Chapter 3
Abe pulled into the police station parking lot with his mind still focused on Genevieve.
It had been fifteen years since he'd been drawn to a woman like he was to her.
His divorce had shut down that part of him, leaving him content with his solitary existence as a detective.
At the age of forty-five, the last thing he'd expected was to feel a magnetic attraction to a blues singer with soulful eyes and a complicated past.
The memory of her hand in his lingered, along with the way she'd looked at him with those dark eyes when he cooked breakfast in her kitchen. It felt natural and easy, like he belonged there.
Protecting her was his job, and getting personally involved during this crisis could make things messy.
But as he parked outside the police station, Abe wasn't sure he could keep those lines from blurring.
The truth was, he didn't want to. For the first time in years, he felt something beyond professional duty driving his actions.
He sat in his car for a moment, watching officers come and go through the glass doors.
Genevieve had awakened something in him that he'd thought was dead.
The trust in her eyes when she'd shown him her tattoo and shared her painful history with Maurice pointed to something deeper than a simple protective detail.
Abe shook his head and got out of the car. He had work to do. Jason Thornton had to be stopped, and Abe's growing feelings for Genevieve only made him more determined to neutralize that threat quickly.
He nodded to the desk sergeant as he walked through the station. The department was busy with officers processing arrests and detectives working cases. No one paid particular attention to him, which was fine. He preferred to work without drawing extra scrutiny.
His first stop was in the evidence room, where he handed over the note and envelope in a sealed plastic bag.
"I need this processed for prints," he said to the technician, "as soon as you can get to it."
The woman behind the counter took the bag and logged it. "Should have something for you by tomorrow morning."
Abe doubted they'd find anything useful. Jason struck him as too methodical for basic mistakes like leaving fingerprints. But procedure was procedure, and sometimes criminals had surprised him with their carelessness.
He went to his desk and settled into his chair. The familiar sounds of the station surrounded him as he pulled out his phone and dialed the number Genevieve had given him for the homeowners' association.
A woman answered on the third ring. "Canal Commons Management, this is Claudia."
"This is Detective Abe Stewart with the NOPD. I need to speak with someone about reviewing security camera footage from your property." He gave her the address, expecting to wait while she looked it up. He didn't wait at all.
"Oh, detective, I wish I could help you," Claudia said, her tone apologetic.
"But I'm afraid our cameras in the common areas at that address haven't been functioning for about twenty-four hours.
One of our residents reported the issue yesterday morning, and our security company is working to fix it.
Would you like me to call you back once the system is operational again? "
"That won't be necessary."
He hung up then leaned back into his chair to ponder. Twenty-four hours would put the camera malfunction right around the time Jason had broken into Genevieve's condo. In his experience, there were very few true coincidences in police work.
Abe rolled his chair closer to his computer and ran Jason Thornton's name through the system.
The results were disappointing but not surprising.
Only a couple of noise complaints at venues he'd managed over the years and a parking ticket from last year.
On the surface, Jason appeared to be a law-abiding citizen.
But Abe knew that appearances could be deceiving.
There had to be more to Jason's story. Men didn't escalate from rejected romantic advances to breaking and entering without some kind of progression.
Either Jason had been more careful in the past, or he'd been involved in activities that hadn't generated police reports.
What Abe needed was information about Jason's connections, his business dealings, and his personal life. He needed the kind of deep background investigation that went beyond available criminal records.
He looked at his calendar and noted that Gabriel Durand would be back from his honeymoon soon.
Gabriel and his partner Weston Lang at Guardian Investigations used methods that the police department couldn't. As soon as Abe could connect with him, he could set Gabriel up as a consultant on this case.
As he'd promised, Abe was taking time off from his regular duties so he could focus on Genevieve's protection. During his remaining time at the station, he handled outstanding issues in other cases, delegated what he could, and put the rest on hold.
He figured he'd still be in and out of the office, primarily to work on building a case against Jason. But his priority was clear. Genevieve's safety came first.
He made a few more calls, checking with contacts in the music industry who might have information about Jason's reputation.
Most of the conversations were brief and unproductive, but one club owner mentioned hearing rumors about Jason having "connections" that helped him book venues.
When pressed for details, the man clammed up, claiming he didn't know anything specific.
Abe made a note to follow up on that lead. In his experience, rumors often contained kernels of truth.
*****
An hour later, Abe was driving back to Genevieve's condo, his mind cataloging everything he'd learned. The timing of the camera malfunction was too convenient. His detective instincts told him that there was more to going on beneath the surface, and that warranted investigation.
He didn't expect results on the fingerprinting yet, but he could update Genevieve about the non-functional cameras.
More importantly, he wanted to talk with her further about Jason.
He didn't want to hound her or upset her more than necessary, but she had insights into Jason's personality and method of operation that could be crucial.
Also, he needed to get information about her upcoming performances. If he was going to protect her properly, he had to know her schedule in advance. Any bodyguard worth his salt would secure performance venues before his client arrived.
Abe parked outside the condo building and took the elevator to Genevieve's floor. The new locks Brian had installed looked solid, and he felt better knowing Jason wouldn't be able to simply pick his way inside again.
Genevieve answered his knock promptly. He noticed she'd changed into jeans and a soft sweater that made him stare. Her hair fell in waves around her face, and he caught a hint of her perfume as she stepped aside to let him in.
"The officer came," she said, closing the door behind him. "He dusted for prints and let me know that he would file a report. But he didn't share any observations."
"That's standard," Abe said. "If he found any prints other than yours, the evidence will be processed and added to the investigation."
"Investigation?" Genevieve's eyes widened. "Is it that bad?"
"Let's put it this way," Abe said, settling onto her sofa as she moved to the kitchen. "I'm not going to sit around and wait for Jason to make his next move. There's more going on with him, and I intend to find out what."
Genevieve returned with two glasses of iced tea. Her movements were graceful despite the tension she had to feel.
She handed him a glass and sat beside him. "What do you need from me?"
"Information about your schedule. Who's your manager? I need contact information and a list of your upcoming performances." Abe pulled out a small notebook. "Also, I'll need the names and contact information for your band members."
"What do they have to do with this?"
"To ensure your security, I need to know that everyone close to you has been screened," he said. "I don't suspect anything, but I want to be thorough. Jason might try to get to you through someone else."
Genevieve nodded and gave him the information he requested. As he wrote, Abe was acutely aware of her presence beside him, the way she tucked one leg under herself, the concerned expression that made him want to reach out and smooth the worry lines from her forehead.
When he finished taking notes, he looked up to find her watching him with an expression he couldn't quite read.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I was just thinking how lucky I am that you're the one helping me," Genevieve said softly. "I feel safe with you, Abe. I haven't felt that way in a long time."
The admission hit him harder than he'd expected. He set his notebook aside and turned to face her fully. "You don't have to worry about Jason while I'm around. I won't let him hurt you."
"I believe you." Her voice was barely above a whisper.
The moment stretched between them, charged with an awareness that had nothing to do with protection and everything to do with the attraction that had been building since they'd first met. Abe found himself leaning slightly closer, drawn by the warmth in her eyes.
Then he remembered where they were and why he was there. He cleared his throat and reached for his tea, needing to break the spell before he did something unprofessional.
Abe filled her in on what he'd learned earlier, then said, "Why did you quit Jason's band if the gigs were good?"
"I told you a bit about that," Genevieve said. "He was too controlling."
"That's not good."
"Not at all." Genevieve leaned against the sofa. "It was intolerable. If we offered ideas about different songs or arrangements, he wouldn't hear of it. Only his ideas and decisions had any validity, according to him."
"Sounds like he had issues, even then."