Free 5 Conditioner and a Corpse by Cindy Bell

his lips. “But not tonight. It's just you and me, no badges, okay? I want you to be comfortable, I want you to be able to tell me anything. So tell me,” he met her gaze imploringly.
    “ I might have overheard a conversation between Jeff Barnes and his so-called bodyguards,” Bekki explained as she held his gaze.
    He continued to stare into her eyes as he replied. “And how did you hear this conversation?”
    “ I might have gone to the motel where he's staying,” she replied nervously.
    “ Well,” Nick sighed as he glanced away from her. “I can't say that surprises me,” he said with a light smile when he looked back at her.
    “ You're not mad?” she asked.
    “ Of course I am but I knew you wouldn't be able to resist looking into it,” he took her hand in his and laid it across his knee. “
    “ I was careful,” she promised.
    “So what did you find out?” he asked.
    “ Well, I think the bodyguards are not so much bodyguards. It's almost as if Jeff is their hostage,” she narrowed her eyes slightly. “They all want the supplies Jasmine had with her.”
    “ I will look into it first thing in the morning,” Nick smiled and then stood up from the couch. “I've got to check on the pasta,” he called out and then paused and glanced over his shoulder. “Bekki, I really wish you would stop interfering but thanks for telling me.”
    Bekki smiled at him and felt relieved. She hadn't exactly told him everything, but it was enough. When Nick returned he was carrying two plates to the table. Bekki joined him with her glass of wine. As they sat across from each other, Bekki thought about what Nick had said the other day when they woke up together. She was feeling the same sensation as they shared dinner. She reached across the table and lightly rubbed the back of his hand until his fingers uncurled and intertwined with hers. For a long silent moment they sat this way, their eyes locked, their hands held, and it was, despite all of the chaos, a perfect moment.
    “ Things will be back to normal soon,” he murmured as he gave her hand a light squeeze. “I can't wait for us to be able to share a little peace.”
    “ You know something, Nick,” she smiled and tilted her head slightly to the side, a few strands of her dark waves tumbling forward into her eyes as she did. “I am always at peace when I am with you.”
    “ Same here,” he replied and drew her hand to his lips. The soft kiss he placed against her knuckles was a caress that she planned to savor for a very long time. But before she could close her eyes to enjoy it, Nick's cell phone began to ring. He winced and drew his lips away from her hand.
    “ I'm sorry, I asked to be notified of any changes in the case, do you mind?” he frowned and held up his phone.
    “ Go ahead,” Bekki nodded and took a sip of her wine. She was eager to hear any new development.
    “ And you're certain?” Nick asked, his eyes wide and his lips poised to curve upward into a smile. “Fantastic. That is fantastic. No don't wait, go and pick them up now, I'll be in there in twenty minutes,” he stole a glance at Bekki and sighed. “Thirty, make that thirty minutes, okay?” When he hung up the phone Bekki was staring at him curiously.
    “ Is it about the case?” she asked hopefully.
    “ Yes,” Nick said as he leaned closer across the table. “They found some prints that matched Jeff Barnes' bodyguards in the back of the salon, and there was also a witness, a night jogger, placing them at the scene at the time of the crime.”
    “ Wonderful!” Bekki said happily and clapped her hands lightly. “Finally a break.”
    “ It is a break,” Nick agreed as he met her eyes. “But we still have nothing on Jeff. Unless I can break these two, he's still going to be on the loose.”
    “ Then go,” Bekki tilted her head towards the door. “I know you can do it.”
    “ No,” Nick said firmly as he held her gaze. “It'll take some time for them to be picked up, and