a gurney.

The officer looked at Jack who glanced at
Crystal
. She nodded, and the man pulled the cover off the upper portion of the body.

“Oh Jesus, Dave,”
Crystal
murmured. “What did you get yourself mixed up in this time?” She looked at the dead man's face. The officer was right. It was obvious he'd been beaten, but it was also obvious the dead man was Dave.

The officer spoke “David Erickson?”

“Yes,”
Crystal
replied. She looked at his face again, but her mind now saw Mark and
Devon
. What the hell was she going to do? She looked at Jack. “Can we go?”

“You bet.” He thanked the officer and led her back up the stairs and out into the cold fresh air.

Crystal
took a few deep breaths and then lit a cigarette to calm herself.

“You’re handling this better than I expected.” Jack leaned against his Explorer and watched her.

She shrugged. “I didn’t love him. I didn’t even care that much about him, except for Mark and
Devon
. I just don’t know what we’re going to do now.”