Obsession (5 page)

“Detective—Abe—do you think my dad was on to something, that he was somehow getting too close to discovering something illegal, and—” She stopped herself, still unable to voice her suspicions.

Without looking at her, Abe rose from his chair and began to pace slowly across the small, windowless room that served as his office. A half-dozen strides took him to the other side, where he stopped for a moment, his broad shoulders straining against his white dress shirt. He turned back toward Toni. His face seemed chiseled in stone until she saw his jaw muscles twitch. For the first time since she'd met him, his eyes seemed expressionless. “I really can't say.” His voice was slow and deliberate as he answered her unasked question. “But there's always an outside possibility, even though there really isn't anything concrete to suggest it.” He walked back to his chair and sat down beside her. His face softened, and Toni's heart skipped a beat. “He had a heart attack. There's nothing suspicious about that, especially with what you've told me about his medical history. Without something more than your hunch, there's no sense calling in the county sheriff at this point, even though Eagle Lake is his territory. Still, if it will make you feel better, I'll be glad to help you any way I can—although strictly on a personal basis at this point. Nothing official.”

Toni felt relief wash over her. So she wasn't just some emotional female overreacting to her father's death and letting her grief override her reason. As slim as the possibility was, there really might be something to her suspicions. And now there was an experienced, knowledgeable person willing to help her get to the truth. On the other hand, she realized how much easier it would be if Abe—or anyone, for that matter—could convince her that there was nothing to this Julie Greene connection, and she could just let the whole thing go. Deep inside, however, she sensed that she couldn't let it go, not until she knew for sure. And for now, at least, she had an ally.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper as she fought tears. “Thank you so much. I… I just didn't know where to start, what to do, or who to talk to.”

She felt his hand cover hers. “You did the right thing,” he said. “I'll get started on it right away, and I'll keep you informed of anything I might find out.” He smiled. “Sound OK to you?”

“It sounds great,” she answered, returning his smile. “Thanks, partner.”

He laughed. “Partner. I like that. In fact, I like it a lot. Especially since you are, without a doubt, the best-looking partner I've ever had.”

Surprised by the flush she felt creeping up her neck, Toni jumped to her feet, angry at herself for the thoughtless use of a term that somehow implied they were a team. “Well,” she said quickly, glancing at her watch, “I'd better get going. I need to get some things done at my dad's office, and it's almost ten o'clock.” She stuck out her hand. “Thank you for your time, Detec—Abe.”

His smile disappeared, and his eyebrows went up again as he rose from his chair. “What happened? Is it something I said? You're the one who mentioned partners, so it can't be that. Is it the good-looking part you didn't like?”

Her flush deepened, and all she could think of was escaping from that tiny, stuffy office and getting outside into the fresh air. “I… I've got to go,” she said. “Really. I—”

“I'll walk you out,” he said, interrupting her as he opened the door to the hallway. She stepped out and hurried toward the exit, but Abe Matthews was right there beside her, holding that door as well. They stepped outside into the sunlight together.

“You're right,” he said. “This is much better. It was getting pretty warm in there. I really do need a window in that office.” He smiled, his demeanor much more professional than it had been a few moments earlier. “So, where's your car?”

Toni hesitated a moment, then remembered. “It's at home. It was such a beautiful morning that I decided to walk. And, as you know, it's not far from here to Dad's office. So, if you'll excuse me, I—”

“Now there's a great idea,” he said, interrupting her again. “In fact, I had just been heading out the door for a quick walk myself when I ran into you earlier. Why don't I just walk with you? Would that be all right… partner?”

She opened her mouth to protest but couldn't think of a logical reason to say no. And so they fell into step together, down the stairs and out onto the sidewalk. The temperature was in the high seventies now, with a light breeze blowing in from the west. River View was slightly less than a couple of hours' drive from the coast—too far to smell the salt in the air, but close enough to reap the benefits of a cooling ocean breeze on a warm day.

The beauty of the rare, sunny weather, coupled with the therapy of their moderately brisk walk, soon eased the tension between them. They kept the conversation light, touching on everything from the flowers and birds they saw along the way, to the basketball finals, to the baby-sitting job that Melissa wanted to take for the summer. Suddenly, Abe stopped. Toni looked up at him, puzzled.

“Have you had anything to eat today?” he asked.

It was her turn to raise her eyebrows. “No. Why?”

His smile was back. “Because I'm starved. How about some lunch? Or is it too early for that? Breakfast, maybe? Brunch?” He paused, his dark eyes twinkling. “Some decent coffee?”

Toni laughed. “That was pretty terrible stuff you gave me back there. The truth is, I seldom drink coffee. I know that's practically heresy in this part of the country, but I just don't care much for it.”

Abe shrugged. “OK. But you like food, don't you?”

She hesitated, but before she could answer, her stomach growled loudly. They both broke out laughing, and Abe took her by the arm. “That's it,” he said. “I'll take that as a yes. Let's run across the street to the deli and see what we can find—besides coffee, of course.”

The deli crew was between customers—cleaning up after the breakfast crowd and getting ready for the lunch rush. The place was practically empty. They slid into a booth and grabbed a couple of menus. Before they could browse the selections, a dark-haired waitress of about eighteen or nineteen, wearing a nametag that identified her as Melanie, appeared at their table. “We just quit serving breakfast,” she informed them, her voice a bored monotone as she snapped
her gum. “And lunch isn't ready yet. All's we got left is a few cinnamon rolls and some coffee.”

Abe and Toni looked at each other and grinned. “We'll take the cinnamon rolls,” Abe said. “No coffee.”

“How many cinnamon rolls?”

“All of them,” Abe answered as Toni suppressed a laugh.

Melanie sighed, scribbled something on her order pad, and turned to leave.

“And two big glasses of ice water,” Abe called after her. “If you're not out, that is.”

Toni's laugh escaped, but Melanie didn't even turn around.

By the time they'd finished their cinnamon rolls and ice water and Toni had wrapped up the three remaining rolls to take home to Melissa, it was almost eleven-thirty. Amazed at how comfortable she now felt in this man's company, she marveled at how freely she had shared with him about her life, including her mother's death, her insecurity at finding herself a surrogate mother to Melissa when she wasn't much more than a child herself, and her lifelong dream of writing novels. Just as the thought occurred to her that she hadn't even mentioned Brad or their impending wedding, she noticed the clock on the wall and reached for her purse. “I'd better get to the office before the day's over,” she said. “And I need to let you get back to the station. As your new unofficial partner, I have a vested interest in making sure you stay caught up on your work so you'll be able to devote your off-duty hours to my dad's case.”

Abe smiled as he rose from the booth and reached into his pocket to fish out some change for Melanie. Toni grabbed for the bill. “I'll get it,” she offered, opening her purse.

“Not this time,” said Abe, retrieving the bill from her hand. “This was my idea, so I'll pay. Next time you can get it. Fair enough?”

She hesitated, then shrugged. “OK. Fair enough. As long as next time doesn't include steak and lobster.”

He feigned disappointment. “How did you know?”

She smiled and went to the door to wait for him while he paid the bill. As they stepped back out into the sunshine, Abe insisted on walking her the final block toward her father's office. Before they had taken a dozen steps, Toni was shocked to see Brad walking straight toward them, carrying a small picnic basket. He wasn't smiling.

Her eyes opened wide, and she stopped in her tracks. Eleven o'clock. She'd had a lunch date with Brad at eleven, and she'd completely forgotten about it. “I'm so sorry,” she said as Brad drew to a stop in front of her. “I forgot all about—”

“So I see,” Brad answered, the pain in his hazel eyes obvious. He glanced toward Abe, then handed the picnic basket to Toni. “I've got to get back to work,” he said. “I'll talk to you later.” Then he turned and walked away.

CHAPTER 3

T
he slight headache she'd had all afternoon seemed to be getting worse. She walked through the front door into her living room, relieved to be home at last. It had been a long day. In addition to the annoyance she felt toward herself for having forgotten her date with Brad, not to mention the resulting scene in which she and Abe had come face-to-face with him on the sidewalk, she had spent the vast majority of the afternoon stuck on the phone. On the positive side, however, besides having referred the last of her dad's former clients to other agencies, she had also managed to check out some of the details of Melissa's possible baby-sitting job, and she was anxious to discuss the findings with her younger sister. Assuming Melissa was in her room, Toni decided to go to the kitchen first to find a couple of aspirin and to decide what to fix for dinner. As she stepped into the kitchen, she stopped, surprised
to see her younger sister standing silently in front of the open refrigerator.

“Melissa? Honey, are you OK?”

The slender, barefooted girl in the faded, cutoff jeans and oversized T-shirt, with auburn hair cascading down her back, didn't move. Toni came up behind her and laid her hand on her shoulder. Melissa jumped as if she'd been shot, turning toward her older sister with a look of wide-eyed fear that broke Toni's heart. How well she remembered that look. She had seen it in the mirror several times after her mother died, usually when she found herself sitting quietly in front of her dresser, remembering the touch of her mother's hands as she brushed Toni's hair or tucked her in at night. Then, a noise or a voice would suddenly snatch her back from her memory into the present, immersing her in an inexplicable, pin-pricking sensation of fear that shot through her body like a fiery bolt of lightning, and she would gaze in wonder at the terror-stricken girl in the mirror, trying to figure out who she was.

Now, as Toni stared into Melissa's fear-filled eyes, she was amazed to realize how much the young teen had grown recently. When had it happened? When had her baby sister gotten so tall that their eyes met on an equal level? Gently, she reached out and pulled the trembling girl to her. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. Are you all right?” Toni felt a shudder run through the fragile body as Melissa nodded, struggling to explain.

“I was just looking for… I wanted to surprise you and make dinner, but I… I couldn't figure out what to fix, and…”

Toni took Melissa's shoulders and gently held her out at arm's length. “It's OK. Really. We'll do something simple.”

Melissa nodded again, tears pooling in her green eyes and hanging on her long lashes. “Will I ever stop missing him?” she whispered, her chin quivering. “Will it ever stop hurting so much?”

With all her heart, Toni longed to reassure her little sister, to promise her the pain would go away, but she couldn't lie to her. “No,” she
answered. “You'll never stop missing him, and I won't either. And it will never stop hurting, not completely anyway. But it will get better, that much I can promise you. It won't always hurt this bad.”

Relief and doubt mingled on the young girl's face as she forced a smile. “Thanks. I guess you should know if anyone would.”

“Yes. I should know.” She took a deep breath and looked at the open refrigerator. “Tell you what. How about bacon and eggs? Nice and easy; what do you say?”

“Can we wait a few minutes? Maybe sit down and talk first?”

Toni closed the refrigerator door, then grabbed a tissue from the box on the counter and handed it to Melissa. “Sure. In fact, I've been wanting to talk to you anyway. How about in the living room?”

They walked to the couch as Melissa dabbed at her eyes and blew her nose. Toni hadn't realized how exhausted she was until she sank down into the comfortable cushions. Melissa plunked down beside her, next to the end table.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” asked Melissa, absently twirling a long strand of hair around one finger. “Is everything OK down at Dad's office?”

“Things are fine at the office. In fact, I got the last of Dad's cases referred to other agencies this afternoon, so things are coming together.”

“Does that mean you've decided for sure to sell the agency?”

Toni shook her head. “No. I'm pretty sure I will, but… I just don't know yet. That's not what I wanted to talk about though.”

Melissa raised her eyebrows. “Is it Brad? Is everything OK between you two?”

Toni winced at the mention of Brad. She had not talked with him since their awkward three-way meeting earlier that day. She needed to call him but hadn't yet gotten around to it. She made a mental note to do so before the evening was over.

“No,” she sighed. “It's not Brad.”

“Then, what is it?”

“You go first,” said Toni. “What's on your mind?”

Melissa paused. “Well… I was just wondering… have you thought anymore about that baby-sitting job I told you about? I'd really like to do it. Please, Toni. I need something to do, something to… get me away from here. And I need to let Mrs. Johnson know—soon—before she gets someone else.” The pleading look in her eyes faded to relief when she saw Toni smile.

“Sure,” Toni answered. “I've thought about it. In fact, that's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. I called Mrs. Johnson this afternoon and discussed it with her. We thought it might be good if we all got together sometime tomorrow morning over at her house, just to get to know each other a little better before making a final decision. What do you think?”