Under lock and key, p.12
Under Lock and Key, page 12
“Do you know her name?” Kevin asked.
Huber shook his head. “No. She only came to the one protest. She made such a scene I had to ask her to leave. Never saw her again.”
“Can you describe her?”
Huber shrugged. “Brunette, shortish hair. Not too tall.”
That probably described thousands of women in the Los Angeles area, and they weren’t even sure the woman was from here.
He and Maggie thanked Huber for his time and left.
“What do you think?” Maggie asked when they were back in the car.
“I think Francois will get the names of the members of the organization, but I don’t think this group has the know-how to pull something like this off.”
“So where does that leave us?”
Continuing to spin their wheels looking for a suspect that wasn’t her. Since that was an answer he wasn’t willing to give her, he started the engine and pulled away from the curb without a word.
Chapter Sixteen
Kevin glanced at the clock on his bedside table: 11:10 p.m. He sighed and climbed out of bed. Maybe some calming mint tea would help him finally get some sleep.
He couldn’t stop thinking about Maggie.
He hoped she was getting more rest than he was, although he doubted it. Even though she insisted she wasn’t going to be run out of her home, he’d seen the fear in her eyes. Everything inside of him wanted to make her feel safe.
He’d crossed the line from professional to personal the moment he’d kissed her on her front porch. Scratch that. He’d crossed that line the moment he’d realized she was the curator who had been attacked during the theft of the Viperé ruby. From that moment on, he’d wanted nothing more than to catch the man who’d put his hands on his Maggie and make him pay.
His Maggie.
That was how he used to think about her all the time. He wasn’t sure when he started thinking about her like that again, but sometime in the last several days, he had. And he realized something else. He wanted another chance with her. Now he just had to figure out a way to convince her to give him one.
He glanced at the phone, wondering if it was too late to call. Of course it was. But he wasn’t sure he could wait until the more socially acceptable time the next morning.
It wasn’t just the nearly uncontrollable desire to at least hear her voice. This case, everything about it, bothered him.
The theft, Maggie being attacked and the threat against her, Kim Sumika’s murder and now Carter Tutwilder’s possible inquiries into buying a gem like the Viperé only weeks before it was stolen. None of it made sense. Especially not the attacks on Maggie. If the thief was the same person who’d made the threat against her, why had he hung around to do so? And if the thief and the person threatening Maggie weren’t the same person? He wasn’t sure what that would mean, and he didn’t like not having answers. Not when it came to Maggie’s safety.
There were simultaneously too many clues and not enough. Carter Tutwilder had been keeping something from them, he was sure of that, but was his secret relevant or just something the billionaire didn’t want to see in the papers? Kim Sumika had a gambling problem, but so did thousands of other Los Angelenos. It might not have anything to do with the theft or her murder. And if Kim had reached out to Kovalev to be her new bookie, Kim would have brought real trouble down on her head by not paying up. But the timing was just too coincidental for him to shake off.
The tea kettle whistled. He poured the tea into a travel mug and carried it to his bedroom to change.
Midnight might be too late for a phone call, but nothing was stopping him from taking a drive by Maggie’s house to make sure all was quiet there.
* * *
* * *
MOONLIGHT WAS STILL peeking around the edges of the blinds when she opened her eyes. She’d gone to bed at ten, exhausted. The dream she’d been having involved her and Kevin walking hand in hand on a beach, which had led to a romantic dinner, which had led to the two of them in bed. It had felt so real she almost expected to see Kevin lying in bed beside her, but of course he wasn’t there. She touched the cold spot next to her with longing before chiding herself. She couldn’t fall back into things with Kevin.
A shadow shifted outside her window. She stilled, her heart in her throat. A long minute passed and she relaxed. Just shadows.
The last several days had put her on edge, and she hated it. Hated looking over her shoulder all the time. Hated feeling unsafe in her own home. And it didn’t feel like she and Kevin were getting any closer to discovering who was behind the theft of the ruby, Kim’s death or the terror campaign against her.
Something caught her eye outside the window. It wasn’t just a shadow. There was someone out there. A glance at the clock showed that it was 11:25 p.m. No one with good intentions would be lurking around her house at this time of the night.
She slid from her bed as quietly as she could, her heart in her throat.
Grabbing her cell phone, she moved into the living room, not turning on any lights. As long as the person outside thought she was still asleep, she had the element of surprise.
She waited impatiently, her eyes moving from the windows at the front of the house to the ones in the back, looking for any movement, as Kevin’s phone rang. After what seemed like hours, he picked up.
“There’s someone here,” she whispered frantically as soon as the call connected.
“I’m two minutes away.” She wondered how he could already be so close, but any thought of asking the question was cut off by the sound of the glass pane in her back door shattering.
She dropped the phone and lunged for the end table in the living room where she kept a Maglite flashlight.
“Maggie? Maggie, are you there? Answer me, Maggie.”
She grabbed the flashlight, which was heavy enough to double as a weapon if it came to that, and clicked it on. She turned the light toward the back door just as the hand jutting into the house through the broken pane found the lock and turned it. She jerked the beam toward the intruder’s face.
He wore a mask, but this one was different from the one the thief at the Larimer wore. It covered the top of the intruder’s head and his neck and came up to his nose, but left his forehead and eye area uncovered. Something tugged at the back of her mind for a fleeting moment, but the intruder’s startled jerk chased it away.
“The cops are on their way, and I have a gun. If you come any closer, I will shoot.” She could only hope the intruder couldn’t hear the lie in her voice.
Luck was on her side. A pounding sounded on the front door as the last words left her mouth.
“Maggie!” Kevin yelled.
“I’m okay,” she shouted back. “He’s at the back door.”
The intruder’s eyes went wide. He pulled his hand out of the door and lurched away.
She waited several seconds before going to the door and peering out of what was left of the window.
The intruder hoisted himself over the back fence and disappeared into the darkness of the neighbor’s lawn.
Kevin rounded the side of the cottage.
She jerked the damaged door open and pointed at the house behind the cottage. “He went over the fence.”
Kevin looked her up and down quickly.
“I’m fine. He didn’t make it inside.”
“Call 911, tell them you had an intruder and ask them to call Detective Francois,” he said before taking off after the intruder.
Into the darkness.
* * *
KEVIN WAITED UNTIL he saw Maggie slip back into the house and the door close. Then he headed for the back fence, vaulting over it with one hand, his gun in the other. The neighbor’s yard was shrouded in darkness. The little bit of illumination came from the bulb over the neighbor’s back door and created eerie shadows and shapes. He froze, listening for the sound of an animal bigger than the usual night creatures moving about. For several long moments, all he heard were the chirps of crickets. Then, almost as if they were warning him of impending danger, the chirping to his right fell silent.
He turned in that direction and saw the shadow moving quickly along the side of the porch toward the front of the house. He started for it, but the man must have seen or heard him coming.
The intruder took off running.
Kevin gave chase.
The intruder didn’t seem to be worried about being quiet or stealthy anymore. He just wanted to get away now. And he was fast. In a matter of seconds, he’d managed to put a good distance between them.
It struck him that the intruder seemed familiar with the neighborhood. Was that because he’d been staking out Maggie’s home or could there be another reason? He’d be sure to ask, as soon as he had the man in custody.
He picked up his pace, trying to close the distance. Even though the sun had long since set, the night was warm, leaving him sweaty even though he’d only run two blocks. He kept in shape, running several miles every week. But his heart was pounding, and the adrenaline rushing through his body wasn’t helping him pace himself. And he was worried about Maggie. What if the intruder was leading him on a wild-goose chase just to get him away from her house? He could have a partner or double back. Maggie was all alone. Where the hell was the patrol that was supposed to be keeping an eye on her house?
Coming to the corner, Kevin turned in the direction he’d seen the intruder flee. The street and sidewalk were empty.
“Damnit.” The intruder couldn’t have disappeared.
He hadn’t heard the sound of an engine turning, so he doubted the person had escaped in a car. He scanned the street.
A thick hedge ran along the property line of a nearby house.
Kevin crossed to it; it was dark, but it only took him seconds to find the narrow path leading between two neighboring houses. The shadow at the end of the path turned in time for Kevin to catch the whites of the man’s eyes before he darted away again.
Propelled by a new surge of adrenaline, he raced down the path after the man. He had to catch the intruder and put an end to him terrorizing Maggie.
He got to the end of the path and found himself surrounded by trees. The path had ended at what appeared to be the beginning of a wooded area behind the homes. Maggie’s intruder could be anywhere. Hiding among the trees. It wouldn’t be safe for him to plunge into the thicket.
A moment too late, he sensed someone behind him.
Before he could turn, something hit him hard over the back of his head.
He went down to his knees, dizzy, stars flashing behind his eyes. Thankfully, he didn’t lose consciousness. He could hear footfalls heading back down the path. He struggled to his feet, disoriented and woozy.
The footsteps faded into silence.
Chapter Seventeen
When he arrived back at Maggie’s house, she was already speaking to one of the police officers that had responded to her call while the other officer searched around the perimeter of the house. Detective Francois arrived minutes later, and Maggie described the attempted break-in, with Kevin taking over the tale once the foot chase began. Francois sent the officers out to scour the neighborhood, but Kevin wasn’t surprised when they returned without having spotted the intruder.
“Do you need to get checked out at the hospital, Lombard?” Francois asked.
Kevin rubbed the back of his head where he’d been hit. There was a little bump there, but he’d had worse. “I’ll be fine.”
Francois gave him a look that said he disagreed with his decision, but he didn’t push. “Ms. Scott, the police department is doing everything it can to get to the bottom of the current situation, but it appears we are dealing with someone who wants to hurt you and who may have already killed Kim Sumika. I’d strongly advise you to stay with a friend for a while. Just until we have a better handle on the situation.”
Maggie made a face. “I could ask my friend Lisa, but her place is an hour away and small. And she has a cat that hates me.” She shook her head, seemingly rejecting the idea even as she mentioned it.
“You can stay with me.” Warning bells went off in his head immediately. Having her only feet away from his bed was probably not the best idea he’d ever had. Not when he couldn’t have her in his bed. But he could see she was afraid, and he could keep his libido in check if that was what it took to make her feel safe.
“I don’t know,” she said hesitantly.
“I do. I have a guest room. It’s yours for as long as you want it.”
She gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you.”
He waited while Maggie packed a bag and locked up the cottage. She didn’t want to be stranded without a car, so she followed him to his place in her own car. When they got there, he ran inside the apartment building to get her a visitor’s parking permit, then called Tess and updated her on the night’s events as Maggie pulled into one of the reserved spaces while he kept an eye out.
“None of this is making a whole lot of sense,” Tess said when he’d finished his update.
“On that, we agree.”
“Well, I do have some news that’s good. My source was able to get a location on Ivan Kovalev. He’s partying at the bar he owns, Nightingale’s. My source says the way the booze and recreational drugs are flowing, Ivan is likely to be there until closing at four. The source can get you into the club, but he can’t guarantee Ivan will meet with you.”
“But Ivan knows I want to speak with him?”
“Oh, he knows. There isn’t much Ivan doesn’t know. Once you’re in the club, if Ivan is open to talking to you, he’ll find you.”
Kevin watched as Maggie got out of her car and went to the trunk for her overnight bag. “The timing sucks. Maggie is going to stay with me for a while. I want to get her settled, and I’m not sure about leaving her alone.”
“We know where Ivan is going to be tonight. I can send someone else if you really can’t make it, but you know the details of this case back and forth.”
And he didn’t want to leave Ivan’s questioning to anyone else. Finding out what he knew might be the key to figuring out what was going on and stopping it. Maggie was heading for him now. He glanced at his watch: 12:18 a.m. That gave him time to get Maggie settled, wait till she fell asleep and head to the club.
“And you’re sure he’s going to be at Nightingale’s?” Kevin asked.
Maggie stopped in front of him and waited.
“That’s what the source said.”
“Okay, got it. Maggie is here. I’ve got to go.” He ended the call.
“Who was that?” Maggie asked.
“Tess.” He slid her bag from her shoulder and tossed it over his own. “I was filling her in on the attempted break-in at your house and you staying with me for a while.”
“I don’t know if it will be awhile. Let’s just take it one day at a time.”
“Whatever you want. You ready to go up?” He led her to the elevators into the building.
“I heard you and Tess talking about Nightingale’s. That’s that trendy club in Hollywood where all the celebrities hang out right? Who is going to be there tonight? Clooney? Pitt? One of the many, many Chrises?” Maggie asked jokingly after the elevator doors closed and they’d started their ascent.
“Tess’s informant got a location on Ivan Kovalev. He owns Nightingale’s, a club in Hollywood.”
“Are we going to talk to him?”
Kevin raised his hands. “Ivan Kovalev is a dangerous man. I don’t want you anywhere near him.”
Maggie frowned. “He may have answers to who killed Kim and is trying to destroy my life.”
“I get it, but we have to be careful. Your safety is my number one priority.”
“Kevin—”
The elevator stopped on the twelfth floor, and the doors slid open.
“We don’t have to speak to Ivan tonight. Tess said he’s at the club nearly every night.” He felt a moment of guilt about the white lie then shook it off, remembering that, while she may not have lied to him, she’d kept a pretty major piece of information from him. At least he was doing it to protect her.
He could tell from her deepening frown that she didn’t like that answer, but she nodded.
They got off the elevator, and he led her to a door at the end of the hallway.
He opened the door, flicked on the light and led her into the space.
“You have a nice place,” Maggie said, her eyes roaming over the space.
“Tanya found it for me. It’s five minutes from the hospital, which is its best feature. At least, in her opinion.”
Maggie shot him a wan smile.
“You have to be exhausted. The guest room is just down this way.” He led her down the short hallway to the left of the front door.
His guest bedroom wasn’t much, just a bed, dresser and nightstand, but it was warm and comfortable, and she’d be safe in his place.
He set her bag down at the foot of the bed and stepped back into the hall.
Maggie touched his arm as he passed by her, sending sparks of electric desire through him.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
He pressed a kiss to her forehead then stepped back. He’d wanted to do much more, but she needed to rest. “You don’t ever have to thank me. I’ll always be there when you need me.”
He retreated to his own room but didn’t change into pajamas. He knew she’d be angry with him, but there was no way he was going to take her to Ivan’s club. Especially when he wasn’t sure Ivan wasn’t behind everything that had been happening. He just had to wait for her to go to sleep, and then he could slip out of the apartment.
