Justifiable Risk (11 page)

Maybe they could enjoy each other physically during Eva’s time here without any complications. Normally Greer wouldn’t mix business with pleasure, but this pleasure wasn’t local and couldn’t come back to haunt her. No matter how the review turned out, Eva Saldana would return to her life as a reporter.

The only possible complication—if Eva got too attached. Greer decided to talk with her and make sure they were on the same page. If they agreed on the terms and the sex didn’t totally disrupt their business dealings, she’d have an enjoyable few days with the fiery brunette. But Eva absolutely couldn’t mention Clare. She didn’t talk about her lover to anyone she fucked.

Greer rolled to the side of the bed just as her cell phone rang. “Hello.”

“Fluharty here. Get your ass in my office, and I mean
now.
”

Fred Fluharty strummed his fingers on the old metal desk in his office and glared at her. The sound bounced off nearby file cabinets with an annoyingly tinny resonance. He looked tired and his clothes were wrinkled like he might’ve slept in them, again. She knew about his divorce but chose not to cross the line into his personal business unless he invited her.

“Don’t you want to know why I called you in?” he asked.

“I’ve got a pretty good idea.” Sweating, she tried not to blush. She hated having the sergeant call her into his office, especially when it involved personal matters. She was guilty, with no defense.

“Why did I tell you I couldn’t assign JJ to review the Saldana case? Do you even remember that conversation?”

Greer nodded without looking at him. He had done so much for her, and she repaid him by acting like a horny schoolgirl.

“I want to hear you say it.” Fluharty’s expression soured. He propped his arms on the desktop and his pudgy fingers fanned out from his hands like he was trying to resist the urge to strangle her.

“He’d try to get in Eva’s pants.”

“Right, so imagine my surprise when he woke my ass up at two in the morning, drunk, to tell me you’d taken on that task. His language was more colorful. You
fucked
this woman?”

She flinched at his use of the word but wasn’t sure why. That’s exactly what she’d done, but to hear the sergeant or JJ refer to it in such terms bothered her. She nodded again.

“Have you suddenly gone mute? That would definitely be a first.”

“I messed up.” She’d disappointed him, and though it probably shouldn’t have happened, she couldn’t bring herself to apologize for having sex with Eva.

“You know what I need to do.”

Taking her off the case was the right thing. She’d violated a basic rule of police work: don’t get personally involved with victims, witnesses, or family members. But she also wanted to get to the bottom of Paul Saldana’s death—for her own peace of mind, to vindicate JJ, and for Eva. Still, she struggled for a logical reason to stay on the case. Fluharty stared at her as if waiting for a rebuttal. “I got nothing, Sarge.”

“Damn it, Greer. I counted on you. I
need
you on this.”

“I’m sorry. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t know how I would’ve survived the last two years. After Clare—” She fought back a choking feeling in her throat. “I owe you a lot.”

“It’s not about owing. It’s about doing a job. Can you promise this won’t happen again?”

Greer finally met Fluharty’s stare. “No.”

Her answer obviously surprised him. “She means something to you?”

“I wouldn’t say that exactly. She’s different. But I won’t lie to you if I’m not sure.”

“I appreciate that. You’re a hell of a detective, and I want you to finish this, fast. Eva’s not directly involved with the case, though that’s splitting hairs. I’ll have to do some damage control with JJ—once he gets over the shock of losing a piece of ass like that to you. Sorry.”

“Why doesn’t he want me to do this review, Sarge?”

“Maybe he thinks he missed something and will be embarrassed. Maybe he’s hiding something. Maybe something in his past. Damn if I know. You two need to talk. So, you’ll try to keep it in your pants and clear this ASAP?”

“Absolutely.”

“Got anything so far?”

“I didn’t find anything in the crime-scene photos and we don’t have any forensic evidence. But Eva found an address in Paul’s BlackBerry of the warehouse he was scouting.”

Fluharty shuffled some papers on his desk but his gaze held Greer’s. “And?”

“I checked it but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. But I might go back. I didn’t get through the whole thing.”

“Don’t waste your time. He didn’t die there, and the fact he’d been there probably won’t help us. Anything else?”

“Not so far, but I’ll keep you posted.”

Fluharty rose from his desk, signaling the end of their meeting.

Greer moved toward the door. “And thanks again, Sarge, for giving me this chance. I’ll try not to screw it up—literally.”

*

Eva sat in her car in front of the
New Hope Tribune
building convinced that after today she would understand the police department and maybe Greer Ellis better. Thirty minutes early for a meeting with Tom Merritt to review the information he’d compiled for her, she entertained herself with the navigation system by plotting escape routes from this town. But just like last night, her mind wandered to Greer.

Though the mixture of grief and hard, hot sex puzzled her, it diverted her from the other frustrations in New Hope. Greer had obviously enjoyed herself. The memory released another flood of desire. Eva had recalled Greer’s essence on her body this morning as she showered. She’d tucked her hand between her legs and relived Greer’s forceful penetration and the strength with which she possessed her. When Eva’s body had burst into orgasm with Greer’s fingers still inside her, it was perfect. And as she recalled the moment now, heat poured from her again and dampened her clothing.

Greer’s restrained whimper as she came had infused Eva with the need to hear that passion totally unleashed. Unless her radar was way off, Greer would agree to another round sometime. At least it had seemed that way until JJ showed up and acted like a complete moron. When he mentioned Clare, everything changed. Had Clare prompted that faraway look in Greer’s eyes after sex? Maybe Eva would solve that mystery also today.

Even though Greer still wasn’t firmly on her side, she’d practically hit JJ defending her honor. Surely that meant something. Eva’s father would’ve been proud. She’d masterfully used all available resources, especially Greer Ellis and Tom Merritt, to accomplish her goal. She rubbed between her thighs one final time to calm the ache that seemed a constant companion and got out of the car.

“You’re just in time.” Tom walked up from behind and linked his arm through hers. His red hair was neatly combed and he smelled of too much cologne. “Shall we get to work?”

“Definitely.” She played along, snuggling a bit closer than necessary.

Tom commandeered a small room that looked more like a hallway. The absence of windows made it a bit claustrophobic, and the old wooden walls still reeked of cigarette smoke, scorched coffee, and the mustiness of long-stored paper. File folders covered a round table in the center, where Tom motioned for her to sit.

“You want some coffee or something?”

“No, I’m already buzzing, but thanks.”

He joined her at the table and pointed to the stacks of files. “I searched our databases back ten years. That’s how long Fred Fluharty has supervised the homicide squad. None of the detectives in the unit has been there that long. Jake’s got the most seniority with eight years. I didn’t find much of interest. We don’t have many high-profile cases. They’re mostly open-and-shut drug killings.”

Eva looked at the files on the table, confused. “Then what are these thirty or more folders?”

“Most of them pertain to one case, but I’ll get to that in a minute. The small stuff first.” He reached for the file closest to him. “Someone killed the son of the chancellor of our most prestigious college four years ago in a home invasion. Jake Johnston handled the investigation. It turned out the boy was dealing drugs and wanted a bigger cut, but his supplier took offense. Case closed. No problems with the investigation other than the parents’ denial. Jake eventually found the boy’s notebook where he’d logged every transaction over a two-year period. The parents quieted down after that.”

“What’s next?”

Tom threw that file on the floor and picked up several at once. He fanned through them as he called out their contents. “Three prostitutes knifed by pimps; four ex-lovers, various modes of death; six drug shootouts over product; numerous suicides, mostly pills; and a few accidental overdoses.”

Eva flinched at the last one. She’d read the
Tribune
article on Paul’s death—a small blurb on the last page. The account was condensed to fit neatly in the Law Enforcement section. The caption read, O
UT-OF-
T
OWN
M
AN
F
OUND
D
EAD
. Her insides recoiled at the unspectacular announcement.

“Was anything unusual about these cases or how they were handled?” She needed to concentrate on work before her emotions took over.

“Nope.” Tom paused and looked at her with sympathetic eyes, like he was unsure if he should proceed.

“What? Go on.”

“I’m sorry about your brother. I meant to say that the other day, but I was a little surprised to see you in person. From what I could tell, his cause of death looked pretty definitive.”

“Appearances can be deceiving, Tom. You should know better than to take anything at face value. People who didn’t know Paul could easily categorize him as another accidental overdose and move on. I can assure you he didn’t die that way. I don’t have proof yet, but I won’t stop until I do.”

Tom straightened in his chair and returned his attention to the single file still in his hand. “And then we come to this one.”

Eva’s heartbeat increased as she sensed something important, finally. “Tell me.”

“Not a homicide, but an ongoing drug investigation in this area for over three years. I wouldn’t have pulled the file, but Greer and Derrick Bastille’s names flagged it. He worked undercover with DEA for a while and she helped track down the main supplier. They eventually got enough information to secure a warrant on the guy, Johnny Young.”

“What’s significant besides Greer and Bastille?” Sometimes reporters were awful drama queens. Their livelihood depended on hooking readers quickly and keeping them interested.

“Wait for it.” He grinned and his fair-skinned face turned a light shade of pink. “The investigation is ongoing because every time the police get close to the head man, he gets killed and another one takes his place. The last one was Mr. Young, two years ago, which leads us to this case.” He placed his hand on the bulky file on the table. “It’s the town’s only double homicide.”

“Double homicide. Who else died?” Tom kept his hand on top of the folder and his green eyes shone with the excitement of a big scoop. He was obviously thrilled with whatever he was about to say. “Tom?”

“A nurse named Clare Lansing.”

Eva heard the gasp and initially thought it came from Tom.
“Oh, Deus.”
She had to be Greer’s Clare. The news hit her with an unwelcome wave of emotion, as if she’d known the woman personally. She bit back another gasp for air.

Tom looked disappointed. “I take it you’ve heard about Clare?”

Eva shook her head. “Only the name. I don’t know anything about her death.”

Tom’s disappointment vanished and he once again looked like a man ready to spill the day’s big story.

“You knew her, this Clare?” Eva asked.

“She came to town about twelve years ago to work at the hospital. She was a great trauma nurse and was pretty soon running the ER.”

“How did she get involved in a shooting?”

“She went to the police station that afternoon. Johnny Young did too. No one’s sure why, since the police had a warrant for his arrest. Sergeant Fluharty came out of the building as the two of them were walking up that long set of steps at the entrance. He recognized Young and pulled his weapon. But Young had already started firing. He shot Clare in the back before Fluharty killed him. She didn’t have a chance. The bullet pierced her heart.”

Eva grabbed her chest. She couldn’t imagine something so horrible happening to someone she loved. No wonder Greer was distant and wore her loss like an extra layer of skin. “How long had she and Greer been together?”

“So you know about their relationship?”

“Greer mentioned her the other night, but no details. She obviously loved Clare very much.” Everything Eva said was true. Maybe a bit misleading out of context, but she wanted more information.

“Their love was obvious to everyone and the whole town accepted it. I guess Bessie and Ruth cleared the way for that. They were open about who they were and very involved in the community. Bessie actually introduced Greer and Clare. They were inseparable from day one, dated a few months, and then Clare moved in. They were together for ten years.”

Eva tried to imagine a love that strong, that unifying. “Greer must’ve been devastated when she died.”