Suspicion (25 page)

  "If you left Vargas World Wide shortly after that little girl died and you only came back to Washington last year, what did you do in the interim?"

  "I traveled. I wasn’t sure where I wanted to settle down, or what I wanted to do, so I tried a number of locations and jobs." He laughed. "I even worked as a New York P.I. for a while."

  "But you came back to Washington."

  He shrugged. "You know what they say. Sooner or later, everyone returns to their roots."

  "You don’t have any family? A mother? Brother or sister?"

  "My father was a cop. He died a long time ago, killed in the line of duty. My mother moved to Florida in 1993." He smiled. "You’d like her, Kate. She’s one hell of a lady."

  "I’m sure she is." There was more to Mitch Calhoon than he had told her, Kate thought as she studied him, but now was not the time to press him for more information.

  The timer she had set for twenty minutes rang and she walked over to the stove. As she pulled out the tray, Mitch reached over and stole a fragrant cookie. "I was wondering," he said as he chewed, "are you up to taking a little ride?"

  She gave him a startled look. "I don’t know. Where to?"

  "The Spivaks. Tom is a homicide detective and a good friend of mine. Mary Beth is his wife. I asked Tom to run a check on Maddy Mays and find out whether or not that rumor was true. He may know something by now."

  "I know Tom. He and I worked together on a couple

  of cases when I was in the U.S. attorney’s office. He’s a good man."

  "You’ll like Mary Beth, too."

  "Wouldn’t I be intruding?"

  "I don’t think so." He smiled and decided to tell her the truth. "Actually, Mary Beth wants to meet you." He cleared his throat, feeling a little awkward. "You see, she heard from another policeman’s wife that you and I were romantically involved and-"

  Kate’s mouth dropped open. "What?"

  "I know. That was my reaction, too, but it’s just a rumor, Kate. It’ll die down in a few days."

  "Who started it?"

  "Povich. Apparently, he’s been watching your house for signs of Eric. Anyway, he knows I spent the night here and he told his cousin."

  "Damn." Kate threw her oven mitt on the counter. "One of these days Fm going to take that man’s scrawny little neck between my hands and squeeze until he expels his last breath."

  Mitch laughed, remembering his own threat to kill the weasel. "You’ll have to take a number, lady." He waited a few moments before adding, "If you don’t want to go, I’ll understand."

  Kate thought about her choices-staying home with her aches and pains, or spending the rest of the afternoon with Mitch. The decision took no time at all. "As a matter of fact, I’d love to meet Tom’s wife." She gave Mitch a teasing smile. "Someone has to set those rumors straight."

  The moment Kate saw Tom and Mary Beth’s two little girls hurl themselves into Mitch’s arms, she knew that the detective’s relationship with the Spivak family was even more special than she had realized.

  "Uncle Mitch, look at my new Barney puppet!" Six year old Amy, her hand concealed inside a purple mitt, wiggled the puppet in Mitch’s face.

  Not one to be upstaged by her big sister, four-year-old Sandy tugged at Mitch’s sleeve. "Look at me, Uncle Mitch. I can stand on my toes." Eager to demonstrate and show off her new ballet slippers, she pulled herself up and held the pose for an impressive five seconds.

  "All right, you two." Laughing, Mary Beth pulled the girls away. "Give your uncle Mitch some breathing room, will you? He just got here."

  She was an attractive brunette with a friendly smile and an easy manner that made Kate feel instantly at home.

  "They’re crazy about him," she told Kate as she led her into a wood-paneled family room strewn with toys. "And of course, he spoils them rotten." As Mitch and Tom disappeared down the hall for a private talk, she removed a huge stuffed panda from the sofa and set it on the floor. "Do you have any children, Kate?"

  "A daughter." Smiling, Kate watched Amy and Sandy

  as they settled on the floor to play. "She’s thirteen and more of a handful than your two girls put together."

  "This must be a difficult time for her. With all this publicity going on."

  "It hasn’t been easy. That’s why I’m letting her get away with so much." Kate’s eyes laughed as they met Mary Beth’s. "As soon as everything is back to normal, I’ll start cracking the whip again."

  Bending over a tray on the cocktail table, Mary Beth poured coffee. "Somehow you don’t look like the whip cracking type."

  Kate laughed. "Couldn’t fool you, either, huh?"

  "Not one bit."

  Kate took the cup that was offered and waited until Mary Beth was seated before asking, "You’ve known Mitch a long time, haven’t you?"

  "Eighteen years. He was best man at our wedding." She glanced toward the girls to make sure they weren’t listening and lowered her voice. "He also saved Tom’s life once."

  "I didn’t know that."

  "It happened a long time ago. Tom and Mitch were partners then, two rookies, fresh out of the academy. They were on patrol when a call came in on the radio about a robbery in progress. Their cruiser was only a block away, so they were the first to respond. When they arrived at the scene, Tom ran out of the car and immediately found himself under fire." She looked briefly into the distance before returning her gaze to Kate. "If it hadn’t been for Mitch’s quick action, I’d be a widow right now."

  "I can see why you care for him so much."

  "He’s like a brother to us. There’s nothing Tom and I wouldn’t do for him." Casually, Mary Beth tucked a dark

  curl behind her ear. "What about you? Have you known Mitch long?"

  "Not really. I first met him six months ago when he and I worked on the Tony Fuente case."

  "On opposite sides."

  Kate smiled. "Yes. And we were still on opposite sides when he was assigned to the Gina Lamont murder, which makes my being here with him rather odd, I suppose."

  Mary Beth stared at her hands for a moment. "I have to make a confession," she said, looking up and smiling sheepishly. "I was rather curious about you, Kate. Tongues are wagging like crazy about the two of you, especially since Mitch resigned so abruptly, yet he’s never said a word about you."

  Kate found the young woman’s candor refreshing. "Maybe that’s because there’s nothing to say. Mitch and I are not involved. Not romantically anyway."

  "He seems quite taken by you."

  "Did he say that?"

  "No, but I have eyes. I can see the way he looks at you. He’s never looked at a woman that way before. Not even Ava."

  Kate felt a sudden and inexplicable pang of jealousy. "Who’s Ava?"

  "His ex- wife."

  Kate heard the chill in Mary Beth’s voice. "You don’t seem very fond of her."

  "I’m not." She glanced toward the girls again. "I hated her on sight. She was spoiled, immature and self-centered. But Mitch was in love, so Tom and I kept our mouths shut. We were hoping marriage would change her, make her realize that the whole world didn’t revolve around her, but it didn’t. If anything, she got worse. And she hated Mitch’s job."

  "That’s not too surprising, is it? It takes a special kind of woman to be a policeman’s wife, not to let the worry interfere with the relationship."

  Mary Beth shook her head. "That’s not why Ava hated the force. She wasn’t worried about Mitch’s safety. She was upset because he wasn’t making enough money. That’s why he went to work for Vargas World Wide."

  "Where is Ava now?"

  "California. She remarried…"

  She stopped as if suddenly realizing she had said too much. Kate didn’t press her. She couldn’t have anyway. Mitch and Tom were returning, demanding pumpkin pie.

  "So what did you think of Mary Beth?" Mitch asked as they drove across town toward Kate’s house. Night had fallen, bringing with it a fine drizzle that enveloped the city in a soft mist.

  "She’s lovely." Kate looked at him sideways. "And very protective of you."

  Mitch groaned. "Oh, no. She didn’t put you through the third degree, did she?"

  "Not really. She just wanted to make sure that I wasn’t some cold-blooded wench out to break your heart."

  "Tell me she didn’t say that."

  Kate laughed. "She didn’t. We got along very well as a matter of fact. She was almost disappointed to hear there was nothing between us." Serious again, she asked, "Was Tom able to find out anything about Maddy Mays?"

  "Not yet. The two officers who headed the vice squad at that time have long since retired, and others he’s talked to don’t remember an investigation."

  "Could Maddy have been telling the truth?"

  "Somehow I doubt it." He turned the Ford onto Porter Street and pulled in behind the Saab. "Tom is trying to track down the retired officers. He’ll let me know as soon as he hears something." He saw her stifle a yawn with the back of her hand. "Tired?"

  "A little. It’s been quite a day." She smiled, feeling suddenly self-conscious. It was getting more and more difficult to deny the attraction she felt for this fascinating man whose life was slowly unfolding in front of her very eyes. And it wasn’t helping that they sat in such close proximity. "Thanks for the unexpected afternoon, Mitch. I-"

  The rest of the sentence died on her lips. Without warning, and before she had a chance to protest, Mitch pulled her to him and kissed her.

  Under the onslaught, Kate felt her body stiffen, then unexpectedly, almost shamefully, she let herself go limp. She couldn’t remember anyone ever kissing her that way before. It was a wild, heated kiss that took her breath away and turned her knees to jelly.

  Dazed, she found herself responding, moaning, fisting her hands into his hair. Emotions she had no idea she possessed ripped through her, sapping her willpower and all the promises she had made.

  Mitch’s hands cupped her face. "God, you taste good," he murmured against her mouth. "Just like I imagined." His lips moved to the hollow of her throat, where her pulse was beating wildly. "Let’s go inside, Kate."

  She never had a chance to answer. As she tilted her head back in surrender, she caught sight of a car coming up the street. It was moving slowly, its lights off. At the intersection, it turned left and disappeared.

  "What’s the matter?" Mitch pulled away, his gaze following hers. "What did you see?"

  "A car." She was trembling. "Driving with the lights off." Mitch threw the Ford in gear, but Kate stopped him.

  "No! Let him go." She gripped his arm. "It’s probably Povich again. And catching him would only make things worse."

  "I’ll stay with you, and if he comes back, I swear I’ll-"

  "No." She said it quickly before her heart, aching for him to stay, had a chance to say otherwise. "Don’t you see, that’s exactly what he’s hoping you’ll do. It was only his word against ours before, but I’m willing to bet that tonight, he came with a camera." She glanced up and down the street. "Let’s not give him any more ammunition than he already has."

  Mitch’s thumb brushed lightly against her lip. "All right, Kate, but let the record show that I object."

  Breathing slowly and deeply, Kate waited until her heartbeat had quieted a bit before opening the car door. "Objection noted. Good night, Mitch."

  "Good night, Kate."

  Sam Cory’s Gym on M Street was nearly deserted at this early-morning hour, which was why Mitch often chose this time to do his daily workout.

  He always began his routine with a three-mile run along the indoor track. The deep breathing helped clear his mind, and occasionally, it even helped him sort through his problems.

  But this morning, logical thoughts seemed beyond him. Kate-and the way she had felt in his arms yesterday evening-was the reason.

  He was approaching the end of the first lap when he was suddenly joined by another runner. It only took Mitch a quick glance to recognize Senator Sander McKackney. Mitch smiled inwardly as he spotted two Secret Service

  men, also in running gear, fall in several feet behind McKackney.

  Although he had expected the senator to make some kind of move, he hadn’t expected to see him here in a fairly public place. Odd that he hadn’t realized he was being tailed. Either those government men were getting better, or he was slipping.

  "Good morning, Detective," the senator said as he caught up with Mitch.

  In his early sixties, the longtime politician was a big, well-preserved man with broad shoulders, muscular thighs and a flat stomach Mitch suspected was as hard as his own. Every strand of his famous pewter gray hair in place, the good-old-boy image was as charismatic as ever.

  "You can drop the title, Senator. You know damn well I’m no longer on the force."

  "A pity." Although Mitch had increased his speed, the older man kept up with him with hardly a change in his breathing. "Good cops are hard to come by these days."

  "Yeah." Mitch chuckled. "And at this rate, they might even become an extinct species."

  "Detective, please believe me, I had nothing to do with Lieutenant Jarvis’s decision to take you off the case." The Southern accent was much more pronounced now that he was off camera. Or was it due to the fact that he was lying shamelessly? "I merely expressed concern for my son whom you seem to have targeted unfairly. Sean has nothing to hide."

  "Then why worry?"

  "Because I was concerned, and so was Sean, by your determination to dredge up an old scandal that had nothing whatsoever to do with the case you were investigating."

  "You have your opinions. I have mine."

  McKackney negotiated a curve, his gait as strong as when he had entered the track. "My son is a brilliant surgeon, Detective, and the father of two wonderful daughters. I ask you, do those two little girls deserve to be exposed to a scandal the country has long since forgotten?"