Free Undone by Moonlight by Wendy Etherington Page B

Foolish.
Hadn’t she decided she was done being an idiot over him?
    Kneeling, Calla stroked the cat’s silky fur. Her purred beneath
her touch. So easy, so right. She was hooked for sure now.
    “I’m sorry.”
    She glanced up, more at the tender note in his voice than the
actual words.
    Before she could respond, he knelt beside her. “Hard as it is
to believe, I do understand friendship and compassion. You’ve been nothing but
kind to me, and I’ve been an ass. I’d like another chance.” He tucked a loose
strand of her hair behind her ear. “I really do need you.”
    Unexpected, embarrassing tears clogged her throat. How many
times had she hoped to see that earnest look in his eyes? She tried not to read
too much into his need. Or let her hope rule her head. He’d said friendship, not
undying love. “Okay,” she managed to say.
    He stood, dragging his hand through his hair. “And I’d
appreciate your advice on how to handle the information about Jimmie Forrester.
I need more background on him. You’re the best researcher I know. Plus, I still
don’t have a clue what happened the other night. Jimmie didn’t hit me, and I
sure as hell didn’t hit him, so who did? And why?”
    Rising, she shrugged. Despite his apology and adorable gift,
she was reluctant to jump back into her role as assistant investigator.
    “You’re usually the wordy one. Say something.”
    “You’re going to tell me about your record, right? The reason
behind your suspension?”
    Looking only half as reluctant as she expected, he nodded.
    “An accomplice hit you both,” she said easily, as that seemed
obvious to her.
    “Accomplice to what? A purse snatching? That isn’t a two-man
job. Even if it was, why would Jimmie’s own partner beat him up?”
    “Maybe he agreed, so you could be framed for the assault. Maybe
the partner double-crossed him, and you were a convenient fall guy for
everything.” She angled her head as she considered. “There could have been
something extraordinarily valuable in the purse.”
    “Like money or jewelry?”
    “Or a top secret microchip. The thieves could be spies.”
    “ Jimmie? No way. He’s small-time,
and he doesn’t have the brains for spying or the frame-up of a cop.”
    “Then we’ll have to find out who does.” She scooped up the cat,
who’d finished eating and was staring at them and looking annoyed again. “I’ll
set up his litter box in the bathroom, you put on the coffee. Before we go
forward, I’m gonna need a short history lesson.”
    * * *
    “T HREE YEARS AGO I WAS working with Homicide on a murder case,” Devin began, leaning heavily
on the balcony’s iron railing.
    He and Calla had moved outside—a risk in itself, as the patio
was barely large enough for two people to stand on without touching toes. But
the night was unexpectedly warm, and he could use the air and space to tell her
about the painful past he never seemed able to put behind him.
    “A guy had been stabbed in a conference room at the Marriott
Marquis. A business exec in town for an accounting conference found him when she
arrived to set up for her presentation. She ran screaming through the hotel. At
least twenty accountants trampled the crime scene before a security guard was
found. Blood tracked everywhere. Hysterical tourists. It was a big, damn
mess.
    “By the time our techs examined all the prints, blood splatter
and other evidence, there was nothing to link the dead guy to his killer.”
    “Smart bad guy. Leave the body in a busy place where it would
be discovered unexpectedly. Escape in a crowd of convention goers, random
tourists and hotel guests.” She made a swirling motion with her hands.
“Confusion ensues.”
    He glanced at her in surprise. Though she looked like The
Sunshine Fairy, her thought process was seasoned investigator. He hadn’t noticed
the contrast until a few days ago when she’d made such meticulous notes about
his assault. “But it’s also risky,” he said, wondering