Captured Innocence (CSA Case Files) (15 page)

“
I think Crest believes in karma…although he’d probably like to help her along.  As for the clubs, it’s a good thing Taryn is conducting a background check on every member.  God knows what she’ll find.”  Connor maneuvered through the traffic that was still light, considering it wasn’t the morning rush hour yet.  “Besides Joel, Gerry, and their private parties, we’re grasping at straws.”

Chapter Sixteen

“Heavy snow, fierce wind gusts, and ice are expected to shut down the
Twin Cities throughout the weekend.  City officials are requesting that everyone stay in their residences and only venture out in the event of an emergency.  The Metro Transit System will shut down at three o’clock this afternoon, giving travelers five more hours to schedule their way home as well as giving them time to gather supplies.”

Lauren looked at her watch, confirming that it was ten o’clock
on Friday morning.  She’d had the television on all morning, trying to decide if she was going to finish cutting those stones that were needed for the next few specialized orders.  Now she knew it was pointless.  As for their suggestion to gather supplies, she wasn’t so sure it was a good thing she’d gone to the grocery store yesterday.  On one hand, she had an abundance of supplies, but on the other, if her power went out, most of her refrigerated items would spoil.  At least she’d had the wherewithal to grab a couple cases of bottled water.

“Seventeen to twenty-two inches are expected from this afternoon through Sunday night. This is the biggest storm to hit
the Twin Cities in years.  Stay tuned for more updates.”

Lauren’s phone rang and she reached for it, her heart
suddenly palpitating at the thought it would be Connor.  She’d heard from him twice since Monday, both courtesy calls to ensure that she was all right.  She wasn’t so sure what she was, considering what she’d shared with him after their dinner on Monday night.  What the hell had she been thinking?  It was a question she was asking herself a lot lately.  She’d done her best to limit the conversations, but somehow they’d ended up talking for a good thirty minutes each time.  Looking at the screen, she saw a familiar number but knew it wasn’t Connor’s.

“Hi, Joel.”  Lauren leaned toward the coffee table, setting her mug on the dark surface.  “I take it you’re canceling tonight’
s activities?”

“Yeah, sorry about that.  That’s one big storm headed our way
,” Joel said, his voice coming through the speaker louder than needed.  Lauren fiddled with the volume on the side of her phone.  “First the mugging, now the storm.  We’ll get you back on the docket soon.”

“I appreciate that,” Lauren replied, picking up the remote and muting the news anchor.

“Speaking of what happened… have they caught the guy who tried to mug you?”

Lauren thought back to Connor’s inquiry into Joel’s specialized order and his belief in no coincidences.  A shiver of unease ran up her spine, but she tried to shake it away.  This was Joel.  He’d been a business acquaintance for years.  He was only asking because it was the nice thing to do.

“No, not yet,” Lauren responded.  She wanted to change the subject.  “How’s business?”

“Honestly,
since Marilyn Sweeney’s murder, it’s been down.”  There was a pause and for a brief moment, Lauren thought the call had been disconnected.  “Don’t get me wrong, my regulars are still coming in, but the newer members are keeping their distance.  With the media splashing it all over the news, regardless that it was Terry who did it, they’re making the lifestyle out like it’s an evil pastime.”

“Do you really think
he’s guilty?” Lauren asked, immediately wishing she hadn’t.  This was a subject she should stay far away from.  She didn’t want to inadvertently slip up in some way and compromise Connor’s case.  “Forget I asked.  It’s none of my business.  I didn’t really know them anyway.”

“You don’t
think Terry did it?” This time, the silence was extended and Lauren threw her head back on the couch, mentally cursing herself out. 

“As I said, I really didn’t know them,” Lauren replied.  “The whole thing is just a travesty.”

“Did the police ever stop by to question you?  They seemed rather interested in my list of vendors.”

“
Yes, but I haven’t heard from them since.”  Lauren breathed a sigh of relief when a knock came at the door.  “Joel, someone’s at the door.  Just give me a call when you have the next open social.”

“Yeah, will do.  Take care.”

“Bye.” Lauren quickly hung up, grateful for whoever had interrupted.  She hadn’t taken two steps when her phone rang again.  Looking at the display, her heart skipped a beat.  It was Connor.  “Hello?”

“Red, did you hear about the storm?
  Are you at home?”

“Yes,” Lauren replied.
“I decided not to go to the shop.”

She’d finally reached
the door.  She swung it open, fully expecting it to be Ms. Finch.  Rick Hastlen stood in front of her. 

“Hi,” Rick said, looking a little awkward.  He ran
a hand over his thinning hair.  “I just wanted to see if you needed anything from the store.”

“Lauren, who is that?”

“Um, I gotta go.  I’ll call you later.”  Lauren disconnected the call, knowing full well Connor would be left wondering who was in her apartment.  For a brief moment, it made her smile.  “Hi, Rick.  I appreciate you asking, but I went yesterday.  I’m all stocked up.”

“Okay.  I was just checking,” Rick said, shifting on his feet.  She could tell he’d come home after
work, considering he was still in his suit and tie.  It hung a little loose on him and his tie was crooked.  “My office closed down for the weekend.”

Lauren hated when that uncomfortable moment came when a person prolonged a conversation.  She knew Rick expected her to invite him in, but she wasn’t going to. 
A part of her felt bad for him because he really was a nice man…just not for her.  An image of Connor in bed above her while holding her wrists down flashed through her mind.  She instantly touched her wrist, wondering what the hell had just happened.

“I’m sure your company is just taking precautions,” Lauren said, mentally shaking her head so that the disturbing picture would go away.  Her cell phone rang.  The vision might have dissipated, but Connor was certainly persistent.  She didn’t immediately answer.  “I’m doing the same and not even going into the shop today.  Have you checked with Ms. Finch?”

The sliding of a deadbolt could be heard and Lauren couldn’t prevent a smile.  Ms. Finch stuck her head out regardless that she was still wearing her old-fashioned curlers.

“Are you going somewhere, Rick?”
Ms. Finch asked.

“I, uh, was just asking Lauren if she needed anything from the store.  It sounds like we’re going to be cooped up for awhile.  Do you need anything?”

“No, thank you.  I had that young delivery boy from around the corner bring me a couple bags of groceries yesterday.” Ms. Finch widened her door and stepped into the hallway.  “I love that new convenience store.  Lauren, aren’t you going to answer your phone?  It might be your young man calling.”

“Man?” Rick asked, looking back and forth between them. 

“I said I’d call you back,” Lauren replied into the phone the instant she brought it to her ear, while at the same time smothering a groan when Ms. Finch launched into how nice Connor was. 

“I’m not sure the term you young people use today, but in my day he’d be considered her boyfriend,” Ms. Finch said with a fond smile.  “With the amount of times he’s been by, I would say that title would constitute their relationship.  However, I haven’t seen him in a few days.  It’s nice to know he’s calling her now.”

“Did Ms. Finch just call me your boyfriend?” Connor replied, his tone lighter than before and definitely laced with humor.  Lauren was losing control of the situation and it didn’t help that Rick obviously wished he hadn’t stopped by.  “And I know you said you’d call back, but you sounded stressed and when I heard a man’s voice, I thought I’d better check in again.”

“I’m going to go now,” Rick said, looking more uncomfortable with every passing moment.  Lauren felt bad for him.  Just because she wasn’t attracted to him, didn’t mean she wanted her personal life rubbed in his face.  He took a step away from them.  “If you need anything, though, just let me know.  I’m just down the hallway.”

“Did you decide to throw a party and not invite me?” Connor asked, making Lauren realize she still held the phone to her ear. 

“Damn it, Connor,” Lauren whispered, although she’d turned her head
away from the two people staring at her.  It wasn’t like they couldn’t hear her, which only added to her frustration.  “Is there a reason you called?”

“From the sound of it, the same reason as the man just said.”  There was a slight pause, giving Lauren a chance to look back into the hallway. 
They were both standing there, staring at her.  “I take that’s the infamous Rick that Ms. Finch keeps talking about?”

“Hold on,” Lauren murmured in agitation, cradling the phone into her shoulder.  “Rick, I appreciate you stopping by.  I really do.  Ms. Finch, just knock on my door should you need anything.  I’ve got to take this call.”

Lauren flashed a quick smile and then ducked back into her apartment.  Shutting the door, she took a deep breath and wondered how she’d ended up in that predicament anyway.  Pulling the phone away from her body, she knew why.

“Connor, I appreciate the call,” Lauren said, as she continued to walk into her living room.  “But I went to the store yesterday.”

“That’s good.  Our investigation has come to a stand still for a few days, considering the clubs will be closed.  I was thinking of stopping by.”

Lauren held her breath at the implication of his words. 
He wanted to ride out the storm with her and this must be his way of testing the waters.  Is this what she wanted?  Had he stayed away all week to give her space?  She slowly let the air out of her lungs, knowing full well he was far from out of her system.  He’d not brought up the fact that she’d confessed her phobia to him, so maybe — just maybe — things could be kept at an arm’s length while still enjoying the benefits of whatever this was between them.

“I’d like that,” Lauren said.  “
How are you planning to get here?  Do you own a sleigh?”

“
My sleigh is in the shop,” Connor responded with what sounded like a smile.  Lauren heard people in the background.  “I do have my Jeep, but since my office is close by, I’ll leave it in the underground garage and just walk.  Say around three?”

“At around two o’clock, I’ll see if we can get a pizza delivered before the local joint closes.”  Lauren reached for her coffee, but seeing her fingers trembling, she decided against more caffeine.  “Anything you don’t like?”

“Just anchovies.  Nasty little suckers.”

Lauren smiled.  From the tone of his voice,
he’d just shuddered.  She knew that once he arrived, he’d be here for the length of the storm.  Three days of sex…vanilla sex.  Every other worry would go out the window for that brief time.  Maybe she’d call her sister to rub it in.  It wasn’t everyday that she could claim a sex romp.

“Got it.  See you at three.”

* * * *

It was after two-thirty and the majority of the team had gone home.  When Connor had told Jax that he was heading over to Lauren’s, his best friend just smiled and held a hand up in a goodbye gesture.  Taryn had followed suit, along with Kevin. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to get a good angle on the license plate of the SUV that had been parked in front of Lauren’s shop. Ethan hadn’t even been into the office, as he’d been taking care of one of those open cases.  That left Crest and Jessie, although the two seemed to stay far away from each other the majority of the morning.  Her being Crest’s personal assistant didn’t seem to be working out too well, but she was damned good at her job.  It looked like Crest was between a rock and a hard place.

Connor
shrugged into his jacket, grabbed Jax’s skullcap that he’d left on the desk knowing his friend wouldn’t mind, and started walking toward the front of the office.  Jessie was sitting at her desk, her fingers flying over her keyboard.

“I’m heading out for the weekend,” Connor said, stopping before passing her area. 
He pulled the cap down over his hair and then reached inside his pocket for his gloves.  “You should get going too.  The storm has already started.”

“I have a few more reports to type up for Gavin,” Jessie replied, looking up from her computer with a smile.  Her eyes sparkled and for some reason, Connor had a feeling she was glad he was leaving.  He’d love to be a fly on the wall
after he left.  Jessie reached over and grabbed something from the printer, handing it to him.  “That’s a supplemental report from the detective in charge of Terry’s case.”

“Thanks,” Connor replied, folding it and putting it in his pocket.  He then started to put on his gloves.  “I’ll read over it later.  You have a good weekend.”

“I fully intend to,” Jessie said, sitting back down in her chair.  “You, too.”

Connor smiled at her enthusiasm and figured Crest had his work cut out for him.  Jessie obviously had something up her sleeve and he just hoped Crest knew what was coming.  She was unlike any of the women Crest usually got involved with, which were older
, sophisticated, and used to a particular lifestyle.  Jessie was young, spirited, and naïve.  Plus, if those two ever got together, it would make for an ugly workplace and Connor, for one, liked things just the way they were.