Chapter 12
J amie broke through the trees first and then stopped dead and held his arms out to hold Darro and Angus back. “Wait,” he commanded softly as they watched Pauley slowly walking towards the child. “Sunshine came up to Pauley earlier and nudged her, then let her love on him. If anyone can get Delilah off that fence without the horse rearing up on them, it’s her. Let’s not spook him.”
“I canna believe it,” Angus muttered. “That horse is acting like a pet kitten towards Delilah.”
“And is showing no fear whatsoever towards Pauley,” Darro growled, his face like a thundercloud. “It appears my niece has been hiding something from me.”
Pauley had reached the fence and now had one arm behind Delilah and was patting Sunshine’s neck. Then they watched as Pauley pushed back on Sunshine’s nose and then carefully lifted Delilah off the fence and backed away.
“Bye, Sunshine,” Delilah called to the horse. Sunshine whinnied and turned around to lope off across the pasture.
When they turned around, Delilah spotted her uncle standing there and her face turned slightly pale as Pauley carried her to Darro. “Uncle Darro, I can explain,” she said formally, her blue eyes serious as Pauley handed her off to the big man who took her gently in spite of the frown on his face.
“Aye, and I’ll be looking forward to that explanation later tonight in my study. Right now, it’s time for dinner and we have guests.”
Delilah’s little face fell. “But, Uncle Darro...”
“Not another word, wee lass,” Darro spoke firmly. “What ye have to say will keep.”
Her face deepened into a stubborn frown but Delilah didn’t say another word.
“It appears that Sunshine only has an affinity for women,” Jamie said, as they all headed towards the homestead.
“The horse belonged to Crabtree’s wife, who died over a year ago,” Darro explained. “For some reason known only to him, Crabtree blamed the horse for his wife’s death. He admitted that he hadn’t been kind to it, but every time he saw it, it reminded him of Alice. Even so, when he saw the bleeding furrows from spurs on its side one day, he fired the stable boy on the spot, which left him to deal with the horse.”
“Which is how he ended up injured,” Angus finished.
“Crabtree also admitted the horse had been abused before he got it, but his wife had fallen in love with it immediately, and he had allowed her to have it because it showed no animosity towards her. No one else ever went near it, but when Alice died, someone had to take care of it,” Darro added.
“Poor Sunshine,” Pauley said sadly. “It appears the only real kindness he’s known has been from women. I wonder what the rest of his history is?”
“I’ve had Dal working with Sunshine, but so far, he’s nae had much luck. If we can’t get him to trust men...”
His voice trailed off and he glanced at Delilah who had tears in her eyes. “Don’t say it, Uncle Darro,” she cried fiercely, wiping her face with the back of her hand. “If ye would just let me help, I know I could convince Sunshine to like Dal.”
Darro’s brows furrowed. “We’ve been through this before, pumpkin. There’s no way I’m letting you near that horse, he’s too dangerous.”
Delilah wiggled herself out of Darro’s arms and ran towards the house, her little face stubborn, the tears streaming from her eyes. “I will never forgive ye if ye hurt Sunshine,” she yelled back at them.
Darro stared after her, shaking his head. “I don’t want to put Sunshine down, but what choice do I have? She just doesna understand,” he bleated in frustration, running his hand through his hair. “When a powerful animal like that is frightened, it’s a danger to everyone, even the person it would normally be gentle with. I can’t take the risk of her being hurt or killed.”
“Mayhap I could help?” Pauley offered. “He likes me, so if Dal and I approach him together, maybe he would warm up to Dal.”
Jamie frowned and squeezed her tighter around her waist. “It’s dangerous for ye too, Pauley.”
It was Pauley’s turn to stiffen and frown. “Unlike Delilah, I’m not a child. I know the risks, and I’ve been around horses most of my life. I can take care of myself,” she snapped.
Jamie’s lips tightened. She was right, but he didn’t have to like it. When Darro and Angus stared at him, he finally nodded his head in assent.
“Excuse me, but did I just see ye two silently ask Jamie for his permission for me to help ye?” she asked with exaggerated sarcasm. “If so, I’m going to pretend I didn’t for Delilah’s sake. The decision is mine, and mine alone. Do ye want my help or not?” She folded her arms and tapped her toe while glaring at Darro.
With an amused grin, Darro nodded. “Aye, I would be grateful if ye have the time to assist with this matter.” He didn’t even glance Jamie’s way, but his eyes turned steely. “Make no mistake though, lass, I’m also doing this for Delilah’s sake. If I had my way, ye wouldn’t be getting anywhere near that horse, with or without Jamie’s permission.”
Pauley’s chin lifted. “Fair enough. It’s yer horse after all.”
Jamie kept silent, respecting that it was her decision. When it came time to spank her little arse for scaring the devil out of him if she wasn’t careful enough, that would be his decision, whether she liked it or not.
Pauley suddenly stopped as Darro and Angus continued on up the sidewalk to the deck and the front door. “Ye haven’t said anything. Are ye fuming inside or mad at me?” she asked, studying him carefully.
Jamie noted her defensiveness and figured it had to do with her marriage. “Ye are right, it’s yer decision, lass. But just so ye know, if ye do something with that horse that gets yerself hurt, it will then be my decision to spank yer little arse until ye can’t sit down for taking risks with yer health and welfare. What I feel for ye is important to me, and I want to protect ye. If yer decision overrides my feelings, then ye bring the consequences of yer decisions on yer own wee bottom.”
Pauley gawped at him, as if trying to figure out if he was double-talking her, or if he really had a point.
He went on. “All I’m asking lass, is that ye give me a little consideration, as I would ye, when ye make yer rightful decisions,” he added, then dropped a kiss on her lips before turning her around and landing a spank on her backside. “Dinner’s waiting and I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”
Darro and Angus were already inside the house, but Pauley looked furtively around to make sure no one had seen his hand smack her bottom. Jamie grinned when she realized that there was no one in sight and she sighed in relief.
***
A LL HALLOW’S EVE DAWNED bright and sunny the next morning. Pauley turned over and groaned, the effects of her roll on the parking lot of Hope Barks making themselves known. After doing a few stretches to get some of the kinks out, she finally stood up and made her way to the bathroom.
As the soothing shower of hot rain sluiced over her body, her mind flickered to Jamie’s reactions the previous evening at Neamh. It was different than what she was used to. When she’d stood up for herself with Peter, he’d pouted for days sometimes, and peppered her with snide comments and generally made life miserable until he finally got past it. It was an exhausting way to live, especially as they seemed to grow further apart with each passing year as Pauley advanced in her career.
Peter had never liked her being a police constable, and never forgiven her for joining the force. They say hindsight is twenty-twenty, and in this case, they would be right.
Like most young people, she and Peter had thought they were in love and had jumped in with both feet, never bothering to see if they were alike enough, or had the same end goals in mind, to navigate the rapids of life together. Peter’s mother had been a stay-at-home wife. Nothing wrong with that, except that Peter had expected Pauley to be like his mother.
That didn’t happen—end of story.
Jamie appeared to respect her decisions and that fascinated her. His only requirement being to take care of herself while she was doing what she was doing or she would answer to him in the end. Plus, he’d recognized when she was actually out of control and had stopped her from jeopardizing her career.
She shivered as she turned off the water and reached for the towel on the rack. No one was perfect. There would be times when they clashed if she pursued this relationship, but she found herself looking forward to those clashes. Maybe even instigating a few just to see what he would do. Even though she’d only known him for three days, she had a good feel for what he might do, and the thought both fascinated her and made the butterflies in her stomach flutter out of control with fearful excitement.
Mayhap her Gramma Caulfield had been right after all. Mayhap a loving, kind protector with a firm hand was what she needed all along. “Kudos to ye, Gramma,” she whispered into the air. There was no answer, not that she’d expected one, but when the doorbell rang downstairs, she jumped to get dressed. That would probably be Mica.
The smell of bacon and coffee drifted up her nostrils as she hurried down the stairs and back through the hall to the kitchen. Sure enough, Mica was seated at the table and Jamie was setting another place for him. Jamie’s lean figure in his casual black sweats and white, fitted t-shirt had her sizing up his abs, her eyes strolling over the clearly delineated arm and forearm muscles. Not bad for a fifty plus male. Add the lazy smile he shot her and her heart rate quickened.
“Yer just in time for some breakfast, lass,” he informed her, waving to the table. “I hope ye like broccoli quiche made with Stilton cheese and bacon.”
“I haven’t made that for a while, but I love it,” she replied with fervor. “Anything I can do to help?”
“Aye, ye can get the coffee and cups to the table while I take the quiche out,” he replied, dropping a quick kiss on her lips before heading for the oven.
She nodded her assent and blushed a little when she caught Mica watching them with a huge grin. “Good morning, Mica. I trust ye have some news for us? Did ye make it out to the hatchery?”
“Aye, I do, and I did. But it will keep until we sit down. Thanks for the invitation to breakfast, Jamie,” he added as Jamie sat the steaming quiche on a hot pad in the center of the table.
Mica had already helped himself to the croissants, Pauley noted as she sat the coffee pot on the table. She could see a crumb on the corner of his mouth. He was also reaching for another one with a pound of butter on his fork ready to slather all over it. The man had an appetite that didn’t seem to quit, but his rangy frame never gained an ounce. He and Angus must have the same genes.
“Are ye related to Angus Sangster?” she asked suspiciously, giving him an evil eye.
His eyebrows shot up and his hand stilled in mid-air with the fork and its butter. “Nay, why?”
“Never mind,” she grumped.
Mica shot a side eye at Jamie. “Was it something I said?” He continued to butter his fresh croissant with enthusiasm.
Jamie’s grin of amusement only aggravated Pauley more. “More like something ye ate, lad,” Jamie volunteered. “Angus has a good appetite and a bottomless pit of a stomach. I’m guessing ye remind her of him. Dig in,” he added, spooning himself some quiche onto his plate, then handing the spoon to Mica.
Mica grinned wolfishly. “Did ye get up on the wrong side of the bed, lass? Ye know I enjoy my food, and I need calories to sustain me. I’m no wee laddie here.” He patted his stomach.
Pauley rolled her eyes as she delicately buttered her own croissant. She picked a bacon slice off her fork and pointed at him. “How ye can put away so much food and never gain an ounce is the real mystery,” she complained. “Miley must hire a full time cook to keep up with ye.” She placed the bacon slice inside the croissant and took a bite. Heavenly.
“Actually, I do some of the cooking,” he replied around a mouthful of quiche. “We take turns, depending on our schedules.”
Pauley stared. “Ye cook?”
Mica stared back. “Don’t look so shocked. Jamie cooks too. A lot of men cook. Now, do ye want my recipes or information,” he asked finally, sounding a bit offended.
Pauley snickered but nodded her head. “Information, please. And for the record, my apologies to ye and Jamie both. It’s just that I’m not used to a man cooking for me, so it’s new territory.” She glanced at Jamie. “This quiche smells delicious, by the way.” She dug her fork in and took a bite, then closed her eyes and savored the flavors. “Mm...tastes delicious as well.”
Jamie chuckled. “I’m glad to see ye like it. So, Mica, what news do ye have for us?”
Mica wiped his mouth. “I did get the phone back to Quinn and he gave it to Brodie. Of course, Brodie wasn’t happy, but I could tell the name Kelpie meant something to him. He didn’t tell us, the tight-lipped bugger. He also stopped by Florence’s desk on the way out and she didn’t look very happy at what he told her. Those two have always been thick as thieves. When she saw me watching, she flipped me off and left the station.”
“Ye and Florence weren’t meant to be partners, ye are too much alike,” Pauley commented.
Mica glared at her this time. “What does that mean?”
Pauley was sipping her coffee and swallowed before replying. “Ye never trusted each other, ye are both secretive, and ye didn’t share what ye knew outside of the basics,” she replied honestly. “Much like me and Brodie. He was always going missing and never seemed to be around when I needed him. It’s a wonder we solved any cases together at all. I always thought he had a personal agenda outside of the department.”
“Mayhap his alias existed before he left the department?” Jamie inserted. “He just didn’t share it with ye?”
Mica patted the table twice and pointed to Jamie. “On the money, laddie. I was just getting to that. I asked my CI about Brodie’s Searcy alias, and they confirmed Leonard Searcy had been around for a while. As his alias, he lives near the Dunlaven Market area and would make occasional buys of heroin, meth or whatever from Hope Barks, or street dealers. He’s been around long enough that no one takes special notice of him anymore. My informant assumed he was a gang member, although he laid low most of the time.”
Pauley mused, “If he was exploring the drug scene when we were partners, he was in very dangerous waters being out there alone and not telling me about it. But mayhap he’s playing a long game. Lord knows he’s a stair climber, always has been. If he was onto something, he wouldn’t have been willing to share with me and give up any of the accolades of victory,” she snarked.
“Which could also explain how he ended up on the drug task force after he left here,” Mica added. “If he already had information and an established alias, they probably would have taken him right in.”
“And he had a CI already in place with Luca,” Jamie added. “Luca has been with Hope Barks close to a year, ye said.”
Pauley frowned. “Aye, there is that. So, what did ye find at the hatchery?”
Mica swallowed. “It looks deserted, but the metal fence around the perimeter isn’t that old. Probably put up right after the new owners bought it if the rate of rust and lichens growing around the base is any indication. Ye can’t see inside either.
I had to park a quarter mile down and come up behind the place to get a look from nearby trees with binoculars to see inside. Although the interior is overgrown with brush and small trees, there is a clear gravel driveway leading to a large building where the van is probably kept. I did see security cameras though. No posted guards, but that’s because they probably want to maintain the illusion of being uninhabited.”
“Did ye smell anything to indicate they might be cooking meth?” Pauley asked.
Mica shook his head. “There were some metal chimneys on the roof, but nothing coming out of them. If they are cooking meth, they just may not have been active yesterday.”
“And mayhap their orders are filled since the truck had just delivered to Hope Barks in the early morning before Ruskag was killed,” Jamie inserted.
“What?” Mica practically shouted. “How do ye know that?”
“I’m just guessing based on the story Luca related to us of the morning’s events,” Jamie replied with a surprised look.
“Why did ye think I sent ye the pic and the license plate, Mica?” Pauley asked, puzzled at her partner’s reaction.
Mica ran his fingers through his hair, looking frazzled. “Ye just sent me the pics, it didn’t show any activity. Okay, give it to me in explicit detail, every word Luca spoke. I can see I should have called ye last night and not made assumptions,” he muttered.
Pauley snickered. “Ye know what assumptions do.”
He scowled at her as if contemplating biting nails. “Just get on with it.”
Pauley filled Mica in with Jamie’s help and Mica’s endless questions until he seemed satisfied.
Mica muttered and made notes as he listened, a habit Pauley was used to. With all his squiggles and lines on his notepad, it looked similar to the stand-up white board they used in the office conference rooms.
Pauley even offered Jamie’s proposed theory that Florence might be dirty. Although he raised his eyebrows at that one, he didn’t discard it out of hand.
“Do we actually know anything about Florence’s background?” Pauley asked Mica. “Did ye do any digging?”
“I’ve seen her service record,” Mica replied. “She has exemplary firearms skills, even has sniper training. Several commendations, married once, one son who is 12 and in a private school. I don’t see any red flags in her background. She keeps to herself and doesn’t have any social connections or groups that I can see.”
“What about her new partner? Ye know anything about him other than he’s a transfer in from Edinburgh?”
“Ye mean Juice?”
“I mean Detective Anier,” Pauley corrected, rolling her eyes. “Why men insist on giving each other nicknames, I’ll never understand. And drinking a whole quart of orange juice in one go isn’t a talent.”
Mica grinned. “It is when it’s laced with Tequila.”
Jamie’s eyebrows shot up and Pauley rolled her eyes.
Mica shook his head. “No, Juice is good. He doesn’t appreciate being partnered with her, but then who does?” he muttered.
“No red flags then.” Pauley was still feeling uneasy about the woman. She moved on with her next question. “Have ye checked the utilities records of the hatchery address? Are there fluctuations in the amount of power being used that could indicate cooking times and such? If there aren’t any utility bills, the hatchery won’t be the source of the drugs and we’d have to wonder how else it fits in. Maybe just a storage facility?”
“I was getting to that,” Mica replied testily. “Ye keep throwing in questions and getting in my way.”
Pauley grinned. Mica liked to do things in order. His bulldog style of sticking to the subject at hand first could be annoying at times. Pauley’s mercurial nature threw out things as they popped into her mind.
“There is another thing ye might consider,” Jamie offered.
Both Pauley and Mica stared as if he’d suddenly sprouted horns.
Jamie stared back defensively. “What? Considering ye both are very close to the situation, sometimes someone on the outside looking in might have a different view of things.”
“True,” Pauley finally conceded. “Ye have had good suggestions so far. What are ye thinking now?”
Jamie cleared his throat. “Well...today is All Hallow’s Eve. There will be a lot of people in the city, and a lot of traffic. The festival will be going on all day, and the local police force will be concentrating on security for our citizens. I only know that from conversations with Quinn,” he added hastily, “and because it only makes sense from a law enforcement perspective.”
“Go on,” Mica urged.
“If I were trying to get something in or out of the city, this would be the perfect weekend for it.” His eyes gleamed. “And with Brodie suddenly taking over the investigation here in Inverness, and Interpol sniffing around behind him, it would seem to me that something big may be going down here real soon.”
“And with Luca’s hearing on Monday, it could explain why Ruskag’s partner was killed and my house bombed,” Pauley added with a worried frown. “They are cleaning house and getting rid of loose ends. Luca is still a loose end.”
“Blackburn is a habitual criminal, though. Why would he be a loose end?” Jamie argued.
“Unless Brodie killed him playing good cop, bad cop all on his own. Another shady act so typical of Brodie,” Pauley muttered.
Mica frowned. “But Leonard Searcy may be a loose end, which would explain Kelpie’s instructions to Arthur Blackburn. Ye know, when Quinn gave him the phone we turned over, he turned peeley walley. Realizing his cover might actually be blown at that point could be the reason. But then he turned redder than a pickled beet and threatened to stash me behind bars if I didn’t stay out of his investigation.”
“It’s too bad Brodie won’t confide in ye,” Jamie mused. “Ye might both learn some things ye didn’t know if ye could work together.”
“He’ll no agree to that,” Mica growled. “I think I need to have a serious discussion with Quinn.”
“I’ll come with ye,” Pauley decided.
“Nay, lass. Ye aren’t supposed to even be in the office. Yer first priority is Luca. Aren’t ye supposed to be at Neamh today?”
“Aye, we will be heading that way soon,” Jamie said with a nod. “With Lucerne so far along in her pregnancy, Darro and she are not attending the festival this year. But Angus will be going to the donut eating contest to win his fourth championship. It starts at 3:00 this afternoon.”
“Just get Pauley out of town,” Mica growled. “Something doesn’t feel right in all of this, but I can’t narrow down what it is. Too many puzzles and unanswered questions. It’s like groping around in the dark.”
“If ye weren’t investigating on yer own, maybe ye wouldn’t feel that way,” Jamie pointed out. “Ye would be in on everything and be able to extrapolate from every known fact.”
Mica glared. “Thank ye, Mr. Obvious.”
Jamie grinned and threw his hands up. “Just pointing out the fact ye aren’t supposed to even be in it.”
“I don’t trust Brodie,” Mica declared. “I don’t like him putting Luca and Pauley in danger.”
Pauley frowned. “Ye need to be careful too, Mica. Ye could be putting a target on yer own back working alone. Jamie’s right. Mayhap ye need to back off and let the Drug Task Force and Interpol handle it. They can’t all be dirty, even if we suspect Brodie or Florence might be.”
“Backing off isn’t my style,” Mica huffed, folding his notebook and stuffing it into his briefcase. “Ye just get to Neamh and I’ll handle things here.”
Pauley and Jamie watched from the doorway as Mica’s rangy frame climbed into his squad car. She shivered once again, that full body shiver that felt like a foreboding. Something bad was coming, she was sure of it.