For Old Crime's Sake (Chase Charley Mystery Book 1) (5 page)

After I climbed out of the car, I walked into my office building and dialed his number. My heart sped up. I didn’t even know what to say.

It rang several times. At this point I assumed that he wouldn’t answer.

Finally he picked up and said, “Officer Marquez.” His voice was just as sexy as the rest of him.

“Officer Marquez, this is Chase Charley. You pulled me over for… well, I’m not sure why, but I need to speak with you.”

“Of course I remember you. I’m glad you called. What can I do for you?”

I wanted to ask if he’d gotten new cards yet. Anyway, it was time for me to get to the point.

“You probably don’t know this, but I’m an investigative reporter.” I paused. “And, well, I wanted to know if you could get information about a license plate for me.” I rushed the last sentence.

Better to just get the question out there. Quick, but definitely not painless. I held my breath waiting for his answer. He released a deep breath. That wasn’t a good sign.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. I hope you understand.”

I didn’t understand anything. Most of all, I didn’t understand why the bad cop had stopped me. Correction, I did understand—because the cop was trying to hide something. But I hadn’t seen anything other than a wrapped-up body that he claimed wasn’t a body at all.

“Are you still there?” Officer Marquez asked.

“Yes, I’m here.”

He could probably tell by my voice that I was frustrated. I had a bunch of questions and was getting zero answers.

“I want to help you any way I can, but I can’t just give out information like that. Are you in some kind of trouble?” he asked.

His voice was sincere, so I believed that he wanted to help me. He could help me by looking up the info and by telling me what his partner was hiding. I wondered if Officer West knew that Officer Marquez was talking with me. Probably not. What would Officer West say if he knew?

This conversation was getting me nowhere. I should have known that calling wouldn’t do any good. I had to try though because I was fresh out of ideas.

“Are you sure you aren’t in trouble?” Officer Marquez asked again.

“No, I’m not in any trouble, per se.” My voice didn’t sound all that confident. “I do have another question though.” I knew it was a long shot that he would answer this either.

“Okay, what is the other question?” His voice was tinged with concern. 

“What about the cop who stopped me? Officer West? He must have said something about me.” I rushed the words out as if that would make Officer Marquez answer truthfully.

I knew by his pause that Officer West had, but would Officer Marquez be truthful and tell me what he had said?

“I really don’t know much about what is going on with him. We haven’t been working together very long. As you probably remember.”

Oh, yes, there was that card thing again. In spite of myself, I found myself fascinated by this man. And I wasn’t even sure why. I didn’t know him, but maybe that was what I was fascinated about.

“That is kind of a vague answer, but I will take that to mean that he did tell you something about me. Does it have anything to do with what I saw the other night?” I asked.

“Can we meet?”

I rolled his question around in my mind for a couple seconds. I needed to question him, but what if he was just as bad as the other cop? “No, I don’t think I can do that today.”

“Okay, what about tomorrow?” he asked with a sweetness to his voice.

I switched the phone to my other ear and waved as a colleague walked by. “I think I am all booked up.” Why was I telling him no? Maybe if I met with him I could get him to reveal what he knew. After all, that was my goal, right? That was if he really knew anything.

“If you’re sure you don’t have time, I know this great little place where we could have dinner tonight,” he said.

I paused and then said, “Wait. Let me check my schedule.” I held the phone away from my ear for a second and pretended to check my calendar. “Oh, it looks like I’m free after all. Dinner would be okay.”

After much debate, I convinced myself that this was a good idea. Maybe I would regret that in the end.

“Great. I’ll pick you up at eight?”

I glanced at the time on my computer screen. “Actually, I can meet you there. I have a few things to take care of first.”

“That’s fine. Just name the spot,” he said.

“I thought you said you knew a great place?” I switched the phone to my other ear.

“There’s a little place called Bayona, have you heard of it?”

“Yes, I know the place. I’ll meet you there at eight?”

“Sounds great. See you then.” With that he hung up the phone.

When I hung up, I realized that I had just agreed to meet him at one of the most romantic restaurants in New Orleans. I hoped he didn’t get the wrong impression.

After hanging up, I made a phone call and found out that the home I’d been to last night no longer belonged to the actor Bentley Miles, but had been sold to a man named Michael Hook. Now I’d have to find out about this man. I finished up work, shut off my computer, and eased out of the office. Oscar was on the phone, so he didn’t notice me. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t be able to avoid him forever.

As I walked down the street, I looked over my shoulder to make sure Doug and Russ weren’t back there. I still needed to call Dangerfield. That was one call I was not looking forward to placing. He would be so smug about the fact that I’d called him.

And now I was on my way to dinner with Officer Marquez. I still couldn’t believe that I had convinced myself that meeting with him was a good idea. What if Phillip West was with him? I definitely didn’t want to run into him again. He probably didn’t want to see me either.

Courtney helped me select a dress for this evening. The dress she pulled out of my closet hit just above the knees and had cap sleeves and a small ruffle around the collar.

“I told you it isn’t a date.” I shimmied into the black dress and then added my pearls.

“It doesn’t matter. You can’t go out with a good-looking guy wearing your favorite t-shirt and gym shorts.” Courtney lounged in the cream-colored chair by my bed.

I suppose she did have a point. After slipping into my black heels, I spun around. “How do I look?”

Courtney spritzed the Lauren for Her by Ralph Lauren perfume in my direction. “Fantastic. Now have a great time.” Another classic from the eighties.

We walked toward the door. I eased open the door and stuck my head out. Mrs. Perkins was nowhere in sight and the voodoo stuff wasn’t there either.

“Looks like it’s safe,” I said, motioning over my shoulder.

“How long do you have to hide from her?” Courtney asked as she followed me outside.

“Until someone stops leaving stuff by her door, I guess.”

Courtney hugged me. “Call me if anything exciting happens. Even if it’s early in the morning.”

I rolled my eyes. “Not likely. It’s a business dinner.”

Courtney waved over her shoulder as she walked the opposite direction toward her car. “If you say so.”

I tossed my vintage Gucci satchel handbag onto the passenger seat and then climbed into my car for the drive to the restaurant. There was no way I was walking that far in these heels.

I would be embarrassed if he showed up dressed more casually than me, which was a very distinct possibility. After the short drive to Canal Street, I parked in front of the place and walked in.

The restaurant had a patio with black tables and chairs with umbrellas on each one. I scanned the area, but didn’t see Officer Marquez. I walked into the restaurant. There were tables and chairs scattered about the room. The place was full so it would make it very difficult to pick him out of the crowd.

The hostess looked up and greeted me.

“I’m looking for Mr. Marquez.” I felt bad that I couldn’t even remember his first name. It was on the card, but I didn’t want to pull it out of my purse right there.

She looked down at a piece of paper, trying to find his name. I took that opportunity to scan the crowd again. That was when I spotted him across the room at a little table beside the kitchen door. This may have been Officer Marquez’s favorite place, but that obviously didn’t mean that he got special seating. He was looking right at me. The host pointed toward the small table across the room. Officer Marquez waved and I waved back.

“Thank you, but I found him.”

She’d barely looked up from her paper when I made my way across the room toward Officer Marquez. I was in trouble if I didn’t think of his first name soon.

He stood as I neared the table. Officer Marquez looked dashing in his black pants and black shirt. The solid black outfit accentuated his mysterious aura. His black hair was military short, but still thick and nice to run fingers through. Officer Marquez was blatantly sexy with his dark bedroom eyes and sensuous full mouth. The promise of hard, lean muscle teased me from underneath his clothing.

He pulled out the chair for me. “I’m glad you made it.”

“Sorry I was a little late.” I sat, placing my handbag on the table next to me.

“It’s no problem.” He flashed a brilliant smile my way.

I sat down and the waiter came over right away with a menu.

“Do you come here often?” Officer Marquez laughed. “Sorry, that sounded like a pickup line.”

“That’s okay,” I said as I put the menu down.

We placed our orders. When the waiter walked away he said, “How are you tonight?”

I knew he really wanted to know why I had asked him for that information.

“I’m okay. It’s a beautiful evening.”

He stared. “Yes, the view is beautiful.”

I tried not to blush, but it was impossible to stop. I took a sip of water, placed the glass back on the table, and then said, “I need to find information about someone.”

He stared at me and I felt my face flush. “Does this have anything to do with your investigative reporting?” he asked. 

Yes, I hadn’t even thought about that. How could I have forgotten? I’d tell him I needed the information for that reason.

The waiter brought our wine. Officer Marquez took a sip and I couldn’t help but notice how gorgeous his eyes were as he peered at me over the top of his glass. Finally, he placed the glass on the table. “What is the case?”

I tried to act as if I didn’t know what he was taking about. It would give me time to think of something. The case I was currently working on had nothing to do with these men. I would have to make up something.

It was time for me to stall by taking a drink of my wine. I stared at him over the top of my glass as I took a drink. He watched me and then a slow smile spread across his face. I placed the glass down.

“What?” I asked.

He shook his head. “You have hazel eyes.”

I hoped that I didn’t blush. I still didn’t know how to take a compliment. “How did you know they were hazel? It’s kind of dim in here. Most people just think they are green.”

He picked up his glass. “You have small specks of brown in your hazel eyes.”

I couldn’t hide my smile. “That’s impressive.”

“It’s my job to notice details,” he said with a smile.

“Yes, I suppose it is,” I said.

“So what was the case you’re working on?” he asked again.

I knew he wasn’t going to let this drop. Since I was investigating the police, I had to make up a story to tell him so that he wouldn’t be suspicious.

“It’s just a small case really. It has to do with a shop around the corner that’s been scamming customers. I was just trying to get an address so that I could get an interview. I want to get each side of the story.” I picked at my napkin, hoping to hide my anxiety. “Here’s the license plate number.” I pulled a paper from my purse and pushed it toward him.

He stared at me for a moment. “I suppose that’s a good reason. I guess I could see what I could do.”

I couldn’t believe that this might work. But now I felt guilty for lying to him.

“I can call you tomorrow with any information that I find.” His eyes were dark and mysterious as he gazed into mine.

I shifted in my seat and looked away. “That would be fantastic.”

Now was the time to ask about his partner. I picked at the white linen napkin in front of me. “What about your partner? He didn’t care for me much. What was that really all about?” I flashed Officer Marquez a smile in the hopes that would make him want to tell me everything he knew.

He looked down, avoiding my gaze. “I don’t know much really. Like I said, we have just started working together.”

I nodded and played with my rim of my glass. “Don’t you think it’s strange the way that he acted with me? Does he do that with everyone he stops?”

“He is a little rough around the edges.” The flicker from the candle on the table highlighted Officer Marquez’s handsome features.

“That’s a little more than the edges. But you still didn’t answer the question, so I’ll take that as a no, he doesn’t act that way with everyone. Can you tell me why? What did I do wrong?” I stared at him and he finally looked up at me.

He leaned back in his chair. “I take it that you have met the officer before.”

Now I was getting somewhere. So Phillip West had said something to Officer Marquez.

“That was really all,” he said. “I would tell you if there was something more.”

Sadly, I believed him. I had hoped that he would be able to tell me more. Now I was back where I started. I needed to know more about Phillip West. Officer Marquez could be the person to do that for me. How would I convince him to do that though?

“How do you like working with him?” I asked.

Officer Marquez chuckled. “Like I said, he’s a little rough around the edges, but he’s okay with me. I feel bad that the only reason you came to dinner with me was because you wanted me to look up that information.”

I hadn’t expected him to say that. Strangely enough, I realized that wasn’t the only reason I’d come to dinner with him. “You didn’t give me a chance to come for any other reason,” I said.

He nodded. “Fair enough. Maybe we could do this again sometime and I could give you a reason.”

My cheeks turned red. I nodded and look down at the table. “Sure, I guess that would be okay. So will you look into him for me?”

“You want me to find out if my partner is into something bad?”

“Yes, that’s the gist of it.”

He blew out a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. “I guess I can’t say no. I mean, if he did something wrong, it’s my job to find out.”

I shrugged. “Well, I wasn’t going to say anything, but that’s exactly what I thought.”

He laughed. “I’m so glad you understand. I’ll let you know what I find out.”

Just then the waiter brought our food. After he placed the plates in front of us and walked away, Marc said, “How about we talk about you for the rest of the night?”

“You really want to be that bored tonight?” I asked.

He laughed. “Try me.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you. But I want to know more about you too.”

“Now that is something boring.” He pointed with his fork.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” I said.

“Okay, I’ll start. What made you want to do investigative reporting?” he asked.

I took a drink of wine. His gaze practically melted right through me. “I think I just stumbled into the job. I worked for another station out of college and then was offered this position several years later.”

“But the investigative part intrigues you?” His intense stare was still on me.

I placed my glass on the table. A bit of the wine spilled down the side, staining the white tablecloth red around the stem of the glass. I couldn’t deny my answer to his question. “Yes, it does intrigue me. I suppose the same as your work intrigues you. What brings you to the New Orleans Police Department?”

“I just decided this was a place I wanted to be.” He took another drink.

His expression changed and I wondered if there was a deeper story.

“Where are you from?” I stared at him.

He shifted in his seat. “I moved here from New York.”

I thought I’d picked up an accent. “That’s a long way. Why this place?”

The waiter appeared and Marc looked relieved. “How about dessert?”

I looked over at the tray of desserts. “Sure.”

Marc ordered chocolate mousse for us and the waiter left our table.

“You still haven’t told me much about your past,” Marc said.

Obviously he was trying to take the topic off his own past. “Like I said, my life is boring. I was born here, grew up, and live here.” I smiled.

The waiter had just brought our dessert and I’d sunk my fork into the chocolate decadence when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. When I looked up and saw Phillip West standing by our table, I lost my breath and dropped my fork.

“What’s for dinner?” Phillip West stared right at me.

Marc stood from the table. “Is everything all right?” He motioned for the bad cop to follow him across the room.

I didn’t like that they were now talking in private. It was even worse that Officer West had shown up at our dinner. It was time for me to get out of there. I grabbed my clutch, pulled out cash and tossed it on the table. Without saying a word to Officer Marquez, I hurried out of the restaurant.