Last Night

THE ICE QUEEN. THE LADY KILLER
. A TROPICAL ISLAND PARADISE…

Her cool disdain and measured judgements led men to call her icy. Judge Dana Hamilton could not afford to trust any man. Until the least trustworthy man of all stormed into her life. Rob Tagett, star reporter for the Honolulu Sun, a jet-haired, blue-eyed lady-killer, was her only chance to find and destroy the blackmailer who threatened her career
…
and her life. His own unsavory reputation and the scandal that had forced his resignation from the police force made them an unlikely couple
—
although Rob made his intentions clear from the start.

…THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS.

They would pose as lovers, living together, sharing the same bed, as they vacationed in the private Hawaiian island paradise owned by the power broker who had reason to destroy them both. Suddenly Rob was her only hope. She had to choose
—
between devastating secrets that tore them apart and pas
sion she could no longer deny…

1

"
I
t looked like a chicken—you
know, feathers
'
n all —but it was a jockstrap."

A titter rippled across the courtroom and the witness stopped, a flush rising up her cheeks to her gray hair. Judge Dana Hamilton tapped her gavel, silencing the courtroom crowded with snowbirds who had retired to Hawaii and found themselves bored. She could count on having them pack her court whenever the weather was hot or a sensational case was being tried. Today the temperature hit triple digits, and the "Fowl Flasher
"
was on trial.

"You may continue,
"
Dana told the witness. Behind the concealing judge
'
s bench she hiked up her robes and skirt to the tops of her thighs. Lordy, would they ever fix the air conditioner? It wheezed audibly, puffing moist air like a vaporizer.

"
The man was standing on the beach wearing a trench coat,
"
the witness said.
"
He motioned to me and I walked over. That
'
s when he threw open his
coat and I saw this
…
this
…
chicken thing. Then he tore it off and threw it into the water.
"

A volley of laughter erupted and Dana whacked the gavel on the wood, adding one more dent to the countless nicks left by fifty-plus years of judges in department seven, Municipal Court of Honolulu. The resounding bang was an effective substitute for her own pent-up laughter. The image of the flasher tossing the jockstrap in the surf tickled her. It shouldn
'
t have—judges were supposed to be above such a human failing—but it did.

She had a bit of a temper and an irreverent sense of humor that made her a little sarcastic at times. Hide your emotions, she told herself. The tough grind through law school and the years in the district attorney
'
s office were finally paying off. She had a place on the municipal court; in time she hoped to move to a higher court. She
'
d better learn more self-control.

As she silenced the crowd with another thump of the gavel, she accidentally glanced at Rob Tagett. She had noticed him that morning when she
'
d ascended the two steps to the bench, but she
'
d never once permitted her gaze to stray to the first row where the members of the fourth estate had reserved seats. She had absolutely no use for reporters. And Rob Tagett, star reporter for the
Honolulu Sun,
ranked right at the top of her list of creeps.

Sometimes, late at night, when she was in bed alone, she thought about his rich, smoky laugh and the twilight blue of his eyes. During the day she had
no trouble recalling how he'd gone for her jugular with one of his typically damning articles. Were the ugly rumors she
'
d heard about him true? Charges had never been filed against him. Still, the gossip about Rob was too consistent to discount entirely.

Rob was smiling, evidently finding the Fowl Flasher as humorous as she did. He winked at her, but she pretended not to notice.

"
Please go on,
"
she told the witness, warning the crowd with a frown.

Finally the testimony concluded and Dana gave the jury its instructio
ns, then quickly left the court
room through the judge
'
s door directly behind her without glancing at Rob Tagett. She yanked off her robe, telling her secretary, "Call maintenance again about the air. Scream this time."

"
Right away,
"
Anita said, reaching for the telephone.

Dana hung her robe on the padded hanger she kept on the back of her door and glanced around the room. She'd inherited the shelves of leather-bound books and the oak desk from the previous judge. She
'
d added her own personality to the small office with a Wyland sea-life print. She'd splurged on it, giving herself a present for being appointed a judge after so few years in the district attorney
'
s office.

Of course, she
'
d received dozens of small presents and enough flowers for a gangster
'
s funeral, but no one knew her well enough to realize how much she loved this painting. It showed the sea with the dolphins playing on the surface chasing a whale. What
fascinated her more was the activity beneath the sea: the fishes, the coral, the deep-blue current sweeping the sand along the bottom.

A hidden world. Just like people, she thought. What you couldn
'
t see was often more interesting than what was on the surface.

Anita buzzed her on the intercom.
"
Judge Sihida
'
s on the line."

Dana glanced at the school clock on the wall between the American flag and the Hawaiian state flag. Two o
'
clock. Gwen should be back in court by now.

"
Why are you taking such a late lunch recess?
"
Gwen Sihida asked.
"
I
'
m keeping my entire court waiting just to talk to you.
"

Dana knew this had to be important. Gwen never kept anyone waiting. Petite, fortyish, with jet black hair and eyes to match, Gwen was Dana's closest friend on the court. "I wanted this flasher case to go to the jury. With any luck they
'
ll have a verdict today.
"

"
How did my brother do with your wisdom teeth?
"

Dana almost said that she
'
d rather preside over a serial killer
'
s case than go to Gwen
'
s brother again.
"
It hurts a little.
"

"
That
'
s to be expected. Frank said you had the most impacted wisdom teeth he
'
d ever seen.
"
Gwen laughed as Dana touched her sore gum with the tip of her tongue, hoping she had another pain pill. Otherwise she would be miserable all afternoon.

"Are you sitting down?
"
Gwen asked. Dana dropped into her chair, then swiveled nervously from one side to the other. "Judge Parker announced his retirement this morning. Guess who
'
s being considered for his seat on the superior court?
"

"You,
"
Dana responded, thinking how great this would be for her friend. After years on the municipal bench Gwen had run for superior court and lost. "It's about time. They need a woman.
"

"They
'
re considering you, Dana.
"

"Me?
"
Shocked, Dana stopped swinging from side to side. "I
'
m too young.
"

"Bullshit,
"
Gwen said with characteristic frankness. "Thirty-four isn
'
t too young. The last appointee was thirty-six.
"

"
And a man.
"
Dana took a deep breath, shocked yet thrilled at the unexpected news. "I
'
m sorry they
'
re not considering you, Gwen. They
'
ll never appoint me. They
'
re just paying lip service to women. That post will go to a man. You watch.
"

"Don
'
t bet on it.
"

Dana understood the bitterness she heard in Gwen's voice. She had five brothers. One was a dentist, the others were well-placed politicians. The family, especially Gwen
'
s father—Boss Sihida—expected more from her than just a seat on the municipal court, handling traffic violations and family squabbles.

Boss had goaded Gwen into running for superior court and had been furious when she
'
d lost. Well,
what did he expect? This might be paradise, but women weren
'
t accepted the way they were on the mainland. The route to higher court was to be appointed—a sign t
hat you were accepted by the establishment—
then run as an incumbent. And pray you'd be elected.

"You have the best record,
"
Gwen said. "How many of your decis
ions have been overturned on ap
peal?
"

"A few.
"
Very few actually, and she was proud of it. Cases criminal attorneys didn
'
t win, they ap
pealed, creating a legal log jam. "But the Tenaka case will be a black mark against me.
"

"That was three years ago, your first month on the bench.
"

"And I received letters about it for a year.
"
She cradled the phone against her shoulder and began arranging the files on her desk. "Just this morning I received a black rose with a note that said:
I know what you did.
"

"Kooks,
"
Gwen said, and Dana imagined the dismissive wave of her gavel hand.
"
Judges are threatened all the time. Nothing usually comes of it.
"

Dana wasn
'
t sure she agreed; she found the dark side of the criminal
mind frightening and unpredict
able. The black rose and its note disturbed her, but she didn't voice her concerns, changing the subject instead.

"
Rob Tagett was in court today,
"
Dana said. "When he gets wind of the vacancy he
'
ll make dead certain the world remembers the Tenaka case.
"

"Really? He was in your court?
"

Dana attributed Gwen
'
s caustic tone to Rob. Gwen had gone out with him once, but then had the good sense not to see him anymore. She knew Rob Tagett would hurt her career. Dana admired Gwen
'
s willpower. Women were drawn to Rob despite their better judgment.

"
Look, I
'
ve got to run,
"
Gwen told her.
"
See you later.
"

Dana hung up and glanced at the desk covered with probation reports, motions, and briefs. She should work through lunch if she hoped to clear her desk for her vacation,
but she felt light-headed. Con
sidering the pain medication she was taking for the wisdom teeth she
'
d had extracted yesterday, she decided she should eat something.

Despite her throbbing tooth, she felt like waltzing on the ceiling. Superior court. Dare she hope? She m
ight have a shot at it, if…

If she hadn't been assigned the Tenaka case another judge might have tried it. Not hotshot Dana Hamilton. She'd looked at the DA
'
s botched evidence and did what the letter of the law required her to do: She granted the defense
'
s motion to dismiss charges against the child molester.

The press, led by Rob Tagett, attacked her like starving pit bulls. Her achievements—a stellar record for someone so young—were forgotten in a barrage of negative press. That's why she hadn't called the police when she
'
d found the black rose and the note this morning. She
'
d had enough of the press to
last a lifetime. Hopefully Gwen was right and this was just some kook who'd gotten his kicks.

There were few people in the cafeteria when Dana walked in; most of the other courts were back in session. She slid her plastic tray along the guide rail and looked at the mound of spaghetti in a pool of grease. Airline food was haute cuisine compared to anything the court cafeteria served. She selected a cup of coffee and a prepackaged sandwich that claimed to be tuna fish.

She found a table that was almost clean and sat with her back to the room. When she
'
d come in she
'
d spotted Rob Tagett with a group in the corner. She didn't even want to look at him.

"
Your Honor.
"
The tone was light, mocking.

She glanced up and saw Rob Tagett swinging a chair around backward. He sat opposite her, straddling the seat with his long legs, his arms resting casually across the back of the chair as he grinned at her.

Tall and well-built, Rob had blue eyes that flickered with amusement—as if he got a kick out of life in general. Of course, his hair needed to be cut. What else was new? Thick and jet black, it dusted his collar and swept low across his brow, making him look younger than thirty-eight.