Kicking the Habit (9 page)

She mostly owned skirts or slacks in blacks, grays, and browns for
work; a couple pairs of jeans for sturdier tasks; and a warm-up suit for
exercise. Add in sensible pajamas and seven pairs of practical undergarments
and that pretty much made up her wardrobe. Up until now, she’d never had a need
for entertainment and evening attire.

At least Benny’s Brewpub wasn’t fancy. She’d ended up choosing a
pair of jeans that were a bit snugger than she remembered, with a long-sleeve
black T-shirt and short black leather boots. She was about to pull her hair up
into her standard bun when there was a knock on her door.

She jogged to the door and opened it to find Ace on the other
side. Glancing at her watch, she smiled. “Right on time, Detective. I didn’t realize
it was so late.”

He stared at her so intensely that she started to squirm. Finally,
he cleared his throat. “You ready?”

“Just let me put my hair up first.”

He grabbed her arm to still her as she started to move. “Leave it.
You look great.” His deep voice set off vibrations in her mid-section.

“I do?” She blinked.

He frowned. “Yeah, sure. And like you said, it’s getting late. We
should go.” He stepped back to let her pass through.

“Okay, then.” She grabbed her wool coat off the hook and stepped
through her door. “So do you, by the way.”

“I do what?” He cocked his head to the side.

“Look great too.” Her gaze ran down the long length of him from
his green, long-sleeve, cotton shirt that hugged his biceps, to his brown
leather bomber jacket and the faded jeans that showcased all of his assets, and
came to rest on top of his brown leather cowboy boots.

When she realized what she was doing, her eyes snapped back up to
meet his surprised yet slightly pleased and definitely troubled ones. She felt
her cheeks flush pink, so she quickly led the way down the stairs to his truck,
parked out front of her building on Main Street. In minutes, the detective
joined her, but neither spoke until they reached their destination.

Benny’s Brewpub was a neat place: small but with a lot of rustic
atmosphere. It wasn’t that far down the road from Millie’s Diner on Salvation
Lane. Detective Jackson and Cece sat at the bar, with Benny behind the counter.
Benny turned around and froze when he saw Ace.

“Sister.” He nodded slowly to Cece, giving her a look that said
Seriously?
, and she gave him a
reassuring smile that said
You can do
this.
He took a big breath and then turned to focus on Ace. “Evening,
Detective. What can I get you?”

“I’ll have what you’re having. It’s bound to be good, right? Good
and strong, that is. Still drinking on the job, Benny?”

Benny stiffened, giving Cece a pleading look. She gave him a stern
look and very slightly shook her head no. Benny cracked his neck. “One water
coming right up,” he said through clenched teeth, obviously choosing to ignore
the jab.

Ace just stared at him with a half-smirk on his face and then
glanced at Cece. She gave him a hard look that said,
You make this hard for him; I’ll make things twice as hard for you.
Ace lifted his hands palms up. Cece ignored him and focused on Benny.

“Water sounds wonderful, Benny. Thank you,” Cece said, and then
covered his huge hand with her much smaller one as she added in a low voice,
“I’m proud of you. You can do this, and I’ll be here right beside you all night
long.”

Ace rolled his eyes and grumbled, “Better give me whatever you’ve
got on tap to go with that water, Parker. I have a feeling I’m gonna need it.”

“Coming right up.” Benny beamed as
though pleased as punch that he’d passed his first test and was also realizing that
Ace was in much more trouble than he was at the moment.

Ace downed half his beer, and Cece
sipped her water when she saw the church janitor, Mumfry Walker, come into the
pub. “Oh, no,” she muttered under her breath, hoping he wouldn’t start anything
with Benny. It was hard enough to keep Ace under control. The last thing she
needed was a full-blown fight to break out.

“Oh, what?” the detective asked.

“Don’t look now, but Mumfry Walker
just walked in.”

“Where?” Ace swiveled on his stool,
scanning the establishment.

Cece smacked his arm. “I said not to
look.”

“Relax, Sister. I could be looking
for anyone.”

“How many times do I have to tell
you I’m not a sister anymore?”

His gaze roamed over her heatedly.
“Tonight you most definitely are. Because if you’re not, you might just find
yourself in the confessional come morning.”

“Oh,” she said, not sure what she
was feeling inside after hearing those words. She decided to focus on the
investigation and finished with, “Okay then. Anyway, why do you think Walker
would show his face in here again after what happened last time when Senator
Sloan was here?”

“You’ve gotta be shittin’ me,” Benny
growled, slamming his fist down on the bar and tensing as though he were about
to pounce.

“Benny,” Cece’s voice was soft, but
firm enough to penetrate Benny’s rage.

He focused on her. “But, Sister, you
can’t expect me to—”

“I can … and I do.” Her eyes never
left his. She had to be sure her message was getting through. “And so does
Millie, I’m sure.”

He started taking deep breaths like
she’d shown him how to do, for what felt like forever. “Fine,” he finally said.
“What do I do? I don’t want him here.”

“The best way to beat him at his
game is to find out what he’s up to, don’t you think?”

He thought about that. “I guess so.
How do we do that?”

“We wait,” Ace interjected. “It goes
to reason he wouldn’t want to step foot back in here after your last
altercation either, so why did he? He must want to see someone in a bad way.
The question is who and why.”

Benny stared at the detective with a
newfound respect.

“I’m not out to get you, Benny. I’m
just out to knock some sense into you.” Ace gave him a lopsided grin. “But I
see the Sister’s touch is much more effective.”

“You could say that.” Benny grinned
back.

Cece looked between the two and
threw up her hands. “For the last time, it’s
Cece
.”

“Not tonight,” both men said in
unison, then laughed and clinked glasses.

“I’ll watch the right side,” Ace
said.

“I’ll take the left,” Benny
responded.

“Report back if you see anything,”
Ace ordered.

“Will do.” Benny saluted and then
headed over to the other side of the bar.

“What just happened?” Cece asked.

“A truce of sorts. Isn’t that what
you wanted?” Ace asked.

“I guess. I just didn’t think—”

“That’s your problem.” Ace downed
the rest of his beer.

“What is?” Cece stared up at him,
lips parted.

“You think too much.” Ace set his
empty glass on the bar and grabbed her hand, saying, “Dance with me.” It wasn’t
a question.

Cece felt her eyelashes fluttering
wildly. How had she lost control of the situation so quickly? Ace led her to
the far corner of the dance floor on the right-hand side and then took her in
his arms as a slow song began playing.

“What are we doing over here?” she
asked in a whisper, her eyes darting around to make sure no one was watching.

“You really have been sheltered if
you don’t know what dancing is.” A smile teased at the corners of his full
lips, and his green eyes sparkled.

“Wow, you do have a sense of humor,
Detective. Will wonders never cease?” She smiled back, feeling giddy all of a
sudden. She hadn’t felt that in a decade, and it took a minute to realize she
actually felt like she was on a
real
date. Too bad it wasn’t. She sighed out loud.

“What?” He smiled a sincere smile
this time, looking inquisitive and way too handsome.

“It’s silly.” She bit her bottom lip,
trying not to overthink things like he’d said.

“Try me.” He stared at her lips, and
his voice sounded husky.

“Well, it’s been so long since, you
know, I’ve been on a date.”

“A date?” His voice sounded strange.

Cece looked up at him. When her gaze met his, he dropped his eyes,
and his heated gaze became glued to her lips.

“I know. Silly, right?” she finally said. “I mean it can’t be a
date, because a date involves a certain amount of intimacy and intimacy
involves …” She licked her lips, unable to speak the thoughts racing through
her mind out loud. “I’m overthinking things again, so we should probably—”

He groaned seconds before he finished her thoughts for her—but
not in words … in actions.

He tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer, and then his
head swooped down to hers. His lips were firm as they pressed against hers. She
didn’t hesitate, through with thinking for the moment. She just stepped on his
boots with her own and then snaked her arms around his neck to get closer to
him, like in her dreams.

He flattened his palms on her back, plunging one up into her hair
to cradle the back of her skull and the other down low to cup the curve of her
fanny and squeeze, drawing her into his obvious arousal. He wanted her just as
much as she wanted him. This was crazy. This was a bad idea. This was amazing.
…

Cece kissed him back for all that she was worth and nearly fainted
when he slipped his tongue between her lips to dance with her own. She was just
about to wrap her legs around him, completely forgetting where they were, until
strong hands yanked them apart. They both panted and stared at each other in
shock and disbelief, and then horror as their thoughts returned on a tidal wave
of emotion.

Finally, Benny broke their trance. “Is he bothering you, Sister?”

“N–No, Benny. The detective was just teaching me mouth-to-mouth.
You know, in case I got in trouble.” And oh what trouble she was in!

“Right. Good. Cuz I actually kinda like the guy.” He looked at the
detective and added, “Don’t let it go to your head or anything, because my girl
comes first. You hurt her, you deal with me.”

Ace cleared his throat. “Good to know. And for the record, you’re
cooler than I thought you’d be sober.”

“So what’s up, other than the first-aid lesson?” Benny asked. Ace
fidgeted, looking guilty and flushing in a way that Cece found adorable.

And that disturbed her greatly.

She took a deep breath of her own and decided the safest action
would be to focus on Benny. “Did something happen?”

“You could say that. I know who Walker wanted to meet so badly.”

“That’s great. Who is it?”

“See for yourself.” Benny stepped back and pointed to the far side
of the room.

Walker stood in the corner talking with the senator’s opponent, Harriet
Reynolds. Harriet was pro-guns and against stricter gun control laws. She was a
member of the NRA and owned several guns herself. The question was, why would
she take time out of her busy schedule to meet with someone like Mumfry Walker?
Could he have killed the senator to help Reynolds get elected? If so, why? Unlike
the mayor, he didn’t need more funds for the town?

What on earth was in it for him?

Forgive
me, Father, for I have sinned. I am trying not to let my pride run away from
me, but it’s hard. I really enjoy helping others and feel like I’m making a
difference in my community. Is it so wrong to want a certain someone to admit
I’m good at what I do? And don’t even get me started on envy. Sometimes I wish
I weren’t burdened with guilt and could lead a simple, stress-free life. I
won’t rest until I find the person responsible for the senator’s death. Only
then will I feel deserving of any form of pleasure.

“You
look great, Charity,” Cece said to her sister, while sitting in the front pew
of Our Lady of Glory the next morning for church. Her conservative, navy-blue
dress made the ice-blue in Candy’s eyes pop. The dress was actually Cece’s and
a bit too big for Candy’s thin frame, but it was a far cry better than the
slinky, hot-pink number she’d had on when she arrived to pick Cece up an hour
ago.

“I feel ridiculous,” Candy
responded, and then sighed heavily. “But a promise is a promise.” She glanced
over her shoulder at the back of the packed church, waved, and smirked. “At
least it gives us a reprieve from having Jackass breathing down our necks.” The
detective scowled, his partner Rocco waved back with a goofy grin, and Candy
rolled her eyes.

“Charity,” Cece admonished.
“Remember where you are.” Nevertheless, she had to admit she felt a sense of
relief in knowing Detective Jackson was too afraid to sit up front with them.
As soon as he’d spotted Sister Mary Ethel, he’d frozen in his tracks and backed
up to the doorway. Apparently as long as he could still see Cece, then she was
safe enough in his eyes.

Candy sobered as she turned back
around. “Believe me, I won’t forget today for quite some time. I’d rather be
home with Granny, working on another curse for your detective.” Cece was about
to correct her sister on the idea of the detective being hers, but Candy cut
her off. “Now I know how you felt when you were wearing my clothes.” She
squirmed. “Just don’t get any ideas about making this a habit. And quit calling
me ‘Charity.’”

Cece held up her fingers, displaying
the sign for scout’s honor, but didn’t reveal the crossed fingers of her other
hand behind her back. She would do whatever she had to do to get her sister off
the pole and onto the right track. Then she’d work on helping the detective.

Cece
risked a peek over her shoulder, and her eyes locked onto his. He looked so
good in his jeans and fitted sport coat. Not exactly his Sunday best, but the
fact that he was here at all was good enough in her eyes. She swallowed hard,
remembering the kiss they had shared last night. Maybe she should work on
herself first. No telling how far she would have gone if Benny hadn’t
interrupted them. She wasn’t about to tell Candy what had happened. Something
told her getting involved with the detective would lead to nothing more than a
broken heart. Besides, until the senator’s murder was solved, she wasn’t
deserving of any form of pleasure.

“Whoa, that’s one hell of a shiner!”
Candy snorted, pulling Cece away from her troublesome thoughts.

“Charity, please,” she said, as she
turned around and faced front. “Can’t you refrain from cursing for one hour?” Candy
just shrugged, and then her words registered in Cece’s brain. “Wait … who has a
shiner?”

“Him,” Candy said, pointing at a man
to their right.

Cece turned to see whom she was
pointing at, and her eyes settled onto Mumfry Walker’s guilty ones. He quickly
turned his head, but not before she saw the big black eye he sported. Had Councilwoman
Reynolds given that to him last night at Benny’s Brewpub, or did Benny and
Walker have it out after hours, or did Walker have more enemies than any of
them knew about? He was a mystery that Cece needed to look into. She had a
feeling he was the key to unlocking a few more clues.

The rich organ music started,
indicating mass was about to begin. Cece loved the glorious sounds that spilled
through the pipes and echoed throughout the large church. They’d always filled
her soul with such warmth and pleasure. She closed her eyes and took a minute
to let the music sing through her body. When she opened her eyes, she glanced
at the organ and blinked in surprise. Walker wasn’t the only one bringing
questions to her mind. Where was the regular church organist? The person
sitting behind the keys was most definitely
not
Eleanor Meriwether.

It was her mystery man!

“Thank God, that’s over,” Ace said,
exiting the church as quickly as possible and jogging down the front steps to
the sidewalk by the street.

He
stood close enough to keep watch, but far enough away to breathe more easily. The
sun was shining brightly in the clear blue sky, and the air blew blessedly
crisp and cold. He loved this time of year. The fall always brought out such
vibrant colors. Various shades of reds and yellows and greens colored the
landscape in full bloom. Spring was for the birds. Fall was for people like
him: always hot and bothered … and not in a good way. He inhaled a deep,
cleansing breath and concentrated on relaxing as he watched everyone leave the
church.

“Never thought I’d see the chicken
dance anywhere but at a wedding,” Rocco said on a chuckle, as he joined him by
the curb.

“Bawk bawk. Guilty as charged when
it comes to places like this.” Ace loosened his tie and pulled at the collar of
his button-down shirt. He never felt like he could get quite enough air
whenever he was within a hundred feet of any church, let alone this one.

“Confession’s good for the soul. Try
it. Ya might feel better.” Rocco rubbed his hands together.

“Good for
your
soul, maybe.” Ace arched a brow, eyeing him up and down. “No
doubt you’ve worn out the curtain on the door.”

“Amen to that, brother.” Rocco
zipped his pleather jacket up higher and slicked back his hair, grinning widely.
“Let’s just say the priest and I are on a first-name basis.”

“Whatever gets you through your
week, partner.” Ace shook his head, then elbowed Rocco in the arm and jerked
his chin toward the front steps.

Mayor Evans and Sloan Sr. stood off
to the side of the church, in what looked to be a heated discussion. Just then,
Councilwoman Harriet Reynolds came walking down the steps, hesitated, and then
approached the men. They instantly calmed and faced her with bright plastic
smiles.

Typical politicians.

“What’s that all about?” Rocco
asked.

“Not sure. Let’s go see.” Ace led
the way, until they drew up beside the three.

“Mornin’, Mayor Evans,” Rocco said,
his grin laced with steel, ready to slice through the phoniness. “Nice suit.
Must’ve cost a pretty penny.”

Mayor Evans stiffened and for a
brief moment a wary look crossed his features, but then he donned his game face
once more. “Something I can help you with, Detective?”

“Nah, I’m good. My conscience is
clear.” Rocco leaned in a hair and let a serious look replace his grin. “How’s
yours?”

A
gust of wind billowed around them, stirring up a pile of leaves like a cyclone.
The mayor’s face flushed red; his gleaming bald head even turned pink, and he
looked ready to pop as a vein throbbed in his neck.

Time for some “good cop,”
Ace decided, turning to Sloan Sr. “Sorry for your loss, Mr. Sloan.”

“Thank you, Detective.” Sloan Sr.
glanced at the mayor, then at the councilwoman, and then locked his gaze onto
Ace’s. “The senator’s mother and I have been through our fair share of hard
times over the years, but it’s never easy losing a child.” Genuine sadness
flickered across the older man’s features, and he adjusted the brim of his
fedora, looking away for a second to compose himself. A fedora and overcoat of
the same style as the ones the senator had worn in the confessional. They’d
probably been his father’s, as the senator undoubtedly hadn’t wanted anyone to
know it was him in the confessional on that fateful day.

Ace donned a consoling expression. “I
can only imagine,” he said, thinking about his own father and their tumultuous
relationship. He briefly wondered whether his old man would feel the same way
if his son died unexpectedly. Ace hadn’t seen him since his parents had
divorced and he’d moved away with his mother. When he’d moved back to New Hope,
his father was long gone, leaving no forwarding address behind. Fine by Ace.
He’d just as soon keep what had happened in the past.

The mayor grunted, and after Rocco
cut his eyes to him, he went into a coughing fit.

“Easy there, fella.” Rocco whacked
the mayor on the back a bit harder than necessary. “Wouldn’t want you to croak
on me. We’re havin’ too much fun, don’t you think?”

Ace gave Rocco a warning look and
then diffused the situation once more by asking Sloan Sr., “What brings you
back to town so soon? Wasn’t the funeral in D.C. yesterday?”

“The funeral was in the morning, and
Mary didn’t want to spend the night. So Allen and Louise and I brought our
daughter-in-law and our grandchildren back late last night. Mary wasn’t up to
church this morning, so Louise stayed with her and the children.”

“When are you headed out?” Rocco interjected
again.

“My wife and I are staying in town
for as long as Mary and the kids need us. Is there a problem?” Sloan Sr. glared
at Rocco, the ends of his thick, steel-gray hair ruffling in the breeze beneath
his hat, looking as frazzled as he seemed to be.

“You tell me,” Rocco responded in a
no-nonsense tone as hard and dark as his gelled black hair that didn’t move so
much as a millimeter. “You’re the one that was just in a heated argument with
the mayor only moments ago. Not to mention Councilwoman Reynolds was your son’s
opponent if I’m not mistaken. Or is she senator yet?”

Ms. Reynolds, who hadn’t said so
much as a word so far, didn’t flinch one iota. Her stiff smile never wavered,
and her perfectly coifed, blond bob stayed in place, as she’d artfully styled
it. She simply stated in a calm tone, “Politicians are not the evil monsters
you’re trying so very hard to portray, Detective Antonelli. If you must know, I
am speaking with Mayor Evans and Mr. Sloan about organizing a tribute in the
senator’s honor. What you deemed a heated argument was nothing more than a
passionate discussion about what that tribute should entail. Now if you’ll
excuse me, gentlemen, I have a pressing engagement back at my office.”

“Let me guess. You have a mess to
clean up and are in need of a janitor.” Rocco winked. “I’m right, aren’t I? You
can admit it, darlin’. Go ahead.”

The councilwoman paused, showing the
first inkling of being flustered, but adjusted the lapels of her suit and
smoothly replied, “First, I’m hardly your ‘darling.’ And no, you’re not right.
If I did have a mess to clean up, something tells me you’d be a pro at
shoveling crap. Good day, Detective Antonelli.” She turned to Ace. “Detective
Jackson, I’d request a new partner if I were you. This one smells of trouble.
And I do mean ‘smells.’” She turned up her nose and hesitated a second, then
walked away in the opposite direction from Mumfry Walker.

Whatever
that meant.

“See, that wasn’t so bad, now was
it?” Cece smiled at her sister when mass was over.

“I do believe I have the right to
remain silent. At least, that’s what Jackass said. Something you might want to
try more often.” Candy fluttered her lashes at Cece, with her lips tipping up
at the corners.

Cece admired the way the sun
streamed in through the stained glass windows as she counted to ten. “Very
funny,” she finally said, and then stood after the church was nearly empty, but
she didn’t head for the exit. Instead, she hooked her arm through her sister’s
and strolled toward the front.

Candy lost her smile and dug in her
heels. “Whoa! Hey, wait a minute. I agreed to go to church with you. I never
agreed to talk to the priest. And don’t even think you’re getting me in that
confessional. You don’t exactly have the best track record around here.”

“Relax, Charity. I just want to say
hello to the new organist,” Cece replied nonchalantly.

Candy narrowed her eyes. Not much
got by her. “Why? You’re supposed to be laying low and behaving yourself like
the good little nun that you were meant to be. This wouldn’t have anything to
do with the investigation, would it? I remember him. That’s Meridoodle’s
mystery man.”

“Honestly, Charity, her name is
Meriwether. I’m not a nun anymore, and I
am
laying low. I just want to meet the man. Say hello and welcome him to the
church. It’s the polite thing to do. Maybe
you
should try
that
more often.”

“Now who’s the one being funny?” Candy
glanced past Cece and a catlike grin spread across her features. “Benny, baby.
Long time no … well, you know.” She winked. “How’s it hangin’?”

Cece whirled around to see the large
man’s rich cocoa skin darken.

Benny cleared his throat and glanced
around quickly, looking panicked. His deep voice squeaked for a moment as he
replied, “Good to see you, Candy. Although, I have to admit this is the last
place I’d expect to run into you.”

“Ditto,” Candy replied with a
snicker.

Cece stepped between them and smiled
at Benny to put him at ease. “What a lovely surprise, Benny. I see you’re
taking my advice.”

“Yes, ma’am. Lots of actions, fewer
words. Though it doesn’t seem to make a difference to her.”

“Give it time.”

He nodded, looking grim but determined.
“Have a good day, Cece.” He shot Candy a glance, and a bit of the old devilish
side of Benny reappeared briefly as he said to her, “I’ll pray for you.” Then
he winked at Cece and left the church with a slight spring to his step.

“Did you hear that?
He
wants to pray for
me
? That’s a good one.” Candy snorted.