Lying Eyes (8 page)

*****

F
orty-five minutes after Allison's workshop started Carlo staggered toward the exit, loosening his tie.

Allison laughed. "Learn anything, Detective?'

He glowered at her. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"I don't have anything else to do. I need more coffee. Can I bring you anything?"

"I don't suppose there are any cold showers handy?"

"I'm afraid not. You know what? Coffee can wait. I better hit the ladies room before your workshop. Go on, we'll see you there. You need a chance to cool down before you have to face an audience. I promise to be safely in my seat well before the room hostess introduces you. The Garden Room is on the left side of this hall."

Smirking, she turned to her companions. "Teasing Carlo is a kick in the pants."

Susan grinned. "I've never seen anyone get under his skin the way you can."

Allison halted and turned around.

"Forget something?" Marsha asked.

"No, but I have a strong feeling someone is watching me."

"Keep moving and whatever you do, don't look back again."

Allison's companions moved closer and everyone walked faster. On reaching their destination, Marsha all but shoved her into the ladies’ room. Susan stayed outside to guard the door.

Marsha touched her radio. "I'm calling Hotel Security," she whispered and said into the phone, "Stonewall? Officer Daniels here. We're in the ladies’ room located along the east wing of the conference rooms. I need two undercover escorts ASAP. Miss Marble had the feeling she was being—"

Marsha smiled encouragingly at Allison. "Good. We'll wait for her knock."

Marsha had barely explained the plan when a light knock sounded. Susan stepped aside to let in a tall woman with short blonde hair.

"Allison? You can call me Sal. Harold Sands will be your other escort. He's standing right outside, wearing a red shirt and leaning against the opposite wall. Once you're seated in your next workshop he'll take the seat beside you. Relax. Smile and make small talk with him. We've got your back. Did anyone get a glimpse of the lurker?"

"Afraid not," Allison said, and used the facilities while she waited for her heart rate to slow.
How does Carlo keep his cool?

After waiting while Susan and Marsha washed their hands, the threesome stepped outside and strolled back the way they'd come without a care, Sal not far behind.

On entering the Garden Room Sal hurried to Carlo's side, introduced herself and filled him in on the last few minutes, Allison supposed, while Sal pretended to check the sound system. When finished, she casually strolled to the back of the room and leaned against the far wall.

Susan, Harold, and Allison filled coffee cups and found seats together. Allison set her cup on the floor long enough to pull out her notebook, and settled back to enjoy her coffee and Carlo's introduction, although she practically knew it by heart.

He hadn't believed her when she insisted no one was interested in his birth date or the name of his first cat, but
would
want to know how he developed his hard body and achieved his current rank.

When the applause ended and Carlo approached the podium, Allison shoved her empty cup beneath her chair and studied him as she took notes.

He'd obviously made a lot of public appearances and soon had his audience eating out of his hand, laughing at his clumsy attempts to load a revolver and gasping when he pulled a lethal-looking stiletto out of his sleeve.

Like the other women present Allison watched his muscles ripple and admired the deep cleft in Carlo's chin. She wished he'd smile more often and for longer.

His shining eyes held his audience intrigued.

Allison sympathized with the attendees.

I know the feeling well.

All too soon he began replacing the seven holstered weapons he'd secreted on his person while answering questions flung at him by a bevy of women vying for his attention.

The room host finally called time and thanked Carlo again.

As the audience filed out of the room he made a beeline to her. "Why the hell didn't the officers take you straight to your room instead of letting you sit out in the open, exposed to some dangerous perp's whim?" he ranted, a muscle pulsing in his smooth jaw.

"No one even suggested I go to my room. The security team has accepted I'm here to attend the conference and is hell bent on keeping me safe. Just like you."

"And if they can't?"

"What's next on your schedule?" Susan asked.

"The—"

"Forget it," Carlo growled. "She's going to the room."

Allison wanted to argue, but thought better of it. "Relaxing in my room for an hour sounds like a great idea."

"Hang around here if you want, Marsha," he said into his radio. "Then, if you decide it's safe, save six seats for all of us at a luncheon table as far away from the exits as possible."

"Thank you," Allison said meekly.

He studied her closely. "Are you all right? You seem uncharacteristically willing to go to your room."

"I'll be fine as soon as I kick off these shoes."

*****

C
arlo had no interest in the luncheon speaker's keynote address, but every time he glanced across the table at Allison he could tell she was clinging to every word of "The Writer's Journey to Publication."

Does it always take years for an author to get published?

His respect for Allison shot up a notch.

In some occupations female employees slept their way to the top.

Not Allison. She didn't have a conniving thought in her pretty head.

Maybe she had been one of the lucky ones the speaker mentioned who sold her first completed novel to a big New York Publisher.

What other kind is there? A
little
New York Publisher?

His eyes drifted closed, but opened in time to see Susan poke Marsha with her elbow and grin his way.

"Wait until I tell the Captain," Susan whispered, her hand concealing her mouth. "Napping on assignment. I can think of much better use of the stubborn detective's time."

Me, too, and it doesn't involve boring speeches. Just Allison and—

––––––––

A
llison glanced at Carlo again and across the room where a dark-skinned man peered at the crowd from behind the swinging doors to the kitchen.

Part of the staff? She hadn't seen a catering uniform, just a face, but the glance made Allison uneasy. Her chest ached.

A spurt of applause marked the end to the speaker's talk, scattering her thoughts. She turned to Carlo.

"Want to head back upstairs?" he asked.

"As soon as I make sure The Garden Room has been properly arranged for my presentation."

With the help of her three trusty guardians, she soon had her scrapbooks and photographs satisfactorily displayed on the four tables the Event Staff had provided. Allison sighed with relief.

"We're going to the room and relax. Why don't you two take a break for a while?" Carlo asked Susan and Marsha. "I'll be right next door if Allison needs anything. I suspect she'd like to kick off those ridiculous heels and review her presentation without anyone interrupting her thoughts."

The Do Not Disturb sign still hung on her door at the funny angle he'd left it, but Carlo signaled everyone to wait while he went through his room to hers, checked her room for intruders, and unlocked her door.

"I'll see everybody at one," she said, sounding tired as she walked past him. He closed and locked the door.

"You couldn't find a handsome man loitering under the bed?" she asked him.

"No grubby drug dealer hiding in the closet, either. You have the worst luck."

She laughed. "What say we keep it that way until after my presentation?"

"Agreed," he said, his hands on the connecting door's latch. "This is a good time to relax, Allison. You've had a stressful morning, and who knows what the afternoon will bring?"

"I plan to kick back." She tossed her shoes aside and caught him admiring her bare toes.

"See ya later," he mumbled, his words gruff.

Grinning, she was just getting comfortable on her unmade bed when her cell phone rang. She answered with, "Allison."

"Good, I did catch you. Having a good time?"

"Ellie?"
The office gossip? Why the hell is she calling me here?

"In the flesh. How's it going?"

"Great. I'm just about to go downstairs and make my first presentation. You're lucky I had my phone on. What's up?"

"I thought you'd want to know Larry called us together before lunch to announce he'd named Alice to replace Roger Thornton. She'll be reporting from the Noon News desk on Monday," Ellie gloated.

Throwing my phone across the room won't help.
Allison cleared her clogged throat. "That's good to know. I'll be sure and congratulate her the next time our paths cross. I have to go, Ellie. Thanks for letting me know."

Without waiting for Ellie's reply, Allison ended the call and sank back on the pillows, inhaling short, gasping breaths and fighting tears.

Despite her efforts, the dam holding back her tears burst in a flood of emotion.

After her sobs slowed she asked,
"
How
could
he?" of the empty room, rubbing her swollen eyes with clenched fists.

"Allison? Is something wrong?" Carlo asked, so close his warm breath caressed her cheek, startling her.

She jumped, uncovering her eyes. "Y-you—I didn't hear you come in."

"I didn't want to scare you. I heard your sobs. What's wrong?"

"Nothing you can fix."

He scooted her over, making room on the bed and sat beside her. "Need a broad shoulder to cry on? I've been told I'm a good listener."

She hiccupped.

Wrapping his arms around her, Carlo tenderly kissed her forehead. "I never could stand to see a woman cry. Try me."

He pulled a neatly folded linen handkerchief from his hip pocket and dried her tears.

She allowed a ragged sign to escape. "I need to pull myself together. My hour is nearly up."

"Allison..."

"Oh, all right. The Station gossip called to share the latest office news. I rejected my boss's advances and didn't get the expected promotion. While I'm away he named the office alley-cat to take Roger's place on the Noon News."

"Damn. No wonder you're upset."

"D-Devastated, but I'll survive."

She rolled off the far side of the bed and opened the mini-refrigerator. "It figures. I forgot to refill the ice cube tray. Would you mind getting some ice to put on my eyes while I untangle my hair?"

He grabbed the ice bucket and headed next door.

"Thanks. The ice machine is near the elevator."

His door had no sooner closed than her door handle rattled.

"Allison? I know you're in there. Let. Me. In," a quiet voice with a Hispanic accent demanded.

She pressed the panic button on her radio, darted into Carlo's room, and locked both his doors.

"Allison? Allison!"

The sound of Carlo's worried voice in her ear steadied her.

"I'm here. In your room," she whispered.

"Except for Marsha the hall is empty. I'm about twenty feet away from your door. That's her knocking on it."

By the time she unlocked his door with shaky hands the hall had filled with undercover cops, some who simply ambled by with a nod.

Carlo's chest heaved. "What happened?"

"Can anyone describe the guy who rattled my door handle?"

"By the time I stepped out of hiding he was running away, his head lowered," Officer Hanson said. "What about you, Demetri?"

"Same here. He careened around the corner without warning, knocked the ice bucket out of my hands, and casually boarded the same elevator these two security officers exited. By the way, thanks, guys, for your quick response."

"Still not quick enough," Stonewall said dejectedly.

"So what have we learned? Anything?" Carlo asked.

"Your perp is getting desperate," Stonewall said.

"And he is Hispanic," Allison added.

"He
spoke
to you?" Stonewall asked.

"Yes. He said 'Allison, I know you're in there', and demanded I open the door."

"He knew I'd left you alone," Carlo said grimly. "That means he
has
been watching every move we make."

"Easy, Detective. Isn't this what you were hoping?" Stonewall asked.

"That he'd be brazen enough to approach Allison in the middle of the day?"

"No, that he'd come out of hiding where we have a better chance to arrest him."

Everyone huddled around her agreed, except Carlo.

Sounding frustrated, Carlo said, "Let's meet back here at five and see if anyone has thought of a better plan."

"In the meantime, I think we can all relax and simply enjoy Miss Marble's presentation. Your man doesn't have a chance in hell of grabbing her while she's speaking before a packed room," Stonewall said.

"Still, don't let down your guard," Carlo warned. "Allison, I'm going to get more ice. Susan and Marsha, go inside as soon as I open Allison's door and keep her company until I get back."

He disappeared inside his room.

"I don't think I've ever seen a big man move so fast," Stonewall murmured, shaking his head. "I'm sure glad the detective is on
our
side."

The crowd dispersed.

As soon as Carlo returned with the ice Susan and Marsha departed.

He slammed the ice bucket on the bathroom counter and gently lifted Allison's chin. "Let me see your eyes."

She tried her best to smile at him.

"Most of the redness is gone."

"Good. I don't have much time to—"

"First things first." Carlos stepped in close, encircled her in his strong arms, and gave her a punishing kiss.

His hard lips demanded everything from her she'd been longing to give him and she gave as good as she got, making her blood run hot.

Quickly releasing her, Carlo stepped back. "Sorry. Poor timing, Demetri," he murmured, moving farther away.

"Did I say so?"