Chapter 10 #2
Angelique wasn’t so calmed or charmed by Dane that she lost her point.
“What do you want?” She addressed Dane and pretended Shana was no more important than one of her discarded shoes.
“We’re looking into a person of interest. We’re hoping you can help us with some background.”
She raised one of her perfectly drawn brows and stepped closer, inviting Dane to go on, inviting a hell of a lot more with her body language, with her very essence.
Shana had known women like Angelique before.
She’d categorized them as sirens. Women who couldn’t help calling to the male essence with their femininity.
She’d always been fascinated and recognized all women had a measure of it.
She used her own siren tendencies from time to time.
She’d never hated a siren before, but then Angelique was an extreme case.
“What can you tell us about Baylor Bellarine?” Dane asked.
He didn’t back away from Angelique as she moved to within touching distance.
He appeared unaffected by her, but Shana knew appearances meant nothing.
Then again, this was Dane the legend. He should be impervious to all manner of game-playing, including the siren call.
Then what had Shana so tense? She was all knotted up from her gut to her gun hand.
“Baylor—so you think he had something to do with your jewel thefts? I swear I do not know him well—”
“Quit stalling. What do you know?”
“I know he is staying at the Sea Breeze Inn. I know he collects art—you think his art gallery is a front—”
“Never mind speculating. What’s the name of his art gallery and where is it?”
“I don’t know.”
“If you’ve never been there, then how did you two hook up?”
“We met my first day on the island. He is a stranger to me. I should have known better—don’t tell Jean Luc.”
“What makes you think I would?”
“You have spoken to him, non?”
She put one hand on her waist in a gesture Shana was familiar with—except Angelique was dressed in a filmy flimsy nightie and the gesture was halfhearted.
She put her other hand on Dane’s forearm.
Shana’s tension doubled. There was something very wrong with her.
She needed to dial back her possessiveness before Dane noticed or before she gave herself heartburn.
“Let’s get out of here, Dane, sweetheart,” she said and stepped closer, placing herself at an angle between him and Angelique.
“We’re getting nowhere. Ms. Dubois can’t help us.
We’re wasting time.” When Shana placed her hand on Dane’s other forearm, it was no flirtatious caress like Angelique had done. Shana clenched Dane’s arm and tugged.
Dane looked at her and gave her his almost smile. It was worse than his smug smile. He’d been smart not to grin because at that moment Shana was itching for an excuse to pull the gun from her purse.
“Shana’s right. We have a lot to do. If you see Bellarine let me know, but do me a favor and stay away from him.”
Angelique smiled, stood on her toes and leaned in to give Dane a kiss. Lucky for her it was a French-style cheek kiss. Shana’s hand hovered over her bag.
“I’m sure you will solve everything.”
“Oh shut up,” Shana said. She clenched down on Dane’s arm and pulled him toward the door. He’d done the same to her more times than she should forgive him for. He went along.
Shana hardly ever blew her cool. It was one of the most unsettling things she’d experienced in a long time. It was surprising and unsettling in a different way than Dane usually provoked.
*****
Shana made Dane stop for coffee before heading to Cap’s office at State Police Headquarters in Vineyard Haven. It was early but they knew he’d be there. The air was heavy and she felt sticky and grungy in her evening wear. She couldn’t wait to take off her shoes.
She preceded Dane through the glass door of the building and stuffy stale hot air hit her. She stopped and took off her heels in the lobby. Dane bumped into her. Accidentally on purpose she knew.
“Hey—”
“Need any help?” He leaned over her. She stood straight and rolled her eyes. Then she elbowed him in the gut. He complained and she kept her smile to herself. He was such a predictable overgrown kid sometimes. Those were the best of times.
Carrying her shoes in one hand and her gun-heavy evening bag in the other, she walked down the short corridor to Cap’s office with Dane a half step behind her. She could feel his bedroom eyes scorching her bare back.
The door was open and Cap was on the phone. He was always on the phone or on his computer. Shana sat in the chair near the open window even though there was no breeze and the morning was already sweltering. Dane slid the other chair close to hers as he sat.
He still looked good in his rumpled white jacket with the bow tie unfastened and dangling askew as if he’d just escaped from a lusty night.
To make matters worse, he still emanated the faint scent of his aftershave though his face was rough with stubble.
And he had that intoxicating male scent mingling with it and filling every breath she took.
She needed space.
Cap hung up his phone. “That was the insurance company. You’ll never guess who they sent to investigate the jewel thefts.”
Before she had a chance to ask, Dane said, “Angelique Dubois.”
She looked at him. “Damn.”
“I knew she wasn’t a museum curator,” Dane said. “And I know she’s sure as hell not an insurance investigator. Problem is, I still have nothing about who and what she really is.”
“You’re slipping,” Cap said. He got up and came around and sat on the edge of his desk. Shana stood up in front of him. She’d had the same thought.
“I know.” Dane stood at her side. She looked at him. When he nodded in acknowledgment, she felt herself heat up with the suppression of her surprise like a steam kettle ready to blow. Then she blew.
“Why are you agreeing? You were supposed to look into her background—where’s your pride?” She folded her arms and glared. How dare he admit to slipping? She didn’t like it one bit.
“Don’t you worry, girlie. This doesn’t change anything. She’s fooling the insurance company—pretending she’s someone else—but we’ll get to her real story. They hired her on spec, right?” he asked Cap. Cap nodded.
“I admit it—I didn’t take the case seriously.” He gave her his stony look and waited a beat.
“And now you’re serious? Just like that?” She wasn’t reassured. She knew he could see it in her face.
He said, “You know I can turn on a dime. You didn’t think I’d let her get to me?”
“No.” She hated her uncertainty, hoped he couldn’t see it. But of course he could. He stared at her for a few more beats of silence with his cool granite face—or what passed for it in the sweaty heat of Cap’s office.
She turned away from Dane and said to Cap, “When the hell are you going to get your AC fixed?”
“As soon as the heat wave breaks, I expect. We’re low on the list for the technicians. We don’t pay a premium for special treatment. Besides, enduring the heat is good for building character.”
“Shana needs some character building. She’s got some things to learn.
Like having faith in her partner, for one.
” Dane spoke to Cap and his voice was light, but she felt his hurt underneath.
Or it might be her guilty conscience she was feeling.
What if she had hurt his feelings by doubting him, by showing her disappointment?
She couldn’t wrap her head around it, so she shook it off.
She scoffed and gave him the finger.
Dane smiled. “There’s my girlie.”
A different shameful warmth spread through her, nothing like the red hot sting of anger. He could see right through her, down to the guilty conscience, she could swear.
“Now what? We follow Angelique? Since she’s playing insurance investigator she’ll be going to the next party, and with her cover and her partner, she’ll try for another heist. Do we wait for the party and set a trap?” Shana needed to think of the case, of the work. Their partnership.
“We won’t have to wait long,” Dane said.
“I got a text from our client. His friend and neighbor has a party scheduled for tonight and we’re on—in spite of the fact that we had a theft on our watch.
The neighbor—Tomkins—is hiring us. And Gable is keeping us on to recover his jewels.
I’ve convinced him not to rely on the insurance company investigator.
That was before I knew it was Angelique. Told him we have a lead.”
“Now that you know where she is, who’s watching Angelique at the Inn?” Cap said.
“Pie girl,” Dane said.
“Sassy?”
“She’ll do. But there’s a change of plans for tonight’s party. You’ll need to get another date,” Dane said and tilted his head toward Cap. “You own a tux?”
“Of course. It might still fit.”
“What is it? Left over from the prom?” Dane asked.
Cap laughed and held up his middle finger.
Shana stood. “Do I have a say in this plan?”
“No.” Dane stood, fronting her, convincing her. “We need to flush out her accomplice Bellarine—or whoever the hell he is. There’s something about this story that doesn’t fit together.”
“You’re going to invite Angelique on a date to the party—are you going to call her out on her insurance investigator con?” Shana said.
Dane stared. Didn’t speak. Shana recognized his thinking face. It was more blank than his usual blank stare.
“What do we do at this party besides wait out another theft?” Cap said.
“We could search her room at the Admiral’s Inn for jewels while she’s occupied by Dane,” Shana said.
“Exactly,” Dane said. “I’ll work on getting a confession. I’ll convince her she has me bamboozled.”
“You think she has the jewels? Not Bellarine?” Cap asked.
“We searched his room and the rental car, so it’s possible.
I think it’s personal with her. Her story about being a museum curator, and Jean Luc’s about a mysteriously dangerous man following her, don’t fit together.
Acer is looking into the family’s deep background and double-checking on Bellarine.
I’ll prompt him to speed it up. It doesn’t usually take him this long,” Dane said.
“I’ll call the insurance company office again—VP of Claims—to squeeze some information out of them on Angelique—see what they have for her background,” Cap said.
“I’ll bet she has fake credentials and a shallow cover,” Shana said. She wondered why Angelique didn’t mention her insurance investigator status—fake or not. Shana did not like this woman—and had never trusted anyone less. But there was more to it than that. Something else very off about her.
*****
Dane agreed with Shana but held his tongue. A thin impenetrable shield of distance like a Wonder Woman force field walled her off from him.
He said to Cap, “What about Jean Luc? Do you have any idea what he’s been up to since he returned to France?” Dane figured he’d start with all the unknowns—including the basic taken-for-granted premise that Jean Luc was not involved.
“Keeping clean. Laying low at the family estate according to the DST—Département de la Sécurité Territoriale—the French equivalent of the FBI.”
Dane knew who the DST was. Couldn’t say he liked them any better than the good old FBI in the US of A. He nodded at Cap.
“So we know little of his doings. Last I knew he was not independently wealthy so he must be up to something.”
“We need to get more on Bellarine,” Shana said. Jean Luc’s character or lack thereof had always been a sore spot for her. Dane and Shana disagreed somewhat, so Dane wasn’t surprised at her preference to focus elsewhere.
“You confident that Bellarine is the Portuguese-speaking man?” Cap asked.
Shane nodded and gave Dane a look that said dare to challenge me.
Dane didn’t. He didn’t bother trying to explain his instinct that there was something more under the surface—he had no explanation. He walked to the door and called over his shoulder.
“See you tonight, Cap.” He turned at the door and said, “Let’s go, girlie. We need to rest up for tonight’s gig.”
“I’ll catch up with you later. Besides—don’t you have some work to do on your mark? You haven’t even asked her to the prom yet.” She sat on the edge of Cap’s desk and crossed her legs.
He studied her. She looked tired and agitated and rumpled, and in spite of that her face was inscrutable. Not a good sign.
“What do you think, Cap? Should I let Angelique seduce me?” He held Shana’s eyes while he said the words. Cap didn’t answer.
Shana said nothing, didn’t even flinch.
He grated in a low voice, “What do you think, girlie?”
“Do whatever you need to do to nail her—including nailing her.”
Dane heard the surprised grunt from Cap, but he didn’t react to Shana’s blatant crassness.
She was giving him permission to seduce Angelique—his mark.
That rankled him to a ridiculous degree.
It made him want to shake her. He kept his hands at his sides and forced himself to remain in the door, to not go to her, to not drag her from the office.
Away from Cap. He turned to Cap, feeling his chest tighten.
Cap would never betray Dane. But Shana… he wasn’t sure if Shana knew that.
“I’m going home.” Shana stayed put sitting on Cap’s desk. Stayed quiet. He turned and strode to the door.
“Don’t let me stop either of you,” Cap said.
Dane gave Cap the finger before he walked out.
He would go to sleep alone. He was dead tired. He needed a few hours. Chances were that Shana would come around and show up before he woke. Where else would she sleep? He refused to contemplate the answer to that.
Shana was losing her cool and Dane was afraid she was coming to a crisis point about the wisdom of their relationship.
He didn’t want her to make a rash decision in the heat of a case—hell, even the heat of the heat wave was feeding the fire of their incendiary partnership to the unavoidable flashpoint too fast.
He needed things to cool off. He needed her to cool off.
There was no way he could make rash promises in spite of the strain of the way things were—there was no going forward.
And he wasn’t at all sure there was any going backward either.
Dane wished things could stay still. Maybe for a little while longer.
Maybe until September. He refused to look beyond that.
The problem was that Shana was focused on her future and he knew all she saw in a future with him was disaster.