Читать книгу Burning Love - Debra Cowan - Страница 11

No man had ever made Terra’s head spin. It was spinning now. Jack Spencer looked at her as if he wanted to get inside her head, inside her.

His penetrating, midnight-blue gaze gave her the same spine zap she got at a fire. Except she understood fire. She did not understand this at all. When she’d taken off her turnout coat and caught his gaze on her breasts, a sizzling awareness of him, of her own body, had hit her fast and hard. The force and heat of it exploded like a fire that had fed for hours.

At the crime scene, she’d been too numb to register anything except shock and grief, but she did so now. During the ride to Cecily’s, sitting only a foot away from the hollow-eyed cop, Terra had to admit Jack affected her. Even Keith had never gotten to her like this.

She breathed in the scent of clean male, a tang of aftershave. His heat settled over her like a second skin. She gripped the armrest, fighting to push away the thoughts. She should be thinking about Cecily and the questions she needed to ask, but this guy crowded out everything else.

Her gaze followed the slant of streetlight across a chiseled jaw and cheekbone. Huge hands palmed the steering wheel and Terra felt a flutter in the pit of her stomach.

She and Keith had enjoyed good sex and wonderful intimacy, but getting there had been a process. Two years of distance and resentment about her job had whittled away the closeness of their marriage. Since the divorce, she hadn’t come close to wanting that again. Wanting, period. She’d learned she couldn’t trust what she thought she knew, who she thought she knew. Which meant she absolutely couldn’t trust this quick flare of attraction.

She’d never been this curious about a man. Or this aware. She wanted to know whether the shoulders beneath Jack’s khaki jacket were as broad as they appeared to be, whether the thighs covered by neat navy slacks were as powerful as his stride hinted as they walked from the car to Cecily’s door.

His not answering the personal questions she’d lobbed earlier only made her want to figure him out the same way she figured out the burn path of a fire.

Whether or not he was married was none of her business and it bothered her to admit it, but she hadn’t stopped wondering about that either. The desire to know more was like an itch she couldn’t reach.

Whatever a woman had with him wouldn’t be casual and probably not brief. Harris and Granddad had always urged her to listen to her instincts. Right now those instincts screamed at her to nip this fascination with Jack in the bud, and focus on finding the arsonist and whoever had murdered Harris.

Jack Spencer was the man who could help her do that. She couldn’t, wouldn’t, let things get personal between them. Do your job. Keith had always said she did that to the exclusion of everything else. She wondered if Jack Spencer would feel the same.

Telling herself to knock it off, Terra slid her gaze to the tall man standing beside her on Cecily Vaughn’s sweeping porch.

Jack jabbed the doorbell button, shoving his other hand through his thick, seal-brown hair. While darkness edged the sides of the house, light glowing from fixtures flanking the door highlighted the whisker stubble that shadowed his jaw, giving him a rumpled, dangerously sexy look. A woman would have a hard time resisting him when the lights went out. She knew she would have a hard time.

She had an investigation to run and information about Jack Spencer was not pertinent to that. She needed to think about the coming interview with Harris’s ex. “I need to warn you, Cecily probably won’t be too happy to see me.”

Jack slanted her a look just as the door opened.

Cecily Vaughn, wrapped in a candy-pink peignoir, stared dully at Terra and Jack for a moment. Her unfocused brown gaze told Terra the woman was still under the influence of the sedative Jack said she’d taken earlier.

Pulling together the thin edges of her robe, Cecily’s gaze registered recognition. “I guess I should’ve expected you.”

“I’m sorry we have to meet again under these circumstances, Cecily.” Terra’s throat tightened as a fresh wave of pain rolled through her. Shoot, she couldn’t lose it now.

Jack stepped into the pool of light, flashing his badge. “My condolences, Ms. Vaughn. I’m Detective Spencer and we need to ask you a few questions.”

She studied his badge for a moment, then cut her gaze to Terra. “Is she with you? Is that allowed?”

“Yes, ma’am. Investigator August is working this case with me, so her being here is perfectly legal. And expected,” he added.

“Remember that Harris used to work with the police from time to time?” Terra asked quietly.

The other woman’s stare flattened, but she stepped back to allow them grudging access. Her filmy pink robe trailing, she led them into a small, formal sitting area with matching moire Queen Anne love seats and a high-sheen cherrywood coffee table. She stopped behind one of the love seats, her long manicured nails curving onto the muted tan-and-black striped fabric. “How did the fire start?”

“We’re not sure yet,” Jack answered.

Dark shadows ringed Cecily’s eyes. Her usually flawless makeup couldn’t hide her wan skin or the tight lines around her mouth. She looked at Terra. “Maybe that’s where you need to be.”

Terra told herself the woman was upset. Who wouldn’t be? For the moment, she let Jack take the lead. Cecily was on the edge. Easing into asking questions of her own seemed the best idea to Terra.

Jack flipped open his small notebook. “Harris Vaughn was your ex-husband?”

“Yes.”

“How long were you divorced?”

“Six months.”

“Any children?”

Terra noted that Jack kept his voice low and soothing. Evidently he had plenty of practice with distraught people. She wondered how long he’d been a detective.

“No children.” Tears welled in Cecily’s heavily made-up eyes and she grabbed a tissue from a box on the glass-topped end table next to the love seat.

Jack gave her a minute before continuing in the same soft tone. “When was the last time you saw him?”

“A week ago Sunday. Our divorce was final and I wanted to talk to him.”

“About getting back together?”

“Yes.”

“Did you see him here?”

“At his house.” She dabbed her eyes again with the tissue.

Terra planned to confirm that with Harris’s neighbors. Edging a step away from Jack and the power he exuded like heat, she asked, “Did he indicate he was worried or upset about anything?”

Cecily stared at her flatly. “He was upset about our divorce.”

Anger streamed through her, but Terra reminded herself that staying calm was the only way she and Jack would get anywhere. She focused her gaze on Cecily’s diamond ring, a huge butterfly. Terra had never liked that ring. It was gaudy.

“Ms. Vaughn?” Jack drew Cecily’s attention back to himself. “Was there anything else that might have upset him?”

“He really didn’t talk to me about other things,” she answered with a meaningful look at Terra.

“Do you know anyone he’d argued with or might’ve been angry with? Did he talk about anything like that?”

“No.”

“He never mentioned any enemies at all? Anyone who may have threatened him or had a reason to harm him?”

Cecily frowned, crumpling the tissue in nervous hands. “Wasn’t this fire an accident? What’s going on?” She seemed to struggle to focus, her gaze bobbing from Terra to Jack. “Are you a homicide detective?”

“I do investigate homicides.”

“Was he murdered?” she shrieked.

“Ma’am, please try to stay calm.” Jack stepped around the love seat toward Cecily.

Despite her feelings about Harris’s ex, Terra’s heart ached for the agony she read in the woman’s eyes. “Cecily, can I get you something?”

Hatred flashed across her face and she pushed past Jack to stalk around the love seat toward Terra. “He told me he was helping you on a case. That’s why he’s dead, isn’t it? It’s your fault.”

“Ma’am.” Before Terra even saw him move, Jack planted himself in front of Cecily, his face and voice stern. “We don’t know that Ms. August’s job has anything to do with this.”

“I do.” She glared, stepping around him. “Harris wouldn’t be my ex if it weren’t for you, Terra. He wouldn’t be dead if it weren’t for you, because he would’ve been with me. All I ever wanted was to take care of him.”

There was a difference between taking care of someone and smothering them, Terra thought. “Cecily, I didn’t come here to upset you. We’re trying to find out who would do this to Harris.”

“My marriage was fine until he started spending so much time with you.” She poked a finger in Terra’s chest.

Fury erupted, but Terra stepped back, fighting to rein in the hurt and anger crashing through her. Her hands curled into fists. “Don’t do that again, Cecily.”

Jack firmly gripped the woman’s elbow. “Ms. Vaughn, please try and calm down.”

“You’re the reason he left me in the first place.” The woman’s voice rose high and brittle with anger.

Terra wasn’t going to be drawn into an argument, but she let out a sigh of relief when Jack guided Cecily to the love seat. “Here, take a seat. Let me get you a glass of water or something.”

“No.” She glared through her tears at Terra.

He studied her for a moment, then walked over to Terra. Keeping his back to Cecily, he pitched his voice low. “How do you want to play this?”

His shoulder brushed hers, sparking an unexpected warmth. She forced herself to read his eyes, appreciating the earnestness in the blue depths. “I don’t want her calling a lawyer. I’ll wait for you outside.”

“You don’t have to.”

“It’s for the best. She’ll talk to you. I’m only upsetting her.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.” She kept her voice low, her stomach knotting at the sound of Cecily’s sobs. Terra felt like doing the same thing. The whole situation was horrible enough. Antagonizing Harris’s ex would only prolong things.

She moved toward the door.

“Where’s she going?” Cecily demanded.

“Outside—”

Terra closed the door on Jack’s soothing tone. As she made her way down the sidewalk toward his pickup truck, anger at Cecily and whoever had killed Harris burned through Terra. She paced from the hood of the blue pickup to the tailgate.

She had to calm down, shake it off. Leaving Cecily’s house was the best thing for the investigation. Terra would be no good to anyone if she were angry. After a few minutes, her anger subsided. The cool night air skipped over her, raising goose bumps on her arms.

She hugged herself against the chill.

Crossing her arms, she walked the sidewalk to the end of the block, then back. She hoped Jack was getting somewhere with Cecily.

A sudden vibration at her hip had Terra grabbing for the cell phone clipped there. “August.”

“Hey, it’s me.” Robin Daly’s normally sunny voice was subdued. “How are you doing today?”

“Okay.” Terra leaned against the truck’s door, grateful for such a good friend.

“Did you eat?”

“Yes, Mom.” Terra laughed, though she couldn’t remember how long ago she’d finished the cheese and crackers she’d grabbed on her way to the office earlier that day.

“Were you able to stop by your place and shower?”

“Yes. I was at the office until just a while ago.”

“I’m off duty and so is Meredith. She doesn’t have to be back at the hospital until tomorrow night. Want to meet us for dinner?”

“I wish I could, but I’m still working.” She, Robin and Meredith Boren had been friends since both the other girls had moved to Presley in junior high. “I came over to interview Harris’s ex.”

“Ugh. How’s that going?”

“I’m outside and she’s inside. What does that tell you?”

“So, who’s interviewing her?”

“Jack Spencer.”

“You’re with Detective Yummy?” Robin squeaked.

It wasn’t her friend’s incredulity, but the nickname, that had Terra grinning. “Detective Yummy? I guess I can see that.”

“I should hope so, since you’re female and still breathing. Well, well, no wonder you don’t want to meet your two best friends for dinner.”

“Hardly.” Terra would rather be with them. She knew what to expect from the two women who’d been her closest friends since eighth grade, who’d seen her through the deaths of her parents and her grandfather, and had been there for her immediately upon hearing about Harris last night.

“…pretty sad.”

“What’s that?” Terra snapped back to Robin’s conversation.

“His wife. She was murdered by one of her social work cases.”

“Murdered? How awful.” An image of Jack’s impenetrable blue gaze flashed in her mind. Was the loss of his wife the reason his eyes were so hard, so old? “When was this?”

“Three or four years ago, I think. He hasn’t dated since then. At least not that anyone knows about.”

“Can’t say I blame him.” Terra’s divorce had left her raw and skittish. The only reason she dated was to keep Robin and Meredith from pulling any matchmaking stunts. She made sure to date men who were interested in temporary fun, just like she was. The instincts she’d honed over the years told her Jack Spencer would be no casual dinner or last-minute movie.

At the sound of a masculine voice, Terra straightened. “Here comes the detective now. Gotta go.”

“Call me when you get home,” Robin said.

“Okay.” Terra disconnected and clipped the phone to the waistband of her jeans.

The light from Cecily’s porch haloed Jack from behind, a hazy outline of broad shoulders and long legs. He moved down the sidewalk toward her, shadows shading the hollows of his cheeks, making his eyes dark and intense.

As he rounded the hood of his truck and opened the driver’s side door, Terra glanced back at Cecily. The woman stood in the doorway. Even from here, Terra could feel the heat of her glare.

Terra climbed into Jack’s truck. Only then did Cecily go inside and close her front door. Terra looked at Jack, jolted by the penetrating stare he aimed past her. “What did you find out?”

“She has my favorite alibi.” That laser-sharp gaze shifted to Terra and she was glad she had nothing to hide. “She was home alone all night.”

“So, we’ll check out her story about her last meeting with Harris.”

“Do you know anything about it?”

“No, but hopefully his neighbors do.”

“We can go there now, if that’s all right.”

“Yes.”

He turned out of the subdivision and headed north on Keller Avenue.

“What else did you learn?”

“Just like you said, she was obsessed with the man.”

“Do you consider her a suspect?”

He paused. “I got a definite read of ‘if I can’t have him, no one can.’ Do you agree?”

“Yes, but do you think she’d kill him?”

“Nothing surprises me anymore,” he said in a weary voice.

Terra now understood the bleakness in his eyes. The loss. Knowing what had happened to his wife tangled something deep inside her.

Keeping things professional was going to be a lot harder than she’d thought. He rattled her and she couldn’t pretend otherwise.

A cell phone chirped and Jack slid it out of his jacket pocket. “Spencer. Hi, Lieutenant.”

After a brief conversation, he hung up. “We just got a call that there’s a homicide about three blocks from here, just south of Tenth.”

“I thought you were off duty.”

“I am, but the other detective on call just started a case on the east side of town by the water tower. I’m next on the on-call list. I really need to check this out. Do you mind?”

She wasn’t about to tell him that she’d welcome anything that got him out of the truck and farther away than the foot that separated them right now. “No, not at all.”

“Thanks.”

As they made a U-turn in the middle of Keller and headed through the light at Tenth, Terra shifted her gaze out the window.

Two police cruisers, lights flashing, marked the apartment complex’s parking lot where Jack parked his pickup truck. Terra got out when he did, wanting some fresh air and some distance between her and the warm scent of him lingering in the cab.

The news vans were already parked a few yards away and setting up. From the corner of her eye, Terra saw Dane Reynolds head for her. Brother.

Jack moved in front of her, paused. “If it looks like I’m going to be a while, one of the patrolmen can take you back to your office.”

“Thanks.” She wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the cool night air. Reynolds moved up next to Jack, who cut him a sharp look.

The news reporter kept on moving and Terra bit back a smile. T. J. Coontz settled a large camera on his shoulder and gave her a thumbs-up as he hustled to catch Reynolds.

Jack’s gaze bored deep into hers. “Are you okay?”

“Sure.” Was that concern in his eyes? “I don’t mind.”

“I meant about Cecily Vaughn. She was brutal back there.”

Taken aback, Terra found herself unable to look away. “I’m all right. Thanks for asking.”

“He was your friend. I can only imagine how hard this is,” he murmured.

The connection she had felt to him snapped tight. Was he thinking about his own experience when his wife had died? How difficult not only to lose her, but to be a cop and not be able to prevent something like that.

“I just want to find whoever killed him.” A shiver shot up Terra’s spine and she hugged herself tighter. “If I have to deal with Cecily, so be it.”

Jack nodded, taking off his khaki jacket. Surprising her again, he slipped it around her shoulders. “Here, wear this.”

“I’m okay. Really.” The jacket smelled of him, clean and male and mysterious. She reached to take it off.

His hands covered hers, keeping the jacket in place. “It’s starting to get cold out here. Wear it, okay?”

She nodded, blinking at the slow spread of warmth in her belly. She wanted to tell him to stop touching her, but she couldn’t get her voice to work. Or anything else, for that matter.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Sure.” Her voice was a raspy whisper.

He released her, but his gaze stayed locked on hers. A long moment arced between them and Terra swallowed around a knot in her throat. She was suddenly aware of gripping the edges of his jacket with unsteady hands.

“See ya.”

“See ya.” She watched him walk away, power and purpose in his smooth, long strides. Trouble. Big trouble.

Hadn’t she told herself not to let things get personal? When he touched her, it was nothing but personal. She’d never backed away from a challenge. Joining a profession that traditionally employed only men didn’t allow for it, but she wanted to back away now. She wanted to run.