Yuletide Defender (6 page)

It had been a long time since he'd met a woman that interested him like Rachel did and even longer since he'd had dinner with anyone as beautiful. This might not be a regular date. It was their work that had brought about their meeting. He would try to put the meeting out of his mind during dinner because the thought of gangs and murder wasn't going to keep him from enjoying her company tonight.

 

Matt drained the last drop of coffee from his cup and set it back in the saucer. In spite of his earlier resolve, he couldn't get his mind off the encounter with her source that would come later.

“You're sure you don't want me to go with you to the park bench to meet your source?”

Rachel frowned and set her fork down on her plate. “Do we have to go over this again? I've explained it to you. We don't need to scare him off. You'll be close enough that I'll call if I need you.”

Matt pushed his plate out of the way, leaned forward and crossed his arms on the tabletop. “I want to make sure that you're safe.” He grinned. “I don't want to read a headline that says a reporter was shot while a policeman hid behind a tree.”

“You don't have to worry about that. My source sounds young to me. Of course, I don't know how young, but he doesn't strike me as being violent.”

Matt's eyebrows arched and he laughed. “He's in a gang, Rachel. Of course he's violent.”

She shook her head. “But he said he's a believer. He wants to please his mother by getting out of the gang life while he
can. He's asked me to help him get out of the city and I'm going to do it.”

“And just how are you going to accomplish that?”

“I'll talk to David. He has contacts all over the country. Maybe a director of another center can find a temporary home for him away from the streets of Lake City.”

There was no denying the sincerity in Rachel's voice. She really did want to help this boy. “So he's more to you than a story.”

She settled back in her chair. “Of course he is. I don't want to see him hurt. But I do want to tell his story.” Her brow wrinkled. “No, it's more that that. I've
got
to tell his story.”

A subtle change had come over Rachel and Matt didn't understand what had happened. “What do you mean?”

“I realize you don't know very much about me, Matt, but one thing you need to understand is that my job at the
Beacon
is temporary.”

He sat up straight, his eyes wide. “Temporary? Have you taken another job somewhere else?”

She shook her head. “No, but I plan to. I want to advance to something bigger. An investigative reporter for a big TV station. Something that pays more money than what I make here.”

Disappointment surged through him. “You said something about that the other night. Now it sounds more like an obsession. Are you saying that money is important to you?”

Rachel nodded. “A job that pays me a lot is important to me.”

Matt swallowed and searched for something to say but his mind was blank. He still didn't understand fully what she'd said. It wasn't a bad thing to want to advance in your career and be paid for your work, but something in her eyes told him it was more that just getting a better job.

She'd never struck him as a girl whose head could be swayed by money, but that's what he'd thought before and
had been proven wrong. Their date Saturday night should be an opportunity for his questions about Rachel to be answered. Until then they had other things to worry about, like a confidential source and a vigilante on a killing spree.

R
achel pulled her rental car into the same parking space she'd used two nights before and glanced at the trees behind the picnic area. Her source could be watching from there. Beside her, Matt remained silent as he had done ever since they left the restaurant.

“It's almost midnight. I need to get going.”

Matt turned and grasped her arm. “Be careful, Rachel. If anything goes wrong, you scream as loud as you can and I'll come running.”

She nodded and stepped from the car. As she walked toward the bench where she'd sat before, she wondered if tonight the mysterious source would tell her his name.

Rachel approached the picnic area and eased onto the park bench. The night air chilled her and she huddled in her coat to keep warm. The minutes dragged by but no one appeared. Rachel crossed her legs and scooted back farther on the seat. The low moan of the wind rustling the bare tree branches struck her taut nerves like a hammer against an anvil.

She gripped the edge of the seat and held on in defiance of the misgivings flowing through her. It was only a few minutes past midnight. A few more minutes. She could wait that long. He'd be here.

A hand clamped on her shoulder, sending shock waves through her body. “Sorry I'm late.”

The mellow tones of his voice calmed her racing heart. The need to put a face to the voice overcame her but she didn't dare budge. She'd come for information and she couldn't scare him away.

“I thought you weren't coming. I was afraid your brothers found out about your meeting with me.”

“Naw, they don't know nothin'. Fact is they too busy talkin' about the killin' last night.”

Rachel nodded. “I can imagine.”

“Yeah, they really upset. They say the Rangers gonna blame us now for what happened to Terrence and that cop. You was there. You think we done it?”

She closed her eyes and relived the panic she'd felt when a bullet hit the bricks above her head. “No. I believe you're right. I think there's a vigilante.”

“And what makes you think that?”

“Whoever killed those men had to be an excellent marksman. He was well hidden and he hit his targets with two rapid shots. Since most of the gang members are kids recruited off the streets, I doubt there's one who could do that. Besides, you said a gang member would want to be up close to show their colors.”

His hand struck the back of the bench. “Why can't the popo see that? Why they gotta waste time blaming us when they should be lookin' for the killer?”

Rachel shook her head. “I don't know. I just can't figure out what to do next.”

“Maybe I can.” His voice sounded closer. Her insides quaked like gelatin but she didn't look around. “The Rangers sent us word they read your story and think you may be right about a vigilante. They want to set up a meetin' to talk 'bout a truce until the popo catch this dude. Some of the brothers believe them, some don't. Big T, our leader, say we gonna try. So he's going tomorrow night to talk to Franco from the Rangers.”

“Do you know where they're meeting?”

“Pepper's Bar on Locust Street.”

Rachel swallowed back the uneasy feeling pushing its way up from her stomach. “That's near Randolph, isn't it?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“I was just thinking that's near where your friend was killed the night you were with him. If the Rangers wanted to meet, why wouldn't they choose neutral territory? Why come to the Vipers' turf?”

The man chuckled. “That's what I'm thinking. Sounds kind of like a setup, don't it?”

Rachel tried to smile but her trembling lips wouldn't obey. She took a deep breath. “Okay, I guess I'll have to check this out. What time are they supposed to meet?”

“Eleven o'clock. The manager's gonna close up and let them have the place to themselves.”

Rachel nodded. “Thanks for the information. When will I hear from you again?”

Only silence greeted her question.

“Are you there?”

No answer.

She counted to ten before she turned around. No one stood behind her. If he was watching her from the forest behind, the trees guarded his whereabouts. She clutched her purse against her body, jumped up from the bench and ran as fast as she could toward her car.

The car sat alone in the parking lot underneath a streetlight. The thought of Matt waiting inside spurred her to run, and she raced toward safety. Rachel mentally counted the steps as her feet skimmed the surface of the asphalt—ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen.

Just a few more steps and she'd be with Matt. Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen. With a sigh of relief she reached out, grabbed the door handle and tugged.

Her heart pounded in her ears and a scream froze in her throat as strong fingers wrapped around her wrist.

Rachel clenched her fist and whirled to strike at her attacker. Then she sagged against the car in relief. “Matt, what are you doing? You were supposed to stay in the car.”

He released her arm. “I know, but I got worried about you. You've been gone too long.”

Rachel placed her hand on her chest and felt the thump of her heart through her coat. “He was late.” She glanced past Matt and frowned. “But where were you? I didn't see you near us.”

“I stayed in the trees. I couldn't get close enough to see his face. He was wearing a coat with a hood that hid most of his body.” He chuckled under his breath. “I'm sorry I scared you. When I saw you running back to the car, I thought something had happened.”

She shook her head. “No, I was in a hurry because I was cold.”

In the beam from the streetlight, she watched a skeptical look spread across Matt's face. “And you sure you weren't a little frightened?”

Rachel started to deny it but she knew it was no use. She straightened her shoulders and raised her chin. “Well, maybe a little, but I thought there was a policeman waiting in my car to protect me.”

He laughed. “Don't worry. I had your back.” He pointed to the car. “Do you want me to drive?”

“No, thank you. I'm quite able to drive, even if you did scare the life out of me.”

She climbed into the car and waited for Matt to get in the passenger seat. When he was settled, he buckled his seat belt and glanced at her. “Well, are you going to tell me what happened?”

As she guided the car into the street, she related what had taken place at the park bench and waited for his reaction. He
stared ahead through the windshield, a thoughtful expression on his face.

She took a deep breath. “So, what do we need to do about tomorrow night?”

He directed a wide-eyed stare at her. “What do you mean we? This is a matter for the police.”

She shook her head. “Why? My source said they were going to meet to talk. That's not against the law. What would you tell the police—that there are gang members sitting together in a bar? No. I think it would be better if we checked this out ourselves.”

Matt sat silent for a moment before he responded, “I see your point. If anything happens, I can call for backup.” He swiveled in his seat to face her. “But there's no need for you to be there.”

She gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Oh, yes there is. This is my story and you're not going to cheat me out of it. You wouldn't even know about the meeting if it wasn't for me.”

He sighed. “Okay, have it your way. We'll stake out the bar together.”

She smiled. “I'm glad you see it my way.”

“As if I had a choice. If I said no, you'd just show up anyway. At least this way I can keep an eye on you.”

Rachel smiled and concentrated on her driving. Matt didn't speak again until they arrived at the police station. When she stopped, he climbed from the car and bent over to peer inside at her. “Thanks for driving. I'll talk to you tomorrow.”

“That sounds good.”

Rachel watched Matt disappear around the corner of the building before she pulled away from the curb and drove toward home. Her thoughts drifted to the Santa Claus who'd stolen her purse. So far there had been no other victims of a rogue Santa in Lake City. Even though she thought it unlikely,
she couldn't help but wonder if the incident had something to do with her stories about the gangs.

Goose bumps raced up her arms at a sudden thought. Whoever took her purse now knew where she lived from the information on her driver's license. Could it be possible that the Santa was the vigilante? If so, maybe she needed to take Matt's concerns more seriously.

 

Matt pulled into his assigned parking space at the police station and turned off the ignition. His cell phone lay on the seat next to him and he stared at it, unsure of what to do. He remembered the flash of fear he'd seen in Rachel's eyes the night before when he grasped her wrist. At that moment, a protective feeling had swept through him and he had wanted to tell her she could depend on him to take care of her. Instead he'd masked his feelings as he always did.

Now, in the light of a new day, he wanted to hear her voice. He needed to make sure she was all right after her meeting last night, but he hesitated. The thing he'd cautioned himself about was happening—he was becoming too interested in Rachel.

He needed to slow down. He still knew very little about Rachel. She didn't give the impression of a woman whose head could be swayed by wealth, but she had made that statement the night before that had sent warnings flashing in his mind.

A job that pays me a lot is important to me,
she'd said.

Perhaps she was like other women he'd dated, only interested in money. If that was the case, the sooner he found out the better off he'd be. His lips thinned into a straight line and he reached for the cell phone.

She answered on the first ring. “Good morning, Matt.”

His breath caught in his throat at the sultry tone of her voice. “How did you know it was me?”

Rachel laughed and he thought of how her eyes crinkled
at the corners. He wished he could see what she looked like at that moment. “I'm not psychic. Caller ID told me.”

He chuckled. “Of course. I just called to see how you're doing this morning.”

“I'm fine. In fact, I was just thinking about how you scared me when you grabbed my arm last night. I thought the source had followed me back to my car.”

“You should have seen your face. But I really didn't mean to scare you. I was afraid something had happened.”

“Well, I'm fine this morning. I've been thinking about what he told me and I'm looking forward to tonight.”

Matt let out a long breath. “Don't get your hopes up, Rachel. As far as we know, this meeting between the Rangers and the Vipers may not tell us anything. It may be the beginning of a truce between the groups.”

“If my source is right and there is a vigilante, maybe they can come to some kind of understanding. I'd sure like to see the crime rate go down.”

“That's what I've been hoping ever since I became a policeman.”

“Then maybe we'll see something positive happen at Pepper's Bar tonight.”

“Maybe so. I'll pick you up at your apartment about ten o'clock. That should give us time to get in position. I'll be in my undercover car at the front entrance.”

“I'll see you then. Bye.”

The call disconnected and Matt stared at the phone in his hand. Why hadn't he asked her to dinner again? He started to punch in her number again, but then he shook his head. Slipping the phone in his pocket, he climbed from the car. He was taking her to dinner and the ballet tomorrow night. He needed to remember he was a policeman going to a stakeout like he'd done so many times in the past. The only difference was that this time the woman accompanying him could prove to be a distraction. He had to make sure that didn't happen.

 

His cell phone, still hooked to the charger, lay on the dresser where he'd placed it the night before. He picked it up and smiled. The icon on his BlackBerry alerted him that Rachel Long had some phone messages he hadn't heard.

He carried the phone into the kitchen, poured himself another cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table. So far the messages he'd retrieved from her cell phone had been to David Foreman, the man she called her second father, one to her mother and one to Matt Franklin about picking him up for dinner. Nothing of much interest. Although he did wonder what was up between Matt and Rachel.

His eyes grew wide as he heard Rachel and Matt discussing a meeting she'd had with a source last night and how Matt had scared her when she returned to the car. He sat up straight when they mentioned the meeting at Pepper's Bar tonight.

Rage filled him and he pounded his fist on the table. They knew! And he'd gone to such lengths to get the fake message to the Vipers that the Rangers wanted to meet with them.

He took a deep breath and willed himself to think. If Rachel's source had told her about the meeting, then he must be a Viper. According to Rachel's conversation, the Vipers had no clue that the Rangers wouldn't be there.

The anger he'd felt a moment ago dissolved and he began to laugh. So the
Beacon
's star reporter and Lake City P.D.'s golden boy detective were going to be watching what happened at Pepper's Bar tonight. He'd try to give them a show they wouldn't forget.