Authors: J. M. Griffin
"Hello? Who's this?"
The scratchy thin voice said, “We want the jewels, nothing more. Get ‘em for us or you'll wish ya did."
I sat up straight and tightened my grip on the phone. Pressing it close to my ear, I listened for any nuances in the voice.
"What jewels are you talking about and why do you want them?” I sucked in a deep breath and held it for a second. False bravado swirled through me.
"They're ours and we want ‘em. Get ‘em back from the cops and then I'll let you know where to drop ‘em off."
"How am I supposed to get them back? The State Police have them in custody, and I doubt they'll give them up willingly."
"Tell ‘em your life's in jeopardy,” the voice rasped.
Okay, I was worried now. My false bravado left on swift wings. Both hands not only shook, but my whole body was on vibrate. Geez, wouldn't you know?
"I'll do that. When will you let me know about the drop off?” I scrambled off the sofa in search of a pencil and paper. I found both atop the desk.
"We'll be in touch. Don't forget, the jewels are ours, no one else's."
The line went dead. In wonder, I stared at the phone. The paper in my hand shook a bit. I started to write the whole episode while it was fresh in my mind.
After I wrote it all, I scribbled questions on the next sheet. What was the age of the person, old, young, middle aged? Was the voice disguised by a mechanical device? Questions flowed across my mind as my pencil raced across the paper. I flipped to the next page and kept writing. These were techniques I taught at the university, but I never thought I'd use them for myself.
As I tried to answer some of the questions I realized it would be better to wait until morning. My mind would reveal all the information it had taken in without my knowing. I lifted the phone, glanced at the clock and decided I'd wait until morning to call Richmond. He'd be on the road and God knows where he was right now. It could be anywhere on the highway that traveled from the border of Massachusetts to the Connecticut state line.
Interstate Route 95 wound through the small state of Rhode Island along with several other major routes. These roads were often covered by local police departments, but usually a state trooper was assigned to cover a specific area. Routines changed as did the assigned routes these Five-O's traveled.
Most nights troopers traveled in pairs. I wasn't sure why Richmond was alone on the calls he'd made to my residence. Unaware of his rank other than the fact he was a Trooper, I wondered. Maybe Trooper was a rank, I didn't know for sure.
As I leaned back against fluffy sofa pillows, my mind bounced all over the place. From Livvy's gift shops, to Livvy, to my cousins and then to the jewels, my mind zigzagged back and forth.
The phone call left a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Suddenly, I remembered the unknown caller I'd had before leaving with Aaron in the morning.
I tossed the papers aside and fled into the kitchen. Sure enough, the light blinked on and off, indicating there was a message. I hit the button and listened to the same raspy voice say I was in danger. It said that though I had a tenant and a trooper to help me, they couldn't save me. My hand shook as I hit the save button.
Unable to make sense of the whole thing, I made a silent promise to call Marcus first thing in the morning. His reaction might be difficult to deal with, but if the jewels were to be released, I figured he could manage it for me.
Rain spattered against the windows. Grey wisps of mist layered the ground and everything appeared disconnected from the earth to hover just above it. A dreary day, to say the least, a day to re-examine the trunk contents.
A yawn and long stretch of my body convinced me to lounge around a while longer. If only that could happen, I thought, when thunderous pounding on the back door sounded. I figured the door was about to break down if I didn't answer it. Geez, can't a person have a quiet day around here?
It occurred to me that it might be my friend Lanky, but then I reflected on his personality and knew he'd never pound on anything. Never mind a door. Besides, what would he be doing here? In a bedraggled state, I slid off the sofa and ambled through the kitchen.
I stepped into the hallway and secured the sash around my robe. I wasn't a pretty sight for anyone, but the noise at the outer door would wake the dead or Aaron if I didn't answer it. When the locks were undone, I flung the door wide and said in a snarky voice, “What do you think you're doing pounding the crap out of my door so early in the morning?"
I stood face to face with Marcus Richmond dressed in damp street clothes. His pickup truck sat parked behind my car and Aaron's truck was absent. We stared at one another. He smiled while I glared and considered what a sight I must be.
"Testy this morning, are we?"
"Well, gosh, it
is
the crack of dawn, ya know."
"No, actually it isn't, Vin. It's nearly ten a.m. and time to rise and shine.” His cheeky smile told me he was right and I was not having a shining moment.
"Come in, you'll get soaked standing in the rain,” I grumbled.
"Can I take my clothes off and dry them in your dryer? We could do something to warm me up if you'd like.” His eyebrows waggled up and down as a hearty chuckle erupted from him.
I turned away and walked into the bathroom while he waited in the kitchen. Geesh, I hadn't even peed yet and he wanted sex. I guess we all have our priorities. I glared at my mirrored reflection in horror.
After I peed, washed my hands, brushed my teeth and combed my hair, I entered the kitchen. The smell of fresh brewed coffee caught my attention and I almost felt half human. Toasted bagels sat on plates with butter and jelly. I guess the food elves visited while I was asleep. The last bagel I had was consumed long ago, so Richmond must have brought these. I grinned, woofed half a bagel in less than a nano-second and washed it down with a slurp of coffee.
"Not hungry, are you?” His grin was contagious and I smiled.
"Have you found out anything since we last spoke?” he asked.
"Yeah, several things actually. One of them you won't like so don't get all huffy and cop like when I tell you."
His inscrutable expression accompanied a light shrug of one shoulder.
Okay, this is it. Show time
.
The message light blinked for a second when I reached over, pressed it and then turned up the volume. A scratchy voice issued from the speaker and Richmond listened with rapt attention. When the voice ended, he stared at me in silence.
"This came in yesterday morning when I was on my way out the door. I didn't play it until the wee hours of this morning."
"Why did you wait so long? Were you out until the wee hours?"
"I forgot that the phone had rung before I left and the only reason I remembered was because this same person called me late last night."
I hustled into the bedroom and returned with the pad of paper. He caught the notepad as it slid across the counter. While he skimmed the paper, I poured more coffee for both of us.
After reading the pages of scribbled words, he glanced at me. I could see his mind at work. Any minute I'd get the third degree, so I took a deep breath and started talking.
"The phone rang late last night. When I answered, this same voice told me to get the gems back. It said that they belong to them and that my life is in peril if I don't return the little darlings to them."
"The voice said the jewels belonged to them, not him?"
It wasn't the question or reaction I expected a flood of relief washed over me. It didn't last long.
"Yeah, he, I think it was a man, said the jewels belonged to them. I asked how I was supposed to get the gems back from you guys. He said to ask for them and say my safety was at stake. I said I would and the call ended. It was then that I remembered the phone call yesterday morning around eleven o'clock. I checked my caller I.D., but the number was restricted so I couldn't call back. This person also said I'd be directed to a drop off point."
His eyes glinted with anger and fixed on mine. Marcus shook his head, sighed and settled back in the chair.
"Why didn't you call me last night?"
"I figured it could wait until this morning. What would be accomplished by alerting you to a phone call, even if it was a threatening one?"
"Uh huh, I see. What else have you got to tell me that could wait this long?"
Dang, I knew I was in the crapper now. I fiddled with the coffee cup until his hand stole over mine. Our eyes met and he had this no nonsense look going on. I fessed up with reluctance.
"You know when we were at Conclavia Inspirata? Well, Lola kind of found an invoice for gems. It was made out to Livvy and was marked on the bottom that the shipment never arrived. We, Lola and I, came up with several scenarios and I took the information to my mother so she could talk to Aunt Josephine."
"What does your Aunt Josephine have to do with this?"
"She's my mother's sister and her two sons are the dummies I told you about.” I explained Mom's visit with my aunt and about the two sons’ activities. All I got was a cool glare and more silence for my efforts. Some people just don't appreciate the lengths to which I will go.
"You're not still involved in an inquiry of your own, are you?” His voice held an ominous tone and a chill skittered up my spine.
I shook my head negatively and smiled while I leaned across the table to kiss his lips in an attempt to change the direction of his questions. When I drew back, he smiled, put his hand behind my head and drew me to him again. Wow, he was a great kisser, but what else was he?
A cop,
my mind screamed in warning. Oh yeah, that, I thought in a dreamy state when Marcus released his hold.
"Anything else you want to share with me, Vinnie?"
That statement left the possibilities wide open, but I figured he meant information on the gems. Not sex on my counter. Dang.
With a meek grin, I sat back and shook my head. I'd feel stupid if he refused sex on the counter. So I kept my trap shut and just stared at this man who curled my toes, left me breathless and wanting more. My eyes played over his rugged features and his played over mine.
It was a waiting game, not dissimilar to the one my dad and I played when I was in the crapper for something. The difference here is that this one involved sex whereas my dad's always involved trouble and the possibility of bail.
Silence stretched on for several moments until I thought my nerves would snap. If he thought I was hiding anything, he was wrong. Other than the fact that I wanted to rip his clothes off and have wild sex with him, I'd held nothing back.
"You didn't tell me if you were out in the wee hours, Vin.” A wolfish grin covered the handsome features.
Could he read my thoughts? I wondered.
"Not me. I was here and in bed by ten."
"I see, then why were all your lights off when I went by around nine?"
"I didn't say I wasn't out, I just said I wasn't out until the wee hours.” A simple explanation was the best, I thought, as I lied by omission.
"Where were you, then?"
"At the ocean having dinner, is there anything wrong with that?” I asked, piqued by his continued interest. Could this be personal or was it part of the investigation? Was I a suspect? Could he be using me in a similar fashion as I thought Aaron might be?
"Uh huh, were you with anyone?"
"As a matter of fact I was. Do I need a lawyer or something?"
"You're incredibly secretive and unwilling to share, so I guess I have to pry. Why would you need a lawyer?"
I'd had enough of this game and found no humor in it. Cops, troopers, even two point fives play mind games to glean any information they can from a suspect. The suspect usually slips somehow and before they know it they've hung themselves. I had no reason to hang myself and resented the questions.
"If you have a personal interest here, why don't you just say so Richmond?” My brows hiked a notch while my temper simmered.
"All right, my interest is personal. I don't want you injured or involved in anything stupid or dangerous. So for God's sake, use your head."
The last words came out in a testy state. I realized how concerned he was for my well being.
"Are you saying I'm stupid to be interested in the death of my aunt?"
"No, it's just that things have gotten out of control and now you're in danger from some lunatic. You can see that, can't you?"
"I'm not blind, you know. I didn't want to get involved in this mess, but it's just happened that way so give me some space and let me work through it. Return the gems you have in the holding safe. I'll be the bait."
"Not in a million years, Lavinia. Never, do you hear me?” He was up, pacing around in an effort to reign in his emotions. I'd seen these actions before when I was on the street with other cops. Walking it off wasn't doing it for him, though.
He strode toward my chair, grabbed me from it and slammed me tight against him. His lips found mine and were cruel in their demands. Okay, so Marcus didn't have himself under the tight control he usually held. I returned the kiss and wrapped my arms around his neck. The embrace became deeper and more demanding as he crushed me to him. I thought I would break in half any second when he suddenly loosened his grip.
When I leaned back a tad, I caught the heated gleam in his eyes and knew he was lost.
"I thought you were going to break me in half,” I whispered with a half smile.
His voice was husky with emotion as he answered me. His hands roamed my body underneath my clothes.
"You drive me nuts, I can't help you if you don't let me, and I can't protect you if you're not honest with me.” His lips nuzzled my neck and he muttered, “I want you, but it'll have to wait until this is over, understand?"
"Yeah, better than you think,” my voice said, while my mind yelled, “
He's a cop, he's a cop. Don't get involved, stupid.
” My heart refused to listen.
What now?
My life was complex enough without the threat of injury from a nutcase. On top of that, involvement with a state trooper that I'd only met a short time ago, not to mention Aaron Grant's revelations, left me with a new set of issues. I slipped from his grasp and settled into my seat once again, though my gaze never left his face. Confusion prevailed and the inner warning played over and over in my brain. It refused to let me be at peace.