All the Deadly Lies Read online

  “Nice.”

  The bed took up most of the space. The windows were treated in the same material as the spread, a yellow fabric with blue flowers. A blue area rug covered the floor, exposing two feet of bare hardwood all around. The night stands sat on either side of the bed, along with a tall dresser and a wide mirror which gave the room an airy feeling. As a psychologist, she tucked away the uniformed, uncluttered rooms throughout the house to analyze another day.

  Thrilled when Jake pulled her back into his arms, she put everything into the kiss. “Pleasant dreams,” he said.

  “Oh, don’t worry I’m sure they will be. Good night.”

  “Good night.”

  Mia closed the door and leaned against it.

  * * * *

  The next morning, Jake, after tossing and turning all night long with Mia in the next room, got up earlier than usual. He opened the back door to let in the mild spring breeze and inhaled. A hint of rain wafted in with the fresh scent of early blooms. He poured coffee into his large mug and decided to watch the sunrise on the back deck. A knock on the front door had him heading the other way. Jake rushed across the kitchen to answer it. He didn’t want the visitor to disturb Mia’s sleep. When he pulled the door open, Louie stood on the other side of it, frowning. There went his sunrise, Jake thought.

  “Damn, you blew another perfect opportunity, Jake.” Without a thought to who might be there, Louie walked into a room talking. “We set you up with a perfectly good woman—what’d you do, toss her back? What gives?”

  “You know, Louie, I like you, though you can be crude at times. Whatever goes on with Mia and me is our business, got it?”

  “I got it. You two seemed to be hitting it off last night. You even looked like…you know. When you left together, well…” Louie shrugged his shoulders, letting the rest of it hang out there.

  “What will be, will be, Louie. Don’t interfere. I’m fixing us breakfast. Do you want some?” Jake said and waited Louie out.

  “What, she’s here? You said—”

  Jake interrupted him. “I said nothing. I asked if you wanted to join us. I hear her moving around in there. Would you like to knock on the spare bedroom door and see if she’s ready to eat?” Jake turned away to hide his grin.

  “The spare bedroom? What are you, Sir freakin’ Lancelot?”

  “The woman’s a lady, Louie. I’m going to treat her like one. Don’t screw this up for me.”

  “Me? Screw up what?” Louie knocked on the door to the spare bedroom as he mumbled.

  * * * *

  Mia sucked in the laughter bubbling in her throat. The last thing she wanted was for Louie to know she’d been eavesdropping. Jake and Louie acted like an old married couple. She’d heard law enforcement partnerships had a deep bond over time. These two personified it. Louie knocked again.

  “Yes?”

  “Umm…good morning. It’s Louie.”

  She opened the door. “Good morning. I enjoyed myself yesterday. Thanks again for the invite.” She wore the robe she’d found on the back of the door. She’d thought about dressing in last night’s clothes but decided Jake should see the way she looked in the morning.

  Louie stepped aside to let her out. She walked to the kitchen. When Jake turned, not all the heat came from the stove.

  “Good morning,” Jake said locking eyes with her.

  “What smells so delicious?” He wore a pair of beat-up jeans. No shirt or shoes. Lordy, she wanted to jump him right then and there. It had been a long night.

  “I made blueberry pancakes and western omelets. I didn’t know if you preferred eggs or a more traditional Sunday breakfast?”

  My God, he looks shy. The rapid pulse in his neck allowed her to see what she felt.

  Louie cleared his throat. “Sophia’s going to kill me. She sent me out for the paper over an hour ago, I better head home.”

  Neither paid any attention to Louie. “Did you say something?” Jake said, turning toward him.

  “I said I’m leaving. Enjoy your breakfast.”

  * * * *

  Mia sat down at the table, while Jake waited on her. Neither of them tasted the food he cooked, absorbed in each other, the world stood apart from them. They talked. They laughed. With his thumb, he wiped away a bit of syrup from her top lip. Before he could pull his hand away she took his thumb into her mouth and sucked it clean.

  Mia pushed away from the table and started to clear the dishes. He took the plates out of her hands and placed them back on the table. He lowered his mouth to hers. She kissed him, dishes forgotten. Silky hands glided over his face before fisting in his hair. He broke the kiss as he searched her eyes. Mia tilted her head to the side to offer him her neck.

  Jake gripped the lapels of the robe she wore and pulled them apart. All the air in his lungs escaped as he fought to breathe. He memorized every inch of her naked body. He never wanted to forget what she looked like, right there, right now.

  “You’re stunning.” He trailed kisses down her throat, to her breasts, before exploring with his hands.

  Her throaty moan encouraged him on. Straightening, he picked her up in his arms and carried her down the hallway as he worked his way toward his bedroom. Midway down the hall he stopped.

  “Now would be the time to say stop,” he whispered. God, please don’t let her stop.

  “I don’t want to… I know we should,” she whispered, short of breath, while she nuzzled his ear.

  “Well…if we’re not going to continue, I need a shower. An arctic shower,” he said hoarsely, putting her down. He leaned her against the wall. His body pressed against hers as he caressed her breasts.

  “We’ll both need a cold shower, if you keep doing that,” she moaned. “I have no willpower left.”

  * * * *

  He said all the right things, she thought, glad for the time she spent in the gym. She felt like a teenager as he felt her up. The sensation sent tiny waves of heat through her bloodstream and shut down her brain. Her entire body was an inferno—if she didn’t put a stop to it now, they might do something they’d regret later. Not that she believed for a second she’d regret it. Another couple of minutes and she wouldn’t be able to stop. He pressed even closer into her, letting her know he wanted her. She wanted him—boy, did she want him. With all her strength, she pushed him away. And reminded herself she’d only met him yesterday.

  “Jake.” She didn’t know what else to say. She did. But she didn’t voice her thoughts. Instead she removed his hands from her breasts, held them together in her hands and kissed them. “Do you have plans for today?”

  Mia watched him try to catch his breath, refocus.

  “No, would you like to do something?” He quickly added, “But not here, or you know what we’ll be doing.”

  “Oh yeah, I thought a nice hike would do us both good. Work off some of this excess energy we seem to have.”

  “Sounds like a plan. Let’s take a shower.” He grabbed her, threw her over his shoulder and walked into the bathroom. With her wiggling to get free, he turned on the water.

  “Wait, put me down, Jake. I can’t take a shower with you. It would be too intimate, too dangerous.”

  “I like danger.”

  “Jake, it would be torturous.”

  “I love torture.” He grinned.

  * * * *

  It was excruciating as Jake soaped her up, sliding his hands all over her. Every nerve ending in her body burned like melted steel. He massaged her flesh, tormented her to the point she could no longer put two words together—need filled her. He must have read her mind. He finished up by washing her hair, a sensuous experience like no other. His hands slid through her strands. Keep this up and I’m all yours, she thought. His hands sent a warm feeling all the way down to her toes. She could think of nothing else but his hands as he continued to lather her up.
In turn she teased him, rubbing him until he moaned for her. Egging him on, she took the kiss deeper. Reason be damned.

  It was obvious he wanted her. She couldn’t last much longer. Mia admired his control, pondering the moment they would take each other. Deep down she felt it would be the best sex of her life.

  “We better get out of the shower and put some clothes on. Otherwise, I’ll have to hang a flag of surrender on myself and swallow my pride. Maybe even my dignity,” he said, his voice cracking with each word he spoke.

  She laughed as he meant her to. “I can’t wait to capture your flag.”

  “You’re killing me! Out, get out now,” he demanded, turning the water to freezing cold. She jumped out of the shower, screaming and laughing.

  * * * *

  They stopped at her condo for a change of clothes before heading to Sharon, Connecticut, for the day. The hour drive was worth it. And the weather cooperated. In the high seventies, it was about ten degrees over the normal temperature for this time of year. It might even hit the low eighties, the weatherman had teased. Ah, the first weekend in May. He picked Kent Falls State Park for the picnic. It offered coves for quiet, romantic picnics and a beautiful waterfall. They talked as they hiked, flirting with each other, until they found the perfect spot to lay out the blanket. Jake set up lunch while Mia poured the wine. They talked the afternoon away. He found Mia to be a good listener.

  For the first time, he spoke of his childhood, his sister’s death, its effect on him and his parents. He spoke of his mother’s illness and his father’s death. She listened without interrupting, unless she wanted him to clarify a point, or to ask a question. She didn’t talk to talk. She listened, as if it would be horrible to miss something he said. And she laughed easily. It made him want to make her laugh more to hear the sound of it again. He hadn’t had a carefree day like this in… He couldn’t remember. He closed his eyes as he brought back the image of her in the shower. The memory so real, so vivid, he could see the water beading on her bare skin, rolling down between her breasts, down her stomach…

  “What are you smiling about?” Mia asked.

  “Number one, what a great laugh you have. Number two, thoughts of you in the shower with nothing on but your smile.” He leaned over and kissed her.

  “Mmm, just a smile?”

  “Oh yeah.”

  He stretched out on his back on the blanket, putting his hands behind his head, and remembered every single curve and freckle on her naked body.

  “I learned something about you today. You’re a pervert,” she said, bending down to kiss him back.

  “Your point?”

  “No point.”

  Chapter 6

  For the first time in twelve years Jake walked into the bullpen at the stroke of nine. Jake’s normal time was seven-thirty. Louie sat at his desk, facing the squad room door as he sipped from a cup of coffee.

  “How nice, you decided to join us today, Lieutenant,” he said over the rim of the cup.

  “Oh, shove it, Louie.”

  “Aren’t we grouchy today? If you’d listened to your hormones, you’d be in a better mood.”

  Jake stared him down. He didn’t flinch. “Lieutenant, let me get you a cup of coffee.”

  “Louie, back off.” Jake turned and left the squad room as the other cops stared after him. Louie followed him into an empty office.

  “Hey, what gives?” he asked.

  “Between us, Louie. No gossip.”

  “Okay.”

  “I watched Mia pull out of the garage this morning. I turned to close the garage door and when I turned back, do you know what I saw?” Jake’s face turned red. Louie was afraid he’d blow a gasket.

  “No, what?” Louie asked.

  “Chloe Wagner pulled out from down the street. She started to follow Mia. I jumped in my car and cut her off before she could find out where Mia lived. When I confronted her, she said she was on her way to work. She had the balls to ask about Mia, by name. How the hell did she know her name?”

  “Don’t know, maybe she’s stalking you? But who the hell stalks a cop?” Louie pulled at his nose.

  “There’s something off about her. I want to review every last piece of evidence today in Shanna Wagner’s file. See if we missed anything. We need to close this one and get rid of Chloe. After we finish the interviews on the Adams case let’s go through Shanna’s together.”

  “I’ll make the time.”

  Jake nodded.

  “So, Mia spent the night again?” Louie slipped in.

  “Get your mind out of the gutter. It’s not what you think.”

  “Hey, what do I think?” Louie scowled all the way back to his desk.

  Jake ignored him. As they stepped back into the squad room, the captain called Jake into his office.

  “Take a seat.” McGuire pointed to a chair.

  “What’s up, Captain?”

  “I’m getting pressure from the other shifts. Their lieutenants want to settle in. Pick out your office. You have first choice because of your seniority and ranking.”

  “Okay, I’ll do it now. Are they all set up or do they need to be outfitted for phones and computers?” Jake thought the corner office at the other end of the bullpen would offer privacy and a nice view of the downtown area. He liked this old shop town, even with all the empty factories. Some enterprising people were now trying to convert them into interesting businesses while grabbing the tax breaks being offered by the city.

  “It’s turn-key, go ahead and pick one out.”

  Jake started out of the captain’s office.

  “Is something bothering you, besides Spaulding?” McGuire asked.

  “I’m distracted with my cases—my sister’s, Wagner, and Adams.” Guilt speared him. Mia had filled his whole weekend. He hadn’t even thought about Eva.

  At some point, I’ll need to discuss Chloe with the captain, but not before I calm down.

  “Do you have anything new on the Wagner or Adams cases?” McGuire asked.

  “No, I took the weekend off. We’ll be doing the follow-ups this morning.”

  “I’ll let you get to it then.”

  He nodded, turned, and walked back to his desk.

  “What did McGuire want?”

  “I’m supposed to pick an office. You’re not going to go ballistic on me, are you?” Jake smiled to lighten the blow.

  Louie stared at him for the beat of five. “No, I’m not going to go crazy. It goes with the rank. But I can’t help wishing it was me.”

  “You’re not going to miss me?”

  “No. I’ve been looking forward to this day for years. I thought I’d be the one in the office.”

  Louie always psyched himself out when it came to taking tests. It never failed—he worried his way to a low score. He’d done the same thing throughout high school. A brilliant detective, Louie had taken the sergeant’s exam for the third time two weeks ago, around the same time Jake had taken the lieutenant’s exam. He offered up a little prayer in hopes that Louie passed this time around.

  “Next week you’ll get to pick the office right next to mine. When you do, we won’t be partners any longer. They’ll give each of us someone to train, God help us.”

  “Yeah, like that would happen.”

  “If you want it, it’ll happen,” Jake said. “Let’s do the follow-up with the two friends who went out with Chelsea Adams. You left messages on Friday for them. Did either of them respond? Have we heard back from the lab yet on the car?”

  “Slow down, Jake, I’m on top of everything. I haven’t gotten any lab results yet. I’ll check my voicemail before I call the lab again. The M.E.’s report should be in later today.” Louie rubbed his chin.

  “Let’s book an interview room for tonight around six o’clock. I’m pulling Chloe in after work. I want her to understand
we’re not kidding around. Let’s start messing with her head,” Jake said, catching Louie’s expression. “What?”

  “Are you doing this because she got under your skin, or because of the case?”

  “She can’t be following me—or Mia—around. I want to make it clear to her that stalking is a criminal offense. But more, what we need is to solve the case for Shanna.”

  “We’re trying. It’s not like we’re not working it,” Louie said.

  “Remember a few months ago when we were leaning toward the guy she worked with, even though he had an alibi? Let’s take another look at him. Review every statement in the file to see if we can pick up the trail again. The last time I saw Chloe, she made a point of mentioning how he kept in touch with her. It’s weird. Shanna broke it off with him a month or two before her death,” Jake said.

  “I’ll book the room.”

  “Damn, it was stupid to date her in the first place. I don’t know what got into me. At some point, I’m going to have to let the captain in on it.”

  “Document it, Jake. You never know when someone’s going to snap,” Louie said.

  “Let’s leave it for now. We’ll record the interview tonight. That will make it official.”

  “If you say so.” Louie shrugged. He backed down. It wasn’t his life. Jake would handle Chloe his own way.

  After checking his voicemail, Louie noted calls from both Julie Cahns and Jora Stein, recorded their numbers on his pad, and then booked an interview room for six o’clock. He returned Julie Cahns’s call first.

  “Julie Cahns, please.” A man answered the phone.

  “Who’s calling?”

  “It’s Detective Romanelli from the Wilkesbury Police Department.”

  “Oh, yes. This is about poor Chelsea, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. You are…?”

  “Julie’s brother, Dwayne.”

  “Okay. Did you know Chelsea?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is Julie there?” Louie asked again. He put Dwayne’s name on the list to interview at a later time.

  “I’ll get her.”