To Trust a Cop

CHAPTER THREE

CODY CHUCKLED AS he pushed open the door to the tenth-floor conference room. No question an encounter with feisty Merlene Saunders always lightened his mood. Too bad they’d met under the strained and tense circumstances of this serious case. Maybe he could look her up later and they could start over.

He’d like that. The question was: would she?

Inside the room, he found Assistant County Attorney Rafael Alvarez at the head of a long wooden conference table cluttered with files, books and paper. The prosecutor had summoned Cody and his partner to the courthouse this morning for a strategy session on the Johnson case. Jake Steadman, his partner, was tied up in a deposition but would join them later if he got finished in time.

Alvarez wasn’t looking at his papers, though. He stared out the window wearing an solemn expression.

“Hey, Rafael,” Cody said. “What’s wrong, man?”

Rafael turned to face him with a grimace. “Cody. Yeah, well, I’ve got some bad news. I’m not sure I quite believe it myself yet.”

Cody sat down beside Rafael. “What?”

The prosecutor used a pen to nudge his cell phone on the table before him. “Just got off the phone with my supervisor.”

“I’m listening.”

“We’re done, man.”

“Done?”

“They’ve pulled the plug on the Johnson case.”

Cody felt blood drain from his face as he stared at Rafael. He’d thought this meeting was to discuss an arrest, not an ending to the investigation.

“Pulled the plug? Is that some kind of a sick joke?”

“It’s no joke, man,” Rafael stated with a shake of his head. “Believe me, I wish it were.”

“But you can’t end this investigation. My partner and I have put in six months of hard work.”

“And you know the hours I’ve logged,” Rafael said. “It’s not me, Cody. It’s coming from the top guns. As of now, I’m off the case. Reassigned.” Rafael stood and jammed his scattered papers into a brown leather briefcase. “I’ve got to get back to my office. I suspect when you return to your station you’ll find that you’ve been reassigned, as well.”

“What’s going on?”

“Off the record, I think Dr. Johnson got to someone. I saw him leaving the federal building early this morning.”

“You saw Johnson in Miami today?”

“Right. Around eight.”

“You’re certain?”

Rafael paused in his quick movements. “Why? What do you know?”

Cody also rose. “I got a tip that he was in North Florida.”

“No way. Johnson was with Tony Menudo, an FBI agent I know.”

“He was with a fed?”

“Yeah, and Tony was treating him like a confidential informant.” Rafael reached out and shook Cody’s hand. “I’m sorry, man. We were almost there.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Rafael,” Cody said. “But I’m not giving up on nailing this bastard.”

“See you on the next one,” Rafael said.

Frustration and fury raged inside Cody as he strode toward the elevator. He rotated his shoulders to release the tension. Didn’t help. What he needed to do was jog about twenty miles. Or punch something.

What the hell was going on?

But he knew.

Most likely Doc Johnson had buddies in high places. Slimeballs always did. Johnson had gone to his friends and struck some kind of cushy deal. Oh, maybe he’d get a few months, maybe even a year in a nice country club prison, but he wouldn’t do any hard time. Maybe he’d have to pay a stiff fine, but nothing a wealthy physician couldn’t easily handle. Before long, Johnson would return to his old life and continue to enjoy his illegally obtained riches. Within months of release, he’d start another lucrative fraud.

Hands on his hips, Cody stared down the hallway and tried to calm his rushing thoughts. What would his lieutenant say? Had Montoya already assigned him a new case? Not that he didn’t have plenty of other open cases to work.

What about Jake? Cody placed a quick call to his partner to let him know the latest development. Jake’s cell was off for the depo, but Cody left a voice mail that their conference had been cancelled.

He knew Jake would be equally pissed when he learned the reason. They’d worked hard to develop the evidence to convict Dr. Johnson. And now it was over. All that work for nothing.

Cody shook his head. Damn. So Johnson had returned from his trip to Ocala...if he’d ever gone there. Jealous wives often overreacted, read more into a situation than really existed. Maybe the good doc had never even left town.

When the elevator pinged its presence, Cody entered and punched the button for the twelfth floor. He needed to find Merlene and save her a long, pointless trip.

To his knowledge Dr. Johnson had never been violent, but not so the other players in this fraud. He hated the idea of her going after Johnson by herself. Yeah, she seemed competent enough, but the woman had no idea what she was getting into.

There was a hell of a lot more to this case than a wandering husband. Maybe it was time he told her. What did it matter? Wasn’t his case anymore.

* * *

INSIDE A CAVERNOUS wood-paneled courtroom, Merlene jotted careful notes as her client’s soon-to-be ex-husband whined out his side of the story. She didn’t want to make any mistakes when called to testify. Lawyers loved to confuse, to trip up witnesses. There was probably a class in law school on how to do that.

She’d thought she might be sequestered, not allowed to hear the other witness’s testimony until sworn in, but her client’s attorney informed her there was a chance the case could settle thanks to her surveillance. Merlene secretly crossed her fingers. She certainly hoped so. She hated testifying.

But, man, had this Mr. John Harris ever changed his story since his wife had filed for divorce. At first he denied any wrongdoing, but he couldn’t do that under oath once he’d viewed her video of his frequent visits to his secretary’s town house.

Poor guy. She thought Harris might actually cry. Not that she had any sympathy for him. She remembered Carol Harris’s tears when she watched the video that confirmed a wife’s worst suspicions. Because of Merlene’s surveillance, John Harris would have to cough up a lot more money per month for his wife and kids.

Of course he could afford plenty of alimony and child support. She’d seen his income tax returns for the last three years. She’d never realized one person actually made that much money.

Judge Robinson summoned the lawyers up to the bench for a sidebar conference no one else could hear. Were they about to settle? Glancing at her watch, Merlene hoped she’d be called soon or they reached an agreement. She planned to leave for Ocala by one, but that wouldn’t happen at the pace this hearing plodded along. She might have to wait until tomorrow.

As happened all too often, her thoughts drifted to Detective Cody Warren, he of the piercing blue eyes and wide shoulders. No question Cody made her nuts. She couldn’t remember ever responding to a man the way she did to him. And it made no sense. How could he infuriate her but make her feel totally alive and glad to be with him at the same time? And Cody was likely married. Men that looked like him always were.

She glanced at John Harris, who still waited in the witness chair. Out of nowhere she hoped Cody wasn’t a cheating husband like this man.

An envelope thrust into her lap jarred Merlene from her thoughts. As she glanced up, her breath caught when she found Cody standing to her left. He smiled and winked, then hurried up the aisle. She turned in her seat and watched him exit the double swinging doors.

She took a quick glance around the courtroom. The judge and counsel were still engrossed in their bench conference. She took a deep breath. No one else had even noticed Cody.

Relieved that he hadn’t waited around to watch her testify, she slashed open the envelope with her pen.

In large spidery scrawl he’d written: “Meet me before you leave for Ocala. After three I’ll be at Tamiami Little League Park. Find me. It’s important. Cody.”

Her heart racing from his startling appearance, she read the note over and over. He’d underlined “important” twice and used an exclamation mark.

Cody wanted her to meet him at a Little League park? What could be so important?

And who did he think he was? Her boss?

She bit her lip as she slipped Cody’s note into her briefcase. If she postponed her trip until three, it would put her into Ocala after dark. But the hearing hadn’t even resumed yet, and from the amount of questions the judge was asking the lawyers, it looked like it might be a while before the testimony resumed. She’d already considered the option of postponing a day.

Should she find Cody later? Of course D.J. would want her to cooperate.

Still, when would cops ever stop telling her what to do? This one in particular enjoyed ordering her around, making her life miserable. Merlene crossed her legs and edged down her skirt, wondering how her spirits could possibly lift because she anticipated an afternoon meeting with Detective Cody Warren.

If she were honest with herself—always hard to do when it came to Cody Warren—she liked the idea that he’d sought her out and wanted to meet with her. She liked it too much. Was it about the case? Of course. What else could he want to see her about? She doubted he found her as attractive as she found him. No way would his steady cop’s heart race as hers just had if she showed up unexpectedly in his life. She’d practically had to fan herself with her notebook when she saw him. She could tell herself her reaction stemmed from nerves over her imminent testimony, but that wouldn’t be the whole truth.

Yeah, she’d meet Cody later. She wanted to know what was up. Heck, she looked forward to another one of their standoffs where they jockeyed for position and each other’s information. Jockeying for position? That thought brought up all kinds of erotic notions and rocketed a shiver down her spine. What was wrong with her?

Judge Robinson banged his gavel and called the hearing back into session. Merlene shook her head and forced her attention away from images of a naked Cody Warren.

* * *

THE CRACK OF a ball slamming into a bat echoed through Tamiami Park. Merlene paused next to a game in progress as the image of her little brother punching a mitt flooded her memory. Donny had loved to play first base more than he’d loved to eat, and she’d loved watching him.

She took a deep breath. How long had it been since she’d remembered the fun of watching kids playing baseball? Too long.

She relaxed as she inhaled the sweet fragrance of freshly mowed grass. Four or five boisterous games were in progress on fields surrounding her. A carnival atmosphere enlivened a park full of squealing kids and boastful parents. Oh, look at that young catcher in his bulky uniform. Merlene laughed, remembering how once in a pinch she’d subbed as an umpire for Donny’s game. What a disaster that had turned into.

A light breeze ruffled her hair and brought the fragrance of fresh popcorn and cotton candy. Donny’s usual after-game snack had been a lime snow cone. She closed her eyes and tasted the sweet-tart flavor of her little brother’s favorite treat.

After a nostalgic moment or two absorbing this familiar all-American scene, Merlene remembered why she’d come.

Right. Back to business. So how would she locate Cody? No help but to look for him game by game.

With fingers entwined in a tall chain-link fence behind home plate, she searched the closest field, figuring Cody must be coaching his son’s Little League team. Of course, the man was married and had kids. The absence of a ring never meant a thing. She ignored the nagging sense of disappointment that accompanied her thoughts.

She considered leaving without finding him. How embarrassing that she’d allowed her imagination to take off like a runaway train.

But no. What did she care if the man had ten kids? She’d come on business, pure and simple. And, damn, she wanted to find out what was so important.

At the third game she visited, she looked up at a tap on her shoulder.

“Keep your eye on the shortstop. We’re convinced he’s headed for the majors.”

“Yeah?”

Cody towered over her, his eyes hidden by dark sunglasses. “No doubt about it.”

Merlene judged the shortstop in question to be around eight or nine, his hair a similar light brown color to Cody’s. The boy focused intently on the batter, his face screwed into a tight ball of concentration.

She also tried to concentrate on the game but found Cody’s long, muscular legs distracting. He wore tan coaching shorts and a blue shirt that emphasized the width of his shoulders.

“Heads up, Charlie,” Cody yelled.

The shortstop grinned when a pint-size batter swung nowhere near the ball.

“That’s strike two,” Cody said. “When this team is out, Charlie will be first up.”

She nodded at the batter. “That kid’s not standing close enough to the plate.” Her brother had had the same problem his first year.

“You’re a baseball fan?”

“I used to be.”

The little boy missed again, and she felt a twinge of pity as he fought tears. Poor little guy. Donny’d hated it when he struck out.

“Third out,” Cody said.

Ten small players raced toward the dugout. “Is that talented shortstop your son?” she asked.

“Nephew.”

Nephew? Interesting. “Is your son here, too?”

“I don’t have a son.” He faced her and grinned. “Thanks for coming. How’d it go in Judge Robinson’s court?”

“Other than not getting called until after lunch, fine.” Looking up, she smiled back, liking the friendly expression on his angular face. Damn, but Cody was tall. Okay. No son, but what about a daughter?

She sighed. “I’m just glad my testimony is over.”

He led her away from the game to a concrete bench in the shade of a large oak. The bench and the ground below were covered with oak leaves. Cody brushed the debris away.

“Testifying is never a picnic,” he said as they sat. “Believe me, police hate going to court, too. It’s time away from our regular duties, and I’m sure you know how defense lawyers try to destroy our evidence, make us look bad.”

At his mention of cops, familiar suspicion bumped into her good mood. So why was Cody acting so nice? He obviously wanted something. No one ever did anything for free, especially not cops.

“Are you going to tell me why I’m here?”

“Relax, Merlene. You don’t have to rush off to Ocala. Dr. Johnson is back in Miami.”

“What? Are you sure?” She searched his face, wishing she could see his eyes behind the glasses.

He nodded. “I confirmed it myself even though I’ve been reassigned. He’s at his office this afternoon.”

“Reassigned?” she asked. “What does that mean?” When he leaned toward her, the scent of fresh grass and clean masculinity curled around her senses.

“That you’re free to watch your favorite doctor as much as you want. He’s no longer under active investigation by my department.”

“But why? Has he been cleared of whatever you thought he’d done?” Which Cody still hadn’t told her about, by the way. Was he about to tell her now?

“No, ma’am. I didn’t say that. In fact, I was hoping you’d tape the comings and goings from the good doc’s house for me.”

“What? Come on, Cody. You have to tell me what’s going on.”

Cody removed his sunglasses and ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know why yet, but I’ve been pulled from the case. So has the county attorney my partner and I’ve been working with.” He leaned back and caught her gaze. “Guess what? It’s not because of budget cuts.”

“Wow.” Merlene thought hard and came up with only one explanation. “Dr. Johnson must have powerful friends.”

He nodded. “That’s what we think. So if you stay on him, at least I’ll still receive some information.”

“Because his friends can’t call me off,” Merlene said, nodding. “And I suppose you’ll want a full report?”

“I wouldn’t mind.”

The complete irony of the situation caused a laugh to bubble up from deep in her chest. She tried to stop herself but couldn’t. At the confusion on Cody’s face, she clamped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry,” she murmured.

“My case is a disaster, and you’re laughing?”

“Because you chased me away twice and now...now you want me back.” She shook her head. “I never thought I’d live long enough for the police to ask me for help.”

“At least something I say can make you smile.” He startled her by raising his hand, but merely brushed a lock of hair away from her face, then dropped his hand to her shoulder.

She sucked in a quick breath but didn’t move.

“Do you know you have a beautiful smile?” he said.

She didn’t reply, only felt the weight of his hand resting on her shoulder.

His eyes searched hers, and an unfamiliar yearning shot through her as he leaned closer. His hand inched closer to her neck. She found herself shifting in his direction. Was he going to kiss her? She suddenly wanted him to. Wanted him to more than she’d wanted anything in a long time.

“Hey, Cody,” a voice shouted. “Get back over here. Charlie’s up next.”

She stiffened, and Cody dropped his hand.

He angled his head toward the ball field. “Want to come with me to watch my nephew at bat?”

“No!” She jumped to her feet, furious with herself for letting down her guard. “No, no. I can’t. I have to go.”

He stood beside her with a frown. “Slow down, Merlene. You don’t have to drive to Ocala, remember? Since you haven’t got anywhere else to be, why not enjoy the game with me?”

“Thanks, but no. I—” She looked around, searching the bench so she didn’t leave something behind. Like her good sense. Or maybe she could find an excuse for why she had to run away from him. And, Lord, she needed to. Her flesh burned where he’d touched her. She resisted the urge to stroke the spot.

“I have to catch up with Dr. Johnson again,” she said. There. That was the truth. “My client wants me to maintain constant surveillance on her husband.”

“But I wanted to—”

She stuck out her hand to shake his. He took hold and squeezed, so she quickly withdrew her arm. She needed to get away from Cody before she did something really stupid. “Thanks for letting me know about Dr. Johnson, Detective Warren.”

“Sure,” he said. “Why don’t you—”

“Really, I appreciate it. But I’ve got to get back to work.”

Refusing to meet his gaze again, she fled toward the parking lot. When she got to her car she unlocked the door and collapsed inside.

What had happened to her just now? For those few moments it was as if Cody had put her into some kind of a trance. She frowned. No, not exactly. She’d been conscious of every hammer of her pulse, exquisitely aware of him, silently urging him to take her into his arms and kiss her.

She glanced back the way she’d come. At a baseball field. In front of children.

Dear heaven, what was wrong with her?

Long ago she’d promised herself to never, ever lose control of her actions. Losing control was what had happened to her parents when they drank. She’d learned to never let anything but logic and common sense rule her life.

So obviously she had to stay away from this detective if he could make her forget where she was with a mere touch.

* * *

MERLENE SIGHED AND stretched her legs, trying without success to get comfortable in the Toyota’s bucket seat. What was that old country song about being back in the saddle again? Yep, that was her. And nothing doing at Doc Johnson’s house—as usual. This promised to be another long night. She’d have to remain on this stakeout until after midnight.

After a conversation with her client, she’d resumed surveillance on the good doctor, picking him up again at his office where Cody said he’d be. Johnson arrived home after dark and hadn’t budged since.

And her mind wouldn’t budge from thoughts of her encounter with Cody Warren this afternoon at the ballpark. Now that she’d calmed down, in hindsight she wished she hadn’t run away like a big chicken. She’d behaved like a scared little girl who’d never been kissed.

Well, truth was she’d never been kissed by somebody as exciting as Cody. What must he think of her, running away like that?